I met Markku and Leah Kostamo of A Rocha, an international Christian environmental organization, on the set of a television show in Toronto. The show was Context, hosted by the welcoming Lorna Dueck. This show explores the stories behind the news…
The greatest form of poverty is not illness or destitution, but loneliness. (Mother Teresa) Hardly a month goes by when we don’t hear it said that Vancouver is one of the best cities in the world to live in. However,…
Refugee. It’s a seven-letter word that conjures a wide variety of feelings and associations for those who hear it. Try it. Refugee. What do you think or feel? For some, there are feelings of uncertainty. What exactly is a refugee? In what ways are refugees different from…
“I never dreamed it would come to this – if we had only used common sense José wouldn’t have had to seek sanctuary.” So says Karl Keller, the long-time pastor of Walnut Grove Lutheran Church, referring to his parishioner José Figueroa, who…
Trinity Western University’s School of Law proposal has been the subject of considerable debate in recent months, as a wide range of groups and individuals have weighed in on its merits. While we welcome that debate, it has also led…
Last week (September 25), the Vancouver and Burnaby Crisis Pregnancy Centres (CPCs) announced that they would not appeal the court’s decision in a defamation suit they had launched against pro-choice activist Joyce Arthur. These two CPCs, like many across Canada, offer women, couples and…
On Tuesday morning, Nisga’a tribe member and residential school survivor Alex Watts will embark on his most noteworthy canoe journey to date. He will lead the ‘Nisga’a Friend’ in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s All Nations Canoe Gathering. Not only will Alex…
It is surprising to many Canadians that 150,000 Aboriginal children were forced to attend Indian Residential Schools from 1831 to 1996 as part of Canada’s official efforts to assimilate Indigenous people. It is not surprising that many victims did not…
We’re right on the cusp of Reconciliation Week, which is centred around the alienating legacy of Indian Residential Schools. So this is the ideal time for an art show, by an Aboriginal artist, illustrating God’s way of reconciliation. And that’s…
Today, CBC’s The Current replayed an interview between host Anna Maria Tremonti and Vancouver homeless advocate Judy Graves on the day of her retirement, May 29. The interview is moving and informative; you won’t regret spending 23 minutes listening to the…