Unemployment is down. Average discretionary income is up. We are buying new cars, and even more luxury cars. Crime is down. And more of us are biking and walking to work and using public transit. Should we crack open the bubbly or hold it yet?

Preparation for the annual Sikh Parade on Saturday, June 20, is an act of piety as people pitch in every way they can.

AT THE O’Brien Pet Foods and Supply store, you will find gecko lizards, goldfish, hamsters, ferrets, budgies and finches, along with all kinds of pet accessories and, of course, pet food. But there is something that isn’t for sale: Princess, the store’s African Grey parrot who endearingly walks up to you and tries to nibble on your shoes, especially if you are a guy.

The Taizé style of worship isn’t limited by age or geography. In churches across the world, members gather once or twice a month to worship God with chants, music, short prayers and silence. At St. John the Divine Anglican Church, they gather on the first Monday of each month for a Taizé service that takes 25 minutes

Though a BC wide program, Better at Home is administered locally by Sea to Sky Community Services Society. It’s anchored by volunteers such as Michelle Leblanc and Karla Hetherington.

These Squamish residents, young as well as old, have proved with their courage and resilience that cancer is not invincible.

Bev and Jens Hansen were standing in the backyard of their Second Ave home when a noxious smell came wafting in the air. Almost immediately they knew what it was—something was burning. It was a familiar smell. A few years ago, their house had caught fire and they knew the smell of something burning—noxious and suffocating.

I will sing the praises of boys to all those who are so dismayed with my Barbie-free family.

As the years went by, we created memories that will last forever in my mind and heart.

I've only been a mother for 18 months, but what an amazingly, exhausting, incredible time it has been.