Trail issues release saying boundary extension one step closer
The City of Trail is one step closer to extending its boundaries into Columbia Gardens (Electoral Area A). As of Wednesday, July 2, the city has officially received support from the property owners in the proposed extended region. As directed by the province, a letter was sent to all residents who would be impacted by the ...
Can You Imagine? Toppling the Fossil Fuel Empire
“We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.”--Albert Einstein As the world struggles with how to deal with the slow motion apocalypse of global climate change it becomes more and more apparent that we are trapped in “the kind of thinking” that got us here. While I don’t want to ...
A proposal for a 210th Northern Gateway Condition
The early response by First Nations and environmental organizations to the federal government’s “subject to” approval of the Northern Gateway Pipeline Project did not come as a surprise. What does surprise me is the absence of critical commentary about the project’s economic merits which are championed by governments and...
COMMENT: Lack of dropped antlers and deer bones a bad sign in Boundary
I have been following hounds the last five weeks and in the process have walked a significant distance in the deer winter range and only on one occasion did I find the bones of a deer. Bones and dropped antlers for centuries have been a strong indicator of a healthy deer herd. Remember for decades the Boundary had the largest...
COMMENT: Pensions are not only a seniors’ problem – Part 2
In part one I wrote about the unjust decision to increase the eligibility age for Old Age Security (OAS) to 67 and a variety of options to save for retirement. There are also all sorts of self-help manuals and financial advisors who can give you a good advice on how to plan for your financial needs when you retire. (So far ...
Parallel realities
“Looking out upon the horrid ruin we seem to have made of the planet, in spite of the kind hearts and good intentions of the vast majority of human beings, it is hard to avoid the conclusion that some nefarious force has hijacked civilization, driving it towards ends that serve almost no one… “Reasonable people can, depending...
COMMENT: 'Class Composition' is more than an abstract bargaining term in the current BC teachers' strike
Our Canadian school system is based on many principles, but one central theme is the concept of 'inclusion'. If you don't like the idea of Inclusion, of your child going to school with someone with autism, anxiety, downs, dyslexia, or other learning needs, then one of the private schools with rigorous screening-out processes...
The teacher's strike is more about the BC government's contempt for the Constitution than pay or working conditions
On the eve of the teachers’ full-out strike, the government proposed that “if either party is unhappy with the outcome of the government’s appeal of the court case the entire collective agreement can be terminated and a new round of bargaining begins.” To appreciate this proposal I examined the 2014 and 2011 decision of the...
Wynne’s Win, and the Agony of Right-Wing Pundits
While I realize it is churlish to take so much pleasure in the whining and wingeing of the usually arrogant right-wing pundits, I just can`t help myself. This gaggle of ideological nut bars rarely get angry at the fact that most governments in this country have been doing their duty in dismantling the democratic, activist...
First Nations Going to Court United Against Enbridge’s Northern Gateway Project
Today, we unequivocally reject the Harper Government’s decision to approve the Enbridge Northern Gateway tanker and pipelines project and First Nations will immediately go to court to vigorously pursue all lawful means to stop the Enbridge project. We have governed our lands, in accordance to our Indigenous laws, since time...