Opinion

Back in May 2007, having recently graduated from journalism school, my classmates and I scattered throughout Western Canada to take reporting jobs.

The folks at Howe Sound Pulp and Paper (HSPP), the Coast's largest employer, can't seem to catch a break. In recent months, the mill was hampered by the steelworkers' strike, which resulted in the layoff of 175 employees.

Jan. 20 to 26 is national non-smoking week. It's a week for the Canadian Cancer Society B.C.

On Monday Premier Gordon Campbell and Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon unveiled their $14-billion public transit plan to be completed by 2020. The plan calls for $14 billion in investments, including $11.

When it comes to finding money for health care, no one can beat the folks here on the Sunshine Coast. Last year this community rolled up its collective sleeves and pitched in to raise millions of dollars for a new CAT scanner at St. Mary's Hospital.

It's been a fishy week, but instead of reeking, it has the sweet smell of possibility and hope for the future.

As the calendar flips over to another year, many of us make New Year's resolutions. Some involve a commitment an individual makes to a certain project or a habit, often a lifestyle change, such as to lose weight or to stop smoking.

With a federal election likely in the first half of 2008, many candidates are already starting to think about where they're going to find the money to run their campaigns. Maybe it's time for us to think about the system of campaign donations.

First it was Illanaaq, the Inukshuk unveiled in April 2005 as the official logo of the 2010 Vancouver/Whistler Winter Olympic Games. Now this week, the 2010 Olympic committee has unveiled its trio of mascots.

There's a showdown coming on Dec. 17 that could have sleepy little Gibsons looking like the OK Corral on gunfight day.