Daniel Francis: Becoming Vancouver: A History (Harbour Publishing, 2021) I should have written this long ago – but fortunately everything in this book is old news anyway. And they say you can learn from history. For example, it may soon…
With all the attention being paid to Chinese interference in Canada’s political process, this is a good time to remember that just over 100 years ago the influence flowed both ways. A new book focuses on Chinese political history in…
Jenny Shantz spends her days with youth and their families in East Vancouver who have been impacted by intergenerational trauma, “nurturing hope, belonging and growth.” She sent this message to supporters of Inner Hope Youth Ministries April 4. Last month,…
An autonomous car is driving along a two-lane road. Approaching rapidly in the opposite direction is a semi transport. To the right are an elderly couple walking leisurely. Suddenly, two children chasing a ball run out in front of the…
This is my second round-up of 2024, covering 11 newly published books from the local Christian community. Again there is a range of topics. The write-ups are generally from Amazon and publisher / author sites. I often begin with academic…
On Good Friday, President Joe Biden issued a proclamation honouring “the extraordinary courage and contributions of transgender Americans” for the Transgender Day of Visibility on March 31, which was also Easter Sunday. Negative reaction was swift. Republican Speaker of the…
The Liberal government introduced Bill C-63 to enact the Online Harms Act February 26. A CBC News article stated: The federal government introduced late last month its long-awaited Online Harms Bill, which proposes to police seven categories of harmful content…
Many conservative politicians in Canada and the United States have long championed what they term as ‘tough on crime’ policies. This approach, characterized by more police, harsher punishment and greater incarceration (including discredited mandatory minimum penalties) has been criticized for…
In late December of 2023 our family was visiting my wife Sakiko’s family at their home in Osaka, Japan. My mother-in-law took us out to dinner at one of her favourite restaurants – Pusan, a Korean restaurant. We all had…
Ron Reed is back, finally having the opportunity to direct a play that Covid prevented him from presenting during his final year with Pacific Theatre. The Trip to Bountiful will run from March 22 to April 14 at the Jericho Arts…