N Bepple
BEPPLE: The politics of pesticides
Soon, Kamloops could have a bylaw banning pesticides outright on lawns and flowers, but allow use on vegetable gardens and fruit trees. Or not. It is still up in the air whether the bylaw will pass or not. Last week, city council debated Coun. Tina Lange’s motion to ban outright the application of pesticides on...
BEPPLE: Divided by the pipeline
There is a divide between rural and urban B.C. On Thursday this week, the directors of the Thompson-Nicola Regional District strongly endorsed the twinning of the Kinder Morgan pipeline through the region. All but four of the 26 directors, who represent 11 municipalities and 10 rural areas, supported the pipeline expansion. The directors supported the...
BEPPLE: The cost of a (mostly) green lawn
Summer is here. The sprinklers are on. The smell of barbequed meat is in the air. The playgrounds are full of kids and their watchful parents. And it’s not even June. The summer in Kamloops is heating up to be great. My biggest worry at this point is how I’ll keep my lawn green. There...
BEPPLE: Cleaning up the climate change mess in Kamloops
We are now in uncharted waters. As a species, we have caused massive changes to the atmosphere. Time will tell of the consequences. Over the last 100 years, we have burned massive amounts of coal, oil and gas. As a result, we have introduced large quantities of carbon dioxide, or CO2, into the atmosphere. The...
BEPPLE: Food trucks key to variety and vibrancy in downtown Kamloops
It doesn't look like Kamloops will become a mecca for food truck cuisine anytime soon. That's how it appears based on the latest policies passed by Kamloops city council.
BEPPLE: Security is in the small things
The fact recent headlines from City Hall were about backyard chickens, drive-thrus and transit fares tells me things are fairly quiet on the municipal front in Kamloops. These are typical day-to-day issues dealt with by all municipalities, but nothing which requires strong leadership one way or another. Whether or not my neighbour has chickens in...
BEPPLE: Traffic problems. What traffic problems?
Kamloops has lots of advantages. Great weather, reasonable house prices, and for the most part almost no traffic problems. Sitting though two red lights is grounds enough to complain in Kamloops. Kamloopsians are not used to being stuck in traffic. Which is probably why with the start of the construction on Overlanders Bridge people have...
Performing arts centre would give Downtown Kamloops more heart
The release of the report on the proposed performing arts centre in Kamloops means the residents of Kamloops must now decide if they want the proposed $90-million facility. The site would include a 1,500-seat theatre, a 300-seat black box facility as well as parking and amenities such as meeting rooms, retail, food and beverages. The...
Freeze on transit funding affects us all
The decision by the provincial government to stop expansion of transit in Kamloops, and across the province, is disappointing. Very disappointing in fact. The decision is short sighted, and ignores the needs of our community. The provincial government won’t be funding an additional 6,000 hours of regular service and 2,500 hours of HandyDART service for...
Canada should be a peacekeeping leader
We are bombarded daily by tales of war and horror in the Middle East. In Syria, Iraq, Egypt, Palestine, Israel and other countries, there are causalities. There is also conflict and strife in other places in the world like Nigeria, Ukraine, and Colombia. Every year, worldwide, about 250,000 people die in armed conflict. Most of...
Kamloops housing will be strong with or without the Ajax mine
Pundits proclaiming the proposed KGHM Ajax Mine will put a damper on real estate in Kamloops are ignoring the latest housing stats for the city. They argue a mine would deter people from living in Kamloops and real estate prices will plunge. Meanwhile, there is ample evidence the proposed mine is not deterring investment. Building...
Sharing our city with deer
People throughout Kamloops have experienced deer in their gardens or when they out walking in parks, in the hills, or along the river. Our city is so large and spread out, it seems that there is space for people and deer to live side by side harmoniously. I hope the harmony continues, because once deer...
Community cooperation brings Kamloops together
In an effort to bring you even more local content and more local voices we’re happy to introduce you to our newest columnist, Nancy Bepple. Nancy is well-known in the community as a former city councillor and is a passionate community advocate. Never scared to let her opinions be heard we look forward to hearing...