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Apr 24
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The recent tragic shooting deaths of two young adults in Bracebridge rocked the town’s residents; in fact most residents of Muskoka were shocked by the violent loss of life. Or were they? I am stunned and disturbed by how quickly our attention and conversations have abandoned concern and...
Columns |
Apr 13
Spring is finally promising to arrive, and with it of course some wildlife are giving birth. In particular, raccoon mothers have sought out a nice, snug place to raise their babies, often in places that are undesirable from a human point of view.
Just recently we...
Columns |
Mar 27
The federal government just tabled its budget last week. It contained some cutting, some modest spending and some broad plans for the future. You could say it was a status quo affair. This government has been boasting about shrinking the size of government yet it is interesting to me that...
Columns |
Mar 15
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MUSKOKA - A speech made by the leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party, Tim Hudak made several alarming statements including this one: “Government should be protecting jobs more than turtles, birds and snakes.”
Columns |
Mar 15
As Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary continues its effort to ensure any permanent animals on site represent native species, as part of its mandate to educate the public towards a co-existence of the animals around us, more changes are underway.
Last year, Subira the lioness, once a young pet...
Columns |
Feb 21
The federal government recently made light of the potential of a zombie apocalypse, but who are we kidding. Zombies are no laughing matter.
Actually, as a fan of the zombie genre, I say kudos to the federal government for bringing such a potential travesty to light.
Why the obsession...
Columns |
Feb 20
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Thousands of activists from hundreds of environmental, social justice and community groups marched on Washington this past weekend, in the biggest climate rally ever held in the U.S. capital. Activists both called on President Obama to make good on his climate change policy promises and protested...
Columns |
Feb 02
Aspen Valley staff are used to receiving phone calls about quite a variety of animals, ranging from raccoons (many), to owls (occasionally), to bats (rare), but recently we received a call regarding an animal not previously seen at the sanctuary.
Staff was called by the owner of a store in...
Columns |
Jan 26
Many of our readers will be familiar with Subira, the lion who came to Aspen Valley as a small cub. She had been purchased in an exotic animal auction by a teenaged girl as a “pet,” but the teen soon discovered that Subira was not an appropriate pet to have in a house. After a long...
Columns |
Jan 23
People react differently to snow.
Especially first thing in the morning, when an overnight dump of maybe a half a foot or so can rearrange a person’s schedule.
For those who need to get to work, but who practice the fine art of precision timing in order to get that extra few...
Columns |
Jan 24
I’ve been fortunate over the past few summers to have the opportunity to travel to the far reaches of our diverse province. Twice I’ve found myself on the shores of Carey Lake in Hearst, Ontario, helping to load a Turbo Beaver with research and camping gear, as the sun rises over the...
Columns |
Jan 20
As the new Chairwoman for Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, I am really excited about how many improvements we have made in the past year, including building three species-specific beaver and otter enclosures that rival any zoo or sanctuary in Canada. Additionally, we added a new series of caging...
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