Sound Off

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SOUND OFF: Growing pains - learning to garden in Kamloops
WHEN MY HUSBAND DREW AND I bought our house, I never anticipated gardening would become a significant part of our lives. The landscaping was scarce - lots of dirt and dust, save for one lilac bush and one shade tree out front. A neglected garden box in the yard became a dumping ground for organic waste. During our firs...
Jul 22, 2025
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SOUND OFF: Supporting the interactive digital media in B.C.
THERE'S NEVER BEEN a more important time to support and grow our own industries here in B.C. For many of us that brings to mind the food we grow, the fish we catch and the lumber we harvest right here in the province. But did you know B.C. also has a thriving video game development industry? More than 20,000 jobs are s...
Jul 17, 2025
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Supporting families with reproductive services
THERE IS NO BETTER PLACE to raise a family than in British Columbia, but the path to parenthood looks different for everyone.In-vitro fertilization, or IVF, can help make the dream of parenthood a reality for many families. But the cost of IVF treatment can be a major barrier on that path.That's why our government comm...
Jul 10, 2025
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SOUND OFF: Celebrating Canada Day
CANADA DAY is a time to come together and remember values that make our country and our province truly special: resilience, diversity, and pride. We know that people still face many challenges, but we also have a lot to be proud of. But this Canada Day felt different than others. Canadians stood united this year agains...
Jul 02, 2025
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SOUND OFF: No, a PET/CT scanner is not an option
SINCE THE NEW KAMLOOPS CANCER CENTRE was announced, doctors, healthcare workers, First Nations, Thompson Regional Hospital District (TRHD) Directors, municipalities, and local MLAs have been calling on the provincial government to allocate space for a future Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanner - or more specific...
Jun 26, 2025
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SOUND OFF: Celebrating farmers' market season in B.C.
SUMMER IN BRITISH COLUMBIA is more than just sunshine and warm weather, it's the season of abundance, community, and connection. For me, as a daughter of a farmer, one of the greatest joys of this time of year is visiting our vibrant local farmers' markets, where I can fill my basket with fresh-picked produce, farm-rai...
Jun 25, 2025
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SOUND OFF: Delivering on the promise of better, accessible primary care in B.C."
EVERY PERSON IN BRITISH COLUMBIA deserves high-quality, team-based health care close to home, no matter where they live. As Minister of Health, ensuring that people can access timely, reliable primary care is a top priority. We know that individuals and families thrive when they have regular access to a trusted healthc...
Jun 18, 2025
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SOUND OFF: Should Kamloops drivers get a hybrid or go fully electric?
WITH B.C. AIMING TO SELL only zero-emission cars by 2035, Kamloops drivers are increasingly making the switch to electric or hybrid cars. But what's the difference between the two? Electric vehicles (EVs) run solely on a rechargeable battery, while hybrids combine an internal combustion engine with an electric motor. W...
Jun 13, 2025
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SOUND OFF: Let it Bee! Creating pollinator friendly gardens in Kamloops
IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN SO EASY to reduce bees to simple honey-making, anaphylaxis-inducing insects. Without a deeper understanding of the relationship between these pollinators and our everyday lives, we risk losing so many overlooked daily pleasures. From our most comforting foods to our favourite flowers, pollinators are...
Jun 11, 2025
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SOUND OFF: Council faces integrity crisis
LOCAL JUNE 6/25 headlines read:"Report on Sarai's Tapegate results in slap on the wrist." -Armchair Mayor"Councillor Sarai breached oath by recording mayor and covering it up."-Infonews"Investigation finds Sarai breached code with secret recording; mayor calls for councillor's resignation"...
Jun 10, 2025
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SOUND OFF: Kamloops council needs to realize representative democracy is a conversation
"WHAT TO MAKE OF A DIMINISHED THING". As I read the recent report on Kamloops debt load per person, I found myself realizing that we might be missing the point about the nondemocratic ways of the current city council. This city council has a four-year mandate but insists on casting the taxpayers into long ter...
Jun 09, 2025
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SOUND OFF: Draconian laws confirm the authoritarian nature of the NDP government
AS MLAs HEAD BACK to their home constituencies following the end of the spring legislative session, a dark cloud looms over BC with the advancement of the overreaching Bills 14 and 15, which are now provincial law.Both the Renewable Energy Projects Act and the Infrastructure Projects Act represent the most egregious po...
Jun 05, 2025
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SOUND OFF: Coming together to support BC
THIS SPRING, our government has been taking action to combat the real economic threat of US tariffs and Trump threatening Canadian jobs, and British Columbians have been with us every step of the way. Despite the uncertainty, we have worked as a province to keep our elbows up - together.It was my first session in the B...
Jun 04, 2025
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SOUND OFF: Kamloops businesses go green to create a sustainable future
EARLIER THIS YEAR, Kamloops Airport joined the Biosphere Commitment Program, which helps tourism businesses in the Thompson-Okanagan area adopt a more sustainable approach. Launched by the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association, the program gives businesses the tools and support they need to track and improve their sust...
Jun 01, 2025
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SOUND OFF: Prosperity through partnership and conversation
THE GLOBAL ECONOMY is undergoing rapid and fundamental change.Putin's illegal invasion of Ukraine is accelerating Europe's move away from Russian energy. President Trump's trade wars have made countries reconsider their economic ties with the U.S. and China's retaliatory export controls on rare earth minerals are a sta...
May 28, 2025
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SOUND OFF: British Columbia, it's time for us to step up
FROM DAY ONE as B.C.'s Minister of Forests, I have been blown away by the work of the BC Wildfire Service. I have never met a more dedicated, hard-working group of people, and I am grateful every day that we have such a world-class wildfire service protecting this province. I got my first briefing shortly after becomin...
May 21, 2025
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SOUND OFF: More than Consumers, More than Barcodes
HERE WE GO AGAIN, again, another orbit around the sun and into Spring of 2025. The sun shines, flowers bloom, the air is filled with the sweet smell of lilacs, and little swift dandelions call the friendly insects. At this time of the year, our side of the Earth revitalizes itself and is bursting with energy! One sees ...
May 19, 2025
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SOUND OFF: Celebrating National Nursing Week
NURSES ARE THE BACKBONE of our healthcare system. They don't just support our physical health, they carry the emotional weight of care with empathy, strength and grace. Their skill, commitment and compassion shape the experiences of patients and families every single day across British Columbia.This National Nursing We...
May 14, 2025
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SOUND OFF: Delivering on infrastructure projects in your community
WHETHER IT'S A SCHOOL, hospital or highway, British Columbians rely on our province's public infrastructure every day. Yet B.C.'s extraordinary population growth in recent years has placed significant pressure on our infrastructure and has underscored the need to build out this infrastructure and to do so more quickly ...
May 07, 2025
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SOUND OFF: School District 73 - please reverse your decision to cut the after-school Strings program
I WOULD LIKE TO INTRODUCE MYSELF as a parent of two children at Kamloops School of the Arts. My eldest daughter, Avalon, has had the privilege of learning to play the cello this year through the Strings program after school each Wednesday. It is my understanding that this program has been cut recently and will not resu...
May 06, 2025
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SOUND OFF: How urgent is digital healthcare security in Kamloops?
COUNCILLOR KELLY HALL OF KAMLOOPS is proposing a unique initiative that could assist in securing family doctors for thousands of residents. He envisions the City of Kamloops developing its own municipal medical clinic. The motion was introduced during the council's last meeting and if approved, the clinic could benefit...
Apr 29, 2025
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SOUND OFF: Supporting Local
I know that given recent events, I'm not the only one who is focusing more on buying Canadian.After months of economic uncertainty and the threat of Trump's tariffs, I have heard from people throughout my constituency on how they are paying more attention to where their money goes and how they can be more mindful in ch...
Apr 23, 2025
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SOUND OFF: Kamloops isn't asking to be treated differently on cancer care. We're asking to be treated the same
LAST WEEK, I faced off in the legislature in Victoria with the NDP Minister of Health, Josie Osborne, over the future of the Kamloops cancer centre.The two of us went back and forth for about 20 minutes during of the course of the annual exercise known as budget estimates, where cabinet ministers take questions from ML...
Apr 17, 2025
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SOUND OFF: Supporting British Columbians with energy costs
WE KNOW THAT ACROSS B.C., people are struggling with global inflation and rising costs. British Columbians also care deeply about protecting our environment and they want a government who is focused on the climate alongside affordability efforts. One way we're helping is making sure people have affordable options avail...
Apr 16, 2025
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SOUND OFF: Where to find dishes from different cultures in Kamloops
IN 2024, we published the Kamloops Food Assets Index representing a list of local, culturally appropriate food options in Kamloops. This year, we developed a user-friendly map that showcases the locations of cultural food providers in the area. If you want to learn more about culturally appropriate food and the Kamloop...
Apr 11, 2025
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SOUND OFF: Supporting British Columbians by repealing the consumer carbon tax
THERE IS NO QUESTION that the carbon tax has been an important tool for B.C.'s fight against climate change. However, it has become a divisive issue across our country, and the debate about it distracts from the important work being done to address the climate crisis. Given the real cost-of-living pressures facing peop...
Apr 09, 2025
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SOUND OFF: Of things to come
NATIONS RISE FOR THE SAME REASONS that they fall, as what once made them powerful eventually becomes a debilitating weakness which threatens their very existence!For Rome, it was their legions of seemingly invincible soldiers whose swords conquered an empire which predictably later turned inward, reducing that empire t...
Apr 08, 2025
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SOUND OFF: Improving flood resilience in Merritt
IN NOVEMBER 2021, British Columbians watched as heavy rainfall caused catastrophic flooding in southern B.C.The damage to homes, businesses and infrastructure made the floods one of the most disastrous climate-related emergencies in B.C.'s history. While each community faced unique challenges, the City of Merritt was p...
Apr 02, 2025
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