Storylines
I read reports. For 20 years, I have read, considered, asked questions, and written about the reports, studies, and ‘preferred solutions’ emanating from Shire Hall. I have no particular expertise—neither engineering, legal, or planning. I have a few decades of finance experience—but more in the marketing of rather than administering or managing money. That’s it; […]
Start of a conversation
An argument is beginning to emerge from the sturm and drang, from the crippling anxiety gripping Shire Hall over waterworks this summer. Indirect and incomplete for sure, but like brave emissaries carrying messages across the valley from the king to his masses—while not ideal—it’s better than the alternative. So far, the instinct in Shire Hall […]
Trust us
It’s a question of confidence. It took more than a century for Wellington’s population to double to 2,000 people. How confident are you that it will double again in the next nine years? Or 30 years? How confident are you that Shire Hall knows? If you pay a water bill in Prince Edward County—in Picton, […]
Invitation
A reader wrote last week complaining of “reading incessantly” my comments on the County’s waterworks. There are two sides to a story, the reader wrote. Why not give Mayor Steve Ferguson some space in the paper to state the case for the other side? It’s a good suggestion. Leave aside that the reader seems to […]
Not me
The facts, as we know them, are these. Wellington’s water is Wellington on the Lake’s water. It is drawn from Lake Ontario, stored in the water tower, and distributed to all Wellington residents. One water source. Wellington on the Lake owns and manages the pipes that distribute the municipal water through the subdivision. This is […]
Press pause
Shire Hall says it was a Council decision. Council approved the plan—and the spending—only Council can pause it. Or slow it down. It should do so. Now. Few council members, regrettably, have any stake in the County’s waterworks utility. Most are not customers, nor will they bear the consequences should the $100 million project to […]
Informed consent
If you pay a water bill in Prince Edward County, you should know the risk that Shire Hall is taking on—on your behalf. If it works out, senior leadership deserves all the credit and recognition it has garnered. But if it doesn’t, it is County waterworks customers who will pay—and only waterworks customers. Shire Hall […]
Won’t be burned again
I stole away with old friends for a couple of days last week to an island. Some time and space away. Nevertheless, the subject of municipal governance sprouted like foulsome bindweed despite energetic efforts to nip it early. I have a party trick I drag out for such occasions, a bit of a thumbnail of […]
Chicken rules
In the Catholic faith, and I expect most religions, the calendar is pocked with celebrations and special days. In between, there is Ordinary Time, as in the past weekend was the Ninth Sunday of Ordinary Time. Don’t fret; we’re not veering down a catechismal or liturgical discussion. Instead, this week I want to talk chickens. […]
Wait and see
What’s the rush? Shire Hall seems intent on plunging waterworks customers into a deep pool of debt. Why? Where’s the urgency? $100 million in spending in Wellington alone. Perhaps another $100 million to bring Wellington water to Picton. Maybe farther? What is driving this breathtaking and unrelenting ambition? The only bit that is clear is […]