One Man's Opinion
COLLINS: Decriminalization experiment another NDP failed fiasco
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT this week approved the request by the B.C. NDP to recriminalize the use of drugs in public places. The failed BC experiment was doomed from the start. Federal Addictions Minister Ya'ara Saks said, according to several sources, "We know we have to have a balance between public safety and publ...
May 12, 2024
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SOUND OFF: NDP's wildfire response is abandoning communities
IT SEEMS LIKE EVERY YEAR, the wildfire season in British Columbia intensifies, devastating families and communities. This year, wildfires have started unusually early and are already burning across many parts of the province. Despite the long-lasting impacts wildfires have, we have not seen evidence to suggest the NDP ...
May 09, 2024
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One Man's Opinion
COLLINS: Public safety is the Number One issue
THE DRUG CRISIS IS BAD. Shortages of nurses, doctors and teachers are at critically dangerous levels. Affordable housing is on the minds of everyone. But without a doubt, public safety is the Number One issue in Kamloops right now. Look at everything that has been happening over the past few months. People have been ki...
May 09, 2024
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SOUND OFF: Celebrating Child Care Month
MAY MARKS CHILD CARE MONTH in British Columbia, a time to honour and celebrate the invaluable contributions of childcare providers who offer care, connection and education to children in B.C. It's also a reminder that for far too long, access to affordable child care was either overlooked or deemed a luxury. That's why...
May 08, 2024
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One Man's Opinion
COLLINS: Governments need a change of plans to deal with the drug crisis
IT IS HARD TO FIGHT "expert" opinion. With the "truths" of scientific knowledge behind them, the experts can't be wrong. Can they? I don't often agree with the provincial government of David Eby. Too condescending, too arrogant, so full of promises with little substance. But I do believe the governm...
May 05, 2024
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SOUND OFF: Current trends in the Kamloops property market
IN KAMLOOPS, the property market is recovering fast. In February alone, 163 properties got new owners. This is a 4.5 per cent increase from the same time last year and nearly double from December's count of 87 sales. Though this spike in activity signals market health, price trends paint a more complex picture. The med...
May 04, 2024
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SOUND OFF: David Eby must scrap his failed decriminalization experiment
FOR THE LAST 15 MONTHS, the BC United Caucus has relentlessly called on the NDP to scrap their decriminalization experiment, pointing to the rapid increase of open drug use, chaos on the streets, and the devastating number of lives lost. Communities have been forced to grapple with a surge of drug-related activity, wit...
May 02, 2024
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One Man's Opinion
COLLINS: Lansdowne project a nightmare to deal with
WHEN I FIRST SAW THE PLANNED TRAFFIC DETOURS for the big Lansdowne sewer project, I thought, "This is going to be interesting." Some of the blockages and new routes required to get past the construction zone were awkward, and it was pretty easy to see some of the corners were going to be hard to navigate, esp...
May 02, 2024
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SOUND OFF: Feel good about growing food indoors
IT IS EASIER THAN EVER to grow food indoors. Imagine growing tomatoes in the kitchen, strawberries in the living room, bell peppers in the basement, mesclun greens at the office, herbs in the closet, and beets in the classroom year round - all with minimal effort and energy! Indoor gardening and food production technol...
May 01, 2024
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SOUND OFF: B.C.'s new industrial blueprint
AS WE LOOK TOWARD THE FUTURE, it's crucial that we grow our economy and create stable jobs for people while also reducing the impacts of climate change. Our new blueprint for BC's industrial future is called Clean and Competitive. It outlines a pathway to drive investment, create job opportunities, and embrace clean en...
May 01, 2024
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