Thumbs up or thumbs down?
Time to vote for your least-worst political option in a lacklustre campaign
As we experience the first real winter we’ve had in years, we’re also having an election that no one but Doug Ford wanted and that most people don’t seem to care about since they’re focused on snow removal or heading somewhere warm that isn’t Florida.
It’s almost as though holding an election in Ontario in the winter is not such a great idea. Maybe that’s why the legislature passed a law setting the next election for June 4, 2026. But laws are made to be avoided, apparently.
I don’t blame Ford for arranging an early vote. That’s the way politics is played and it’s pretty clear the move is going to pay off for him with another majority government.
Polls show the Liberals are gaining some ground in Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area, but the only real question is the size of the PC majority.
I just wish that Ford and his local representative David Piccini would be honest and admit they wanted an election because they thought they would win big. It had nothing to do with Trump or any of the other spurious reasons they have suggested.
I much prefer truth over BS, even if it’s a truth that I don’t like.
So, like it or not, want it or not, election day will arrive on Thursday and I’m betting many of you readers will trudge over the snow banks to cast your ballots.
If you’d like to know more about the local candidates before you vote, I’d suggest checking out the recent postings on the Consider This podcast website. Robert Washburn interviewed each of the local candidates and asked them about themselves and their party’s platform.
If you are looking for more information about where to vote and when, check out this Elections Ontario site.
Soon is a relative term
I wrote about the county’s broadband expansion plan on January 14 and said details were coming soon. Well, that depends on how you define soon.
It seems, according to a report to Northumberland County council last week, that negotiations are still under way with the company that will actually provide internet service to residents through the fibre optic lines that will be installed in the county.
Those negotiations have been going on for months and months, but still aren’t complete.
“Efforts are now underway to finalize contracts with private sector partners, refine a construction schedule, and prepare for the official launch of public communications about this project,” says a county news release. “Once approvals are in place — following the provincial election period — a comprehensive outreach campaign will ensure residents are informed about how to connect to this network.”
Part of the problem causing delays has been the difference in goals between the county and the company. The county is focused on providing broadband service while the company has been focused on the profit to be made.
At its meeting on Jan. 28, Trent Hills council approved a bylaw granting Northumberland Networks LLP, the company “that wishes to construct and operate a broadband network” in Trent Hills, permission to use municipal rights of way to bury its lines.
Northumberland Networks is affiliated with the Genpaac Group, Bruce Telecom, and Windsor Private Capital, which purchased Bruce Telecom in 2014.
County focuses on Cobourg shelter
The hot topic of discussion, once again, at county council’s meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 20, was the status of 310 Division St. in Cobourg, the new shelter for the homeless.
Council was reviewing a three-month update on the new facility that showed: “As of the end of January, over 160 unique clients had accessed these services, with approximately 25% identifying that they were previously living rough. Over 456 meals were served during this period. And, collaborative efforts enabled 7 individuals to transition from homelessness to permanent housing, marking substantial progress toward stability.”
But Cobourg Mayor Lucas Cleveland kept pushing for more details on exactly what services were being provided and to whom. Cleveland was clearly frustrated that county staff insisted privacy laws prevented them from providing the information he was seeking.
In the end, council passed a motion moved by Cleveland that instructs staff to seek outside legal advice to review and confirm what information can be shared. He’s hoping the independent lawyers will recommend greater transparency.
As a reporter I’ve often felt that all levels of government hide behind conservative, cautious legal advice as a way to keep information private that should be public. I’ll be watching to see what these lawyers suggest. However, I do understand the sensitive nature of information about people with addiction issues so in this case my instinct is actually to support privacy over public information.
You can read all Trent Hills News stories on the website here.
I don't understand why Doug Ford thinks he should be playing the role of Captain Canada when he was elected to be Captain Ontario. Ford needs to focus on the major provincial issues of healthcare and education. Those who vote for Piccini are voting for Ford to continue ignoring us. Please do not vote the same as you always have if you know in your heart that doing so is not in your own self interest.
Full disclosure; I'm a life long Conservative and have never voted for another party.
But I won't be voting in this week's election, or I'll vote for the Blue Party Candidate.
While I share the view, that this is a needless waste of my time and our tax money I think there's another reason at play, rather than Ford simply wanting a larger majority. My guess would be he and his party are worried that, over the course of the next year, the leadership in the U.S. will cause Ontario undue pain and hardship. If Ford goes to voters now he gets to play his "Captain Canada Card." If he was to wait and Ontario was to lose jobs and opportunities, he would find himself in a defensive, somewhat embarrassed, position.