OP/ED: MP decries erosion of democracy in Parliament
As most of us are aware, Parliament was prorogued this fall. This means that, instead of beginning its work on Sept.16, there was a delay until Oct.16. The delay, or prorogation, was requested by the Prime Minister and approved by the Governor General. The immediate effect was that all government bills and committee work were...
OP/ED: Mayor looks back on 2013
I believe that 2013 was a great year for Castlegar. City council, composed of dedicated re-elected veterans with extensive experience and a profound understanding of city operations, and others serving their first term, worked together to begin new initiatives while maintaining our efficient service delivery to our residents...
COMMENT: B.C. government's double standard on electoral boundaries ill-advised
Long-time political watchers in B.C. will know what's meant by Gracie's finger. It was one of Canada's most blatant acts of political gerrymandering. In 1982, then Social Credit cabinet minister Grace McCarthy was suspected of using her influence to have her Little Mountain riding boundaries redrawn to include a sliver of a...
UPDATED: Can't yet walk, but takes Source/JJ's Reader Christmas Contest in a walk anyway
Update: Well, your votes have been counted, and this supremely cute and creative baby photo submitted by Chantelle Sutton takes the win with a landslide 274 votes, netting a terrific kick-off to 2014 - namely, a $100 gift certificate to JJ's Fashions! Runner-up was Tanja Rosser Espenhain's timely (and funny) portrayal of New...
OP/ED: Why 2013 didn't COMPLETELY suck
I've never been one to buy into the idea that 13 is an unlucky number ... but if anything could convince me otherwise, it would have to be the year 2013. I've always – for more than a decade now – written a column each New Year trying to sum up the year's coverage, but all I could seem to come up with for this year was, “Wow,...
COMMENT: Five New Year's resolutions for B.C.'s politicians
It's that time of year when many of us make resolutions for the new year. Most of them are lofty goals towards self-improvement: quit smoking, lose weight, exercise more often are all among the popular ones. So in the spirit of the season, here are five ideas for B.C. politicians to consider as they set their resolutions for...
Teck Trail GM speaks to health concerns in Trail and Northport
Dear Editor, For over 100 years Trail Operations has operated as a world class refinery and smelter in the West Kootenays of British Columbia. Our facility refines and recycles everything from metal concentrates to used batteries into metals and fertilizers that we all rely on. Over our 100-year history we have grown in...
COMMENT: Legalizing Prostitution Will Harm Women – Canada Must Target Buyers of Sex
By Joy Smith, MP. The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that the Criminal Code offences around prostitution are unconstitutional. This ruling leaves police without important legal tools to tackle sex trafficking and organized crime and does not reflect a 1990 Supreme Court of Canada decision which stated that the elimination...
Wellbeing Beyond Christmas
“Once our personal connection to what is wrong becomes clear, then we have to choose: we can go on as before, recognizing our dishonesty and living with it as best we can, or we can begin the effort to change the way we think and live.” ...
LETTER: Pass Creek Winter Celebration a hit
Hello Pass Creek Residents and community supporters; What an amazing Winter Celebration for the Pass Creek Community. • More than 120 people attended the event, with more than 40 families and 46 kids visiting Santa; • 96 wooden ornaments were decorated to take home; • 147 food items collected for Christmas hampers (est. $300...