Editorial

Tuesday, March 19 marked the first day of spring. While we have had a very spring-like winter season with long stretches of balmy (for the time of year) temperatures and little in the way of snowfall, when I awoke on Tuesday morning, the first day of spring, the ground was covered in a thin layer of snow that had...

Each year around this time, the municipality releases a report which shares with the public the remuneration received by our members of council. In spite of the suggestion by some that our members of council should 'cut their pay' in order to reduce taxes, the reality is that you could completely wipe out all council remuneration, and you wouldn't...

Navigating the world of municipal governance can be frustrating at the best of times for folks who aren't immersed in the system. When new development proposals surface, they can often raise the ire of an entire community, though some of the anxiety and frustration felt by residents upon hearing of a new development proposal could be alleviated with a...

For the first time since I launched The Meaford Independent in 2009, I am writing an editorial to be published on 'leap day', February 29. It only comes around every four years, and for many, leap years are just an interesting quirk on our calendars. But for others the leap year holds more importance. For our office helper and budding...

This coming Saturday, February 24, the Coldest Night of the Year fundraising (and awareness) walk will take place in Meaford for the very first time. The walk aims to raise funds and awareness of to help support people experiencing homelessness in our community. First launched in 2011 in Toronto and Kitchener-Waterloo, the initiative caught on, and today, 13 years later,...

Meaford's municipal budgets for 2024 will soon be approved, and this year residents of the Municipality of Meaford will see one of the lowest tax rate increases in all of Grey County. Described from the outset as a 'lean' budget, barring any last minute changes prior to final council approval, Meaford ratepayers will see a 2.8 percent increase on the...

When we think of municipal governance, we most often think of elected members of council and municipal staff, but there is another crucial component to effective governance, and that is via advisory committees to council. Any municipal council can benefit from advice provided by residents. Our community has a wealth of residents with a wide range of experience and expertise...

Budget season is never simple, there are many pressures, many needs, and never enough money to make everyone happy. Such is the nature of municipal budget season. On Friday of last week, members of council gathered for their first full day of budget deliberations. The focus of the first day of budget talks was the operating budget, with the capital...

This winter season has been a mixed bag of unseasonably warm temperatures with a burst of traditional winter weather here and there. While some might be loving the warmer than normal winter, with less snow than we are accustomed to, the fluctuations in weather and temperature present problems, frustrations, and even dangers. On my walk to the office on Monday...

Though there are often complaints at municipal budget time, a quick look around the county will tell you that this year, by comparison, the Municipality of Meaford is starting off in a very good position to begin budget deliberations. As presented to council at Monday's meeting, the draft budgets for 2024 require a 5.57 percent levy increase, and a projected...