Porch Views, editorials and more
Photo: Harrison Haines As a prospective resident of the Township of Madawaska Valley and therefore likely to be impacted by the soon-to-be-elected Council, I took the opportunity to hear each candidate’s platform and their responses to questions from the community at the All Candidates Meeting held at Barry’s Bay Royal …
Image: Shutterstock Editorial In The Current’s report on the conclusion of Jack Rosien’s claim against the Township, we said “questions remain.” Some of those are apparent from The Current’s summary of the history including what motivated Council to meet behind closed doors on April 3 2017 and decide not to …
Opinion A recent correspondent to the Valley Gazette challenged candidates to release specific platforms so voters can “hold their feet to the fire.” For ten months The Madawaska Current has been doing just that – holding the feet of the Mayor and Council to the fire by reporting and commenting …
Editorial For readers who may not have seen it, the editorial in this week’s Eganville Leader makes some salient points under the title Voter frustration. It says, Whether it is the ever-testy North Algona Wilberforce or equally testy Madawaska Valley or the municipalities surrounding them, ratepayers are looking for transparency, …
Opinion Anyone following the election campaign knows the Barry’s Bay Railway Station remains a hot issue. All candidates have addressed it in their literature and interviews, but when incumbent mayoral candidate Kim Love spoke about it recently in an interview with The Eganville Leader, she presented a version of the …
Opinion … completing the file on Ohio Road is a priority for this Council. Message sent to Township’s lawyer – March 2017 Arguably the most important duty of a council is its responsibility for ensuring effective management of its municipality’s assets. Of all assets, those that can give rise to …
Opinion Last Wednesday’s edition of the Valley Gazette carried an opinion piece (although it is not described as such) by its publisher, Michel Lavigne. It contained a rant against community online “blogs” in general, but left little doubt that its main purpose was to attack The Current. It is worth …
Photo Evan Dennis Opinion As reported exclusively by The Current, Madawaska Valley’s former Integrity Commissioner Jack Rosien earlier this year commenced a claim for damages against the Township in the Superior Court at Pembroke. A municipality being sued by its own Integrity Commissioner is not an everyday occurrence so The …
Editorial As we approach the final lap of this election campaign, attempts to seduce voters into voting for a particular candidate are intensifying. So far as the incumbent candidates are concerned, this includes the inevitable self-patting on the back for alleged achievements. Some, or maybe even all, of these may …
Scott Mask and Ollie Scherer are building dreams on Mask Island. Photo Mark Woermke The largest island in Lake Kamaniskeg has had many owners and several names, but for this edition of Porch Views, I would like to call it “Island of Dreams.” This jewel in Lake Kamaniskeg was first …
Opinion The 2018 municipal election campaign is well under way. I am glad to see the signs in the community. The ones on private property show that citizens are getting involved and thinking about the important questions. Speaking of questions, I think The Madawaska Valley Current’s online election forum is …
Marcie McNamara and Mark Woermke on the porch. (Photo submitted) Barry’s Bay has some historic homes such as the August Biernacki home on Dunn Street built by the parents of St. Hedwig’s founder Monsignor Biernacki and which now serves as a college residence; the Opeongo Line home of Barry’s Bay’s …
Editorial In the 2014 municipal election, 62.76 percent of Madawaska Valley voters participated. This compares to the provincial average which, according to Wikipedia, was 43.12 percent. This demonstrated a commendable commitment to the electoral process on the part of this community but it begs the question, will there be a …
Madawaska Valley post-amalgamation wards Opinion In Part 1, I proposed a return to the ward system which I felt at the time would be the best way to ensure voter representation in the Township of Madawaska Valley. It only generated two comments online, but it prompted several visits to my …
Opinion Democratic government is based on representation and accountability. Since municipal government is the level of government which is closest to the people, it only makes sense that municipal voters should do everything they can to maintain these principles – including thinking carefully about the method by which they elect …
