Selkirk College joins forces with SFU to bring Community Economic Development certificate program the Kootenays

This partnership will bring the highly regarded Certificate Program for Community Economic Development (CED) program to the Kootenays, starting July 2012. The program accepts only 20 participants each year and has broad appeal to both economic development officers and community organizers. For more about this program click here or contact Anni Holtby, Continuing Education Coordinator with Selkirk College at nelsonce@selkirk.ca or 250.354.3206.  To apply to the program contact Nicole Chaland, Program Director, SFU Certificate for Community Economic Development at certced@sfu.ca or 250.686.1167.

Architect Thomas Loh’s vision for the restoration and development of Cottonwood Creek

The City of Nelson is going to restore and develop Cottonwood Creek from Cottonwood Park to the CPR rail line, creating a network of small public spaces. This will take place mainly in two fragments of the creek on either side of the Baker Street Bridge. The renewed creek landscape would include footpaths, native shrubs, grass, artefacts related to railroad history, flowers, benches, lighting, and information displays.  The creek restoration will be completed gradually as grant funds permit.  Some landscaping work will begin in the spring.

Kootenay Real Estate improvements predicted

The Kootenay Real Estate Market was down slightly in 2011.  There were some communities that saw an increase in average house prices but for the most part across the East and West Kootenays sales were down from 2010.  The Real Estate board is predicting a slow and steady improvement for 2012, and expects the low interest rates to draw new buyers into the market.

Creston – A great place to be

Creston has been nominated as one of the “Great Places in Canada”…it’s a contest by the Canadian Institute of Planners.

Employment picture brightens

The Kootenay unemployment rate remains below both the provincial and national averages, according to Statistics Canada. Unemployment rate is 6.2 per cent in our region last month, compared to 6.8 per cent in December. The local rate is even better when compared to January 2011, when it stood at 8.3 per cent.  StatsCan estimated 5,000 people were looking for work in our region last month, but about 300 more people had jobs than the previous month.  The figures cover both the East and West Kootenays.

Castlegar emergency ward closure 

Castlegar’s emergency ward was closed without notice Saturday.  People seeking medical care were met, at the hospital doors, with a sign that read, “Emerg dept closed for today (Sat Feb 4) Please head to Trail or Nelson Emerg Department.”   Castlegar firefighters serve also as medical first responders in the community, were not notified of the closure.  IHA used none of the vehicles at their disposal to warn the public of the closure, citing opportunities like the media, social applications like Facebook, and community partners like City Hall, all of whom would have helped spread the word, but none of whom (to the best of his knowledge) were contacted.

Local tree planting concerns

Attractive wages and less strenuous work are just a couple of reasons why BC’s tree planters are heading to Alberta to work in the oil and gas industry.  Last week the Western Silviculture Contractors’ Association warned they might not be able to find enough workers to plant the 40 million trees its members hope to put in the ground this year.  Alberta and BC draw from the same labour pool, and the forest industry can’t compete with Alberta’s wages. Recognizing this issue the Provincial Government is investing $550,000 over three years to help the industry develop new human resource strategies to  meet the challenges of a changing labour market

Larger network for BC Interior Crisis Line

Volunteers working on our Crisis Line will now be part of a larger shared network so that no caller in the BC Interior goes unanswered. They’re now connected with Cranbrook, Vernon, Kelowna and Williams Lake. If anyone of them are busy on another call the other locations will pick up.   The new toll free number is 1-800-353-CARE ( 2273)

Nelson headcount tops 10,000

For the first time in its history, Nelson’s population has cracked the 10,000 mark.  According to 2011 census figures released today by Statistics Canada, the city’s population stood at 10,230, compared to 9,258 in 2006 — a change of 972.

Nelson contracts open to European bidders?

Will the City of Nelson’s independence be threatened by Canada’s involvement with the European Union in the proposed Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA)?  CETA would allow companies in the European Union to bid on local contracts and to supply local services, in competition with Canadian or local companies. It could prohibit Nelson City Council from preferring local purchases.  The FCM has negotiated with the federal Minister of International Trade of a set of procurement thresholds. Any municipal purchase of less than $340,600 would not be affected by CETA. The same would hold true for construction contracts under $8.5 million. It seemed to be agreed around the council table that Nelson would rarely, if ever, reach those thresholds.

Fields store closing in downtown Trail

Fields in Trail is winding down its operations with a closure date yet to be set for this year. The local economic office is currently in pursuit of a campaign to target particular businesses and chains and sell them on the opportunities that exist in this region.  Trail’s Downtown Opportunities and Action Committee is looking into creating an anchor downtown that will create a buzz not only for customers but potential new business.

Bennett promoting Jumbo in France

Bill Bennett, MLA for Kootenay East, is in France, talking with a ski resort company about projects in BC, including the controversial Jumbo Glacier Resort.

Selkirk asking Feds for Aviation Program money

Selkirk College is looking for $4 million from the Federal government to invest in its Aviation Program. The program – run out of the West Kootenay Regional Airport at Castlegar – is in need of some big capital renewal … for two simulators, two twin-engine planes and a storage/maintenance hangar. The funding request is to the government’s Western Economic Diversification program. The aviation program is considered a significant factor in maintaining the viability of the airport at Castlegar and commercial air service to our region.

RCMP struggling to fill jobs

Internal RCMP documents show the force scrambling to fill jobs in BC despite years of warnings that chronic understaffing is putting police and the public at risk. One in 10 Mountie positions in BC sits empty. Jobs left unfilled due to medical, parental and other forms of extended leave push the vacancy rate to almost 16 per cent province wide and to 17.4 per cent on Vancouver Island.

BC appoints nine new Provincial Court judges to ease backlogs

British Columbia has appointed nine new Provincial Court judges, the government announced Tuesday. The move comes as the province faces intense criticism over delays in the justice system, including from judges themselves.

BC population grows to 4.4 million with urban areas leading the way

British Columbia’s population continues to grow rapidly, with new residents preferring urban metropolitan areas rather than rural centres. Squamish and Chilliwack metropolitan areas saw the biggest gains in population between 2006 and 2011, according to Statistics Canada.  The latest Census figures show B.’s population increased by 7% between 2006-2011, pushing the population to 4.4 million, and making BC the second fastest growing province next to Alberta.  The Western provinces welcomed 30.7 % of Canada’s population growth for the five-year period, for the first time surpassing that of the Atlantic Provinces and Quebec combined (30.6 %).  Canada’s population grew by 5.9 % in the five-year period to 33.5 million. The growth credited to the rise to immigrants, is the highest of the G8 nations.

Migrant farm workers by the numbers

There are more than 23,000 temporary farm workers in Canada.  The numbers have been rising steadily for the past decade. Typically a foreign farm worker is admitted under one of two federal programs: the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program or the Pilot Project for Occupations Requiring Lower Levels of Formal Training. The number of people admitted under both of these programs is increasing.  In 2010, there were 23,898 foreign workers admitted to Canada under the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program, an increase of 29% from 2001 levels.

Walmart targets Canada with $750M expansion

Walmart Canada will spend $750 million to add 4.6 million square feet of retail space and 14,000 jobs in Canada this year, a release said Tuesday. The world’s largest retailer plans to complete 73 expansion or renovation projects across Canada this year, which would make it Walmart’s busiest year on record in this country. The jobs estimate combines in-store positions plus construction jobs during store remodelling.  More than half of the planned projects will be to convert 39 former Zellers stores into Walmarts after the company bought leaseholds from the discount chain in June 2011.

Canada census shows people moving west

The latest census figures show Canada’s population at 33.5 million, with more people continuing to migrate to the West. For the first time ever, more people are living west of Ontario than in Quebec and the Atlantic provinces.
Every single region is gaining residents because of immigration, and parts of eastern Canada have seen a startling turnaround because of aggressive immigrant recruitment. Newfoundland and Labrador is no longer shrinking, and both Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick have picked up considerable speed.   Statistics Canada says the West has proven particularly attractive to newcomers.   At the same time, the region is also seeing somewhat higher fertility and is luring many residents from other parts of the country.

Government News

HOPE – The Province will invest approximately $6 million to resurface an important stretch of Highway 3 between Hope and Nicolum Creek Bridge.

VERNON – Work will begin this summer on a major upgrade to Highway 6 in Coldstream, and resurfacing of Highway 97A near Armstrong. These improvements will increase the safety of these important North Okanagan corridors.

VICTORIA – British Columbia’s economy is expected to grow modestly this year and next year, according to updated projections by the B.C. Economic Forecast Council, Finance Minister Kevin Falcon said today.The council expects B.C.’s economy to post 2.2 per cent growth in 2012, the same rate it predicted two months ago at its annual meeting. The council slightly reduced its 2013 forecast to 2.5 per cent, down from 2.6 per cent. The forecast average for the 2014-16 period remains the same at 2.7 per cent.

VICTORIA – To help small business become more energy-efficient, the Province is providing $145,000 until March 31, 2013 to top up FortisBC high-efficiency natural gas boiler and water heater incentives for small businesses. Small businesses can apply to receive up to $1,495 from the Province and FortisBC to offset the cost of installing a qualified high-efficiency boiler.

United States: How the stimulus revived the Electric Car

One success the Obama administration can duly claim is the rebirth of the electric-car industry in the United States. Automakers have unveiled a number of mass-market electric cars, which have seen small but rising sales.  Battery and parts manufacturers are building 30 factories, creating thousands of new jobs. A123 has hired 700 workers at Herrera’s plant and a second one in nearby Livonia, and plans to hire a couple thousand more people over the next few years.  If it wasn’t for the stimulus, the companies say, they would have built these plants overseas.  It was all part of an effort to promote “green” manufacturing and put a million electric cars on the road by 2015.

China’s minimum wages to increase

The Chinese cabinet is promising to raise minimum wages by 13% a year until 2015, as the country’s leaders face growing pressure to spread the country’s prosperity more widely. The government also pledged to launch initiatives to create 45 million jobs.  The minimum wage in China ranges from the equivalent of $200 a month in cities like Shanghai and Beijing to the equivalent of $100 a month in the country’s poorest provinces.

Kootenay News is a regular feature of Kootenay Career Development Society.