Dear editor, Pro-oil politicians like Premiers Danielle Smith and Scott Moe are lying to Canadians about renewable energy and I’m sick of it. The risk of losing power during a brutal cold snap like the one Alberta just had is terrifying. The province’s power grid struggled because extreme temperatures took out multiple gas generators, not […]

A media release arrived in my inbox, to publicize the message of a coalition of communities and businesses urging government to take more effective action to reduce crime. The coalition calls itself “Save Our Streets” — SOS.  Their message is a call “for all levels of government to coordinate their efforts and put an end […]

Did you make any New Year’s resolutions? Anyone resolve to help overthrow consumer capitalism? If we come together and resolve to do better for each other and the planet, we could find a better path. It would be easier if the gas, oil and coal industries and their supporters would resolve to clean up their […]

This past year has been a difficult one for many Canadians, struggling to find a home they can afford, struggling to pay for their groceries, struggling to access proper health care.  And then on top of that we faced the worst year for climate disasters with widespread fires, floods and droughts. Throughout the year, my […]

By Stuart Phillips, Professor, McMaster University, Ontario Everyone can agree that exercise is healthy. Among its many benefits, exercise improves heart and brain function, aids in controlling weight, slows the effects of aging and helps lower the risks of several chronic diseases.  For too long, though, one way of keeping fit, aerobic exercise, has been […]

“I will be more myself in the next life.”                           —  Matsuko Matumaki This column asks the question: what is a sole person responsible for, and what is a society accountable for?   I’m fascinated by individuals’ “butterfly effect” in religious history. I’m distressed by Canadian society’s collective ignorance for understanding our history.  Crisis as opportunity […]

Strengthening our healthcare system If there’s one thing I’ve heard from people in our community throughout the year, it’s how important our healthcare system is, and what we can do to improve health services. Our government has been working hard to increase the number of people working at all levels of the healthcare system: 3,882 […]

This week I was thrilled to able to join others in celebrating a significant milestone in the redevelopment of Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital Improved access to healthcare is benefiting individuals throughout the region, thanks to the completion of the Pharmacy and Ambulatory Care project here at KBRH. The new pharmacy is triple the size of the previous […]

Climate change shouldn’t be political. The evidence is there for all to see, and people everywhere are feeling the effects. Government leaders from every nation and ideology have signed agreements to address the crisis, and reputable organizations from the International Energy Agency to the World Bank have analyzed the necessity and benefits of acting quickly. […]

By Susan Srigley, Professor, Nipissing University.  This article first appeared in The Conversation. As a death doula and professor who teaches about dying, I see a need for more conversations about death. A growing number of folks may have heard of the death-positive movement, death cafés or death-friendly communities — each of which are animated by […]