Harper and His Movement Were No Friends to Mandela
Of all the hypocrisies revealed by Stephen Harper, perhaps none are so morally offensive as his sudden, solemn respect for Nelson Mandela. We will never know how Harper would reconcile his past attitudes towards apartheid with his trip to South Africa to honour the iconic statesman at his memorial. In 1989 Harper was a member...
Changes continue in BC liquor industry
Premier Christy Clark announced this week the B.C. government's support for a second set of key liquor changes that will create opportunities for small businesses and legions and open up new dining options for B.C. families, while continuing to protect public safety. To create more consumer convenience and give businesses...
City of Trail to buy Trail airport
Trail City Council is pleased to announce the City of Trail will be proceeding with the purchase of the Trail Regional Airport (YZZ) from the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary (RDKB). Council determined the condition precedent, a business plan outlining the operations and economic feasibilities of the City of Trail...
COUNCIL CLIPS: Final reading for deer bylaws, vital signs, family day and national park
Grand Forks city council gave the final readings to both repeal bylaw 1884 (the outgoing deer feeding bylaw) and the bylaw 1967, which replaces it. The new bylaws will allow offenders to be ticketed for intentionally feeding deer within city limits. However, councillors Patrick O’Doherty and Michael Wirischagin opposed the ...
UPDATED: Agreement ends FortisBC lockout of 225 electrical workers
Both sides of the FortisBC lockout will be getting an early Christmas present: an end to what has been a long and bitter parting of ways. Mike Flynn, business manager of IBEW local 213, said the 225 locked out electrical workers should be looking at an immediate return to work, with some back on the job as soon as this...
'State of the Basin' report released
Leaving no stone unturned in its 8.6 million hectare territory, the Columbia Basin Rural Development Institute (RDI) has released the 2013 State of the Basin report. In the works for several years, the 2013 report updates and builds on the work produced in the 2008 State of the Basin report. The 75-page long report and 16-page...
PART TWO: What does 'crime reduction' look like in Castlegar and Trail?
Last week, we discussed the overarching goals of a specialized RCMP Crime Reduction Unit in Castlegar, as presented to city council by CRU non-commissioned officer in charge Cpl. Darryl Orr and his supervisor, Sgt. Mike Wicentowich (To read Part One, click here). Those goals/priorities include in-depth or long-term investigations,...
Trail issues release regarding BV opting out of recreation agreement
The Beaver Valley (BV) Recreation, Parks and Trails Committee has informed the City of Trail that BV will not be renewing, renegotiating or extending their Recreation Services Agreement with Trail. Facilities covered by the agreement include the Trail Aquatic & Leisure Centre, Leisure Programming, Field House and Haley ...
COMMENT: Canada – not going along to get along
My colleague Paul Dewar, our Foreign Affairs critic, recently wrote an article where he talks about Canada’s pattern of disengagement and withdrawal from the international community. Paul mentions that our Minister of Foreign Affairs, John Baird likes to say that Canada will no longer “go along to get along” in reference to...
Why Tories Are So Afraid of What Deloitte’s Runia Might Testify
With all the reporting on the Senate scandal you might think there’s not much more to be discovered. But reading the actual documents the RCMP turned up in its Mike Duffy investigation is definitely worth the effort. The documents pull back the curtain on Harperland, a landscape so profoundly unethical Harper’s staff does not...
