Grandfather must die
The success of Airbnb and the like have transformed the way we travel—mainly where we stay when we are away. It is also transforming communities such as ours. There are about 10,000 residential homes in Prince Edward County. About 900 of these are not homes at all—but instead are commercial businesses providing shortterm accommodation (STA). […]
Grow or die
There is no Wellington without Wellington-on-the-Lake. At least not a place you would recognize as the village today. Wellington-on-the-Lake breathed new life into a depleted and fading place. Wellington had seen its ups and downs over the decades, but when the last canning factories closed, taking away jobs and a ready market for local produce, […]
Quiet desperation
Mary lived in Wellington for the better part of 40 years. She loved her church community and repaid this sense of belonging with her time and inexhaustible energy. Her garden was a magical place—a mirror of Mary’s delicate but vigorous and colourful character. You had to study it a bit before you noticed the patterns […]
The village forest
Wellington’s Secondary Plan was written as a shield against bad development. When the plan was pulled together in 2010 and 2011, this community’s eyes were wide open. It knew three big developers were planning to build hundreds of new homes north of the Millennium Trail. Bracing for this eventuality, the village spelled out requirements in […]
Normal
Life feels as though it is getting back to normal. (As I read these words back, I brace for admonishment—both the superstitious variety and the epidemiologically grounded.) I will admit to wandering the grocery store recently for several moments before realizing I hadn’t brought a mask. Not intentionally, just the forgetfulness that dulls the synapse […]
Council, heal thyself
It is time—time to fix the mistake made 24 years ago. It’s time to establish a proper council structure, pay them appropriately and give them the resources to do the job. There is an opportunity here and over the next few of months to make a transformative and lasting change to our municipal government. It […]
Can we talk?
Too much. Way too soon. The County wants to rewrite Wellington’s Secondary Plan in the next nine weeks. That’s wildly ambitious. But that’s not all; it also wants to overlay a Heritage Conservation District Plan (HCD)—a sweeping array of new rules, guidelines, appeal mechanisms and such—on the village in the same nine weeks. Even if […]
Water access
Unless you watched to the very end of the hour-and-half-long Committee of Council meeting, you would have missed a key bit of news last week. Wellington is getting a new boat launch. Good news for boaters, fishers, and beachgoers. Better yet, it sets up a range of fresh opportunities for Wellington Rotary beach. A group […]
Allies
It’s not a fair fight. Residential builders will make many millions selling homes in Wellington. They will play rough. They are keenly motivated to maximize their return. They are experienced at working municipal rules in their favour. They will dedicate resources to find the shortest path to profitability and to widen margins. It is what […]
Permit holders excepted
If August is defined by dog days, perhaps the middle of July might be known as the beagle puppy days. All promise and energy. Uncaring and unaware that these days will soon be memories. The beaches are calling. Farm fields are lush. We are gathering again. For music. For comedy. For celebration. And in the […]