With the start the new year, the Revelstoke Review is taking this time to share some of the stories that made headlines throughout 2024.
December
In response to a petition asking for safety improvements at the intersection of Oak Drive and Highway 1, residents were assured that “safety is the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastucture’s top priority. The petition, started by Iveta Krskova on Nov. 7, outlines concerns of the area that consists of approximately 450 full-time residents, a hotel, campground, holiday chalets, a brewery and a large development but is only accessible by the one intersection. “This intersection has become increasingly dangerous over the last few years, with multiple accidents, including fatalities – not to mention the near misses that happen regularly,” she states on the Change.org petition. The ministry indicated the matter was being addressed, stating it would continue to work with the city to evaluate potential improvements.
An act of gender-based violence, or misogynist terrorism that sparked the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women was being recognized by the Revelstoke Women’s Shelter to remember those 14 victims and the countless others since. Together with the library, they were bringing awareness to the issue with a White Ribbon display to remember and honour the 14 women killed in the École Polytechnique massacre on Dec. 6, 1989. The initiative was also to recognize the many other women who are victims of violence, primarily by men, with the Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability listing 165 deaths in Canada this year, including Jo Ann Jackson in Sicamous and Tatjana Stefanski in Lumby.
As the cost of living continues to rise, the income needed to cover expenses also rises. The City of Revelstoke was among several B.C. Interior communities whose living wage increased last year. In Revelstoke, the living wage climbed to $25.50 per hour in 2024, marking an increase of 3.6 percent from last year to accommodate the cost of essentials which continues to balloon across Canada, particularly for housing and food. The living wage is the hourly rate that each of the two parents working full-time must earn to support a family of four, based on the actual costs of living in a particular community.
Given the current food insecurity crisis, that’s where the Community Connections Revelstoke Society (CCRS) is placing its focus this holiday season.The CCRS said it would be providing support to locals struggling with affordability, but will not be offering the gift portion of the Holiday Program. In the past, the organization had collected donations of toys, gifts and gift cards to distribute, but this year is asking people to focus their holiday giving on food or monetary donations. “This year the resources have continued to diminish and as a result, capacity of food programming has continued to be reduced,” Outreach coordinator Jenna Thomsen said in the release.