Editorial

Stephen Vance, Editor The end of 2017 is fast approaching, and what a year it has been in Meaford. As with any year, 2017 has had its ups and downs, its successes and failures, and as the year winds down I've been reflecting on some of the stories that we've reported over the past 12 months.The year began with council...

Stephen Vance, Editor When I opened the agenda package last week for Monday's council meeting there were a number of important items on the agenda, and they were agenda items you'd expect to see – the 2018 municipal budget, a follow up to the concerns about RF water metres, an accessibility status report, and so on. But then my eyes...

Stephen Vance, Editor Hey Santa, I guess it's that time of year once again, and while there won't be any Christmas tree or decorations in my home, for many in the community, this is a special time of year, and it's the time of year that I ask you for a few favours on behalf of my community.In previous years I've...

Stephen Vance, Editor It was a crushing week for community newspapers in Ontario after two large corporations – Postmedia and TorStar swapped dozens of papers in their portfolios only to shut them down virtually immediately. Some have suggested that we at The Independent must be thrilled that our local competition, the Meaford Express, is one of the victims of the...

Stephen Vance, Editor One thing that has been made perfectly clear to me since moving to this fine community a dozen years ago is that there's a small but vocal segment of the community that is prone to losing their minds if the municipality hires a staff member. I've always thought it a bit strange, given that this town is...

Stephen Vance, Editor It is often said that we must learn from history in order to avoid making the same mistakes in the future, and there's a lot of truth to that logic. Here in Canada Remembrance Day is one tool that is used to help us collectively remember wars of the past, the fallen soldiers, and the sacrifices that...

Stephen Vance, Editor It shouldn't have been a surprise, but it was. The very first update report to council for the recently approved plan to relocate Meaford's library to the former Foodland location at the corner of Sykes and Trowbridge Streets included a number that caused concern for some members of council - $5.5 million.One of the recommendations included in the...

Stephen Vance, Editor There's been lots of trash talk around town in recent weeks. I've heard it in the coffee shop, I've heard it on the street, I've seen it with my own eyes, and on Sunday a number of Meaford residents took to Facebook to post comments and photos of a growing problem – overflowing municipal trash bins.Let's face...

Stephen Vance, Editor Meaford's low crime statistics combined with recent complaints from residents about a lack of police presence on our streets had councillors asking the Grey County OPP Detachment Commander if the municipality is being adequately policed.Inspector Martin Murray made his quarterly update presentation to council at their October 16 meeting, and the data contained in his report brought...

Stephen Vance, Editor It was supposed to have been completed before the big Scarecrow Invasion and Apple Harvest Craft Show weekend, but after delays and setbacks this week work crews are still working on the rehabilitation of structure 030, more commonly known as Bakeshop Bridge, and they likely won't wrap up until the end of this month. As you might...