DOUG COLLINS CALLS Barb Nederpel's re-election as head of the Hospital Employees' Union (HEU) a landslide. As an HEU member in Kamloops, I'd ask readers to look at who actually cast those votes. Ms. Nederpel won with roughly 80 per cent support. That support came from about 900 convention delegates, not from the tens o...

FIRST OF ALL, you know what's been nice this week? Not seeing or hearing those damn election commercials trying to tear down the opponents while promising the moon to voters who don't have any idea what is specifically being proposed and how it will be paid for. The words in the title were part of a discussion I had wi...

DEAR PREMIER-ELECT DOERKSON,On behalf of ASK Wellness Society, congratulations on your electoral success and the opportunity to lead British Columbia with a new mandate.As your government begins its work, we recognize that housing affordability, the toxic drug crisis, and community safety are key issues facing all Brit...

LIFE IS BUSY for parents. As families gear up to go back to school, scheduling the drop offs and pick-ups each day around work and activities can feel daunting. That's why expanding before and after-school care programs on school grounds is an important part of our government's work to expand access to child care in B....

THESE PAST WEEKS, our province has been in a state of emergency due to fires in the Okanagan, and across B.C., and I know many people are wondering what they can do to help their fellow British Columbians. The good news is there's one easy way to support our neighbours during this difficult time, and that's by buying B...

UPON MOVING TO KAMLOOPS over a decade ago, the Gleaning Abundance Program (GAP) piqued my interest - who wouldn't love to pick fresh, locally grown food? I'd grown up picking berries with my Grandma Eva, and I had been missing those summer harvests. I didn't get a chance to officially plug into the program until a coup...

IF YOU'RE PLANNING a road trip around the province, or maybe across Canada, you're most likely concerned about the rising price of fuel. Global conflict and instability are the driving forces behind this headache and might have you looking more seriously at electric vehicles. Nearly a quarter of a million people in our...

NOW THAT IT'S SUMMER, we look forward to enjoying the sun, times out on the water, and seeing loved ones. But it's also a season we've come to know as wildfire season and throughout B.C. there are risks of wildfire when we have hot, dry conditions in the province. These fires can put lives and homes at risk, disrupt ou...

PRIDE BEGAN AS A PROTEST by and for 2SLGBTQIA+ people, demanding rights and an end to criminalization and persecution. As we celebrate Pride this year with fun community events and performances, we have a responsibility to uphold the values that got us to this point. This year in the Legislature, our BC NDP team voted ...

DURING THIS YEAR'S SPRING Legislative session, my colleagues and I focused on securing B.C.'s future in uncertain times by working to strengthen the economy, support vital public services, and bring down costs for families. British Columbians and Canadians have been through a lot these past few years on account of U.S....

B.C. IS A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE, but the last few years haven't been easy. Global instability finds ways of showing up and seeping into our local businesses and neighbourhoods. While conflict in Iran and the tariffs imposed by the United States sometimes feel abstract and far from home, they are having a profound effect ...

ACROSS THE WORLD, global uncertainty is affecting people, nations, and communities, and I know how important it is to make sure that here in B.C., people can have good jobs that they rely on. By investing in local communities and fostering growth in key sectors, we're helping make sure that we can protect and grow B.C....

AS COMMUNITIES ACROSS BRITISH COLUMBIA continue to grow, so does the importance of having strong, reliable emergency services that people can count on when it matters most. In critical moments, one of the most important connections people make is a call to 9-1-1. From April 12 to 18, we recognize Emergency Service Disp...

LAST WEEK, PREMIER DAVID EBY announced that we've connected over 600,000 people to a family doctor or nurse practitioner since 2023, with more than 4,000 people being matched every single week. Thanks to this work, B.C. now has one of the strongest physician communities in the country, with more family doctors practici...

SMALL BUSINESSES and the hard-working people behind them are the foundation of our province. My parents ran a small business, and later I started my own, so I know that owning and operating a business is no easy feat. Unexpected challenges such as the threat of tariffs and uncertainty about the future only make it more...

AFTER THE TRAGEDY at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, parents and teachers are asking urgent questions: How do we keep our children safe?While fear often drives the conversation toward more cameras, locks and lockdown drills, safety in schools cannot be reduced to hardware. True safety is human-centered, preventative, a...

KAMLOOPS RESIDENTS WHO SUPPORT A PAUSE on the PAC and Arena Multiplex can make their views known by emailing Council before its decision this Tuesday, March 24.At the March 10 Council meeting, the motion "Postpone/Delay Advancement of Major Capital Projects - Kamloops Centre for the Arts and Arena Multiplex" ...

FOR AS LONG AS I CAN REMEMBER, the well-being of children and youth has been more than a priority; it has been my purpose. As a parent and aunt to children with diverse support needs, I spent years advocating within systems before entering politics. My path to becoming Minister of Children and Family Development was sh...

EVERY DAY, BRITISH COLUMBIANS need to renew or replace their photo ID, including driver's licenses, BC Services Card, and BC ID, which involves making trips to their local ICBC office and at times, waiting in long lines. Last week, we introduced legislation that would allow people to renew their simple license and ID r...

IT WASN'T THAT MANY YEARS AGO that we went through what I call the period of "death music." So many hit songs contained reference to murder, suicide the kind of depressing songs that made you wonder why you even existed. I had some of those feelings Tuesday as I listened to the B.C. budget. I thought that per...

OVER THE PAST YEAR, we've seen how strongly Canadians have stood together in the face of challenges, like global inflation and threats from Trump, and our patriotism is stronger than ever. We're making progress and creating more opportunities for people across B.C. and Canada. And right now, we have something we can al...

BRITISH COLUMBIA is defined by its land and water. Forests, rivers, alpine meadows and rugged coastlines aren't just scenery. They're the backbone of our economy, our culture and our shared identity. And unlike many places in Canada, these landscapes are overwhelmingly public, with nearly 94 per cent of B.C. made up of...

COMMUNITIES ACROSS BRITISH COLUMBIA are growing rapidly. And with that growth comes a clear need: more skilled tradespeople to help build and maintain the places we all rely on, like our homes, schools, hospitals and community infrastructure. As an MLA, I hear every day how important it is that we prepare people for th...

THE TOXIC DRUG CRISIS is taking lives, and harming families and individuals in communities across the province. Confronting the stigma of mental health and addictions is essential to get more people the help they need. In 2023, our government tested a decriminalization pilot with broad support from advocates, service p...

IN THE FACE of economic uncertainty and threats to our sovereignty, Canadians and British Columbians have stepped up all year to tirelessly support local farmers, retailers, restaurants and businesses across B.C., and have carefully chosen Canadian-made groceries and products in their day-to-day lives. Just last week, ...

IN FACT, I WOULD STAND in front of you all and suggest it gives you perspective. Today, it is my pleasure to offer some thanks to all of our health workers, no matter what their level.I have been in Royal Inland Hospital for the past two years. It's been a tough time. I know this isn't everyone's story, but from every ...

HOW MUCH IS TOO MUCH? That's the question facing taxpayers regarding the new performing arts centre as we enter the final month of the year. Concerns are being raised about the new costs linked to the downtown location. When this project was proposed, it was seen as a diamond in the middle of a cluster of restaurants t...

THIS WAS AN INTERESTING WEEK for a ground-breaking at the site of the future Kamloops Centre for the Arts on Fourth Avenue. It's a project that could cost as much as $200 million but one that will, along with the Kelson Group's City Gardens, transform the character of the Kamloops downtown.It was almost exactly 10 year...