The Nelson Police Department, in conjunction with the Salmo RCMP, are seeking the public’s assistance in locating Aza Tobias Hanbury.

Mr. HANBURY is currently wanted in relation to numerous charges from multiple jurisdictions for offences including Flight from Police, Possession of Property Obtained by Crime and Police Obstruction.

He is described as 6’1”, around 185lbs, medium build, Caucasian with greying hair.

He could be driving a dark grey, 2017 Dodge Ram pickup with black rims, stolen out of Salmo.

The truck has been spotted with and without the black canopy (pictured).

If you have any information as to his whereabouts, please contact any of the following:
NelsonPolice Department – 250-354-3919 or
dispatch@nelsonpolice.ca
Salmo RCMP – 250-357-2212
CrimeStoppers – 1-800-222-8477

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BC's Minister of Forests Bruce Ralston, accompanied by several CEOs of the province’s leading forestry companies and indigenous leaders, led the five-day delegation in Japan to highlight the innovative aspects of BC’s wood products. 

The five-day venture involved various meetings with Japanese customers to emphasize the quality of products delivered by BC’s forestry sector. 

According to Ralston, the province sold $1.4 billion worth of forestry products to Japan in 2022, adding they have been a top customer for over 100 years. 

“We first started selling lumber to Japan after the Kanto earthquake in 1923. So, we've been at it for a while, and we have strong connections,” says Ralston. “We were there to talk about and talk to our customers to assure them we are in it for the long haul and want to continue delivering steady, reliable products to Japan.” 

The trip was undertaken to further strengthen BC forestry products in the Japanese market. Ralston explains there is more competition than in previous years with the European market, and Japan’s efforts to use domestic products. 

“They have a species that's a little bit like cedar, although not as high quality, called suki, which they are trying to develop and use for wood construction in Japan as well,” he says. “It's always good to meet with your customers and impress upon them your continued interest in them.  

“It's like any other relationship; you have to nurture it and value it. Otherwise, people feel neglected, and they might fade away and then head somewhere else.” 

The quality of BC's forestry products is highly appreciated by Japanese customers, according to Ralston. He explained that BC’s reputation in Japan is of very high quality, and historically the Japanese have been willing to pay accordingly for the best quality products. 

“The Japanese have a real aesthetic appreciation of the beauty of wood and also the strength and flexibility of British Columbia’s timber. Other forest jurisdictions don't have the same quality of product, and there are emerging opportunities there because of that,” he says. 

Ralston says he feels that the trip was a success and added the ministry remains dedicated to building a sustainable forest industry. 

“The forest industry and its products are an essential part of British Columbia, of our identity, and we are building a sustainable forest. We've made several changes in the regulation of our forests that I think are what the public has been asking for.” 

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Thousands of people in British Columbia will benefit from BC PharmaCare's expanded coverage of medications used to treat Type 2 diabetes, heart failure and blood clots.

Effective Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023, drug coverage for two medications will be expanded from limited coverage to regular benefit. The two drugs that are becoming regular benefits are dapagliflozin (Forxiga) and apixaban (generics). At the same time, two other medications namely, empagliflozin (Jardiance) and semaglutide (Ozempic), that are covered by PharmaCare under specific medical circumstances will have their limited coverage criteria expanded. This means that more patients will be eligible for coverage of these drugs.

The changes will ensure that coverage is aligned with clinical evidence and will improve patient access to appropriate medications.

Dapagliflozin (Forxiga) is approved by Health Canada to treat several conditions such as heart failure, Type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease. It was first listed as a limited coverage benefit on the BC PharmaCare formulary for patients with heart failure with "reduced ejection fraction" on Jan. 11, 2022, a condition where the muscle of the left ventricle is not pumping as well as normal. Currently, approximately 2,000 patients in British Columbia benefit from dapagliflozin under limited coverage. The expansion to a regular benefit is expected to benefit 5,000 more patients in the first year.

Apixaban (generics) is a blood thinner medication used to prevent or treat blood clots. Currently, 45,000 patients in British Columbia benefit from apixaban under limited coverage. The expansion to a regular benefit is projected to benefit approximately 24,000 more patients.

The expansion of limited coverage criteria for empagliflozin (Jardiance) and semaglutide (Ozempic) will make it easier for patients to apply for coverage of these two medications that work to lower blood sugar levels in adults with Type 2 diabetes.

In 2019, PharmaCare provided limited coverage for empagliflozin (Jardiance) and in 2020 limited coverage for semaglutide (Ozempic) to patients with Type 2 diabetes after they had tried and been unable to control their blood sugar levels by taking two other drugs, metformin and a sulfonylurea drug (e.g., glyburide), or metformin and an insulin.

PharmaCare is changing the coverage from third-line to second-line. Patients now only have to try one drug, metformin, before their physician can request coverage of empagliflozin or semaglutide.

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From August 29th to the end of the Labour Day Weekend, Creston RCMP received 94 calls for service.

Many of the calls resulted in officers simply de-escalating situations and emotions.

However, a few tickets were given out, including tickets for poor driving and driving despite being prohibited.

Additionally, officers had their hands full with numerous reports of intoxication leading to belligerence or emotional behavior.

There were one of two noise complaints, which were solved without incident.

A reported theft from a vehicle has officers reminding everyone to lock their vehicle doors.

Officers also spotted a man and woman breaching conditions, which will eventually lead to a warrant for their arrest.

And lastly, a few animal encounters had calls coming in. Officers were warned of a large spider walking down the Canyon Street sidewalk as well as a complaint of barking dogs.

Officers say the barking dogs simply wanted a scratch on the head and settled down nicely.

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The Creston Valley recorded two new COVID-19 cases from March 27 to April 2, according to BC Centre for Disease Control. That was unchanged from the previous week.

Although the number of new cases of COVID-19 in the Nelson area is declining, it still accounts for more than half of all new cases in the West Kootenay/Boundary.

There were 29 new cases in and around Nelson, down from 43 the week before. There were only 23 cases in the rest of the region combined.

Trail had 11 (unchanged), Castlegar five (unchanged), Grand Forks three (up from two), Arrow Lakes zero (down from two), Kettle Valley two (up from zero), and Kootenay Lake zero (unchanged).

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At-risk British Columbians now have access to new medication to fight COVID-19.

The B.C. government has received 4,000 treatment courses of Pfizer’s antiviral pill Paxlovid.

It will be used for extremely vulnerable groups including people undergoing cancer treatment, recent transplant patients and the severely immunocompromised.

B.C. government officials said they will be reaching out to eligible patients.

The pill is to be used within five days of symptoms showing up in COVID-positive patients.

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There were 29 new COVID-19 cases in the Creston area between Boxing Day and New Year's Day, according to the BC Centre for Disease Control.

That was compared to just two the previous week. Prior to that, Creston and all other parts of the West Kootenay/Boundary had not hit double digits in several months.

Overall, there were 303 new cases in our region, up from 110 the previous reporting period.

Trail was by far the hotspot with 121 new cases, compared to 26 the week before. Nelson had 69 (up from 31), Castlegar had 33 (up from 28), Creston had 29 (up from two), Grand Forks 22 (up from 14), the Arrow Lakes 17 (up from eight), the Kettle Valley eight (up from one), and Kootenay Lake four (up from zero).

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The electric vehicle charging stations in the Cook Street parking lot in Creston will be closed on Wednesday.

Town of Creston staff said traffic flow through the lot should be unaffected but the charging station will be closed.

The work is scheduled to start at 8 a.m. and should be completed by the end of the day.

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