Yesterday’s release of more US diplomatic cables by Wikileaks covered pressure on governments, Spain’s judiciary, and buying foreign assistance with detentions at Guantanamo Bay. El Pais, one of five mainstream papers partnering with Wikileaks’ release of documents, examined key output from Madrid’s US embassy.   The latest cables focus on US–Spain relations, particularly during the George W. Bush presidency, with Eduardo Aguirre serving as ambassador in […]

The massive Biotech lobby has spent nine months and hundreds of thousands of dollars fighting against New Democrat Agriculture Critic Alex Atamanenko’s seed bill.   “The amount of muscle flexing by big biotech against my simple bill has just been over the top,” said Atamanenko. “I am amazed that over 40 industry lobbyists – hired by […]

 Wikileaks‘ website is reportedly under attack as it prepares to release up to 2.7 million documents, described as “diplomatic dynamite”, detailing communication between United States embassies. “We are currently under a mass distributed denial of service attack,” the organisation said on its Twitter feed. The website, run by Julian Assange, retaliated by saying that even if their website goes down, several […]

Hearing Carole James declare that the challenge to her leadership is over – because the NDP’s Provincial Council backed her – reminds me of George Bush on the US air craft carrier with the huge “Mission Accomplished” sign behind him after the initial attack in Iraq. Talk about not getting it. The NDP is now […]

The Supreme Court of B.C. has found in favour of the City of Castlegar after owners of the City Centre Motel downtown requested a judicial review of city council’s decision to order the structure demolished. In the judgment, rendered Nov. 19, the Honourable Madam Justice Lynn Smith said, “I do not find the City to […]

Fight HST Leader Bill Vander Zalm is calling for the resignation of Elections BC Acting Chief Electoral Officer Craig James in the wake of James’ decision to reject the application for Recall by Oak Bay-Gordon Head proponent Michael Roy Hayes on the basis that the Recall statement attached to the petition application is “too long”. […]

 Castlegar Mayor Lawrence Chernoff met this morning with Dean MacKinnon, a representative of the Citizens for Access to Better Health Care Committee. MacKinnon said the meeting was productive and positive, and not limited only to the current ultrasound issue creating tension between the Interior Health Authority (IH) and local...

 I  have never seen more senators express discontent with their jobs. … I think the major cause is that, deep down in our hearts, we have been accomplices to doing something terrible and unforgivable to this wonderful country. Deep down in our hearts, we know that we have bankrupted America and that we have given […]

National governments have been back in the news over the past two years because of the financial crisis and the havoc it wreaked on the global economy. Belying the ideology that nations were obsolete in the grand new order of transnational corporations, they are now front and centre trying to save the corporations that supposedly […]

When I think of winter coming, I imagine cosy weekends filled with children’s laughter and hot chocolate shared in the warm glow of a living room.  But for too many people here in the BC Southern Interior, that first snowfall may feel a little more ominous.  For some of our friends and neighbours—maybe even your […]