Fines for 'dooring' going up -- 'way up
Drivers will soon have a stronger incentive to take a good look around before opening their car doors. To better protect cyclists, the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure is raising the fine for “dooring.” The new fine for anyone who opens a car door when it is not reasonably safe to do so (known as “dooring”) will...
OP/ED: Landmark decision by BC Supreme Court protects public health care
In today’s landmark ruling in the Cambie Surgery Centre case, Justice Steeves dealt a strong blow to the efforts of Dr. Brian Day and others to undermine Canada’s publicly-funded health care system. The decade-long legal attack launched by one of the largest for-profit surgical centres in Canada sought to invalidate key...
Trail Commemorates Kootenay Pride Week
City of Trail Mayor Lisa Pasin and Councillor Paul Butler join Addison Oberg from Pride Trail BC at Trail’s Rainbow Crosswalk to commemorate Kootenay Pride Week 2020. The crosswalk, installed in 2019, is located on the Esplanade by the Trail Riverfront Centre and is dedicated to the LGBTQ+ community of the Trail area. The...
Editorial: A conversation with RCMP Sergeant Mike Wicentowich
Recent ongoing media revelations of abusive, discriminatory and deadly police practices across Canada, coupled with reports of numerous racist killings and hyper-militarized police actions from south of the border, have led some to demand “defund the police!” Others have begun using the acronym “acab” – meaning, “all cops...
COLUMN: From the Hill -- Greener Hydrogen?
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...
Local pro climbers raise awareness of racism and violence
Bouldering, a popular form of rock climbing, is trending in the West Kootenays like never before, partly thanks to the release of the area’s first Bouldering Guidebook. Rossland-born and raised filmmaker Liam Barnes films Nelson rock climbers Tosh and Tula Sherkat as they navigate the area’s biggest and most difficult climbs,...
Minister’s statement on Police Act reform
Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, has released the following statement in response to calls for British Columbia’s Police Act reform: “Everyone deserves to be treated fairly by the police, and our government acknowledges that for many Black, Indigenous and other people of colour, that hasn’t...
In-depth: Wildfires, deforestation and flooding
Water-repellent forest floors, soil erosion and a lack of tree cover all influence how snowpack melts in the spring By Natalia Balcerzak, Local Journalism Initiative reporter for The Narwhal The arrival of spring brought a surge of warm weather to Williams Lake, in the Cariboo region of B.C., and with it a rush of...
LETTER: Pandemic an opportunity to retool climate goals
Dear editor, The tragedy of this pandemic has inadvertently become a important opportunity for our society to slow down and think carefully about how we live. Before this event we were struggling with another deadly situation albeit one that is occuring much more slowly and is not as obvious or immediate in our perception but...
Letter from Dr. Henry explains why specific communities with COVID-19 positive patients won't be named
Open letter to the people of B.C.: When an outbreak hits a community, one of the most urgent things people want is information. This is human nature, as information allows us to protect ourselves, our families and our loved ones. Information is at the heart of public health: knowing what our risks are, where they are coming...
