Review of Council Work Plan

John Draper

About a year ago, with Covid-19 not on anyone’s mind, the Town of Cobourg staff were trying to follow the Strategic Plan that was approved in early 2019 (see links below).  The soon to retire CAO Stephen Peacock issued a work plan that gave staff direction on how the Strategic Plan translated into actual actions – see the link below for my detailed report on this and a copy of the Strategic Plan.  But given the disruption caused by the virus, maybe it’s time to review the key actions.  These include a Town wide CIP with a housing strategy, creating an action plan for Climate, review organization re Economic Development and Tourism, develop an Information Technology (IT) strategic plan and… Read complete articleReview of Council Work Plan

Province Provides Covid-19 Grants to Municipalities

John Draper

In May, Council had a special meeting to discuss the impact of Covid-19 on the Town’s budget.   A report by Treasurer (and interim CAO) Ian Davey said that there would be a shortfall in revenue of $1,561,000.  However, he also said that this could be compensated for so that the Town would not have a significant financial problem – see links below.  This assumed that the crisis would last for no more than 6 months – that is, that the last 3 months of the year would be business as usual.  County Council was also expecting a drop in revenue and as well were trying to limit the impact on citizens by directing staff to have a goal of a… Read complete articleProvince Provides Covid-19 Grants to Municipalities

Town Hosts Virtual Sandcastle Competition

John Draper

The annual and very popular sandcastle competition on Cobourg’s Beach is not happening this year but instead the DBIA and the Town have created a virtual competition.  They have placed 18 signs around Town – not just downtown – and to participate, you have to go look at the signs.  Each sign has clues as to the location/name of one of the many Sandcastle Festivals in other parts of Canada and the World – see the sample below at the Sifton-Cook Museum.  You then go online (details below), enter the names you’ve found and send it in.  If you got all 18 right, you get entered in a draw for a $50 gift certificate – there will be 10 winners… Read complete articleTown Hosts Virtual Sandcastle Competition

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