Brighton is one of 169 municipalities in Ontario that were just given Strong Mayor powers. I have some serious concerns about that, and have seconded a Notice of Motion expressing opposition to it. As I sit down to write this, Consider This released an interview with Mayor Brian Ostrander on the subject, you can listenContinue reading “Strong Mayors in Brighton?”
Author Archives: Jeff Wheeldon
Confession and Fear in Politics
I’m working my way through the massive catalogue of CBC’s Ideas, and was inspired by an episode featuring Christian philosopher James K A Smith called “Beyond the ‘Culture Wars’: How Mysticism Can Get Us Beyond Polarization.” In it, he associates the “culture wars” with fear: of being misunderstood, alone, and left out; of the other,Continue reading “Confession and Fear in Politics”
Housing Solutions, and the Limits Thereof
There’s been a lot of coverage of proposed housing solutions during this federal election campaign, and that’s hopeful. Mike Moffatt and Justin Ling both have posts that dig in deep enough to explain the difference between them. But there are a few limitations to these plans that I haven’t seen covered, and I have aContinue reading “Housing Solutions, and the Limits Thereof”
Working with Nature
Days 2 and 3 of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ Sustainable Communities Conference are in the books! Tomorrow I’m headed home. If I tried to give you a play-by-play of the past two days we’d be here all night. But there were some common themes that came up over and over again, and it’s worthContinue reading “Working with Nature”
Affordable Housing, and Managing Growth
Today is the first full day of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ Sustainable Communities Conference, held this year in Fredericton, New Brunswick. It’s been a very busy day, and my mind is buzzing with possibilities for Brighton, but I’ll focus on the two main sessions I attended today. Affordable Housing This morning I attended aContinue reading “Affordable Housing, and Managing Growth”
On Patriotism, and Nationalism
There’s nothing like a common enemy to bring us together, a trope that’s been proven true over the past few weeks as Canadians from across the political spectrum have come together to raise our middle fingers in the general direction of Donald Trump and his 25% tariffs. Calmly and politely, in the Canadian way. ItContinue reading “On Patriotism, and Nationalism”
A New Councillor
On Friday, Brighton Council heard short presentations from nine excellent candidates to fill one open seat on council. We asked each of them questions to draw out their strengths and potential points of comparison between them. Each one of them was and is remarkable: it takes guts, passion, and responsibility to stand for a councilContinue reading “A New Councillor”
Agency and Identity in the Internet Age
Last week I had the pleasure of addressing the Presqu’ile Probus Club, and what follows here is my talk. It’s considerably longer than my usual blog posts; the talk lasted 50 minutes. It was well received there, and I hope it’s useful here as well. _________________________ Today I want to talk about agency and identity.Continue reading “Agency and Identity in the Internet Age”
Political Analysis, Punditry, and Gossip
As I write this, we’re flooded with political questions at every level. Internationally, we’re hearing analysis about which parties can support peace (or war) in Gaza and Ukraine, or getting details about the indictment of the President of South Korea, not to mention the non-stop speculation about what incoming US President Donald Trump will doContinue reading “Political Analysis, Punditry, and Gossip”
Do You Want to Join Council?
I’m not yet over my sadness at the loss of Councillor Faretis, but I am nonetheless happy that Brighton is in the process of choosing a new councillor to serve out the remainder of the 2022-2026 term. The details of the appointment process will be confirmed on a special meeting on December 24th at 9am,Continue reading “Do You Want to Join Council?”