Online portal to test internet connectivity
Residents in the Columbia Basin and Boundary regions are being urged to try out a new online testing portal which is designed to test internet connection speeds.
The Regional Broadband Committee has been working to get a better understanding of current broadband services and to advocate for high-speed internet for residents and businesses within the Columbia Basin and Boundary regions.
The portal will provide specific data and give a much clearer picture of the true state of our current connectivity.
Residents can access the testing portal and run the performance test as many times as they would like and the Committee is hoping to see strong participation. “The more data we collect, the greater our understanding will be. We are hoping to see people from every geographic corner of the region participate,” says committee chair Rob Gay.
The data will also help to prioritize areas of need, and be useful in determining eligibility for federal and provincial connectivity granting programs.The online portal can be accessed at performance.cira.ca/columbiabasin.
Participants provide their location and hit start. The test takes less than two minutes to run- depending on your connectivity...
The Regional Broadband Committee was established in 2014 and includes elected officials from Regional District of Central Kootenay, Columbia Shuswap Regional District, Ktunaxa Nation Council, Regional District of East Kootenay, Regional District of Kootenay Boundary and Village of Valemount.
Request for Proposals for Slocan Valley Digital Media Development
The Regional District of Central Kootenay (RDCK) on behalf of the Slocan Valley Economic Development Partnership (SVEDP) is requesting proposals from qualified individuals or firms to provide professional services focused on developing web, app and social media (digital) platforms. With this solicitation, the RDCK will complete a selection process to identify a qualified service provider to deliver a digital media strategy and plan, leading to the creation of web, app and social media infrastructure and digital assets. This request does not include branding or creative graphic design elements.
The Contractor is required to: do a simple needs analysis/assessment; develop a strategy and plan; provide the digital platform/products; and manage the launch.
Proposals must be submitted by Monday, September 23, 2019, 2:00 pm (PST).
Download the Request for Proposals document [PDF - 715 KB].
For more information, contact:
Ron LeBlanc
Slocan Valley Economic Development Coordinator
Email: rleblanc@rdck.bc.ca
Free online tool to help Slocan Valley communities care for their properties-"Better than Google!"
The Kootenay Conservation Program (KCP) has developed a free online tool to help communities care for their properties in ways that benefit wildlife, water and wild spaces.
The Stewardship Solutions Online Toolkit is a portal to a list of Kootenay-based services and programs that address stewardship issues on private land.
These resources are broken up into 14 regions of the Kootenays, called ‘Conservation Neighbourhoods’, that are identified on an interactive home page map. By clicking on your neighbourhood, you’re taken to the organizations that provide stewardship solutions in your area, which can range from habitat enhancement and restoration to fire prevention, invasive species control, water quality monitoring, wildlife reporting, free environmental farm planning, and more. The Slocan Valley area falls into one of 18 Conservation Neighbourhoods that lists services that private landowners and land managers can access to enhance conservation on their property and deal with common environmental land management issues.
Stewardship Solutions for each neighbourhood are also available as a printed handout (copies are currently being distributed by KCP Partners) and as a downloadable PDF from the website. Convenient symbols show which solutions relate to Wildlife, Habitat, Monitoring, Farms & Ranches, and Funding. For some services, additional resources are available as a download.“We identified in 2018 landowner outreach workshops that coordinated services for private landowners was a huge gap and something that people kept asking for,” said Mahr. “Stewardship Solutions was developed to assist landowners in thinking holistically about their land and managing a suite of issues that come with owning land.”
Stewardship Solutions was made possible thanks to generous funding from Columbia Basin Trust, the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, Fish & Wildlife Compensation Program and the Real Estate Foundation of British Columbia.
To access the online toolkit visit: kootenayconservation.ca/toolkit/
as reported in the Valley Voice Aug. 15, 2019
Spacefinder BC: Lets Slocan Valley Venues access Renters
SpaceFinder BC is an internet “matchmaking” tool for renters looking for creative space, and spaces looking to promote their rentals.
Here in the Slocan Valley, we have a plethora of great spaces, some better known than others…and we believe that our region could do more to promote the use of these spaces for artists, performers, presentations, meetings, weddings etc to access~ where ever they may live.
We can even build on the reputation of our area as a great place to be creative!
Currently, the Slocan Valley Economic Development Strategy Co-ordinator, Ron Leblanc, is leading this initiative. We are reaching out to all possible spaces in the Slocan Valley (South Slocan to Summit Lake) whether that is a community hall, a church, a café, a park, or a studio we invite you to take a look at Spacefinder BC and determine if you and/ or your board etc are excited by this opportunity.
For more information contact Sharon at slocanvalleyedc@gmail.com
Local nurse practitioner Donna Gibbons honored as Health Care Hero
Donna Gibbons has been honoured as Interior Health’s Health Care Hero for 2019. She is a nurse practitioner at the Slocan Community Health Centre and the Village of Slocan. Donna is described as the beating heart of health care in her community. Her patients will tell you many stories of her providing personalized care, no matter the circumstances. She was nominated by Claire Peyton of Silverton, who said “When I put a call out to the community over 20 people responded with their ‘Donna Stories’ on how she had gone above and beyond to help them with their health care needs.
Having started her career as a community midwife before returning to school to complete a Master of Science in Nursing and then completing her certification as a nurse practitioner, Gibbons brings a passion for women’s health to her practice that has raised the level of prenatal and post-natal care available to women in the North Slocan Valley.
For more information on the BC Health Care Awards, visit www.bchealthcareawards.ca. To view videos of the Gold Apple recipients, visit the BC Health Care Awards YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/user/BCHealthCareAwards