Ever upward
Council approves budget spending four times the rate of inflation Property taxpayers and waterworks users will be paying more next year—in some cases a lot more. County council approved its budget last week that will see property tax revenue rise at least 4.1 per cent in 2016 —four times the rate of inflation. The fiscal year […]
Bruising ballet
It is that most Christmas of stories—the fist fight that breaks out in the audience of a children’s matinee performance of The Nutcracker. It began simply enough with a misplaced seat assignment for the afternoon performance of the classic Tchaikovsky ballet as performed by the County School of Dance. The audience, consisting mostly of parents […]
Neither forward nor back
Treading water is expensive Status quo: the existing condition or state of affairs The status quo has an inoffensive, almost benign sound to it, neither challenging nor provocative. Nor is it ambitious. Whether it is the size of council or deliberating a budget, this term of County council has shown a distinct preference for the […]
Live from Shire Hall
Council to live-stream meetings online Council has given a tentative green light to live-stream County council and committee meetings. It has earmarked $15,000 in the 2016 budget to facilitate the broadcast of its meetings over the Internet— $5,000 for one-time setup and equipment costs and the balance for the recurring cost of system maintenance and […]
Germany and renewables
In response to a reader’s query about the sources of information used in the preparation of my Comment in the Times this week (found here), I prepared the following list of references. I am making it broadly available for those interested learning more how I arrived at my viewpoint. It is offered, not as a […]
Exhausted
One Tribunal winds down, but the fight goes on Two exhaustive years, two tribunals and one appeal. The digging, the paperwork, the questions and revelations that just maybe the ministries involved aren’t as neutral as they should be, and it’s finally over. Well, for now. The witness lists exhausted, the hearings for the second Environmental Review […]
Building expectations
County tells developers and investors it is open for business One thing was crystal clear—the County doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It will have to work harder, be more creative and demonstrate more flexibity if it wants builders and developers to invest in Prince Edward County again. Because they aren’t now—and they won’t come back […]
Water torture
Rates must rise nearly 50 per cent over next five years: consultant It is a grim story. So grim that several councillors pleaded with the consultant to write a different ending. One councillor wanted to know if the consultant had a “purple cow” —a magical way to avoid the pain and suffering that was sure to […]
Armed robbery in Picton
The Prince Edward County Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police is currently investigating a robbery that took place at a convenience store on Paul Street in the Town of Picton. On November 27, 2015, at 2:11 a.m. officers responded to the store after receiving a report of an armed suspect entering the store and demanding […]
Easing tension
Interim hospice head departs after smoothing things out When Hospice Prince Edward (HPE) held its community meeting last Wednesday, it looked like smooth sailing for the organization. Good news, because when Stephanie MacLaren, executive director of the Prince Edward Family Health Team, stepped up as interim director HPE five months ago, the organization was navigating some […]