Unaccountable
Democracy, it seems, has been suspended, at least temporarily, in Prince Edward County. A majority of council, it turns out, has decided it will not be bound by the will of the people as expressed by vote. They will, instead, set their own priorities and be accountable only to themselves. A handful of councillors have […]
Now more than ever
We were blessed this past weekend with the most glorious of days in the County. The colours vibrant, temperatures moderate and folks moving around outside taking it all in or finishing the late season chores before the cold weather sets in. It was a weekend in which anyone fortunate enough to be visiting could not […]
My choice
I wasn’t planning on endorsing a candidate— that is until Peter Worthington scolded his own newspaper, the Toronto Sun, this week for failing to advise its readers whom it favours in Thursday’s provincial election. Calling it a “dereliction of duty”, Worthington said his paper was wrong to try to absolve itself of any responsibility for […]
Premier knows best
A massive groan echoed loudly through the pews and hung in the ornate architecture of the United Church in Picton last week. Liberal candidate and incumbent Leona Dombrowsky had been attempting to convince the large gathering that her government was listening to and hearing the concerns about industrial wind turbines in this community. No one […]
Get-green-quick schemes
Leona Dombrowsky gets full marks for showing up. The Liberal candidate and incumbent for Prince Edward-Hastings surely knew there wouldn’t be many votes to be won when she attended a press conference in Milford last week called by the South Shore Conservancy. The naturalist group has been leading the opposition to the development of an […]
House of cards
One of the reasons Canadians generally fared better than our U.S. neighbours when financial markets froze over in 2008 and in the recession that followed was that, relatively speaking, we didn’t have as much household debt. But while we were managing our own affairs rather ably, we neglected to watch our government as carefully—particularly our […]
Darker days
September tends to make me a bit blue—a bit more anxious. A few decades after it has lost any personal significance there remains the existential sadness that summer is over and it is time to get back to school. But it isn’t just the calendar that has me worried these days. I worry about worry—I […]
Into temptation
It will be tempting for the provincial opposition parties in Ontario to leap on the decision by B.C. voters last week to scrap the HST in that province. They must resist the temptation. B.C. voters chose in a referendum last week to get rid of a hugely unpopular tax that many felt was heaved upon […]
Remembering
What is the purpose of memory? Clearly on an evolutionary or selfpreservation basis our memories remind us what food to eat, they help us avoid the things that would like to eat us and aid us to form social connections that help ensure others see us as helpful associates rather than another protein source. But […]
Superheroes
Friday was a cold, blustery day on Lake Ontario. The kind of day to be expected in late October. All day long the wind blew and a low pressure system roiled heavy waves across the lake. It was tough work for the lakers steaming across the horizon for ports east and west. It was not […]