North Star Fibre

Locally many of you will be unaware of this small industry tucked away in Morden’s Industrial Park. Back in 1999 the father & son team of Almer and Jeff Enns started this venture converting newspapers, flyers, posters and all manner of paper, into a fire retardant insulation material for homes and buildings. Then in August of 2006, they sold to the Can-Am Colony of Hutterites based in Margaret, Manitoba, which is west of Ninette on PTH # 23. As this was not to be a hands on operation, they hired Garth Vandenberghe as their Business Manager. Garth originally from Killarney started out with United Grain Growers (U.G..G.) which became Agricore-United, having spent some 15 years with the two organizations.. Garth resides with his family in Morden. The complex Garth manages is a 25,000 sq ft. steel structure which houses offices, production machinery, and warehouse storage. The newsprint or raw material comes from re-cycling programs in various communities such as Morden, Winkler, Portage, Killarney and even as far away as The Pas. They have 13 pick ups a month that collects approximately 260 tons of paper. Some of this tonnage can be ruined as a result of containing plastic bags, wraps, etc. Their most plastic free paper comes from Winkler as it is checked and removed by Gateway Resources.
The paper is then placed on a conveyor and feed in to a John shredder much like your home office paper shredder. Then the shredded paper proceeds to a attrition mill where Boric acid is added and mixed with the shredded paper much like your home blender. This now fire retardant fluffy material is then packed into a 25 lbs plastic bag much like a peat moss bale.
Boric acid is found in many parts of the world, the boric acid used by Northstar comes from Turkey. Boric acid has countless uses from antiseptic, to cleaners, to use in nuclear plants, to the making of silly putty. It comes in hugh container sacks. The product looks and feels just like the table salt in your kitchen.
The bagged Insulation is then distributed mostly in Western Canada to independent retailer and insulation installers. There biggest market are new buildings. A machine is required to re-fluff the insulation and blow it in place. The plant employs 8 full time and 12 part time employees.
Since Can- Am’s takeover in August 2006, Grath has been pleased with the present growth and sales they are achieving. But mostly what Grath wishes to secretly relay, is his trip to Mexico this summer with his family, where he caught a record 262.5 lb. Blue Marlin: landing it after some hours, and made the pages of the local media. Good show Grath!
Keep Snug - Insulate!

Click here>>>>http://www.northstarfibre.ca/northstarfibre.htm

"Quantum of Solace"

With the making of the 22nd Bond film, it may be becoming some what difficult to constantly attain the high expectation level of each and every Bond film. With the resuscitation of James Bond in “Casino Royale”, played by Daniel Craig, there seemed to be a new lease on life for the Bond movies. Making a sequel to it, may be their downfall.It seems as if the whole Bond mantra has been dumbed down and turned into all the other current high octane exploding, car chasing, roof jumping, mindless drivel we currently are subjected to at the theatres. Although Daniel Craig still portrays a very convincing Bond to my mind, he is all that holds this movie together. Once again the opening credits were even more bland than Casino Royale’s. As for the theme song “Another Way To Die", performed by Jack White and Alicia Keys, it is surely a misnomer. The theme songs were always the audio invitations to seeing the films. This is also David Arnold’s 4th kick at the sound track for the Bond movies, and seems to be his least compelling composition. The cinematography is once again excellent, but the locals are drab and dreary, and lacking the trademark exotic sites. The bad guys are like wall street brokers - hard to separate and identify from the mainstream of society. There is no magnetism between Bond and Camille Montes (Olga Kurylenko), and she has little impact in the whole story line, nor are there any witty or caustic exchanges between them. Thus the whole pictue winds up as a misplaced 007 agent, more suited to a Die Hard or Lethal Weapon series…………....... so sorry James!

Winter Woes!

Well it’s here, winter in all its glory - first rain, then sleet, then snow! Definitely the worst combination for driving, getting around, and removing! Maybe this didn’t happen where you are, but it definitely did here, and in most of Western Canada.The only advantage I had this year over last year's first snowfall, is that my good neighbour “Jake” tipped me off that by using gasoline in my snow blower it will start and even work. Wow! Where do these guys come up with these innovative ideas? So I pondered on that tip for some weeks, and then it snowed, and I was ready. But I’m still not convinced winter is a BIG deal and I personally loathe it. It may be great for those who love to play hockey, ski, snowboard, snowmobile, have 4x4’s, and hunt game, but as for me I’d prefer to just hibernate until mid-March. I would even sacrifice Christmas. I propose that we like- minded individuals lobby the pharmaceutical industry giants to perfect a so- called "Hibernation Serum" that can be taken in early winter, much like a 'flu shot. I’m sure it would rank right up there with Viagra for sales, at least north of the 49th parallel. Can you recall truth serum? It was a total flop, but hibernation serum has much greater potential. Come on, let’s go for it, hibernate a little, I say. As for myself, I can live off the reserves of my body fat, with a lower body temperature, pulse rate, and slower metabolism. Then when I burst forth in the spring, people will say “My, you’ve lost weight Harold! How did that happen?" "Oh! I just slept it off this winter," would be my smug reply!

Remembrance Day

It is the VETERAN, not the preacher,who has given us freedom of religion.
It is the VETERAN, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the VETERAN, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the VETERAN, not the campus organizer,who has given us freedom to assemble.
It is the VETERAN, not the lawyer,who has given us the right to a fair trial.
It is the VETERAN, not the politician,Who has given us the right to vote.
It is the VETERAN, who salutes the Flag,











It is the VETERAN, who serves under the Flag,

ETERNAL REST GRANT THEM O LORD,
AND LET PERPETUAL LIGHT SHINE UPON THEM.

War does not determine who is right - only who is left.~Bertrand Russell