Dave Bailey

Sounds logical.

I highly doubt that a bear is going to get that far without being spotted earlier, same as with the one a few blocks away from me last year in Pickering, and the one a couple of years ago in Newmarket. To me a more likely explanation is that disgruntled hunters are capturing and releasing them near urban areas. People like these for instance.

There is such a charge as 'refusing to obey the directions of a police officer', or something of that nature, so my guess is that you could be legally right about being on the water and still be charged for not leaving. We need a lawyer and a cop in here, surely there must be at least one of each on this board.

18 boats gathered at the Haliburton Town dock on a brisk October day in July (chilly, BRRRR!) for the umpteenth annual Gals ‘n’ Pals tournament. Despite the weather some fishing was done in between the sweater changing and Thermos emptying, and while the catch was not anything to make Captain Highliner proud some nice ones lounged around the live-wells at the end of the day. Kristy and Chris Wetzel finished 5th with a total weight of 10.25lbs, just being nipped by 4th place Erin Kennedy and her father Pat at 10.35lbs. 3rd place honours went to Janice McMaster and husband Mark, who rang in at 11.30lbs despite having only 4 fish. 2nd place went to Judy and Terry Ruttle, who made it back to the podium (if we had one) this year with 15.85lbs of wriggling pisciforms. And the 1st place winner for this year was… (drum roll)… LINDA HATTON! Despite having to drag Steve around in the boat she still managed to place 17.60lbs of basketed bass on the scales, including one of 4.25 lbs which also took the Big Fish prize for the day. With $220 for the overall win and $170 for the largest lunker she had a tidy wad of cash in her wallet, no doubt to be spent wisely on more fishing gear! Our thanks to Dysart Township and the Town of Haliburton for the use of the dock, it’s had a bit of a refurbishment and looks good, the launch has been improved and no complaints were heard about scraping trailers. The town itself is charming, and those who haven’t been there are missing out on a lovely day. Mark your calendars for July 17th next year, all going well that will be the date I am going to request for the facility. And if anyone has connections to the weather office try to put in a good word for me, for some reason I seem to be on their naughty list.

Beat me to it, excellent knot and easy to tie.

He makes a powerful statement in favour of the re-institution of public floggings.

Believe me, we would love to see that. The standards for instructors should be very high, and their are some people working to try to bring about those sorts of changes, but there are too many people standing in the way, people who don't want to see their livelihood jeapordized, those who don't want to have to actually learn something, and those who genuinely don't see a problem with the status quo. I could name names, but the last thing any board needs is a lawsuit.

As an ex-instructor I could rant for about 5 pages on here, but take it from me - it doesn't matter. You may have failed legitimately or you may have been shafted, just take the test again. My wife and I were both instructors, and we got out of the business because we felt we were constantly urinating contrary to the prevailing airflow. Everybody thinks that we take driving seriously but fact is that most of us don't, if we did there would be a lot less carnage on the roads. The governments that are supposed to look out for us don't really care, nor do some of the alleged safety organisations that act more in their own interests. The problem is systemic and it will probably not change in our lifetimes. Do you know how long it takes to become a hair stylist in this province? It's a full community college course that takes about 9 or 10 months. A driving instructor course? About 5 or 6 weeks. We have both taught on those courses, and most of the time was spent trying to teach the applicants how to drive properly. Why not make it tougher? Because they would simply go to another training centre with lower standards. The trouble is that being a driving instructor is an entry level job - you get off the plane from who-knows-where or drop out of high school and drift for a few years looking for employment, and if the local convenience store isn't hiring you become a driving instructor. Recent studies have shown that people who learn from a driving school are no better at driving than someone who learns from a family member, the only advantage you gain is that instructors have a second brake to keep you out of trouble, assuming the clown in the right seat knows how to do their job. Last, look around you at all the twits you have to dodge on the road, and I can guarantee you that the vast majority of them passed a test and have a license. So what does it mean? Next to nothing. As long as you are a safe considerate driver I really don't care if you've paid the authorities a fee to get a plastic card with your picture on it. If you forget it's in your other pants does that suddenly diminish your capability? Nope. Just get on with it, and once you pass take it very carefully, because no matter who taught you there is a lot more to learn, and you'll be doing it on your own with a few frayed nerves to show for it. And sign your donor card.