“Everything will burn, baby, burn . . .”– if we don’t take a bit of time and effort to make it as fire-resistant as possible. These words from the 2001 song by Ash can remind us about the increasing risk of wildfire consuming forests, and overwhelming communities full of homes and businesses.  Local wildfire expert Don Mortimer...

Will someone please tell me what the hell is going on? Last October, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a special report indicating that global emissions are still rising despite more than three decades of warnings. Now we’re on a path to a 3 to 5 C temperature rise above pre-industrial levels by 2100. The...

I’ve been amused, in past years, by signs posted here and there in Rossland that announce “WARNING:  BEAR IN AREA.”   I’ve suggested that the City should just post warning signs at the entrances to Rossland, announcing, “Rossland is bear country.  Please do not freak out if you see a bear.  Do not approach the bear. Remain ...

Environmentalists have come under fire lately from certain quarters.  Questioning the motivation of environmentalists raises the question:  What are they fighting for?    And the short answer is:  survival.  Not just personal, short-term survival, but the long-term survival of life on earth -- stopping the acceleration of...

To The Editor: With the transitional relief of Spring lighting up our lifestyles – allowing us some space to refresh and relish our step, making room for hope, enthusiasm and a time for excitement.  This year, though, I am beginning to sense a potential conflict while moving around Nelson. I’ve observed two things: firstly, a […]

By  David V. Johnson, from Aeon When false and malicious speech roils the body politic, when racism and violence surge, the right and role of freedom of speech in society comes into crisis. People rightly begin to wonder what are the limits, what should be the rules. It is a complicated issue, and resolving it requires care...

By Lucia Ciciolla and Suniya Luthar, from Aeon The joys of motherhood quite literally wax and wane over time. If you had to guess, you might think that one of the most trying times for mothers is bringing home a new baby, given the sleep deprivation and the adjustment that comes with taking care of an infant. But some might...

Lost in the recent media frenzy over the SNC Lavalin scandal were the 2019 Spring Reports of the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development. These last reports from Julie Gelfand before her retirement focused on protection of fish and their habitat from mining effluent, subsidies to the fossil fuels industry...

It’s heartening, in the midst of the human-caused sixth mass extinction, to find good wildlife recovery news. As plant and animal species disappear faster than they have for millions of years, Russia’s Siberian, or Amur, tigers are making a comeback. After falling to a low of just a few dozen in the mid-20th century, the...

Another week, another dramatic warning from scientists — met with shrugs all around. This time, a report commissioned by Environment and Climate Change Canada, “Canada's Changing Climate Report,” warned that this country is warming at roughly twice the global average rate, even more in the North and on the Prairies. Some of...