Newspapers across Canada and the United States are evaluating their future. The Fort Frances Times, along with the Daily Bulletin, is no different. In southern Ontario, 40 newspapers ceased publishing in December. Across Canada, almost 75 weekly newspapers closed their doors in 2017. An additional 100 have gone from publishing […]
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
A friend and a mentor passed away this past weekend. As another Master official in Canada said in an e-mail to me, “A whistle has gone silent.” Jim Brow captured my imagination to what competitive swimming was all about. He was my mentor and he coached me as we travelled […]
Have you ever sat in a restaurant or airport and watched people sitting next to each other texting on their phones. It is something that is becoming more common every day, as new studies confirm. The latest studies have discovered that a group sitting around a table would much rather […]
The GPS said in 659 km, turn left off Trans-Canada Highway. You hardly can go wrong travelling from Regina to Calgary on a bitterly cold day just before Christmas. Just as everywhere, CBC Radio was describing how cold it was outside. Having left the Fort a day earlier, Marnie and […]
Who should get a stocking with a single potato or a lump of coal this year? There was a pervasive belief in the 19th century that if you were poor, it was because you or your ancestors did bad things. God was punishing you. If you live in the United […]
As I write this column, I realize there is less than two weeks until that jolly old elf makes his way into households around the world. Each year, we celebrate Christmas in different ways. For many, the arrival of that celebrated Christmas gentleman will offer little comfort. I listened Monday […]
It is now less than a year until new municipal councils are elected and sworn in across Rainy River District. But before those elections take place, Ontario residents will go to the polls June 7 to elect a new provincial government. All these races will have consequences for residents of […]
Monday evening’s recognition of Evelyn Metke as “Citizen of the Year” in Fort Frances recognizes her years of volunteering for the community. I have known “Evie” from the time I was 14 years old and she had made a decision to take her bronze medallion course. It seemed unusual that […]
When I first began selling advertising at the newspaper in the early 1970s, the Christmas selling season did not begin until the day after Remembrance Day. On Remembrance Day, the stores all were closed and the staffs attended the service at the cenotaph. In the afternoon, they returned to the […]
Back in 1992, 1,700 scientists from around the world issued a dire warning to humanity. They said humans had pushed the world’s ecosystem to a breaking point that would bring about colossal climate change. The warning noted that air and water pollution, the collapse of world fisheries, and the loss […]
Five years ago, I purchased winter tires with studs on them for the first time in my life. Up until then, I had relied on all-weather tires for all four seasons. I came to realize how good those winter tires were in the first storm of the year in Winnipeg. […]
When I visit the cenotaph on Remembrance Day, it is either a gorgeous, sunny fall day or, more often than not, the winter winds blow down the river and the occasional snow flurry wings by. On those days, I regret not digging out my long johns, insulated boots, and winter […]
