I thought there was a U.N. prohibition on the laying of land mines. But no, as the snow and ice recedes from the roads and sidewalks every spring, there they are. In these fresh spring days, with the sun finally shining and things starting to melt, I like to stroll […]
Columnists
Last Thursday, my calendar saying was true—and at the same time untrue. “I welcome new technologies. My mind is capable of easily learning new skills.” As far as being capable of easily learning new skills–that statement is true. All I have to do is put my mind to it. And […]
I think even my cows are growing tired of our lack of spring! For those of us who didn’t have a huge stack of hay this year, the long, lingering winter certainly is not helping that, either. Alas, the long-term weather forecast still isn’t looking very warm and we are […]
The Harper Conservatives continue to chip away at the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario (FedNor) through funding and staffing cuts. Two different FedNor-related announcements in the past two weeks by the federal government spell trouble for businesses and communities that are looking for help to develop, diversify, and […]
Since I was first elected in the fall of 2011, one of my biggest priorities has been ensuring that people living across Northwestern Ontario have fair and equitable access to health-care services. While a great deal of work needs to be done, one of the most urgent gaps is access […]
Last year, I launched my boat on April 13. I was able to get to my cabin on Rainy Lake on April 16 and we had the water running April 21. It was the earliest we had ever reached and opened our cabin since starting records in 1968. Our hot […]
“It’s like Chinese water torture—slow and relentless,” he said, sour-toned on the dragging carcass of winter. I couldn’t have put it better myself in 500 words. But what the heck, I can try. The weather has played me out and I don’t play out easily. I don’t give up easily, […]
After a couple days of travel over the past weekend, I made to Beaver Lake, Ark.—site of the next FLW tournament taking place later this week. It is my first time fishing Beaver Lake, but my initial impression after a couple of days of practice is that I like it. […]
I’ve never called myself a feminist, though I’m certainly fierce about the rights of women and I cringe with outrage, disgust, and horror at the plight and reality for many women on this planet. I have taken for granted the dedicated efforts of those women who brought about change in […]
Over the years, I’ve been lucky enough to have had the opportunity to cover a lot of exciting sporting events, most of which have taken place here in Fort Frances and surrounding area. One thing that was glaringly absent from my “bucket list,” however, was to be in person for […]
“When you don’t know what to do, get still. Get very still until you do know what to do.” Oprah Winfrey offered this advice to graduates at Stanford University in California during her commencement address there in 2008. And she was right. If you are quiet long enough to listen, […]
I was thinking that the cold weather Monday morning was quite an April Fool’s Day trick! The sun was shining, but it was pretty darn stiff in the barn yard. It’s amazing that last year at this time, we were thinking about planting. This year, however, I can’t even see […]
