BC Finance Committee visits Castlegar for Budget 2020 consultation
The Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services, a parliamentary committee of the legislative assembly, will hold a public hearing in Castlegar on Tuesday, June 11, 2019, as part of its Budget 2020 consultation. The committee invites British Columbians to meet with the committee to share their priorities and...
City recognizes climate crisis; ‘Bullshooters’ query; pesticide policy refined; plastic bag input session coming up (and more!)
Rossland City Council Meeting, May 22, 2019. Present: Mayor Kathy Moore, and Councillors Chris Bowman, Dirk Lewis, Scott Forsyth, Stewart Spooner, Janice Nightingale, and Andy Morel; and CAO Bryan Teasdale, CFO Elma Hamming, Deputy Corporate Officer Cynthia Año Nuevo, Manager of Planning Stacey Lightbourne, Manager of...
Column: True leaders work for us, not the fossil fuel industry
Some politicians believe protecting a sunset industry’s interests is more important than looking out for the citizens who elected them. In Australia, the coal industry holds sway over government policy. In Canada, bitumen and fracked gas rule. In the U.S., it’s all of the above. Fortunately, many people, especially youth, are...
Editorial: The value and the danger of “Climate Change Adaptation” programs
Readers may well wonder about the “danger” mentioned in this headline. The value of climate change adaptation is obvious to the well-informed: it will help willing residents and their communities better survive the extremes that climate change is bringing. Better water conservation can prepare communities for longer, more ...
KCTU: An Open Letter to Minister Conroy: Taking Away Services From Kids Is Not Equity
For audio, click here Dear Minister Conroy, After 16 years of a government that constantly picked fights with teachers and underfunded public schools, many in BC’s education sector felt relief when your government was elected. Teachers heard MLAs like you congratulate us on our Supreme Court win and back us up on our fight ...
Column: Government support for electric vehicles drives down emissions
Electric vehicles won’t save us from runaway climate change, but they’re part of the solution, along with support for public transit and active transport like waking and cycling. The transportation sector accounts for almost one-quarter of the world’s carbon emissions, so it’s an area where change is necessary and possible....
In the works: restrictions on plastic bags and watering; maybe changes to tax exemptions?
Rossland City Council Meeting, May 6, 2019 Present: Mayor Kathy Moore, and Councillors Chris Bowman, Scott Forsyth, Stewart Spooner, Dirk Lewis, and Janice Nightingale. Present by speaker-phone for a portion of the meeting: Andy Morel. Public Input Period: Miche Warwick spoke about the draft outdoor watering...
Column: Will Someone Please Tell me . . .
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...
BC Increases Firefighting Budget by 58%
The B.C. government has released its updated action plan in response to the government-commissioned, independent Abbott/Chapman report on the unprecedented 2017 wildfire and flood seasons in British Columbia. The initial action plan was released October 2018, with a commitment to provide updates over six-month intervals until...
Editorial: Is Survival a Worthy Goal? Is Life Worth Saving?
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...
