Provincial

Sober second thought

by Andre Carrel on 24 May 2013
in
Sober second thought

The question of whether to abolish or to elect the Senate tends to flare up in the wake of a crass partisan appointment or a flagrant abuse of privilege. That question, however, should not be allowed to negate the question of the Senate’s purpose.

LETTER: 'Whipped' doc shows BC democracy as farce

by Contributor on 22 May 2013
in
See video
Dear editor,
 
Regardless of any particular election result, federal, provincial or municipal, certain truths remain self-evident. In the case of our two senior levels of government, excessive party discipline is slowly killing our democracy. In the May 14th BC provincial election barely 52 per cent of registered voters bothered to cast a ballot, down three per cent from 2009.

Supply management an antiquated way to sell milk, chickens, eggs and cheese

by Contributor on 20 May 2013
in
Supply management an antiquated way to sell milk, chickens, eggs and cheese

by Jason Clemens and Alana Wilson, The Fraser Institute

There are few Canadians who understand agricultural supply management and how it affects their daily lives, which is a major reason why this outdated system has survived. It’s receiving greater scrutiny now, though, because it’s impeding trade agreements.

GARDEN WISDOM: I love columbine!

by Mark Macdonald on 17 May 2013
in
Columbine

The second half of May heralds the blooms of Columbine here in south coastal BC. The flowers only appear for a couple of weeks, but it’s so worth the wait. Take a walk through the UBC Botanical Gardens at this time of year, and you’ll see many variations on the theme, although only a sampling of the 70 or so species that exist. The flowers have an aesthetic attraction for me, in terms of simple beauty and daintiness. But the academic side of my personality cannot see past the flowers as potent symbols of Darwinian evolution.

Counterfeit $100 bills turning up on Lower Mainland

by Nelson Daily staff on 16 May 2013
in
Counterfeit $100 bills turning up on Lower Mainland

Some $100 bills, thought to be invincible to counterfeit gangs are turning up in the Lower Mainland.

So the BC RCMP is reminding the public to check the security features of all the bank notes that they receive, including the new polymer series notes after a small number of counterfeit $100 polymer bills have recently been detected.

BLOG: With the Liberals still up, it’s not time to sit down

by Mary Woodbury on 16 May 2013
in
Photographer credit: Liz Sperandeo

If there’s one thing to take away from the recent election’s loss of a voice for the rainforest, it’s that protecting the largest temperate rainforest in the world is still possible–with or without politics and money being pushed into the controversial oil sands expansion that would potentially devastate this rare and critical ecosystem–one of the last of its kind.

GARDEN WISDOM: Bean Counting

by Mark Macdonald on 16 May 2013
in
Last year’s packet – with the seeds I didn’t use!

Mid-May is an excellent time of year to plant drying bean seeds like red kidney beans, orca beans, or black turtle beans. These are all very productive crops, and the seeds are easy to extract and dry for use later in the year. Last year I planted an 8 foot row of kidney beans in one of the beds at Kirkland House in Ladner. I only used about half the package of seeds. I used, as I do with all my veggies, a small amount of Gaia Green’s All Purpose 4-4-4 organic fertilizer, but did not use a seed inoculant or any other method.

COMMENT: Can political polls be trusted?

by John King on 16 May 2013
in
COMMENT: Can political polls be trusted?

[Editor's note: This piece was posted to the Common Sense Canadian just before Tuesday's election, but in the wake of the surprising results, it's more relevant now than then]

COMMENT: Endbridge

by Andre Carrel on 14 May 2013
in
COMMENT: Endbridge

On his return from an inspection trip to examine the results of the clean-up undertaken by Enbridge following an oil spill in Michigan, a Terrace municipal official was impressed with what he saw and experienced. He cautioned citizens to “dig into [the] facts who Enbridge is” when evaluating their proposal for the Northern Gateway Project.

Whistler RCMP investigating death of 10-year-old camper and her father

by Castlegar Source on 13 May 2013
in
Whistler RCMP investigating death of 10-year-old camper and her father

Whistler RCMP are investigating the death of two North Vancouver residents who were camping on Blackcomb Mountain this weekend. A 10-year-old female and her 49-year-old father were reported missing on May 12 as overdue. Whistler RCMP received the report around 6 p.m. on May 12, after the skiers missed their scheduled check-in several hours earlier.

Syndicate content