It is possible that more people rang my doorbell two nights ago than for the rest of the year combined. And still, I only gave out half a box of Halloween candy to little skeletons and monsters and fairy princesses, and I only recognized one or two of them either. Most people on my streetContinue reading “The End of Door to Door?”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Election Day Reflection
Today is, in a way, the last day to reflect on the past term before the next one begins. It’s a term that I felt was a tremendous success, but the successes that I am the most proud of are now being campaigned against as somehow negative or even disastrous. Depending on how today goesContinue reading “Election Day Reflection”
Questions from Facebook
Today I received a letter in the mail, with no return address or personal identifier anywhere on it. I must say that I’m always tempted to dispose of such suspicious letters immediately, and always open them in a well-ventilated place! So to whoever sent it, in future please just give me a call, I’m happyContinue reading “Questions from Facebook”
On Electric Vehicles in the Municipal Fleet
In my last post I talked about concerns regarding our adoption of the Integrated Community Sustainability Plan, and the potential spending that might be included in that. Since then I’ve also received a few emails expressing concerns specifically about the cost of transitioning to Electric Vehicles (EVs) in our municipal fleet. There’s a common misconceptionContinue reading “On Electric Vehicles in the Municipal Fleet”
The Integrated Community Sustainability Plan
Back at the start of this term of council, one of the first things that I asked for was a Sustainability Officer who could start us down the path of getting a sustainability plan. Council disagreed, and suggested instead that we start with a plan and see if we need an officer. It took allContinue reading “The Integrated Community Sustainability Plan”
The Challenge of By-Law Enforcement
One of the reports on tonight’s agenda is about by-law enforcement–specifically, about being able to issue fines against folks who break our new parking by-law. With a new parking by-law and the ability to issue fines to enforce it, hopefully we can address some longstanding frustrations with parking in town. But by-law enforcement is oneContinue reading “The Challenge of By-Law Enforcement”
A Vibrant, Mixed-Use Community
I’ve been writing a series on Brighton’s Land Banking initiative, addressing each aspect of the vision, including the six key values: Continuing that series, let’s talk about the value of adding a mixed-use, “complete community” on the edge of town. Mixed Use Traditional zoning by-laws emphasize a single use for each property. I still rememberContinue reading “A Vibrant, Mixed-Use Community”
Tightening Belts
Two nights ago was the all-candidates event, and a theme that came up quite strongly was the idea that we should tighten our belts and do whatever we can to avoid tax increases. I am not averse to the idea of keeping tax rates as low as we can; I pay taxes too, and IContinue reading “Tightening Belts”
Traffic Calming and Those New Curbs
One of the issues that got a laugh at the all-candidates meeting last night was one particular feature at the south end of Prince Edward Street, and I’m delighted. In answering a question about economic development in Brighton, several candidates mentioned the Industrial Park, until one candidate added something along the lines of “how willContinue reading “Traffic Calming and Those New Curbs”
Communication, or Community?
One of the most common things that I see and hear from my neighbours is that they never know what’s going on, that we need to get better at communication, and that they never see us. I heard this a lot four years ago, and I tried to work on it all term (not leastContinue reading “Communication, or Community?”