Wednesday, March 5, 2025

Editorial

The Passing of Wild Bill Murdoch

Last week we learned of the passing of a man who many rightly consider a local legend: Bognor resident Bill Murdoch, the former MPP for Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound, and a familiar face to most everyone who lives in this area. Murdoch, or 'Wild Bill' as he was affectionately called by many, served on the Sydenham Township council for a total of...

All of the Things Wrong With the Municipality of Meaford

As the nomination period for candidates in October's municipal election comes to a close at the end of this week, the campaigns will begin to ramp up, and we the voters will have roughly two months to learn about the candidates for mayor, deputy mayor, and councillor before election day. From the candidates we will hear much about what they...

Half of Us Don’t Vote in Municipal Elections

Federal, provincial, or municipal, with every election comes the inevitable discussions of those who vote, and those who don't. Often such conversations devolve into heated debates in which someone is bound to say something along the lines of 'if you don't vote, don't complain', often to the cheers of others. But the reality is, when it comes to municipal...

Gathering Information on Candidates in Preparation for Our Municipal Election Guide Issue

For each municipal election, this newspaper publishes a special election guide edition that features full bios, photos, and other information related to the candidates who will be seeking our votes in October. It is an important issue that has won this newspaper an award not so many years ago from the Ontario Community Newspaper Association for community service. It...

Two Very Simple Proposals I Would Champion If I Was Running For Council…

With less than a month to go before the close of the nomination period for October's municipal election, I have been mulling how I would approach a campaign for a council seat if I were running. Fear not, I have absolutely no plans to run for council as I have been there and done that nearly 30 years ago, and...

Growing Pains Have Begun

When I moved to Meaford nearly two decades ago, I did so in large part because I had tired of the hustle and bustle of living in a large municipality, and I was eager to live in a small, safe, and naturally beautiful waterfront community. In my early years in this community I would often hear locals mock the notion...

Candidates For October’s Municipal Election Trickling In

While it has been more than two months since the nomination period for October's municipal election opened, allowing candidates to file their paperwork and launch their campaigns, nominations have trickled in, and with Paul Vickers announcing a run for mayor, we at least now have a race for that seat, but for the five council seats, we thus far...

The Grace Period is Over… It’s Time to Push Back Against Disrespect & Nastiness

I, like many others, have had enough, and it is time to start pushing back and calling out nasty and disrespectful behaviour. A small but determined segment of society feels completely entitled to treat service workers, government workers, local representatives, and the media as though we are servants, subject to their will, and we can be spoken to in any...

Oh Canada, I Feel Fortunate to Call You Home

Another Canada Day long weekend is upon us, and for me this holiday is always a time to reflect on the good fortune I have received in life simply by being able to call Canada home. I could just as easily have been born and raised elsewhere, in a less ideal nation. My mother was born in Egypt and grew...

Summer’s Here Whether We’re in the Mood or Not

On Tuesday of this week we experienced the longest daylight hours of the year as the Summer Solstice ushered in the official start to summer. With the summer months comes construction season in our part of the world, where it is preferable to build roads and houses after the winter snow has melted, and the ground has thawed. We have already...