OTHER COLUMNISTS

by Shawn Lackie I just finished reading an article on the thriving real estate market in Monaco. Yes, that would be the one on the southern coast of France. It's the second smallest country in the world behind Vatican City. As they say, though – small but mighty. Check out the prices of some of the homes there, and you’ll get a quick look at how the other half lives. Except, they would be more like the upper, upper, upper scale elites. There are more millionaires AND billiona

by Lauren Walker As some of you know, I am a local visual artist. I've never really spoken about my other passion... writing! While it may be apparent in my weekly articles, I started writing when I was a kid. My first poem was written in grade five and over the years I've published online and have spent many years writing for the The Standard News. My next adventure allows me to marry two things I love the most. I look forward to sharing my journey to writing and illustratin

by Shawn Lackie We live in a democratic society, fought for by generations past. People gave their lives to ensure we could express ourselves, both in word and in how we vote. I know, what does THIS have to do with Real Estate. Well, it could be significant. Over the past few years, Scugog has been exposed to one proposal for development after another. None of these addressed what the area really needs. That would be, affordable housing for young families, seniors and all tho

by Lauren Walker It's pretty sad when people cannot even cross the street without looking at their phone. I've been listening to an audiobook, on Spotify, regarding, how to “stop people pleasing and set boundaries" by Marieme Seck. It is about setting priorities, achieving goals and how to become more focused in life. In an age where we are so connected with everything else, we are terribly disconnected with ourselves. You Are the Product Social media is designed to keep you

by Tina Y. Gerber – McCurley I was blessed to do palliative care and hospice care, within the community, and in Long-Term-Care. Even the most unexpected encounters can change our lives in profound ways. Family, marriage, means you’ve accumulated years of history, like those inside jokes, shared responsibilities, raising a family together and saying goodbyes to a loved one. We know death is an inevitable part of living and the death of a spouse is one of the hardest and most p

By Shawn Lackie I get asked that question a lot. While there is no simple explanation (much like life itself) there are a number of contributing factors. Top of the list would be unreal expectations from sellers. Many believe they should be getting what a neighbour got, just down the street, for the sale of their home, in 2026. Except, the other home sold in 2020, or around that time when the feeding frenzy was at its peak, and actually out of control. So, comparing these two

by Shawn Lackie The Bank of Canada has resisted raising interest rates, over a number of announcements, in the last year or so, with good reason. I am not an expert on exactly how this impacts buyers, but I know someone who does. Brad Vokins, from Dominion Lending Centres, has been in the business for over 20 years and has accumulated a wealth of knowledge along the way. I have always deferred to the experts in this business, so I’m not going to stop now. Especially with a to

by Lauren Walker Did you know that every painting begins with a rough sketch? A sketch is a quick, loose drawing that provides the foundation for any painting. Just like a foundation, you build upon it to create a finished product. Where do you start? Action Lines In my "Beginner Wildlife Painting for Older Adults" course in October, we will learn about action lines. Think of an action line as a line designed to capture your subject's movement. If you're drawing a bird in fli

by Shawn Lackie You know the saying, yes? “The more they stay the same.” In 1988, I decided I needed a change from the Toronto rat race, especially in the television field. I was running Communications for CBC Sports and really wasn’t looking forward to spending 6 weeks in Korea, for the Olympic Games. So I packed it in and came back to Port, to hook up with my Father-In-Law in his business. That was around the time the economy was doing a bit of a dive (tank?), so it was fr