By Jean Poitras, Full professor in conflict management, HEC Montréal  Every negotiation assumes that both sides will honour what they agreed to, or that someone else — a court, a regulator, a contracting authority — can compel them to make good on their commitments. That assumption breaks down more often than we’d like: an employer […]

According to preliminary data reported by the BC Coroners Service, there were 138 deaths due to suspected unregulated drug toxicity in British Columbia in June, equating to approximately 4.6 deaths a day. In the first six months of 2026, deaths among people between 30 and 59 accounted for 68% of drug-toxicity deaths in the province, […]

When my wife Tara and I arrived on Quadra Island in the late 1980s, we were awestruck. Forests stretched to the horizon, fishing boats chased salmon, scores of herring rushed about as eagles circled above. Coming from Vancouver, the cove where we bought our cabin seemed like a secret oasis. Our neighbours told a different […]

Rental housing in our region is hard to find.  Affordability is an added issue – and  the Lower Columbia Affordable Housing Society (LCAHS) wants to help.  To do that, the Society first needs to gain a clearer and more up-to-date understanding of rental housing challenges in Rossland, Warfield, Trail, Montrose, Fruitvale, Areas A and B […]

In April 2026, 119 people in British Columbia lost their lives to suspected unregulated-drug toxicity according to preliminary data reported by the BC Coroners Service, equating to about four deaths per day. In 2026, deaths among those between the ages of 30 and 59 have accounted for 68% of drug-toxicity deaths in the province, and […]

By Ali Jasemi, Wilfrid Laurier University  During several recent conversations, people have told me that they’ve stopped checking their phones in the morning. Not because nothing was happening, but because everything was. They described the feeling as standing under a waterfall of perpetual bad news. This experience is far from an isolated one. According to […]

Prime Minister Mark Carney recently released “A Force of Nature: Canada’s Strategy to Protect Nature.” It describes a vision “that protects, restores, and values nature as a foundation of our economy, sovereignty, and well-being, leading at home and globally, to ensure healthy ecosystems, resilient communities, and prosperity for present and future generations.” What’s the link […]

By Rassim Khelifa, Assistant Professor, Department of Biology; Canada Research Chair Tier 2 in Global Change Biology, Concordia University  Lobster had one of the greatest reputation makeovers in food history. Once treated as “food for the poor,” it is now served in expensive restaurants, dipped in butter and presented as a delicacy. Insects may be […]

By Tamara Krawchenko, Associate Professor, School of Public Administration, University of Victoria  Wars destroy lives and the climate. Why aren’t we counting military emissions? When delegates gathered for COP30 in Belém, Brazil in November 2025, they scrutinized various sectors of the global economy for their contributions to rising greenhouse gases. Agriculture, aviation, steel, cement — all […]

The world must move away from coal, gas and oil — quickly. Fossil fuels pollute land, water and air, create global instability and energy price volatility, increase the gap between rich and poor and alter the climate in ways that threaten health and survival. But it’s difficult to accomplish this when the global economic system […]