Public Accounts confirm economic impacts of COVID-19
Despite strong fiscal results in the first three quarters of 2019-20, unforeseen changes in the fourth quarter due to COVID-19, including declines in tax revenues, ICBC losses and early measures to tackle the pandemic, affected the Province’s 2019-20 financial results. “While the first three quarters of 2019-20 reflected a ...
Column: Plastics everywhere; what now?
Almost every product and material we refer to as “plastic” is made from fossil fuels. Most of it hasn’t been around for long — a little over 70 years for the most common products. North American grocery stores didn’t start offering plastic bags until the late 1970s. Over that short time, plastics have become ubiquitous. A...
Happy Hills Farm in Rossland receives boost from FedEx grant
Miche and Dan Warwick of Happy Hills Farm have just become a bit happier, thanks to a $5,000 grant from the FedEx #SupportSmall grant initiative. The program has awarded $5,000 to each of 30 small businesses across Canada that have been adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, in a wide variety of sectors. Here in...
Provincial Government responds to petition seeking referendum
The City of Rossland has received a copy of the response to the request for a referendum on the proposed affordable housing/city hall project in development for the old EMCON lot on 3rd Ave. The request, along with the petition, was sent to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing by a Facebook group called the Rossland...
Four reasons 2020 is set to see the lowest Fraser River sockeye salmon return on record
By Stephanie Wood, for The Narwhal Even a low-ball prediction for the number of sockeye returning to B.C. river was too high and First Nations and conservationists say government mismanagement and lice infestations are partly to blame Scientists at the Pacific Salmon Commission knew 2020 wouldn’t be a great year for...
Column: From the Hill -- Morneau's resignation and pandemic recovery
Bill Morneau resigned as Minister of Finance on Monday. I enjoyed my interactions with the former minister—he was approachable and often crossed the aisle to chat with me when I had a question or comment on financial issues affecting my constituents. Rumour has it that he was at odds with the rest of the cabinet when it...
Policy Note: Public Relations can be Bad News
By Dan Guadagnolo for The Conversation As the Canadian economy slowly recovers from COVID-19 lockdowns, there have been news articles suggesting the Canada Emergency Response Benefit is encouraging workers to stay off the job. But a peek behind the headlines reveals the source of the story to be a business lobby group using...
Column: Forestry and the 'circular economy'
Many people are calling for a just, green recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Investing in natural solutions to climate change, restoring damaged and fragmented ecosystems, strengthening the social safety net and rethinking flawed economic systems would make us more resilient to current and future crises. One concept that...
Explainer: The clean energy bill that divided BC’s NDP and Greens: 11 things you need to know
Proposed legislation would end B.C.’s mandate to be electricity 'self-sufficient,' and the Greens say that’s bad news for small-scale renewable energy producers, including First Nations By ZoëYunker, for The Narwhal The BC NDP came to power promising to launch major jobs initiatives in clean...
COUNCIL MATTERS: August 10, 2020, meetings.
Duplex opposition; insult shouted at Mayor; to ice, or not to ice? TRP report; cannabis store decision, and more . . . Present: Mayor Kathy Moore, and Councillors Dirk Lewis, Janice Nightingale, Andy Morel, and Chris Bowman; Staff: CAO Bryan Teasdale, Deputy Corporate Officer Cynthia Año Nuevo, Chief Financial...
