I walked out of the Canada Games Complex in Thunder Bay at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday—the last day of January—and it was still daylight. It was a distinct sign that there is light in the tunnel that winter is ending. On Monday morning, Punxsutawney Phil and Wiarton Willie were split […]
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
My wife likes to watch home renovation shows on HGTV. “Leave it to Bryan” is perhaps her favourite, although she does have sympathy for “Holmes on Homes” when large issues happen. We renovated our home some 35 years ago. Built in 1904, it had many issues. For instance, it had […]
Are we losing some of our common sense? I wonder when I see communities and the public in fear of offending or allowing some risk. Today, many of the things that I did growing up now are considered dangerous and should be banned. I must be lucky to have survived […]
Sometimes when you write a story, facts and figures conflict and may or may not be accurate. I take, for instance, information that was published in the Fort Frances Times on Nov. 5 when the minister of natural resources and forestry revealed that Expera had been offered more than 700,000 […]
Last August, forms from the federal government arrived in the mail for me to apply for my Canada pension and Old Age Security. They came as a shock since I really had not thought that I was “old.” To me, my mother and her friends were old—all having well passed […]
It finally is the end of 2014—a year that most of us would like to forget. The snow piled high and everyone’s snowblower had a long seasonal workout last winter. In fact, the district had one of its highest snowfalls ever recorded. The cold winter began shortly after Remembrance Day […]
As I sat down to write this column, I wondered to myself if all my electronic gadgets were dumbing me down or making me smarter. The more I have read, the more confused I’ve become. I remember Mrs. Benson, my Grade 1 teacher, having special books for us to practice […]
Dear Santa: I am writing this letter on behalf of many important people who probably would like to believe in you but somehow feel it below their dignity to write. Our premier, Kathleen Wynne, has had a lot of grief since taking over leadership of the Liberal Party of Ontario. […]
In the summer when I fly to Toronto or Calgary, on a clear day I can look out the airplane window and marvel at the patchwork quilt of crops below me. I have flown to Calgary and, looking down, have marveled at the brilliant yellow canola plants right up next […]
I like the lights of the Christmas season and especially enjoy the variety of styles that people use to decorate their yards. I hope we have enough snow to cover the leaves and brown grass, but not too much to bury the lights in the yard. Before the new LED […]
How much are economic barriers between provinces affecting us. If you want to buy a French wine at the LCBO here, there is little problem beyond ordering it in. However, try to get a Merlot out of British Columbia and the task becomes impossible. Ontario would much rather import wines […]
It is a magical transformation. One day our stores are dressed in Remembrance. The next day stores metamorphoses to Christmas. Garlands and lights surround windows. Christmas banners hang from ceilings directing shoppers to Christmas specials. Christmas music plays in the background. Suddenly Christmas bazaars and teas are flourishing throughout the […]
