Parliament began sitting again this Monday, facing its first full agenda since the late summer election.  Most committees will be meeting for the first time and we will see the first Private Member’s Bill debates.  I’d like to highlight some of those Private Member’s Bills in my upcoming columns, since some could produce...

Starting Nov. 1, world leaders — along with scientists, policy-makers, journalists and activists — are gathering in Glasgow, Scotland for the UN international climate conference COP26. Over the next 12 days, they’ll have an opportunity to make crucial decisions about tackling the climate emergency globally. With the most...

To The Editor: As we approach Remembrance Day, I’d like to pay tribute to the veteran members of The War Amps. The War Amps was started by amputee veterans returning from the First World War to help each other adapt to their new reality as amputees. They then welcomed amputee veterans following the Second World War, sharing...

As autumn rains extinguish the last of this summer’s fires, the final accounting for a brutal B.C. wildfire season is becoming clear. Nearly one million hectares of forest has been burnt and more than $500 million spent containing the carnage. We are no strangers to the impacts of wildfires here in the Kootenays as we have ...

An open letter to SOWK residents: Thank you to everyone that participated and voted in the 2021 Federal Election. Turnout across the country was lower than average so I thank you for taking the time to engage. Obviously, this election did not turn out how I wanted and I am disappointed and dismayed by the results. I am concerned...

The Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) and Canadian nurses stand strongly united behind science and the best available evidence as the basis for professional nursing practice and decision-making. Nursing is a rigorously educated, regulated and autonomous profession, and it is first a discipline based in science — not a random gathering of personal opinions and ideologies. […]

Dear Friends, Neighbours and Community Members,   British Columbia has one of the highest rates of vaccination in Canada. Over 83% of people age 12 and older in B.C. have had at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and over 75% have received two doses. This is encouraging progress. Each person who gets vaccinated makes...

For too long, Canada has dragged its feet on the urgent need to battle climate change, a hesitancy largely caused by concerns over the economy and jobs.  It is now clear that we not only must take bold steps in this battle, but we can do this while creating good jobs and putting Canada at the forefront of the global clean...

Dear friends, We join in your excitement as we start to feel that our lives are normal again. It has been so wonderful to hug friends, see family, host a party and watch sports in person. But we are writing to caution you that COVID-19 is not gone. Wherever vaccination rates are lower we are seeing a resurgence of COVID-19 ...

A recent momentous court victory for Blueberry River First Nations could put Canada on track to realizing key Truth and Reconciliation Commission “calls to action.”   Two of those are for government to “fully adopt and implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as the framework for reconciliation”...