About the Writer

I've had a passion for writing since I was a small child, and have over a decade of experience as both a staff and freelance journalist. I've also always had a keen interest in social and political issues, and have been involved in politics as an activist, as an online activist in both the U.S and Canada, as a federal political candidate twice in 2004 and 2006 at the request of the late Jack Layton, and as the non-partisan constituency office manager for our local NDP MLA.

I own two welding and metal art businesses with my husband Doug, Hell 'N' Back Welding and Amaranth & Rose Handwrought Flowers. Together we also founded and manage a fire, circus and sideshow performance troupe named Circus of Hell. I eat and dance with fire.

We have two daughters and live on a forested acreage near Nampa, Alberta.

You can find me on Facebook and LinkedIn.

Education

B.A. in English Literature, Honours with Distinction, University of Calgary 1999

Journalism Experience

Mile Zero News , Grimshaw, staff reporter, court reporter & columnist, layout
theVAULTmag , Peace River, arts & culture writer
Art of the Peace , Issues 2 - 20, Grande Prairie, arts writer & columnist
Smoky River Express , Falher, staff reporter & columnist, layout
Peace Country Sun , Grande Prairie, agricultural reporter (stringer)

Freelance Journalism (Samples)

Buzzkill, Alberta Views magazine
Slaughterhouse Drive: How Cooperation Could Trump Competition in Alberta's Beef Industry , Alberta Views magazine
Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace: Why We Need Queer Critiques of Gay Marriage , Canadian Dimension magazine

Online Political Activism

ViveleCanada.ca, founder, working with Mel Hurtig
MoveOn.org , San Francisco, email bulletin editor

Political Experience

Constituency Office Manager for Peace River MLA Debbie Jabbour, 2015 - 2016
Federal NDP Candidate, Peace River, 2004 and 2006

Lithium Boom Could Put Northern Alberta Oilfields At the Forefront of the Green Energy Revolution

A little while ago, a meme circulated showing a comparison between a lithium mine and an oilsands operation. The point of the meme was supposed to be that oilsands operations are more environmentally friendly than lithium mines, which produce the lithium necessary for the rechargeable batteries used for electric cars and other "green" products. Like many political memes, however, the images chosen and the point this meme made was mostly fake . The image of the “lithium mine” was actually an open pit copper mine, and the image of the oilsands was an in situ process, much more photogenic than the Fort McMurray oilsands which some people have infamously compared to Tolkein's Mordor . The funny thing is, it also turns out our local oilfields are actually one of the best places in the world to find lithium. Just like natural gas used to be, lithium-rich brine is a waste product of Alberta's oil operations. That means mining lithium in Alberta doesn

Nomination Papers Show Friedt and Paras Share Same Campaign Manager

Since I wrote my first blog on mayoral candidate Jami Paras' failed attempt to get the Peace River Minor Hockey Association to launch legal action against the Town over the borrowing bylaw for the arena, one of the major questions that has emerged is whether or not candidates for council are truly running as independents, or whether there is some kind of voting bloc, coalition or coalitions operating behind the scenes. When I had first asked Paras in our interview about the leaked email whether he had mentioned any other candidates, he had stated he didn't, which was at best only partially true. While he didn't mention anyone by name, he did mention in the leaked email that he had “2-3 other candidates” and was looking for more of the “right people”. The implication seemed to be that if he won he would not be only a single vote on council, and had others who would vote with him. His public note of support for Bryon Schamehorn and Chelsey Friedt, posted to his p

But His Email: Why Did Mayoral Candidate Jami Paras Ask the Minor Hockey Association to Sue Peace River?

Peace River is just as passionate about hockey as you'd expect for a small northern Canadian town. That's why debates over the new multiplex , which is being built in town as we speak, have been raging across local Facebook forums. Some residents want a second ice surface; some wonder why more space wasn't allocated for the arts, or different user groups; some worry about increased taxes to cover the cost of the construction. With the municipal election upon us, the arena has become a bonafide election issue. The candidate who is perhaps the most responsible for stoking the controversy over the arena is mayoral candidate James (Jami) Paras , who has been publicly questioning the design of the new arena since at least 2014 and has suggested the old arena could still be used as a second ice surface . However, in the course of these public conversations about ice, a more important question has emerged. It's a question that deserved a fair hearing at the candida

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