The House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance has launched its annual pre-budget consultation process, which will result in a report to be tabled in the House of Commons prior to the December 2012 parliamentary break. This year, the pre-budget consultation process will take a slightly different form: online submission of answers to specific questions […]

Do you feel Canadians are being led down the proverbial garden path by our federal government? Do you wish there were some way you could have more influence on Ottawa's decisions? And what's all this about moving our riding boundaries? Rossland politicos, mark down July 31, 6 p.m., for a "food for thought" potluck with our ...

The quadrennial Spirit of Innovation Awards are on again and KAST—the Kootenay Association for Science and Technology, the award organizers—want nominations for individuals, organizations, and businesses whose hard work exemplifies West Kootenay innovation and entrepreneurship.“The innovation, intellectual capital, and...

The times they are a-changing and housing in the Lower Columbia region needs to meet new demands on several levels, Attainable Housing Committee (AHC) chairperson Janet Morton told Rossland's council on July 16. Last year the AHC—a committee of the LCCDT (Lower Columbia Community Development Team)—hired consultant Matt Thomson...

One of my infantile leftist ex-friends recently referred to the Free Syrian Army as a ‘sectarian gang’. The phrase may well come from Asa’ad Abu Khalil, who seems to have a depressingly large audience, but it could come from any of a large number of blanket thinkers in the ranks of the Western left. I admit that I sometimes...

A new provincial regulation aimed at stopping copper thieves in their tracks has scrap metal dealers doubtful. The new law came into effect yesterday, Monday, July 23, requiring the more than 60 BC scrap metal dealers to ask for and record the identification of anyone selling high-value metals like copper to them. That...

As Canada prepares to withdraw from Afghanistan in 2014, it is time to reflect on the future role of our military in the world. Our active involvement in Afghanistan transformed Canada into a “nation at war”. The tragic loss of 158 Canadian men and women to this war along with the enormous price tag of […]

Human waste, unattended fires and toxic litter often accompanies seasonal squatters in the Boundary. It happens every year -- people who are down on their luck set up house along a river bank or in the bush to save themselves rent and utility costs while the weather is good. Their activity may seem harmless enough but it is...

The "Rossland Energy Diet," a unique energy-saving program that brought notable local rewards and has started to draw provincial and national attention, has celebrated great success in “phase one" and will now move into "phase two."A crowd gathered under a large tent beside the Rossland Mountain Market on July 12 to hear the...

A gay couple from Vancouver was awarded over $4500 for discrimination in a  B.C. Human Rights Tribunal decision yesterday after being refused Grand Forks accommodations in 2009. The decision, by Tribunal member Enid Marion, found that Les and Susan Molnar, operating the Riverbend Bed and Breakfast business at the time, were...