Community Voices

Contributions from others in the community

Related Topics:

Recent Posts

Police asking for more surveillance cameras in Cobourg

By: |

By Deborah O’Connor

Early in 2011, Cobourg Police Chief Paul Sweet announced at a public meeting, through a grant from the Proceeds of Crime Fund, the police services had obtained two closed circuit surveillance cameras and the hardware to put them in place. There didn’t seem to be any objections from anybody and the cameras were duly installed and staff trained to operate them. Now, a few short months later, the chief has asked the Police Services Board to find funds to buy a dozen more. The request, totalling approximately $91,000 was forwarded to Deputy Mayor Stan Frost’s ambitious three-year budget process with the goal of implementation during the same period. (more…) Continue Reading →

Filed under: Community Voices, Community

The devil is in the downloading, an ignored issue during this election

By: |

By Deborah O’Connor

In this fall’s provincial election in Ontario the issue of downloading services is being freshly revived. With a little push from AMO (Association of Municipalities Ontario) all the parties announced their platforms on that contentious but yawn producing topic. For most of us, it’s a term dredged up from the past, when Former Premier Mike Harris led the charge to swap the costs of various programs, with the province off-loading some to the municipal level while taking some costs back in a process that was promised to be revenue-neutral. It wasn’t. And, the battle over who should pay for what has been fiercely fought ever since between the municipalities and the province. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Community Voices, Elections 2011, Community, Federal Election 2011, Politics

BurdReport provides special insight on current provincial election

By: |

Blogger Ben Burd takes some time to evaluate the websites of the major local candidates in this blog. It is a decent glimpse of what is, and isn’t, being done. Too bad so many campaigns don’t leverage these resources to a greater extent. It would seem the growing senior’s population hasn’t twigged into this type of interaction. Certainly, there are some who have learned to flame and rant those whom they disagree with, but not beyond. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Community Voices

Who is listening to the disabled?

By: |

By Deborah O’Connor

Just a couple of short months ago an issue arose in downtown Cobourg that saw clashes between the town’s efforts to beautify the streetscape and the need for visually-impaired residents and visitors to navigate King Street in safety. The incident underlines the extreme difficulty the disabled community often faces in trying to get their point across to the people who plan and implement community features. While they may have the opportunity to provide input, is anybody listening and willing to make the needed accommodations? (more…) Continue Reading →

Filed under: Community Voices, Community

Mental health and addiction treatment plan gathers dust

By: |

By Deborah O’Connor

In Part Two of this series we looked at the Central East LHIN in detail, including its Integrated Health Services Plan, which noted mental health and addiction issues to be a priority, but not one of the chosen few for active improvements. This came in spite of the production of an Addiction Environmental Scan undertaken in 2008 showing just how serious the issues had become. The report, found on the LHIN website, was produced in March 2009 and appears to have gathered mostly dust since then, if mental health services in Northumberland today are any indication. (more…) Continue Reading →

Filed under: Community Voices, Health

The new framework of local health care

By: |

By Deborah O’Connor

In the introduction to our topic of mental health care in Northumberland a glimpse of the framework established by the Ontario government was provided, and in this column, we’ll take a closer look at the whole set-up.It’s impossible to understand local decisions without knowing the impact of the introduction of the “Local Health System Integration Act” in 2006. Searching the home page of our own Central East LHIN (Local Health Integration Network), we learn the purpose of the LHINs in Ontario is “to effectively plan, co-ordinate and fund local health systems to make it easier for patients to access the care they need”.A total of 14 LHINs were created in our province, many of them geographically similar to the District Health Councils they replaced. These bodies are incredibly powerful, managing nearly two-thirds of the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care’s annual budget, which stood at $37.9 billion in 2006 when the transfer of funds was first made. While its website states it does not have the authority to close down a hospital, the fact remains it can starve them of the funds needed to operate or impose its own supervisor to run a hospital they deem unsatisfactory. (more…) Continue Reading →

Filed under: Community Voices, Health

Mental health care in Northumberland falling short

By: |

By Deborah O’Connor

The first week of May marked the sixtieth annual Mental Health Week across Canada and while various groups and organizations held events to boost awareness, the occasion passed without much fanfare in Northumberland. Two exceptions to that statement include the Campbellford and District Mental Health Centre, which held an open house, along with Kinark Child and Family Services, which hosted a children’s art project. While there may have been other events, those flew under the local mainstream radar. That’s surprising since 20 percent of Ontarians, about 2.5 million people, will experience some form of mental illness in their lifetime and the effects of mental illness in terms of lost productivity and other economic impacts is a rising problem across the entire country. (more…) Continue Reading →

Filed under: Community Voices, Community, Health, Social Justice

The precarious world of temporary work

By: |

By Deborah o’Connor

When Bakkavor Foods announced a few short months ago it was setting up shop in the Lucas Point Industrial Park in Cobourg, promises of up to 150 jobs were heralded as a victory for the town and unemployed workers in the area. Scheduled to open in April 2011, 30 jobs were up for grabs with a goal of 70 in total after two more years. The company, a subsidiary of Bakkavor Foods U.S.A., based in the United Kingdom, employs 19,000 workers in 10 countries around the world. They process fresh agricultural products to sell in supermarkets, and with Cobourg so close to both farms and Highway 401, our location is just right for their business. (more…) Continue Reading →

Filed under: Community Voices, Featured, Economy, Social Justice

The wacky world of fundraising 21st Century style

By: |

By Deborah O’Connor

About 20 years ago I received a phone call from a polling outfit wanting to ask me questions about government funding and being curious, agreed to participate. What followed alarmed me considerably since the thrust of the questions focussed on whether institutions like hospitals should be fully funded through the tax base or supplemented by private donations. At the time, other than the work of the ladies of the local hospital auxiliary, our hospital maintained itself through government and large scale campaigns directed at the public to buy equipment like CT scans were rare. Despite my own firm opinion government hold the responsibility to fund community services and institutions, the tide swam the other way. Today, pitches to donate to worthy causes just about every day beset us. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Community Voices, Community, Social Justice

Cobourg’s parking mess

By: |

By John Draper

All of a sudden, parking has become a big issue in Cobourg. Last summer it was parking by visitors at the beach – despite signage, parking was allowed on the pier and no waterfront parking was free, even for residents. The residents in the new (white) waterfront condos are unhappy because not enough visitor’s parking required by the building permits. They pay taxes so they expected to be able to park on the waterfront but now, that’s very limited. This is not an easy problem since other residents also want to park on the waterfront in the summer. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Community Voices, Featured, Planning and Development