Saturday, November 8, 2025

Editorial

Managing New Development Will be the Prime Challenge For This Municipality in the Coming Years

Developers have certainly discovered the beautiful Municipality of Meaford, and as a result development proposals along with zoning or official plan amendment requests have been coming in at a pace not seen in this municipality in the past. Many of the development proposals are big, and they are bold, but we all need to remember, a proposal is just...

If Pumped Storage Project Proceeds, Meaford Should Demand Significant Economic Benefit

Whether you oppose the pumped storage facility proposed for the Meaford Tank Range or support it, the reality is that residents of this municipality along with our council have virtually no influence on whether the project is allowed to move forward, and should it ultimately be given the green light, this municipality should rightly expect to see some sort...

The 2022 Municipal Election Campaign is Underway

This week, those hoping to capture a seat on council in the October 24 municipal election were able to submit their paperwork to the municipal clerk in order to launch a campaign. First to do so was first term councillor Ross Kentner who has his eye on the mayor's chair, and in the days and weeks to come we...

Should Small Municipalities Be Expected to Install and Manage Electric Vehicle Charging Stations?

Electric vehicles, once the domain of science fiction novels, are fast becoming the vehicle of choice among new car buyers as consumers move away from fossil fuels. With more and more electric vehicles on our roads, there has been pressure in small town council chambers for municipalities to provide charging stations for these vehicles, but should small towns be...

Today’s World Could Use a Little Archie Bunker

Recently, I stumbled upon some old episodes of All in the Family on YouTube, and it brought back a flood of memories from my childhood, as growing up in the 1970s meant roller skates, Gobstoppers, and Archie Bunker for many of my generation. When I look back to the era of All in the Family, I find a comfort, and...

What Should This Municipality Do About Our Arena & Community Centre?

If you thought it was expensive to build a new library, the initial estimates for the long overdue overhaul of the Meaford & St. Vincent Community Centre may shock you. While the $7 million cost of Meaford's new library, completed in late 2020, was cause for significant debate with many suggesting the cost was too high, over the past few...

Ontario’s Sunshine List Casts a Shadow on Reality

Rather than shining a bright light on 'overpaid' government workers, Ontario's antiquated 'Sunshine List' casts a shadow on the real struggles of Ontarians, and true inequity found here and beyond our borders. We've had the annually published Sunshine List for more than a quarter century now. Back in 1996 when the Mike Harris Conservative government passed the Ontario Public Disclosure...

Council Makes Some Sensible Amendments to New Burn Bylaw

Before a final vote on the municipality's new burn bylaw on Monday, members of council engaged in a lengthy, but productive conversation focused on some amendments being sought prior to final approval. Though council had unanimously approved the new burn bylaw two weeks prior, over that time members of council heard from some ratepayers and they brought the concerns they...

We Have Entered the Spring of Discontent

Spring has sprung, the birds are chirping, and nearly all of the pandemic restrictions under which we've been living for more than two years have been lifted. And while we might expect to be collectively chuffed with all of these positive developments, instead, no matter where we turn, we are seeing and hearing division amongst us. While we should be...

The End of Mask Life is Approaching

As the pandemic has turned endemic, most COVID restrictions have recently been lifted with the remaining restrictions to be lifted in the near future, allowing us to live our lives in a new normal. As of March 21, we will even be free of the often contentious mask mandate in most situations, welcome news to many. At the start of...