Category: Planning & Policies

Policies, plans, economic development, strategic planning, sustainability and future-looking ideas for local municipal politics.

More Bad Ideas

Collingwood / Critical Thinking / Development & Growth / Planning & PoliciesLeave a comment

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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 ↓

That WTF Moment

Collingwood / Council / Ethics and behaviour / Planning & PoliciesOne Comment

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WTF. Those three letters crudely but superbly sum up the two-page response made to the two members of council who recently sent out an inappropriate media release, pretending it came from the town. The letter was written by Remo Niceforo, President of Clearview Aviation Business Park. It starts by saying, Having sought diligently over the past 18 months to obtain an access agreement, this is the first time I have learned (through a media release) of the criteria to be met which might lead to an access agreement. That’s the first WTF moment. Here’s another: Your statement that, “the Town ……… click below for more ↓

Lessons from the paper

Collingwood / Council / Ethics and behaviour / Media / Planning & Policies / Publicity & Communications4 Comments

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There’s a story on page B2 of the January 1 Enterprise Bulletin (not online yet*) that offers us three lessons. Two lessons on how the local media fails us, one on cringe-worthy political ineptitude. Those lessons are: How far the credibility of the paper has fallen; How little respect there is for real reporting and investigative journalism in the local media; How pusillanimous and dysfunctional council has become. Let’s start with number one. The article on page B2 is headlined “Business centre strategic board takes flight.” Now you might think you were reading a light piece about the development of the Clearview Aviation Business ……… click below for more ↓

Consultants Run Amok

Collingwood / Council / Ethics and behaviour / Planning & Policies / Taxes2 Comments

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As the old saw says, a consultant is someone who comes in to solve a problem and stays around long enough to become part of it. So how many consultants’ reports does it take for council to figure out we’re spending too much money on consultants’ reports? More than three, apparently. Three is the number of consultants’ reports included in the preliminary budget alone (the one that recommends raising your taxes almost 4% and gives council another pay increase as a reward for doing so…!). Three consultants’ reports… one would be an unprecedented number in a small town town budget. Three is, well, ……… click below for more ↓

Screw the Taxpayer

Collingwood / Council / Ethics and behaviour / Planning & Policies / Taxes / User fees and costs3 Comments

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Sitting down? Good. You might want a drink, too. A strong one. Ready? Get a grip on your chair. Here goes: Collingwood is looking at a 3.9% tax hike for 2016. And that’s just its own portion. Let me help you up. No, that isn’t wrong. It’s the proposed budget hike this council is contemplating. It was presented to council at an all-day meeting last week. The Connection reported on it, Dec. 2, in case you missed it (nothing in the EB, though).* That municipal tax raise will be coupled with an increase from the county, sending your taxes skyrocketing up ……… click below for more ↓

The End of Integrity

Collingwood / Council / Ethics and behaviour / Planning & PoliciesLeave a comment

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Collingwood Council has apparently decided it is better to be viewed as hypocritical than as unethical. Following a year of investigations of council behaviour by the Integrity Commissioner, Robert Swayze, council decided that, rather than reform their collective behaviour, it was easier to dump the IC. So no more pesky peering into how they conduct themselves or whether they are acting in the best public interest. And yet most of those elected to council this term were among the group loudly demanding the last council hire an integrity commissioner to protect the public trust. Is that hypocrisy? Some would think so. The ……… click below for more ↓

The Airport Mystery

Collingwood / Council / Development & Growth / Ethics and behaviour / Planning & Policies12 Comments

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What’s happening at Collingwood Airport? Or better yet: what’s NOT happening? And why isn’t it? Once touted as the role model for regional cooperation, and having the best potential for local economic development, it is now a topic for murmurings about a secret sale, and ugly rumours that this has become the worst regional relationship this town has ever had. Every time the airport comes up on the agenda, our oh-so-open and transparent Collingwood Council scurries behind closed doors to discuss it. But while that may seal a few local lips, it hasn’t stopped people in our surrounding region from talking about ……… click below for more ↓

Our Know-It-Alls

Collingwood / Council / Ethics and behaviour / Planning & Policies / Publicity & Communications3 Comments

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Collingwood Council obviously knows more than anyone else in municipal governance. More, in fact, than anyone else in the entire country. In fact, they may all be geniuses in local governance issues. Otherwise, why would council cancel their individual subscriptions to Municipal World magazine at the start of their term? Previous councils subscribed to an issue for each member of council, plus others for administration. While I can’t say everyone read them, the brightest and most dedicated politicians on council read them cover to cover. Now the whole town gets one issue. ONE for the entire workforce;  for the dozen or so staff AND politicians. That suggests council ……… click below for more ↓

Climate Change and Collingwood

Collingwood / Council / Environment / Planning & Policies / Science & TechnologyOne Comment

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Climate change is arguably the single most pressing, most important, most challenging issue to affect governments at this time. Our world is suffering and weather is getting extreme in many parts. It’s affecting crops, wildlife, safety, water… everything. But what are Canadian municipalities doing to combat it, to reign in their use of fossil fuels, reduce their carbon footprint, reduce emissions, pollution, and embrace alternate energy systems? Not much, according to a study done by the Ontario Coalition for Sustainable Infrastructure. OCSI’s 2014 report, “When the Bough Breaks” has some discouraging statistics. According to their survey, only 38% of Ontario ……… click below for more ↓

Misunderstanding Local Government

Collingwood / Council / Critical Thinking / Planning & PoliciesLeave a comment

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A recent editorial in the Collingwood Connection underscores the need to have writers who understand the actual process of government, and not simply comment on politics from an ideological perspective. It also underscores that some of our council still don’t understand why they are at the table. The anonymous writer of that editorial has penned this bit of cunning misinformation: Council was not being asked to decide if residents should be able to raise chickens in their backyard or pass judgment on the merits of the idea. They were being asked to start a process of public input. Well, we ……… click below for more ↓

Feathers A-Flying in Collingwood

Collingwood / Council / Critical Thinking / Development & Growth / Planning & PoliciesOne Comment

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Chickengate: despite urban chickens being outre among the trendy these days; a fad long abandoned by hip who are now pursing some new form of glitzy hobby, some folks in town want to raise chickens in their yards. Seems we’re only a few years behind the trendsetters. What next? Urban cows? Urban sheep? Urban bison? It’s a bad idea, but one this council will likely endorse – not simply because they are prone to nurture bad ideas, but because some of them owe hefty political favours to campaign supporters who, coincidentally, happen to raise chickens here already (in violation of the law, of ……… click below for more ↓

The high cost of affordability

Collingwood / Council / Development & Growth / Municipal Politics / Planning & Policies / Politics / Provincial PoliticsOne Comment

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Affordable housing is crucial to the economic and social vitality of every municipality. Without it, people cannot afford to live here, which means they will look for jobs in places they can afford. Young people, especially, will move to places they can afford better. Collingwood is especially vulnerable to housing issues.* Given that the growth trend in our area is in low-paying (minimum wage), and part-time employment, finding affordable housing has become increasingly difficult for many people. Simcoe County itself estimates that a “single individual on Ontario Works would need to spend 108% of his/her monthly income to afford to live in ……… click below for more ↓

Apps are making us criminals

Canadian Politics / Collingwood / Council / Development & Growth / International politics / Municipal Politics / Planning & Policies / Politics / Provincial Politics / US Politics / User fees and costsLeave a comment

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[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Og3PjvcR1Pc] Almost every week you read in the news about another taxi driver protest against Uber and its drivers. Taxi drivers go on strike, some rage against Uber and attack the drivers or damage their cars. Similar protests – albeit not yet as violent or large – have been made against Airbnb for its effects on local property values and changing social conditions like the loss of rental properties. These are just two of the apps whose effect on our society and culture are challenging laws and policies. There are others now that attempt to clone the success of their ……… click below for more ↓

The Hidden Agenda in the Strategic Plan

Collingwood / Council / Ethics and behaviour / Planning & PoliciesOne Comment

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My final comment for the next while on the town’s committee-based wishlist (the so-called community-based strategic plan, of which it is neither) has to do with biased and partisan comments made in the document’s introduction. This material was presented to council in the recent versions (approved by a 7-1 vote, as expected, with one councillor absent) but not included in all earlier draft versions. I believe it represents the influence of the former VOTE (Voters Opposed To Everything) special interest group and their later followers in the deputy mayor’s special interest group, known locally (and humorously) as Better If I’m Elected, Collingwood. What sort of ……… click below for more ↓

Trivial Pursuits

Collingwood / Council / Planning & PoliciesLeave a comment

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Now that the draft version of the so-called “community-based strategic plan” has been presented to council, I felt it appropriate to comment on this latest version. I have already posted several pieces on the earlier draft. If you haven’t read them, you should start with there: Strategic Planning, Part One: The Woo-Hoo Factor Strat Plan Part 2: The Shuffle Game Strat Plan Part 3: The Waterfront Strat Plan Part 4: Economic Vitality Strat Plan Part 5: Healthy Lifestyle Strat Plan Part 6: Culture and the Arts Strat Plan Wrap Up: Addintional Comments All the comments and criticisms made in these earlier ……… click below for more ↓

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