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By Steven Larocque Speaker Editor Our national anthem was written, or at least first performed, in 1880, says the online version of the Canadian Encyclopedia.Let’s jump ahead a few years to 1967 when, according to this source, it

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne has announced a plan to increase the general provincial minimum wage to $15 per hour by January 1, 2019.Currently, Ontario’s minimum wage is $11.40 per hour.The minimum wage hike is part of a larger government piece of

By èßäAVGeography is a matter of perspective.I was born in Ingram Township.To me, it was the centre of the universe. To you, you may likely have no idea where it

• Thumbs up to citizens – private and corporate – who keep making significant contributions to the community.The Speaker has a photo this week showing a downtown New Liskeard barbecue that collected $1,300 for Mothers Against Drunk Driving thanks to the

From the time of the invention of the lawnmower, anyone with a yard has been encouraged in the pursuit of a perfect green carpet of low-cut grass.But the times have changed.The nurturing of dandelions is now understood to be part of a new endeavour in a quickly

Steven Larocque Speaker Editor I was going to take some food home the other night from a local restaurant, but they got my order wrong so I took my money back and left the food there.Man, was I angry.The incompetence, the lousy customer service, the nerve.

Here are two things worthy of a thumbs-up this week in Temiskaming and one deserving of a thumbs-down.• The announcement that the Frog’s Breath Foundation continues to make a huge impact in the region is welcome news indeed.They’ve been giving money to the community for almost

By Diane Johnston Speaker Reporter Emergency Preparedness Week has come and gone.Now, it doesn’t rank up there on my personal priority list with, say, the income tax filing deadline.But recent events – flooding in the Ottawa area and beyond, and the anniversary of the Fort McMurray wildfires

Steven Larocque Speaker Editor The Ontario budget was introduced recently in the provincial legislature.Supporters of the government loved it. Or tolerated it.Opponents hated it.Budget patterns are always the same – the tough austerity measures come in the first couple of years of a mandate, things ease up a bit in the middle

By Steven Larocque Speaker Editor Traditions – personal, familial, societal – take place throughout the year. A holiday like Christmas springs to mind immediately and with it the traditions people create and observe – erecting a real tree, specific decorations for specific places, the turkey cooked to maximum