Category Archives: Column
COLLINS: Government needs to be tough on plastics
WE HAVE BEEN SO AFRAID to tackle climate change issues we've let things get to a crisis stage. One of the worst examples involves our use of plastics. Decades ago, we thought plastics were the answer ...
Feb 03, 2023
ROTHENBURGER: Drug decriminalization pilot project might be wishful thinking
'A GOOD FIRST STEP' is a common way many are talking about the drug decriminalization pilot program that came into effect in B.C. this week and that's about as high as expectations go.While it's being...
Feb 02, 2023
SOUND OFF: Decriminalizing people and breaking down stigma
WHEN IT COMES TO TACKLING the tragic drug overdose crisis, our government believes we need to recognize it for what it is: a public health matter - not a criminal justice one. When people who are usin...
Feb 01, 2023
ROTHENBURGER: Turning a City council meeting into a complete gong show
A GONG SHOW. A circus. A comedy of errors.Those are some of the ways to describe Tuesday's Kamloops City council meeting. It was painful to watch, all four and a half hours of it, not counting the pub...
Feb 01, 2023
HUNTER: Participating in active reconciliation
THIS WEEK, CITY COUNCIL will consider a request for $10,000 to support the 2027 North American Indigenous Games (NAIG). The request is a small amount in comparison to the $500,000 approved by council ...
Jan 31, 2023
ROTHENBURGER: Quit whining about recycling and just get the job done
WHY IS IT SO HARD to get the hang of recycling? Kamloops residents - at least a certain percentage of them - simply aren't stepping up on recycling and the City is hoping to change that. It's a tough ...
Jan 31, 2023
ROTHENBURGER: Three years later, the refuseniks can thank the science on COVID
IT'S BEEN A YEAR since the Ottawa convoy. Three years ago, we were just beginning our experience with COVID-19. We didn't even know what to call it yet.Saturday was the anniversary of B.C.'s first con...
Jan 30, 2023
COLLINS: First quarter report on Kamloops City Council
NOTHING. That's what City Council has accomplished in its first quarter. And it is not likely to get better. Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson has, in my humble opinion, been less than effective as a leader. H...
Jan 29, 2023
ROTHENBURGER: Artificial intelligence is with us, and we aren't ready for it
ON A MID-DECEMBER DAY in 1903, a flying machine built by Orville and Wilbur Wright lifted into the air and stayed there for just under a minute. It took more than 20 years before aircraft safety regul...
Jan 28, 2023
PETERS: If alcohol is as unhealthy as tobacco, it should be taxed like tobacco
THE CANADIAN CENTRE FOR SUBSTANCE USE AND ADDICTION didn't make a lot of friends this week. Sure, it's all well and good when the lab coats go after heroin or fentanyl - but leave our booze alone, say...
Jan 27, 2023
