Articles
The hazards of dressing up for the holidays
Party season is upon us and ’tis the time of year when I troll the shops looking for something festive, yet elegant. Sparkly, yet refined. And party hearty. Like Halloween costumes, party attire has to achieve the intended look but also be bearable – not too hot, fussy, pushy/pully, not ride up (or down). It…
Read MoreNew research suggests daily cannabis use could be effective alternative to opioids for chronic pain
Don Durban has been using opioids for years to cope with chronic pain in his feet from diabetic swelling. He also once sought out the drugs to help with symptoms of pancreatitis.But the Vancouver man and many others are now using cannabis as an alternative means to alleviate symptoms. Mr. Durban, 66, said the herb…
Read MoreCanada’s nursing shortage unlikely to get better, report finds
Job vacancies for Canadian nurses have risen substantially in recent years, but employment growth has tapered off, resulting in a labour shortage that “shows no signs of easing” as the country gets older, a new report finds. The number of nurses per 10,000 Canadian adults has stagnated at roughly 113 since 2016, after a period…
Read MoreIt’s time to treat e-cigarettes like cigarettes
The debate over what to do about the rise in Canadian teens sucking nicotine-laced vapours into their lungs has reached a predictable impasse. On the one hand, you have health experts who say governments need to respond to the uptake in youth vaping with stricter enforcement of laws on how products are advertised and packaged,…
Read MoreThe beauty of sitting around and doing nothing
Jenny Morber is a science writer whose work has appeared in National Geographic, Slate and elsewhere Like most of us in 2019, I am busy. Days can feel like a race to complete an always-accumulating list of now, soon and must-do-sometime tasks for my business, my kids, my animals, my home, my relationships, my community,…
Read MoreHow to manage the expectations gap and avoid being disappointed in a new role
I recently read The Employee Experience, which focuses on attracting and retaining top performers. One of the most important lessons for me is the benefit for both employees and employers of paying attention to what the authors define as the expectations gap. An example of an expectations gap is starting a new job with a set…
Read MoreThe better way to deal with criticism at work
Criticism stings. Sure, it is sometimes couched as gentler “feedback,” or offered as “advice,” or even presented as a “pointer.” Yet criticism it is. And most of us respond with one or both of two reactions. First, we indignantly and completely discount both the message and the source. And second, we get upset and sometimes…
Read MoreThe informational interview – your secret advantage for your next job
Whether you’re thinking about your next step in your current career, or have your sights set on new and exciting challenges elsewhere, informational interviews can be your secret advantage in the highly-competitive world of job searching. Part networking, part information-gathering, and part low-key self-promotion, an informational interview is a powerful way to position yourself as…
Read MoreRising home prices in Ontario cities fuel slight increase in Canada overall
The price of a Canadian #home increased a modest 1.1 per cent in the second quarter of 2019, largely due to price appreciation in #Ontario. According to the Royal LePage House Price Survey, released on Wednesday, low interest rates and record low unemployment levels have also helped slightly boost sales in the quarter, with the…
Read MoreInternational Day of Friendship
The International Day of Friendship is an initiative that follows on the proposal made by UNESCO and taken up by the UN General Assembly in 1997 (A/RES/52/13), which defined the Culture of Peace as a set of values, attitudes and behaviours that reject violence and endeavour to prevent conflicts by addressing their root causes with…
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