Rose's Cantina

What should be concerning to the RCMP in British Columbia is that my cousin John Simpson is quitting his life in Ontario and moving to Salmon Arm to find out what happened to his daughter, Ashley, who went missing without a trace, nine months ago. John has posted on Facebook that he intends to go back to the scene of the crime to get some answers. As he wrote: "the RCMP don't want to do what was directed by the head of the force to keep in contact with the families...and update weekly. "And so I go as a father, searching for his missing daughter, who has been gone for nine months and without a clue." I don't blame John. As a mother, I would move mountains to find out what happened to one of my kids, if they had met with misfortune. I am a mother bear. I will defend my children and the people whom I love to the nth degree, and so I wish him well. "There is no moving on until this is done, no next step, I have to go west to search. What the hec...

You won't see many pictures of Peter Fleming. That's because Pete was more of a "behind the scenes" guy. He was like that character Red in Shawshank Redemption , who could get things for you from time to time. Pete was a force around the National Press Club for years. He'd often be seen at a back table with Gus Cloutier, the House of Commons' Sergeant-at-Arms, and many of the honchos who worked on the Hill. Charlie Lynch would be at the table, along with Shirley and Tom Van Dusen Sr., and Art Lamarche. On a Friday afternoon, they'd be holding court, downing bottles of wine, slurping pea soup and chowing down on roast beef. The gang was there every Friday for decades. It was always a fun table, and they were gracious enough to let stragglers like me join them. I learn a lot. I laughed a lot, too. Unlike myriad other tables in the joint, when you sat down, you parked your ego -- and shop talk -- at the door. This was story time. A lot of people...

Yesterday was Ashley Simpson Day in the media. I want to direct you to an outstanding series that has been written by St. Catharines Standard reporter Grant LaFleche. You can read parts one and two here. And part three here. The second media site is a podcast out of Idaho called True Crimes and Mysteries.  It's run by Rebecca and Mike Duke who explore the underbelly of crime in the U.S. and now in Canada. They are raising some very interesting questions about Ashley's case. They'll also provide future updates, so if you know anything, anything at all, please contact them. I hope you will take the time to read Grant's stories, and listen to the podcast, and share it. Taken together, they explain a lot. And if you know something, speak up. You never know who might be listening!

A week back, I got a call from Grant LaFleche, a reporter with the St. Catharines Standard . He said he was looking into the case of my missing cousin, Ashley Simpson . We had an interesting chat about my blog which I have kept up since April when Ashley went missing. I told him my story. I didn't know Ashley or even her father, John, who is an adopted cousin. Well, I certainly know them now. And I know, too, about the cases of the other missing women from her neighborhood in Salmon Arm. Wish I had met anyone of them in different circumstances. Would have bought them a drink. But there you go. All through this painful process, I've been hoping that one of my media colleagues would take on this case. Alas, there are few resources in the media these days, especially news organizations that would pay the freight and give a reporter the time to visit her home, mark her last steps, and ask the hard questions. The Standard did. And the link below is Part One ...