Reasons to celebrate

November 4, 2014

By Nate Smelle WITH THE JACK-O-LANTERN rotting on the front porch and the first snow of the season coming down I switched on the radio ...

Searching for the right door

For some time, I have been troubled by Bancroft’s Community Safety and Well-Being Plan. There are times when it has looked much like the Hans Christian Anderson story of the Emperor’s New Clothes. You remember – where two con men posed as tailors to sew an elegant (and very expensive) new robe for the king. When it looked like they were doing nothing, they convinced the court officials that their stitching was so fine that only people of the highest quality could see it. They then took the money and ran, while the king paraded naked around the court, until a little child proclaimed “The emperor has no clothes!”

A losing battle

By Nate Smelle THERE IS NO COMBINATION of words possible to stop the bleeding and soothe the pain caused by the tragic events that unfolded ...

Of moose and man

By Nate Smelle WHILE SITTING IN THE sand on the shore of Wolf Lake on a recent camping excursion I decided to go for a ...

Thanks – a million

I've been running around town a lot in the last week or so. The reason is that there’s been a lot of activity among town groups and agencies. Last Friday, the Community Integration Association threw a barbecue at their Alice Street HQ. Just a parking lot away, North Hastings was running their jail ‘n’ bail fun-and-fundraiser. This week, another two events raised a lot of money for local groups: the Switchyard held a jam-packed barbecue to support its youth programs, and Home Again filled the Curling Club to aid its dog and cat rescue operations.

Thinking of thanks

Without such unconditional, compassion, goodwill and mutual gratitude in the hearts of our neighbours would any of us be living here today?

Who cares

Who cares? The candidates do; that is why they are running.

Between hard water and a rocky place

LAST YEAR, I referred to Bancroft’s growing sewer deficit as “the elephant in the room”, calling to mind the LCBO commercials. However, over the year, the deficit has continued to stagger deeper and deeper into the red. According to treasurer Craig Davidson’s figures prepared for last week’s budget meeting, the deficit will pass the $2 million mark this year.