I hate click-bait headlines about crises. Maybe especially when they’re true. I’m crisis-ed out. But here we are. It has been a privilege to sit on the board of directors for Lower Trent Conservation Authority this term of council. When councillors were being delegated to various committees and boards, this was one that I wasContinue reading “Conservation Authorities in Crisis”
Tag Archives: Ontario politics
The Wrong Thing for the Right Reasons
Today I learned that the Hamilton Public Library has reduced its hours, and now requires all library users to scan their library card before they can enter. I feel queasy just thinking about this: public libraries are joyful places where everyone is welcome, knowledge is free, and connection and belonging are available to all. SeeingContinue reading “The Wrong Thing for the Right Reasons”
Concentration of Power
I rarely look at federal politics these days. It is good for my mental health to focus on matters I can actually do something about. Provincial matters are unavoidable for me, because the province (increasingly) directly controls municipalities: the provincial government determines what municipalities can do, how we can do it, and has veto powerContinue reading “Concentration of Power”
ROMA Conference 2026
The first municipal conference that I ever attended was the Rural Ontario Municipal Association conference back in January 2023. While I’ve tried to attend different conferences every year of this term, it seemed to be appropriate to start the last year of the term off with another trip to ROMA. It was a little nostalgicContinue reading “ROMA Conference 2026”
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”
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”
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?”
On Patriotism, and Nationalism
There’s nothing like a common enemy to bring us together, a trope that’s been proven true over the past few weeks as Canadians from across the political spectrum have come together to raise our middle fingers in the general direction of Donald Trump and his 25% tariffs. Calmly and politely, in the Canadian way. ItContinue reading “On Patriotism, and Nationalism”
What Elections Tell Us About Ourselves
One of the worst things about American elections is that, even when they’re over, they’re never over. Even though we’re not American, our news and social media have been deluged with American politics for the past two years; we’ve weathered the spectacle of the primaries, the spectacle of the campaign, and now we’re stuck inContinue reading “What Elections Tell Us About Ourselves”
Polarization in Canada
“We’ve never been so divided.” I have heard that phrase more times than I can count, recently. It’s bad enough that we hear examples of polarization so often in American news, but it’s much worse that we see so many examples of it here in Canada. It seems that our political rhetoric is increasingly negative,Continue reading “Polarization in Canada”