Category: News 2022

Cobourg makes On-Demand Transit Permanent

John Draper

In December 2020, Council approved a pilot of an On-Demand Transit system to replace the existing fixed route system and at the Regular Council meeting on May 16, Council approved ongoing use of the On-Demand system.  This combines the existing On-Demand Wheels system for disabled users and will soon use three smaller (8 m – 26 ft) buses which will provide service for both Wheels and regular Transit users.  This requires purchase of two new buses like the existing Wheels Bus but Government grants reduce Cobourg’s cost (more below). Council debated changes to service hours but in the end, voted to stop service at 9:00 pm instead of 10:00 pm.  A second suggestion to reduce phone-in time from 10:00 pm… Read complete articleCobourg makes On-Demand Transit Permanent

Affordable Housing Question

John Draper

All six candidates were asked: “How will you make Housing more affordable?”  The term “affordable housing” is open to interpretation – does it mean that 100% of the population should be able to afford to buy a house or that no-one should have to pay more than (say) 30% of the income for housing or does it mean something else?  Whatever the interpretation, there’s no doubt that the resale price of housing in Cobourg is beyond the reach of many and rental rates are steadily increasing.  Is the problem “supply” or something else?  And what, if anything, should governments do about it?  It’s certainly a contentious issue and all candidates and their parties have solutions. Note that the sequence for… Read complete articleAffordable Housing Question

Campaign to reduce animal bites

John Draper

The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit is concerned about the number of animal bite/scratch incidents in their region. In each of the last three years, the HKPR DHU has investigated more than 600 animal bite/scratch incidents and this is “worrying given the rabies-exposure risk, the trauma suffered by the victim, and the fact that most of these bites involve pets or domestic animals.”  The idea of the campaign is to ask dog owners (and other pet owners) to use “a yellow ribbon (or bandana, bow or similar marker) tied on a dog’s leash or collar to remind people to give the animal space.”  So if you see a pet with a yellow ribbon – give it space!  It… Read complete articleCampaign to reduce animal bites

Election Candidate Responses on Health

John Draper

The deadline at Elections Ontario has now passed to apply to be a Candidate in the upcoming Provincial Election and there are six candidates. I asked all six four questions with the first question being “What are your Policies to improve the Province’s Health System?” All six responded. There is a limit of 250 words per response – some used all 250 while others were more succinct. It’s clearly a question of interest since each candidate (or party) has something to say. Note that for official information on eligibility to vote and voting locations (when known), see the official site of Elections Ontario – advanced voting starts May 19. (See Resources below). The sequence of responses below will vary with… Read complete articleElection Candidate Responses on Health

Major Changes in Parking By-Law

John Draper

Cobourg Council are on the way to approving major changes in parking across the Town.  There are major fee increases at the area near the waterfront and smaller ones downtown. But there are also changes that affect residential streets which will empower by-law enforcement and Police to act on complaints by residents on what I would call nuisance parking. These changes have been discussed for some time – mostly in connection with problems with parking by visitors to the Beach. The public were consulted, the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee were consulted and Staff did considerable work coming up with the changes. At the Committee of the Whole meeting on Monday May 9, a draft by-law was approved and is expected to get… Read complete articleMajor Changes in Parking By-Law

Questions for Provincial Election Candidates

John Draper

To help subscribers to Cobourg News Blog decide on who to vote for, I have asked all candidates four key questions.  Starting on May 14 and continuing for about 10 days, I will publish their answers and you will be able to assess their policies.  To keep it fair, the length of each answer will be limited to 250 words and each post will cover just one topic.  In the event a candidate does not respond by the deadline, I will instead publish my best effort on determining their party’s policy on the subject.  In addition to looking for these posts in the next two weeks, there are at least two all Candidate meetings where you can put your own questions… Read complete articleQuestions for Provincial Election Candidates

John Henderson Announces re-election Campaign

John Draper

At a small Press Conference outside Victoria Hall today, John Henderson announced that he will run for re-election as Cobourg’s Mayor.  Adam Bureau was there and he said that he too has submitted his papers for re-election as Councillor although he has not yet started his campaign.  John handed out campaign material (see below) and has assembled a campaign team including Don Morrison and Roger Tessier.  John has lived in Cobourg for 36 years and has been on Council for the last 12 and in successive terms moved from Councillor, to Deputy Mayor to Mayor.   His campaign handout includes a list of “Areas of Focus” and his Professional Qualifications with a short section on his Personal Life.  He has provided… Read complete articleJohn Henderson Announces re-election Campaign

West Headland Recommendations

John Draper

Since 2017 there have been heated discussions in Cobourg about the West Headland – probably now to be called Waterfront Nature Park. It got mixed up with unpopular plans to expand the Marina into the West Harbour and it’s a natural separation for the natural West Beach. It started with a concern that its official name – Langevin Pier – was no longer acceptable (dare I say not “woke”?).  See the Resources below for more but the short version is that Langevin was an advocate for the residential school system.  But what to name it instead?  Alderville Chief Mowat was not concerned so eventually the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee (PRAC) were asked to decide.  Along the way, there was… Read complete articleWest Headland Recommendations