An elderly woman living on her own in a house tucked away in a relatively isolated rural area of Grey-Bruce was surprised one day last year to hear a knock on the door. She may have peeked out the front window to see who it was. She may have had a moment’s anxiety; but, if the sad truth be known, she was also lonely, and pleased at the prospect of having some company. The man certainly looked presentable. And when she slowly, tentatively, opened the door a little he had a nice smile and seemed very friendly. Continue reading
Politics
Democracy is Hard Work
Democracy is hard work. And by that I don’t mean just for political candidates who, among many other things, participate in all-candidates’ meetings or debates where they’re asked all kinds of questions on the complex political issues they’re supposed to know everything about. I take my toque off to anybody who has the courage, or whatever it takes, to do that in front of a live, national television audience, or a crowd of several hundred people in a local riding. Continue reading
We’re All Going to End up Paying More, Yet Again, for Electricity
Taken in splendid isolation key aspects of the new long-term deal between the Ontario government and Bruce Power for the long-awaited refurbishment of nuclear generating units at Bruce A and a fixed-price contract for the electricity they produce is good news for this area. Barring any unexpected calamities, and assuming the challenging job of rebuilding Units 1 and 2 is successful, the future prosperity of Kincardine, Saugeen Shores, and other communities near the Bruce Nuclear plant is assured for the next 30 years. Continue reading
Ontario Taxes Will Indeed Go Up
It’s that time of year again across the Canadian landscape: the taxman cometh. And many are the howls of outrage here in Grey-Bruce, and elsewhere in Ontario, at the rate property taxes are going up to help support the cost of municipal government. Bruce County’s 13.2 percent increase in county taxes especially raised some local eyebrows. But it may be a sign of things to come for a lot more municipal taxpayers in Grey-Bruce and elsewhere in the province, if somebody at Queen’s Park doesn’t soon do something fundamental about fixing the Ontario eight-year-old downloading fiasco. Continue reading
Drinking Water Source Protection in Ontario
Being human, we tend to take for granted what we have plenty of, like water in Ontario – in the Great Lakes, in rivers and streams, and underground aquifers: drill or dig a well and you got water, no problem; put a hose or intake pipe into the lake and get lots of water, no problem. Build a pipeline here, another one there. Why worry? Be happy. Continue reading
Sharing Gaming Revenues
I see former Ontario Premier David Peterson has got himself a nice gig. The current Liberal government has just appointed him to spearhead negotiations with First Nations for a new agreement on sharing gaming revenues. First Nations already receive gaming proceeds from Casino Rama in Orillia, and have begun preliminary talks with the province about getting revenues from other sites. Continue reading
Same-sex Marriage Legislation
There could be, and there definitely should be a reasonable, balanced, well-informed public discussion about the pros and cons of the Liberal government’s proposed Civil Marriage Act. But unfortunately much of the opposition to the controversial same-sex marriage legislation seems rooted in old-fashioned homophobia; and I, for one, am turned off by it. Continue reading
2004 Election – Voters, Think Long and Hard…
Someday soon Canadians will find themselves in the midst of an election campaign, the results of which could prove to have far more implications for the future of Canada and Canadian society than many people might think. Indications are the Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound riding, like others in rural, small-town Ontario could play a decisive key role in the outcome. Continue reading
Finding Hope Ness 