“Donna, just remember, if you choose to go to Ryerson, that’s your decision. But no matter how far you go, or how well you do, you’ll never be as good as the university graduate!” With those words, my grade 13 guidance counsellor sent me on my way. It didn’t matter that I’d written letters to…
Robert Warren is what you might call a serial entrepreneur. An Air Canada pilot by profession, he’s never content to log air miles (differently than most of us do). He’s lived in several Canadian cities before coming to Barrie a few years ago, and has one of those minds that always sees opportunity. In Halifax…
Hey Janet! Who did your plumbing for that new addition you built? Brad Wright? Wrights Plumbing? Great! I’ll call him. Hey James! Who built your website? What was the process like? Did they deliver on time? No? Okay then, I’ll do more research. When it comes to making buying decisions, whether it’s business to business…
It was two paragraphs in a newspaper: “teenager injured during snowboard maneuver at Blue Mountain.” Two paragraphs. But the life of then North Collegiate teenager Kyle Anderson (and the lives of his parents and sisters) was changed forever. February 3, Kyle and his best friend, Charlie Harrison, Rollie Hunter and Tyler Ward drove to Blue…
For once, Barrie is considered south! Torontonians speak of Barrie as if we’re at the north pole. But CreeWest is centred in Moose Factory and for its CEO Ron Basaraba, Barrie is very, very south. Ron Basaraba and CreeWest GP and CreeWest Air are open to doing business in the north with businesses from the…
Lots of grumbling about teachers these days, but if we set aside the political agenda, we can look at some pretty fabulous occurrences… and they’re all starting in the classroom! Sandi and John Porter coordinate teachers and schools’ giving for Christmas Cheer. They work thoroughly and pleasantly, ensuring the fabulous Sinton’s Bus Line and First…
It’s that time. It’s because they believe that Everyone deserves to have a Christmas that the two dozen people who direct Barrie’s Christmas Cheer organization are in heavy planning stages. Daily reports of cheques coming in; calls from businesses for drop boxes for toys and food; events being held as Christmas Cheer fundraisers; school kids…
It’s that time. Christmas and giving are certainly tied together in our culture. The demographic of young families and heart-stopping lists is busy right now, combing store flyers, making clandestine stops to get it right. And then there’s the group of Christmas buyers no longer tied to that kind of magic. They’re looking for gifts…
26 years ago. 1986. Many Barrie houses still had TV antennae towers. The ‘early adopters’ had laid out big bucks for a new VCR in the entertainment area. The Molson Centre hadn’t been built. There were a couple of bars downtown and the movie theatres were downtown. No Sunday shopping. Nothing was in the southend……
As a special needs withdrawal teacher in the public school system, Janette Boyter’s job was to help kids learn in the most effective possible way. Each of her students was diagnosed with a specific special need, making learning just that much harder. Usually, it would mean taking them into her quiet classroom so she and…