By: Jordan Bateman, British Columbia Director, Canadian Taxpayers Federation If you could put a loonie into a machine and get $23.30 out every time, would you ever stop? Probably not. That human nature may explain why Members of Parliament have been moving so slowly to reform their platinum-plated pension plan. Unfortunately for taxpayers, we are that […]

Anyone made uneasy by the temporary closure of Castlegar’s hospital in February and the lack of ambulance coverage in Castlegar over the holidays is going to be delighted with this latest bombshell from B.C. Ambulance Services (BCAS) – I was so horrified by what I learned here that I feel obligated to write about it […]

While people in more than 175 countries used Earth Day 2012 to raise awareness and appreciation of the world’s natural environment, a rally in Nelson had more of a direct message for government — Keep Jumbo Wild and put a stop the Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipelines Project. “Look at this sky, look at that (Elephant) […]

Ed Note: The following is a press release issued by the B.C. Teachers’ Federation A decisive 73 per cent of teachers have voted in favour of a resistance strategy to oppose Bill 22, the controversial Education Improvement Act.  In a province-wide vote conducted April 17–19, a total of 21,625 teachers voted yes and 7,846 voted […]

Dear Rick Hansen: I hope that during your next 25 years of raising money for spinal cord research (SCR) we will see the end of inhumane, scientifically fallacious spinal cord experiments on animals. It was 25 years ago when Lifeforce, a Vancouver based ecology and animal rights organization, gave you extensive data about the failure […]

On April 26, a group of Nelson youth participating in the Gender Action Project will perform live at the Mir Centre for Peace.  Rumours and Just a Friend, interactive forum theatre pieces about gender issues, are the result of a 10-week-long workshop series facilitated by the Nelson Women's Centre, and supported by SelfDesign...

Despite a residential tax increase this year, Castlegar homeowners will likely be paying less property tax in 2012 than they did in 2010. In a report presented to city council at its regular meeting Monday night, city director of financial services Andre Buss told council that modest increases have been offset by an increase...

The annual general meeting of the Association of Kootenay Boundary Local Governments (AKBLG) got under way today in Trail, with 26 municipalities and three regional districts represented. While Castlegar mayor and council are present, as part of 117 voting delegates and about 185 attendees, Castlegar will not be bringing...

A Castlegar city councillor is using social media sites to try to gauge how much community support there is for allowing urban chicken husbandry within city limits. Kevin Chernoff, now serving his third term at the council table, says the majority of the people attending council on the issue are in support of the notion […]

Southern Interior MP Alex Atamanenko says he was dismayed to hear the news that the Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) office in Kelowna is slated for closure earlier today. “The Conservatives are dismantling Canada piece by piece,” he said. “This will result in a critical reduction in services related to citizenship and immigration matters for […]