“We become civilized only by knowing what to refrain from doing.” – Nassim Taleb We have been warned. The Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline will change Canada as we know it; it is a path to a future Canada that will be an undemocratic petro state. That was the message delivered Wednesday (May 30) by award-winning author...

There was a time when we talked about the “two solitudes” in Canada, referring to a divide between French and English Canada.  Although differences still exist between our two founding cultures, they are now more often celebrated than not.   Over the past few years, however, I have seen “two new solitudes” emerge.  Let’s call...

This was published at Foreign Policy. There are some, perhaps many, Syrians who detest their government and are entirely aware of its treasonous nature — yet wish for the demonstrations and the guerrilla actions of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) to stop and for President Bashar al-Assad’s regime to regain control as soon as...

Ahhhh, spring is now, finally, here. It’s a time of year when thoughts turn to love …which makes me giggle now, as I look at my husband. He’s possibly the last guy in the world I ever would have pictured myself with, no matter how carried away I was with Spring Fever, and I am […]

There is one basic, foundational ground on which all politics in Canada must find traction, or not have any effect. This is it. Less than 15% of the people are "political" as part of their daily thinking and activity. They are the few to whom the actions of politicians, and their words and opinions, matter. The rest are not...

On a rainy Tuesday, Vancouverites rallied and marched in solidarity with the Quebec student movement.  Today’s demonstration took place exactly 100 days since the monumental student strike began.  Many speakers, including Margaret Orlowski, lucidly articulated how this movement out of Quebec is relevant across the whole...

The Hunger Games have arrived, a storm of popularity that is selling millions of books and filling movie theatres. Suzanne Collins' dystopian story is about North America in ruin after an unspecified cataclysm leaves the rich in absolute power and the poor as their slaves. The story has a credibility because it extrapolates...

Southern Interior MP Alex Atamanenko added his voice today to the growing calls from his constituents demanding that the Conservative government reverse the cuts to the Community Access Program (CAP) hidden in the federal omnibus Budget Bill C-38 that will affect rural and low-income Canadians.   “CAP used to have more service...

The cover of the May 21 issue of Time magazine caught my attention – it could be the picture of a gorgeous woman breastfeeding her three-year-old that drew my eye, but what really grabbed me was the title Are you Mom enough? I think this question speaks volumes about the amount of pressure today’s society […]

IntegrityBC is calling on the provincial government to appoint a conciliator to try and resolve the escalating disputes in the town of Lillooet over local governance and water management. IntegrityBC's call follows on the heels of the government rejecting the request of 336 residents for an inquiry into town affairs earlier...