An Overdose Prevention Site (OPS) has been proposed by a bunch of activists and the first one will set up on Friday. A shitstorm of protest has been produced by a large majority of the population. This outrage is driven by the fear of lawless drug addicts who will assemble on private property and buy drugs from dealers who will know...
Letter from a Downtown Business re Safety Concerns: A real community debate has emerged from this latest post on CobourgNews. The 94 comments, (as at 0945hrs 20th March) reveal a few common threads. The prevailing opinion by looking at the ‘thumbs’ up or down, is that the hardline taxfighters (clean ’em up people) on the Board are in the majority...
A long Debate on Balder CIP: A Community Improvement Plan or CIP is a tool that allows a municipality to direct funds and implement policy initiatives toward a specifically defined project area. Section 28 of the Planning Act gives municipalities that have enabling policies in their official plans, the ability to prepare Community Improvement Plans. Cobourg over the last couple of Council...
“Affordable Housing” is an exercise in irony (Irony , feigned ignorance), in its broadest sense, is the juxtaposition of what on the surface appears to be the case and what is actually the case or to be expected). The reason we say this is because when most people hear the term ‘affordable housing’ they think of ‘rent for reasonable cost’ which in...
A look at the Budget The Municipal Budget sets the tone and direction for the Town. Completed each year this is probably the only time most of the Town pays attention to Council. 2023 will go down as the year of the “big tax hike”. As pointed out here the advertised tax increase is not the total amount of money...
The new Mayor has dug himself a bigger hole for himself with the Council meeting of 28 Feb. In that meeting two item’s, illustrate the political problem he has created for himself. Prior to the meeting the problem of a Council ‘split’ emerged due to his comments made at a protest about the proposed Council salary increases. Read about that...
In a recent post in Northumberland Today, Jeff Gard wrote an article about a protest outside Vic Hall on Sunday 26 Feb. The protest was organised by Ryan Crossen against the recent pay increases Cobourg Council awarded themselves during the recent budget discussions. Mayor Lucas Cleveland and Cllr Adam Bureau attended the event which attracted a reported 30 people. Cllr...
Sleeping Cabins update The discussion about the homeless problem in Cobourg has been going on for about forty years. Since a long-departed woman called Deedee Bedard camped her tent in front of Victoria Hall during the 1985 Municipal election. A motion was accepted and passed to establish a “Municipal Housing Authority” by the incoming Council but the responsibility was handed...
Waterfront Parking Survey Results There are historically a couple of topics that inflame the Citizens’ opinions, one of them is the topic of Parking and Parking Fees. Councils have wrestled with the problem of parking for decades and none of the solutions offered has satisfied the majority enough to sway public opinion and that is that “Downtown Parking should be...
When you engage in public debate you should know when to disengage, or as the adage goes “know when to stop digging” when you are already in the hole. A recent example is the furor and invective, as well as some derision aimed at the new Mayor of Cobourg. Lucas Cleveland said he ran for Mayor to avoid an acclamation...
Last year for community grants Community Grants (CGs) – perhaps the last connection between the local government and the Citizens. Often a last resort for cash and mostly a supplication to Council to reduce the payback for using Council owned facilities. Awarding CGs is an onerous task for the people assigned to deliver them. There are always more requests than...
This story was one of my first for a local publication. Written in 2008.
This article was about the history of coffeeshops and the coffeeshops in Cobourg in 2008
There are 52 of them – Jackson Houses; a basic Canadian style of design that was built by Reuben Jackson...
In 2008 the ‘mancave’ craze was just getting to be a big thing as the price of electronics was getting...
After 83 years the Pontiac Auto Manufacturing section of General Motors, came to an end. This article tracked the Pontiac...
We are inveterate travellers. Accustomed to many travels not much fazes us these day. This pic taken in India shows how we blend in to the environment.
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