Collingwood – Page 38

Irony and cognitive dissonance

2014-05-04 2014-05-04 Collingwood / Municipal Politics / PoliticsOne Comment

Politics is as full of irony as it is full of cognitive dissonance. And I don’t mean simply in politicians and their agencies: it is everyone and every group, every agency and every organization that dabbles in politics. Sooner or later, the irony comes out. And the cognitive dissonance sets in. Irony is a difference between the appearance of something and its reality. As Google brings up the definition: “a state of affairs or an event that seems deliberately contrary to what one expects and … click below for more ↓

Getting solid numbers makes sense

2014-03-24 2014-03-24 Collingwood / Municipal PoliticsLeave a comment

I recently was directed to read a statement that I had “…put forward a notice of motion calling on the municipality to spend the money to put a concrete floor in the building, without any kind of business case …” That is incorrect. The notice simply asked the town to put out a ‘request for proposal” (RFP). If the writer had asked me about my notice of motion (or asked any of the other councillors or senior staff with whom I discussed it), I would … click below for more ↓

CPLUG songs and more

2014-03-18 2014-03-20 Collingwood / Culture / Musical InstrumentsLeave a comment

CPLUG – the Collingwood Public Library Ukulele Group – has so far proven a very popular group. We started with 17 people at our first monthly meeting and more have attended each time: 34 people came out last month! I’m hoping to continue this trend and see as many this week at our next meeting (March 19). You can read about our group in this newspaper story, here. We are dedicated to enjoying making and learning music in a friendly, supportive community group setting. We … click below for more ↓

Conspiracy Theories: 2014 Update

2014-02-28 2014-02-28 Collingwood / Conspiracy Theories / Municipal Politics / Social Order & DisorderLeave a comment

It’s time to update a piece I wrote in December, 2012, outlining the secret deals, backroom negotiations and “barbecue politics” that our council has been involved in since that date, more than a year ago. So here comes the update, the emperor without his clothes: Secret meetings: none Backroom negotiations: none Barbecue deals: none Sorry, I know this is a disappointment to local conspiracy theorists and bloggers, coming hard on the failure of the world to end as per the Mayan Calendar, or the failure … click below for more ↓

Collingwood’s municipal debt and 2014 budget

2014-02-21 2023-10-27 Collingwood / Municipal Politics6 Comments

Tuesday, Council got a combined debt-and-budget presentation that set the stage for the upcoming, fuller 2014 budget deliberations starting next week. CAO John Brown gave us a recap of a report (produced by BMA Management Consulting) about the town’s debt situation and financial well-being. It was a mix of good news/bad news. The good is that it’s not as bad as it seems, certainly not as bad as some other municipalities, but mostly in the middle of the peer group selected for the report. The … click below for more ↓

Should councillors abstain from voting?

2014-02-17 2014-02-17 Collingwood / Municipal Politics / Provincial Politics2 Comments

In an earlier post, I wrote that Collingwood’s Integrity Commissioner, Robert Swayze, proposed two changes to the town’s Procedural Bylaw: amending section 13.7 and deleting section 13.8. Last post I dealt with the former; here I will explain my concerns about the latter. Section 13.8 currently reads: 13.8 No vote – deemed negative – exception Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 13.7 of this By-law, every Member who is not disqualified from voting by reason of a declared pecuniary interest shall be deemed to be voting … click below for more ↓

Legal Versus “Personal” Conflicts of Interest

2014-02-16 2014-02-16 Collingwood / Municipal Politics / Provincial PoliticsOne Comment

In May, 2013, I wrote my thoughts about Ontario’s Municipal Conflict of Interest Act and the effect it had on the governance and procedural behaviour of municipal councillors. Back then, I wrote, The Act allows no grey areas: there are no “perceived” conflicts in law, only clearly defined legal ones. This is obviously intended by the stringent wording that lays out what construes a conflict of interest. This clarity absolves everyone of trying to second guess the intention of the Act, or trying to interpret … click below for more ↓

Running for re-election in 2014

2014-01-29 2014-01-29 Collingwood / Municipal Politics / Personal ReminiscencesLeave a comment

Earlier this month, I filed my nomination papers for municipal council. I am running for a fourth term as Collingwood councillor. I will post a new election website with updated information and campaign content later this winter. I would appreciate your support, your trust and your vote. I believe I have earned them during my time on council, and will continue to do my best to serve the residents of Collingwood, and meet the needs of our growing community, when re-elected. Until the new website … click below for more ↓

Brands, Buzz & Going Viral

2014-01-14 2014-01-14 Books & Reviews / Collingwood / Literary pretensions / Municipal Politics / Personal ReminiscencesLeave a comment

My third book for Municipal World, Brands, Buzz & Going Viral, has just been published as part of the Municipal Information Series. I received my author’s copies yesterday. I am very proud of this book; it took a lot of work to research and write. I enjoyed writing it. I hope my municipal readers find it both informative and interesting. I am also delighted to be able to share my knowledge and experience with others in the municipal governance realm across Canada. It’s a humbling experience … click below for more ↓

Looking back on three years

2014-01-07 2014-01-07 Collingwood / Municipal Politics / Urban Design & GrowthLeave a comment

If you attended the Mayor’s Levee, Jan. 5, you received a small brochure that listed some of this council’s accomplishments to date, as well as our collective plans and priorities for the remaining year of our term. It’s worth reiterating some of those notes. Keeping the public informed was identified by this council as a strategic priority in our first strategic planning session at the beginning of our term. This flyer was produced by our new Communications Officer as part of that ongoing transparency and … click below for more ↓

Collingwood: 2114

2014-01-01 2014-01-01 Collingwood / Humour & Satire / Municipal PoliticsOne Comment

I had one of those odd dreams recently; a crazy mix of future and past, where rotary dial phones and smart phones co-existed, where past and future intersected. A retro-future dream. I was in Collingwood, an odd Collingwood, but it was still my home town: recognizable,familiar, but also changed. Modernized in striking ways, old-fashioned in others. A calendar told me it was 2114. It looked a bit like 1964, too. Odd how dreams do that. I thought I’d share some images of that dream, of … click below for more ↓

Council’s second strategic planning session

2013-12-16 2013-12-16 Collingwood / Municipal PoliticsLeave a comment

Although there were no media reporters present to cover it, Collingwood Council held its second strategic planning session this term, on December 4. This was an important, all-day session for council because it set priorities for 2014, the last year this term. We also collectively agreed upon a list of our many accomplishments this term. Based on the goals set in our first strategic planning session, we have accomplished almost everything we set out to do back then, as well as many other things that … click below for more ↓

How to Break Your Election Promises

2013-10-25 2013-10-25 Collingwood / Municipal Politics / Social Order & DisorderLeave a comment

[youtube=www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqK97av7I3s] Taxman: I was thinking of this Beatles’ song, recently, after council received the pre-budget report from the treasurer at last Monday’s council meeting. It’s dated, the song that is, but still eerily appropriate (I will have to learn to play it on my ukulele). Last election, all of us who got elected ran on a platform of keeping costs and taxes low. Okay, that’s a fairly blithe promise; few candidates run on a platform of raising taxes and expenses, and fewer actually ever win … click below for more ↓