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....
Editorial: A parting shot from Christy Clark's government -- shocking but not surprising
While four of six Tsilhqot’in communities are evacuated due to raging wildfires surrounding their communities, Christy Clark’s outgoing Liberal government has granted permits to Taseko Mines to conduct extensive pre-construction exploration and drilling for the New Prosperity mine proposal in a place precious to the Tsilhqot’in Nation. Never mind that the federal government has twice […]
Improving Parliament: can we do it?
It’s summertime. We’re all on holiday, right? Who wants to think about stuff like governance at this time of year? On the other hand, can we afford to stop thinking about it, given how things are at the highest levels of Canadian politics? I say we need a fundamental change in the dynamics of […]
Opinion: Suggestions for Fair Elections
Houston, we have a consensus. Well, almost. All three parties in the B.C. legislature now support a ban on corporate and union donations, as well as setting a cap on personal contributions. It's that last one that gets tricky. What's the right cap? Perhaps B.C.'s new government should rip a page out of Alberta's NDP playbook....
