Teck charged for effluent disharge into Columbia River
Teck Trail Operations was officially charged Friday in relation to accidentally-discharged effluent with a higher-than-allowable pH-level, according to a press release issued by Teck representative Richard Deane. Deane said the incident occurred March 5, 2011, and the company is being charged under the Fisheries and Environmental Management Acts. He said the water used to clean […]
COMMENT: Why this problem can’t be buried
Twenty-five years ago, after consensus on the reality and impacts of manmade climate change led to the formation of the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change, western governments had two choices. They could either stop subsidising fossil fuel industries and invest the savings in promoting energy efficiency and renewable...
COMMENT: 2013 should be the year of the democracy coalition
When historians write the chapter on the current period of social democracy in Canada they might well conclude that the worst thing that happened to it was the 2011 election when the NDP got 103 seats it hadn’t really earned. It was such an unexpected event that the NDP could not cope with it. You could see it in the euphoria...
COMMENT: The Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum, Part 1
I had the opportunity in January to represent our country at the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF) in Vladivostok, Russia. This was the 21st annual Forum which hosted over three hundred parliamentarians from 23 APPF member states as well as representatives from other countries, the UN and other world organizations. Our...
City of Rossland asks BC Auditor General for Local Government to investigate governance issues in the arena scandal
The crowd spilled into City Hall’s hallways as 11 Rossland residents addressed council’s public input period on Monday to support Coun. Kathy Moore’s motion to request that BC’s new Auditor General for Local Government (AGLG) investigate the big picture of policy, procedure, and governance in Rossland that may have contributed to the Jason Ward arena […]
Local activists voice displeasure over Enbridge to National Energy Board’s Joint Review Panel
By Suzy Hamilton, The Nelson Daily Quoting UBC Kermode bear expert Kermitt Ritland, bear biologist Wayne McCrory said: “One thing is for sure, black oil will not look good on a white coat.” “What are we going to tell our children when we knew what was inevitable and approved it anyway?” McCrory was presenting a […]
Protesters in Nelson join other Idle No More rallies across Canada
The Idle No More rally once again made a stop in Nelson as approximately 30 protesters tied up traffic briefly on Baker Street to raise awareness of issues Aboriginal people face and demanding changes from the federal government. The rally happened between noon at corner of Baker and Ward Streets in downtown Nelson. The rally […]
The compensation gap; why it pays to be a government worker in BC
by Jason Clemens and Amela Karabegovic More than three years after the end of the recession and British Columbia’s provincial government continues to struggle with deficits, which as of the last quarterly update will likely exceed $1.5 billion. Relying on revenues to rebound enough to catch up with spending just doesn’t work as BC’s own […]
Syria's Muslim Brotherhood Propped Up by US Since 2007 Under Bush
In 2007, the Wall Street Journal published an article titled, “To Check Syria, U.S. Explores Bond With Muslim Brothers.” And even then, it was noted that the Brotherhood held close links with groups the US recognizes and lists as terrorist organizations, including Hamas and Al Qaeda. The report gives a disturbing foreshadowing of US support […]
COMMENT: Mortgaging BC, one deal at a time
If the B.C. government is ever on the hunt for a new slogan perhaps “spending our children's inheritance” would be fitting. Since 2001, British Columbians have been witness to the sale of key parts of B.C.'s infrastructure, transfers of its wealth to private interests and sweetheart deals for industries that can afford...