New Liberal leader has right stuff

Armchair Mayor column in Kamloops Daily News, March 28, 2009
“Have you met Michael?” Donna Marchand asked me as Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff’s town hall-style meeting was breaking up at Forster’s on Thursday.
I was working my way out of the ballroom when she saw me and came over for a chat. That morning, Ignatieff had paid [...]

Best media lawyer dies at 60

I was shocked, and very  much saddened, to sit down at my email this morning and read a message that Vancouver lawyer Barry Gibson died of a heart attack yesterday. He was 60 years old.
His name won’t be familiar to many people in Kamloops, but among the B.C. newspaper fraternity he was admired and respected [...]

Readers best source of local news

We had a group of school kids in for a tour today, a not unusual occurrence at a newspaper. One of the questions they often ask is, “How do you get the news?”
We get the news in several ways, of course — reporters dig stuff up from their regular “beats,” the City Editor assigns them [...]

If you had any doubt you’re getting older…

Armchair Mayor column published in The Kamloops Daily News,
Saturday, March 14, 2008
I call it, “seniors creep.” That gradual realization that you’re getting older. There are the obvious signs — age spots start showing up, the hair turns colour, and you find yourself renting a cart instead of walking the 18 holes.
But if you didn’t [...]

Seniors symposium offered valuable insights

I spent a very interesting day yesterday moderating a symposium on behalf of the Seniors Information, Referral, and Resources Society. Two topics were discussed: Breaking Down the Barriers to Independent Living, and Advocating for the Competent Vulnerable Victim of Elder Abuse.
SIRRS is developing pilot-project plans in these two areas, and the presenters provided valuable information [...]

Jumping the gun on City budget meeting

Every year before the City holds its mandatory public-input session on the budget, most of the councillors and some of the staff chip in five bucks apiece and organize a pool on how many citizens will show up.
Last night, it was time for the annual dog-and-pony show and, true to tradition, they put their money [...]

Life on the street ‘not recommended’

One of the benefits of working in a downtown newspaper office is that it’s handy to people who want to come in and talk about all manner of things.
We have people with problems, people with causes, people with complaints — the gamut — who drop in to talk. We get folks with gripes about the [...]

‘Celebrity’ reading day was about the kids

Earlier this week I was out at George Hilliard school as a “celebrity” reader along with the likes of Coun. John O’Fee, Terry Sullivan, Ken Christian, Mike Puhallo, Spike Wallace and Bill O’Donovan.
After an assembly with all the kids, we were assigned our classes and off we went. Keith Anderson, one of our Daily News [...]