From the Hill - MP speaks to wildfires
It’s now official — 2018 has just become British Columbia’s second worst forest fire season in history, second only to last year. Residents have endured weeks of heavy smoke, some have been evacuated from their communities, and some have unfortunately lost their homes. Businesses have suffered as tourists leave or stay away,...
Opinion: Philosophy Shrugged: Ignoring Ayn Rand Won’t Make Her go Away
Article by Skye C. Cleary, from Aeon Philosophers love to hate Ayn Rand. It’s trendy to scoff at any mention of her. One philosopher told me that "No one needs to be exposed to that monster." Many propose that she’s not a philosopher at all and should not be taken seriously. The problem is that people are taking her seriously....
Op/Ed: Wildsight comments on Columbia River Treaty negotiations
By Wildsight Representatives of the Canadian and American federal governments met on August 15th and 16th for the second round of negotiations to update the 54-year old Columbia River Treaty. The meetings were held, not in Ottawa or Washington, but in Nelson, in the Canadian Columbia River Basin. The treaty between the two ...
Column: 'Hot-house Earth' isn't inevitable -- yet. There are cool solutions
In the midst of worldwide record heat, devastating wildfires, droughts, refugee crises, and torrential rains and flooding, some particular disturbing headlines have hit the news. “Planet at risk of heading towards irreversible 'hothouse' conditions” the CBC announced. Similar headlines appeared in other media outlets. As CBC...
MP Dick Cannings to 'Ride the Riding' for third year in a row
Richard Cannings, MP (South Okanagan-West Kootenay) is happy to announce that he will “Ride the Riding” for the third year in a row. Each of the last two years he decided to complete a bicycle trip through the riding, which gave him a unique chance to meet the people, businesses and industries that make up the riding. The...
Permissive Tax Exemptions being reduced; water for farming? Rossland gets a Forest Park; Oregon grape to be sprayed again; and more.
Rossland City Council Meetings, August 13, 2018 Present: Mayor Kathy Moore, and Council members John Greene, Lloyd McLellan, Andy Morel, and Marten Kruysse. Absent: Aaron Cosbey and Andrew Zwicker. Public Hearing on the OCP amendment and the bylaw to enable the creation of the Rossland Forest Park: A property owner who ...
Free Workshop: Get the low-down on Local Government
Contemplating standing for election to your municipal Council this fall? Come to this workshop and learn a lot. Come to it even if you just want to be a better-informed voter. Government! Do you recoil at the term “government”? Despite your initial reaction, government is not a four-letter word. Too often, we criticize it...
Editorial: How we vote, Part Ten: Local representation, proportionality and less corruption
Local representation – everyone wants it, right? Some people may not realize how important local representation is until an issue arises that affects them directly. Then suddenly they want to talk to their MLA. But wait; do they want to talk to an MLA for a party they didn’t vote for? We do have local representation now,...
Editorial: Who opposes proportional representation, and why?
There’s an old saying: follow the money. In the case of the upcoming referendum on whether or not BC should change our voting system from First-Past-the-Post (FPTP) to a form of Proportional Representation (ProRep), those most vocally opposed to a change seem to have one thing in common: they are people who think they would...
Opinion: Reconciling Energy and Indigenous Rights
In 2007, Canada was one of four countries to vote against the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (with New Zealand, the United States and Australia). With its single-minded focus on making Canada an “energy superpower,” albeit only with fossil fuels, the Harper government feared the declaration’s concept of ...
