Premier Christy Clark scored political points by wearing a Canucks jersey last summer. Photo from The Tyee.

By: Greg Amos, Editor

It’s spring: a time of rebirth and renewal, warm days, and new greenery extending itself skyward. On the other hand, it’s also a time when thousands of British Columbians will stock up on essentials, bid farewell to family life, and descend into dark caves to huddle intently around a glowing box for the next six weeks. That’s right: the NHL playoffs are underway.

The Vancouver Canucks have another good shot this year, and if all goes well, the franchise will earn its first Stanley Cup since joining the league 42 years ago. (As anyone who’s read “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” knows, 42 is an auspicious number.)

If things don’t go so well – if there’s another implosion in the finals – the city may just be reduced to a smoking black hole in the ground. Continue reading →

Dawson Creek mayor Mike Bernier’s steps into the fray of an Occupy protest in Vancouver last fall continue to resonate – now with Finance Minister Kevin Falcon breathing life into the idea of shipping welfare recipients to northeast B.C. to fill industrial job vacancies.

Falcon pitched the idea at a Kamloops Chamber of Commerce meeting yesterday (March 13), revealing a vague plan for the province to work with industry on developing a welfare-to-work program. Continue reading →

By: Greg Amos, Editor

Tumbler Ridge’s booming economy has attracted workers from all over Canada, and with it comes the ongoing conversation about the effect of all the new people living here – and paying taxes somewhere else.

It’s a familiar topic of debate, with many advocating for local employers (i.e. coal mines) to move towards shorter shifts, such as four-on, four-off, that would encourage more people to relocate to Tumbler Ridge, rather than working here and heading home on their days off.

Yes, the high number of out of town employees creates some pressure on Tumbler Ridge and it’s $10-million municipal budget. Sure, our service population is far higher than our official 2011 census population, which is anywhere from 500 to 1,000 people shy of the actual number of bodies staying in Tumbler Ridge each night.

But what about the places all the workers come from? How are those towns dealing with the challenges of a transient demographic – or to put it plainly, losing all their young people for months at a time? Continue reading →

Editor’s note: starting today, the Ridge Blog will post an opinion piece every Saturday.

By: Greg Amos, Editor

The BC Liberals’ hostile approach to dealing with B.C. teachers is an indicator of a government that seems incapable of planning for the long term.

Monday will mark day three of a five-day weekend for local students. It will also be the only chance for teachers to really make anyone notice their absence from the classroom.

That’s because the province’s designation of teachers as an essential service, and the Labour Relations Board’s interpretation of what that means, has resulted in teachers getting a very limited window to make their case. Continue reading →

It’s 12:45 p.m. on November 2, and this site’s hit counter indicates there’s been 997 visitors to the Ridge Blog so far. I expect that will hit 1,000 sometime in the next few minutes. Thanks to all who’ve checked out the new site so far – as my competence in WordPress grows, I’m sure I’ll be able to continue to improve the site in the weeks to come!

I think the healthy web traffic means people in Tumbler Ridge are taking some interest in this election, and are trying to get to know a bit about their local candidates before heading to the poll on November 19.

- Greg

By: Greg Amos

Four months have passed since the official community plan (OCP) roadshow rolled into Tumbler Ridge in late June . Over the course of a few hectic nights, a few (emphasis on few) citizens came out and shared their thoughts about how Tumbler Ridge could improve (such as the people seen in the above photo). At the end of those four days, consultants from Urban Systems came up with a quick sketch of what they were hearing.

They’ve taken those results back to the lab and have now concocted a draft OCP – a document intended to guide the development of Tumbler Ridge for the course of two full council terms. It’s also what defines the Zoning Bylaw, which determines where, for example, a new Tim Horton’s might be allowed to go. It’s the first OCP update since 2005.

From 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. tomorrow night (Thursday, October 27) at the community centre, Urban Systems will unveil a triple-bill of draft versions of new plans: the OCP, Zoning Bylaw and a Downtown Improvement Plan. Everyone who shows up will have a chance to meaningfully affect the outcome. Continue reading →