COLUMN: Plastic straws suck
Of all the plastic products we use and take for granted, plastic drinking straws are among the most unnecessary. Designed to be used once and discarded, their only real purpose is to keep your mouth from touching a glass or ice. It made more sense in the days when contaminated vessels were more of an issue. Now, there’s a...
Editorial: A parting shot from Christy Clark's government -- shocking but not surprising
While four of six Tsilhqot’in communities are evacuated due to raging wildfires surrounding their communities, Christy Clark’s outgoing Liberal government has granted permits to Taseko Mines to conduct extensive pre-construction exploration and drilling for the New Prosperity mine proposal in a place precious to the Tsilhqot’in Nation. Never mind that the federal government has twice […]
Opinion: Suggestions for Fair Elections
Houston, we have a consensus. Well, almost. All three parties in the B.C. legislature now support a ban on corporate and union donations, as well as setting a cap on personal contributions. It's that last one that gets tricky. What's the right cap? Perhaps B.C.'s new government should rip a page out of Alberta's NDP playbook....
Column: Mayors should speak up; Trudeau's concessions in Canada-EU deal will hit cities hardest
The trouble with demonizing the leader of an unpopular government is that it gives the next leader way too much slack. I remember writing a column years ago comparing the hated Brian Mulroney with Paul Martin (who more or less ran Jean Chretien's government). Who was more destructive to the public interest and progressive...
FireSmart Workshop for Black Bear Residents.
Would Rossland become a mini-Fort McMurray in the event of a nearby wildfire? Or could FireSmart measures provide protection? How much? Don Mortimer, Rossland resident and consultant with FireSmart Canada, thinks preventive measures can provide significant protection. Residents in Rossland's Black Bear neighbourhood are...
COLUMN: Face to face meetings and international trade disputes
Last Monday I travelled to Washington, DC with Tracey Ramsey, the NDP critic for International Trade. I was there in my role as NDP critic for Natural Resources, and we were both there to talk about softwood lumber with senators, congressmen and their staff. We had a full day of meetings on Tuesday, going from office to...
Interac e-Transfer 'back online and fully operational'
The company responsible for moving mountains of cash over the internet said its e-Transfer service “is back online and fully operational.” In a media release on its website, Interac says its e-Transfer service is back up running after it was suspended Friday morning due to technical issues. “We apologize for the inconvenience this service disruption […]
Opinion: Misleading claims about 'green' products and what to do about them
By Gaelle Gourmelon; article from WorldWatch Institute You’re standing at the store, a bottle of shampoo in each hand. Your gaze circles from one label to the other, and your mind runs 10 simultaneous comparisons to decide which bottle you’ll bring home. Blue is, after all, your favorite color. And this label does...
Opinion: If Saskatchewan Can Build a Geothermal Plant, Why Can't BC?
By Carol Linnett. This article is from DeSmog Canada. While news of Saskatchewan’s plan for a small geothermal power plant was met with excitement by renewable energy advocates, experts say British Columbia is far better situated to capitalize on the technology yet has failed to do so. “It should be a little bit of a shock...
Cycling Never Gets Old
Two hundred years ago this month, an environmental and fuel crisis inspired one of our greatest inventions — a device so simple, efficient and useful that it’s turning out to be part of the solution to today’s environmental and fuel crises. As a Treehugger article explains, the eruption of Indonesia’s Mount Tambora in April...
