Last Wednesday we heard riveting testimony from former Attorney General Jody Wilson-Raybould on her account of events in the SNC-Lavalin story.  This is a long and sordid tale of corruption both abroad and here in Canada. As the SNC-Lavalin scandal rolls out, I’m reminded of Tommy Douglas’ political fable “Mouseland”. In it,...

The adage ‘never look a gift horse in the mouth’ nearly came to pass with disastrous effects for Grand Forks city council. Grand Forks city council almost made that gaff Feb. 11 and risked losing a provincially-funded, million-dollar low income housing project that had landed unprompted in its municipal lap. Maybe the project...

In the most-recent column, I opened questions of the history of the West, its historic global dominance, non-westerners reactions to that past, and the present geopolitical world of Western, First-World primacy. I also delved into the meaning of our history in terms of human cognitive and cultural evolution. My expertise is...

Volunteers – please take a bow.  We honour you, and we’re grateful for all your help.  Collectively, you do such a huge amount of good for people in your communities.    Our communities rely heavily on volunteers for so much that makes our hometowns great places to live.  Service clubs, Fall Fair, Winter Carnival, our arts ...

Energy is inextricably linked to a range of community issues, from health to housing. That was one message that emerged from a four-day gathering in Calgary of more than 200 young Indigenous leaders from every province and territory, organized by Disa Crow Chief of the Siksika Nation and Cory Beaver of the Stoney Nakoda Nation....

Those plans for housing and other uses aren’t firm yet, though, and the City wants to hear from us about the project.  There’s a Public Open House at the  Miners Hall on March 5, from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm, to let us know what has happened until then, and we can give our informed opinions once we’re up to speed – since uninformed...

On Tuesday February 26, 2019, a low pH incident occurred at an outfall at Teck Trail Operations. Regulatory authorities including Emergency Management BC, the BC Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, and Environment and Climate Change Canada were immediately notified. An investigation was started immediately following...

I see many patients who have been diagnosed with an Autoimmune disease and feel extremely overwhelmed and fearful.  In Naturopathic Medicine, there are many things we can do to reduce or even resolve the symptoms of autoimmune disease.  Autoimmune conditions are now just chronic diseases that can mostly be managed by removing...

Seven years after conducting a wide ranging investigation examining seniors care and services in the province, the Ombudsperson finds a number of key recommendations are still outstanding, including legislative changes that would make significant improvements to service quality and the protection of seniors’ rights. The Best...

Last week the Regional District of Central Kootenay (RDCK) hosted a workshop about a proposed regional-scale composting program. This program will initially target the processing of organic waste from municipal curbside collection and the commercial sector. The RDCK is asking municipal councils and boards to advise if they ...