Community Events

Event Archive 2011 . . . View All 2010 . . . View All

2011 July - August On August 12, 2011 the contractors, owners and workers celebrated 415,000 man hours without a lost time or major environmental incident. Lunch and prizes were provided to 180 workers to thank them for their dedication to a high standard of safety, environmental protection and high quality workmanship. The opening of the Waneta Expansion Project Public Viewing Area on July 21st was a very special event for the Project Owners. Organized by Columbia Power on behalf of Fortis Inc., Columbia Power Corporation (Columbia Power) and Columbia Basin Trust (CBT), the celebration also helped to mark several construction milestones, including the completion of 400,000 man hours without a lost time or major environmental incident. Minister of Energy and Mines, Rich Coleman, and representatives from the Ktunaxa Nation and contractor, SNC-Lavalin Inc., were also on hand to take part in the day. Columbia Power was a major sponsor of a very special community gathering – the Glade Centennial – July 29th through July 31st. Running from August 8th through the 12th, a Children’s Aboriginal Art at Blueberry Creek Community School, was supported by Columbia Power. May - June Community celebrations are always a big part of spring and early summer and Columbia Power supported a number of community and special events in May and June. Trail Silver City Days took place from May 4th to 8th, the Trail Pipe Band Spring Fling from May 6th to 7th and the Kootenay Chapter of the BC Backcountry Horseman Society’s Provincial Rendezvous, May 27th through 29th. Columbia Power played a special role in Beaver Valley May Days this year (May 26th to 29th) by offering free bus tours of the Waneta Expansion Project on May 26th. Bus tours of the Waneta Expansion Project were also offered as part of Montrose Family Day on June 12th. June 3rd through the 5th saw Castlegar Sunfest and the Castlegar Lions held their annual Family Day at Pass Creek Park in Castlegar on June 5th. National Aboriginal Day is part of two Columbia Power sponsored events in June – the annual Ktunaxa Nation Council Golf Tournament, which raises funds for special projects being pursued by the Ktunaxa Nation Council and Lower Columbia All First Nation’s National Aboriginal Day Celebration in Pass Creek Park. Columbia Power was also a proud sponsor of the Central Kootenay Invasive Plant Committee’s Annual Field Tour, which took participants this year to Waneta and other Greater Trail locations to learn more about invasive plants, how to identify them and their impact on the environment. April – May The West Kootenay Science Celebration and West Kootenay Science Fair took place on April 2nd and Columbia Power provided a sponsorship and staff to assist with the event. Over 1000 participants enjoyed the day-long event at the Selkirk College Campus in Nelson which featured a hands-on exhibit from Vancouver’s Science World. Wendy Horan, Manager of Environmental Programs, and Bree Seabrook, Stakeholder Relations Coordinator, helped out as judges in the science fair. As in years past, Columbia Power supported the bi-annual Kootenay Festival of the Arts, which occurred April 7th through the 14th in Trail. This regional event provides children and youth the opportunity to compete in a variety of performing arts including dance, voice and piano. The Canadian Columbia River Intertribal Fisheries Committee presents their Sturgeon Celebration every spring to highlight the importance of the endangered White Sturgeon to First Nations culture and the Columbia Basin ecosystem. Columbia Power helps support this event each year and was on-hand on April 20th in Revelstoke to take part in the celebration. April 28th to 30th saw the Association for Kootenay Boundary Local Government Conference in Kimberley. Columbia Power was a major sponsor of the event and Audrey Repin, Director and Stakeholder Relations and Communications at Columbia Power, presented to delegates on the Waneta Expansion Project and the upcoming Kootenay Country Exhibit at the Union of BC Municipalities Conference in Vancouver this September. Repin is coordinating the regional exhibit for UBCM on behalf of the Regional Districts of Kootenay-Boundary, Central Kootenay and East Kootenay. February - March These months are always busy for local wildlife conservation groups to bring awareness and raise funds for their efforts. On February 19th, Columbia Power supported the Trail Chapter of Ducks Unlimited in the presentation of their annual fundraising gala. On March 5th, both the West Kootenay Big Game Association and the Nelson Chapter of Ducks Unlimited held their annual banquets; Columbia Power was a supporter of both of these gatherings which raise funds to support wildlife and habitat enhancement activities in the West Kootenay region. March 26th and 27th saw the West Kootenay Fly Fishing Symposium in Castlegar. This annual event draws hundreds of fly-fishing and outdoor enthusiasts to learn more about the West Kootenay region’s abundant fishing and outdoor recreation resources. Columbia Power provided a sponsorship and displayed an exhibit on their Slocan River Rainbow Trout Enhancement Project which is working to restore rainbow trout habitat and numbers to the Slocan River.