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Coast newsmakers: where to start?

Past Deadline

Our Year in Review edition is always one of the hardest editions of the year to produce.

That may come as a surprise to many, considering all the work has been done — the photos have been taken, the stories written — but where do you start and where do you end? Those are the tough questions we seem to ask every year when we take a look back.

I guess we are lucky to be able to ask these important questions. Many communities envy the amount of news, community events, arts, entertainment and sports the Sunshine Coast has been a part of and which have shaped our newspaper and ultimately our lives for the past 365 days.

But that doesn’t make the job any easier.

So with that in mind, here are some of my highlights for 2014:

BC Ferries: Again, where to start and where to end? The year began with major protests over fare hikes and route changes and ended just this week with an announcement by ferry brass that the 3.4 per cent fuel surcharge was being lifted. In between, of course, there was lots of discussion about our route, what can be done to improve it. There was a heated meeting and protest when Transportation Minister Todd Stone visited in June and some good news in October when sports teams finally received a break in fares. Once again, BC Ferries was a huge newsmaker in 2014.

Teachers: From the classroom to the picket lines to the negotiating table, B.C. teachers and the fight for education certainly struck a chord for me. The strike, which cut the school year short in June and delayed the start of a new year in September, is still impacting us all as both sides in the bitter dispute try to move forward.

Sechelt Indian Band: From a sombre and touching memorial and film regarding residential schools to land claim issues, the election and swearing-in of a new chief and council and the creation of a new longhouse in Pender Harbour, the news and activity was flowing out of the Sechelt Nation this year.

And it looks to continue in 2015 with the assurance from new Sechelt Mayor Bruce Milne that more needs to be done to continue to build bridges between his council and all the governments and the citizens on the Coast.

Municipal election: And speaking of Milne, November’s municipal election campaign was a fierce and hotly contested battle which saw a new mayor in Sechelt, an incumbent in Gibsons’ Wayne Rowe elected along with three new faces to council, two new faces at the regional district table and very little change at the school board table.

The voting turnout was amazing in Gibsons — ninth highest in the province — and a big increase in Sechelt, too. Residents spoke loudly and clearly for change, and that’s what we got. 2015 will bring with it many interesting stories, I’m sure.

Environmental issues: From logging in our watershed to preserving our forests and trail networks, and fighting against potential LNG and tanker traffic in Howe Sound, there is no question the environment was a top news story this year.

People: And, as always, the people of the Sunshine Coast. Coast Reporter had the privilege to work with amazing people this year. To be invited into their lives and tell their stories was a wonderful experience. 2014 was filled with highs and lows, ups and downs, tragedy and triumph. Enjoy your look back.

Happy New Year to you all. I can’t wait for what is in store for all of us in 2015.