Category: Politics

Santorum’s ‘faith’ attack incomprehensible

Atheism & Spirituality / Politics3 Comments

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[youtube=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyIZIiY81Ek”]I really don’t understand American politics. Watching the current campaign for the Republican Party’s nomination for presidential candidacy only baffles me further. It’s stunning that so many of the Republican candidates appeal – and do so loudly and consistently – to the lowest common denominator among the population. Topping my list of Republicans who bemuse me is Rick Santorum. His campaign only proves that you don’t have to be intelligent, open-minded, visionary, well-educated, focused or wise to run for president. He already proved earlier that … click below for more ↓

Let’s get the terms of this debate correct

Atheism & Spirituality / Canadian Politics / Science & TechnologyLeave a comment

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There’s a recent story in the Winnipeg Free Press with the headlines that, “Liberals fear pro-lifers trying to take over weakened federal party.” Gawd, I hate such inaccurate, slanted reporting. It’s bad enough when politicians engage in it, but the media should be more objective. Let’s get the terms straight, shall we? Then we can try for objectivity. To call one side “pro-life” is to give credibility to the implication that the other side is “anti-life.” That’s spinelessly accepting a one-sided spin on the debate. … click below for more ↓

Collingwood’s population on the rise, faster than Canada’s

Collingwood / Municipal Politics / Urban Design & Growth2 Comments

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Statistics Canada has released some of the key data data from its 2011 Census. In the five years since our last census (2006), Canada has grown in population size almost 6% to 33,476,688. That’s ten times larger than we were in 1861. Once again, our growth rate was the highest among G8 countries. According to the StatsCan analysis of the data, “every province and most territories saw its population increase between 2006 and 2011.” However, it notes that, “The rate of population growth increased in … click below for more ↓

Why Admiral Collingwood should go ahead

Collingwood / Municipal Politics / Urban Design & Growth5 Comments

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Juxtaposition. That’s the issue Collingwood Council has to wrestle with, Monday: what effect will the juxtaposition of the proposed development’s size and height have on the existing, smaller buildings? Some people are afraid our existing heritage buildings will be diminished by this project. Last week I was in Toronto. At the corner of York and Wellington Streets, I saw the Toronto Club; a beautifully preserved, late 19th-century red-brick, three-storey building. It’s in the, heart of financial district, surrounded by tall, modern skyscrapers, some 30 or … click below for more ↓

Mayor Ford’s troubles a lesson for all Canadian mayors

Canadian Politics / Collingwood / Municipal PoliticsLeave a comment

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On days like this, Toronto Mayor Rob Ford must be banging his head against the wall. This week he – and indeed every Canadian mayor – was reminded that a mayor’s powers are limited to a single vote. That point was driven home when Councillor Joe Mihevc asked for a legal opinion on Ford’s unilateral decision to kill the Transit City plan, in December 2010, without consulting council. Mihevc also claimed Ford did not have the authority to sign a memorandum of understanding with the … click below for more ↓

The return of measles a threat to us all

Canadian Politics / Science & TechnologyOne Comment

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Here’s a scary fact: measles seems to be returning to the West. There has been a rise in the number of outbreaks in the last few years, including in Canada: Quebec and recently in London, Ontario. According to the Middlesex-London Health Unit, there have been recent outbreaks of both measles and mumps in many countries, including, “US states (including New York), United Kingdom, New Zealand, Spain, Switzerland, Italy, France, Serbia, Macedonia, Turkey, Peru, Guatemala, Congo, Zambia, Bangladesh and India.” So why are these diseases coming … click below for more ↓

Make it happen, crowd tells council about Admiral Collingwood

Collingwood / Municipal Politics / Personal Reminiscences / Urban Design & GrowthOne Comment

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Four hundred people, perhaps more, packed the Collingwood Legion, Sunday afternoon, to support the Admiral Collingwood development, at Hume and Hurontario Streets. It was arguably the most important public meeting of the last 18 months. The clear message, both from speakers at the rally and audience members, was “make it happen.” So many people packed the Legion hall that it was standing room only, with some forced to watch and listen from the alcove. The rally was called by a group of citizens to counter … click below for more ↓

Annual Mayor’s Levee today

Collingwood / Municipal PoliticsLeave a comment

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The annual Mayor’s Levee will be held this afternoon, January 8, at Georgian Manor Resort, from 1-3 p.m. This is the annual event in which people who have contributed significantly to the greater good of the community get recognized with the “Order of Collingwood.” It’s also an opportunity for the public to socialize with their council This year the following people will get the Order of Collingwood: Ms. Catherine Campbell Ms. Penny Skelton Mrs. Jennifer Nichol Mrs. Barbara Fawcett Mr. Terry Geddes The following people … click below for more ↓

Musing on mixed heights in urban environments

Collingwood / Municipal Politics / Urban Design & GrowthLeave a comment

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I recently spent some time looking online for images of cities where mixed building heights could show me how a varied skyline looks when buildings of significantly different heights are close together in an urban environment. This is, of course, because Collingwood council will soon consider allowing a six-storey building downtown, set amidst what are mostly two- and three-storey buildings. The mix of high and low in the core is common in cities, less so in smaller towns. That’s simple economics, however. All of these … click below for more ↓

Politically Speaking: new book on media relations

Canadian Politics / Collingwood / Municipal Politics / Personal ReminiscencesLeave a comment

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I am pleased and proud to announce that my first of two books for Municipal World has been published. Politically Speaking is a guide to media relations for municipal politicians and municipal staff. Of course the advice and strategies I suggest are applicable to other levels of government as well. My goal was to provide some basic guidelines on how to deal with the media, but also to encourage municipalities to create proper communications policies. There is a video interview about the book here: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJxskjgJwv4] My next … click below for more ↓

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