Opinion

A hand sanitizer dispenser and a sign indicating steps to be taken to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus COVID-19 is seen at an entrance to the Vancouver Convention Centre, in Vancouver, on Saturday, March 14, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

B.C. VIEWS: Effects of COVID-19 pandemic will be long-lasting

A steep drop in tourist visits will hit hard, in particular, Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland and the Okanagan hard

A hand sanitizer dispenser and a sign indicating steps to be taken to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus COVID-19 is seen at an entrance to the Vancouver Convention Centre, in Vancouver, on Saturday, March 14, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
COLUMN: Coronavirus fears are reasonable and even helpful. Just don’t be an idiot.

COLUMN: Coronavirus fears are reasonable and even helpful. Just don’t be an idiot.

Realizing the danger posed by COVID-19 is necessary. But wash your hands with soap, not bleach.

COLUMN: Coronavirus fears are reasonable and even helpful. Just don’t be an idiot.
This undated electron microscope image made available by the U.S. National Institutes of Health in February 2020 shows the Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, yellow, emerging from the surface of cells, blue/pink, cultured in the lab. Also known as 2019-nCoV, the virus causes COVID-19. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-NIAID-RML via AP

B.C. VIEWS: We can’t ignore the little things, lest they grow into a pandemic

COVID-19 can help us prepare for the major pandemic experts say is still to come

This undated electron microscope image made available by the U.S. National Institutes of Health in February 2020 shows the Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, yellow, emerging from the surface of cells, blue/pink, cultured in the lab. Also known as 2019-nCoV, the virus causes COVID-19. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-NIAID-RML via AP
As school districts employ fees that discourage the use of school buses, cities are trying to get more people to use transit.

COLUMN: As cities promote and spend on transit, school districts discourage busing. The result is traffic chaos.

Last week, Coun. Bruce Banman declared the traffic situation around Dr. Thomas…

As school districts employ fees that discourage the use of school buses, cities are trying to get more people to use transit.
Jock Finlayson is executive vice president and chief policy officer of the Business Council of BC. (Submitted)

COLUMN: Higher tax bracket ‘a risky game’ in the 2020 B.C. budget

Jock Finlayson is executive vice president and chief policy officer of the Business Council of BC

  • Mar 1, 2020
Jock Finlayson is executive vice president and chief policy officer of the Business Council of BC. (Submitted)
Rail for the Valley Chilliwack is calling for a low-cost regional passenger rail system.

LETTER: Mayor Braun’s $8 billion transit plan will take too long to complete

‘We deserve better than having to sit in traffic for decades waiting for alternative transit to be built’

  • Feb 28, 2020
Rail for the Valley Chilliwack is calling for a low-cost regional passenger rail system.
Washing your hands frequently and staying home when you’re feeling ill are far more effective than facemasks in controlling the spread of a virus.

EDITORIAL: Fraser Health needs to be transparent to fight coronavirus panic

Fraser Health and other authorities are not helping by being vague in recent communications

  • Feb 26, 2020
Washing your hands frequently and staying home when you’re feeling ill are far more effective than facemasks in controlling the spread of a virus.
COLUMN: Forestry no longer close to top of B.C.’s economy

COLUMN: Forestry no longer close to top of B.C.’s economy

Our reactions to a forestry downturn reflect the past, not the present

COLUMN: Forestry no longer close to top of B.C.’s economy
Protesters stand at a rail blockade in Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, near Belleville, Ont., on Monday Feb. 24, 2020, during a protest in solidarity with Wet’suwet’en Nation hereditary chiefs attempting to halt construction of a natural gas pipeline on their traditional territories. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

B.C. VIEWS: Pipeline dispute highlights need for clarity

As the B.C. treaty process grinds on, uncertainty remains

Protesters stand at a rail blockade in Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, near Belleville, Ont., on Monday Feb. 24, 2020, during a protest in solidarity with Wet’suwet’en Nation hereditary chiefs attempting to halt construction of a natural gas pipeline on their traditional territories. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
COLUMN: March is a great time to be on the slopes, but it’s also the deadliest

COLUMN: March is a great time to be on the slopes, but it’s also the deadliest

Longer, sunnier days are one of the reasons why March has the most avalanche fatalities

  • Feb 21, 2020
COLUMN: March is a great time to be on the slopes, but it’s also the deadliest
COLUMN: Not an expert on First Nations government structures? Then maybe you should calm down

COLUMN: Not an expert on First Nations government structures? Then maybe you should calm down

Consider your knowledge about First Nations governance structures before getting really, really mad

COLUMN: Not an expert on First Nations government structures? Then maybe you should calm down
Hundreds of demonstrators block access to the BC Legislature in Victoria on Feb. 11, 2020 in support of the First Nations hereditary chiefs who are fighting a natural gas pipeline in northern B.C. (Nina Grossman/News Staff)

B.C. VIEWS: Inaction on pipeline protests not a viable response

Columnist Frank Bucholtz on how the Coastal GasLink pipeline dispute got so bad

Hundreds of demonstrators block access to the BC Legislature in Victoria on Feb. 11, 2020 in support of the First Nations hereditary chiefs who are fighting a natural gas pipeline in northern B.C. (Nina Grossman/News Staff)
Jessica Peters is a reporter at the Chilliwack Progress.

COLUMN: Models of care have varied greatly between ICBC and WorkSafe

Fighting to prove serious injuries doesn’t help anybody

Jessica Peters is a reporter at the Chilliwack Progress.
Three major projects have taken centre stage in B.C.: the Coastal GasLink pipeline project (top), the Trans Mountain expansion project (left) and the Site C dam (right). (Black Press Media files)

B.C. VIEWS: The glacial pace of resource development

As delays continue, costs climb and confusion reigns

Three major projects have taken centre stage in B.C.: the Coastal GasLink pipeline project (top), the Trans Mountain expansion project (left) and the Site C dam (right). (Black Press Media files)
An escort leads a convoy down Hemlock Valley Road in the District of Kent on Monday. Up to 500 people were stranded at Sasquatch Mountain Resort when the road became impassable (Emil Anderson Maintenance/Contributed Photo)

LETTER: Treacherous Hemlock Valley Rd. negligence could someday be fatal

Government silence is equal to outrageous indifference, writes Aaron Nielsen

An escort leads a convoy down Hemlock Valley Road in the District of Kent on Monday. Up to 500 people were stranded at Sasquatch Mountain Resort when the road became impassable (Emil Anderson Maintenance/Contributed Photo)
Cannabis buds lay along a drying rack at the CannTrust Niagara Greenhouse Facility in Fenwick, Ont., on Tuesday, June 26, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Tijana Martin

B.C. VIEWS: Cannabis challenges hurt B.C. economy

It’s a mishmash of rules for cannabis sales in B.C.’s municipalities

Cannabis buds lay along a drying rack at the CannTrust Niagara Greenhouse Facility in Fenwick, Ont., on Tuesday, June 26, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Tijana Martin
Andrea Sinclair, president of the BC Parent Advisory Councils. (Submitted)

LETTER: We need to thank those who work in public education

Andrea Sinclair is president of the BC Parent Advisory Councils

  • Jan 29, 2020
Andrea Sinclair, president of the BC Parent Advisory Councils. (Submitted)
COLUMN: Punches are flying in Surrey over ride-hailing, but it’s an uneven match

COLUMN: Punches are flying in Surrey over ride-hailing, but it’s an uneven match

Like other businesses that face internet-based competition, the taxi industry must adapt

COLUMN: Punches are flying in Surrey over ride-hailing, but it’s an uneven match
Passengers wear masks to prevent an outbreak of a new coronavirus in a subway station, in Hong Kong, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020. The first case of coronavirus in Macao was confirmed on Wednesday, according to state broadcaster CCTV. The infected person, a 52-year-old woman, was a traveller from Wuhan. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

B.C. VIEWS: New coronavirus outbreak an important reminder

Walking the line between cautious and alarmist

Passengers wear masks to prevent an outbreak of a new coronavirus in a subway station, in Hong Kong, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020. The first case of coronavirus in Macao was confirmed on Wednesday, according to state broadcaster CCTV. The infected person, a 52-year-old woman, was a traveller from Wuhan. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
COLUMN: Cities should enlist teenagers to clear sidewalks for absentee owners

COLUMN: Cities should enlist teenagers to clear sidewalks for absentee owners

Connecting shovelers with property owners could make cities more walkable after a snow storm

COLUMN: Cities should enlist teenagers to clear sidewalks for absentee owners