Well, we’ve turned the calendar page to December–oh no! I really need to put my thinking cap on and start making a list of what I should be looking to buy for my family and friends. That is the difficult part for me–I’m not a shopper. It is one thing […]
Columnists
It’s pretty safe to say that winter is here to stay across Sunset Country. It’s also probably time for all of us to start thinking about Christmas. That means it’s time to get your shopping done now so you’re not stuck trying to put something together at the last minute, […]
The Senate scandal dominated much of what happened in Ottawa again last week, but other events also are worth looking at and taking note of. One significant event came with the release of the Auditor General’s fall 2013 report, which found that the Harper government is failing Canadians on many […]
Nominations are now open for the 2014 Ontario’s Outstanding Young Farmers’ Program (OOYF). Nominees may be individuals, partners, or couples who derive a minimum of two-thirds of their gross revenue from farming and are under the age of 40 as of Jan. 1 in the year of competition. Nomination forms […]
My wife, the Pearl of the Orient, and I have invested a lot of years—and substantial cash—in the gene pool. With year-end upon us, perhaps it’s time to review those investments and decide which ones should be liquidated. On the negative column are all those colds that are brought home […]
I don’t like to travel. There, I’ve said it. That’s a load off my chest. I also stole a piece of bubble gum from Perlette’s grocery store when I was five. It’s been weighing on my soul all these years, and I almost blurted out the truth on more than […]
Since Nov. 19, when I asked the minister of transportation to address the issue of road maintenance and safety in Northwestern Ontario, my offices have received hundreds of letters from constituents expressing their concerns. Your message is very clear, and I ask that you continue to send letters so I […]
Those grey things running around neighborhoods, and using the power and telephone lines to cross streets, are a nuisance. There are always three in my yard and the mother kicks the young out of her nest in the early fall. Her nest is in a hollow of a tree near […]
Do you fist bump or shake someone’s hand when you meet them. In sports, you often see players bumping each other’s hands with a closed fist on a successful play or goal. They are not getting ready to fight. Michelle and Barack Obama bumped fists in Minneapolis and now regularly […]
It’s November. And where I am (which is not where you are, I realize), it is warm and quiet outside. The leaves, for the most part, have fallen from the trees and are resting on the forest floor while transforming themselves into something else. The leaves in October have a […]
I don’t know what it is lately but I’m craving an old-fashioned life. Maybe it’s the rabbit race and pace of working so much in order to make ends meet that is the red flag for me. Perhaps it’s the impending materialistic-driven holiday season, and my sense of not wanting […]
On Nov. 19, I introduced Bill 132, an amendment to the Energy Consumer Protection Act, which would ban private, fixed-rate electricity contracts for residential customers. This bill, which now has passed second reading, was the culmination of years of work, both as a constituency assistant and as your MPP. We […]
