By Emily Stonehouse We’ve vanished. For our loyal followers on social media, some may have noticed that our online presence has dwindled since last week. While the Minden Times and the Haliburton Echo are print…
A time of skim and scan
From Shaman’s RockBy Jim Poling Sr. A very old guy with snow-white hair and snow-white beard fishes the ocean for weeks without catching anything. Finally, he catches a mighty marlin, but sharks eat it before…
Is tourism dead?
By Emily Stonehouse When you work in this line of business, you spend an awful lot of time with your ear to the ground. Following social media pages that do not pertain to your personal…
An animal uprising
From Shaman’s Rock By Jim Poling Sr. There are signs that the animal kingdom is fed up with us and beginning to rebel. Two-ton killer whales are ramming yachts and fishing boats. A sea otter…
Finding a way to say thank you
From Shaman’s Rock By Jim Poling Sr. Thumbs up to my little sister. She can turn mud pies into chocolate cakes. Or, a bad experience into something helpful to others. She was bike riding with…
The high road
By Emily Stonehouse The high road may be lonely, but it’s the only direction to success. Those were my thoughts as I watched 150 people berate acting CEO of HHHS Veronica Nelson at a public…
Smoke gets in your head
From Shaman’s Rock By Jim Poling Sr. Our spring and summer of smoke is being called abnormal. It’s not. It’s a new normal that scientists predict will become an even more normal part of our…
The primary narrative
By Emily Stonehouse I didn’t always feel cantankerous around Canada Day. Growing up, it was an opportunity to don your best white and red; a chance to watch fireworks and stay up late to drink…
The right to rest in peace
From Shaman’s RockBy Jim Poling Sr. While ships searched for the submersible lost while visiting the Titanic gravesite, I visited another gravesite. I was back in northwestern Ontario, where I was born and raised. On…
Five stages of grief
By Emily Stonehouse You’ve probably heard it before. References to the five stages of grief. Maybe you’ve heard it alluded to on a television show, or from a doctor, or maybe you’ve experienced them yourself:denial,…
Only in America
From Shaman’s RockBy Jim Poling Sr. No matter what calamity the world suffers, the only really important news in the United States these days is Donald Trump. News networks feverishly report his limo leaving Trump…
Another one gets fried
From Shaman’s RockBy Jim Poling Sr. It’s disturbing to see how intelligent people who get close to Justin Trudeau get burned.The latest scorched victim is David Johnston, the former governor general who Trudeau appointed his…
The end
By Emily Stonehouse It’s felt like the closing of a chapter lately. The season of goodbyes. The nearing of the end. We are getting emails preparing us for graduations, end-of-year dance recitals, and retirement parties.…
A nation of contradictions
From Shaman’s RockBy Jim Poling Sr. I don’t get out much, spending most of my time among the birds and squirrels who dance in the woods surrounding my place. So my recent trip to the…
Orange County?
By Emily Stonehouse Will Haliburton County go orange? It’s a question I’ve asked myself as I’ve watched the ER closure saga wage on. On May 25, Marit Stiles, the leader of the Ontario New Democratic…
It’s a dogs life?
From Shaman’s Rock By Jim Poling Sr. I’m in California visiting my American granddog Rusty. Rusty has had a rough year or so health wise. Breathing problems and fatigue that appeared during the COVID-19 pandemic.…
A letter from Schwarz Law Partners re: ER…
By JAYSON B. SCHWARZ Let me begin this letter by saying how blessed I feel in being part of the community in Minden Hills and Haliburton County. My wife and I have lived, enjoyed and…
Thinking about wildfires
From Shaman’s Rock By Jim Poling Sr. You can smell hints of summer in the air and the promise of sunny, worry-free times. A worrisome thing is present, however, but for now it’s something requiring…
Out of control
By Emily Stonehouse I am seeing people refer to the Minden ER closure as a “done deal”. This has those rallying on the front-lines bent out of shape. Yes, decisions have been made, but since…
Scoring goals requires passion
From Shaman’s Rock By Jim Poling Sr. I have never been a Toronto Maple Leafs fan. Probably because I was born and raised in Northwestern Ontario, where most folks disliked southern Ontario and anything to…
What’s in store this summer?
From Shaman’s Rock By Jim Poling Sr. So here comes the heat. And, the heavy rains, big thunderstorms and the wild winds that accompany them. That’s what the professional forecasters are telling us. Their climate…