Consider This - Breaking News

Norlock sweeps to victory, Liberals crash

2008-10-15T00:17:00.001-04:00

Conservative Party incumbent Rick Norlock swept to victory in Northumberland-Quinte West, while Liberal candidate Paul Macklin faced a humiliating defeat.
But, it was the Green Party candidate Ralph Torrie was the biggest news of the night as it doubled its support with nine per cent of the total vote, up from 4.7 per cent in 2006.
Norlock won with 22,790 votes (251/274 polls reporting), about 47.7 per cent of the vote, compared to 41.3 per cent in 2006.
Both the Liberals and NDP suffered at the hands of the Green Party, as Liberal support dropped to 14,018, a massive drop from the 22, 563 votes in 2006, an eight per cent drop in the total vote.
The NDP saw a four percentage point drop from 18 per cent of the vote in 2006, down to 14 per cent this time.
It would appear the voter turnout was down, but no final figures are available. Certainly, the Liberals did not get their vote out for the election.

The new reality for journalists

2007-12-30T13:47:00.001-05:00

Covering Communities » Blog Archive » Like sands through the hour glass …
This is a nice piece about the current reality working as a journalist for a traditional news organization trying to make the transition to the online world.

Rude delegation?

2007-10-21T16:33:00.001-04:00

A rude? delegation

Ben Burd has posted a public presentation by the Cobourg Horticultural Club to Cobourg council last Monday night where an emotional and testy exchange between the presenters and councillors.
This is an excellent example of the horrendous state of local politics. The politicians overreact and end up marginalizing a group of volunteers in the community. Councillor Bill MacDonald should resign because of his behaviour, acting like a tyrant. If anyone is rude, he is. What is even more terrible is Mayor Peter Delanty's absolute abysmal handling of the situation. He barely looks at them when he is addressing them and does not even apologize for council's behaviour.
And, nobody admits the faux pas of not consulting this important volunteer group. Shame on council. Shame on MacDonald. Shame on Spooner. Double shame on Delanty.

Brilliant analysis from Burd with some additional thoughts

2007-10-20T10:40:00.001-04:00

The Burd Report: The OPP guy strikes again

Former Cobourg Councillor Ben Burd provides a piercing analysis of the county policing report that cannot be ignored by taxpayers and politicians. He has shown how civil servants have failed the system by providing a report that is bias and skewed toward a new policing system run by the OPP. It should be mandatory reading and must be addressed rather than dismissed.

Here is another concern. Cobourg council has lost the trust and credibility it needs to properly move forward with a public debate on this issue. The depth of mistrust was clearly demonstrated earlier this week on what should have been a minor item. A group of volunteers from the Cobourg Horticultural Society came before council to express concerns over plans to change the five-points intersection at King, Ontario and William streets. The group generously maintains a public garden on the northwest corner that provides a wonderful gateway to the main street. This is done without payment and as a public service.

During the discussions at council, one of the nice ladies who is involved had a heated exchange with council. Accusations were exchanges by both sides, as Councillor Bob Spooner was challenged (something he absolutely hates). Councillor Bill MacDonald displayed his usual lack of charm by sarcastically accusing them of failing to get all the facts before coming to council. However, as Councillor Miriam Mutton pointed out, nobody bothered to consult with them.

If this is the level of communication around something so simple as working with a lovely group of volunteers who help our town look beautiful for visitors, what is going to happen around an issue so controversial as policing. This does not bode well.

The need for a citizens action group is greater than ever. The group that fought the ice rink/fountain should be the basis for a larger movement within Cobourg to respond to the policing issue. If not, Cobourg council will ram through a massive change in policing that will be done with only an illusion of democracy and not the real thing. The writing is on the wall. We only need to read it.

Technorati Tags: Cobourg, politics

Any predictions for the election?

2007-10-02T19:50:00.001-04:00

Predictions at this point are futile. A poll was released today in the London Free Press, The Toronto Sun and a few websites, saying the Liberals will take a majority. Just wait. By the weekend, PC leader John Tory's strategy to cut the religious school funding from around his neck will work. This was meant to bring those Conservatives who would have stay away back into the fold. With his base solid, his numbers will jump and we will be looking at polls come this weekend that will place the campaigns very close.

That means the election campaign is really starting today. And, it will be the undecided - that five to 10 per cent of the vote - that will become the focus. The leadership/credibility issue is not dead. It is the one that will certainly hurt McGuinty the most. Frankly, Hampton has the most to gain right now. If the Green Party can suck some votes away, as Ben suggests, then a minority government is possible. Either way, Hampton becomes a serious powerbroker.

But, there is not a central issue of significance.

Locally, who knows. The election is so boring it is painful. But, an interesting note. PC candidate Cathy Galt did not attend an all-candidates debate on Monday at a Cobourg high school. She was out knocking on doors. There are a few ways to read this. Maybe she was out nailing down her supporters or she may be within striking distance of Lou. The only way she will win this is by shaking hands and kissing babies. In other words, retail politics. Lou may be on cruise control, thinking he has the election in the bag. That could be a mistake. The NDP and Green Party will show up to anything that is free publicity. Sorry, but locally they don't have the numbers or the budget to mount a huge campaign.

Where are the questions around the frink and responsible provincial funding? What about containing urban sprawl? How come Belleville gets two new manufacturing plants and Northumberland none? Who is helping the tourism industry? Post-secondary education in Ontario is the most poorly funded per student in Canada, why?etc.....

The Northumberland-Quinte West race is tight. Not time to call anything yet.

Any predictions for the election?:

Here's mine. The Tories will win - just. The vote will be way down and the base vote will count. The Greens are picking up disaffected liberals thus allowing the tories to squeak in, the NDP are picking up more than the base vote of previous years, thus exacerbating the swing to the tories by means of the liberal lost votes. This riding will defy the liberal swing and go blue, maybe on a recount.

Comments??

Realpolitik from a basement office in Cobourg.

2007-09-15T10:57:00.001-04:00

"As a result of this deep cultural faith in virtually unrestricted political communication, there is stunningly little public discussion about how to design a news and information system that might better suit the needs of democratic politics and citizen involvement." Lance W. Bennett

The moment that discussion take place, every elite in society loses power. And, that is never going to happen, if they have their way.

Continuing the debate

2007-09-06T19:30:00.001-04:00

In the spirit of continuing this debate, I would like to make another suggestion about much needed studies.

We are told endlessly that development in the harbour and tourism in our town is beneficial to the downtown. And, while the proximity of the downtown to the harbour is obvious, I wonder if the benefits are the same. It is time to find out if all the development and all our tourism-related ideas truly make a difference.

It is wonderful to see our beach crowded with people each summer. And, it is equally satisfying to see all the visitors, mostly families, using Victoria Park. But, does all the activity translate into dollars for our downtown merchants.

Continuing the debate:

Last week Prof Robert Washburn and me commented on the political fact that we continue to study stuff that goes nowhere. Here is another good example of that problem. Loo (Rinaldi), the local MPP, is trumpeting a funding exercise with the sucker upper of all government funds, the local CFDC, that will study the possibility of local agricultural processing. With so much food coming from offshore, one of the flunkeys at the presser quoted the mantra, "Do you know 35% of our peas come from China", we now have to investigate the possibility of local processing.

I would suggest that the first thing that the highly paid consultant selected by the CFDC does to earn their $45,000 would be to investigate what happened to the last attempt to process locally in Northumberland. There was at one time a very expensive processing plant that sucked up oodles of government dough trying to process local crops locally. I can't remember the name of the place but it was located on Masthead Rd. in Hope Township. Went bellyup in a huge flameout of government money.

Just a suggestion look to history before treading into the future!

Can you spot the real MP?

2007-08-27T19:35:00.001-04:00

The Burd Report: Real MPs or the Pretend MP
If you have heard of two-tier medicine, here is an example of two-tier government. Ben points to a really scary trend.

Shelter Valley Folk Festival

2007-08-26T21:22:00.001-04:00

Shelter Valley Folk Festival, Grafton, Ontario. August 31 - September 2, 2007
This community event is a must see for anyone interested in this kind of music. But, what makes this particularly special is how it has grown from very humble beginnings into a major musical force, not just around West Northumberland, but across Ontario and Canada.

This is due in a large part to the dedication and hard work of many individuals. Certainly, artistic director Aengus Finnan deserve a huge amount of credit, but also the countless volunteers and the board of directors, who spend all year working toward growing and nurturing this fine musical concert.

It used to be many of the community events were like this. The Waterfront Festival in Cobourg, the AppleFest in Brighton, the Long Lunch in Warkworth, and the fall fairs etc. Many continue to work on this basis, but some commercialization is creeping in. This year's Waterfront Festival was not very good. The booths are no longer filled with artisans. Victoria Park is turned into a flea market. Ribfest is another example. While it was a fabulous fundraiser and people enjoyed the food, it seemed to lack a genuineness. It was commercial, not community oriented.

That is certainly not the case for the festival.

The web site has all the information needed.

Responding to Cobourg Blog on uploading

2007-08-23T01:44:00.001-04:00

Cobourg Blog » Blog Archive » Uploading - is it good?

John makes some really good points, particularly when it comes to thinking about who ultimately pays. As one politician said, "The money for taxes comes out of either the left pocket or the right one. It really doesn't matter. There is only one taxpayer."

Still, there are reasons for taxpayers to care about which level of government is responsible. Municipalities have very limited options when it comes to raising revenues. Mainly, it is generated by property tax. There are also user fees and service charges. A good example is the tags used in Northumberland County for garbage pick up. There are also development charges, which are meant to be used to cover costs of providing infrastructure, like sewers and roads. And, some of the money can go into reserve funds for parks. The idea is to cover the additional costs rather than have them covered by existing residents. (Sometimes municipalities will wave these fees, leaving current taxpayers on the hook).

There is something to consider, when John talks about uploading. Money is power. If a level of government is paying, then they generally get to call the shots. And, as he points out when discussion school boards, there can be a debate over who should run things, when they are not directly responsible for raising the funds.

The federal and provincial levels of government have far more avenues for generating revenues than municipalities. A one cent hike in gas taxes can generate millions of dollars. So, it is a lot more effective to take this approach rather than leave it to property taxpayers to cough up the dough.

But, as we saw the the frink in the harbour, when grants flow freely, the money can quickly become wasted.

John is right, with the provincial election underway, these are the topics that need to be debated. Let's make it clear who is going to pay for what.

Money for economic development

2007-08-20T14:38:00.000-04:00

Northumberland MPP Lou Rinaldi announced $80 million for economic development to the Eastern Ontario municipalites as part of a Liberal promise, if elected.
It is no surprise his opponents cried foul, saying this is merely an election ploy.
If this is the level of discourse Northumberland County residents can expect during the election, then we are in serious trouble. This kind of scripted nonsense is beneath a group of children having a disagreement in the school yard.
Economic development is as mysterious as a blackhole in space and just as good at sucking up money instead of matter. Before one penny of tax dollars are spent, let us see an accounting of the hundreds of thousands of dollars that get thrown at these programs by all three levels of government. Where are the neo-cons when you need them?
A good cost analysis will reveal a lot. Yet, it would be a reasonable suspicion to think there is very little return. Competition between municipalities for industry is bloody. One can only imagine what Belleville council did to secure the new Kellogg's plant. Even our own Diamond Triangle commission could barely co-operate due to the inequities.
Besides, taxpayers should be demanding a dollar for dollar comparison. For every tax dollar spent on economic development, how many dollars sre being returned to the community in taxes, jobs and other contributions. That's what should be the bottom line
Of course any financial announcement is an election ploy. Come on. We are not that stupid. The opposition is going to need to do a lot better. And, so is Rinaldi

Now for the real analysis

2007-08-16T21:29:00.001-04:00

I am not sure what is meant my "real analysis", but I am prepare to offer some insights.

First, it is far too easy to get caught up in the machinations of council and not examine what has been going on with the citizen-side of this debate. It is particularly interesting to watch who has emerged as leaders in this aspect, especially Martin Partridge and a few others around him. It has never been clear why these people suddenly appeared and began advocating so vociferously. It seemed to be well after the decision-making was done. And, their objective was confusing, too. Why were they calling for another public meeting? There were already a number of public venues. Was another one really going to solve anything? Why did they not just come out in opposition and demand the project be stopped until a new, more thorough consultation could take place? While well intentioned, it was a bit shaky on strategy. And, considering the political accumen of those involved, it was strange a more effective plan was not used. However, maybe they were all out of the zone, so to speak. Everybody has a bad day. But considering some of these people advise local politicans regularly and work on political election campaigns, one might expect something a bit more effective. How difficult is it to unhinge Cobourg council?

What I think is far more significant is the creation of a citizens advocacy group, lead by a very elite group of Cobourg residents. This is the same group that is often active in the backroom, only rarely gracing the very public displays we have witnessed recently. It is the same group, almost, who came out to save the west corner of Victoria Park.

However, we now see a very powerful core of mainly Liberal supporters: Partridge, Grew-Ellis, Rowden, Wardman, Sherman and others, leading a core of 300 angry citizens. Nice little power base, if you think about it.

This could be the beginning of a meaningful movement to make council more accountable. The true litmus test will be the policing issue, which comes before council this fall. With the provincial election, council may have a sufficient smoke screen to distract everyone's attention away from the police issue. Or, it could end up being a political noose around the provincial campaigns, if it blows up.

Still, it will be interesting to see if Partridge and his citizens movement are able to mobilize enough support to create a meaningful, transparent debate on the local police issue and save our local force. If not, the frink initiative will have been a waste of time and energy. The ground work is laid. Let's see where the hearts and minds of the leadership and followers truly lies.

Also, if Partridge and others are successful in mobilizing this group and growing it into a substantive political force, what position does this put him and the others in. Could he be winding up to be kingmaker in the next municipal election?

Now, how's that for some analysis?

I await your response...

Now for the real analysis:

The dust has settled and the decision made and now all Cobourgers have to do is wait for the tenders to come in and Council votes on them and we will be the proud owners of a Fountain/Rink facility at the harbourfront.

According to my sources I didn't miss much by not being at the Council meeting on Monday. About 200 people filled the concert hall to listen to delegations give their opinions. One quoted proponent proceeded to insult everybody in the place by saying they are part of history, going to die in ten years and therefore are ignoring the needs of the young. Also proceeding to slam the dissenting councillors as involved in pettiness and harbour ambitions. Wonder what she would have said about the supporting councillors if they deigned to upset her? The opponents spoke about new information and process but to no avail - the votes were not going to change.

I am wondering after all of this just what would have come out of another public meeting if the votes were so entrenched. Not much as the opponents would have still not been satisfied if votes did not change.

My final opinion about his is simple, why not harness the anger and energy to come up with another project, involving fitness - thereby keeping the fitness money, and start the process of putting another IcePad/Arena together. Let's do something positive with the money and energy and time of the opponents and work with Council to put another arena in Town. 1.3 million is a helluva of a seed! We know the people opposed to the project are healthy, resourceful and willing - give them some work to do. Work with Councillors and make them show us they can do more than say no and sit on their fat arses.

Just my two cents

Technorati Tags: Cobourg, politics

Only doing half the job!

2007-08-11T19:01:00.001-04:00

It is great to see Ben writing this. I have already bemoaned the fact that the current Cobourg council is a lame duck. Nobody trusts them and they lack credibility. Without public trust, no government can legitimately hold power. Politicians only hold power because it is granted by the public. There is no constituency left. Forget if a person supports the frink or not, the public consultation process was trashed and there is no transparency.

What is more worrisome is we are about to embark on a debate regarding local policing. The town council has no credibility to carry out a public debate on the decision because nobody can trust them to act in accordance to the public's wishes. Will they turn down another petition, spit on the citizens who come before them with opposing views? Noobody trusts them to build a consensus.

This is a critical situation. If any political leaders come within a mile of the town, they should be asked if they will intervene. Do we put up with this for the next three-and-a-half years?

The solution is simple. Can the current frink plans. Start over. But, first, build a new contract with the public. Hold a series of meetings over the fall and find out what can be done to make council more effective in representing people's wishes. Then, once a community-based protocol is developed, then back to the frink and policing.

Without a new system, nothing will work. Acting alone will not work either. There must be a community-building process and wounds must be healed.

Only doing half the job!:

Now that the Fiberals and the Harpocrits have adopted the abominable American practice of fixed election dates and imposing them on the Municipalities the cry for the other part of the equation is becoming stronger. I refer to the practice of recall or impeachment. This is an essential part of American democracy but somehow got left out when the idea of fixed terms was imported.

Both here in Cobourg, and more often in Toronto: where the Mayor has become rather unpopular very quickly, critics are bemoaning the lack of a recall procedure. This is valid, especially in Municipal politics. Four year terms are horrendous for local democracy as we see in Cobourg where four dead white men, five if you count the Mayor, are obstinately disregarding the appeals of the great unwashed - and not just on the FRINK issue but everything else. I did read that the Mayor was recently booed at a public function - that must have been very unsettling both for public decorum and the imperial ego of PD. Incidentally when thee year terms were instituted in the 80s I spoke against it. Local politics is the most responsive level of government and should be electorally responsible as well. Two year terms should be the norm and any politician who says they need that long to learn the job should be sent to the slow learner class and dismissed.

In real terms a recall operation is very expensive and time consuming and usually fails to unseat the incumbent but McGuinty, or his soon to be successor, must add it to the Act that covers elections. After all it's only fair, but then what fair these days?

Technorati Tags: Cobourg, politics

Not getting it on the waterfront

2007-05-28T15:34:00.001-04:00

Cobourg Blog » Blog Archive » Park Development

John Drapper is fluffing off critics of the waterfront park rink/fountain project, marginalizing some pretty serious criticisms from legitimate voices. It is wrong to direct this at Mutton or at the residents in the harbour area. If we were to turn the tables on him by opening this kind of a feature next to his house, I bet his blog would ignite into outrage.

There are no sour grapes. Long-term planning has its merits, but to realize this proposal is four years old means it is not unreasonable to review it carefully in the current context. This project is about $1.3 million in grant money, not about anything else. If there wasn't the money, this would not even be on council's radar. The same is true for the community.

And, just because the DBIA likes the idea means little. If they are so keen, then let them pay for it. Let's see something more from these business people than the Santa Claus parade and complaints about the lack of parking, if it is so important.

When Cobourg's Northumberland Services for Women is about to raise nearly $1 million to expand its vital services to our community, the $1.3 million for a fountain seems ridiculous.

And, if the money must be spent on a recreational item, then give us a new arena. There are plenty of kids who would benefit far more and it would provide a much needed facility than a feature in the harbour.

Finally, somebody ought to get on to Councillor Bob Spooner. Anyone I have spoken to about the public meetings said the councillor denied any previous knowledge of the plans and was ducking any responsibility. He has no proof of the number of people in favour or against. There was not official poll or survey. He cannot publicly say people are in favour or against. Citizens are being conned once again.

Sorry John, council is not getting it right. This is the senior's centre all over again.

Technorati Tags: Cobourg, politics

Ben Burd nails it on Cobourg council

2007-05-17T16:03:00.000-04:00

In a wonderful follow up to my column on the way Ms. Miriam Mutton is being treated by fellow councillors in Cobourg, he makes a great case for the dysfunctionality of the entire council

The beginning of a brilliant analysis

2007-05-14T13:56:00.001-04:00

The Burd Report: Cobourg versus OPP another slant

Ben Burd, with his usual zeal, has begun a series of analyses on the OPP report. You will NOT find any better, anywhere, including town hall.

OPP costing, a preliminary thought

2007-05-08T08:40:00.001-04:00

The OPP costing was presented to Cobourg council Monday night with barely $98,000 different than the current police budget.
John Drapper, on his Cobourg blog, gives a very sane appraisal, while Ben Burn, on his blog, give a rather low key analysis.
Still, without having seen a report, it is hard to analyze. Basically, there is a nominal price difference. So, the debate becomes about service. In the shadow of the Nelles firing, the police force is not sitting in a good light.
What is probably more damaging is the public's opinion of the chief. Following a lot of controversy, much of it his own mismanagement of the media, Chief Gary Clement is the greatest liability. He came to Cobourg with the specific mandate to bring improvements to policing in West Northumberland. Ideally, this would mean the amalgamation of policing to the region. However, his brash talk and brusk manner put him in a poor light. Negotiations never made headway.
Most recently, his very public battle with the police service board and his outrageous salary hurt him. While nothing was illegal, the public's perception of last year's pay out was completely mishandled. When compared with the Ontario premier, Clement's salary was more. It was embarrassing more than anything, but it demonstrated his continued inability to smooth over bad situations.
If Cobourg wants a solution, it is not the OPP. It is simply cleaning house. It is something that should have been done a long time ago. But Mayor Peter Delanty lacks the spine or political savvy to get it done. And, nobody on council or the police board is showing the fortitude to get it done either.
Sadly, it is only the citizen, the officers and the town's reputation that are hurt more than anything else.

Debris from rail car causes Cobourg derailment

2007-04-28T23:56:00.001-04:00

An unidentified piece from a service engine on a freight train struck the fuel tank, then flew under one of the wheels causing a massive derailment in the west end of Cobourg Saturday.
A Hamilton Township firefighter who attended the wreck said a CN investigator told me an unknown object ruptured the fuel tank sparking a fire, then flew under one of the wheels. This caused the service engine to jump off the tracks near Burnham Street.
"Once one comes off, the rest follow," he said.
Twenty-three cars came off the track. Cobourg and Baltimore firefighters responded. The Harwood fire hall was also called into action to backfill for the others as part of the mutual aid plan.
By 11:00 p.m., there was only one derailed freight car left on the track. The others had been removed and piled up in a small community park off Sinclair Street. CN work crews were busy unloading prefabricated sections of track, which arrived from yard in Montreal and Toronto. Huge portable stadium lights were brought in as crews planned to work through the night to restore service.
Cobourg police and Northumberland OPP were busy securing the area, as curious onlookers strained to watch the action.
One driver of a Red GMC truck was arrested and handcuffed around 10:30 p.m., when he tried to drive through to the work area. Police taped off Burnham Street from all traffic. Curious onlookers gathered in Sinclair Park to watch as crews moved cars and works furiously to install the prefabricated track.
The train went off the tracks around 11:00 a.m. Saturday. A nearby strip mall on Westwood Drive was evacuated immediately as a precaution. Once it was determined the cars were empty and nothing was toxic, people were allowed to return.
VIA rail is reporting it will restore service by Sunday.

Frost heats up police procedures

2007-04-28T09:42:00.001-04:00

Cobourg Blog » Blog Archive » CREATIVE ACCOUNTING?
Really nice blog by A.W. Cockerill about the police budget and the lack of accountability. Councillor Stan Frost is raising hell about the lack of fiscal information to the police services board. Amen. There is never an excuse for a month budget report. As Cockerill points out, it is only Frost and fellow neophyte councillor Miriam Mutton who dare question the town. The four old men (as Ben Burd likes to call them) who sit silently by as the town goes into disarray.

Cockerill is proving the importance of blogging in a hyper-local context. Another voice in the community as a watchdog. Good job.

Technorati Tags: Cobourg, politics

Northumberland Services for Women expanding

2007-04-24T22:08:00.001-04:00

It is great to hear Northumberland Services for Women is launching a campaign to raise $955,000 to expand its facility in Cobourg yesterday.

It is good because there is a huge demand for the 14-bed home on Swayne Street. More than 500 women were served last year as they fled abusive situations. Of those, 80 women and children were able to have a safe place to stay at the home. Another 80 were turned away.

This expansion will serve several needs in the community. Besides beds for emergencies, there will also be some second-stage housing, meaning a temporary type of housing that allows women to re-integrate back into the community, while having stable housing. This is something many people don't realize is the difficulty for women to find affordable housing, particularly those who have been abused. It also allows them to receive ongoing counselling and support.

Sadly, this also points out the demand for such services. It is a sad commentary about our community that such a place is even needed. That is not a slight against Northumberland Services for Women. No, it is a comment about our community. When abuse is tolerated and women live in fear, then we are failing them.

With the new cairn in Victoria Park, we are always reminded of violence against women. It is good to see this bold initiative to expand. Let's hope the community gets behind it.

Waterfront accessibility back to haunt council

2007-04-17T22:12:00.001-04:00

This was one issue Mayor Peter Delanty and others running for election this past fall wanted to keep out of any public debate because they knew it would get them creamed.
It is a hornet's nest. Homeowners along the shoreline want to maintain control of their property to the water's edge, while many townspeople believe they should have the right to use the beach.
It is nasty business, especially after the town built a walkway along the west beach. One homeowner built a fence to stop the walkway, while others post no trespassing signs.
If you want to see how crazy people get, just go down and try to talk to the waterfront homeowners. They are calling police regularly to have people thrown off the beach.
A bill is before the provincial government that would make a portion of the shoreline public.
Good luck to Pat Stanley and her crusade to get council to support the legislation.

Brocanier's bogus indignation

2007-04-17T22:06:00.001-04:00

Deputy Mayor Gil Brocanier is reported to have taken umbrage to questioning from Councillor Mariam Mutton Monday night as the town budget was passed.
With $17.1 million in operating costs and $5 million in capital, the deputy mayor was looking for the usual unquestioning support from his fellow councillors. With a 2.25 increase in taxes, one of the lowest in the county, he figured it was a shoo-in.
But, Mutton wisely got Brocanier to confirm the town's lack of a policy regarding the use of reserves for a $34,000 cost for signals at the George Street railway crossing. The town uses money from its utility operation HOLDCO for capital projects. We pay through the teeth for our electricity and water, while the town banks away millions, which it uses to keep the tax rates down.
Brocanier was not happy. He scolded her for not asking him via email and waiting for the council session. Mutton, a first-time councillor elected on a platform of a more open council, wouldn't back down, snapping back, "I fell it (important) to respond to that jab".
It is a long time since Cobourg residents had a councillor so proactive. The old boys need to smarten up. Mutton is going to make sure. Not since the days of Ben Burd, Ray Bowen and Don Kirkup. Lloyd Williams also knew how to get under the skin of issues.
Hooray for Mutton! It is nice to see her keeping council accountable.
As for Brocanier, his reputation as a decent councillor is in serious jeopardy. During his first stint on council in the early 90's, Gil was a man of the people and worked hard to do some pretty amazing things. This second round, is a disaster. He is undemocratic and this kind of petty politics is pathetic. If he wants to avoid this kind of embarrassment in the future, then be more transparent.
Besides, we are paying the whole freight anyways, whether it is through our taxes or utility bill.

Police study a case of smoke and mirror

2007-04-17T08:19:00.001-04:00

Cobourg Mayor Peter Delanty did some fancy foot work Monday night as he danced around reports the town was holding on to an OPP policing study.
A local radio station, using anonymous sources, reported the mayor and town's CEO were in possession of a controversial policing study done for the county. Meanwhile, the newspapers were full of unhappy Port Hope councillors bemoaning the delays by OPP in producing a report. One article last week claimed the study would not be done until September.
However, the radio story source only got part of the story correct. It turns out Cobourg only has its own portion of the study and it was presented on April 2. A full briefing was supposed to have taken place last week.
Instead, the mayor told council town staff is reviewing the results to ensure accuracy. In the process, he lambasted the radio station for mistaken reports and a failure to call to confirm the information.
An editorial on the radio corrected the mayor, saying a phone call was made, but went unreturned.
The issue around the quality or veracity of the journalism is a straw man meant to divert the public's attention away from the more serious issue: why is an OPP report on the future of the town's policing being kept secret? Proper procedure would be to accept the report in open council and instruct staff to do a full review. Instead, Cobourg residents see another example of the star chamber effect where there is no transparency and the taxpayers are treated like children, getting information spoon-fed to them whenever it suits those in power.
The recent decision by council not to allow a Q&A session after meeting and the holding back of this report only go to show the distain the old boys on council have for the public.

Campaign contributions in Cobourg

2007-04-10T08:42:00.001-04:00

While nobody broke any election laws, it is discouraging to see how Cobourg politicians fluff off concerns about taking campaign donations from developers.
Councillor Dean McCaughey is naive to think it doesn't damage his credibility in the public's eye.
"If a developer wants to give me money great..but it doesn't give them any more leverage than anyone else," he said.
It is possible McCaughey will act independently. But we cannot see inside his mind. The moment any of his contributor's developments come up for review, we will never know for sure. His only recourse is to abstain to maintain the integrity of council and for himself.
Sadly, only Councillor Stan Frost did not take money from developers. Even Planning and Development co-ordinator Miriam Mutton took some contributions.
The mayor took several donations from developers including Al LeBlanc, who is doing an development in Cobourg's west end, the Macklins, who own a mall on Elgin Street, Tony Pulla, a local real estate salesman and Max LeMarchant, who is behind New Amerst in Cobourg's west end.
This is not dishonest, but it is a failure of conscience. In a quiet way, these councillors and the mayor have slapped the public in the face and demonstrate their contempt.

A list:
McCaughey: $750 from Al LeBlanc and $500 from A.R. Pulla, $350 from Ted Smith, $300 from Joe Gerr, $250 from Enzo Paolozza and $200 from Gord Kelly, Tom Harr, Hector Van Reet, Jim McLaren, Dom Depalma and Max LeMarchant
Brocanier: $750 from Al LeBlanc and $200 from John Logan, Ron Kerr and Max LeMarchant
Delanty: $750 from Al LeBlanc and U.A.W local 463, $500 from Dom DePama, Hugh and Harold Macklin, Tony Pulla, $300 from Bette Norcott, $250 from John Logan Hector Van Reet and Max LeMarchant and $150 from Del Dillon, Karen Parker and Rod Baker.
Mutton received $750 from Al LeBlanc, $250 from John Macke and $200 from Gail Raymont and Br. R. Syons and $150 from D.C Panko.
MacDonald got$750 from a numbered company, $ 200 from Canada Pallet, Homelike Inn (Gord Kelly) and Max LeMarchant.
Spooner got $750 fro Al LeBlanc and $300 from CAstlehead Homes, $250 from Linmac and $200 from Bruck and Ricks service station, Thomas Mtoors, Ralph Moulton (Canadian Tire) and Max LeMarchant.

Police chief defends salary

2007-04-09T09:14:00.001-04:00

The fall out from last week's headlines regarding the police chief's salary created an incredible stir.
In a letter to the editor and an exclusive interview with the local radio station, the chief quickly tried to quell the obvious outrage. The newspaper printed a story saying the police chief made more than the premier. The explanation: holiday pay and back pay. The police services board paid out time owing and some other sundry items which drove up his regular salary.
This was followed by a lengthy letter from former police service board member Lloyd Williams, who was also a longtime councillor. He gave plenty of details, obviously trying to justify what took place. Since this all happened on his watch, no surprise he was lashing out.
The debate of the journalistic value of the story or the accuracy is mute. What this really points to is the lack of transparency. If this was announced when it took place, then the sting would be reduced. And, as citizens, we would receive all the information rather than having it trickle out like this.

Retail versus manufacturing jobs

2007-04-06T10:39:00.001-04:00

Cobourg Mayor Peter Delanty was busy praising Bayfield Realty Advisors, owners of Northumberland Mall, following the announcement of detailed expansion plans to take place later this year.
The company hopes to build additions to the A&P, open a Sports Chek, and upgrade several current retailers. Luc Corneli, president of High Peak Leashold, gave a detailed presentation Tuesday, promising 150 new full- and part-time jobs.
This is quite amazing. considering the mall has never enjoyed full occupancy since it opened in 1989, it will be interesting to watch if it fills up now. Maybe the secret is having fewer, but larger stores.
As expected, the mayor was on radio and in the newspaper crowing about how great this is for the town. He is suppose to say this, otherwise he would be strung up by the business community.
And, it IS good news on one level. Having vacant stores in a regional mall looks bad for the town. It is similar to empty stores in the downtown. It looks bad. And appearances are everything for small towns and villages.
There are other factors to consider. Retail jobs are good, but often involve less pay (minimum wage), few benefits and go nowhere. Of the 150 jobs, you can bet the majority will be part-time. It is cheaper and more cost efficient. Yet, it does not create prosperity. Most people cannot make a decent living working several part-time jobs.
Manufacturing jobs are the ticket. And, these are the hardest to come by. It has been years since Cobourg got a major new plant. Unlike Belleville, who just announced Kellogg is setting up a new facility, Cobourg continues to lose these kinds of high-paying employment.
And that is where the mayor need to be held accountable. Yes, thanks for the jobs. However, let's not be fooled. A solid economic development plan involves bringing the type of employment that gives people are salary to live on and the means to build a decent life.

Goodrum write up

2007-04-04T20:55:00.001-04:00

For a full write up on the presentation, I posted to the Canadian Journalism blog.

However, I will continue to post further musing on the subject here and on Consider This.

Mediasphere

2007-04-04T14:37:00.000-04:00

Goodrum gave a great presentation. For those blogging, the results re-inforce our experience.

While these were preliminary results, the study showed blogs remain on the periphery of mainstream journalism. Most bloggers are working off the side of their desk with little if any recognition from employers.

Also, the dream of using this form as a means of connecting with our audience remains elusive.

Still, for the dedicated, we will march on in good faith.

More later.

The Mediasphere and the Blogosphere in Canada

2007-04-04T11:57:00.001-04:00

Prof. Abby Goodrum, of Ryerson is presenting preliminary results of her study on blogging and journalism in Canada at a special presentation today.

I will try to blog the results for commentary.

Watching what we wish for...

2007-04-03T20:41:00.001-04:00

The news about Cobourg police chief Garry Clement receiving a whopping $175, 286.91 a year, while Ontario's Premier Dalton McGuinty gets a meagre $158,309.46, is inflammatory in both a good and bad way.
Yes, it is good to see a comparison of this nature. And, it provides a stark contrast. Certainly, there will be lots of citizens absolutely outraged about it, with good reason.
However, this may blow up in everyone's face. This is the kind of fodder politicians like Mayor Peter Delanty, Deputy Mayor Gil Brocanier, Councillors Bob Spooner, Dean McCaughey and Bill MacDonald will jump on to get rid of the town's police force. Wait until the first chance they get (maybe this Monday or the budget deliberations) to watch them bay at the moon over this incredible injustice.
You can bet your bottom dollar the solution will not be to get rid of the chief (something this blog has argued for since the police board standoff). If there is no other reason, he is just too expensive for what we get in return. If he is worried about this, he can defend it publicly. But that will never happen.
Yes, we should be angry. But the solution is not a new OPP force for Cobourg. It is time for council to clean up a mess that needed should have been dealt with more than a year ago.
Where's the bucket and mop?

Nobody needs an outdoor ice rink

2007-03-29T14:59:00.001-04:00

Osprey Media. - Northumberland Today
It is not surprising to many voters to see politicians come around handing out money just before an election. And, despite how cynical one can get, there is a long tradition used by governing parties to buy votes with taxpayers own money.

Still, when Premier Dalton McGuinty arrived earlier this week to announce provincial funding for a $1.35 million oval pond with fountains that converts to an ice rink in winter in the Rotary Waterfront Park, it was over the top.

With all the things in town that really need money, this is a slap in the face. There is a doctor's shortage. Cobourg needs affordable housing. And, the list goes on.

One explanation could be simple. The government allocates funds to different departments: hospitals come from health care; affordable housing comes from the housing budget, etc. So maybe the money came from the recreation pot. Still, it would seem far better to build a small arena for the kids to play hockey rather than an outdoor pleasure rink.

Also, who is going to pay all the operating costs? There will be a need to maintain the fountains, clean the pools, supervise and repair the ice in the winter. These are luxuries when we consider we can barely pay for police officers.

Sure, a fountain is a nice thing. And, so is the ice rink. But let the service clubs do it, just like the gazebo in Victoria Park.

McGuinty joked during the press conference: "Who can say 'no' to Lou (Who?) Rinaldi?"

I would suggest Cobourg taxpayers.

MacDonald needs to create murmurs on our streets

2006-12-28T09:06:00.000-05:00

Longtime councillor Bill MacDonald needs to create a stir. More precisely a murmur on the streets of Cobourg this year. And, he can turned to Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal for inspiration.
[murmur] is an archival audio project that collects and curates tories set in specific locations by the people living there. At each location, a [murmur] sign with a telephone number and location code marks where the stories are available. By using a mobile phone, users can listen to the story while experiencing being there. In some cases, the listener can walk around, following a certain path through a place, while others allow a person to wander. The locations are marked by a big green ear on a utility pole with the phone number on it and location code.
The project, which was initially developed with the assistance of the Canadian Film Centre, launched in Toronto's Kensington Market in 2003, with similar projects in Vancouver's Chinatown and St. Laurent Boulevard in Montreal. It is now available in the Annex and The Drake Hotel as part of Toronto's Culture Capital program.
This is an incredible use of technology married with culture. For a place like Cobourg (or any of the historic towns in Northumberland), it is an amazing idea. Rather than having to organize walking tours, one is available at the push of a few buttons. Not only does it highlight the amazing architecture and history of our town, but the local stories being told by people would make it an archive of vital information that can be stored for future generations. Tourists would love it for the ease of use. The town may also choose to have a few extra cell phone to be used for a nominal fee for those who do not have the technology.
MacDonald needs to be more than a voice around a table and a town representative at cultural events. Cobourg is brimming with culture, but has no cultural master plan to perserve its history or maintain the existing resource, many who are left to fend for themselves. Little if any money is given to cultural organizations. It is often left up to them to raise enough money to survive. Municipal governments have a huge role to play in coordinating cultural activity. This kind of project is a natural.

Remember another kind of hero

2006-12-05T22:13:00.000-05:00

It is not unusual to stand in Victoria Park in the cold to remember heros. Every November 11, members of Cobourg Legion gather around the cenotaph to respectfully honour those soldiers who died in battle to protect our freedoms.

Another group will be gathering in the same spirit on December 6 to honour their fallen friends. On the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, citizens from across Northumberland will come together at the Gathering Place on the east side of Church Street near the lake where a monument will soon be erected to honour women who have died at the hands of abusers.

And, while the cairn is yet to be built, it certainly exists in the hearts and minds of those particiating at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, as they remember how on December 6, 1989, Marc Lepine entered the Ecole Polytechnique at the University of Montreal, gathered up a group of young women and shot 14 of them dead in cold blood.

This year, the remembrance ceremony will hold a special signficiance for people supporting the TAAP - The Abuse Awareness Project, a community-based group made up of colunteers. The mission is to increase awareness of abuse in NOrthumberland County. They hope to inspire courage in those trapped in teh cycle of abuse and to commemorate those who have died. But, they also wish to honour those who live with the motional and psycial scars of abuse.

The event will include a special drumming demonstration, including the Peaceful Arts Drummers.

"It is important today, Dec 6th, that we come together first to grieve and to mourn and also to heal. Let us remember the galvanizing incident from 17 years ago, when mourning led to outrage and anger turned to action," said Ilona Kaltenhauser, the event's organizer.

So far this year, in Ontario alone 31 women and children
have been murdered by a partner or ex-partner.

It is ridiculous to think we can live in a world without violence. Yet, it can be our goal as a community. Our job each day is to speak out against any type of abusive behaviour we see from others or ourselves.

It is good to see Victoria Park is a place to play and be joyful. It is also a spot where we are serious and mindful when we remember those who give so much, only to lose their life. They are all heros.

The new French Revolution

2006-11-25T11:44:00.000-05:00

What happens when there is no room for a public sphere to exist and citizens are left feeling disenfranchised, alienated and unempowered? A revolution. And, the signs are beginning to show.

The recent incident involving actor-comedian Michael Richard, also known as Kramer in the hit television series Seinfeld, was devastated after he used a series of racial slurs against hecklers at the laugh Factory on Nov. 17. A video of the incident appeared on the celebrity news website tmz.com and on YouTube, a public video archive used by millions of people. This forced the actor to make an impromptu appearance on the David Letterman show almost immediately following the incident to apologize. This was also posted to public video archives on the Internet. Rather than resolve the problem, it fuelled further anger and debate.

There is little new about catching celebrities off guard and publicly humiliating them. It is the fuel driving countless tabloid publications worldwide.

But, there are a growing number of incidents where people are capturing video or pictures of other types of authority figures, that is people who are viewed as being “above the rest of us”, and placing them on public video archives like YouTube.

Take for example, Professor Carole Chauncey at Ryerson University, who reaches a senior information technology management class. A two-minutes video made available on YouTube. An exchange between the class and the instructor was captured via a cell phone and then posted. This sparked a reaction from the university’s academic council and by the Canadian Association of University Teachers.

Then, there is the Quebec school ban on cellphone after a YouTube video appears. A Gatineau teachers went on stress leave and the school banned personal electronic devices in the class room after a video of him shouting at a student was posted on the YouTube website. Two 13-year old girls were suspended.

But that is not all. An impromptu back rub that President George W. Bush gave German Chancellor Angela Merkel also made its way to YouTube.com and countless blogs. It shows Bush surprising Merkel at the G-8 summit by quickly rubbing the back of her neck and shoulders. Merkel immediately hunches her shoulders, throws her arms up and grimaces, though she appears to smile as Bush walks away.

These are just a few examples. What is striking is the way ordinary people are using this technology to embarrass authority figures or those who are held up as important in our society. Like the aristocrats of France, the plebeians are using YouTube as a guillotine, publicly beheading them to gain a false sense of justice. In a very crude way, it is a form of accountability, but also an empowering tool that leaves those in authority scrambling to prevent further embarrassment.

And, it is effective. In all cases, it has garnered attention and created massive debate about the subject and issues at stake. But, at what cost? And, is it truly justice?

The public sphere is meant to be a place where, ideally, rational-critical discourse takes place. In Jurgen Habermas’ vision, we come together to discuss issues of concern and participate in democratic life as equals. It is egalitarian and inclusive.

While YouTube, MySpace, Second Life and other technology, like blogging software, can be viewed as liberating for millions as they express themselves, we are witnessing a significant event. The people who post these items see their actions as forms of social justice, no doubt. It is a way to bring down figures cloaked in the rhetoric of challenging authority or speaking “truth”. It is easy to argue how this type of actions fails on so many levels: unbalanced, lacking context, validity of video, integrity of process, etc. But, for many, it also provides some kind of satisfaction and demonstrable results. Richard’s career is in jeopardy, if not dead. The educators are damaged, as are the institutions where they work. Bush’s video is another tool to be used by critics to tear away at his credibility and the presidency.

If this method gains wide social acceptance, we could all be looking at a form of revolution no different than any massive upheaval between the elite and the citizenry. Through these uses of technology, an uprising could take place as a means of alleviating much of the frustration felt by people who feel they cannot get justice or be heard any other way. And, if the reaction to this is to squash it or ban it or legislate against it, then other forums will be found. This is the nature of the Internet culture.

It also creates a sense of urgency for institutions, governments and those seeking to hold positions of power in our society to re-evaluate the dynamics of their legitimacy. It may not be possible any longer to continue to ignore minority voice, step over social movements or turn their backs on anyone. To ignore phenomena like this is done at their peril because the consequence, whether it is just or not, is devastating. Maybe it is a time for more pragmatic politics. Issues need to be debated and resolved through inclusive measures, educating citizens and then garnering their input to build solutions.

Nothing is ever what you think in politics

2006-11-14T09:48:00.000-05:00

After an abysmal set of predictions, the reality of Monday night's municipal election presents pause for some serious thought.

Certainly, the winners and losers are obvious. Mayor Peter Delanty returned, along with Deputy Mayor Gil Brocanier and councillors Bob Spooner, Dean McCaughey and Bill MacDonald. For those seeking reform, Miriam Mutton and Stan Frost were the two newcomers to the council chambers. On the surface, it might appear there was no change.

But, voters did send a message.

Mutton and Frost won by a sizable margin, both with more than 4,000 votes. Spooner sat behind with 3,700 and then McCaughey with 2,800 and MacDonald with 2,700. Candidates Gerry Drage, Larry Sherwin and Howie McCourt were not too far behind. In fact, only 300 votes separated them and they were not far behind MacDonald.

The endorsement Mutton and Frost received by placing first and second tells us voters want change. The kinds of reform both these candidates were proposing got a clear mandate. The old way of doing business must go. Any councillor that thinks they can swagger into the chamber in January and do business as usual is mistaken. Let's hope both these new councillors carry the courage of their convictions and don't let the old boys club intimidate them.

While this is pure fantasy, Spooner, McCaughey and MacDonald might act with some level of contrition and humility, not the characteristic arrogance that so often pervades their approach in council and in public. It would be nice to hear a lot less from Spooner and a lot more from Delanty and others. If the media don't seek them out, then maybe they should seek the media and make their positions more public. Not for the media's sake, but for the public's sake.

Or, join the rest of us in the 21st century and get a blog. (Spooner would never do this. He won't even write letters to the editor to defend himself).

It is also necessary to choke down some humble pie. My sincerest apologies to Bridget Campion, who did a credible job with her quiet campaign. Stealth works. Obviously, she did better than Williams, who embarrassed himself, despite his own predictions of failure at the polls.

Another reality that came home is the death of small town politics. Delanty's political machine smoked the other candidates. You cannot run alone anymore. The days of several people working with a candidate and running a campaign of door-knocking and pamphlets is long gone. It began with Joan Chalovich's run for office six years ago and now it will be the standard. Folksy, homegrown politics is gone. We are now cattle to be herded by sophisticated handlers and backroom advisors.

It is said voters get the politicians they deserve. Did we deserve this? I don't know. But, we have four years to live with this decision. The responsibility rests with all of us to be vigilant.

My calls for Monday night Cobourg council election

2006-11-11T16:08:00.000-05:00

Unlike others, I am not making my choices public, but as a dedicated political junkie, it is hard to resist making a call on who will be the winners and losers, at the very least.
While Councillor Lloyd Williams may be the better choice in some people's minds, incumbent mayor Peter Delanty will take this job with a slam dunk. It would be overly optimistic to believe droves of dissatisfied citizens will come out Monday to drive him from office. Instead, they will stay home, feeling left out. Williams is a good person and a solid politician, but he ran a campaign that doesn't work in modern politics. He sounds like a sagely man and has vast knowledge of process and legislation, plus he commands facts on a list of issues that is mind-boggling. He advertised with verbose ads in the newspapers and the radio spots sounded like the obituaries, not a stump speech. Certainly, there are those who like the old style because it is substantive. But, he never nailed Delanty, nor did he capture the imagination of the town with his ability to lead.
Delanty does what he does best: public relations. So, he knocked on every door in town. He had signs up, everywhere. He has snappy ads. And, he looks pretty. He never met a camera he didn't like. And, he takes a great picture. His agenda is overly simple and easy to understand. How it will play out is vague enough that he won't get caught. He is highly organized and gets lots of professional political advice.

Finally, he knows everybody and everybody knows him and his family.

Bridget Campton will hurt Williams. Her campaign was noble and intelligent, but she never stood a chance. God love her for trying. she deserves credit, but local politics is far more sophisticated and hard nose than anybody really want to admit. This campaign reminds us of that fact in spades.

Delanty will win by a landslide.

Deputy mayor is the true contest. Hard to call this one. Manfred Schumann has done a credible job and given the old political machine run by Brocanier a good workout. The mismanagement of the senior's centre this past spring and fall sent Brocanier into a tailspin. It is enough to make him weak. Schumann is a letter writer to the newspapers and appears before council regularly. He is credible and he has worked hard.

This one is too tight to call. Schumann will get an upset, but by a slim margin. Don't be surprised if there is a recount.

Council is wide open. Dean McCaughey is a shoo-in. He shouldn't be due to his gutting of the official plan, the Mr. Sub fiasco and the fact that he has been on council for far too long. There are times when he sounds bored and he acts like it. But, he will win.

Bob Spooner will win. It is not that he deserves to win. But, he will win. 'Nuf said.

Bill MacDonald is vulnerable. Barely won last time. He is likely gone.

Miriam Mutton stands a really good chance. Two big reasons for this are her gender and he ability. Cobourg likes to elect at least one woman to council (this reflects the town, not my own chauvinism). But, she appears before council regularly and is a solid activist in the community. She is intelligent and will get the job done. Her strong character and her determination means she will not be afraid to bloody some noses (and take a blow just as easily).

Stan Frost is another likely councillor. He is well respected and knowledgeable. He was nearly elected last time, so this won't be a big shocker.

It will be a battle for the final spot

Howie McCourt may surprise everyone. He is well-known to many parents and community members. He certainly is qualified, but it would mean McCaughey would need to lose. That is not going to happen. He deserves it, but it will be tight.

Gerry Drage will be fighting for the last spot against McCourt. His hard work and innovative campaign may pay off. The food drive he did in conjunction with the door-knocking demonstrated his creativity. He has something to offer and it may catch the imagination of voters.

Larry Sherwin, Melissa Marshall., Rob Harper and Judi McAllister will be spoilers. They will take votes, but from whom is very difficult to say.

Once we see the results Monday, it may be necessary to go back to drinking tea and forget looking at the leaves.

Ben Burd: My choices for the vote!

2006-11-11T15:34:00.000-05:00

Fellow blogger Ben Burd, who is a great gadfly and citizen journalist, made his calls for Monday's election. It would be criminal not to share them.

My choices for the vote!:

In making these choices I made two assumptions. One: none of the incumbents deserved to be re-elected, their offenses against the Official plan were of the hanging variety and their inability to listen to the electorate are the main reasons for me. Councillor Brocanier boasts about having listened to 45 delegations in the last year, well Gil listening and Listening are two different things. Sitting in one's chair like Buddha and then having the Mayor say, "Thank you for coming" is not meaningful listening.

You don't have to be a brain surgeon to be on Council, just an independent mind and the guts to state your opinion

So here they are:

Mayor: Lloyd Williams, despite the bizarre campaign tactic of admitting that he will not win he succeeded in getting the issues out. He gets my vote because he has pledged to reform the "coordinator system", I hope he destroys it!
Deputy Mayor: Manfred Schumann, despite a rather flat public performance he has put forward a platform of thought and substance. His opponent has only said that he plans to use a "line by line" budget review as his tax cutting tool. Sorry Gil but you used that last year and the year before that and the year before that and taxes never went down but spending spiraled upward.
Councillor: Stan Frost, he has the biggest vested interest in reducing taxes - he pays the most, so get to it Stan cut taxes!
Councillor: Howie McCourt, he is the most straightforward of the list, I like him, I have worked with him and I trust him. Besides he understands the Official Plan.
Councillor: Miriam Mutton, Miriam knows the issues, she understands the damage that the developers have wreaked on this Town, I like her and trust her.
Councillor Rob Harper, Rob is down to earth, knows what it is to be like to live on less than a Teachers' Pension all the time and still keeps his sense of humour. Besides the ONLY new idea that came from any of the candidates came from him, he's original and I like that.

Councillor: Melissa Marshall, Melissa is the youngest and at 34 brings a perspective that might offend some of the "dead white male thinking" that prevails around the Council Chamber

Now in making this slate I realise that most of it will never come to pass (shades of Lloyd Williams - ed) but one can only hope and perhaps the list and the reasons behind each choice may give others the thought too.

Sins of omission and the power of e-journalism

2006-11-08T22:12:00.000-05:00

Yup, I screwed up.

Cobourg public school board candidate Al McLellan got a hold of me early in the election to tell me about his web site and inviting me to link my web project at Vote! to his site.

Since the site was just getting some momentum and students were still being organized, I begged off, saying we would get to it. Be patient.

Well, somehow, his request fell through the cracks. And, to make matters worse, he created a link to our site. The least that could be done was to reciprocate.

Then, I received the email below. Not a proud moment for me or our team. The criticisms are justified. We dropped the ball without question.

While not our proudest moment, this demonstrates one of the great powers of the Internet and e-journalism. Our audience keeps tabs on us in a way that is far more effective than traditional journalism. The limited space of traditional media does not allow everything to be printed. Sometimes letters to the editor are cut or changed for brevity. Also, television or radio cannot always accommodate this kind of discourse.

Online, through tools like this blog and other vehicles, we can easily post all materials and I can respond. Publicly. Despite the humiliation. Hopefully, this transparency can slowly earn our profession back some of the trust and credibility it has lost. Yes, I failed to follow up on a promise to the candidate. He deserve, at the very least, to be treated like all the other candidates who have web sites. And, we can hope that any trust we have breeched can be mended by putting it in right away. If we are lucky, maybe our ability to blog the incident and be forthright with the candidate and our audience, we can gain some shred of credibility back. We can pray our honesty and our apology can help.

That is the power of this new medium.

We are sorry, Mr McLellan. We hope you and our audience can forgive us. And, we will continue to work hard to earn your trust back.

Taking it on the nose from trustee candidate McLellan

2006-11-08T22:00:00.000-05:00

An email to me from the candidate:

I thought you might be interested in knowing that after multiple emails, and providing information prior to being asked, after linking your democracy site the same day you contacted me to my site [www.mclellan4trustee.com], and after being asked by you to be patient because my information would be posted soon.... your organization NEVER did post my information to your site. Maybe you should consider an apology / regrets section in your site? Fair to all does not mean selectivity based upon what the writer / editor / web master feels is important at any given time. I believe you should NOT have posted any content until you were confident that all content, from all parties had been received. Their contact info and platforms for the most part were publicly available. Otherwise you editorialize. It IS a responsibility when you give yourself a name like "On Line Democracy" . The concept of free speech, the 5th estate... and all that other democratic ideology is based upon what I have just said. Mistakes happen but I was the one who was proactive and patient who has now been punished for my belief in fairness. No one even got back to me. For your site to be considered a source of information you must be accurate and all inclusive. The lesson to students here is that when you advocate that you are a resource for democracy it is all about equality and fairness. Don't take it on unless you are prepared to follow through.

I will maintain my link to your site in the hope you are able to resolve this situation...and for anyone else as well... maybe it's time to get on he phones!.

And since I am reasonable and have a sense of humour [even though I feel I got screwed around]... having said the above provides proof that I should be the choice of informed voters for the position of KRPDSB English Public School Board Trustee. Visit my website and review my platform at www.mclellan4trustee.com <http://www.mclellan4trustee.com> . If you live in my constituency vote Al McLellan.

I finish with a quote from Ray A. Kroc... [cuz" we all love burgers don't we]... sorry... gotta eat and run.... talk later...

"Press on. Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence."

Valley Voices survey good, but needs work

2006-11-06T08:11:00.000-05:00

There needs to be a tip of the hat to the people who organized and executed the survey for the Valley Voices group who are fighting a gravel pit in Alnwich/Haldimand Township.

It is a sincere attempt to place their mark on this election campaign and represents a good effort as they try to influence the agenda and inform voters. There also needs to be praise given to the councillors who were acclaimed, but also took the time to give their positions on issues. It is a responsible and democratic act, as it provides a benchmark for their actions over the next four years.

This is a very important race and might be closer than anyone can imagine. Incumbent Mayor Bill Finley, who has sat on council since 1977, is facing stiff competition from another political war horse Deputy Mayor Rosemarie Robins. Finley is not a favourite amongst this group and has publicly and privately waged a war against them, often brushing them off with visible frustration. It demonstrates his inability to work to build a consensus and balance points of view in the face of difficult negotiations. There are several examples where he failed to gain trust when meetings and negotiations were held behind closed doors. There is no love loss between Finley and Valley Voices. If Robins can capitalize on this, she may carry the election.

The survey presents some solid questions and is clear about the answers it expects, a useful tool for those unfamiliar with the issues. It also provides a ranking system, which is not consistently used for each answer.

This kind of community activism is to be commended because the group, while pushing their own agenda for answers, has, at the same time, given voters in this rural community a good look at candidates' platforms. Considering the importance of the gravel pit issue for many in the township, this survey may have more impact than one might expect.

Valley Voice's candidates survey results

2006-11-06T07:56:00.000-05:00

A survey done by residents in Shelter Valley, who are fighting a gravel pit, released the results of a candidates survey yesterday. Valley Voices is a dedicated group of people who have worked tirelessly to stop the pit.

Here are the results:
VALLEY VOICES' SURVEY OF THE NOVEMBER 13 ALNWICK/HALDIMAND CANDIDATES

VV surveyed the candidates for the November 13 election to determine their position on matters of interest to us.
Here are verbatim copies of their responses. Illegible words are indicated by (?). [1] [5] indicate the importance to the candidates. The higher the number, the more important the issue.
Councillor Benns did not reply. Councillor Broegelman did not provide written responses. He wanted to “check with his lawyer.”.
In analyzing their responses we were looking at the candidates to see if
a) they didn’t answer the question,
b) they gave a stock answer,
c) they agreed with no explanation,
d) they were open and candid,
e) they were thoughtful,
e) their past actions are consistent with their promises and vision for the next 4 years.

A-1. There should be a scheduled, frequent newsletter / e-mail from Council to Township residents. For example, major decisions, events, and issues could be included.

We were looking for awareness of the need for a variety of forms of communication; technical knowledge; availability of high speed internet service throughout A/H; how they would seek feedback from the electorate; how they would gauge the effectiveness of their communications; the importance of keeping the website updated, coherent, easy to use, intelligible; frequency and immediacy of communications.

MAYOR - ELECT ONE
Finley: "[5] Webb site needs to include council and committee minutes, community events and major County or Provincial programs"

Robins: "[4] I agree people should be informed about events & major decisions in Twp but alot of info is being put on our new internet programme so probably newsletters are not required as much as they were 5 to 10 yrs ago"

DEPUTY MAYOR - ACCLAIMED
McDonald: " [5] I believe a combination of the two (e-mail & newsletter) would benefit our Township greatly. Our weekly/monthly messeage to the residents should reach residents of all ages and allow each member of our communities to be aware of the current issues in A/H."

COUNCILLORS WARD 1 - ACCLAIMED
Benns:

Jeninga: "[5] Twp has a website But not updated"

Ritchie: "I believe that we need a better information highway available to the members of our communities. The people in our township should have easy access to decisions, events, and issues concerning our township. There has to be several different venues set up, due to the different access that each and everyone of us have."

COUNCILLORS WARD 2 - ELECT 2
Broegelmann:

Fell: "[5] The community should always be informed of decisions made on their behalf & kept up to date on events & issues."

Holmes: "[4] I feel we already have acheived this within our web site"

A-2. There is a need for a significant increase in community / volunteer participation in the Township. For example, the e-mail / newsletter could be a volunteer activity.

We were looking for a recognition of the role of, and the importance of, volunteers from all walks of life and all ages; the role of co-op students; township financial support, and provision of working space; township promotion of, and evaluation of, a volunteer program; frequency of volunteer involvement; fostering social interaction and the sense of community; training of volunteers; presenting a sense of welcome -You Are Important!

MAYOR - ELECT ONE
Finley: "[3] I would prefer that our Webb site is used to convey information to our citizens A By-Yearly Newsletter working with volunteers would also be benefical."

Robins: "[4] people enjoy the social side of volunteerism and I am sure would help."

DEPUTY MAYOR - ACCLAIMED
McDonald: "[5] Upon graduation in 2001, my daughter volunteered her time to organize and draft a distributed newsletter for the Township. As her career progressed she was no longer able to continue this role and new volunteers were needed to continue the newsletter. I feel very strongly about the need for volunteer participation among the A/H communities."

COUNCILLORS WARD 1 - ACCLAIMED
Benns:

Jeninga: "[5]"

Ritchie: "There are alot of good volunteers in our community, but there is always a need for more. I am sure that there are people out there that would be glad to give of their time if they had direction and felt welcomed."

COUNCILLORS WARD 2 - ELECT 2
Broegelmann:

Fell: "[5] I am a strong advocate in community participation in all facets of community life."

Holmes: "[4] There is always a demand and need for volunteers."

A-3. Township initiatives, bylaws, and programs should enhance the quality of life of all the residents of A/H.

We were looking for a statement of the indication to the extent that concern for the quality of life should be a guiding principle for Council; that this concern is a Council’s responsibility; the need for open consultation, transparency, the cooperative sharing of information; recognition of, and respect for, the diverse interest groups of the Township; an explanation of what the greater good is and how it is determined; how progress is measured.

MAYOR - ELECT ONE
Finley: "[3] It would almost be impossible to improve the quality of life every time a decision is made but this concept should be considered every time we face major issues"

Robins: "[5] I agree but not all people are concerned or feel it is important to enhance their quality of life."

DEPUTY MAYOR - ACCLAIMED
McDonald: " [5] Although enhancing the quality of life for all residents is ideal; it is fair to say that this is sometimes impossible. I strongly agree with the statement, however, it would be more realistic to say that: “...programs should enhance the quality of life of ‘the majority’ of the residents of A/H.” "

COUNCILLORS WARD 1 - ACCLAIMED
Benns:

Jeninga: "[4/5] Sometimes quality can be affected temporaily e.g. Construction or building"

Ritchie: "Because of the large area of rural area in A/H Township, it would be impossible for all programs, bylaws, and initiatives to enhance the quality of life of all the residents of A/H. One would hope that each program, bylaw, or initiative would be individually accessed and be of benefit to a vast majority of A/H taxpayers, and residents."

COUNCILLORS WARD 2 - ELECT 2
Broegelmann:

Fell: "[5] We should all profit as a community from all programs enacted."

Holmes: "[3] All of the above do not neccesarily associeate themselves the quality of life. Any that do, should at least sustain, or enhance quality of life."

B-1. How do you see the Township in four years, and how do you plan to bring about your vision?

We were looking for a commitment; specifics within the vision, a vision tempered by the realistic restraints placed on the Township by global environmental factors and by different levels of Government; an indication of their awareness of the complexities of growth, and the inherent conflicts and contradictions; an indication of how they would involve the citizens in this vision; reference to their powers and limitations placed on them.

MAYOR - ELECT ONE
Finley: "We need to continue with and enhance programs in place. This includes infrastructure community facilities and programs for all of our citizens regardless of their age and interests."

Robins: "The Twp has & will continue to grow. the northern area will continue to support camps & recreation & we need to serve to help promote this form of recreation & business - the southern & central area. need to be evaluatated ie - need for new residents - ie Centreton (?) - future plans for (Arena this one (?) least 50-55 yrs old - upgrades to infrastructure and available gov grants accessabitey upgrades to present buldgs - possibly light industry as 401 corridor is so close"

DEPUTY MAYOR - ACCLAIMED
McDonald: "The economy and the people of our communities dictate the direction, decisions made, and the future of A/H Township. My vision, or plan of action, is to maintain and withhold the integrity of our financial situation while addressing the growth and development that our taxpayers present to us each day. Realistically, I can neither create growth nor stop it. However, I can manage it and ensure the local commuity that the decisions made are educated ones."

COUNCILLORS WARD ONE - ACCLAIMED
Benns:

Jeninga: "-maintain the good quality infrasture we have, not to put off projects to save money, it costs more to catch up than to bite the bullet! - I would like to see the start up of an Industrial Park to bring in more Industry for tax dollors (along 401 somewhere)"

Ritchie: "I would like to see more involvement in the democratic process in our Township. This is the second municipal election that I have been in this township and neither election has had a true race. However, I do hear alot of grumbling about how things are run. I hope that even if it's by adversity more people will take an interest in the running of our quietly forgotton municipality."

COUNCILLORS WARD 2 - ELECT 2
Broegelmann:

Fell: "I see a development of our community, in all aspects but especially tourism & residence (?) & will explore all oppurtunities to bring this to fruition."

Holmes: "I see continued growth (residential) in our township. I deerly would like to see light industry locate here as well. I will support all of the above after careful scrutinization."

B-2. If land use such as an aggregate pit or subdivision or industry is permitted in an area, what will you do to stand up for and protect nearby residents, their health, their quality of life, and their property rights?

We were looking for sensitivity - a respect for the personal and emotional well-being of the residents, their property rights and their quality of life; awareness of the appeal and enforcement procedures; awareness of the deficiencies in the enforcement procedures; a respect for different points-of-view; pragmatism as in “Let’s face it” realism; recognition of the interactions amongst the MNR, the MOE, the LTCA, the Planning Act .

MAYOR - ELECT 1
Finley: "The Planning Act, Ministry of Environment regulations, Conservation Authorities and Local municipal Governments all work together to ensure individual property rights are recognized, and health/Quality of life protected"

Robins: "If the land use is permitted I will work to put as many safe guards as is possible in place to protect the residents before it is actualy built - if it is already there I will work with Council to monitor & make sure the rules are followed"

DEPUTY MAYOR - ACCLAIMED
McDonald: "The Shelter Valley Pit is a classic example of how I would approach a major development in our Township. Actions taken included site visits and personal meetings with local neighbours, and I was also involved in changing the access from Shelter Valley Road to an unmaintained section of Turk Road.All manditory studies were addressed and reviewed with results agreed to by the developer. I believe the negotiated conclusion was fair and balanced to benefit all parties including the people of the area and the township, as well as the developer."

COUNCILLORS WARD 1 - ACCLAIMED
Benns:

Jeninga: " - have imput (positive not negative) by property owners - not give a Company free reign to rape our land - try to find win win situations for all - any non hard surface must have dust suppresant when needed"

Ritchie: "Each one of these issues would have to be looked at on a individual basis. Our society runs on the theory of the greater good for all, so these issues would have to be looked at from all sides. Is this subdivision or industry or aggregate pit going to add benefit to a large majority? Are there any concrete concerns about health issues pertaining to each individual issue? What type of quality of life are we talking about? What property rights do each concerned party have?"

COUNCILLORS WARD 2 - ELECT 2
Broegelmann:

Fell: "I am for developement but not at the detriment of the community & will rigorously persue the correct procedure is followed in all cases & that the community has a strong voice."

Holmes: "I will listen to and address my rate payers concerns while considering the interests of the municipality. No hasty decisions on my part."

B-3. Valley Voices intends to organize and encourage its members that reside close to the proposed Turk road gravel pit to appeal their real property tax assessments. Their property values have already been affected and will be substantially reduced if the pit is licensed and commences operation. If you are on Council what do you intend to do to protect the value of ratepayers’ homes from the adverse effects on property values of nearby gravel pit activities?

We were looking for an awareness of the appeal procedure with MPAC; a recognition of their powers to appeal assessments; understanding of the far-reaching ripple effects of the pit; an indication of how to help property owners who have been denied the chance to sell their property on the open market free from hindrance; how their response here compares to their vision.

MAYOR - ELECT 1
Finley: "Those who reside in the Immediate area need protection as per property tax assessment. If the gravel pit is approved by the O.M.B property owners on the Turk Road East haul route may find their property gains value."

Robins: "We have worked as a council to solve the taxpayers concerns in order to protect the value of property safty & way of life before the issue is dealt with at OMB level the out come will be monitored by council so the final ruling is up-held & property values should continue to sustain a realistic value in future as properties are bought & sold."

DEPUTY MAYOR - ACCLAIMED
McDonald: "During all recent meetings there has been very few discussions regarding property value issues.Topics that were of concern for the local residnets included safety, water, visual and environmental, plant life, animals, noise, vibrations, etc.. Hank Jensen is the only local residient who stated that his farm was his retirement plan and he hoped that the the pit development didn’t effect him financially. If a pit is in fact developed in that location and residents can provide documentation in property value assessment decreases, I will certainly support their appeal and help to resolve any inssues that would cause that situation."

COUNCILLORS WARD 1 - ACCLAIMED
Benns:

Jeninga: "mixed feeling on this one. Short term values down long term they will go up higher than land on the Oak ridges Moraine. remember over 50% of A/H is on the Moraine."

Ritchie: "Every property owner has the right to appeal their property tax assessment. I do not take anything at face value, therefore I am unable to comment at this time on values of property. There are too many variables involved with property value, to point blank say that it was a neighboring property that has brought down the value of any one piece of property. Again I can't stress enough that each case needs to be looked at individually."

COUNCILLORS WARD 2 - ELECT 2
Broegelmann:

Fell: "Life of pit should be researched & have operators comit to an environmentally sound operation. Persue all avenues of a fair & just evaluation for all effected by such developments."

Holmes: "I do not feel that any of the properties close by to proposed pit, have lost any value to this point. These advese effects are perceived not proven yet. There is little a council can do to protect these values".

To comment on this survey and/or the results, go to www.valleyvoices.ca

Press release from Spragge

2006-11-02T23:24:00.000-05:00

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Bob Dodd
Campaign Manager

Team Jan Spragge

(905) 885-0664
bob@doddmedia.com

SPRAGGE WITHRAWS FROM RACE

After careful consideration of the current local political scene and detailed evaluation following weeks of activity across the riding, I have decided to withdraw my name as a candidate for nomination in the riding of Northumberland Quinte West in the next Provincial election. It became quite apparent that more time was required for me to be successful and time ran out.
The lead up to the nomination has been an experience which I value and will benefit from as I consider future options. I continue to stand for a positive vision for our riding and our province. My dedication to responsible government as well as commitment to assisting John Tory in becoming Premier of Ontario remains paramount.
I cannot say enough about my many supporters and the encouragement they have given me since entering the race. And, I thank them wholeheartedly for their support.
I would especially like to thank my team and advisors. They should be proud of the innovative campaign they have run.

Team Spragge has attracted many new and young people to the political process who in turn have fresh and innovative ideas on how government needs to be run. I sincerely hope that our campaign is just the start of political reform and that these innovators carry on to change the face of politics to reflect a growing need for less restrictive and less intrusive government that promotes greater personal freedom.

Spragge suddenly drops from Conservative nomination race

2006-11-02T23:23:00.000-05:00

In a stunning announcement, Jan Spragge suddenly dropped out of the race to represent the Tories in Northumberland-Quinte West in the next election yesterday.

Insiders dubbed her the "next Janet Ecker", following in the footsteps of a respected Conservative woman who served in several high-profile portfolios under Premier Mike Harris. Spragge also had a strong following in the west end of the riding, particularly Port Hope and Cobourg. At least that was the situation a few weeks ago.

She is the second person to drop out. David St. Charles also left the race after he was blind-sided by executive members when the Nov. 18 date was set for the nomination meeting at East Northumberland Secondary School in Brighton.

This leaves Cathy Galt, the wife of former Tory MPP Doug Galt, with no serious competition and a lock on the nomination. Carl Egginman and Rob Milligan remains, neither are serious challengers.

Spragge was a fresh face and brought a sense of new vitality to the local Tories. She was extremely polished and was compared to former Liberal MP Christine Stewart, a former federal member for Northumberland, in terms of her grace and charm, according to one insider. She was heralded as a quick study and very good with people one-on-one.

More than anything, she represented a portion of the local party interested in new faces and approaches. Many of the old stalwarts were working with Galt. There were concerns by some that the Galts were using up their welcome within the party, as if they had "had their turn", as one person put it.

Well, now they will get another, no doubt.

Responding to criticisms of Williams

2006-11-01T22:56:00.000-05:00

An email from Greg Hancock:

I think you are being too hard on Llloyd Williams.

Llloyd said that his chances in becoming Mayor of Cobourg are very slim. I am a supporter of Lloyd and have heard him say this, but he is probably right. In your column in the Cobourg Daily Star you discuss the great advantage that incumbents have, and this is what Llloyd is fighting against. Llloyd may be the only councillor who thinks on his feet ( or even thinks), he may be the only councillor that does his own research and the only one who speaks his mind at council, and he actually listens to delegations. But unfortunately Cobourg has cultivated a don't rock the boat ethos; remember the Town's motto is "Our strength is our Unanimity" and it the council plays this to the hilt.

I have heard Llloyd speak, I have had discussions with him, and I have talked to other electors. Many people who I speak to think that Llloyd would make the best mayor. If they all vote it will give him a chance of winning. One of the charms of Llloyd is that he tells things the way that they are: he does have only a slim chance off winning, so surely it is refreshing to hear a politician tell the truth. Manfred Schumann also has a propensity for the truth, which is often difficult for people to take when they have become used to sugar coated nonentities.

On of your previous blogs was entitled "Williams firing blanks; time to get out heavy artillery". It appears that Lloyd can do nothing right in your book. I think you misunderstand Lloyd, and to certain extent you misunderstand, and underestimate, the electorate. We do not all want to be charmed with nonsense, we do remember the past, and we do want change. Lloyd's campaign, and that of some of the other candidates for change, is not built upon making exciting events for the media but is rather putting out thoughtful brochures that tell things the way that they are, and talking to the electorate. I imagine you do know from Lloyd's campaign literature that he is highly critical of the current mayor and especially that Llloyd champions our local police force. One of the significant events at the Chamber of Commerce's All Candidates' Meeting was that all the candidates now champion our police, if you had listened to Delanty you would have marveled at his hypocrisy.

I am a regular reader of your column and your blog, but I would appreciate some balance and understanding. If you also believe that we need change there are some good things that can be said about Lloyd's platform rather than just criticizing his style.

Being called on my criticism of Williams

2006-11-01T20:57:00.000-05:00

I received an excellent email today from a blog reader who chastized me for being overly critical of mayoralty candidate Lloyd Williams. The author called on me to be more fair and balanced in my commentary.

This is my response:

"Thanks. Maybe you are right. I want change. Call it tough love. He is a good man and I respect him. However, I am really frustrated with his campaign. That’s when I start writing. I agree with his stand on the police and the senior centre. I admire how he handled the protection services portfolio over his time in office during the last term. He is one reason we got a contract negotiated with the officers and staff. Lloyd is hardworking, dedicated, truly caring and listens. While I may not always agree with some of his positions, I believe he puts a lot of effort and thought into it.

Delanty’s campaign is a juggernaut. There is plenty of fodder for Lloyd to capitalize on to make the public aware of the weaknesses of his opponent. Sometimes, he gets bogged down in process (nuts and bolts). Maybe I am missing those times when he is hammering away. But, I think the campaign has to get a lot harder hitting if he hopes to win."

Stop making excuses Lloyd!

2006-10-31T23:33:00.000-05:00

From the moment he joined the mayoralty race in Cobourg, Lloyd Williams explicitly states he doubts he can win against incumbent Mayor Peter Delanty.

At first blush, it was easy to interpret as a means of setting expectations low in the minds of voters. He played to the David and Goliath metaphor, where he was the humble David who was about to square off against the might political machine being run by Delanty. So, it might be considered a tool in the political discourse around the municipal election.

But, when Williams repeated this ploy at the recent all candidates meeting, then the tactic wears a bit thin. As well, several people indicated, he uses the line regularly when talking with voters.

By this point, it is hard to recognize the strategic upside of this approach. The sympathy vote in Cobourg is small. Very small.

If Williams did not want to be mayor, he should not have decided to run. Yet, he did. So, time to suck it up and get down to business. If he continues with his current tactics, he might as well hand the election over to Delanty. Sadly, the mayor is vulnerable. He is weak on several fronts. But, Williams is not capitalizing on it.

Top flight athletes know, 90 per cent of winning is in your head. Williams needs to get his head into the race. With 10 days to go, he needs to sound like a winner and a leader. Otherwise, Delanty is going to blow him away election night.

here's the lineup

2006-10-25T20:48:00.000-04:00

here's the lineup:

Here's the lineup from last night's event. A couple of standouts a couple of duds and and the rest, well the rest.

We left after the first session, as did a lot of other people. I guess that most had only come to see their choices confirmed. Not much fire, the format precluded that, and not much new stuff either. We did learn that Mr McCaughey is very proud of the development at the harbour because he has created a "population" that can sustain the downtown. Others didn't think so. Nobody wanted to talk about payraises - cowards, and all wanted to talk about something that they have no control over - jobs! The only new idea came from Rob Harper, he wants the Town to create a special fund that would allow underprivileged kids to tap into to pay for recreational opportunities - well done. As for the school trustees: one grizzly veteran who knew the issues inside out, one woman who appears to be the perpetual PTA person and a slick neo-con who read every single answer from his crib sheets in response to planted questions. I never thought I say this but Gordon you looked good.

I couldn't go, but here is some good coverage from fellow blogger Ben Burd.

Resigned about signs is a signal

2006-10-22T23:52:00.000-04:00

My response to Mr. Berry:

I love this. It is all too true. Did you know I got an email from a candidate responding to a column with a quote from his campaign flyer, WHICH WAS STILL NOT PRINTED. Candidates are disorganized. I swear the signs are going up very slowly. But it may be a sign of the type of candidates were are getting this round. This is not the usual sophisticated politicos with highly organized teams. I think there are quite a few who are just struggling to run. The incumbents will have help. Delanty most likely has a team working with him. I bet there is even a sign committee or a coordinator who just looks after signs. I bet if you checked it out, you would find, he and Brocanier are the only ones. Maybe Williams. McCaughey is another who is likely highly organized and I know he has run campaigns before, not just for himself, but others. Spooner often get some experienced help. In the past, Gary O’Dwyer has done this.

More upsetting than your sign query is the lack of debates. I understand the only one is the Chamber of Commerce, which Loyalist is not broadcasting over the web this time. I have a late night class so it cannot be done. This is most unfair and leaves little chance for voters to see the candidates. This means the campaign is based on signs (which you have pointed out are problematic) and door knocking, or a retail campaign. With the large numbers of voters who will not be home, this reduces the campaign down to a popularity contest, with no room to see or learn who is best.

This is a sad time for democracy.

Lawn signs a bad sign, says one Cobourg resident

2006-10-22T23:49:00.000-04:00

Got this email from Cobourg resident Scott Berry:

My kids are asking: Where are the election lawn signs?

Lawn signs - by their very nature - are in fact - a public discussion on issues. So where is the democratic debate? Were is the fertilizer manuer for our lawns?

It’s election time and my kids want to start playing our favorite car game - “cast your vote”. Our tradition come election time is this. When we drive around town everyone picks a candidate and we start counting the signs until we get home.The candidate with the highest sign count gets elected!

Best part is there are no spoiled ballots - unless a heavy wind blows a sign half-off its stake.

It’s a daily education of civics and democracy in the car! And you can switch your candidate every day like Belinda crossing the floor.

But my little deputy returning officers have nothing to do in their mobile polling station! This isn’t just a game we are missing out on - we are losing valuable quality family time.

On a 10 minute drive around town there are only a handful of signs to count. On this basis -this election is to close call. Two minutes in the car - its game over and they’re starting ask - are we there yet??

With manicured lawns the norm in town -(and only one candidate with a naturalized lawn with a sign that barely peeks out from the weeds - sorry meant wild flowers) - I have an unobstructed sight line from my car. So, I can only assume that candidates have abandoned the sign wars strategy this time around.

Where is the value of local government in action if the candidates don’t make the effort to litter our lawns with coreplast signs and wooden stakes?? Where is the character education building opportunity for my children?

I spent a fortune on Chismbop so they could do long-division with their toes and use their fingers for their 9x‘s table! The current game - with four weeks to go and with no name brand presence by candidates means they can do it in their head without a calculator or a pencil. It takes them fewer than the five fingers on their little hand to come up with a total. On this basis, our daily voter turnout works out to be about 5%.

Where’s the challenge - where’s the math skill - where's the fun?

Maybe the times are a changing. Maybe a clean sweep of the recognizable names in Cobourg is in the making? Maybe voters will only be selecting a name on the ballot they don't recognize as the safest choice for change?? . Will voters want to mark an 'X" against only the candidate(s) they don't know or recognize! If so than - the best election strategy for the new crop of candidates in Cobourg is to fly under the radar. The candidate with the weakest campaign team and fewest signs will have the strategic advantage!

No lawn-sign discourse from our candidates or family values in the car? It's a price I would gladly pay.

Burd report provides some useful tools

2006-10-10T09:42:00.000-04:00

Former politician and local commentator Ben Burd is providing some really good resources online to help people vote.
He is giving his usual commentary in the Burd Report gives his unique perspective around candidates and various politics in Cobourg. With this, he created an interesting chart called opinion page with a running commentary, bios, and "how it's going'". He is tracking public presence at the moment.
The concern Burd raises about profile is very important. Rookie candidates seem to be slow coming out of the gate. That should not mean the candidate is weak, but what they have not done is break through the public's consciousness. Certainly, going door to door is a major part of any municipal campaign and a vital one. Often called "retail politics" it is seen by many as critical in making the personal connection that gets people's vote.
Yet, in modern politics, particularly with media coverage, having a strong public face is also critical. The best example is Belinda Stronach. While she dropped out of the leadership race for the Liberal Party of Canada, Stronach kept a very public profile over the race. And, while many candidates could not get national press, she was all over front pages and in columns.
Local candidates should take a page from her strategy. Until they break through the public consciousness, either through signage, media coverage, whisper campaigns, water cooler talk, whatever, they are at a disadvantage. This is why so many incumbents win: the name is recognizable.
It is fall. A good time for Burd watching.

Warkworth man seeks nomination for Northumberland PCs

2006-10-05T14:59:00.000-04:00

The nomination race for the provincial Northumberland Progressive Conservative Party took another twist as Rob Milligan, a 35-year old man from Warkworth announced his candidacy.
He hopes to push agriculture issues in a campaign and health care. He is also concerned about job creation, particularly focusing on youth.
This will certainly spice things up in several ways. After David St. Charles dropped out, it began to look like a run off between Cathy Galt, wife of former MPP Doug Galt and Jan Spragge, the business consultant from Port Hope. Carl Eggiman, who lives in Quinte West, has not created a big buzz in the west end of the riding.
Spragge, who seems to be generating a lot of positive buzz in the West end of the county, will face three contenders from the east. This could water down the eastern vote, but if Milligan and Eggimann get behind Galt, she could be a potent force in a "anybody other than Spragge" movement. She will need to build up a strong constituency across the riding if she hopes to defeat such a move.
Seeing how the Conservative treated St. Charles, they are quite prepared to play politics as dirty as it needs to be in order to win.

DBIA chair runs for council

2006-10-05T14:48:00.000-04:00

Downtown Business Improvement Association Chairman Berry Drage will seek a seat on Cobourg council, running on a platform advocating more openness in local government.
Drage, 45, who ran for the public school board and council in the past, hopes to hold a series of informal drop-in style meetings to find out what voters want on the agenda for the next four years. If elected, he promises to continue this practice with an "open house" style meetings where questions and answers would take place after an executive session of council.
Another plus, Drage says, is his age. At 45, he is one of the younger candidates and a lot younger than most of the current council members. He says this generation is not well represented on council.
Drage ran unsuccessfully in the last election, but hopes time spent volunteering and raising his profile in the community will help him this time.

Environmentalist joins race for Cobourg council

2006-10-05T14:40:00.000-04:00

A self-professed environmentalist entered the race for Cobourg council, saying she is concerned about the rapid expansion of the town.
Judi McAllister, 63, is a part-time dietary aid at the Golden Plough Lodge and is a member of the Cobourg Labour Council, an organization made up of unions and labour groups in the town.
She is worried about growth occurring too quickly and the lack of sufficient infrastructure. She pointed to the increase in traffic around the town as an example. An avid cyclist, McAllister said roads need to be repaired and more bike paths should be created to encourage motorists to leave their cars at home.
This will bring an importance issue to the forefront. With McAllister running for council, she will be able to ensure environmental issues will not be ignored. While other candidates may have positions on this vital issue, having someone with this high level of interest will mean those seeking office who wish to fluff off environmental concerns will not get an easy ride.
It was refreshing to also see how she handled questions around policing and the seniors' centre. Many people running for office tend to respond off the cuff to some issues only as a way to make it look like they are knowledgeable about a host of issues, Instead, McAllister took admitted she has not formed any position on these two significant issues.

St. Charles bows out of PC nomination race

2006-09-23T09:24:00.000-04:00

Progressive Conservative nomination candidate David St. Charles will not be seeking to represent the riding after a bitter dispute over the date of the selection meeting in November.
In a letter to Mary Anne Irwin, president of the Northumberland-Quinte West provincial riding association, St. Charles accuses the executive of lacking transparency and openness in the nomination process, followed by claims of insider manipulation and incompetence. He also alleges the other candidates - Jan Spragge, Cathy Galt and Carl Egginmann - already knew about the Nov. 7 date for the nomination meeting.
"It seems just a little too convenient and coincidental," he said in his letter. "My schedule is well known and transparent – November 7th is exactly the week I am scheduled to be in Banglore, India to meet with officials from the Indian Institute of Technology and several large Indian companies on behalf of the University of Ontario. The purpose is to bring research and development partnerships and jobs to our community."
He even lashed out at the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party for its lack of organization, professionalism and openness, citing his candidate interview as a mockery of good governance. The interview lasted 17 minutes with no follow-up or feedback, he said in the letter.
"There is more rigour in the selection process to participate in a television game show – at least they ask a 'skill testing' question!" he said.
Dirty political tactics, particularly in nomination meetings, is almost a tradition. Rarely does the public get to see how bitter and bloody the candidate selection process works. The exception was the battle between former Liberal deputy prime minister Sheila Copps and Tony Valerie when two ridings in the Hamilton area were combined. Copps, a staunch Chretien supporter was challenged by Valerie, who was a backer of former Prime Minister Paul Martin. The content was an example of the inside war raging between the two camps, played out in the nomination process.
Still, talking to many riding association members, the nomination process is where grassroots party members get to slug it out and stretch their own political muscles. Often, when elections take place, riding associations often are given marching orders from campaign head offices far away. It can be said the nomination process is uniquely local on many levels. (That does not discount interference from outside. But mainly, it is a local matter, particularly in Conservative circles because they don't like to parachute candidates into a riding).
On the surface, it would appear Jan Spragge is the anointed one. This campaign is supported by some very powerful Tory insiders from Port Hope. One source described her as the next Janet Ecker, a very successful politician from Ajax-Pickering area, who became finance minister. She is a polished, professional who has an air that has been described as gracious and personable, by insiders.
But, if the allegations are true, it means party officials did not want her to square off against St. Charles.
One major factor must be the rainbow coalition St. Charles was trying to build. He brought in many Lliberal supporters, including high-profile people like Ryan O'Grady and Carolyn Campbell. There were other lesser known, but hard working Liberals who were actively recruiting within LIberal and NDP ranks.
It is easy to imagine how this would send the Conservatives over the moon. But rather than use it against St. Charles to rally Tory die-hards, they have used high school political tactics.
There may have been other reasons, no one may ever know. Was there a genuine fear that when Spragge and St. Charles might debate each other in some kind of joint event, Spragge would not meet the test? She is a bright, intelligent business woman, but St. Charles is an international businessman and academic with many more credentials than Spragge.
What is truly amazing is the local Conservative could have used St. Charles as a secret weapon. By opening the tent to disaffected Liberals, it was tearing away at support for Liberal incumbent Lou Rinaldi. Had anyone really thought about it, they should have let him go and watched with glee, as the Liberal riding association scrambled to contain the damage.
This is a tainted victory if Spragge wins. She had done it with a dark cloud overhead. The best move she could make would be to fight for a new nomination date and personally invite St. Charles back. He likely still has an organization. And, a public healing of the wounds would go a long way to raising the party's profile in the riding. Without it, she will look like her candidacy was handed to her on a platter and very elitist. That is not a good message to be sending to voters with an election only a year away. It may not be the way it really works, but for a majority of citizens, it is important that democracy looks, well, democratic.

Williams firing blanks; time to get out heavy artillery

2006-09-20T11:47:00.000-04:00

Councillor Lloyd Williams pawed at his opponent, Mayor Peter Delanty, when he tried to condemn the lack of consultation regarding a proposed senior's centre amongst council members.
The mayor shot back quickly saying councillors had several opportunities to garner information and comment.
Williams, who is a well-known for his attention to detail and process, is not gaining any points for this kind of debate. While it may or may not be true that councillors were not given any opportunity for meaningful debate or lacked detailed information, this is not going to win votes.
In fact, Delanty's response makes Williams look like he was asleep and weak because he could not assert himself when given the opportunity.
Forget this kind of criticism, Lloyd! Time to parade out the big guns and get blasting. Delanty is vulnerable on a lot of issues. This ain't one of them.
Maybe, Williams could gain some support if he points out how the mayor was invisible on the issue of policing. While the Cobourg Police force was paralyzed for months over the behaviour of its officers and its chief, Delanty was nowhere to be found. Instead, he began advocating for OPP service, a proposal that has many residents very upset.
If Williams is anxious to criticize the mayor on the senior's centre, let him point out how ill conceived the plan was when it was presented. Delanty and Councillor Gil Brocanier presented a half-baked plan without detail and careful consideration. It was only after councillors got a good look at the proposal and the community outcry that they backed down. It demonstrates the reckless manner in which Delanty did his job in this case.
Come on, Williams. Get cooking. Let's see the heat get turned up.

One leaves and one enters

2006-09-16T17:20:00.000-04:00

Cobourg council candidate Wayne DeVeau dropped out of the race as former Hamilton Township councillor Howard McCourt jumped in this past week.
Citing family responsibilities and personal health, DeVeau announced he will not seek a seat on council. This is a familiar tune DeVeau is singing whenever a politician doesn't want to answer a lot of specific questions. No one will challenge him with an excuse like family and health. But what might be closer to the truth is DeVeau most likely had the necessary support or money to run. That will remain a mystery and, now that he is out, no one will really care.
Meanwhile, the entry of Howie McCourt represents an fascinating turn of events. With his experience on Hamilton Township council between 1985 to 1988, he has an advantage over the neophyte candidates and can be considered a real threat to the incumbents.
As for McCourt, he is also a very popular educator, serving as principal in several schools. He is a Rotarian and a highly visible member of the community. He is basing his campaign on controlled growth, wanting to keep the small town characteristic of Cobourg. This is a direct swipe at the recent addition of box stores along the northwest area of town, as well as four new subdivisions along the borders.
Between he and Stan Frost, they could create a definite challenge to sitting councillors Dean McCaughey and Bill MacDonald, both vunerable members. With Brocanier and Williams also moving up the ladder and Pam Jackson not running, the possiblity of a completely new slate of council is real.

The gloves are off in mayor's race

2006-09-14T21:53:00.000-04:00

It took no time for Cobourg Mayor Peter Delanty to come back swinging at his rival Councillor Lloyd Williams after a crisp attack from the challenger earlier in the week.
Williams gave a strong critique of council's performance, lambasting the mayor and Councillor Gil Brocanier regarding the proposed senior's complex and policing. He also took a crack at the last of public involvement in decision-making and for a lack of transparency.
The mayor jumped on Williams for saying councillors had served far too long. Delanty reminded everyone about Williams' 35 years of service in Hamilton Township and Cobourg council. Delanty has served nine years.
Not surprisingly, Delanty defended handling of the senior's complex, saying a needs assessment is underway. Considering the two hatched the plan as a vote getting scheme that fell flat when citizens began challenging the plan, the mayor had little choice but to stand by him.
As for the other allegations, Delanty was quick to try and counter them. He says the lack of transparency, particularly around a series of visioning sessions that were held behind closed doors, were made public afterwards for council to comment on. He also said council listens, pointing to the Molly Baker Lane debate. Only after a dedicated group of citizens fought against a developers' plan to take away a historic lane way in east Cobourg, did council agree to help save it.
These are just a few of the jabs exchanged between the two contenders. Give it a few weeks and watch for the body blows to start. Delanty is not going to sit back. He is highly competitive and experienced. He does not like to lose and despite a friendly demeanor, he is a fighter. Williams is the same. He may come across plodding, but he will trade blows any day of the week.
As an aside, the radio commentary this morning chastizing Williams for running after he mused publicly that he was getting too old to serve in council makes no sense. The commentator, David Craig, of The Breeze 107.9 FM, makes a weak argument. People can change their mind. So what! The community would be far worse off if Delanty went unchallenged. He should be praising Williams for having the guts to take him on.

Whew! Williams challenges mayor for top spot

2006-09-13T08:36:00.000-04:00

A sign of relief could be heard across Cobourg as Councillor Lloyd Williams announced he will take on incumbent mayor, Peter Delanty, for the top job.
It will truly be a David and Goliath battle, but Williams is one of the few people who can mount a serious, credible challenge to Delanty, who was acclaimed three years ago.
With 12-years experience on Cobourg council and 23 years on Hamilton Township council, most of them as Reeve, there is no lack of municipal political knowledge and leadership skills. While Delanty is more of a personality and well-known for his love of public relations over policy, Williams is more of a nuts and bolts guy with substantial understanding of municipal process and history. This is far too often not respected. Yet, Williams is good with people and has an excellent manner. He sometimes gives more information than needed, only because he understand the complexity of issues and refused to oversimplify or talk down to people.
Still, Delanty is in a very weak position. His handling (or mishandling) of the Cobourg Police Service and his desire to bring in the OPP is a crucial issue. Williams sat on the police services board, and while he faced a horrific time, he is one of the few politicians the police association and officers respect. This will give him huge leverage. Delanty refused to comment and commented only rarely. Many people feel he was missing in action.
The senior's complex proposal is also another weak spot for Delanty. He and Councillor Gil Brocanier figured they had a sure fire way to win lots of votes when they proposed a new multi-million dollar building on the east side of Cobourg. There was little preparation, no homework, no studies, a dicey budget and the pair stumbled along like Laurel and Hardy unable to sustain the backlash of criticism from people wanting looking for some rationale and answers. Now, the whole thing is put over as a needs study is being done. Delanty will not be able to shake off this misguided attempt to score easy political points.
The lack of openness on council and the poor behaviour of council when dealing with the public will also be a key factor. Williams is good with public submissions and listens when most on council shut out critics. Delanty is known for his backroom approach and there are a slate of candidates running on this issue alone.
Finally, there is a sense of staleness with the council. Voters are fed up with the current council with many of them serving for more than three terms. While Williams is one of those, he is running for a job that requires experience and the public expects it. He will be a new face at the helm. Meanwhile the rest of council may be under threat because Cobourg citizens are fed up.
Cobourg residents should be counting their blessings Williams has stepped up. If his courage in taking on Delanty, whom many thought was going to be acclaimed again, is any indication William may have the right stuff to bring down the giant.

Inside the St. Charles interview

2006-09-09T08:06:00.000-04:00

The interview with David St. Charles at the Oasis Restaurant in Cobourg was complex, as it was revealing. His political views are deeply entrenched in his business philosophy: government should run like an efficient business, self-reliance, accountability, reduction of public funding to public institutions, among others.
St. Charles was dressed in business-casual clothes - dress pants, shoes, but a relaxed, button-downed shirt, impeccably groomed. While his manner is easy, his eyes are penetrating. Everything is being taken in. His voice is comfortable, but strain when asked tougher questions that seek specifics.
For now, his desire to get a campus of the University of Ontario Institute of Technology is the centre-piece of his campaign. He has many ideas around other important issues like health care, but they are not the stuff of political platforms. He suggested innovative use of technology, referring specifically to the use of wireless phones by doctors to get patient information on demand, something he saw used in Europe. While an interesting idea, it is not the broad policy of a political platform. At least, not yet. With time and advice, he may choose to transform it into a policy initiative to enhance the use of technology in Ontario hospitals. That will be up to him and his advisors.
The private sector/public sector alliances, the central focus of his job at OUIT, is also a big part of his platform. And, while he supports more money to universities from the provincial government, he was quick to cut federal funding for academic research. He challenged the usefulness of some research areas and, as expected, wanted more research funded through private/public research. This may have merits, but there are plenty of pitfalls, as was discovered by Dr. Nancy Olivieri, at the Hospital for Sick Children, when she was her research was challenged by a drug company. Academic freedom is a very complex area and for someone to simplify it as St. Charles has done, dismissing the validity of research in non-economically beneficial areas falls short.
One of the most interesting exchanges was a challenge to his contention he "not a politician" and his low-key campaign. He was very quick to correct an assertion that he his a reluctant politician. Even-though he said several times the results of the nomination campaign were not important because he is only in the race to stimulate debate, St. Charles snapped at the suggestion he lacked any fire within him to win. He agreed the ambition that has driven him to the heights of international business success were fueling his desire to seek the candidacy for Northumberland Conservatives.
Sitting alone in the restaurant, one could feel the presence of others in the background of the campaign.
St. Charles sought advice from many people before declaring. He spoke with business associates from around the world. Bob McCoubrey was an important local advisor in the early stages. McCoubrey is a very successful businessman, owning a chain of funeral homes, and a high-profile fundraiser, particularly for the Northumberland Hills Hospital. His blessing bring much weight in local Conservative circles.
The disaffected Liberals who have gathered behind St. Charles represent the an important aspect of this campaign. Ryan O'Grady, the former executive assistant to Liberal MP Paul Macklin, bring a certain irony and strength. O'Grady had a very quiet fallout with Macklin, from a public perspective. But within Liberal circles it was a major bloodletting. O'Grady was a key advisor and brought a lot to the table for Macklin, helping deliver two victories at the polls. Nobody likes to talk about why he left. The irony of his return to local politics, this time inside the Conservative camp, is obviously a slap in the face to Liberals.
The support of Carolyn Campbell, the former provincial Liberal candidate, is another body blow, as well as a one-finger salute to the party in Northumberland. She lost a bitter battle for the nomination to the current MPP Lou Rinaldi. Campbell has held several government positions since she left as social services director for Northumberland County. Some of these came as a result of her Liberal connections, including as chief returning officer for several elections.
Both O'Grady and Campbell will bring considerable numbers of unhappy Liberals into the St. Charles camp. This will tear away at Rinaldi's support, as well as unhinge the riding association, since this kind of betrayal is scorned.
The interview went for two hours, much longer than expected. By the end, St. Charles was tired, but not done. There are many questions still to be answered, mainly specifics of his platform. Also, the low-key tactic will be a major factor. If he is able to transform this into a juggernaut in time for the nomination meeting is crucial. While the other candidates attend highly public events and receive some elements of press coverage, this is mainly an internal political battle. It hinges on conversations in living rooms and kitchens across the county - quiet conversations. It is one of the last bastions of retail politics where face-to-face is more valuable than all the advertising and stump speeches one can imagine.

After 15 years, MacDonald wants another term

2006-09-09T07:09:00.000-04:00

Veteran councillor Bill MacDonald will seek another term in office, he announced Friday, but he is one of the most vunerable, winning by less than 100 votes in the last municipal election.
MacDonald, who once had a nasty habit of falling asleep during council meetings (or was he just resting his eyes) during the early 1990s when I covered Cobourg council, MacDonald has a grocery list of proposals he hopes to support (but strangely did not take initiative on during his tenure). This includes the hiring of a full-time physician recruitment officer, contributing to a new CT scanner for the hospital, a local police force, enhancing post-secondary educational opportunities and updating the town's web site.
Well, since the hospital is a county-wide service, MacDonald can safely support a full-time physician recruiter because Cobourg is only one contributor. The rest of the municipalities would also need to agree. And, with Port Hope in the mix, you can almost guarantee this will be a source of contention. Port Hope is opening its own medical facility and will have its own recruitment plans, as it always likes to do. So, while well intentioned, consider it a mostly empty promise.
As for supporting the local police force, this is an insult to the community. MacDonald has sat on the sidelines consistently during the last term in office while the Cobourg police force imploded. He has supported efforts to have a costing done on OPP service and never said a word of public support for the officers. This promise is pathetic as much as it is ludicrous. His record speaks volumes.
The vague promise to enhance post-secondary education is smoke and mirrors. He might be referring to OUIT representative David St. Charles' proposal to bring a campus of the university to Cobourg. Who knows?
He is also campaigning for the hiring of an economic development director for Cobourg. But, this is a huge waste of money. The county already performs this function and town staff can easily look after any inquiries.
This is a tired campaign from a worn out politician who will take his chances of re-election on the familiarity of his name and little more.

This Frost is hot

2006-09-07T10:18:00.000-04:00

Businessman Stan Frost said he will take another shot at a council seat earlier this week.
This guy is a contender. The last municipal election three years ago, Frost missed getting on council by 63 votes. With his experience on the planning advisory committee, McCaughey has lots to worry about and so do the other incumbents.
This information technology and management consultant is semi-retired. He is using this to contrast with the other incumbents, many of whom are retired or former school teachers. He sees himself running as a "manager and business leader", not as a politico.
He is taking a tough stand on taxes and policing, two key issues for this fall. Municipal politicians are blaming the changes to municipal assessment for higher taxes. He is saying, "No". Frost wants more fiscal accountability.
As for the police, he wants a stronger local force with proper resources rather than looking to contract the OPP.
This is the seventh person to declare.

A barn-burner mayoralty race in Alnwick/Haldimand Township

2006-08-31T19:23:00.000-04:00

Nothing beats the prospect of a tough political fight and residents in Alnwick/Haldimand Township are blessed because they've got one.
Mayor Bill Finley, a 27-year veteran of council is being challenged by council stalwart Rosemarie Robins, who is currently deputy mayor. She has served for 25 years, most of that as reeve and deputy reeve in Alnwick Township, prior to the amalgamation a few years ago.
Both are former county wardens. Both have huge power bases, but each it their own former township.
Finley is a hard-nosed politician, who can go bare-knuckles with anybody. He is never afraid to be outspoken and doesn't take criticism or descent on his council very well. Recently, he made headlines chastizing opponents of residents both in and outside the township who wish to preserve a tallgrass prairie in one of the historic cemeteries. It is a battle that has gone through the courts and council for nearly a decade, mostly because Mr. Finley has made this a personal campaign and he is unable to broker a deal.
Robins is a well-known face in local politics. She could be called the Margaret Thatcher of county politics. She looks like a sweet grandmother and is quite nice and very gracious when you meet her. But she can be as tough as nails and can bash it out with the best politicians. Her gender should not fool anyone. Cross her once and he will never forget.
Finley could be in serious trouble. With the longstanding fight over the Shelter Valley gravel pit, there is a rather large, unhappy group of residents, waiting for an opportunity to throw him out of office. These are Toronto refugees and others who have migrated to the area, along with some locals. Finley will be counting on his buddies in the township to deliver him again.
Meanwhile, Robins is considered a saint in Alnwick. If she can carry her constituency as she has so many times in the past, Finley will be BBQ, cooked over a fire of his own making.
This should be one to watch closely because if things get desperate, it may get really dirty. Be prepared to stay up late election night because it will be tight and every vote is going to count.

Norlock acclaimed as federal candidate for local Conservatives

2006-08-30T23:39:00.000-04:00

Northumberland-Quinte West MP Rick Norlock is acclaimed as the Tory candidate for the next federal election, the riding association announced yesterday.
The rookie MP went unchallenged and the exercise gave Norlock a chance to gush about the last few months in office.
"I think it is reasonable to say the party in Northumberland-Quinte West is happy with what they've seen and the government," he told a local newspaper.
Talk about creating an non-news event just to get publicity.
There is little chance anyone would have challenged him, considering he was elected less than a year ago. Heck, the Tories are absolutely gleeful, having sat in the wilderness for nearly two decades as the Liberals took this riding federally. Nobody would be stupid enough to take him on in a public fight.
Besides, it is only American Democrats who eat their own (or cranky Liberals). Take the case of Sen. Joe Lieberman, of Connecticut, who was most recently defeated by millionaire, political novice Ned Lamont, after more than 30 years of electoral success. Then, there was the very public battle over a Hamilton riding when Sheila Copps was sent packing by Tony Valeri.
Gnaw, there is no bad blood like this in Northumberland.
And, the Tories are gearing up for their own battle royale shortly with a hotly contested nomination for a provincial candidate. So, why spoil the fun and steal the limelight by taking on the federal guys.
With Lou (Who?) Rinaldi sitting in the wings waiting for the next provincial election to take place in the fall of 2007, the Tories are feeling like they are in the driver's seat. The same wave of popularity that brought Rinaldi to victory in the last election. Rinaldi merely rode on Dalton McGuinty's coattails as he swept Ontario as part of an anti-Harris backlash. Next time, Rinaldi might be riding a similar wave right out of office as anti-McGuinty sentiments grow. Or, that is what the Tories want to think.
So, Norlock's confirmation is just another bright news story on the front page of the local daily newspaper, letting all the citizens of Northumberland know how great things are going in Tory-land. It is like a postcard from relatives in Florida in February: the thought is nice, but it really sucks to be reminded of the reality of your own situation.

Rice Lake claims sixth victim this summer

2006-08-28T18:54:00.000-04:00

An 18-year old teenager drowned in Rice Lake after his canoe tipped Sunday morning. He was not wearing a life jacket, police said.
Alex Rutherford, a recent graduate of Cobourg District Collegiate Institute West, was last seen about 200 metres from the north shore of the lake, between Jubilee Point and Cow Island, directly north of Gores Landing. The canoe capsized, dumping Rutherford and a 16-year old friend into the water. The boys tried to swim to shore, but turned around and swam back to the canoe. Rutherford was unable to hang on and slipped under the water.
A search that day was unfruitful, but when the OPP Underwater Search and Recovery Unit began looking Sunday around 10:30 a.m., the body was found within five minutes.
He was spending the weekend at a cottage on Cow Island with a group of friends from Cobourg and Colborne. The mother of one of the friends owns the cottage. She was there when the accident occurred.
This is the sixth person to drown on Rice Lake this summer. In all cases, the victims were not wearing life jackets.
This latest tragedy spawned a great deal of discussion. Reports indicate there may have been alcohol involved, but print media reports confirm this was not the reason.
The tragedy will strike very hard among young people in Cobourg, particularly at the high school where Rutherford attended. It is a tight knit community and with school starting, the loss will be felt strongly next week when students return.
But, the most obvious point is people need to wear life jackets in a boat. Simple. There is not any marine safety resource that does not remind us of this fact. And yet, far to many adults fail to put them on.
This is a senseless tragedy. It is easily preventable.

McCaughey announces re-election campaign a good reason for others to run

2006-08-25T15:35:00.000-04:00

Veteran Cobourg Councillor Dean McCaughey announced yesterday he was running again for council.
It is tough to get excited about such a long-serving councillor. He does a good job considering he has the toughest portfolio on council. Rarely is anyone truly happy with the planning department through no fault of their own. Developers always want more and everything done faster. Resident are NIMBY. So, it is a no-win situation. McCaughey is pretty relaxed most of the time, but sometimes he gets upset. It is usually internalized. Once, in the past year, he wrote a nasty, demeaning letter to the editor chastizing a group opposed to the Mr. Sub redevelopment.
This is a really good case of someone who should not run again. There are too many councillors in Cobourg who have served extended terms and need to give others a chance.
McCaughey said he wants to develop a consultation process that is more inclusive. Well, sorry, but he has had more than 15 years to do that and hasn' t taken a positive step. In fact, he supported a move to discourage presenters made by Deputy Mayor Bob Spooner earlier this year.
He also wants to start some kind of incubator for business in the industrial park. This is already done through the various agencies that exist like the Northumberland Business Development Assistance Corp and Northumberland Community futures Development Corporation and others. There are many other proactive things council could do to help small business.
Also, his desire to see the Cobourg East Community Official Plan go forward in an “orderly fashion” is arrogant. The planner and his staff will do a great job. There is little a politician actually does once it gets to this stage.
As for a team approach on council, this is almost laughable. That would be a posting all to itself. (Stay tuned).
His silence on the senior#039s centre is telling. If it gets big support leading up the election, watch him jump on. Likely he is waiting because this is one issue that may kill council, especially Councillor Gil Brocanier and the mayor.
As for bigger ice pad, which he says it would be tough to get funding, this is going to hurt him with the sports community. The question is a simple one: how is it council can find millions from a reserve fund for a senior's centre, but not for the sports community, which involves far more kids and adults? Sorry, Dean.
There have been a number of black marks for McCaughey this term. The Mr. Sub controversy was the most high profile and one that he got badly kicked around on. The Molly Baker Lane was not so traumatic. Still, there are lots of residents out there who are angry with him.
McCaughey is going to be a tough one to beat. It is too bad some politicians don't know when to walk away. If the field of candidates grows, he could be tossed out as the vote splits up. If it remains tight, he will be a shoo-in. This could be the best reason for people to run for council.

Gilchrist seeks re-election to school board

2006-08-24T14:06:00.000-04:00

It is truly sad to see long-serving politicians who don't know when to step down. There was another example yesterday when Cobourg public school board trustee Gordon Gilchrist announced he will seek a third term on the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board.
His announcement is filled with the worst political rhetoric imaginable. He says there will be no worm-up period for a new trustee after this election and issues like declining enrollment, financial constraints and school closures are so complex a new trustee will not readily understand them.
"Misapplied funding and misdirected curriculum for even one year can have serious effects on a child's entire education," he is quoted as saying.
Puhleeezze, give me a break!
It is hard to imagine only six years ago, Mr. Gilchrist was a new trustee. If he came to understand these complex issues, why does he think nobody else can?
This is the long history of arrogance associated with Mr. Gilchrist and he terms in office. From the botched closure of Thomas Gillbard Public School in Cobourg to the closures of two Port Hope schools this fall: L.B. Powers and Central Public School. There are also the hair-brained schemes to build a massive high school in Cobourg, which thankfully never got off the ground because it would have been a warehouse for kids rather than place for better education.
And, one only needs to read his letters to the editor to realize how trite he can be. He twists around anyone's argument, if he disagrees.
His constituency is mainly seniors and retirees, who want their taxes low and education to be delivered like pizza, not as a public service.
Yes, Mr. Gilchrist has done some good, but he cannot begin to take all the credit. Here are the Advanced Placement Programs, Integrated Arts Program, a culinary program, a STICS program and horticulture program. He can point to these as accomplishments, but
these are not solely his.
The last election, Mr. Gilchrist said he had a moral obligation to run again. Maybe this time, he should step down for the same reasons.

Technorati Tags: democracy, Northumberland County, school board

Did Councillor Jackson just wake up or did the media?

2006-08-22T21:58:00.000-04:00

As Councillor Pam Jackson slowly sails into retirement this fall, she has suddenly become very vocal. She will not seek re-election in the November municipal elections, as announced last month.
A number of stories have appeared in the media with Jackson going on about a host of topics ranging from councillor#039s salaries to Port Hope#039s contribution to the current Northumberland Hills Hospital fundraising campaign.
Her most recent foray into public debate was a set of caustic comments around Northumberland County#039s plans for new headquarters on the northwest corner of Elgin and Burnham streets.
It began with words of warning to not let the architects come up with some ghastly looking structure.
"The federal and provincial governments have built some notoriously ugly buildings in the past," she is quoted as saying in the newspaper.
After sharpening her claws, Jackson moved in for the killing swipe.
"Can we keep tweaking it so that it doesn#039t take place?" she said later.
And, here is her real motivation.
Forget the architectural critique, Jackson doesn#039t want the county to build. And, she is not alone. Several others have questioned whether or not the building is truly needed. Northumberland County council is vacating its current building, constructed more than 50 years ago, to allow the provincial courts to take over the building. The structure has already undergone several renovations over the years as the courts have expanded. Now, with the move to consolidate its entire operations in Cobourg by closing the court in the Bailey at Victoria Hall. There were complaints the historic courtroom was unsafe and not suited to modern judicial needs.
But instead of the county telling the courts to get new digs at the province#039s expense, it rolled over and agreed to vacate its headquarters and build new ones.
No doubt, there were fears the province would consolidate its operations for West Northumberland in Port Hope or somewhere other than Cobourg, if the county failed to agree. It would be highly unlikely the province would build a new building for the courts.
Besides, the county has been itching to get a new building for decades.
It almost succeeded in the mid-1990s, when the county council of the day, all 33 members, wanted to build a new superstructure adjacent to lands it owned next to HIghway 401. The design looked like a wedge of cheese and it would have been a monument. Yet, costs and a lack of political will meant it did not get done. Talk of amalgamation and downsizing municipal government were in the wind. Also, many councils were trying to cut budgets and taxes, not increase them.
This time it may be harder to stop. Cobourg Mayor Peter Delanty was quick to quell Jackson#039s criticism, saying the building will be a "signature building". There is also going to be a reflecting pool and a monument.
The $9.2 million structure is before Cobourg council waiting to be finalized.
With Jackson having nothing to lose politically, she may be going out with a bang. If she can garner enough public support, this may be her opportunity to pay back the rest of council for some of the crap she has put up with over her two terms.
Hang on.

Good news for local industry and MPP

2006-08-19T07:04:00.000-04:00

Premier Dalton McGuinty was in Northumberland to announce a $700,000 grant for a new plastics technology research and development centre at G.E. Plastics, a major employer based in Cobourg on Thursday.
This is good news on many fronts. For the company, it adds to its prestige and ability to market its products globally. It will also provide an opportunity for academics and industry experts to develop new processes and products. One of the undoubted beneficiaries will be the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, located just down the road in Oshawa.
The money will go to building a new research lab at the plant located in the industrial park in the east-end of Cobourg.
For the region, this signals a very important long-term commitment to jobs. With the announcement only one week ago about the loss of the Minute Rice line at Kraft-General Foods across town, this type of investment counterbalances fears that Cobourg has nearly lost its industrial base.
For Northumberland MPP Lou Rinaldi, the news is a dream come true. While there have been some announcements of government grants to the county, Cobourg has not received anything major for quite some time. Brighton and Port Hope were given money for medical centres. And, there has been a succession of smaller offerings. Mainly, Rinaldi has faced hostile municipal politicians who regularly complain about a slew of policies they find punitive. This will quiet down the criticism. And, it will be on every piece of campaign literature come next fall when the provincial election is on.
The Tories are hoping to unseat Rinaldi, who defeated PC incumbent Doug Galt in the last election as part of a Liberal sweep across Ontario. Hopes are high within Conservative circles and Rinaldi is seen as weak in a riding that is known to swing back and forth.
For municipal politicians, this announcement is a blessing. Mayor Peter Delanty will be taking as much credit as he can, since his economic development record is weak at best. While there are some good news stories over the past term, many lie in the growth of the retail sector, who often provide part-time jobs without benefits. He has not been successful in getting industry to relocate here. In fact, it is mostly closings or reductions in workforce. These kinds of jobs, generated through this announcement, are high paying manufacturing jobs. And, while it is research, it brings academics and expertise into the community. There is both prestige and economic benefit. Again, look for this announcement to be profiled high in the campaign literature of incumbent councillors hungry to stave off the influx of contenders.

Race for PC nominations heats up in Northumberland

2006-08-18T08:20:00.000-04:00

An international businessman and technology expert plans to enter the Progressive Conservative nomination race shortly.
Cobourg-born David St. Charles confirmed Thursday he is seeking to represent Northumberland-Quinte West for the Tories in next year#039s provincial election.
A respected academic and businessman, St. Charles is spearheading a major new initiative for the University of Ontario Institute of Technology with a possible spin-off for Northumberland. He is looking to establish strategic partnerships with international and Canadian business leaders to further the university#039s research and development. The university hopes to become a "MIT of the North", modeling itself after the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
There are unconfirmed suggestions West Northumberland may become home to one of the university#039s campuses, something that has many community leaders very excited, despite no official announcements.
St. Charles is an adjunct full professor and an executive-i-residence at the Faculty of Business and Information Technology. Over the past 30 years he created or managed a number of leading corporations focused on real-time software systems and is well-known for his innovations in technology. He was named one of the top high-tech CEO#039s in California. He was CEO of Integrated Systems Inc. a leading worldwide provider of embedded technology, which was founded in 1981
He joined Jan Spragge, Cathy Galt and Carl Eggimann in the contest for the nomination.

Hedley headlines CPGA championship; hometown proud

2006-08-17T09:16:00.000-04:00

It is amazing to watch a community adopt an athlete as they develop, because living in a small town allows people to feel a sense of pride and kinship that is never quite recreated in large urban centres.
Such is the case with Cobourg golfer Cuyler Hedley, who has garnered headlines since she was a kid playing on the local greens. The 25-year old young woman was part of a press conference in Oshawa earlier this week to announce she is one of the top women to play in the Canadian Professional Gofer's Association tour. She tied for 35th place.
"As long as I can remember, it has been my dream to play professional golf," she told the media. "This while professional thing is definitely something else and I am looking forward to playing close to home."
She is now entering a new class of golfers. Past winners of the Oshawa competition are Lori Kane, Nancy Harvey and Liz Earley, who have all gone on to top level play.
It seems like only yesterday when she was leading the Murray State University women's golf team to the Ohio Valley Conference championships. This is all a long way from her days of banging a ball around the Dalewood Golf and Curling Club just north of town. She was given a four-year full scholarship to attend Murray State, in Kentucky, and has slowly built a solid career for herself. She played amateur golf and has won several championships. This is her first year as a pro.
We will continue to root for our homegrown superstar.

Nelles fired, but still gets salary during appeal

2006-08-16T09:48:00.000-04:00

Disgraced Cobourg Police officer Shawn Nelles is out of a job, but he will continue to receive his $69,000 salary until an appeal is heard regarding his unprofessional conduct.
Adjudicator Robert Fitches left no doubt about his disgust with Nelles.
"He has behaved in an abysmal fashion," he said. "He (Nelles) has demonstrated, through his actions, that he is quite capable of neglecting his duty, deceiving his superiors and bringing discredit upon himself and his police service on more than one occasion over a period of almost three years."
Nelles pleaded guilty to four charges: neglect of duty, deceit and two counts of discreditable conduct, in October 2005.
The scathing decision and his behaviour have left Nelles' life in shambles. He was suspended in June 2004 and has received a salary from the force since.
The Police Services Act hearing has been a very public event with lots of details being regularly published in local media, including graphic accounts of sex he had with a young 18-year old female.
The community and the Police Service Board chairman were shocked by the continuation of Nelles' salary. The local radio station played some listener comments, many condemning the situation. Boar chairman Bryan Baxter would not give detailed comments, saying the matter is still before the courts, but he did express his amazement the municipality would need to still pay Nelles.
While it is easy to get upset over the salary issue, laws are not made for specific cases, but for all instances. Nelles clearly admits to his misconduct and, in some people's opinion, should no longer be a police officer in Cobourg. (He will be lucky to every get a job in policing again after this stain on his record). Yet, the law was put in place to prevent harming innocent officers who have been mistreated by the system. Consider a case where an officer, who has been maligned with undeserved charges, who has a family and mortgage etc. The salary may be the only income. In a case of a miscarriage of justice, the continuation of a salary is fair, even during an appeal. That is the aim of the law.
Unfortunately, Nelles is exploiting this aspect. He has admitted to his misconduct, but he is failing to accept the full consequences of his actions. Certainly, the law provides this opportunity. And, his lawyer, Jonanne Mulcahy, is doing her job when she offers to carry on the appeal process.
It is time Nelles moved on, both literally and figuratively. He cannot expect to go back to work or be an officer in the community that does not respect him. Law enforcement is 90 per cent trust and respect. Without it, the only way to maintain order is through violence. Nelles should know this and realize his has lost this. It is time to move forward. He needs to heal and so does the community.
Meanwhile, critics of the salary issue should hesitate for a moment to consider their comments. While Nelles presents a possible extreme at one end of the scale, the law was meant to protect the opposite perspective. To change it could hurt innocent people and those are the ones who deserve the protection.

New girl's hockey association for Cobourg and area

2006-08-15T08:29:00.000-04:00

More than 80 girls signed up for a new all-female hockey association starting this fall, leaving the Cobourg Community Hockey League a bit beleaguered.
Trish Davidson, a member of the steering committee behind the initiative, said the West Northumberland Girls Hockey Association will offer seven to nine rep teams that will compete in the North Metro Girls Hockey League and the Central East Girls Hockey League, as well as house league teams for girls seven to 21 and beginners house league for women over 21.
There have been some parents questioning how organized the league is going into the season, but assurances from Davidson claim they are ready to go.
This is an exciting development for young women in the community. Until now, there were limited opportunities for all-women hockey. Many girls, particularly young ones, were left to play on mixed teams in the CCHL. The league continues to be committed to supporting young women, but this new league will raise a lot of interest.
It is not unusual for women to form their own sports teams. The Cobourg Angels baseball organization in town is huge and supports some excellent rep softball teams in Ontario.
In light of the increased interest in supporting women's hockey in Canada, this league comes at a great time. The Clarkson Cup is raising awareness of the high calibre of the game. And, these young women in Northumberland can pursue their own dreams of becoming the next Hayley Wickenheiser.

The death knell for two schools in Port Hope

2006-08-14T08:31:00.000-04:00

A final review of a decision to close two public schools in Port Hope is complete and the news released late last week is not good for those trying to save them.
A review by the Ministry of Education into the closing of Dr. L.B. Powers Public School and Central Public School concludes the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board is justified in its plans to close both schools next month. The schools serve the centre of the town and have a long history in the community.
Parents, politicians and others from the town fought a bitter battle with the school board, which ended with a major public meeting in February with promises from the trustees that they would listen. But the illusion of democracy persists as the board, with its air tight policy on school closure merely walked through its consultation process with a clear goal of shutting down the two schools. With declining enrollment and elderly buildings, it was a deadly combination nobody could argue against with any authority. Certainly, there were those who tried, presenting facts and figures, but with the board's closure policy in motion, it was impossible to stop.
But the board is not interested in this area. With responsibilities for a huge region including Clarington and Peterborough, with its rapid growth, places like Port Hope (Northumberland, for that matter) cannot compete. New subdivisions means the construction of new schools, which can be built like massive box stores. These gigantic building are economic and efficient, but very poor places to educate children. They are like education factories with the only goal of processing young people rather than teaching them anything.
This will also hurt the downtown of Port Hope, as people will move to the new subdivisions rather than live in the town's core. And, it will hurt future economic growth because businesses will not want to relocate to a place where they cannot move with their families.
What is even more apparent is the rush to amalgamate school boards has meant Northumberland is the big loser. It cannot contend with the other more developed areas and its political representatives are puppets not champions.
Thankfully, Port Hope School Trustee Erin Brown is not running again. She has failed the community and leaves with her tail between her legs. Regardless of any other work she has done during her two terms in office, people will remember it was her watch that left them without two key schools. She would have suffered a humiliating defeat.
As for Gord Gilchrist, the other trustee, he is merely a lapdog of the school board and has failed to defend the community. Certainly, he has stood by the board and its arguments. And, he argues the board is doing the right thing. But, he has not represented his constituents in their battle. Rather, he was the opposition. Hopefully, he will step down, too.

Three-way race for Cobourg deputy mayor

2006-08-11T08:29:00.000-04:00

Cobourg council gadfly Manfred Schumann entered the race for Cobourg deputy mayor yesterday with a long list of criticisms aimed at incumbent candidate Gil Brocanier.
Schumann, 60, is a local businessman, who owns a card/gift shop on the main street. He is a regular observer at council meeting, attending almost every week for the past eight years. He is a long-time director with the Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA) and frequently makes deputations before council on critical issues. This has led him to be viewed by some as a pain in the butt, but for others he is an effective watchdog.
This is the first time Schumann has run for council. He is already framing the race as an referendum on the town's finances. He says the town's financial success is the job of the deputy mayor and the future is tied into how the financial portfolio is handled. This sounds very similar to Ben Burd's approach when he called it a race to be "budget chief".
The senior's centre will be the wedge issue for Schumann. He is critical of Brocanier's handling of the senior centre issue, which was originally being pushed through council until a group, which included Schumann, raised deep concerns about a lack of planning and missing details. Since then, the process has slowed considerably and is currently awaiting a needs study.
The third platform is around development, which Schumann believes is being done backwards. He wants the "town's agenda" first and not developers. This will be viewed as anti-development by the progressives who want to turn Cobourg into a metropolis with housing subdivisions underway or under review in Cobourg's east and west ends.
Finally, there is the issue of public deputations. As a regular presenter, Schumann has been abused by politicians and media commentators for his critical presentations during public meetings. Not doubt, this will change.
The three-way race between Schumann, Brocanier and Burd will create an interesting dynamic. The votes will be seriously split with reformers torn between Burd and Schumann. The fear is Brocanier will win by going up the middle. Don't be surprised if Burd drops out to line up the votes behind Schumann since he carries a lot more political baggage in the community and has been unsuccessful in his past two runs for council.

Good fences make great neighbours

2006-08-10T08:16:00.000-04:00

Poet Robert Frost got it right. And for 16 residents of O'Connor Court, in the northeast portion of Cobourg, a noise fence to protect them from the loud sounds coming off of Highway 401 are both a blessing and a curse.
One family is going to have to remove a portion of their deck and kill plans to build a backyard pool after town officials started to build the fence. It turns out the town wants to use a swath of land about three metres (about nine feet) deep.
One of the residents, Rhonda Baitley is protesting the move, saying she knew nothing in advance. Sadly, the town was clear in its plan of subdivision back in 2003, but Baitley said the subdivision developer failed to inform her.
Already all the affected residents have signed a petition. The town is prepared to negotiate a reduction in the amount of land it needs and a solution may be found.
It would be overly easy to say "too bad" to Baitley. As a consumer, she needed to make herself aware of all details of her home purchase. Most people don't review a subdivision plan when they purchase a new home. And, it would also be simple to get upset with the developer for allegedly not informing her when they made the purchase. Then, the town could ensure this doesn't happen by putting notices on the titles.
Yes, there is plenty of blame to be spread around.
But from a process point of view, how much can we expect? Most people don't make themselves aware. With few exceptions, people go around uninformed about the most basic things going on. Local news media fail to cover details of meeting. And politicians don't make any extraordinary efforts to keep citizens up to speed, saving the public meetings that are legislated. It is hard to imagine the balance between a citizen's responsibility and the political and institutional culpability.

James Cockburn Day forgotten

2006-08-09T10:16:00.000-04:00

Once again, municipal politicians have failed to jump on an excellent opportunity to promote Northumberland County and remind people of the incredible history of this area.
Monday was James Cockburn Day in Cobourg. It was established in 1999 before the province declared the August long weekend as Simcoe Day, after Sir John Graves Simcoe.
Cockburn is Northumberland's Father of Confederation and the first speaker of the House of Commons. The day is meant to celebrate local history and all the great people who made contributions to developing one of the most significant areas in the development of the country.
He was born on Feb. 13, 1819 in a small town on the English-Scottish border and immigrated to Canada when he was 13. He was fortunate enough to attend Upper Canada College and then learned law at Osgoode Hall. He came to Cobourg to establish a law practice with his good friend Darcy Boulton, another high profile Cobourg resident, who made many contributions to the town.
He was elected to town council in 1850s, but quickly moved up the ladder to become the Reform candidate for the Province of Canada West's legislative assembly. He left the reformers to join with Sir John A. Macdonald's Liberal-Conservative Party. He attended the Quebec Conference of 1864. Several high profile politicians who were involved in the Confederation efforts stayed in Cobourg during a stop over before heading on to Quebec.
After Confederation, he was elected as Speaker, serving from 1867 to 1874. By this time, he was in a great deal of financial trouble and the Speaker's job meant he was able to live comfortably.
He lost his seat in the 1874 election as part of a massive voter rejection of Macdonald and his party in light of the Pacific Scandal. He was re-elected in 1878, but was not very active. At this time, he worked on legislation, collecting and classifying Canadian statutes.
He died on August 14 1883.
It is disappointing nobody wants to celebrate this amazing man. While he was not extraordinary like Macdonald and others, he represents many of those people who make their contribution with quite dedication and resolve. Just like most of us.
It is truly sad. Not only did the town council and staff forget to publish a declaration this year, but the local media let it go by completely. Even after the local radio station was told, it did not mention the day on any news broadcasts.
The current mentality gives very little notice of history because the emphasis is on the moment. History is an important teacher. Very little is new and everything comes from something which preceded it. We run a huge risk when we forget our heritage.

And they keep coming...

2006-08-07T09:43:00.000-04:00

A Cobourg mom has joined the race for council late last week, becoming the youngest contender thus far.
Melissa Marshall, 34, a personal care support worker, is running on a family-oriented platform for the November municipal election with a focus on youth and seniors. If elected, she wants to hold regular forums at schools and nursing homes to hear directly on important issues from all members of the community. She supports the idea of a senior#039s centre, as proposed by the current council, but wants it to be a multi-use facility.
This is the kind of new blood council needs. And, while she does not have the level of community involvement of other candidates or incumbents, she claims to have good grassroots backing. If nothing else, she will add a needed dimension: a young mother. This will stand in stark contrast to the male retirees who make up the current council. Her family-based perspective is blowing through this election like a fresh wind in a stale house.
Marshall is not completely without political experience, she has worked on a municipal campaign previously as a teenager in a Port Hope election.
She is the fifth to submit papers along with Wayne DeVeau, Bob Spooner, Miriam Mutton and Larry Sherwin. Three other have declared their intention to run: Mayor Peter Delanty, Councillor Gil Brocanier and former councillor Ben Burd.

Another one enters the ring

2006-08-04T08:38:00.000-04:00

Cobourg resident Larry Sherwin entered the race for council in this falls municipal election yesterday.
The 20-year resident from Brook Road South is hoping to capitalize on the emerging sense of urgency for change on council. To his credit, he has been attending council meetings for the last few months trying to get a handle on issues. Like many, he finds council's disregard for public input to be grating. The lack of responsiveness on this council is appalling and will be an Achilles' tendon for incumbents.
Sherwin's service for on the parks and recreation advisory committee will also be a big plus. He has worked on the committee since the 1990s and will have many contacts with the sports community. He is also the vice-chairperson of the Ontario Amateur Softball Association and the past-chairperson of the Legion Minor Softball League. These are two high profile positions that will give him a huge advantage.
Notably, having the backing of the athletic community is a big boost when it comes to the polls. This is historically a segment of the voting population that has come out behind Deputy Mayor Bob Spooner, who also came to office riding his connections to the sports community. Now, with Sherwin in the race, there will definitely be some erosion. And, with Spooner dropping down to run for a councillor's position, the vote will definitely be split.
Sherwin joins Mariam Mutton, Spooner, Gil Brocanier, Peter Delanty and Ben Burd as declared candidates. Only Mutton, Sherwin and Spooner have officially registered.

Minute Rice brands leaves Cobourg for Houston

2006-08-03T10:38:00.000-04:00

The Kraft plant in Cobourg lost one of its major brands after the company sold it to Ebro Puleva, of Spain, for $280 million.
The operation will move to its Houston-based plant, giving the company a toehold in the Canadian market. Ebro Puelva is one of the world's largest pre-cooked rice manufacturers. It also recently purchased a pasta operation that makes Creamette macaroni products.
For the company it is part of a larger strategy to focus on its biggest brands rather than smaller ones. It is part of a three-year plan Kraft Chief Executive Officer Irene Rosenfeld, who took charge a month ago, is pursuing. The idea is to sell smaller units and increase marketing of bigger brands such as Oscar Mayer meats and Capri Sun beverages. Minute Rice generates about $90 million in revenue, of which $37 million was profit.
Shareholder will get a 10 cent dividend in a one-time payout. Erbo Puleva saw a 93 per cent rise in its share value.
And while that is all good news for the business community, it sucks for Cobourg. With only 375 jobs left at the plant before the announcement, it will hurt. Both the United Food and Commercial Workers local 1230 and the company will not say how many jobs will be lost.
This leaves very little for the Cobourg plant. In talking with a retired employees, it was speculated the line handling Shake And Bake may also move south to a Kraft plant in the United States. A new formula for coating mix means the Cobourg plant would be obsolete.
Cobourg once employed 1,000 people in its heyday in the 1970s. One of the biggest reasons it was kept open during the downsizing of many larger coporations in the 1980s and 1990s was its ability to purchase cheap sugar from Cuba, which would have been illegal in the United States due to trade bans.
Cobourg's plant made a wide range of products from Certo to Kool Aid to breakfast cereals. But, there was always a cloud hanging over the plant as rumours of its closing have circulated for close to 40 years.
But, this could be its death knell. With a three-year strategy to get rid of smaller brands, it does not bode well locally.
This would be another in a long line of major manufacturers who have left the area. Columbus McKinnon, Winchester, General Wire and Cable, H&K Manufacturing. St. Anne's water, Imperial Bake and Serve, Gaines Pet Food, Diversey Water Technologies, Budd Plastics, Matthew Conveyers, Cooper Tool, FP Electronics. Centre Manufacturing Curtis Products
Politicians are powerless in these situations. While they will spend huge sums of money on economic development, it is impossible to stem the tide. Cobourg and Port Hope are quickly becoming bedroom communities, with little more than service sector jobs to offer. The high-paying union jobs of the past which drove the economic engine of the region are quickly disappearing to be replaced by subdivisions and box stores. Toronto refugees are moving here to escape the decline in the large urban centre as they retire. The fastest growing sector in the local population is over 55.
Certainly, these people bring lots of money with them. After selling their high priced homes in Toronto, they have plenty of money to spread around, driving up local home prices and spending lots on all kinds of retail and services.
This only creates part-time jobs without benefits and forces people to leave the community to make a decent living.
It is sad, but it is a story repeated in many communities in rural Ontario. And, there is little reason for politicians, both municipally and provincially, to do anything.

Cameco accident fodder for opponents

2006-08-02T14:58:00.000-04:00

Five employees at the Cameco plant in Port Hope received treatment after an accident where hydrogen fluoride was released Monday.
During the ongoing decontamination of historic equipment inherited from the company's predecessor, Eldorado Gold Mines, who started a radium refinery at the current location, a wisp of smoke from a four-foot section of metal piping while they were cutting through a pipe joint. The two operators, who were working on the pipe immediately erred on the side of caution and reported the incident, according to media reports.
The plant's emergency response team came to the scene, where the pipe was removed and taken to the area where UF6 (urnanium hexafluouride) is processed and it could be handled for further testing.
The incident took place in one of the larger, older buildings and officials say the exposure was minor. The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission and the Ministry of Environment were notified.
Without question, this incident will be a spark for the Families Against Radiation Exposure (FARE) will have a heyday with this. The group has consistently fought against the company's safety practices and was successful in opposing an expansion of the plants capacity to undertake an SEU (slightly enriched uranium) project.
This comes at a time when Cameco is working hard to develop its long term plans and community consultations are ongoing. The FARE opposition to the SEU project deeply divided the community. There was some bad blood and this incident will certainly fuel the opponent's arguments that Cameco is unsafe, despite the fact that it is being called minor.
Watch for key community leaders and some politicians to jump on this one. In particular, Councillor John Morand, a long time opponent and former deputy mayor, now council candidate, John Floyd. Pat McNamara will be before council within a week. And, the letters to the editor will flow like Niagara Falls.
While Cameco is successful in controlling the media spin today, it will be interesting to watch how long it will be able to hold on to the agenda.

Donation of $800,000 to Northumberland Hills Hospital

2006-08-01T14:14:00.000-04:00

A long-time Port Hope resident left $800,00 to the local hospital yesterday.
Gerald Hamilton made the decision only days before he died of cancer at 78. It will be used to buy an MRI machine, a major improvement in equipment for Northumberland County. Until now, patients needing this scan were forced to go to Toronto, Peterborough, Oshawa or Kingston.
One of the reasons for such a large donation was changes to the captial gains taxation rules made recently. The gift came in the form of stock.
Hamilton was born in Markham on a small family farm. He left the farm to work at Simpson's, a large retail chain in Canada, as a buyer. Just before he retired, he worked for The Bay, another major retailer who bought out Simpson's. He took early retirement and opened an antique shop and built up an impressive stock portfolio.
Two things of note.
First, it is amazing to see this type of generosity in our community. Second, it is great to see people taking advantage of this capital gains reform. Sadly, the lack of proper government funding leaves public institutions scrambling for money. This donation helps, but it should not replace appropriate levels of public funds.

One hundred children wait for vital services in Northumberland

2006-08-01T08:17:00.000-04:00

Despite all the rhetoric politicians can muster, families continue to be at the bottom of the agenda, particularly those with children who face serious problems.
Take for example the 100 children and teenagers who sit on a waiting list for physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy from the Five Counties Children's Centre, which serves Northumberland and Peterborough counties, along with Lindsay. Families must wait six to 18 months before getting much needed assistance due to a shortfall in funding to its $6 million budget. The agency received $600,000 from the provincial government in March to enable it to lower its overall waiting list from 500 to 350.
The situation locally is so bad Cobourg author Grace Barker donated $1 per book from her latest children's book The Bad Luck Bank Robberies.
There is not one local politician - municipal, federal or provincial - who will not tell you families are important. And yet, it is apparent this refers to those who do not face problems. About 50 parents in the Kitchener area rallied yesterday to help 750 autistic children who are on waiting lists for intensive therapy. The Ontario Court of Appeal recently ruled the provincial government doesn't have to pay for therapy once children reach the age of six.
NDP Health critic Shelly Martel said a portion of the funds allocated for assistance is not being spent.
No doubt, there are arguments to be made about what social servivces are essential and those which are not. But, when it comes to children, the debate must end and action must be taken. No child should suffer. A co-ordinated effort must be made to get the 100 children in Northumberland County the services they need. County politicians must take on this issue immediately and not stop. Meanwhile, MPP Lou Rinaldi must be publicly embarrassed into action, since it seems to be the only motivator he responds to in a crisis. Finally, MP Rick Norlock needs to break with his party to speak out on this issue. This is the kind of issue that could be solved if Ontario received its fair share of equalization payments. He should suggest that any additional money provided to the provinces should be spent on social programs aimed at children and families.
There is much to be done.

A telling conversation with the former editor of the Cobourg Daily Star

2006-07-31T14:54:00.000-04:00

Ran into former Cobourg Daily Star editor Cam Christie on the main street this afternoon.
He continues to work as an desk editor at the National Post and his family is pretty much the same as always - good.
He said something very telling during a discussion about the upcoming municipal elections.
"Why is it all the people who shouldn't be running for council, put their names forward?" he asked.
He noted the number of retired teachers (Mayor Peter Delanty and Councillors Dean McCaughey and Lloyd Williams) and those with limited experience in business (Councillors Bill MacDonald, who is a stay-at-home dad) Councillors Pam Jackson is a semi-retired PR consultant and Gill Brocanier is a retired manager from Kraft-General Foods. Deputy Mayor Bob Spooner is also a retired salesman.
Notice almost the entire council is made up of retired people. It speaks to the type of people who run for council. They have the time to devote to politics and are not worried about the income because they have another source.
But it also means there are many problems, too.
Wayne DeVeau, one of the candidates for council this fall, is also retired. Mariam Mutton is an independent businesswoman. Ben Burd is a tow truck driver.
Maybe Cam has a point.

Cobourg finally puts some teeth in heritage preservation

2006-07-31T09:47:00.000-04:00

With more than 400 properties on Cobourg's heritage wish list, it is about time the town took some action regarding preservation of historic homes.
A proposal to incorporate the town's heritage district guidelines into the property standards bylaw is an excellent one and there should be no delay. This would enable the town to enforce important standards to preserve these buildings when homeowners fail to adhere to the guidelines that control any exterior changes that might change the appearance of the building, ruining the historic features.
Sadly, the town has lost many wonderful building, including the St. Michael's Rectory, the Chateau Hotel, the Lydia Pinkham building, the old post office among others because the town lacked the ability to enforce building standards.
The battle over heritage preservation is an old one placing those who wish to keep the architectural history of Ontario in tact against developers who only see old structures that need to be torn down to make new ones.
Until now, there are very few tools municipalities have to stop a developer. Under the Ontario Heritage Act, the best a municipality can do is delay approval on demolition permits to buy time to negotiate a deal. But this meant developers only needed to wait out any deadlines then go ahead to rip the building down. This has not changed.
The other challenge is the number of homeowners who are not interested in preserving the integrity of the of historic exteriors. Real estate agents are notorious for not fully informing homebuyers when they purchase a home in the heritage district. The guidelines recommend everything from the colour of the building to any renovations. Many time, uninformed owners are hauled before council pleading ignorance.
The Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee, a group of citizens designated by council to be watchdogs over the historic buildings in town, are often left talking to themselves rather than to council. This is the first time in a long while where the group has actually come forward in a proactive way. Usually, they come to council once a crisis exists.
They have a list of 400 buildings they want to have designated. Council must decide whether to impose these designations or continue to try and persuade the owners to follow the rules.
This is where the proposal to incorporate the guidelines into the property standards bylaw will become highly effective. This way, owners will have to comply. Also the fines must be raised. Offenders are hit with a meagre $150 fine. LACAC wants to hike it to $500. It should be $5.000 or more.
As for those who argue property owner's rights must take precedent, it is a poor argument. People who buy historic homes have a greater responsibility to the community and to history. If they don#039t wish to be custodians of these amazing homes and structures, then go buy in one of the countless subdivisions.
Cobourg once promoted its heritage far more than it does now. Citizens continue to be proud of the town#039s history despite the efforts by the current council. Once in office, Mayor Peter Delanty changed the marketing strategy away from heritage into "wellness" (whatever that means). Still, there are many who wish to ensure the preservation of the town's history for generations to come.
This proposal is a good step.

God Bless Robert and Patricia Barker

2006-07-26T23:23:00.000-04:00

This couple blasted the Northumberland YMCA and town council over the paid parking at Victoria Beach. The Y runs an outdoor pool adjacent to the parking lot.
The Barkers think it is unfair to pay for memberships and registrations at town-run facilities and then have to pay for parking when their grandchildren want to go swimming.
They were so upset they wrote a letter to council.
Deputy Mayor Bob Spooner pulled a nice flip-flop when he agreed with the letter. Mayor Peter Delanty and Councillor Dean McCaughey chimed in their support, too. When the parking meters were being debated, they were strong supporters. In fact, the entire council unanimously endorse the meters about a year ago.
Councillor Lloyd Williams suggested a review of paid parking might be necessary.
While council failed to act, Mr. Barker promised he will try to approach the YMCA to get results.
First, it is great to see I am not alone in being upset with the paid parking situation around the beach area.
Second, it is stunning to watch council bounce around this issue like a fish on a dock, flapping all over the place in the hope it will find the water. I guess a municipal election will have this kind of affect on a politician's memory.
It does have a bit of a Zen quality to it. They just focus on the moment in front of them, not worrying about the past or future. Makes you want to say "Ohm..."

Telling comments by planning co-ordinator Dean McCaughey

2006-07-26T23:10:00.000-04:00

A proposed 222 acres in Cobourg's east end will be transformed into 1,300 residential units, parks, schools and a church in one of the largest subdivision site plans in recent memory.
Rondeau Development submitted its massive plans earlier this week and council got to take a quick look before the planning department does its usual analysis.
Councillor Dean McCaughey, who is the longtime planning co-ordinator, said staff will move as quickly as possible, but the review will be done thoroughly.
"There won't be any attempts to throw roadblocks in the way," he promised.
On the surface, this is all very unremarkable. But it is not.
Just above this story on the front page of the Cobourg Daily Star is a piece on the upcoming Ontario Municipal Board hearing for a proposed Home Depot. A businessman is fighting the major hardware and lumber retailer over a marketing study it submitted for zoning approvals to build one of its big box stores near the Wal-Mart.
It was only a few months ago, Mr. Sub built its new store on the main downtown street after a major battle between community activists and council. McCaughey took a beating over the conflict as the heritage perservationists worked overtime to try to get the facade to match the rest of the historic downtown buildings. In the end, the corporation got to keep its pseudo-heritage design that compliments the other architecture, but definitely does not match. It looks like a kid in his father's suit, and ill fit that is awkward and out of place, but a nice try.
When the fight was over, McCaughey was mighty upset with lots of scars. One thing politicians worry about is the message potential developers get about an area. If there are too many problems and a very strong activist community to oppose projects, they will take a pass.
Thus, McCaughey's comments are meant to send a clear message to developers that council is more than willing to push through plans. And, he is trying to keep his opponents at bay by saying the job will be thorough.
He should know better than to try to assuage the situation. In the meantime, this might mean McCaughey is hoping to run for re-election. If he can keep both sides in the development world happy, he may get a shot at coming back. But, that may be a long shot.

Petty, petty, petty

2006-07-26T10:00:00.000-04:00

Northumberland Hills Foundation chairman Bob McCoubrey went before Cobourg council Monday night seeking $300,000 toward a new CT scanner, only one week after Port Hope council committed the same amount to the $1 million machine.
Councillor Lloyd Williams was quick to argue it is a "no brainer", since the new technology will be able to provide early diagnosis for heart attacks. With an aging population and a mass migration of retirees to the region, it could be easily argued the equipment is absolutely necessary. Otherwise, patients will be sent to Peterborough, Oshawa or Kingston for the scans.
But, with the usual acrimony, council delayed, seeking a report from staff as to where the cash will come from. But first, councillors got their licks in by stating the town has already contributed more than Port Hope. When the hospital was built, the town spent $4.2 million in free infrastructure like sewers, water and roads.
With an election this fall, it is highly unlikely any politicians wants to appear to be a Scrooge. It will depend on who is looking to run again in the fall. The mayor, deputy mayor and councillors Williams and Brocanier are all seeking re-election. But if Jackson, McCaughey and MacDonald want to, they can put the screws to this proposal. The mayor can be petty. So, all eyes will be on council for this vote.
What is even more shameful is the continued bickering that goes on between the two municipalities. Despite any effort to bring the two communities together to co-operate on any level is impossible. The historic rivalry and bitterness will never go away. For the Toronto refugees who come here to retire, it is impossible to fathom why. But, for those longtime residents, it is the equivalent of the Hatfield-McCoy feud. Annie, get your gun.
And poor McCoubrey better buy a flack jacket.

A divided downtown? What else is new.

2006-07-26T09:46:00.000-04:00

The Port Hope downtown business association, known as the Hertiage Business Improvement Area, is squabbling over last weekend's sidewalk sale.
One member, Julie Aldis, who runs a John Street bistro, said the road closures serious hurt her operation. Her opening salvo in her war with the organizers began with a blunt letter in Monday's newspaper claiming she was not informed. She has other concerns. It met with a cool response from HBIA president John Campbell arguing a newsletter is sent out to all 120 members informing them of upcoming events. He also notes all meeting of the group are open and she is free to attend in order to make her concerns known.
One other businessman stepped up to defend the downtown association saying the communication is good and the organization is doing a great job.
As downtown business owners duke it out, no one should be overly surprised. It seems these battle are constantly going on and occasionally bubble up to the surface for everyone to see.
Cobourg's downtown association is a prime example. For many years, it was like trying to herd cats when any initiative was offered up. Anything from common hours to promotional activities were greeted with a complex mixture of enthusiasm and dread. The old boys would rarely comply. So, it the suggestions would die. I have known three downtown co-ordinators and they were very harried and often discouraged.
It is sad. There was a time in Cobourg when the downtown merchants were community leaders. And, it wasn't that long ago. The Christmas parade in Cobourg owe's its genesis to these people. They sponsored sports teams and donated untold amounts of money, time and products to fundraising.
Not so much anymore. Parking is a perennial debate which advances at a snail's pace as neither side seem to be able to control employees from using space close to entrances that should be for customers. There is always the issue of paying or not paying for parking.
Back in 1988, at Christmas, local businessman Bill Patchett hung the most amazing decorations. It was a series of wreaths and holly strung across the mainstreet overhead. As you drove downtown, it looked amazing. He did it one year because there were so many complaints from business owners.
These petty squabbles are legendary. The response will be swift and silent. No one from the downtown or those support the HBIA will eat at her establishment. She will be blacklisted until she goes out of business or is so frustrated she will quit. It is small town politics.

Province must help municipalities with outstanding tickets

2006-07-25T08:45:00.000-04:00

Northumberland County is owed more than $3 million in outstanding tickets and fines by people from outside the area - the equivalent of the entire county roads budget for 2006.
Sadly, about $2 million of this was transferred to the county when the province downloaded responsibility for unpaid fines to the municipalities in 1998. Most counties in Ontario face the same fate, said county CAO Bill Pyatt.
The main culprits are U.S. visitors or people from other provinces who cannot be forced to pay when they leave. There is virtually, nothing anyone can do, Pyatt added. Some fines date back 15 years.
This is an opportunity for federal-provincial co-operation and could be easily dealt with, if governments were serious about assisting municipalities. A central database of fines and unpaid tickets could be created, if it does not already exist. When a U.S. visitor is leaving, they could be stopped at the border and made to pay. Or, the province should pick up the cost of seeking payment, including additional fees for using collection agencies. Regardless, this cannot be allowed. The same system could be used to force out of province offenders, as well.
Municipalities cannot afford to do this. The most efficient system is to do this provincially, since the large number of offenders would justify the cost.
As for those deadbeats who try to get away with this, the government should add charges to make it punitive and unattractive to not pay.

Town will challenge court decision over abandoned factory

2006-07-25T08:17:00.000-04:00

The owner of a former tannery in Cobourg will face another round in court after town council decided last night to challenge a decision allowing the old buildings to remain standing and in disrepair.
The town deems the buildings on Alice Street to be unsafe and seek to have owner Richard Beasley to either repair or demolish the buildings. The town took Beasely to court after orders to do the work were issued in April 2004. Originally, it only asked the buildings be repaired. However, the town was forced to re-issue new orders seeking either repair or demolition.
Beasley said, in a published interview, he was not given enough time to comply. He also complained the orders were vague.
The town is right to go after Beasley. And, while he may feel there is not enough time or the orders were not clear, it is no excuse. These building represent a hazard both as an environmental concern and as a safety concern. Wayward individuals could easily light a fire that could threaten many heritage homes in the downtown. This is one of the oldest factories in Cobourg and presents a real danger.
Sadly, it is another example of an irresponsible businessman who is trying to get out of fulfilling his duties because he doesn't either have the money or he doesn't want to spend money. He has not paid his taxes and hopes the town will take over the lands and sell them for failure to pay.
Taxpayers' money is being wasted fighting this in court and coughed up all the money for staff time and lawyer's fees. The public should know the final bill and whether or not Beasely is going to be fined to reimburse the town. If not, it sends a bad message that the public purse is going to support bad business practices.

Victoria Park meters fall short in many ways

2006-07-24T09:50:00.000-04:00

One of the great benefits of living in Cobourg is Victoria Beach. Nothing beats going down to the beautiful sandy beach on Lake Ontario when the heat skyrockets during the summer. It takes no time to get there - about five minutes anywhere in town - and it is rarely closed.
Yet, the town council is bent on making this wonderful resource another cash grab. More than a year ago, the put paid parking meters on all the street surrounding the beach and park area. This means it costs $1 an hour to use visit the beach. And, while some may say this is nothing, it is a punitive measure at the least and an unnecessary deterrent at best.
What is more ironic is the meters are not meeting the expected revenue projections. When the budget was being drafted for this year, a report from the town manager, Rick Stinson, showed only $17,700 was collected, far less than half the expected $52,000 projected when the project was first proposed.
There was a huge uproar about the proposal as many citizens felt the park and beach, two jewels in Cobourg's crown since the 19th century, should be free to the public. Many visitors from upstate New York travelled across on the Lake Ontario ferry to spend time on the lovely beach. To pay for this natural attribute is wrong, critics said.
Also the Cobourg Lawn Bowling Club, another historic fixture of the area, felt the fees were unfair to their members, many who are seniors, who enjoyed free parking.
For those low-income residents, the meters are a huge slap in the face. Already the Northumberland YMCA shares for its use of the pools. (Tim Horton's pays for one night a week free.) For these people there is no place to go for relief from the heat.
Sure, paying for parking for a day at Cobourg beach is nothing compared to going to a movie or dining out. But what is more aggravating is the dogged meter maids who hand out $10 fines if the meters expire.
Council will not remove the meters, regardless of how many complaints it receives. The politicians on this council are far too money-grubbing and cash hungry to step back. Still, future councils could give back the public beach to citizens to enjoy. The lifeguards cannot be such a huge expense that taxpayers would scoff at carrying the minor costs to all residents and visitors can enjoy this incredible resource.

DeVeau joins race for council

2006-07-21T08:47:00.000-04:00

Former Community Services Director Wayne DeVeau announced he will run for Cobourg council in the municipal election this fall.
With 14 years of service, he has a good knowledge of the inner workings of town hall and he comes to the table with some pretty impressive credentials. He helped get the $1 million grant for the construction of the C. Gordon King Library and $4.1 million from the Waterfront Regeneration Trust for habourfront redevelopment. Those are two very high profile projects in town and will carry weight in the minds of voters. He retired in 2004.
DeVeau also has plenty of insight into the machinations of council, too. His wife, Gail, was a councillor for three years.
It is difficult to rate his chances at this point seeing as the race has not really taken off.
Deputy Mayor Bob Spooner is stepping down from his post to run for council because he is too frightened to take on Gil Brocanier for the deputy mayor's spot. Longtime politician Ben Burd will take on Brocanier for the battle of the budget chief. He announced his candidacy in his blog
Also, landscape architect and community activist Miriam Mutton is running. She stands a good chance because Pam Jackson, the only woman to sit on council for the past two terms, dropped out of politics a few weeks ago. Voters like to see a woman on council, which sounds very sexist, but it is a pattern for at least the past 20 years. For many years Joan Chalovich in the late 1980s and 1990s held the spot as the lone councilwoman. Then, when she became mayor, Johanna Loken became the only woman. The, she was replaced by Jackson.
Incumbents are still sitting in the weeds waiting. Lloyd Williams will likely run again because he can't help himself. Dean McCaughey had a tough term and may bow out after getting beat up pretty severely on the Mr. Sub project, the preservation of Molly Baker Lane and several other development proposals he supported. Finally, Bill MacDonald is very quiet. He has served for three terms, but has held little power or influence on council. His portfolio this time around was community services and he did very little of note.
So, it is not time to get too excited. But, with the incredible heat wave, there is not much energy anyways.

And then, there were three PC's

2006-07-20T08:41:00.000-04:00

With the entry of Jan Spragge into the race for provincial Progressive Conservative nominee for the Northumberland-Quinte West riding yesterday, the race became very interesting.
Spragge, a resident of Cobourg, will join Cathy Galt, wife of former MPP for the area Doug Galt, and Carl Eggimann, a retired OPP officer from Trenton.
The first thing to notice about this race is the geography. Spragge will be the candidate from the west end of the riding,while Eggimann is from the east. Notably, Galt is from the Colborne area, which sits approximately in the middle.
Nomination races tend to be very internal affairs for local riding associations. We might get a small glimpse into the minds of these people, if the media decides to profile anyone one of them. But, the real battle at the gut level will not be for public consumption.
Galt's entrance into the race mirrors a similar jump into politics by Canada's finance minister, Jim Flaherty's wife, Christine Elliot. Both are wives of Tory politicians. Elliot won the Whitby-Ajax riding comfortably. Doug Galt has a power base in the riding and served two terms, beating out some tough competition. He lost in a province-wide shift that threw the Tories out of office when Dalton McGuinty won. So, Cathy has some pretty strong connections.
Eggimann may be trying to mimc Rick Norlock's success. The current MP for the riding is also a former OPP officer, who won in the Harper sweep of eastern Ontario. The law and order stuff plays well in this riding and garners much respect from voters.
Spragge will launch her campaign in two weeks and then we will find out more.
This is one worth watching.

Public Integrity Journalism

2006-06-29T17:29:00.000-04:00

Michael Skoler, of the Centre for Innovation in Journalism, is speaking about what mainstream media is doing around new forms.

The new news ecology is about partnering. The hardest thing about our economic model is around doing flashier things. That is not really the problem, he says. It is all important. It is all tools of the trade. There is another focus. Many people come to news web sites, not from local audiences, but through search engines. This means there is a very different relationship.

The incredible people you meet

2006-06-29T16:54:00.000-04:00

I spoke with a lovely journalist from the U.K., Jemima Kiss, who operates a blog at jemimakiss.com. I could use a hundred students like her. She is young, intelligent and doing amazing things on the Internet.

Her site is beautiful. As an artist, her sensibilities come through in an amazing way. I particularly like the juxtaposition of her handwriting against the type, along with the very sophisticated colour scheme.

Her journalistic sensibility is also very different. The photographs, shot on interesting angles, represents how the web can be such an interesting place rather than the stuff designs associated with traditional media.

I encouraged her to try multimedia presentations in her journalism, not just using hyperlinks, text and graphics, but also expand into audio and video, as storytelling tools

She is a journalist for paidContent, writing from overseas. It must be challenging to work virtually, but we teach students that this is the new creative model used by companies based on the web.

It is energizing to see such creative, unique talent being used to stretch journalism.

Centre for Public Integrity

2006-06-29T15:13:00.000-04:00

This is the granddaddy of non-profit journalism, the act of using money raised from sources to publish incredible journalism. Centre for Public Integrity has written books, stories and research on some of the most important stories in the United States.

This represents the future of investigative journalism. By raising millions of dollars to do its work.

There is no right answer for the upheaval going on in journalism, but this is something that needs to be seriously considered.

PaidContent

2006-06-29T15:08:00.000-04:00

The web site was started by Stacy D. Kramer, who wanted to create a job for herself. It is now a major site, with three components, all around creating financially viable web sites.

She blogs from the moment she wakes until she sleeps. There is also a newletter and RSS. There is no charge for subscription, it is sponsored. It is a different model. Not one blogger making a living, this site is done by staff. They use blogging as a format, the software makes it easy to publish. These are not bloggers; they are journalists.

It is a virtual business, people come together to publish from all over the world and post to the site.

Twin cities media alliance

2006-06-29T14:58:00.000-04:00

This parent organization runs the twin cities Daily Planet is an initiative similar to OhMyNews, the Korean citizen journalism web site.

All this is done part time. Using the rich media environment, he has been able to create the site. A mixture of paid staff and volunteers, the site launched in May after a lengthy test phase. Through the network of existing media and people who are interested in writing news.

Raw story, progressive politics news

2006-06-29T14:52:00.000-04:00

This web site started two years ago and based on the economic model similar to the Drudge Report. Started by one person without any investment. Done with donations and advertising.

The site is part blog and part news. He uses Goggle and gets decent revenue. You have to be very big or very local to sell advertising. Internet advertising has low margins.

Sensationalism brings in traffic. This is worrisome. Where is the line drawn, when controversy sells?

It is quite hard to get mainstream media to acknowledge the high quality journalism on the web.

Coastsider.com, an online news site, from a small community

2006-06-29T14:41:00.000-04:00

Barry Parr is an example of a person who puts his money where his mouth is.

Serving a small community, Half-moon Bay, with only two roads coming into the town, in north California. He does it part time. He is looking at getting advertising.

He did some groundbreaking journalism and provide an alternative to large media. He sees the Tyee as an inspiration.

He faces a big ethical problem because his town is so small, he is afraid selling advertising may mean he must lower his standards.