Visioning Nanaimo

A Journey Towards Community

Category

Opinion/Analysis

Opinions and analyses are the key focuses of Visioning Nanaimo and are posted in original columns written by Don White and riffs/analyses of articles published elsewhere along with the cited item.

Because of WordPress vagaries, posts in both categories are listed on this page and sorted only by date. More usefully, the same items are grouped into the two sub-categories, “Columns by Don White” and “Riffs To Other Viewpoints”, and are accessible from the drop-down menu in the header bar.

Are Your Illegal Drugs Pure? New Zealand Will Check Them for You

NY Times.  Few dispute the many ways the opioid crisis has impacted Canadian (and other) communities in terms of medical and social costs. If anything is demonstrated by our history of street drug use in the past decades, it’s that… Continue Reading →

The rice of the sea: how a tiny grain could change the way humanity eats

The Guardian. No one has spent a half hour on a BC beach without being aware of eelgrass. Consequently, this story from Spain may be highly relevant for BC’s marine aquaculture industry. Yes, there’s good reason to be gun-shy. The… Continue Reading →

Venice’s ban on cruise ships is a vital step towards saving the city from disaster

The Guardian. With a city administration and local Port Authority together touting the rewards possible from expansion of Nanaimo’s cruise ship industry, it is easier to see the recent about-face in Venice’s aspirations as a cautionary tale. It is relevant,… Continue Reading →

Women reach 40 and hit their stride … only to be cruelly shoved aside at work

The Guardian. Not all hierarchies are patriarchies, but it seems the reverse is pretty much the case. All patriarchies rank individuals one above the other according to their relative status, power, or authority – AND their gender. That means in… Continue Reading →

Nanaimo Council Signals A Lane Change

By Don White. Councillor Ben Geselbracht’s motions in the March 29 Nanaimo Council meeting to ask Victoria to defer logging in old growth forests as recommended by their own Old-Growth Strategic Review raised more issues than perhaps he had intended…. Continue Reading →

Ecosystems biologist to tell all about Nanaimo’s painted turtles

Nanaimo News Bulletin. This is where it begins: with a turtle in a local ecosystem. Can we help it if we have a local species that’s been declared endangered? Anyone who has walked the perimeter path of Buttertubs Marsh has… Continue Reading →

‘Salmon Nation’ Is Linking Builders of a Healthy Economy

The Tyee. Andrew Nikiforuk is almost always a good read, and in today’s column he provides a metaphor that we can adapt and use everywhere we want change to happen. “Salmon Nation” fosters local initiatives that promote “regenerative development” in… Continue Reading →

Community has got Britain through the pandemic. How can we create more of it?

The Guardian. There are so many factors vital to and springing from community identified in this article that it represents an item not only to read, but to ponder in the days ahead. In essence, “community” is the antithesis of… Continue Reading →

Conservative Party members vote down resolution to enshrine reality of climate change

Nanaimo News Bulletin. Something to keep in mind during the next federal election. Putting the consequences for O’Toole’s leadership aside, note that the outcome reflects the shrunken world-view of the party membership, itself. As such, it represents the majority perspective… Continue Reading →

We Need Social Science, Not Just Medical Science, to Beat the Pandemic

Scientific American. There are so many crises, local and global, to which we can generalize these lessons. Base responses on tested empirical evidence, not wishful/biased thinking. Favour objectivity over subjectivity, particularly where self-serving options and positions exist. Don’t automatically assume… Continue Reading →

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