By Stephen Vance, Editor
Should Meaford's council take the lacklustre attendance at the recent public engagement sessions for the 2015 municipal budget as a sign that ratepayers are happy with the budget and the 1.3 percent property tax increase that comes with it, or should they take it as a warning that the public has become frustrated, apathetic, and as...
By Stephen Vance, Editor
Small towns like Meaford often struggle with change, and for good reason. As developer Lino Toncic pointed out during the February 2 public meeting focused on his proposed redevelopment of a section of century-old buildings on Sykes Street, Meaford was once a vibrant, bustling community with strong industrial, agricultural, and commercial sectors that provided plenty in...
By Stephen Vance, Editor
Perhaps I'm feeling a little cranky after spending the past week fighting an impressively powerful and determined flu bug, but I've had enough of winter already.
I've long wondered what we Canadians have done to deserve the annual punishment we call winter. For a nation of people known across the globe for being friendly, polite, and for...
By Stephen Vance, Editor
You have to hand it to bag tags – for a simple sticker, they can sure get people worked up. In 2009, when the $2 pay-as-you-throw bag tag program was implemented, there were many that were convinced that the move would result in our ditches and parking lots being used for waste disposal rather than pay...
By Stephen Vance, Editor
The first draft of the 2015 municipal budget was presented to council on January 12 after councillors had been educated about asset management and budgeting by Treasurer Darcy Chapman during a special education session.
For municipal staffers and members of council, budget the budgeting process requires a lot of time, patience, and the balancing skills of a...
By Stephen Vance, Editor
On Monday, January 12, Meaford's council will be presented with a report concerning the challenges currently faced by the library with regard to accessibility and space. The 48-page report prepared by Lundholm Associates identifies the deficiencies in the current facility, and offers a range of proposed options for creating a fully accessible library with adequate space.
Before...
By Stephen Vance, Editor
What a year 2014 has been! The past 12 months have been an eclectic mix of the amusing and the less amusing, of politics and community events. There has certainly been a lot going on, and while we’ve highlighted a major story from each month of the past year in our print exclusive feature, there has...
By Stephen Vance, Editor
For all that there is to despise about it, you have to love social media for at least one aspect – it gets people talking – err typing.
I was blissfully and willingly late to the world of social media. I looked upon the likes of Myspace and Facebook with great suspicion in the early days, and...
By Stephen Vance, Editor
Hey Santa,
It's that time of year again. The time of year when some of my readers remind me that I'm due for sending you my annual wish list.
I trust that everything is going well at the North Pole – which reminds me, given all of his recent sabre rattling, has Mr. Putin forced you to fly...
By Stephen Vance, Editor
In previous years we at The Meaford Independent have made a point of thanking those who clear the snow from our roads, parking lots, and driveways in order to make living through an Ontario winter more bearable, and we had planned to do the same this year.
Last year's thank you was published in February, however though...
