Despite earlier cooler weather, heatwave conditions are expected to resume in New South Wales, Australia. Local weather service forecasts expect temperatures to rise above 40°C (104°F), as-experienced earlier in the week. The percentage of uncontained fires jumped as high as 20%. On Friday, local fire authorities have declared...

The Mir Lecture Series presents James Loney at the Shambhala Music & Performance Hall in Nelson on Friday, February 8th. In November 2005, Loney and three other men were captured by armed gunmen and held hostage in Iraq.  Loney was part of a delegate from Christian Peacemaker Teams – an organization that sends activists...

The remarkable Idle No More movement is the biggest and most important national outpouring of grassroots aboriginal anger ever seen in Canada. Not since the late 1960s when Indians (as they then referred to themselves) and Métis confronted governments with demands for justice has such a dramatic and passionate expression of...

Columbia Power wants to hear from you. We have embarked on a consultation project to gather feedback and insight from the public to help in the process of determining what’s next for the corporation. The consultation is intended to tell the Columbia Power story, seek feedback on our proposed strategy, and gather information...

In this column I would like to share part of the speech I gave to those attending the “Open Forum” on a culture of peace and Department of Peace in Canada which took place in Ottawa early in November of 2012. Arms trade is big business – in 2010 total military spending in the world was around $1.6 Trillion.  According to the...

It seems unlikely a dispute between the City of Castlegar and two downtown business owners is likely to be resolved outside a courtroom, after discussions between the parties have clarified each position but offered little in the way of practical compromise. The issue became public during a Dec. 3, 2012 council meeting in...

After nearly a week of snow storms avalanche potential is considerable in the back country so winter sports enthusiasts need to exercise caution over the coming weekend. “The mountains have hit the reset button and we need to do the same with our expectations of what is safe to ride,” commented Matt Peter, forecaster with the...

When Josh Fox received a letter offering him nearly $100,000 for the natural gas extraction rights on his Pennsylvania property, his first reaction was: nice chunk of change. Then he started wondering what was involved in the hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) process proposed.  Looking for the answer took him on a road trip...

Starting Feb. 15, 2013, and over the next five years, eligible British Columbians between the ages of 19 and 74 will be required to replace their CareCard with the new BC Services Card by renewing their enrolment in the Medical Services Plan. The current CareCard was introduced in 1989 and has not been significantly updated...

What's in a light? The readings on the first Sunday of the new year focus on Epiphany. An epiphany being one of those moments in life when the light comes on. A comic book illustration light bulb radiating lines over the head of the character concerned. The time a concept in physics or math finally came clear. Or understanding...