The compensation gap; why it pays to be a government worker in BC
by Jason Clemens and Amela Karabegovic More than three years after the end of the recession and British Columbia’s provincial government continues to struggle with deficits, which as of the last quarterly update will likely exceed $1.5 billion. Relying on revenues to rebound enough to catch up with spending just doesn’t work as BC’s own […]
Syria's Muslim Brotherhood Propped Up by US Since 2007 Under Bush
In 2007, the Wall Street Journal published an article titled, “To Check Syria, U.S. Explores Bond With Muslim Brothers.” And even then, it was noted that the Brotherhood held close links with groups the US recognizes and lists as terrorist organizations, including Hamas and Al Qaeda. The report gives a disturbing foreshadowing of US support […]
Castlegar? There's an app for that!
Members of city council’s Green Committee will be attending a webinar Feb. 7 to consider creating a Castlegar ‘app’ for your smart phone. Councillor Kevin Chernoff said this is but one of many neat ideas council is looking at to enhance service and stewardship on the city’s part. “A city app would have several advantages,” ...
Mayor/CAO to court retail developers
Castlegar mayor Lawrence Chernoff and city CAO John Malcolm will be heading to Whistler this weekend to attend the International Council of Shopping Centres conference, with an eye toward drawing retailers to the Sunflower City. Malcolm said the annual conference draws retail commercial developers and representatives of top...
COMMENT: Mortgaging BC, one deal at a time
If the B.C. government is ever on the hunt for a new slogan perhaps “spending our children's inheritance” would be fitting. Since 2001, British Columbians have been witness to the sale of key parts of B.C.'s infrastructure, transfers of its wealth to private interests and sweetheart deals for industries that can afford...
The Harper government’s crony capitalism
By Mark Milke, The Fraser Institute You might think the federal Conservatives, who added $125-billion to the federal debt since 2008 and will add another $21-billion by the end of March, might be shy about unnecessary expenditures. Alas, that’s not the case, as it appears Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his colleagues would rather hand […]
Premier announces logging contractors protection program
Today Premier Christy Clark set in motion a $5-million fund to provide financial protection for forestry contractors, as well as announcing tax relief on previous compensation payments. “Our promise to logging contractors was to guarantee they receive payment for work performed, and to ensure fair tax treatment on earlier compensation,” said Premier Clark. “Today we’re […]
School closure meeting draws as many as 200
Local representatives are saying they’re surprised and gratified that as many as 200 people attended a meeting last night to discuss School District 20 (SD 20) budget cuts and the possible closure of Castlegar Primary School (serving Kindergarten to Grade 2 students). Castlegar SD 20 trustee Jo-Ann Bursey said the meeting went late as well, […]
OP/ED: MLA Conroy speaks to area education issue
I have read, watched and listened with interest the continuing discussions about education in this area. I have seen passionate and articulate citizens working together to find solutions and generating new ideas to support education in their communities. School board trustees have worked tirelessly under very difficult circumstances to try and find options and funding. […]
City teen denied dog; protests punitive policy with pit bull petition
A Castlegar teen is protesting city policy by posting an online petition opposing the city’s “vicious dogs” licensing fee of $1,000 (as compared to as little as $35 for other dogs). To see or sign the petition, go to http://www.change.org/en-CA/petitions/city-council-of-the-city-of-castlegar-castlegar-lower-licensing-fee-for-innocent-pit-bulls?utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=url_share&utm_campaign=url_share_before_sign Castlegar’s Vienna Ready, 16, is a high-school student who works part time as a cashier […]