Opinion

Tuesday was obviously a proud day for Jamie Benn and his family, but there were plenty more glowing faces when the Dallas Stars captain’s name was announced among the NHL players who will represent Canada at the upcoming Sochi Olympics.

The Canadian junior hockey team led us to a bit of controversy last week, but not because they failed to deliver a gold medal to a hockey-obsessed country.

It was an ordinary transaction. Someone paid some money on account. The clerk recorded the payment and wrote out a receipt. It was April 1, 1911, just another day in a small prairie town.

Jim Coutts died last week and today’s politicians may mourn him. But many of them are determined, apparently, that the old political system he served so well should pass into history as well.

For many coastal communities, B.C. Ferries is the only transportation link. This is markedly different from other areas in the province that have multiple links, such as roads, transit and inland ferry alternatives.

The only New Year's resolution I have ever kept to was the one I made last year: Get healthy, get active - lose weight in process. According to a 2007 study from the University of Bristol, I succeeded where 88% of people fail.

At this time of year, many people reflect on the past, assess their present situations and look forward to shaping brighter futures. What often hampers this vision is a culture distorted by fear and a willingness to believe that we are powerless.

SUSAN MARTINUK Retired politician Bob Rae used the occasion of a friend’s apparent suicide to call on Canada to establish a national suicide-prevention plan.

Victoria residents recently demonstrated again how keen many of them are about birding.

I have learnt so much about Nelson Mandela in the past few months, such as his early years and details of his time in prison.