Well, well, well, 2019 has arrived and not a moment too soon.
It feels good to be able to bid 2018 adieu, like turning the page emphatically on a particularly arduous chapter in a novel.
The past 12 months had their share of excitement, with businesses opening, cannabis legalization and a new party at the helm of the National Assembly. But there aren’t many who made it through the year without experiencing a loss of some kind.
The region as a whole lost some stalwart champions, at a pace that seemed to pick up as the months went by.

Teachers, community leaders and friends, their absences reverberate throughout their homes and in the communities they served.
Most recently, we learned about the passing of long-time school administrator and community advocate James Shea. His loss will be deeply felt by both his colleagues and the students on whose behalf he worked.
Looking beyond our county to the rest of the country and the planet as a whole, it’s easy to fixate on all that is going wrong. Greed, vanity and megalomania seem to be pushing us all towards a brink, and if history is a useful yardstick to use, things will get much worse before they get better.
During these cold, bleak nights in the new year, it’s useful to tear our eyes away from the never-ending horror show on cable news or social media and focus on what we have to be thankful for. We have so much going for us as Canadians that at times we can confuse our numerous luxuries for necessities, or downplay the opportunities we’ve been granted.
Most of us have 300 and some days left in this new chapter, and we would be wise to squander as few of them as possible.
Have a safe and happy new year everyone.

Caleb Nickerson