Questions
It was the wrong question. Put to the wrong person. The answer was, unsurprisingly, unsatisfactory. A committee of council was set last week to approve the purchase of four brand new snowplowing trucks when Bill Roberts, the councillor from Sophiasburgh, asked the Acting Director of Operations, Pat Heffernan, if the trucks were needed. It was, […]
Worth another look
It didn’t work. The sole purpose of minimum distance separation rules (MDS) was to reduce conflict between agriculture operations and new homes and businesses nearby. It failed entirely. In fact, it made matters worse. MDS has been one of the most reliable irritants in Prince Edward County land use planning. It has destroyed heritage, blocked […]
Safe passage
As the snow retreats from the fields around the County, drifts still clinging to the fence lines and hedgerows, it seems a good moment to consider what hedgerows do, and what is at risk when we erase them. An aerial view of Prince Edward County reveals a patchwork of woodland, each not more than a […]
Hearts and minds
Columnist’s note: Council’s unexpected decision on Tuesday night to forge ahead with the proposal by the Save Picton Hall group has rendered the premise of this column out of date. Unsatisfied with both expressions of interest council had earlier decided to start the process again, this time adding some precision in what it was seeking […]
The FTR vortex
If by luck or good management County council manages to escape the seductive allure of its tax ratios debate on March 12, staff ought to consider burying these dials into the walls at Shire Hall and bricking them over. Never permitted to lead another council astray. John Thompson and the Federation of Agriculture first dusted […]
Water view
As snow fills my walkway for the 11th time this month, I think about my friends and neighbours who have managed to escape to warmer locales during these more trying days in Prince Edward County. It’s not envy so much as it is a desire to share the warmth emanating from their Instagram pics from […]
Letter to a developer
The lands north of the cemetery in Wellington are the subject of a public meeting next Monday evening. A consulting firm has arranged the gathering in the Rotary Room of the Wellington and District Community Centre (presentation is at 6:15 p.m.) to hear community feedback and gauge interest on how the land is developed and […]
Uncomfortable facts
The full KPMG report can be found here. My recent columns on the County budget have spurred some energetic and fair-minded pushback. This is a good thing. It is, after all, an opinion column and I release these views into the atmosphere precisely to prompt feedback and discussion. This columnist claims no special authority, nor […]
Consider first
There is a strain of economic thought snaking through academic and think tank hallways lately suggesting that our notions of the harmful effects of accumulating massive debt—specifically government debt— has been overstated. In simplistic terms these folks contend that as long as governments maintain the ability to print its own currency —underpinning strategies known as […]
Springtime is for axes
Early spring is a tough time for CAOs in Prince Edward County. It was late March in 2015 that council convened a special meeting to draw out the long knives for then-Chief Administrative Officer Merlin Dewing. By then, they had heard enough grumbling from residents and employees and their proxies. Council bristled at being told […]