What seemed like a striking and awe-inspiring tribute to a fallen Air Force war hero Saturday turned out to be a fascinating, fabulous and fitting … fluke. I was one of hundreds of people in attendance at Castlegar’s West Kootenay Regional Airport to observe, remember and respect Airman Sgt. Eric Honeyman’s sacrifices as his...

Earlier this year, I had a chance to visit the Jim Pattison Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Building Technologies and Renewable Energy Conservation. The Centre, located in Penticton, is part of the South Okanagan and Similkameen campus of Okanagan College. Thank you to Jim Hamilton, President of Okanagan College, and Donna...

“The future starts today, not tomorrow.” – Pope John Paul II “You may delay, but time will not.” – Benjamin Franklin “How did it get so late so soon?” – Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss) Right target, wrong timeline. The decision by the leaders of the G7 to emphasize “a decarbonization of the global economy over the course of...

Environment Minister Mary Polak and Natural Gas Development Minister Rich Coleman have issued an Environmental Assessment Certificate to LNG Canada Development Inc. for the LNG Canada Export Terminal project, which will be located in northwest British Columbia in the District of Kitimat.  The decision was made after considering...

British Columbia Southern Interior, NDP MP Alex Atamanenko says goodbye to his time representing the riding during the closing of the 41st Parliament in Ottawa. Mr. Alex Atamanenko (British Columbia Southern Interior, NDP):       Mr. Chair, as always, when I get up here, there is a standing ovation.   This has been quite a ...

Interior Health’s board chair Erwin Malzer today announced that president and CEO Dr. Robert Halpenny has informed the board of directors of his decision to resign in the fall of 2015 in order to pursue other opportunities. “In his tenure as president and CEO, Dr. Halpenny has been a passionate leader, working tirelessly to...

In Canada we have been conditioned to believe that hard work will get us anywhere.  The belief that we could all be rich someday keeps us going through the hard times, keeps us pounding the pavement looking for work, and makes those long shifts at gas stations and fast food restaurants all over the country go by a little...

Eileen Delehanty Pearkes has been researching and writing about the history and politics of water in the upper Columbia Basin since 2005.  Her book on the Columbia River Treaty, A River Captured, is forthcoming in 2016.  Recently, her travelling exhibit on the Columbia River Treaty, curated for Touchstones Nelson, won a...

Patient advocates are concerned that the BC Ministry of Health's plans to increase contracts with for-profit clinics is not an effective solution to surgical wait times. They are urging the province to scrap contract plans and focus instead on taking advantage of unused public Operating Room time. Minister of Health Terry...

Dear Editor, I've been seeing a large number of "kind people" picking up "lost pets" and posting on social media. It's a bit disturbing to me and others that people are so quick to grab the animal and take it home to keep safe until owners are located.  Last fall one of our dogs ran out our front door and down the street and...