Category: News 2021

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

Downtown Meters being replaced by Pay and Display

John Draper

Effective August 12, parking meters Downtown will be replaced by Pay and Display. That’s when the meters will come out and the already installed Pay and Display machines will be in operation (see the locations below) with the exception of accessible parking meters. The change is needed to reduce costs, reduce the amount of maintenance, allow credit card payment (without using HonkMobile) and more. Similar machines are already in use on the waterfront (see photo below) and they are ubiquitous in other municipalities. The low rate of $1 per hour will continue although this rate is only for downtown. The rate on the waterfront is $2 per hour although that only applies in the summer (Victoria Day to Thanksgiving weekends). Locations King Street West between… Read complete articleDowntown Meters being replaced by Pay and Display

County wants Input for 2022 Budget

John Draper

The County has already started developing their budget for 2022 and they are now ready to seek citizen input with their online survey (see links below).  This year they are providing an online interactive tool where you can see what happens if you increase or decrease spending or revenue in all the categories.  The tool only allows an increase or decrease and not which aspect of specific services should be affected.  For example, if you want less spending on tourism but just in Cobourg, you have to put that into a comment – although that’s easy to do. One thing that had to be explained to me (thanks Jennifer) was that Capital Projects are included in the relevant department.  So… Read complete articleCounty wants Input for 2022 Budget

Starbucks Cobourg – Now Hiring

John Draper

Last November, it was announced that Starbucks was coming to Cobourg.  They will occupy a store (officially a “coffeehouse”) on the Mall property with a frontage on Elgin (County Road 2).  Included is a drive thru plus an indoor space.  Construction was delayed a bit by the pandemic and they did not make any public statements on the matter so there was speculation that maybe they changed their mind.  But no, they are now hiring.  There are two positions advertised on Workopolis – see the links below.  The jobs are entry levels but hourly pay is a little above minimum wage and unusually, there are fairly generous benefits (see below) plus perks like training to learn all about coffee and… Read complete articleStarbucks Cobourg – Now Hiring

Planning Update – Summer 2021

John Draper

One of the more interesting things to learn from Council meetings is the status of projects going through the Planning and Development Department.  The Councillor with the Planning portfolio is Nicole Beatty and once again she gave a comprehensive report at Monday’s Council meeting.  You can see her full report in the Links below but with 42 items, let me summarize highlights.  For some reason, there are a lot more projects than usual or expected this year. The dollar value of “planning applications in the Planning & Development Services Division already sits at just over 121% of revenue budgeted for all of 2021”.  And in the middle of this surge in work, Director Glenn McGlashon has announced his retirement effective… Read complete articlePlanning Update – Summer 2021