Former Supreme Court of Canada Justice Ian Binnie said, “I think the recent popularity amongst political leaders denouncing judicial outcomes is extremely dangerous.”  He was referring to the fact that Green Party Member of Parliament (and party leader)  Elizabeth May and NDP Member of Parliament Kennedy Stewart defied a court...

“Travel broadens the mind.” “Einstein said Time isn’t really Real.”  -- James Taylor, Secret of Life A Traveller’s Chaos, A Writer’s Coherence This month’s column is about travel, time, and identity. I have just returned from a four-week trip by car across the nation to Ontario and back. It is not the first such trip of my ...

Electoral Reform : My Personal Fact Check #1 Having read through the selection of ‘news and reports’ on the nobcprorep website, there are a few claims that lack support: one is that proportional representation will lead to a string of minority governments along with economic instability.  I also just skimmed through the World...

To The Editor: One of the things that first attracted me to proportional representation, PR, apart from the fact that it just made sense, is that it is supported by people across the political spectrum. At my first PR meeting in 2004, I sat next to someone from the Canadian Rate Payer's Federation and Andrew Coyne was the...

AstroTurf looks and feels like grass — in an all-too-perfect way. But it’s not grass. Now the well-known artificial turf’s brand name has taken on a new meaning, referring to purported “grassroots” efforts that are actually funded and supported by industry and political entities. Some people, organizations and campaigns around...

Life is never simple, and one decision is generally followed by more decisions. If a majority of voters choose a change to a proportional representation system for BC, more decisions must be made. Here, we explain how the referendum will be held and what decisions may follow – depending on the outcome – and who will make them....

Last week, I promised to summarize in this part the differences between our current voting system, called First-Past-the-Post (FPTP) and Proportional Representation systems. Most people understand how we vote now, with FPTP:  We put a check or an X on the ballot beside the name of the person we’d most like to see...

Rossland’s Gold Fever Follies is a community summertime tradition, enjoyed by residents and visitors alike. This year’s version does not disappoint. Romance, song and dance – the can-can – skiing and hockey; who could ask for more? On the well-attended opening night, the cast was short-handed by one actor – Molly Jamin -- who...

When the House of Commons rose in late June, my wife and I decided to take the train home from Ottawa instead of flying straight back.  It’s always been on my bucket list and I thought the trip would be a good way to unwind after a hectic June on Parliament Hill.  I had some trepidation—things can always go awry when you’re...

This is Part Four in the series on the upcoming referendum and the voting systems we can choose. To recap briefly, the referendum this fall will offer us a choice between staying with our current system of voting, usually called First-Past-the-Post (FPTP), or moving to a system of Proportional Representation. People who want...