City and CUPE agree on 5% over three years
The City of Nelson and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) have reached a contract agreement for pay increases of 1% for 2013 and 2% for each of the following two years, for a total increase of 5% over three years. There are 80 CUPE workers at the city, 70 full-time and 10 casual. The new agreement also balances an...
A compost debate and more-- a summary of the June 10 council meeting
The following is a summary of the regular meeting of Nelson City Council held on May 10, 2013 Compost Councillor Donna Macdonald moved that the city do an assessment of composting options for the city. This could include hiring a consultant for a maximum of $15,000 to be taken from the Recycling Reserve Account, and it could...
Municipal Spending Watch pegs Nelson as an over spender
By Suzy Hamilton, The Nelson Daily The City of Nelson is among the top third of BC municipalities who are spending more in operating costs than they are making, according to a Municipal Spending Watch report by the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses (CFIB). But Nelson city manager Kevin Cormack said the report is...
Kootenay Co-op rallies against new federal definition of 'local' and launches 'True Local' program
The federal government is changing the definition of the word “local” as it applies to food labeling, and the Kootenay Coop says that will hurt many of the farmers that it buys from. The Co-op’s move to fight the change began with a rally in front of its Baker St. store on Saturday. At the rally the Co-op unveiled a petition...
BC says no to Northern Gateway Pipeline
The following is a press release issued by the Environment Ministry: British Columbia has made its final written submission to the Northern Gateway Pipeline Joint Review Panel. In the submission, the province states that it cannot support the project as presented to the panel because Northern Gateway has been unable to address...
City should lead by example, says Bear Aware coordinator
There are about 145 garbage cans on city property in Nelson, and only two of them are wildlife-proof. This despite the city’s wildlife attractant bylaw that carries a $2000 fine for residents whose outside garbage containers could be opened by a bear or a raccoon. While the city appears to be in violation of the spirit of its...
Shooting Robson cougars the only humane option; rumours of fourth cougar false
The shooting of three cougars in Robson yesterday afternoon was not just the necessary way to protect public safety, it was also the only humane option for the animals as well, according to Conservation Officer Ben Beetlestone. He also debunked rumours of a fourth cougar sighted in the area. Beetlestone said his partner took...
Bears, compost, tasers, yellow fish, pet stores, a sister city, and more: Nelson City Council May 27
Every second council meeting is the Committee of the Whole, at which community groups, individuals, and the city’s staff and committees can bring information and requests to council. No decisions are made at these meetings but some items might be referred to a regular council meeting for a decision. That was the case on May...
Nelson City Council renews its vision with updated community plan
Nelson City Council adopted a new edition of its Official Community Plan (OCP) at its meeting on May 6. The city has been working on an update to the 2008 version for a couple of years. The 2013 edition is long (180 pages), detailed, and reader-friendly. The OCP is the city’s core planning document. As such, it should be the...
COMMENT: Can political polls be trusted?
[Editor's note: This piece was posted to the Common Sense Canadian just before Tuesday's election, but in the wake of the surprising results, it's more relevant now than then] Good thing most people don’t listen to the polls. If they did, they just might throw in their cards and give up. The clearest indication yet that...
