We’re offering a new weekly feature on Pg. A9

Nothing creates debate more than a list so we thought we’d begin your weekend with something to debate on Monday morning at the staff water cooler.

Today, exclusively in the Okanagan Saturday, is a new feature “The Okanagan Weekend’s Top 10.” See Page A9. This opinion piece will rank the top 10, valleywide, on various topics, people and places based on the expertise of our newsrooms.

Today is the 10 best hikes in the Okanagan Valley. Coming next week, the 10 best municipal politicians.

Let us know what you think.

The provincial government in Ontario has declared war with Tim Hortons. The issue is the $15 minimum wage. To play the devil’s advocate for a moment, won’t this balance itself out?

Timmys won’t be the only organization paying a higher wage. Low-income people spend their paycheques, they don’t invest their money offshore. So if more low-income workers are receiving a higher wage, will that not increase their disposable income and thus more people will be able to treat themselves to a lunch or coffee at Tims thus increasing their revenue?

Please cut your newspaper carrier a little bit of slack during the present snow and ice crisis. Getting your newspaper to the front door is a priority but — last weekend especially — there were considerable challenges getting around. Rural areas, in particular, were a mess. Even with snowtires it was tough getting up unplowed hills.

Without our dedicated carriers and hard-working circulation department (affectionally known in our industry as Cirque), we don’t have a print edition.

Getting a paper to your door on time is a priority but what’s most important is the safety and well-being of our employees and others on the road.

It’s not a New Year’s Eve party without Auld Lang Syne and Celebration by Kool and the Gang. As I rang in the New Year last week at the Lakeside, a puzzling question was debated at our table. What is Kool’s surname or is Kool his surname? Is he Kool Jones or Frank Kool?

Let’s see how this works. U.S. president Donald Trump is allowed to spout off on just about everybody and everything, but when a biography comes out that he disapproves, he threatens legal action. So much for the First Amendment of the United States.

A letter to the editor sent to The Daily Courier started a firestorm and the issue of capital punishment is being mentioned again in the pages of our print edition. For a great case study that explores all sides of the issue and doesn’t ask the audience to take sides, check out Susan Sarandon’s Oscar-winning turn in Dead Man Walking (1995). Terry Kath was gone far too soon.

In last week’s Editor’s Notebook, I implied that the World Junior Hockey tournament is over-hyped in Canada.

Maybe it is. We certainly put unbelievable presure on our Canadian kids.

One thing I love about the tournament is there’s no fighting or goon play. Anyone who wants a case study on violence in hockey only needs to look at the junior tournament and the Olympics for textbook cases of how hockey is great, without fighting.

Imagine if you were allowed to fight in football — and that’s a game where they hit on every single play.

I’ll take blood clots for $200 please, Alex.

Long-time Jeopardy host Alex Trebek had a successful surgery to remove blood clots from his brain.

The 77-year-old Canadian, who has been hosting Jeopardy since 1984, says he will be back on the job soon.

James Miller is valley editor for Okanagan Newspaper Group and managing editor of The Kelowna Daily Courier. Email: james.miller@ok.bc.ca.