Editorial

Our newly elected council spent Monday afternoon in training. Once a new council is elected there is much to learn, particularly for the newly elected, but experienced members of council also benefit from the early term training sessions. Monday's training for councillors included the standard and important review of Ontario's Municipal Act, the roles and responsibilities of councillors, along with...

The month of December is upon us. Though we in Canada make much of the Christmas season, this month of December is a festive time for people of many beliefs, and even for those who don't adhere to any religion at all. For those celebrating holidays over the coming weeks, there can be pressure to host the perfect family gathering,...

As with every council inauguration I have attended over the past 30 years, there was no shortage of optimism to be found in the Meaford Hall Opera House on Monday as Meaford's newly elected council was sworn into office. Every new council that I have witnessed has begun their term with a confidence, and a genuinely positive outlook on what...

On Monday of this week, the United Way of Bruce Grey issued a media release in which they offered a calculation and an explanation of what a living wage in our area is, and what it should be. In short, if you are a single person working full time, earning less than $40,000 per year, you are not earning a...

The current term of council was capped off with the approval of an updated Official Plan during their final meeting on Monday, the final major decision by this term of council paving the way for the newly elected council which will be sworn in on November 21. While a new council will be taking their seats in the council chamber...

The month of November is upon us, and this month is always a special month in the Meaford Independent office as it is our anniversary, and this year we are celebrating lucky 13. On November 10, 2009, The Meaford Independent was launched. First as an online only newspaper, and then a few years later we expanded to include our weekly...

Meaford voters elected a new council on Monday, and next month our new council will be inaugurated, and will get to work managing the business of the corporation of the Municipality of Meaford. When our new council is installed, there will be five familiar faces, and two new faces around the council horseshoe. Newcomers Brandon Forder and Robert Uhrig will...

Monday, October 24, is election day. With election day fast approaching, on Monday afternoon before writing this editorial, I brewed some coffee, and spent two hours re-watching the video archive of the candidate meeting held on October 3, at Meaford United Church. For this latest viewing, I focused less on what the candidates said, and more on what residents were...

As election day inches closer, candidates hoping to capture a seat at the council horseshoe will be busy working to share their vision with anyone who will listen, but as I was reminded recently, many simply aren't listening, and they don't care to. For those of us who follow local governance closely, it can be easy to forget that half...

Another Thanksgiving long weekend is upon us, and while I'm not much for holidays or celebrations, Thanksgiving is my favourite of the holidays, and it falls conveniently during my favourite time of year. Over this long weekend families will gather for feasts, many of which will include the traditional turkey, and all the fixings. It's a time to come together...