This HuffPost Canada page is maintained as part of an online archive.

The Best B.C. Blogs Of 2012

Our blog community feels like one of those cocktail parties that you don't ever want to end. Since The Huffington Post B.C. launched this August, we've been honoured to have dozens of British Columbians contribute their diverse experiences, opinions and voices to our website.
This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. If you need to flag this entry as abusive, send us an email.
Typing on keyboard.
ShutterStock
Typing on keyboard.

Our blog community feels like one of those cocktail parties that you don't ever want to end. Since The Huffington Post B.C. launched this August, we've been honoured to have dozens of British Columbians contribute their diverse experiences, opinions and voices to our website.

Politicians, celebrities, students... everyone is welcome to gather round our table.

We've gained insight into the anguish of being buillied, the machinations of politics, the joy of being a parent and the passion of defending the land in which we live. And you've joined in the conversation along the way.

In a few short months, bloggers for HuffPost B.C. have broken news — Robin Rowland uncovered a report by the Geological Survey of Canada that identified a tsunami hazard and a possible seismic fault in the Douglas Channel near Kitimat. That's also the proposed site of the Enbridge Northern Gateway project and at least three liquified natural gas projects.

They've bared their souls. Sarah McLachlan revealed how she retreated to music as a bullied child.

They've shared their expertise. Suzanna Ma schooled us on the deep relationship between B.C.'s Chinese and First Nations community, while Brent Toderian showed us how the true test of a well-designed community.

They haven't shied from controversial topics like the shark fin debate, cultural holidays and matters of race.

They've titillated, and they've made us laugh.

We can't wait to read what our growing roster of bloggers have in store next year.

Story continues after slideshow

Check out some of the best Huffington Post B.C. blogs of 2012:

16. Jason Sulyma: Vancouver: An Imperfect But Perfectly Fun City, A Rebuttal

Best BC Blogs 2012

16. Jason Sulyma: Vancouver: An Imperfect But Perfectly Fun City, A Rebuttal

""No Fun City" and Vancouver. Heard it all before. For years and years it seems people who "write for a living" have decided to just focus on the negative instead of the ever growing positives coming out of the Vancouver communities of artists + venues + organizers! I am not saying our cultural scene is perfect. No city has a "perfect scene" or "perfect nightlife." There is drama everywhere but to say our WHOLE city is a No Fun City is a bit much these days." Read story.

15. Kim Bosco Mo: Is Banning Shark Fin An Equitable Way To Protect Sharks?

"If it is about the inhumane treatment of sharks, is a ban on shark fin soup an equitable course of action? Shouldn't we go after those unscrupulous operators who engage in illegal activities to chase fast profits? What will happen to the livelihood of fishermen who treat the carcass properly and what do we do with the large number of sharks that are killed as by-catch in commercial fishing?" Read story.

14. Lindsay Anderson: What I've Learned After 100 Straight Days Of Dining Out

"This June, I began a rather extraordinary job... The gig? Dine at 365 Richmond restaurants in 365 days, and write a blog post about each and every experience. The rewards? A $50,000 salary, living expenses paid, all restaurant meals covered, and a gym membership to the Richmond Oval. And yes, that last one has been mighty helpful, because after 100 days I've consumed approximately 29 noodles dishes, 22 kinds of dumplings, over 33 kinds of deep-fried foods, 51 different desserts, and much more." Read story.

13. Kerry Sauriol: Good Riddance To Hospital Baby Photographers

"I've had the privilege to partake in the birth experience at both the Fraser Health and Coastal Health institutions. I've had the pleasure of complete strangers who were not doctors or nurses barging into my room moments after I expelled my progeny asking if I wanted photos of them... How about when the photographer barges into your room at 7 a.m. after you've gone through a night of induced labour to deliver the baby that was already dead? Yes, that happened to me." Read story.

12. Laila Yuile: A B.C. Government For The People, Not At The Expense Of The People

"Today I couldn't help but wonder... at what point in a politician's life does spewing hypocritical crap become so second nature that they fail to smell the aroma of the barnyard they're sitting in?" Read story.

11. Shachi Kurl: Add Diwali, Other Cultural Holidays To Official Holidays Roster

"If we really want to have a conversation about integration and the joyousness of diversity in the country, we should be discussing whether Canada, founded on the Judeo-Christian values of the English and French, is ready to consider introducing other religious days, such as Lunar New Year or Diwali, to the official roster of statutory days off." Read story.

10. Petra Zebroff: What NOT To Learn From Pornography: A Guide For Men

"Porn can be an exciting, fun and easy way to get aroused. It can help to inspire you sexually and teach you about sex. But porn is "fantasy" and more often than not, a male-centric one. Real-life sex is quite different. If you are learning how to have sex from porn, you may be getting misinformation, especially when it comes to pleasing a woman. Don't get misled." Read story.

9. Sandy Garossino: Vancouver Real Estate: Pillar of Sand and Fog

"Does it strike anyone as odd that Vancouver is the kind of town where we turn to someone called the Condo King for reliable advice on real estate? Apparently not." Read story.

8. Mike Klassen: Why The B.C. Liberals Will Win The Next Election

"You don't hear this stated much these days: The B.C. Liberals will win in 2013. You heard it here first. In one of the great resurrections in B.C. political history, on the evening of May 14, 2013 premier-elect Christy Clark will be grinning from ear to ear in front of a packed room of supporters in downtown Vancouver. She will thank her NDP opponent for running a spirited campaign, and graciously thank the voters of British Columbia for giving her a new four-year mandate." Read story.

7. Brent Toderian: Does Your Neighbourhood Pass 'Trick-Or-Treat' Test?

"In city planning and design, there's an old saying about the "Trick-or-Treat Test." It's often brought up in the context in suburban home design: Can kids easily find the front door to your house, or must they poke behind the huge multi-car garage, past the parking asphalt, to ring your bell? Homes that fail this Trick-or-Treat Test aren't exactly welcoming, and not just on Halloween." Read story.

6. Tetsuro Shigematsu: Eating Sushi? You Are Doing it Wrong

"If a real friend is the person who tells you when you have bad breath, then what I'm about to tell you will make me your best friend; whenever you eat sushi, you are embarrassing yourself. That's right, the abominations you commit to your California Roll bring shame upon your whole family. In fact, you may as well commit ritual disembowelment right now. (Especially if you're Asian.) Actually, you'll probably mess that up too. Just keep reading."

5. Reive Doig: Missing Women's Inquiry: Wally Oppal's Good Intentions

"The judge has failed to judge. Imagine if during his time on the bench he'd been willing to hear such damning evidence, and then at the end of the trial declared that no sentence should be passed because, after all, in the end it's society's fault." Read story.

4. Suzanne Ma: A Tour Of The Deep Relationship Between B.C. Chinese Immigrants, First Nations

"In the valley, I discovered how two histories intersected ― how some First Nations people nursed railway workers back to health when they were left to die along the tracks, how First Nations men had teamed up with Chinese labourers working in a Nanaimo coal mine to fight off white bullies, and how some labourers had children with First Nations women." Read story.

3. Sarah McLachlan: Music Is My Church

"As a child, I was insecure and didn't fit in and became a target. I was bullied and much of the time I was left to fend for myself so music became my saviour, my solace. It was the one thing I knew I was good at; it fed me and kept me going; it was a friend whenever I was in need. I truly don't know what I would have done without music in my life when I was growing up." Read story.

2. Wade Davis: Tsunami of Industrial Development Threatens B.C.'s Sacred Headwaters

"This is not a story of Tibet or the Amazon, of life on the Arctic ice or in the searing sands of the Sahara. It is a story of my own backyard, a land known to the Tahltan people and all the First Nations of British Columbia as the Sacred Headwaters, the birthplace of the three great free flowing salmon rivers of home, the Stikine, Skeena and Nass." Read story.

1. Jarrah Hodge: Calling It 'Bullying' Doesn't Do Amanda Todd Justice

"If you have never been called a slut, try to imagine what it would be like if you were 15 and were convinced to feel this way. As someone who experienced that, I can tell you that I am still trying to fully shake the insecurity more than a decade later. Instead of calling it bullying, which brings to mind "kids being kids," we can call it sexual harassment, or we can call it technology-facilitated slut-shaming." Read story.

Close
This HuffPost Canada page is maintained as part of an online archive. If you have questions or concerns, please check our FAQ or contact support@huffpost.com.