Tag: renfrew-ontario

THE RENFREW TAX MAN COMETH. AND HE COMETH WITH A VENGEANCE

In an earlier opinion piece, I threw out the notion that in Ontario, municipalities are not allowed to run operational deficits.

They’re not.  It’s as simple as that.  I didn’t make it up, agree or disagree, I just stated that fact as it currently stands.  Check out the Municipal Act 2001 if you wish.

It’s something that is obviously concerning if you live in Renfrew, pay property tax in Renfrew, and follow Renfrew news — such as it may be, and it ain’t much, unless you enjoy dollops of self-serving platitudes and accept them as “news” — so I can certainly see and understand some degree of anxiousness around someone coming along and telling you that the corporation that you fund — the municipality — isn’t allowed to carry a deficit term over term.  Because you know that, if deficits aren’t allowed, that shortfall will have to be made up somewhere.  And that you, as the primary source of income for that municipality, may — will — be called upon to make up a big chunk of that shortfall.  In other words, through no fault of your own, you’ll be required to pony up to make right the egregious mistakes or lack of rigour that has led to that deficit situation in the first place.

And by deficit, let me be clear.  We’re not talking about slipping into maroon territory here, where you you slide gently from black ink to red ink on the balance sheet.  We’re talking full-on red, dark red, the ugliest colour of ink possible when we’re talking about money, especially if it’s your money. 

Continue reading “THE RENFREW TAX MAN COMETH. AND HE COMETH WITH A VENGEANCE” →

WHEN THE DOGS AND PONIES ARE RUNNING THE SHOW

The circus comes to town every couple of weeks when Town Council has its regularly scheduled dog-and-pony-show exercise that passes itself off as municipal democracy in action.  And despite everyone performing their roles, with varying degrees of success, the production is made up seemingly of a council rubber-stamping whatever the administrative side of things wants it to rubber stamp.  Mind you, a couple of councillors will periodically raise objections to this, but will often get out-voted if they raise their concerns to the level of making a motion

That’s because here in Renfrew, we have what looks to be a chimera of democracy in play.  

Elected councillors are flummoxed by redundant and poorly organized agenda briefing documents, almost always numbering over a hundred pages, two-hundred pages, and often more.  This is how administration does it, firing smoke grenades to obfuscate things enough that councillors routinely pass what’s put in front of them because, as some have said, they trust the department heads to manage their departments with effectiveness and due diligence.

Sort of like the last council did.  

Continue reading “WHEN THE DOGS AND PONIES ARE RUNNING THE SHOW” →

PLACING BETS ON TOWN COUNCIL

I’m not a betting man.  If I was I’d be a poor betting man.

I know betting’s all the rage now, especially with how easy it is, using your phone and, hell, even being able to place in-game bets.  Even Wayne Gretzky is all over it, a guy who is right up there with Tim Hortons and their Roll-Up-The-Rim contest in terms of Canadian identity and popularity.

Money lines, point spreads, over-under, parlay bets, teasers and props, middle, future, and live bets, there’s no shortage of ways to get fabulously rich, or if you’re me, fabulously poor.

Luckily for me, I don’t have the kind of money to engage in this activity.  Losing a single $5 bet would have me in apocalyptic circumstances, so I stay away.  I don’t even buy Lotto 649 anymore because I feel it’s too risky.

That said, I know others absolutely love the action, and are willing to place money on the most trivial of things, mostly in the world of sports.  But sports betting has it’s drawbacks, especially if players, coaches, officials, etc go to the dark side to influence how a game goes, or how much court-time a player gets, or ice-time, or at-bats, or carries, etc.  

Continue reading “PLACING BETS ON TOWN COUNCIL” →

NEW DEVELOPMENT PLANNED FOR RENFREW EAST

I remember when I was a kid how I’d spend time with pencil and paper and sketch out my development plans for our family home and property should we ever strike it rich by finding oil in the backyard.  I guess it was all part and parcel of being an introvert, and therefore a loner.  And I guess it passed the time on those summer holidays of my youth.

So when Eric Withers, Renfrew’s Director of Development and Environment/Town Planner/Deputy-CAO — a truly acronym defying title — opens his microphone to reveal planning progress involving development of town lands, my interest in a town council meeting literally sky-rockets.  It’s worth the price of the ticket right there.  If they let you in.

Director Withers shared with council plans for the development of an area of town referred to as Renfrew East, a quadrilateral parcel of lands bordered by O’Brien Road to the northwest, Gillan Road to the southwest, the town boundary to the southeast, and Highway 17 to the northeast. So, basically, from a person-on-the-street perspective, go to the Walmart/No Frills corridor along O’Brien Road, and sort of look the other way, across the street, at the lands on the other side.  Or maybe even better, take a walk down the Algonquin Trail, which runs right through the centre of the proposed development.  These two descriptions are not completely adequate or accurate, but it’s enough to give one a general idea.

Continue reading “NEW DEVELOPMENT PLANNED FOR RENFREW EAST” →

TRANSPARENCY AND STANDARDS: WHO MAKES THE CALL?

At first, I thought it was just me.

I had encountered something that was increasingly frustrating about attempting to get some simple questions answered from anyone associated with Renfrew’s municipal government.  Frustrating, and almost conspiratorial, although that word might be a bit of an over-reach, since my little local conspiracy doesn’t involve pizza shops, the deep state, or the World Economic Forum.  Nevertheless, when you reach out to both political and administrative types within the organization, and you are universally ignored, then it does lend itself to the notion that there is some form of organized obstruction at play.  I’ve now backed off that initial suspicion, mostly because I’ve seen all the actors in action, and now believe that any organized effort in that, or seemingly any other direction, would be simply beyond their scope of capabilities.

When I went over the materials for last Tuesday’s council meeting, I happened upon an item listed under correspondence.  That item featured an email chain of back-and-forth between a local citizen and senior administrative staff.  And it was a carbon copy, albeit featuring different issues, of what I had just witnessed for myself when I had made my own enquiries.  Even the staff responses to the citizen were virtually identical, with a boilerplate response modified to fit the circumstances of the issue and the person requesting the information.

In a small way, I felt better, knowing that it wasn’t personal.   Bad guys would say that in the movies before killing a guy, that it wasn’t personal, it was just business, which to me always seemed like it would be pretty personal for the guy about to get two behind the ear.  Like small comfort there.  As in  hearing that, the guy’s gonna say “Oh, okay.  Completely understand.  What a relief.  Carry on.”

Still, when you are comprehensively ignored, knowing you’re not the only one brings no significant measure of comfort.

Continue reading “TRANSPARENCY AND STANDARDS: WHO MAKES THE CALL?” →

A-REEVE-ADERCI: ELIMINATION OF REEVE POSITION AND IMPACT ON LOCAL GOVERNANCE

Sometimes you have to do the little jobs right in order to get the big jobs.  And then sometimes you don’t.

Peter Emon is off and running as a candidate for the chair of Warden of Renfrew County, a chair he’s sat in several times now, a chair where the memory foam makes it virtually impossible for anyone else to sit there comfortably.

He does this while his chair on Renfrew town council sits idle and vacant, where periodically the roller function is engaged when the cleaners pass through the chamber on their regular rounds.

Normally, I guess I’d feel proud that one of our own — well, tenuously anyway — gets selected to occupy the top spot on the top-tier of local government, that being Renfrew County Council. Never mind the fact that he’s been warden several times over the years, originally as a mayor from Greater Madawaska and now as the reeve of Renfrew.

And there’s the thing right there, that reeve of Renfrew thing.

Continue reading “A-REEVE-ADERCI: ELIMINATION OF REEVE POSITION AND IMPACT ON LOCAL GOVERNANCE” →

RENFREW TOWN COUNCIL MEETING: SCOUTING REPORT

I said it before and I’ll say it again.

Attending a local council meeting can be a marathon of eye-glazing procedural this-and-that, and it can be a real challenge to whatever you drink for coffee, as no level of caffeine can fully protect you from the head-nodding minutiae these affairs can showcase. That said, there is absolutely no substitute for attending in person.

And then being present with your attention.

Continue reading “RENFREW TOWN COUNCIL MEETING: SCOUTING REPORT” →

PRIDE IN APPEARANCE TAKING HOLD IN DOWNTOWN RENFREW

Not that long ago, the downtown strip along Raglan Street in Renfrew was as bleak as perhaps bleak could get.

Multiple storefronts not just empty, but abandoned for all intents and purposes. Broken glass and boarded-up windows was a key take-away for anyone travelling along the Highway 60-Highway 132 corridor, not a very compelling place for anyone to stop and venture a stroll along the main drag.

I’m happy to say that, at least to me, there is more than enough evidence that the people occupying space downtown are taking it a lot more seriously than perhaps they once did. And by that I mean absentee building owners. To be absolutely clear, there have always been businesses along Raglan that have put their best foot forward to the public. It’s just that now they’re being joined by an assortment of others, owners, tenants, or both.

Continue reading “PRIDE IN APPEARANCE TAKING HOLD IN DOWNTOWN RENFREW” →

“IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT IT COSTS, IT’S GOTTA BE DONE.”

“It doesn’t matter what it costs, it’s gotta be done.”  

I have to circle back to a comment made by Renfrew councillor Andrew Dick in the most recent council meeting of October 22, 2024.  It concerned the lighting available at Renfrew’s Ma-Te-Way ballfields.

The councillor was reflecting a certain frustration with the lighting situation at Ma-Te-Way, particularly in the face of a Parks and Recreation report that indicated that all underground electrical infrastructure outside at Ma-Te-Way was in a condition of complete failure and degradation.  So much so that contractors have advised that the lights dependant upon the proper functioning of that infrastructure not be turned on until the failed aspects of it be replaced.

Council voted to proceed with an engineering study by engineering consultants JP2G that would culminate in recommendations as to how to proceed.  The only problem with that, and of particular concern to Councillor Dick, was the fact that the engineering review wouldn’t be completed until well after the 2025 baseball season had concluded.  In other words, no lights in 2025.

Continue reading ““IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT IT COSTS, IT’S GOTTA BE DONE.”” →

NEW COUNCIL FINDS SPOILED SANDWICH IN THE FRIDGE

It’s late October, 2022.

It’s the morning after an election win for five candidates who have successfully been selected as councillors for the Town of Renfrew.  Four of them are new to this, Councillors Dick, Cybulski, Legris, and McDonald.  The fifth, Councillor McWhirter, has served on council in the past, but this morning I’m describing here must still feel pretty good for him too.

There’s nothing quite as exhilarating as standing for office, or any other election-based position, and coming out the other end of it on top.  There’s a bit of a high attached to it.  And excitement.  Perhaps even a little bit of anxiety now that you’ve gone and put your name out there, and then won.  You’re happy, people are happy for you, your family is super happy, and proud on top of that.  It’s a cool experience.

Continue reading “NEW COUNCIL FINDS SPOILED SANDWICH IN THE FRIDGE” →

Blog at WordPress.com.

Up ↑