My daughter made two ladies cry. Usually, this would be cause for concern, but instead it is time to proudly share. For her tenth birthday Audrey asked for money to donate to Christmas Cheer. (Warning: the goodwill toward man shown in this article may make grinch-like hearts grow two sizes or may even inspire you to do a random act …
Stress-free kids birthdays
In a day and age where employer and employee loyalty is virtually non-existent and unemployment rates are high, I am always happy to see people who have carved out a niche market for themselves as entrepreneurs. Most recently, I held my daughter’s birthday party at “Celebrate your Day your Way Party and Play Centre” where I met David Greer. Greer …
9 to 5 doesn’t work with women today
When you’ve asked someone how things were going, how many times do you hear the answer “Busy?” How many times have you yourself provided that answer or spiced things up a little but adding “Things are good … but busy?” We’re racing towards something, and sometimes I wonder if it’s one big heart attack for all of us. I can’t …
Sesame Street scandal
Whether you are following the lengthy and ongoing implosion of Toronto’s mayor Rob Ford, or the Senate scandal, I feel like we’ve seen this before, time and again. The inevitable endings seem cliché before they even play out. Rules don’t get enforced. People get off with a badly rehearsed apology. It seems that it’s easier to stick our heads in …
Take on the mole hills
When do you make a mountain out of a mole hill? Every day we’re faced with situations that are wrong, appear wrong, or simply rub us the wrong way, and it’s hard to know which battles are worth waging. One famous leader, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said: “The time is always right to do what’s right.” I have always …
Bike trail meeting planned
In my last column, I brought to light the issue of the proposed Fish Hatchery fence that would close off some trail access at Hiawatha. It was widely reported in local media and on the CBC. David Orazietti, our MPP and the Ministry of Natural Resources, did not release specifics about the location or cost of the proposed fence, but …
Fencing off trails smells fishy
Why were Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) staff creeping about the forests of Hiawatha installing cameras on Sunday September 15th? Why were workers putting stakes in the ground along what appears to be a looming fence line near fifth line on Sunday the 22nd? When did Sunday became such a common government work day? The first question led to me …
Mario Richard lived for earth, wind and fire
My last column, which ran on August 28th, was about my phenomenal experience tandem B.A.S.E. jumping in May with new found friends, Mario Richard and his wife Steph Davis in Moab, Utah. I didn’t know it at the time of writing, but my partner in flight caught his last air on August 19, 2013. Mario Richard, originally of Quebec City, …
Extreme sports, like tandem B.A.S.E. jumping off a cliff, help you enjoy life by looking death in the face
In a world of dwindling firsts, it’s always worth pausing when you capture one of them; however in this case, my first simply allowed me to reflect on what it meant to be alive. In May, while vacationing in Moab, Utah I became one of a select few in the world, and the first person in Northern Ontario to do …
What’s more strange, news or weather?
What’s more strange these days, the news or the weather? Are you tired of people complaining about the strange weather that we’ve had so far this summer? I have the solution: read the newspaper. Why? You’ll find stories that rival the weather in their oddity. I’ve collected a few beauties for your consideration, in order to improve your water-cooler conversation. …