Rose's Cantina

photo by Dora Maus Carl Mollins was one of the greatest reporters who ever set foot on Parliament Hill, or in any news bureau for that matter, but you'd never know it if you had him as a journalism professor. "I'm not sure why you bothered to take this class," he told us on the first day of our Carleton University fourth year political reporting lecture. "Oh well, you're here now." Then he began to drop phone book sized copies of the Government of Canada Part Three Spending Estimates on the table in front of us. "Your first assignment is to find a story in this." And he chuckled. That was Carl's Way. He wanted to make sure we knew that a side of Parliament Hill baloney was best served over-cooked and cold. This was no ant's picnic; it was bloody hard work combing through the lies, half truths and secrets that abounded on the Hill. And it was boring spending hours at committees and hearings that left us asking, "Whe...

The Niagara media is rallying around the family of my cousin Ashley Simpson . Ashley disappeared April 28th from her home in Salmon Arm, British Columbia. News outlets are supporting a fundraiser for the Simpson family, while hoping to raise awareness about the epidemic of missing and murdered women in Canada. Metroland Media , Canada's largest chain of community newspapers is leading the charge, and is joining forces with other local papers and radio stations to help in securing local business support for the fundraiser which will be held on July 30th at the Moose and Goose in Thorold.  Ashley's disappearance has turned the spotlight on the disappearance of women and girls, particularly in British Columbia which has become infamous for the so-called "Highway of Tears" where many mostly indigenous women have gone missing. Ashley's disappearance reminds us that this is not just a problem for the indigenous community; it's an issue that concerns all C...

Today marks the one month anniversary of the last time anyone saw my cousin Ashley Simpson , who disappeared without a trace from her home in Salmon Arm, B.C. "I can't help but cry," her sister Amanda wrote on Facebook. "I want you home so bad." Amanda's having trouble talking to her young children, who miss their aunt terribly. "Emma is starting to understand more now. She misses you so much, she keeps telling me that she will help Dad at Longhouse until you come home." The Longhouse in Huntsville is where Ashley and her father John spent the last six summers working as caterers. This year, John will have to take the journey to the resort town on his own, and it's breaking his heart. He's thinking maybe about retiring because he can't bare the thought of being there without his wingman, Ashley. "It makes me sad, mad and angry," says Amanda about her little girl's offer to help out in her aunt's place....

Everyday, we're hit at the grocery store, by robocall, and at the front door by people canvassing for money for a worthy cause, be it cancer, children's health, heart disease, and such. It's no wonder there is donor fatigue out there. But sometimes a cause comes along that pulls at our heart strings. It's hard to watch toddlers drowning on the shore as their family tries to escape tyranny. Or to watch the countless Fort Mac residents who've lost everything. For me, it's hard to watch members of my family who face financial ruin because their daughter has been missing over a month. Ashley's disappearance is no longer considered a missing person's case, it's being treated as a homicide. Today, we received a heartfelt message from my cousin John, Ashley's father, who is finding it difficult to make ends meet, while he is off work and searching for his daughter. Shortly after Ashley's disappearance, John set out from his home in Nia...

If you've ever had a President's Choice Decadent Chocolate Chip Cookie, or its barbecue sauce, you've tasted the influence of Jim Lovie who passed away in Ottawa yesterday at the age of 88. Jim was, for many years, the head of meat operations at the iconic Canadian grocery conglomerate. But he was much more than the "butcher-in-charge". Jim influenced the career paths of hundreds of Loblaws employees over his many years with the company. I'm sure there isn't a person who met Jim who didn't love the twinkle in his eye, his corny jokes or his easy smile. But employees knew enough not to cross the old man, or let him down. Jim had a bit of a flash temper and would take offending employees into the meat freezer for a dressing down. He'd close the door and let the employee have it, but he never embarrassed anyone in front of their coworkers. That's because Jim was a classy, classy guy. And he was a valued member of the Loblaws fami...

Update: The remains found by polce were another girl. Thankful but it's disturbing for another family. It is with a heavy heart that I report that the police have found human remains at a site in Salmon Arm. As you know, my cousin, Ashley Simpson , has been missing from that area for more than a month. I remain forever hopeful that this is not the Gypsy Girl. But thought you'd all like to know... This is a report from the Salmon Arm Observer. The Salmon Arm RCMP and BC Coroners Services announced late Tuesday afternoon that they are investigating the discovery of human remains located by police. The Salmon Arm RCMP were called to an area on 6th Street NE on May 20. Investigators located what have been confirmed as partially decomposed human remains in an area between 6th Street NE and Lakeshore Drive. The remains were located down an unused steep footpath that is overgrown. Police say the remains appear to be fairly recent. “At this time the Salmon Arm RC...

I have asked Ashley Simpson's family and friends to give us a glimpse into the life she lived before going missing nearly a month ago. Here is how her father John remembers his sweet girl. Ashley was a treat when she came into this world, a smashing 9lbs 8 ounces with a  head full of hair and nails that needed to be clipped. She has made many friends in her journey of life and continues to make them as we speak. She has made this world a better place by her love of mankind and this place we call Earth; unfortunately this life she has lived hasn't been the best for her. She has suffered through unbearable pain and suffering through her menstrual cycles. She has cysts on her ovaries that make those 10 days a living hell. She had one of her ovaries removed when she was just 14; the other they won't take out till she is 40 or older. Years of hell for my Ashley. I so feel her pain every month but she doesn't quit, doesn't give in.   That'...

It has been nearly a month since my cousin Ashley Simpson disappeared without a trace from her life in Salmon Arm, B.C. The RCMP continue to investigate, but there is still no sign of her. The long weekend was very hard on the family. Ashley and her Dad run the catering for a longhouse up in Huntsville, Ontario, and they are supposed to start soon. They have been doing this for years, and now John feels great sadness in embarking on this journey on his own. Instead of focusing on the negative, while we still have no news, Amanda Haverman and I are asking people to share their stories about Ashley, hoping to focus on all the goodness, light, fun, and hope she brought to this world. John sent me this reference letter that Ashley received. Ashley is a dedicated, productive, and intelligent worker who would be an asset in any work environment. She worked at our family camp this summer with her father preparing and serving 3 meals a day for 10 -20 people and did it with a ca...

While the Opposition was busy bullying Justin Trudeau in the Commons yesterday, there was an even bigger scandal brewing in the Nation's Capital. Let's call it "boobgate". A woman is considering taking my gym, Movati Fitness, to the human rights commission because she says she was "body shamed" because staff members told her to cover up her large bosom which she proudly sported in a tank top. Apparently, a lot of people complained about her outfit. I bet it was in the women's side of the gym. There was nothing remotely offensive about her outfit to me. That's because I have boobs like this: Now, I don't wear tank tops to the gym, not ever. That's because I am ashamed of my boobs, and I always have been. So I wear sloppy extra-large t shirts, and the mams sort of sway back and forth because I don't wear a sports bra. I don't wear a sports bra, just a regular one, because I can't find one in my size, so this ...

There is still no news regarding the whereabouts of my cousin, Ashley Simpson, who disappeared from her home in Salmon Arm, B.C., without a trace at the end of April. As I stated in my previous blog, the RCMP is now considering this a homicide investigation. Their 14-person major crimes team is focusing on searching a 25 acre parcel of land that is adjacent to where she lived with her boyfriend. They have also conducted DNA testing on all persons of interest. Still nothing. Her father, John, posted this heartbreaking message on Facebook yesterday. Another day goes by and there are no calls about our darling daughter, Ashley.  I guess that's the way it's going to go. It seems to be getting easier to go out   and meet people. I might try some golf tomorrow -- at least a bucket of balls. Been holed up here in the house since I came back wishing and wondering if, and when, Ashley will return or when we will  hear some sort of word ab...

Embed from Getty Images Now that Mike Duffy has been vindicated by a learned judge, the Parliamentary Press Gallery is stewing over the fact there are no good scandals to cover. Sure, there's lot's going on: votes and amendments on the whole assisted suicide matter, concern over the plight of the poor folks in Fort McMurray and region, even the fascinating subject of electoral reform. While those subjects are serious, relevant and even somewhat urgent, members of the Gallery have decided that there are more interesting matters at hand, and have focused their laser beams on two subjects: whether Sophie Gregoire Trudeau deserves more hired help, and whether the Prime Minister should be sanctioned for an accidental boob shot to an NDP MP. Jesus H. Christ. Have we lost our collective minds? On the matter of SGT, the so-called "tall poppy" who is getting beaten up by mean girls on social media, everybody should just get stuffed. Mila Mulroney had a su...

My cousin Ashley Simpson has been missing for 20 days now, and the B.C. RCMP have turned their files over to the major crimes division. They have assured the family that they have made the change so they can tap into the greater resources of the homicide division, a 14-person team who will stay on the case until it's resolved. In the coming days, warrants will be sworn, and they will use DNA swabs to pursue persons of interest in the case. They will also be searching the 25 acres surrounding the place where Ashley was living in Salmon Arm. "I have to admit, the update isn't rosy," her father John wrote me in an email. "We still hope she may be found alive, but they haven't found any sign of her." The case has pitted people against each other. There is the camp that prefers to light candles, and look to the skies for inspiration. And there are others who are more pragmatic, who are hoping for the best, bracing for the worst. I fall in the la...