Elevate your local knowledge
Sign up for the iNFOnews newsletter today!
Opinion General
ARCHER: What will your vote stand for?
Rapper Lil’ Jon’s “Rock the Vote” video is going viral and for good reason. The video, which shows young celebrities turning out to vote in the U.S. midterm elections, demonstrates the significance of voting. Everyone has something they can fight for, and represent with their vote. Our municipal election isn’t on the same scale, but...
HELSTON: Don’t be afraid to call the conservation officer
Residents across the Interior contacted the conservation service over the past year to report wildlife encounters ranging from simple sightings to bizarre and in some cases, tragic extremes. There was a cougar found inside a Vernon home chewing on a squeaky toy, a pack of wolves that killed a woman’s dog in Merritt, aggressive coyotes...
GOG: Sometimes you have to make your own fun
Since we have been enjoying a First Nations summer, I decided to take advantage of the unseasonably clement weather and go for a walk in the woods. How pleasant it would be, I surmised, to admire the fall colours, smell the fresh mountain air, dangle a hand in a babbling stream, and savour the silence...
LOEWEN: 2014 Election: Is any publicity good publicity?
In popular Canadian song, Randy Bachman suggests that “any loving’s good loving.” And in a similar vein, some lone voice in the wilderness came up with the oft-repeated cliché that “any publicity is good publicity.” Now, while there may be some iota of conflicted-truth to the former sentiment – especially if you’re extremely desperate –...
PARKER: What’s the worst result from Pinterest envy?
I never thought I would be the kind of woman to shop for wallpaper. I never thought I would be the kind of woman to lattice my own pie, to have a bath in a tub full of oatmeal, or to use clothes pegs to hang artwork, but I have a Pinterest account and these...
JONESIE: Dayleen is back and she hasn’t changed a bit
Remember Dayleen Van Ryswyk? When last we left her, she was spending a minute counting her votes as an independent candidate in the 2013 provincial election. You may remember she was booted as an NDP candidate for—let’s call them troublesome—remarks she made about First Nations in this country among other identifiable groups that upset her....
ARCHER: Facebook can make or break a politician
It’s no secret that during an election, a candidate's skeletons can be pulled out from the closet and displayed in the light for all to see. It’s happened on all levels of government, and makes a juicy plot twist for Hollywood movies and HBO shows. But it’s hard to think it could happen to you.
HELSTON: A test for distracted driving
My thumbs play hopscotch on the keyboard, darting from letter to space bar, and as they root around for the exclamation point, I fail to notice a dog bounding onto the road. My focus rears up from the text message but it’s too late. Good thing it’s just an obstacle course and the golden retriever...
STAHN: Who’s backing our candidates?
In this day and age, doesn't it seem wrong that we won't know who gave money to political candidates until the election is over? A couple of council candidates have already turned to online fundraising, and these platforms require at least some transparency, but the rest of the candidates are set to keep their backers...
GOG: Choke down this diet advice
The diet police are at it again. For years these irritating busy-bodies have been spouting bossy nonsense about what we should or should not be eating or drinking, but recently their plethora of pronouncements has reached a new level of stupidity which can be summarized thus: Everything you like will kill you. Especially if they...
LOEWEN: Empty suits and the keys to the kingdom
Sinister and serpentine Prime Minister Stephen Harper and our own plucky pedagogue Premier Christy Clark have been the unwitting tutors of their respective federal and provincial electorates for some time now. The lesson they have been teaching us all is: It’s time that an activist electorate rises up to hold them accountable. My thoughts today...
PARKER: Opinions without borders
I have always been very adamant and outspoken about the fact I do not like chardonnay. I tell people, all snotty, “It’s too bland,” “there’s too much oak,” or once, “I can taste the winemaker’s toes.” Of course, these are all lies. I wouldn’t know the taste of oak if I bit a tree. The...
