Outdated business model perpetuates reckless decisions
By Roscoe Triana Canada Post announced a decision in the summer of 2010 that they would look into rerouting all Friday mail sent from the Kootenay area in British Columbia to Vancouver for sorting prior to being delivered to the final destination. Canada Post stating that the change “would not impact customers or jobs in […]
Of sewers and streetscapes and six million dollars
The slow-motion makeover of Rossland's downtown core took another small step forward last week, with a council decision to request up to $400,000 in provincial support toward the replacement of the sewer infrastructure beneath Washington Street. The Towns for Tomorrow program funds 80 per cent of the cost (up to a $400,000...
CEOs and the New Feudalism
Few developments in our era of savage capitalism are so powerfully symbolic of the new feudalism than the obscene compensation paid out to the new economic elite: the CEOs of the most powerful corporations in the country. The CCPA’s Hugh MacKenzie now reminds us yearly of this economic and social sickness by identifying exactly when […]
Waneta expansion work getting underway is dam good news for area
What better way to launch a grand new year than with the soothing sounds of large-scale rock demolition? Construction of the long-awaited second powerplant at the Waneta Dam may begin in just over a month, with blasting booked as early as mid-February, Columbia Power representatives told Rossland council Monday. “I’m sure in the past, […]
Castlegar sees highest property value hikes in region
“Castlegar has taken the cake this year,” – that from BC Assessment’s deputy assessor, Dennis Hickson, in regard to residential property values in the region for 2010. He said the average increase in assessed value for single family dwellings in Castlegar is 4.66 per cent, compared with Nelson’s 1.92 per cent, Creston at 2.61 per […]
New mobile website to help people during outages
The power goes out on a regular basis in the West Kootenay during the winter. In light of the fact today is the first official day of winter, BC Hydro has introduced a new mobile-friendly version of www.bchydro.com that makes it easier for customers to access information on their smart phones during power outages. The mobile […]
New apprenticeship jobs guaranteed in Waneta Dam expansion
By Timothy Schafer, The Nelson Daily The Waneta Dam expansion could create a legacy of skilled trades people for the West Kootenay region, says a Columbia Power spokesperson. Audrey Repin said with a guaranteed policy in place to hire apprentices on the jobsite, many of the over 400 new job hires could become journeymen trades […]
2010 Games boosted economy: PWC report
Two studies conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) point to wide-ranging economic and social benefits from hosting the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. The reports, which cover the period of 2003-2009 and the first three months of 2010, show some positive impacts for both B.C. and Canada in the areas studied. The greatest cumulative impacts […]
Mortgage financing reform needed to avoid another crisis: report
In a report released today by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA), two prominent economists propose changes to U.S. and Canadian mortgage finance polices to prevent a future financial crisis. The report is authored by Doug Peters, former Secretary of State (Finance) and former TD Bank Chief Economist, and economic consultant Arthur Donner. […]
New community currency — what will it look like?
In what amounts to, literally, a license to print money, a group of local economy advocates are about to launch a regional currency that will be in circulation throughout the Columbia Basin early next year. It’s true: as early as next February, Columbia Community Dollars will be tradable online and in circulation as paper money […]
