Ontario electricity prices increased twice as fast as the national average over the past decade, and the average Toronto resident now pays $60 more per month than the average Canadian for electricity, finds a new study released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian policy think-tank. “Electricity is a necessity, and Ontario’s high […]

Of all the plastic products we use and take for granted, plastic drinking straws are among the most unnecessary. Designed to be used once and discarded, their only real purpose is to keep your mouth from touching a glass or ice. It made more sense in the days when contaminated vessels were more of an issue. Now, there’s a...

While four of six Tsilhqot’in communities are evacuated due to raging wildfires surrounding  their communities,  Christy Clark’s outgoing Liberal government has granted permits to Taseko Mines to conduct extensive pre-construction exploration and drilling for the New Prosperity  mine proposal in a place precious to the Tsilhqot’in Nation.  Never mind that the federal government has twice […]

Canadian household debt has increased significantly since 1990—but so has the value of household assets, finds a new study released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank. “Despite alarmist headlines, concerns about Canadian household debt levels can be overblown. When looking at debt levels it’s important to consider the degree […]

The headline above notwithstanding, people who suffer sexual assault in our region have many resources and many enlightened people available to help with all aspects of the ordeal and its aftermath.  Trail FAIR is there to help, and Victims’ Assistance.  And I have  no reason to believe that this region’s RCMP  personnel are anything but […]

It’s summertime.  We’re all on holiday, right?  Who wants to think about stuff like governance at this time of year? On the other hand, can we afford to stop thinking about it, given how things are at the highest levels of Canadian politics?    I say we need a fundamental change in the dynamics of […]

Houston, we have a consensus. Well, almost. All three parties in the B.C. legislature now support a ban on corporate and union donations, as well as setting a cap on personal contributions. It's that last one that gets tricky. What's the right cap? Perhaps B.C.'s new government should rip a page out of Alberta's NDP playbook....

Interior Health teams across IH West are working closely with emergency officials from several agencies to respond to the wildfire activity around the communities we serve. Together, we are carefully considering the best options for our patients and staff who are located where significant wildfire activity is ongoing.   Since...

The trouble with demonizing the leader of an unpopular government is that it gives the next leader way too much slack. I remember writing a column years ago comparing the hated Brian Mulroney with Paul Martin (who more or less ran Jean Chretien's government). Who was more destructive to the public interest and progressive...

“Life is hard. Then you die.” We have all heard this. “Life is difficult”, says M. Scott Peck, in the first sentence of his highly-recommended work on the psychology of love, The Road Less Travelled.*  Some wit added the tagline – “then you die.” [ *Listen to the audio book at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysgUYsBoeY0&t=36s]...