To the polls
It is time for an election in Ontario. There comes a time in the life of a governmentwhen the stale, pungent aroma lingering in the hallways of Queen’s Park and on Main Street across the province overwhelms our ability to endure it. The gathering disappointment, deceit and corruption piles up so high it can no […]
Crossing the line
It was a ham-handed stunt. Despite the seriousness claimed by the two actors behind this shameful bit of Shire Hall theatre—it was nothing more than a clumsy and cynical attempt by Brian Marisett and Jamie Forrester to thumb their noses at fellow councillors on an issue upon which they feel increasingly alone and isolated. In […]
A clear message
The Citizens’ Assembly has delivered its recommendation. In the view of its 23 members, selected more or less at random, the right size of our next council ought to be 11 members—10 councillors and one mayor. Wards are to be revamped to more evenly distribute population and to generally reflect the urban and rural mix […]
Risk and reward
This is the second of a three-part comment on the Citizens’ Assembly that concludes this weekend. The Prince Edward County Citizens’ Assembly is expected to render its recommendation this weekend. The group will submit its consensus view on the size of council and how we elect our local government. But does it make sense for […]
Getting here
It is a fascinating experiment. Whatever else may be said or written about the Prince Edward County Citizens’ Assembly, it cannot be denied that what is taking place above the fire station in the old town hall in Picton is a novel and potentially compelling way around a problem that has vexed municipal council for […]
Tone deaf
The decision last week by the Ministry of Environment to challenge the ruling of its own review process in a courtroom defies comprehension. It defies logic. Defies reason. The optics were bad from the outset, a publicly funded provincial ministry whose sole mission it is to safeguard the environment, battling fiercely on behalf of a […]
Ripples
Africa remains a distant place. While many parts of the world appear to be moving closer and more connected—propelled by the internet, telecommunications and daily flights to just about every corner of this planet—Africa remains in our conciousness a largely dark, undefined and foreboding place. In South Sudan, so far, an estimated 2 million people […]
Roles and responsibilities
Last week in a planning meeting, members of council heard the story of Bloomfield-area resident who, when faced with financial and personal challenges elected to create a pair of apartments in what were once farm-related buildings. She didn’t have permission when she built, and rented out these apartments on her rural property. She appeared before […]
P.O.O.C.H. needs your help
The dog needs more friends. It was movement born of frustration and anger. And the belief that the average person still has a say over how government and its institutions spend our money. A flickering optimism, naïve perhaps, that the community should have some input on the way health care is provided here. For when […]
Historic deal
Many around the world released a sigh of relief last week as the U.S. president Barack Obama reached a deal with Russian leader Vladimir Putin that would see Syria rid itself of chemical weapons—weapons that attack the nervous systems in humans and other animals, causing muscles to twitch uncontrollably. Victims typically die of suffocation—muscles they […]