From their homes in B.C., Nelson’s war resisters hear echoes of an authoritarian past down south

The Globe is visiting communities across the country to hear from Canadians about the issues affecting their lives, their futures and their votes in this federal election.These days, Fred Rosenberg can’t help noticing the stainless-steel appliances and marble countertops for sale along Nelson’s main strip. The high-end products stand out alongside the independent hardware stores and gift shops hawking hemp clothing, crystals and fulgurite – tiny tubes of sand fossilized by lightning and marketed as a “powerful tool for manifesting dreams.”