Radio Free Norfolk

"The Toronto Star first reported that the Proud Boys will be added to the list of terrorist entities. It is not necessarily a crime to be a member of these groups, but designating an organization as a terrorist entity can have serious criminal and financial consequences. Banks can now freeze assets and police can charge anyone who financially or materially supports such a group."... https://www.cbc.ca//politics/canada-proud-boys-terrorists- See more

Council continued the deferred debate over borrowing from the Legacy Fund after the BOH meeting and public hearing. It turned into quite the standoff: Council decided NOT to borrow $5 million, $2.5 million, $4.5 million, $4 million or $3 million. In the end, they gave staff direction to look for $2.5 million of possible cuts to reconsider and see what compromise they can come to on February 16th.... You can catch all of today's meetings here: https://youtu.be/u93bWN_W6Mo Now is an ideal time to reach out to your councillor and tell them what services are most and least important to you in order to guide them in these discussions.

Borrowing from the Legacy Fund is a bad idea. When I was a trustee at the Grand Erie District School Board, it came to light that the Board had a large amount of unsupported capital debt. This meant they spent money that wasn't covered by funding coming from the province. A little here, a little there; this number grew. The reserves were also depleted. The Ministry was again knocking on the door stating that their patience was growing thin. As a Board of Trustees we took ...specific and detailed action. We passed a clear motion spelling out that we were tackling the issue. In the budget meetings, we clearly identified to staff we were looking for savings and the financial recovery had to be front of mind for managers. We wanted no impact to front line learning and everything else was open for consideration. We changed policy to ensure any future unsupported capital had to be clearly identified and a supporting plan to address it was required with it. We looked at the audit committee which should have identified the issue and made changes so this could not happen again. In short, we tackled the root of the issue not just the symptom. Today, the Board's financial situation is healthy and stable. My concern on the legacy fund approach is that the Councilors are chasing symptoms. If this moves ahead, they will spend 5 millions dollars with no clear plan for repayment. We are watching them attempt to grapple with rate increases to the levy but what are they doing to provide a clear and detailed path forward for the County? If they are going to "borrow" from the fund, I want to see a clear and detailed plan of repayment. If you are going use the monies, it should be a large legacy items. Preventing a large levy rate increase mid-cycle to me is political in that elections are approaching and you want to lessen the impact on rate payers for other reasons. At some point you have to tackle the hard issues. This council was elected to tackle those hard issues; not to play politics. Yes, it doesn't get you reelected. It does help our communities. As I said many times, I would rather lose an election than continue long standing problems in hope of reelection. At the Board, we addressed a 10 year plus fianical situation and settled it. From rebuilding the IT infrastructure and enhancing bandwidth to schools, to moving to evidence based decision making, to moderning monitoring and data collection, to ensuring parent and community involvement and consultation, we did a lot. And a lot of us were not reelected. But education locally moved forward. It is time these Councilors stop looking at their political careers and start looking at the framework, policies, provincial and federal partners, and the programs available to Norfolk to make sound and quite frankly hard decisions. They need to turn off their social media obsessions and focus on prudent and long term decisions. Enough of the blind leading the blind.

John's Take Yeah... it is pretty straight forward.

Norfolk County's council wants to hear your feedback about possibly borrowing $5 million from the Legacy fund. There are pros and cons to both sides of this argument and ultimately, council is doing their job by asking Norfolk residents how YOU think we should move forward. Send an email to [email protected] and copy to Mayor Chopp & your local ward councillor. A list of their e-mail addresses can be found here: ... https://www.norfolkcounty.ca/government/mayor-and-council/ If you'd like to learn more in order to form your opinion, check out the debate in council here, starting at the (1:02:25) timestamp: https://youtu.be/HS3hgUxESN0

They don’t know the language, their rights, the laws, where to go this just shows how vulnerable these workers are." https://windsorstar.com//local-migrant-farm-workers-caught

"Earlier this month, a 57-year-old Port Rowan man was sentenced after he pleaded guilty to uttering a threat to cause death or bodily harm to Chopp." https://www.simcoereformer.ca//social-media-out-of-control This is insane. People should 100% follow local politics but also keep in mind that ... POLITICIANS ARE STILL HUMAN BEINGS! You can disagree with them. You can criticize them respectfully. But be better than this.

What did you think about the issues raised and the proposed resolution? Do you think a workshop is going to solve the issue? I think it will work for those who want it to, and I hope they all genuinely do. Either way, it's good to see Council address the elephant that has been in the room for many months. Hats off to Coun. Masschaele for saying: "I am leery to put what is, frankly, an adult behavioral issue on the tax payer," and to Coun. Taylor for thinking of the impact Cou...ncil relations has on the work environment for staff. Catch the full discussion here after the (4:50:33) timestamp: https://youtu.be/rAp9o-IKgQY https://www.norfolktoday.ca//council-looking-at-bringing/

No need to be alarmed, just training exercises for our local troops! https://www.norfolktoday.ca/2020/11/23/99367/

"In a report released today, Marketplace says Cedarwood Village received the 10th most written notices in Ontario between the start of 2015 and the end of 2019." https://www.norfolktoday.ca//cbc-marketplace-finds-cedarw/

Preparing for teachers having to stay home from work due to COVID-19 guidelines?

Stop what you're doing and watch this Council meeting tonight! After Coun. Martin added "council relations" to the agenda as a discussion item, Mayor Chopp has appointed Coun. VanPaassen as the new Deputy Mayor. https://youtu.be/rAp9o-IKgQY

What a beautiful initiative! We are never alone. Let's lean on each other & change the statistics!

It would be nice if the HNHU would include a graph to track trends in hospitalizations/ICU needs as well. Testing has been inconsistent as things have changed throughout the pandemic. Ontario Associate Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Barbara Yaffe has said "If you're testing in a population that doesn't have very much Covid, you'll get false positives almost half the time." Hopefully both the province and the HNHU will take this into account when looking to impose restri...ctions. So far, NGH states on their website that, "Since the beginning of the pandemic, the number of COVID-19 inpatients at NGH has been less than 15." https://www.norfolktoday.ca//from-yellow-to-orange-moh-ta/

... Amy Webster ... Tony Sault ... Phil Dennie... Please send a message to our inbox to claim your prize & make arrangements!

Leanne Rabey to Diane Finley & other local Conservatives who almost immediately endorsed Leslyn Lewis before ANY local candidates had a chance to step forward: "I want to know why all of you people have thrown in your hats for Leslyn Lewis when other people hadn’t even thrown in their hats yet for the race. https://haldimandpress.com/leslyn-lewis-named-next-conserv/

LAST CALL!! Get your extra ballots in by 6 p.m.! Winners will be announced tomorrow. Good luck everyone & thank you for your support.

Guess the Conservatives are going to have to ask Santa for an election on their Christmas lists instead! https://www.cbc.ca//confidence-vote-commons-corruption-com

How is it that Leslyn Lewis has been chosen as Haldimand-Norfolk's Conservative candidate when we KNOW there was another applicant and no vote?

Council has started to focus on the issue of marijuana growers taking advantage of legal loopholes over the past few weeks. While many complaints have been heard in Norfolk County, there seems to be a huge disconnect with Health Canada. Watch the following Police Services Board meeting with 2 representatives from Health Canada for some background information on the discussion from Tuesday's council meeting: https://youtu.be/lf8Xwpz0Gy0 Mayor Chopp finally comes out publicly w...ith her personal background in the medical marijuana industry. However, she states she has not done anything with her marijuana business (based in Binbrook) since becoming mayor. Hopefully this understanding will help council find an effective approach to addressing issues with grow-ops in Norfolk, and stop the provincial and federal government from trying to pass the buck onto the backs of municipal taxpayers. If you have complaints about any marijuana grow-op (excessive odour, light, noise etc), you can report it here to make Health Canada aware: https://www.healthycanadians.gc.ca//re/reporting-form.html

We hope that officials & farmers will have a unified plan for the future that both supports food security and protects migrant workers. https://www.norfolktoday.ca/2020/11/20/99296/ More from the Simcoe Reformer:... As a show of good faith, and with a hope that there exists a true desire to move forward in a positive manner, Schuyler Farms has withdrawn its formal request for an appeal of the (recent) court decision, Schuyler said Friday in a statement. We are doing this at a time where it will avoid significant additional legal costs for the health unit. https://www.simcoereformer.ca//farmer-drops-bunkhouse/amp

Check out tonight's Council meeting here: https://youtu.be/F5j9XAxQ1Ns

Prime Day has become all about buying stuff. We hope people will stop and remember the real reason for the holiday!

"Our government is doing everything possible to ensure our students can achieve lifelong success," said Premier Ford. "That's why we made a significant commitment to fix our schools and ensure students and staff have access to the best classrooms, with features like modern ventilation systems and high-speed Internet access. During construction, these projects will create hundreds of jobs and contribute significantly to our economic recovery." https://www.iheartradio.ca//ontario-to-build-20-new-school

Council changes their tune about Friday the 13th after Ontario COVID-19 cases rise and Ottawa, Toronto & Peel regions have stepped back into stage 2: https://www.norfolktoday.ca//council-votes-in-favour-of-d/

John's Take Nice Video. Good Message. The other nonsense and the mayor's related rants are not important. There are more important things to spend time on.... Again, cute video and Steph is awesome.

We have some feelings about the making of this video, but for now let's just appreciate the good intentions behind it & let the children of Norfolk County enjoy this newfound Halloween tradition! https://www.newswire.ca//halloween-saved-norfolk-mayor-ann

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Radio Free Norfolk! Thanksgiving may look a little different this year, but we have so much to be grateful for. Thank you to all of our listeners, followers & supporters. We have grown substantially this year, and a large part of that is thanks to YOU!... Thank you to all of our guests for taking time to speak with us & letting us share your stories. Thank you to our families & friends for your ongoing love and support. You are a vital part of our team! Thank you to our local health unit & frontline workers (including paramedics and PSWs) for keeping Norfolk such a safe place in the midst of a pandemic. Thank you to our essential workers including the OPP, firefighters, farmers, migrant workers, grocery store staff, transport drivers, hydro workers, gas station attendants etc. who kept our society running and cared for as much as possible during the COVID-19 shutdown. Thank you to the GEDSB staff & teachers (and bus drivers) for navigating such a difficult time and doing their best to keep our children safe & engaged in learning, and for going back to the classroom. We are so grateful for all of you, and to be living in the beautiful county of Norfolk

While it is true that there is inequity in the flat-rate inspection fee that warrants taking a look at, now is not the time, and the farming community is not the industry that we should be hanging upside-down and shaking for quarters. To be fair, we must look at inspection cost-recovery as a whole, across all industries. To drastically increase inspection costs for many farms in a time where our MOH has forced them to spread less employees over more accommodations during the ...quarantine period would be an ABUSE OF POWER. Full stop. Add in the fact that one farmer initially won an appeal of that Section 22 order and we have ourselves a big mess. If any private industry deserves support (financial or otherwise) from our Board of Health, Health Unit & Council, it is the farming community. They are the ones doing their best to help make sure Canadians are fed in the midst of this pandemic. Food security is a significant public health issue. Let's put more energy into protecting food security rather than finding ways to punish the farm community for standing up for themselves. https://www.simcoereformer.ca//bunkhouse-inspection-f/amp

Over 1200 people participated in the online budget survey. There are roughly 48,700 eligible voters in Norfolk County. So approximately 2.5% of eligible voters gave their input:

First and foremost, I am disappointed that the trend in Norfolk County appears to be avoid dealing with issues and rather than provide solutions or suggestions move to personal attacks, Burgess said in an email to the Reformer. We need to move forward. We saw all parties put down their swords and unite to deal with COVID-19 at the provincial level, and Norfolk needs to do the same. At the end of the day, Mr.Burgess is the one with the knowledge and experience. We don't... have to blindly follow, and it's okay to have questions and objections, but we need to focus on solutions and voice our concerns respectfully if we want to be truly heard. The 2021 budget survey may not have been perfect, but the fact that we had one at all is a step forward compared to the past. The fact that some people took that opportunity to add insults directed at council & staff was very disappointing. Yes, they work for us and are accountable to public opinion but they are all still human. Would you want to work hard for a boss who looks for every opportunity to criticize you? On the other hand, this reactionary interview from Mr.Burgess and comments about people acting like Donald Trump is definitely not the best approach to diffuse the situation and repair relationships. Let's do better, together. https://www.simcoereformer.ca//not-a-cookie-cutter-consult

Ford announces a step back to a modified Phase 2 for Toronto, Ottawa & Peel region and $300 million relief for "effective businesses" & small businesses. He also expresses that the Ontario government is committed to keeping schools open: https://youtu.be/H0ig8Tq4VIc

As we were reading through the Conservative Party's nomination rules, we spotted something interesting... What are your thoughts on a federal election 2.5 years early?

John's Pro Tips If you bought a Conservative Membership and don't like the actions of the local EDA, don't cancel your membership. Your membership gives you the opportunity to vote at their Annual Meeting and for the executive.... Use your membership and your vote to reshape the EDA.

There has been a lot of fear-mongering from the extreme ends of both sides when it comes to COVID-19. We encourage you to read for yourselves and think for yourselves, but don't forget the context: 1) The Quarantine Act was passed in 2005..almost 15 years before COVID-19. 2) This RFI is nothing definite and there is no need for it to be specific as a law needs to be.... 3) Municipal governments such as our own have asked the federal and provincial governments for help with isolation plans for the Migrant Worker Program. This RFI could very well be part of that. 4) Funding for such a facility is already approved for Toronto. 5) The government will be criticized for both overreacting or underreacting to COVID-19, but one thing I think we can agree on is that COVID-19 has exposed our extreme lack of pandemic preparedness. "The Government of Canada (GoC) is considering engaging a Third Party Service Provider for Federal Quarantine / Isolation sites that will be used to house and care for people for public health and other related federal requirements associated with the COVID-19 pandemic response. The Government is seeking feedback from current service providers about potential options for standing up, operating and managing all of the services associated with these sites. The purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) is to seek feedback from potential service providers in order to develop a strategy for the potential future management of these sites going forward." https://buyandsell.gc.ca/proc/tender-notice/PW-ZL-105-38463

John's Take It has been an interesting turn of events in the local political realm here in Norfolk. The Conservative Federal EDA created a storm of controversy for Lewis to navigate into. Rather than basking in her confirmation as the Conservatives' candidate, her team and the National office have been trying to reclaim the narrative as Marshall leveled complaints of an unfair process. The news cycle has focused on Marshall, not Lewis. That is not a good sign.... According to the Lewis PR Team, memberships surged in the days before the closing for candidate applications. That shows a high interest in people locally having their say as to who the candidate is; not simply support for Lewis as her team claimed. Marshall appeared to have made some mistakes and was disqualified. However, the overall process raises some questions. One that stands out for me: With no election on the horizons, why the need for a snap and rushed candidate selection process locally? There is an appearance that the local EDA already decided and simply rushed through the process to get the outcome they wanted. In politics, perception is often reality. The facts and the truth may be something entirely different. If people believe something, you have to deal with that reality. And right now, the growing feeling is no one but Lewis had a chance to be the candidate. That may just haunt them... https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=BeB-MCNT6cU

This proposed bill would only be executed if Quebec & New York will follow suit. Who thinks we should scrap Daylight Saving Time? https://www.wetaskiwintimes.com//d21be0ba-a0c7-47c1-92ef-f

Radiofreenorfolk.podbean.com or anywhere excellent podcasts are found! Check us out!

I don't know about you, but I'm still waiting for Trudeau to come through on his election reform promise... https://www.cbc.ca///trudeau-pandemic-we-charity-1.5766152

From Steve Scheers (Concerned Citizens of Norfolk): We Are Not Orillia Norfolk County, ON; The past of Jason Burgess, Norfolk County’s CAO explains a tremendous amount regarding his present actions considering the string of privatization recommendations resulting within the Norfolk County 2020 budget. This was not his first time recommending the privatization, monetization, and outsourcing of municipal assets and sale of municipal property....Continue reading

As I always say: spend your political capital well. Instead of talking about the candidate, the EDA has forced Lewis' Team and the Federal Office into engaging in damage control. Politics is perception. Whatever the truth is, the EDA has damaged the narrative.

TICK TOCK Just over 3 hrs left to get your Conservative membership if you want to be eligible to vote to decide who will be the Conservative MP candidate for Haldimand-Norfolk!! You can purchase a membership here:... https://donate.conservative.ca/membership/ See more

Retired politician Dave Levac discusses his thoughts on Leslyn Lewis parachuting into Haldimand-Norfolk. If you'd like to vote for either candidate for nomination, you MUST buy a membership BEFORE MIDNIGHT. You can purchase a 1-year membership for $15 here: https://donate.conservative.ca/membership/... Listen on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/BeB-MCNT6cU

Steve Paikin interviews Leslyn Lewis. There are some sound quality issues, but definitely worth a watch! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OX_XtPeY0Gg&t=600s