Chatsworth Wards for 2010 Municipal Election.

Have just been told much to my surprise that I am in Chatsworth ward not Sullivan as I had thought, I requested a map of the ward boundaries for clarification. My thanks to Will Moore at the township office for his assistance with this.

Ward 1 (Chatsworth) consists of the village of Chatsworth PLUS all the surrounding areas south of Grey rd 16, east of Con6 and north of Side rd 5 in the former Sullivan township PLUS the area south of the Holland-Sydenham townline, west of Veterans rd N and north of 20 sideroad in the former Holland township.

Ward 2 (Holland) consists of all of the remaining township to the east of Hwy 6

Ward 3 (Sullivan) consists of all the remaining township west of Hwy 6.

The map is pictured below, I have added a few place names and road names to make it easier to tell where the boundaries are. Click image to enlarge.

For a list of those who are running for a position on council see my previous post or the Chatsworth Municipal web site.

Chatsworth mayor retires. (updated)

Its official, Mayor Howard Greig has announced that he will not be seeking reelection in October. Howard served at various times as councilor, deputy mayor and mayor for the former Township of Sullivan since 1982, he has served as mayor of the Township of Chatsworth since amalgamation in 2000.

Chatsworth. Council has, under the guidance of Howard been, so far as I am aware, a cooperative and non confrontational venture unlike the constant sniping and personal attacks that some other local municipalities have, and still are, experiencing. Both Howard and the current councillors must be thanked for their efforts on our behalf, I suspect that their work is all too often taken for granted .

There have been no marked increases in property taxes in recent years which considering the downloading and/or reduced funding of mandatory programs from upper levels of government is no small feat. I hope that the new council will continue this tradition of cooperation and fiscal responsibility.

Tom Kuglin has also announced he will not be seeking re-election and deputy-mayor Bob Pringle is seeking the mayor's position.

Unofficially, with a week to go before nominations close here is the list of those standing for positions on Chatsworth Council. The list is subject to change up until nominations close at 2:00 p.m. on September 10^th, 2010 at which time the official list will be published on the township web site where further information may be found (unfortunately in a PDF download).

(Final list updated Fri 10th 7pm)

Mayor (1 to be elected at Large)

BOB PRINGLE (current deputy Mayor)

Deputy Mayor (1 to be elected at Large)

TERRY MCKAY (current councilor ward 1)

RODNEY SAUNDERS

Councillors (3 to be elected, 1 from each Ward)

Ward 1 (Chatsworth Ward)

ROBERT MACKEY

BRUCE MENARY

Ward 2 (Holland Ward)

CORNELIUS VLIELANDER (incumbent)
PATRICK  FORGRAVE   

Ward 3 (Sullivan Ward)

BILL KUGLIN

TRINA SIMMONDS
 BRIAN GAMBLE
SHERRY KNAPP 

The Election will be by mail in ballot which residents should receive early in October. The Election will take place on Monday, October 25, 2010 . The township will not be publishing any personal information on the candidates and I therefor invite the candidates to provide me with their CV and/or their reasons for standing for council. I will then publish it here for the benefit of our citizens, an email link is provided in the side bar of this blog.

Quiet in the Klondike

With fall fast approaching out here in the Klondike Hills we seem to be in a time warp with the days all blending into one. I love the quiet and peaceful times but now I keep having to look at the time / date at the top corner of the computer screen to know what day it is! My daily emails to a fellow old fart up on the Wiarton cliffs doesn't help much as he is just as confused as I am, must be sometimers coming on.

The tomato's take all of 5min to pick and as they have no leaves left due to “leaf spot blight” its not hard to see from the chair on the porch if I even need to do that, I will have to get off my arse soon and dig the spuds but the beets and carrots are doing so poorly this year that I may be digging them in the snow! I would get a cow for the output to fertilize the garden but it seems that some input is necessary at the other end of the beast, wonder if a neighbor will rent me one?

The wood is all split and finally after several years of building the pile we may even have some left over next spring, just as well for these old bones are finding it less fun to find, cut and haul those trees that need to be removed from our “managed forest” as each year passes. (Note to self – take a gentle stroll around the trails soon and mark trees for “harvesting” and see if its going to be an “easy to get to” or a “need a longer winch cable” sort of fall)

I'm ahead of the game on my winter woodworking projects as well, no need to bring the mill in this year, lots of pine, maple and cherry boards drying in various locations. Even ran a few through the planer yesterday so when the ambition strikes to get building I can get at it right away. The order is in for a center island storage / work area for my daughter kitchen so no problem with deciding what to make come those winter days, meanwhile these sunny days must not be wasted with work. Look at the gardens (look at the weeds!), plan in great detail the jobs to be done, make lists, sip on a beverage and enjoy the last of the summer whilst we can.

Even the political scene is relatively quiet, the Greens have decided to all pull in the same direction, Igniff is quietly raising his cholesterol on the BBQ circuit, Harper will unfortunately come in from the cold after his arctic “I love me” tour, and Jack.....Jack who? These quiet days of relative calm will all come to an end come September, the kids back to school, the other kids back to Ottawa, even our Humming Birds will be heading back to Mexico, so make the best of what remains of summer whilst you may.

Thats how it looks in these here hills with September almost upon us, and the need to write a few words on this blog comes upon me before my few readers think I have become lost in the forest or perhaps lost in my thoughts.

Ladies Night in Owen Sound.

The Grey Bruce Owen Sound Greens nomination meeting was most definitely a time for the ladies to shine with candidates Lynn Morgan and Emma Hogbin as well as Green party leader Elizabeth May and deputy leader Adrian Carr front and center. Approximately 100 green party supporters filled the room to hear the candidates speak and answer questions from the floor prior to voting taking place.

Lynn spoke about the demise of our democracy under the Harper regime and how the arrest of innocent protesters and bystanders at the G20 was comparable with the actions of several totalitarian regimes overseas. She said we are heading for more of a Lord and Serf relationship with our government than a representative democracy unless things change.

Emma spoke of her dream for the future, of a participatory democracy with citizens involved and excited about the possibilities, of using the modern tools available on the Internet and phone systems to include everyone in the process. The best quote of the night came at the mid point of her lively speech when remarking upon the choices to be made she asked whether if you find yourself to be riding a dead horse is it not best to get off!

Elizabeth May who spoke to the crowd whilst the votes were being counted later picked up upon that repeating Emma's assertion that the Greens CAN be elected to the HoC and that GBOS has a real good chance of being the first to do so, just before herself, given that the polls close here long before they do on the west coast.

Having just come from a meeting with some representatives of the local agricultural community she said that those in this area should be particularly concerned with Harpers assertion when referring to the closure of the prison farms that “learning how to farm was not a useful skill”. She said that Canadian values are clearly different from American values as evidenced by our social safety net, our sharing and caring about all out citizens and how the Green party's values reflect those values.

CEO Randy Dryburgh who MC'ed the meeting asked Elizabeth to announce the successful candidate and she read the name Emma Jane Hogbin to loud and sustained applause from the supporters. Elizabeth had earlier said that she rarely had the opportunity to say “may the best woman win” and it is no disrespect to Lynn that Emma's enthusiastic and bubbly personality, and ability to get folks to want to get involved that won the day.

Congratulation Emma, I am sure we will be hearing much more from and about you in the next few months.

Also see Greens pick Hogbin - Owen Sound Sun Times - Ontario, CA

UPDATE Emma has posted a copy of her speech on her blog here and there is a video of her “shortest ever” acceptance speech at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxGCyDnm5Yo (1min 13sec)

A Reminder

.The GBOS Greens nomination meeting will take place tomorrow, Tues August 17^th at 7pm at the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre  in Owen Sound when both Green Party leader Elizabeth May and Deputy Leader Adriane Carr will attend and speak The public is welcome but only members of the Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound Green Party of Canada will be permitted to vote.
Stay tuned for a full report on the proceedings here at The Rural Canadian  later in the week.

More information on both candidates can be found in my previous post and at the GBOS Greens web site 

Green Choices

I have been taken to task (perhaps rightly so) for coming out in favor of one of our candidates for the Green Party nomination in our riding over the other before fully knowing both candidates positions.

Having now met and talked to the second candidate , Lynn Morgan, I will try and correct somewhat that omission.

First off Lynn has said she is “passionate about our Green Values, and our humanity and responsibility in governance.” She was moved to stand in part by the G20 fiasco, the subversion of process in the tabling of the 900 page Budget Bill that trashed the Environmental Act, and the erosion of our civil liberties, wealth and health of the people. Being involved with several local groups dealing with housing, transportation and poverty issues she is incensed that over a million dollars was spent on the g20 with little or no benefit to Canadians whilst so many of our local citizens are struggling to make ends meet.

We spoke of the difficulty of citizens being heard by government and the need for an MP to represent the views of their constituents as much as possible and the difficulty of finding out exactly what that is. We spoke of communications and the difficulty of finding a balance between those who do everything electronically and those who don't even own a computer or texting device. She said it is essential to take her message, particularly the message that the Green party is not a one issue party, out to all the communities in our riding and to do so in a way where citizens can chat and interact in an informal setting.

Both in her professional career as a consultant and in her work for charitable and non profit organizations Lynn advocates for those who need their view better understood, she sees her candidacy as a natural progression from this and an opportunity to advocate for our entire region. She advocates for a bottom up democracy and like myself is very troubled by the top down oligarchical style of government we are increasing seeing, something she says that has been gradually occurring for at least a decade.

She sums up her position in three phrases, Responsible Government, Sustainable Future Planning and Upholding our Rights as Canadians to a democratic process.

A final note here, local media has been quick to point out that neither Lynn nor the other candidate Emma has any real previous “political experience”, given the mess that those WITH political experience are making of it in Ottawa I believe that may well be one of their biggest assets. Its time for some fresh ideas and integrity in the House. Its Time for Change.

The nomination meeting will take place at 7 PM on August 17^th at the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre  in Owen Sound when both Green Party leader Elizabeth May and Deputy Leader Adriane Carr will attend and speak The public is welcome but only members of the Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound Green Party of Canada will be permitted to vote.

More information on both candidates can be found in my previous post and at the GBOS Greens web site

A Political Green Soul Mate?

I recently had the opportunity to speak with one of the two ladies running to become the Grey Bruce Owen Sound Greens federal candidate and seem to have found a political soul mate.

Emma Jane Hogbin is an enthusiastic & articulate young lady with a passion for democracy, she believes that government, political partys and candidates should be as open as possible and believes, as I do, that the GPC most closely represents those values. Like myself she has sought out the platform documents of the various parties and found them non existent , lacking in content or misleading, excepting for the Green Party’s Vision Green document, where like myself found a clear and broad ranging document giving the GPCs position on every thing from the economy to democratic renewal to quality of life issues. No one individual will agree 100% on everything but I personally found little that I could seriously disagree with, why don’t you take a look and decide for yourself, ignore the spin, and read the comprehensive party position. Good luck finding a similar document from the other parties to compare positions!

She is passionate about making politics accessible and like myself has deep concerns about the state of our democracy and the lack of the long promised “open and accessible” government as well as the lack of respect & decorum in the House.. She is a strong advocate for our Grey Bruce region, supporting the local environment and local people, choosing to spend money locally, deciding to work from home globally, but choosing to live very locally, and again like myself has her own business here in the region. That it is a tech company and that she is right on top of the latest Internet technology seems to me to be a bonus as I believe a large part of the future of an accessible and democratic government rests with Internet access to data. :

She has said that the choice in this nomination race could be expressed as between someone who seeks to get people excited and involved and someone who perhaps was more familiar with and focused upon GPC “policy”. It’s a difficult choice, some are all about policy whilst others may be more about the individual running, getting folks “excited about politics” is a pretty difficult goal but if she can reach enough of those folks who are turned off and do not vote then it just may work. All I can tell you that after a 10 or 15 min conversation with her I was excited to have a candidate who was so passionate about democracy, which readers of my other blog Democracy Under Fire will know is a pet issue with me. Given my jaundiced and cynical view of our federal politics in particular, that is no mean feat!

That this passion and concern for our democracy mirrors not only my own but Green Party leader Elizabeth May,s gives me hope for the future of the local “greens” and our region and our country. Without democracy all the “policy” in the world is but window dressing!

It is perhaps a little unfair, as I have not spoken to the other candidate Lynn about these issues, but at this point I think it is clear where my choice lays. To balance that I will post extracts both bios for the benefit of local greens. If you fall into that category do learn more about these two ladies and join us at the Bayshore on Aug 17 to hear them speak, renew your membership if necessary and vote for the Candidate of your choice.

Nominations are open until Thur July 29^th, the nomination meeting will be at the Harry Lumley Bayshore in Owen Sound on Tuesday August 17. It is rumored that Elizabeth May will speak and deputy leader Adriane Carr will also attend. Further details will be posted here and on the local Green Party web site.

Emma Jane Hogbin 2010 – GPC Candidate

Emma is committed to helping people define and achieve success. She is passionate about creating opportunities for people to participate equally in their community of choice. In 2007 and 2008 Emma hosted HICK Tech, a rural technology conference which highlighted the unique challenges and opportunities her community faces. In January 2010 she was recognized by The Google Diversity Programme for her efforts in increasing female participation in software development.

Currently employed as a freelance technical author, Emma works from her home office in Owen Sound, Ontario. She is a highly sought after technical speaker and has given presentations around the world about the importance of small business, open source software and the role of women in technology. Her first book, Front End Drupal, is a best seller within its industry.

The Green Party is a natural fit for Emma. She was selected to be a Legislative Page at the Ontario Legislature while attending public school and was later a Legislative Usher while studying at the University of Toronto. She graduated from UofT in 1999 with a BSc in Science and the Environment where she focused on the politics of migratory fish species. Emma brings with her the experience of two successful campaigns run in Bruce-Grey Owen Sound where she acted as Web consultant. In addition to her own riding, Emma has a family history with the Green Party--her great uncle Richard Thomas was one of Canada's first visible Green Party candidates nearly 20 years ago.

In 2005 Emma returned to her home town where she continues to be inspired by her book store owner mother, her artist father, the local farmlands and the short deciduous trees which surround her.

Lynn Morgan 2010 – GPC Candidate

As a Business Management/Project Management Consultant for over 20 years in the technology field, I assist organizations, businesses and individuals to make better use of their technology. I am analytical/logistical and intuitive with strong leadership skills.

I am a board member for the following groups: The Women’s Centre Grey & Bruce Inc., the Affordable Housing Coalition Grey Bruce and the addictions education group LEAD. Past volunteer activities have included board membership with the Adult Literacy Group, Non-Profit Housing Association, and the Property Standards Committee, in Thunder Bay. Other volunteer work included the Heart & Stroke Foundation, Canadian Diabetes Association, and the Arthritis Society, Habitat for Humanity, HAYWEST, and Home and Community Support Services. I created the Holland Chatsworth School Literacy Library database and coordinated the Sauble Beach Clean-up in September 2007 in conjunction with the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup.

Currently, I am the Recording Chair for both the Executives of the GPC and the GPO Bruce Grey Owen Sound EDA since 2008. Previously, I volunteered in the 2008 Federal Election campaign. In the last local municipal election, I worked as a Deputy Returning Officer.

My values...I believe we are stewards of our Country and all the people in it. We, as citizens, need to assume this community responsibility at all levels now. Our voices need to be united and speak out against the non-existent government-directed environmental action and the economic policies that subject growing numbers of Canadian citizens to subsist in poverty. We need to focus our efforts on living without fossil fuels and building our economy to support sustainable green industries. We need to be a voice for those in our community who suffer injustice or marginalization and who despair of ever gaining equality or being respected. We need to inspire people with our integrity to re-enter the political mechanism – get them out to vote! We need to speak out against policies that deprive people of their homes, livelihoods and hope. We need to start by wresting Canada back from the brink of destruction; socially, environmentally, and economically. It starts here...one voice added to others in our community...one community added to the other ...for all of Canada.

My personal thanks to both candidates for making this commitment, whoever comes in second will be no less a winner than the nominated candidate. Up with Democracy.