The British Columbia Achievement Foundation has acknowledged Kim McLean's contributions to making our lives a bit better:
Kim McLean — Bavarian Home Hardware
Kim solved a serous hardware problem for the city.
e-KNOW
Mostly we learn from one another. If we want to know more about the context we inhabit, there is the occasionally wonderful institution called "news".
In many developed countries, organizations which tell their communities what's happening enjoy special privileges. "News", properly presented, tells us about things that matter to us about which we would otherwise not know. It makes living together possible -- hence the privilege.
Given the general retreat of genuine journalism, we were surprised to watch a new journalistic publication emerge in our own small part of the world:
Ian Cobb is the editor and owner of e-KNOW. As luck would have it, we talked with him near the occasion of e-KNOW's 4th anniversary.
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.
Broadband is Not Enough, But It IS Essential
Before deciding to relocate to Kimberley, we looked at communities on four continents and one large island. Two important criteria in our seach were air quality and internet connectivity. Kimberley's air quality is acceptable, though significantly improved by HEPA filters.
In June, 2009 we were assured by the appropriate authorities that Kimberley had "high-speed" internet service, aka broadband. Our sources believed what they had told us. They had been given inaccurate information. Since moving here, we have become tedious on the absolute necessity of having broadband service available to our community.
With Telus now about to offer service via fibre optics and Columbia Basin Broadband Corporation working to facilitate access to broadband, we thought it time to assess where Kimberley is in the broadband-sphere.
In January we had scheduled a discussion with Johnny Strilaeff, CBT's chief operating officer. We planned to talked about the SunMine but also took the opportunity to discuss CBT's relatively new creation, Columbia Basin Broadband Corporation (CBBC).
Part 1
The other parts of this conversation are here.
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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.
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Elected Representatives
Mayor Don McCormick
Our September edition: The flume's in process; roads are a challenge; Kimberley and Cranbrook
are joined at the bridge; and the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM)meets in
Vancouver and tries to get Victoria's attention.
The earlier editions of conversations with the Mayor are here.
SunMine
The largest solar installation in western Canada 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 is Now Open for Business
27 July, 2015
Congratulations Kimberley! |
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