Mental Health Matters campaign raises $80,000 to improve services at KBRH – Trail News

Photo: Trail and Greater District RCMP

Trail police have released an image of the person they believe to be involved in an alleged assault of a man during a Kootenay International Junior Hockey League playoff game in Fruitvale.

Earlier this month, police reported that the alleged assault occurred during the third period of the game between the Grand Forks Border Bruins and the Beaver Valley Nitehawks at the Beaver Valley Arena on March 19.

Police said a confrontation escalated into a physical fight after two men, one from Grand Forks, began to argue over the use of an air horn.

The next day, Trail RCMP received the report about the incident involving a 47-year-old Fruitvale man who was allegedly assaulted during the game.

“It’s quite severe,” said Sgt. Mike Wicentowich of the Trail RCMP. “It is a bizarre one just because of the people involved in the situation, we never expected that. So, we’re trying to get to the bottom of it.”

Police have described the suspect in the alleged assault to be around 50 years old, caucasian, with a heavy build, a grey moustache, wearing a grey baseball cap, jeans and a black jacket.

Police are asking anyone who can identify or knows of the suspect to please contact the Trail detachment at 250-364-2566 to speak to an investigator.

Photo: Flickr

Police have reported a slew of thefts that occurred over the month of March that defrauded three seperate individuals out of a combined $516,000.

On March 21, Trail RCMP received a report from a 47-year-old man who was scammed out of $190,000 after investing in a cryptocurrency plot through a publicly available website.

The man reportedly built a relationship with an individual on social media who subsequently persuaded him to invest his money into cryptocurrency.

The man later learned that his money and investment had been erased after he attempted to transfer his funds to a third-party electronic location outside of his account. The money was not recoverable.

“The cryptocurrency space is rife with fraudsters trying to trade the worthless digital currency for real money. Investing through social media bears the same extremely high risk of investing in cryptocurrency,” said Trail RCMP Sgt. Wicentowich.

Another scam

Trail RCMP received another report of a cryptocurrency scam on March 12 from an 84-year-old Montrose woman who was defrauded of $4,000 after investing in cryptocurrency through a social media platform.

The woman reportedly sent the money electronically to an alleged investment company, and the money was not recoverable.

“These kinds of investments are likely not insured or guaranteed against fraud and theft. Please keep your money safe and in your own bank account,” said Sgt. Wicentowich.

Crypto scams continue

The most recent report of a cryptocurrency scam came on March 27, after police received a fraud report from a 50-year-old Rossland man who was scammed out of $322,000.

The man reportedly invested in cryptocurrency and began to send money electronically to a cryptocurrency website in 2021. He was unable to recover his funds.

“You will likely be scammed if you invest in cryptocurrency. The public needs to take precautions and avoid buying cryptocurrency. You do not know who you are dealing with nor where your money is going to end up,” said Sgt. Wicentowich.

Photo: Samantha Holomay

The Record Ridge mining development review committee (MDRC) has decided to reject the Record Ridge mine proposal over what they say are unresolved technical, environmental and economic issues.

The project, initially proposed by Western High Resources (WHY), was looked over by the committee and members of the Ministry of Mines and Critical Metals. The open pit magnesium mine proposed for the Record Ridge area is located within the Quesnel Terrain of the Intermontane Belt, located 7.5 kilometres southwest of Rossland.

Rossland is heavily dependent on tourism, and the committee stated concerns about the proposed project stems in part from the impact it could have on the economic base and the tourism industry. Mayor of Rossland Andy Morel said that committee members felt that the Calgary-based mining company had adequately addressed their concerns.

The city had released a full list of concerns that detailed the potential negative impacts on transportation and policy issues. Morel said that the city requested a full environmental assessment of the project before the project moved forward.

“We continued to say, ‘Wait a minute,'” said Morel.

He said that, despite the committee’s concerns, the proponent downplayed the need for a full environmental assessment by reducing the mine capacity below the threshold. Morel claimed that the capacity of the project is considerably bigger than the current application specifies.

However, the final decision will rest with the staff at the Regional Director for Mining Operations and the Ministry of Mining and Critical Metals.

Castanet had reached out to the Calgary-based company for comment.

Photo: Maya Provencal Facebook

As part of an ongoing series, Castanet will be highlighting each acting Mayor in Rossland throughout the year, offering the community an opportunity to get to know the councillors who are helping shape the community.

Coun. Maya Provencal will be assuming the role of acting mayor for April 2025.

A new mother and environmental activist, she said she was drawn to municipal politics through her experiences on provincial advisory boards. She said that she has also admired the often quick impact that municipal decisions can have on communities.

“I just found it so interesting how quickly change can happen.”

Harnessing the skills she gained from working alongside non-profits and BC Young Leaders Council, friends, and coworkers nudged her to run for council in 2022.

“I also found that there were not a lot of young people involved in local politics,” she said.

Narrowing down her single most favourite thing about the community of Rossland was difficult, having to sift through her thoughts, she said the level of community spirit trumps all.

“There is a really strong shared value for community and a love for nature,” he said.

Her favourite place to hang around Rossland in the summertime is the back patio of the Alpine Grind cafe. When she’s not taking part in municipal politics, she can be found taking care of her 1-year-old daughter Matilda, relaxing with a romance novel,

“I feel like ever since I have been out of school, most of the novels I read are escapism, just to forget about the world for a bit.”

She also loves to wind down her brain with a sweet treat while watching reality television, Love is Blind, to be specific.

With her husband, Provencal has two black tabby cats named Alfie and Sadie and a dog named Bowie. Yes, like David Bowie.

She said that being on the council has been a great experience and hopes to assist with more environmentally and inclusionary focused initiatives throughout her term.

Photo: Rossland Museum and Discovery Centre

The Rossland Museum and Discovery Centre will be hosting an egg-citing Easter Egg Hunt next month for children and families.

The event is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Saturday, April 19 will also feature egg hunts, easter themed crafts, and face painting for children ages 8 years old and younger.

The afternoon hunts will take place at 1:30 p.m. for children aged 8 years old to 12.

The majority of the event will be taking place outside, so remember to bring warm clothe and footwear and of course your biggest baskets to hold your treats.

The event is still in need of volunteers to assist with face painting and other activities, and interested parties can contact Fiona Lane at admin@ rosslandmuseum.ca or 250-362-7722.

For more information, visit the Rossland Museum and Discovery Centre’s website.

Photo: Samantha Holomay

Red Mountain Ski Resort has cancelled a weekend ski event due to poor visibility on the mountain.

Avalanche Canada said that the Kootenay region would experience cooling trends for the March 29 weekend, a stark contrast from the warm weather that riders experienced earlier in the week.

The warm conditions have made snowpack unstable, and the cooling trends are expected to re-freeze the weakened pack, making snow conditions icy and hard.

The Notorious Cliff Dive event that was scheduled for March 29 included riders taking their chance at skiing off cliffs and racing down the mountain. The winner would receive bragging rights and new ski or snowboard boots as a prize.

Red Mountain Resort staff have confirmed that the poor conditions were not the only reason that the event was cancelled.

“It was a lack of registration, and it’s because it is cloudy today, there’s a lot of fog out there right now.”

Other ski mountain resorts don’t seem to be having a problem, however. Fernie Alpine Resort’s Retro Weekend, scheduled for March 29, is still a go.

Revelstoke Mountain Resort has closed its bowl terrain for safety reasons due to the recent rain and warmer weather. However, their upcoming King and Queen of the Park slopestyle event is slated for March 30.

It is important to note that each resort has posted a note about weather conditions from earlier in the week.

Photo: Samantha Holomay

Red Mountain Resort has released the first episode of its two-part mini video-series geared towards generating excitement about its new bike park.

The countdown to the grand opening of Red Mountain Resort’s lift-accessible bike park has been long-awaited by riders and bike enthusiasts alike.

The first episode, Standing on the Shoulders of Legends produced by KMC Productions, centres around the history of mountain biking in the Kootenay region and the ones that made the culture what it is today.

The series will document the experiences of riders and other legendary athletes that have graced the mountains in Rossland.

The series coincides with the launch of the Red Mountain bike park website that details the trails map, pricing and everything riders need to know before hitting the dirt.

The hill will have a variety of different trails for beginners and seasoned shredders. The park is slated to officially open this summer on June 21.

Photo: Samantha Holomay

The City have announced that they will officially begin spring maintenance work on Wagon Road from Redstone to the Railgrade on March 28.

Photo: City of Rossland

The city has suggested that the properties could also contribute up to $33,790 annually in tax revenue.

The project will involve the use of machinery for vegetation management and maintenance, and it is anticipated to take about four days to complete.

Once the closure is finalized and the title is registered under the City of Rossland, it will combine the new infrastructure into its long-term asset management plan to ensure maintenance is kept up-to-date.

The city apologized for any inconvenience that the maintenance may cause in a March 26 news release.

Photo: Lesley Beatson

A lot of talent has come from Rossland’s Black Jack Ski Club and the accolades are continuing to roll in.

Rossland’s own Lesley Beatson locked in third place in the Master’s World Cup cross-country ski competition.

“The really cool thing,” she said. “The other two women that were on that podium were pretty exceptional so I was in very good company.”

Photo: Lesley Beatson

The competition took place in Klosters, Switzerland, from March 9-15, and was Beatson’s third time competing in the Masters World Cup. With four races in five days and warmer than expected weather the course conditions were not ideal.

However, after qualifying to be an anchor for the relay team Beatson knew that she could be in the running for potentially winning a medal.

She finished third in the 20-km skate-ski event and barely missed the opportunity in to qualify for the 10-km skate competition.

“It was a bit of a heartbreak,” she said.

A mother of two, the 66-year-old skier is a veteran and has been representing Canada on the world stage for years. She started participating in the Black Jack Ski Club in the early 80s and has since become a coach for younger skiers.

“I get so much joy out of it,” she said.

With another win under her belt she hopes to continue to motivate young skiers, especially young-women, to achieve their skiing goals.