MLA Katrine Conroy resigns as party whip
Kootenay West MLA Katrine Conroy released the following statement concerning her position on the opposition caucus executive. I have resigned my position as Whip for the Opposition caucus. Caucus was informed of my decision today. The position of Whip is elected by caucus members and it is a role that I have held unchallenged...
City opts into regional tourism promotion
City council, at its regular meeting Monday night, voted to pay $4,350 for inclusion in a SnowSeekers promotion designed to funnel ski tourists for Rd Mountain and White Mountain through the Castlegar's regional aiport. "The West Kootenay Regional Airport would be promoted as 'the' airport ...to access the two ski hills,"...
Proposed utility hike sees rare division in city council
A vote to raise utility rates in Castlegar saw a rare division of city council Monday night, with the hike narrowly defeated in a 3-3 decision. In his report to council, city director of financial services Andre Buss pointed out the $66 million of infrastructure maintenance required in coming years, and said, “New Interior...
Rally prompts unanimous vote to preserve Castlegar's ultrasound service
A public rally to oppose an Interior Health (IH) decision to move Castlegar's ultrasound machine to Trail drew more than 100 people to the Complex Wednesday night, and netted attendees an unanimous vote from the Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital District. The district voted unanimously for a resolution supporting continued...
Harper’s flip-flop on Afghanistan
We should have known it was too good to be true. Harper’s many, many repetitions of his government’s commitment to get all the troops out by July 2011 are well known. I think he may actually have meant it because by these repeated statements he framed the issue so strongly that all Canadians expected – […]
Campbell's resignation must not kill the BC Rail story
Now that I’m back from some well-enjoyed fun in the sun, I am amazed at the number of people who have suggested the biggest story that happened in BC in the past few weeks was the decision by Premier Gordon Campbell to step down. They are wrong. As repeatedly explained on this blog long […]
Second ultrasound rally on tap
Organizers are strongly encouraging Castlegar residents to show up for a second rally aimed at persuading Interior Health to leave the Castlegar Health Centre's only ultrasound machine in Castlegar, instead of moving it to Trail. The original plan was to move the machine to Trail to complement the existing two machines at...
This is the security state that Steve built...
For those considering issue triage — picking five or six issues to focus on — in the fight to rid the country of the current government, one area that is critical to the outcome is exposing the Harper government’s construction of the national security state. I am referring here to the commitment of the […]
MP pens letter regarding local woman's incarceration
Dear Minister Toews (Minister of Public Safety), I have just received a disturbing account by a young woman from my riding regarding her experience at the G20 Summit in Toronto. Enclosed please find her detailed explanation of her arrest. It is important to state that I am not writing to discuss the Summit itself, but...
ATAMANENKO: The “Periwinkle Curse”: How the Lack of a National Childcare Policy Is Failing Our Children
The pretty village of Kaslo on Kootenay Lake has a population of less than 2,000 and one licensed daycare, the Periwinkle Children’s Centre. The centre has a long history in the community and also a long history of the same problems repeating themselves. Sarah Lawless, chair of the board of directors for the non-profit centre, […]
