By Stephen Vance, Staff
Members of Meaford's council are no doubt frustrated and weary these days after weeks and months of being bombarded with complaints from rural residents who have been beating the drums of discontent with the municipality.
It is one thing to be frustrated and weary, however it is quite another thing to be distant and disrespectful.When members of...
By Stephen Vance, Editor
Former MPP Bill Murdoch is one of those politicians that I rarely agree with. He and I approach life from opposite ends of the political spectrum, and there is nothing wrong with that – that is the beauty of a healthy democracy.
Even though I often find my own views at odds with those of Murdoch,...
By Stephen Vance, Editor
While residents of the former Sydenham Township are unlikely to find success in their expressed desire to separate from the Municipality of Meaford, they are doing the entire municipality a favour by highlighting not only their own frustrations, but those of many residents throughout the municipality.Property tax rates have not just skyrocketed in Sydenham - all...
By Stephen Vance, Editor
I drove out to Sydenham this week and went for a little walk. The issue of Sydenham residents who have been expressing displeasure with the 12 year old marriage to the former Town of Meaford and the former Township of St. Vincent was weighing heavily on my mind.
I love the Sydenham area, I love the rolling...
By Stephen Vance, Editor
While inconvenient, this week's brief interruption in water service due to a break in a water main junction fitting served to remind us all of two things – one good, and one not so good.
First, what was clearly demonstrated this week is that the Municipality of Meaford and its staff can respond admirably in the face...
By Stephen Vance, Staff
We've been hearing a lot about bees in recent weeks, and while it can be easy to dismiss stories about collapsing bee colonies as yet another agricultural problem that somebody else will find a solution for, it is important to understand how crucial bees are to our agricultural sector, and the ramifications should the mass die-off...
By Stephen Vance, Editor
Lost in the discussion of a request at the June 24 meeting of council for municipal staff to prepare a report outlining the logistics involved in including a question on next year's municipal election ballot regarding the topics of municipal restructuring and the introduction of a ward system, was what is quite possibly the best suggestion...
By Stephen Vance, Staff
It is no secret that for all levels of government, voter turnout has been on the decline in recent years. In the last municipal election, which was held in October of 2010, voter participation in Meaford reached the lowest level since the 2001 amalgamation, with just 50 percent of eligible voters casting a ballot.Not that previous...
By Stephen Vance, Editor
When we first launched the website for The Meaford Independent in November of 2009, the goal was simple – establish a locally owned, locally operated, locally driven news outlet for both residents of Meaford and those who visit the area from beyond our borders.
In the three and a half years since, The Independent has worked to...
By Stephen Vance, Editor
At their most recent meeting on August 13, Meaford councillors considered a number of potential projects that could be eligible for a new round of grant funding from the Community Infrastructure Investment Fund.
Presented with a list of seven projects prepared by municipal staff, council quickly zeroed in on two possibilities – a renovation of the balcony...
