Seepage
It’s a fragile thing. Our trust in government to protect us, to keep us safe from the dangers in the world around us, is fundamental to this relationship. We grumble and complain about how they spend our money, the priorities they choose and the decisions they make, but at the core of our idea about […]
Aim higher
It’s hard to give money away. Not so much the letting go of the cash, more the decision- making about who is worthy and who isn’t. Or rather, which group or initiative is worthier than all the rest. For there is only a finite well of money to give away. It’s hard enough for individuals. […]
Helping plenty
Farmland owners need to knock on another door. Residential homeowners have given already. Plenty. For 20 years, homeowners have paid 75 per cent of farmland tax. They didn’t agree to do this. It was thrust upon them in a basket of bad ideas conjured by Mike Harris and his team at Queen’s Park in the […]
Not just math
I don’t have any options,” explained Mary. “I’m on a fixed income. Where am I going to go?” Mary (not her real name) had just received a notice of a massive MPAC (Municipal Property Assessment Corporation) increase. It lay on the table in centre of the large room bounded on two sides by windows. Nearby, […]
Good things done well
In this, the final column of 2017, permit me to cast an approving nod to some of the good bits about Shire Hall. There are many, and I won’t touch on every one, nor will I make this a regular habit. Most weeks, I tend to pull apart the broken bits, the dysfunction and massive […]
Of geese and eggs
Is the housing market fixed in Prince Edward County? Has new homebuilding rebounded sufficiently to push already eyewatering development and building charges markedly higher? That’s the proposition being promoted by some on council, and some staff, eager to derive more one-time fees from new homebuilding. But do they risk chasing prospective builders away? Again? And […]
Straight up, please
Andrew Grunda is on spongy ground. The consulting economist advises County staff and council on how to set waterwork rates and development charges. He has done so for about a decade. To be abundantly clear, Grunda provides an important service—pushing the municipality to consider its future needs—pumps, pipes, libraries, roads etc.—and then formulating these costs […]
Understanding ag
Dodie Ellenbogen grows vegetables on her small farm on Elmbrook Road, north of Picton. She sells “green leafy things” such as arugula, kale and bok choy at her farm stand and various occasional markets around the County. The young mother of a little girl, she grows an unusually wide array of vegetables—some, admittedly, have never […]
From the porch
When Chris Bowles sank his teeth into a challenge he could not, would not, leave it alone until it lay in tatters in weary defeat. Fearless and tireless, he pursued his objective with the same tenacity whether it was through anonymous federal bureaucrats or equally narrow-focused rodents. Chris was harbourmaster in Wellington for much of […]
Long time coming
I expect a lot of Ontarians woke up on Sunday morning, rousing Google to find out who the NDP candidate is in their riding in the June 7 provincial election. That it was as easy as that. So distressed by the outcome of the Progressive Conservative leadership race, that I expect many folks can neither […]