Consider This (https://consider-this.ca/category/thinking-out-loud/page/2/)
By Robert Washburn
We all have a biological father. But, we also have men in our lives that helped raise us, teach us, share their wisdom with us and shape us into the people we are today. Lee Sauro was like a father to me. He died at age 90 in July. His son, Darryl contacted me today to let me know there is going to be a wake. Continue Reading →
By Robert Washburn
Farmer and businessman Paul Burnham is right to seriously question Northumberland County’s official plan when he asks why industrial parks are replacing good farmland. It is a sign the county’s economic development plan is antiquated and/or the planners don’t talk to economic development officers. (more…) Continue Reading →
By Robert Washburn
As this is being written, the union representing Globe and Mail reporters and editors is heading back to the negotiating table to try and reach a deal after more than 90 per cent of its membership voted for a strike. One critical issue is a demand by management to get journalists to write advertorial content, meaning promotional material in the guise of a news-style story. The term used today is Brand Journalism. It is very popular in the marketing world and generates a lot of revenue for some publishers. It is unethical for journalists to write this content because it undermines journalistic independence and misrepresents what a journalist is suppose to do – tell the truth in a balanced, fair and unbiased manner. Continue Reading →
By Robert Washburn
[Update: The irony keeps dripping. It turns out Horizons Plastics received a $2 million provincial grant from the Liberals in 2011 for new technology and jobs. If that is not enough, I found out from a reliable source up to 30 people were laid off from the plant yesterday. Not able to confirm]
It was so very nice of Progressive Conservative leader Tim Hudak to drop by Cobourg Wednesday to support local candidate Rob Milligan with a photo op at Horizons Plastics. To see Hudak and Milligan standing on the shop floor with the Million Jobs sign behind them was visually pleasing. Continue Reading →
By Robert Washburn
Mark Lever gets it. The Chronicle Herald also gets it. The 43-year old businessman is leading the charge to introduce a new newspaper to Cape Brenton, a free weekly, in Nova Scotia starting May 1, according to a Globe and Mail article last week. It is a bold stroke in a time when many community newspapers are closing. Many would say it does not make sense. Continue Reading →
By Robert Washburn
I would like to thank Councillor Forrest Rowden for his response to my column, in which the relevant excerpt is publish on Consider This. Mr. Rowden deserves equal time and space on this website in all fairness and for balance. Sadly, I made a really dumbass error. I called his fellow councillor Jay Sherwin instead of Larry Sherwin. Jay was on council with Rowden in Hamilton Township back in the 1990s. Continue Reading →
By Robert Washburn
Here is a radical idea: Make developers pay the complete cost of getting municipal approval for their projects. It will never happen. But, it should be considered. Right now, public tax dollars are spent maintaining planning departments. Certainly, there are aspects of planning that are in the general public interest – official plans, secondary plans, bylaws, policies, etc. Continue Reading →
With the closure of a number of community newspaper, the search for a sustainable model is elusive. While most academics frame the debate over these closure in terms of the impact on local democracy or the failure of an economic model, there may be another way to view the issue – through the lens of rural sustainability. Here are three articles I recent wrote for J-Source indicating some thoughts on this important aspect of journalism. Here is the introduction I wrote for the three-part series:
“When a community newspaper closes, it is a great loss. Still, publishers will argue it is the economic reality of the times. Continue Reading →
By Robert Washburn
It appears Cobourg council gets a massive FAIL when it comes to providing information during the recent ice storm. Once again, the Burd Report doesn’t miss a trick as it recorded the delayed reaction by politicians and the communications department at town hall. Sarcasm aside, it points out a blatant lack of use of social media to reach out to residents and keep them informed about what was going on. Meanwhile, crews with the roads department, the local hydro and police were trying to deal with the ensuing mayhem created by the storm. Cobourg police did a reasonable job trying to push information to the public across its Twitter account. Continue Reading →
By Robert Washburn
The Burd Report for the fantastic job it did analyzing the comments for the planning report for the new Legion building proposed for Orr and Hibernia streets. Creating a chart, the Burd Report breaks down key words in letters submitted to the town to identify specific objections, including no specific objection. It deflates the argument made by supporters that a form letter was used. It also provides clear patterns pertaining to the objections. As the Burd Report notes, the majority support a four-storey building. Continue Reading →