By Andre CarrelThe question we need to ask before we talk about electoral systems is this: Why do we need government? The answer is that human activity is organized through institutions that facilitate long-term cooperation, starting at the level of the family and spiralling into ever larger circles. Governments are institutions...

Whenever a storm starts brewing in our 'Recent Comments' box, the same pattern emerges. An legitimate issue is raised, usually because of a story we've posted or a letter we've received, and Rosslanders are quick to take an interest (how's that for tact?). Quickly, however, things start to get personal. Sound familiar? The ...

Dear Editor,The Rossland Telegraph (Apr 21st) and Trail Times (Apr 22nd) both have a letter from Jackie Drysdale alarmed at the creation of the Rossland Stewardship Society. Her premise is that Council is elected to govern the City, undisturbed by public input, at least not from any self-appointed citizens' group.Would you ...

Dear Editor,Ron Campbell said in the interview that his one regret was the approach taken  to extend the municipal boundary to the North.  I don’t believe that it was  the “approach” (although the approach was to rush the thing through  before anyone had a chance to react). It was the fact that the proposal made  no sense to...

Driving back to Rossland from Castlegar in the warm sunshine, windows down and the new smell of life returning to the flora world, I found my relaxing drive home interrupted by a conversation on CBC radio. I’d been only vaguely listening, but now two politicians were shouting over one another. My attention piqued, I closed ...

This week, as you may have read or seen, many Western delegates, including Canada's, at a UN conference on racism in Geneva walked out of a controversial speech by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. After the walkout, many delegates made statements like the following by the United Kingdom's envoy, Peter Gooderham:"The UK...

Here at the Telegraph, we have a theory about democracy. It goes like this: the further government gets from the local, the worse it works. Why? A number of reasons. Temptations of money, power, and ego are all magnified at the provincial or national levels even as the ability to communicate meaningfully diminishes. Not for...

It’s been six months since we launched the Rossland Telegraph. A long time? Yes. A short time? That too: for us how long it’s been depends on how close we are to our Thursday put-out-the-latest-issue deadline. From our perspective, though, things couldn’t have gone any better than they have so far. In fact, it’s been a blast....

This week, British Member of Parliament George Galloway was denied entry into Canada under Canada’s anti-terrorism legislation. Galloway, a vociferous supporter of the Palestinian people, was banned from entering Canada because of his public support for Hamas (and criticism of Israel). Galloway is not some sort of fringe-ish,...

A shocking revelation this week, as new research into Mountain Kingdom archives reveals a dark truth from Rossland’s storied history. Look closely at the photograph which accompanies this editorial (to see the image properly, open the file attachment at the end of this editorial). Gaze upon Rossland, clutched in the icy grip...