Author: John Draper

Covid-19 April Update

John Draper

The good news is that most Covid-19 restrictions have been lifted; the bad news is that the virus is not going away so as Dr. Natalie Bocking, the HKPR Medical officer of Health put it, we have to learn to live “alongside” it.  At a regular briefing to the media on April 6, Dr. Bocking was not alarmist but pointed to a resurgence of cases in the District.  She attributed this to measures being lifted and the new BA-2 variant which spreads even more easily and is becoming dominant.  The goal remains “to avoid it being a big strain on our health system” so they can do their regular job of looking after other health issues. Also announced yesterday was… Read complete articleCovid-19 April Update

Update on Cobourg’s Beach

John Draper

During the past year or so, the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee (PRAC) and Council have come up with plans for Cobourg’s Beach.  Covid-19 meant that crowding was a problem so access to the beach was limited and it was even closed for a while.  At the next meeting of the PRAC on April 5, the agenda includes a spreadsheet that lists the “recommendations (provided) for council’s consideration”.  Many of the recommendations have been implemented – but not all, or if they have, they have not been made public.  The agenda item has Teresa Behan’s name on it – she is Manager of Recreation and Waterfront Operations.  The “recommendations” cover Communications, Amenities, Bylaws and enforcement, Events, Safety, Parking and more. … Read complete articleUpdate on Cobourg’s Beach

Third 401 Interchange Planned

John Draper

With the development at the north end of Brook road now moving ahead, also moving forward is planning for a third interchange with the 401 at Nagle Road. Currently, Nagle Road has a bridge over the highway but no access to the 401. Starting in 2017, MTO started the process to plan upgrading the 401 to 6 and ultimately 8 lanes from Cobourg to Colborne (more in Resources below). This will involve rehabilitating or more likely replacing seven bridges; the process starts with an Environmental Assessment (EA) which looks at natural, social, economic and cultural issues and includes public consultation. The Nagle Road Interchange is a separate project and is a Town initiative but will also require an EA, so… Read complete articleThird 401 Interchange Planned

Taxi Fuel Surcharge Approved

John Draper

As reported two weeks ago, Council approved new higher fares for Cobourg’s Taxis – but they deferred a decision on a fuel surcharge.  Taxi owners are struggling to break even and gas at around $1.70/litre is not helping. At the Council meeting on March 14, Council asked staff to report back at the next Committee of the Whole meeting (CoW) and that was tonight (March 28).  Brent Larmer provided the report but left a decision to Council.  His report said that only a few municipalities on the East Coast have implemented a fuel surcharge but that if a surcharge were to be implemented that taxi meters should be recalibrated and the recommended $1 should be added to the pick-up charge. … Read complete articleTaxi Fuel Surcharge Approved

Sunshine List – Local Highlights

John Draper

A few days ago, the Ontario Government published the annual “Sunshine List” – that’s where they name every person employed by a Government agency who made $100,000 salary or more in 2021.  It’s justified as being information that should be available to taxpayers who ultimately fund these salaries. They are after all,  “Public Servants”.  There are 244,390 names on the list and it’s easy for interesting facts to get lost.  I have extracted the people who are working for municipalities in Northumberland County and this reduces the list to a manageable 167.  Below are some things we can learn from that list – but note that I focus on job title and not names.  The full list is public so… Read complete articleSunshine List – Local Highlights

Is Cobourg’s Engagement Policy Working?

John Draper

The Town of Cobourg prides itself on its engagement with residents but it has problems.  Currently there is no-one in the position of communications manager – at least not officially.  Ashley Purdy had the job for 10 years but recently moved to the HKPR District Health Unit where she goes by the name Ashley Beaulac.  But she’s still helping out at the Town so she’s still listed as the Town’s media contact – and there’s no visible active recruitment effort to replace her.  Recently, Cobourg citizen Ted Williams wrote to Council with concerns about the Town’s Complaint Policy.  It was shown on the Council’s Agenda for March 14 – item 16.2 but as usual with correspondence, the Town simply accepted… Read complete articleIs Cobourg’s Engagement Policy Working?

Update on Memorial Arena Re-Purposing

John Draper

The Cobourg Community Centre opened in 2011 with two ice pads and made the Jack Heenan and Memorial Arenas on Furnace Street redundant.  The newer Jack Heenan Arena was taken over by the West Northumberland Curling Club and in 2019 the Memorial Arena was shut down. I believe it was Cobourg’s first publicly owned Arena. It’s now 70 years old – it was opened in January 1950 but a fire in 1953 closed it until it was rebuilt in 1954. In 2019, staff thought that the Cultural Plan might suggest uses but that didn’t happen so eventually an Ad Hoc Committee was formed to suggest what might happen to it.  (By-Law 021-2021 was passed 20 September 2021). See links below… Read complete articleUpdate on Memorial Arena Re-Purposing

Police Report for 2021

John Draper

For the last couple of years, Cobourg Police have provided glossy reports with information about their performance.  The report for 2021 was released yesterday and the numbers look good.  Major achievements reported for the year are the hiring of a chief Financial Officer and a Deputy Chief plus the decision to implement body-worn cameras.  Mixed in with all the “feel-good” talk and photos, some key statistics are provided.  There are now 35 uniform members (same as last year), 26 special constables (up from 20 last year) and 11 Auxiliary (volunteers – down from 18 last year).  Calls for service dropped to 10,782 from 10,994 and 11,391 in 2019. The total operating budget of $8.8M was up 9% from 2020 but… Read complete articlePolice Report for 2021