In the business we call it “going to the dark side”: when reporters leave the news profession to take jobs as corporate spokespersons or, even worse, become political appointees to the staffs of particular parties or governments. But let’s keep it real. Deserting from journalism to become a corporate fart-catcher or hired...

Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and Responsible for Labour Pat Bell is asking the public to join in on a Twitter town hall to talk about skills training in B.C. The first two weeks of the Skills for BC engagement have shown that British Columbians are eager to be a part of the solution, to bring forward ideas ...

An opinion research study released today shows the public is ahead of political leaders when it comes to tax policy. It finds most British Columbians — regardless of how they would vote in a provincial election — are in favour of changes to BC’s tax system to ensure everyone pays a fair share and to enable new or enhanced...

IntegrityBC has released Christy's Christmas Castle, an animated video to drive home an important aspect of the organization's campaign on electoral finance reform. Since 2005, the B.C. Liberal party has raked in more than $40 million from big business and is now the only major B.C. political party that still opposes a ban ...

IntegrityBC is calling on the B.C. government to recommit to its 2009 ban on non-essential government advertising in the four months prior to voting day. The organization made the call following growing public concerns over the government's new TV ads featuring Premier Christy Clark.   IntegrityBC released a copy of the...

Three West Kootenay cities will benefit from the B.C. Government distribution of $16.9 million in compensation for municipal property taxes. Castlegar, Nelson and Rossland will net more than $200,000, with the Heritage topping the trio at $183,964.41. Grants-in-lieu of property taxes are distributed every November as a way to reimburse communities for services that benefited […]

The majority of B.C. Economic Forecast Council members predict B.C. real GDP growth will slightly outperform the Canadian average in 2013, Finance Minister Michael de Jong announced at the conclusion of the annual meeting of the council.   On average, the council expects B.C. real GDP growth to be 2.1 per cent in 2012, down...

Luxury and avarice — those pests which have been the ruin of every state.--Cato the Elder [I wrote this essay for the By The People program of Nelson’s Community Radio on October 6. 2006. There is a renewed concern about the resource industry – oil, gas, forestry, coal – in Northern British Columbia. Sue, who grew up in...

We know they have openly promised to destroy Israel; we are aware they finance the worst terrorist groups in the world, that deliberately target civilians; we have been appalled at how they brutally suppress their own people; we were aghast when they murdered a Canadian photo-journalist while detained in custody; and now,...

In 1989, I sat alone in front of the TV, watching the fight for democracy and freedom come to a head in China. Who could forget this iconic image of a single man standing before the tanks, facing likely death? What strength lives in a soul to find yourself taking such action ? For a young woman like myself, raised in the...