A poll conducted by Nanos research for the Globe and Mail last week found that almost half of Canadians feel that the United States is no longer a trusted ally. It is not a surprising find, but it does tell us how our relationship with the current U.S. government has […]
Jim Cumming – From the Publisher Emeritus’ Pen
Jim is the former publisher of the Fort Frances Times Ltd. He writes a weekly column and can be contacted at jcumming@fortfrances.com
I have been overweight all my life, and it has caused health problems. All one must do is look at the five different pills I take daily, the shot of Ozempic once a week and the insulin I take four times a day. I am a living example of what […]
There is a ticking time bomb in every town and city across Canada and community leaders are aware of the problem. Our aging infrastructure can crumble almost instantly and there is little that can be done to prevent water line breaks and sewer breaks. Water lines and sewer lines are […]
Community newspapers have historically been at the heart of their communities. As a journalist once observed, they are often like the single-channel television news site or the lone internet connection available to the residents it served. Community newspapers are often considered the single social network connecting citizens. Community newspapers tell […]
As Prime Minister Mark Carney recently told the world: “We are a middle power.” There was no exclamation point, but the statement resonated with every other middle power in the room at Davos. It was a quiet declaration of reality – and a rebuke to the comforting fiction of the […]
The world has changed. We have learned that under Donald Trump neither Canada nor Europe can any longer depend on our closest ally. We can watch as the American president flexes his economic and military power against nations in the western hemisphere that Mark Carney’s drive to create new trading […]
A group of people met with our MP Marcus Polowski for a sociable evening discussing items that impact residents of the district. A last-minute invitation was sent out making inviting people. I had missed an opinion piece written by our member and John McKay a former member of parliament and […]
We should be in the season of optimism. We should be looking at the opportunities that can be found in the Rainy River District. We should be celebrating the differences between being Canadian and being American. Sometimes all those items are hard to understand. Sometimes the best ideas can be […]
We are in the Advent Season. The Christian religion begins with the lighting of the first of four candles symbolizing the season of hope. We are also in the Jewish season of Hanukkah in which multiple candles re lit over an eight day period. And we are also in the […]
As the holiday season is already upon us, I look to the traditions that this season brings to us. For many it includes a Christmas Eve service. For some it begins with a special Christmas Eve meal. For some it may be waiting for last minute arrivals of children and […]
I recently had an interesting conversation with Scott Fawcett about the value of parents supporting youth sports. Whether it is swimming, football, hockey, figure skating, dance, performing arts, or baseball, without their financial support and commitment, those programs would cease to exist. One of the most significant points that he […]
You can tell that Christmas is coming. After the Halloween decorations were safely stored, the town went dark. Only the streetlights hid blackness in our neighbourhoods. The moon disappeared. And slowly light came has drifted back into our neighbourhoods. Outdoor lights were strung, and blow-up decorations began filling front lawns. […]






