By Stephen Vance, Editor
Residents of Meaford are concerned about the potential health effects posed by a proposed cell tower to be located somewhere within the urban area of the Municipality of Meaford.
I fully respect the rights of citizens to express concern, to protest, and to lobby government. I am well read, and well-travelled enough to be able to acknowledge...
By Stephen Vance, Editor
Election campaigns can often become very serious affairs. Serious issues, serious debates, serious competition.
While some aspects of an election campaign should rightly be serious, The Meaford Independent wants to inject some fun into this year's municipal election, and we will start that fun this Saturday outside our Sykes Street office when we introduce our election Soap...
By Stephen Vance, Editor
Caught between a rock and a hard place. A Catch-22. A no-win situation. No matter how you describe it, the conundrum Meaford's council finds itself in, faced with a decision about a compromise location for a proposed cell tower and having to weigh the concerns of residents against the realities of modern technology, can't be fun.
For...
By Stephen Vance, Editor
It still seems strange to me that in our neck of the woods, the annual Fall Fair is a sign that the kids are about to return to school.
In spite of my thinking it somewhat strange, after 40 something years I've embraced having a Fall Fair in August, and it has become a favourite time of...
By Stephen Vance, Editor
As of this morning, The Meaford Independent has received replies from eight of the 17 candidates that have as of this week announced their intention to seek a seat on Meaford's council.
We may still see some more candidates with the nomination deadline just a few weeks away, in fact, while writing this column, I received an...
By Stephen Vance, Editor
It isn't often these days that I become distracted by international news. Typically I live and breathe local issues and events, and though I keep informed about what is going on in the rest of the world via podcasts, some favourite magazines and news websites, that information gathering is reserved for my spare time.
Every now and...
By Stephen Vance, Editor
It's been more than five years since I've had an actual week of vacation time – you know, time away from work, email, the phone. It's been even longer since I've had more than a week off, and longer still since I've actually gone away for a vacation.
And while that isn't going to change this...
By Stephen Vance, Editor
Earlier this week, Meaford council gave approval to the establishment of a Heritage Conservation District aimed at preserving the historic character of the downtown core.
Run for the hills! Barricade your doors! The Man is coming after your property rights!
Really?
I've heard a lot of “facts” being tossed about with regard to this policy. The trouble is, some...
By Stephen Vance, Editor
If you pick up some raspberries or blueberries at the farmers' market this week, they quite likely arrived in your kitchen with a little help from some friends, maybe even some of your own friends.
This week I was an arms-length witness to the true nature of a small town like Meaford, a community that responds when...
By Stephen Vance, Editor
I'm often asked how I and my fellow reporters manage to endure sitting through council meetings. Don't you get frustrated? Don't you get bored? Isn't it just a big waste of time?
If I were a fan of brevity, I would answer those three questions with – sometimes, not really, and absolutely not.
Brevity however has never been...
