Easter Monday in Ireland will mark the centenary of a failed rebellion against British rule in Ireland, while April will see the anniversary of the birth of the great Irish poet Seamus Heaney. Two events that, at least for me, are connected and both are essential facets of how I see myself and my country. … Read more
“Our main story tonight – and I cannot believe I am saying this – is Donald Trump.” Those were the introductory words of Sunday evening Last Week Tonight host John Oliver. On last Sunday’s segment, John Oliver decided that it was time to take on billionaire Republican candidate Donald Trump. As Oliver pointed out, the … Read more
It is three o’clock at night. Your front door is being knocked on heavily. Not completely awake, you come closer to the door. When you open it, the soldier who breaks in tells you to get prepared to leave the house in 15 minutes. You are not aware that these are your last minutes in … Read more
Criticism of the new B.C. budget was provided at the provincial legislature today by the MLA of Stikine, who said the many of the main points of the budget meant little to rural and northern communities. “This is not a budget for rural communities,” Douglas said. “I will be saying ‘No’ to this budget.” In rural … Read more
The requirements people must meet before they can become Canadian citizens, such as English or French proficiency, are to be reduced, according to the Canadian government, in order to make it easier for foreigners to obtain citizenship. Immigration Minister John McCallum said Thursday that the government intended to make changes to the Citizenship Act of Canada: … Read more
The average price of retail diesel has dropped to a record low — under $2 a gallon for the first time in 12 years, and gas is currently around $1.72 a gallon. The prices are tied to a huge supply of diesel and a warmer winter, according to the Energy Information Administration analysit Sean Hill. … Read more
Wal-Mart officials have said that three trucks were shot Sunday night and three more were shot on Monday night while travelling along a stretch of highway in Oklahoma. In addition, one other commercial vehicle — reported to have been a Swift truck — and one personal vehicle were hit over the last two nights. The shooter … Read more
Announced in the B.C. Budget Speech Tuesday, data about real estate buyer nationality will again be collected in the province due to widespread concern about the effects of foreign investment. Such data was collected in the past, but was stopped in 1998. Since that time, house prices have skyrocketed in B.C., particularly in areas in and … Read more
In an effort to deal with “house prices that have been elevated,” the Canadian federal government raised down payments on houses over $500,000. Analysts have questioned whether the new policy will have any meaningful effect on the market at all, while many Canadians say the change only makes it harder for new Canadian home buyers, and … Read more
Home prices are up in Canada, hovering around the record 6-year high point, but this is almost entirely due to trends in two areas: Greater Vancouver primarily and Greater Toronto on a smaller but still significant level, according to market authorities. The Canadian Real Estate Association reported that Canada-wide, the average home price was now … Read more
A phenomenon known as “jingle mail,” where home-owners faced with mortgages they cannot pay mail their keys back to the bank, may be taking place in Alberta’s slumping economy, concerning the Canadian federal government. The name of the game is “strategic default” — where those who have recently bought houses but have not paid for … Read more
Due to the pressure of Canadians who have complained about Richmond’s predominantly-Chinese signs, the city has signed a contract for some signs — those at bus stops — to be predominantly English. “We’ve had the ongoing issue in Richmond about signs on businesses being in Chinese only or predominantly in Chinese, and there’s great concerns … Read more