At their November 21st meeting, Council agreed to investigate the option of using ranked ballots in the selection of municipal candidates in 2018. Recent changes to the Municipal Elections Act introduced this option for the selection of municipal candidates but not for School Board Trustees. Ranked ballots allow a voter to… Continue reading
At the halfway point in the municipal term, Mayor McFadden felt it was time for another check in with township residents to hear their concerns and receive feedback on current issues on the minds of ratepayers. McFadden collected topics from the 25 residents who joined him at Galerie Q on… Continue reading
I had the unique opportunity to attend the conference, “Energy Now and into the Future”, held by the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO). With the turn of colder weather comes higher heating bills and energy prices are on many of our minds. With little comfort, energy prices will continue… Continue reading
The final day of October brings with it Halloween, as well as the final property tax installment for the 2016 year. This year marks the end of the last Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) assessment cycle, which used a valuation date of January 1, 2012 for your property, and formed… Continue reading
The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) issued a second-quarter (July to September, 2016) non-tax gaming revenue payment of $884,109 to Cavan Monaghan on October 21st for hosting Shorelines Slots at Kawartha Downs. Since November 1999, Cavan Monaghan has received more than $53.8 million in non-tax gaming revenue. These payments… Continue reading
During a series of meetings with Provincial Cabinet ministers as part of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) annual conference held last week in Windsor, Ontario, members of the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus (EOWC) raised a number of significant issues facing the region, including: Extending natural gas into… Continue reading
Local MP Jamie Schmale is seeking input and feedback from all constituents on Electoral Reform. “In 2015, the liberal government declared its intention to ensure that, ‘2015 will be the last election under first past the post’ (ie. the present electoral system). However, the government has not stated what… Continue reading
Interacting with animals is known to provide therapeutic results, but most animal therapy involves dogs. At Horses Help Canada, founder Jane Saundercook has designed programs to help youth deal with social and emotional difficulties through direct interaction with horses. She notes that horses also provide unconditional love and have a… Continue reading
Karen Graham Voters in our riding of Haliburton Kawartha Lakes Brock turned out in droves to cast their votes, following the national trend of high voter turnout with almost 68% of registered voters showing up at the polls, slightly higher than the national average. Unlike the majority of Canadians, however,… Continue reading
