December 22, 2020

Editor: It has come to my attention that a large number of applicants to the recently implemented BC Recovery Benefit have received, in addition to the application confirmation email, a follow-up. . .

December 20, 2020

The Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion Ordinance was passed into law in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh on Nov. 28, providing jail sentences of up to 10 years for Muslim men who . . .

December 16, 2020

The Kamloops Accommodation Association (KAA) may have been doing its job in coming to the defence of a string of motels and hotels that have been the news recently due to criminal and other . . .

December 16, 2020

Editor: With the proposed track modification to accommodate coal trains to switch from CP Rail tracks to CN Rail tracks in Kamloops, some obvious concerns need to be addressed: • Coal trains . . .

December 15, 2020

Last week, a mint condition 1979 O-Pee-Chee Wayne Gretzky rookie card was sold for at auction for a record $1.29 million. Of course, news of the sale has led many people of a certain age to wax . . .

December 15, 2020

Editor: Re: The Dec. 9 story about parking at Royal Inland Hospital (‘RIH nurses cite stress of parking’): Long before the pandemic arrived, I had to frequent Royal Inland Hospital. With the . . .

December 15, 2020

Editor: Why do Canadians continue to tolerate Sen. Lynn Beyak, who contributed to U.S. President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign, who has already been twice suspended, who has belittled . . .

December 13, 2020

Editor: As the tributes roll in following the death of A Way Home executive director Katherine McParland, the loss of this community icon will be felt far beyond our city. Her accomplishments . . .

December 9, 2020

Buying from local stores over the Christmas season has never been as important as it is this year. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many local businesses are struggling and some have already had to . . .

December 9, 2020

Editor: As a retired nurse, I felt compelled to write a letter to the paper in response to the Dec. 2 article about staff being unable to park in the presently under-utilized parkade at Royal . . .

December 8, 2020

Editor: For those who refuse to wear a face mask, I support your right not to wear one, but you also must respect my right not to have you anywhere near me because I wish to remain healthy . . .

December 8, 2020

Editor: The recent death of Gordon Gore is a sad loss for all of us. I first met Gordie many years ago, when he would come to my classroom to give amazing lessons and demonstrations to my . . .

December 7, 2020

It’s cold, dark, and the snow is falling. Your feet are numb and your fingers are like icicles. You need a place to be warm …” So began the talk that Katherine McParland delivered to audiences . . .

December 3, 2020

“There is nothing wrong to participate in a sex party of any kind,” said a source in the European Parliament. “However, such kinds of meetings with many people are illegal under the coronavirus . . .

December 2, 2020

Editor: Why is Canada still attempting to deal with a worldwide pandemic at community levels? I can remember not so many months ago when it was announced that the entire country had only two . . .

December 2, 2020

Editor: With this letter are two photos of a many-decades-old Coopers Kamloops paper shopping bag and the words that appeared on both the front and back. The message on the back gave an . . .

December 2, 2020

Editor: Now, let me get this straight. You see, I am an old-timer who needs help to understand the rules of today’s world. For example, is it really OK that I can break into your home and . . .

December 2, 2020

It is past time the federal government decriminalizes simple possession of hard drugs like cocaine and heroin and, in doing so, begins saving lives. The fact that Kamloops council members support. . .

December 1, 2020

Snow has arrived and along our streets, an array of coloured lights and decorations are on display. COVID-19 has been a thorn in all of our sides for the past 10 months. Through it all, our . . .

November 25, 2020

If we’re all in this together, it would be good to see Premier John Horgan trim the size and the pay of his cabinet. Horgan is set to name his new cabinet this week and making sure that his . . .

November 25, 2020

Editor: I went for a walk with my 10-year-old daughter at the beach by Kamloops Airport. We enjoy this place so much as it is, but on our recent walk, we came upon a remarkable couple and . . .

November 24, 2020

Editor: With the passing of Gordon Gore, Kamloops and the province have lost a very significant advocate and practitioner of science education. As a retired junior science and physics teacher . . .

November 24, 2020

Editor: Recently, I found myself in Royal Inland Hospital and I want to give a shout out to everyone who helped me. From the paramedics to the nurses, surgeons, interns, radiologists, porters, . . .

November 24, 2020

Editor: It is perhaps a sad irony that Gordon Gore passed away at this particular time of great personal and social challenges in our lives. As we all struggle to understand our relationships . . .

November 24, 2020

It would have been easier had Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry simply listed what can proceed, rather than what cannot continue, under her latest health orders concerning the COVID-19 . . .

November 19, 2020

Editor: Recently, I had day surgery at Royal Inland Hospital and, even though I was not looking forward to the visit, I must say how impressed I was throughout the procedure. Doctors Just and . . .

November 18, 2020

All the usual caveats apply: don’t go out and celebrate, don’t let your guard down, it’s still going to be a long haul. This winter will be “hard,” warned Uğur Şahin, co-founder and CEO of . . .

November 17, 2020

One Hong Kong lawmaker, Claudia Mo, said it was “the death-knell of Hong Kong’s democracy fight.” But she was part of it — one of the 15 remaining pro-democracy members of the Legislative Council (. . .

November 17, 2020

Editor: My wife and I recently moved to Westsyde from Batchelor Heights. One of the major perks we were looking forward to was the availability of the Westsyde Pool and Fitness Centre. This . . .

November 14, 2020

Editor: Actually, this is a letter to Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry. Of course, the likelihood of her reading it in Kamloops This Week is nil — exactly the same as if it were sent to. . .

November 13, 2020

Editor: Remembrance Day 2020, like no other, took place successfully at the Battle Street Cenotaph thanks to many organizations and individuals working together. The focus this year was to hold. . .

November 11, 2020

I wonder if Oscar, Oprah, Ozzie and Olga will notice that the man in the wheelchair with the camera is no longer visiting. I wonder if those magnificent ospreys who return every spring to rebuild . . .

November 11, 2020

Editor: The debate about what to do on Halloween went back and forth in my house as my seven-year-old daughter wanted nothing more than to buy a costume and go trick or treating. As a parent, I. . .

November 11, 2020

Editor: I have voiced my opinion regarding mandatory usage of masks in public places to our public health officer, to our minister of health, to our premier and to Kamloops-South Thompson MLA . . .

November 11, 2020

Editor: Now that our provincial election is behind us, I’m hoping a certain promise will be kept. The B.C. NDP promised the people of Kamloops a full-service cancer centre 30 years ago. They . . .

November 11, 2020

Editor: Re: Steve Burke’s letter of Nov. 4 (‘Here is the ultimate time change compromise’), in which he made a suggestion that rather than continuing the biannual tradition of moving the clocks . . .

November 10, 2020

Editor: I recently spent time as a patient in Royal Inland Hospital and had a negative experience about which I want to warn others who may spend time in the facility. I shared a room with . . .

November 10, 2020

Although I can find them stressful, I must admit I love elections. I love watching democracy in action and being reminded the true power lies in the collective choice of voters and not in those . . .

November 10, 2020

The weekend tally of mail-in ballots not only confirmed election night data, but added to the B.C. NDP’s impressive majority in the legislature. Final count has the NDP at 57 seats, the B.C. . . .

November 9, 2020

Editor: Now that our provincial election is behind us, I’m hoping a certain promise will be kept. The B.C. NDP promised the people of Kamloops a full-service cancer centre 30 years ago. They . . .

November 8, 2020

Editor: Nov. 7 was the last day of Canadian Down Syndrome Week, a week we were reminded of in a guest column by Dave Ralph, president of the Thompson Nicola Ups and Downs Society, in the the Nov.. . .

November 4, 2020

Editor: The world might be experiencing a pandemic, but that doesn’t mean life has been put on hold. While every news report is saturated with COVID-19 and “the new normal,” real-life . . .

November 4, 2020

Editor: Re: Tushar Jain’s letter of Oct. 28 (‘Dismayed to see democracy taken for granted’): Jain expressed a common conclusion among voters. The inherent flaws of the first past the post . . .

November 4, 2020

Yes, the sun rose today and the burning star will set again late this afternoon. Your baby cried and your dog waited to be fed and the wind blew. No, life as we know it did not end last night . . .

November 3, 2020

Editor: For the life of me, I cannot figure out the rationale of repairing the Westsyde Pool and Fitness Centre, only to close it down during the pandemic, as is the city’s plan once the Canada . . .

November 3, 2020

School District 73 provides a public education to more than 15,000 students, of whom about 2,800 are of Aboriginal ancestry in the territories of seven bands, or First Nations: Tk’emlúps te . . .

November 3, 2020

Editor: Every six months, we go through the process of adjusting our clocks ahead an hour and behind an hour. Or maybe it’s behind an hour and ahead an hour. I’m confused. And this happens . . .

November 1, 2020

Nov. 1 to Nov. 7 is Canadian Down Syndrome Week. Kamloops resident Dave Ralph is president of the Thompson Nicola Ups and Downs Society and has written the following in advance of the week. The . . .

October 29, 2020

After eight full months of the global pandemic, the pressure to keep the economies open and let the chips (or rather, the elderly) fall where they may is growing strong. The Great Barrington . . .

October 28, 2020

Editor: Re: the Oct. 8 letter from Kamloops lawyer Joe Killoran (‘Head of Kamloops RCMP ‘baselessly attacking Crown counsel and judges’) in which he criticizes Kamloops RCMP Supt. Syd Lecky for . . .

October 28, 2020

Right across Canada, more than ever, we need people of all ages and walks of life to get vaccinated against influenza. The more we reduce the presence of respiratory illness this winter, the . . .

October 28, 2020

Editor: I’m uplifted to see Tk’emlups te Secwépemc Chief Rosanne Casimir taking no guff from the bogus professional protestors harassing staff at the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion worksite on. . .

October 27, 2020

Can the provincial election results be considered with an asterisk (*)? Like the current Major League Baseball season and various labour dispute-shortened sports seasons, might the Oct. 24 . . .

October 27, 2020

Editor: The Kamloops Area Preservation Association wishes to respond to Richard Lodmell’s criticisms in his letter of Oct. 14 (‘More mining hysteria in Kamloops’) regarding the Ajax mine/Peterson. . .

October 27, 2020

Editor: Winter weather has returned and city crews are out and about, doing a good job on the streets for cars. The sidewalks? Not so much. Wheelchair ramps are once again impassable because . . .

October 26, 2020

Editor: It is astounding how low voter turnout is for Kamloops elections, with the exception of those at the federal level. It is estimated turnout in Kamloops-North Thompson in the Oct. 24 . . .

October 25, 2020

It’s the last week of October and the main nursery of new Arctic Ocean sea ice has not yet started to refreeze. That is hardly surprising since 2020 is on course to be the second-warmest year on . . .

October 21, 2020

Editor: I’m a senior. It’s not my planet anymore. I have way less time to live with the consequences of my vote than do my children. We support our children in so many ways. Voting is another. . .

October 21, 2020

We are down to the final few days of the strangest election campaign in memory. Have you learned enough to form a solid opinion as to which candidate will get your vote? Was your decision made . . .

October 20, 2020

I have a 100 per cent, take it to the bank, sure-fire cannot lose election night prediction for you — Kamloops-North Thompson Green candidate Thomas Martin will be incommunicado on the big day. . . .

October 14, 2020

Editor: About five years ago, I had a 45-minute discussion with someone at the City of Kamloops in charge of setting up traffic lights, this being the ones at the intersection of Highway 5A and . . .

October 13, 2020

Did you watch the provincial election leaders’ debate on Tuesday night? If so, did anyone impress you? That performance might sway a voter here or there — and can be used to answer our Question . . .

October 13, 2020

I would like to shed some light on property crime, addiction and mental-health issues in Kamloops and, in particular, the pressure it is putting on the RCMP. These issues are not only negatively . . .

October 13, 2020

Editor: I am writing to express my shock and deep concern over the lack of mask requirements at Royal Inland Hospital. As a patient there, I observe that the hallways are partly filled with . . .

October 13, 2020

Editor: Re: (‘Old Afton/proposed Ajax mine site near Kamloops eyed in water quality worries,’ Oct. 5): The times of hysterical Ajax nonsense are upon us again. This water quality initiative was. . .

October 12, 2020

Tuesday (Oct. 13) is arguably the biggest day of the provincial election campaign as the three leaders of political parties with MLAs in the legislature engage in a debate that will be televised, . . .

October 12, 2020

The quotation is usually given as “Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely,” but Lord Acton’s original remark went on to say: “Great men are almost always bad men.” And so they are. . . .

October 8, 2020

Now is when it gets interesting. The announcement that U.S. President Donald Trump had fallen ill with COVID-19 hardly came as a surprise. His political strategy of playing down the disease . . .

October 8, 2020

Editor: Re: The Sept. 28 KTW article in which Kamloops RCMP Supt. Syd Lecky said prolific property crime offenders are being released by the courts, which are not imposing conditions sought by . . .

October 7, 2020

Editor: In 1961, Saskatchewan, under Tommy Douglas’ CCF/NDP administration, had a health insurance system entitled the Saskatchewan Medical Care Insurance Act. Unfortunately, the province’s . . .

October 7, 2020

Editor: I am wondering why the federal government is waiting to pay out the one-time payment to people with disability tax credits. People with disabilities have bills to pay, too. The . . .

October 6, 2020

Editor: To most people, it probably wasn’t a big deal. From our balcony at Falcon and Oriole in Valleyview, it looked like an eyesore — a trash barrel, garbage strewn about and crows milling . . .