COLUMN: Words
“... Thinking your mind was my own, in a dream -- What would you wonder and how would it seem? Living in castles a bit at a time, the King started laughing and talking in rhyme. Singing words, words... between the lines of age.” Neil Young, “Words,” Harvest “Though it all may be One / in the Higher Eye. Down here where ...
Op/Ed: The verdict -- Canada’s legalization of cannabis is a success
By Bill Bogart, for The Conversation A highly regarded British think tank focused on reforming drug laws thinks Canada’s legalization and regulation of cannabis has gone well. Transform has been monitoring Canadian reform efforts for some time, and advised the Canadian government and some provinces on how to develop regulations...
Column: Coal power should be relegated to the ash heap of history
During and after his 2016 campaign, the current U.S. president promised to make coal great again. He also claimed climate change was a hoax, so it’s no surprise that he’d promote a cheap, outdated, polluting, climate-altering fuel even as cleaner alternatives continued to become more efficient and cost-effective. Since then,...
Editorial: Hockey teams — what's in a name?
During a pandemic crisis, and a climate change crisis, and a plastics pollution crisis, it may seem trivial to be concerned about the names of a couple of hockey teams. But is it, really? We’re talking about the Rossland Senior Warriors. The logo is a well-designed stylized drawing of an Indigenous guy with some feathers ...
COLUMN: The vital importance of diversity
Diversity is strength. That’s true in nature and human affairs. But recent painful events have shown society has yet to grasp this. The appalling deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Toronto’s Regis Korchinski-Paquet, Chantel Moore from Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation and many others — all at the hands of those tasked to serve...
Editorial: Toxic falsehoods, masks and COVID-19; Masks4all Rossland
There’s a load of unfiltered nonsense going around on social media about masks these days – memes claiming that they don’t work, memes focusing on “freedom!” and claiming that wearing a mask is a sign that one is subject to “mind control.” Conspiracy-theory rubbish, and dangerous rubbish at that. Right down there in the gutter...
Op/Ed: As Columbia River Treaty negotiators get serious, Basin residents need to speak up
On June 29 and 30, Canada and the United States met for the tenth round of Columbia River Treaty renegotiations. The negotiations were held by web-conference due to COVID-19. Unlike previous rounds, negotiators actually started debating specific proposals. According to press releases issued by both sides, Canada responded to...
Opinion: Where 'Planet of the Humans' gets it right -- and where it's wrong
By Ian Lowe, from The Conversation Documentary maker Michael Moore’s latest offering, Planet of the Humans, rightly argues that infinite growth on a finite planet is “suicide”. But the film’s bogus claims threaten to overshadow that message. Planet of the Humans is directed and narrated by longtime Moore collaborator Jeff ...
Column: Green strings and doughnut economics
After the 2008 stock and housing market crash plunged the U.S. and world into economic upheaval, governments came to the rescue, with trillions of dollars in corporate bailouts. Executives at the insurance firm AIG were so happy with their US$152-billion package (more than U.S. and European countries spent in total on...
COLUMN: From the Hill -- Greener Hydrogen?
My role as Natural Resources critic for the NDP covers forestry, mining and energy—and the big issue these days in that trio is energy. The pandemic has intensified calls for a national energy strategy that will direct federal investments to help us recover from the economic impacts of the crisis and put us on a good footing...