Consider This Northumberland

Driving through Northumberland County, it is easy to spot various lots with woods or forests. It is one of the great attractions of living here. But the pressure to develop properties is constant. Many rural municipalities are overwhelmed by the number of building applications on these lands. Many times, it involves clearcutting the lot to build.

The Northumberland Land Trust is dedicated to preserving land in its natural state. People donate the land to save the woods or marshes forever. Even if the owner sells their home, the trust lands remain protected. There are 13 reserves, as they are called, in the county. More are slated to be added.

If you are at all interested in keeping Northumberland County’s natural beauty, you will want to hear what they have to say.

From humble beginnings in Guadalajara, Mexico, to the new executive director for Horizons of Friendship in Cobourg, Rodrigo Konigs is excited to lead this non-government organization based in Northumberland County.

In this interview, he will share his life story and passion for helping others. Plus, he will give an insight into what he thinks is in store for the future.

Over the past few weeks, the opioid crisis emerged as a central topic of public debate. Advocates and supporters of people with addictions often urge politicians and bureaucrats to include consultations with people with lived experience.

That term, lived experience, means different things to people. It is also a perspective that many don’t understand. What is it like to live with or be recovering from an addiction?

In this interview, this experience is the focus. Ashley Smoke, a 33-year-old Port Hope resident, will share her story. She lived with an addiction for 18 years. Now, she is recovering. She is a mother of a four-year-old son. Plus, she is a long-time advocate for people with addictions. She recently formed Northumberland Drug Users Unite, a group seeking to dispel myths about people who face or are recovering from addiction.

Five people died of drug overdoses last month. That is according to the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit. In 2021, 28 people died. That is more than double what it was only two years ago.

Northumberland County has more suspected cases of drug overdoses than anywhere else in the health unit’s coverage area.

If you ask Dr. Natalie Bocking, the chief medical officer of health, she will tell you it is a crisis. Many would agree.

The health unit’s support of a harm reduction approach to the crisis has politicians upset. Earlier this week, Bocking was in front of county council, explaining the health unit’s position. As councillors vented their frustration, Port Hope Mayor Olena Hankivsky was the only member of county council to try to take concrete steps during the presentation. She offered to seek the support of her council to help jump-start a drug strategy with the health unit.

In this interview, Dr. Bocking will explain the health unit’s position. She will also address much misinformation and disinformation being spread by politicians and the public about harm reduction, overdose prevention sites, and what can and cannot be done.

Northumberland County Council recently inked a deal to sell the Materials Recovery Facility or MRF, as it is also known, for an undisclosed amount. A major corporation, Emterra Environmental, is hoping to buy it. Emterra runs recycling operations across Canada and the United States.

Two county representatives, Adam McCue, associated director of operation for public works, and Jennifer Moore, the CAO, will tell us what this means for curbside pickup and the plant's future.

The Northumberland Sleeping Cabin Collective was before the Cobourg council earlier this week. Politicians were deciding what to do next. Staff recommended two alternatives: reject it or go forward with the proposal to put 12 units next to the Memorial Arena on Furnace Street.

After politicians presented their positions, Deputy Mayor Nicole Beatty offered a third choice. Declare the land surplus and offer it to Northumberland County as a site for an affordable housing project. The idea was unanimously approved. Meanwhile, the sleeping cabin proposal was accepted for informational purposes, meaning it has not been rejected.

As for the collective, the question remains: What is next?

In this interview, you will hear the group’s reaction. Meghan Sheffield, a spokesperson for the collective, will talk about the group’s response to the various positions of politicians and opponents. Plus, she will say where the project goes from here.

Northumberland County is no stranger to Hollywood. Movies like It were filmed in Port Hope. Cobourg is a favourite backdrop for the TV series Murdoch Mysteries. These make up a growing list of productions coming to the region.

Local efforts to attract more productions exist in Port Hope and Cobourg, and other municipalities along the lakeshore from here to the Quebec border.

In this interview, Heather Haldane, co-chair South Eastern Ontario Production Accelerator Fund, and Albert Botha, a steering committee volunteer who lives in Northumberland, will describe the efforts to lobby the provincial government to create a $25 million special fund to supercharge the industry locally. It could bring up to $150 million in revenues to the region if successful. Have a listen.

A man was dropped off at Northumberland Hills Hospital with a gunshot wound earlier this month. After an OPP investigation, a police raid occurred on a property within Alderville First Nation. Shortly after, the band council removed the people living on that property.

In this interview, Alderville First Nation Chief Dave Mowat will explain why he and the band council took these severe steps. More importantly, he will delve into these unique powers and why they are so crucial to keeping his community safe.

A new rental unit built in Cobourg promised to provide affordable housing. The developer, Balder Corporation, constructed 71 units at the corner of William Street and University Avenue. It received a $15 million loan from the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation or CMHC. For this, it would provide 15 affordable units. It also received support from the Cobourg council from its Community Improvement Program or CIP. This offers numerous incentives, including grants, tax breaks, and a reduction of fees. Its purpose is to help create affordable housing. Over three years, the town has spent $540,000 on the program.,

Recently, Balder was in the spotlight at the town council. Concerns were raised over the number of affordable units. Balder met its affordable housing criteria of 15 units under the CMHC guidelines. However, town staff said the developer only met its criteria for four units under the town's definition of affordable housing. The town's criteria are different than CMHC's.

In this interview, you will hear Director of Planning Anne Taylor Scott and Treasurer Ian Davey explain what happened, why there are differences, and how the council decided to approve the CIP despite the difference.

To get the full story from the perspective of Balder Corporation, you can go to the March 20 Regular Council meeting video on the town's website to watch a delegation of representatives from the company.

In the act of defiance, a group of activists and community volunteers are setting up an overdose prevention site in Cobourg. It will consist of two tents. Starting March 24, it will be in a place where addicts can take illegal drugs that will be safe and support them, say organizers.

At first, it is shocking to learn this is taking place. Yet, Missy McLean, one of the organizers, says this is an act of resistance. The interview challenges how we think about the people who use narcotics and the solutions needed. It challenges politicians, police, and bureaucrats, as well as everyone in the community, to wrestle with Northumberland County's crisis. You will definitely want to listen if you have any thoughts about this.