As we look back at how the arena scandal unfolded, Coun. Jill Spearn said that she felt “blindsided” by the recent surge of public resentment over the scandal and the way council dealt with the situation as they became aware of problems over the last year.Was council blindsided?The big question of 'who knew what and when'...

The remarkable Idle No More movement is the biggest and most important national outpouring of grassroots aboriginal anger ever seen in Canada. Not since the late 1960s when Indians (as they then referred to themselves) and Métis confronted governments with demands for justice has such a dramatic and passionate expression of...

The January 14 City Council meeting agenda shows that councillors will be dealing with numerous serious issues: speeding on Thompson Avenue, animal control bylaw, smoking regulations, child care lease renewal, and a few other things. However, in a section of the agenda titled Requests Arising from Correspondence, there is but...

Dear Rossland City Councilors, I am baffled by the Mayor calling a public meeting and then having nothing specific to say.  He acknowledges  that “mistakes were made” but can’t say what they were. He says there have been changes but can’t identify any specifically. Most outrageously, he continues to say that there is no...

In this column I would like to share part of the speech I gave to those attending the “Open Forum” on a culture of peace and Department of Peace in Canada which took place in Ottawa early in November of 2012. Arms trade is big business – in 2010 total military spending in the world was around $1.6 Trillion.  According to the...

If the term 'fiscal cliff' became part of the daily lexicon over the holidays, perhaps a new term should come into vogue in B.C. before the May election. Call it the 'fiscal tsunami' and it could hit B.C.'s shores sooner than most think.   It's the hangover that comes from creative accounting, financial wizardry and a little...

The City of Rossland’s response to a public clamouring to learn who did what, with which, and to whom in a matter concerning arena renovations was a reassurance from the mayor that, notwithstanding a few unfortunate and regrettable miscues, all is well, on time, and on budget. Vague references to a Constitution Bylaw were...

Suddenly everyone seems to be clamoring about the fact that one Jason George Ward of Port Alberni pleaded guilty to having a grow-op on his property. It seems to me that before a lynch mob is formed, several questions ought to be asked, and if possible, answered. The first is whether that Jason George Ward is "our" Jason Ward;...

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...

What's in a light? The readings on the first Sunday of the new year focus on Epiphany. An epiphany being one of those moments in life when the light comes on. A comic book illustration light bulb radiating lines over the head of the character concerned. The time a concept in physics or math finally came clear. Or understanding...