I'LL ADMIT I FELT A LITTLE SYMPATHETIC toward Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson this week as he outlined the thousands of dollars of damage done to his property since being elected. The mayor had made a point of campaigning in favor of a tougher stance against the homeless, the drug addicts and the vandals who break into homes ...

A FEW YEARS AGO, Donald Trump wrote a book. It was called, "The Art of the Deal." It was his best-selling book. It also was a farce. His co-writer, at one point, suggested he wished he hadn't been involved and both he and the publisher said Trump didn't write a word of the book. The co-writer said it was the ...

BRITISH COLUMBIANS ARE WORRIED about energy use. Across the globe, energy demand is increasing due to artificial intelligence, industrial development and data centres, and everyday people are weary of feeling it in their pockets with rising energy costs. In B.C., we're taking charge of our energy use now to protect our...

MAJOR STAFFING DECISIONS are forthcoming for the City of Kamloops. These decisions are critical to the success of two major projects - the new Performing Arts Centre and the new multiplex for ice skating. If the City screws it up, it will leave us with two large white elephants which will drain us dry. There are severa...

HAVING LIVE IN KAMLOOPS for almost 20 years, it's fair to say my wife and I are committed to this community - in spite of all its flaws.There are only a few factors that could ever compel us to leave.The crime we're seeing in this city is not one of them. We're not about to move to a smaller community and, in every Can...

FOR A WHILE NOW, the City of Williams Lake has discussed the idea of a curfew. Earlier this year, the council passed some motions but did not include a curfew. I think that was the right move.Except for a wartime-type curfew, I find little evidence to show that a curfew does or doesn't work. Most of the studies I've se...

EVERY PERSON DESERVES to have accessible, affordable health care that they can count on close to home. As an MLA, I know that healthcare options are top of mind for my community and that's why our government has been making major investments in Surrey that will not only expand local healthcare access but will also bene...

IN OUR CURRENT HOTBED of political strife, it was difficult to imagine a unifying cause that could bring people from every corner of the political spectrum together. But where Interior Health has a lack of will, there's a way. And they've done it in extraordinary fashion this time, because Canadians unite in the belief...

I DON'T ENVY WOMEN these days. Aside from the debate over women's rights, transgender issues which affect both genders, there have been so many smaller issues creeping in to muddy up the works that I daresay women are wondering what's next. Well, in Kamloops, we go one further. At least temporarily, women can't even gi...

ONE OF THE BEST gifts received in our home last year was the Kamloops Holiday Foodie Box, created by The Stir and the Kamloops Food Policy Council (KFPC) - and I'm thrilled that the KFPC is offering this unique gift option once again! Last year, the first Foodie Box item to disappear in our home was the Authentic Indig...

THE SILVER LINING around some dark economic clouds over the past five years is we're all getting a crash course in basic supply-and-demand economics.During the COVID-19 pandemic, it was the demand side of the supply-and-demand equation that went out of control.People were so uncertain about what was happening and what ...

I HAVE OFTEN been accused of being too trusting. Looking back, I think that's true. I have always had an unfailing habit of believing in the best of people. I don't think that was a bad decision. I have been let down many times, and I know I have also let others down - people who put their faith in me. Trust is a fleet...

YOUTH IN B.C. are facing a challenging world and it's our government's goal to do everything we can to protect them against online exploitation and the health risks from vaping and tobacco. To keep that commitment, our BC NDP government introduced two bills that will help protect people - especially young British Colum...

IN HIS SHORT TIME as the leader of the Catholic church, Pope Leo has not shied away from offering his viewpoint on several critical issues. He has talked about the move by the president and his army of thugs to deport immigrants to other countries as part of Trump's apparent white supremacy plans. This week, the Pope c...

A REPORT RELEASED THIS WEEK into a 2022 in-custody death in Williams Lake is absolutely maddening because it reveals so many different points when the tragedy could have been prevented.Surrance Myers, a 21-year-old Indigenous man, died in a Williams Lake RCMP cell three years ago.He was lodged there after a late-night ...

COMMUNITY SAFETY is rapidly emerging as a major concern for cities around the world. And I think it will continue for some time. Over the course of history, cities have always been under some kind of threat, whether it be from the conquering tribes of old, to violence in cities where law and order could not be maintain...

THIS PAST MONDAY, MLAs from across the province returned to the legislature for the beginning of the fall session. This session, we will be introducing legislation early in the session that will help make sure people in B.C. have good, well-paying jobs, that workers are treated fairly, that we are addressing affordabil...

SUPPORTIVE HOUSING HAS BECOME a major priority for alleviating homelessness and assisting marginalized groups. We struggle to acquire land and build homes quickly enough to meet the demand. Why would we want to invest heavily in houses in areas that may not suit community needs by 2035? Why not consider portable housin...

WITH COUNCILLOR MIKE O'REILLY the first challenger out of the gate for the mayor's chair, the unofficial municipal campaign has already begun - more than a year before voters actually go to the polls.The two-term councillor was backed by a throng of supporters, including former mayors Terry Lake and Ken Christian, when...

DEPENDING ON WHO YOU TALK WITH, it's going too slow, or just about right. No one is saying we're moving too quickly on all the recommendations in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report, which was released several years ago after lengthy hearings across the country.Tuesday, we participated in the National Day of...

EARLIER THIS WEEK, we recognized the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, to commemorate and reflect on the strength of the survivors, families, and communities who were forever changed by the residential school system, and especially the children who never came home. This day coincides with Orange Shirt Day, a c...

WHEN IS THE CITY OF KAMLOOPS going to rid our streets of weeds? We have a beautiful city and I am wondering why the City of Kamloops refuses to put any effort into weeding our streets, sidewalks, etc. If you drive down pretty much any street in Kamloops, you will find trees growing where weeds once started. If you driv...

DONALD TRUMP'S LEGACY will see him described as a troubled soul who led America into the ground with his dictatorial policies. Make America Great Again caught on with voters but it was only Trump and a handful of his ultra-rich cronies who got better. The litany of his stupid and destructive policies will be difficult ...

"THIS IS A 'BIG TENT' PARTY."Political parties love to say that to communicate how open they are to various diverse perspectives and healthy debate within the walls of their tent.It sounds nice, but putting those ideals into action is often much more difficult.Take the BC Conservatives - who have, since absor...

This winter is shaping up to be a big one for sports in Kamloops. Sun Peaks Resort, Canada's second-largest ski destination, expects a surge in American and international visitors this winter, as current U.S. travel restrictions and strained politics may work to drive more tourists north to Canada instead. On opening d...

IT WOULD SEEM THAT THE BC Conservative party is undergoing a bit of an upheaval despite a recent review that gave leader John Rustad a vote of confidence. The party says 71 percent of party members supported Rustad as party leader. You would think that would end any debate on the issue. Seventy-one per cent is okay but...

BRITISH COLUMBIA IS ONE OF THE BEST PLACES in the world to live. We have everything we need to turn today's big challenges into tomorrow's opportunities - including the resources the world needs, the ports to deliver them to new markets and the incredible people to make it all happen. At the same time, we're facing maj...

AFTER A GREAT DEAL OF FRUSTRATION with regards to the rehabilitation of the Overlanders Bridge, I began to question this project on a number of levels - primarily the frequency and cost in which rehabilitation is being conducted, as well as the obvious traffic and safety impact. Initially, I sent a request for answers ...