Author: Ian Chadwick

Retired writer, editor, reviewer, media relations & communications consultant, municipal politician. Ukulele player. Aficionado of Shakespeare, Horace, Machiavelli, Chaucer, Cicero, Homer, socialism, science, Godzilla, ERB, & tequila. Curmudgeon, skeptic & cynic. Lay historian. Community volunteer. PC gamer. Avid reader. Woke socialist. Loving husband. Companion to one dog & three cats. Passionate about my small town. Perennially curious about everything. My writing is copyright © protected.

Square words

2017-07-02 2017-07-02 Books & Reviews / Fonts & Layout / Language & Grammar / TypographyOne Comment

Writing has been described as the most significant human invention. We tend to think of inventions as mechanical things, like the wheel, or fire, or the printing press, the airplane, the internal combustion engine or cell phone. But without writing, few of them would exist. Writing allowed us to share the others, to improve them, to record them, to pass them along and record them. Writing allows us to share ideas, emotions, visions, beliefs, stories, poetry and music through a series of abstract squiggles. Without writing there would be no literature, no religion, no philosophy, no songs, no politics. We ……… click below for more ↓

Assholes part two: Trump and his local mimics

2017-06-23 2017-06-25 Books & Reviews / Collingwood / Council / Ethics and behaviour / What I'm Reading NowOne Comment

Back in 2014 I reviewed a book by philosophy professor Aaron James called Assholes. A Theory. I discussed how his study related to politics and politicians, particularly those who call themselves “A-type” personalities (including one or two on the local council). Well James wrote another book, really an addendum to this one, titled Assholes. A Theory of Donald Trump. It was smaller than your average paperback, and a mere 130 pages, perhaps 20,000 words long. And since it came out just before the 2016 presidential election, it really doesn’t deal with the startling number of asshole things – the many, ……… click below for more ↓

Brian the comedian

2017-06-22 2017-06-22 Collingwood / Council / Ethics and behaviour / Humour & Satire / Municipal Politics / Planning & PoliciesOne Comment

Following the success of Collingwood’s Comedy Duo, whose act has taken them on tour across the nation on the taxpayers’ dollar, our Deputy Mayor has entered the ring as our jester-du-jour. And since the Duo’s main act was sidelined recently by not being allowed to keep a snout into the FCM trough, it looks like Brian’s act may be the foremost comedy skit in the council burlesque. Who would have thought a lawyer could also be a clown? At a recent Council meeting (June 12, 2017) he had the audience in stitches with his new routines. And not just his ……… click below for more ↓

Small comfort from FCM

2017-06-06 2017-06-06 Collingwood / Council / Ethics and behaviour / TaxesLeave a comment

Collingwoodites can take small comfort from the wisdom of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. I’ve been told that last week at its annual convention in Ottawa, FCM delegates failed to return our own Councillor Jeffery to their board of directors, possibly saving local taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars this term. Taxpayers will no longer have to pay the costs of her personal political ambitions with their hard-earned salaries. One less mouth sucking at the government tit. Or maybe not. Word is that the councillor is still pursuing her ambitions by trying to get appointed to a committee within FCM, ……… click below for more ↓

How to piss off The Block

2017-06-04 2017-06-04 Collingwood / Council / HospitalOne Comment

There’s an easy three-step process anyone can follow to piss off the seven-member Block on council (as well as the town’s administration): Do something good for a change; Accomplish something for the community’s benefit; Don’t involve The Block in the process. And that was just what was done last Thursday when our MPP Jim Wilson made a motion on the floor of the Legislature to have the province fund the redevelopment process for the General & Marine and Alliston hospitals. This isn’t the cost to build, but rather the costs involved in going through the lengthy and expensive process: legal ……… click below for more ↓

Madigan to chair do-nothing committee

2017-06-02 2017-06-02 Collingwood / Council / Ethics and behaviour2 Comments

A story in last week’s Connection has the headline, “Madigan named chair of Collingwood development, operations committee.” Councillor Madigan has the dubious honour of chairing a standing committee that does nothing of value, has no decision-making authority and – like the rest of the standing committees – is redundant, ineffective and inefficient. Which is an absolutely perfect fit for a loyal Block member. It makes them look busy without allowing them to meddle in anything important, and lets them boast about their engagement without actually doing anything or engaging anyone. The emperor’s new clothes at its finest. Congratulations are in ……… click below for more ↓

We were lied to. Again.

2017-05-31 2017-11-09 Collingwood / Council / Ethics and behaviour / Utilities: electricity and water4 Comments

On Monday, the Block chose a new representative for the town’s half of the Collus-PowerStream board. They advertised the position in the local media and accepted applications from several qualified local residents. They made it look like they were actually going to follow the proper and legal process for the first time. They went in camera to discuss the applications. And who did they appoint when they came out? Councillor Deb “What’s a dividend?” Doherty. Yes, the same councillor who complained about not getting a dividend from the utility after she and her colleagues gutted the utility and killed its ……… click below for more ↓

Albert and the Lion

2017-05-26 2017-05-26 Books & Reviews / Daily life / Family history / Personal Reminiscences / Poetry & LyricsLeave a comment

There’s a famous seaside place called Blackpool, That’s noted for fresh-air and fun, And Mr and Mrs Ramsbottom Went there with young Albert, their son. A grand little lad was their Albert All dressed in his best; quite a swell ‘E’d a stick with an ‘orse’s ‘ead ‘andle The finest that Woolworth’s could sell. So begins the poem, The Lion and Albert, written by Marriott Edgar. I first read it in the book pictured on the right: a book that accompanied a collection of 78 rpm records in which Stanley Holloway read the poems (click to see a larger image). ……… click below for more ↓

As Elvis leaves the building, so do we all

2017-05-19 2017-05-19 Culture / Music & Reviews / Musings / Personal Reminiscences / Pop CultureLeave a comment

No one gets out of here alive. We all die. And with us go into the dustbin the dreams, the values, the ideals, the culture we grew up with, we shared, we ensconced in our daily existence. And the clutter we accumulated during our lives. Elvis has left the building and, sooner or later, so shall we all. And as we do, the value of our own material legacy will diminish with each day. A recent story in The Guardian tells of how once-treasured Elvis memorabilia is falling in value, as collectors age and die off, leaving a younger generation ……… click below for more ↓

Sadly, it’s business as usual

2017-05-15 2017-05-15 Collingwood / Council / Ethics and behaviour / Hospital / Municipal PoliticsOne Comment

I suppose you expect I am disappointed that not a single one of The Block had the spine, the moral compass, the ethical guts to resign after killing the hospital redevelopment. After all, I called on them all – plus the interim CAO – to resign immediately. Not doing so, I said, would prove everything I ever said about them. They didn’t budge. Well, my compensation is that I get to say “I told you so.” Again. I suspect I will repeat those words several more times this term. People only disappoint you when they don’t live up to your ……… click below for more ↓

The Block killed the hospital. They MUST all resign. Now.

2017-05-08 2017-05-11 Collingwood / Council / Development & Growth / Ethics and behaviour / Hospital2 Comments

The actions of The Block and the town’s administration have resulted in the Collingwood General & Marine Hospital losing its chance for redevelopment. The province didn’t include funding for the local proposal in its budget. The next opportunity for such funding will be at least a decade away, if one ever comes along. If any of these people have even a shred of decency, of honour, they will all resign immediately. If any of these people felt even a twinge of shame for misleading the community while they pursued their own personal – and very destructive – agendas, they would ……… click below for more ↓

‘Senator’ Jeffrey gets more money again

2017-05-05 2017-05-05 Collingwood / Council / Ethics and behaviour / TaxesOne Comment

The Block once again rewarded one of their own by granting Councillor ‘Senator’ Jeffrey an unlimited expense account to wine, dine and party across Canada on the taxpayer’s dollar. The Connection story is headlined, “Collingwood councillor seeks Federation of Canadian Municipalities seat. That – like so many other Connection headlines – is incorrect. She has held the seat for the last two-and-a-half years, paid for by you, the taxpayer. This is just to extend her entitlement, a blank cheque without the messiness of accountability. The Block think that your tax dollars should be shovelled into that maw, with no restrictions, ……… click below for more ↓

The DM’s height of hypocrisy

2017-05-04 2017-05-05 Collingwood / Council / Development & Growth / Ethics and behaviour / HospitalLeave a comment

There’s a story in this week’s Connection with the misleading headline, “Town asks hospital for public meeting”. The online version has it as “Collingwood asks hospital for public meeting.” Neither is correct. The “town” wants nothing of the sort. The mayor – who speaks for the town – has never expressed that on behalf of council. Actually, she voted against the request. But the real headline is buried in the opening: “Collingwood’s deputy mayor wants council and the hospital to put out a united front on the redevelopment plan.” Well, it’s clear to see why the Connection is being called ……… click below for more ↓

Collingwood deserves answers

2017-04-29 2017-04-29 Collingwood / Council / Ethics and behaviourLeave a comment

The Most Secretive Council Ever has never told the public why it has been so intent on damaging this community. We have never had an explanation why they are so inflexible, so hostile to other ideas, so adversarial to opinions other than their own. We have never been told why they are so focused on their own entitlement and give no thought for or support to the residents and taxpayers in Collingwood. We have been kept in the dark about their motives and goals while The Block continues its destructive rampage against community institutions through these past two and a ……… click below for more ↓

Three, six, seven, nine… how many basic plots?

2017-04-27 2017-04-27 Books & Reviews / Literature / Reading & Literacy / What I'm Reading Now / Writing & FictionLeave a comment

When I was in school, back in the last century, I was taught there were three basic plots in which every story ever written could be classified: Man-vs-man, man-vs-nature and man-vs-himself. That was in the days when it wasn’t politically incorrect to use the word man to mean everyone. Today we’d say it differently, use other pronouns, but the meaning is the same. Three is a bit simplistic, sure. The list has been expanded on by authors, academics and critics ever since. And by robots, too. Last summer, a story in The Atlantic told of university researchers who used software ……… click below for more ↓