One lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic is that we must permanently adjust how we live with others. In particular, unless we find some foolproof way of verifying vaccination status, the economy, in my opinion, will grind to a halt.
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In our solar system, all but two planets have moons, smaller bodies orbiting around them. Pluto, which used to be called the ninth planet out from the sun, also has a moon.
As my summer listening tour continues around the riding of Central Okanagan Similkameen Nicola, one topic that’s raised often is vaccine passports.
Every strata corporation suffers wear and tear on its capital. To account for that and plan an orderly replacement, each strata needs to have a plan as to the amount projected to be spent on capital replacement each year. In B.C., the Contingency Reserve Fund is intended to fund common expen…
What truly brings us happiness?
“A teenage girl who stabbed a boy to death in downtown Kelowna was sentenced to one day in custody after pleading guilty to manslaughter.”
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Prime Minister Trudeau fails regularly at key tasks of the governance of Canada.
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My wife sent me a text this week, which is not unusual; however, this message had several dates for weddings we have been asked to attend or officiate.
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COVID-19 cases have started surging again, in places like Brazil, India, Indonesia, and the U.S.. Reports blame the rise on anti-vaccine movements, distrust of authorities, misinformation, and government incompetence.
In the Okanagan, Similkameen and Nicola valleys, we have many small family-run farms and small-business operations.
Last week, China celebrated the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party. The occasion was marked by extensive celebrations across the nation and receptions world-wide at its embassies and consulates.
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Trying to look as innocent as possible, I pretended to stretch and yawn, as I scanned the yard to make sure we weren’t being watched or overheard. “OK,” I whispered, “this is our escape plan.”
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Public education must move beyond just including Indigenous symbolism as part of its public image to a point where requirements of Indigenous culture are integrated into the day-to-day organization of what are still Eurocentric assumptions about how to organize public schools.
I’ve always thought the only way one could make a fast slash of cash (legally) was to win the Lotto Max. The recent actions of the government of Kelowna under the direction of city manager Doug Gilchrist and the mayor and council offer hope of an alternate route.
This Sunday is Fathers Day. Fathers throughout the Okanagan will be celebrated, the aroma of sizzling barbecues will drift gently over our neighbourhoods.
The recent approval by Kelowna city council of an application from Stober Group to build a major residential and retail development in South Pandosy close to lakefront illustrates clearly the weaknesses of the planning and development process in Kelowna.
I recently wrote about the importance of character — and that character is King.
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Last Sunday evening, a young man who doesn’t deserve to have a name aimed his black pickup at a family taking their evening walk along a sidewalk in London, Ont.
The discovery of the remains of more than 200 children buried in unmarked graves at the site of the now-closed residential school for Indigenous children in Kamloops is a tragic milestone on Canada’s shameful treatment of native peoples of all ages. The school operated between 1890 and 1969.
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A sunny June has arrived, and graduations are taking place throughout our province. I have a daughter graduating this weekend.
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Something snapped inside me when I heard about 215 bodies, buried in mass graves, on the grounds of the former Kamloops residential school.
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On Tuesday at 1 p.m., I was firmly in front of my computer screen awaiting the anticipated circuit breaker announcement.
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The big picture only hits home when it becomes the small picture. That’s why movie makers show you the big picture — thousands of foot soldiers surging up a hill, for example — and then zoom in to show the tension visible on a single face.
The community of Joe Rich, to the southeast of Kelowna, sits smack dab in the middle of the Mission Creek corridor.
The odds of being struck by lightning are approximately one in 15,500.
Every once in a while a great idea makes its way through City Hall that could change the overly-bureaucratic system in a way that benefits everyone.
I was present at a talk recently given by British Columbia’s Seniors’ Advocate, Isobel Mackenzie. Given all the media focus that seniors in long-term care received during the pandemic, I was anxious to learn what she sees as the major challenges facing seniors in the coming decade.
Sunday is Mother’s Day.
I’m so blessed.
Mothers are a priceless gift.
When I see someone puffing on a cigarette or any similar substance, I’d like to ask them if they’re aware that smoking is just a socially acceptable way of breathing deeply and relaxing.
Wars have been fought since the beginning of time. Blood has been shed for King and country, religious crusades and women; but the war no one ever talks about is the dreaded dandelion invasion.
Over the last four decades, the Canadian banking industry has been undergoing almost continuous and significant change in both the services it provides to their customers and the management of their operations.
Recently Kelowna city council soundly defeated a proposal to build a new 680-home subdivision in the Upper Mission by a vote of 7-2.
We all fall into bouts of depression. We all have moments of sadness that overwhelm us from the inside, and a feeling that we’re alone against the world.
Any government budget is primarily a political document.
To say that as a society, we have a challenge with mental wellness, is to vastly understate the seriousness of a health crisis that is raging out of control.
Even if 80% or more of the population eventually gets vaccinated against COVID-19 and its many variants and we approach so-called “herd immunity,” it does not follow that those not vaccinated will never contract or spread what may be a fatal illness.
Having lived in Kelowna for over 50 years and having had experience as a professional tour director, educator and historian, I wish to share my thoughts, as I will be leaving Kelowna in June to be with my family in my last years.
The World Bank, International Monetary Fund and National Intelligence Council of the United States are all putting out gloomy forecasts for the next two decades. They all see a combination of factors that could pose systemic risks to the world economy.
Many years ago, when our son was still alive but not yet a teenager, our family watched a made-for-TV movie called “The Boy in a Plastic Bubble” starring John Travolta.
It happens to me a lot, as I sit and read, journal, write an article or write my next talk.
An ugly side of human nature that dates back to childhood is envy.
Occasionally, I buy a Saturday edition of a Vancouver paper just to see what is happening in the city where I lived, off and on, for over 20 years.
As we think about the message of Easter, let me share a couple of illustrations that Christians believe about Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday.
When community relations manager Debra Saunders was working on bios for the Summerland Seniors Village newsletter, she spent significant time interviewing Les Johnson, a long-time Summerlander who had recently celebrated a milestone birthday.
What does it feel like, to live in fear? Not the short-term fear, that an oncoming car won’t stop in time. The long-term, constant fear that you, through no fault of your own, are a target for violence. Just because of who you are.
Rejuvenated, renewed, reborn; spring awakens man, beast and even the soil beneath your feet.
I am dreading a possible federal election in the next few months. Why? Well, the choices are not very exciting.
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I grew up on the edge of a sprawling conurbation in Birmingham, England. If I stood on a local hill and gazed to the east, I would see the neon orange lights of endless back streets and factories of the industrial heartland — the pumping heart of a nation.
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This newspaper runs a daily feature, Today in History. It lists significant events that have happened on this particular day, long ago.
