Finally, I’m going to talk about actual food (bet you were starting to wonder if THAT was ever going to happen!) One of the problems, for me, is that over the years I’ve stopped measuring ingredients – I just chuck stuff in until it looks right, or smells right, or tastes right, depending on the […]

Dear Readers, This is a message from the aunt of the beautiful girl who was in the fatal April 20 accident in Castlegar. I would like you to read this, and have it in your mind the next time (God forbid) something of this nature happens. Facebook is an amazing site, that can be used […]

I came across an old Cherokee story last night about a grandfather telling his grandson about a battle going on inside of him. It is between two wolves, one that is good and represents kindness, love, and truth, and the other that is evil and stands for resentment, hate, and lies. The little boy, engrossed […]

For a while, I was wondering whether Christy Clark and her supporters realized THEY were in government, not opposition! They all spent much of the Liberals’ half-hour paid advertisement on Global TV Sunday night warning against the evils of deficits and debt: BC NEEDS a balanced budget “for our kids”; BC should NOT leave those...

To begin, and to keep my focus sharpened, I will quote what I set out last column as my goal: “My subject for next column is, can we look to “old-fashioned” mystery-teachings to lead us forward?   Can “return” to pagan or medieval astrology, kabbalah, alchemy or magick, work for us now? Does the East have spiritual truths to...

I’m sorry I didn’t get this posted in time to make Sunday dinner – I’ll aim to post Sunday mornings from now on, but …well, it’s Sunday morning, so don’t watch the clock. Cartoons end when they end, man. The reason for my tardiness is that I couldn’t settle on a recipe – I kept […]

Hmmmm – it looks like the provincial election isn’t going to be the humdrum rubber-stamp we were all expecting for the West Kootenay region. Bill Bennett, MLA and B.C. Minister, was in Castlegar today to acclaim Jim Postnikoff as the BC Liberal candidate – meaning two-term incumbent Katrine Conroy (NDP) won’t be just walking away […]

Like most parents in Canada, I have grieved for Rehtaeh Parsons, the 17-year-old teenager that committed suicide April 7 after being sexually assaulted two years ago. After the assault, she was cyberbullied until her breaking point. As a parent, this terrifies me. I know I am in way over my head. Every parent feels that “kids...

The day I picked up a copy of Stéphane Hessel’s Time for Outrage! at my local bookstore was the day the Royal Bank of Canada’s hiring practices made headlines. There was confusion about what RBC was being accused of. Was it outsourcing? Was it off-shoring? Was it an abuse of the temporary foreign workers’ program? Whatever ...

As we move towards the end of another session of Parliament I always like to reflect on the events of the past year.  Locally my office has continued to assist constituents who run into difficulties with the federal government bureaucracy.  We have been able to help people in obtaining justice from Revenue Canada and Citizenship...