Porch Views, editorials and more
OPINION One of the most controversial topics of discussion that has surfaced among our communities and news broadcasts for the past several months surrounds vaccination. While some are celebrating the fact that a COVID-19 vaccine has been created and made available in such a timely manner, in an anticipatory attempt …
In its last New Year message, The Current reviewed some of the highs and lows of the previous year. Because of the pandemic, unfortunately 2020 brought more of the latter than the former, so this time we will avoid depressing our readers with such a review. Instead, we would like …
Editorial Mayor Kim Love announced at the MV Council in Committee meeting on Dec.1 that Council intends to make a decision during its Dec.16 meeting about spending $1.5 million on rehabilitating the Paul J. Yakabuski Community Centre (PJYCC). The bulk of this money will be used to replace the ice …
EDITORIAL The Current has been given a copy of a document being distributed to local residents that attacks the wearing of face masks. The reader who provided it says she is aware that other Valley residents have also received it. Image above shows the document’s inflammatory headline attributing irreversible brain …
Editor’s Note: Contributor Kim Hanewich wrote this near the end of last month and we are pleased to share it with our readers now as the Valley enjoys typical summer temperatures in November. As the first ground covering snowfall of the season is underway, a pizza dough rises, and music …
Illustration: Betsy Bell McKimm (c) 2020 Betsy Bell McKimm, former resident of Madawaska Valley, has graciously permitted The Current to publish this illustration in response to the outcome of last week’s US election. McKimm now combines her training and experience in both art and yoga to provide instruction for students …
Editorial Regular readers of The Current know that from time to time we report on perceived breaches of the obligations of accountability, transparency and integrity on the part of local government. This reporting has not only been about Madawaska Valley, but also Brudenell Lyndoch & Raglan and North Algona Wilberforce. …
Opinion The recently announced departure of Brudenell Lyndoch and Raglan’s Clerk/Treasurer represents the greatest opportunity for positive change in BLR I have seen since moving here 25 years ago. The full-time administrator of a Township is the single most important position because they are the eyes and ears of what …
Opinion Back in 2005 I was working as a reporter for a newspaper in the small town of Weyburn, Saskatchewan. It was the only paper of record in Weyburn, and much of its focus was on generating ads rather than reporting news. My assignments were the typical types: photos at …
Editorial The setback to the future of the Paul J. Yakabuski Community Centre (PJYCC) caused by the recent rejection of a grant application to help pay for much needed repairs has once again brought into the forefront the issue of the cost/benefit of what has been described as a “White …
The publishers of The Current asked me to be part of their back-to-school series, and I am pleased to have my writing published alongside Hayden Smith and James Di Fiore. I enjoyed Hayden’s positive piece, and I appreciate his desire to return to routine and socialization with peers. I also …
Editor’s note: In the second of our series on schools reopening, James di Fiore explains why his family will be home schooling this fall. We didn’t think we had much of a choice. That was the main thought my wife and I had when we finally decided to keep …
We are all familiar with the phrase “unprecedented times” used in reference to the social, economic and lifestyle changes that the COVID-19 pandemic has generated. The most unprecedented thing in my world since March’s lockdown, however, wasn’t COVID-19-related at all. It was the appearance, about a month ago, of a …
OPINION Earlier in my career, I ran a hardware store in Barry’s Bay in the Ottawa Valley — a community of 1,200 people founded as a lumber town more than a century ago. My family has lived there for more than 150 years. Good jobs in forestry have kept …
OPINION As the last long weekend of the summer approaches, many of us will flock to a lakeside retreat to embrace the best of what the remaining days of summer offers. COVID-19 has created an especially difficult and challenging year for us all to find enjoyment within the restrictions of …
