Blog

An Inclusive, Mixed-Income Community

Who belongs in Brighton? I would love to take it for granted that everyone belongs here. I sometimes tell people that, as far as I’m concerned, you’re from here whether you’ve lived here for five generations or five minutes. It’s by choosing to live here that you become one of us. If only it were…

Transformative Change

Last Wednesday evening the municipality hosted a public engagement session regarding our Land Banking Program, and I think it went quite well. We had a few dozen people through, talking to Director Walsh, members of council, and of course the consultants from Urban Strategies Inc., to provide input into the project to shape it according…

In Praise of Gas Taxes

I recently read an article in the Northumberland News with the headline “Most Canadians oppose reinstating the federal gas tax Sept. 8, new poll finds. What Ontario drivers pay in fuel taxes — and what’s being proposed.” The article lays out a few key facts: Northumberland News then asks readers what they think, and almost…

Small Town Charm

I’ve written before about “small town charm” in various ways, but it’s something I’ve been thinking a lot about as life has slowed down this summer. Spending time downtown, or at the beach, and noticing all of the people who come to visit Brighton, has made me think about what draws them here. And hearing…

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Image of Jeff Wheeldon

About Me

Welcome! I will post here about my approach to municipal politics, the values that are foundational to that approach, and some ideas for what that might look like in Brighton. All of my posts here are my own reflections on issues or events, and interpretations of the processes and structures that shape our municipal government. My goal here is to empower my readers to engage in local government by giving them relevant information, with links to authoritative sources. I am not an authoritative source: I do not speak on behalf of the municipality (that’s the Mayor’s job), and my interpretation of a law or policy is my own. Even so, I hope that my posts here can help make the system more understandable and easily accessible, so that you can get better use of it. If you see me here commenting on matters that are confidential, still before Council, or in ways that misrepresent a matter, please drop me a line and I will quickly change it; my goal is to counter misinformation, not add to it!

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