Author: John Draper

News about Cobourg News Blog

John Draper

If you tried to connect to the Cobourg Blog this morning (Wednesday, 26 July) between early morning and around 11:00 am, most of you would not have succeeded. Hopefully, the problem is now fixed but I’d like to let you know some background on the problem. First, know that for the last 20 years I have been operating a business called Cobourg Internet which designed and maintained as many as 60 web sites.  Along the way, I used many ways to provide hosting and eventually settled on renting my own “dedicated server”. The good news is that this can be very reliable but the bad news is that it is expensive and requires daily attention. As I “gradually retire”, I have transferred… Read complete articleNews about Cobourg News Blog

A Pension for Councillors?

John Draper

In a bid to make serving on Council more attractive, Council is considering allowing Councillors to join the OMERS Pension scheme. This would only benefit those eligible and anyone not already receiving an OMERS pension.  To be eligible, you must be less than 71 and you cannot both contribute to a pension plan and receive from that plan simultaneously.  Randy Barber is over 71 and both he and Brian Darling already receive an OMERS pension. The big benefit is that the Town will match the employee’s (councillor’s) contribution to the plan effectively increasing their income (albeit deferred) by approx. $2400 per year. It’s optional to join so Brian and Randy would likely not join since their pension would then stop…. Read complete articleA Pension for Councillors?

EV Charging stations on Municipal Parking Lots

John Draper

Cobourg Council have been discussing the provision of chargers for electric vehicles at least since 2021 and once again it was on the Agenda at Monday’s Committee of the Whole Council meeting.  Randy Curtis of the EV Society gave a presentation and said there are vendors who would be willing to install and operate charging stations in Cobourg at no cost to the Town or taxpayer.  That’s because revenue and grants would pay for their costs.  There are details to be worked out – exactly how many (16?) and where, and which company to work with – Randy suggested an Ad Hoc Committee be formed to decide these in time for this year’s budget deliberations.  Cost consideration would be potential… Read complete articleEV Charging stations on Municipal Parking Lots

Cobourg’s Treasurer – Ian Davey – Retiring

John Draper

After more than 20 years with the Town of Cobourg as Director of Corporate Services and Treasurer, Ian Davey will be retiring effective 27 October.  Recruitment is under way for his replacement and Ian is hoping for a month before that for the new person to absorb Ian’s 20 years of knowledge about Cobourg specific things.  Ian was born and raised in Cobourg (well actually Hamilton) and still lives there.  I was hoping that there would be a public announcement of the change but all we get is a notice of recruitment for his replacement.  I’m not an accountant but I know that Ian has worked hard at his job and is well liked.  The only information I can offer… Read complete articleCobourg’s Treasurer – Ian Davey – Retiring

Poppy Crosswalk for Cobourg?

John Draper

In October 2021, Cobourg created a “seven feathers crosswalk” to remember indigenous “truth and reconciliation”; in June 2019, Cobourg celebrated Gay pride with a Rainbow crosswalk; and at the next Committee of the Whole Council meeting, Adam Bureau will move to create a third one – a poppy crosswalk – to honour veterans.  Adam does not specify exactly what it would look like but other municipalities have already created one so we can look at them for an indication. Adam does not say whether he has talked to the Legion about the idea – it’s possible they may not like the idea of people walking on poppies – not everyone thinks it’s a good idea.  See links below on the… Read complete articlePoppy Crosswalk for Cobourg?

ICSP Approved

John Draper

The Integrated Community Sustainability Plan was something Council decided was needed once they declared a “Climate Emergency” – which they did in December 2019. Canada’s contribution to global warming is said to be ~2% and based on population, that makes Cobourg’s contribution .001%.  However, local environmentalists are keen for Cobourg to do its part and by showing leadership maybe the rest of the world will follow.  So in early 2022, work started on creating the ICSP and it was given final approval by Council at their regular meeting on July 3, 2023.  So what exactly is it?  It’s a top-level plan that is intended to guide and direct actions by staff on what to do to make life in Cobourg sustainable… Read complete articleICSP Approved

Strategic Plan Update

John Draper

For the last two days, Cobourg’s Council have been debating their Strategic Plan – that’s a document that will establish their priorities for their term.  Most of the session was closed but a short summary was provided to the public when they finished.  It didn’t say much – just listed the three highest priorities, defined the relationship between Council and Staff and talked a bit about KPIs (Key performance Indicators).  They also reviewed the list of unfinished business and declared that all except one were either complete or being actioned. Councillors were assisted in their work by Capital Plan Consulting who said that there was still work to be done to complete the plan but it should be ready to… Read complete articleStrategic Plan Update

Accessible Advisory Committee asks for Changes

John Draper

Although most advisory committees are currently not active, one exception is the Accessible Advisory Committee and at Monday’s Committee of the Whole meeting they had two requests: 1. Free parking anywhere in Town in any space if you have an Accessible Parking Permit and 2. Transit to be operated directly by the Town and not by a contractor.  Councillor Darling pointed out that previously, the same committee said that those with mobility challenges did not want special treatment on payment for parking – so what has changed?  It seems that “Pay and Display” means a walk there and back which is a problem for some.  And why not just handicap spaces?  Apparently parking is hard to find and any space… Read complete articleAccessible Advisory Committee asks for Changes