Collingwood – Page 30

The Crow and the Pond

2016-03-14 2016-03-14 Collingwood / Ethics and behaviour / Legends & MythsLeave a comment

One day, the crafty old crow was sitting in his nest while his pack of pet doves brought him breakfast and plucked out their own chest feathers to make sure his nest was soft and warm. He happened to glance down to the forest floor and saw a large pond at which deer and other animals were drinking. The water was clear and inviting. “That’s a mighty big pond,” the old crow thought to himself. “I’d like to bathe in it. I’d like to drink from its clear waters. But not with so many other animals around. I want it all to ……… click below for more ↓

Why We Deserve a Permanent CAO

2016-03-12 2016-03-12 Collingwood / Council / Ethics and behaviour3 Comments

First, a little history. Back in the spring of 2012, Collingwood Council terminated the contract with Kim Wingrove, the CAO, according to the terms in the agreement. In her place, council appointed the CEO of Collus, Ed Houghton, as interim CAO. In addition to his other duties, Houghton took the job without any compensation. In January, 2013, council began the process of recruiting a new, permanent CAO. Houghton, an effective leader who was widely respected by staff and council, stepped down shortly afterwards. A consultant was found to begin the recruitment process. In July, 2013, on a recommendation from the town’s ……… click below for more ↓

The non-story of the year: the Elvis contract

2016-03-11 2016-03-12 Collingwood / Conspiracy Theories / Critical Thinking / Planning & PoliciesOne Comment

The “big” news in the Collingwood Connection this week is the release of the contract between the town and Elvis Presley Enterprises (EPE). Now we all know that Elvis tribute artists can’t engage in pie-eating contests.* The shame, the shame. The community reacted with… a loud snore. Really? This is NEWS? Who the frig cares? Why not cover something exciting, something really relevant? Like the contract for the paint for fire hydrants? Or the contract for aviation fuel? Why not get into the nitty gritty of the photocopier contracts? All of them are at least as important and worthy of your front ……… click below for more ↓

When is a tax increase not a tax increase?

2016-03-11 2016-03-11 Collingwood / Council / Taxes / User fees and costsOne Comment

When blockheads don’t get what a levy is. This month, Collingwood Council voted for a tax increase that, through the admin’s sleight of hand, the bobbleheads believed wasn’t a tax increase. It was just the old shell game. According to a story in the Connection (which also didn’t get it), headlined “No tax hike, but assessment increase will add to Collingwood residents’ tax bills”: (Council) have also agreed to add a 0.75-per-cent capital levy, which will generate about $210,000 for the capital asset management plan. A levy IS a tax increase. That’s why it’s called a TAX LEVY. Trying to ……… click below for more ↓

But wait, it gets worse…

2016-03-08 2016-03-08 Collingwood / Council / Ethics and behaviourOne Comment

By now you know the worst thing that has happened during this term of council: last night, Dep. Mayor Saunderson made a notice of motion to extend the interim CAO’s contract for another year. Yes, the same interim CAO who was originally hired to fill in only until the town hired a permanent CAO. Last year. It appears several councillors have been conniving in secret AGAIN to extend the CAO’s contact, just as they did last year. Perhaps it was discussed at the secret meeting at a Thornbury restaurant, last December. No wonder the recruitment process for a new CAO was delayed. It was supposed to start ……… click below for more ↓

Time for Closure

2016-03-05 2016-03-05 Collingwood / Council / Ethics and behaviour / Municipal Politics / PoliticsOne Comment

Thirty-six months ago a small group of disgruntled, angry residents, some with burning ambition to take a seat on council themselves, allegedly complained to the OPP about decisions made by some members of the previous council. Decisions they didn’t like. They chose to act in secret, through anonymity and stealth, rather than through open, democratic and public processes. Using biased media, gossipers with their own agendas, sycophant bloggers, protests, ambitious candidates mouthing righteous platitudes, and virulent social media campaigning, they alleged corruption by local public officials. The OPP must have been mortified at having to investigate a clearly politically-motivated, baseless complaint. But the law is ……… click below for more ↓

Sloppy Reporting and Secret Agendas

2016-02-10 2016-02-10 Collingwood / Council / Ethics and behaviour / Media Issues / Planning & PoliciesOne Comment

One really doesn’t actually expect sterling journalism, good, investigative reporting or excellent editing from a community newspaper, but we do expect factual accuracy. And we expect reporters and editors to do at least the basics of their jobs. Some parallel stories in the local papers show just how inaccurate – and sloppy – local reporting and editing can be. And how this is letting council get away with its secret agendas unreported. The first story, in the Connection, is headlined, Collingwood calling on Collus Powerstream to divulge salaries of executives, employees. It opens: Salaries paid to executives and employees of ……… click below for more ↓

Aesop is Still Relevant

2016-02-06 2016-02-06 Books & Reviews / Collingwood / Council / Literature / What I'm Reading Now3 Comments

A MONKEY perched upon a lofty tree saw some Fishermen casting their nets into a river, and narrowly watched their proceedings. The Fishermen after a while gave up fishing, and on going home to dinner left their nets upon the bank. The Monkey, who is the most imitative of animals, descended from the treetop and endeavored to do as they had done. Having handled the net, he threw it into the river, but became tangled in the meshes and drowned. With his last breath he said to himself, “I am rightly served; for what business had I who had never handled ……… click below for more ↓

De Officiis: Cicero on Political Obligations

2016-02-04 2016-02-06 Books & Reviews / Collingwood / Council / Ethics & morality / Ethics and behaviour / Philosophy / What I'm Reading Now2 Comments

No phase of life, whether public or private, whether in business or in the home, whether one is working on what concerns oneself alone or dealing with another, can be without its moral duty; on the discharge of such duties depends all that is morally right, and on their neglect all that is morally wrong in life. Cicero wrote that in 44 BCE in his last work in his last year of life: De Officiis, or in English: On Obligations. The translation from Book 1.4 above comes from the Perseus Project (the 1913 Miller/Loeb translation). In the 2000 edition (Oxford University Press, reprinted ……… click below for more ↓

More secrecy, more witch hunt, less accountability

2016-02-03 2016-02-03 Collingwood / Council / Development & Growth / Ethics and behaviour / Planning & PoliciesOne Comment

“Those who gain a good reputation should be commended.” So starts the Lay of Guigemar, by Marie de France. It seems like mere commonsense, doesn’t it? We should laud those who achieve good things, who accomplish feats and goals, recognize with thanks those who work for our greater good. But it ain’t necessarily so, Marie warns. The 12th century French poet and fabulist known only as Marie de France wrote fables and poems with stories and morals – the earliest woman in France to do so. And what she wrote still has resonance in today’s world. She continued: “But when ……… click below for more ↓

Collingwood’s Finances: Great Shape!

2016-01-29 2016-01-29 Collingwood / Council / Ethics and behaviour / Planning & Policies / TaxesLeave a comment

There’s been a lot of doom-and-gloom bandied about over Collingwood’s alleged dire financial picture this term. There have been the-sky-is-falling presentations and nightmare-inducing consultants’ reports that paint a bleak picture of the town’s debt and financial status. Hand-wringing and hair-pulling. These jeremiads are enough to make a taxpayer wake up in the middle of the night and weep. If it were true. Fortunately, it isn’t. I’d like to think that someone got his or her numbers wrong, read someone else’s information, added or subtracted when they should have been doing the opposite. Or maybe was just pulling our collective legs. A practical ……… click below for more ↓

Monday’s Limited Choices

2016-01-17 2016-01-17 Collingwood / Council / Ethics and behaviour2 Comments

Here are the choices Collingwood Council faces, Monday night, when dealing with the unethical, immoral and probably illegal actions of the two renegade members of council. You’ll recall that these two sent out an unauthorized, and what I and others believe was a highly inappropriate media release late in December, without showing them to council first, bypassing the mayor, and pimping their own personal political agendas, while disingenuously presenting them as town positions. This also implicated staff in what looks like inappropriate, partisan actions on behalf of the two council members. This violated the town’s code of conduct, council’s oath of office, ……… click below for more ↓

More Bad Ideas

2016-01-13 2016-01-13 Collingwood / Critical Thinking / Development & Growth / Planning & PoliciesLeave a comment

Arguably the worst decision ever made by a Collingwood Council in my memory was to rescind the heritage permits from the Admiral Collingwood development, back in 2007. The results of that motion – moved by former Mayor Carrier and seconded by Councillor Jeffrey (the same one who sits at the table today) – can still be seen in the empty lot at the corner of Hume and Hurontario Streets. Locals called it Carrier’s Pond for years, before it was filled in. Had that council not put personal ideologies over the public good, the site would today be a thriving downtown development with residences, ……… click below for more ↓

The Litmus Test

2016-01-07 2021-05-15 Collingwood / Council / Ethics and behaviourLeave a comment

Two renegade members of council broke the town’s Code of Conduct by sending out an unauthorized media release to defend their own, personal positions – but presented them as “town” positions. You already know that reprehensible story. Clearly this is unacceptable behaviour by any elected officials in any community. But where are the angry protesters marching with signs demanding officials “inpeach” council, screaming “corruption” and demanding councillors resign? Oh wait, they got themselves elected to council this term… They promised us openness, accountability and transparency… and this is what we got instead.