We look to our politicians for leadership. We hold them to higher standards. Our leading health care officials of all ten provinces and the government of Canada asked Canadians to not travel outside of the country. The Ford government of Ontario put in rules asking Ontarians to not host meals […]
Jim Cumming – From the Publisher Emeritus’ Pen
Jim is the former publisher of the Fort Frances Times Ltd. He writes a weekly column and can be contacted at jcumming@fortfrances.com
We have learned a great many new things this year. Almost a year ago, I wrote a column about flu and the need for people to be vaccinated. It focused on the regular flu that occurs regularly each year. At that time news was just reaching us about a new […]
One can’t but feel a little hope across the world today. Television, radio, newspapers, and social media have broadcast the arrival of jets bringing the vaccine to North America and then we watched as trucks rolled out to cities to deliver their life saving vaccines. In Canada we began distributing […]
As I talked with customers with the Fort Frances Times, I regularly recommended that the best form of advertising was with word of mouth. A great recommendation friend to friend was the best form of advertising one could receive. It was based on customer care, delivering more than one promised […]
Our thirteen-month-old grand daughter brought a smile to us Sunday morning. Apparently, she has learned to command “Alexa” to play. “Alexa” is a modern invention of Amazon to do jobs around the house from turning on lights to monitoring entrances to homes and notifying homeowners. So, when Delsie commanded Alexa, […]
Suppose we look at our past and review all of our traditions and the way we lived. Now think of today. The pandemic has wiped our slate clean. We have a blank sheet of paper in front of us to work on the future. Who would have imagined that we […]
We are now into the Christmas season. There are signs of hope for people around the world. Pfizer and Moderna both announced successful trials of vaccines to prevent getting the COVID virus. Even though the trials have been successful, receiving final approval to distribute the vaccines will take several months. […]
As you are reading this, it is time to think about Remembrance Days past. I have stood at the Cenotaph in Fort Frances when a bitterly cold west wind drove up from the river and we shivered in the cold wet snow as taps were played. I could feel the […]
When we were growing up, Christmas was heralded by the arrival of the Sears Wish Book and the Easton’s Christmas catalogue. Every Christmas dream began there. Both catalogues are now long gone, and children are now tempted by television commercials and Facebook posts. Before the lockdown, social distancing and other […]
I have never been invited into so many homes as I have been since the COVID virus struck across the world. I have been giving a glimpse into how people decorate and furnish their homes. I have been able to discern what their reading habits are. On MSNBC, Senator Claire […]
In only one week, most of the leaves have fallen to the forest floor. The bright yellows, oranges and reds have again disappeared from our landscapes. The sun does not arrive above the horizon until almost eight in the morning and disappears shortly after 6:30 in the evening. We are […]
As I write this, it is Thanksgiving Day. For Canadians it is much different than previous Thanksgivings. For Marnie and myself, we are in Calgary celebrating our granddaughter’s first birthday, which coincides with the Thanksgiving long weekend. For most families across Canada, the traditional gatherings of families and friends around […]







