Top

New Cobourg website boasts higher standard of communications and engagement.

By Cecilia Nasmith


In an age where municipal websites may be the single most important tool for citizens to find local information, the Town of Cobourg Comunications Department is pleased to announce the launch of its redesigned and improved www.cobourg.ca.

The revision process included five months of digital market research and review of hundreds of other municipal, tourism and private-sector websites for best practices, the town's press release said, as well as incorporating citizen feedback received through the Annual Corporate Communications Survey in March – 110 responses were received.

“We relied heavily on the outpouring of comments and helpful suggestions from our communications survey,” communications manager Ashley Purdy said.

“So many suggestions were immediately implemented into the new design, and I want to thank everyone who provided input.”

The redesigned site features a clean appearance, ease of navigation, improved content and functionality driven by the needs of the town's citizens.

Mayor John Henderson said the redesigned site sets a new civic standard for digital communications and engagement, and provides a platform on which the town can rapidly innovate towards its digital-strategy goals,

The town's press release highlighted some key improvements.

A new Mayor and Council web page includes contact information for mayor and council members, provides a place to request a proclamation or official greeting from the mayor, offers access to meeting agendas and minutes, sets out the mayor's calendar and gives details on how to request to speak at a council meeting.

The new Trending Services feature identifies trending services, providing direct access to content citizens are looking for. Winter months might feature road-maintenance information, for example, while summer months will bring festival news and postings of beach closures.

A new design layout for the Community News section should ensure pertinent news is not missed.

A new Council News section will offer direct access to the new Mayor and Council web page, to the CivicWeb for agendas, minutes and bylaws, and to the live broadcast of council meetings.

A free Community Events calendar is available for all community groups, clubs and organizations to submit their events free of charge.

A news ticker has been added to announce such current news as road closures and traffic detours.

Soon to come, Purdy said, will be the integration of a new Bids and Tenders platform. She is also looking forward to the integration of Bang The Table, the town's new on-line engagement platform.

The site continues to be responsive and easily readable on any type of device (including smart phones and tablets), As well, it meets provincially mandated accessibility standards, such as a screen reader ad the ability to change font size and contrast.

The town invites everyone to visit the redesigned site to stay up-to-date – and to provide continued feedback by contacting Purdy at communications@cobourg.ca.


14th annual Sandastle Festival returns Aug. 3

By Cecilia Nasmith


Twelve master sculptors from all over North America promise a maximum awe quotient Aug. 3 at Cobourg's Pinnacle Award-winning Sandcastle Festival.

The 14th annual edition is an open celebration with a live DJ on the beach from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., as well as a Kids' Zone and an inflatable Fun Park (admission to this feature is by wristband, available for $5 at the registration tent).

The master sculptors will get to work at 8 a.m. and, at 8:30 p.m., amateur competitors can start registering under the blue tent. Judging will begin at 2:30 p.m., with a 4:30 p.m. awards presentation at the DJ booth.

It's free to view these astonishing works of art all weekend, and visitors are also invited to travel a couple of blocks north of the beach to check out the Downtown Cobourg annual Sidewalk Sale, which offers great deals Aug. 1 to 4. Wristband holders who visit the Sidewalk Sale will get free access to all the inflatables at that event as well.

The waterfront fun stretches into the evening hours, when the 8:30 p.m. Movie In The Park offers the chance to enjoy Ralph Breaks The Internet as a family, followed by fireworks over the harbour at 10:30 p.m. - and both events are free.

Councillor Adam Bureau (Co-ordinator of Arts, Culture and Tourism) said the festival is a huge draw every year.

“We couldn't be more pleased to see the amazing sculptures created from both our experts and registered teams,” Bureau said.

The competition is open to aspiring artists of all skill levels. Each team gets its own flag and 20-ft-square working space, and this year's theme is Why We Love Canada. Registration (which can be done in advance at www.experiencecobourg.ca or in person at the event) is $5 per person, and each team has a chance to win cash prizes within each category (not to mention the coveted event title).

New this year, the town has partnered with Wheelchair Friendly Solutions Inc., who has graciously donated 200 extra feet of beach accessibility mats, providing easier access throughout the festival area for those with strollers, crutches, canes, walkers, wheelchairs and even bare feet. A Mobi-Chair will also be available to provide the best possible water and wheelchair experience, a beach wheelchair with floatable armrests and tires.

The Sandcastle Festival has been recognized many times as one of the province's best-known and most-respected events. It placed among this year's Top 11 Festivals and Events in Ontario, and has also been internationally recognized with the Pinnacle Award from the International Festivals and Events Association.

For ease of access, the town is offering a free shuttle service to the event from 8:30 a.m. To 11 p.m., with pick-up locations at Northumberland Mall, Cobourg Community Centre and Donegan Park. Drop-off locations will include the Cobourg beach-Victoria Park area.

The Sandcastle Festival is organized by the Town of Cobourg and proudly supported by such major sponsors as Cameco, New Amherst Homes and Thomas Pontiac Buick.

Horizons film event supports Guatemala project

By Cecilia Nasmith

Horizons of Friendship announces a July 25 screening of Ixcanul, the first-ever Guatemalan entry for an Academy Award, at The Loft Cinema in Cobourg.

Proceeds will support the Cobourg-based international development agency's Maternal, Newborn and Child Health project in Totonicapan, Guatemala.

The cast of Ixcanul features non-professional Maya actors speaking the Kaqchikel language to tell the story of the hardships and resilience of a young Indigenous woman living in the slopes of an active volcano in the Guatemalan Highlands.

Following the 6:30 p,m. screening, a brief discussion will follow on the recurring issues Indigenous Maya women and girls face in that country, and the work Horizons does to break that cycle – like the Maternal, Newborn and Child Health project.
Now in its fourth year, the $13.2-million project is helping reduce maternal and child deaths in the predominantly Maya K'iche province of Totonicapan – which has one of the highest maternal-mortality rates in Central America.

Funded by the Government of Canada, the initiative has been implemented by Horizons' local partner the Association for Health Promotion, Research and Education in close collaboration with the Totonicapan Health Directorate. It is providing culturally relevant training and equipment to more than 950 traditional Indigenous Maya K'iche midwives, building the skills of hundreds of health workers, stocking dozens of health centres (and the provincial hospital) with life-saving equipment, and implementing a province-wide education campaign.

To date, the Horizons press release stated, more than 170,000 Indigenous Maya women, children and men have directly benefited from this project,

People interested in the Ixcanul screening are asked to pay what they can for admission (with a suggested donation of $20).

The Loft is located upstairs at 201 Division St., directly above Craft Food House – which is offering a special Latin American-themed menu for this occasion at 5 p.m. for $35 per person.

Seating is limited. To secure your spot in advance, call 905-37-5483 ext. 10 or e-mail info@horizons.ca.


Councillors demand combined conferences

By Cecilia Nasmith


Northumberland County council has supported a motion by the Township of Tyendinaga calling for the Rural Ontario Municipal Association and Ontario Good Roads Association to hold one combined annual general meeting – the way it used to be.

The motion of support was made by Port Hope Mayor Bob Sanderson.

This is fairly straightforward, Sanderson said, but what's left unsaid is why the separation occurred.

“Probably for reasons we don't actually know,” Sanderson guessed - “but from a county perspective and municipal-staff perspective, we don't want to send people to two different conferences.”

Newly elected Brighton Mayor Brian Ostrander had recently had the opportunity to attend ROMA without OGRA, and doesn't like the new arrangement.

“I don't know why the divorce happened, but it was a sad divorce,” Ostrander commented,

With one conference at the end of January and the other at the end of February, Warden John Logel said, it is not an efficient use of anyone's time or money.

County supports GIS collaborations

By Cecilia Nasmith


Northumberland County council this week supported a motion that promises to maximize Geographic Information Systems and their application in the efficient delivery of services.

GIS-asset management specialist Cora Bevan delivered her report that described the significant cost pressures both the county and its members municipalities face in this area, not to mention the challenges of expensive licensing costs and limited staff resources and expertise.

Bevan said that Northumberland County and its constituent municipalities have been working collaboratively to identify and implement opportunities for shared services. In fact, in 2008, they formed a co-operative for this purpose,

“We have accomplished a number of projects since then, with municipalities and across the county,” she said.

Issues addressed include outdated data and underutilization of the technology in meeting the demands municipalities face.

Members of the Northumberland GIS co-operative, in recognition of the importance and benefits of the shared-service approach, are now exploring opportunities in terms of data collection and analysis, staff training and asset-management data support.

And the trophy goes to...

By Cecilia Nasmith

Two mayors stepped forward at this week's county council meeting to accept trophies for the Northumberland County 2019 Mayors' Keep The County Clean Challenge,

Warden John Logel accepted the participation trophy on behalf of Alnwick-Haldimand Township. At 7.3% of the population participating, it was followed by Hamilton Township's 6.1% and Cobourg's 4.3%.

From left: Logel, Orr and Ostrander

Brighton Mayor Brian Ostrander accepted the hardest-workers trophy on behalf of his volunteers, who cleaned up an average of 30.5 kg. of waste per volunteer – followed distantly by Port Hope's 13.7 kg. per volunteer and Alnwick-Haldimand's 9.2 kg. per volunteer.

Reporting on this year's challenge, education and communications co-ordinator Dan Orr of Transportation, Waste and Facilities was delighted with the results.

The spring-time clean-up challenge was launched in April 2009, a week-long occasion for volunteers to pick up garbage and waste from ravines, parks and roadsides, with an appreciation barbecue to celebrate their work at Grafton's Material Recovery Facility. There is also a 20-Minute Makeover on the Friday of that week to encourage schools and businesses to take 20 minutes to spruce up the area where they work.

This week's challenge was April 21 to 27, with the 20-Minute Makeover April 26 and the barbecue April 27.

This year's barbecue took place on a cold, chilly day but, nevertheless, drew more than 500 people to share the food, take guided tours of the facility, inspect the Mighty Machines displays, enjoy live music by the Paddling Puppeteers, purchase blue boxes and composters, and win prizes and give-aways.

Orr thanked all the sponsors – Mill Valley Natural Spring Water and Ice for the bottled water, Pitch-In Canada for the garbage bags, Northumberland OPP for the officer and car, the Alnwick-Haldimand Township fire department for the fire fighters and trucks, the county's paramedics for the paramedics and ambulance, the county roads division or the operators and equipment, GFL for the waste and recycling collection truck and the county's EarlyON program for the staff and children's activities.

Alnwick-Haldimand has won the participation trophy for at least several years now, Orr said, but the overall participation is cause for celebration – the 2,989 volunteers who took part represent a record for this event. And perhaps the 19.5 tonnes of garbage collected may be less than the 26.2 collected in 2009, but it is 15% higher than what was collected in 2018.

Other important numbers Orr shared are the 11-year totals, with more than 23,280 volunteers collecting 186 tonnes of litter and illegal dumping. That's enough to fill 37,000 garbage bags which, if placed side by side, would stretch more than 17 km.

Port Hope Mayor Bob Sanderson could not resist a hint of sour grapes in extending his congratulations.

“It's a great program,” Sanderson said.

“The discrepancy, of course, is that the community with the most garbage has the best chance to win.”

County budget is looking good – for now

By Cecilia Nasmith


As of the end of the second quarter of this fiscal year, treasurer Glenn Dees reported to county council this week, Northumberland is doing well at being on-budget.

It's a total annual cash budget of $114.6-million, Dees pointed out, with only a few items currently in a deficit position – like the $211,000 transportation-supplies shortfall due to the first part of the year being more demanding on road salt than in a typical season.

Eliminating the bulky-waste voucher, they had thought, would increase tipping fees. However, this item is currently in an $88,000 shortfall compared to what was budgeted – though bag-tag sales are $93,000 higher than forecast,

Of more concern in the waste division is the $80,000 shortfall in budgeted sales from the Material Recovery Facility. This budget item was calculated on prior years' figures, but world-wide economic uncertainty has taken its toll since then.

Largely due to falling provincial support, the Business Entrepreneurship Centre Northumberland and economic-development department is in a $75,000 deficit position.

Then there's the unexpected $118,000 in emergency repairs to a waste rock truck and transportation grader.

These are more than offset by other divisions, and a couple of surprise items like $114,000 in cannabis funding and a $175,000 settlement after the county purchased defective refrigerators,

Looking ahead, Dees pointed out that debentures will be issued for work on the Brighton landfill and the construction of the Roseneath Emergency Services base.

Inflationary pressures continue to be a concern, Dees said, especially with such looming projects as the Golden Plough Lodge rebuild and work on the Campbellford bridge. Then there's also the uncertainty surrounding provincial funding. Although reductions planned for 2019 were deferred to 2020, Dees said, there were exceptions – a $107,000 impact on Ontario Works, $50,000 on the BECN and $93,000 on the Golden Plough Lodge, As well, the province's recalculation of paramedics funding continues to pend and, for now, is holding at a level based on 2018 funding.