I HAVE CRITICIZED GOVERNMENTS on the haphazard way we've grabbed available land to put up affordable housing to meet the province's demands. That there is a demand for such housing is pretty obvious. We need to find a way to support those living on the streets, cold and starving, unable to cope in a drug-filled world. ...

IT'S ELECTION SEASON IN CANADA - and mercifully, it will be a short one.That's fine, because there is only one ballot question that really bears asking this time around.In 2021, the election was, in part, a referendum on the handling on the COVID-19 pandemic, but there were other matters to consider.The Trudeau Liberal...

MOST PEOPLE ARE CAUTIOUS in trying to pinpoint Donald Trump's leadership style. Is he a fascist, a dictator, an autocrat, a narcissist, or a king? The Oxford English Dictionary - remember that Merriam-Webster is probably persona non grata right now - says fascism is an extreme right-wing political system or attitude th...

FAMILIES IN B.C. DESERVE A BREAK. With the economic uncertainty of Trump's unjustified tariffs coming on top of rising global inflation, it's getting harder to get by. That's why the provincial government is finding ways to help put money back in people's pockets. For parents, and especially mothers, child care is one ...

MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL, who is the fairest one of all? Is it the quick-to-place-blame Pierre, or the man who walks out of the Liberal fire to make the party rise from the ashes? These questions will be answered in a month, when Pierre of Polievre, Esq., who until recently seemed the heir-apparent to the throne prev...

DESPERATE TIMES call for desperate measures.That's the logic David Eby is using to justify an alarming proposed law that would allow the premier to bypass the legislative assembly and, thus, democracy itself.Bill 7 allows Eby and his cabinet to do basically anything it wants in the name of protecting the province's eco...

NOTE TO MARK CARNEY: I know you are starting your term with rose-coloured glasses, but you will never forge a strong and lasting relationship with Donald Trump. The man seems too untrustworthy. You could never rely on him because he just makes his own decisions, pulling apart the economy, destroying the education syste...

WATCHING THE WORLD TODAY, it seems obvious that Trump is giving Putin Ukraine on a plate. Piece by piece. Almost like he's repaying a debt. Am I correct that a few years ago, the Trump organization was facing bankruptcy because U.S. and western European banks would no longer finance him? But then along came a Russian b...

I KNOW HEALTH CARE is top of mind for many people in B.C. As our province grows and ages, we, like many parts of Canada and the world, are facing challenges in our healthcare system. B.C.'s health care workforce is expanding, and more people are being connected to family doctors, but there's more to do. That's why our ...

AFTER NEARLY A DECADE of serving as a food commons, providing barrier-free access to nutritious fresh produce, educational opportunities and a sense of community for residents of Kamloops, the Kamloops Food Policy Council (KFPC) is closing our Butler Urban Farm (BUF) project as of April 1, 2025. The difficult decision ...

WHILE MOST OF THE NEWS these days centers around the absolute devastation of the world economic order caused by the Demons of Destruction south of the border, it's easy for smaller items to slip through. How many people knew the city popped in a 9 per cent tax hike on Tuesday? It was no surprise that seniors were left ...

IT'S BEEN FIVE YEARS NOW since the beginning of the global COVID-19 pandemic and that is enough time to look back on it with some perspective.Think back to March of 2020 - if you can bear to do so - and compare it with what we're experiencing right now.There was so much uncertainty because most of us had never experien...

DEAR MR. EBY and Members of the Legislature, I write this open letter to you all concerning a topic that I feel is critically important - the archaic practice of Daylight Savings in British Columbia. In 2019, BC held a referendum to end the practice of Daylight Savings, which passed. Your predecessors' set up the legis...

I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN BLESSED with a love of reading. And I read everything. From biographies to romance to my favourite author, David Baldacci, and everything in between.It's interesting to note that many of the romance stories deal with people from small towns who leave to seek fame and fortune - and then return to thos...

BUDGET 2025 was delivered during the most consequential time in B.C. for many generations. The same morning we were hit by unjustified tariffs from our largest trading partner, we introduced a budget that meets the moment, protecting jobs and the public services people need while preparing the province's economy to wea...

CANADIAN CUSTOMERS LOOKING TO SUPPORT LOCAL BRANDS after the recent introduction of new US import tariffs will soon be able to buy products sold by domestic businesses through the e-commerce platform Temu. While the site has been available in Canada for the past two years, this expansion marks the first time that busin...

THERE'S A KNOCK AT THE DOOR. The time has come.The family apprehensively seated around the dining table has been waiting for this very moment, certain that today is the day that the Nazis have finally found out that they're a part of the Dutch resistance. Having already decided to face their fates together, they answer...

GROWING UP, my dad and I went fishing almost every weekend. Some of my fondest memories. The only thing I really disliked was trying to grab the slimy bodies as they flapped around as you tried to gently pry out the hook and release them. That slimy feeling has stayed with me forever. But the only time it bothers me is...

ASK ANY BUSINESS OWNER about their Number 1 wish for their business and they will probably say prosperity. Success.That's understandable.But coming in a very close second will be stability. Predictability. If you have a pretty good idea how the market is going to act, how regulators are going to act, what governments a...

ANOTHER MONTH HAS GONE BY, and Premier David Eby, Forests Minister Ravi Parmar, Energy Minister Adrian Dix and Environment Minister Tamara Davidson have still not acted on the Atlantic Power Williams Lake file.The Atlantic Power Williams Lake biomass plant may be forced to cease operations later this year if they canno...

THE WHITE HOUSE is starting to look like party central. The White House and Capitol Hill should be the most formal buildings in the country. But then you have Donald Trump, Elon Musk and the rest of the red state clowns making the halls of dignity a joke. These people have, in a matter of a couple of months, brought th...

DONALD TRUMP HAS IMPOSED 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods and 10 per cent on energy, essentially declaring economic war. Now more than ever, we need to work together to support each other. I introduced a motion in the legislature so MLAs on all sides of the house could unite to support British Columbians by standi...

I CAN'T, AND WON'T, STOP THINKING ABOUT UKRAINE.When an unprovoked Putin led Russia to invade a peaceful, independent nation in order to violently expand his own interests (on brand), it left devastated Ukrainians fleeing for their lives. They were forced to leave their loved ones behind, many of whom have already died...

WE HAVE BEEN SADDENED by the number of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) projects that have come undone since the new U.S. administration was sworn in a couple of weeks back. A number of initiatives were started during the Biden administration to make people aware of gay rights, lesbian rights, transgender rights a...

IT'S NOT DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND why governments at all levels are putting their focus on protecting and growing the economy.U.S. President Donald Trump continues to threaten massive import tariffs against Canada, believing they will be his very own cash cow.In actual fact, most credible economists and political leader...

AS MOST OF YOU KNOW, I often refer to the land below us as the States of America. They can no longer be referred to as "United." These States may wind up changing their focus. I don't know if that's possible, but I think it might be worth a chance. One plan is to plant a series of sad plants adjacent to some ...

ASIDE FROM THE EFFORTS of Donald J. Trump and Elon Musk to get their sweaty hands on our money and our country, there have been needs that deserve a resolution. And those needs cost money - whether it's health care, the economy, climate change... the list drags on. While we're assessing the latest Trump conspiracies, w...

LAST NIGHT'S FOUR NATIONS FACEOFF final pitting Canada against the United States transcended the sport of hockey.Generations from now, Canadians will tell their children and grandchildren where they were when Connor McDavid scored the overtime winner - just the way our parents and grandparents tell us about Paul Hender...