Editorial: Our Choice of Voting Systems -- Part Six
Life is never simple, and one decision is generally followed by more decisions. If a majority of voters choose a change to a proportional representation system for BC, more decisions must be made. Here, we explain how the referendum will be held and what decisions may follow – depending on the outcome – and who will make them....
Editorial: Our Choice of Voting Systems -- Part Five
Last week, I promised to summarize in this part the differences between our current voting system, called First-Past-the-Post (FPTP) and Proportional Representation systems. Most people understand how we vote now, with FPTP: We put a check or an X on the ballot beside the name of the person we’d most like to see...
New Water Meter Tech for Rossland
Special Meeting of Rossland City Council, July 4, 2018, at Rossland Public Library: 10:00 am Present: Mayor Kathy Moore, and Councillors Aaron Cosbey, Andrew Zwicker, Marten Kruysse, John Greene; Andy Morel by telephone; absent – Lloyd McLellan. A dozen members of the public crowded into the small meeting room at the library...
COLUMN: From the Hill -- and home, by train.
When the House of Commons rose in late June, my wife and I decided to take the train home from Ottawa instead of flying straight back. It’s always been on my bucket list and I thought the trip would be a good way to unwind after a hectic June on Parliament Hill. I had some trepidation—things can always go awry when you’re...
Editorial: Our choice of voting systems -- Part Four
This is Part Four in the series on the upcoming referendum and the voting systems we can choose. To recap briefly, the referendum this fall will offer us a choice between staying with our current system of voting, usually called First-Past-the-Post (FPTP), or moving to a system of Proportional Representation. People who want...
Water Metering back on the Agenda; Trash Talk, Speed Limits, a Discontented Resident, and much more!
Report on Rossland City Council Meeting, June 25, 2018 (Updated) Present: Mayor Kathy Moore and Councillors Martin Kruysse, John Greene, Andy Morel and Andrew Zwicker. Absent: Lloyd McLellan and Aaron Cosbey. Public Input Period: Laura Petit spoke to oppose Council’s decision to do away with water metering; she felt it...
COLUMN: From the Hill -- Cannabis
On June 20th, the House of Commons rose for the summer break. One of the last votes we took dealt with the message to the Senate regarding their proposed amendments to Bill C-45, the bill to legalize marijuana. And the final motion to adjourn included a message to the Senate regarding Bill C-46, which covers new...
City of Victoria wins lawsuit over plastic bag bylaw
More action on single-use plastic bags? Rossland City Council has stated that it was waiting for the outcome of the court challenge against the City of Victoria’s bylaw to ban plastic “check-out” bags. The Canadian Plastic Bag Association challenged the City of Victoria’s right to regulate plastic bags. Now the Supreme Court...
Editorial: PART THREE -- on the upcoming referendum, and those PR voting systems
As promised, this Part will describe the Mixed Member Proportional system to achieve proportional representation in the BC Legislature. Part Two described the Dual-Member Proportional system, which would make most electoral districts larger, and assign two MLAs to each district by a system designed to achieve proportionality....
COLUMN: From the Hill -- G20 Energy
Last week I travelled with Jim Carr, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, to the G20 energy meetings in Argentina. The meetings are a mix of reports from the G20 countries and of presentations by world experts about the state of energy markets and future energy demand. The main theme of the talks was the “grand […]
