As I mark my fifth year as Board Chair of Interior Health (IH), I reflect on the highlights and challenges of 2022. Undoubtedly, times have been difficult for many people in the Interior, and especially tough on health-care workers. Our staff experienced the pressures to organize and deliver care in the face of the COVID-19...

On Dec. 7, I was sworn in as B.C.’s new Minister of Finance.   I was also honoured to retain my role as minister responsible for the Columbia Basin Trust, Columbia Power Corporation and the Columbia River Treaty. As 2022 comes to a close, it’s worth reflecting on this year’s progress towards a modernized Columbia River Treaty....

This week and next governments, scientists and conservation experts are gathering in Montreal for a global summit on nature, called COP15. There, they will set a course to end nature loss around the world and to create a nature-positive future. But what does that really mean for us, here in British Columbia? I know deep in ...

To The Editor: Thanks to reporter Timothy Schafer and The Nelson Daily for their on-going coverage of local politics, and the story from Nov 2, headlined ‘Lifestyle leads list of labour issues as business grapples with survival.’ The Nelson and District Chamber of Commerce wanted to provide some clarity on the findings of its...

To The Editor: An American observer of his nation's public discourse in 2020 said this: "Americans do not understand one another, do not trust one another, and do not like one another." Canadians generally believe our public sphere is nowhere near as toxic as what is seen in the USA. I will own up to this: I really have...

Politics is a rough and tumble profession. The hours are long, your decisions are often second guessed, and you have to reapply for the job every four years or so. Being a politician is not for the faint of heart.  There was clear evidence of that during the civic elections in BC a month ago.  In four of the biggest cities ...

The moral of this story is a reminder to people not to discard pumpkins into forests or natural areas and how they can be recycled after Halloween. I, Jill-o-Lantern, remember being so excited when you scooped me up, and chose me over my field-mate Jack and all of the other pumpkins in the field. I had puffed myself up and ...

To The Editor, As the mantle is being prepared to be passed down from King John to Prince David for the coronation of the new leader of the BC NDP, we should all pause to reflect. One item of reflection should be how the BC NDP (no relation to the Federal NDPs) and the BC Liberals (no relation to the Federal Liberal party) ...

The BC Ombudsperson’s 2021/22 Annual Report, released Tuesday, highlights that complaints about health care from British Columbians were the highest in a decade. The office received almost 1,300 complaints and enquiries focused on programs and services provided by the Ministry of Health and B.C.’s health authorities. “Whether...

To The Editor: I'd like to respond to a letter printed on Page 8 of the recent issue of the Nelson Star entitled “Please stop Killing Bears” written by Noreen Clayton. I have been an organic farmer for over 35 years in the Slocan Valley. Now that I live in Nelson, I continue to grow much of my own vegetables. I agree that...