You’ve got all those Christmas surprises unwrapped, now get ready for your next big surprise in the new year — a February election.

The Tories are holding on to the thinnest minority government in Canadian history. They can’t get much done. They have to negotiate every comma of legislation with their enemies in the opposition to get the few items they have gotten passed turned into law.

Compromise is not exactly Stephen Harper’s middle name. He wants to transform this slim minority into a majority. He desperately wants more Conservative MPs so he can fundamentally change Canada without having to consult everyone and his dog.

Unfortunately for Harper, the poll numbers haven’t changed much since the last election for anyone except the Liberals. Their gains, though, have only come recently after a long and expensive leadership campaign. They need time to re-group and fundraise.
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There are three camps among the homework haters in this province. There are the kids who have to do it. And who can blame them? I don’t like bringing my work home with me after I leave the office either.

Then there are parents who blame teachers for assigning homework that seems intended to do nothing more than keep them busy.

And there are teachers who blame hard-driving parents who demand homework, and freak when their kids don’t get enough.

At least that’s how I can categorize the world this week based on what’s arrived in my inbox.
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When I was in elementary school, kids didn’t complain much about homework. That’s because they were hardly ever assigned any at my south Burnaby school in the 1970s.

These days, kids in Grade 1 are getting homework. And just wait ’til your child hits Grade 5.

I have friends who say their son regularly has two hours of homework ahead of him when he gets home from school. He’s 11. He’s stressed.

His parents are hopping mad. They’re not alone. As the homework burden has grown exponentially, more parents are banding together to fend off this homework overload.
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In a speech last week, Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan took a shot at politicians who think they can show they’re getting something done by hiring more people.

He said this two days after he released his long-awaited plan to bring some civility back to the streets of Vancouver. The plan has 10 points. Ironically, four of them are about hiring, directing or supervising more people.

Two of the six points are devoted to “realigning” initiatives that have been underway for years. Three are devoted to reviewing things for a couple of months.

But in the midst of all the reviewing and realigning, there are two ideas worth noting.
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