PANORAMA

Calendar
Days in the life of a month.

Top Stories
Controversial mountain biker Michelle Dumaresq puts the role of gender in sports into play. Plus: Mayor Sam—he talks a good game with Chinese voters, but what if words are no longer enough? And playing cards with poker champ Johnny Chan.

Q&A
Turning the tables on pollster Angus Reid.

Urban Matters
How to rid yourself of pesky pigeons. And did logging lead to turbid water?

Open House
Kicking Horse kicks butt!

Vancouver Life
Shiny happy people.

Best Buys
New arrivals from Denmark, Holland, Japan (and Gwen Stefani) share the stage with local designers making it big. By Rebecca Philps


FEATURES

Best of the City
Where do you find the best drycleaner, or home mover? Who gives the best barbershop shave, or shoe shine? Our picks for Vancouver’s top service providers. Plus: a round-up of the most bizarre news from 2006. By Steve Burgess, Christine Carrière, Jonathan Lin and the editors

3rd Annual Wine Awards
Our guide to over 100 of the best bottles available in B.C.—blind-tested and rated by our panel of expert judges. Plus: the Best in Show winner, and six show-stopping bargains. By David Scholefield

End of the Line
Overwhelmed by government fees and regulations in an increasingly big-business industry, fishermen like Vic Amos wonder how much longer they can stay afloat. By Chad Hershler


DEPARTMENTS

Mother Nature
At 82, Cornelia Oberlander—a pioneer of the green-roof movement, and “the undisputed queen of the landscape scene”—shows no sign of slowing down. By Timothy Taylor

EATING + DRINKING

Opening Soon
No longer can a new restaurant rely on good food and service to draw crowds—it needs online buzz before the doors even open. Plus: 10 new restaurants to watch. By Jamie Maw

Pure Quackery
Top chefs are clamouring for the hand-raised, free-run ducks of Yarrow’s Polderside Farms. By Chris Gonzalez

The Year in Wine
The rise of Riesling, snappy packaging and eight other wine trends from 2006. By Christina Burridge


HAPPY ENDING

Home at Last
BC Lions quarterback Dave Dickenson brings back the Grey Cup. By Jesse Spencer

Available on newsstands January 2, 2007