Aug
30
Looks like this fall will be a very exciting time for Regina. Our city is poised for a municipal election. The Regina Douglas Park by-election will be held. And Federal politicians appear ready to bring down Stephen Harper’s government and force another election.
I hope that election season 2009 is not marred by negative campaigning.
Aug
29
LAURANS, Frank Morris Frank Laurans passed away peacefully on Thursday, August 27, 2009, at the age of 69. He is predeceased by his 1st wife, Irene; his brother, Joseph and his parents, Pierre and Marie. Frank will be dearly missed by his second wife of six years, Dollette; children, Bonnie (Richard) Brandvold and Shantel (Dean) Copeland; his stepchildren, Greg and Stephanie Hluska; grandchildren, Benjamin, Timothy, Spencer and Reese along with his many cousins, nieces and nephews. Frank was born in Humboldt, SK on October 17, 1939 and raised on a farm outside St. Brieux, SK. Starting with very little, at the age of 14, Frank ventured out to Manitoba for his first job and over the years, used ingenuity and fierce determination to create a good life for himself and his family. Never one to sit still for long and always needing a new challenge, Frank had many jobs that have taken him far, making many good friends along the way. He drove truck for Sears in the 70’s, started Warehouse Services in the 80’s, then Cooper Tools in 1989. In 1992 he joined Arvin Meritor and worked closely with Napa Auto sales until 2005. Retirement lasted only a few hours before planning began to finally fulfill a life long dream of owning his own semi truck and getting out on the open road, which he enjoyed right up to the end. A full time career wasn’t enough to keep our Frankie busy though, and he delved into his church community starting the Men’s Club in Little Flower Parish and joining the Knights of Columbus Council in 1991 then obtaining his 4th degree in 1994. He held a number of positions in this council including Deputy Grand Knight, Grand Knight (3 times), Program Director, Family Director and various other positions. He was a Former District Deputy (Appointed) and he became the Team Captain of the Regina Major Degree Team from 2002 and into 2007, when he resigned. Always ready to plan & organize, he was also involved in Council Membership as well as Regional Membership Director for State and was the Treasurer for the Regina Chapter. One of the most treasured positions was a Knights of Columbus Board Member for The Big Valley Jamboree near the end of its run. Frank was truly a man that gave of himself. An exemplary member of the Knights of Columbus who will be missed by all who knew him. Funeral Mass will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, August 31, 2009 at Holy Cross Parish with Fr. Norm Marcote and Fr. Thomas Nguyen as Celebrants. A Private family interment to be held at Riverside Memorial Park Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Regina Wascana Grace Hospice, 50 Angus Rd., Regina, SK, S4R 8P6 or to The Canadian Cancer Society, 1910 McIntyre St., Regina, SK, S4P 2R3. A special thank you to Dr. Vermeullen and Dr. Rayson for all their care and compassion. Also, a special thank you to the staff at the Regina Wascana Grace Hospice and Gilbert and Doreen Nicolay. Paragon Funeral Services entrusted with arrangements. 359-7776
Aug
29
My time on the island is coming to an end – today is my last full day here. Tomorrow, my Dad and Stepmother are driving me to Nanaimo, where I’m meeting my friend Shawn for a coffee, then getting onto the ferry for the trip to Vancouver for a busy couple of days.
Leaving the island is bittersweet. While I am excited to get back to Regina to get our 2009 – 2010 season underway, I am going to miss my Dad a whole lot. I will miss my early morning jogs up the coast. And, I will miss drinking coffee on the shore, watching the waves roll in.
Aug
28
Aug
27
On Sunday, August 23rd, the Regina Symphony Orchestra played a concert in Wascana Park, marking the opening of the 2009/10 season. A wonderful event with vendors, great opening acts and scenery, Symphony Under the Sky was a shining example of accessible fun for all ages. More significantly, it was free.
Regina has had a whole host of amazing events this summer, from classical performances to AC/DC. The problem is that it often costs a great deal of money to attend. They are exclusionary when they are supposed to bring people together. While events often have larger corporate or business sponsors, for the first time Regina’s city council stepped up to the plate to the tune of $25,000. Read more »
Aug
27
After a long, brave fight with cancer, my Stepfather passed on today at 6:50pm Regina time. He leaves my Mom, two daughters, four grandsons and legions of devoted friends and family. Frank was a good man, a brave man and a patient man. He taught me how to drive truck, how to build shelves, and how to build a deck. I am very sad right now and there’s not much more I can write.
However, please don’t make the same mistake I made. Do not wait to cast flowers when it is too late.
Aug
26
The enumerator came by tonight! This is incredibly exciting; there I was, entering my second hour in front of my computer, when my doorbell rang. Wondering whether to stop working, I finally made my way to the door… and there was the enumerator! Like the eight year old in line to see Santa at the mall, I broke into a huge grin and happily gave the pertinent information.
To me, voting is exciting because it’s an opportunity to participate in our democratic process. Yawn, right? Wrong. Read more »
Aug
25
You know, as I sit at my desk and recall the horrors of the last 2 weeks, I wonder whether I’m over-reacting. While I will be classy and leave the name of my internet provider out of this post, I have been getting some incredibly terrible service. This affects not only personal emails, but also important business activity as well.
For the past two weeks my roommate and I have had three repair people out, and countless calls to their helpdesk. Then, after just about everything had been replaced, my internet service went down, *again* on Sunday. Late last night, after speaking with two more technicians for over an hour and a half, my service was brought back up. Read more »
Aug
24
I am in Campbell River, B.C. and will be here until Sunday, August 29. After that, I am taking the ferry to Vancouver on a wee little work trip. So, I will not be back in Regina until September.
The fisheries out here are an absolute mess and I am going to try to do some interviews while I am out here. The salmon did not run this year and many boats cannot get permission to go out and fish. Campbell River has had a harsh year. Earlier this year, the pulp mill where my grandpa Walt worked was closed down. And, with the fisheries in their current dire shape, things are only going to get worse.
The Island is a beautiful place, populated by the most amazing people I have ever been lucky enough to get to know. Hopefully, the economy will recover.
Incidentally, we went on a long boat ride yesterday. It was incredible – I took many, many pictures and will put some online soon. We got to see some porpoises (porpi?), some sea lions, a few seals, and a whole wack of jellyfish. What an incredible trip…..
Aug
20
In case it’s not a place you go regularly, downtown Regina’s largest mall, the Cornwall Center, has been undergoing several changes over the past year. Some stores have been moving to other locations in the mall, while others are being renovated. However, it was during my last visit to the Cornwall Center that I noticed the gravest change of all. It appears as if only one store amidst all these changes has actually *closed*… and it’s the bookstore.
As a longtime resident of downtown Regina, let me tell you what this means – it signifies the closure of the last book store in the downtown area. That’s right, you didn’t hallucinate that last sentence, and it’s not a typo. If you want to BUY A BOOK you must leave the downtown area. Read more »