The Smell of the Wonder Dogs
Can you get dogs to sniff out COVID-19? Absolutely yes, say British researchers. And they can do it better and quicker than most other ‘scientific’ tests. Claiming an accuracy rate of between 82 per cent and 94 per cent, researchers in England were able to expose dogs to T-shirt samples, some of which were ever […]
Hiking along for Hospice
Did you know Prince Edward County has a Hospice? Sure you did. You did know, right? And, did you know the Hike for Hospice is happening this year? Betcha didn’t give it a second thought because, “How can you have a Hike for Hospice if we’re locked down, told to stay home and not supposed […]
Quantifying your bonus
So it’s official. House prices in the County have been escalating at a rate even faster than in Metro Toronto, Ottawa, Peterborough, Niagara-on- the-Lake and the Muskokas, According to PEC Affordable Housing Corporation president Chuck Dowdall, the average sale price in March was $821,000—an increase year over year of nearly $250,000— not a bad return […]
Read, Write, Re-Read
I have heard libraries and booksellers are busier than they’ve ever been since the Pandemic hit. That’s got to be a good thing, right? I think it must be. When all of the isolating and locking down began, I was at a loss about what I could do to fill the days. Reading has helped. […]
The Stress of Commemoration
When our good friend Bill Wightman died in 2017, we wanted to remember him with the planting of a tree. And eventually, a tree was chosen and planted on the grounds of CML Snider public school, near Main Street. But it took place—albeit with the concurrence of the Hillier and Wellington councillors— in the absence […]
Mom, Mom, Mom, MOMMMY
It’s Mother’s Day, as I write this column. I don’t know about all you mothers out there, but it sort of feels like an ordinary Sunday, if you get my drift. I got up. I had a coffee, or two. I watched CBS Sunday Morning. I ate toast. I started to write this column. Those […]
Buying a screwdriver
“You can’t buy a screwdriver in Niagara-on-the-Lake,” heritage consultant Carl Bray told Council’s committee of the whole last Thursday. That town has “got a beautiful shell, but it’s a hollow one except for the very wealthy. Everybody who works there lives in St. Catharines or Pelham.” The lesson, which we in the County are eager […]
Eight dollar tomatoes and free range chickens
How does your garden grow? A family friend suggested a column about gardening. She doesn’t really know me very well. But here’s my take on raising plants. I’ve been on the horns of a dilemma for a few weeks. Actually, as soon as winter turned into spring, I’ve been giving this more than a little […]
A Baby Steps Wealth Tax
Justin Trudeau’s Liberals have taken their first baby steps towards taxing wealth directly. In her April, 2021 budget, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland introduced a luxury tax on cars and planes selling for over $100,000 and boats selling for over $250,000. (I didn’t know that you could buy a plane for less than $100,000, or that […]
And then?
Well, and then we had a Trash Bash Day in the County. It wasn’t a “Pandemic Trash Bash”. It was just a plain, old Trash Bash. It was a “Put on those blue gloves, grab the green trash bags and pick up trash”, Trash Bash day. While I’m all for being mindful of debris and […]