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Author: ben

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So what’s wrong with “Town Halls”?

Town Hall Meetings are different things to different people. For instance at the last meeting of Cobourg Council Cllr Bureau thought they would be a wonderful idea, however his fellow Cllr, on the other side of the Chamber – Cllr Barber thought they would be a complete waste of his, and everybody else’s time. The...

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Some thoughts written ten years ago

Governance is the process of making and enforcing decisions within an organization or society. Wiki reference here. A complicated process consisting of many moving parts. How one gets from an idea or need into legislated form takes time, diligence and care to respect all involved in the process. The Town of Cobourg has initiated a...

This woman deserves a medal  not abuse!
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This woman deserves a medal not abuse!

There is a woman who lives and works in Cobourg who has put herself out in front of the pack, and she deserves support not abuse. On Monday 24th she did it again. Set herself up for a torrent of vitriol, and it came, on Facebook and on the local newsblog. Not giving an inch...

Another Zombie arrives from the dead
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Another Zombie arrives from the dead

Ah, the Tannery lands and its Master Plan have emerged from the bowels of the bureaucracy to be finally placed on the shelf in a couple of weeks.  Years ago the Town, trying to make a silk purse from a sow’s ear, commissioned a Master Plan to transform an old contaminated industrial site into an...

A contrast in style
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A contrast in style

Two new Mayors two different styles. Obviously one is male and one female, one is brash, self described as ‘outspoken’, the other just does the job. One is in the news for what is said the other one toils in the background. A quick search on Google reveals that there are more articles about the...

An outliers opinion
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An outliers opinion

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...

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Can we fix this soon?

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...

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Where do we go from here?

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...