Politics

Federal, provincial and municipal

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New county warden reflects on a busy year in the face of a pandemic

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Golden Plough Lodge groundbreaking

The Show:

The full interview with bonus material:

As the new county warden, Bob Crate is taking on the job in some pretty tough times. The pandemic is in the depths of a serious second wave. The promise of mass vaccinations sits on the horizon, but there are no firm dates when inoculations will start locally. The county faced many challenges in 2020 yet still managed to start several major projects, including the new Golden Plough Lodge and a major expansion of affordable housing in Cobourg. It maintained services yet scrambled to deal with the economic uncertainty caused by the pandemic during the early days and months of last spring. Continue Reading →

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Filed under: Consider This Northumberland, Politics

MPP addresses vaccine roll out, long-term care crisis, and his successes and challenges

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The show:

(This interview is the full interview with Northumberland-Peterborough South MPP David Piccini. So, there is no bonus interview. Please note, there is a sound quality difference at the end of the interview due to a technical issue. My sincere apology.)

The provincial government is facing intense scrutiny these days. This includes the resignation of former Finance Minister Rod Phillips over a trip to the Caribbean as the number of new cases of COVID-19 skyrocketed. Continue Reading →

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Filed under: Consider This Northumberland, Politics

Social media is a tool for accountability, not a platform for disinformation

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Rod Phillips

Drive Time host Dave Glover and I exchanged views on the resignation of former Ontario Finance Minister Rod Phillips last Thursday. One of the main reasons for the conversation was my concern over Phillips and his staff’s use of social media. He left for his vacation on Dec. 13 and did not return until Dec. 31. Continue Reading →

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Filed under: Thinking Out Loud, Politics

Council still must vote as Cobourg Deputy Mayor aims for zero to one precent budget increase for 2021

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Multimillion proposal to fix harbour in the draft budget

 
The show:

The full interview with lots of bonus material, including additional areas of the budget not discussed in the show:

This interview looks at a draft of the Cobourg town budget. Last year, it was $24 million. And, the town is currently sitting at a 1.9 percent increase. However, Deputy Mayor Suzanne Seguin aims to get that figure down to zero or, at most, one percent. You will want to hear how she hopes to do that in the face of the council’s fiscal challenges. Continue Reading →

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Filed under: Consider This Northumberland, Politics

The passing of a community figure and a special Christmas for the homeless

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Lydia Smith and Paul Pagnuelo

(On Monday, I was asked by Northumberland 89.7 FM to produce the newscast. These are two local stories I did for the 4 p.m. update.)

The co-founder of the Cobourg Taxpayers Association and a well-known community volunteer died on Christmas Day. Paul Pagnuelo, 73, had been ill for several years. Pagnuelo might best be remembered as a candidate for deputy mayor in the 2014 municipal election. He was defeated by John Henderson, who is the current mayor. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Consider This Northumberland, News, Community, Politics, Social Justice

Time to sort yourself out around recycling, Phase 2 kicking in

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Show:

The full interview with bonus material:

Putting out garbage can be so frustrating. You go to put out the waste and you don’t have a bag tag. Or, you are lying in bed and suddenly the sound of the screeching brakes from the garbage truck snap you out of a deep sleep. You frantically rush to get stuff out to the curb. The entire time you are cursing under your breath that the truck came by at 10 in the morning last week. Continue Reading →

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Filed under: Consider This Northumberland, Community, Environment, Politics

Local small business preparing for Christmas shopping season, says councillor

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Show:

The full interview with bonus material:

I don’t know about your neighbourhood, but where I live there are lots of Christmas decorations going up. On my social media, friends are posting pictures of decked-out trees already. If you go to the stores, the Christmas sections are looking pretty decimated. People seem really keen to get ready for the holidays. That is no surprise. Continue Reading →

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Filed under: Consider This Northumberland, Community, Economy, Politics

Diversity initiative launched by town hoping to make Cobourg more inclusive, says councillor

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Show:

The full interview with bonus material

The death of George Floyd ignited an explosion of anti-racism protests around the world, as well as Northumberland County. He was the American man who died at the hands of the Minneapolis Police last spring. Demonstrations were held in Cobourg and Port Hope. There was a flurry of statements by local politicians and community leaders condemning racist behaviour. In September, Cobourg council decided to take it a step further. Continue Reading →

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Filed under: Consider This Northumberland, Community, Politics, Social Justice

Addressing the challenge of race relations in Northumberland is difficult, says committee chair

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WARNING: Some people may find parts of this story disturbing. Podcast from show

The full interview with bonus material

Back in the summer, I posted a picture to my Facebook page from a photojournalist friend. It was a picture of two garden statues of Black children. They were dressed in overalls and straw hats and they were fishing. It was right out of Mark Twain, but it was in Northumberland County. Continue Reading →

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Filed under: Consider This Live, Community, Politics, Social Justice

Impact of residential schools on generations of children felt in Alderville, says Chief Dave Mowat

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Show interview:

Full interview with bonus material:

Sitting on the Second Line Road, just a short drive east of the Alderville Memorial on County Road 45, is a white, long building next to a very old United Church. The elongated building stretching back from the road is home to the administration offices of the Alderville First Nation. But before that, it was a Day School for the local Indigenous community. Prior to that, it was an industrial school dating back to 1838 when the government of Upper Canada decided it wanted to train boys from Indigenous communities. They took these children from their families in Alderville, Mud Lake, and Lake Scugog to turn them into tradespeople. Continue Reading →

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Filed under: Consider This Northumberland, Alderville, Community, First Nations, Indigenous People, Politics