Ninety-eight-year-old Gerry MacPhersons one wish for Christmas has come true thanks to some tenacious North Vancouver school children.

It hasn't been a great season for the Canucks so far this year but it has been an incredible first season for rookie sensation Elias Pettersson. He's giving fans new hope that the team could be ready to turn the page after a stretch of mediocre campaigns.

Visible minorities are the majority in Vancouver, with over half of resident identifying as non-white, yet that ethnic diversity isnt reflected on the citys newly elected city council.

The festival of lights kicks off on Wednesday as the biggest holiday of the year for South Asian communities around the world but they won't all be celebrating the same way or even for the same reasons.

For those who have a few provincial elections under their belt, the broken promises and scandals of B.C.s political past will be relevant, but for first-time voters without any of that baggage, those past controversies could unfairly impact their decision.