People with chickens, people with bylaws

For publication in The Kamloops Daily News, Saturday, Jan. 31
There are two kinds of people in this world: those who have chickens, and those who have bylaws.
So, as I enjoy planning my chicken coop for spring, I think of my city cousins, and sympathize. They will not know the joy of collecting eggs, watching hens [...]

Chicken flap should be revisited

I’m quite interested in this chicken flap. Mind you, I’d like to see an end to all the puns that writers like to use to prove they’re clever.
One reason I’m interested in this is that I plan to build a chicken coop this spring and house a few chickens. The staff report on the Urban [...]

Red-light runners getting bolder and bolder

A couple of weeks ago, The Daily News published a front-page story on the growing trend of Kamloops drivers to ignore red stop lights. I assigned the story because I see it happening every day, and its getting worse.
I thought the story went a little too easy on the issue. It truly is the case [...]

Federal budget like a shiny new car for Kamloops

Whenever a new provincial or federal budget is announced, I tend to look for things that will directly affect our community. Sure, things like personal tax cuts, renovation grants and such are important, but I’m more interested in drilling into the budget to see what we in Kamloops as a whole might benefit from.
The budget [...]

STV: The good, the bad, the pro and the con

In addition to picking our new B.C. government in May, we’ll be asked if we want to change the way we vote. The Single Transferrable Vote is on the ballot again, and British Columbians will have to try to figure it out, then decide if they want it to replace the system we have.
As a [...]

Blackberry manners a matter of culture

I’ve been spending some quality time today with the instruction manual for my new Blackberry. I don’t understand a word of it.
Apparently, this Blackberry can do amazing things. I wouldn’t know; I’ve never read a cellphone manual I could understand. The very helpful Rogers guy gave me a whirlwind three-minute Blackberry course Friday night when [...]

A tale of two mayors and why open government matters

For publication in The Kamloops Daily News, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2009
This is a new kind of mayor we have.
If Terry Lake was hip hop, Peter Milobar is elevator music. Lake, track shoes; Milobar, comfy slippers. Testosterone vs. Valium. 
Lake used to voice message his phone daily with who he was, where he was, why he couldn’t [...]

Nothing personal, Mayor Milobar

I’ve just finished polishing up my weekly column for tomorrow’s edition of The Daily News; I’ll also post it to this blog. I’ve tentatively headlined it A Tale of Two Mayors And Why Open Government Is Important.
In the column, I criticize Mayor Peter Milobar for his handling of an in-camera City council strategic planning session [...]

A day of strange emotions

I’m wrestling with why I feel a sense of exhilaration on the day an American president is sworn in, when I have felt no such emotion when a new prime minister takes office in Ottawa.
Jealousy is certainly one of the emotions Canadians are feeling today, wishing we could feel one hundredth the excitement over our [...]

Mel on vacation for a few days

Apologies for lack of activity here. I’m vacationing at home until next week. Working on the next chapter of the City Hall series. Mel.