Did you know that Trail is the location of one of the most vital facilities on the west coast for keeping waste and hazardous materials out of landfills?Last month I had the pleasure of visiting K-C Recycling Ltd. It’s the largest car battery recycler in Western Canada and the Pacific Northwest of the continent! They also...

This summer we’ve all been feeling the effects of inflation.  The price of almost everything has risen dramatically, but the issue that I’ve been hearing a lot about is the cost of gas. In January, the world oil price was about $70 per barrel, up significantly from its early pandemic lows.  Then in late February, Russia invaded...

Katrine Conroy, Minister Responsible for the Columbia River Treaty, has issued the following statement regarding the 13th round of negotiations to modernize the Columbia River Treaty, which took place in Richmond on Aug. 10-11, 2022: “Discussions toward a modernized Columbia River Treaty progressed last week, as negotiators...

NDP MP, Richard Cannings rallied scientists from across the political spectrum in Ottawa last week to urge Prime Minister Trudeau and Minister for Innovation, Science and Industry, François-Philippe Champagne to pay Canada’s researchers at least a living wage. “Canada is lagging behind the world on innovation and research at a time when we know these […]

An Open Letter to all British Columbians: As British Columbians, we all rely on certain core services being available at the most critical moments of our lives. Because when they aren’t, an urgent situation can become catastrophic. We are taught from a young age that, when there’s an emergency, we should reach for the nearest...

Near the end of the film Don’t Look Up, Leonardo DiCaprio’s character, astronomer Randall Mindy, turns to the people around him and says, “We really did have everything, didn’t we?” Although the “everything” has never been equally distributed, humans really have had all that we need to survive and thrive. If only more people would […]

Ed.Note: this column was originally published by the Elephant Journal, a publication I would strongly recommend perusing. Ms. Smee is a highly regarded professional in the Kootenay community, and we will be featuring her op/ed (opinion/editorial) material at every opportunity. ~ Kyra You left way too suddenly. I was not ready to say goodbye, and […]

Dear Neighbours, Friends and Community Members, June is National Indigenous History Month, a time to learn and show support for the ongoing work of reconciliation. This month, B.C. and the Tahltan Central Government entered the first ever consent-based decision-making agreement under the Declaration Act. This agreement honours...

Two of the most important issues for Canadians right now are the affordability crisis—the impossibility of the housing market, the rising cost of groceries and the soaring price of gas—and the ongoing crisis of climate change. Recently the House of Commons debated an NDP motion that combined these two issues.  The motion asked...

Over 9,000 people have died in BC as a result of drug toxicity since the government declared a public health emergency into substance-related harms in April 2016. Year over year death tolls continue to rise, with 2021 the highest on record in our province - 2,224 people died, a 26% increase over the year before. “These are ...