Consider This Northumberland

In the main hall in the Cobourg Best Western, Mike and Ingrid Aird are sitting at a table, taking notes. They listen intently to an expert panel talk about protecting farmland in Northumberland County. They care deeply. The future of agriculture is vital to the family’s farm located on Community Centre Road just east of Baltimore. They own what is called a farm-to-table operation. That means they...

A group of community leaders gathered one Saturday morning in Cobourg to hear a speaker from Ireland talk about creating a sustainable community. Cormac Russell is a highly regarded expert in helping organizations and citizens build stronger communities. Russell has given multiple TED Talks and is recognized worldwide within the ranks of bureaucracies, politics, and citizen groups. Representatives...

County council accepted a report telling them local taxpayers are contributing up to 75 percent of the costs associated with housing programs. Ontario is the only province that has downloaded those costs. Some of the numbers are alarming. Rebecca Carman, housing services manager for Northumberland County, will explain what is going on and why. She will also outline the steps she and her fellow man...

While affordable housing remains a priority for all levels of government, recently, two important steps were taken locally. County council is creating a municipal body to build workforce housing.  In this interview, you will hear the details explaining plans to build workforce housing and why affordable housing efforts are not cutting it.

Cobourg Mayor Lucas Cleveland and CAO Tracy Vaughan recently returned from a trip to India. The mayor participated in a panel at the U20 conference. It is a gathering of mayors from around the world. They set priorities about issues at the municipal level and pass them on to the G20 global leaders for action. It is pretty prestigious since only three mayors are chosen from across Canada. For some,...

The Ontario Chamber of Commerce recently released a report calling on all three levels of government to tackle the Affordable Housing Crisis. Some people might wonder why a business organization is producing housing reports. Port Hope Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive Officer Brenda Whitehead will dive into that mystery in this interview. It has a lot to do with workers being unable to live in t...

For those who may be triggered, the following interview talks about suicide and sexual abuse. Please be aware. Sue Glover lost her son, David, to suicide. Theresa Rickerby lost a nephew. Out of the deep, heartfelt pain, the two joined together to create Tattos4Trauma. It was a way to honour him. And it was a way to help others. In this interview, you will hear the tragic story of loss transforming...

It has been a while since I’ve spoken to Northumberland Peterborough South MPP David Piccini. It was last year after his re-election. With all his responsibilities as Minister of Environment, Conservation, and Parks, plus his local work, he is hard to pin down. But finally, we got a chance to chat. A lot has gone on. There is the opening of new parks and the release of 7,400 acres of Greenbelt for...

The health unit says there were between one and four deaths in May. There were also close to 30 emergency room visits where a drug overdose was suspected. None of this counts for the police and ambulance calls. Those are some of the highest numbers we have seen since a year ago. As you will hear in this interview, Dane Record, the executive director of the Peterborough AIDs Resource Network, will...

Northumberland County and the Canadian Mental Health Association announced a ground-breaking partnership to provide supportive housing in Campbellford. This is a huge step forward in helping people facing mental health and addiction challenges. These are people who often find themselves on the street and homeless. As you will learn in this interview, supportive housing provides an environment that...

A proposed long-term care facility in Port Hope is a complex situation. It is tangled up in myriad issues, from the desperate need for beds for the elderly to preserving heritage buildings. Mixed within this is the need to follow sound planning principles and the varying voices of the public on all sides. If that is not enough, the Ontario government issued a Minister’s Zoning Order or MZO. This w...

If you ate today, Megan Botha says you need to thank a farmer. And, she says, you should also thank a migrant worker, as well. She is the new migrant worker outreach coordinator at Horizons of Friendship. About 20,000 temporary migrant workers will come to Ontario this growing season. There are somewhere between 125 and 150 migrant workers in Northumberland this year. These people do the back-brea...

It is a well-known statistic. Ontario is losing more than 300 acres of farmland every day. It is stunning when you realize we are talking about our food source. What you don’t hear as often is how this affects Northumberland County. But there is a group trying to change that. The Northumberland Rural Coalition is hosting a panel discussion about protecting farmland in this region. Local MPP David...

People you would never expect are turning to the food bank. That is according to Helen Donovan, chair of the board for Northumberland Fare Share. Since January, 250 new families started using its services. That is nearly five times more than the same period last year. Inflation is crippling. Gas prices, housing costs, and living expenses are through the roof. For some, there is little money left t...

The celebrations associated with Pride Month are as diverse as the residents themselves. In this interview, the focus turns to two areas that may not be as high profile as others regarding Pride but are equally significant. The first interview is with two representatives from Northumberland Hills Hospital. It is flying a Pride flag and creating a rainbow crosswalk at its main entrance. You will fi...

In the past few years, Brighton has joined many municipalities in celebrating Pride Month. It raises a Pride Flag like the others. It has created a Rainbow crosswalk like many others. There is even a Pride Walk put on by a local church. But this is the first year time it has organized a Pride Day event. Several residents have joined with the Peterborough AIDS Resource Network or PARN to put on thi...

The number of complex issues facing Northumberland County staff and politicians is enormous. Affordable housing, a viable workforce, economic support for businesses, tourism, agriculture, homelessness, Internet connectivity, and so on. In this interview, you will hear from Dan Borowec, director of Economic Development, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives, and Kate Campbell, director of Communicati...

A fire was called in on May 24, just before 5 a.m. The Foodland in Colborne was burning down. It would be devastating to the community as it was the only grocery store. Within no time, the residents responded. Offers for rides or to pick up groceries filled social media. Municipal staff jumped in to provide coordination. The reaction was immediate and heartfelt. Calls went back and forth between N...

Earlier this week, the report from the ad hoc committee on short-term rentals in Alnwick-Haldimand Township was officially brought before the planning committee of council. Many delegates and council members spoke about the divisive nature of the issue and the need to get it right. Councillors deferred any action to give politicians and the public a chance to provide more input and consider the nu...

The Durham District School Board banned spectators from its next two meetings due to safety concerns earlier this week. Members of the audience were ejected after making homophobic, transphobic, and hateful comments, according to trustees. It is one of several examples of anti-gay and anti-trans demonstrations across Ontario. Norwich Township and the city of Windsor were also in the news this past...

Municipalities across Northumberland County struggle to deal with short-term rentals. Those are the rental properties often associated with AirBnB or Verbo online platforms. For some, renting a space, either a room or a house, is an excellent source of income. It can be a stimulant for the local economy. Others see it as a significant boost for tourism. Then, there are others who see it differentl...

When it comes to mental health services in Northumberland, there are several options. These can range from private psychologists and psychiatrists to walk-in clinics and helplines. More than a year ago, Northumberland Community Counselling Centre shut its doors. It offered programs that served nearly 1,000 people annually; many were free or at a low cost. Some of those services were transferred to...

In 2012, Port Hope town council adopted a cultural plan with five strategic goals. The municipality would support cultural assets, raise awareness and build on existing assets, strengthen emerging cultural groups, increase cultural participation, and respond to cultural space needs. These lofty objectives have guided the town for the past decade. Now, they are being reviewed by town staff to figur...

For nearly 75 years, the arena in Grafton has served the local hockey community. Once again, its future is uncertain as major repairs are necessary to keep it in service. The five community centres in Alnwick-Haldimand Township are also under review as budget pressures raise questions about their viability. Mayor John Logel says these are only two of the items under consideration when thinking abo...

Brighton is one of the fastest-growing places in Northumberland County. With all the development taking place, town council is continuing to examine how it looks after the health and wellness of residents. As you will hear in this interview, Mayor Brian Ostrander will explain how the town was not creating sufficient green space under the old system. He also knows residents are looking for more rec...