Tag: renfrew-town-council

RENFREW’S MASTER TRANSPORTATION PLAN: PATHWAYS TO THE FUTURE

One agenda item for Tuesday evening’s Renfrew Town Council Meeting is the formal introduction of the town’s Master Transportation Plan, a roadmap into the future development of Renfrew’s transportation network as the town grows over the next twenty to thirty years.

Organized around short, medium, and long-term time frames, the plan includes a series of maps/diagrams that display some of the transportation options being looked at. Those maps and diagrams are provided below in the gallery, while the presentation documents are located in full at the bottom of the page.

It’s not my intention here to re-write an already well-written document. BT Engineering, the engineering consultancy group preparing the document, has done a really good job of explaining the underpinning rationale behind their ideas, their scientific methodology, and taking into account the wide array of factors that need to be considered before moving forward with projects that are inextricably linked, as the short term transitions to the medium term, then the medium to the long.

Continue reading “RENFREW’S MASTER TRANSPORTATION PLAN: PATHWAYS TO THE FUTURE” →

COUNCIL BRAKE-CHECKS STAFF INFO-TECH RECOMMENDATION

In a way, it seemed that Wednesday morning’s Town Council meeting, at least the open part of it, was the relative political equivalent of a McDonald’s drive-thru window, in that you got what you were looking for much quicker than had you gone for the regular in-store experience.  At least for me, anyways, since Council then went into closed session, please don’t get me started.

But in that brief period of sunshine, important work was done, and that’s not being sarcastic.

Continue reading “COUNCIL BRAKE-CHECKS STAFF INFO-TECH RECOMMENDATION” →

TOWN COUNCIL AND CLOSED SESSIONS. THE RULE RATHER THAN THE EXCEPTION.

I don’t think I’ve seen Renfrew Town Council at its best.  I don’t know if it has one.

So far as I’ve been able to determine from a first-hand point of view, there is no best to be had, unless they really crank it up behind closed doors, where they kick everyone out of the room so that they can talk about the real stuff, the stuff that people want answers to.  I can only assume they’re talking about important things in there, but how would I know?  As I said, I, and anyone else present, have been shown the door.  Only the so-called primary actors remain, the inner circle, the sanctum, the privileged few.  The ones who matter.

The foxes slamming the door of the henhouse once inside.

After close to three hours of the eyeball-bleeding, public-facing facade of “openness and transparency,” this council will often go into closed session.  Top secret, hush-hush and all that.

Continue reading “TOWN COUNCIL AND CLOSED SESSIONS. THE RULE RATHER THAN THE EXCEPTION.” →

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” →

Blog at WordPress.com.

Up ↑