The Save Record Ridge Action Committee (SRRAC) is urging the BC government not to issue an Environmental Management Act Permit for the proposed Record Ridge mine until serious issues related to human health, air quality, water contamination, and environmental monitoring have been resolved. Among other things, the permit would allow discharges to the area’s air […]

To all my Kootenay neighbors.  We can’t just sit back wringing our hands and let the West Coast Pipeline happen.  The Premier of Alberta Danielle Smith may think it’s a great idea for our tax dollars to help keep fossil fuel companies in business.  She may think our coastline and its wildlife is not that […]

Dear Editor, When BC needs to declare a state of emergency because the wildfires in the Okanagan are “creating their own weather system” —which includes creating lightening and flames beyond anything firefighters have ever seen— it is well overdue to declare a state of emergency on our energy system. This extreme weather is due to […]

A meeting with the Minister of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship (and others) about Record Ridge;  zoning – another permitted use added to the Commercial Downtown Core;  the Recreation Master Plan – how much should the City spend to improve Jubilee Field? The current state of our reservoirs; and, the Coy Cup, maybe? And, the […]

Dear Editor, I am writing from indoors today because the wildfire smoke in the West Kootenays is once again at hazardous levels. Thousands across the province have been evacuated or are on alert. Hundreds of exhausted fire fighters continue to battle the flames in an attempt to save communities. Kids, adults and seniors are cloistered […]

Homeowners will have access to practical information and hands-on learning opportunities this fall through free Home Energy Efficiency Workshops being offered in 25 communities throughout the region. The workshops are being delivered by the Community Energy Association on behalf of Columbia Basin Trust to help residents better understand how energy is used in their homes and […]

Critical ecosystems throughout B.C. will be safer and better protected, thanks to provincial funding for a new partnership led by the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation (HCTF). B.C. is providing $1 million to HCTF to identify and assess water-control infrastructure on conservation lands and other areas that support ecological values throughout the province, helping guide investments […]

When my wife Tara and I arrived on Quadra Island in the late 1980s, we were awestruck. Forests stretched to the horizon, fishing boats chased salmon, scores of herring rushed about as eagles circled above. Coming from Vancouver, the cove where we bought our cabin seemed like a secret oasis. Our neighbours told a different […]

It’s not utopian to envision a Canada with less pollution, lower household costs and a smaller gap between rich and poor. We have the technology, knowledge and skilled workforce to make it happen — and we’re seeing effective solutions employed worldwide. But time is running out, and consequences are mounting: record heat killing thousands; extreme […]

The struggle for Record Ridge goes on and it’s very expensive. As anyone following the issue of the proposed open-pit magnesium mine on Record Ridge knows by now, a BC Supreme Court judge, Mr. Justice Weatherill, ruled that the proposed mine does not need an environmental assessment. For a more complete discussion of the situation, […]