Out of the weeds, into the future

For the last several weeks I have been trying to figure out how to come at this.

Still not certain, because I want to be optimistic, but I am not seeing any signs of consistent direction from Grimsby council as yet.

Like in 2018, there was a lot of hope with this group. No community in Ontario needs to turn a page more than this bunch. With a world of potential in front of them, they are continuing to be distracted by a lengthy series of shiny objects and missing opportunities to move the municipality forward.

Garden party

David and Kathy Wooton have an amazing property on Sann Road in Beamsville, so much so, the Lambeth Garden Club packed up and made a day of touring it. The Wootons hosted the club and gave them a tour of the grounds this summer.

Age-friendly meeting guide nice tool

A nifty age-friendly meeting and event guide was rolled out by Town of Lincoln earlier this month.

The 24-page guide includes tips for planning meetings and events which take into account those with varying needs of mobility and strength, for example, when planning a meeting or event.

What venue to use, parking, acoustics, time of the event, avoiding hidden costs, transportation/shuttles and more are all in the information mix. Anyone booking an event at a Town facility or obtaining a special event permit will get a copy of the guide, but it is also available at Town Hall, libraries, Lincoln’s museum in Jordan, and through the BIA and Chamber of Commerce, as well as other spots. M.W.

There have been some really silly things, but nothing worth expending ink over. Generally, they have gotten in the weeds on subjects to the point where the heart or theme of initial detail seems to drift off into space.

Good intentions are rampant, though, and that is the reason for the lengthy amount of rope this council has been afforded. No, there has not been a whole lot of coverage on this group of late mainly because wheels are just spinning. Blink and we’ll be a year into this term, so the ship needs to be righted and sails at full mast.

Look at last week’s meeting, for example.

An update on Niagara’s transit initiative was presented. I thought Nick local municipal budgets.

Council also received a Notice of Motion recently which would allow members of council who are not on a particular sub-committee to sit in on closed sessions of that committee.

DiFlavio made the best point in follow up questions when he noted there was very little in terms of Grimsby oriented detail in the presentation. Any taxpayer should be concerned about cost, by far as #1, and ridership. How much bang are we getting for our buck.

I get the presenter will make the same comments at every council in the region, but each council would and should want information directly related to their tax base. That simply was not there. That should have been pressed.

But much of the comment ended up surrounding accessibility of the service. Sure, that’s important, but should not be #1 on the hit list with a brand new operation in category which is notorious for costs becoming out of control quickly. Cost, cost, cost is something every elected official in the region needs to watch like a hawk with transit or that cost centre will quickly consume large chunks of

Uhhh, that is what you call Committee of The Whole. If Grimsby council wanted all councillors to sit in on every sub-committee, why bother reverting back to the sub-committee format?

Before you even get into the situations where quorums of council could be formed in these situations, the bigger picture and moving the Town forward needs to be at the forefront.

Sub-committees allow for more debate and access for residents, while not holding up an entire council meeting as was repeatedly happening in COTW. Council members need to trust fellow members and lay members to digest all that detail and present educated motions of support or denial on topics discussed.

The system worked in Grimsby forever. Let it happen.

There was a series of other minor things but, as noted, I remain optimistic, maybe foolishly. All they need to do is get out of the weeds, step back, and come at things with wider vision. If they don’t, it will be a waste of another four years.

Dear Editor, For the 10 plus years, since relocating to this “region”, I have truly enjoyed reading all editorials and comments in the “Newsnow publication”.

All of your journalists (including yourself), have assisted me on the ongoing occurrences around this region and some delightful reading.

Congratulations, I know that your journey has been extremely difficult - dealing with numerous changes and takeovers.

You have done a great job and I am sure, like all of your dedicated readers, we all appreciate you continuing your quest to continue this outstanding commitment.

Your last editorial, “No Christmas cards from DSBN”, really opened my eyes on how a single person (Mat Miller, WNSS principal) can “influence” public opinion.

In addition, treating “concerned” tax payers (as mentioned) with no respect when

DSBN choice another brick in the wall: writer

Dear Editor, Two things should surprise nobody, Mr. Editor.

One, District School Board of Niagara took an off-base, heavy handed approach in sulking because legitimate information was made public - which is of genuine public concern - when (West Niagara Secondary School principal) Mat Miller chose not to provide you with grad photos for the kids this year.

Two, that you came through for the public in providing the information we need to know about - in this case at the expense of a great memory for the grads, unfortunately.

When DSBN said they were closing South Lincoln, we bit the bullet. When we found out from you they blew $20 million to clean up soil at the new site, we said “whatever”.

When will someone’s head roll for this mismanagement?

Angela Kikkert Smithville

the lady was just trying to source answers from him is totally rude.

What goes around, Mike, will always come around.

Please, continue to be the “voice” for this area. I am proud of you and your commitment.

David Budzinsky Vineland