Opinion

The Mount Polley Mine tailings-pond breach is the latest in a string of environmental disasters in B.C.

For years, filling our barbecue propane tanks was a quick and easy task. Take them to the gas station a two-minute drive away, hand them over to the propane-qualified attendant.

Five days into what’s going to be years of investigation, the provincial government is in a no-win position when it comes to dam safety.

While the recommendations of a recent Alberta Ministry of Education task force regarding a five-year re-evaluation and recertification of teachers might seem a bit ham-handed, there are examples in other jurisdictions that might model less-antagonist

Occasionally, we receive letters to the editor in which the writer chastises someone with whom he or she had an unpleasant encounter — bad driver, rude store clerk and so on. Unless such a letter speaks to a larger issue, it is usually set aside.

Here’s a challenge: Let’s have a conversation about K-12 public education in B.C. without using the exceptionally tired and empty phrase “the system is broken” (“Paying parents not a good idea,” editorial, Aug. 2).

The Heritage Department has asked Canadians what historical moment or achievement made them proudest of their country. The top answer? Medicare. Discussions regarding our medical system often take disparaging turns.

A round-up of bike-related ephemera that caught my eye recently. This week: bad crashes, pedal-less bikes, learning with Lego.

When my daughter first arrived from Sudan she had a backpack, a baseball cap and some toys that had been given to her on the plane.

Nature Boy calls it a peri-gee whiz moon, because “gee whiz, doesn’t the moon look big!” That’s not its official name, of course. Neither is it a peri-Cheez Whiz moon, another moniker bandied about the household in recent weeks.