March 22nd is World Water Day – established by the UN as a day to contemplate the importance of access to water for life on earth. On World Water Day nearly 2000 children around the world will die from diarrhoea caused by unsafe water and poor sanitation – just like every other day of the year. It is almost impossible to...

I complained last column about a lack of comments left after my online columns, and behold, I got a critical response on March 11. I have to give this person my full attention. (I also got a comment of support from an acquaintance, but I will make my critic the point of departure for this column.) The critic’s main remark is...

By: Rob McLister, Canada Mortgage Trends On Friday, Manulife Bank posted its lowest rate ever on a 5-year fixed mortgage, 2.89%. It lasted for four days. When our big brothers at the Department of Finance (DoF) caught wind of it, they dialed up Manulife and swayed the bank into raising its rate back to 3.09%. “We don’t want...

The whole issue of the housing bubble, its extent and whether there will be a soft landing as predicted by many wishful thinkers has resulted in many interesting headlines in recent weeks – including some high on the delusional scale. One suggested that house prices are a mere 20% overvalued (if you believe that, I have a...

At a time when public confidence in government is at historical lows, the B.C. government should follow Ontario's lead and have the expense claims of senior government employees reviewed by an independent office to ensure they meet both the government's guidelines and the public's smell test, according to IntegrityBC. IntegrityBC...

From the outside Blueberry Creek Community School (BCCS) looks like any typical small older rural elementary school but BCCS is anything but typical. BCCS is a Ministry of Education designated Neighbourhood of Learning and a Ministry of Children and Family Development designated Community HUB. Both ministerial designations ...

WARNING: If you are offended by graphic descriptions of private body parts, please stop reading now and move on to any other article on our site. A few of my friends have reached the stage in their life where they’ve begun to want children. They are in their 30s now and excited to start a […]

Human beings should be treasured. Material is to be used. Our crises now all originate from one source – things are treasured, people are used. Very little commentary is posted after my columns. I do wonder if I am writing into a vacuum sometimes. But then, I have felt the same over a dozen years of broadcasting a program on...

The BC budget for 2013 fails women and children right here in the Kootenays, according to Castlegar and District Community Service Society’s Mary DeVan. DeVan issued the following press release panning the province’s lack of action in responding to violence against women and children: The 2013 BC budget was released yesterday, and there are no […]

First, let me acknowledge that this is a very challenging and demanding task and I believe the Electoral Boundary Commission has overall worked hard to try to come up with something manageable in an environment where there will always be disagreement and inevitable disappointment. I will also go on record in suggesting my...