Creating the Future We Want*

all the views we care to share

Another variant on a culture of inclusiveness:

Iman — We never met the late David Bowie/David Jones. Just over a decade ago, we did meet his extraordinary wife, Iman. It was clear in the two hours we spent with her that she is a strong, intelligent, sensible person ... and beautiful, inside and out. She (a self-defined "Muslim girl") and Bowie/Jones (an ardent refugee from a London suburb) are unusual and poignant examples of how people of radically different cultures can merge and blend and enhance their surroundings.

 

• • •

  

 

Some years ago, (Sir) Harry Evans quoted for us Lord Northcliffe's incisive comment:

 

“News is something someone wants to suppress.

Everything else is advertising.”

 

Evans repeated that quote at a reception in his honor at the British Embassy in Washington, DC, celebrating the publication of his memoir My Paper Chase in 2009. Harry Evan is simply one of the best reporter/editors we have ever met. If, as do we, you think that authentic, quality journalism is important, read his book. You might also enjoy watching Sir Harry's performance at the reception. It is very informative.

 

There's probably someone out there who would like to suppress something we've presented here, but probably they lack the power or will or sufficient interest to meet Lord Northcliffe's definition. To us, what we publish here does not seem to be advertising, so we will argue for a place between the heaven of journalism and the hell of advertising ... call it neighborly conversation.

Crystal Deth

As we shed our winter clothes and discover that all the bulk wasn't just fabric, it's time to revisit the nutritional fairy tales we've been fed for the almost half a century.

The Guardian has revisited the fat myth. Sugar, they say, is the real enemy of our health, not fat. Researchers at the University of Queensland compare sugar addiction to cocaine addiction.

So, while you're rearranging your wardrobe, consider restocking your pantry. Other than that, have a nice day.

• • •

How British Columbia Became a Fairer Place

In late September, we sat down with Garry Merkel to talk about the Columbia Basin Trust Act ... its history and and what it might mean for our futures. As a founder and creator of the Trust, Garry is a well-placed source for understanding why the Trust Act was passed and the tools it provides to help us shape our communities. He says that the Treaty Act is much more important than most people realize:

The full program about the CBT's history is here or below:

Later we will add the second part of our conversation, about what we might want to do with our future.

• • •

a Celebration Which Includes the Story

of the Origin(al) Deal

Last Tuesday (February 7), the College of the Rockies celebrated its 40th anniversary. At the Aboriginal Gathering Place as part of the celebration, Ktunaxa Storyteller Joe Pierre recounted some of the stories of how our world came to be. One such story includes the deal by which human beings were supported by the animals and plants already living here.

• • •

The Place In Which We Live:

Columbia Commonwealth

Nature, fish, people and other parts of the environment were among the items ignored when the Columbia River Treaty between Canada and the United States was signed in 1964. Power generation and flood control were what mattered.

 

Things have changed. Eileen Delehanty Pearkes has studied and written about the complex ecosystem which is the Columbia River Basin. She has also curated an exhibition on the Columbia River Treaty and its impact on the people and other parts of the environment in the two signatory nations: Canada and the U.S.

 

 

 

Eileen graciously sent us a copy of Treaty Talks: A Journey Up the Columbia River For People and Salmon. It is an excellent way to see and better understand the challenge of the Columbia Commonwealth. We thank Adam Wicks-Arhack for making it available to us.

 

• • •

Our Neighbors

 

Greg Bradley — President, Kimberley Chamber of Commerce

 

Kim McLean — Bavarian Home Hardware

Stan Cuthill — Kimberley Building Supplies

                          
Tara Penner — Pivot Data

 

Grady Pasiechnyk — Wine Works

Minutes with the Mayor

*[Hint: It'll probably require some compromises.]

"The role of council is that of a governance role. It’s not an operational role, and, especially in small communities we sometimes forget this. We’re out in the community talking to people and somebody complains about snow removal or some of the operational things. Of course I’ll look after that and I get a lot of calls. If people don’t like what they hear from staff, I’m the person most often that gets the call. And I know that there are several councilors that talk about all the calls that they get at home and it’s mostly about the operations of the city. Technically speaking, from a council point of view, we’re not and should not be involved in that. It’s really up to staff to manage the day to day operations of the city. ... I’m spending the majority of my time on the things that are going to determine where we are five years from now. "

— Mayor Don McCormick, 13 May, 2016

So, what do you want for Kimberley in five years?

Here's our full conversation with the Mayor.

Mayor Don McCormick

"The future ain't what it used to be," so let's make it something else.

If you prefer, you can listen to this program here.

Earlier editions of our conversations with the Mayor are here.

SPLASH!

SunMine

The largest solar installation in British Columbia officially signed onto the grid on 27 July, 2015. Built on a reclaimed brownfield site of what was once the world’s richest lead and zinc mines, the aptly name SunMine moves Kimberley, BC decisively toward a sustainable future.

The SunMine Now Has a Seven Month Operational History

(Em)Powering us since 27 July, 2015

Congratulations Kimberley!

• • •

"Routes of Change"

Markus Pukonen: Routes of Change

There's much more on Markus' website and on all sorts of social media. You can follow the next 4 1/2 years of his journey there as well. We thank our Kimberley neighbor Randy McLeod of the Canadian Wildlife Federation for introducing us to Markus.

Our full discussion with Marcus is here.

Audio Bits: 

American author and playwrite E.L. Doctorow died in July. We talked with him in 2005 about his novel The March and about the relationship between writers and readers. These are excerpts from that conversation.

Why we do this

During Kimberley's 2011 election campaign, we made an offer to all the mayoral candidates to produce a regular discussion with the Mayor as part of the communication process everyone was talking about. We renewed that offer in 2014. On April 1, 2015, we recorded the first program. Here 'tis (on the right of this page).

 

This project is based on the notion of democratic dialogue, first introduced to us by Cornel West. Respectful discussions between and among the citizens of a community are the central core of a polity's ability to govern itself. That's why we're including some of our neighbors.

 

*—"Attention must be paid" is a line from Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman. In a conversation with Gay Talese in 2006, he pointed out to us the importance of attending to everyday events and the people who inhabit them.