ATAMANENKO: Immigration
New immigrants to Canada face a number of challenges in their lives. While they are adjusting to a new country, a new community and a new culture with new habits, they may also be struggling to find how they can best apply their skills to the Canadian job market. Immigrants with professional credentials from their […]
OP/ED: Confessions of a hopeless technophobe
Since when did ‘Facebook-ing’ become a verb? It’s amazing how quickly we can change or shift our societal lexicon – I was genuinely creeped out and, frankly, slightly offended the first time someone told me he had ‘Googled’ me – now I think nothing of being Googled, Facebooked or Tweeted…or of doing same to others […]
OP/ED: Political correctness gone too far
A strong democracy calls for …. no, demands … that dissenting voices, however objectionable, be heard. I believe it is more important to listen to those with whom we disagree, even fervently disagree, than to take false reassurance from those who confirm our own particular foregone conclusions .Those of us who insist on the value of […]
OP/ED: On the merit of fluff stuff
A friend of mine posted something on Facebook today (yes, alright, I finally broke down last fall and got an FB account – it seemed wrong to continue my technophobe status after opening a web-based media outlet – and now I’ll end up one of the pathetic select seeking help to cope with a Facebook […]
TECH TALK: Be wary when doing taxes via the Internet
While Internet safety is important all of the time, it is particularly so during tax season, so here are a few hints: 1. Be careful clicking on links. The fact that the text from a link says it’s Revenue Canada doesn’t necessarily mean that’s the site I’m pointing you to. If you hold the mouse over […]
ATAMANENKO: Do corporate tax cuts really create jobs?
In 2000, then Liberal Finance Minister Paul Martin cut corporate income tax rates by a quarter, from 28 percent to 21 percent, phased in over five years. The Harper government has continued those cuts from 21 per cent in 2007 to 18 percent today, and is ignoring NDP advice and further reducing corporate taxes 15 […]
COMMENT: The Olympic Slum
As the curtain began to part in constructing the stage for the 2010 Winter Olympics, much of Vancouver began to experience a monumental economic transformation while the Downtown Eastside remained a harsh reality of the city’s social and urban poverty crisis. The significant governmental efforts that had been made to provide temporary shelters for those […]
OP/ED: Budget, Health Watch, Celgar ... it's all related, and we have some choices to make
You can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar – but rip its wings off, and it’ll have to eat anything you feed it. That perspective isn’t entirely incorrect, I suppose, but it’s not a very appealing way of doing business … especially if you’re the fly. Unfortunately, angry, adversarial methods seem […]
OP/ED: Francophonie: Cultural diversity or bigotry?
We are very fortunate to live in a culturally diverse nation, and for the most part, Canadians cling to the multiculturalist ideal. It is understandable that there needs to be restrictions on the accommodation of religious and cultural minorities, such as the prohibition of female genital mutilation and child marriage, but in the case […]
KEEPING IT REAL: Under BC Injustice System, crime DOES pay
Think about it. If you could walk away with more than $32 million and only have to spend 36 months of your life in a federal prison (maybe even minimum security farm), would you do it? That’s almost a take of a million dollars a month … former investment adviser and convicted multiple fraudster Ian Thow […]