One day last week found me out on the waters of Burrard Inlet doing a ride along in an RCMP patrol boat. (Don't ask).

As well as surveying the various industrial sites around the inner harbour we cruised all the way to the head of Indian Arm where I had a chance to inspect Wigwam Inn (photo above). The old luxury resort is now used as an outstation by the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club but it...

One of my New Year's resolutions is to walk the length of the Arbutus Greenway, a new bike/walking path created by the City of Vancouver out of the old rail line that formerly ran across the west side from False Creek via Kerrisdale to Marpole (and Richmond beyond). Known as the Sockeye Special, the...

I want to mention three very fine books that I've read recently. Any one of them would make a good addition to your Christmas want list, or an appreciated gift for someone near and dear.

The first is for the marine mammal lovers among you. Orcas, of course, are the poster animal of the BC west coast. Jason Colby, from the University of Victoria, has published an absorbing history of the bad old days when they were hunted down for live capture and shipped off to aquariums and...

The always reliable Christopher Moore reports that the Governor General's History Awards will be going ahead in January with Gov. Gen. Julie Payette's involvement. (Here is the link to Chris's post: http://christophermoorehistory.blogspot.com/2018/12/history-of-gg-not-be....)

This is excellent news. I have participated in the awards ceremony twice -- once as a runner-up and once as a...

Congratulations to Bill Waiser, this year's winner of the Governor General's History Award for Popular Media, better known as the Pierre Berton Award. Waiser has written many fine books and blogs regularly about the history of Western Canada.

Earlier in the year it was announced that the history awards would not be handed out by the Governor General herself, as has been the case for years. Too bad. The GG is apparently rethinking her priorities.

Nonetheless, the award is a...