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 […]

We’ve been lulled into believing that all technological advancement is good — or at least inevitable. Of course, much depends on how we use and regulate it. Many of us remember pre-internet times. It was supposed to speed things up, to make life easier for everyone. But most people are working the same number of […]

Question: A while ago you wrote about the test that new drivers have to take to get their licence. I took the practice test and there were at least two road signs in it that I had never seen before. I’m worried that there are other signs I wouldn’t recognize and wonder if there is a […]

To all my Kootenay neighbors.  We can’t just sit back wringing our hands and let the West Coast Pipeline happen.  The Premier of Alberta Danielle Smith may think it’s a great idea for our tax dollars to help keep fossil fuel companies in business.  She may think our coastline and its wildlife is not that […]

The Health Care Needs Home Care campaign welcomes the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services’ recommendation that B.C. “invest strategically to support seniors to age at home safely” by expanding publicly subsidized home support and advancing a cross-ministry home health model. The recommendation is an important recognition that supporting seniors at home is both what people […]

Dear editor, I’m writing this to you as I just took off my mask,  which I now must wear to do anything in my garden these days.  It has been more than 10 years of me dreading rather than welcoming summer.  Our community was impacted heavily by the 2024 Slocan Valley wildfires.  Our highway south […]

The Province of British Columbia is developing a new road safety strategy that is expected to guide road safety work through 2030. The strategy is scheduled for publication in late 2026. The Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) has shared information about the engagement process, including a presentation outlining the proposed direction for the B.C. Road […]

By Laura MacDiarmid and Mavis  Morton, with contributions from Noah Ramsammy Canada’s new Protecting Victims Act strengthens legal provisions for victims of crime, representing one of Canada’s most significant reforms to addressing intimate partner violence (IPV). Yet, the different needs of survivors — including healing, receiving answers from authorities, accountability and being provided the chance […]

“I know how the Greek and Romans viewed the Celtic people they absorbed into an empire, and how the English viewed the Irish, Scots, and Welsh Celts later in history,  –“civilizers” do not intend to let the weaker folks exercise cultural freedom. The subjugated do what they must to have peace. Always, the imperial folk […]

BC NDP MLAs Brittny Anderson and Steve Morissette hosted Minister of Water, Lands and Resource Stewardship Randene Neill on August 5th, 6th  and 7th as she met with local leaders and organizations and toured local projects. “Clean water is fundamental to healthy ecosystems, healthy communities, and our local economy. It was an honour to welcome […]