By James Matthews Leading in the best of times is difficult enough. Leading in these hard-scratch economic times takes a toll beyond my comprehension.For the best leaders, anyway.Newly minted mayors and councillors in Haliburton County…
Of masks, decency, and the Tory heel
By James Matthews Just wear the mask. It’s the decent thing to do for the people around you. Go ahead: Put it on when you venture close to or within a crowd. If not for…
How to shiver correctly
By Steve Galea Now that the cold weather has finally arrived, new deer hunters might need a reminder on how to shiver correctly. As any veteran deer hunter can attest, this is one of the…
Finding a new way of living
By Jim Poling I’m not one for rewatching a movie, no matter how good it might have been. Especially if it is a remake. I made an exception recently and ordered up the 2021 remake…
Damned if you do …
Op-ed By Fay Martin You know the story about the blind men meeting an elephant. Each one had access to a different part. The one who had the tail described confidently that the elephant was…
Of humbug, Jim Reeves, and how it’s suggested…
By James Matthews A thought or two about Christmas. I hear readers protesting: Jeez, can’t we get a little more beyond Halloween before talk of Christmas? I get it. But, the shopping centres, the big box…
Bin there, done that
By Steve Galea Like many hunters and anglers, when it comes to hunting and fishing gear, I have a lot. I actually have so much that you could probably do a two-part episode of Hoarders…
A merry-go-round of scams
By Jim Poling Hey, Beverley J. Karl@aliciablong05@gmail.com. I am emailing to let you know that I am returning your nose. I found it sniffing around my business the other day, looking for ways to relieve…
All that is old is new again…
By Fay Martin Housing is unaffordable, we read and hear everywhere, and that is jeopardizing our economy and discouraging the younger generation. Ah, hasn’t it always been thus? In Middlemarch, George Eliot’s novel published 151…
Of government, a pandemic, and Jacks-in-boxes
By James Matthews This is a level of seriousness people try to keep out of their lives. Excuse the improper formatting. It’s necessary for space and accommodating a newspaper’s column-width. [BLACK SCREEN] Dr. Nicole Bocking…
The buck stops here
By Steve Galea f you hunt deer, two things are for certain: first, there will be times when you are sitting with a perfect wind in your face at a spot where your trail cameras…
A bureaucracy gone mad
By Jim Poling Sr. I have confirmed that COVID-19 is not a respiratory disease. It is a mental disease that makes some people more stupid than they already are. I confirmed this during yet another…
The splendour of the woods
By Jim Poling Sr. The lights dim. The audience turns to other spectacles.Nature’s annual autumn show is over. It was a spectacular one. Certainly one of the most vibrant in years. Crimson and golden hillsides…
A step to a bright new day
By Darren Lum There’s a lot to unpack in about a 600 word editorial to say goodbye.But after almost a year of these, it’s something I’ve been told I’m good at, so here goes.Thank you.…
Wondering about Ma Bell
By Jim Poling Sr. I’ve been wondering a lot recently about Bell. You know, the telephone company now into mobile phones, internet service, digital television, radio and television news, sports and entertainment programming, plus TV…
There’s always room for thanks
By Darren Lum Thanksgiving was on Monday, Oct. 10 and is past now, but I wish it was more than one day.Well, not the day so much as the feeling felt.Why put a limit on…
Birds for better health
By Jim Poling Sr. Probably the best thing anyone can do after listening to a morning newscast is to go outside and listen to the birds. Studies show that birds are beneficial to our mental…
Good for you Minden
By Darren Lum I believe living in a democratic country not only affords us rights, but responsibilities.To our community. To our neighbours and fellow residents. We need to vote, but we also need to be…
They’ve got me numbered!
By Jim Poling Sr. We Canadians love our bureaucracy as much as we love our maple syrup. If we didn’t why would we swallow so much of it?I’ve been asking myself that after a recent…
Drop the mask, open your heart
By Darren Lum Seeing the faces of the children in the Terry Fox Run for Archie Stouffer Elementary School it’s easy to see the happiness. Perhaps I’m naive, but children are honest with their feelings.It’s…
Meeting the Queen
To the Editor, In 1984, the Queen arrived at the Toronto Harbour on her Royal Yacht Britannia.Brian Mulroney was prime minister. My nephew Bill Pristanski was his executive assistant. The prime minister’s wife, Mila Mulroney…