John Thomson's I Didn't Know That!
May 23, 2013 / 6:00 am
I vowed when I started this column twenty-five years ago that I wasn’t going to write about politics and I have held the line until today but this item is really about questions. I looked back over the last four weeks in Ottawa and the boys and girls have had quite a time of bungling just...
John Thomson's I Didn't Know That!
May 16, 2013 / 5:00 am
I do a lot of thinking about everything to do with my column which is now twenty-five years old, and as I get older I think of so many things from the past that were good. Like the Cuban Lunch chocolate bar. It was made by Paulin’s in Winnipeg and was mostly a Western Canadian thing. They...
John Thomson's I Didn't Know That!
May 9, 2013 / 5:00 am
It has been quite an up and down two weeks for the executive at Loblaws as the chairman of the board Galen Weston and his board members tried to figure the next move in the never ending public relations drama that has gripped the company. When the news hit the wires two weeks ago they became...
John Thomson's I Didn't Know That!
May 2, 2013 / 5:00 am
It has been quite a week. I got a new computer; I think it is the third one I have owned. I remember when I had my first one and my granddaughter, she was twelve at the time, taught me how to use it. This time our IT guy Gary Scott, of Scottek Computer Services built this one. After having...
John Thomson's I Didn't Know That!
Apr 25, 2013 / 5:00 am
Love your column. Have you heard anything about an opening date for the Target store in Vernon? Keep up the good work. I really don’t know what is going on with the Vernon Target store because the company has everything locked down so you can’t get the information until...
John Thomson's I Didn't Know That!
Apr 18, 2013 / 7:00 am
I am writing this while the news on TV is all about the explosions at the Boston Marathon Monday afternoon. It’s shocking because all we have read, watched and heard over the last few weeks is A-bombs, missiles and war. I immediately started to think of the worst things...
John Thomson's I Didn't Know That!
Apr 10, 2013 / 5:00 am
These are e-mails I received last week and I thought I would bring them to my column and do my answering here. Everyone seems to be interested in these projects. John, a couple of weeks ago I sent you a message wondering about the current situation at SOPA - there does...
John Thomson's I Didn't Know That!
Apr 4, 2013 / 5:00 am
You own a penthouse second to none in the valley and while the boom is on you put it up for sale for $5 million. This unit is the entire floor with four balconies, one of which is set up for barbecuing. There is marble everywhere and lots of room. It just sold last week for $1.65...
John Thomson's I Didn't Know That!
Mar 28, 2013 / 5:00 am
There is just nothing in TV land like the NCAA basketball final four. The event simply takes over TV for the month and that’s it. CBS carries every broadcast minute they can and the other major networks program against it with repeats. The amazing thing about this tournament is...
John Thomson's I Didn't Know That!
Mar 21, 2013 / 5:00 am
All that action taking place on native land near the office of the Westbank First Nation Indian Band is the preparation of the land for the proposed Medical Centre we have written about many time times before. There are those that don’t believe it can happen but they should hold back...
John Thomson's I Didn't Know That!
Mar 14, 2013 / 5:00 am
Photo: Contributed I know it is early but I have a good suggestion for a Father’s Day gift for good old dad. If your dad is a golfer it’s the perfect gift. It a book called “Moe & Me” written by the former golf writer for the Globe &...
John Thomson's I Didn't Know That!
Mar 7, 2013 / 5:00 am
It seems to be official now - Target Canada will open 24 of their 124 stores this month. There was a lot of guessing going on but Target Canada‘s head office in Ontario has said that 24 stores (which was the original number I had reported months ago) will be ready to go. The first...
John Thomson's I Didn't Know That!
Feb 28, 2013 / 5:00 am
There could be a change coming in the deal with Lowes Home Improvement buying into the Canadian market. They now have over thirty big box stores in Canada. They are looking at the changes that are being made with the Rona group in Quebec who are insisting it's time to go back to the basics...
John Thomson's I Didn't Know That!
Feb 21, 2013 / 5:00 am
Photo: Contributed The Target Canada people have decided to open a training store this month to see if all their systems are working. The first store and the training store will be in Guelph, Ontario not too far from their head office in Mississauga. Meanwhile, their...
John Thomson's I Didn't Know That!
Feb 14, 2013 / 5:00 am
I am going to try to answer some of the e-mails I have received over the last couple of weeks regarding SOPA Square, the new high rise commercial and residential property on South Pandosy. Yes there are some snags in the development at the moment. Ed and Stacey Fenwick, the developers, are in...
John Thomson's I Didn't Know That!
Feb 7, 2013 / 5:00 am
I believe it was ten years ago that the Mrs. and I attended the opening week of a new restaurant, East Side Mario’s. I really wanted to try the Phili steak sandwich, which was always a favourite of mine but very difficult to order in this part of the world. A young couple from Edmonton...
John Thomson's I Didn't Know That!
Jan 31, 2013 / 5:00 am
Photo: Contributed He is a home town boy who has done very well for himself in the financial community. Dale Lamb is the man I am referring to and here is some background. Dale attended both OKM and UVic. where he got his Bachelor of Arts degree with a focus on the...
John Thomson's I Didn't Know That!
Jan 24, 2013 / 5:00 am
It has been years since I started writing about Target stores coming to Canada. I remember one rumour out of the east that had the Minneapolis retailers taking a look at the Hudson Bay chain as a method of expansion into Canada. That was before there even was a discussion about the...
John Thomson's I Didn't Know That!
Jan 17, 2013 / 5:00 am
With my two weeks away from writing I must say the inflow of story ideas was tremendous. Today I am going to go over some of those things as well as whatever else comes across the desk. The handling of the Burke firing by the new owners of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment was...
John Thomson's I Didn't Know That!
Jan 10, 2013 / 5:00 am
Big news out of the east as the rumour about Loblaws continues to grow! Loblaws own both SuperStore and Extra Foods. The rumour is that the Loblaws, owned by the Weston family, will make an offer to Safeway Canada to buy out the chain in this country. Loblaws already has over 1000 stores in...
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