Arena hopes; bylaw complaints; LED angst; short-term rentals; no triathlon; stairway joy
Public Hearing and Regular Rossland City Council meeting, August 14, 2017. All Council members were present. Public Hearing: The proposed amendment to the Official Community Plan would alter the wording for short term rentals, permit temporary use permits with criteria in any part of the City and remove the regulation for ...
MP Richard Cannings to "Ride the Riding" again this year
Richard Cannings, MP (South Okanagan-West Kootenay) is happy to announce that he will “Ride the Riding” for the second year in a row. Last year 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 tour will use a...
COLUMN: Wildfires are a wake-up call
Wildfires are sweeping B.C. Close to 900 have burned through 600,000 hectares so far this year, blanketing western North America with smoke. Fighting them has cost more than $230 million — and the season is far from over. It’s not just B.C. Thousands of people from B.C. to California have fled homes as fires rage. Greenland...
B.C. sets sights on $15-an-hour minimum wage, reaffirms commitment to a fair wages commission
The provincial government is making its first move toward a $15-an-hour minimum wage for British Columbia by announcing a 50-cent increase for September and renewing its commitment to a fair wages commission. In making the announcement today, Premier John Horgan said moving over time to a $15 minimum wage is long overdue in...
Study brings new hope for remediation of issues at West Kootenay Regional Airport
In a press release today, the City of Castlegar announced big news for people travelling via the West Kootenay Regional Airport (WKRA). Mayor Lawrence Chernoff, city council and representatives from the Regional District of Central Kootenay, area municipal councils and local business representatives met yesterday to receive...
BC SPCA applauds government move to end grizzly bear trophy hunt
The BC SPCA is applauding the provincial government’s move to end British Columbia’s grizzly bear trophy hunt. Announced Monday by Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development Doug Donaldson and in a B.C. government release, the ban will take effect on Nov. 30 throughout British Columbia, after...
Speed dating for B.C. lobbyists
It had to have been lost in the mail. It’s the only plausible explanation. I can’t imagine any other reason for not receiving an invitation to at least one of the “by invitation only” dinners held since 2013 with B.C.’s deputy ministers. The annual cash for access event is hosted by the B.C. Chamber of Commerce. After […]
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...
