CASTLEGAR, BC — The Castlegar Chamber of Commerce officially opened The Confluence on Friday, Aug. 23. The 8,300-square-foot multi-purpose building brings economic development, tourism, and local business supports together under one roof. …The building is one of only a few Passive House certified public buildings in Canada and will operate with 85-per-cent reduced emissions compared to regular construction methods. Using local products and labour was a priority. The building was designed by Nelson architects – Stand Architecture and Cover Architecture. It was constructed with mass timber supplied by Kalesnikoff Lumber and the general contractors were all West Kootenay based. …Funding for the $8.7 million building has come from a variety of sources including more than $1.4 million from the federal government, $3 million from the province, and $500,000 from Mercer Celgar for the high-tech board room.