Opinion

In today’s world, and especially for those of us enjoying the blessings of life in Canada or other developed nations, food can hardly be considered a scarce commodity.

To say I am disappointed and dismayed with the commentary in the recent Times Colonist article is an understatement (“Battling a behemoth from within,” July 6).

Environment Minister Mary Polak has spoken on the sewage issue, again. While there may be various interpretations of certain elements of her letter to the Capital Regional District, four things are clear.

Canadians spend a great deal on food, more than $100 billion per year. However, we spend much less than we used to, relatively speaking. Each Canadian spends $2,700 on average on food annually, one of the lowest amounts on earth.

Don’t be alarmed by the recent report that says scorching temperatures and rising sea levels are going to cost many billions of dollars if companies don’t take more action to stop global warming. It won’t be that bad.

I was caught in the fringes of a cyclist-on-driver rage last week. The incident that sparked it seemed pretty minor. Three cyclists (including me) were riding on the right-hand edge of a lane, between a straight-through lane and a turning lane.

When the rock band Queen performed in Vancouver last week, one of the stars of the show was guitarist Brian May. There he was: big hair, a true rock god.

We have reached a strange pass in Canada, when “it might be constitutional” is becoming a standard defence of government policies. We have seen a proposed prostitution law carefully crafted to thread its way — maybe — through perceived loopholes.

Canada is often heralded as a great country. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Quality of Life Index ranked us No. 2 in 2011, and then in 2013 the Better Life Index ranked us at No. 3.

The first week in July provides the opportunity for bi-national families to enjoy two celebrations: Canada Day and Independence Day. But the U.S.