Dina Pestonji

My sister Yasmin took this picture on Jan 7, 2013. It was after my six-hour long emergency brain surgery. No one knew if I would wake up, but she took this picture. After months of living in the hospital and doing more weeks of therapy that I can count, I did recover from having a stroke and brain surgery.

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The number one issue in every corner of B.C. this year is affordable housing. In May British Columbians will head to the polls with a rising class of young people wondering if they'll ever own a home, Gen Xers considering leaving B.C., and seniors telling their seniors advocate that housing is the number one issue for them.

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In 2016, as our children watched, bullying became legitimate. What we accept without dissent, what we allow to be framed as normal, alters according to our level of desensitization. We have become increasingly desensitized to bullying behaviour.

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Mom thought my brother could intuit the future. Her assumptions weren't baseless; she was a historian. As Nlaka' pamux, we've been known to see things, like the white man before he came, or Jesus before the text. It's all in the history books, trying to dismantle the Other.

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If you're not arrogant enough to believe that you know or recall everything that might be important, and you're willing to consult other authoritative sources, you may actually be more accurate and effective as a result.

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Will the newly sworn in president speak of his genuine interest for uniting the country, which is rich with diverse cultures and beliefs?

CP

The federal government has important national functions to fulfill. It would be better able to fulfill them if it stopped trying to solve every problem in the country, especially by violating our Constitution and intruding on provincial jurisdictions.

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I know on many occasions in life I have been a complete idiot, but I had always thought being an idiot had nothing to do with the letters before or after one's name. Do let me know the letter count below which one is an idiot, and above which one is not.

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My message to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is that Lionel Desmond's death and his killing of his family could have been avoided. It's time to stop lying to veterans. It's time to stop fighting veterans.

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If our economy is shifting, how much emphasis do we really need to place on filling predicted shortages and attracting more young people to the trades? While we focus so much on the digital space, we can't forget that Canada is about to make massive investments in physical infrastructure.

Canadian Human Rights Commission

It seems obvious that solitary confinement for someone with mental health issues is dangerous and destructive. The Canadian Human Rights Commission has long held that placing vulnerable individuals in solitary confinement denies them their human rights, and for those with mental health issues, it can lead to irreparable harm.

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Just because a blanket of snow covers the ground doesn't mean you have to stop gardening this winter. I've brought my love for gardening inside with an indoor edible garden. There are many herbs, vegetables, fruits and edible plants you can easily grow indoors. They are just like us -- they need water, air, nutrients and light to flourish.

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I've realized that fear is a completely acceptable emotion to feel while traveling. And instead of trying to eliminate my fears, I embrace them and use them to make each travel experience a fulfilling one. The following are three recurring fears that bump up my blood pressure before every flight or road trip, and how I cope with them on every journey.

Theresa Albert

It took me two years of planning in the form of mulling, soul-searching and researching (even though on the outside it came as a surprise to everyone). Once you have done this work, though, the change happens fast and it simply won't go back in the box.

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The important thing is that 2016 is done, and while you may want to just forget it, we'd encourage you to take a good long look instead. No, we're not being sadistic. There's actually a lot we can learn from the year that was. Here are some lessons from 2016 that can help you land a job in 2017.

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These five Canadian winter hikes are just a handful of the many that invite you to explore some of our country's most impressive natural scenery and wildlife with as little as a pair of snowshoes or hiking boots.

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By now, I'm sure you have heard of the social movement of "Farm to Table" or "Bean to bar." As new restaurants open, there is a huge effort to keep the origin of ingredients local or at least traceable for intricate meals.

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It's the middle of flu season and as expected, the virus is making its way through Canada. Thousands of people are struggling with the coughs, fever, and fatigue and looking for ways to deal with the weeks of suffering. Recently, a group of American researchers have shown a new means by which flu can survive and spread.

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I have told the story of stopping a young man who almost ended his life at a subway station. But my retelling of that story has always been incomplete. The truth is, the day I stopped that man from ending his life was the same day I was planning to end my life in the same way.

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I want my daughter's best interests to be represented by the numerous disability rights organizations that have appeared in recent years. Sadly, these organizations, like the Council of Canadians with Disabilities, too often promote policies that pose real dangers to her. It's important to understand why a group like this would decide to hold these positions.

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We are living in an age of finding pleasure and enjoyment in our work, and while it's a wonderful concept, the pressure (or the misconception) that you need to be happy every moment of every day is leaving many feeling unfulfilled. To be truly happy in your work there are a few things we all need to keep top of mind.