‘All for ourselves and nothing for other people’: The takeover of economics by neoliberalism
All for ourselves, and nothing for other people, seems, in every age of the world, to have been the vile maxim of the masters of mankind. -- Adam Smith, Wealth of Nations In these days of economic stagnation, misery and insecurity, housing bubbles and the growing precariate, it seems appropriate to speculate on what Shakespeare...
Fatal accident on Hwy 3B
West Kootenay Traffic Services Cpl. Phil Mager is reporting another fatality on West Kootenay roads: On Dec. 16 at approximately 3:30 p.m., a southbound, grey, two-door coupe lost control on the compact snow and sand as it was legally passing another vehicle coming down Hwy 3B. The coupe spun around and hit a northbound...
Scammers now using pet purchases to steal from unsuspecting buyers
A new scam making the rounds involves people selling pets online, taking the buyer's money, then never sending the animal (if, indeed, there ever was one to begin with), according to RCMP Sgt. Laurel Mathew. “Castlegar RCMP would like to remind people to be extremely diligent when making purchases online … the varying scams...
Food bank frantic for donations as need outstrips food stores for Christmas hampers
Some local residents will be having a very lean Christmas this year if the rest of us don't rally for them, according to Castlegar Harvest Food Bank manager Deb McIntosh. She said it's been a particularly lean year, especially without the CP Rail Holiday Train making tracks here in 2016. That doesn't make for less need, though...
A new business in an old building on our main street
This new business means business. That is, it's there to make business easier for people with home-based businesses to work when the home office is too noisy, or doesn't offer broadband, or when a separate place to meet with clients would be helpful. Or for people from out of town to work for a while, as needed. Or to...
Handful of West Kootenay communities receive grants-in-lieu of property taxes
A handful of communities in the West Kootenay were recipients of the nearly $16 million in compensation for municipal property taxes distributed by the B.C. government. Nelson, Rossland, Castlegar and Nakusp received grants-in-lieu of property taxes that are distributed every November and reimburse municipalities for services...
COLUMN: Tread Lightly
How much stuff will you give and receive this holiday season? Add it to the growing pile — the 30-trillion-tonne pile. That’s how much technology and goods humans have produced, according to a study by an international team led by England’s University of Leicester. It adds up to more than all living matter on the planet,...
Library and Museum grants upped; TRP gets some; Taxes; Deanne Steven leaving Tourism Rossland
Rossland City Council, November 12, 2016: Public Hearing and Regular Council Meeting. Present: Mayor Kathy Moore, and Councillors Lloyd McLellan, Andrew Zwicker, John Greene, Andy Morel, and Aaron Cosbey. Absent: Marten Kruysse PUBLIC HEARING: A slight clash of views over housing The Public Hearing was scheduled to ...
Conservative MP tables Heritage-friendly private bill
On December 6, Peter van Loan, Conservative critic for Canadian Heritage and National Historic Sites, introduced a Private Member’s Bill for the rehabilitation of historic buildings in Canada. Designed to support those who invest in our cultural heritage, this Bill will have the potential to encourage rehabilitation of...
The Rec Site: Free Public Recreation, or For-Profit Business?
With seven billion and counting on this little planet, space in some places is at a premium. We’re so lucky here in BC’s southern interior — we aren’t overly crowded. And yet, we still compete for space. Space for recreation in the back-country in some areas is highly contentious, with horse-back riders, hikers, skiers, snowshoers, […]
