Tuesday, March 4, 2025

Editorial

Has Spring Finally Sprung?

The season of spring officially arrived two weeks ago, but even just a week ago we were hit with a snowstorm that made the roads slick, and reminded us that winter wasn't done with us yet. This week however we have seen lots of bright sunshine along with warmer air, and I think we might finally be free of...

Next Year is Meaford’s Sesquicentennial

Sesquicentennial, not exactly a word we use regularly, but it is a word that Meafordites will be hearing much in the months to come, as the former Town of Meaford approaches its 150th birthday. During Monday's council meeting, Councillor Harley Greenfield introduced a motion that will jump-start the organization of celebrations for the big anniversary, and that motion as you...

Moving Beyond the Three Rs

Reduce, reuse, recycle. We have heard it for decades now, and for most of us, it has become our standard approach to managing waste, but in the years to come, the focus will change. Our three Rs will expand to Prevent, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Recover, and Dispose, as municipalities everywhere continue to grapple with waste management. The 'prevent' aspect of the...

We Will Have a Scarecrow Invasion in 2023 After All

Many in this community were saddened upon hearing the news back in November that the Scarecrow Invasion & Family Festival was put on pause for this year due to a lack of members on the event's executive board. On Monday afternoon we learned that the 2023 edition of the event has been saved, and we will indeed have an...

Spring is in the Air

We are just 11 days from the end of winter and the beginning of spring. Not that we'll necessarily notice a difference, as this strange winter has felt much like a harsh spring for much of the time, but spring is indeed nearly here. As spring arrived a year ago I was thankful that nearly all of the restrictions we...

We’re Engaged but Divided… And That’s Okay

Monday's council meeting was expected to be heavily attended, and it was. In anticipation of much larger than normal attendance, municipal staff moved the meeting from the cramped council chamber on the 7th Line to the spacious opera house at Meaford Hall, which allowed some 200 residents to attend the meeting in which the Deputy Mayor brought forward a...

Changes to Come as We Grow

The coming wave of development in this municipality has been a hot topic over the past couple of years. In the past we have been teased with the potential for a development boom, but it never seemed to actually happen, but brace yourselves, residents of the Municipality of Meaford, as new development is indeed in our future, and it...

The Challenge of Remaining Informed & Engaged in Municipal Governance in Our Busy Modern World

Do our busy lives rob us of the time and energy required to be informed and engaged? One of the most common statements I hear is that Meaford's taxes are too high. I hear it throughout the year, in personal chats, in comments on social media, in email messages sent to me. The topic of Meaford's taxes, and the feeling that...

The Scarecrow Invasion Might be on Pause for 2023, But We Can Still Honour the Event

Many in this community were understandably saddened by the recent news that the much loved Scarecrow Invasion & Family Festival is taking a pause this year due to a lack of executive board members, though organizers have said they remain hopeful that the event will return, possibly in 2024. It has been a rough few years for the organizers of...

Municipal Budget Season is Here, Get Involved!

On Monday afternoon I settled into my place at the media table in Meaford's council chamber ready for the beginning of yet another municipal budget season. Though the agenda package was more than 400 pages in length, the focus for everyone in the council chamber was item 8(a), the tabling of the draft budgets for 2023. The draft budgets presented to...