COLUMN: From the Hill -- Greener Hydrogen?
My role as Natural Resources critic for the NDP covers forestry, mining and energy—and the big issue these days in that trio is energy. The pandemic has intensified calls for a national energy strategy that will direct federal investments to help us recover from the economic impacts of the crisis and put us on a good footing...
Editorial: The Cassandra curse continues
Remember Cassandra, from ancient Greek mythology? The story is that the god Apollo fell in love with Cassandra, but she did not return his passion. Attempting to win her love, Apollo gifted her with true knowledge of the future, with truth-telling – but despite that amazing gift, she still didn’t return his love. Angry and...
Column: From the Hill -- Wealth gap a drag on the economy
Imagine a country where the top one percent of the population owned one quarter of all the wealth and the bottom 40 per cent together owned only one per cent. Sounds outrageous? That country is Canada. The source of those figures is the latest report of the Parliamentary Budget Officer. The disparity between the super-wealthy...
New Report finds problems with BC's assisted living
While COVID-19 has focused attention on problems in long-term care, a new study raises concerns about assisted living and concludes it’s time for BC’s Seniors Advocate to review the sector. On Wednesday, June 17, 2020, the BC Health Coalition released The Place of Assisted Living in BC’s Seniors Care System: Assessing the...
Editorial: Time to go back to reusable bags, please – with precautions
On June 22, 2020, over 100 health experts from around the world issued a statement about the relative safety of reusables compared with single-use plastics, cups, and so on, with regard to transmitting COVID-19. Their statement can be found here; in it, they state, “Based on the best available science and guidance from public...
Stay, shop, eat, bank -- 'Embrace Local'
During the pandemic, Rosslanders have proven that as a community, helping is at our heart. Our local branch of the Nelson and District Credit Union (NDCU) is part of that, and is urging people to support local businesses, to ensure they thrive during these unprecedented times. Being an active part of our communities keeps us...
IDEAS: The day is dawning on a four-day work week
By Karen foster, for The Conversation Like any crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic is an opportunity to rethink how we do things. As we near the 100-day mark since the pandemic was declared, one area getting a significant attention is the workplace, where a window is opening for good ideas to move from the fringes to the mainstream....
Letter: Let's not lose more wilderness to development
To The Editor: The BC Government Mountain Resorts Branch has recently received an expression of interest (EOI) for a new ski resort development (Zincton Expression of Interest) from Brent Harley and Associates Inc. and are requesting feedback from the public. The British Columbia Backcountry Hunters and Anglers (BCBHA) have...
Column: 'Normal' won't do it
After months of disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, many people just want to get back to “normal.” We will overcome this crisis. But “normal” means continued climate disruption and species extinction, growing inequalities, increasing pollution and health risks and the possibility of further new disease outbreaks. We...
Mercer announces 30 days downtime at its Celgar mill
In a press release Friday, Mercer indicated there will be a month of downtime this summer, over an above its annual shutdown. The press release reads as follows: "Mercer International Inc. (“Mercer”) (Nasdaq: MERC) reports that its Celgar mill, in addition to regularly planned maintenance downtime of five days, will be taking...