Parliament begins its fall session this coming week and I have just returned from a week of meetings in Ottawa to discuss how that sitting will look—both in terms of how we will meet and the policies the government may bring forward in the Speech from the Throne on Wednesday. Throughout the spring and summer, the House of...

I will start with one word, “unacceptable.”  That is how I, and many others view your plan.  The theory of it is sound, based on what we have learned with the various epidemiological crises of our times, beginning with the first SARS outbreak of 2003.  There is no argument about the benefits of physical distancing, frequent...

Bill Morneau resigned as Minister of Finance on Monday.  I enjoyed my interactions with the former minister—he was approachable and often crossed the aisle to chat with me when I had a question or comment on financial issues affecting my constituents.  Rumour has it that he was at odds with the rest of the cabinet when it...

I recently spent a week touring through the South Okanagan-West Kootenay, meeting elected officials and constituents as well as enjoying the lakes, rivers and mountains that make this such a wonderful place to live.  Now that COVID restrictions have been lifted somewhat, I was able to chat with people over coffee at picnic ...

Some people have land that can grow crops, but they don’t want to farm; others want to farm and can’t find land. The solution – a program that matches people who want to farm with those who have land available to lease, and want it to stay in production or start producing crops. It's called the BC Land Matching Program (BCLMP)....

My role as Natural Resources critic for the NDP covers forestry, mining and energy—and the big issue these days in that trio is energy.  The pandemic has intensified calls for a national energy strategy that will direct federal investments to help us recover from the economic impacts of the crisis and put us on a good footing...

Roy Edward Conroy, known to everyone as Ed, was born October 21, 1946 in Rossland, BC, the first born of his parents Ed and Irene Conroy. Ed died on June 26, at Vancouver General Hospital due to complications following surgery for a broken hip. He was 73. Ed lived in Rossland for a few years before his parents moved back to...

Imagine a country where the top one percent of the population owned one quarter of all the wealth and the bottom 40 per cent together owned only one per cent.  Sounds outrageous?  That country is Canada. The source of those figures is the latest report of the Parliamentary Budget Officer.  The disparity between the super-wealthy...

The BC RCMP is monitoring the events in the United States of America and is deeply saddened by the anguish expressed by so many in the aftermath of George Floyd's death in Minnesota on May 25, 2020. As an organization, members and staff are unsettled by the events in the USA and what happened to Mr. Floyd. We understand that...

To The Editor: The BC Government Mountain Resorts Branch has recently received an expression of interest (EOI) for a new ski resort development (Zincton Expression of Interest) from Brent Harley and Associates Inc. and are requesting feedback from the public. The British Columbia Backcountry Hunters and Anglers (BCBHA) have...