'Canada's Carbon Corridor' Part 1: Connecting the dots across Northern BC
I recently returned from a whirlwind tour across northern BC, one of many legs of filming for a documentary and multi-media project I've been co-directing for the past year and a half, called Fractured Land. The people we spoke to along the way, the sights we witnessed and documented finally brought into focus the real ...
COMMENT: An ounce of prevention
It is estimated that over 22,000 women in Canada will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year and nearly ten times as many in the United States. Almost a quarter of these people will die. Nobody knows why. Yes, there are established risk factors, such as early commencement of menstruation, never breastfeeding a child, late […]
Vote for decriminalization of pot splits delegates at UBCM convention
Delegates at the Union of B.C. Municipalities in Victoria Wednesday voted in favour of a resolution calling for the decriminalization and taxation of marijuana. Resolution A5, brought forward to the annual convention by the municipality of Metchosin, calls for UBCM to lobby the appropriate level of government to decriminalize cannabis and research its regulation and […]
Creston police advise of violent sexual offender
Creston RCMP have issued a warning to the public regarding a violent sexual offender moving to the area. In a press release, they said, “Jason Neil Beaudry, age 34, was released from a provincial correctional institution on Sept. 17, and will be residing in Creston.” Police described Beadry as 5’11, weighing 185 pounds. He is […]
BC mayors met at the annual local government gathering in Victoria
Mayors from across BC met in Victoria today to examine the challenges of BC’s communities and to share best practices in moving forward. On the topic of infrastructure the 140 member strong BC Mayors’ Caucus endorsed the following statement: “We agree that our communities require immediate action to provide stable, predictable,...
OP/ED: Déjà vu at the Union of B.C. Municipalities conference
Over 1,000 delegates from 189 municipalities and districts across B.C. are gathering this week in Victoria for the annual conference of the Union of B.C. Municipalities. And for many of them the recent appointment of Bill Bennett as Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development may very well seem like déjà vu. Bennett...
Ridge Meadows police investigate plane crash scene from 1953
“Ridge Meadows RCMP followed up on information purporting human remains are still at the site of a 1953 airplane crash that killed all aboard a Canadian Armed Forces plane. The crash site is located on a mountain in the area of Widgeon Creek, and is only accessible by air,” said Cpl. Alanna Dunlop. “Police checked […]
70-year-old Nanaimo pilot walks away from plane crash
A 70-year-old pilot from Nanaimo walked away with minor injuries after his float plane crashed early this morning into Second Lake, located south of Nanaimo, according to RCMP Const. Gary O’Brien. “At approximately 9:15 a.m. on Sept. 18, Nanaimo RCMP received a call alerting them to the crash of a float plane at Second […]
COMMENT: It's time for MLAs to take their seats in Victoria
IntegrityBC launched an online petition on Sunday calling on the B.C. government to reconsider its decision not to recall the legislature next month. IntegrityBC noted that Ontario's MPPs are already back in session. In October, they'll be joined by MLAs in Alberta and Saskatchewan. In November, MLAs in Newfoundland and...
COMMENT: Tar sands? No tanks!
I live on a sailboat. My “backyard” is Georgia and Johnstone Straits. And, yes, I am a NIMBY. To anyone who wants to transport Alberta’s tar sands oil through BC’s pristine wilderness to load onto tankers, I say: Not In My Backyard. We all know what the dire environmental consequences will be if several hundred oil tankers ...