“Employees must stop crying before returning to work.” The decal, spotted recently in the washroom of a small-town veterinary clinic alongside the soap dispenser, may be the best mental wellness notice out there. With its echoes of the mandatory hand-washing signs in many workplaces, it addresses the many other reasons beside bodily imperatives that send …
Landowners push back against rail trail plans
ARMSTRONG – The 50-kilometre planned Shuswap North Okanagan rail trail from Sicamous to Armstrong remains contentious, with a conflict between landowners and regional districts over the wording and scope of easements being turned over to the Agricultural Land Commission (ALC). The rail trail is an initiative of the Regional District of the North Okanagan (RDNO), …
Vet urges dairies to be vigilant against HPAI
ABBOTSFORD – The devastation California dairy herds are experiencing from highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has BC dairy producers taking note. There are no reported cases of HPAI-infected dairy or beef cattle in Canada to date, but with borders still open to the free movement of non-lactating animals and BC at the northern end of …
Reminiscences of a honeyed career
CRANBROOK – Those involved in the art of keeping bees often mention a lifelong attraction to the insects. For BC provincial apiculturist Paul van Westendorp, a Grade 3 school trip sparked his interest. “Apparently, it made such an impression on me, I couldn’t stop talking about them for weeks,” van Westendorp told the BC Honey …
Market farm works smarter, not harder
VERNON – Silverstar Veggies, a five-year-old mixed vegetable and herb farm in Vernon, thrives on passion and innovative ideas. A former watersport and adventure sport instructor, owner Eric Feehely began farming in his native Ireland in 2010 before emigrating to BC and working for Hermann and Louise Bruns at Wild Flight Farm in Mara in …
Milk board undertakes review
A public consultation on the powers and duties of the BC Milk Marketing Board is underway as part of a triennial review required by the British Columbia Milk Marketing Board Regulation. The consultation invites comment from stakeholders on whether the board’s powers are “adequate and appropriate” and if there should be any changes or additional …