Should we be ashamed of our colonial past? I would hope not. On my mother’s side of the family, her grandfather immigrated to Sprague, Man. from Norway and started to farm, clearing land and planting crops. On my father’s side, both my grandmother and grandfather were immigrants from Scotland who […]
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
With your newspaper this week is a special “Canada 150” edition produced by the Fort Frances Times. It is remarkable in the stories that unfold on each page. Our staff has been working on this edition for months and with the support of advertisers, the paper has gathered pictures of […]
There is an old saying, “What goes around, comes around.” Almost 60 years ago, when I was much younger, there were neighbourhood grocery stores on almost every corner in town. They served the neighbourhood and the families that owned the stores knew all of their customers by their first name. […]
Are you someone who is comfortable with change? Are you ready to grab on to the latest technology and products? Have you loaded up your vehicle with all the latest safety monitoring gadgetry? Or are you someone who clings to the present? As I sat discussing technology on Saturday afternoon, […]
It is an excellent election ploy, with hidden benefits for both the Liberal federal and provincial governments. Ontario’s Liberal government is promising major changes to labour laws that will see the minimum wage rise to $15 per hour on Jan. 1, 2019. The current rate will rise to $14 per […]
Today is the last day of May. The sun starts shining through the windows earlier every morning. The deer, meanwhile, continue to pick off flowers in my yard almost daily. Last fall, I purchased several dozen special “Canada 150” tulips. Since squirrels like bulbs in the fall, I covered the […]
In preparation for the marriage of our son, Adam, and his fiancée, Meesun, Marnie and I viewed a YouTube video several times to understand what would take place. It was very informative and had no resemblance to a wedding you might be a guest at in North America or Europe. […]
It has been two weeks since I wrote my last column. In the meantime, Marnie and I travelled to our son Adam’s wedding to Meesun Shin in Seoul, South Korea. Seoul proper is a city of 10 million people and the region has some 25 million people all within 100 […]
The parties already are gearing up for the next provincial election in June, 2018. All three leaders are rolling out policies to the public to see which ones will attract the most attention of voters in the coming months. With the Liberal government planning to announce a balanced budget in […]
In February, you start to get lake fever. By the end of March, you are chomping to get on the water. April comes and the snow disappears, lawns are raked, and the ice recedes. Cabin season has arrived. The warm temperatures of Friday and Saturday had begun teasing us with […]
There are some days when you open a letter that it is a pleasant surprise. Monday was such an occasion. Last week, I wrote of the discovery of a treasure of family history–and it is a treasure that keeps unfolding. A letter arrived from New Zealand wondering if I had […]
It is amazing what you can learn when you begin clearing and rooting through the files at your parents’ home. My mother is downsizing and the family is doing the downsizing. You never can know what you might discover. For instance, we have the receipts for my grandfather’s funeral in […]
