First United has long been a steady and welcoming presence in the Downtown Eastside for the homeless and poor, first as a church and more recently as a community centre and social service provider. Now First United Community Ministry has…
There have been no dramatic shifts since I posted ‘BC election: NDP has comfortable lead, two groups encourage careful scrutiny’ two weeks ago. The BC NDP remain well in front, though the race has tightened a bit, and those groups…
A professor at UBC has become fully engaged in the American presidential election. Sam Rocha’s day job is associate professor, philosophy of education, but that doesn’t prevent him from maintaining a very active presence on Twitter and writing for a…
Sadly, Pacific Theatre was forced to close Best of Enemies a week early in March due to the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic. The play received a warm media response, with Colin Thomas saying, “The elements that really make Best…
This seems to be a year of almost unlimited government spending. The federal government (as of April 30) announced that its deficit would be $252 billion this year. The government of British Columbia is also spending $5 billion on a…
Think tank outlines $2.5 billion plan for governments, philanthropic foundations and ordinary Canadians. Think tank Cardus has issued a call to action to governments, philanthropic foundations and ordinary Canadians to throw an immediate financial lifeline to Canada’s charitable sector. The federal…
We live in divisive times – conversations across political and cultural gulfs seem tougher than ever. Maybe we can learn something from Pacific Theatre’s new offering, Best of Enemies. Here’s how they describe the play: Civil rights activist Ann Atwater…
The campaign against conversion therapy is gaining momentum, but there is also resistance. Last May, then-Green Party leader Andrew Weaver introduced a bill in the BC Legislature to end the practice of conversion therapy. In December, Canada’s Senate gave first…
The government is asking Canadians their views on safeguards for medical assistance in dying (MAID). Whether Canadians support safeguards or not will have an impact on what the government includes in new legislation on MAID, which is expected very soon.…
Next week I will be taking part in the World Evangelical Alliance General Assembly near Jakarta, Indonesia. I am looking forward to the trip (which will begin with several days in Singapore) for several reasons, not least to answer…