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…
Demand effective climate emission caps
To the Editor, The government of Canada welcomes your help in choosing “Options to Cap and Cut Oil and Gas Sector Greenhouse Gas Emissions to Achieve 2030 Goals and Net-Zero by 2050.” You still have…
Waiting for the ‘big one’
By Jim Poling Sr. Thunder Bay, Ontario – I’m sitting on the Hillcrest Park stone wall overlooking the city where I was born and raised. The view of Lake Superior and the Sleeping Giant is…
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…
Democracy works with compromises
To the Editor, In response to a letter concerning Haliburton County’s shoreline protection bylaw in the last issue of this paper:It is not surprising that the operators of a tree service company, when speaking with…
Living with beaver
By Jim Poling Sr. Thinking about putting the dock away for winter brings painful memories. And, nasty thoughts about Canada’s favourite rodent – Castor canadensis, commonly known as the beaver.Every fall I tow my dock…
Mice on the move
By Jim Poling Sr. And so begins the annual invasion of the mice. They are on the move, searching for cracks and gaps in homes, cottages, garages, sheds and other buildings where they can find…
Observe and report
By Jim Poling Sr. This week marks a special anniversary. It’s of little interest to anyone but me, but I’m writing about it anyway. Sixty years ago this week I walked into the second-floor newsroom…
Time for a different trip
By Jim Polling Sr. The world is on the move again after two and a half years of COVID. I’m itching to do some travelling but can’t decide where to go. I’ve considered Tasmania to…
Questioning validity of complaints
To the Editor, In response to your recent article, Health unit order to shut down outdoor hot tubs has resort owners boiling, and as one of those owners, the Health Unit has indicated that ‘Since…
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…
Summer: going, going …
That voice is in my head again. It sneaks in every August; a throbbing, melancholy voice sighing sad words about loss and change.“All the rainbows in the skyStart to weep and say goodbyeYou won’t be…
Fulfilling a childhood dream
By Vivian CollingsMy Great-Grandmother once said to me, “truth is stranger than fiction,” and this year, I’m really believing it.I’m Vivian Collings, and I joined the Haliburton Echo and Minden Times team in my hometown…
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…
Growing food, not lawns
By Jim Poling Sr. My lawnmower has been put away for the winter. I doubt if I’ll bring it out next spring.This year I didn’t cut the grass until well into June. It grew to…
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…