Opinion: Drinking and driving; should Canada lower the limit?
How much alcohol should a person be allowed to have in her bloodstream while being in control of a motor vehicle? Is there a "safe" limit below which someone is not really impaired, or not too impaired? Canada's Justice Minister, Jody Wilson-Raybould, is considering lowering the blood-alcohol content limit that constitutes...
Selkirk College Upgrading Courses Now Offered for Free
The Provincial Government’s announcement that tuition fees for Adult Basic Education will be eliminated starting immediately is welcome news for learners interested in upgrading opportunities in the Selkirk College region. Looking to open the door to adults who wish to expand their education and skills, Premier John Horgan made the announcement at Victoria’s Camosun College. […]
OPINION: How to get to electoral reform
Scenario: the year is 2007 (or 1997). A political science class is presented with a hypothetical election outcome where parties A and B have each received 40% of the vote and party C the remaining 20%. The class is asked to write an essay: This is the Government the People have Elected. Many agree that, while possible in...
Rossland and wildfire preparedness
A message from the City of Rossland: As of today, there are approximately 140 wildfires burning across the province of BC. In the Southeast Fire Centre, there are approximately 20 total wildfires burning with 4 of them being fires of note (the closest to the City of Rossland is the Harrop Creek Fire, NE of Nelson). Further...
Opinion: Human Rights and Canada's Environmental Protection Act
Governments change — along with laws, regulations and priorities. It’s the nature of democracies. In Canada, we’ve seen environmental laws implemented, then weakened or overturned, then strengthened and re-instated. But the basic necessities of health, well-being and life shouldn’t be subject to the shifting agendas of political...
Sale of Teck's interest in Waneta dam to BC Hydro announced
The sale of Teck's two-thirds share of the Waneta dam to BC Hydro is now subject to "a number of conditions" according to press releases dated August 1, 2017. Those conditions include review and approval by the BC Utilities Commission, and assuming that it goes forward, the sale is not likely to be completed before early ...
Report on the high and rising cost of fire services; scrap or keep the covered stair at Spokane Street? And, NO BURNING allowed now. None.
Rossland City Council held a special meeting on Monday, July 31, at 9:00 a.m. They just had quorum, with Mayor Kathy Moore and Councillors Lloyd McLellan, John Greene, and Andy Morel attending. The agenda dealt with only four items of business: 1. Declassification of the Fire and Emergency Services...
COLUMN: Our firestorms
For the past month, we have seen a series of wildfires race through the British Columbia interior, destroying homes, disrupting lives and damaging businesses. The BC government has already spent over $150 million fighting the fires and has provided over $100 million in relief to those who have been forced from their homes....
Editorial: On being accused of smiling because the NDP are (sort of) in power
An acquaintance recently said to me, "I guess you're smiling because the NDP are forming the government now." Actually, I was smiling about something completely non-political. Besides, I tend to be a bit agnostic about party politics; are political parties really necessary? She went on to say that in her recollection, "when...
Maybe a Rossland Triathlon; Littering's a No-No; FireSmart, Fireworks and Fire Hazard
Rossland City Council: Public Hearing and Regular Meeting, July 17, 2017 Present: Mayor Kathy Moore, and Councillors Lloyd McLellan, Andy Morel, John Greene, Aaron Cosbey and Andrew Zwicker. Absent: Marten Kruysse. Public Hearing: Reducing the number of units designated to be built on Lot A at the Red Mountain base area....
