A recent scathing opinion piece by Murray Dobbin outlined the shortcomings of food in some health care facilities administered by the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority (VCHA). Both the quality and the quantity of the food served were reported as inadequate, even for institutional food which is understandably challenging to...

Here in southern BC, it is still alarmingly warm for skiers awaiting snow.  It rains, or the sun shines, and we wait, and look at a thin bit of white decorating local mountain-tops, and look askance at the thermometer registering over 12 degrees C. -- or whatever well-above-freezing, balmy temperature it happens to be at the...

                Especially with the damp and cold weather this year, I’ll be expecting phone calls from parents with sick children (or themselves if they were dipping into the candy too much) about a week after Hallowe’en. I see many colds and flus due to the increased amount of sugar. As I stated in a past article, 1 tsp of...

Nelson City council says it doesn’t plan to close down any of the city’s marijuana dispensaries… even though it’s just given itself the power to do so. Council voted Monday night 4-3 to amend the zoning bylaws to define what a cannabis dispensary is, and to prohibit their operation in all land zone uses in the city. Violators...

Easy to access roadway information and maps will make it much easier for motorists planning their daily commute with a new, free BCHighways app that uses information from DriveBC. Created by AirSenze Solutions, BCHighways provides real-time access to provincial highway information including road closures, planned work and...

The student athletes on the Selkirk College Saints have shown great promise in the opening third of the British Columbia Intercollegiate Hockey League (BCIHL) season, but there is plenty to learn before the final playoff test arrives in March. The Saints split their home weekend set with the Trinity Western University Spartans...

A beaver arrived at Star Gulch Reservoir a while ago, and made his or her presence known by chewing nearly through some trees along the water's edge, one of which was nearly 40 centimetres in diameter; see the photo above.  It might have been interesting and educational to have a beaver family living in the reservoir, but...

Champagne corks popped and locals raised their glasses of fizz to toast Captain Skip Rowland and his recently published book No Return Ticket, "A True Yarn of 20th Century Adventure at Sea."  The Rossland Writers' Group hosted a small gathering at the Seniors' Hall to celebrate the author and hear him read from the book on ...

The Balfour Ferry Terminal will remain, in Balfour. Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure, Todd Stone made the announcement Thursday in a media release on the government website. Stone said in the release the decision came following the close of consultation on the future of the Balfour inland ferry terminal. He added...

It has long been well known that fine particulates and volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) containing carcinogens, including benzene and other toxic chemicals, are released from wood burning stoves and that these are a proven serious health hazard.  However, what is not widely known is the scale or magnitude of the impact of...