Regulars Category

There is a reason why “new car smell” holds a place of affection for some people: newness signifies perfection, that moment before something pure and clean and fresh becomes, well, something average. Before the cookie crumbs get between the seats, before the coffee spills in the cup holder, before life turns something ephemerally beautiful into the everyday. But there is a different perspective we could all take. I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately because, as my kids grow into young teenagers, the pressures of life slowly start creepingRead More

by Natalie Bell –  My parents enrolled me in a French immersion school right from the get-go; they wanted me to have a possible advantage later on in life with a second language under my belt, or maybe just wanted someone to translate if we found ourselves in a French-speaking city and they needed to find a restroom. Regardless, it was a gift, and having learned a second language at such a young age made it something that became instinctual, a thread woven through me that would always be there.Read More

by Dan Adair, Island Savings Brentwood Bay –  I can’t recall the last time I used calculus or quadratic functions in my day-to-day life, but I can tell you that I’ve had several conversations about compound interest and mortgages already this week. Granted, I am a financial advisor, but I think most Canadians would agree that financial topics like budgeting and credit come up more frequently in their daily lives than some of the subjects they studied in school. That’s why it’s important to teach our children about money atRead More

by Paula Kully –  I love dogs and I know I’m not alone in this here on the Saanich Peninsula. No matter where you go, you will find people and their fur friends out and about. People love their pets and go to great lengths to keep them happy and healthy. This includes training. We are fortunate to have one of the top dog handlers on the Island right here in North Sannich. Julie Carter, Head Instructor and Owner of West Coast Canine Academy, is a three-time Regional Agility ChampionRead More

Owner / Publisher Sue Hodgson Chats with Sam Gillan – Kennedy, Individual Learning Centre (ILC) & Continuing Education Student, and Wendy Walker, Principal, Continuing Education & ILC. Can you tell us a bit about how your life changed when you had a child? When I had my first child in 2014, my life changed drastically; I struggled a lot with not only being a first-time mom but also the fact that I had lost a lot of friends. I never felt like I fit in because I was “the 18-year-old with aRead More