When historians write the chapter on the current period of social democracy in Canada they might well conclude that the worst thing that happened to it was the 2011 election when the NDP got 103 seats it hadn’t really earned. It was such an unexpected event that the NDP could not cope with it. You could see it in the euphoria...

I had the opportunity in January to represent our country at the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF) in Vladivostok, Russia.  This was the 21st annual Forum which hosted over three hundred parliamentarians from 23 APPF member states as well as representatives from other countries, the UN and other world organizations. Our...

It's easy to blame, and why shouldn’t we? A few people ought to be blamed. For starters, let's blame one Victor Kumar, who when offered the job as Rossland's CAO made it a condition of his employment that Council pass Bylaw 2473 that turned over virtually all council's powers to him. Let's also blame that particular council...

Humanity ascends from the realm of necessity to the realm of freedom– Friedrich Engels, in Socialism: Utopian and Scientific The meaning of Life is discovering our gift; the purpose is to give it away– chalkboard on Baker St. in Nelson My last column described the Baby Boomers at some length, so today I will sound off with ...

What does living faithfully mean? In my context, it means living faithfully to my understanding of God's call in the world. 'Call' being a pull into realizing there is much more than 'me' involved in the warp and woof of the universe. There are connections in many realms. Connections to the Divine Light pervading all Creation....

In response to the acrimony at the end of Monday’s council meeting, one reader called Coun. Moore a “straight shooter.” Too true. In my reports, I cannot convey the subtext, the subtle looks, the postures, the energy, and the feeling in people’s statements without colouring them with my biased interpretation of the emotional...

One of the more common imbalances I see fairly often is improper fat metabolism, which results in either high cholesterol, LDLs or triglycerides and low HDLs or low cholesterol, LDLs, triglycerides and HDLs.    Most of the fats we eat in food are in the forms of triglycerides or cholesterol. These need to be properly broken...

If the B.C. government is ever on the hunt for a new slogan perhaps “spending our children's inheritance” would be fitting.  Since 2001, British Columbians have been witness to the sale of key parts of B.C.'s infrastructure, transfers of its wealth to private interests and sweetheart deals for industries that can afford...

This is the time of year that finds us exploring the beginnings of Jesus' ministry. Each Gospel has a different take. Mark tells of teaching, casting out demons and healing. Matthew relates teaching, healing, and preaching a sermon from a mountain top. In Luke we hear a sermon preached in Nazareth that riled the assembly so...

In this column I will continue the discussion on the creation of a Department of Peace by highlighting some of the initiatives undertaken in other countries. Over 30 countries have campaigns to create a Department of Peace.  In three countries – Nepal, the Solomon Islands and Costa Rica this is a reality. On September 14,...