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‘Just in Time’ sparks sweet memories
Ian McKechnie’s “Just in Time” pieces are a gift to the City of Kawartha Lakes. His well-researched work connects us to our town’s past and to many of the souls who kept this community vibrant and well-served. Ian’s “Our daily bread” article (June Advocate) spurred me to write this reflection. In the early 1970s, my family moved to Lindsay from Sault Ste. Marie. My Dad, Jan, had secured a job at Jackson’s bakery located on Kent Street (presently it’s Charmin’s). He worked at the Olympia Restaurant for a time before opening his own shop called Jan’s Donuts at 18 Kent St. W. Trained in Europe, Dad created delectable sweets from scratch such as mille feuilles, honey buns, pies and breads, tarts and cream puffs. There were coffee, milkshakes, ice cream and pinball machines for the teenagers to enjoy. The hours were long for my parents but, for my sister and me, the bakery was full of fun. I loved watching the rum balls being made and the dainty roses drying on the rack just waiting to be placed on a delicious cake. As “downtown kids,” we got to know the regular customers and came to call Lindsay home. Patty Apac, Lindsay
Save the Grand, a Lindsay landmark
To the new owners of the Grand, the citizens of Lindsay ask that you please work with owner Charlie McDonald and save our iconic restaurant. There are few things left that remind us of our humble beginnings. The Grand, the building, and the Grand, the bar, are two different things to most of us. The bar-restaurant has been here for 160 years and Charlie and his staff have made it a home away from home for over 10 years. To close a successful business and put more than 30 people out of work is unconscionable. To do so with 30 days’ notice is mean-spirited, even if the law is on your side. When COVID-19 hit and we were trying to rally around our local businesses, people lined up around the block to get food from the Grand. I talked to staff and they joked they were busier now than before. The town fought to keep the restaurant afloat then and we need
you to help us keep it alive now. This is not just a local pizza joint to people of Lindsay. This is where most of us had our first legal drink with our parents. It’s where we went after the Santa Claus parade for hot chocolate. It’s where we ate amazing cheddar soup and drank the Virgin Grand Caesar with high school friends to feel grown-up. If you have lived in this town long enough there are hundreds of memories that include the Grand. No one wants this to happen and we need you to reconsider. You have a choice — sit down with Charlie and figure this out. The citizens of Lindsay need this place and as a new business owner you are going to need us. Kimberly McMillan
Deal with a Canadian winter or head for U.S.?
My wife and I are citizens of Canada and the U.S. and able to spend our summers at our cottage on the lake here in the Kawarthas and our winters in the southern U.S. We feel we have been blessed to have two totally separate lifestyles. Our hearts will always be Canadian, but we have many friends in America. The only caveat is we cannot talk about U.S. politics with them. It is just like being a Protestant or Catholic; we both believe in God, but we cannot agree on how. Being citizens of the U.S., there is no time limit on our stay there, and we also have Medicare while in the U.S., unlike most Canadians. So, as we approach the end of summer and the closure of our cottage for the winter, we must consider our health risks by travelling back to our place in America. Do we stay here in Canada with minimum risk or go to the U.S. with significant risk? It’s unfortunate that had America handled their response to the pandemic like other countries such as Canada this situation could have been avoided. This is America’s loss. George Baillie, Pleasant Point
‘Basic Income Plus’ could be even more ambitious
I love the policy proposals in your recent editorial regarding Basic Income Plus, although I think it could be even more ambitious. We must demand it be implemented at the federal level and funded with federal dollars. Canadians should not be burdened with the costs of much-needed reforms that are long overdue — and we don’t have to be. Unlike provinces, territories, municipalities, businesses and households, Canada is monetarily sovereign
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