Sunday, August 16, 2026

Editorial

We’re Not Perfect, But There’s no Better Place to Live Than Canada

Stephen Vance, Editor This weekend we Meafordites will join our fellow countrymen and women in celebrating this fine nation of ours during Canada Day festivities. While I've never considered myself to be an overly patriotic person, I have bounced around this beautiful blue ball we call home, and I can say with certainty that there's nowhere else I would rather live....

Meaford Owes MP Miller a Thank You

Stephen Vance, Editor As frustrating as it was, the recent breakwall repair funding ordeal gave us a glimpse of how a democracy and elected representatives should work, and Meaford owes thanks to our local MP Larry Miller, who went to bat for the municipality when the federal government was refusing to honour their harbour lease agreement with the Municipality of...

Five Things Fatherhood Has Taught Me

Stephen Vance, Editor We learn a lot of lessons throughout life, and for many of us some of the most important life lessons take place once we've become parents. With Father's Day arriving this weekend, I took some time to reflect upon the lessons I have learned since becoming a father nearly 20 years ago.Responsibility It's easy to feel like...

Thankfully There’s No Party Politics in Municipal Elections

Stephen Vance, Editor The older I get, the less I like party politics, and this provincial election campaign has reminded me how thankful I am that we've had the sense in this province to keep party politics out of our municipal elections.When I was much younger I was an enthusiastic party politics guy. Over the years I have carried a...

Meaford’s Financial Picture is Rosy, but the Infrastructure Nightmare Still Looms

Stephen Vance, Editor Everybody loves good news, and Meaford's council certainly had plenty of it during Monday's council meeting as the independent auditor presented her report on the 2017 financial statements. The good news is that Meaford is in better financial shape than we've been in years, but don't assume that will mean lower taxes, because as the auditor cautioned,...

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...