Opinion General
JONESIE: When it comes to fire, how do you fix stupid?
Oh, what I wanted to do to this guy. Waiting at a light in traffic, I watched him, waited to see if he’d do it and he didn’t disappoint. Smoke billowing out the windows of his SUV, he took one last drag of his cigarillo and casually dropped it, still smoking to the street. It...
STAHN: Penalties govern highway speed, not traffic signs
Last week the provincial government announced it was increasing the speed limit on more than 1,300 kilometres of highway. I’m sure the cry around the province was ‘Yay! I get to drive faster… legally.’ But how much does the posted speed limit really affect driver habits? Transportation Minister Todd Stone said more than 85 per...
HELSTON: Losing the Kin Race Track would be losing part of history
VERNON - While the Vernon courthouse recently celebrated its centennial this year, the even older Kin Race Track is fighting to remain a fixture of the community, despite the crowds that come galloping through the gates every summer. Both are historic facets of the town, yet the City of Vernon and the Regional District of...
PROSKIW: The perks of crime on parade
The Southeast Division of the RCMP unveiled for the press Thursday their latest salvo in the neverending war against gangs in our valley. The confiscated Nissan, complete with performance parts and eye-catching wheels, is being touted as a crime fighting tool, and was revealed to the crowd with a dramatic polish that made me feel I...
ARCHER: Holding government leaders accountable
Government bodies get a bad rap when it comes to spending money, and sometimes the facts prove our tax dollars are not being well spent. But when government officials show us what's in their pockets, it becomes easier for the public to trust their leaders and the decisions they make on behalf of the community....
PROSKIW: Nature should inspire curiosity, not fear
Have you ever been baited into an animal story, something you thought could be interesting or fascinating or even cute and cuddly only to find the creature paid the ultimate price for our ignorance? I hate those stories. I concede the cougar found inside a woman’s home chewing on a dog toy had to be killed. The...
GOG: Interrupted by the wart-like beauty of a baby
I do not pretend to understand persons of the opposite sex any more than I pretend to understand quantum physics or other equally impenetrable mysteries of the universe. And the one thing that baffles me every time is their bizarre behaviour around babies. To a rational observer there is nothing less attractive than a mewling,...
LOEWEN: Welcome home, Marc Emery, you’re just in time
“Marc” your calendar for tomorrow’s date, folks. It’s the day that cannabis-activist and agent provocateur Marc Emery is officially released from an American federal prison and begins a brief purgatory in detention until Canadian and American bureaucrats process the paperwork that will finally see the Canadian citizen returned to his home and native land. By...
PARKER: Saying yes to saying no
My entire life I have strived towards being a Yes Person. You know the kind — the one who bungee jumps off bridges in Portugal without understanding a word of the waiver forms, the one who went scuba diving with unknown species of sharks, the one who took too many drinks from too many strangers...
