On Sept. 30, people across British Columbia and the entire country observe Orange Shirt Day to honour the children who suffered in the residential school system and to remind all Canadians that “Every Child Matters.” Since 2021, Sept. 30 is also the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. This year marks the first time that this day […]

Dear Elected Representatives to the School Boards 8 & 20: I write today to express my concern over the negative impact on the lives of teachers and students that the Anti-SOGI voices are attempting to create. I support all initiatives that line up with our Province’s Human Rights guidance, to protect the most marginalized in […]

As scientists warn that we’ve pushed the planet “well outside the safe operating space for humanity” and young people march for their futures, the fossil fuel industry campaigns to keep its products, and the world, burning. Industry’s push for continued global energy market dominance accounts for the climate emergency in the most cynical way. Most […]

For many people in our community and across B.C., affordable and available housing is top of mind. It’s one of our government’s top priorities too. This week, our government announced two actions from our Homes for People plan that will help get more British Columbians into affordable homes, faster. We launched the Single Housing Application Service […]

September 24, B.C. Rivers Day highlights the decline of the province’s vital arteries  It is tempting to shrug off the latest catastrophic wildfire season as The New Normal and throw up our hands about the damage that incinerated forests do to B.C. rivers and fish habitat. Forest fires are normal, natural, and even rejuvenating for […]

Arrow Lake levels & Columbia River Treaty I have lived in Castlegar most of my life – moving here when my dad got a job at the pulp mill in the early 1960s and I was a young child. One of my earliest memories as a child was watching houses being moved and floated down […]

The Federal government needs to do more… to provide better mental health supports. This sentence really could have ended in so many different ways. Last month, I wrote about how, after 30 years of abandoning housing investments, the feds need to get back into the housing game. Before that it was childcare, and before that […]

As British Columbia’s lead in negotiations with the United States to modernize the Columbia River Treaty, I would like to comment on the difficult conditions in the Arrow Lakes Reservoir this year. My perspective comes from having lived in the West Kootenay for 10 years, assuming several provincial environmental roles in the region and, for […]

‘ “To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not rich. To study hard, to think quietly, talk gently, act frankly, to listen to stars, birds, babes, and sages with open heart, to bear all cheerfully, to do all […]

As families prepare for their kids to begin or return to school next week, they may be feeling the pressure of back-to-school costs. I know that some people in our community are facing higher costs that are more difficult to afford, especially families with young children. I’m working with my colleagues in government to help […]