Our Canadian school system is based on many principles, but one central theme is the concept of 'inclusion'. If you don't like the idea of Inclusion, of your child going to school with someone with autism, anxiety, downs, dyslexia, or other learning needs, then one of the private schools with rigorous screening-out processes...

What do you think a room full of 12 significant community leaders in the West Kootenays would be talking about? If you guessed the future of the region acquiring broadband infrastructure, you’d be right. On June 17, West Kootenay city officials including the mayors of Nelson, Trail and Kaslo as well as representatives for Trail, […]

BC Assembly of First Nations, First Nations Summit, Union of BC Indian Chiefs, Amnesty International Canada, Canadian Friends Service Committee (Quakers), Chiefs of Ontario, Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations, Grand Council of the Crees (Eeyou Istchee), Indigenous Rights Centre, Indigenous World Association, and KAIROS:...

On the eve of the teachers’ full-out strike, the government proposed that “if either party is unhappy with the outcome of the government’s appeal of the court case the entire collective agreement can be terminated and a new round of bargaining begins.” To appreciate this proposal I examined the 2014 and 2011 decision of the...

Tempers flared as protestors and mall management jawed at each other during Wednesday’s Occupy the Pipeline Everywhere rally oppose Northern Gateway outside Save-On Foods at the Chahko Mika Mall. The rally was held in protest of the federal government announcement approval of the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline project Tuesday in Ottawa. The pipeline will carry […]

A group of South Slocan residents are not taking the move by Fortis BC to install controversial smart meters to the area sitting down. More than 30 protestors rallied at the entrance to the FortisBC South Slocan Generation facility on Highway 3A Saturday (June 14) to protest against the installation of smart meters. The rally […]

Education Minister Peter Fassbender released the following statement on the status of bargaining with the British Columbia Teachers’ Federation (BCTF): “The bargaining teams worked hard through the weekend and progress was made. “On Sunday, the British Columbia Public School Employers’ Association (BCPSEA) tabled a comprehensive proposal to help end the stalemate, get kids back in […]

One thing everyone seemed to agree on at the Community Futures Economic Development Forum held in late May was that the economy is shifting towards broadband dependent industries. And that local communities need to adapt and keep up. Community Futures Central Kootenay hosted and organized the conference at the Prestige Lakeside...

Now that the war of words through the media between the B.C. Teachers’ Federdation and the bargaining agent for the BC Government, the B.C. Public School Employers’ Association, has died down, the two sides are apparently ready to go back to the bargaining table as more than 40,000 teachers spent time Tuesday on the picket […]

The British Columbia Teachers’ Federation (BCTF), the union representing teachers, has informed the school district that they will be engaged in a full day study session on Monday, June 16th, followed by full scale withdrawal of teaching services starting Tuesday, June 17, 2014.  This means that, unless a settlement is reached...