Latest news with #EastKootenay
CBC
22-07-2025
- Business
- CBC
Prime grazing land owned by province sitting unused, East Kootenay cattle ranchers say
Social Sharing The wind blows on a warm, sunny day as Morgan Dilts watches his cattle graze in a pasture near Elko, in southeastern B.C. The land on which they're standing is Crown land leased out to ranchers for exactly this purpose — for livestock to graze. "Our ranch does not exist without it," Dilts said. "And many, many ranches in B.C. are in the same boat." Ranchers in B.C.'s East Kootenay are concerned that provincially-owned grazing land is shrinking, making it difficult for new ranchers to get started and for long-term veterans to stay afloat. According to the province, grazing leases last 20 years. Rent varies, but the minimum annual cost is $675. Randy Reay, rancher and president of the Waldo Stockbreeders' Association, says about 90 per cent of the cattle in the region graze on Crown land. "We would not have a livestock industry here without those range tenures, and when they continue to shrink, it is almost impossible for us to increase our numbers," he said. Reay estimates there are only about one-third of the cattle that were once in that region. He said there are about a dozen grazing tenures sitting in limbo. There are about 37,000 animal unit months of grazing, but only about 33,000 are being used, he added. Animal unit months (AUMs) is the measurement for how much forage is needed to sustain an animal, in this case, a cow, for one month, according to the Government of Alberta. WATCH | Ranchers push for access to unused land: East Kootenay ranchers push for access to unused Crown land 2 days ago Cattle ranchers in B.C.'s Kootenay region are upset about land tenures sitting empty. They'd like to lease the large tracts of Crown land to graze their cattle. But as the CBC's Corey Bullock reports, the government has been slowly taking parcels offline since the late 1960s. Reay said that an unused 4,000 AUMs are "being sat on" by B.C.'s Ministry of Forests. He said he's raised the issue with anyone who will listen — MLAs, the regional district, ministers and even the premier. But nothing ever really changes, he said. Food security Without the province giving new leases to young ranchers, some fear the industry will peter out and warn that would be bad news for food security in B.C. Dilts said the only people who have been able to make a go of cattle ranching seem to be people who are born into it and inherit land. But for those who aren't part of a legacy ranching family, even if they can afford 100 acres and some cattle, it won't be enough, Dilts said. "If they buy a property, there's no range out there for them to put livestock on," he said. "A hundred acres doesn't graze enough livestock to feed to pay the bills. You could have a 20-year-old wanting to get into agriculture. They can't make it work. It's impossible." At a time when Canada is re-evaluating how self-sufficient we really are, Reay said the province can't really afford to be getting in the way of cattle ranching. "Certainly, we are not even close in the province of British Columbia to producing the amount of food that we consume," he said. Wildfire mitigation Grazing also helps prevent wildfire spread, something the province has become acutely aware of in the last 10 years, Dilts said. Grazing means cows are getting rid of old waste material that could fuel a wildfire. "The area that we're in is rural, but it's inhabited," he said. "It's very dangerous to have that land that was grazed at one time sit stagnant and not be grazed now with the hope that it doesn't harm somebody's livelihood and take out their homes, which we see every year now happening." Using grazing to mitigate wildfire risk isn't new — in 2023, Quesnel had goats graze on vegetation around certain trails to see how much it helped, and in 2020, cattle were used to graze Crown land south of Cranbrook to keep dry grass at bay. The Ministry of Forests said it is utilizing "targeted grazing" for wildfire mitigation, but did not specify where. Infrastructure In its email, the province said grazing land management takes into account a number of factors, including the number of livestock each piece of land can support. "This requires extensive field work to gather information, including the amount of food available to livestock and wildlife and consideration of ecological factors," the ministry said. It also looks at what infrastructure is available and whether it is sufficient — things like fences, corrals and water sources. But Dilts said the ministry should be taking care of its property and the infrastructure on it all the time to make sure that land is useful for people who want to lease it. "Each time one of these tenures that's been inactive for a long time is even looked at, that's one of the big factors of holding the whole program up," Dilts said. "It's like having a house, but because the tenants aren't in the house anymore, we're going to let it fall apart until we find some other tenant that'll take it over. It doesn't make any sense." The province said First Nations and wildlife considerations are also key when deciding to lease land to ranchers. Dilts hopes the province will see the benefits to leasing grazing land to cattle ranchers in the East Kootenay — and soon.
CTV News
16-07-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Fraudsters impersonating businesses going bankrupt: BBB
The Better Business Bureau says scammers are taking advantage of businesses in financial turmoil in an attempt to steal personal information. (Pexels/Ekaterina Belinskaya) Scammers are trying another new ploy by using recent bankruptcies and 'going out of business' sales to steal personal data from victims. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) says as some high profile and even lesser known retail outlets have recently closed, scammers are also paying attention to the proceedings and crafting fake websites to trick consumers. Officials say the websites use 'advertising that spoofs legitimate businesses' while also creating entirely new and fraudulent businesses to steal from victims. 'Their entire motivation is to steal your credit card and personal information to commit fraud,' said Mary O'Sullivan-Andersen, president and CEO of BBB serving Alberta and East Kootenay. The BBB says the scam usually begins with a post on social media about a business closing its doors. When users click the ad, they are taken to the fake website that looks identical to the original website, but the merchandise is listed at deep, too-good-to-be-true discounts. When items are 'purchased', scammers now have access to the victim's personal information. 'The other variation of this scam are ads and websites being created about completely fictitious businesses,' said O'Sullivan-Andersen. 'The end result is the same - credit card information is entered and money stolen.' To protect against these scams, the BBB offers the following advice: Confirm the website's URL; Instead of clicking on links, go to the business' real website; Use credit cards for online purchases as they possess fraud protection debit cards don't; and Be aware of what information is being requested, especially when that data is not used for sales, such as social insurance numbers. More consumer safety tips can be found online on the BBB website.
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Monument honours service dogs assisting veterans, first responders with PTSD
Service dogs serve many purposes, including helping veterans navigate post-traumatic stress disorder. In the small community of Kimberley in B.C.'s East Kootenay, these four-legged life-savers are being recognized through a monument in the city's downtown. CBC News' Corey Bullock was at the unveiling.
