Category: News 2020

Affordable Housing gets Funding

John Draper

For some time, the County has been planning an expansion of affordable housing at their Elgin Park development and on Thursday July 23, $5.7M funding for it was announced through the Canada-Ontario Community Housing Initiative (COCHI) – that’s a joint Federal/Provincial initiative.  The announcement was made by Steve Clark, (Ontario’s Minister of Municipal Affairs & Housing) and Adam Vaughan (Federal MP & Parliamentary Secretary) – see photos below.  There are currently 18 units at the development in 9 duplexes and when complete there will be 40 units in 8 two storey buildings of 4 plexes and 6 plexes including a shared green space with a playground and recreational area.  The new money will fund 28 of the new units, all… Read complete articleAffordable Housing gets Funding

Aquatic Safety – Take 3

John Draper

On September 23, 2019, a report was presented to Council called an “Aquatic Safety Audit” Report.  It was conducted by the Life Saving Society (LSS) at the request of the Community Services Division but immediately created concerns for Harbour users.  Several harbour users made presentations to Council with strong objections to parts of the “audit”; they basically said that the requirements were onerous and not necessary.   Council asked Director Dean Hustwick to write a detailed report responding to the concerns and he delivered that on 11 May 2020 – see links below for copies of the presentation and reports on the related Council meetings.  As a result, Council decided to refer the whole matter to the Parks and Recreation Advisory… Read complete articleAquatic Safety – Take 3

Marie Dressler Museum Expansion Project on Track

John Draper

The Marie Dressler Foundation (MDF) is well on its way to expanding the existing museum in Dressler House to add exhibits about Mary Pickford and Norma Shearer.  The Museum has not re-opened due to the fact that its heavy reliance on touch screens means it’s difficult to keep it sanitized against spreading the virus but that does not stop their expansion plans for when the virus crisis has passed or it’s manageable.  The five Toronto University Students have completed their design and the Foundation has received a grant of $50,048 from Heritage Canada as well as most of the artifacts promised from the “collectors”.  At Monday’s Committee of the Whole meeting, MDF Chair Rick Miller presented a progress report and… Read complete articleMarie Dressler Museum Expansion Project on Track

County to Improve Transparency with Committees

John Draper

Cobourg has Advisory committees with citizen members with a mandate to recommend to Council what should be done on certain issues. At last count there were seven of these although there are additional Ad Hoc committees setup from time to time.  But until now the County has avoided any kind of body outside the Council itself.  Other than Council meetings, the only comparable meetings are departmental meetings which the Warden and Councillors can attend.  But these are not open to the Public and there is no citizen representation.  At the next County Council meeting on July 22nd, County staff are recommending a change in Governance that “provides (and is seen to provide) full transparency, accountability and openness”.  The major difference… Read complete articleCounty to Improve Transparency with Committees

Heritage Group Contributes to Vic Hall Maintenance

John Draper

Until today, I had not heard of the  “Victoria Hall Heritage Maintenance Trust Fund”.  That’s not the Architectural Conservancy group nor the Victoria Hall Volunteers.  It’s a trust fund dedicated to preserving Victoria Hall and today they donated $10,000 to the Town to “aid in the restoration and refurbishment of the parapet and front pillars at the King St. entrance”. If you have ventured Downtown recently, you might have seen work being done at the front entrance of Victoria Hall.  In 2017 they paid $5000 towards the work done to spell out what needed to be done – see Links below for Restoration requirements drawings. In June this year, Council approved a tender for the work from Colonial Building Restoration… Read complete articleHeritage Group Contributes to Vic Hall Maintenance

Transition House moves out of School

John Draper

When the Covid-19 crisis hit, Transition House, Northumberland’s shelter for the homeless (but located in Cobourg), wanted a place where there could be social distancing for staff and clients and their “house” could not do that. Simultaneously, the High School (Cobourg Collegiate Institute – CCI) closed for classes. So with the cooperation of the School Board and with help from MPP David Piccini, the school became an interim “Transition House”.  For details see link below. But with schools re-opening in September, this arrangement was not sustainable.  With the house empty, changes were able to be made to the House to make it suitable in a Covid-19 world, albeit with a limited capacity.  Transition House Executive Director Anne Newman has now… Read complete articleTransition House moves out of School

Cobourg Police busy despite Covid-19

John Draper

You have to wonder about the intelligence of criminals – if you look at crime statistics, many don’t keep probation or other promises so they end up back in jail, they repeatedly offend so get known to Police and some don’t show for Court appearances. Why do they push their luck?  And why does the virus not seem to keep them inactive? Below is a summary of crimes reported by the Cobourg Police over the last 10 days or so – if you look at them together, you start to see a few things: Many offenders are repeat as shown by their failure to comply with probation requirements. Police seem to be good at noticing them on their patrols, there… Read complete articleCobourg Police busy despite Covid-19

County Operations – July 12

John Draper

The County provides a number of key services to residents in Northumberland but like everyone, they are subject to limitations imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic.  In the past few days, they have made a couple of announcements and changes: 1) They are asking for input on their 2021 budget and 2) masks are now required in all County Buildings.  They also keep their Covid-19 status page updated so that it’s clear what is available and what is not.  The page lists County facilities and whether they are closed or not.  Unlike the Town of Cobourg who has closed all their buildings, the County’s main administration building at 555 Courthouse Road is open to the public although there are restrictions in… Read complete articleCounty Operations – July 12