Editor, The Nelson Daily You are likely familiar with the brilliant red color that the kokanee salmon turn in the fall when they are spawning in creeks and rivers in the area. Did you know that kokanee can also be found spawning on the beaches of some of our lakes? These are kokanee that are […]

The Hon. Keith Ashfield, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Place de Ville, Tower C, 29th Floor, 330 Sparks Street Otatwa, Ontario, K1A 0N5 RE:  Closure of the Nelson BC DFO Office Dear Minister: I write to bring to your attention concerns that are being voiced by local residents and elected officials about the closure of […]

Dear Editor: I am writing about hearings that are to be held in our area with respect to the way the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission has decided to divide up the province between Members of Parliament. Hearings in our area are scheduled for Nelson on October 2, 2012 and Castlegar on October 3, 2012. None […]

Editor, The Nelson Daily A letter to Honourable Christy Clark, MLA, Premier of British Columbia by Regional District of Central Kootenay chairperson, John Kettle. Dear Premier Clark: On behalf of the Regional District of Central Kootenay I want to sincerely thank you and your government for the immediate and effective response...

Open Letter to West Kootenay Residents: It seems like the people who make decisions far away in Ottawa don’t quite understand BC nor do they understand the importance of physical geography in such a mountainous place. They look at maps with demographics and populations and what they have is an impression of where we live, […]

Do you care what sort of health care we will have in Canada starting in 2014? Do you want cheaper drug prices? How about health care programs and policies co-ordinated and monitored at a national level? Or having a national strategy to reduce wait times? Or including national standards for home and residential care? All these...

Editor, The Nelson Daily On May 7, a debate in the chambers of Nelson City Council on a motion about legalizing cannabis was profoundly similar to others currently taking place across Canada and the world (Council Debates Legalization of Pot, June 12, 2012). As an active participant in this debate, I have some suggestions which […]

Ed Note: See bottom of letter for information about Facebook group supporting urban chickens in Castlegar. I'm baffled by the arguments Castlegar City Council is using to prohibit backyard chickens in small numbers. If the concerns really relate to noise, excrement, and attraction of pests - then why do we allow citizens to...

What has 34 legs, speaks Russian but has no teacher?  The soon-to-be Grade 3 Russian Bilingual (RB) class.   Unfortunately, it is the intention of school administration to split this class between two schools: 13 children will remain at Castlegar Primary in a split Grade 2-3 RB class, while four children will be sent to a...

Greetings to you, my friends in the Rest of Canada (ROC)   I am writing you because i am really concerned that English Canada is not getting good information on what is happening right now in Québec.  Particularly lamentable is the CBC and the Globe and Mail.  And, apparently, Maclean’s.   You...