Civic Affairs

[img_assist|nid=145|title=Councillors Jane Fullarton, left, and Mary Jean McFall|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=500|height=410]What was arguably the most pertinent comment arising from city council's regional policing debate last night came from Councillor Mary Jean McFall.

[img_assist|nid=142|title=COPS members in attendance Monday|desc=|link=none|align=right|width=500|height=307]One could feel a certain sense of relief from the gallery, and a sense of frustration from the contact committee table, when discussion at Monday's meeting turned to the prospect of a moratorium on OPP costings.

[img_assist|nid=140|title=The crowd did not go up to the mike|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=500|height=332]I had one of those “What-The” moments last night.

[img_assist|nid=138|title=Jeff Earle, left, and Mayor Henderson|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=500|height=333]“Perfunctory” is one of those words we no longer use enough in conversation.

As in: “One would expect Brockville's study on regional policing would be a perfunctory affair.”

[img_assist|nid=5|title=|desc=|link=none|align=right|width=500|height=413]The funniest moment in Tuesday's brief discussion of the looming council cut motion concerned, inevitably, the mayor.

[img_assist|nid=132|title=Mayor David Henderson listens via teleconference to OPP Sgt. Mike Milner.|desc=|link=none|align=right|width=500|height=333]On the subject of the Ontario Provincial Police dialling in the last contact committee meeting, I see retired city cop David Mitchell was also unimpressed.

In a previous post, I suggested the OPP's use of the teleconference model at their August 26 meeting was bad optics in a community that is, quite frankly, still being sold on the idea of trading in the city police for an OPP badge.

[img_assist|nid=134|title=Councillor Tom Blanchard listens to budget discussions Tuesday.|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=500|height=409]This talk of cutting at city hall has a familiar ring to it, even if it is happening a little earlier in the year.

[img_assist|nid=132|title=Mayor David Henderson and committee members listen via teleconference to OPP Sgt. Mike Milner.|desc=|link=none|align=middle|width=800|height=533]

[img_assist|nid=3|title=|desc=|link=none|align=right|width=500|height=234]The problem with big problems is people tend to look for big solutions.

Sometimes, though, the solution isn't a big solution, but a large accumulation of small solutions.

[img_assist|nid=100|title=Mayor Henderson, left, and planning concultant Michael Wright speak at a packed public meeting June 12 on the Tomlinson project.|desc=|link=none|align=right|width=500|height=367]When we posted our latest story last night about the aftermath of Brockville's Tomlinson decision, I tweeted the following: