Op/Ed: An Indigenous Elder responds to column
The ongoing conflict over open-net fin-fish aquaculture in our coastal waters has not received much local press. After all, it's a coastal issue; we no longer have salmon runs in our neighbourhood, thanks to a series of dams on the Columbia River. But I notice that we eat salmon from the coast anyway, brought to us by the...
Tax rate; how should cannabis be sold; how many councillors? and, local citizen honoured.
Rossland City Council Meeting, October 23, 2017 Present: Mayor Kathy Moore, and Councillors Lloyd McLellan, Andy Morel, John Greene, and Marten Kruysse. Absent: Andrew Zwicker and Aaron Cosbey. Public Input Period: 1. Rossland Dispensary owner Jeff Weaver spoke about the coming decriminalization of cannabis by the...
Opinion: Some Encouraging News on the Climate Front
The BC government has announced a key step toward creating a new, more effective climate-change strategy. The multi-sector Climate Solutions and Clean Growth Advisory Council is charged with advising the B.C. government and delivering its first public report in one year. Karen Tam Wu, acting BC Director of the Pembina...
Letters: Local Councils should follow fearless lead!
To The Editor: Accountability. Local city councils in the Kootenays should follow the examples of Victoria, Saanich and the District of the Highlands, who voted nearly unanimously to send a "Climate Accountability Letter" to 20 of the world's largest fossil fuel companies, asking the companies to pay their share of the...
Op/Ed: Those Magnesium Claims Sold, or Maybe Not, Who Knows?
West High Yield Resources Ltd. and the Record Ridge claims: Rosslanders have been hearing from representatives of West High Yield ("WHY") about mineral claims on and around Record Ridge that could be developed into a magnesium mine for some years now. Some residents have been excited about the...
Opinion: Yes, we need to tax the rich
You have to hand it to the rich in dealing with the tax reforms proposed by the Liberals. They didn’t even have to put pen to paper or pick up the phone to protest the taxman messing with their ill-gotten wealth. They got the poor besotted small businessperson to fight on their behalf. In this newly fact-free world it didn’t...
Editorial: Some news about cannabis, findings about dispensaries, and a surprise about psilocybin
First, the cannabis news: as readers of the "Council Matters" column already know, the provincial government is seeking input from municipal governments to help guide provincial policy on the decriminalization of cannabis. The federal government is preparing to pass Bill C-45 and Bill C-46. There are questions to be...
Energy Crawl -- October 21
The Sustainability Commission’s annual Energy Crawl takes place this Saturday October 21st between noon and 4:00 pm. Rosslanders are invited to visit Energy Crawl homes or drop by Energy Crawl Headquarters (Rossland Public Library) and take in the electric car show. Homeowners and vehicle owners will give you a brief tour,...
Column: time to talk about universal pharmacare
Universal pharmacare is a hot topic on Parliament Hill these days. The concept is simple—a single program that would ensure that all Canadians had free access to prescription drugs. Canada is the only country in the world with universal health care that doesn’t include the cost of drugs in its coverage. And that doesn’t...
COLUMN: Time to nix neonics.
The Canadian government is banning plastic microbeads in toiletries. Although designed to clean us, they’re polluting the environment, putting the health of fish, wildlife and people at risk. Manufacturers and consumers ushered plastic microbeads into the marketplace, but when we learned of their dangers, we moved to phase ...
