Open for business bylaws pulled from Bill 66
Among the broad implications of Bill 66, the Restoring Ontario’s Competitiveness Act, which was released in December and will be debated in the legislature, were changes to the Municipal Act which would have allowed municipalities to pass “Open for Business” bylaws. These bylaws, according to Schedule 10 of Bill 66,… READ MORE
Request for 24-hour ambulance by North Frontenac Council reflects short term memory loss
Four and a half years ago, the Robertsville ambulance base opened its doors. That was a few months before the 2014 municipal election when the current Mayor and County Warden, Ron Higgins, was elected. Three other members of North Frontenac Council, Deputy Mayor Fred Perry, and Councillors Wayne Good and… READ MORE
Seeds have feelings too
What is it that gets people so excited about seeds. Is it gardening. Some people like to garden. It's peaceful, meditative, back to the earth. If it were gardening alone, then it wouldn't really matter which seeds we had, as long as they grow good food. There is something more.… READ MORE
A Deeply-Rooted Canada-China Tension in the Eyes of a Chinese Immigrant
What comes up when you hear China these days? Dictatorship, authoritarianism, human rights violations, censorship? On a CBC radio episode of the Current in December, host Anna Maria Tremonti interviewed 3 people during a half-hour segment on the recent escalating tension following the Huawei CFO's arrest. The first guest was… READ MORE
Have we all been had by Canada Post?
In October and November, in response to the rotating strikes by members of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW), Canada Post continually updated the public about the impact of the strikes on the service. They suspended delivery time guarantees, announced that there were 500 tractor trailers full of mail… READ MORE
Remember when ... pot became legal
It has now been two weeks since marijuana became legal in Canada, and it is also about 10 days, for most Canadians, since the novelty will have worn off. The tv cameras are all gone from the new legal dispensaries, as are the line ups, but apparently not the product… READ MORE
The misguided fear surrounding Proportional Representation
A recent opinion piece, titled “What history can teach us about proportional representation,” published on September 9 in The Toronto Star, concludes that Proportional Representation (PR) was to blame for the 15 European democracies that fell into dictatorship in history. The basis of this argument was “governments often lacked effectiveness,… READ MORE
What is this municipal election all about – part 1 (South Frontenac)
I spent the better part of the last week talking to candidates for mayor and council in South Frontenac. The profiles that resulted from those conversations start on page 6 of this edition. I woud first like to thank all of the people I talked to. They were honest and… READ MORE
'Cannabis free' is not a viable option for townships
The Ontario government has given a bit more time for the incoming municipal councils to think about whether they will permit cannabis retailers to set up shop within their jurisdiction. At first, they were faced with a decision in December, at their first or second meeting, but that has been… READ MORE
Tay Valley debacle colours election
Disagreements and personality conflicts among members of municipal councils tend to remain in the background, coming out more often through innuendo and off the cuff remarks, delivered under people’s breaths or away from public view at all. The same is true for disagreements or personality conflicts between members of municipal… READ MORE
Is Sydenham on the wane as the centre of the South Frontenac universe?
There was a 100% increase in the number of stoplights in Frontenac County when the new light was switched on at Road 38 and the Wilton Road in Harrowsmith a couple of weeks ago. Both of the stoplights are located in South Frontenac. There is one on Perth Road in… READ MORE
The Limestone School Board trustee election just got a lot more interesting
(The following has been edited since being published in the print version of the Frontenac News on September 13, to include statements from PaulaMurray, the chair of the Board of Trustess with the Limestone Board) Eleven candidates for Limestone School Board Trustee, including one in South Frontenac, have signed on… READ MORE
One frivolous concern about the Ford government, and a more ominous one.
The last time beer cost a dollar in Ontario, the price of beer was higher than it is today. Doug Ford’s “buck-a-beer” promise from the election campaign last spring had nothing to do with the beer market, fairness, or anything like that, but it had everything to do with promoting… READ MORE
There will be another Option for Brian, if he wants one
Brian Lipsin is surprised by the outpouring of community support after his record store was flooded last Saturday, ruining much of his stock of records, cd’s, tapes and posters. No one else is. Lipsin, who lives on a farm property near Harrowsmith, has been Brian of Brian’s Record Option to… READ MORE
Programming, the rural challenge and the Basic Income Guarantee
I’m a programmer. I love the challenge, and I especially love how a few lines of code can save hours of monotonous labour. So much human potential is wasted carrying out mind-numbing tasks, and it’s my hope that one day technology will free us up to focus on the things… READ MORE
Gone Fishin’?
Not if you are up at White Lake, just north of 7! On the south shore of this unique body of water sits the White Lake Fish Culture Station. Central Frontenac is fortunate to be home to one of only nine such facilities operated by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources… READ MORE
