Editorial

Stephen Vance, Editor While council meetings are often mired in not-so-sexy issues like zoning bylaws, road repairs, and water meter replacements, much of what council deals with has a direct impact on the daily lives of Meaford residents. At the July 24 meeting, the last meeting before a bit of a summer break, council heard from representatives of Georgian Shores...

Stephen Vance, Editor Ah, summertime. The season most loved by teenagers far and wide. School is out, the beaches and parks are calling, the sound of skateboard wheels clicking across sidewalks is as common as the sounds of birds chirping. What could possibly be better than being a teenager during summer break? Where would a teenager rather be than by...

Stephen Vance, Editor Every important initiative needs champions, and champions of important initiatives are certainly worthy of recognition, so I was pleased when council recently adopted the Accessibility Recognition Program. Accessibility has always been important, but it hasn't always been valued and it hasn't always been a priority. Only in recent history have governments placed proper emphasis on ensuring that those...

Stephen Vance, Editor There's a lot less tension in the council chamber these days when the annual auditor's report of Meaford's finances is presented, and that's a good thing. Many readers will remember the horrible position this municipality was in back in 2010, with some $3 million in accumulated deficits that had to be dealt with by draining municipal reserve accounts...

Stephen Vance, Editor If you thought that the close of my July 6 editorial 'Still a Long Road Before We Know if Former Foodland Building is Suitable For a Library' seemed a little harsh, you're right and it wasn't meant to be – I screwed up. With a busy short week last week thanks to the Canada Day holiday, I found...

Stephen Vance, Editor The former Foodland grocery store property on the corner of Sykes and Trowbridge Streets offers high traffic, high visibility, and easy access – everything you'd want in a prime commercial property. Many in the community have expressed their view that the property would also make a fine location for a new library, and council is listening and...

Stephen Vance, Editor Well, another Canada Day is upon us, but not just any Canada Day, this year we celebrate 150 years as a nation. 150 years is a long time, but it is also not so long at all. Compared to many nations whose history stretches back thousands of years, Canada is just an infant – wait, what am I...

Stephen Vance, Editor No more pencils, no more books, no more teachers' dirty looks... ahh, the only thing I liked more than the first day of school when I was a kid, was the last day of school, and in the coming days our local students will all be enjoying the last day of the school year, and the beginning...

Stephen Vance, Editor I'm not much for 'Hallmark holidays' like Father's Day, and so there's never been much made about the day in my household, but I do think it important to recognize the special bond between kids and their parents, and to celebrate it, and heck, if it takes a 'Hallmark holiday', then who am I to question that? Rather...

Stephen Vance, Editor Over the past few weeks we've all been reading and hearing a lot about a giant inflatable duck that is sure to feature prominently in the upcoming Canada 150 celebrations. While there is most certainly support for the duck, in spite of its $200,000 rental fee, $121,000 of which is being funded (sort of) through a provincial...