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…
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…
Democracy needs you
By Darren Lum Not all of us can run for office, but we can still contribute to democracy.We do that by informing ourselves of the candidates and then go out and vote for who we…
Pride for loved ones
By Darren Lum We all care about things that are close to us.I think back to 2013 when Haliburton County came together when the Gull River overran its banks, leaving homes and businesses in downtown…
Choose love over hate
Everyday we have the power to decide.We can love or we can hate. It seems strange to characterize our decisions in this manner, but bear with me. When you cross the street and you’re looking…
Kindness does matter
By Darren Lum Life can be difficult.Sure, I live in a country where there is a stable government and our infrastructure is sound for the most part. I recognize certain groups of people in this…
Freedom for life is for everyone
By Darren Lum When it comes to life there is a relationship between time and emotional capacity.Spend most of your waking hours working and see how much patience you have for the slow-talker or for…
Whatever you call it, it’s all ball to…
By Darren Lum I value sport for the intangibles and know it has given me immeasurable rewards in my life.This past week I was shooting photos of team’s four and nine playing a game for…
Soak in the sun, take a walk in…
By Darren Lum Savour the summer sun, take a slow walk through the forest and get out there.I’m a big fan of seasons that don’t require much but the clothes on my back and a…
Hello and goodbye
By Darren Lum Rock legend Jimi Hendrix said, “The story of life is quicker than the wink of an eye, the story of love is hello and goodbye … until we meet again.” Sue Tiffin…
Congrats, 2022 Grads
By Sue Tiffin I’m proud of this little newspaper, and the people who do good things that make for the stories that fill it. This week is no exception. What is exceptional this week, is…
Until we meet again
By Sue Tiffin When I first returned to the Haliburton County Echo and Minden Times as a reporter in 2017, it had been 21 years since I had been a co-op student at the Echo…
All in a day’s work
By Sue Tiffin The times, they are a-changin'. Work times, that is. In Algonquin Highlands last week, council approved a compressed work week trial policy that will see many of its employees working four days…
A place to grow
By Sue Tiffin Numerous fairgoers on the weekend described the Haliburton County Fair event hosted by the Minden Agricultural Society as being like a family reunion, and not just those who are related to half…
Getting it done
By Sue Tiffin It felt like I had no sooner sat down to organize the Times/Echo live blog on election night, that the winner had been declared. The night itself wasn’t particularly exciting for those…
Creating better informed voters
By Jim Poling Sr.From Shaman's Rock The really good news about last week’s Ontario election is that its citizens remain pragmatic, rather than dogmatic. Voters didn’t re-elect Doug Ford’s government because they absolutely love it…
Look alive, Ontario
By Sue Tiffin "So, who do you think is going to come in second in the election?” is a question I recently heard and one that might have been on your mind during this provincial…
A better future
By Sue Tiffin Recently I was reading a picture book to my children prior to bed. The book, Our Planet: There’s No Place Like Earth by Stacy McAnulty, like many books and TV shows geared…
Summer days
By Sue Tiffin I love hearing stories about what summer was like in those days that feel like yesterday, for some of you. While fathers stayed home to work in the city and lived to…
Hats in the ring
By Sue Tiffin Finally, the time is here, you’ll soon know whether or not your neighbour was right about so-and-so running for mayor. The nomination period for October’s municipal elections opened on Monday, and some…
Saying yes
By Sue Tiffin After my brother-in-law’s passing a few years ago, my response to the overwhelming grief and loss I felt was that I decided I was going to say yes to everything, because I…