COLUMN: Elders, knowledge and a post-truth moment
“You and I have memories Longer than the road that stretches out ahead.” -- The Beatles, Two of Us Age and its discontents I begin the column with a line from a Beatles’ song, because it describes the situation for someone of my age, and for my peers. We...
COLUMN: Stop blaming God and 'nature' for what we've done
Traditionally, we’ve labelled events over which we have no influence or control “acts of God” or “natural disasters.” But what’s “natural” about climate-induced disasters today? Scientists call the interval since the Industrial Revolution the “Anthropocene,” a period when our species hasbecome the major factor altering the ...
Column: We must begin to curb the power of corporations
The revelations of the Paradise Papers, the earlier Panama Papers and numerous articles in the western mainstream and alternative media demonstrate just one dimension, tax evasion, of an increasingly obvious truth: global corporations have become the greatest threat to the planet. The deliberate starvation of government,...
Column: Fake News is Circulating on the Internet. Here's One Correction.
Renewable energy isn’t perfect, but it’s far better than fossil fuels In their efforts to discredit renewable energy and support continued fossil fuel burning, many anti-environmentalists have circulated a dual image purporting to compare a lithium mine with an oilsands operation. It illustrates the level of dishonesty to...
EDITORIAL: The move (or not) to electoral reform in BC
Why fill out the government's questionnaire? The BC government's questionnaire, seeking public input on electoral reform, is intended to find out what features of an electoral system are most highly valued by voters, so the government can decide which system or systems to offer. Go ahead -- express yourself! Tell them what...
From The Hill: Fix the Phoenix payroll system
Recently, the Auditor General of Canada released a report that addressed the Phoenix payroll that has seriously affected the lives of thousands of civil servants across this country. More than half of the public service sector is caught up in this -- many are being paid well below their proper salaries, some are not being...
MP: Liberals adopt NDP 'Species At Risk' proposal
Today the Liberal government announced that they have adopted an NDP proposal to close a loophole in the Species at Risk Act. In September 2017, Richard Cannings, MP (South Okanagan – West Kootenay) introduced Bill C-363, An Act to amend the Species at Risk Act (amendment of the List) in the House of Commons which proposed ...
Corporate Influence Inflames Political Cynicism
In 1952, my Grade 10 civics teacher asked us what we hoped to become as adults. One of the most popular boys answered, “I hope to go into politics.” We were delighted because we knew he wanted to make the world and Canada better, and we admired him for it. Things have changed in half a century. In 1992, my daughter Severn, ...
Part Two: Multiculturalism and Immigrant Blending (revised)
“First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin. … I’m guided by a signal in the heavens, I’m guided by the beauty of our weapons.” -- Leonard Cohen, First we take Manhattan Part Two In Part One, I outlined my views of Canadian history as it pertains to immigration and multiculturalism, and the...
Site C and agricultural land
As many countries move away from big hydro projects, B.C.’s government must decide whether to continue work on the Site C dam. The controversial megaproject would flood a 100-kilometre stretch of the Peace River Valley and provide enough power for the equivalent of about 500,000 homes. The BC Utilities Commission, an independent...
