Cobourg Blog

Cobourg Police have either bought or are trying out a couple of Segways - presumably for summer/fall patrols. Apparently works well to catch illegal drinking in Victoria Park.

Now that the fountain/rink farce is behind us, Councillor Mutton should remember that she was not elected leader of the opposition, but as a team player on Council.
Her planning portfolio is facing some real challenges - the f/r was a sideshow that did not even fall into her bailiwick.
To wit, all new housing decisions are under Provincial pressure to create more compact communities through “intensification and redevelopment”.
Intensification is meant to be the antidote to sprawl by building new homes within existing cities, towns and hamlets. It promises a better mix of housing choices for young professionals, families, empty-nesters and seniors - appealing to people at all stages of their lives.
Intensified communities offer shops, services and businesses closer to home, getting people out of their cars and onto walkways and bicycle paths. Intensification also demands making more efficient use of existing infrastructure - roads, waterworks, and sewers - and protecting valuable agricultural lands and natural spaces.
The Golden Horseshoe Growth Plan lays out a phased approach to help municipalities and builders adapt; but, by the year 2015 all upper- and single-tier municipalities will have to reach a minimum target of building 40 percent of each year’s new residential units within their existing built-up urban area.
Redevelopment means using underutilized spaces like the Covert Street parking lot and the trailer park for new construction. It is time to think about building an above- or under-ground parking garage for downtown.
Cobourg also needs to expand the Elgin Street / Workman Road by-pass to route the through traffic away from the downtown.
How about a wi-fi network for downtown like in Burlington?
These are just some issues to be tackled and Mutton should get on with them.

The objections to the proposed Fountain and Ice-Skating Rink in Rotary park seem to have been solved (except noise). With the recently revised version there is now more green space, no need for a special tent for the Rotary Waterfront event and lower cost so that most of the cost is paid by the Provincial Grant. It looks like the Town Planning staff have “found a way” to make it work! I will not personally be skating there in Winter but it will certainly be a year round attraction for Cobourg - in the same way that Nathan Philips square is for Toronto. And it has to be in the middle of town or it misses the benefit for downtown - so the Victoria Park idea misses that benefit.

The remaining issue is noise to nearby residents. I hate to think what these people will think of the July 1st weekend! But maybe that’s excused because it’s short whereas skating lasts a few months. I think the residents have to rely on closed windows and remember that they do live in the “heart of the ‘city’ “. Let’s hope the work can be completed in time for this winter.

John Draper

Cobourg’s Police Chief has resigned - effective June 15. Where will Cobourg find a new Chief - and one that is better accepted? One answer is to switch to the OPP since they will provide someone from their existing experienced staff who would view this as a career opportunity. The choice would be approved (or not) by Cobourg’s Police board so there’s no loss of control - it’s just better and easier! And the resignation makes the switching to OPP feasible in the next few months - no longer do we wait for his contract to expire. It seems to me that the three main advantages of an OPP Police Force are:

• Better management and accountability of senior staff
• Lower Cost
• Better access to tools - specialized teams, helicopter, backup staff

One criticism of switching to OPP is the lack of Cobourg knowledge by Dispatchers - but in the end they dispatch to officers located in Cobourg who do know the geography - so it’s a perception to callers and not an actual problem. The other criticism is that there is a reduction in police visibility or activity. But this is something that is controlled and defined by the contract that hires the OPP. The board must make sure that they define what we want the Police to do. If they say “Regular visible patrols” then that’s what we get - although the price may be higher. The cost for the same service should still be slightly less because of shared communications and lower management costs.

The resignation certainly moves the issue of Police management back into the spotlight - let’s make the right decision and not the knee-jerk emotional one of “No Change”.

John Draper