William Shakespeare once said, “What’s in a name?” and although he was referring to roses, I have my own way of looking at it. You see, there are many people that know my name. They know it because I’ve grown up in Castlegar, worked here, raised my family here and retired here. I have a connection with so many of the residents...

I am Castlegar born and raised. I moved away for post secondary education. Life brought us back 17 years ago to buy a local business. I am married with three kids and many more that have become family, and we are having our first grand baby this month! I have worked in our education system, social sector, and the service...

As most of you know, we are just over a week out from B.C. municipal elections. Though many dismiss these local ballots as unimportant, I would beg to differ – in fact, I would argue that municipal elections and their outcomes have the most significant impact on your day-to-day quality of life. City beautification, municipal...

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 […]