“Dear optimist, pessimist and realist – while you argued, I drank the water.” —- signed, the Opportunist I have quoted a fine example of Nelson wisdom here in past columns. “You create your own reality.” Other gems of the Nelson mindscape: “Everything happens for a reason.” “It must be meant to be.” “It seems […]

One of the major reasons cougar sightings have increased recently is the dramatic decline in the province’s deer population, their traditional prey. Contrary to the pathetic posturing of fish and wildlife staff and organized hunters the ungulate populations in our province are in serious trouble. Although there are a number of reasons the most prominent […]

Readers couldn't agree on whether they wanted bacon or curry for this week's recipe - so I got creative and came up with a simple bacon curry recipe that met with mixed reviews. I would've preferred it with chicken or shrimp, but my son absolutely loved the bacon in it and said this recipe is a keeper. I also wasn't wild about...

The question of whether to abolish or to elect the Senate tends to flare up in the wake of a crass partisan appointment or a flagrant abuse of privilege. That question, however, should not be allowed to negate the question of the Senate’s purpose. We have examples in our history of legislation where, in retrospect, […]

The NDP’s stunning loss in B.C. is being deconstructed, dissected, analyzed and mourned over not only here but across the country. Every pundit and political junkie, including me, thought the NDP would win, even after their lead suddenly dropped. But unfortunately, most of the analysis won’t be very helpful for those individuals and organizations hoping […]

Dear Editor; To the free citizens of Kootenay West, I owe you thanks. From family and friends to the thousands who made their voice clear on the election ballot, thank you. I chose to step forward to represent you and the support I received was amazing. The calls, e-mails and talks on the street were […]

Sorry I'm a day late with this. On long weekends, I always confuse Sunday and Monday (see, TOLD you I was the ADHD poster child!) at any rate, I hope you find this recipe worth the wait! Thanks to Melissa for the original idea, which I tweaked to my family's taste (we like added heat and spice, and I put garlic in almost...

[Editor's note: This piece was posted to the Common Sense Canadian just before Tuesday's election, but in the wake of the surprising results, it's more relevant now than then] Good thing most people don’t listen to the polls. If they did, they just might throw in their cards and give up. The clearest indication yet that...

Well, that was just about the most bizarre election ever. Not on the local front – that came out exactly as expected, with incumbent NDP MLA Katrine Conroy taking a landslide victory with 10,606 votes (or 62.99 per cent of the popular vote), Liberal candidate Jim Postnikoff getting 3,592 votes (21.33 per cent), independent Joseph […]

On his return from an inspection trip to examine the results of the clean-up undertaken by Enbridge following an oil spill in Michigan, a Terrace municipal official was impressed with what he saw and experienced. He cautioned citizens to “dig into [the] facts who Enbridge is” when evaluating their proposal for the Northern ...