Consider This Northumberland

It was a $250 fine and some compliance orders to meet the standards of Cobourg’s Emergency Care Establishment bylaw. That was the enforcement order given to Northumberland County back on April 10. It was over an alleged Fire Safety Plan violation during a surprise inspection.

While it may not seem like a big deal, the county decided the order was flawed. So, it decided to seek a judicial review so a judge could clarify how the bylaw was being applied. Since the bylaw was first introduced in February 2024, county staff and some politicians have raised concerns about its language and interpretation.

Then, on June 5, county councillors voted to withdraw the judicial review. Instead, it would continue to negotiate with the town.

The $250 fine was not as big a concern as the costs to address the alleged Fire Safety Plan violations. The county said this included the possible need to hire more staff, changes to the warming hub, and time for the county staff to respond to the compliance order.

The costs associated with the review began to grow. However, no figure was made public, and county politicians felt prolonging the matter served no purpose due to the expense and potential public debate.

This also comes at a time when public pressure against 310 Division Street is intensifying. A town hall hosted by Cobourg council is taking place on June 17 at the Cobourg Community Centre. This is the day before a critical report regarding the future of 310 Division will be debated at county council.

In this interview, you will hear Northumberland County Warden Brian Ostrander explain the county’s actions in pursuing a judicial review and, ultimately, to withdraw. He will give his perspective and talk about the current events unfolding. Have a listen and see what you think of county council’s actions.

Brighton will hold its third annual Pop Up Pride event on Saturday, June 21. As you will hear in this interview with Megan Fox, one of the organizers, there are lots of new things taking place, plus some of the favourites from the past.

The family-oriented event is just one of an ever-expanding list of various happenings in June to celebrate Pride Month.

From its humble beginnings, Pop-Up Pride raises money for the local youth centre, which serves young people year-round. This program has grown and continues to expand to meet the community's needs.

You will also learn about the growing support by residents, the business community, and Brighton politicians. Have a listen.

In Northumberland everyone is a bit different when it comes to strong mayor powers. In Trent Hills, Bob Crate is giving them up, sticking with current practices. Port Hope Mayor Olena Hankvsky has taken a similar path. Brighton Mayor Brian Ostrander is taking a mixed bag, delegating some powers while keeping a few others, confident that he and council can meet provincial priorities without them.

In this interview, Cobourg Mayor Lucas Cleveland weighs in. He will speak to his interpretation of the legislation. He will also detail a plan to create a budget task force made up of local citizens to come up with their own version as part of the drafting process. You will want to hear some of his other ideas.

Pride Flags are flying across Northumberland County as municipalities, local police, and other institutions honour Pride Month. This weekend, local pride celebrations begin in earnest. Northumberland Pride kicks off a series of events in Port Hope and Cobourg. Brighton will hold its events on June 15 and 23.

In this interview, Emilio Ojeda, chair of Trent Hills Pride, will discuss what is happening in Campbellford, Hastings, and Warkworth this weekend.

The statistics are grim. For the week of May 4, five people were suspected of a drug overdose in local emergency departments. Paramedics identified a possible four people had overdosed during the same period when on call. In April, officials believe four people died due to drugs.

The opioid crisis fades into the background as other concerns overwhelm. But for some on the front lines, the battle continues.

In this interview, Martha Faulkner will discuss the Youth Substance Use Prevention Initiative, which is getting underway in Peterborough. This program, developed in Iceland to help youth avoid drugs, alcohol, and tobacco, is run through the Peterborough Health Unit. Listen to hear if it would be a good one for Northumberland County.

About 18,000 airmen serving in the Royal Canadian Air Force died during WWII. Many served on bombers in mixed crews with American and British forces.

For many families who lost loved ones during the war, some face an additional hardship. The majority of bodies were returned to be buried. But there are still individuals who remain missing in unidentified graves across Europe to this day.

In this interview, you will learn about the World War II Canadian MIA Aircrew Database. It is a unique project involving local residents with help from Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. This small, dedicated group is working tirelessly to bring them home. Listen and find out how you may be able to help.

Three-ten Division Street is back in the news. A delegation recently appeared before Cobourg town council to seek clarification regarding changes to the Emergency Care Establishment bylaw regarding licensing language. Council was seeking to limit the number of establishments to two. The Transition House board has concerns due to the organizational structure between the shelter and Northumberland County, the building owners. Despite the pleas, the council passed the bylaw changes.

Then, earlier this month, a Northumberland County Social Services committee meeting was held, at which public concerns were raised regarding the shelter and its operation.

This follows a motion passed by Cobourg council to hold a public town hall gathering before June 5 to gather more feedback about the operation from businesses and residents.

In this interview, Transition House Executive Director Ike Nwibe responds to all these issues and more. The entire show is dedicated to his answers to key questions. He talks about the last six months, sharing statistics, successes, and challenges. Have a listen and see if you are satisfied with the answers.

Due to the length of the interview, here are some time marks for specific topics:

Past six months overview (2:15)

Client's view of services (3:35)

Number of people helped (4:40)

Most recent statistics (5:30)

Helping more than before (8:00)

Where do clients come from (10:05)

Number of mental health and addiction clients (13:00)

Reaction to provincial strategy around services (15:40)

Decentralization of services away from Cobourg (19:40)

Handling complaints (23:40)

Follow-up handling complaints (27:05)

Inspections (29:00)

Reaction to inspections (31:15)

Town’s treatment of Transition House (33:15)

Status of fines (37:30)

Delegation before town council (40:10)

Status of license renewal  (43:05)

Concerns about license renewal (44:40)

Status of liaison committee (46:15)

Responding to businesses and residents (49:10)

Existing harmoniously in town (53:00)   

Asking too much of community (55:50)

The Ontario Government announced last week it plans to strengthen the bail system to protect communities from violent criminals. It wants to prevent repeat and violent offenders from committing further crimes while on bail. That is something Cobourg Police Chief Paul VandeGraaf has called for over many years, along with many police chiefs from across the province and the country.

In this interview, the chief reiterates his concerns, but he goes one step further, calling for an expansion of the review to include many more crimes. He hopes an expanded review will do a better job of keeping repeat offenders off Cobourg streets. He will also respond to a recent Statistics Canada report saying crime rates are higher in rural areas than urban centres. Just so you know, the report says Ontario is not the same as other provinces.

Campbellford Memorial Hospital recently launched a new program for patients waiting for ongoing care. It combines virtual care, artificial intelligence, and in-person support. It’s called The Rural Stop Gap.

The program acts like a bridge between a hospital stay and long-term care needs. Rather than patients taking up hospital beds, Rural Stop Gap uses various technologies and a specially trained personal support worker to allow the individual to go home temporarily until a long-term solution is available.

While it is not for everyone, the program is helping the hospital and the patients by using this hybrid form of care. Listen and see if it might be right for someone you know.

On May 1, strong mayor powers came into effect in Cobourg, Port Hope, Trent Hills, and Brighton. The province granted these in an effort to push its agenda forward. In particular, to meet its goal of building 1.5 million homes by 2031. Larger urban centres were given these same powers two years ago. On April 9, 169 smaller municipalities got them as well.

In this interview, Brighton Mayor Brian Ostrander discusses the recent implementation of strong mayor powers in his municipality. He will talk about his surprise at the decision, and he questions its necessity given Brighton's current state of housing development. He outlines his approach to these new powers and commits to prioritizing Brighton's interests and plans to selectively use the new powers.