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Has the yo-yo ying-yanging got you perplexed yet?

by | Apr 25, 2021

Next to nil. That’s the volume of sense the provincial response to the COVID-19 pandemic has made so far.

None at all. That’s the level of interest I have in joining the outrage parade over how little Premier Doug Ford has impressed since he kinda looked leader-like last spring when this all started.

Will I mock his sniffles over last weekends bizarre restrictions immediately followed by a yet-incomplete flip-flop on outdoor constrictions and police state gaffe? Open the darn golf courses already, sir. No. I’m a bit too tired for that.

And yes, I submitted a request online for a vaccination, even knowing it’s the Astra one everybody is hesitant to get. No response yet. I’ll let you know when I get jabbed.

Seriously, I just want to publish a nice little friendly magazine and establish a platform for story tellers to showcase their talents in this cooperative venture.

It’s tough to do both analytic and constructively critical commentary while trying to sell Mother’s Day ads and offer positive vibes. I will try, though, please be patient and let me get the inaugural edition off the press. It’s a monster endeavour even when you have two months to plan the editorial. I love the challenge, don’t get me wrong.

In the meantime, here’s how my first magazine editorial begins …

Doing it for the story

A helicopter crash just north of a Cold War missile installation rekindled a neat little NHL tale involving Wayne Gretzky the other day.

It’s not very often you get to write a sentence as intriguing as that one. And as unreal as it sounds, it’s closer to reality than the budgets Canadian politicians are passing in these pandemic times.

And it was interesting enough for me to rip up the original ‘Welcome to the Back in the Bay Magazine …” oatmeal I had prepared for this page. If you saw any of the 11 editions of A Bit of the Bay Magazine published between September 2019 and December 2020, you know what’s planned for this magazine: a variety of stories about the people and events that shaped the North Bay area. Best to just dive into something that will show you what I mean instead of just saying it.

My other goal, by the end of this tale, is to demonstrate why I love journalism enough to roll up my sleeves and build a platform for story tellers like me.

Let’s face it, 2020 wasn’t fun and 2021 is proving a challenge, so it makes sense to spend more energy on positives than negatives. And when it’s time to be serious, there’s no reason constructive criticism can’t be done with a little class and style – with some old fashioned manners, so to speak.

Back to the crash and how The Great One entered this picture, plus a little lesson in how a news story can give a conflated impression.

What caused the helicopter crash in question is a mystery …

Read the rest in the print publication, I can set you up with a copy. Email: subscribe@backinthebay.ca

 

Dave Dale
Dave Dale

Writer, photographer and proud father. My mom’s family is from the Soo with its Algoma Highlands, dad hailed from Cobden in the Ottawa Valley and I spent my teen years in Capreol. Summers were at the beach on the Vermillion River and winters at ‘The Rink.’ Born in East York but Toronto never was my thing. Ever since a kid looking out the window on long trips, I imagined living on the highway in a little house with a big yard and trees growing all around me.

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Pam Handley Pat Madill Stamp
Phil Koning Brad Dale
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Dave Dale Natasha Wiatr

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