Opinion

Somebody with thinner skin than me likely would have received his first email like a kick in the teeth: "Dear Ana, Sorry to dampen your enthusiasm. I've had a solar thermal water heater for 25 years, and I built it myself out of old bits and pieces.

It was monsoon season in Squamish, so the record rainfall of October 2003 did not even seem out of the ordinary. At least, not until the water came within a foot of overtopping some of our dikes and many homes were flooded.

Caught between a rock and a rapidly proliferating population of saw-toothed rodents, the District of Squamish (DOS) is facing a decision to deep six a number of "nuisance" beavers. From the West Coast to the Prairies, and all the way to P.E.I.

EDITOR, I would like to reply to some comments made by Mr. Trueman in the Jan. 14 edition of The Chief ("A writer's rebuttal," Letters). I would like to apologize to Mr. Trueman for the incorrect spelling of his name.

In mid-January, three people lost their lives in avalanches in the backcountry of western Canada while a further seven people were caught in an in-bounds avalanche at the Fernie Alpine Resort and survived.

EDITOR, Have you heard of CETA yet? No? Not surprising, given that our federal and provincial governments and corporate leaders are negotiating a "free trade" deal behind closed doors.

The first-ever Howe Sound Women's Centre Online Turtle Toonie Drive is now on in an effort to reach the centre's goal of $10,000. Please consider donating a toonie online through Canada Helps by going to www.canadahelps.org.

We all know that majority rules is one of the most basic tenets of democracy. When an election occurs, or a vote comes up in the House of Commons, the legislature or the council table, the results of the vote determine the outcome.

The provincial New Democrats have claimed they'll be more open and accountable than the Liberals if they win government. But the party's top staffer cast doubt on those claims during last week's New Democrat membership form controversy.

EDITOR, Late last summer my daughter, my sister and I visited my mother's grave in the graveyard on Government Road.We live out of town now and were not able to keep it up nor keep an eye on it.