According to many, 2018 was one heck of a bad year. In the United States, mass shootings seemed to be a daily occurrence. Perhaps the most publicized was the Valentine’s Day shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., that claimed the lives 17 students and staff members, and injured 17 others. That sparked a youth movement calling for stronger gun control laws. And, of course, there were the numerous scandals from the Trump administration. Closer to home, there was devastating collision on a stretch of highway near Tisdale, Sask., which claimed the lives of 16 Humboldt Bronco hockey team and support crew, and injured 13 more. That loss impacted the entire country as we opened our wallets and hearts in support of the team. Much of Alberta was stunned with an August decision from the federal court of appeal halted construction of the highly-contested Trans Mountain pipeline. In its ruling the court said the government failed to adequately consider the concerns of some First Nations regarding the Trans Mountain expansion project. This, of course, came after the federal government’s announced in May that it had purchased the pipeline and expansion project from Kinder Morgan Canada for $4.5 billion. However, the year wasn’t all doom and gloom. The Amazon fulfillment centre opened in East Balzac in August, creating more than 1,000 local jobs, and the Cochrane Ecological Institute was able to continue care for two black bear cubs throughout the winter thanks to early snow. Whatever 2019 brings, here’s hoping the good news outweighs the bad.
