Category: News 2020

Rally to Protest Violence against Women

John Draper

Most rallies or citizen demonstrations are related to Government – e.g. Police racism, mandatory use of masks, union demand for more money, school curriculum etc., see links below – so it’s good to see an event protesting violence against women in a specific horrific case with a local connection.  Kimberley Black was viciously attacked and left for dead a week ago in Whitby so her sister in law Catherine Dunphy and her husband George Tardik are organizing a Yoga event in Victoria Park on August 22 followed by a silent vigil and walk to the Police Services Building on King Street. The event will start at 10:00 am in Victoria Park and the walk will start at 11:30. Because of… Read complete articleRally to Protest Violence against Women

Rainbow Cinemas to re-open

John Draper

The Cinemas at Northumberland Mall have been closed since March but are now re-opening with rules in place and limited screenings.  Starting on August 14, Rainbow will be open Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday with matinees and early evening shows (no late shows).  The first two weeks will feature “Unhinged” and “Spongebob” – showtimes will be here when available. There will be a maximum of 50 people per auditorium so guests can social distance, and people will need to wear a face covering until they are seated – like in a restaurant, they can remove it while in their seats and eating snacks. That’s the plan for now, but it will likely change.  Updates by Rainbow will be on the… Read complete articleRainbow Cinemas to re-open

Developer Re-submits for East End Project

John Draper

Near the start of the Covid-19 crisis, Cobourg’s Planning department received a re-submission of an application for Site Plan Approval that had originally been submitted in 2014.  The re-submission on 6 April 2020 was for a significant development on the corner of King Street East and Brook Road North.  Since there have been a good number of projects in Planning, I barely noticed it and I did not give it the coverage it deserved – so here it is now.  The project consists of four buildings – one is labelled as a Tim Hortons, another is a convenience store and a third shows two restaurants.  The fourth building has five retail stores.  Both Restaurants and the Tim Hortons have drive–throughs… Read complete articleDeveloper Re-submits for East End Project

A Quiet Day on Cobourg’s Waterfront

John Draper

The Saturday of the first weekend in August is usually Cobourg’s busiest day of the year – especially if it’s hot.  Well this year, the weather was hot but the main beach was closed and there was no Sandcastle Festival.  There is usually also a Sidewalk sale on the same weekend but this year there was just a closed main street with no entertainment and much smaller crowds.  See the Links below to see what the Festival was like in 2019 and 2018.  The water level was not unusually high like it was in 2017 and 2019 but this just made the beach more inviting albeit empty. I visited the West Beach, the West Harbour, the Marina and the Main Beach… Read complete articleA Quiet Day on Cobourg’s Waterfront

Cobourg Loft and AGN Re-open

John Draper

Movie theatres and Art Galleries are allowed to open provided they meet social distancing and other rules.  On August 4, Ken Prue’s Cobourg Loft is reopening with only a third of capacity and will respect all the rules.  He will be screening a full program but no live shows.  I understand live shows are harder since they need to generally fill most if not all seats to make them financially viable and that’s true for all theatres such as the Capitol.  The Art Gallery of Northumberland (AGN) is in Victoria Hall but it seems that they are opening up enough to let people visit the Art Gallery on the third floor.  To visit, you’ll need to make an appointment by… Read complete articleCobourg Loft and AGN Re-open

Decision on Drug Rehabilitation Centre Deferred

John Draper

The Medical building on King Street East opposite the High School is empty and its owners are proposing to use it as a drug rehabilitation centre.  This would include clients being accommodated overnight.  Current zoning allows it to be used for medical purposes but not overnight stays although current zoning bylaws do not explicitly mention rehabilitation centres so the situation is not clear. (A legal opinion/ interpretation said they were not allowed). However, zoning bylaws are currently being reviewed so this may change. The review started in 2011 with a contract to Meridian Planning Consultants Inc but in Monday’s Council meeting, Deputy Mayor Suzanne Séguin said that this should have taken 6 to 12 months. Because of their experience with… Read complete articleDecision on Drug Rehabilitation Centre Deferred

St Peter’s Launches Redevelopment Project

John Draper

St Peter’s Anglican Church was designed in 1851 by famed architect Kivas Tully and then built in 1854 – complete with steeple.  Many years later it now has a bell tower instead of a steeple and has had many additions but the main building is badly in need of a new roof, ceiling and other repairs – total estimated cost is $3M.  The state of the roof is bad enough that the Church itself has been closed since February 2018 with services held in the Parish Hall. The congregation wants to “re-align itself to meet the needs of the local community” although that’s not a new idea. I know that in 2018, Les Amis concerts planned to have concerts there…. Read complete articleSt Peter’s Launches Redevelopment Project

Sifton-Cook Museum now open

John Draper

One of Cobourg’s few places to entertain yourself is now open for visitors albeit with Covid-19 rules in place.  The Sifton-Cook Museum, within walking distance of downtown (adjacent to the Legion), has a collection of displays telling a mix of stories covering Sports, the Military, Transportation and more.  They are open on Fridays & Saturdays to Thanksgiving from 10 – 5 and Sunday afternoons from 1 – 5.  This year they are also celebrating the completion of their roof project which included adding eavestroughs.  This was financed by donations from members, the Town of Cobourg and a Federal grant.  So on July 24, Sifton-Cook’s Treasurer Stanley Isherwood invited Mayor John Henderson and MP Philip Lawrence to the site and publicly… Read complete articleSifton-Cook Museum now open