(CHBZ-FM) WILD 1047

Residents urged to follow no-riding rules in Cranbrook Community Forest

Alyssa Conti — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 21:05:28 +0000

The Cranbrook Community Forest is issuing a rule reminder after two individuals were spotted riding an off-road dirt bike in the area.

Park officials say the pair was seen heading down Mistletoe Lane toward Park Royal Wednesday morning, August 12.

Motorized vehicles are not permitted in the forest at any point, but a newly issued temporary prohibition also applies to the forest, which is 2,000 hectares of Crown land.

As of Monday, the BC Wildfire Service has also implemented a temporary ban on recreational off-road vehicles on Crown land across the Southeast Fire Centre to reduce the risk of human-caused wildfires during extreme dry conditions.

The prohibition includes ATVs, motorcycles and off-road side-by-sides.

“We ask everyone to please respect the rules, help protect our forest, and keep our trails safe for the many people who enjoy them,” wrote the Cranbrook Community Forest.

The park, located on 2nd Street South, was established in 1987 and is designed as an interpretive forest with walking and biking trails for community use, with volunteers maintaining minimal impacts for the environmentally sensitive area.

The Trail Health Centre Laboratory remains permanent

Simone Joseph — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 20:00:10 +0000

The Trail Health Centre Laboratory will remain open permanently, continuing to provide outpatient laboratory services to the community.

Interior Health (IH) made the decision following engagement with community leaders, patients, physicians and staff, whose input reinforced the importance of maintaining laboratory services at Trail Health Centre.

The future sustainability of laboratory services in the region will also be supported through the development of the Medical Laboratory Assistant training program at Selkirk College’s Trail campus, helping to train and retain qualified laboratory professionals locally.

Urgent and acute laboratory services will continue to be available at Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital (KBRH) for patients presenting to the emergency department, admitted patients, and patients who need urgent lab testing related to their care.

For added convenience, outpatient laboratory services will also continue to be available at the LifeLabs Trail Patient Service Centre at Waneta Plaza. LifeLabs will also maintain its mobile laboratory collection service for vulnerable patients who are unable to travel to a collection site.

To access outpatient laboratory services, including specimen collection, in Trail:

Trail Health Centre Laboratory
#308-1101 Dewdney Avenue
Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Book online: www.labonlinebooking.ca
Call to book: 1-844-870-4756

LifeLabs Trail Patient Services Centre
#235-8100 Hwy 3B (Waneta Plaza)
Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Book online: www.lifelabs.com
Walk-in appointments available

Wildfire Update: Operations ongoing for Matthew Creek fire near Kimberley

Alyssa Conti — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 18:20:41 +0000

Crews are continuing work on a section of the Matthew Creek wildfire as residents make their way back home amid rescinded evacuation alerts and orders in the Kimberley area.

The latest update from BC Wildfire Service says planned ignitions were completed on the fire west of Kimberley, removing unburnt fuel between the fire’s edge and pre-established control lines.

Operations are ongoing, with helicopter and heavy equipment supporting 63 firefighting personnel on the ground as of Wednesday (Aug. 12).

All other incidents in the region, including the Tower Creek fire west of St. Mary Lake and the Calamity Creek fire 40 kilometres northwest of Kimberley, were classified as being held earlier this week.

A severe thunderstorm watch in the southern part of the region may bring strong winds, lightning and hail across the East Kootenay over the next 24 to 36 hours.

BC Wildfire says the Matthew Creek fire sits at 1,825 hectares at the time of writing – the same size it was roughly a week ago.

The Elkford Municipal Campground joins WildSafeBC Bare Campsite Program

Simone Joseph — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 13:30:31 +0000

Campers at the Elkford Municipal Campground are being encouraged to keep their sites clean and free of wildlife attractants, as the campground joins the WildSafeBC Bare Campsite Program.

Camping in wildlife country requires extra care to secure attractants and reduce conflicts with wildlife.

WildSafeBC’s Bare Campsite Program provides campground operators with resources and training to help reduce conflicts with bears and other wildlife at their facilities.

The program is based on Parks Canada’s Bare Campsite Program, which was successfully implemented in the 1990s. It reduced the number of bears becoming food-conditioned, helped save many bears’ lives, and made campgrounds safer and more enjoyable for everyone.

The District of Elkford says it’s committed to a safe and enjoyable camping experience by:

Promoting safe camping practices
Reducing wildlife attractants
Training staff in wildlife safety
Maintaining bear-resistant facilities
Regularly reviewing campground safety

For information about the WildSafeBC Bare Campsite Program, click here.

Support for Summerland-area evacuees: Province expands accommodation and support services for evacuees

Simone Joseph — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 20:00:39 +0000

The Province is working with local partners in the Penticton area to support people evacuated because of the Bald Range wildfire.

To date, the Province has booked more than 1,000 hotel rooms in Penticton, Kelowna and West Kelowna, which are available for evacuees.

Group lodging is also available in communities throughout the Okanagan with nearly 1,000 beds set up.

Those needing assistance to find an available hotel room or a referral to group lodging are encouraged to visit a reception centre at:

Penticton Trade and Convention Centre, 273 Power St., Penticton
Westbank Lions Community Hall, 2466 Main St., West Kelowna

The Province is working with the tourism and hospitality sector, the federal government and other partners to secure additional accommodation and is booking more hotel rooms as they become available, thanks to people changing their travel plans to support evacuees.

Anyone who is evacuated and able to stay with friends and family are encouraged to do so.

Over the weekend, the BC Evacuee Helpline had a record number of calls from evacuees needing support.

ServiceBC, which operates the BC Evacuee Helpline, has increased staff capacity twenty-fold to ensure that all evacuees are receiving support as quickly as possible.

This includes staff to support with BC Services Card identity verification so that evacuees can register for Emergency Support Services (ESS) online.

Mobile ServiceBC Centre units have been deployed to Penticton and Kelowna to further support with identity verification.

People can reach the BC Evacuee Helpline at 1-800-387-4258.

To register with Emergency Support Services, visit here.

Residents of Kimberley Special Care Home return after wildfire evacuation alerts

Simone Joseph — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 18:00:00 +0000

Residents of Kimberley Special Care Home are now home following the rescinding of local evacuation alerts and orders.

Interior Health (IH) says a total of 53 residents were moved to alternate locations on July 23, due to risks associated with the Matthew Creek Wildfire.

In planning for a safe return, IH has also had to account for potential impacts from the Wait Creek wildfire, which started after the initial evacuation.

IH would like to thank all partners involved for supporting the safe relocation and repatriation of these residents.

IT says it continues to closely monitor wildfire activity in the Interior in consultation with municipalities, regional districts, and the BC Wildfire Service to help keep staff, physicians and clients who receive care in the community safe.

If you require support during this crisis, you are encouraged to call the BC Crisis Line at 310-6789.

Everyone is reminded to prepare for wildfires, and smoky skies as air quality gets worse, by visiting Interior Health’s website, here.

For additional resources, please visit the Regional District of East Kootenay’s website at https://www.rdek.bc.ca

Elk Valley RCMP conducts vehicle and boat checks near Koocanusa Lake and Baynes Lake: More than 125 breath tests were issued

Simone Joseph — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 16:00:05 +0000

Elk Valley RCMP conducted vehicle and boat checks near Koocanusa Lake and Baynes Lake in July.

BC Highway Patrol, Elk Valley RCMP, and the BC Conservation Service joined together on July 31 to conduct a large-scale check stop in Baynes Lake.

During the two-and-a-half-hour check stop, over 400 vehicles were checked for driver’s licenses, proof of insurance, as well as driver sobriety.

More than125 breath demands were issued resulting in two 24-hour driving prohibitions for impaired driving.

Numerous violation tickets were issued for no insurance, failure to produce insurance, and other infractions as well as 23 warnings issued for drivers failing to produce their driver’s licence.

One driver was also ticketed by the BC Conservation Service for failing to stop at the mandatory boat check with the driver having been located during the check stop.

On July 7, Elk Valley RCMP conducted boat patrols on Koocanusa Lake. Although the smoky weather reduced boat traffic, over the course of the five-hour patrol 14 boats were checked for various safety regulations as well as checks conducted for having liquor on board the boats.

Numerous written warnings were given for various infractions.

New four-way stops coming to two downtown Cranbrook intersections

Simone Joseph — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 13:30:26 +0000

Permanent traffic changes are coming to downtown Cranbrook to help vehicles, pedestrians, and local businesses move safely and efficiently.

These changes come into effect on August 18.

The intersections of Baker Street and 12th Avenue, along with Baker Lane at 13th Avenue South will become four-way stops.

These permanent changes stem from recommendations of the City’s Traffic Safety Committee made up of members of the Cranbrook RCMP, Bylaw Services, Engineering and Public Works.

Baker Street and 12th Avenue

Public Works will be installing a new stop sign on Baker Street, in front of Talaria Footwear, making this intersection a full four-way stop.

Stop signs remain in place on the other three corners on 12th Avenue and coming out of the Safeway parking lot onto Baker Street.

Baker Street and 12th Ave four-way stops project map.
(Image Credit: The City of Cranbrook)

Baker Lane and 13th Avenue South

Public Works will also be installing two new stop signs on Baker Lane – one in front of Mad Lillies and on the opposite side of Baker Lane at the turn into the Safeway parking lot.

Drivers are asked to please use caution and care when approaching or using these intersections for the next several months.

Baker Lane and 13th Ave South four-way stops project map.
(Image Credit: The City of Cranbrook)

Remember that at a four-way stop, the first vehicle to come to a complete stop is the first to go. If two vehicles arrive at the same time, the driver on the right goes first.

If two vehicles are facing each other and arrive at about the same time, the driver turning left should yield to the vehicle going straight through.

Kootenay real estates sales increase in July compared to last year

Simone Joseph — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 13:30:40 +0000

Latest figures show a 2.6 per cent increase in sales in July for the Kootenay and Boundary region compared to July 2025.

The Association of Interior Realtors data reveals there were 318 sales recorded in July, which was slightly up from June’s 312 units sold.

There were 518 new listings recorded in the Kootenay and Boundary region in July marking a 11.9 per cent increase compared to the same month the previous year. It was down from the previous month’s 547 new listings.

The overall active listings in the Kootenay region saw an 8.2 per cent increase compared to July 2025 with 1,940 recorded listings, which was above June’s 1,891 overall inventory.

“The Kootenay and Boundary real estate market continues to distinguish itself with another month of strong activity with sales tracking ahead of last year’s pace,” said Ryan Mayne, President, Association of Interior REALTORS.

“While new listings did see an uptick, inventory remains slow to build in the Kootenays, reflecting sustained demand and the region’s ongoing appeal.”

The benchmark price, a better representation of value compared to the average or median price as it represents a dwelling of “typical attributes”, saw a 5 per cent increase in the Kootenay region in the single-family housing category compared to the same month the previous year, coming in at $640,700.

The townhouse category saw a 4.6 per cent decrease in benchmark pricing, coming in at $509,400.

In the condominium housing category saw a benchmark price increase of 11.1 per cent in year-over-year comparison, coming in at $346,500.

B.C. police watchdog seeks witnesses to Revelstoke arrest involving injured man

Alyssa Conti — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 14:00:14 +0000

The Independent Investigations Office of BC (IIO) is looking to get more information about the arrest of a man near Revelstoke on Sunday, August 2.

RCMP say shortly after 2:30 p.m., officers responded to a report of an unresponsive man in the driver’s seat of a white Jeep Cherokee with Alberta plates parked off Highway 1 near Albert Canyon, northeast of Revelstoke.

Police went to speak with the man, who was asleep. He then tried to drive away from the scene, but officers arrested and took him to local cells.

It was later observed that the man had suffered an injury.

Paramedics examined him at the detachment before taking him to hospital for further examination.

The IIO was notified and has since started an investigation to determine if the injury meets the threshold of serious harm and if so, whether there’s a connection between the injury and officer action or inaction.

Investigators are now asking anyone who witnessed or may have video of the man’s interaction with police to contact the IIO at 1-855-446-8477 or via the contact form on the iiobc.ca website.