COMMENT: He said, she said: A blow-by-blow of the Rossland Arena Scandal townhall meeting on Jan. 3
The Seniors’ Hall fire code was likely violated as more than 70 Rosslanders packed into its conference room on Jan. 3—along with reporters from CBC news and Mountain FM—to get answers from Mayor Granstrom regarding ethical breaches to city policy and an employee’s contract during major renovations to the arena. Former building inspector Jason Ward […]
OP/ED: Is BC heading for its own fiscal cliff?
The Government of BC has been on a borrowing and spending spree for about eight years. A lot of this is being done using the “Public-Private Partnership” model (P3) of which the former Premier Campbell was exceedingly fond. In fact, he was such a leading proponent in Canada that the commercial interests behind the...
Initial watershed study goes public
The first phase of the Kettle River watershed management report is complete and is being rolled out to the public. Grand Forks city council received a presentation from the project co-ordinator Graham Watt to update them on the study, key focus areas and next steps at their meeting Monday, Dec. 17. The Regional District of […]
Report critiques Canada's organic certification system
The Frontier Centre for Public Policy recently released a policy study examining the system for testing organic products – or the lack thereof – in Canada. Authors Mischa Popoff and Patrick Moore drop the bomb on organic certification in Canada by revealing that organic crops are not systematically tested by the Canadian Food...
Power of the Internet: hackers target Westboro Baptist Church website, Twitter
Hackers claiming to be associated with the internet activist group Anonymous have attacked the website belonging to the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) and hacked into the Twitter account belonging to Shirley Phelps-Roper, the Church's spokeswoman. The attacks are part of an operation dubbed '#OpWestBor' on Twitter and is in ...
COMMENT: Forsaken on Highway 16
Wally Oppal’s long awaited report commissioned in the wake of the conviction of serial killer Robert Pickton holds a surprise. Something had gone tragically wrong with law enforcement. How else could one individual have murdered dozens of women in one location over more than a decade without being caught? That Oppal’s report...
COMMENT: Tight lips tank trust
Following the city’s overzealous and incorrect use of the Freedom of Information and Privacy Protection Act (FIPPA) to withhold letters that are clearly in the public’s interest and do not “unfairly” harm anyone’s reputation, I am left wondering what, exactly, remains in the five redacted lines in Coun. Kathy Moore’s letter...
You decide: Does social media make us lonely?
According to a recent IPSOS poll “nearly one-half of online Canadians (45%) are now visiting a social networking site at least once a week, and 30% visit daily”; source: http://www.ipsos-na.com/news-polls/pressrelease.aspx?id=5286. But what is regular use of social media doing for us? Are we more connected and thus happier? ...
The eye of the needle
In Mark's gospel we hear the story of a rich man catching up with Jesus. “I’ve lived faithfully and followed the commandments,” he says. “What more must I do to inherit eternal life?” On hearing Jesus' prescription (give away everything to the poor and follow me) he leaves in despair. He cannot untangle himself from the...
Canadian Bar Assn says Bill S-7 duplicates existing laws to combat terrorism
While committed to a safe and secure Canada, the Canadian Bar Association (CBA) says that Bill S-7, Criminal Code, Canada Evidence Act and Security of Information Act amendments (Combating Terrorism Act) would not provide any new tools to combat terrorist offences. “Instead,” says Paul Calarco, member of the CBA’s National ...
