Open house seeks views on parks plan
Municipality wants your input on recreation master plan
Trent Hills is holding an open house on Thursday to gather opinions as part of its development of a 20-year parks and recreation master plan.
The meeting will be held from 5:30 p.m. till 7:30 p.m. at the Sunny Life Recreation & Wellness Centre. As I wrote earlier this month, the town did an online survey to gather your views and this in person meeting is part of that process.
The survey, which had 22 questions, asked what indoor and outdoor services and sites you and your family use and what additions you would like to see in the future. The survey is now closed.
In March council approved at $130,000 contract with a consulting firm to develop the master plan, which will replace one done in 2003. You can read more about the process here.
An overdue update from me
Well, where did the last year go? I was thinking recently that I should give you an update on how this news process is going from my perspective, especially since many new subscribers have joined in the past several months.
So, I looked back and realized that the last update I did was in June 2024, after my first six months at this venture. You can read that story for more explanation about how I jumped into this hobby/business/community service.
In early June a year ago, the newsletter had 300 subscribers, including 75 paying, and I had written 75 stories. Well, it’s been a year of expansion. This newsletter now has 772 subscribers, including 153 paying.
In total, I have written 246 stories. As always, you can read those stories anytime for free at TrentHillsNews.com.
After 18 months on the job, I have a clearer focus on what stories I can and should pursue and what not to do. My main focus is reporting on what Trent Hills council is doing and especially where the money is going. I’ve started doing a few more stories on Northumberland county because it often has projects that have a direct impact on our community, and/or our tax bills.
I’ve also written several stories about the hospital, old and new, because it is such a major factor in our lives and such a major employer.
When I’m considering whether to write a story one of the questions I have in mind is whether I can do something that readers can’t find on Facebook. That’s why I don’t do too many items about upcoming events or fundraisers. Most groups do a good job of getting that news out on social media.
I have a dislike/hate relationship with Facebook, largely because I don’t like the owners and senior managers and I know some of the bad things it has done around the world. You may have noticed that I don’t post links on the site. That’s largely because Facebook has blocked all Canadian news from the site due to an ongoing disagreement with the federal government. Occasionally, someone will post a link to one of my stories and it will slip through and get shared, but usually they are blocked.
One area that I don’t cover is crime. I don’t have any particular expertise in that area and I know it is a lot of work to do it properly. The police put out news releases that provide bits of information, but they usually raise more questions than they answer.
As well, the position that I have always had is that if you report on someone being charged with a crime and they are named you need to follow the case to its end. That is a lot of work in the current system where cases are heard in Cobourg and they are often adjourned, or delayed, or suddenly settled without a court hearing. So, it is simpler and better to just avoid the whole area.
My plan at this point is to carry on covering local municipal news through the 2026 election and re-evaluate at that point. I know that the novelty of reading 400-page council agendas will wear off at some point.
The challenge here and in thousands of smaller communities across North America is that journalists can’t make enough to live on writing local news since ads have largely disappeared and many people don’t want to pay for news.
I have not stumbled across any way around that problem so far.
Clarity about mobility scooters
I wrote last week about my confusion over the laws applicable to mobility scooters since riders seemed to be making individual decisions about where to go.
As I learned, the rules are relatively simple: Mobility scooters should follow the same rules as pedestrians. Roll on the sidewalk, or if there isn’t one go on the left of the road facing traffic. E-scooters are banned from sidewalks and roads. Low-speed vehicles can only be used in municipalities that have joined a provincial pilot program and passed bylaws to permit them.
But in the comments on Facebook -- I knew I shouldn’t have looked -- a few people seemed to think I was opposed to scooters in general.
In fact, it was the opposite. I think they are a great development for people with mobility issues; my concern was the safety of the users. Any interaction with the SUVs and pickups on our streets will not go well for scooters and their riders. I hope I offered a bit of clarity. I certainly think there should be an education and training program for users.
You can read all Trent Hills News stories anytime on the website.
Thank you for your service, Art. You accurately identified the problem of getting local news and an insight into the important work of our Council. I would respectfully suggest that more readers should financially support your efforts.
Keep up the good work. Dean
Thank You Art Chamberlain for your service to Trent Hills. I am happy to support you for your efforts and encourage other readers to do the same. Every little bit helps. Many of my own subscribers have made their way to my Substack through your newsletter, so thank you for that as well.