Many struggling Canadians hoped that today’s budget would offer meaningful supports and steps towards recovery. But more than that, they hoped that it would be the ultra-wealthy who have profited from the pandemic who would be paying for these supports, not the workers who have been hit so hard.  According to local MP, Richard...

Readers will have seen a news item about a couple who crossed the border after getting medical services in the United States, and were accused of not following required procedures, and were issued a fine for $3,450 for their “non-compliance.”  But there is much more to that story, and readers should know what really happened...

Dear Dr. Steve, We have now completed one Pandemic Year. Have we learned anything as a society? Signed, Unvaccinated Dear UV, It’s been a Simpsons year, really. The Simpson family has been on the living room couch for over 30 years, but Bart and Lisa are still in grade school. Endless yet static — that is our pandemic era. ...

Well, the title of this blog certainly doesn’t leave much to the imagination but sometimes you have to cut through the fluff and get straight to the point. I have shared a bit about my struggle with anxiety before but have yet to really dive into the medication end of things. Maybe I haven’t shared much because I still hold...

Last year, Gord Portman saved two people in a house fire in Penticton.  When he saw his picture in the local newspaper, he said to himself ‘Oh boy I need help.” Gord was addicted to drugs. So he turned to Discovery House, a local organization that helps men battle their addictions, and he now thanks Discovery House for saving...

Dear editor, Shelters are not going away anytime soon, in fact, you will probably hear more about them. How do we make sure they are successful? We inolve all the stakeholders - and the community is a huge stakeholder. Its time for a discussion. We all need to show compassion, respect and tolerance, but that's a two-way street....

An Open Letter to Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development, Katrine Conroy: Dear Minister Conroy, Congratulations on your appointment as Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development. We hope you will usher in considerable change from the former destructive...

Dear Editor: Monday, February 1 marked the four year anniversary of Trudeau's broken promise on electoral reform.  “We are committed to ensuring that the 2015 election will be the last federal election using FPtP” It was a key campaign promise which Trudeau repeated over 1800 times. An all party parliamentary committee, ERRE,...

Many sectors have been hard hit by the pandemic, and agriculture is one of them.  Despite concerns about food security and pleas to buy local, orchardists and farmers in the region have had a number of serious headwinds facing them over the past year. B.C. apple growers have had to deal with huge production from just across...

Dear Community Member, It has been one year since B.C.’s first joint statement about the novel coronavirus (now termed COVID-19) from Health Minister Adrian Dix and Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry. Since that date, our world has changed dramatically. We have all felt the impacts of the pandemic on our lives, our ...