Detail and evidence
A 20-unit apartment building—designed for seniors—at the foot of Prince Edward Drive in Wellington. Ninety-six (96) apartments at the top of Maple Street. Seventy-five (75) townhomes and mixed-use commercial/residential in the broad swath of land between Main and Niles, West of Belleville Road. Two hundred and five (205) townhomes behind the Legion. Shire Hall has […]
Pot and kettle
In one of its final acts, Council last week directed Mayor Ferguson to submit a list of objections to the More Homes Built Faster legislation proposed by the provincial government. The resolution passed unanimously— by a recorded vote. A signal of virtue. Bill 23 is a collection of mostly regulatory changes meant to cut through […]
Infill freeze
At least three builders want to build infill home projects in Wellington. Apartments, townhomes and commercial/retail. Dozens of them south of the Millennium Trail. But none are moving ahead. None will be permitted to proceed for years. Each has been blocked by Shire Hall. Meanwhile, a large developer with deep pockets is set to build […]
Us
Big changes are coming to new homebuilding in Ontario. Some good. Some grotesque. Some will be costly. Some unfair. It will be messy. And it all may be too late to make a difference. Yet changes are coming anyway. We will blame politics. A brutish and crude provincial government. We will call it corruption. Shortsighted […]
Orientation
Start early and come prepared. It’s good advice for many endeavours— but particularly apt for a new council member. Four years come and go quickly. The opportunity to do big, meaningful things is fleeting. The window for change will close sooner than you think. This is because Shire Hall is a hard place to get […]
Candidacy
Why do they do it? Folks with busy lives. Serious responsibilities. They have other people who need their time and energy. So why do folks run for council? It surely isn’t the money. Or power. Or glory. There is little of this dispensed at Shire Hall. Mostly it’s long hours. Reading endless reports. Listening to […]
For Mayor
Less than two weeks before we choose our next municipal council (just three days before online voting begins), it is time for this column to announce whom it is endorsing. In past election years, we took a more collaborative approach to these choices within the walls of The Times. But this cycle, Corey Engelsdorfer, the […]
Citizens or consumers
Is populism seeping into County politics? Are we at risk of becoming consumers of services rather than citizens? What responsibility do we have as residents and taxpayers to advance our community? Has Covid altered our mutual contract? The message resounding from town halls in this municipal election is of detachment rather than engagement. But it’s […]
Participate
The Women’s Institute hosted the candidates in Ameliasburgh on Monday night. It was a lively and, at times, emotional evening (More on that on page 22). Yet, it was just the second session The Times has attended in this election cycle. That is a worry. It is getting late. Just four weeks are remaining until […]
Seasonal tidings
Ahappy story, sort of, for this first week of Advent. All but the deepest ritualized furrows of a Catholic upbringing have receded from this weary corpus, yet the urgings to prepare for something big, bound up in these next four weeks, still prod. With such prompting, we shall turn a corner of sorts. Explore a […]