Op-Ed

 

 

It's time for a new sewage-treatment plan

There has been little in the news lately about the Capital Regional District's proposed plan to build a land-based sewage treatment system.

 
 
 

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The red-paint bombing of several Lower Mainland businesses to draw attention to the practices involved in the fur trade is attention-getting, but ultimately defeats the purpose of the animal-rights activists behind it.
 
 
 

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Politicians of all parties have shown a sense of humour about the painting that portrays a nude Prime Minister Stephen Harper, reclining, being served a hot beverage from Tim Hortons, a dog at his feet.
 
 
 
 
 

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Watch those windows

Around this time of year, we often like to remind readers about the importance of road safety during busy holiday weekends or the importance of campfire safety while out enjoying the wilds of B.C. - seasonal safety issues that can all too often have horrifying consequences.


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Facing the axes

To blame funding cuts for the high-profile poaching of an 800-year-old western red cedar this month is something of a stretch, but the incident nonetheless serves as a metaphor for our government's approach to the environment.


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Road safety comes first

No orderly society is entirely free. Any community that is subject to the rule of law must give up some of its liberty.


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People with disabilities can live full lives

Some able-bodied people seem to not understand that persons with disabilities are people just like them. We all have differences, but at the same time we are all human.


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The joke's nearly over

It's no joke, although the timing may suggest otherwise.


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No simple solutions

The question of what's causing a spate of suicides and suicide attempts among First Nations members of Cowichan Tribes is complex. What should be done is likewise complicated.


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Name that party

The fact that the word "Liberal" is becoming a political liability at the federal level shows just how far the federal party has fallen. B.C. Premier Christy Clark would like her party to change its name. People can't help but associate the B.C. Liberal party with its gasping federal counterpart.


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Ferry subsidy no panacea

Regular ferry travellers have welcomed the news that Victoria has tossed B.C. Ferries an $80-million life ring.


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We need to get the pipeline economics right

Achorus is singing the praises of the oil industry's economic benefit, from the boardrooms of Alberta to the Prime Minister's Office.


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A respect for childhood

Anyone who can still remember being a child - or has a specimen on hand to study - knows that Maurice Sendak was right when he called children complicated and insisted that cruelty and anger were as much part of childhood as playtime.


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Small-claims changes cumbersome, unfair

The provincial government has introduced legislation intended to alter the way in which traffic tickets, small claims and strata disputes are resolved.


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Bridge project requires independent oversight

Last Thursday, Coun. Ben Isitt proposed that Victoria's council appoint an independent oversight monitor to review financial and technical issues with the replacement of the Johnson Street Bridge.


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Ending domestic violence

The B.C. government took a step in the right direction when it invested close to $1 million for the provincial office of domestic violence.


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Closing of visa offices will ultimately cost us

Visa offices at Canadian embassies in Germany, Japan, Iran, Malaysia and Bangladesh were closed this week. Applications to study in Canada now need to be shipped to other countries.


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Iain Hunter

Protests should be about universities

The reports last week about what, despite all evidence to the contrary, was still being called the "tuition dispute" in Quebec made me recall my meeting with Bertrand Russell.