Almost 12,000 British Columbians sign petition against privatization of hospital laundry services
The Hospital Employees Union (HEU) continue to hold Interior Health's feet to the fire in an effort to save job cuts to the laundry services in area hospitals, including Kootenay Lake Hospital in Nelson. HEU communications officer Brenda Whitehall said nearly 12,000 British Columbians have signed a petition calling on the...
OUT OF LEFT FIELD: Trudeau throws election; NDP wins even in loss
In my opinion, every NDP MP should be sending Justin Trudeau a Christmas card this year. Not because they like or agree with him, but because I think he just unwittingly threw an election and drastically limited left wing vote-splitting, giving the Federal NDPs their first fighting chance at really taking the House of Commons. […]
Elizabeth May's Final Speech on Bill C-51: "It's Not Too Late ... "
For readers of any political affiliation who may still not be convinced that Bill C-51-- the infamous "terror act" -- is a bad idea, or several bad ideas rolled into one egregious piece of legislation, I urge you to read the following text of a speech by Elizabeth May to Parliament on May 5, 2015. Please note the clarity ...
MP: 2015 elections are Canada's best bet for electoral reform
In the last dozen years, eight out of nine commissions or citizen assemblies created by governments in Canada have not only advocated getting rid of our first-past-the-post (FPTP) electoral system but have recommended adopting MMP, or mixed-member-proportional representation. In the upcoming 2015 federal election, Tom Mulcair...
End of boil-water advisory for Robson not good news for all
Not all Robson/Raspberry residents are delighted to see an almost-two-decades-long boil-water advisory finally lifted and a $3.2-million water treatment facility in place. The back story is that, 18 years ago, the Interior Health Authority found E.Coli in Robson/Raspberry water samples and levied the boil water advisory,...
Letter on Federal Budget
In his media release on the recent federal budget, the Conservative candidate seems proud of his party’s “balanced” budget. This budget was only balanced by raiding the EI fund (which belongs to the workers who paid dues into it) for $1.8 billion, taking $2 billion out of the $3-billion contingency fund (good fiscal managers should […]
Council designates $89,686 in CBT grant funding for local organizations
A wide range of community organizations – 28 of them, to be exact – had a very good night last night, as city council offered its recommendations for the disbursement of $89,686 in Columbia Basin Trust Community Initiatives Funding for 2015. These recommendations will then be forwarded to the Regional District of Central...
Budget meeting a bit of a bust
Tuesday’s night open house to unveil the city’s 2015 budget and five-year financial plan could be described in one word, according to Castlegar Mayor Lawrence Chernoff – “disappointing”. He wasn’t speaking to the content of the meeting, for which he applauded city director of financial services Andre Buss, “The presentation...
Trail mayor/staff to meet with ministry officials
Trail Mayor Mike Martin, and the city’s chief administrative officer, David Perehudoff, are scheduled to meet with officials from the Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development, the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI), and the Ministry of Health over the next two days in Victoria. These meetings ...
MP pans 2015 budget as a windfall for the rich
Alex Atamanenko, MP says he is disappointed but not surprised by the Conservative Government’s continuing tax breaks for big corporations and Canada’s wealthiest few. “This budget has nothing that will assist the middle class who are the driving force of our economy, nor does it assist those falling below the poverty line,”...
