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Norm Farrell

Gwen and I raised three adult children in North Vancouver. Each lives in this community, as do our seven grandchildren. Before retirement, I worked in accounting and small business management. Since 2009, I have published commentary about public issues at IN-SIGHTS.CA.

A bad neighbor

In fewer than 365 days after taking office Donald Trump would threaten to invade Panama and Greenland, launch a global trade war, bomb five countries, and invade South America — all while griping about being denied the Nobel Peace Prize.

Scalable geothermal energy

Permitting and transmission-connection hurdles face renewable developers broadly. Raising money to gain expertise and moving systems to a commercial stage are also challenges. With geothermal energy, the potential rewards are huge, in both financial and environmental terms. British Columbia should choose to be a leader in this sector.

Wag the dog

The movie  “Wag the Dog” takes the stance that American public policy may be founded on fraud in high places, and that there is no public outpouring too spontaneous-looking to be manipulated by political puppeteers.

U.S. violates U.N. Charter

On January 3, the United States launched a “large-scale strike” on Venezuela, captured President Nicolás Maduro, and flew him to a military base in New York. The American President says his country now runs Venezuela, holder of the world’s largest proven oil reserves.

BC was deaf to cautionary tales

Many people are to blame for Site C, a facility that will produce electricity at a multiple of the cost of other clean power systems. No persons in positions of authority were willing to listen to cautionary tales, particularly reports that warned about megaproject madness.

Above and beyond the rule of law

Gordon Wilson should have been Premier of British Columbia. Instead, Vancouver power brokers of the 1990s wanted a more tractable person waiting to be Premier. Gordon Campbell replaced Wilson as Leader of the Official Opposition, David McLean and Jack Poole were among the money men who shaped the future of BC politics. Despite that setback, Wilson has lived an interesting life.

Happy holidays to all

I hope 2026 will be a good and peaceful year for everyone. My contributions at IN-SIGHTS have become a little less frequent because of good and bad personal issues. I trust 2026 will be different. This blog will soon be entering its 18th year. It has allowed me to become more informed and introduced me to many fine people. I hope IN-SIGHTS will last another 18 years, but my cardiologist may be doubtful.

Housing – a wealth extraction tool

With commodification of housing in Canada, homes are treated as investment assets, not just shelter. Investor-led speculation has led to soaring prices, rental increases, and rising homelessness. Housing has been turned into a wealth-extraction tool, impacting low-income families and essential workers most severely…