Council has decided to reinstate the downtown furniture budget that it had put on hold last year. The $108,000 line item includes benches, but also bike racks, recycling bins, bear-proof garbage containers, and the eclectic but contentious ore cart. Council's decision, however, stipulates that city staff will return to council...

by Lena Groeger | ProPublica, May 3, 5:17 p.m. From phone hacking to bribery, the corruption at News International has involved many players — increasingly, ones close to Rupert Murdoch. We’ve mapped out the players involved in this growing debacle, organized by their proximity to Rupert Murdoch, James Murdoch and other senior staff. Keep in […]

Funding to community groups was cut by four per cent (about $14,000) relative to 2012 levels overall at Wednesday evening's committee of the whole (COW), with the Sustainability Commission taking the main hit as funding for the SC manager disappeared—ostensibly to bring the role "in house" to the city—while the city granted...

The Chamber of Commerce, Tourism Rossland, the Rossland Pool Society , and the Neighbourhoods of Learning committee were all cut by five per cent relative to 2012 funding during council’s Wednesday evening committee-of-the-whole (COW), for a total expenditure of $107,540—about $5660 less than 2012. Please note: all council ...

Facing hard budgetary constraints, council decided at Wednesday evening's committee-of-the-whole (COW) to defer a study on the potential conversion of the Star Gulch Reservoir beside Centennial Trail into a community swimming hole until at least 2014. With the massive increase in the city's water supply afforded by the...

Council will maintain funding to the Neighbourhoods of Learning Committee (NOL) for 2013, but that may be it for city funds as the municipality faces budget constraints and council begins to reconsider its educational role in a post-K-12 Rossland. Coun. Jill Spearn, an elementary school teacher and council's representative ...

CAO Cecile Arnott confirmed to council at Wednesday's committee-of-the-whole (COW) that the Columbia-Washington upgrades have cost the city on the order of $6 million, about $1.4 million more than was originally budgeted. The final project cost is still under dispute as negotiations with the contractor continue. On top of...

“Politics is the art of the possible. This doesn’t mean politicians are artists, just artful and artificial.”      --   C. Jeanes This column will be all about politics, not about spiritual consciousness, religion, scientific materialism, nor any other of the abstract topics I have been troubling my readers about in more...

 It can hardly come as a surprise to anyone that governments – like corporations – employ spin to portray their actions in the best possible light (and to cast their opponents in the worst possible light). Nor is it news that many corporations – and the PR companies they employ – operate a revolving door for helpful politicians....

"Downloading" was a hot topic at council on Monday evening as councillors lamented a large increase in the regional tax burden that will be foisted on residents when their property tax bills arrive this year. Coun. Jill Spearn started things off, asking Coun. Kathy Wallace for her comments on the hospital requisition of...