Under good weather and even better company, students and parents from L’école des Septs-sommets gathered one last time this past Thursday. The Parent Advisory Council decided to carry on with their plans of offering its annual BBQ and potluck dinner, for the first time held at the school’s new location. Gratefully, the principal...

The early response by First Nations and environmental organizations to the federal government’s “subject to” approval of the Northern Gateway Pipeline Project did not come as a surprise. What does surprise me is the absence of critical commentary about the project’s economic merits which are championed by governments and...

The Government of British Columbia is excluding federally-licensed medical marijuana production from the list of agricultural uses that qualify for farm classification for assessment and property tax purposes. The decision will ensure local governments do not lose potential property tax revenues from the Health Canada...

Agriculture Minister Norm Letnick and the B.C. delegation have returned home after completing a successful trade mission to China. The tour included several deals that could increase B.C.’s agrifood exports by about $100 million within a few years. The trade mission featured a strong B.C. presence led by Letnick and representatives...

Located in the heart of wine country, Naramata is prime territory for bears to roam. Naramata has been honoured for their exceptional collaborative approach to reducing human-bear conflicts as the sixth community in the province to achieve Bear Smart status. The Bear Smart Community program encourages local governments,...

I have been following hounds the last five weeks and in the process have walked a significant distance in the deer winter range and only on one occasion did I find the bones of a deer. Bones and dropped antlers for centuries have been a strong indicator of a healthy deer herd. Remember for decades the Boundary had the largest...

Effective at noon PDT on July 2, 2014, open fires will be prohibited within the Southeast Fire Centre’s jurisdiction to help prevent human-caused wildfires and protect public safety. This prohibition will remain in place until the public is otherwise notified. Specifically, prohibited activities include: the burning of any ...

In part one I wrote about the unjust decision to increase the eligibility age for Old Age Security (OAS) to 67 and a variety of options to save for retirement. There are also all sorts of self-help manuals and financial advisors who can give you a good advice on how to plan for your financial needs when you retire. (So far ...

Present: Mayor Greg Granstrom, and Councillors Tim Thatcher, Kathy Moore, Jill Spearn; Jody Blomme attended by telephone until 8:30, from an occasionally noisy location (we all heard birds singing, and something much like dishes clattering, or cars crashing). Public Input Period Christine Anderson of the Red Mountain Racers...

Since we are just starting to get into the season of cottonwood and increased dust and pollen because we’ve had such a cold and wet May, I thought this would be a good time to discuss minimizing the effects of allergens. The most common symptoms of environmental allergens are: itchy/watery eyes, runny/irritated nose, sneezing,...