Inscriptions maintenant !

Is good, good enough?

submitted by Victor Jarjour

For some reason, I cannot get out of my mind Brandon Mayer’s editorial of November 3 entitled “Much to be Proud Of”. I generally agree with his conclusion. Or do I and is that why it sticks in my head? Things are pretty good in North Grenville, but is pretty good good enough? Should we be satisfied with mediocrity?

There is no doubt that the municipal election of 2018 was a turning point when the entire Council was booted out of office. I remember referring to that administration as a tax and spend Council after its decision to increase our taxes by 6%. The Chief Administrative

Officer (CAO) of the day defended that decision by arguing that the only alternative to increasing taxes was to borrow more money. I was stunned by that statement and that Council would turn to the CAO to defend its own decision. Clearly the tail was wagging the dog. They totally lost me after that debacle, and it seems the majority of the electorate felt that way as well. I sensed that the new administration that we elected in 2018 was well intentioned and sensitive to being judicious with our tax dollars. Certainly, they accomplished a good deal in their first term, and most of Council warranted being

Baldwin's Birds

re-elected. I could not vote for Mr. Barclay, however. I had dealt with him on an issue affecting our neighbourhood and though he seemed sympathetic, he fell for one of the oldest tricks in the bureaucratic handbook. That is, take a small problem and make it look so big that it’s best to do nothing. Also, I thought Mr. Barclay was too quick to espouse the efficiency of the Public Works department, to which he was named the Council liaison. He wrote in this paper not long into his mandate that they “run a tight ship”. That may well be the case, although the experience with the issue mentioned above argued otherwise. But when

I asked how he assessed that, nothing. He did not point to any performance measures to back up that statement. He simply ignored the question. So, to me he became a Councillor prepared to defend the interest of the bureaucracy over the interest of the taxpayer i.e., the tail wagging the dog yet again. But democracy has spoken and I need to grin and bare it. We are faced with important challenges. The location of the Ottawa prison on prime agricultural land, across from schools and a daycare and near more schools and daycares, is unjustifiable. The expansion of 43 is long overdue. Can our infrastructure, which in my mind includes schools and health care, handle the huge growth in our population that will result from the developments? Don’t these housing developments contribute to more commuters and is that consistent with our self-described green image? It seems rather duplicitous to me. We are seeing huge swaths of trees being cut down in the municipality. How does that fit with the green image? My daughter refers to some developers as climate change buffoons! Is she wrong? The development that I am well aware of included a tree protection plan, yet the red pines were essentially clearcut. It is abundantly evident, now that most lots have been developed, that many trees should have been left standing. Complaints to the municipality at the time of the carnage were ignored. Are we really doing justice to the green image that we are trying to portray in NG? While we may have much to be proud of, this is no time to be complacent. We need to expect more accountability from our representatives at all levels of government. Mediocrity is not enough.

Two for the price of one

Having just come into the house, after snow blowing paths for us to use and also to clear a way to the bird feeders, I am now able to concentrate on this article. Looking out towards my feeders, I see that I have got three Mourning Doves sitting outside my window and one was actually peering in, as they are wont to do, like my picture in one of my previous NGT efforts!

Lovely to see close-up, with their beautiful coloring, and seemingly such gentle birds who don't seem to want to hassle any other bird and just "get on" with life!

In last week's chat with you all about an unknown bird that we had visit us recently, I had stated that I and some others didn't really know what it was and posed the question to yourselves. Since then, I have communicated with another person who is inclined to agree that it was an Indigo Bunting, of which the male is a brilliant blue, but the female and immature male aren't. The very dark coloring in the picture is probably due to a pigmentation difference from a "normal" colored bird, but beak and some of the other features seem to point to the Indigo Bunting, so rightly, or wrongly, I'm sticking with that for my answer!!

Today's picture is one of harmony between two different species using the same feeder, without too much "fuss and muss", which is good to see! The pair of them are somewhat skittish (not Scottish!) in their normal behaviour, so I was fortunate in being able to get a picture of them together. Both the Bluejay and the Cardinal have got outstandingly bright colors that they compliment each other with, quite nicely. Let's hope that all your birds are adding a little color and joy into your lives too. Stay safe and well.

Cheers, John Baldwin

Gwyn Strike (Margaret Gwynedd)

Born June 29th 1930 at age 92 she passed away peacefully on January 23rd 2023 with her beloved husband of 65 years by her side.

Mom lived a life full of travel and adventures with Dad, moving to new and exciting destinations, with vastly different cultures and climates. Born in Pwllheli, Wales, Gwyn spent her early years enjoying the ocean, headlands, wilderness and wildlife surrounding her childhood home. She left for University to obtain her teaching degree. Education was extremely important to her and she was very proud to be an English Teacher. After meeting Ken during her time at the university, they married in 1957 . They started a new adventure when they moved to Guyana and started raising their young family of three.

A job opportunity for Ken had them moving in 1968 from the heat of Guyana to the winters of Ottawa. They eventually settled in Kemptville in 1972.

Mom could always be found in her huge vegetable garden, or in the kitchen cooking and preserving. In 1989 they packed up once again for a cross Canada trip to their home on Salt Spring Island. They kept busy in their retirement with their hobby farm and gardening, as well as with many Church and social activities.

Moms’ knowledge and enjoyment of calligraphy and writing, sewing and quilting, being a Girl Guide leader, camping, hiking, church activities, gardening, baking have all been activities shared and appreciated with her children and grand-children.

Mom spent her last few years, under the exceptional care of the staff at Greenwoods Elder Care on Salt Spring Island, BC. We would like to express our deep gratitude for the thoughtfulness and care of Mom during this time.

Predeceased by her parents and brother Fred. Survived by her husband Ken, sons Richard (Pam), Trevor, daughter Karen (Greg), granddaughters Christine (Tyler), Kayla (Jesse), Angela, Chelsea (Mark), Katie and great-granddaughter Ella. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to: Greenwoods Eldercare

133 Blain Road Ganges, Salt Spring Island BC V8K 1Z9 greenwoodseldercare.org