A long, destructive summer is coming to B.C. forests  British Columbia is poised to suffer a historically ruinous fire season and we have only ourselves to blame.  Warm, dry weather early in the season is part of the problem, to be sure. Climate change is likely making things worse. But B.C.’s history of fire suppression and...

West High Yield (WHY) continues its efforts to further its application for a permit to go ahead with the next phase of its proposed magnesium mine on Record Ridge.  The Ministry has accepted the WHY application for a permit, but has not approved it.  The review process has just begun. Local residents should be aware that...

Support for oil and gas projects is often justified on economic grounds: they fuel the economy and create jobs. But do those arguments hold up? Even leaving aside the enormous costs of climate-related disasters such as flooding, drought and increasing water scarcity, and pollution-related health impacts and premature deaths,...

I learned this week that Canadians are considered to rank 42nd out of 50 countries based on how good they are to drive in. This disappointed me until I sat back and thought about it a bit. Based on a bit of self examination and what I see happen around me when I drive I think that I have to say that we are not serious about...

Dear Editor, With Alzheimer’s Awareness month coming to a close, the Alzheimer Society of B.C. wants to say a big thank you to the people of the West Kootenay for joining forces with us to raise awareness and flipping the script on stigma associated with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Our vision is a world without Alzheimer’s...

Despite Canada’s important commitments at the December UN COP15 in Montreal, we’re not halting, let alone reversing, biodiversity loss. More than 5,000 wild species face some risk of extinction, according to the recently released report “The Wild Species 2020: The General Status of Species in Canada.”...

“The end of one year and the beginning of a new one is a chance to reflect and an opportunity to set new goals to shape a better future – for ourselves, our families and our entire province. “I am honoured to celebrate with you the successes of the past year, including the remarkable economic recovery in our province as we ...

Party Hearty! Early in my policing career it was not uncommon to find a drunk driver with a blood alcohol level between .30 and .36. These people were truly drunk and not just impaired as most of us would start to be at the .05 level. Time to head for home and sleep it off because some of us have to be at work in the morning....

This summer we’ve all been feeling the effects of inflation.  The price of almost everything has risen dramatically, but the issue that I’ve been hearing a lot about is the cost of gas. In January, the world oil price was about $70 per barrel, up significantly from its early pandemic lows.  Then in late February, Russia invaded...

An Open Letter to all British Columbians: As British Columbians, we all rely on certain core services being available at the most critical moments of our lives. Because when they aren’t, an urgent situation can become catastrophic. We are taught from a young age that, when there’s an emergency, we should reach for the nearest...