Sunday, July 13, 2025

Editorial

Downtown Businesses Invaded – By Curious Schoolchildren

Stephen Vance, Editor Like many shops and offices in the downtown area, our office was invaded on Tuesday – invaded by throngs of children from SVE school who were getting a tour of local businesses to discover what they do and how they do it.The visits were in conjunction with the Meaford BIA, and while it made for a busy...

Blue Box Blues Should be a Problem For Manufacturers to Solve

Stephen Vance, Editor We've been hearing more and more about the challenges of dealing with waste disposal and particularly recycling programs, and in the years to come, we'll be hearing much more on the topic. And while over the past few decades the onus has been placed upon consumers to separate household waste into trash, recyclables, and in some communities,...

Council Gets it Right on Community Grant Process

Stephen Vance, Editor Over the years I have badgered this current council as well as the previous council for their messy handling of the annual community grant program, so it's only fair to dedicate some ink when they finally get it right. In previous years I have highlighted council's seeming inability to follow rules – their own rules, which they put...

Big Community Clean-up Event This Saturday

Stephen Vance, Editor Not to tempt the weather gods, but it would seem that the icy grip of winter has finally been released. The snow has vanished save for a nook and cranny here and there, the sun has been shining and daily temperatures have been inching upward, just in time for this weekend's big community clean-up event on Saturday...

Happy Retirement to a Local Radio Legend

Meaford resident and local radio legend Ross Kentner will sign off after more than half a century on the local radio waves this Friday. Ross started working for Bayshore Broadcasting 56 years ago, a golden age for radio. He was still in high school when he started volunteering for the station in Owen Sound, and before long he was a...

Dear Winter, It’s Time For You to Go

Stephen Vance, Editor It's the middle of April and we're still in the midst of the winter that refuses to say goodbye. But I'd like to assure Old Man Winter that it's okay, we've had our fill, you can go now, we won't be disappointed. You're done with this season, Dear Winter. You brought us a white Christmas, and a white...

Perhaps Online Voting Needs a Rethink

Stephen Vance, Editor Five years ago I was an avid supporter of the move to online voting. In fact, I penned an editorial in June of 2013 entitled 'Electronic Voting is Right Direction For Meaford', but I wouldn't write such a piece today because I've grown to think I was naive, and that I was wrong. My reasons for supporting the...

Annual Earth Week Memorial Park Clean-up Approaching

Stephen Vance, Editor After a long chilly winter, it's been nice to see more sunshine and slowly rising temperatures in recent weeks. Now that April has arrived, most of the snow is gone, the birds are chirping, and the first dashes of colourful spring blooms have begun to show themselves – and that means it's time for the annual Memorial...

Fixing Story Book Park Road Not About Jumping the Queue, it’s About Righting a Wrong

Stephen Vance, Editor I will be the first to concede that, in general terms, as a collective society we've stretched ourselves too thin when it comes to all of this glorious infrastructure we've built over the past century, and we're finding that as it ages it's too expensive to properly maintain. At some point many communities will need to make...

So Long Winter, Hello Pothole Season

Stephen Vance, Editor If you haven't hit one already in these early days of Spring, give it time, you likely will. With the winter snow all but gone, sunny skies have found their way into our daily lives, but so have those frustrating potholes. In my 30-plus years of driving experience I've found that there are good potholes and bad potholes....