Author Archive for Steve Campbell
Don’t forget why we’re ‘County’
I’ve always had a problem with the marketing of Prince Edward County. This is partly because I’ve been marketing the County for over 40 years. Sure, I’m not recently retired from Toronto, and a don’t bear the title of ‘Marketing Director’ which actually means you get to tell people who know what they’re doing what […]
Homes, Roads and Fears
There’s No Place For Homes. Thanks to Rick Conroy for bringing attention to the plight of retirement homes in Ontario. I’ve been engaged in conversation with local owners for two years, but couldn’t find a way to tackle the problem. He’s right: Government bureaucracy is driving retirement homes out of existence. And I know why. […]
Too much noise about nothing?
One more kick at the Special Events Bylaw, just in case this devil-spawned document manages to survive the outrage of the County community, and comes back to life like the killer in a bad horror movie. I finally received a response from my event liability insurers for my fake Country Jamboree – one-day event, 100 […]
My Mixed Bag Column
As I come off my own deadlines, it’s time once again to meet the Times deadline. Here’s a collection of things that have happened since my last column. Special Events Bylaw Wanted, dead or alive. Mostly wanted dead. But probably still alive. Since my last column, there was a groundswell of panicked social media response, […]
Wanna do something? Not anymore!
Council has stepped in bylaw doo-doo again. I don’t know why, since they seem to invest a lot of talk into weaseling out of their own restrictive bylaws to allow good things to happen. Like making exemptions for three-storey buildings, and trying to find a work-around so a long-time store owner can put up a […]
It’s, like, y’know, the End of the World
In the crazy, mixed-up world of today, we all have a lot to worry about. The very foundation of Western Society seems to be threatened at every turn. Each day we reel from news of mass shootings, ISIS, Zika virus, Brexit, gang and drug violence, murders, child abduction … all this before you finish your […]
When heritage rears its ugly head
I’m big on heritage. I make my living by bringing County history to life, with all of its quirks and eccentricities. For some reason, talk of ‘preserving heritage’ has become something of a controversial issue. I’d like to explore it and, God willing, perhaps add a little insight to the topic. First, let’s set the […]
Ontario’s Energy Leap to Destruction
I was in the middle of a column about Wynne’s Hot New Energy Plan for Ontario, but Times editor Conroy beat me to the punch, and said it better than I could. Still, a little extra screaming about the insanity of our duly-elected rulers wouldn’t hurt. It might even send us scrambling to our new […]
I Heart Myself
One of the advantages of aging at a rapid rate is that I get to look back and build a gauge of human progress. I became politically aware in 1967 … pretty much the perfect time to be a teenager. It was Centennial year, and our Prime Minister was a vibrant Pierre Trudeau, rose in […]
Signs, signs (possibly) signs
I’ve been pondering the dilemma of the Beach Bum sign. That’s not a sentence you will read just anywhere. This is a truly vexing problem, which I’ve been breaking down in my mind ever since it surfaced. I can tell you up front that I have no stand on this, and I’ll tell you why. […]
