ANALYSIS: Economist Aaron Cosbey finds SD20 options for Rossland result in financial losses for SD20, not savings
Many arguments have countered claims made in School District No. 20's (SD20) recent facilities report that recommends closing MacLean and reducing RSS to a K-9 facility, but we feel the most cogent is Aaron Cosbey’s analysis, summarized here and attached below.Another document that succinctly reviews the errors, omissions, ...
Rossland council supports Neighbourhoods of Learning as school closure crunch fast approaches
As the School District No. 20 (SD20) board approaches it’s February, 2013, decision on school closures in Rossland, council decided on Jan. 4 to inject $5000 into the Neighbourhoods of Learning Committee (NOL) prior to adopting the 2013 budget. The deadline for written public submissions to SD20’s facilities process ended on Jan. 4, but the […]
COMMENT: For frack’s sake
When Josh Fox received a letter offering him nearly $100,000 for the natural gas extraction rights on his Pennsylvania property, his first reaction was: nice chunk of change. Then he started wondering what was involved in the hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) process proposed. Looking for the answer took him on a road trip...
North Shore Citizens Protest Alberta Summer Resident Dock
A Calgary couple plans to build a large wharf that will bisect a popular family swimming area at Willow Point Beach on the north shore of Kootenay Lake. Jane and Mark Andreychuk occupy their recently built beachfront house as a summer holiday residence and are absent for the other ten months of the year. A […]
COMMENT: He said, she said: A blow-by-blow of the Rossland Arena Scandal townhall meeting on Jan. 3
The Seniors’ Hall fire code was likely violated as more than 70 Rosslanders packed into its conference room on Jan. 3—along with reporters from CBC news and Mountain FM—to get answers from Mayor Granstrom regarding ethical breaches to city policy and an employee’s contract during major renovations to the arena. Former building inspector Jason Ward […]
LETTER: Does the mayor have the trust of Rosslanders?
Dear editor, I am a consultant with a doctoral degree in leadership and a keen interest in the importance of trust in organizations. More importantly, I am a resident of Rossland and, like many others, implicitly trust my elected officials to do be reliable stewards of our affairs. Acting on behalf of others requires openness...
ANALYSIS: Do community groups pay their way in Rossland, and can municipalities' budgets be compared?
Readers have suggested at least two important questions since we published the budget analysis and initiated our “Budge the Budget” DemocracySTORM: to what extent are community and recreation organizations paying their own way? And can we compare our budget with that of other communities?In keeping with the budget analysis,...
OP/ED: Is BC heading for its own fiscal cliff?
The Government of BC has been on a borrowing and spending spree for about eight years. A lot of this is being done using the “Public-Private Partnership” model (P3) of which the former Premier Campbell was exceedingly fond. In fact, he was such a leading proponent in Canada that the commercial interests behind the...
Initial watershed study goes public
The first phase of the Kettle River watershed management report is complete and is being rolled out to the public. Grand Forks city council received a presentation from the project co-ordinator Graham Watt to update them on the study, key focus areas and next steps at their meeting Monday, Dec. 17. The Regional District of […]
Report critiques Canada's organic certification system
The Frontier Centre for Public Policy recently released a policy study examining the system for testing organic products – or the lack thereof – in Canada. Authors Mischa Popoff and Patrick Moore drop the bomb on organic certification in Canada by revealing that organic crops are not systematically tested by the Canadian Food...
