Ministerial statement on medical assistance in dying
Health Minister Terry Lake and Attorney General Suzanne Anton released the following statement yesterday on medical assistance in dying: "As of June 6, 2016, assisted dying is no longer illegal in Canada and the requirement for court approval has been removed. As laid out in the Supreme Court of Canada's February 2015 ruling,...
RDCK Director earns re-election to FCM Board
Village of Silverton councillor and a director on the Regional District of Central Kootenay Board Leah Main has been re-elected to the British Columbia caucus of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ (FCM) Board of Directors. Main was re-elected at the FCM Annual Convention in Winnipeg this past weekend. “I believe in the power of partnerships […]
TIME CHANGE NEGOTIATIONS BEGINNING
Tired of afternoons as dark as night in the fall, after the onset of Standard Time? Weary of having to force your body to adjust to a new time regime twice a year? There's hope on the horizon: the BC Chamber of Commerce passed a resolution at its AGM on May 31 to ask the BC government to work with other provincial and state...
Column: From the Hill -- Bill C-14 and Access to Medically Assisted Dying
By Member Of Pariliament for South Okanagan- West Kootenay, Richard Cannings: Bill C-14, An Act to amend the Criminal Code and to make related amendments to other Acts (medical assistance in dying) In March I wrote in this column about the ongoing debates in Parliament around medical aid in dying, brought on by the Supreme...
Poverty groups continues to pressure government over BC Bus Pass changes
The Nelson Committee on Homelessness (NCOH), along with over 150 organizations from around the province have signed on an open letter released by the BC Poverty Reduction Coalition calling for changes to the Provincial bus pass rates and transportation program for people living in poverty. The Province plans on increasing the disability benefits by $77 […]
Mental health system could do more to ensure people can access specialized services
Auditor General of British Columbia Carol Bellringer issued her latest audit May 17: Access to Adult Tertiary Mental Health and Substance Use Services. Bellringer's team looked at how B.C.'s health system manages access to the highest level of mental health and substance use services. They found pockets of good practice, but...
SD 20 approves fees for riding school bus
Not even SD 20 trustees were happy about voting in favour of user-fees for school busing, according to Trail trustee Toni Driutti, after the board approved the fees at their regular meeting Monday evening. Driutti pointed to decreasing ministry funding and wage increases the ministry negotiated but isn't funding, as the reason...
DeGroot shooting now oldest open IIO investigation
An officer-involved fatal shooting dating back to Oct. 13, 2014, has now become the oldest open investigation being handled by the Independent Investigations Office of BC (IIO). (For coverage of the shooting, click here). The sixth-oldest open IIO investigation is also local, after a fatal shooting on Kinnaird Bridge in...
RDCK approves the first aspect of an electric vehicle project
Change is being fueled in the Kootenays and it is creating an electric feel. The Regional District of Central Kootenay board of directors approved support at its last regular meeting for a project that is expected to raise the profile of electric vehicle use in the Kootenay region. The growing cost of gasoline-fueled...
Trustee pens letter on busing for SD 20 Board of Education
I will be voting against the proposed 2016/2017 budget. This budget contains a school-defining item slated for budget reduction . It is the beginning of the demise of fully funded public busing. Everyone associates the picture of the yellow-and-black bus with school. Restricting the operations of the school bus program strikes...
