Just minutes from the busy Trans Canada highway in Revelstoke BC, there is a beautiful place by the river, that is home to a massive stone memorial for railway workers killed on the job. Revelstoke is a big railway town, steeped in the history of our province, and also the tragedy of workers who have given their lives on the railway. [ read more…]
Throne Speech Fails to Deliver on Affordable Housing
“What I have seen and heard so far in Vancouver has convinced me that this dire state of homelessness in the face of so much wealth indicates that this is still a serious issue that needs continued monitoring by the UN.” [ read more…]
Protect diversity in Canadian media!
Are you one of the many Canadians increasingly concerned about the situation of our country’s media? Media diversity is the cornerstone of democracy, yet in recent years consolidation has left our media in the hands of fewer and fewer big corporations, with ownership (control) among the most concentrated in the industrialized world; the CRTC has advanced consolidation and commercialization while neglecting the public interest and even adopting policy breaking its own legal mandate; insecure and inadequate funding has compromised our public broadcasting, and English CBC now earns most of its revenue from commercial sources. [ read more…]
InSite Takes on Conservatives
VANCOUVER – Last week, in an uncharacteristic move, the Conservative government was forced to bow to public pressure and allow InSite, North America’s first safe injection facility for Intravenous Drug Users, to continue for another 18 months under a special exemption under section 56 of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. [ read more…]
In Washington DC Supporting TroopsHomeFast
WASHINGTON, DC- Over the past 2 days I have had the privilege to be involved in an anti-war hunger strike action, organized by CODEPINK, a major women’s peace group in the US. The action, TroopsHomeFast, has had broad support since it began July 4, calling for the immediate withdrawal of US troops from Iraq. [ read more…]
Calling for Federal Permit Renewal for Successful Safe Injection Facility
North America’s first Safe Injection Site could be in jeopardy. InSite began as a three-year study in September of 2003, and legally operates due to an exemption by Health Canada under Section 56 of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. If the federal Minister of Health, Tony Clement, does not renew this exemption, the facility will shut down as of September 12, 2006. [ read more…]
On MP David Emerson Crossing the Floor
Fifteen days ago, Vancouver-Kingsway voters re-elected David Emerson as their Liberal Member of Parliament. Yesterday, the outgoing Industry Minister declared himself a Conservative MP.
By crossing the floor, Mr. Emerson has set back the cause of democratic reform and betrayed his voters’ trust. [ read more…]