The Smoke Alarm For Every Baby program is more than six months old. To date, more than 150 smoke alarms have been distributed to the parents of each newborn baby in the district. The program is funded by the Rainy River District Mutual Aid Fire Association and Canadian Tire (Fort […]
Columnists
Outdoors Pro-Mo
Spinner rigs used to be a real popular way to take walleye. But in the past few years, they’ve lost some of that popularity in some areas of walleye country. That’s strange because spinner rigs are still very effective lure types for taking walleye. The spinner rigs we’re talking about […]
At the Cafe in the Bailiwick the other morning, the local politicians were gathered for their caffeine intake and ruminating over the events of the July 1 celebrations. This celebration is the main occasion of the year when Bailiwick’s politicians–young and old–get out and press the flesh in anticipation of […]
Outdoors Pro-Mo
Catch-and-release. The term explains itself. An angler catches a fish and then lets it go, alive, back to the water. At first, it was mostly fly fishermen and muskie enthusiasts who were doing it. But now there are more people picking up on it–serious anglers concerned with the future of […]
Last Saturday morning, I bought my “Y2K” insurance. And in the afternoon, I used it for the first time. How well I remember the click . . . click . . . click of the keys. And the throw of the carriage. It’s the way I wrote letters and journals […]
Summer time, and the living is easy . . . . Our Northwestern Ontario climate and terrain make this a great season to enjoy life. But sometimes we get so preoccupied with preparing for the ever-changing future, that we don’t savour the present. Life rushes by all too fast, and […]
By now, I expect to talk to machines on the telephone, and I’m pretty good at making little speeches at them. Sprightly voices answer, “We’re unavailable right now but leave a message and we’ll get back with you as soon as possible. Have a good day!” Other no-nonsense voices begin […]
Quetico Centre
We have a new old government for our province. What does it mean for the Northwest? First, Premier Mike Harris will take his victory as a mandate to stay the course he’s been on. Before the election, I heard any number of people say they think what he is doing […]
On the surface, at least, that shouldn’t be a big surprise. In last Thursday’s provincial election, the Ontario NDP under Howie’s leadership took just 14 percent of the popular vote while winning only nine seats–three short of official party status–in the 103-seat legislature (8.7 percent) Four years ago, even as […]
Thank goodness it’s over–the election, that is. Now we can get back to more serious and honest items, like cutting the grass. But, of course, no election is complete with out some post-election analysis. At the Café in Hooterville, the morning after the election, more political experts were gathered around […]
Hendon, Pa. (1998)–11 young people in their early teens and early 20s, all friends, headed to a cabin in the mountains. By daybreak Sunday, all of them were dead, caught in their beds by a swift fire. Toronto, Ont. (Fall of 1998)–an elderly man died from burns after he fell […]
There are many beautiful flowers in the spring. Some are brilliant and flamboyant, some are soft and delicate, and some have special meanings in our lives. We all love to see flowers blooming in the spring. In this part of the world, it means we can put away the snow […]






