Author: John Draper

Tannery Master Plan once again before Council

John Draper

The Tannery Project has a long history.  The property at the north end of George and near the railway line originally was home to a factory for James Crossen to build railway carriages and subsequently as a place for tanning hides – hence the name.  But the building was abandoned and the Town eventually took ownership because of unpaid taxes and tried several times to ask developers to take it on (see Stephen Peacock’s background report in links below).  This did not work so the Town expanded the scope and decided that the area should be subject to a CIP (Community Improvement Plan) and a secondary plan which mandates a residential sustainable development.  This too has been slow to be… Read complete articleTannery Master Plan once again before Council

William Academy Expanding

John Draper

The private school now occupying what used to be CDCI West wants to build accommodation for its students.  They have bought adjacent properties – 125-129 King St. W. and 209 Hibernia St – and want to demolish them and build new buildings in their place.  The King Street property was previously “Sleep Made Simple” and the Hibernia property had a succession of businesses on the ground floor and a rental unit upstairs (see photos below).   The application for demolition was presented to Town staff and staff recommendations were presented to the Heritage Advisory Committee who endorsed them and will ask Council to endorse them at the next Committee of the Whole Council meeting. Basically, they agreed to the demolition but… Read complete articleWilliam Academy Expanding

County to Recycle Housing Material from Demolition

John Draper

The County has announced several Affordable Housing projects recently but one that got a lot of attention was the demolition of eight units at 265 -327 Elgin Street East to build 20 new ones.  Some people commented on this blog and others participated in a County survey with the message – why can’t these units be salvaged?  Well it turns out they can – at least partially.  The County has now announced that “Key items such as doors, cabinets and plumbing fixtures that are in good condition and able to be reused will be donated to ReStore – Habitat for Humanity’s non-profit home improvement centre. The materials will be sold at a discounted price to generate revenue in support of… Read complete articleCounty to Recycle Housing Material from Demolition

Trudeau Campaigning in Cobourg

John Draper

After reports that Trudeau would visit a Café in Cobourg this afternoon at 5:45 pm, it was finally announced that he would be at the Black Cat at 4 King West at 6:45 pm.  He finally arrived closer to 8:00 pm to be greeted by about 130 supporters and a dozen very noisy demonstrators.  The venue was the patio of the Black Cat and all spectators were asked to wear masks but the demonstrators did not.   A PA system was provided but a good part of the time, this did not help Justin get his message out.  It’s not apparent how being rude and shouting down a speech helps the cause of the anti-mask and anti-vax’ers.  But we do have… Read complete articleTrudeau Campaigning in Cobourg

Election Information for Cobourg

John Draper

With an election now officially called for September 20, most news coverage will be focused on that event.  Cobourg is in the Northumberland Peterborough South Riding and is currently represented by MP Philip Lawrence who is a member of the Conservative Party.  He will be running for the Conservatives and other parties will be competing.  Already, the Liberal Party has nominated Alison Lester as their Candidate, the People’s Party has nominated Nathan Lang but the NDP and Green Party have not yet nominated candidates.  To keep everyone informed, Cobourg News Blog will be providing regular updates and there is also a factual non-partisan page – see links below.  Blog Posts will report on events such as new nominations and any… Read complete articleElection Information for Cobourg

More about the Name of the West Headland

John Draper

In October 2017, Meghan Sheffield and Nicole Beatty asked Council to rename Langevin Pier because it was named after Sir Hector Langevin who was a major advocate for Canada’s residential school system for indigenous children.  Langevin Pier is more commonly called the West Headland and there is no known usage of the Langevin name by the Town. Meghan and Nicole asked that the Town “consult with Alderville Elders and Chief Marsden on what indigenous name the West Pier should bear”.  Wally Keeler then suggested in a letter to Council that the West Pier be named after Susanna Moodie – he subsequently made a delegation to Council recommending the East Pier be named after Susanna Moodie. The idea was referred to… Read complete articleMore about the Name of the West Headland

By-laws are being enforced on Cobourg Beach

John Draper

Perhaps we don’t see it or something but the Town has felt it necessary to let everyone know that the Police and By-Law officers are enforcing Town By-Laws on the Beach.  They are educating but also issuing tickets for infractions.  The usual problem of alcohol is the biggest issue but people are also smoking, using BBQs, bringing their dogs onto the Beach and more – see the list below.  They also issue a lot of parking tickets and make the comment that most people are using the Honk-Mobile app and pay out $20 for all-day parking.  So far the beach has not been over-crowded; further, my non-scientific assessment is that the Beach seemed more crowded on some week-days than weekends… Read complete articleBy-laws are being enforced on Cobourg Beach

Entertainment in Cobourg is Coming Back

John Draper

The Concert Hall at Victoria Hall, the Firehall Theatre and the United Church as an entertainment venue, are all still closed so you could be excused for thinking that there is no organized entertainment in Cobourg – but you would be wrong.  The Loft is open, Rainbow Cinema at the Mall is operating, there are several outdoor events and some organizations have innovative activities to keep you entertained.  Some events are scheduled for the Fall and plan to use current Covid-19 protocols although these may be relaxed by then – let’s hope so. There is a web site that provides local Entertainment Information (Cobourg Calendar) and it has a page listing venues that are operating despite Covid-19 – and the… Read complete articleEntertainment in Cobourg is Coming Back