Brad Bennett appointed new chair of BC Hydro
Premier Christy Clark announced Wednesday the appointment of Brad Bennett to the position of chair of the BC Hydro board of directors. Bennett replaces outgoing chair Stephen Bellringer, whose term expires on Sept. 30, 2015. “Brad Bennett's longstanding passion for reliable, affordable electricity has served the BC Hydro...
Municipalities can start lining up for Small Communities Fund projects
The Small Communities Fund will accept applications for $90 million in support for infrastructure before the end of this year, Premier Christy Clark announced today at the Union of British Columbia Municipalities annual convention. Cost-shared equally by the B.C. and federal governments with $45 million each, the fund will ...
David Wilks of Conservative Party —TheVoice for Kootenay-Columbia in Ottawa
On Monday, October 19, Canadians will go to the polls to elect members to the House of Commons in the 42nd General Election. One of the new ridings in that election is Kootenay/Columbia, where four candidates — Bill Green of the Green Party, Liberal candidate Don Johnston, Wayne Stetski of the NDP and Christina Yahn of the ...
Practical Financial Solutions: Retirement Myths and Realities
Planning for a person's retirement is tough enough these days. That's why it's important to avoid being misled by the growing number of myths surrounding the difficult job of preparing for and living in a financially comfortable retirement. Whether your retirement is just around the corner or way down the road, you probably...
Co-op board on the hot seat at AGM regarding decision not to acknowledge former GM
Kootenay Co-op Board members could not get away from Wednesday’s Annual General Meeting at Selkirk College Tenth Street Campus without answering a few questions about the former General Manger Deirdre Lang. Lang was let go and replaced in the interim by former grocery manager Paul Kelly during a spring shake up that saw two...
Sometimes breaking up can be a good thing, but never for the taxpayer
Neil Sedaka is right breaking up is hard to do. It's also expensive. On September 15, residents of Vancouver learned that former chief administrator officer (CAO) Penny Ballem's services had been “concluded” that day by Mayor Gregor Robertson. Ballem, 65, will receive $556,000 as a parting gift for the hastily arranged exit....
Visitor numbers up, strategy updated to continue momentum
The BC Government said in a media release Monday, that the tourism sector in the provincie continues to show growth in international overnight visitors. The report said there were an additional 72,085 visitors in July 2015 compared to 2014 – representing a 9.9% increase over July 2014. This brings the total number of visitors...
BC Transit and Unifor 333 ratify new agreement
The buses will be running in Victoria for at least the news five years. That's after Unifor Local 333 and BC Transit ratified an agreement negotiated under the Economic Stability Mandate. The five-year agreement, effective April 1, 2014, to March 31, 2019, covers approximately 700 drivers and maintenance staff working at BC...
Council puts demolition of Cottonwood market structures on hold
The axe was spared on the city’s Saturday market structures as a shroud of uncertainty was dispelled Monday night when city council fielded, then yielded to, questions and concerns during its public session. Two people came forward during city council’s committee of the whole public session, while up to one dozen people...
Salaries, pensions and benefits consume 72 per cent of increased spending on public schools in Canada
Compensation costs — including salaries, benefits and pensions — consume almost three quarters of all increases in spending on public schools, finds a new study released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank. “Despite claims to the contrary, education funding is not being...
