Open letter to Dr. Bonnie Henry: speading COVID-19 in prisons
Dear Dr. Henry, Thank you profusely, Dr. Henry, for everything you and your ministry staff have done these past many months to safeguard British Columbians from the suffering of the global novel coronavirus (COVID 19) pandemic. I am a sixty-six year old Extinction Rebellion climate activist residing in Victoria, and am writing...
Letter: Distressed by early election
Editor, the Rossland Telegraph: I want to be wrong about this. I am only half certain. I think the BC NDP are heading for a defeat. Premier Horgan has watched New Brunswick's election result and drawn a conclusion, but he is wrong about British Columbians. We are not tolerant of crude political tactics to sustain his power...
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...
Open Letter to Bill Ford, Superintendent, School District #20
I will start with one word, “unacceptable.” That is how I, and many others view your plan. The theory of it is sound, based on what we have learned with the various epidemiological crises of our times, beginning with the first SARS outbreak of 2003. There is no argument about the benefits of physical distancing, frequent...
Letter: Let's not lose more wilderness to development
To The Editor: The BC Government Mountain Resorts Branch has recently received an expression of interest (EOI) for a new ski resort development (Zincton Expression of Interest) from Brent Harley and Associates Inc. and are requesting feedback from the public. The British Columbia Backcountry Hunters and Anglers (BCBHA) have...
LETTER: Tony and Castlegar Safeway team personifying community during pandemic
Community is everything right now. Reaching out to help others is what living in a small community is about. There are and have been countless wonderful people offering help via Facebook and neighbours just being plain neighbourly. I don’t think there has been anyone more caring, kind and thoughtful than Tony Ponte. You...
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...
A letter from MLA Katrine Conroy
Hello friends and neighbours, These are unusual and uncertain times. Every one of us is experiencing a lot of upheaval, change, and stress. Our government is working hard to address the many challenges facing British Columbians, even as they change and develop by the day. I understand the deep impacts these changes can have-...
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...
LETTER: Recent post-secondary grads falling through cracks in COVID-19 aid
Dear Editor, My name is Amy and I am a recent Selkirk College graduate. When I say recent, I mean recent. I graduated February 28, 2020 and, within days of said graduation, COVID-19 started its climb to the pandemic that it is currently. I am writing to you because recently-graduated students have been forgotten in the emergency...