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...

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...

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...

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...

IT'S THE FIRST WEEK OF FEBRUARY when I'm sitting down to write this. We're in the middle of a cold snap - our first real cold spell of the winter. It's a little late coming this year, but here it is anyway. It feels like the warm days of spring are a distant speck on the horizon. It feels like nothing will ever grow ou...

DEAR EDITOR, I was deeply moved by the heartwarming tale of Valleyview, where apparently every resident is either a courageous firefighter, a beloved former mayor's relative, or someone who exchanges prized bush clippings. What a magical place where everyone has lived for generations, except of course for those "t...

I WOULD LIKE TO INTRODUCE you to my community. My spouse grew up in the house we live in which we purchased from his parents years ago. Beside us, we have the courageous firefighter, his beautiful wife and their adorable children. They bought their home from her grandparents who were friends with my in-laws. On our oth...

RECENT CFJC EDITORIALS by James Peters and Joey Jack have suggested that Kamloops Citizens United (KCU) should be more transparent about our fundraising - who our donors are and how much they've donated. Fundraising is perfectly legal in Canada. People have every right to give money to anyone for any reason. This is ho...

GREEK PHILOSOPHER SOCRATES once said, "The way to gain a good reputation is to endeavour to be what you desire to appear" - meaning credibility isn't just about branding or public relations. Credibility is about consistently living up to your values and nothing damages that more than hypocrisy.That's why I'm ...

MANY PEOPLE LIKE TO SET INTENTIONS at the beginning of the year to improve their lives in some way. By centering community ownership of the local food system in our lives, we can improve not only our own sense of fulfilment, health and happiness, but for everyone in our community. Here are four ways you can participate...

SMALL BUSINESSES ACROSS B.C. were struck by a 27 per cent increase in crime in 2024 - which surpasses the national average increase of 21 per cent and is the highest increase out of all provinces. That's according to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business's recent report on the impact of crime on local busines...

Over 90 per cent of midlife women in British Columbia experience at least one significant physical symptom of menopause and those with more were also more likely to live with mental health conditions including depression and anxiety. These were just some of the conclusions drawn from questioning 2,000 participants in t...

AT EVERY LEVEL OF GOVERNMENT, female politicians are disproportionately targeted by violence and harassment. This is true regardless of party affiliation. Given the nonpartisan nature of this targeting, it's safe to assume it has little to do with policy. People say things about female politicians that they'd never dre...

MANY DEFINITIONS of food sovereignty emphasize the right to access culturally relevant foods, including the following from La Via Campesina: "Food sovereignty is the right of peoples to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, and their right to define th...

Second Harvest (2024) reports that nearly 50 per cent of food in Canada is wasted, costing the country $58 billion yearly. Around 63 per cent of Canadians throw away food that could have been eaten, amounting to around 140 kilograms of wasted food yearly. The holiday season is particularly wasteful, since families ofte...

TECK RESOURCES LIMITED, a Vancouver-based resource company, made a $2.5 million contribution to Royal Inland Hospital's new emergency department, which opened in Kamloops last month. This donation covered the installation of antimicrobial copper surfaces and equipment as part of an effort to prevent the spread of hospi...

PEOPLE OFTEN MISUNDERSTAND what I do for work. When I tell people I work for the Kamloops Food Policy Council (KFPC), they ask if that's a food bank. Although frontline services like the food bank have goals similar to those of the KFPC, like relieving hunger and reducing poverty, we act on these goals differently.Fron...

TOURISM KAMLOOPS IS IN THE PROCESS of hiring a consultant to help develop an "iconic attraction" in Kamloops - an initiative that aims to "enhance the city's appeal as a premier tourism destination in British Columbia". The consultant will develop draft concepts for potential attractions tailored to...

"JUST UNDER TWO-IN-FIVE British Columbians think the introduction of the carbon tax has led people to be more mindful of their carbon consumption and change their behaviour", a new ResearchCo Poll finds. Yet, at the same time, more than 52 per cent of British Columbians think that if the federal government sc...

Business Intelligence for B.C. recently reported that AI-powered robots are helping boost B.C.'s construction industry. On Mitchell Island, for instance, new AI-powered robots were seen moving concrete blocks, demonstrating how this technology can step in when the sector suffers labour shortages. These robots can perfo...

THE KAMLOOPS FOOD POLICY COUNCIL (KFPC) has been working on our relaunch of Food and the City, a citizen-led policy research initiative aimed at addressing key community concerns regarding food security in Kamloops. This project was originally introduced in 2022 before the municipal election, and resulted in the creati...

TURNS OUT the Red Bridge could be brought back to life stronger, wider and better than ever, and keep its historic look. A man who knows how to do it will be in town today.Randy Ludwar lives in the Okanagan and works for a company called Timber Restoration Services. It specializes in the use of mass timber, an engineer...

It's mid-September and, as any gardener knows, this means it's harvest season. Gardens are being overrun - in a good way - with squash, peppers, tomatoes, eggplants and more. It's the season of leaving a zucchini on your neighbour's doorstep. I love the abundance gardening brings and the many opportunities to share tha...

THE MAJORITY OF CANADIAN ORGANIZATIONS report a need for workers with digital skills, while at least 55 per cent of Canadian tech entrepreneurs can't find the talent they need in order to grow. While this highlights a significant skills shortage across the country, there can be immense value in initiatives that aim to ...

DEAR KAMLOOPS CITIZENS, I am writing in response to Garry Davies' comments on September 4 about the AAP process. I want to clarify his assumptions with facts and provide clarification. He said the AAP is undemocratic and not fair. The AAP process is not meant for emergency situations and is commonly used for recreation...