Opinion

You can never accuse Canadian politics of being boring. Monday's night's federal election was full of enough drama, political intrigue, jubilation, history - and, in some cases, horror - to make any Hollywood script writer envious.

The lowest voter turnout since confederation - did I really just read that? Scrolling through my Twitter feed last week, a tweet came up from a magazine I follow that said the last Canadian federal election had the lowest turnout since confederation.

Last year 179 workers lost their lives in work-related accidents in B.C. That number is simply unacceptable. No one should wake up one morning, kiss their loved ones goodbye and go to work and die.

I'll admit that the last thing I wanted to see was another election - especially at the federal level. So when the writ was dropped and an election date set for May 2, I was certainly not dancing in the streets.

When news hit our newsroom two weeks ago about Sechelt resident Vicki Starfire and her alarming run-in with a leg-hold trap while out walking along a trail in West Sechelt, we really couldn't believe that the incident happened.

This week marks the 68th National Volunteer Week in Canada, and it's got me thinking about volunteering: what counts, who does it and why.

The latest draft of the Gospel Rock neighbourhood plan is not meeting with much approval, it seems.

After nearly seven weeks here on the Sunshine Coast, I have settled in and I am starting to feel like an actual resident. After a few logistical struggles, things slowly came together.

The first few weeks of the latest federal election campaign have been relatively uneventful.

Hero - the title can conjure up so many examples and images. For many, a police officer or firefighter, a teacher or a person in authority could be a hero. A sports figure, movie star or musician could be someone's hero.