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Op-Ed

It's time to act on Syria

It would be simplistic to attempt to divide geopolitics into good guys and bad guys. There are moments, though, when right and wrong become clear, when the actions of a government are so egregious that...

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It's not a honey of an idea

How sweet it would be if researchers would stop coming up with zany proposals like banning children under age 17 from buying pop, and focus on something that has a modicum of sense instead. Dr. Robert Lustig of the University of California and two colleagues argue in a report in the journal Nature that sugar is such poison, it should be legislated like alcohol.

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Evidence mounting of a school system in decline

This year is different for Grade 12 students heading for university. Except for English 12 or its equivalent, the Ministry of Education has abandoned provincial examinations in all senior academic courses.

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Don't ignore the voters

Granted, as the old saying goes, even a day in politics is a long time, and pontificating on polls at this point seems premature - but it is nonetheless irresistible.

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Statistics don't tell B.C.'s real health story

A recent editorial quotes a Canadian Institute for Health Information report and argues that the B.C. health system is tops in Canada - and also, that radical changes made by the B.C. Liberal government have been made without harming quality of care.

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Captains should follow a code of conduct

Ever since Francesco Schettino decided to treat a 114,000-tonne cruise ship like a Jet Ski and buzz Isola del Giglio off Tuscany on Friday the 13th, people around the world have been ripping him.

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Ottawa's smoking battle

Under the guise of protecting residents from second-hand smoke indoors and out, Ottawa health officials have proposed a wide-ranging - and potentially expensive - solution to a problem that largely doesn't exist.

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E&N on the cusp of transformative success

When native and municipal leaders came together to protect and acquire the E&N Railway corridor, they understood the complexity of the task at hand.

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Adjusting and succeeding

Yes, it would be nice to have a large employer like the mill back in town. It would be nice to have the workers buying houses and stuff and the company contributing to the tax base. But is that going to happen?

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How Tories cut off a meeting with RCMP

I have a story to tell you. But first allow me to say a few words on one of humanity's finest jewels: democracy.

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Is it time to rethink standardized skills testing?

As February approaches, some students in B.C. are preparing to observe Groundhog Day, and some - Grade 4 and 7 students - are preparing to write the Foundational Skills Assessment test.

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Dual health-care system would work the best

In the real world, I am sorry to say, the cost to public health of the broadening scope of procedures, equipment and services cannot continue to be borne by current funding.

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Tories fiddling with same-sex couples

Recent statements by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Justice Minister Rob Nicholson about the validity of same sex marriage left thousands of same-sex couples who have come to Canada to get married and celebrate their love wondering if they were, in fact, married at all.

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Election ban is outdated

Some laws should be changed because they should never have been made. Others should be changed because they were made at a time when they made sense. But times change.

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Time to limit the spread of payday-loan stores

In contrast to the the editorial "Esquimalt and its cash stores" (Jan. 12), I was disheartened to learn that Esquimalt's council will delay its decision to put a limit on the number of payday loan cash stores in our community.

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Frank discussion is needed

There's no sugar-coating the weighty issue of obesity, yet a new study is urging doctors to do just that, telling them to steer clear of using potentially offensive language with their overweight patients.

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What premiers could do for health care

The premiers are meeting in Victoria next week to talk about health care. Naturally, they are going to talk about money. They will debate whether the Flaherty formula (federal cash transfer increases of six per cent until 2017, and nominal GDP growth thereafter) is fair and realistic. And the premiers will seek to reassure Canadians that medicare is in good hands.

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