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...
Stephen Vance, Editor
As much as I focus a lot of my time (and ink) on infrastructure issues, like many, in spite of the fact that my feet tromp on them each and every day, I often overlook sidewalk infrastructure.
Like much of our infrastructure, many of our sidewalks were installed decades ago, and some of those old sidewalks are now...
Stephen Vance, Editor
“It's a short agenda, should be a quick meeting,” my friend from the Express said to me as we were setting up at the media table prior to Monday's council meeting.
“Well, the first intake of the community grants is on the agenda so...” I responded.
Face palm. “Oh right, I forgot.”Monday's council meeting lasted three hours and 15...
Stephen Vance, Editor
With the winter snow and chilly temperatures gone, the month of May is traditionally the month when we Ontarians escape our winter cocoons and get outside to reconnect with the natural world around us, and hiking some trails is a fantastic way to do just that.
This year is the 50th birthday of Ontario's mother of all trails,...
Stephen Vance, Editor
It's that time of year again. The snow is gone, the birds are chirping, and the first dashes of colourful spring blooms have shown themselves – and that means it's time for the annual Memorial Park Earth Week clean-up.
For all of our advancements as a species, we humans are unfortunately still prone to discarding unwanted items in...
Stephen Vance, Editor
Five years ago I wrote an article entitled 'Bridge Blues on the Way'. Meaford's council of the day had received a staff report advising that nearly $20 million would need to be spent on bridges and culverts in the municipality over the next ten years. It was a report that was a wake up call for council...
