Kootenay unemployment rate 8.5% in September

Unemployment in the Kootenays was up last month compared to the same time last year.

Statistics Canada says the jobless rate stood at 8.5 per cent in September compared to eight per cent in 2015.

The labour force shrank as both the number of people working and number looking for work dropped.

The BC rate was 5.8 per cent and the national rate was unchanged at seven per cent.