COLUMN: Finance committee chair Wayne Easter defends the privileged, undermines modest tax reforms
What is it about progressive politicians going to Ottawa only to end up as arrogant and nasty conservatives? My old friend Pam Wallin was one of the kindest people I knew in Regina in the 1970s when she was a member of the Waffle group in the NDP. She turned into one of the nastiest Conservative senators. And the last encounter...
B.C.'s Wild West reputation laid to rest — NOT!
The headlines should have read “B.C.'s Wild West reputation laid to rest.” Instead, British Columbians woke up to “Taxpayers would give millions to political parties in NDP plan,” all thanks to an ill-advised decision to slide two unexpected provisions into the government's campaign finance reform package: a transitional...
Site C or No Site C — Public hearing Tuesday in Nelson
British Columbians are facing a crucial test in the coming weeks – reaching an opinion on the planned Site C dam. Currently estimated to cost $8.8 billion, the hydroelectric dam on the Peace River is the single most expensive public infrastructure project ever proposed in B.C. history. Originally put forward along with a...
A Rossland business celebrates children being outdoors
Sending kids outside to play is one of the best things parents can do for them, right? Books have been written about the many benefits to children's health and development of playing outside in natural surroundings. Trees. Meadows. Creeks. Those books include "Last Child in the Woods" by Richard Louv, "Risk and Adventure...
COLUMN: The trouble with CO2, plants and nutrition
Bigger isn’t always better. Too much of a good thing can be bad. Many anti-environmentalists throw these simple truths to the wind, along with caution. You can see it in the deceitful realm of climate change denial. It’s difficult to keep up with the constantly shifting — and debunked — denier arguments, but one common thread...
UPDATED: Environment Canada continues Special Weather Statement for Paulson Summit to Kootenay Pass
Environment Canada issued a Special Weather Statement Thursday morning for Highway 3, Paulson Summit to Kootenay Pass due to a cold airmass associated with an upper low has caused freezing levels to plummet this week. "Snow has been observed on the Okanagan Connector, Rogers Pass, Paulson Summit and Kootenay Pass on several...
Spraying native plants on City property with herbicide; Rossland IS expensive; street light schedule adjustment; arena suggestions
Regular Council Meeting, September 18, 2017 Present: Acting Mayor Lloyd McLellan, and Councillors John Greene, Marten Kruysse, Aaron Cosbey, Andrew Zwicker; Absent: Mayor Kathy Moore, Andy Morel Public Input Period: The owner of Seven Summits Coffee, who purchased and has been extensively renovating the former Rotary...
Editorial: About those proposed changes in federal income tax: Will they hurt small businesses? Will they hurt farmers?
The short answer, according to a number of reviews done by experts in economics, is ― no. The vast majority of small businesses do not make enough money to be affected at all by the proposed changes in federal taxation. Farmers should not suffer either. In fact, according to the conclusions of those ...
UPDATED: Evacuation Alert ends for Harrop, Proctor, Sunshine Bay, Kootenay Lake Village
The Regional District of Central Kootenay said in a media release Wednesday that BC Wildfire Service feels the threat posed by the Harrop Creek wildfire has diminished enough to rescind the Evacuation Alert for all residents in the communities of Harrop, Procter, Sunshine Bay, and Kootenay Lake Village, effective immediately....
A rare encounter near Rossland
A local man, Daniel Papanek, found something totally unexpected during a hike along the Malde Creek Forest Service Road on Sunday, September 17. It was lying in a coil, the tip of its tail barely visible and adorned with things that rattle when shaken. Just to make sure of its identity, the man took a long branch and just...
