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Editorial – Prepare for the worst, hope for the best

Mac Olsen There have been lots of complaints that winter is lingering, and that it’s time for spring weather. You can see that in the social media posts, including the meme ‘Scr*w it! I’m gardening!’ with a photo of someone…

April 25, 2018 · by Admin2015 ·

The View From Here – Hostile architecture creates an institutionalized hostility towards the homeless

Tom Henihan The term “hostile architecture” applies to the construction or modification of communal urban environments with the sole intention of designing these areas to be un-amenable for the homeless to linger, keep warm or God forbid sleep. Manifestations of…

April 20, 2018 · by Admin2015 ·

Commentary – How to deal with isolation if you live in a rural or remote community

Callie Hermanson There are a lot of great things about living in a rural area. You’re close to nature, you’re removed from the hustle and bustle of the city, and you have space to yourself, but sometimes it can feel…

April 19, 2018 · by Admin2015 ·

Editorial – Humboldt tragedy brings country together

Mac Olsen It was shocking to hear that 12 members of the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team were killed in a collision with a semi-truck transport while en route to Nipawin to play against the Nipawin Hawks in their playoff…

April 18, 2018 · by Admin2015 ·

The View From Here – It is infantile to permit only innocuous questions and to only acknowledge favourable answers

Tom Henihan There was yet another online show of righteous indignation and moral outrage when a recent Aeroplan survey posed questions on immigration, gender roles in society and same-sex marriage. The survey questions were couched as statements such as “Whatever…

April 12, 2018 · by Admin2015 ·

Commentary – Some media should be ashamed

Chris Clegg A few weeks ago, the world did not have a clue what Jean Dolores Schimdt did for a living. Had it not been for a men’s basketball team from Chicago, today we still would not know. Schmidt, better…

April 11, 2018 · by Admin2015 ·

An authentic voice of protest has risen, not from typical protest types but from callow high school students

Tom Henihan, Beginning with the Occupy Wall Street movement, there has been numerous and frequent large-scale public demonstrations and protest in recent years. In spite of their frequency, these calls for social change have an ephemeral existence, rather than social…

April 5, 2018 · by Admin2015 ·

Be careful out there….

Commentary by Joe McWilliams I met a man on the trails the other day who told me he’s been running for 50 years and still finds it thrilling. He started when I was 16, he said. His 66th birthday is…

April 5, 2018 · by Admin2015 ·

It’s time to regulate all social media organizations, globally

Mac Olsen Mark Zuckerberg has a lot to answer for, given that the private company Cambridge Analytica utilized the data of 50 million American Facebook users. This violation of privacy rights by a social media organization confirms that all social…

April 5, 2018 · by Admin2015 ·

The View From Here – Cambridge Analytica and Facebook is a clear example of the guileless user being used

Tom Henihan One who engages in social media, or even owns a cell phone, the notion of privacy is certainly not an absolute; it is at best a question of degree. We think of a violation of privacy as being…

March 30, 2018 · by Admin2015 ·

Commentary – Will the NDP Orange Crush be squeezed out?

Richard Froese Spring is in the air – finally. Fast-forward one year and Alberta will be in election fever. Now with a fixed election period, the campaign for next year is probably already starting as the government uses its majority…

March 29, 2018 · by Admin2015 ·

Editorial – Ban self-driving cars now before more deaths occur

Mac Olsen It was an avoidable tragedy, and the death of a pedestrian at the hands of a self-driving car should sound the alarm bells – and it’s time to ban them worldwide. Last week, there was a report of…

March 28, 2018 · by Admin2015 ·

Letter – Taking issue with ‘Everyone equally poor in socialist Venezuela’ [March 7, 2018 Smoky River Express]

To the Editor: The American capitalism model that some people prefer to socialism is a deeply flawed concept. Socialists would be more successful if it weren’t for the American government and some of its batship crazy billionaires pouring money into…

March 24, 2018 · by Admin2015 ·

The View From Here – In most instances, anything over an ounce of prevention is too much

Tom Henihan The old adage, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” has enjoyed currency since time immemorial and it is still qualifies as sage advice. Looking after one’s self, eating and living well, providing for contingencies…

March 23, 2018 · by Admin2015 ·

Commentary – It is absurd that a man can rule others who cannot rule himself

Tom Henihan In most major countries, there is an absence of strong, inspired leadership, giving rise to relentless conflict and deep fissures in the body politic. Here in Canada, we have a government leader with a new-age messiah complex, whose…

March 22, 2018 · by Admin2015 ·