Last week, sitting idly in the train yard in Fort Frances, was a train made up entirely of tanker cars. It was only one of the 29 trains that pass through our community (and district) every day of the year. If you watch the trains from one of the level […]
Columnists
Did you know that the heart of a woman only weighs about eight ounces? I didn’t. It wasn’t until I recently checked “Google University” that I learned the facts. I was sure mine weighed more like 10 pounds—stone heavy and sinkable. I’ve been away, caring for that part of me. […]
Have you been to the hairdresser recently? Does anyone call them that anymore? Are they really dressing my hair; choosing an outfit that is a perfect fit for my hair, with the full range of accessories, including matching handbag? Anyway, that’s not the point of this long-winded diatribe (I am […]
“Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind,” Samuel Ullman wrote in the late 1800s. At the time, Ullman already was past age 70. Furthermore, his hearing loss had forced him to retire from his business. But his retirement afforded him an opportunity to pursue […]
As winter grows old for many across Sunset Country, late March is prime time for those of us who like to ice-fish. Longer days, warm sun, and great fishing are some of the highlights to hitting the ice at this time of year. Before I head down to Alabama later […]
It’s hard to believe that last year at this time, we still were experiencing minus-40 C conditions. However, I’m nervous about feeling too excited about spring. I’m afraid we could get a nasty reminder of winter from Mother Nature. If you’ve been listening to news reports, the poor people of […]
This week was another busy one in Ottawa with forestry hearings, work on the pension file, and the Conservatives working hard to stoke fear among Canadians to promote their unnecessary and intrusive Bill C-51 at committee. This past week at the Natural Resources committee, the forestry hearings continued. And with […]
I bet everyone is welcoming this weather! The sunshine is great and makes us all feel alive again (or, like a cat, we could just curl up in the sun and sleep). I still have 10 cows to calve and I was hoping to have most of them done by […]
If you could sit down and plan for a community, what would be your most important considerations? As we look to the future, the communities of Rainy River District have to deal with their histories and also with their futures. They do not have the luxury of beginning with a […]
Last week, I travelled with NDP leader Tom Mulcair and several other NDP MPs to the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada’s annual convention in Toronto. It was a great event, where we spoke with a variety of companies and groups, as well as promoted our plan for the mining […]
You remember Jack, don’t you? Jack, the guy who traded his cow for the beans. Not just any beans, of course, but magic beans. These beans were going to change his life; put him on the path to a better place. I suppose they did but at considerable risk to […]
My mother, who was born in 1903, loved school and wanted an education more than anything in the world. Consequently, she was crushed when the doctor said she could not go to school anymore because of her eyes. Even though she had glasses, the doctor said she would ruin her […]
