Category: News 2018

James Cockburn Day – 2018

John Draper

On Saturday, August 4, Rob Franklin, Manager of Planning Services for the Town of Cobourg performed a play about James Cockburn in front of Victoria Hall. James Cockburn (pronounced Co-burn) is an important historical figure since he was a father of Confederation and a resident of Cobourg and this would be the eleventh year that Rob has played the part of James Cockburn in a play.  However, the official James Cockburn day is Monday so the performance was repeated at the Sifton Cook centre on Monday. About 25 people showed up in the heat to watch the play –  it was a new one first performed last year. Another change this year is that the James Cockburn Society will now be… Read complete articleJames Cockburn Day – 2018

Sandcastle Festival 2018

John Draper

There must be a lot of people without air-conditioning or maybe Cobourg’s Beach simply draws big crowds.  I checked it out today and although there were thousands on the beach, I didn’t see any signs directing people to the Sidewalk sale – but then there were so many people a sign would get lost.  It was perfect beach weather – hot and humid; lots of people spent time in the water and although there were quite a number of “master sculptors”, there didn’t seem to be many amateurs. Parking was scarce (and/or expensive) so many had a long walk and just maybe they went via downtown.   There was a DJ blasting music from a spot on the boardwalk and when… Read complete articleSandcastle Festival 2018

Sidewalk Sale – 2018

John Draper

With the weather heating up now that we are heading into August, on Thursday most of the downtown merchants in Cobourg put their wares out on the sidewalk – well really on the road – and invited customers.  It is an annual 4 day event with Saturday being the big day with a Sandcastle Festival but I checked it out on a quieter day – today, Friday.  Although the forecast said it might rain, merchants had their stuff out in the open – they would  be busy protecting them if it actually rained although some did have canopies.  As well as shoes, clothes and DVDs, there was also furniture, paintings, jewelry and more.  There were also some booths unrelated to… Read complete articleSidewalk Sale – 2018

MoneySense Ranks Cobourg

John Draper

Recently, MoneySense Magazine announced their 2018 ranks for cities which are good places to live and retire –  and Cobourg’s ranks are slipping.  The table below shows the ranks for 2018 with some of the numbers from 2015 and 2017 for comparison. To calculate ranks, MoneySense looks at “Wealth and economy, affordability, population growth, taxes, commute, crime, weather, access to health care, amenities and culture.”  These are weighted so that money and health get high ratings but culture and amenities are low.  I would weight culture higher and maybe adjust some of the others but these are the ranks that are often quoted.  You have to wonder what such rankings mean – everyone’s idea of a perfect town is different… Read complete articleMoneySense Ranks Cobourg

New Window Wrap on King Street

John Draper

Carol McCann, Chair of the Downtown Coalition, this morning “unveiled” a window wrap for another empty store. On June 27, the Town launched the “Start here program” to help attract businesses to Downtown so that they would occupy empty stores and together with the C.I.P. program, the Downtown Coalition hopes that Downtown, particularly King Street, will become more attractive and thriving. Carol feels that already we are getting more visitors from Toronto and the wraps certainly do improve the look of empty stores. She also said that the quality of Community Improvement Program applications is improving and that the size of the grants is increasing (see link below).  Carol reported progress to Council last March and expects to make another… Read complete articleNew Window Wrap on King Street

Great Waterfront Trail Adventure for Cyclists

John Draper

About 150 cyclists arrived in Cobourg Sunday afternoon on the first stop of their ride from Ajax to the Quebec border along the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail – that’s a total of 525 km over 6 days.  Some will stay in local hotels but most will camp in Victoria Park. Many will use the services of Comfy Campers to provide a tent at each stopping point but others bring their own.  They will use the showers at the Centennial Pool and washrooms at the Beach.  This is the 11th time this ride has been organized – each time “showcasing a different section of the 2600 km Great Lakes Waterfront Trail”.  The weather was perfect on Sunday and it’s not hard… Read complete articleGreat Waterfront Trail Adventure for Cyclists

Coverdale Park officially renamed Peter Delanty Park

John Draper

In the fall of 2017, Council adopted a new Policy on how to name Streets, Parks and Facilities.  One of the criteria is that: the nominated individual shall have demonstrated excellence, courage or exceptional service to the citizens of the Town of Cobourg, the Province of Ontario, and/or Canada, including past Mayors and veterans of military conflicts.  Based on Peter Delanty’s service as Mayor from 2000 to 2010, and continued service in many of the Town’s committees, Peter fits the criterion and now has a Park named after him.  Gil said that he and Peter were on Council together and he can personally testify to Peter’s contribution to the Town. In his youth, Peter spent a lot of time at… Read complete articleCoverdale Park officially renamed Peter Delanty Park

Some Surprises in Nominations for Cobourg Council

John Draper

Nominations for the next term of Council have now closed and it looks like John Henderson will be acclaimed Mayor since no-one has filed to run against him.  Randy Curtis had filed to run as a Councillor but at the last minute, he changed his nomination so that now he will be running for Deputy Mayor against Suzanne Séguin. There are nine candidates running for the five Council positions.  Of the current councillors, only Aaron Burchat and Brian Darling will be running again.  This will be the first time for Suzanne and Aaron to be elected since they were both appointed when there were vacancies on the Council.  School Board Trustees will also be up for election with four candidates… Read complete articleSome Surprises in Nominations for Cobourg Council