Editorial

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...

Stephen Vance, Editor Most of us have a healthy appreciation for local volunteers and service clubs, but it can be easy to take their contribution to the community for granted, and to forget just how much these folks actually do. I was reminded of this after Monday's council meeting, when I was handed a piece of paper listing some 31 projects,...

Stephen Vance, Editor I frequently hear people comment about the lack of affordable housing in Meaford, and there's no doubt that if you're trying to find an affordable apartment or house to rent in this town, you've got your work cut out for you. To address the problem, we must first understand the problem, and if you talk to people about...