Distracted
It should not have come as a surprise. The fact the County has more roads, bridges and waterworks than it can afford to keep up, has been apparent for years. Thursday’s presentation by the director of finance was merely the tabulation of a sad-but longevident- truth. Yet council’s capacity for denial seems boundless—more powerful than […]
Legion’s presence
Has the Royal Canadian Legion outlived its purpose? Is it still relevant to the broader community beyond a few days in November? Formed in 1925 as a means to unify more than two dozen veteran’s groups after the first world war, the Legion became a vitally important and deeply integrated part of the fabric of […]
Power sharing
What does age have to do with it? I am well ensconced in middle age. I know this to be true. Yet when I look out at the world through these eyes, it doesn’t look or feel any different than when I was 20, 30 or 40. It is only when I am reminded by […]
Pity
Pity the municipalities and rural communities that must follow the twists and contortions of the province and its renewable energy policies. No matter one’s position on energy and how it is generated, it is plain enough, after a decade of floundering, of spilling billions of dollars into investors’ and foreign conglomerates’ pockets and of changing […]
Proportionate response
Six, maybe seven, police vehicles raced through the village—witnesses said it happened so fast they couldn’t say for sure how many. A motorcycle, an SUV, at least three marked cars, perhaps more. Followed by two ambulances. A good portion of the County’s emergency services assets rolled through Wellington on Friday afternoon— at high speed. Sirens […]
Water works
It was dirty, grubby work. Down a dark, narrow hole, three metres under the street. Breaking hard rock and concrete. Bit by bit. Hour after hour. It began as a simple leak in a water pipe running under Main Street in Wellington. But a number of factors turned a routine repair into an overnight marathon […]
Confusion of roles
I am not concerned about what your concerns are.” With this loud declaration, Councillor Jamie Forrester rather neatly encapsulated his single term on council. Full of bluster and short on articulation, Forrester eagerly wanted to put his hands on $40,000 contributed by a developer on East Lake a few years ago to assuage some residents […]
Kathleen in Wonderland
There are good, sound reasons to borrow to pay for firehalls, highways and airports. These are long-lasting assets that will endure a generation or more. Spreading the cost over 20 years or longer is reasonable. Prudent, in some circumstances. Future generations will use these assets, so why shouldn’t they bear some of the burden of […]
Wrong way round
Bit by bit, the Ontario government is recognizing the futility of its renewable energy strategy. Still, it can’t help but throw more public tax dollars at developers eager to cash in at our expense. This week, the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) announced it was letting five contracts worth a total of $42 million to […]
Proposal
About 100 chairs had been set out in tidy rows. An aisleway and microphone neatly dividing a right and left bank. Only about 60 chairs were needed. There are roughly 3,400 eligible voters in Picton. Maybe two per cent of those came out on Monday night to hear the candidates who wish to represent them […]