April
1 – Changes for BC Liquor Stores came into effect today. In Trail it means longer hours and Sunday openings.
2 – After over four years of construction, Columbia Power announced that power is on at the Waneta Dam expansion site. The $900 million project provided work for over 1,700 tradespeople.
8 – Kootenay Festival of the Arts returns have a two-year hiatus. The event, which began over 80 years ago, highlights regional talents in dance, voice, piano and strings.
14 – The Trail and Rossland chambers of commerce discuss merging and the Rossland chapter closes.
15 – The Trail SPCA branch is in danger of closing unless a new facility is built. In a letter to the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary, the BCSPCA’s chief executive director said the current facility is in poor condition and required urgent replacement. The RDKB was to discuss the matter at its next meeting at the end of April.
16 – Barbara Gibson, a tireless volunteer involved in many community organizations ranging from the library to Sanctuary, is named the Trail-Warfield Citizen of the Year.
23 – The popular Fruitvale Recycling Depot is set to close at the end of the month. The facility, behind Liberty Foods in Fruitvale, will be replaced by curbside pick up, which is part of the Multi Materials BC project. Tim Dueck of the RDKB, said the move will save taxpayers money.
27 – Walmart announces it will expand its Trail store to include more grocery items. It also announced it will be closing the tire and lube service. Changes are expected over the course of the year.
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May
4 – Pacific Coastal announces it will discontinue its service from Trail to Kelowna. The service, which began in January, lacked the passenger load required to make it viable. Pacific Coastal executives said the airline could revisit the route in the future.
8 – J.L. Crowe Secondary School is locked down briefly after police receive reports of gunshots in the area. Upon investigation it was revealed that students had set off fireworks.
8 – Colin James entertains a packed house at the Charles Bailey Theatre. The June Award-winning singer, songwriter presented an acoustic performance of some of his biggest hits.
10 – Silver City Days provided plenty of sunshine and little trouble as police report a relatively safe and quiet weekend for the annual festivities.
11 – Trail council decides to conduct a random survey, at a cost of $16,000, to seek out opinions from residents on a skate park.
12 – The Mayor of Trail brokers a compromise between neighbours over a proposed fence in Lower Sunningdale Park. The issue came to light after a citizen raised concerns over soccer balls entering their yard. A proposed fence ignited a backlash and Mayor Mike Martin sat down with all parties to agree to a temporary netting that will be in place during soccer season.
12 – B.C. Lt. Governor Judith Guichon begins a week-long visit to the region including stops at schools, senior centres and public buildings.
16 – RCMP officers destroy a black bear that entered a Sunningdale home and tipped over the freezer.
19 – The Trail Arts Council is raising funds to replace the familiar time/temperature sign in the Cominco Parking Lot. The current sign is no longer operational and parts are unavailable.
20 – Kootenay Savings and Credit Union announces it will be closing its Warfield branch in July. Fewer in-branch customers and proximity to the Trail branch prompts the closing. KSCU said it will continue to operate an ATM and night deposit box.
21 – Trail and Warfield announce they have agreed to a 5 ½-year recreation/library agreement. Warfield will contribute $631,500 over the life of the deal with Trail allocating 68 per cent to recreation and 32 per cent to library services.