Consider This (https://consider-this.ca/tag/community/page/43/)
Community affairs
Community outreach worker David Sheffield shares his insights on social justice, poverty and his own life during an interview. Continue Reading →
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Northumberland Fare Share Food Bank executive director Duncan McKinnon talks about feeding people in need, community collaboration and food insecurity with Dave Glover and I on Northumberland 89.7 FM.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
By Robert Washburn
My daughter is refusing to look at me for the next month. That is because I shaved my beard and moustache off on Oct. 31. This has only happened once before, about three years ago. Until then, I had facial hair since I was 18-years old, either a goatee or a full beard. Continue Reading →
Poppy Campaign Chair Iris Milne, second vice-president of Cobourg Legion Branch 133, and John Aitken, veterans service officer, talked about the Remembrance Day ceremony in Victoria Park, community support and the plight of veterans with Dave Glover and I.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Local photographer Warren McCarthy shared these amazing photos of various locations around Cobourg of the recent ice storm. While there were some pretty hard hit areas and people went without power, there is another side to the storm, which he has captured in these beautiful images. Consider This is grateful for his contribution. Thanks, Warren. Now, enjoy. 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
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 →
By Robert Washburn
It is easy to be distracted this time of year. The commercial push associated with the Christmas season, children’s concerts, crazy weather and the hustle and bustle. That makes it all the easier to forget National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women on Dec. 6. It is when we collectively remember the fateful day in 1989 when 14 women were massacred by Marc Lepine at the Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal. Continue Reading →
By Robert Washburn
The Northumberland Fare Share Food Bank gives $900,000 worth of food to people who cannot afford it each year. It is a staggering number considering it works out to about $15 per week per person. So for a single mother with two children, it is about $45 a week worth of groceries. Fare Share Executive Director Duncan Mackinnon says it is hard to determine any trends these days. One month there is a drop and then, suddenly, things shoot up again, as new people come to use the local food banks located in Port Hope and Cobourg. Continue Reading →
By Robert Washburn
A small step towards a long-term plan to preserve Victoria Hall as a national landmark was unanimously approved Monday night at Cobourg council. An application for up to $10,000 in funding would provide half the funding for a major strategic plan to outline future restoration and preservation. Victoria Hall Volunteers President Claire Lloyd said her organization, which raises money to assist with maintaining the building, said this is delightful news. “We think it is imperative,” she said. “Working as volunteers with a mandate to preserve the historical aspects of Victoria Hall, this strategic plan will ensure the hall remains a beautiful landmark that it is.” (more…) Continue Reading →