I’ve been an advocate for participatory democracy, the idea that we all have a role to play in our democratic institutions that goes beyond just voting, for well over a decade. I really do believe that all of our perspectives and opinions matter, that institutions are strengthened by people showing up and contributing, and thatContinue reading “How To Be Heard and Make Change in a Local Democracy”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Automated Speed Enforcement
In July, after about two years of preamble, the Municipality of Brighton implemented the Automated Speed Enforcement program in our Community Safety Zone. As of last week, I had heard that over 8,500 tickets had gone out. Municipal staff have been inundated with complaints and appeals of tickets, and there’s a lot of confusion floatingContinue reading “Automated Speed Enforcement”
AMO Conference Report
Last week I attended the Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference, which was full of good information and networking opportunities, as conferences tend to be. Here’s a brief rundown of what I learned. Keynote Speaker: Andrew Coyne Andrew Coyne gave a barnburner of a talk about the state of democracy in Canada amid our troubledContinue reading “AMO Conference Report”
On Work, Purpose, and Dignity
This post isn’t about municipal governance, but hey, I’m on vacation. The other night I was listening to a popular political podcast. The host and his guest are both known for being thoughtful and intelligent, and identified themselves as being an “elder millennial” and an “ancient GenZ” (40 and 28 respectively), and yet they bothContinue reading “On Work, Purpose, and Dignity”
Procurement
At council last night there were several issues that relate to procurement. It was a long session, and challenging at times, not least because procurement is a complex and sometimes contentious process. So here’s a rundown of how it’s supposed to work, including the laws and policies that structure the process, as well as someContinue reading “Procurement”
The Power of Procedure
The best cure for insomnia is to read a Procedural By-Law, but bear with me: it can also be dramatic! It lays out exactly how meetings of councils and committees are supposed to happen, who needs to be there, what kinds of things can be discussed and how and in what order, when a closed-sessionContinue reading “The Power of Procedure”
How Do I Make Decisions?
Council provides strategic direction to municipal staff, on behalf of residents, to determine the policies that shape the present and future of our community. Someone asked me this week how I make decisions on behalf of residents, and the answer was longer than they had time for! So I’ll put it here. Context and ProcedureContinue reading “How Do I Make Decisions?”
When You Have a Concern About Development
Development is constantly in the news these days, between governments of all levels looking for ways to speed it up to citizens’ and resident groups expressing opposition to particular developments. Brighton is no different: we’ve had some big development proposals lately, and residents have expressed opposition to some of them. I thought I’d address someContinue reading “When You Have a Concern About Development”
Strong Mayors in Brighton?
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?”
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”