Interest in the vote had been intense, as it always is. The stakes were high and supporters on all sides were becoming increasingly passionate. Allegations of election fraud muddied the waters and passions ran even higher. Was it possible the results would be too tainted to be accepted by all sides? Would the country never […] Read more
Author Archives
Election 2020 irregularities: ‘it was rigged’
What supplier fees really look like
Walmart Canada started a firestorm this summer when it told the companies that make the products sold in its stores that it was going to be charging a fee for the pleasure of doing business with the retail giant. The company told its suppliers it would be charging them 1.25 percent on the cost of […] Read more
Columnists — what do they know anyway
Journalists pride themselves on being unbiased messengers of the truth, ferreting out the facts and letting their readers decide for themselves what to do with them. But by nature we’re also an opinionated bunch, and when we’re given an opportunity to express those opinions — look out. Of course, I’m not talking about the news […] Read more
Publication does not mean endorsement
One of my earlier Western Producer memories is of an innocuous front page photo sometime in the first year of my tenure here. It showed a canoe and paddlers on a river and shouldn’t have caused much controversy. However, someone wrote to the paper complaining about the photo because the paddlers weren’t wearing life jackets. […] Read more
WP reporters recognized for their work
Agricultural communicators usually dress up for the Canadian Farm Writers Federation’s annual awards ceremony. This year, they could have attended in their sweatpants. I’ve been lucky enough to take in a few of these events over the years, and they are always given the gala treatment, occurring between supper and dancing on the last night […] Read more
How much old stuff do we need to keep?
The debate over protecting heritage architecture is often portrayed in black and white terms — either you like old buildings or you don’t — but it’s not always that simple. Three glass and metal skyscrapers are being built in Saskatoon along the South Saskatchewan River to replace a former legion hall, built in 1929, and […] Read more
New movie reopens old can of worms
Western Producer reporters and editors don’t usually spend a lot of time worrying about the movies — not at work, anyway. After all, they’re not, as you might say, in our wheelhouse. But the email wires were burning up last week as we tried to figure out how to handle a movie that is expected […] Read more
Magical happenings in the garden
I suppose you’ve heard about the biblical miracle of the loaves and the fishes? And what about Jack’s magical beans? I’m sure you’ve heard something about that. But the stupendous multiplying garlic plants in my garden this summer? You probably haven’t heard that one. Garlic is a rather new arrival in our garden. I think […] Read more
COVID steps: success or overreaction?
It’s fashionable in some circles to use the relatively low COVID-19 death rate in Canada as proof that our governments — particularly the one in Ottawa — overreacted and shut down the economy for nothing back in March. What this argument ignores is the fact that the safety measures were put in place precisely so […] Read more
Cashing in on the interest in U-pick farming
I spent a couple hours earlier this month at a U-pick raspberry operation just outside of Saskatoon. I certainly didn’t earn any performance bonuses, considering that I had by far the lightest pail among my companions, but it was still an enjoyable way to spend a beautiful August morning. As I hunted and gathered my […] Read more
