Opinion: Taxation and us
Taxes – who wants to think about taxes at this time of year? Can’t we put it off for a few months? Relax – this isn’t about doing the dreaded tax return. It’s about trends in taxation, and what they achieve. Or not. And what voters can do about it. Besides, it can take...
Editorial: An object lesson from Uzbekistan
A Kootenay man, environmental consultant Michael Keefer who lives in Rossland and Cranbrook, was invited to go to Uzbekistan for a conference on solutions to the Aralkum Desert problem. While there, he toured the area and took many hundreds of pictures. When I sat down with Keefer, who told me fascinating tales ...
Explainer: Clean B.C. is quietly using coal and gas power from out of province. Here’s why
By Sarah Cox, for The Narwhal Behind the sheen of its CleanBC program, the province holds back hydro power to instead import cheap electricity from 12 states including Wyoming, Utah, Nebraska and Montana which generate 55 to 90 per cent of their power from coal British Columbians naturally assume they’re using clean power...
Column: From the Hill -- on the job back in Ottawa
On Sunday I returned to Ottawa to prepare for the opening of the 43rd Parliament. Last week I was given my shadow cabinet roles—critic for Natural Resources and deputy critic for Transport. I was the critic for Natural Resources for the last four years so know that file well, and issues of transport intersect natural resources...
Column: Our children's lives
On November 12, Veneto, Italy’s regional council was debating climate policy in its Venice offices. Minutes after a majority voted against budget amendments to address climate disruption, the chambers were inundated with water. Venice is known for flooding, but it’s getting worse, and the timing in this instance felt like a...
COLUMN: The power of symbols, the thirst for revenge -- humanity in peace and war
Symbol and revenge: being human in peace and war “The Fuhrer alone is the present and future German reality.”-- M. Heidegger “Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord.” -- Deuteronomy, 32:35 What is a symbol? Let me cite my dictionary: “an object, animate or inanimate, standing for or calling up something moral or intellectual; an...
Support the Student Climate Strike
LOCALSTUDENTS WILL SKIP LESSONS TO TEACH GOVERNMENT ONE -- ON CLIMATE CHANGE Rosslanders and Trailites of all ages are encouraged to join a group of environmentally conscious youngsters who are joining fellow students around the world to demand government action on climate change. The ‘Fridays for Future’ Trail team have...
Column: Seafood Progress
Oceans hold a lot of mystery, even for people who study them. But it’s no mystery why they’re in trouble. We’ve been using them to hide our waste — dumping oil, plastic, toxic chemicals, radioactive sludge, sewage and fishing gear into them for decades. Oceans also absorb much of the atmospheric heat from our indiscriminate...
Op/Ed: The folly of gendered products
By Samantha Brennan, in The Conversation As women started counting steps and walking to work wearing running shoes and fitness trackers, there was one work-related item that had to change: the briefcase. It’s not suited to walking fast and gets in the way of drinking coffee en route to the office. Enter the working women’s ...
DriveSmart BC: Reporting Commercial Transport Traffic Violations
A commuter asked "I would really like to see the article written about what to do when we see a commercial transport vehicle that is driving in an unsafe manner. You gave us a phone number to call that specifically relates to tractor trailers, and who to call when we witness a driving infraction. I see it on a regular basis...