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Globe and Mail
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Globe and Mail
A summer of tree-planting made Ron Sexsmith a songwriter
Before Canadian singer-songwriter Ron Sexsmith became famous for gut-wrenching songs like Secret Heart, the so-called 'One-Man Jukebox' was known for his knack for covering other people's music. One pivotal summer, Sexsmith found both the confidence to write his own music and the money to make a demo deep in the Northern Canadian wilderness. In this week's 'How I Spent My Summer,' the 61-year-old rocker tells us how planting trees made him a musician proper. I'd been playing music forever but knew I wanted to record a demo of my own stuff. The summer after I turned 20, someone told me I could make lots of money in a few months by tree-planting up in Northern Ontario. I went in for an interview with my friend, who was just as green as I was. When they saw us, they didn't think either of us could do it on our own, so they sort of hired us as one person. They were right: I was a city kid from St. Catharines, Ont., and I hadn't done any real physical labour before. I wasn't a camper or an outdoors person. I didn't have any of the right gear and I was wearing the wrong footwear. We had to bring our own tents, but the guy that lent me my tent forgot the poles. Another planter had an extra tent, but I still felt like I was really roughing it. It was almost like being in the army or on M.A.S.H. or something. The summer that Joshua Jackson realized he wasn't a morning person I was on a crew of about 30 and we'd all get up at 5 in the morning. We were lucky to have a cooking crew, so two or three people were in charge of food. They'd make these absolutely enormous breakfast buffets. We could all eat whatever we wanted, not only because we were young but also because we were burning calories all day long. After breakfast, they'd drive us to whatever site they wanted us to plant that day. You had this belt to wear with bags attached, filled with baby trees. You plant the trees, you come back for more trees, you plant again, and you do that all day. Some people were great at it and planted 3,000 a day; I was doing 1,500, maybe. Slow-planters like me were called 'low-ballers.' The bugs took a liking to me and I was busy getting eaten alive. When we started there was still snow on the ground and by the end of the season it was scorching. In between, sometimes there'd be four seasons in a day. Some days, you were cold, wet and miserable. But other days you'd find yourself on top of a hill overlooking a forest with the sun shining, and it'd be beautiful. The summer job that put actor Tantoo Cardinal at the heart of a tiny Alberta town I'd brought my guitar with me, and at night I'd sing around the campfire. It's wild because people came from all over the world to go tree-planting. There was a guy from Egypt, a fellow from Holland. There were different languages and different accents. I'd never really been anywhere before, so to see all these different cultures converging in the Canadian wilderness was so interesting. They had big opinions about art and politics – which I didn't have yet – as they were free spirits on the fringe like pirates or something. I think musicians are a bit like that too. It's hard to put my finger on why, but meeting people from all over made my music better. One man from Louisiana would knock on my tent and say, 'Play me that Bob Dylan song again?' It reminded him of home. I saw the world more deeply and it came out in my music. It was also so good for my character to be cold, wet and dirty for four months. That summer is what made me a songwriter. One by one, people quit – because of the elements, the black flies, the knowledge you were making like nine cents a tree. The friend I came with didn't last more than two weeks. Sometimes people would quit just because they couldn't stand the sight of a particular person anymore. I remember leaving on the last day, riding in the back of the truck on my way back to civilization. This feeling of pride came over me, like, man, I really did it. Of 30, there were only 11 of us left by the end of the season. I was so proud to be one of them. As told to Rosemary Counter
Associated Press
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
FREESTYLE DIGITAL MEDIA RELEASES DRAMEDY 'GUITAR LESSONS'
Comedy-Drama Sets Digital Debut for North American VOD Platforms and DVD on July 1, 2025 'GUITAR LESSONS is a story about a people and a place under pressure. Then brings us back to some easily forgotten truths, like life is hard but some kindness and a well-tuned guitar can go a long way.'— Filmmaker Aaron James LOS ANGELES, CA, UNITED STATES, July 1, 2025 / / -- Freestyle Digital Media, the digital film distribution division of Byron Allen's Allen Media Group, has just released the dramedy GUITAR LESSONS, which is now available to rent/own on all North American digital HD internet, cable, and satellite platforms, as well as on DVD, starting July 1, 2025. GUITAR LESSONS is the story of a 15-year-old Metis boy and a cantankerous oilfield contractor who learn to grow up together over guitar lessons. Leland (Kaden Noskiye) is a 15-year-old Metis boy living in Northern Canada. After inheriting an old guitar from a father he never knew, he sets out to find someone who can teach him to play. Ray (Corb Lund) is a local 50-year-old oilfield contractor. Ray is handsome and wealthy, with a weakness for women. He was something of a rock star back in the day, but found success in the oil patch of Alberta, and never looked back. When Leland asks Ray for guitar lessons, Ray refuses - but Leland persists. One day Ray sees Leland's guitar, recognizing it as one played by an old bandmate. From there Ray starts taking an interest in the boy, and the guitar. When Leland endures a beating rather than help some local thugs rob Ray's garage of its vintage motorcycles, Ray's investment in the boy increases. Encouraged by the few people close to him, Ray relents, and the lessons commence. And a poor 15-year-old Metis boy and a rich 50-year-old colonizer learn to grow up together over guitar lessons. Written and directed by Aaron James, GUITAR LESSONS was produced by Aaron James. The featured cast includes: Corb Lund ('Ray Mitchell'), Conway Kootenay ('Ernie Ghostkeeper'), Kaden Noskiye ('Leland Parenteau'), Lianna Makuch ('Denise'), William Auger ('Bruiser'), Roseanne Supernault ('Rayleen'), and Marie Zydek ('Veronica'). 'Guitar Lessons is a story about a people and a place under pressure: family, race, romance, class - the headaches for which we have no pill,' said filmmaker Aaron James. 'Then it brings us back with a hug to some easily forgotten truths, like life is hard but some kindness and a well-tuned guitar can go a long way.' Freestyle Digital Media negotiated the deal to acquire GUITAR LESSONS directly with the filmmaker Aaron James. GUITAR LESSONS website: About Freestyle Digital Media The digital distribution unit of Byron Allen's Allen Media Group, Freestyle Digital Media, is a premiere multi-platform distributor with direct partnerships across all major cable, satellite, digital, and streaming platforms. Capitalizing on a robust infrastructure, proven track record, and a veteran sales team, Freestyle Digital Media is a true home for independent films. Recent releases include ALLSWELL IN NEW YORK starring Emmy award-winning actress Liza Colón-Zayas from the hit FX series THE BEAR, ALL HAPPY FAMILIES starring Josh Radnor and Rob Huebel, the drama based on a novel THE GHOST TRAP starring Zak Steiner from EUPHORIA and Greer Grammer of AWKWARD, and the Weekly World News horror-comedy THE ZOMBIE WEDDING. Other Freestyle Digital Media titles include THE ROAD DOG starring comedian Doug Stanhope, SURVIVE starring HBO's GAME OF THRONES star Sophie Turner and Corey Hawkins, the music documentary profiling blues guitar legends Jimmie Vaughan and Stevie Ray Vaughan, BROTHERS IN BLUES, DEAR ZOE starring Sadie Sink from the hit Netflix series STRANGER THINGS, Jessica Capshaw and Theo Rossi, the teen musical BEST SUMMER EVER featuring a fully integrated cast and crew of people with and without disabilities, produced by Jamie Lee Curtis, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Mary Steenburgen, and Ted Danson, and THE WEDDING YEAR starring Sarah Hyland and Anna Camp. For more information, visit: Eric Peterkofsky Allen Media Group / Freestyle Digital Media [email protected] Legal Disclaimer: EIN Presswire provides this news content 'as is' without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
CBC
26-06-2025
- Health
- CBC
Expect disruptions at northern, rural ERs this summer: Doctors Manitoba
The group representing Manitoba physicians says people in northern and rural areas can expect reduced hours and periodic closures in emergency rooms this summer. Doctors Manitoba says based on the data and feedback it has received, 20 emergency rooms should be open around the clock. But it says 24 are expected to operate with reduced hours or periodic closures, and 28 are expected to be fully closed. The organization urges residents to check out the status of their local emergency room ahead of time. It has launched a web page that provides information on operating hours and the status of emergency room operations. It also says there could be more risk this summer as people choose to travel within Manitoba instead of to the United States, which could put a further strain on hospital resources.
Globe and Mail
16-06-2025
- Climate
- Globe and Mail
More evacuees go home as rain, cooler temperatures provide relief in Prairie wildfires
Rain and cooler temperatures brought relief to fire-ravaged Manitoba and Saskatchewan Monday, allowing fire bans to be reduced and more evacuees to go home. The weather helped fire crews get an upper hand in parts of northern Manitoba to clear the way for some of the 21,000 or more evacuees to start returning home. David Monias, chief of Pimicikamak Cree Nation, reposted video of heavy rainfall on social media along with video of small planes leaving Winnipeg with evacuees who were forced out almost three weeks earlier. 'Our people are coming home,' Monias wrote on Facebook, adding the community's infrastructure is intact and water systems have been tested by health officials. 'Pimicikamak Cree Nation has begun the safe and gradual repatriation of our evacuees back to the community.' The community and surrounding area, comprising some 7,000 people, was among the largest evacuated during an especially dry, hot spring this year. Opinion: Wildfires are devastating northern Saskatchewan – a place too often ignored by the rest of the country Elsewhere, people in Snow Lake, Sherridon and Herb Lake Landing were allowed to return on the weekend. Hudbay Minerals also restarted its Snow Lake mining operations. Other residents, however, were asked to stay patient. The roughly 5,000 residents of Flin Flon, Man., were told a nearby fire might ramp up again after the area received only a small amount of rain. The 3,700 square-kilometre fire, north and east of the city, remained out of control. 'We're working (on) doing some scans with the drones and aircraft to understand where some of the hottest areas are so that we can prioritize where we're going to focus our efforts,' said Kristin Hayward from the provincial wildfire service. People running critical businesses have begun to re-enter Flin Flon, but the general community will have to wait, partly because there are no health services and limited fire protection is available, municipal officials said. There were 18 fires still burning across Manitoba, with seven of them listed as out of control. In Saskatchewan, a provincewide fire ban was set to be lifted later Monday due to rain and cooler weather helping firefighters. Steve Roberts from the province's public safety agency said there had been no significant changes to the four major fires but that crews were working to contain them while the weather stayed favourable. Public Safety Minister Tim McLeod said people across 34 communities were in the process of returning home and he hoped to see that trend continue. The fire debate also featured fireworks between Premier Scott Moe's governing Saskatchewan Party and the Opposition NDP over a new water bomber that sat unused because there was no one to fly it. Wildfire evacuees from remote north faced with hard decisions about their pets Public Safety Minister Tim McLeod told a virtual news conference that pilots started training on the plane but had to change course and fight the fires. 'The operational decision was made to not remove those four pilots from active duty,' McLeod said. Roberts said he tried to find qualified pilots to fly the new plane, which was grounded in La Ronge, Sask., but no one was available. The Opposition NDP, which earlier revealed Monday the new air tanker was received last month but not used, said Moe's government should have got the plane in the sky immediately. 'We need a government that's prioritizing planning in advance of disasters like this one,' NDP public safety critic Nicole Sarauer told reporters in Regina. McLeod accused the NDP of playing politics. 'This is not a situation where we had resources that were available, that were left on the table,' he said. Saskatchewan had 13 fires as of Monday, five of which were not contained.
Daily Mail
05-06-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
People left with a 'headache' after discovering bizarre island-in-a-lake-on-an-island-in-a-lake-on-an-island - as one vents 'my brain cells hurt'
The remote regions of the world are full of some incredible and baffling mysteries. Now, one discovery, shared in a viral post on Instagram by @ has left social media users reeling. Located in remote northern Canada, this is the world's largest island-in-a-lake-on-an-island-in-a-lake-on-an-island. If that description sounds confusing then you're not alone, as Instagram users have flocked to the comments to complain that the island left them with a 'headache'. One frustrated user vented: 'That just scrambled my brains.' At the centre of this geological Russian nesting doll is a small, sea-horse-shaped island measuring just over 300 metres (1,000ft) long from end to end. That island is nestled inside a small unnamed lake which takes up most of the area of another larger island. This, in turn, is sat within a 55-mile (90km) lake located near the coast of Victoria Island, the eighth largest island in the world. Zooming out, you can see that this island is sat inside a larger, 55 mile (90km) lake One commenter said they 'literally had a headache' after trying to understand this strange island This island-in-a-lake-on-an-island-in-a-lake-on-an-island is what geologists refer to as a 'recursive island'. Geography buffs used to believe that the largest of these recursive structures was an island in a crater lake on Volcano Island in the middle of Lake Taal on the Philippine island of Luzon. But careful satellite analysis has revealed that the unnamed Canadian recursive lake is significantly larger. However, that exciting bit of trivia may have been lost on many social media users who have struggled to comprehend the island's tongue-twister-like description. On Instagram, one baffled commenter complained: 'I literally had a headache after reading this'. 'I had a stroke reading it,' another chimed in. Meanwhile another wrote: 'My brain is fried.' Even those who did manage to get their heads around the description still reported being left frazzled by the efforts, writing: 'I think I got it, but I think I pulled a brain muscle trying.' Even those who did understand what they were reading complained of pulling a 'brain muscle' while trying The island-in-a-lake-on-an-island-in-a-lake-on-an-island At the centre is a small island measuring 300m from end to end. That island is nestled inside a small unnamed lake which takes up most of the area of another larger island. This, in turn, is sat within a 55-mile lake near the coast of Victoria Island. Due to the island's remote location in the freezing Arctic, it is unlikely that anyone has ever set foot on this strange recursive island. Victoria Island, or Kitlineq as it is called by the Innuit residents, has a population of less than 2,000 people despite being larger than the US state of Idaho. However, Canada's unique geography means that this region is littered with recursive lakes. Canada is also home to the world's largest island-in-a-lake, Manitoulin Island in Lake Huron, and the largest lake-on-an-island, Nettilling Lake on Baffin Island. According to the NASA Earth Observatory, nearly all of Canada was covered by glaciers during the last ice age. As the glaciers moved, they carved out a network of channels and deposited small hills made up of glacial till, a mixture of clay, sand, and rock dug up by glaciers. Dr Daniel Kerr, a geologist from the Geological Survey of Canada, told NASA's Earth Observatory: 'This area became ice-free by about 8,000 years ago. 'But because of the weight of the ice sheet, the land was depressed and the waters of the Arctic Ocean flooded the land.' That left the region dotted with millions of small lakes, many of which had islands of them which, in turn, had their own nested lakes and islands.
