It’s time to head out to the tree farm, climb aboard the wagon, listen to the sleigh bells and the laughter of other families, and get the tree for the holidays. With one exception this has been our pattern since our firstborn in 1978. It’s fun. It’s fun to run from tree to tree yelling,…

Her commitment to her children is one of Debbie Sitzer’s most endearing qualities. When I first met Deb, she was on the down side of working as a comptroller for corporate Canada. An accountant by profession, Deb had survived corporate mergers (which are an accounting nightmare), corporate downsizings, corporate renegotiations. She and her commuter husband…

I consider myself to be sort of ‘in the know’. I’ve been kicking around Barrie for three decades now. I drive around new areas and marvel at how incredible it is to enter a south end subdivision off one street, and take what feels like logical turns only to come out mysteriously on another street,…

“I affirmThat I will be faithfulAnd bear true allegianceto Her MajestyQueen Elizabeth the SecondQueen of CanadaHer heirs and successorsAnd that I will faithfully observeThe laws of CanadaAnd fulfill my dutiesAs a Canadian citizen.” One hundred and four voices, from 23 different countries, became Canadian citizens on Tuesday with the repetition of this citizenship oath. Dressed…

I think that’s how alot of us feel. “ Just let’s not have it.” “I don’t have the energy.” “ I don’t want to.” Maybe this year you’ve lost a member of your family. And now as the holiday season approaches, all you want to do is avoid the whole thing. Too many memories. Too…

When my kids were little, Armistice Day meant we dressed in our best and warmest clothes, walked downtown, each holding our own red poppy. Answering the first question posed by a querulous four year old, “why are we doing this?” gave me cause to put November 11 in simple terms. “We re going to thank…

Maybe it’s my age and stage of life, or maybe it’s my nature, but I’m a strong believer in giving gifts that matter… to the recipient and to the giver. When an acquaintance stood up at a meeting last week and announced there were “so many” days until Christmas, I heard the collective room moan….

Jeffery Kup has loved animals all his life. That’s the neat thing about being a veterinarian… you really get to work what you love. When Jeff decided to open his own veterinary business in Barrie, he spent some time studying the city’s growth patterns, population movement, and present services before deciding that Big Bay Point…

By the time we were finished with him, Bruce Moore could have been an icon! This is a story (true) about the professional and friendly connections experienced by Barrie’s media a few years ago. It was 1972 and this region was served by a privately owned television station, a privately owned community newspaper, a Thomson…

I’m very lucky. The most interesting people come into my path and I’m convinced it’s because I’m supposed to share them with you. This week I want to tell you about Frank Quinn. He owns Cheetah Marketing Communications, but even more importantly, he’s the kind of guy who’s inspirational. His story could be a weepy…