Corporate Influence Inflames Political Cynicism
In 1952, my Grade 10 civics teacher asked us what we hoped to become as adults. One of the most popular boys answered, “I hope to go into politics.” We were delighted because we knew he wanted to make the world and Canada better, and we admired him for it. Things have changed in half a century. In 1992, my daughter Severn, ...
Part Two: Multiculturalism and Immigrant Blending (revised)
“First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin. … I’m guided by a signal in the heavens, I’m guided by the beauty of our weapons.” -- Leonard Cohen, First we take Manhattan Part Two In Part One, I outlined my views of Canadian history as it pertains to immigration and multiculturalism, and the...
Site C and agricultural land
As many countries move away from big hydro projects, B.C.’s government must decide whether to continue work on the Site C dam. The controversial megaproject would flood a 100-kilometre stretch of the Peace River Valley and provide enough power for the equivalent of about 500,000 homes. The BC Utilities Commission, an independent...
Water Management and Climate Change: Conference
Living Lakes Canada, Columbia Basin Trust, the Columbia Basin Watershed Network and Selkirk College are inviting everyone and anyone in the Columbia Basin with an interest in the region’s water resources to join a dialogue that has the potential to protect communities from water challenges in the face of climate change. The...
Addressing the fentanyl crisis
Experts agree the fentanyl crisis in British Columbia is an unprecedented multi-faceted societal catastrophe that’s not going away anytime soon. Those on the frontlines are also united in recognizing that solutions will only be possible through education and conversation. As health care professionals, emergency responders, ...
Canada, Immigration and Multi-Culturalism: Part One (of Two)
“The West is the best. / Get here, and we’ll do the rest.” -- Jim Morrison, the Doors, Blue Bus In the beginning, two words I do not often fare into the waters of moral judgements, but in this column I do. My morals and ethics, or “values” as the modern vocabulary seems to...
Op/Ed: An Indigenous Elder responds to column
The ongoing conflict over open-net fin-fish aquaculture in our coastal waters has not received much local press. After all, it's a coastal issue; we no longer have salmon runs in our neighbourhood, thanks to a series of dams on the Columbia River. But I notice that we eat salmon from the coast anyway, brought to us by the...
Letters: Local Councils should follow fearless lead!
To The Editor: Accountability. Local city councils in the Kootenays should follow the examples of Victoria, Saanich and the District of the Highlands, who voted nearly unanimously to send a "Climate Accountability Letter" to 20 of the world's largest fossil fuel companies, asking the companies to pay their share of the...
Op/Ed: Those Magnesium Claims Sold, or Maybe Not, Who Knows?
West High Yield Resources Ltd. and the Record Ridge claims: Rosslanders have been hearing from representatives of West High Yield ("WHY") about mineral claims on and around Record Ridge that could be developed into a magnesium mine for some years now. Some residents have been excited about the...
Opinion: Yes, we need to tax the rich
You have to hand it to the rich in dealing with the tax reforms proposed by the Liberals. They didn’t even have to put pen to paper or pick up the phone to protest the taxman messing with their ill-gotten wealth. They got the poor besotted small businessperson to fight on their behalf. In this newly fact-free world it didn’t...
