Did you know? Between April 2011 and April 2023, 210 reported injuries in Canada were linked to fireworks and similar products. This data comes from the Canadian Hospitals Injury Reporting and Prevention Program (CHIRPP) database. In addition, recent consumer fireworks incidents throughout Canada in 2025 highlight these safety risks. In […]
Columnists
Prison gardens foster rehabilitation and healing for incarcerated men, according to a study funded by The Canadian Institute of Health Research, reported on in 2019. Many agriculture programs in the correctional system focus on the financial benefit of offsetting institutional costs, but in Canada, a prison garden program engages incarcerated […]
At my coffee discussion group the other day, we began discussing some of the barriers that patients in Northwestern Ontario face when medical procedures take place out of province. Rather than having some tests such as CT scans, MRIs and echocardiograms performed in our communities, we are often required to […]
The middle of June has arrived. How quickly the days pass by! Our winter wheat is nearly fully headed out, but it isn’t very tall. I think our long, cool spring, which turned into hot summer weather, has played havoc on some of our crops. If you have alfalfa in […]
Last month’s column started to take a look at the question of whether or not just one person can make a difference. We touched on the fact that often we consider ourselves to be just a normal person and therefore unable to make much difference. Most of us can probably […]
Epsom salts can be a way to help green up your garden naturally. Epsom salts contain magnesium and sulfur, two elements that are found in nature and are important for plant growth. Magnesium helps form chlorophyll in plants and is essential for photosynthesis, various enzyme reactions and other plant growth […]
I love purple. That’s it. What else is there to say? I love purple. Any shade. Any variation. Any hue. Purple is my favourite colour. Not to wear necessarily, as this olive-in-late-summer tone doesn’t vibe and mix well with it, but anything purple draws my eyes like a moth to […]
The Emo Legion will be hosting a dance this Saturday, June 20, featuring the live band Throwback. The band plays all your favourite country and rock hits. There will be DJ music playing until the band comes on stage and starts to perform. Tickets are $20 advance and $25 at […]
Charting a new course: What if wearing lifejackets/PFDs were the law? For generations, wearing a lifejacket or PFD (personal flotation device) has been a personal choice for Canadian boaters—a matter of common sense rather than compliance. Imagine a Canada where strapping on a lifejacket or PFD isn’t just a smart […]
If you’re feeling down about the state of the world, and there certainly is good reason to these days, I have another antidote for you—join a community group of gardeners. It’s a failproof remedy for all the troubles in the world. That may seem to border on hyperbole, but I […]
By Robert Animikii Horton
As summer arrives, something profoundly special is right around the corner. Blended with colours and light, motion and energy, smiles and song, and pulsing to the heartbeat of a nation, powwow season is set to begin. A powwow (Anishinaabe-niimi’idiwin as an event or Anishinaabe-niimi’iding when speaking of it as a […]
One wood tick crawling on my hand, and now every little hair on my body that twitches feels like one of the critters is making a beeline up my torso to my wild head of hair, where it’s cozy and warm. Go figure on me being phased because I am […]
