My role as Natural Resources critic for the NDP covers forestry, mining and energy—and the big issue these days in that trio is energy.  The pandemic has intensified calls for a national energy strategy that will direct federal investments to help us recover from the economic impacts of the crisis and put us on a good footing...

There has been a lot of misinformation and hyperbole lately about how the House of Commons will be conducting business over the next few weeks.   Regular sittings of Parliament were suspended in mid-March because of the COVID-19 crisis.  Since then, the House of Commons has been working, and in many ways working harder and ...

The tourism industry is a major economic engine and job creator for people in British Columbia. Despite the deep and sudden impacts of COVID-19 on the sector, B.C.’s tourism leaders were quick to put the greater good of our communities above anything else. To assist in the pandemic response, many hotels throughout the province swiftly […]

COVID-19 has obviously changed our lives in the short term, and now there is a growing consensus that the pandemic will also bring more long-lasting changes to our society—how we value workers, how we treat our seniors, how we house the homeless, how we protect the environment, and more. One topic that is surfacing more and...

From the Rossland Telegraph On March 17, 2020, British  Columbia’s Public Health Officer declared a public health emergency in BC to help control the spread of the novel coronavirus COVID-19.  Health Minister Adrian Dix and Public Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry held a news conference Monday afternoon to make statement and ...

I am writing this from my small Ottawa apartment.  It’s Sunday and the spring sun is shining, beckoning me to walk down to the river.  But I’ll obey my doctor’s orders and stay inside—although I received the good news yesterday that my COVID-19 test results came back negative, I was told to stay in self-isolation one more...

The importance of finding a path forward has been a priority for the RCMP. The BC RCMP are pleased to confirm that discussions with the Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs have led to an agreement on Wednesday, February 26th which supports their upcoming meetings with government representatives this week. Deputy Commissioner...

Doug Donaldson, Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development, has released the following statement in response to the B.C. Forestry Alliance Save the Working Forest rally on Feb. 18, 2020, at the Parliament Buildings: “I spoke with members of the B.C. Forestry Alliance today because I wanted to hear about their concerns. […]

Pacific Wild has released a Cease and Desist letter to B.C.’s FLNROD Minister Doug Donaldson for the province’s ongoing wolf cull on the grounds that aerial gunning is unlawful. The B.C. government has stated it intends to continue killing wolves from helicopters in 2020. In response, Pacific Wild retained legal counsel and...

Dear Editor, As I write this, patients are travelling long distances for consultations with specialists. Many of these journeys, for simple face to face meetings are made even though the required workup has been completed and the results forwarded. BUT - What if you could visit a GP, have the referral and information forwarded...