My husband grew up in the American Midwest where there’s usually about 2 feet of snow on the ground from December to March. When the cold hits here in Vancouver, I make sure he’s in the driver’s seat when we hit the road because I trust his instincts much more. But why shouldn’t I feel confident in my winter driving and in my vehicle? I spoke with James D’Souza, Service Manager at Westwood Honda to get some tips on staying safe on the roads this winter and they definitely boosted my confidence.

Getting Your Vehicle Ready for Winter

Winter safety for your vehicle begins and ends with tires. One of the biggest myths about winter tires is that you only need them if there’s snow on the ground. “The weather around here is never the same from year to year, but it does get cold. What we do get here is a lot of black ice and a lot of frost on the road.” James says that any tire shop will tell you that at 7 degrees, you should change to winter tires. Continue reading this post ⟩⟩

Ballet BC is celebrating its 30th anniversary this season as they focus their programming firmly on the future of dance. Program 1 will hit the Queen Elizabeth Theatre stage November 5th to November 7th, Program 2 will shine in the spotlight March 17th to March 19th, and Program 3 will round out the season May 12th to May 14th, 2016.

Combining classical integrity with a contemporary sensibility, Ballet BC is a creation-based company of 17 talented dancers from Canada and around the world that is committed to exploration and collaboration in contemporary dance. Solidly grounded in the rigour and artistry of classical ballet, with an emphasis on innovation and the immediacy of the 21st century, the Company presents a distinct and diverse repertoire of the most sought-after Canadian and international contemporary ballet choreography.

Program 1

The milestone season starts with Program 1, under the artistic leadership of Ballet BC Artistic Director Emily Molnar. This features three individual works by choreographers who are reshaping contemporary ballet.

The program includes a World Premiere by Belgian-born choreographer Stijn Celis, the Canadian premiere of Solo Echo by Vancouver-based Choreographer Crystal Pite and the return of the critically acclaimed 2014 World Premiere of Twenty Eight Thousand Waves by Resident Choreographer Cayetano Soto.

Program 1 plays the Queen Elizabeth Theatre at 8:00pm November 5th to November 7th, 2015. Tickets range from $30.00 to $90.00 (including service charges) and can be purchased through Ticketmaster at 1-855-985-2787 (855-985-ARTS) or online.

Win Tickets to the Ballet BC 30th Anniversary Season Opener

I have a pair of tickets to give away to the performances in Program 1 on November 6th. Here’s how you can enter to win:

• Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
• Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)

Follow Ballet BC on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for more information about performances this season.

I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Friday, October 30, 2015.

Update The winner is @MichelleLKent Bridget!

On a recent episode of a weekly web video series that whines about popular pet peeves, the host discussed the worst possible types of roommates. At the top of his list for being a bad roommate was the one who never takes out the garbage. Unfortunately, in my house I think that’s me but instead of garbage, it’s our massive recycling pile – sorry John!

In general, we do a really great job or sorting our containers (cans, bottles, packaging), paper, cardboard, and food waste. John has even commented that more of our home waste goes into the recycling bins than the dumpster, which he can easily measure if I have failed as a “roommate” and left the pile to grow and grow. Recycling is so easy to do and if one day our pile grows too big, as we do often like to host friends and family that are both fond of craft beer and delicious BC wines, we can always fill up our vehicle and drive it over to our nearest Return-It Depot.

Green Tracks Challenge

Last year British Columbians dropped off almost one billion beverage containers to Return-It depots, we are a province that loves to recycle! Continue reading this post ⟩⟩

It’s election night in Canada! Follow on social media, radio, television and online — everywhere you turn and tune in will have coverage across the country. Watching democracy in action has my pulse racing as though I’m watching Canada in the Olympics.

Personally, I’m flipping between several channels on TV, following the #ELXN42 tag on Twitter and using the Canada Election Dashboard from the CBC. No numbers have been released yet pertaining to voter turnout but given the streams of “I voted!” posts I saw on my social feeds today, I think (and hope) it was higher than the last election.

Canadian Election Results in Vancouver

In Vancouver, polls are just closing as those who were in line before 7:00pm get to cast their ballots. I’ll post the results below as they come in later tonight:

Vancouver Centre: Hedy Fry (LIB)
Vancouver East: Jenny Kwan (NDP)
Vancouver Granville: Jody Wilson-Raybould (LIB)
Vancouver Kingsway: Don Davies (NDP)
Vancouver Quadra: Joyce Murray (LIB)
Vancouver South: Harjit Sajjan (LIB)

As of 8:37pm: two MPs have officially been elected. Incumbent Hedy Fry in Vancouver Centre and incumbent Joyce Murray in Vancouver Quadra. 8:47pm, Jenny Kwan is elected in Vancouver East. CBC News projects that Jody Wilson-Raybould is elected in Vancouver Granville, and that incumbent Don Davies is elected for Vancouver Kingsway, at 9:05pm. 9:25pm, CBC News projects that Liberal Harjit Sajjan wins Vancouver South.

As of 11:59pm: Polls Reporting: 73,200 of 73,568 (99.5 %)
Voter Turnout: 17,465,299 of 25,638,379 registered electors (68.12 %) — does not include electors who registered on election day. This is the highest voter turnout in Canada since 1993. (Sources 1, 2)

Follow the #ELXN42 tag on Twitter for the latest results and follow the official Elections Canada result dashboard for more information.

The HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series comes to Vancouver March 12-13, 2016 at BC Place for the annual HSBC Canada Sevens Tournament and tickets are now on sale. The two-day Men’s tournament will feature 16 nations playing 45 matches of fast-paced entertaining rugby, paired with an equally dynamic festival experience where fan participation plays an important role.

HSBC Canada Sevens is a two-day indoor rugby sevens tournament will feature 16 of the world’s top men’s sevens teams. The HSBC Canada Sevens will be the fifth stop in a ten-stop world tour as part of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series. Sevens rugby, a fast-paced and shorter version of traditional rugby with only seven players per side, has built a huge international audience through the success of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series, which attracts large audiences in markets around the world.

Tournament passes provide access to all 45 games over the course of the two day festival, and can be purchased online via Ticketmaster, or by contacting Ticket Master at 1-855-985-5000. Tickets are currently being sold as 2-day Tournament Passes only. Single day tickets will be released on Tuesday, November 17th, pending availability.

Win Tickets to HSBC Canada Sevens Rugby

Just in time for Halloween — what would rugby and Halloween have in common? you might wonder — I’m giving away a Canada Rugby Sevens prize pack. You see a big part of the tournament, I’ve come to learn, is dressing up as it hosts a carnival atmosphere where fan wears either fancy dress or a costume of some kind. Groups of fans dress in themed costumes and sometimes host cities have their own themes (like monsters or galactic) to inspire fans.

So while you’re thinking about your Halloween costume, also look ahead to Canada Rugby Sevens in March. That will be even easier to do if you win my prize pack! It includes: 2 tournament passes, costumes for you to wear to the tournament (winner + guest), and some Canada Sevens branded merchandise.

Here’s how you can enter to win:

• Leave a comment naming what kind of costume you might wear to the tournament should you win these contest tickets (1 entry)
• Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)

Follow Canada Sevens on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. The HSBC World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series will be held at Westhills stadium in Langford BC, April 2016 (exact dates will be announced in the coming weeks).

I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Sunday, November 1, 2015.

Update The winner is @rhansen!