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”
Tag Archives: Brighton Ontario
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”
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”
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”
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”
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?”