COMMENT: Dead bears, nature-illiterate moderns, and the knapweed bloom
Our report last week on “Li’l Cinnamon”—the black bear runt who’d learned to forage in human property and so was caught and killed by conservation officers—generated a lot of interesting discussion. Les Anderson’s comments struck a particularly harmonious chord for me: “Humans have no understanding of wild animals whatsoever,” he wrote, “so they turn to […]
Citizen input for Federal Budget 2013
The House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance has launched its annual pre-budget consultation process, which will result in a report to be tabled in the House of Commons prior to the December 2012 parliamentary break. This year, the pre-budget consultation process will take a slightly different form: online submission of answers to specific questions […]
OP/ED: "Blanket thinkers"
One of my infantile leftist ex-friends recently referred to the Free Syrian Army as a ‘sectarian gang’. The phrase may well come from Asa’ad Abu Khalil, who seems to have a depressingly large audience, but it could come from any of a large number of blanket thinkers in the ranks of the Western left. I admit that I sometimes...
MP calls for change in Canadian international military involvement
As Canada prepares to withdraw from Afghanistan in 2014, it is time to reflect on the future role of our military in the world. Our active involvement in Afghanistan transformed Canada into a “nation at war”. The tragic loss of 158 Canadian men and women to this war along with the enormous price tag of […]
Grand Forks B & B owners held responsible for human rights violation
A gay couple from Vancouver was awarded over $4500 for discrimination in a B.C. Human Rights Tribunal decision yesterday after being refused Grand Forks accommodations in 2009. The decision, by Tribunal member Enid Marion, found that Les and Susan Molnar, operating the Riverbend Bed and Breakfast business at the time, were...
Who are you: What story do you tell yourself?
I am currently facing a challenge in my own mind, as I confront a question with my granddaughter. Why does it seem important to teach children about the reality or falsity of elves, fairies, nature elementals , and other spirit beings? What should I say when she says “Are they real?” She also tells me […]
Study sets out path to protect the Rocky Mountains’ wildest area
(Canmore, AB) At a time when National and Provincial Parks increasingly are under threat, a new study released today by the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative (Y2Y) sets out a path to protect one of Canada’s great success stories – B.C.’s Muskwa-Kechika Management Area. Roughly the size of Ireland, the Muskwa-Kechika...
Slag pile sinkholes cause for investigation
Large crevices and sinkholes appearing in the Grand Forks slag piles along the Granby river were cause for serious investigation today. The changes in the slag piles were noted by Pacific Abrasives Ltd. and city crews. "If the entire slag pile shifts and lands in the river we could see the Granby running through town on 2nd...
Kootenay Caravan gathers momentum on their way to Kitimat
The Kootenay to Kitimat Caravan to protest Enbridge’s plans for a northern tar sands pipeline made one of their first stops in a 10 day journey in Grand Forks today gathering support and raising awareness. Meeting a small gathering of locals at Gyro Park on Highway 3, the four men, Keith Wiley, Michael Gilfillan, Tom Nixon ...
Mayor to meet with CBSA over Canada Day comments
Grand Forks mayor Brian Taylor will be meeting with officials from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) after comments he made during his annual Canada Day speech this year. Taylor openly criticized the CBSA for being too tough on American tourists and locals, thereby making the border crossing experience a “frightening”...
