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...
OBIT: Honour local icon Ed Conroy by registering as an organ donour
Roy Edward Conroy, known to everyone as Ed, was born October 21, 1946 in Rossland, BC, the first born of his parents Ed and Irene Conroy. Ed died on June 26, at Vancouver General Hospital due to complications following surgery for a broken hip. He was 73. Ed lived in Rossland for a few years before his parents moved back to...
Editorial: The Cassandra curse continues
Remember Cassandra, from ancient Greek mythology? The story is that the god Apollo fell in love with Cassandra, but she did not return his passion. Attempting to win her love, Apollo gifted her with true knowledge of the future, with truth-telling – but despite that amazing gift, she still didn’t return his love. Angry and...
Column: Reflections from an elder in isolation
I’m fortunate. This slowdown is giving me time with my grandchildren who are with me, and to think about what has mattered most in my life, what has given me the greatest joy and satisfaction, and where I hope the world may go after I’m gone. As an older male, I’m in the population facing the highest risk from COVID-19, but...
Column: From the Hill -- Wealth gap a drag on the economy
Imagine a country where the top one percent of the population owned one quarter of all the wealth and the bottom 40 per cent together owned only one per cent. Sounds outrageous? That country is Canada. The source of those figures is the latest report of the Parliamentary Budget Officer. The disparity between the super-wealthy...
Editorial: Time to go back to reusable bags, please – with precautions
On June 22, 2020, over 100 health experts from around the world issued a statement about the relative safety of reusables compared with single-use plastics, cups, and so on, with regard to transmitting COVID-19. Their statement can be found here; in it, they state, “Based on the best available science and guidance from public...
