Adapted from a presentation to classes at West Boundary Elementary, May 2014. Today I want to tell you the story of Maddy the trout. This is a true story, kind of. One that requires a bit of imagination, and no fear of statistics of a very basic kind. Maddy is a rainbow trout (formally Oncorhynchus mykiss for those who like...

The battle between the government and BC teachers moved from the bargaining table to the Labour Relations Board room as both sides argued about the 10 per cent pay cut. The BC Teacher’s Federation told the LRB the government does not have the right to deduct salaries by 10 percent for teachers staging a partial […]

Tap tap tappity tap tap. One of the strongest memories I have from my childhood is my dad tapping away at the computer. It’s not my earliest memory, but it happened nightly, so it was burned into my head. It was a comforting sound. My room was across the hall from his office and he would be working steadily into the night, ...

Dear fellow New Democrat, I am pleased to announce my official status as a nominee in the bid to become your New Democratic Party (NDP) candidate in the next federal election. I am very excited about this opportunity and I thank the NDP and the riding association for the prospect to seek the nomination to […]

I am very dismayed that my Bill C-571 did not get quite enough support in Parliament to pass on to Committee stage where it would have received thorough scrutiny and proper debate. I had hoped to follow an example set by the EU to have the same food safety standards, transparency and accountability applied to the horsemeat ...

Talk about putting the cart before the horse. Fall 2013 the RDKB (Regional District of Kootenay Boundary) launches the Kettle Blah-Blah Plan. A few months later Grand Forks city council slams through a unanimous motion to install residential smart water metres. The citizenry clamours, an open-house is held and already by April...

Habitat for Humanity Boundary (Grand Forks) and Habitat for Humanity West Kootenay (Castlegar/Nelson) announced their merger today.  Together, they will create a regional affiliate “Habitat for Humanity Southeast British Columbia”, (HFHSEBC) with a service area that includes the Boundary and Kootenay areas.  (Rock Creek to ...

It seems that no one likes to pay taxes, yet taxes buy the goods and services we use together in our communities. For example, it would be difficult to pay for the fire or police department individually, or schools, hospitals or roads. Historically, income taxes have been used to reduce inequality, with top earners paying a...

Grand Forks locals have a chance to help former resident, 25-year-old Rose Schwarz as she battles for her health and life. Schwarz has been fighting for her own well-being for the last 11 year, since she was 14-years-old. During that time, her health has gotten continuously worse. Now she can only eat through a feeding tube...

A Grand Forks’ man has become the first person in Canada to be fired for refusing to get a flu shot. Arnold Hoekstra, 49, worked as a nurse’s aide at the Boundary Hospital for five years in an adult day program. When pressure was put on him to get the flu shot, he refused. As an alternative, he was asked to wear a mask while...