I was dumbfounded when I read that both Canadian Tire and Walmart were going to receive back taxes from the Town of Fort Frances after a hearing by the Municipal Property Assessment Corp. Where was the province and the Association of Municipalities of Ontario in opposing the reductions in taxes? […]
Columnists
If you had to name one–and only one–moment in your life that was your “very best,” what would it be? Could you honestly do that? I thought I could. I even picked “that one time when . . .” and gave it due credence. But then right in behind it, […]
The Freeman and Kivimaki families, as has been the norm during many a winter evening for many a year, headed to Everett Freeman’s favourite restaurant a week ago Saturday. After dinner (again, like normal), the group headed in the direction of the Memorial Sports Centre for the evening’s scheduled hockey […]
For the past five years around this time in late January, it’s become a tradition for me to hook up my truck and boat and head south. I’m very fortunate to be able to chase a dream that I’ve had since I was a youngster of making a living as […]
There hasn’t been many columns that I haven’t started off with my view on the weather. And once again, this weather is terrible. I planned to move my cattle into the calving yard but it is a giant swimming hole right now. I don’t believe this weather is healthy for […]
I listened to an oral essay the other day on the purpose of illness, and if not the purpose, then the positive by-product thereof. We learn valuable lessons from our discomfort of illness, and as our body coughs and wheezes and suffers with fever, it is telling us something and […]
When people think ice-fishing in January, lake trout come to mind first for many of the serious anglers out there. Sure, we all get out and catch walleye, crappie, and whitefish in January, but the lake trout season opens annually on Jan. 1 and we have more great lake trout […]
I have the ’flu. It seems very single time I fly, I get sick, so I’d like to blame those people carrying germs with whom I was locked into the cabin of a Boeing 737 and those who followed me around in various airports for the 18 hours it took […]
I’ve believed it for years and years. I am exactly where I am supposed to be. I believe in the words of the “Desiderata”—created in 1927—and I carry it with me always. I most especially believe in the part that says: “Whether or not it is clear to you, no […]
It looks as though we are going to have a nice week of weather. I am hoping the current forecast of rain for Saturday is wrong, but I’m certain things will change by then. It will be a great week to take down my Christmas lights. But from the stuff […]
When the Fort Frances Times initiated voicemail, we believed it was really important for a caller to speak to a real person when phoning the newspaper. We still believe that, but we do have a voicemail system so that calls after hours, or when a person is away from their […]
Back in May, 2012, I’d had enough of cult television and cancelled my satellite subscription, leaving me with only “Netflix” movies. I lived in that bubble until just before this past Christmas, when I decided to re-engage with the “media-ogre” world. I’d had four years of commercial-free living—save for the […]
