Column: What if the children could vote?
Young people have been speaking out for their rights. Many are wise beyond their years. Without the blinkers of ideology, workaday priorities and ingrained values, they can see clearly what’s happening. They’ve had to step up for their own futures because too few of their elders are willing to accept that rampant consumerism...
Editorial: It’s back-to-school time. Drive much?
It’s time to reflect on our driving habits, and on the facts cited below – especially for the safety of everyone’s children. According to the Canadian Paediatric Society, motor vehicle incidents are the leading cause of unintentional injury and death in Canada for children from 1 year old to 19 years old. The BC Injury...
COLUMN: The trouble with captive breeding programs to save species
B.C. is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on a captive breeding program to protect spotted owls. With an estimated six of the owls left in the wild in Canada, all in B.C., that seems like good news. But while the program includes some habitat protection, the province is also approving logging in habitat the owl needs...
Column: From the Hill -- Health Care, and Ride the Riding 2019
As I knock on doors across the south Okanagan and West Kootenay, one issue is a common topic of conversation—health care. Canadians are rightfully proud of our public health care system, and the NDP is proud that it was Tommy Douglas who fought for the free, universal program that we enjoy. It is not perfect, but...
A stolen bike; and an OPINION on our stuff and the RCMP
If anyone sees the KHS model 650-800 mountain bike stolen from a St. Paul Street residence in Rossland sometime between August 14 and mid-day August 16, please call the RCMP at 250-364-2566 or CRIMESTOPPERS at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) if you wish to remain anonymous. The bike, pictured above, has been modified since the photo...
Editorial UPDATE: Elections Canada has not lost its marbles after all, and we're relieved.
UPDATE: Canada's Chief Electoral Officer, Stephane Perrault, issued a public statement today, clarifying that environmental groups can say "whatever they want" during the election period, subject to the usual rules. There had been a rash of reports and opinion pieces, including this one, and a fine piece in The Beaverton, ...
Mayor Kathy Moore's letter to Minister Heyman about Jumbo
August 12, 2019 Dear Minister Heyman, On behalf of the City of Rossland’s council, I am writing to you to express our support for dissolving the Jumbo Glacier Resort Municipality. The recent Court of Appeals ruling stating that no significant progress has been made on the development has given the Province a golden opportunity...
National non-partisan campaign to 'Vote for Science'
A coalition of Canadian science groups is launching a national non-partisan #VoteScience campaign to send the message that Canadians want decisions made that are supported by science and real evidence. “Science doesn’t usually get a lot of attention during election campaigns and we think that needs to change,” said Dr. Katie...
Column: Land use, agriculture crucial
Land and agriculture are critical components in the climate crisis. According to a new Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, land use — including agriculture and forestry — accounts for 23 per cent of human greenhouse gas emissions, while “natural land processes absorb carbon dioxide equivalent to almost a third...
Column -- From the Hill: Wealth inequality and tax loopholes
This morning I read that the CEO of Air Canada had just cashed in his stock options for $52.7 million—and this is on top of his regular salary of $10.5 million and a guaranteed company pension of $750,000 per year. Now, that pay rate is ridiculous enough, but do you know that he will only pay half the regular income tax on...