OPINION: Geothermal Energy Better Than Site C
By David Suzuki More Affordable + More Jobs In the midst of controversy over B.C.’s Peace River Site C dam project, the Canadian Geothermal Energy Association released a study showing the province could get the same amount of energy more affordably from geothermal sources for about half the construction costs. Unlike Site C,...
MP Richard Cannings pans federal budget
Canadians had high expectations for change but instead of help, this budget is marked by the Liberals backtracking on their promises to tackle inequality. In particular, breaking promises to First Nation children, just like so many previous Liberal and Conservative governments “Residents of South Okanagan — West Kootenay were...
Op/Ed: Why We Can't Take Clean Water For Granted
Earth’s oceans, lakes, rivers and streams are its circulatory system, providing life’s essentials for people, animals and ecosystems. Canada has one-fifth of the world’s freshwater, a quarter of its remaining wetlands and its longest coastline. With this abundance, it’s easy to take water for granted. Many of our daily...
Canada and the USA
Stephen Harper, Donald Trump, and Angry Democracies “It’s an angry world but no doubt everything will go as planned.” -- Neil Young, Angry World, from Le Noise The unavoidable comparison: Canada observes the USA When I was in secondary school and my young...
OPINION: Why We Privileged Women Should Care About International Women's Day.
Tuesday, March 8, 2016: Today, at Selkirk College in Castlegar, local women are being celebrated for their achievements under our relatively enlightened culture. Yesterday, a BC man was sentenced to 21 years in prison without any chance of parole for murdering his ex-girlfriend because he saw her studying at a university...
OPINION: Study Shows Promise for Cannabidiol Treatment of Epilepsy
Medical research on the potential benefits of treatment with cannabidiol (CBD) is beginning to show results. A presentation to the U.S. Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control in June of 2015, by Nora D. Volkow, Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, pointed out, "Rigorous clinical studies are still...
Letter to the Editor: Fund Our Schools!
Dear Editor, School District #20 is facing its largest budget deficit in its history ($1,350,000) in 2016/2017 and we know who is causing the problem: Our Premier and her government. Here are a few examples of why we believe this to be a fact: BC’s Compliance Branch auditors are “clawing back" every penny of Special Education...
OPINION: GMOs -- A Balanced View
History of Gene Manipulation "Genetically Modified Organisms" is an area that abounds with skepticism, suspicion and fear. The mere mention of genetic modification is enough to give a substantial portion of the population the 'heebie jeebies". They have been a source of controversy since the biotechnology was introduced in...
OP/ED: West Kootenay Labour Council calls for action on missing/murdered Aboriginal women
“March 8 is International Women’s Day (IWD) and this year we are hopeful that justice for Indigenous Women will move forward with the government’s announcement of the long awaited inquiry on missing and murdered aboriginal women,” said Debbie Bird, President of the West Kootenay Labour Council. “Every year women and men around...
COLUMN: Briefings from Victoria
I am now back in Victoria at the Legislature until the end of May. While there are many events and meeting requests that come across my desk, I am only in the constituency on Fridays and Saturdays and quite often that time is limited by weather and other unforeseen issues. I depend on my very resourceful and knowledgeable...