Editorial

A proposed mixed residential development on the property of the former Knights flooring factory on Boucher Street has many residents concerned. The proposed development would see more than 200 residential units, from townhouses to two five-storey apartment buildings, along with a 90 room, five-storey hotel packed onto the property, which is surrounded by quiet, long-established residential streets of mostly...

At Monday's council meeting we witnessed the falling apart of a poorly cobbled together plan after Council stomped on the brake and made a U-turn away from their own paid parking pilot project, and ultimately limited the pilot project to just Memorial Park, not all of Meaford's parks and green spaces, as was the original plan. I can't say that...

The month of May might just barely be underway, but this week we learned of the cancellation (again) of this autumn's Scarecrow Invasion & Family Festival, thanks to the pesky COVID-19 virus that continues to impact virtually every part of our lives. The announcement was made a week after Meaford's Council had discussed the impact on municipally run events for...

On April 30 of 2020, the title of my editorial was There is Light at the End of the Tunnel, But it's a Long Tunnel. Now a full year later, it is clear that though I was correct that the tunnel would be long, I was perhaps too optimistic at the time, as the light at the end of...

It has certainly been a rough week for Ontario Premier Doug Ford, with Ontarians becoming increasingly frustrated with bungled plans and mixed messages, and calls for his resignation have been growing. Even a column in the Washington Post has called for Ford to resign. At the outset of this pandemic, Premier Ford was praised, even by the likes of me,...

The current controversy over leash-free beach access at Memorial Park for dogs and their owners is a prime example of just how difficult it can be for a municipal council to please everyone. It is no secret that in recent years high water levels on Georgian Bay have wreaked havoc on our shoreline causing damage and erosion, and creating headaches...

After more than a year of the COVID-19 pandemic, we in Ontario find ourselves in yet another 28-day shut down, advised to stay home as much as possible, work from home if you can, and to limit gatherings with others. The routine is not new, in fact most of us are experts in the field of shut downs at this...

In the early days of this pandemic, many, including myself, assumed that after a few months everything would be under control, and life would return to normal. More than 12 months later, normal seems very far away. An article on the CBC website published on Monday suggested that the COVID-19 pandemic is “completely out of control in Ontario”. According to...

If your aging house was crumbling, and leaky, and your grandmother could no longer access all of the floors due to difficulty on the stairs, and you were told that you could build a brand new home, all on one floor, with updated modern amenities, and that you could make that purchase for half the actual cost, I would...

Last week we officially surpassed one full year since the COVID-19 pandemic marched into our lives, and has caused frustration and confusion ever since. With vaccines finally finding their way into the arms of Ontarians, the light at the end of the tunnel burns ever brighter. As I have been reflecting upon the past 12 months, I find myself feeling...