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Finance Minister Carole James has tightened the rules for homeowner grants. Last year the maximum property value eligible for the grant was $1.65 million. That ceiling has been reduced to $1.525 million, reflecting a decline in house prices.

The year just ended saw three political leaders bring their careers to a close. Andrew Weaver, leader of the provincial Green Party, announced he was stepping down and will not run for re-election in his Oak-Bay-Gordon Head riding.

A century ago, the world stood at the brink of the Roaring Twenties, a decade of exuberance, prosperity and growth. Will 2020 usher in a similar era? There are reasons to believe so, though the scales are more finely balanced.

Christmas 1919. A century has passed. It seems so long ago, yet in some ways it seems quite recent, because some of the stories published in the city’s two newspapers back then seem fresh.

Island Health has appointed an administrator to take over a third long-term care facility. Selkirk Seniors Village in Victoria had been cited by the South Island medical health officer, Dr.

Some area residents, it seems, are fed up with the racket made by leaf blowers. Oak Bay Coun. Tara Ney wants the gas-powered version banned. And a petition drive is under way in Saanich asking council to follow suit.

Much has been made of the furious response from residents when Victoria city council proposed granting itself a pay raise. The scheme, floated by Coun.

According to a cross-party group of MLAs, changes should be made in the way our province’s health professions are regulated. Unfortunately, the proposals raise as many questions as they settle.

Provincial Health Minister Adrian Dix has announced a series of policies aimed at curtailing the use of e-cigarettes among young people. The three most prominent measures are, first, a 20 per cent tax on these products.

Victoria city councillors are considering granting themselves a 54% pay hike. The raise would boost their annual remuneration from the present level of $45,384, to $70,000. Coun.