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The biggest challenge most of us have with mental health days is choosing when to take them and then wrestling with the resulting guilt. If arranged in advance to avoid disruption to your team and clients, a mental health day -- taken once every quarter -- is not going to stall your career. It could actually energize it.

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Prospective homebuyers face a growing list of challenges -- from skyrocketing prices in Vancouver and Toronto, to soft conditions in Alberta, to another round of mortgage rule changes. But there are some good reasons 2017 is still a good year to buy a home in Canada.

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If we go a little deeper and break down the components of this speech, we can see that it's the STRUCTURE of this speech that allows it to flow so well, that connects with the audience, and that leaves its audience with a clear call-to-action, and a sense of hope over the mostly bleak picture that she paints.

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New Year's often brings about resolutions to lose weight, eat healthy, or spend more time with family. But for new parents, those resolutions may not hit the mark. New parents are tired, overwhelmed, and may feel isolated. These resolutions are perfect for families, whether your bundle of joy arrived before the ball dropped, or is coming your way sometime in 2017.

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I don't want to dwell on the past or on my divorce. I only want to look ahead. I'm grateful that things worked out as they did, even though it's been hard. I hope my kids will be resilient because of this. I hope they will realize how strong they are. How lucky they still are to have two parents who love them very much, even if their parents no longer love one another.

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Being clean and smelling great should never mean using manufactured, toxic substances that you will inhale and absorb. If you insist on wearing a scent or scenting a space, please consider these ways to smell fresh while going fragrance-free.

UNICEF

Early childhood provides an opportunity to offer nutrition, protection and the stimulation that comes with play to vulnerable children. But far too many children in the world are denied the right to adequate nutrition, protection and the stimulation that comes from talk, play and responsive attention from caregivers.

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If you are anything like me, (and you probably are because I read like one article on the success rate of New Year's resolutions and it was very dismal, like don't even bother reading the research because I think we all know in our hearts what it says and it's just going to make you feel worse) then join me in participating in these "Easily Attainable and totally realistic New Year's resolutions for People who already fucked up but still want something to brag about on Social Media!"

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Sparking such dialogue on a range of topics including more intricate and positive aspects of sexuality -- gender, sexual diversity, knowing your body, consent, respect, open communication, pleasure, mutuality, and the feeling of being loved, to name a few -- may not only be important in lowering sexual risk but also maximizing sexual rewards.

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This year is Canada's 150th birthday, and Justin Trudeau does not want you to forget it. Actually, he's counting on you to never, ever forget. Instead of focusing on the economy, or health care initiatives, or explanations for ongoing scandals, we are about to be inundated with Canadiana. Harper lost the election, but he passed the sesquicentennial baton to a new prime minister all too willing to use the celebration as part of his arsenal of image, branding and photo ops.

Joshua M. Ferguson.

We need each other. We need these connections to survive and we need to talk about mental illness to share light and hope. We need to stop stigmatizing mental illness. We need to survive mental illness. You need to survive it. You have to keep moving. Keep fighting. Keep dreaming.

CP

Winter has come to Mayor Gregor Robertson's Vancouver. And the city's lack of preparation has become its own sort of George R.R. Martin epic. The land is frozen under a thick layer of snow and ice. Travel has become treacherous. Hundreds swarmed local fire halls like white walkers, trying to get some free salt.

Theresa Albert

I sold my house in Toronto, split the proceeds with my ex, kissed all my best friends, social network, work contacts, family and cozy life goodbye. I bought a bed and breakfast two hours away.

Dave Hawkins

These 10 stories from Canada and around the world show how communities, governments and organizations are providing solutions that are reversing the loss of biodiversity and the ecological services that nature provides.

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We often think of resilience as a manifestation of the human spirit's ability to survive the unfathomable -- those grand disasters and tragedies that populate news headlines and our social media feeds. It's as though we don't believe resilience could possible be at play in the midst of our own "mundane" life.

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As I watched the saga surrounding Kim Burrell's homophobic sermon unfold over the last week, I made several attempts to speak about it and could not. Why? Because I was afraid of what might have come out of my big lesbian mouth. I was too furious to write and I wanted this piece to reflect the ideals of my rainbow family.

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I am not saying that the TMX must go forward. I have serious reservations about the project. However, I believe we need a fair debate on the topic and fair debates must rely on demonstrably sound evidence.

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Here we are, mere days into a new year. On the first day of 2017 there were already 264
incidents of gun violence in the U.S. -- with at least 64 people killed and 146 injured. As of
January 5 those numbers rose to 500 shootings, 113 deaths and 288 injuries.

Reuters

Last week cemented Canada's status as an international darling. For a country that's historically been known as a wallflower, the attention is long overdue. But we shouldn't become "braggadocious" and let our national ego inflate. In short: We shouldn't become American.

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This conversation might be new to you, but it's always been relevant and ongoing, and it's often a reaction of something your people have caused. It's often complicated by outsider intrusion and historical erasure. Collectively, we need to defend ourselves from people like you, who degrade our identities, politics, theories and criticisms. You should take a seat and listen before you speak on us again.

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With the new year upon us, everyone is busy making resolutions to change their lives for the better. While committing to exercise more, eat better, and quit smoking are all laudable goals, why not also set a goal to improve the lives of people in your community?