COMMENT: The great Canadian sell-out
It couldn’t have been clearer in a recent interview for Maclean’s magazine, that International Trade Minister Ed Fast viewed maintaining sovereign control over our public services, investments, intellectual property, environmental protection, government procurement and labour mobility as completely irrelevant in sweeping...
Hospital facilities review meets with mixed reaction
It looks like the Kootenays are finally getting the hospital review that’s been discussed for months here in the tri-city region, and it may completed as soon as Nov. 30 of this year … what remains unclear is whether the scope of the study will take an adequate snapshot of the area’s capacity and needs. […]
Dark Money and Citizens United: What Obama and Romney Would and Wouldn’t Do About It
With campaign finances limits rendered nearly meaningless, election spending is on pace to set records. Where does each presidential candidate stand on how to regulate money in politics? President Obama talks about changes but hasn’t instituted many. He favors legislation that would require disclosure of donors to dark money nonprofits. The president has also floated […]
Province-wide day of action to show opposition to pipelines and tankers In BC
Communities across BC are planning a province-wide Defend Our Coast day of action to show growing opposition to tar sands, pipelines and tankers and the risks they pose to our coast, rivers and livelihoods. Rallies will be held at MLA’s offices across the province on Wednesday, October 24th, and participants will link arms to symbolize […]
Nelson representation at Monday's Defend Our Coast mass sit-in
Canadian actress, model, producer, author, activist, and known for her television series roles in Home Improvement, Baywatch, and V.I.P. Pamela Anderson is going to be there. So will Mark Ruffalo, Daryl Hannah of Roxanne fame, and Michael Moore. Joining the start-studded list of dignitaries at the Defend Our Coast mass sit-in on Monday in Victoria […]
Time to chill-out in Lillooet municipal politics?
The political climate in Lillooet is beginning to resemble a Quentin Tarantino movie and if it continues down the same path it’s not – from a cinematic perspective – going to end much differently than most of his films. In May, IntegrityBC called on the provincial government to appoint a conciliator in Lillooet, since then ...
OP/ED: Using social media as a 9-1-1 stand in should increase the number of Darwin Award recipients
Usually, I’m in line with public opinion, in keeping with the democratic values that drive my very profession. But a recent Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of the Canadian Red Cross just crosses the line for me – away from public opinion and into public hysteria or public stupidity, I can’t decide which. Apparently, about […]
Nelson Citizens’ 2011 Tsunami Relief Donations Still in Local Bank Account
The $40,000 in disaster relief funds raised in Nelson to help victims of the tsunami in Japan have remained in a City of Nelson bank account since the spring of 2011. The money will be used in the near future to purchase a 2-ton flatbed truck to help with the reconstruction of the town of […]
COMMENT: B.C. Election Act--time to start from scratch
When the B.C. Court of Appeal struck down the government's not-so-subtle attempt to stifle citizens with its ill-advised “gag” law this month, it was only a partial victory. Regrettably, the Court never had the chance to consider the multitude of contradictions and loopholes that exist in the B.C. Election Act, most of which...
Ontario Premier shocks landscape with resignation
Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty shocked his Liberal caucus Monday night by resigning. McGuinty, 57, has led the Liberal party in Ontario since 1996 and was premier since 2003. ““Earlier today, I asked Yasir Naqvi, our party president, to convene a leadership convention at the earliest possible time,” McgGuinty said on the Liberal Party website. McGuinty, […]