Nelson's Kozak, Nakusp mayor Hamling lead newly formed committee
Elected officials from local municipalities and regional districts have been appointed to the newly formed Columbia River Treaty Local Governments' Committee.Leading the committee is Nelson City Councilor and committee chair Deb Kozak and Nakusp Mayor and vice-chair Karen Hamling.The committee's primary task is to engage with...
LETTER: Feds assure Midway not slated for closure
Dear Editor: In regard to the potential closure of the Midway border, I wrote the Minister of Public Safety, the Honourable Vic Toews on Dec. 16. The following day, I received a call from one of his assistants informing me that there are no plans to close any of the border crossings mentioned in the leaked report and any final...
Fire chief hands the con to a new generation
Two decades is enough of a tour of duty for retiring fire chief Blair MacGregor who is looking forward to some well deserved rest and relaxation. MacGregor started as volunteer firefighter and became volunteer fire chief in 1980. He was hired by the city in the more official version of the role in 1996. “It’s been a great...
Cross-border deal's grave threats to Canadian food security
The following is the third installment of a three part investigation by Nelle Maxey into the wide-ranging environmental and socio-political implications for Canada of the recently signed US-Canada cross border security deal and ancillary agreements related to the Regulatory Cooperation Commission. Read part 1 and part 2 here....
Province increases homeowner grants threshold
British Columbians who own homes worth up to $1.285 million may be eligible to receive the entire homeowners’ grant this year, after the Province raised the threshold to accommodate rising property values. BC Assessment estimates the value of all homes based on their market value on July 1 each year. The Province then reviews...
Local provincial NDP candidate supports equality through modest means
Leader Adrian Dix told the BC New Democratic Party’s (NDP) 50th anniversary convention that inequality is the defining issue of our time and outlined the NDP’s priorities for when it forms government in 2013.“We have to address inequality by getting the fundamentals of our society and economy right, like education and training...
Border security deal's ugly twin carries major energy and environmental implications for Canada
The Harper government officially announced in recent weeks a new Border Security deal with the US. However, little press space was given to the ugly twin of this deal - the Canada-United States Regulatory Cooperation Council (RCC) and their "Joint Action Plan". The RCC was set up to "streamline" regulations in four economic...
Twelve ways to a greener Christmas
Want to inspire your true love with earth-friendly gift ideas? Do you already have a partridge in a pear tree or seven swans a swimming? This holiday season – try giving the gift of green with these hints from the Ministry of Environment: If you get a small appliance for the holidays, don’t forget to recycle the old one...
RUSSIA: "Why are Russians protesting now?"
On Saturday December 10, 2011, the world watched the biggest protests Russia has seen since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. It has been almost exactly 20 years since Christmas Day in 1991 when power passed from Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev to Russian President Boris Yeltsin. It is believed that Yeltsin did not...
OP/ED: Clark and Bond wrong on public, wrong on electoral finance reform
The BC Liberal government may have committed itself to transparency, new ideas and engaging with British Columbians in its October 3rd Throne speech, but according to IntegrityBC the memo doesn't seem to have quite reached every minister. The non-partisan organization was reacting to a letter it received from Attorney General...
