Op/Ed

COMMENT: Gagging on Golden City graffiti

Some graffiti by Banksy

Ah, the plight of rural youth. It is a tale rife with intrigue, admonition, and teenage angs-- inextricably coupled with a deep-seated need for attention. Cries for help, guidance, parental intervention fan their way over back-alleys, side streets and decrepit abandoned edifices in need of a coat of whitewash; country-fried graffiti, the domain of disillusioned and misguided churls gone wild, lends an exclamatory element to the oft-overheard assertion, “this place has gone to the dogs!”

 

Letters to the Editor

STATEMENT: John Fulton's family responds to verdict in Noyes trial

John Fulton
Open Letter:
 
To begin, our family would like to thank the community of Grand Forks, Constable Bell and our Victim Service Worker Catherine Riddle for their overwhelming support and kindness. Words cannot express the loss our family has suffered, nor the horror of having to do it in such a public way.
 
We have heard repeatedly that the mental health system has let Ms. Noyes down.

LETTER: Be sun safe

Dear editor,

This summer, the Canadian Cancer Society wants to remind the community to practice sun safety while enjoying the outdoors. Natural sunlight is important for good health.  However, too much exposure to the sun’s rays can cause skin cancer and eye problems. Being safe in the sun can go a long way toward protecting you and your family.

LETTER: Be sun safe

Dear editor,

This summer, the Canadian Cancer Society wants to remind the community to practice sun safety while enjoying the outdoors. Natural sunlight is important for good health.  However, too much exposure to the sun’s rays can cause skin cancer and eye problems. Being safe in the sun can go a long way toward protecting you and your family.

LETTER: Who is council representing on DCC charges?

Dear editor,

Rossland Council has given developers another break which will ultimately be at the expense of taxpayers. At a recent meeting, Council decided not to consider a revised Development Cost Charge (DCC) bylaw until 2011. The ostensible reason given for the delay was the “infrastructure assessment” that is to be undertaken this year.

LETTER: Council passes buck, drops ball on DCCs?

Dear editor,

Rossland taxpayers should be justifiably upset to learn that Council has deferred any action on Development Cost Charges (DCCs) until 2011. They should not be surprised that the Mayor supports this, since he was a councilor, and subsequently Mayor, of the Council that set Development Cost Charges (DCCs) at a ridiculously low amount in 2004, to the benefit of developers. However, it is disappointing that some of the other Councilors voted to shelve DCCs until 2011, as this was one of the platform issues they were elected to resolve.

LETTER: Allegations of police abuse at G20

See video

Dear editor,

My name is Lesley Tarasoff and I grew up in the Slocan Valley, BC but now I live in Toronto, ON. This weekend, as you are aware, the G8 and G20 summits took place in Huntsville and Toronto. I am sure you saw the mainstream media's interpretation of the summits and what was happening on the streets. However, a lot was not reported and needs to be made public.

LETTER: We cannot let this issue die

Dear editor,

Death is not an option.  It is an experience each of us will face one day.  How we, or our loved ones, are cared for during that experience has taken a significant turn for the worse as local administrators once again reduce service levels while trying to convince us that adequate care is still available. Nurses and physicians in both hospital and home care settings will continue to give care to the dying as they can while caring for many other clients at the same time, but they will have to do that without support from a hospice palliative care coordinator.

LETTER: Huckleberries for Haiti?

Dear editor,

There is just one month left in the “Grounds for Haiti” collective fundraising initiative and there are some great things happening in the month of June. Our small group behind the “Grounds for Haiti” collective fundraising initiative are intent on keeping the focus on long-term efforts on rebuilding Haiti in the public eye for awhile longer.

We are able to do this with the some creative fundraising partnerships and very supportive businesses.

LETTER: IHA cuts short-sighted, harmful

Note: This is an open letter to Dr. Robert Halpenny, CEO of the Interior Health Authority from Keith Simmonds of the United Church.

Dear Dr. Halpenny,

I was dismayed to learn that the IHA has decided to cut the Social Work positions that offer direct support and care to people and families whose lives are already consumed by end of life issues.

LETTER: Monsanto not welcome in Canada

Dear editor,

Have you heard of the multinational chemical corporation Monsanto?  Did you know it is currently threatening to destroy the Canadian agricultural economy? This is the company that brought you Agent Orange, Genetically Modified Organisms, carcinogenic herbicides, PCBs and DDTs.