Opportunity
A fifth of Canadians today were born somewhere else. According to the 2016 Census, nearly 22 per cent of us have settled here having immigrated from another country. Not since a wave of immigration, aimed at settling the prairie provinces, at the turn of the last century, has the proportion of foreign-born residents been so […]
Fragile
How many times did you reach for the light switch on Friday, even though you knew there was no electricity flowing through the circuit? How often did you begin a task only to pull up short because it required electricity? An extended blackout on Friday across large swathes of the County served as a vivid […]
The space in between
Much of the post-election commentary has centred on the divide between Alberta and “the East”. Trial balloons have been floated suggesting Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi as Cabinet minister in Justin Trudeau’s new government. Other putative salves are being proffered to treat the perceived schism created between Alberta, sometimes Saskatchewan, and the rest of Canada. These […]
On the edge of relevance
Schools are community places. In the best circumstances, they are places that bring us together, whether we have kids attending or not. Sports. Music. Theatre. They are places that welcome folks in from the cold to walk the halls. They host giant pumpkin weighing competitions and other activities in the front yard. In turn, we […]
If only…
A great many ideas have been proffered explaining how Donald Trump came to become the president of the United States. And when this scourge is over—with luck next year and likely by his own undoing—historians and academics will settle into the study of this question for decades. The explanation that resonates most for me, however, […]
Toward civility
I intend to vote for Jagmeet Singh in about 10 days from now. I have never voted NDP before. Not in 40-some years as a voting aged citizen. I confess I write this column not because I seek to influence your choice but more to understand my own. When embarking on an unfamiliar course, I […]
Carnegie’s formula
Libraries are the connective tissue in our community. More than just places filled with books and information, libraries, particularly in rural places like ours, are living organisms reaching out to form flexible, dynamic bonds that unite the disparate and changing character of our community. Libraries in Prince Edward County have also done an astonishing job […]
Risk managers
They tie our kids’ skates. They urge them to try just a little harder. Until they are sailing down the ice under their own power. They are the folks who head out with pruners and saws to cut back the overgrown brush on the Millennium Trail. So that others can walk, cycle or motor along […]
Lost revenue
Council pushed back on a Picton Library expansion project last week. Originally pegged to cost about $1.2 million, it was greenlighted by council in March despite the fact that the price tag had already risen to $2 million. On Thursday, the project proponents presented their chosen contractor and were ready to go. Except the cost […]
Experience pays
County museums are once again being asked to demonstrate their value to taxpayers. As all municipal departments prepare 2020 budgets, guided by a council directive to find a 10 per cent reduction in operating costs, questions are again being asked regarding the long-term viability of managing and maintaining five museums across the County. Their fate […]