The M.V. Columbia, B.C.’s newest inland ferry, is now in service, replacing two 40-year-old vessels on the route between Shelter Bay and Galena Bay on Upper Arrow Lake.   The M.V. Columbia can transport 80 vehicles and 250 passengers. The vessel has wider lanes and improved ramp transitions for faster loading and unloading....

The City of Trail is one step closer to extending its boundaries into Columbia Gardens (Electoral Area A). As of Wednesday, July 2, the city has officially received support from the property owners in the proposed extended region.  As directed by the province, a letter was sent to all residents who would be impacted by the ...

Five of British Columbia’s newest firefighting aircraft were deployed to the Northwest Territories on Sunday morning to assist with wildfire suppression in the Hay River area. The airtanker group consists of a Cessna Grand Caravan bird dog aircraft and four Air Tractor AT-802F “Fire Boss” amphibious airtankers. Given the...

“We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.”--Albert Einstein As the world struggles with how to deal with the slow motion apocalypse of global climate change it becomes more and more apparent that we are trapped in “the kind of thinking” that got us here. While I don’t want to ...

Dear parents and guardians: Unfortunately we have reached the end of the 2013/2014 school year and the full scale withdrawal of teaching services by members of the British Columbia Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) continues.  I am writing you to give you an update regarding year-end report cards.  For K-7 students (K-9 at Rossland...

B.C. Labour Relations Board ruled during the weekend that remedial summer school courses are essential. However, the LBR said in its ruling this decision is reserved for students in Grade 10, 11 and 12 who failed one of the classes and cannot make it up in the next school year. No word how that affects summer school classes...

The future of Selkirk College’s renowned Aviation Program is precarious as best, but rumours it was closed altogether at a recent college board meeting are inaccurate, according to Selkirk president Angus Graeme. “I know the rumours swirl, and we’ve had to have some very difficult conversations with our faculty around the...

The government of B.C. will be testing new high-tech wildlife detection systems on Highway 3 between Fort Steele and the Alberta border to better warn motorists about the potential for wildlife collisions. On this section of Highway 3, large wildlife represents a significant hazard to drivers. Many workers commute on Highway 3 between the communities […]

The Government of British Columbia is excluding federally-licensed medical marijuana production from the list of agricultural uses that qualify for farm classification for assessment and property tax purposes. The decision will ensure local governments do not lose potential property tax revenues from the Health Canada...

In part one I wrote about the unjust decision to increase the eligibility age for Old Age Security (OAS) to 67 and a variety of options to save for retirement. There are also all sorts of self-help manuals and financial advisors who can give you a good advice on how to plan for your financial needs when you retire. (So far ...