Editorial: On how we vote in BC -- will it change, or not?
Come the next BC election, will we have Proportional Representation (of some kind) or business-as-usual with First-Past-the-Post? A lot of ink and pixels have been swirling around the news and opinion media on the topic. It still bears more examination, given the disparate views expressed. Let’s do some examining, and...
How a US company is suing Canada for rejecting quarry in endangered whale nursery
By Judith Lavoie, DeSmog Canada When a Canadian federal-provincial environmental review panel ruled in 2007 that a proposed quarry would go against community core values and would threaten right whales and other marine life in the Bay of Fundy, groups that had fought against the project believed that was the end of the story....
CBT speaks to concerns over Castlegar's representation on board
Recent changes to the board of the Columbia Basin Trust (CBT) have prompted some questions as to why it has been so long since a Castlegar resident sat as a director, despite the significant impact the dams have had on this community (see story about board changes by clicking here ). There have been, since the CBT’s inception...
Column: 'From the Hill' -- BC's natural resources
In mid-January I attended the British Columbia Natural Resources Forum in Prince George. This is one of the biggest gatherings of resource companies, government leaders and nongovernment organizations in Canada, and is always a good place to hear the latest news from that sector. I was happy to see federal Natural Resources...
OPINION: On 'Professional Reliance'
Editor's Note: We’ve been hearing about “professional reliance” recently. In response to the provincial government’s invitation to the public to provide input on professional reliance, Rossland Mayor Kathy Moore sent a letter which is reproduced at the bottom. The deadline for submitting input was January 19th, so it’s too...
COLUMN: The effects of large dams
Brazil has flooded large swaths of the Amazon for hydro dams, despite opposition from Indigenous Peoples, environmentalists and others. The country gets 70 per cent of its electricity from hydropower. Brazil’s government had plans to expand development, opening half the Amazon basin to hydro. But a surprising announcement...
Local investment: putting our money where we live
In today’s interconnected world, it is easy to see how your hard-earned money can end up going towards projects and businesses all around the world. In 2013, British Columbians contributed $4.5 Billion of new monies into their RRSPs, much of that money disbursed outside the Province and Canada. Imagine what an impact ...
Rossland Summit School class tackles the plastic problem
Anyone who is paying any attention at all knows that plastic pollution is a huge problem for life on earth. Plastic litter floods into rivers, washes into the sea, chokes beaches and wildlife, breaks down into micro-particles that pollute our waterways and our drinking water; it migrates into the ocean, where it either...
COLUMN: Consumer society no longer serves our needs
My parents were born in Vancouver — Dad in 1909, Mom in 1911 — and married during the Great Depression. It was a difficult time that shaped their values and outlook, which they drummed into my sisters and me. “Save some for tomorrow,” they often scolded. “Share; don’t be greedy.” “Help others when they need it because one day...
Opinion: BC Hydro asking for a loan? Overheard by a fly on the wall
Loans Officer (LO): So you'd like to borrow $10.7 billion? BC Hydro (BCH): Yes sir. It's for a hydro-electric dam. LO: Well that's a lot of green for green energy. How exactly did you arrive at that cost? BCH: Happy to report we went to the same team that came up with the $1.5 billion estimate for the Port Mann bridge....