“In a peaceful age I might have written ornate or merely descriptive books, and might have remained almost unaware of my political loyalties. As it is I have been forced into becoming a sort of pamphleteer.”—George Orwell, Why I Write, 1946 George Orwell warned of totalitarian states in his dystopic novel ‘1984.’ (Courtesy Wikimedia Commons) […]

With spring comes road construction and I’m pleased to see the walkway on Lakehill Road in Kaleden underway. While many great people in the community have supported the project, I want to personally thank volunteer Kim Dennis for all her help and collaboration in getting this project to the top of the list for the Ministry ...

To the Editor: As an ex-South African who was affected by and had friends scarred and killed by “The Terrorism Act” and its spy network during the anti-Apartheid days, I’m so alarmed by the doors of abuse opened by Prime Minister Harper’s Bill C-51 that I’ve committed to co-organizing – with local childcare worker Michelle ...

This letter is in response to Jean H. Broeckx letter: What is the Delay in Investigation of Officer-Involved Shooting of Waylon Edey. Let me first say that your letter was well written and I am by no means refuting any of your thoughts or questions. However, I am going to explain to you and all the readers why you haven’t...

To the Editor: The purpose of this letter is to empower seniors and their families with knowledge that is crucial to have when standing up for their right to be protected from abuse or neglect in a senior care facility. It will enable them to demand a better quality of care afforded them by Bill 17, the "Residents Bill of...

When something changes from one week to the next for no apparent reason, it sparks some curiosity, as is the case with the B.C. finance ministry's “Keeping taxes low for B.C. families” fact sheet posted to its website only a week after the provincial budget. It favours spin right from the top. The first two lines, classic. ...

What are the consequences when elected governments make policy based on faith and imperial hubris instead of science and expertise? It's a question that is forcing itself on the world as we watch the United States, Britain, NATO and the Harper government continue to up the ante in the confrontation with Russia over the Ukraine....

Trustees and district staff have been working on the 2015/16 school year budget since January.  On Feb. 23, the first draft of the budget was released.  It is basically a status-quo budget, which means that this draft of the budget maintains everything that we had in the current year’s preliminary budget, with the following...

Ed. Note: To read the answers offered by the Independent Investigations Office regarding many of the questions posed below, click here). On the evening of Jan. 30, 2015, Waylon Jesse Edey, of Yahk, B.C. was shot dead by an RCMP Officer, during an “attempted traffic stop”, which took place on the Kinnaird Bridge, near Castlegar,...

Ed. Note: The Source only heard of Krystal yesterday when she messaged me (the editor) on Facebook about her endeavours. As I see our role as sharing unique success stories and neat Castlegar-based efforts, I was only too happy to share Krystal's message. It was incredibly fun to watch Source readers respond with 61 comments...