Editorial

With just one meeting left on the schedule in July, and no meetings scheduled for August, Meaford councillors will soon be taking their annual summer break. The summer break is a time for council to recharge and refresh, and for municipal staff, many of whom take vacation time in the summer months anyway, to have a few weeks free from...

In July 2022 I wrote an editorial entitled Growing Pains Have Begun, and three years later, we are indeed feeling growing pains as new developments are under construction, and new development proposals land in the hands of council with increasing regularity. “For us locals however, the prospect of growth brings with it many fears. Fears of losing the spirit of...

With Canada Day behind us, the summer season is now in full swing, and many are currently enjoying, or planning for, some summer adventures. From an afternoon on the golf course, to a weekend of fishing, to some time at the beach with the family, the options for summer fun are many, and they have the potential to offer...

Tuesday is Canada Day, a day when Canadians across the country will celebrate the good fortune we have simply by being able to call Canada home. With all that has taken place over the first half of this year, Canada Day might feel a little different this year. Over the past several months we have seen a groundswell of patriotism across...

More than nine long and at times frustrating years after they were unceremoniously closed to vehicular traffic, two small bridges on the Holland-Sydenham Town Line have finally been replaced, re-opened, and re-named. I have been writing about these two bridges for nine years. It has been an interesting journey that has spanned three terms of council and has posed some...

Whether you are comparing property tax rates, the state of infrastructure, or the number of, or salaries of, municipal employees, direct comparisons of municipalities is never an easy task, nor is it an exact science. Over the years I have heard many debates in the council chamber about how to select the most appropriate comparator municipalities. We heard such a...

Meaford residents will have an opportunity on June 16 to learn more and ask questions about the proposed Community Benefits Agreement bylaw. The bylaw is intended to provide a policy that will address development proposals which fall outside of the provincial Planning Act. In early March, Meaford council approved a motion brought forward by Deputy Mayor Shirley Keaveney that directed...

Like many municipalities in Ontario, Meaford's council is grappling with the recent imposition of 'strong mayor powers'. During Monday's council meeting there was significant discussion about the strong mayor powers, and while it was clear that not one of the seven members of our council support the use of strong mayor powers, it was also clear that rejecting them...

A motion brought forward by Deputy Mayor Shirley Keaveney during council's May 12 meeting could lead to the return of a BIA in Meaford, and that could be a good thing for the municipality, the downtown area, and the many businesses that operate there. BIAs are established by municipal councils under the authority of sections 204 to 215 of the...

A friend recently suggested to me that a community is only as good as its army of volunteers. My friend was frustrated that in their own community, finding volunteers has become increasingly difficult, yet they have often heard me bragging about the culture of volunteering that can be found in my community, the Municipality of Meaford. There is no doubt...