Stephen Vance, Editor
This week The Meaford Independent celebrates its ninth birthday, and we enter our 10th year – how time flies!
When this paper was born in November of 2009, Stephen Harper was our prime minister, Dalton McGuinty was premier of Ontario, and Francis Richardson was mayor of Meaford. It's just nine years, but at times it almost seems an...
Stephen Vance, Editor
It's never easy (or common) for politicians to admit when they have messed up, but when they do, you have to respect it.
A little more than a month after having approved a new parks use bylaw, Meaford's council decided to revisit the language used which caused concern and anger among many residents.Public backlash was almost instantaneous after...
Stephen Vance, Editor
Back in April I wrote an editorial suggesting that we might want to reconsider our use of electronic voting for our municipal elections. The system failure with less than two hours before the close of the voting period on Monday resulted in an extension of the voting period by 24 hours, and will no doubt reignite discussion...
Stephen Vance, Editor
Monday, October 22 is municipal election day, and I have heard some folks express a desire to see Meaford elect the 'right council' for this municipality. While I agree with the sentiment, I would suggest that in a democracy like ours, whoever is elected on Monday will be the 'right council' for this municipality, as it will...
Stephen Vance, Editor
Hopefully all of our readers had a safe and happy Thanksgiving weekend filled with turkey, laughter, and some pumpkin pie. For me, the Thanksgiving weekend was a good time to take my newspaper hat off, and review our slate of council candidates from a personal perspective.After reviewing the candidate profiles from our municipal election guide issue, and...
Stephen Vance, Editor
Residents who have expressed concern about language in the new parks use bylaw that closes Meaford's public parks through the winter months are right to be concerned, because words matter, and the way the bylaw reads, Meaford, the town that has been striving to be a year-round tourist destination, is closed for business during the winter where...
Stephen Vance, Editor
Autumn officially arrived on Saturday, but here in Meaford we all know that the actual arrival of the season that leads us into snowy winter months is when the scarecrows march through town with their kazoos and their straw hats en route to the Rotary Harbour Pavilion for a big party by the bay.Without doubt the hundreds...
Stephen Vance, Editor
In some ways it's hard to believe that four full years have passed since the last Municipal Election Guide issue of our paper was on store shelves. But four years it has been indeed, and now we are facing another municipal election on October 22, and we are hoping our election guide with full profiles of all...
Stephen Vance, Editor
Any council candidates who attended Monday's council meeting were afforded a fine lesson in the complexity of serving on council, and the reality that just because something can be done, doesn't mean it necessarily should be done.Council covered a lot of ground on a number of issues on Monday, but the hot-button issue of the day was...
Stephen Vance, Editor
After a break during the month of August, council members will return to the Chamber on Monday for the final stretch in their four year term. Municipal election day is October 22, and in December when the new council is sworn in, it will look different than it does currently.For starters, Councillors Mike Poetker and Jaden Calvert...
