Editorial: City Hall angst
Citizens have opinions about the planned mid-town housing development, with a new City hall on the ground floor — some for, some against. Here’s an effort to make the whole thing easier to understand. Readers who want to check materials available on the City’s website can click on the City’s ad on the left-hand side of...
Opinion: It's Mining Day! But consider the problem of tailings.
On Monday, February 24, the Government of BC announced that it’s “Mining Day” and wants everyone to know that BC is committed to “implementing the Mining Jobs Task Force and to supporting the competitiveness of the mining sector” as evidenced by Budget 2020. “Mining is a foundational industry in B.C. that supports communities...
Column: Effects on real people, in the real world, right here in BC
Island Scallops on Vancouver Island has relied on stable ocean conditions since 1989. But CEO Rob Saunders says those started changing a little over a decade ago. Measurements showed dropping pH levels, indicating increased acidity. “We started to notice our larvae weren’t swimming very well; they weren’t feeding. They were dying at a tremendous rate,” […]
Column: Alberta`s war room is an attack on democracy
Canada is respected globally for the freedoms we who live here enjoy. It’s not perfect, but it’s a geographically and culturally diverse land with spectacular environments and friendly people. I’ve always appreciated having the freedom to speak my mind. A diversity of ideas and perspectives, based on facts and evidence,...
Op/Ed: A blanket ban on toxic ‘forever chemicals’ is good for people and animals
By Professor Jonathan Van Hamme, Thompson Rivers University, for The Conversation Lowe’s recently joined the Home Depot and other major retail chains in phasing out the sale of products treated with poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances, toxic chemicals more commonly known as PFAS. Specifically, Lowe’s said it would...
Changes coming for ICBC
The BC Government has announced changes in the works for ICBC, claiming these will remove lawyers and legal costs from the system “to reduce rates and substantially increase care benefits, making public auto insurance work for British Columbians again.” The new system is referred to as a “care-based” system. Here’s what ...
Seniors Advocate reports on elder-care facilities, finds need for change
A Billion Reasons to Care is the first provincial review of the $1.4 billion-dollar contracted long-term care sector in British Columbia. The review examined industry contracts, annual audited financial statements and detailed reporting on revenue and expenditures for the years 2016/17 and 2017/18. The BC Seniors Advocate ...
Column: From the Hill -- The new NAFTA -- CUSMA
This week in the House of Commons we are debating the new NAFTA agreement between Canada, the United States and Mexico, known by the acronym CUSMA. The original NAFTA was negotiated by Conservatives and signed by Liberals in 1994 with promises of more jobs and secure access to the largest market in the world. Supporters of ...
Editorial: TAX TIME -- and who gets the breaks
Canada has major income tax loopholes that favour the wealthy, arguably cost the country (ergo all of us taxpayers who aren’t rich enough to qualify for them) billions of dollars overall, and make lesser-income people pay more than their fair share, while further enriching the already-rich. Now, the already-rich are pretty...
Rossland Council Meeting, January 20, 2020
Date set for upcoming by-election; Community Fruit Press; Plastics Recycling Project; shelter for Garry Camozzi; short-term rental situation unfair? Councillors Present: Mayor Kathy Moore, and Councillors Dirk Lewis, Chris Bowman, Stewart Spooner, Andy Morel, and Janice Nightingale. Adoption of Minutes – including adoption...
