Initially published in the Alliston Herald on January 16, 2009
The Good: The past year or so has seen extensive changes to both the administration and emergency department at Stevenson Memorial Hospital. Last Saturday was the first occasion I've had need to attend Stevenson since these developments. The new ER design represents a dramatic improvement to the haphazard and scattered outlay of old. Further, the administrative personnel, nurses and medical staff that I encountered were, to a person, pleasant, professional and competent. Although I have been harshly critical and expressed concerns over the governance structure that has been implemented at Stevenson, it will nevertheless be a slightly easier pill to swallow if Saturday's experience represents the quality of care our community can consistently expect under the new regime.
The Bad: Whereas Centre Street in Alliston has received most of the attention of late as being a road in dire need of repair, my vote for the worst road in the Town of New Tecumseth goes to Downey Street. While there are plans for work to be performed in the near future on a handful of streets/roads including Centre Street, there are no such plans for Downey and it appears destined to develop its customary 40-plus new potholes this spring. I invite readers to send me their own nominations for New Tecumseth's worst road. Perhaps in the spring we can organize a "Celebration of New Tecumseth Pot Holes" and name some of the "best" after our favourite politicians.
The Funny: You might imagine my surprise when a Christmas card arrived at my home from our Member of Parliament together with an invitation to her annual New Year's Levee. The family of our member has, after all, made no secret of their disapproval of some earlier columns penned on this page. Closer inspection of the envelope revealed that the card wasn't addressed to me personally but rather to a corporation (of which I am an officer) that had donated funds to her campaign in the past. I do confess to some puzzlement with the characterization of the event. A "levee" has historically been associated with a reception held by royalty. One definition describes it as: "A reception held, as by royalty, upon arising from bed." Wikipedia.com includes the following description: "Today, Levées are the receptions (usually, but not necessarily, on New Year's Day) held by the Governor General, the Lieutenant-Governors of the Provinces, the military and others, to mark the start of another year and to provide an opportunity for the public to pay their respects." Interesting indeed.
The Curious: The wacky reality of the amalgamation of three separate towns into one with a ward system means that there is an inherent tendency on municipal politicians to "get things" for their own wards. It seems that in New Tecumseth the focus has often been one of "acquiring" or upgrading recreational facilities. Alliston has a new $10,000,000-plus recreational facility; Tottenham has upgrades and expansions planned for the Community Centre; Beeton has a new field house planned for Mel Mitchell Field and $100,000 earmarked to spend on a study for a new Beeton arena. Further, the town recently spent thousands of dollars on a culture and recreation study that identified a swimming pool as a priority.
At the same time New Tecumseth has a multitude of roads in a disgraceful state of repair; part of the Town (Tottenham) that is not connected to the water pipeline; and, an entirely inadequate sewage capacity.
Further, as a result of the town's decision to increase development charges to deal with its limited revenues and ever-increasing expenses, new development seems to have grinded to a halt. It all seems kind of odd. After all, no one will be able to get to our recreational facilities if they're sinking in potholes and sewage!
