I was encouraged, I really was, when Interior Health Authority (IHA) representative Linda Basran came to Castlegar to offer city council, and residents, an unqualified apology for the closure of Castlegar’s emergency ward for eight hours on Feb. 4. She acknowledged that communication around the closure was totally unacceptable,...

IntegrityBC has awarded seven broomsticks in the first of its annual Broomstick awards signifying the most egregious examples of ineptitude on B.C.’s political landscape from the past year. “Our choice of a broomstick is meant to symbolize that it’s time to clean up a mess,” said IntegrityBC executive director Dermod Travis. “Yet it’s easy to […]

Across our country, no other public social service is cherished as much as our healthcare system and its underlying principles set in the Canada Health Act. Canadians appreciate knowing that whatever health problem they have, help is available to them, regardless of their ability to pay. But our system is not perfect. There are still […]

It is hard to credit the latest statements and actions by Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird. On both Iran and Israel Baird seems to almost deliberately seek to humiliate both himself and the country he is supposed to represent on the international stage. Taking an ultra-orthodox rabbi (whose organization opposes any Palestinian...

BC Nurses’ Union members continue to be concerned about the closure of the Castlegar Emergency services on February 4. We want the community of Castlegar to know that our priority is to provide quality and safe patient care. The nurses at Castlegar Hospital will continue to advocate for improvements so that high quality care will […]

It’s budget season again and the Regional District Kootenay Boundary (RDKB) directors want public input on how to spend your tax dollars. RDKB directors are hosting Town Hall meetings in each electoral area beginning next week. During the meetings, directors will be discussing how the district operates, the 2012 budget and the 2012-2016 Five-Year Financial […]

With MLAs back in their seats this week, it’s a good time to remind B.C.’s political leaders that a “trust deficit” has broken out between British Columbians and their elected officials. Last week’s Ipsos Reid poll had some startling numbers in it: not a single party leader polled better than their party on the question […]

The weekend promos had heightened the anticipation; what I thought would be the Davis Cup of Politics--BC’s top-rated talk show host Bill Good vs. the province’s top ranked politician, Christy Clark--would take to the air in Vancouver Monday. Maybe not the match of the year, but hopefully some hard-hitting serves and returns,...

Grand Forks RCMP caught a robber red handed after a citizen called them out for a robbery in progress at the Overwaitea in Grand Forks. The call came in on Tuesday, Feb. 7 at 10:48 p.m.. When the police got there the 51 year-old man from Grand Forks was inside the Overwaitea compound at the […]

The political executive of the First Nations Summit are travelling to Ottawa this week to provide testimony on the state of Treaty Negotiations in British Columbia to the Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples. Grand Chief Edward John, Chief Doug White and Dan Smith will appear before the Standing Senate Committee ...