Category: News 2018

Should the Town buy the Park Theatre?

John Draper

This was first proposed in August 2014 and although the Town came close to buying it in May 2015, the deal fell through (see links below).  It was subsequently bought by someone else but since then, nothing has happened – at least not publicly.  The thought by some is that Cobourg needs something equivalent to Port Hope’s Capitol Theatre and although the Park needs extensive work, it is halfway there.  On the other hand, Victoria Hall already serves as a theatre for many events. However, a consultant has now been hired to prepare a Cultural Master Plan and it is hoped that it will help with making a decision.  A lot is riding on this Plan; when Dean Hustwick was hired… Read complete articleShould the Town buy the Park Theatre?

Holdco – Should their finances be Public?

John Draper

Holdco is the holding company for Lakefront Utilities and Lakefront Utility Services Inc. which provide water and electricity to Cobourg and is owned by the Towns of Cobourg (most shares) and Cramahe (one share).  Although Holdco issued annual reports in 2017 and 2016 for the previous years, these reports have minimal financial information.  It may be possible to obtain their financial reports but they do not make it easy and I have not yet seen a report for 2017. Personally, I have not been able to find any Holdco Financial reports online. In addition, they have had esoteric battles with the Cobourg Taxpayers Association (CTA) over details of their activity.  But they do pay a dividend to Cobourg each year –… Read complete articleHoldco – Should their finances be Public?

Unsightly Trash Cans

John Draper

An unlikely pairing – Cobourg Taxpayer Association (CTA) President Lydia Smith – and activist Wally Keeler, joined forces at Monday’s C.O.W. Council meeting to point out the “blight” of Trash Cans on Cobourg’s Waterfront.  As Wally said, “Trash cans do not have to be trashy-looking”.  Lydia gave three examples of trash cans that are in poor shape and said that they could be decorated or as a minimum re-painted. To illustrate her point, she presented photos of three examples – one near the cenotaph in Victoria Park, the second on the harbour front promenade and the third at the Ecology Garden (see photos below).  As Lydia said: “Our waterfront does not deserve this string of blight, but a string of bright… Read complete articleUnsightly Trash Cans

Downtown Vitalization – What do Candidates think?

John Draper

Vitalization of Cobourg’s Downtown has been a project since before the last election.  In 2014 a Billboard was erected at the corner of Division and King that outlined plans into the future.  Although there has been a lot of activity, the issue is still the subject of advisory committees like the Downtown Coalition Advisory Committee as well as the Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA) committee (composed of downtown merchants).  At one point, the town even issued a newsletter providing progress reports (see Link below).  More recently, the Community Improvement Program (CIP) has been providing money to applicants to spruce up their buildings.  It’s not clear exactly what Council can do to help since it’s not in the business of operating stores or… Read complete articleDowntown Vitalization – What do Candidates think?

Tourism – Municipal Candidates’ Positions

John Draper

The second “leading question” asked of all candidates in the upcoming election was “Tourists – Are they good for Cobourg?”  Many of the Policies and decisions made by Cobourg’s Council encourage visitors to Cobourg.  There are Town staff whose job it is to cater to Tourists; the Town has a web site that provides information for Tourists yet not all Downtown merchants and citizens see a benefit. Although the DBIA organizes many events downtown, it could be argued that these are intended to attract residents to Downtown and not necessarily visitors.  Tourists spend money in Cobourg but they also cost for more policing, garbage collection and they create crowds.  Is it worth it?  Should Tourists be encouraged?  Each Candidate gives their… Read complete articleTourism – Municipal Candidates’ Positions

West Harbour – Candidates give their positions

John Draper

On August 31, all candidates in the upcoming Municipal election were asked seven leading questions on hot topics – this is the first in a series of posts giving their answers (see link below for other questions and more about the candidates).  Candidates were asked to keep their responses short; if they did not, their submitted text has been abbreviated. The first question on the list asked about the West Harbour. The recent Waterfront study made recommendations about the harbour including expansion of the Marina into the West Harbour.  The issue has been the subject of a lot of discussion in the Town (as judged by comments on this blog) and by Councillors.  The position of those running for election varies… Read complete articleWest Harbour – Candidates give their positions

Sex Ed Curriculum Protest at CCI

John Draper

High School students at Cobourg’s Collegiate Institute joined a Province wide demonstration to protest the reimplementation of the 1998 Sexual Education curriculum imposed by Premier Doug Ford.  About 200 students of the school’s 1100 pupils stayed out of class at 1:00 pm today to sign a petition and hear speakers critical of the change (see photos below).  Principal Jeff Kawzenuk observed the action and commented to me that the two Sexual Education curricula were not a whole lot different for high school students but it was evident that many of the students were passionate about the issue.  However, in a press release, walk-out organizer Elsa Deperasinski spelled out how the 1998 curriculum doesn’t include topics such as: same-sex marriage, gender… Read complete articleSex Ed Curriculum Protest at CCI

Art in Victoria Hall

John Draper

At the next Committee of the Whole meeting, Council will be asked to approve a Policy for Public Art in Victoria Hall.  Intended for public areas only (not employee working areas), Council asked for the development of a policy when Marie Dressler Foundation Chair Rick Miller asked why a picture of Marie Dressler was removed from the Citizen’s Forum at the request of the Victoria Hall Volunteers (see link below).  It seemed there were two reasons for their objection: Marie was not connected with Victoria Hall and the Citizen’s Forum was their meeting room!  The implication is that the policy should restrict art to be related to Victoria Hall, especially in the Citizen’s Forum, but the new policy does not… Read complete articleArt in Victoria Hall