By: Jordan Bateman, Director Canadian Taxpayers Federation With just ten months until the next provincial election, the lifeboats are starting to fill up as MLAs of both political persuasions look to leave the ship of state. That means one thing: millions of dollars in pension payouts, primarily funded by taxpayers. Dave Hayer...

Open Letter to West Kootenay Residents: It seems like the people who make decisions far away in Ottawa don’t quite understand BC nor do they understand the importance of physical geography in such a mountainous place. They look at maps with demographics and populations and what they have is an impression of where we live, […]

Thanks to a recent Nelson council meeting, everyone is focused on the subject of drugs. Adrian Barnes‘ June 30 opinion piece is an example, and another is a letter in the Star. I quote that letter by K.M. Sykes: …it’s paramount to ask the right [questions}, the deeper ones, the ones that embrace a higher level of awareness…...

Truth be told, the truth is elusive. It can never be “final” since it is grounded in the human mindset and limited to facts known at a point in time. As more details become known, social attitudes and customs change and a new truth emerges. This is our life story, yet humans hunger for a reality that is anchored to our senses....

Technology rocks. Just look at all of wonderful things it has brought into our lives … I can sit here on my couch with my coffee and my mini laptop and send this to my editor within seconds of finishing. I can listen to 800 different songs on something that’s smaller than a box of […]

When it comes to jobs and the economy we often get conflicting messages as to how many jobs were actually created.  I thought it would be interesting to share some figures that Statistics Canada released for the month of May. THE BASICS The Canadian economy as a whole added just 7,700 jobs in May – a relatively weak showing. ...

Alex Atamanenko, MP for BC Southern Interior, paid a visit to the Pacific Northwest to learn firsthand about the proposed Enbridge pipeline project. He, along with Federal NDP Environment critic Megan Leslie and BC MPs Fin Donnelly and Randall Garrison were hosted by their colleague, Nathan Cullen, MP for Skeena Bulkley Valley.  The group met with […]

A family fun-filled day, that’s what we had planned. You know, like the ones they show on commercials with all of the slow motion laughter and delight. Well, I’m sorry to tell you, all that that just didn’t happen. I’ve now decided that family fun-filled days are only possible if you pack; a good sense […]

Following Vermont’s ban on hydraulic fracturing last month, the Council of Canadians has written to the premiers of the provinces and territories across Canada asking that they follow suit. “Last month, the state of Vermont took action to protect water sources and to curb demands on fossil fuels. Provincial governments should...

In early April of this year one of the most brilliant marketing campaigns ever designed was launched. With a splash of media exposure, a small group of eight people started a conversation that has not stopped nearly three months later. As the chatter moves contagiously through more and more people, the volume has been amplified...