diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 47589dc..303e46f 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -159,7 +159,7 @@ To debug tests running in the container, use the `rapids.cudf.pytest.debug`:
 make rapids.cudf.pytest.debug args="-k 'test_reindex_dataframe'"
 ```
 
-This launches pytest with `ptvsd` for debugging in VSCode.
+This launches pytest with `debugpy` for debugging in VSCode.
 
 
 ### Working interactively in the RAPIDS container
diff --git a/dockerfiles/rapids.Dockerfile b/dockerfiles/rapids.Dockerfile
index 38ee818..8a27918 100644
--- a/dockerfiles/rapids.Dockerfile
+++ b/dockerfiles/rapids.Dockerfile
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ if [[ "$USE_FISH_SHELL" == "YES" ]]; then \
 fi' \
  && apt update \
  && apt install --no-install-recommends -y \
-    jq ed git vim nano sudo curl wget entr \
+    jq ed git vim nano sudo curl wget entr less \
     # CMake dependencies
     curl libssl-dev libcurl4-openssl-dev zlib1g-dev \
     # Need tzdata for the pyarrow<->ORC tests
diff --git a/etc/bash-utils.sh b/etc/bash-utils.sh
index d8d3939..63ed137 100755
--- a/etc/bash-utils.sh
+++ b/etc/bash-utils.sh
@@ -129,7 +129,7 @@
 # Commands to run each project's pytests:
 #
 # Note: These commands automatically change into the correct directory before executing `pytest`.
-# Note: Pass --debug to use with the VSCode debugger `ptvsd`. All other arguments are forwarded to pytest.
+# Note: Pass --debug to use with the VSCode debugger `debugpy`. All other arguments are forwarded to pytest.
 # Note: Arguments that end in '.py' are assumed to be pytest files used to reduce the number of tests
 #       collected on startup by pytest. These arguments will be expanded out to their full paths relative
 #       to the directory where pytests is run.
@@ -143,7 +143,7 @@
 # Usage:
 # test-cudf-python -n <num_cores>                               - Run all pytests in parallel with `pytest-xdist`
 # test-cudf-python -v -x -k 'a_test_function_name'              - Run all tests named 'a_test_function_name', be verbose, and exit on first fail
-# test-cudf-python -v -x -k 'a_test_function_name' --debug      - Run all tests named 'a_test_function_name', and start ptvsd for VSCode debugging
+# test-cudf-python -v -x -k 'a_test_function_name' --debug      - Run all tests named 'a_test_function_name', and start debugpy for VSCode debugging
 # test-cudf-python -v -x -k 'test_a or test_b' foo/test_file.py - Run all tests named 'test_a' or 'test_b' in file paths matching foo/test_file.py
 #
 ###
@@ -1259,7 +1259,7 @@ test-python() {
         if [[ $debug != true ]]; then
             eval "set -x; pytest $args $paths";
         else
-            eval "set -x; python -m ptvsd --host 0.0.0.0 --port 5678 --wait -m pytest $args $paths";
+            eval "set -x; python -m debugpy --listen 0.0.0.0:5678 --wait-for-client -m pytest $args $paths";
         fi
     )
 }
diff --git a/etc/conda-install.sh b/etc/conda-install.sh
index 1db9690..48fc2a3 100755
--- a/etc/conda-install.sh
+++ b/etc/conda-install.sh
@@ -54,16 +54,21 @@ touch $INSIDE__ENV_YML
 CHANGED="$(diff -qw $OUTSIDE_ENV_YML $INSIDE__ENV_YML || true)"
 
 FRESH_CONDA_ENV=${FRESH_CONDA_ENV:-0}
+RECREATE_CONDA_ENV=0
 
-# if no directory for the conda env, create the conda env
-if [ ! -d "$CONDA_HOME/envs/$ENV_NAME" ]; then
-    FRESH_CONDA_ENV=1
+create-conda-env() {
     # create a new environment
     mamba update -n base -c defaults conda
     mamba update -n base -c conda-forge mamba
     mamba env create -n $ENV_NAME --file $INSIDE__ENV_YML
     # copy the conda environment.yml from inside the container to the outside
     cp $INSIDE__ENV_YML $OUTSIDE_ENV_YML
+}
+
+# if no directory for the conda env, create the conda env
+if [ ! -d "$CONDA_HOME/envs/$ENV_NAME" ]; then
+    FRESH_CONDA_ENV=1
+    create-conda-env
 # otherwise if the environment.yml inside/outside are different, update the existing conda env
 elif [ -n "${CHANGED// }" ]; then
     (
@@ -91,17 +96,28 @@ elif [ -n "${CHANGED// }" ]; then
         cp $INSIDE__ENV_YML $OUTSIDE_ENV_YML
     else
         while true; do
-            read -p "Failed to update conda environment. Continue anyway? (Y/N, default: Y) " CHOICE </dev/tty
+            echo "Failed to update conda environment. Select how to proceed."
+            echo "(Y) Continue anyway."
+            echo "(N) Exit."
+            echo "(R) Remove and re-create the conda environment from scratch instead of upgrading."
+            read -p "Choose an action to continue (Y/N/R, default: Y) " CHOICE </dev/tty
             if [ "$CHOICE" = "" ]; then CHOICE="Y"; fi
             case $CHOICE in
                 [Nn]* ) exit 1;;
+                [Rr]* ) RECREATE_CONDA_ENV=1; break;;
                 [Yy]* ) break;;
-                * ) echo "Please answer 'y' or 'n'";;
+                * ) echo "Please answer Y/N/R."
             esac
         done
     fi
 fi
 
+if [ "$RECREATE_CONDA_ENV" -eq "1" ]; then
+    mamba env remove --name $ENV_NAME
+    FRESH_CONDA_ENV=1
+    create-conda-env
+fi
+
 export FRESH_CONDA_ENV
 
 rm -f "$RAPIDS_HOME/rmm.yml"       || true >/dev/null 2>&1;
diff --git a/etc/conda-merge.sh b/etc/conda-merge.sh
index 3289c2a..98c6c01 100755
--- a/etc/conda-merge.sh
+++ b/etc/conda-merge.sh
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ dependencies:
 - pytest-xdist
 - python=${PYTHON_VERSION}
 - pip:
-  - ptvsd
+  - debugpy
 EOF
 
 CUDA_TOOLKIT_VERSION=${CONDA_CUDA_TOOLKIT_VERSION:-$CUDA_SHORT_VERSION};
diff --git a/etc/rapids/.bashrc b/etc/rapids/.bashrc
index 1a8a698..9c3e269 100644
--- a/etc/rapids/.bashrc
+++ b/etc/rapids/.bashrc
@@ -33,6 +33,9 @@ shopt -s checkwinsize
 # make less more friendly for non-text input files, see lesspipe(1)
 [ -x /usr/bin/lesspipe ] && eval "$(SHELL=/bin/sh lesspipe)"
 
+# Support UTF-8 characters in less
+export LESSCHARSET='utf-8'
+
 # set variable identifying the chroot you work in (used in the prompt below)
 if [ -z "$debian_chroot" ] && [ -r /etc/debian_chroot ]; then
     debian_chroot=$(cat /etc/debian_chroot)