Opinion

(Phil McLachlan – Western News)

We can’t predict the next wildfire disaster – but we can plan for it

Twenty years ago, there were no national statistics on wildfire evacuations

A motorhome sits amid the burnt debris in the Village of Lytton, B.C. on Friday, July 9, 2021 following a massive wildfire that tore through the town destroying 90 per cent of it. (Jenna Hauck/ Black Press Media)

OPINION: The Village of Lytton turned to ashes in moments

‘We drive by piles of ash and crumbled brick. What used to be there?’ writes Jenna Hauck

In this Feb. 7, 2019 photo, thousands of demonstrators march in the street as they chant anti-government slogans during a protest to demand the resignation of President Jovenel Moise and demanding to know how Petro Caribe funds have been used by the current and past administrations, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Much of the financial support to help Haiti rebuild after the 2010 earthquake comes from Venezuela’s Petro Caribe fund, a 2005 pact that gives suppliers below-market financing for oil and is under the control of the central government. (AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery)

Ben’s Blog: The troubled history of Haiti

History is such an interesting field of study. There are so many…

FILE - In this Sept. 22, 2017, file photo, customers look at iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus phones at an Apple Store in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Apple’s Siri is no longer a woman by default, but is this really a win for feminism?

Users must now choose between two male and two female voices when enabling the voice assistant

FILE - In this Sept. 22, 2017, file photo, customers look at iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus phones at an Apple Store in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Ben’s Blog: Be calm during summer travels

As travel restrictions ease around B.C., Canada and the world, there is…

A map created by the Ministry of Forests shows the activity of the Bea Fire in Beaverdell, B.C. in 1989, including one house in particular (at bottom right) that was nearly completely surrounded by flames. (Ministry of Forests)

COLUMN: Looking back on historic fire that nearly destroyed a B.C. town

Enormous firefighting effort saved Beaverdell from destruction in 1989

A map created by the Ministry of Forests shows the activity of the Bea Fire in Beaverdell, B.C. in 1989, including one house in particular (at bottom right) that was nearly completely surrounded by flames. (Ministry of Forests)
Cat bites can result in infection and can be very dangerous. (File Photo)

Ben’s Blog: Don’t let one bad experience ‘ruin’ things forever

Cat bites can cause infection and result in a lasting dislike of felines

Cat bites can result in infection and can be very dangerous. (File Photo)
GOOGLE

COVID proved that local news is a lifeline. We’re investing in its future

‘Today, local media is as valued as it’s ever been’

  • Jun 24, 2021
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Downtown Williams Lake Business Improvement Area mascots in 2018. (Photo submitted)

Ben’s Blog: Irrational fear

Mascots among the scariest things on earth

Downtown Williams Lake Business Improvement Area mascots in 2018. (Photo submitted)
(Black Press Media File photo)

Ben’s Blog: Ideas from the past can help us in the present

We should take some 450-year-old advice

(Black Press Media File photo)
Smoke from wildfires burning in the U.S. fills the air as the Grouse Mountain tram transports people down the mountain, in North Vancouver, B.C,, on Saturday, September 12, 2020. The World Air Quality Index, a non-profit that tracks air quality from monitoring stations around the world, rated Vancouver’s air quality as the second worst in the world Saturday. Environment Canada has issued a special air quality statement for Metro Vancouver, showing a very high risk to health due to wildfire smoke from Washington and Oregon. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Prepare for the worst: 10 steps to get ready for wildfire smoke

The summer of 2021 has the potential to be worse than any wildfire season before it

Smoke from wildfires burning in the U.S. fills the air as the Grouse Mountain tram transports people down the mountain, in North Vancouver, B.C,, on Saturday, September 12, 2020. The World Air Quality Index, a non-profit that tracks air quality from monitoring stations around the world, rated Vancouver’s air quality as the second worst in the world Saturday. Environment Canada has issued a special air quality statement for Metro Vancouver, showing a very high risk to health due to wildfire smoke from Washington and Oregon. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
(Black Press Media File photo)

Ben’s Blog: Ideas from the past can help us in the present

We should take some 450-year-old advice

(Black Press Media File photo)
In this Sept. 25, 2018 photo, visitors walk near Canada Place, a tourism and convention center in Vancouver, British Columbia. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

OPINION: B.C.’s tourism and hospitality sector desperately needs a restart plan

Pandemic’s trickle-down impact is particularly large and insidious at a local and community level

  • May 18, 2021
In this Sept. 25, 2018 photo, visitors walk near Canada Place, a tourism and convention center in Vancouver, British Columbia. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
Smithers Interior News Editorial

Not just a thank you

Nurses deal with a lot, and much more over the past year, they deserve our support

  • May 13, 2021
Smithers Interior News Editorial
British Columbia Premier John Horgan highlights a paragraph as Finance Minister Selina Robinson tables the budget in a speech in the legislative assembly at the provincial legislature in Victoria, Tuesday, April 20, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito

FINLAYSON: 3 takeaways from the new B.C. budget

‘Perhaps most notable is what’s happened in the labour market since last spring’

  • May 10, 2021
British Columbia Premier John Horgan highlights a paragraph as Finance Minister Selina Robinson tables the budget in a speech in the legislative assembly at the provincial legislature in Victoria, Tuesday, April 20, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito
Medical staff is shown preparing a patient outside a hospital in New Delhi. From the start of the pandemic, there have been 19.9 million cases of COVID-19 reported in India until May 3, 2021. 16.3 million have recovered, and there have been 219,000 deaths. (Photo submitted by Vivek)

Column: Let’s uplift the heroes in India’s battle against COVID-19

India reported over 360,000 infections on Monday, May 3

Medical staff is shown preparing a patient outside a hospital in New Delhi. From the start of the pandemic, there have been 19.9 million cases of COVID-19 reported in India until May 3, 2021. 16.3 million have recovered, and there have been 219,000 deaths. (Photo submitted by Vivek)
Chronicle Editor, Cole Schisler taking part in the ageing senses challenge. (Kara Olson photo)

Schisler: Try actually walking a mile in an elder’s shoes

Workday spent with artificially aged senses a real eye-opener

Chronicle Editor, Cole Schisler taking part in the ageing senses challenge. (Kara Olson photo)
Each year, less than one per cent of the area designated for sustainable timber harvesting by B.C.’s independent chief forester is harvested. (B.C. government photo)

GUEST COLUMN: A strategy for forests that benefits all British Columbians

Industry, union leaders seek balance on old-growth preservation

  • Apr 15, 2021
Each year, less than one per cent of the area designated for sustainable timber harvesting by B.C.’s independent chief forester is harvested. (B.C. government photo)
(Black Press file photo)

FINLAYSON: Where does the money come from? The B.C. government’s top revenue sources

Governments around the world have taken on mountains of debt during the pandemic to support the economy

  • Apr 1, 2021
(Black Press file photo)
A nurse prepares to vaccinate healthcare workers at a COVID-19 drive-thru immunization site in Coquitlam in this image supplied to the media by Fraser Health on March 8, 2021. (Fraser Health)

OPINION: Helping a 97-year-old man get his COVID vaccination appointment

Call centre inundated with 1.7 million calls while there are just 50,000 folks over 90 in B.C.

A nurse prepares to vaccinate healthcare workers at a COVID-19 drive-thru immunization site in Coquitlam in this image supplied to the media by Fraser Health on March 8, 2021. (Fraser Health)