There will many announcements and pronouncements for and against the federal government’s approval of the Petronas LNG project if, in view of the 190 pre-conditions, approval is the appropriate term. What aroused my curiosity was the identity of developer: who is Petronas? Petronasis an oil and gas giant created a little over...

To The Editor: October 1st is the United Nations-declared “International Day of the Older Person.” The theme this year is ageism, a prejudice that the UN describes as the most socially-normalized form of discrimination worldwide. The term was coined in 1969 to describe a form of discrimination based on age. Since this time,...

How much do you pay for BC Medical Services Plan (MSP)?  This year, if you're a single person who earned $21,900 (or so) last year ("adjusted net income"), you'll pay nothing  -- as long as you applied for Premium Assistance.  But if you're a couple, and you and your spouse earned a total of $30,001 last year, then this year...

To The Editor: The Canadian public is faced with the most important political decision of our time. The Federal Government is know deciding on whether our not to change our voting system and is inviting public input on this decision. Our ability to vote and be fairly represented is at the core of our democratic rights. The ...

For the next several weeks, history is being made at the Nelson, B.C. courthouse, as an indigenous man named Rick Desautel sets the love of his ancestors against the logical machinery of the provincial government.  While this case arguing for the right of an “extinct” man to hunt in his territory may not seem to have much...

Wild Pacific salmon face an upstream battle for survival Salmon have been swimming in Pacific Northwest waters for at least seven million years, as indicated by fossils of large saber-tooth salmon found in the area. During that time, they’ve been a key species in intricate, interconnected coastal ecosystems, bringing nitrogen...

A meditation on pasts, personal and historical:  Part I By Charles Jeanes This is the longest column (8,500 words!) I have ever offered. The topic warrants it, I believe. I like to think my preoccupations are not peculiar to me and there is something in this piece that provokes their own reflections in my readers. Change and...

To The Editor: Larry Hall, president of the East Kootenay Hunters Association, states that the East Kootenay now has 7,500-8,000 elk, down from 30,000.  MLA Bill Bennett agrees with Hall and then adds the diversion of wolves and bears as well as urban voters who don’t hunt. Historically, at least half of the Rocky Mountain ...

In July, Solar Impulse 2 became the first airplane to fly around the world without using fuel. At the same time, the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration has been working on electric planes. These developments mean air travel and transport could become more environmentally friendly, with less pollution and fewer...

We Canadians are such nice people.  We don't look very hard for opportunities to sue other people, unlike our more litigious neighbours south of the border.  Here's an example from right here in the Greater Rossland area.  True story: A mountain biker was riding uphill on a popular trail when an out-of-control downhill rider...