On a visit to the small Texas town of Amarillo last year, I attended the World Championship Ranch Rodeo a global gathering of the nation’s best working ranch cowboys, and as I strolled through the sea of competitors and their families, something stood out for me when it came to the children that the ranchers had in tow: none of the kids had phones in their hands. Instead of sitting in solitude, hunched over devices with their eyes glued to screens, I saw clusters of children huddled together on the floor, playing with horse figurines and toy trucks. I watched on as they trotted and teetered their trinkets along surfaces, completely immersed in imaginative play while their parents chatted nearby.

Brent Smith and Barbara Ferchuk’s dance journey began just out of high school when they enrolled as students at the Arthur Murray dance studio in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and never looked back. A subsequent move to Vancouver brought opportunities for performing, competing and teaching at the renowned Arthur Murray Dance Studio there. They became devotees of the teaching system that has been in constant development since 1912, after seeing what it could do for people.

Learn more about St. Thomas Aquinas. See what students, parents, and teachers have to say.

Learn more about North Shore Montessori. See what students, parents, and teachers have to say.

Learn more about Island Pacific School. See what students, parents, and teachers have to say.

Learn more about Alcuin College. See what students, parents, and teachers have to say.

Many families in Canada are turning to private and independent education. Searching for the right school is not a sprint; it’s a marathon, requiring committed preparation. With so many options to choosefrom, this decision can be overwhelming. Luckily, parents, you’re not alone. We’ve put together a list of key tips to get started on picking []

The first man to break the sound barrier, General Chuck Yeager, is 96 years old and very active on Twitter. That last may surprise you, but the General is a wonderful palate-cleanser to the sea of misinformation and uninformed opinion you find on the internet.

Petalino Flower Bar and Events helps you realize your vision for weddings, parties and corporate gatherings. Event planning is daunting, whether you’re a bride who knows just what you want, or a stressed-out office manager planning the annual holiday party. It seems like even the simplest event has dozens of moving parts, and most of us don’t have the budget for a dedicated coordinator to manage the process.

If you’ve ever suffered from a condition like depression, anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), you know that it can influence more than just the way you think. You can get physical symptoms like headaches, chest pain or skin disorders too, your appetite can change, and your relationships with other people are affected too. More than that, the way you and your body respond to mental-health issues or trauma will be unique, so the treatment that worked for your mum or best friend might do nothing for you. That’s where integrative and holistic counselling practices come in. “These approaches deal with the whole self, rather than typical counselling, which might focus on just the mind, or a specific event,” explains North Shore native and counsellor Brooke Evans of BE Integrative Counselling. “I’m really passionate about holistic practices that are individual-based and client centred. I might use cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT), mindfulness and expressive therapy (for example, using art, or if it’s a child, play). Painful memories or trauma can manifest as physical pain.”

If you have a favourite fast food restaurant, a place through which you indulge your guilty pleasures, there is likely no reasoning with you about it. Say it is a burger place you have in mind, I could tell you all about how Two Rivers likely trounces your guilty burger on every measure from the quality of base ingredients to the meticulous preparation. But it would not make a difference; you know why you like your go-to fast food joint and no academic arguments are going to dissuade you from visiting it again.

Things are buzzing in the Shipyards. After a century as a hub for industrial activity and decades as polluted brownfield, City of North Vancouver’s waterfront is being reborn as its premier public gathering space. On the eve of the Shipyards’ grand opening, Mayor Linda Buchanan is beaming.

Paige Manning and her husband Kaleb conceived Little Bean + Co. on a stormy night during their honeymoon in Tofino. It was pouring rain and the newlyweds were huddled in their hotel room that looked out at the rolling ocean waves. They began mapping out their future together, one that included a family business.

My love for sushi is inversely proportional to my disdain for writing about it. What is there left to say? I don’t know how many sushi reviews I have done and I certainly have no clue how many sushi meals I have eaten, here and abroad.

Helen Ritchie became the owner of a Celtic store in North Vancouver by accident. After immigrating to Vancouver from Cork, Ireland, with her family in 1987, Ritchie got a job working in inventory management. But she could never leave her homeland behind.

Ross Road-facing patio is in high demand throughout the summer

New Central Lonsdale restaurant offers high quality fare at remarkably good prices. Mia Kaye offers up a plate of nachos at Tacomio on Lonsdale. According to the edicts of the prevailing market economy, competition is a good thing.

Lift dinner service adds new dimension to bakery. Organic green salad and fresh baked bread made on-site at Lift on West First Street. The evening vibe at Lift is radically different than the morning vibe.

The result of consistently exhausting a dog through extensive physical exercise is an ultra-athlete who now needs greater levels of exercise in order to feel tired.