Consider This (https://consider-this.ca/)
This is a conversation with Nancy Allanson, the executive director of the Trent Hills Chamber of Commerce. It is the last in a series of interviews I have done over the summer with the various chambers and business groups to monitor the economic impact of the pandemic and the ongoing recovering taking place. What is noticeable in this interview is how similar the businesses are in addressing the changes. Yet you will also hear how different things are in Trent Hills from the rest of the county.
In Canada, the laws overseeing the relationships between landlords and tenants aim to give rights to people who rent. The regulations recognize there is a fundamental need for people to have a place to live. But also, they need to be safe from those who might act arbitrarily and throw them out on to the street. Landlords will complain the system is unfair to them.
Advocacy is nothing new for Ashley Bouman. The paralegal is a longtime activist in Cobourg. She is a community leader for LGBTQ2+ youth for many years. It is one of the many causes she champions regularly.
Cobourg harbour is a gem in the crown jewel of the waterfront. It generates revenues through the marina. It provides recreational opportunities for dragon boater, canoeists, paddle boaters, anglers, and sailors. Demonstrating some foresight, the council approved an aquatic safety audit of the harbour by the Life Saving Society of Canada as a precautionary measure in late 2018 and early 2019.
Parents, students, and teachers are filled with anxiety as the start of school is only five weeks away. That would be pretty normal for this time of year. But this fall will be very different in the face of the pandemic as the provincial government and school boards grapple with the health and safety of children and staff. The provincial government wants to assure us everyone will be safe.
Federal, provincial, and local politicians gathered at the corner of Elgin and Darcy streets to announce a $5.7 million grant. It will more than double the existing affordable housing from 18 units to 40. The multi-phase project represents a huge upgrade to the existing buildings that were originally constructed in the 1960s. Rebecca Carman, the Manager, Housing Services for Northumberland County, explains. The housing mix will expand what is already there. Continue Reading →
Charges of racism and police violence have renewed calls in Canada for frontline officers to wear body cameras. The debate is taking place across the country. From the RCMP to Toronto’s police, Indigenous groups and Black Lives Matters are calling for officers to wear video recording devices on their chests. The longtime debate over the need to wear body cameras is coming to Cobourg. As part of its technology and innovation strategy, the Police Services Board wants your opinion. Continue Reading →
More and better broadband. Access to Personal Protective Equipment. Building consumer confidence. Those were the first three recommendations by the Economic Recovery Task Force to county council back on June 4. A lot has happened since then. Continue Reading →
Near Colborne on three huge pieces of old weathered plywood are spray-painted messages. They read: no mandatory vaccines, not my new normal and a third has a large letter Q.
The Q on the roadside sign can stand for QAnon, a conspiracy theory once held by far-right extremists. But it is gaining mainstream acceptance in the United States and Canada, as well as around the world. Similar messages are being delivered across social media groups in Northumberland. They are also found in the chants of protesters and people’s conversations across the county. Continue Reading →
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In an effort to become more open and transparent, Northumberland County Council recently approved a new system of committees. This is not new. The county used to have a number of citizen-driven advisory groups. But following the amalgamation in the mid-1990s, those fell by the wayside. Recently county councillors approved a new parliamentary-style system of committees. Continue Reading →