| Steve's Newspaper Columns
Drilling for Information Sometimes, it’s easy to gaze at the beautiful Lake Okanagan and think there’s more than enough water to go around. But appearances can be deceiving. More Help For Non-Profits It should go without saying that in times of global financial uncertainty, governments should be concerned about fiscal policy. Both how they spend money, and their sources of revenue. How to Make a Difference For many of us here in Kelowna, Christmas is a time of celebration: spending time with friends and family, at the dinner table, and the joy of watching loved ones’ faces as they open gifts. Diversifying Markets As a relatively new Forests Minister, I’ve been actively learning the file and meeting the people that make forestry tick in this province. A Week to Celebrate As you flip through the calendar, you can’t help but notice there are a lot of “recognition weeks.” These are weeks (sometimes days, sometimes months) set up to recognize or raise awareness for special causes and events. A Lasting Legacy Losing a colleague and friend is one of the most difficult experiences a person can go through. There’s just no way to adequately prepare for the sadness and loss. Unsung Heroes If you ask people what makes a hero, one definition you might hear is “someone who saves a life.” That makes sense. Celebrating the Forest for the Trees The calendar is filled with special commemoration days, weeks and months – even years – but I truly believe National Forest Week is something special. And I’m not just saying that as the Minister responsible. Faster, Higher, Stronger - And Smarter Remember high school? Keeping up with subjects like math, social studies and chemistry was essentially your full-time job. Now imagine trying to juggle two full-time jobs at once. Fire Season: We're Not Out of The Woods Yet For Okanagan residents and visitors alike, summer is a time for water sports, barbecues, and hopefully, taking some time off. Unfortunately, summer is also forest fire season. Building Something From Nothing As with any job, there are some roles and responsibilities you enjoy more than others. One role I'm particularly looking forward to is later this month, where I will have the pleasure of honouring a truly iconic Kelowna company. Fight HST's 'Myth'-Information Campaign As HST ballots start to arrive in mailboxes across B.C., there's a lot of information out there – and a lot of misinformation as well. Seeing The Forest For The Trees You've been hearing a lot of information about the HST. The recently announced commitment to reduce the HST to 11 per cent in 2012 and 10 per cent in 2014 and address the impact on families are important steps. A Birthday Worth Celebrating I'm the first to admit, when it comes to government news, I'm hardly unbiased. But BC Parks' centennial celebration is worth acknowledging and celebrating.
The Choice Ahead The process to decide the fate of the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) was announced last week. A decision will be made by the voters of British Columbia and the result will be known in August.
The Importance of Forestry Next week, forestry will be in the spotlight. On April 7th, the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce will hold a luncheon featuring the President and CEO of the Council of Forest industries (COFI), John Allan, as guest speaker. Wild Horses Since 2006, the provincial government has been rounding up abandoned livestock living on Crown land. LETTER TO THE EDITOR Re: Campbell leaves with mixed record – David Bond, February 22, 2011. A New Chapter in Okanagan Health Care We reached a major milestone on February 11th. That was the day that we broke ground on the $47-million East Pandosy Clinical Support Building (CSB) Welcoming the World to Kelowna For the first time ever, the International Children’s Games are being held in Canada. The Wealth of Knowledge Knowledge is power. This is an old saying that has been with us since at least the days of Sir Francis Bacon. And in today’s knowledge economy, these words are as true as they have ever been – except that today, knowledge is also money.
UBCM: A Success for the Okanagan Protecting and Investing in Public Safety. Supporting sustainable transportation Celebrating B.C. Agricultural Products Buy Local During This Holiday Season Addressing Homelessness in Kelowna Building A Sustainable Future For Kelowna Local Healthy Eating Building a Strong Education System Advancing Education Have plans this summer? |
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