West High Yield (WHY) continues its efforts to further its application for a permit to go ahead with the next phase of its proposed magnesium mine on Record Ridge.  The Ministry has accepted the WHY application for a permit, but has not approved it.  The review process has just begun. Local residents should be aware that...

Decriminalizing hard drugs is not a solution. On May 30th last year, the federal government announced it would grant the BC government’s request for an exemption from the Controlled Drug and Substances Act. What followed was less enforcement, more opioids (heroin, morphine, and fentanyl), crack, meth and cocaine on our streets...

To The Editor: I am writing to express my total opposition to fracking in BC and anywhere in the world. Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, involves drilling deep into the earth and directing a high-pressure mixture of water, sand and chemicals at a rock layer, to release the gas inside. Fracking for gas in northeast BC produces...

To The Editor: An Open Letter to the RDCK Directors and fellow citizens: Dear Directors: I am writing to express my full support for the immediate implementation of the Climate Action Plan you have drafted.  I applaud the decision to take the plan to open houses around the district: that is crucial for public understanding ...

To The Editor: A small group of people seem bent on hijacking the RDCK climate plan. It is unclear why -- the plan is clearly designed to make life easier for rural residents facing the uncertainties of our changing climate. The plan includes no new bylaws or taxation, and it builds on existing programs that are already in ...

Support for oil and gas projects is often justified on economic grounds: they fuel the economy and create jobs. But do those arguments hold up? Even leaving aside the enormous costs of climate-related disasters such as flooding, drought and increasing water scarcity, and pollution-related health impacts and premature deaths,...

Despite the challenges that the pandemic had on our businesses, communities, and our province, BC bounced back quickly and continues to have one of the strongest economies in Canada. The result is a one-time budget surplus of over $5 billion dollars from the last fiscal year. It is an advantageous situation for a government...

The pandemic highlighted the many benefits of getting outside regularly and connecting with nature.  The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada underlined the need for us to deepen our understanding and knowledge of local Indigenous history, culture, language and land. The UN The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate...

To The Editor: The last segment of its 6th big report on the climate crisis was released last week by the International Panel on Climate Change last week.  It’s being framed in the media as “the last warning”. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres was typically strong in his remarks:  “This report is a clarion call to massively...

I learned this week that Canadians are considered to rank 42nd out of 50 countries based on how good they are to drive in. This disappointed me until I sat back and thought about it a bit. Based on a bit of self examination and what I see happen around me when I drive I think that I have to say that we are not serious about...