Dear editor, I’m writing this to you as I just took off my mask,  which I now must wear to do anything in my garden these days.  It has been more than 10 years of me dreading rather than welcoming summer.  Our community was impacted heavily by the 2024 Slocan Valley wildfires.  Our highway south […]

The Province of British Columbia is developing a new road safety strategy that is expected to guide road safety work through 2030. The strategy is scheduled for publication in late 2026. The Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) has shared information about the engagement process, including a presentation outlining the proposed direction for the B.C. Road […]

Dear Editor, I want to express my concerns regarding the proposed new West Coast Pipeline. Here is my letter to the editor: We are all impacted by wildfires. Climate change isn’t tomorrow’s crisis. It’s today’s rising insurance bills, cancelled harvests, smoky skies, sweeping floods, destructive fires and deadly heat waves. It’s checking the BC Wildfire […]

Wildfires are occurring across the province due to increased lightning and hot, dry weather. Whether you’re travelling or staying close to home, stay prepared by checking road conditions, having an emergency kit ready, and checking in on friends and family who may be affected. Be sure to check out the following. Drive BC: https://www.drivebc.ca/ Emergency Info […]

Question: Do Intersection Safety Cameras improve road safety in British Columbia, or are they simply another way for governments to collect revenue? Answer: Research from British Columbia and other jurisdictions indicates that automated enforcement reduces red-light violations, excessive speeding and serious intersection crashes. Whether the current system should do more to identify repeat offenders and hold them […]

I had a great time last weekend at Sunfest in Castlegar and at Cherryville Days. This year’s theme for Cherryville Days was motorcycles. Graduation season has begun in the Kootenays. Congratulations to all our graduates, especially to the young folk walking across the stage over the next week at Stanley Humphries Secondary, J Lloyd Crowe Secondary, Kootenay-Columbia Learning […]

We’re in the heart of spring celebration season across British Columbia. Communities large and small are gathering together to celebrate the places they call home. In Kootenay-Monashee, I’ve recently had the pleasure of attending Silver City Days in City of Trail and Beaver Valley May Days in Village of Fruitvale and I’m looking forward to soon attending upcoming events […]

I rose in the House this week to recognize B.C. Museums Week, from May 17 to 23 this week. B.C.’s arts, culture and creative sector is a vital part of our province. It employs more than 122,000 people and contributes approximately $10.5 billion to our economy. Workers and volunteers in this sector preserve and share […]

Dear editor, I call on you to take action now! I’ve been very concerned to learn about the government’s new surveillance bill, Bill C-22, the Lawful Access Act. I believe, like many organizations that have spoken against it, that it is one of the greatest threats to our privacy of the last two decades. Bill […]

Dr. Serena Deketele, CCFP(EM), has joined the KERPA team, bringing with her a strong background in emergency medicine, trauma care, and learner, interprofessional, and physician education. After completing her training, Serena began practicing Emergency Medicine in 2019, gaining frontline experience in busy emergency departments where she managed a broad spectrum of acute and critical presentations, […]