COLUMN: From the Hill -- Cannabis
On June 20th, the House of Commons rose for the summer break. One of the last votes we took dealt with the message to the Senate regarding their proposed amendments to Bill C-45, the bill to legalize marijuana. And the final motion to adjourn included a message to the Senate regarding Bill C-46, which covers new...
City of Victoria wins lawsuit over plastic bag bylaw
More action on single-use plastic bags? Rossland City Council has stated that it was waiting for the outcome of the court challenge against the City of Victoria’s bylaw to ban plastic “check-out” bags. The Canadian Plastic Bag Association challenged the City of Victoria’s right to regulate plastic bags. Now the Supreme Court...
Editorial: PART THREE -- on the upcoming referendum, and those PR voting systems
As promised, this Part will describe the Mixed Member Proportional system to achieve proportional representation in the BC Legislature. Part Two described the Dual-Member Proportional system, which would make most electoral districts larger, and assign two MLAs to each district by a system designed to achieve proportionality....
COLUMN: From the Hill -- G20 Energy
Last week I travelled with Jim Carr, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, to the G20 energy meetings in Argentina. The meetings are a mix of reports from the G20 countries and of presentations by world experts about the state of energy markets and future energy demand. The main theme of the talks was the “grand […]
Knotweed costs us all -- please don't spread it by cutting or mowing it.
Knotweed is one of the scarier invasive plants. It doesn't cause burns or blindness, like Giant Hogweed, but it does spread very fast and it causes expensive damage to things like the foundations of buildings – and property values. It can burst right through pavement, take over lawns and gardens, and we have it right […]
COLUMN: Need a doctor? Naturopathic Physicians are recognized as primary care providers in BC
What is the scope of a Naturopathic Physician? Naturopathic physicians became recognized as primary care physicians in 2009 when the BC Ministry of Health approved a new set of regulations (BC Naturopathic Association. Primary care in BC: NDs Help Find Patients Unable to Find a GP 2017....
Two houses destroyed by fire in Boundary City
Grand Forks Fire Rescue responded to fires that engulfed two houses Wednesday. The fires, occurring in the west part of the city, happened on the same day BC Premier John Horgan visited the Boundary City to discuss programs aimed at helping people affected by disasters, including the horrific floods that devastated parts of...
Water metering debate; more townhouses; more smoking restrictions; some gain short term rental zoning and some will lose it; and more.
Rossland City Council meetings, June 12, 2018 PUBLIC HEARING: Re: A bylaw to re-zone 2194 Park Street from R-1 Residential to R-1 GS (allowing for short-term rental of a guest suite.) One resident had written and expressed comfort with the application, as long as the off-street parking would be used, instead of the owner and...
Grads getting some street smarts at Seven Summits
Rossland’s Seven Summits Centre for Learning is developing a reputation for academic excellence. In addition to that – for the past couple of years, the school has done a whole other great thing for their graduating class. It’s a day spent focusing on life skills that the students themselves have identified as gaps in their...
Editorial PART TWO: About that referendum this fall, and the voting systems on offer
In Part One, we looked at the first question on the two-question referendum, and expressed an opinion, but did not describe the choices of voting system in the second question. I intend to discuss each of the voting systems separately, with re-caps along the way. This editorial will describe only Dual-Member Proportional....
