Last week this community enjoyed the annual Scarecrow Invasion & Family Festival along with the Apple Harvest Craft Show, two local events that have been taking place each year for decades during Meaford’s ‘Big Fall Weekend’, and this week we are heading into the Thanksgiving long weekend; autumn is certainly in full swing.
Over the past couple of weeks we have seen the temperatures cool, particularly overnight, and the leaves on the trees that surround us have begun to show their fall colours, some already having fallen to the ground. It definitely feels like Thanksgiving weather.
Each year as summer fades into autumn I look forward to that cooler air and the colourful displays provided by the numerous trees that surround us. Autumn is my favourite season, and I happily embrace the chilly, windy days. From my perspective it is the most perfect time of year.
Over this long weekend families will gather for festive meals, many of which will include the traditional turkey and all the fixings. It’s a time to come together and celebrate all that we are thankful for, not the least of which is the local harvest.
Many families have a tradition on Thanksgiving of sharing the things for which they are thankful. For me, that tradition is sharing those thoughts with our readers on this page each year.
As always, I am thankful for the basics. I am thankful that I wake up each morning in this small, safe, quiet rural municipality. I am thankful for my two hard-working adult sons who have always made their dad proud. I am thankful to live in Canada, one of the safest, wealthiest nations on the planet.
I am very thankful that I don’t live in a war-torn area like Ukraine or Iran, just two of many areas around the globe where daily life includes the threat of bombs and missiles destroying lives and communities. When you look around the world, it is hard to argue that Canada isn’t a fantastic place to live. We have our issues, there is no doubt, but by comparison to most other places in the world, we are very fortunate indeed.
Given that we have a municipal election happening later this month, I am also thankful to live in a democracy, and it can be easy to forget that most of the world’s population does not enjoy that luxury. We can easily take our democracy for granted.
I am thankful to live in a country where I can do my job – report news, and write opinions on local issues, freely, without fear of government interference. We can also easily forget that in many parts of the world, a free press is little more than a dream.
I am thankful for the 13 candidates who have put their names forward for consideration by us voters as we elect our next council on October 26. Whether I agree with their positions on issues or not, I am thankful for each and every one of the candidates that we will see on the ballot.
I recently posted photos on my Facebook account of the front page of our municipal election guide issues from 2014, 2018, 2022, and 2026, noting the gradual decline in the number of candidates. In 2014 Meaford voters had a total of 20 candidates to consider for election to our municipal council, while in 2018 there were 16 candidates, and in 2022 just 15 with one candidate acclaimed to the Deputy Mayor’s position due to having no challenger, and this year, 2026, we have just 13 total candidates, with the Deputy Mayor’s position again to be acclaimed due to a lack of an opponent to the sole registered candidate.
One person commented on that post ‘many mediocre bodies…sad’. I strongly disagreed of course, and I wonder if the nasty tone that many have taken toward municipal councillors over the past decade or two has contributed to the gradual decline in the number of people willing to put their names forward come election time. I am thankful that we live in a society where we are free to express ourselves, and I am thankful that we can agree to disagree. But actions have consequences, and so when we are wondering why so few candidates have registered to run this year, it could be as simple as there aren’t enough folks willing to endure the abuse that they know comes with a seat at the council table.
The municipal election will no doubt be a topic of conversation at many Thanksgiving dinner tables this weekend. Last week we published our municipal election guide issue that featured the profiles of each of the 13 candidates that are registered for October’s municipal election, and this week those profiles were published on our website.
If you would like to learn more about the candidates, or to meet and chat with them, The Meaford Independent is hosting a meet the candidates event at the Riverside Community Centre on Wednesday, October 14, beginning at 6 p.m. The event will offer an opportunity to meet and talk to the candidates in an informal setting, to get to know them and their campaign platforms.
As always, when I think of all that I am thankful for at this time of year, I am thankful each and every day for the readers who pick up our newspaper each week, or visit our website to catch up on the goings on in our community. I am also thankful to our advertisers, without whom it would be impossible to bring local news to this community each week.
We are truly fortunate to live where we do. We have our problems, we have our frustrations, we have work to do to improve our society, but given the craziness of much of the world beyond our borders, I am thankful to live a simple, safe, peaceful life in Meaford, Ontario, Canada.
Happy Thanksgiving to all of our readers. I hope this long weekend brings you much joy.
