Author: John Draper

Kraft Property Sold

John Draper

The property once owned by Kraft has been sold – although subject to some unstated conditions.  Kraft closed operations in Cobourg in 2008 and sold the 64 acre property – it was bought in 2014 by a Cannabis company now called FSD Pharma who promised to create the world’s biggest indoor marijuana grow-op. This idea faded and FSD Pharma is now in the healthcare business and had no use for the large facility.  They listed it for $19.9M but it sold for $16.5M – that’s $258K/acre.  The new owner has not been named but seems legitimate since they have made a $660K deposit.  The deal is expected to close on May 31, 2022.  On the property is the Certo building… Read complete articleKraft Property Sold

Engage Cobourg is well used

John Draper

Despite the departure of Cobourg’s Communication Officer to the HKPR District Health Unit, there’s a whole lot happening on “Engage Cobourg”.  There are currently three active surveys; the one on “Short Term Rental Accommodation” has just closed and a new one on the “Integrated Community Sustainability Plan” has just started (see links below).  The Town is actively recruiting a replacement for Ashley Purdy although last time I looked, the job was not listed on the Town’s web site. The Communication department does have a second person but she is currently on maternity leave!  To help with the crunch, Ashley is helping out part time in addition to her new job.  Gathering input from citizens used to mean Public meetings where… Read complete articleEngage Cobourg is well used

Cobourg Hiring a Procurement Manager

John Draper

As a result of the recent organization review by KPMG, Cobourg Council have agreed to hire a Purchasing Manager to improve efficiency.  Another recommendation by KPMG was that purchasing authorities for Staff should be significantly increased – for example the CAO is currently limited to authorizing $50K.  As a result, relatively routine and minor matters are still required to be brought to Council. All purchases must be within the budget approved by Council – why micro-manage staff?  We don’t have to go very far to get a good example of what an updated policy should look like.  Northumberland County have much higher levels of authority (see table below) and also have high levels of accountability.  For example all purchases between… Read complete articleCobourg Hiring a Procurement Manager

Economic Development Manager to Start Sooner

John Draper

In the Spring of 2019, Cobourg’s “Economic Development Officer” Wendy Gibson retired and was not replaced.  Soon after, the Economic Development Advisory Committee was dissolved and since then we’ve only had a “Small Business facilitator” – there has been no serious effort led by a manager to attract or retain businesses for Cobourg. But there are now moves to hire an Economic Development Manager. Budget was allocated for a July 1 start but because of budget savings, CAO Tracey Vaughan asked Council for approval to instead start this manager on April 18. Further, Tracey wants this new manager to report to the Director of Planning and Development so as to avoid the disconnect/ disjointed processes and reduce potential frustration on the part… Read complete articleEconomic Development Manager to Start Sooner

Netflix back in Cobourg

John Draper

In 2019, Netflix came to Cobourg’s Downtown and filmed parts of season 1 of Ginny and Georgia and from February 22 to 25, they will be back again – filming parts of Season 2.  In October 2019 Kara Euale made a presentation to the DBIA about filming; she provided details of the benefits of this kind of disruption – her Powerpoint is in Resources below.  It’s not just the fees paid but also the publicity which attracts tourists.  This time, there will be approximately 120 crew members, 100 background performers and 40 production trucks.  They will film in Victoria Park, in front of Victoria Hall and along King Street West from Third Street to Hibernia Street.  Some roads will be… Read complete articleNetflix back in Cobourg

Cobourg Transit Changes

John Draper

A year ago, Council approved a trial of on-demand transit and although we have not yet seen a staff report on its success or otherwise, the public are being asked to provide feedback. There’s an online survey (see link below) plus more information on it on the Town’s web site plus Cobourg Internet’s page. Other changes this year include an increase in fares, the re-introduction of passes plus the introduction of Smart cards. But Council had another idea: why not offer transit free to children under 12? A motion by Council on 6 December 2021 asked staff to investigate the idea and see what can be learned from Guelph who have implemented this. The thought was that ridership may be… Read complete articleCobourg Transit Changes

Little Public Interest Shown in Parking Changes

John Draper

At tonight’s Public meeting to hear about proposed major changes to parking in Cobourg – both downtown and waterfront  – only one member of the public cared enough to make any comment.  Mike Holden’s concern was about the logistics of payment by visitors for parking on Perry Street. He otherwise approved of the idea.  The proposed changes are wide reaching and complicated but important for the Town – especially downtown and the waterfront.  Two issues that are really separate are being addressed: 1) Managing parking for the waterfront during the summer and 2) Downtown parking fees. The elephant in the room is that Downtown parking currently depends on two lots that are not owned by the Town (they are leased)… Read complete articleLittle Public Interest Shown in Parking Changes

HKPR DHU Provides Video Explaining Covid Statistics

John Draper

Many Canadians have trouble understanding some of the statistics available on hospitalization of people with Covid-19. One source of confusion is that the number of vaccinated people in Hospital is higher than the number not vaccinated. Without thinking it through, this appears to mean that vaccination does not help but in fact, the reverse is true. But our local District Health Unit (Haliburton Kawartha Pine Ridge DHU) has a responsibility to educate so they are promoting a video produced by the Eastern Ontario DHU which explains this (see below). Unfortunately, anti-Vaxers incorrectly take this statistic as evidence to support their objection – they are effectively saying that they do not believe medical experts. If they act on their belief, they… Read complete articleHKPR DHU Provides Video Explaining Covid Statistics