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Nelson, British Columbia

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Nelson is a city in British Columbia, Canada. The city serves as the seat of the Regional District of Central Kootenay. It is represented in the provincial legislature by the riding of Nelson-Creston and in the Parliament of Canada by the riding of Columbia-Kootenay-Southern Rockies. The city contains numerous heritage buildings constructed during the regional silver rush of 1886.[2][3] Along with Castlegar and Trail, Nelson is one of three cities forming the commercial and population centers of the West Kootenay region.[4]

Nelson
City
City of Nelson
Historic Baker Street
Historic Baker Street
Coat of arms of Nelson
Coat of arms
Official logo of Nelson
Nickname: 
The Queen City
Motto: 
"Forge Ahead"
Nelson is located in British Columbia
Nelson
Nelson
Location of City of Nelson within British Columbia, Canada
Coordinates: 49°30′0″N 117°17′0″W / 49.50000°N 117.28333°W / 49.50000; -117.28333
CountryCanada
ProvinceBritish Columbia
RegionKootenays
Regional districtCentral Kootenay
Incorporated1897
Named afterHugh Nelson
Government
 • TypeElected city council
 • MayorJanice Morrison
 • Governing bodyNelson City Council
 • MPRob Morrison (CPC)
 • MLABrittny Anderson (BC NDP)
Area
 • Land11.93 km2 (4.61 sq mi)
Elevation
535 m (1,755 ft)
Population
 (2021)[1]
 • Total
11,198
 • Density938.6/km2 (2,431/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC−07:00 (PT)
Forward sortation area
V1L
Area codes250, 778, 236, 672
Highways Highway 6
Highway 3A
Websitenelson.ca Edit this at Wikidata

History

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Founding and early history

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In 1867, gold and silver deposits were discovered in the area. Additional silver deposits were discovered at Toad Mountain in 1886, leading to rapid population growth and the town's incorporation in 1897.[5]

To support the growing community, two railways were constructed through Nelson. The town developed into a transportation and distribution hub. Its proximity to major transportation routes also made it an important supply centre for regional mining operations.[6]

Nelson was founded in 1889 and named in honour of Hugh Nelson, then Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia.[7] A steamboat dock was constructed in 1892.[8] In 1896, the newly built hydroelectric plant at Cottonwood Falls began generating electricity for the city, becoming the first hydroelectric plant in British Columbia.[9]

Early 20th century

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Nelson, 1903

Architect Francis Rattenbury designed the granite courthouse and other civic buildings. By the 1900s, Nelson possessed several hotels, a Hudson's Bay Company store, and an electric streetcar system. Mining and forestry also contributed to the town's economy.[10][3]

English immigrants planted lakeside orchards, and Doukhobors from Russia, sponsored by Tolstoy and the Quakers, farmed the flat lands between the mountains, known as benchlands. The Doukhobor museum is located nearby, close to the neighbouring town of Castlegar.[citation needed][11]

From 1917 to 1919, Nelson used single transferable vote (STV), a form of proportional representation, to elect its councillors. Councillors were elected in one at-large district. Each voter cast a single vote using a ranked ballot.[12][13]

During the Vietnam War, many American draft evaders settled in Nelson and the surrounding area.[14] The town took on the nickname "Resisterville." Those U.S. draft evaders organized several intentional communities in the Nelson area: Harmony's Gate, The Reds and the Blues, and New Family.[15] As a successor to those intentional communities, the Middle Road Community commune was founded in Nelson in 1996.[16]

Nelson's mountainous geography kept growth confined to the narrow valley bottom, except for specific hillside structures such as the local high school and the former Notre Dame University College (NDU) campus. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, when more prosperous cities were demolishing and rebuilding their downtown areas according to contemporary design trends, Nelson merchants clad their buildings in aluminum siding.[3]

Baker Street

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Baker Street is located in Nelson's historic district.[17] In the early 1980s, Nelson faced an economic downturn when the local Kootenay Forest Products sawmill was closed. Downtown merchants had begun competing with a large regional shopping centre, the Chahko Mika Mall, on Nelson's central waterfront. At the time, larger cities such as Victoria and Vancouver were undergoing historical restorations of their oldest areas.[3] Nelson began similar work, removing the aluminum exteriors and restoring buildings. American immigrant and designer Robert Inwood provided consulting services to the city.[18]

Geography

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Climate

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Nelson has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) with four distinct seasons. Winters are cold and snowy, while summers are warm and drier, with cool temperatures during the night.[19]

Climate data for South Slocan (approximately 20 km west of Nelson)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 10.0
(50.0)		 14.5
(58.1)		 22.5
(72.5)		 30.0
(86.0)		 35.5
(95.9)		 38.0
(100.4)		 41.0
(105.8)		 39.5
(103.1)		 36.1
(97.0)		 26.1
(79.0)		 17.2
(63.0)		 11.7
(53.1)		 41.0
(105.8)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) −0.2
(31.6)		 3.6
(38.5)		 9.3
(48.7)		 15.5
(59.9)		 20.4
(68.7)		 24.2
(75.6)		 28.0
(82.4)		 28.5
(83.3)		 21.7
(71.1)		 13.8
(56.8)		 4.8
(40.6)		 0.2
(32.4)		 14.1
(57.4)
Daily mean °C (°F) −3.7
(25.3)		 −0.6
(30.9)		 3.5
(38.3)		 8.3
(46.9)		 12.7
(54.9)		 16.4
(61.5)		 19.1
(66.4)		 19.3
(66.7)		 13.8
(56.8)		 7.6
(45.7)		 1.5
(34.7)		 −2.9
(26.8)		 7.9
(46.2)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −7.1
(19.2)		 −4.9
(23.2)		 −2.3
(27.9)		 1.0
(33.8)		 4.9
(40.8)		 8.5
(47.3)		 10.1
(50.2)		 10.0
(50.0)		 5.8
(42.4)		 1.4
(34.5)		 −1.9
(28.6)		 −5.9
(21.4)		 1.6
(34.9)
Record low °C (°F) −31.7
(−25.1)		 −30.6
(−23.1)		 −22.2
(−8.0)		 −7.8
(18.0)		 −6.1
(21.0)		 0.0
(32.0)		 2.8
(37.0)		 2.2
(36.0)		 −4.4
(24.1)		 −11.0
(12.2)		 −23.5
(−10.3)		 −35.0
(−31.0)		 −35.0
(−31.0)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 94.0
(3.70)		 69.8
(2.75)		 62.4
(2.46)		 61.0
(2.40)		 68.2
(2.69)		 71.1
(2.80)		 54.4
(2.14)		 49.4
(1.94)		 51.4
(2.02)		 61.6
(2.43)		 104.0
(4.09)		 105.9
(4.17)		 853.2
(33.59)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 39.0
(1.54)		 48.4
(1.91)		 56.5
(2.22)		 60.3
(2.37)		 68.2
(2.69)		 71.1
(2.80)		 54.4
(2.14)		 49.4
(1.94)		 51.4
(2.02)		 59.8
(2.35)		 78.9
(3.11)		 42.7
(1.68)		 680.0
(26.77)
Average snowfall cm (inches) 55.1
(21.7)		 21.3
(8.4)		 5.9
(2.3)		 0.7
(0.3)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 1.8
(0.7)		 25.2
(9.9)		 63.3
(24.9)		 173.2
(68.2)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) 14.1 12.7 13.3 12.5 13.7 13.2 10.0 8.8 8.6 11.3 15.1 14.6 147.8
Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) 6.8 8.9 12.4 12.5 13.7 13.2 10.0 8.8 8.6 11.2 12.2 5.7 123.9
Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) 9.2 4.8 1.8 0.24 0 0 0 0 0 0.38 4.9 10.2 31.5
Source: Environment Canada[20]

Demographics

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In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Nelson had a population of 11,198. Of its 5,314 total private dwellings, 4,948 were occupied, an increase of 5.1% from the 2016 population of 10,572. With a land area of 11.93 km2 (4.61 sq mi), it had a population density of 938.6/km2 (2,431.1/sq mi) in 2021.[21]

According to the Nelson Star, Nelson's poverty rate is nearly double the provincial and national averages.[19]

Ethnicity

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Panethnic groups in the City of Nelson (2001−2021)
Panethnic
group		 2021[22] 2016[23] 2011[24] 2006[25] 2001[26]
Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. %
European[a] 9,135 85.17% 9,160 89.32% 9,270 92.89% 8,440 92.9% 8,690 94.82%
Indigenous 585 5.45% 560 5.46% 425 4.26% 300 3.3% 175 1.91%
East Asian[b] 275 2.56% 210 2.05% 165 1.65% 165 1.82% 165 1.8%
South Asian 245 2.28% 85 0.83% 55 0.55% 90 0.99% 35 0.38%
Southeast Asian[c] 215 2% 70 0.68% 0 0% 10 0.11% 10 0.11%
Latin American 90 0.84% 60 0.59% 25 0.25% 30 0.33% 10 0.11%
African 80 0.75% 60 0.59% 15 0.15% 30 0.33% 25 0.27%
Middle Eastern[d] 10 0.09% 10 0.1% 0 0% 0 0% 35 0.38%
Other/Multiracial[e] 75 0.7% 55 0.54% 0 0% 25 0.28% 30 0.33%
Total responses 10,725 96.57% 10,255 97% 9,980 97.56% 9,085 98.13% 9,165 98.57%
Total population 11,106 100% 10,572 100% 10,230 100% 9,258 100% 9,298 100%
Note: Totals greater than 100% due to multiple origin responses

Religion

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According to the 2021 census, religious groups in Nelson included:[22]

Economy

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Nelson’s economy has traditionally been shaped by forestry and other extractive industries. Although these sectors play a smaller role than they once did, they remain part of the local economic base. Nelson also functions as an administrative centre for the Kootenays, with regional offices of both provincial and federal governments located in the city. Tourism has grown and contributes to the local economy.[27]

Nelson has several retailers specializing in natural and organic foods.[28] The Kootenay Co-op operates a year-round market and grocery store focused on natural foods,[28] while the local Save-On-Foods includes an expanded selection of organic products.[29] Local manufacturing includes the Nelson Brewing Company, a microbrewery based in the city.[30]

In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, Nelson and the surrounding region were reported as centres of illegal marijuana production. In 2010, The Guardian reported that marijuana cultivation contributed to a shift in the local economy toward arts, culture, and outdoor recreation.[30]

Arts and culture

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Education

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Nelson has a history of offering art education programs; art education has always been part of the local secondary school curriculum. An independent Nelson School of Fine Art (NSFA), led by Yugoslavian immigrant Zeljko Kujundzic, began offering two-week programs on a provisional fashion in 1960.[31] When the NSFA expanded its program to offer a diploma, it was renamed Kootenay School of Art. The school received support from the provincial government. In 1969, the school's studio training was relocated to the city's Notre Dame University campus. In 1972, direct support from the province for its programs ended. Soon thereafter, while remaining at the Notre Dame campus, the school was steered into a "trial" merger with the regional Selkirk College. Once the school was fully merged into Selkirk College, it began offering graduate internships and became affiliated with Eastern Washington University, then known as Eastern Washington State College.[32]

When Notre Dame University closed in 1977, so did the Kootenay School of Art.[32] It was succeeded in 1979 by offerings of the University of Victoria-sponsored David Thompson University Centre in the former Notre Dame buildings. In 1991, an independent institution emphasizing fine crafts, Kootenay School of the Arts, was founded. A few years later, the school secured possession of a stone heritage building in Nelson's central area. In 2006, the school was absorbed by Selkirk College as a department, remaining in its own building but renamed Kootenay Studio Arts.[32] (In addition, since the 1990s, Selkirk College has offered its School of Music & Media programs in the former Notre Dame buildings.)

In 2002, former writing and visual-art faculty from the Kootenay School of the Arts (KSA) founded the independent, artist-run Nelson Fine Art Centre Society. In 2005, the Society opened the Oxygen Art Centre in downtown Nelson, offering classes, exhibitions, and residencies.[33]

In 2025, Selkirk College decided to terminate the KSA programs at the end of June 2026. However, it was announced on April 29, 2026 that the Nelson City Council decided the KSA Victoria Street building’s new leaseholder will be the Nelson Community Land Trust, working in collaboration with "key partners and anchor tenants". Among them is the newly formed Kootenay School of the Arts Society (KSAS), a non-profit organization established to carry forward KSA’s educational programming.[34]

Exhibitions

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The former post office building at 502 Vernon Street, home to the Nelson Museum, Archives & Gallery (NMAG), provides gallery space for travelling exhibitions and for works by regional artists.[35]

The Nelson & District Arts Council holds an annual ArtWalk event in downtown Nelson to promote the work of regional visual and performing artists. Exhibitions take place for ten weeks from July to September.[36]

Films

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Nelson Marketfest

In 1986, producer Steve Martin chose to film the feature film Roxanne primarily in Nelson, using the local fire hall as a filming location.[37]

In 1986, the film director Bill Forsyth filmed the movie Housekeeping, starring Christine Lahti, in Nelson.[38]

Sports

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Club League Sport Venue Established Championships
Nelson Leafs KIJHL Ice Hockey Nelson Community Complex 1932 5
Kootenay Chill Thompson-Okanawgan Basketball League Basketball Lavelle Rojers Gym 2017, created by the Nelson Hoops Association 0 (the TOBL does not have a direct champion)

Infrastructure

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Transportation

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The "Big Orange Bridge" carries Highway 3A over the west arm of Kootenay Lake, just north of downtown Nelson.

Highways 3A and 6 pass through Nelson. Scheduled commercial airline service is available at the West Kootenay Regional Airport in Castlegar, approximately 43 kilometres (27 mi) southwest of the city. Trail Airport is another nearby facility, while Nelson Airport (which does not provide scheduled service) is located several blocks from downtown. Public transit in Nelson is provided by the West Kootenay Transit System, which operates several routes within the city and to neighbouring communities.[39]

Both Level 2 and Level 3 (DC fast-charging) electric vehicle charging stations have been installed in the city. A carsharing service is available in the town through the Kootenay Carshare Co-operative.[40]

Nelson Pier is a lake pier designed by Matthew Stanley in Nelson. The pier was designed to symbolize the connection between the city and the lake.[8]

Nelson is served by the freight-only Kootenay Valley Railway, an internal business unit of the Canadian Pacific Railway. Nelson is the historic headquarters of the CPR Kootenay Division, serving as the meeting point of the CPR Boundary subdivision running towards Castlegar, British Columbia, and the CPR Nelson subdivision running towards Cranbrook.[3]

Education

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School District 8 Kootenay Lake (often called SB8) operates public schools in Nelson and the surrounding communities.[41]

Schools include Nelson Christian Community School (NCCS), K-Gr. 8, and St. Joseph's Catholic School.[42]

The Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique operates one French-language school: école des Sentiers-alpins.[43]

Nelson is home to the Tenth Street and Silver King campuses of Selkirk College, which absorbed Kootenay School of the Arts as a department and was renamed Kootenay Studio Arts.[44]

Kootenay Columbia College of Integrative Health Sciences has three campuses on Baker Street in Nelson.[45]

Media

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Radio

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Print

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The Nelson Daily News was a local newspaper that began publishing in 1902. In 2010, it was announced that the paper would cease publication, with the final edition published on July 16, 2010.[46] The closure occurred shortly after Black Press acquired the Nelson Daily News, which purchased the paper from Glacier Media Inc.[47][48]

Black Press prioritized the publication and circulation of the Nelson Star, which is published twice weekly, on Wednesdays and Fridays. It began publishing twice weekly in 2010. The Nelson Star now circulates to over 9,000 recipients.[49]

Notable people

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See also

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Notes

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  1. ↑ Statistic includes all persons that did not makeup part of a visible minority or an Indigenous identity.
  2. ↑ Statistic includes total responses of "Chinese", "Korean", and "Japanese" under visible minority section on census.
  3. ↑ Statistic includes total responses of "Filipino" and "Southeast Asian" under visible minority section on the census.
  4. ↑ Statistic includes total responses of "West Asian" and "Arab" under visible minority section on the census.
  5. ↑ Statistic includes total responses of "Visible minority, n.i.e." and "Multiple visible minorities" under visible minority section on census.

References

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  1. ↑ Census Profile, 2021 Census - Nelson Population centre, British Columbia and British Columbia
  2. ↑ "A silver rush built Nelson, British Columbia. It still has polish". The Christian Science Monitor. 5 November 2024. Retrieved 26 November 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "About Nelson". City of Nelson. Retrieved 26 November 2025.
  4. ↑ "Travel Info". Discover Nelson. Retrieved 2025-11-23.
  5. ↑ "A Brief History of Nelson | Nelson, BC". www.nelson.ca. Retrieved 2025-08-23.
  6. ↑ Stienne, Jean-Philippe (2023-11-23). "HISTORY BUFF: The legacy of railways in the West Kootenay". Nelson Star. Archived from the original on 2023-12-11.
  7. ↑ Hamilton, William (1978). The Macmillan Book of Canadian Place Names. Toronto: Macmillan. p. 46. ISBN 0-7715-9754-1.
  8. 1 2 "Regional News Archives". Nelson Star. 2026-03-07. Retrieved 2026-03-08.
  9. ↑ "A History of Hydro-Electric Power in Nelson". City of Nelson. Archived from the original on 2019-09-24. Retrieved 2022-06-18.
  10. ↑ "Out of the Woods: A History of Forestry in Nelson, BC". Nelson Museum Archives & Gallery. Retrieved 2026-01-10.
  11. ↑ "History of Nelson BC & Kootenay Lake Communities - Discover the Nelson Museum". Discover Nelson. Retrieved 2026-05-12.
  12. ↑ Hoag, Clarence Gilbert, and . . , 1926.; Hallett, George Hervey (1926). Proportional Representation. New York: The Macmillan Company. pp. 226–228.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  13. ↑ Pilon, Dennis (2024-01-01). "Party Politics and Voting Systems in Canada". Canadian Parties in Transition, Fifth Edition, Edited by Alain-G. Gagnon and A. Brian Tanguay.
  14. ↑ Bernstein, Fred A. (21 November 2004). "Greetings From Resisterville". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2017-10-06. Retrieved 2026-01-04.
  15. ↑ The Edmonton Journal, July 12, 2025, p. B3
  16. ↑ "Middle Road Community, The". Foundation for Intentional Community. Retrieved 2026-03-08.
  17. ↑ "Baker Street". Nelson Kootenay Lake Tourism. Retrieved 10 December 2025.
  18. ↑ reports, Staff (2012-07-12). "Q&A with Nelson's Mr. Heritage". Nelson Star. Retrieved 2026-03-24.
  19. 1 2 "Nelson’s Poverty Rate Nearly Double" Nelson Star, 2021/08/06
  20. ↑ "South Slocan, British Columbia". Canadian Climate Normals 1971–2000 (in English and French). Environment Canada. Retrieved January 26, 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  21. ↑ "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), British Columbia". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
  22. 1 2 Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (2022-10-26). "Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2022-11-09.
  23. ↑ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (2021-10-27). "Census Profile, 2016 Census". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2023-03-08.
  24. ↑ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (2015-11-27). "NHS Profile". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2023-03-08.
  25. ↑ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (2019-08-20). "2006 Community Profiles". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2023-03-08.
  26. ↑ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (2019-07-02). "2001 Community Profiles". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2023-03-08.
  27. ↑ "Nelson Statistics - Economic Sector Diversity".
  28. 1 2 Metcalfe, Bill "Local Food Co-op Becomes Big Time Developer" The Tyee, 2013/07/31.
  29. ↑ Johnson, Will January 4, 2017 Nelson Star, vol. 9, issue 51, pp. A2-A3
  30. 1 2 "Nelson Brewing Company - Our Craft Roots Go Back to 1991". nelsonbrewing.com. 2022-01-08. Retrieved 2025-02-27.
  31. ↑ "Zeljko Kujundzic and the Early Years of the Kootenay School of the Arts". NMAG. Nelson Museum Archives & Gallery. Retrieved 27 December 2025.
  32. 1 2 3 "KSA Timeline" (PDF). nelsonmuseum.ca. Canada: Nelson Museum Archives & Gallery. Retrieved 8 February 2025.
  33. ↑ "Oxygen Arts Centre: Artists Welcome Package" (PDF). Oxygen Arts Centre. Oxyegen Arts Centre. p. 9. Retrieved 29 November 2025.
  34. ↑ Metcalf, Bill (29 April 2026). "City of Nelson Leases Kootenay Studio Arts Building to Community Group". Nelson Star. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  35. ↑ "NMAG Home". Nelson Museum, Archives & Gallery. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  36. ↑ "ArtWalk". Nelson & District Arts Council. Retrieved April 7, 2026.
  37. ↑ Nesteroff, Greg (April 7, 2022). "When Hollywood came to Nelson in 1986". Castlegar News. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
  38. ↑ "IMDB: Housekeeping (1987)". IMDb.
  39. ↑ "History of the CP Rail Building". Discover Nelson. Retrieved 2026-01-29.
  40. ↑ "Why Carshare? » Kootenay Car Share". www.carsharecoop.ca. Retrieved 2026-01-29.
  41. ↑ "About SD8 | SD8 Kootenay Lake". www.sd8.bc.ca. Retrieved 2026-05-22.
  42. ↑ "Schools in Kootenay Lake School District". Government of British Columbia – Ministry of Education. Retrieved 7 September 2025.
  43. ↑ "Carte des écoles Archived 2015-08-17 at the Wayback Machine." Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britanique. Retrieved on 22 January 2015.
  44. ↑ "Tenth Street Campus, Nelson". Selkirk College. 26 September 2022. Retrieved 7 September 2025.
  45. ↑ "Kootenay Columbia College of Integrative Health Sciences". Discover Nelson. Nelson & District Chamber of Commerce (Discover Nelson). Retrieved 7 September 2025.
  46. ↑ Payne, Colin (12 July 2010). "Final Edition". Nelson Daily News. Retrieved 12 July 2010. [dead link]
  47. ↑ "B.C. newspapers closing". The Vancouver Sun. 6 July 2010. Archived from the original on 9 July 2010. Retrieved 9 July 2010.
  48. ↑ Davidson, Darren (6 July 2010). "After 109 years, NDN's run over". Nelson Daily News. Archived from the original on July 10, 2010. Retrieved 9 July 2010.
  49. ↑ "Nelson Star". Discover Nelson. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
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