Cross-border deal's grave threats to Canadian food security
The following is the third installment of a three part investigation by Nelle Maxey into the wide-ranging environmental and socio-political implications for Canada of the recently signed US-Canada cross border security deal and ancillary agreements related to the Regulatory Cooperation Commission. Read part 1 and part 2 here....
Police 'attacked' with Tim Bits on Christmas Eve
The Castlegar RCMP were kept busy over the Christmas season, reporting 90 files between Christmas Eve and New Year's Day. There were 13 motor vehicle accidents reported in that period. None of these accidents resulted in serious injury or death. On Dec. 26, at approximately 2:30 p.m., officers responded to a roll-over...
Tax assessments don't reflect any major changes in Castlegar property values
More than 8,000 property owners in the Castlegar area can expect to receive their 2012 assessment notices in the next few days. “Most homes in Castlegar and its surrounding rural area have changed only marginally from last year‟s assessment roll,” said Dennis Hickson, deputy assessor. “For example, a typical single...
Province increases homeowner grants threshold
British Columbians who own homes worth up to $1.285 million may be eligible to receive the entire homeowners’ grant this year, after the Province raised the threshold to accommodate rising property values. BC Assessment estimates the value of all homes based on their market value on July 1 each year. The Province then reviews...
One man dead after avalanche in back country
A skier triggered avalanche left one man dead in Revelstoke, B.C. on Friday as a group of heli-skiers took to the backcountry.Ronald Gregory Sheardown, age 45, from Dubaï, a former Canadian from Stouffville, Ontario, was the victim of the heli-skiing avalanche on Friday, Dec. 30.Shearman was with a group of eleven skiers and...
Oh, Canada’s become a home for record fracking
By Nicholas Kuznetz in ProPublica.Early last year, deep in the forests of northern British Columbia, workers for Apache Corp. performed what the company proclaimed was the biggest hydraulic fracturing operation ever. The project used 259 million gallons of water and 50,000 tons of sand to frack 16 gas wells side by side. It...
Armenian and Greek clergy clash at Christmas
Armenian and Greek priests have once again clashed, but this time at the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem, much to the astonishment and amusement of social media users worldwide. Apparently stemming from a dispute over which priests would clean which part of the church, such brawls are nothing new. In November 2008, for...
US-Canada Regulatory Cooperation Council plans Orwellian transportation pact
EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the second of three articles by Nelle Maxey examining the wide-ranging ramifications for the Canadian public, economy and environment of the new Canada-US Border Security Deal and its ancillary agreements. With my first article on this topic I set the background for Canada's new trade deal with the US...
Selkirk College recycling program celebrates 20 years of keeping it green
Selkirk College’s Recycling Department is celebrating 20 years of making the college a greener place to work.Established in 1991, the Recycling Department is run by the Kootenay Society for Community Living, a regional organization that provides support services for a range of people in communities throughout the Kootenays.When...
US Congress moves toward tougher stand on pipeline safety--but is it enough?
By Lena Groeger in ProPublica A bill to strengthen pipeline safety regulations passed the House and Senate last week and now awaits President Obama’s signature. But while many applaud Congress’s move toward more oversight, others question whether the impending law goes far enough to prevent oil and natural gas pipeline...
