“You have two stories, one about a group of Chinese protesters for the independence of Tibet in front of the Vancouver Public Library, the other one about a stolen trash basket in front of the French Cultural Centre. Which one do you pick?” a senior reporter at Radio-Canada once asked me. His answer: “Don’t hesitate, take the story about the trash basket.”

He was kidding, of course, but his little joke summarized what a reporter faces when working in a French environment in Vancouver. I quickly faced issues that I never expected when I started working for Radio-Canada, my previous experience being in print reporting.

At Radio-Canada, the French arm of the national public broadcaster, I’ve found that newsworthiness is often tied to French language proficiency – something which may seem superficial to the majority of the population of Vancouver, but which is crucial to our audience, a small enclave of francophones in an anglophone world. As I’d soon realize, these challenges are compounded when the medium is radio or television.

Being a French reporter in Vancouver is a little bit like being a foreign correspondent. But unlike foreign correspondents, who have a mandate to tell what is going on in a certain country, and to talk to local people for a far-away audience, we have to interview people from the community for the same community. Which often makes things complicated.

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After a week of testimony from 25 different witnesses, the five-person panel made 16 recommendations to the B.C. Ambulance Service, Teck Cominco and the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum resources.

The most important recommendations were aimed at the ministry.

The jury asked the ministry "to amend the Mines Act regulations to meet or exceed the WCB standards with regards to confined space provisions in the Occupational Health and Safety regulations."

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As the coroner's inquest into the Sullivan Mine deaths resumed its fourth day of hearings, the families of the four victims made a joint statement to say that they were generally satisfied with the recommendations made from several experts.

They are now waiting to see those recommendations put into effect. Four hundred and twenty-one days after losing his wife, Kim, George Weitzel said progress is too slow. "We're already marching towards the next tragedy," he said.

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So when four people died on the site last May, five years after the deposits ran dry, Roberts was shocked. "It [Teck Cominco, the mine's owner] has been one of the safest companies to work for," the former miner said. "If there was an accident or a complaint about a safety issue, it would be fixed."

A coroner's inquest into the four deaths has captivated the small town of about 7,000, which sits in the Kootenay Mountains five hours southwest of Calgary, since it began on Monday. For while the mine closed in 2001, even today it's hard to find someone in Kimberley who didn't either work for Sullivan, or know someone who did.

For a town that has made a rapid and successful transition from resource to tourism, the deaths served as a harsh reminder of the industry that made them what they are. And for this week at least, Kimberley, with its lush green golf courses and picturesque Bavarian buildings, is once again a mining town.

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Family and co-workers of four people who died in an underground shed at the decommissioned Sullivan Mine site hope to finally get some answers this week as an inquest into the deaths begins in Kimberley, B.C.

Bob Newcombe, Kim Weitzel and Shawn Currier all died trying to rescue environmental contractor Doug Erickson from a water sampling shed at the mine in May 2006. A mine inspector's report released last October found the accident to be "unprecedented" and largely unpreventable. But the report did not satisfy many close to the victims.

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By doing so, the biggest city in B.C. added its voice to 20 jurisdictions across the province who want to be consulted before being affected by the agreement.

"We're not opposed to TILMA. There could be some good advantages for businesses. But we would like consultation and we would like those issues to be addressed," said NPA Councillor Peter Ladner yesterday, when presenting the motion.

The motion passed yesterday asked the B.C. government to exempt municipalities from TILMA until it consults with local governments on the law's impact, and to address any specific issues unique to Vancouver.

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In a press conference held yesterday, Watershed Watch Salmon Society and North Coast Steelhead Alliance accused the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada of "caving under political pressure" when it extended the sockeye salmon fishery season on the Skeena river in 2006.

According to documents obtained under the federal Access to Information Act, some public servants raised alarms last summer that the DFO's management plan would contribute to overfishing of steelhead and coho salmon. Yet the federal agency didn't change its approach.

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She may be on to something. Consider the fierce competition Brown faces.

Logan Lake is one of 23 communities battling for the right to host the next big landfill for the Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD).

Soon the GVRD hopes to trim the list down to 10. Then the great B.C. rubbish rush really gets rolling.

Small businesses and national corporations have put in bids, most of them enjoying the support of communities eager to welcome garbage trucks. Logan Lake is up against a strong pitch from Cache Creek, as well as proposals from the Fraser Valley, Vancouver Island, Alberta and even California.

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Sierra Legal Defence Fund, on behalf of MiningWatch Canada, is seeking an order from the federal court to stop the Red Chris mine project and involve the public in the environmental assessment process.

Their case is also a test for Section 21 of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (CEAA), which outlines projects that require public consultations. Sierra Legal argues that under the legislation, the Red Chris mine had to be considered as a major project and therefore public consultations should have been allowed.

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Jill Moore and Irvin Leroux approached the Valemont Village council in January, hoping to have a piece of property rezoned for their proposed Shining Mountain Springs bottling plant.

At the time, the two thought their timing was good. The town of about 1400 had recently lost its major employer, a lumber company, and their project could create between 20-60 jobs in the area. What's more, the couple says, their intentions are benevolent.

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