A very pertinent guest post

submitted by Martin Partridge

All good things must come to an end so I so suppose the demise of First Night Cobourg was inevitable. I'd like to briefly document the history of First Night Cobourg from my perspective as former chair. Others may wish to augment the record.

Former Councillor Pam Jackson fired up the original First Night Cobourg volunteer group in about 1994. The committee created a small-scale version of Toronto's successful New Year's Eve non-alcoholic street festival, which in turn was modeled on major events in Boston and elsewhere. Local entertainers, performance groups and face painters warmed up clusters of Cobourg families, both inside and outside Cobourg's historic downtown municipal properties (notably the Firehall, Market Building, and of course Victoria Hall). There were horse-drawn hay wagons to ride on, and barrels of burning firewood to keep volunteers warm. At midnight, mainly for the benefit of the remaining hardy volunteers, there was a small fireworks display right in front of Victoria Hall. The cost for the whole evening was $5, free for children.

After three modestly profitable years, the committee responsible for the event ratcheted up the entertainment, running carefully timed hour-long music events for three hours in six locations, for a total of 18 highly professional and diverse shows ending at 9:30 p.m. A people's parade was then led by the Town Crier down to the waterfront for a much larger fireworks display, which had been moved to earlier in the evening for the benefit of the children. The evening ended with a two-hour major show in the Concert Hall. The price was kept at $5 with children free, thanks to ever growing sponsor donations.

This new-style First Night Cobourg, with its tightly formatted entertainment program, culminated in a major millennium event on December 31, 1999. More than 7,000 people thronged the downtown buildings and the waterfront for double-decker bus rides, very high quality children's shows, notable entertainment from across Canada, and a huge fireworks display. There was a cultural exchange, which resulted in a musical group called Middle Tickle travelling from Fogo Island in Newfoundland to perform in Victoria Hall with Aengus Finnan simultaneously travelling to Fogo Island to entertain the residents there. A rudimentary internet camera was set up at each end to allow each side to see what the other was doing. Fireworks were set off here at precisely 10:30 p.m. to coincide with the first Canadian arrival of the year 2000 in Newfoundland. A conference call, initiated in Cobourg, was held among federal, provincial, municipal and European politicians and personages to exchange millennium greetings. Hovering over all this were the Y2K fears, which seem quaint now but were genuine at the time and resulted in a broad scramble for backup generators and had all emergency services on standby.

Cobourg citizens, in part through its automotive dealers, industrial plants, lawyers and other groups, came up with about $30,000 in donations and badge purchases to pay for the big Y2K entertainment, and Council contributed $15,000 for the grand fireworks. The event was such a great success, with tourists writing in to say keep up the good work, that the committee asked Council to endorse a similar approach the following year. Instead, major funding was denied and the event ended up being cancelled altogether. December 31, 2000 was the only "dark" New Year's Eve in downtown Cobourg in the last 15 years.

The event was resurrected a year later thanks to new committee chair Gerry Drage and many long-time devoted committee members including Bert McMillan, Sharron McMann and (eventual chair) Brian Edmiston. The event has been held successfully throughout this decade.

I thought the one saving grace of installing the controversial concrete frink in place of parkland in downtown Cobourg was that it would be used to inject new purpose and vigour into First Night Cobourg. Indeed, the new frink was well used at last year's First Night event.

I'm sad but not surprised that this Council could not see the logic, after blowing off about $1.5 million to install a concrete skating pad in the centre of First Night Cobourg operations, to invest a little more to shore up the one established and well loved winter event that could put it to good use. After all, increasing tourism during the winter months was cited by Council as a prime rationale for the frink decision. Perhaps a refreshed and revived future Council will see things differently.

Finally a Pol who is worth listening to

As you should know some extremists have been trying to distort the public meetings that Pols are using to explain proposed changes to health care in the US. As a result of the venom and hate being spewed at Pols, some have refused to meet with the public and others have resorted to electronic messaging avoiding the nasty people. BUT one brave soul has refused to cave, and here is a video of Barney Frank answering a stupid question.

Yesterday's comment was written in such a way that it implied, for some, that only the Bay St residents are looking for sympathy and action about the weekend beach invaders and the plethora of events in the Park. As pointed out to me the problem is not confined to Bay St but all of the South East side of Town, and when the music starts nobody south of Elgin is immune. The single point here is that we all have a problem and somebody should be leading the charge to fix it.
And to the person who asked "How do we know they are not towing from the Pier?" Because I heard it from the enforcement person myself.

I have admired this work for months now. Bob Owen, of "Cramahe Now" is a great example of 'hyperlocal news' - stories that the others don't do because of corporate centralisation, but of vital importance to his readers. The latest story is a prime example of just that. Read it here.

A question for the local news, including the BurdReport

Last week I received emails pointing us to Wally Keeler's local online journal (read the details here), our cultural affairs correspondent, wherein he outlined a story about local businessman Jim Corcoran (he owns St Ann's Spa) and his pending lawsuit against the Catholic Diocese of Peterborough and 12 local Cobourg parishioners. The story is that Mr Corcoran, an admitted, but chaste for 19 years, homosexual began to serve the sacrament just before last Christmas. Twelve local parishioners objected, wrote a letter to the Bishop and Mr Corcoran was removed. Mr Corcoran responded by filing a complaint with the Ontario Human Rights Commission and is personally suing the twelve parishioners and the Bishop for $25,000 a piece.and the people named in the suit could be fined up to $25,000 (source "Catholic register").

Now the question - where was the local MSM in this, nary a comment even though the story was out there for the picking. It has only come to light now because the National Post has a piece about it this morning here. The sad part here, for MSM advocates, is that it was a rabid homophobic 'family values' site that broke the story early last week, beating the MSM to the punch.

This is where the MSM is - covering Dalton. The Lib spin machine is in full bloom taking advantage of the summer dearth of news and to announce an announcement, probably one of "old money" being re-announced. Put the above story with this one and you get a local MSM not willing to rock the advertisers and pump out political spin because it is safe. Really ,how many 'real people' will be there to see Dalton anyway?

Another piece of locally significant news was the announcement that the local hospital is setting up a "Citizens' Advisory Panel". This group of folks will be the sounding board for the bad news of cuts in the hospital budget. As part of the contingency plan, where the budget is balanced, a "community engagement plan" has to be filed with the LHIN before such a contingency plan can be approved. A Queen's Park requirement that is such total BS that it stinks even from there. The idea is that the public can be brought on side with the proper massaging and consultation. Rather like putting five people in a room and saying to each of them, "You all have to lose a limb, what will volunteer to cut off - an arm or a leg?"

Two problems with this idea - the idea itself; that unpalatable decisions are more acceptable if the dirty work is done by some people other than the Board who are elected to make the dirty decisions and the fact that cutbacks are mandated by a remote central body like the LHIN. When the idea was being floated I assumed that the CAP would be a vehicle of consultation led by local people who would talk to others in the community and form community opinion. But talking to the CAO he thinks that the discussion will remain in the room of the appointed people. Whoa Nelly, where is the legitimacy in that? Who gets to speak for me and when do I get to speak to them?

A bit redundant we have an open membership that elects a Board, based on regional demographics and geographic representation and that Board is expected to make decisions. But in this case, probably the most important decision they will make this year - the budget, they decide to delegate their representative responsibilities - sad.

Two sleeps to go before the Pols get a break.

In the second last meeting before the summer break (a whole three weeks) the Cobourg Council is not courting any controversy. A few normal heritage requests two planning applications to approve, a project manager to hire and a fire engine to dispose of. I hope that the powers that are took notice of the hooh-hah that ocurred in Trent Hills when they decided to dispose of their old truck a few months ago. They refused the results of a tender and then had to go back to the tenderer when subsequent marketing efforts failed. Cobourg has turned down a guaranteed $10,000 and will attempt to sell it on its own.

In Port Hope the agenda is packed. More discussion about the dreaded "flail mower" - you know the one that murders little trees and leaves a scarred landscape behind in its wake. But there is also a meatier item. The murder of prime farming land. A company called Sunbay has optioned the land for a "plasma-gasification" plant to incinerate recycling residue. This should be a controversial topic but it won't be because one man - Carroll Nichols, has made it his life's ambition to locate such a plant in this area. A long-time Wesleyville resident he has evangelically lobbied all governments for years for an incineration plant. He has finally made it, it's coming. However this field in this picture, one that many of us see fully planted year after year, is coming out of agricultural production to accommodate it.
There is a presentation from a group of landowners pleading with the Council to be allowed to exceed the growth levels outlined in the County Growth Study and build more homes in the greenfield, their presentation will be forwarded to the County consultants. And finally of mention is a report from Heritage Port Hope Advisory Committee about the centre pier (probably the building demolition idea) and it's being punted off to the Harbour Commission. With that body being mired in an open/shut meetings policy I guess the ideas that Heritage Port Hope have about the demolition of the buildings on the centre pier may never even see the light of day.

The only way to get rid of the robbers' roost is to burn the f***er down. A good story from a middle-class survivor on how the middle class will survive - unionise!

Are you atwitterin' and shakin' just waiting for Iggy?

A couple of bits of local stuff first. This is all we have to show for a promise of $29 million - a drawing. But we can have more. On Thursday at Vic Hall the consultants and, presumably, the full Council will be there to present another prep session for the yokels with a presentation from the consultants. Hopefully they have more than a Power Point presentation and are prepared to face the first full session of questions from a yet to be convinced population.

One of the stimulus programmes is called the "Community Adjustment programme" and is based on the level of unemployment in any area. The premise being that if there are unemployed people there should be a programme to put them back to work. Well in its wisdom the County of Northumberland has discovered this programme (I guess that's why we pay Bill Payett the big bucks) and has decided to apply for some funds and hopefully use them to put people back to work. But in an obscene corruption of the guidelines the County has applied for funds to build a new landfill cell at the Brighton Dump. How many people will be put back to work by doing this, it a highly mechanised project and all of the heavy equipment operators and sewer workers are already back to work, so how many unemployed workers will benefit from this application?

Decision day for Iggy. Today is the day that opposition leader Michael Ignattief will declare if the Libs will vote non-confidence. He has backed himself into a corner and twisted himself around more than a ripe pretzel [enough enough - ed]. Locally no signs of heated campaign emails. the dippers all received an email from the party prez saying that an election could be coming send us more money but no serious stuff yet. Pundits figure Iggy on backing down, my money is on Bloc MPs not being around for the vote and Iggy not getting his numbers. National News Watch has put up the first of many stories to come about Iggy's moves, this one (in French) says that 'reliable sources' say no election!

A stimulating essay bound to be dismissed by the blockheads who will first read who wrote it! here An essay by Ian Brown of the G&M about the relevance of traditional Marxism in todays reality.

"Democracy isn't voting it's the counting!" Tom Stoppard from the play "Jumpers" Iran has certainly played up to that quote. All week the West has been trumpeting how close the election is and now the 'official' results claim that the incumbent has won by a thumping majority. Here's the first commentary on the numbers in the Iran election,

And the experts said it would not happen. In this era of biometrics and enhanced passport identification all was supposed to go smoothly at the border. But this story tells of a woman who was pulled aside and asked to strip because of her name. Canadian Border Officials will not explain the case or issue an apology but does admit that the woman was mixed up by an identical birthdate of a criminal in the system. So much for the enhanced stuff when the bullies at the border still rely on old technology!

Well worth the wait. Rented, in what must be the bargain of the year - $3.99 for two nights from Blockbuster, "Gran Torino" Clint Eastwood's latest movie. Nominated for an Oscar but not arriving anywhere near the podium, this movie is a traditional bad guy redeems himself to good guy. I enjoyed it but then I always enjoy the hokey complete tale.

Money items today

Finally the Provincial Government has canned the head of e-Health Ontario. This agency was established from the ashes of its predecessor agency that that was dismantled after spending over 600 million with no results, this came after another fiasco with computers a few years earlier with computerized land records and another with welfare systems. Anyway the Head of e-health presided over eight months of gravytraining and questionable contracts awarded to buddies and one alleged family member. So what does Sarah Kramer get for her supposed expertise? Nine months salary at $26,500 per month, a bonus of $114K after five months and a severance of $317K to go away and not sue them for breach of contract. A total of $700K for nine months work; nice if you can get it. No wonder the opposition and the news people are all over this, it is salacious. But the scandal here isn't the obscene wages being paid to civil servants to administer outrageous consultants fees but the inability of any government to understand how computers work and the cost of networking lots of them. Because it is technology that most MPs do not even understand they are prepared to pay the ridiculous fees demanded by computer specialists, sad!

Back to the local scene, we now know how much money the local pols pulled in for doing a part time job. Last month the County published its "remuneration report" which details the amounts paid to councillors for being at the County level. Tonight the Cobourg report will be published it is here for those who missed it on the agenda [it never appeared on the agenda, the memos never Are - Ed] it shows all on the Council payroll.
But the big thing for Cobourgers to note is that the Mayor by attending a monthly meeting at the County is able to bump up his $30,272 + expenses of $3,482 ($33,754) by adding his County money - $9588 - for a total of $43,342 but you then have to add in the money he gets from the Local Utility for being a Director of the Company and the money he gets for being a Director of a subsidiary ($4,500 estimated total) and that comes up to a grand total of $47,842. Not bad for a job that could be called full time, if he worked at it constantly.
The sad part of this is that although most people I talk to hold the Council in low esteem for their actions over the past few years and complain about a lack of vision nobody is chomping at the bit to want to be the next mayor, even if it pays a respectable stipend.