If it wasn’t for a small store at 31 Toad Lane in Rochdale, England, in 1844, this newspaper might not exist today. From humble beginnings with 28 employees, the Rochdale Equitable Pioneers Society developed the first co-operative. It began principles that led to the development of co-operatives around the world. Today there are more than […] Read more
Stories by Elaine Shein
Co-ops review past, prepare for the future
The teenagers huddled in the hallway of a Toronto hotel last June excitedly shared their experiences from the previous week. Youth were spotlighted during one session in a triennial congress involving leaders and members of many of the nation’s co-operatives and credit unions. They summarized their discussions from their Youth Congress, which ran concurrently to […] Read more
CWB letters
The fax machine and postal carriers have been busy delivering letters to our newspaper about the Canadian Wheat Board. Approaching the November deadline for votes for the advisory committee to the wheat board, the heat has been turned up on both sides of the debate. The vote is considered critical to the anti-board lobbyists and […] Read more
New byline
Each year for three months we welcome a new byline into our paper: our newest intern from the University of Regina. This year Denise O’Byrne comes to us from the School of Journalism and Communication. Originally from a farm near Wilcox, Sask., Denise will be here until the end of December. What does a student […] Read more
B.C. cranberry production a lesson in patience
RICHMOND, B.C. – With the chugging of a loader starting at 7:30 a.m., workers slosh waist-deep through flooded bogs getting this year’s cranberry harvest in. Bruce May recently watched up to 45 workers harvest his 140 acres of colorful crop. The land is flooded with water from the Fraser River. Then workers churn up the […] Read more
B.C. agriculture
When most people think of British Columbia, they think of ocean, mountains, forests, fishing and perhaps fruit orchards. Yet the province boasts more than 200 agricultural commodities, ranging from fruit to flowers, honey to wheat, cranberries to dairy, eggs to exotics. Agriculture is among the top three revenue-producing industries in B.C. The provincial agriculture department […] Read more
Back to work
The Saskatchewan Wheat Pool strike is over. Now rebuilding the company must begin. What can 13 days of striking do to a company? Statistics and quotes in the media give the “facts.” How many elevators were open, how many were closed; how many staff were – or weren’t – on the picket lines. How much […] Read more
Standard styles
Most newspapers in Canada use Canadian Press style as the base for their style guides, with a few variations. As mentioned last week, CP (and Associated Press) usually recommends a shorter method of spelling than the traditional British spellings. One reason is shorter spellings mean fewer letters needed, less ink used, and ultimately cheaper papers […] Read more
Spelling deviations
As students return to schools and spelling tests, they might wonder why newspapers deviate from the English language that teachers drill into them. Western Producer reader Alice Wilson, of Carnduff, Sask., pointed out a story that contained a mixture of spelling. “You are publishing a paper printed in the English language. Therefore the spelling should […] Read more
Newspaper brings results
Our paper holds special memories for some of our readers, such as those of Wanda and Les Penner, of Archerwill, Sask. Wanda wrote to let us know she enjoyed our newspaper: “You see, I met my husband as a pen pal through your Western Producer.” Last month, they celebrated their 27th wedding anniversary. Wanda shared […] Read more
