Author Archive

This is one I’ve been meaning to write for a bit. It started December 2, when news broke that the Gitxsan Hereditary Chiefs in northeastern B.C. had apparently entered into an agreement Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline Project. The exact words: “On behalf of the Gitxsan Hereditary Chiefs, Hereditary Chief Elmer Derrick today announced an agreement […]

Posted on 15 December 2011 and filed under articles, Best Of, British Columbia, Canada, comments, Indigenous

Earlier today I wrote about CBC”s choice for the top new story of 2011 in B.C. and argued that even though it took place in Vancouver, it has wider implications. That said, any list that aims to cover the province is going to naturally exclude stories that were big, but only in certain regions. So […]

Posted on 14 December 2011 and filed under British Columbia, comments

CBC has chosen its top B.C. news story: the Stanley Cup riots. On the surface, this seems like a pretty dismissable choice.  It’s Vancouver-centric. It’s flashy, rather than substantial. It’s just hockey. But think back to when those riots started. Think back to the moment that you realized that the core of B.C.’s biggest city, […]

Posted on 14 December 2011 and filed under British Columbia, CBC

Yesterday, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney announced that burkas and other forms of religious face coverings would be banned during citizenship oaths: From the National Post: “Kenney said the move follows complaints from citizenship judges, MPs and others who’ve participated in citizenship ceremonies who have argued it’s hard to tell whether veiled individuals are actually reciting […]

Posted on 13 December 2011 and filed under articles, Canada, politics

With the recent municipal election (and the not-unexpected low voter turnout), I realized something. Even though I now have a pretty good grasp on city politics, it’s in large part due to the fact that I had to teach myself in order to cover city council meetings as part of my job at CBC. If […]

Posted on 5 December 2011 and filed under articles, politics, Prince George

“The Tweaker” by Malcolm Gladwell → “The point of Meisenzahl and Mokyr’s argument is that this sort of tweaking is essential to progress. James Watt invented the modern steam engine, doubling the efficiency of the engines that had come before. But when the tweakers took over the efficiency of the steam engine swiftly quadrupled. Samuel […]

Posted on 4 December 2011 and filed under ideas

The finances of the Attawapiskat reserve have been placed under third-party control, in part to figure out where $90 million of federal government money went in the last five years. But how much is $90 million anyways? And how much money does the government spend on you?

Posted on 3 December 2011 and filed under articles, Best Of, Canada, comments, Indigenous, main, politics

Summary: Even though the province of B.C. has a branch that can order landlords to repair or upgrade their rental units, it’s up to municipalities to make sure the work gets done. And many cities, including Prince George, have no mechanism to do this. So what are renters supposed to do when they have a […]

Posted on 1 December 2011 and filed under articles, British Columbia, CBC, comments, Prince George

The Black Press is pretty sure you can’t troll them if you have to use Facebook to comment on their stories. Visiting any of their paper’s websites this morning, you will see that comments are closed as they prepare to make the switchover. This affects a number of Black Press-owned publications in northern B.C., including […]

Posted on 1 December 2011 and filed under comments, social media

Bus routes should focus less on where they go and more on how easy they are to understand.

Posted on 30 November 2011 and filed under articles, Best Of, comments, main, Prince George, transit

Yesterday’s Citizen featured an opinion piece by Todd Whitcombe, UNBC science professor and past provincial NDP candidate. It’s behind a paywall, so here’s the portion that I’ll be commenting on: “None of these economic opportunities are going to generate the thousands of jobs that we need in this town in order to prosper and grow. […]

Posted on 29 November 2011 and filed under Best Of, comments, ideas, Prince George

Prince George has a new mayor, and a mix of old and new on city council. As has become customary for election campaigns over the past few years, there were a number of candidates running on the idea of re-connecting with voters, being more accessible and transparent, and having a two-way conversation with citizens. I’m […]

Posted on 21 November 2011 and filed under articles, comments, main, politics, Prince George, social media

Note: This is an informal reflection on the results of last night’s election. Opinions are completely my own, and subject to change. The votes are in, and Prince George has a new mayor and a few new faces on council. From the start, pundits were saying the race between Green and Rogers would be a […]

Posted on 20 November 2011 and filed under comments, Prince George

It’s local government/school board voting day in B.C., and if history tells us anything, it’s that turnout is going to be fairly low– 50% is, perhaps, optimistic. I think this is too bad since in a lot of ways, civic government is the best example of “direct democracy” we have. Unlike federal or provincial elections […]

Posted on 19 November 2011 and filed under Best Of, comments, Prince George

It is snowing out there today, and this morning I got an email telling me that the #91 bus in Prince George was delayed. That means it’s time for me to remind all of you that I created a tool that will email, text or Tweet you all delays and cancellations issued by BC Transit […]

Posted on 17 November 2011 and filed under articles, cities, Prince George, transit