THE GLEANING ABUNDANCE PROGRAM (GAP) team and I had the pleasure of interviewing two local legends last month - Sandra Frangiadakis, founder of GAP, and Logan Dafoe, owner of Taproot Ferments. We spoke with Sandra while we sat in her garden under the grapevine, surrounded by fruit trees, where we talked about the impor...

I'VE HEARD FROM SO MANY PEOPLE that their top concern is finding a place to call home they can afford.As our population has grown and global inflation has increased, finding affordable rentals has been more and more difficult for many families and individuals in B.C. That's why we've been working hard to make it easier...

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...

I SPEND A LOT OF TIME thinking about politics. Personally, professionally, recreationally, I am engaged. Often, I feel annoyed, passionate, inspired and sometimes furious. Lately, I have mostly just been feeling disappointed. I have been ruminating on what happens when public discourse becomes so ugly, so personal and ...

WHILE IT'S ALWAYS BITTERSWEET to see the summer holidays come to a close, I know many students - and parents - love the feeling of going back to school every September. This year, our government is celebrating a milestone, with 250 school capital projects completed since 2017, including 23 new and improved schools open...

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...

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...

FINDING A HOME or apartment to rent got a little bit easier again this month for British Columbians, as rents decreased by 5.3 per cent in B.C. - the highest rate of decline in the country. As a provincial government, we've been working hard to build more housing, update zoning laws, and return short-term rentals to th...

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 ...

AFTER YEARS OF PLANNING, FIFA World Cup 2026 has officially kicked off, with events happening all throughout B.C.! It is an incredible opportunity to bring people together from around the world to celebrate and watch incredible athletes play the people's game right here in B.C.British Columbia is known for its amazing ...

OVER THE PAST FEW MONTHS, we've watched as candidates competed to be elected the leader of the B.C. Conservative party, our province's official opposition. One candidate in particular, Kerry-Lynne Findlay, leaned into Trump-style politics and used racist attacks on her opponents - and when the ballots were counted, the...

WEYT-K/WEYT-KP (hello/hello to all),On behalf of Tk̓emlúps te Secwépemc Tkwenem7íple7e7e, I wanted to reach out and share and thank those who participated in the recent Red Bridge information meeting, held at the Moccasin Square Garden (MSG) on June 3, 2026. The purpose was to provide public info...

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....

CAN SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME OUT - why do we need to replace the Red Bridge for the second time? I have yet to hear a cogent economic - or any other reasonable explanation, for that matter - to replace this bridge for the second time.The Yellowhead Highway Bridge was the first replacement in 1968 and the Red Bridge was s...

EVERYONE IS FEELING THE PRESSURE of global inflation and British Columbians are looking for practical ways to save on everyday costs. We know that right now, every dollar counts. That's why our government announced last week BC Hydro is launching Power Smart 2.0, making it easier for families and businesses to reduce t...

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 ...

HAPPY MAY, KAMLOOPS! Spring has sprung at last - and summer is in the air! All across the city, fruit trees are blossoming, gardens are sprouting and the sun is shining, which can only mean one thing - it's almost time to kick off our 13th year of harvesting at the Gleaning Abundance Program (GAP)! Time sure flies when...

IF YOU'RE FROM A COMMUNITY with a small, local movie theatre, you know they are charming hubs of local culture. Whether you lined up for hours to see a brand-new film released, saw a screening of your favourite concert or attended a community event, you know these are special venues in our communities. When I ran into ...

STUDENTS GO TO SCHOOL and learn different things in different classes. Beyond knowledge and skills, school is intended to help students gain deep understandings about themselves and others as human beings. This sentiment appears in the introduction to the BC Social Studies curriculum: "Students will develop both a...

IN NOVEMBER, we launched Look West, our targeted plan to grow the economy and create good jobs for people in B.C. I know people and businesses throughout the province are feeling challenged right now as global conflicts and uncertainty continue to impact resource supply chains worldwide. That's why last week, Premier ...

(Ed. note: Residents near the Yacht Club on River Street recently received a letter from The Mustard Seed regarding the temporary winter shelter it operates there.)I RECENTLY RECEIVED YOUR LETTER re: the temporary winter shelter closure. It's nice to see we housed 136 persons, giving them safe, clean shelter and that y...

B.C. IS KNOWN FOR our sparkling coastlines, snowcapped mountain ranges and lush forests, which make us a world-class tourist destination. Last week was B.C. Tourism Week, which gave us the opportunity to celebrate all the people, businesses and destinations that welcome visitors and who help to create memorable experi...

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....

KAMLOOPS IS NOT FACING a simple labour shortage - it is facing a breakdown in workplace standards, and many young workers are quietly opting out.From what I've seen firsthand, the issue is not just about employers or wages. It's about the pace of workforce changes and the lack of integration into a shared set of expect...

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...

THERE IS A PARTICULAR KIND OF QUIET that settles over a room built for art. It's not silence, exactly. It's the hum of thinking, the scratch of pencil on paper, the low murmur of experimentation. It is the sound of children trying something new, failing safely, and trying again.At Kamloops School of the Arts (KSA), tha...