In light of the current fiscal crisis and resultant school closures and reconfigurations being contemplated by our Board of Education to balance its budget we believe it is appropriate to revisit some of Murray Dobbin’s thoughts in his article about School Closures and the “Cult of Efficiency” written in 2008 when he was the...

The Regional District of Kootenay Boundary held a town hall meeting last Thursday, February 7 at the community hall in Christina Lake. This was an opportunity for the public to meet and question those who make decisions about, and provide, services for the region. It was also an event where regional government comes to explain...

The board of School District No. 20 (SD20) voted last night 6-3 against K-12 in Rossland. The majority voted in favour of both K-7 at MacLean and K-9 at RSS, and these options will be left on the table for the bylaw's second reading at the special open board meeting at the RSS gym on Feb. 12.The board voted on each of the...

I had the opportunity in January to represent our country at the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF) in Vladivostok, Russia.  This was the 21st annual Forum which hosted over three hundred parliamentarians from 23 APPF member states as well as representatives from other countries, the UN and other world organizations. Our...

Humanity ascends from the realm of necessity to the realm of freedom– Friedrich Engels, in Socialism: Utopian and Scientific The meaning of Life is discovering our gift; the purpose is to give it away– chalkboard on Baker St. in Nelson My last column described the Baby Boomers at some length, so today I will sound off with ...

What does living faithfully mean? In my context, it means living faithfully to my understanding of God's call in the world. 'Call' being a pull into realizing there is much more than 'me' involved in the warp and woof of the universe. There are connections in many realms. Connections to the Divine Light pervading all Creation....

As part of the launch of their new website, Selkirk College has released their new five year strategic plan that outlines Selkirk’s aspirations for development and renewal in a rapidly changing and complex post secondary sector in BC and across the world. The plan describes a renewed mission and vision for the institution and...

Dear editor, The Order of British Columbia offers British Columbians a golden opportunity to take part in the public recognition of individuals who demonstrate outstanding achievement, excellence and distinction in their particular fields of endeavour. Nominations are now being received for the 2013 Order of British Columbia.  If you know anyone in this community who […]

The slogan reads — fires that are small soon will be tall. The Bill Lusted family realized first hand how quickly fire can spread after their Blewett home on Cazakoff Road west of Nelson was gutted in a matter of minutes Tuesday afternoon. “Tammy was out on a walk and when she returned saw smoke coming from an (electrical) ...

New Democrat MP, Alex Atamanenko, says that upcoming February forums being hosted by the West Kootenay Concerned Citizens group will be a not-to-be-missed opportunity to hear what retired military officer, Jerry Flynn, has to say about the hazards of electromagnetic radiation emissions from wireless smart meters.  With 22...