No one wants war.  Likely, most people are relieved that imminent threats of US military interventions against Syria have been postponed.  However, what remains is the question of what to do about the humanitarian crisis which has left over 100,000 people dead and more than one million people seeking refuge in neighboring countries.  How should […]

Dear Editor: We are concerned citizens of Pass Creek, Robson and Raspberry who have united in a campaign to protect Pass Creek watersheds from the negative effects of road building and logging, and to preserve our scenic and wildlife corridor. The Rialto Creek/Ladybird mountain area provides domestic drinking and agricultural...

As a dual citizen, Canadian and Swiss, I have the right to vote in Switzerland’s national referendums. In 2012 there were twelve referendums dealing with issues ranging from animal disease legislation to the application of the state’s gambling revenue earnings. In March of this year the Swiss voted in referendums concerned ...

The way to ruin the American people is to give them everything they want. -- John Steinbeck The nobility of poverty I’m always hearing people extol the virtues of humanity when we are in a dire crisis, whether it is earthquake, flood, fire, famine, tsunami, or war. We are at our best when we have to help each other, because...

Our party is committed to earning back Canada’s respect on the world stage so that we can win back our seat at the Security Council table.  We want to project a bold and ambitious agenda for cooperation, and to build a more compassionate, peaceful and sustainable world. Since that work has already begun, I thought it might ...

Whales have shorter gestation periods. For the third time since the Local Government Elections Task Force tabled its report, the B.C. government has been stricken with a case of cold feet. In 2010, the task force made 31 recommendations to improve local democracy, including: setting campaign spending limits for candidates; ...

It’s so common to see loose dogs that people don’t often think twice about it – start thinking. We have leash laws for the comfort and safety of everyone including our beloved dogs. It seems obvious that dogs with behavioural challenges should be on a leash. You never know how they are going to react in any given circumstances...

A single parent of two boys recently went public in a letter to the editor (Terrace Standard) with a detailed outline of the harsh financial reality facing her due to difficulties in collecting maintenance payments the boys’ father has been ordered to pay. Her reality is not unheard of, and the defaulting parent is not a...

With summer holidays over, and the return to school for many children, memories of our own educational experiences may come to mind.  However, there is a large disconnect between our experiences and memories of what school was like, and the reality of what education in today’s society is all about. Even at the post-secondary...

  “When your only tool is a hammer, you see nails everywhere.” attributed variously to: Mark Twain; Abraham Maslow; an anonymous rabbi. The twentieth century’s mark on the mind Historians of recent history have a rough consensus that the century that closed in 1999 witnessed the tremendous power of totalitarian ideologies –...