Until recently, it had been almost 12 months since I’d picked up a keyboard and wrote a column. What a phenomenal detour once again from the road I was meant to take all my life. Occasionally over the past few months, readers would ask me if I had stopped writing […]
Columnists
I have written about libraries a few times in my last 524 columns, 385 of which have been printed here. But who’s counting? I guess I am. Libraries are the past and the future, and everything in between. I was at the Kentville Public Library one morning last week, doing […]
That was a long weekend hard to beat! The much-needed rain came before most of us started our weekend and then we had sunshine for the rest of it. Unfortunately, dampened the Rainy River First Nations’ annual fish fry but the meal still was top of the line. Cliff Westover […]
Senior retirement housing, long-term care, and subsidized senior housing all are on the minds of Ontario residents in this year’s provincial election. It also will be part of municipal elections in the fall. Housing for seniors is an issue. For instance, what types of senior housing do we require in […]
Have you packed up your winter clothes yet? I have! Out came the storage bag and the clinging dust bunnies from under my bed. I had washed and folded all my summer stuff last October, jammed everything in the bag, and shoved it in amongst all the other stuff I’ve […]
I went a little crazy with my pre-gardening plans this year. I’ve started seeds and no longer have a spare room. That room now is a seedling nursery, with the bed and a table covered with little pots housing plants of every variety in excessive numbers. It’s a bit like […]
Saturday is a big day for anglers across Sunset Country as it marks the opening weekend of a new walleye season. It’s a busy weekend on area waters as many folks are itching to get back in the boat after a long winter. The appeal of a feed of fresh […]
Will we be bought with our own money again this provincial election? It is a question all voters should be asking themselves as the “robot-calls” light up our phones at meal times. Which party can bribe us best? When Kathleen Wynne unveiled her election budget in March, she promised free […]
I’m actually contemplating spring-cleaning–the old-fashioned kind of spring-cleaning like my grandmother used to do. The walls in each room get washed down, and the kitchen cupboards get emptied out and everything gets a bath before being returned and hopefully (if memory serves me correctly) to same spot so that it […]
As the MP for Thunder Bay-Rainy River, I regularly travel across the region to meet with my constituents and to listen to the issues and priorities that are important to them. The economy, infrastructure, jobs, and opportunities for their kids or grandkids are some of the key topics that come […]
It was a great week at the Emo Agricultural Research Station with Claire and Nick! Working with summer students every year keeps me young; at least at heart. We are ready to plant but, of course, we have a tractor breakdown. Funny thing, the tractor was put away last fall […]
If you get the chance to escape the winter next season for a warm clime and Sunwing is in charge, I suggest you forego the opportunity. My daughter returned from a Sunwing Vacation some 15 days ago (while I am writing this) with her husband and two small children. Their […]
