This past year has been a difficult one for many Canadians, struggling to find a home they can afford, struggling to pay for their groceries, struggling to access proper health care.  And then on top of that we faced the worst year for climate disasters with widespread fires, floods and droughts. Throughout the year, my […]

By Stuart Phillips, Professor, McMaster University, Ontario Everyone can agree that exercise is healthy. Among its many benefits, exercise improves heart and brain function, aids in controlling weight, slows the effects of aging and helps lower the risks of several chronic diseases.  For too long, though, one way of keeping fit, aerobic exercise, has been […]

“I will be more myself in the next life.”                           —  Matsuko Matumaki This column asks the question: what is a sole person responsible for, and what is a society accountable for?   I’m fascinated by individuals’ “butterfly effect” in religious history. I’m distressed by Canadian society’s collective ignorance for understanding our history.  Crisis as opportunity […]

Strengthening our healthcare system If there’s one thing I’ve heard from people in our community throughout the year, it’s how important our healthcare system is, and what we can do to improve health services. Our government has been working hard to increase the number of people working at all levels of the healthcare system: 3,882 […]

Some readers will already have heard of the Swedish “Say hi” campaign – or, in Swedish, “säg hej.” An article at his link explains the reasoning behind the campaign that encourages people to greet each other, even if they are total strangers.  The idea is to plant seeds of friendliness and to recognize that even […]

To The Editor: Thank you to the Nelson City Council and the Village of Kaslo for passing motions in support of the establishment of hemodialysis treatment at the Kootenay Lake Hospital. We, renal patients, are asking our politicians, West Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital Board, BC Renal, and Interior Health to make it possible for us […]

This week I was thrilled to able to join others in celebrating a significant milestone in the redevelopment of Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital Improved access to healthcare is benefiting individuals throughout the region, thanks to the completion of the Pharmacy and Ambulatory Care project here at KBRH. The new pharmacy is triple the size of the previous […]

Making Sense “The tao that is taught, is not the Tao.” — LaoTzu Does your life “make sense”? Does that question mean anything to you? As an historian, it is my profession to make sense of The Past. For certain, the past that is my life is not exempt from my effort to find meaning […]

Climate change shouldn’t be political. The evidence is there for all to see, and people everywhere are feeling the effects. Government leaders from every nation and ideology have signed agreements to address the crisis, and reputable organizations from the International Energy Agency to the World Bank have analyzed the necessity and benefits of acting quickly. […]

By Susan Srigley, Professor, Nipissing University.  This article first appeared in The Conversation. As a death doula and professor who teaches about dying, I see a need for more conversations about death. A growing number of folks may have heard of the death-positive movement, death cafés or death-friendly communities — each of which are animated by […]