OP/ED: Demand the 9-1-1 Service You Deserve
An Open Letter to all British Columbians: As British Columbians, we all rely on certain core services being available at the most critical moments of our lives. Because when they aren’t, an urgent situation can become catastrophic. We are taught from a young age that, when there’s an emergency, we should reach for the nearest...
COLUMN: We need to look up
Near the end of the film Don’t Look Up, Leonardo DiCaprio’s character, astronomer Randall Mindy, turns to the people around him and says, “We really did have everything, didn’t we?” Although the “everything” has never been equally distributed, humans really have had all that we need to survive and thrive. If only more people would […]
What the Death of my Dog Taught me about Beauty and Living in the Moment
Ed.Note: this column was originally published by the Elephant Journal, a publication I would strongly recommend perusing. Ms. Smee is a highly regarded professional in the Kootenay community, and we will be featuring her op/ed (opinion/editorial) material at every opportunity. ~ Kyra You left way too suddenly. I was not ready to say goodbye, and […]
Newsletter from Kootenay West MLA Katrine Conroy
Dear Neighbours, Friends and Community Members, June is National Indigenous History Month, a time to learn and show support for the ongoing work of reconciliation. This month, B.C. and the Tahltan Central Government entered the first ever consent-based decision-making agreement under the Declaration Act. This agreement honours...
From the Hill: Housing and Gas Prices
Two of the most important issues for Canadians right now are the affordability crisis—the impossibility of the housing market, the rising cost of groceries and the soaring price of gas—and the ongoing crisis of climate change. Recently the House of Commons debated an NDP motion that combined these two issues. The motion asked...
OP/ED: Six Years, 9000+ Deaths – Is there an end in sight?
Over 9,000 people have died in BC as a result of drug toxicity since the government declared a public health emergency into substance-related harms in April 2016. Year over year death tolls continue to rise, with 2021 the highest on record in our province - 2,224 people died, a 26% increase over the year before. “These are ...
FROM THE HILL: MP Cannings and NDP leverage their power for big wins in Budget 2022
Parents, workers and advocates across healthcare and housing sectors are celebrating some key wins the NDP secured from the Liberal government in Budget 2022. “It is day worth smiling about if you’re a kid or parent. By the end of the year all children under 12 will have access to free, quality dental care. The Liberals and...
FROM THE HILL: NDP MP Richard Cannings introduces a beer bill that makes sense
As the cost of gas, groceries and housing continues to rise, NDP MP Richard Cannings wants to make it a bit easier at the end of the day to enjoy a cold beer. Cannings’ new Bill C--- is proposing to eliminate the federal excise tax on low-alcoholic beer. “An error was made and the result is that Canada doesn’t treat all...
Special OP/ED Series; Health care workers talk climate change
I am a neurologist working in Nelson. I talked to a man this summer to review his Parkinson's disease. He was not doing well. Usually he did not have any history of depression but he was lacking his usual motivation. He lived in a remote area and had lived there on a small remote property with a stream running through it for...
Open Letter to the Public from Kootenay Boundary Family Physicians and Nurse Practitioners
To the citizens of Kootenay Boundary, Everyone in our region has been stressed by the COVID-19 pandemic over the last two years. We have all been subjected to a barrage of information, advice, and instructions; always evolving and sometimes conflicting. We write to explain our perspectives as Family Practitioners (Family...
