Local Voices

BEPPLE – Women’s hockey in Canada is in need of our support at all levels

May 8, 2019 // 0 Comments

NOW THAT THERE are no Canadian hockey teams in the Stanley Cup finals, it appears that hockey may not be the only sport around. The elimination of the Toronto Maple Leafs [Continue]

GINTA – Spring brings memories of cherished stories from lilac town

May 7, 2019 // 0 Comments

OUR FIRST SPRING in Kamloops, back in 2013, came with a big surprise: lilacs! Everywhere you looked and lots of them, from majestic old trees to wee starter shrubs: We had [Continue]

McQUARRIE – All-talk, no-action complainers always pointing fingers

May 5, 2019 // 1 Comment

LET’S TALK ABOUT WHY really rich people paying for the restoration of the Notre Dame Cathedral might be the best plan going. And while we’re doing that, let’s [Continue]

PETERS – Government delays for retail cannabis more than just a hiccup

May 4, 2019 // 0 Comments

IMAGINE STARTING YOUR OWN BUSINESS. You want to open up a neighbourhood beer and wine store. It’s a highly regulated business, so you go through all the government hoops [Continue]

CHARBONNEAU – Recycling seemed like a good idea at the time but it’s broken

May 3, 2019 // 1 Comment

IT SEEMED like a good idea at the time — throw away stuff guilt-free because others can use it. Now it looks more like wishful thinking. Manufacturers encouraged the scheme [Continue]

BEPPLE – New postage stamp reminds us of the need to protect diversity

May 1, 2019 // 3 Comments

LAST WEDNESDAY, April 24, I was part of a gathering of 200 in Burnaby for the unveiling of a Canada Post stamp commemorating the Vancouver Asahi baseball team. The Asahi [Continue]

IN THE HOUSE – When will construction begin on Trans Mountain pipeline?

April 30, 2019 // 0 Comments

Excerpt from debate in the House of Commons on Monday, April 29, 2019: Jamie Schmale (Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock, ON – Conservative): Mr. Speaker, three years of [Continue]

IN THE LEDGE – ‘Government has done absolutely nothing about gas prices’

April 30, 2019 // 1 Comment

Excerpt from debate during Question Period in the B.C. Legislature on Monday, April 29, 2019: A. Wilkinson: In the two weeks that this Legislature has been in recess, we have [Continue]

GINTA – What is accountability worth these days?

April 29, 2019 // 1 Comment

HERE WE GO AGAIN: like some relentless zombie, the story of the forgotten trash that belongs to Canada but is currently ‘vacationing’ in the Philippines has returned do [Continue]

KNOX – Roger the Marmot speaks to our fondness for animals that live free

April 28, 2019 // 0 Comments

ROGER THE MARMOT is back, and Victoria is relieved. He’s getting up in age, so some fretted that he might not emerge from hibernation this spring. But no, no, there he was [Continue]

PETERS – Decriminalizing drug use can’t make the problem much worse

April 27, 2019 // 0 Comments

THERE ARE TWO PLAUSIBLE EXTREMES when it comes to the legal system’s handling of drug possession. On one extreme is Singapore, which has capital punishment and uses it 70 [Continue]

CHARBONNEAU – Traditional masculinity hinders productivity

April 26, 2019 // 0 Comments

THE QUALITIES THAT MEN NEED in the workplace have changed. A study of 16 professional Canadian men found that traditional male behaviour no longer serves them well. [Continue]

GINTA – In defense of home cooking and family meals

April 23, 2019 // 1 Comment

WE HAD TO ADD A FEW SEATS around the table for dinner Sunday night. The kitchen was a bustling place, as it is when we have family and friends over. There were stories and [Continue]

McQUARRIE – Small-town secrets from of the Republic of Northern Island

April 23, 2019 // 2 Comments

The Republic Of Northern Island– Small towns can have many secrets but this small town, my newly adopted one of Port McNeill, has one of the best-kept secrets going. [Continue]