A lot of the comments I’ve received on my posts about homelessness lately have been about drug use. Some of them have been nasty, blaming people for their own poverty because they use drugs; others have been more generous, simply acknowledging that drugs are part of the problem. So let’s take a closer look: areContinue reading “Are Drugs the Problem?”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
The Brighton Homelessness Task Force
My last few posts stimulated a lot of comments along the lines of “why don’t you advocate for a shelter/warming room/safe consumption site/etc in Brighton, instead of Cobourg?” There are two answers to that. Why Are Services in Cobourg? Northumberland County Social Services, like all Northumberland County services, are headquartered in Cobourg. It’s what isContinue reading “The Brighton Homelessness Task Force”
This County Was Made for You and Me
My last post made some waves, and prompted some backlash (skip ahead to 1:06:34 for the open session). Over the past week I have heard the same question from several people: why does a Brighton councillor care about what’s going on in Cobourg? Am I just sticking my nose into other people’s business? In thisContinue reading “This County Was Made for You and Me”
When Systems Go Bad
On Friday I sent a letter to County Councillors. I still haven’t slept well this weekend (and I’m writing this at 2am on Monday morning), and I’ve spent a lot of that time thinking about the situation at hand, and how it relates to my master’s thesis on the nature of evil. All these yearsContinue reading “When Systems Go Bad”
Putting a Nice Face on Things
This past week there were two breaches of decorum that were (somewhat) newsworthy. Provincial Opposition Leader Marit Styles was ejected from Queen’s Park for calling the PC government corrupt and refusing to apologize. If you watch the video, toward the end MPP Styles made the accusation of corruption, and the Speaker said “I will askContinue reading “Putting a Nice Face on Things”
Identity in Community
None of us has complete authority on the question of who we are. It seems strange, counter-intuitive, and even unjust, in this individualistic era, but it’s true: I don’t have the total say in who I am. Our identities are shaped by the communities in which we live, and our communities are shaped by ourContinue reading “Identity in Community”
What Shapes a Government?
We tend to think that governments are shaped by ideology, and that’s true, but what does that really mean, and how much does political ideology really matter? The forces shaping how a government behaves go much further than being liberal or conservative, but it’s still beliefs all the way down: conventions, norms, ideologies and values,Continue reading “What Shapes a Government?”
How To Be Heard and Make Change in a Local Democracy
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”
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”