“Don’t mind the elephant in the room, we’re redecorating.” When the B.C. government tabled its legislation to amend the Election Act in March, it was probably hoping no one would notice. They were in for a bit of a shock. While much of the focus has been on the provision which would give political parties […]

For an armchair political philosopher,  the first week of May 2015, with two melodramatic elections, one in Alberta and one in Great Britain, was an intoxicating week. These two elections provided a succinct demonstration of the ill-advised use of the first past the post (FPTP) electoral system. Originating in Britain as the...

Ed Note: I should, by rights, accompany this article with a topless photo, not a head shot. But, ironically, I believe I would be imprisoned for doing so … even though we sexualize everything from orange juice to alcohol in every media ranging from newspapers (Sunshine girls), TV, radio, etc. We spend billions of dollars […]

More to come... The sudden death of former Boundary-Similkameen Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) John Slater has been confirmed, Wednesday, May 13th.  Slater was the MLA from 2009 until 2013, when he left the Liberal party, temporarily ran as an Independent before withdrawing from the 2013 campaign.  Premier Christy Clark...

Minister of Advanced Education Andrew Wilkinson had the opportunity to tour Selkirk College’s Castlegar Campus on Friday and discuss the future of post-secondary in the West Kootenay-Boundary. Formerly the Minister of Technology, Innovation and Citizens’ Services, Wilkinson was appointed to his new cabinet post by Premier...

On Monday, May 11, the Honourable Judith Guichon, Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia, will commence a six-day trip to communities in the West Kootenays including Grand Forks, Christina Lake, Rossland, Warfield, Trail, Castlegar, New Denver, Kaslo, Nelson, Salmo, Fruitvale, Montrose and Creston. Her first stop in Castlegar will be at a local elementary school, Twin […]

The Hospital Employees Union (HEU) continue to hold Interior Health's feet to the fire in an effort to save job cuts to the laundry services in area hospitals, including Kootenay Lake Hospital in Nelson. HEU communications officer Brenda Whitehall said nearly 12,000 British Columbians have signed a petition calling on the...

In my opinion, every NDP MP should be sending Justin Trudeau a Christmas card this year. Not because they like or agree with him, but because I think he just unwittingly threw an election and drastically limited left wing vote-splitting, giving the Federal NDPs their first fighting chance at really taking the House of Commons. […]

For readers of any political affiliation who may still not be convinced that Bill C-51-- the infamous "terror act" -- is a bad idea, or several bad ideas rolled into one egregious piece of legislation, I urge you to read the following text of a speech by Elizabeth May to Parliament  on May 5, 2015.  Please note the clarity ...

In the last dozen years, eight out of nine commissions or citizen assemblies created by governments in Canada have not only advocated getting rid of our first-past-the-post (FPTP) electoral system but have recommended adopting MMP, or mixed-member-proportional representation. In the upcoming 2015 federal election, Tom Mulcair...