Councillors Adam Bureau and Aaron Burchat have now posted their campaign material on new web sites. Of the 14 candidates who filed nomination papers, only seven have provided voters with detailed information. Mayor Henderson was first with information, and so far Nicole Beatty, Michael Sprayson, Miriam Mutton and now Adam and Aaron have followed with comprehensive web sites. Perhaps the other candidates are waiting for the all-candidates session organized by the Chamber of Commerce on 29 September – after all, voting doesn’t start until October 14. Both Adam and Aaron are on the current Council so if you have been following Council news, you will already have some idea of what they think and do. But let me summarize what Adam and Aaron have to say.
Adam Bureau
Adam’s information is strong on providing his personal information and since he has been on Council for 4 years, he lists his accomplishments. He has been quite active and serves on several significant committees. Since he has a Downtown business, he is quite active on the DBIA (Downtown Business Improvement Area) but he has also served on nine other committees and boards.
- Downtown Business Improvement Area
- Cobourg Farmers Market
- Cobourg Public Library
- Cobourg Farmers Market
- Sustainability Climate Emergency Advisory Committee
- Civic Awards Committee
- The Poet Laureate Committee
- Equity Diversity and Inclusion Committee
- The Christmas Magic Committee
- Queens Jubilee Committee
Go to his web site https://adambureau.ca/ for more detail on his work in each of these committees.
The overall message is that he puts in a lot of time and works hard. Adam comes across as a caring individual who works at his assignment of coordinator of Arts, Culture and Tourism.
Aaron Burchat
Aaron not only has a job outside of the Council (with Compton Telecommunications) but also is owner of two businesses: Showtime TV & Stereo and (since March 2022), a skateboard shop (inside Showtime). Aaron lists the committees he serves on (notably the Police Services Board) but does not list accomplishments in them. In his platform, he lists four areas:
- Active Community – Investing in active lifestyles
- Infrastructure – work with staff on town’s asset management system
- Service Delivery – Streamlining customer service throughout the town of Cobourg, creating a single point of contact and continuing improvement of accessibility.
- Partnerships – seek out community partners to improve the housing situation within Cobourg,
Aaron’s emphasis (see his home page) is asking for support such as putting a sign on your lawn or making a donation. Go to his web site. https://www.aaronburchat.ca/
Other Candidates
Still missing is any information from:
- Lucas Cleveland – running for Mayor
- Deputy Mayor Suzanne Séguin – running for re-election in the same position
- Councillor Brian Darling – running for re-election in the same position
- Johnny Percolides – running for election as Councillor
- Randy Barber – running for election as Councillor
Sara Gardinier has limited information on her Facebook page and Ashley Bouman has a web site with no campaign information. Mark Mills has just posted a web site with limited information. He plans a campaign launch Sept 3.
The above is accurate as of the date/time of publishing – you can find the latest information at Cobourg Internet’s Municipal Elections Page – see Resources below.
Resources
Cobourg Internet
- Cobourg Municipal Elections – Includes list of candidates and their contact information including web site links. Also includes details of Chamber of Commerce “Speed Campaigning” event on 29 September. Updated whenever there is relevant news.
Print Article:
Cobourg declared a ‘climate emergency’.
Adam; Do you believe there is a climate emergency? Why?
Aaron; Do you believe there is a climate emergency? Why?
What proposal do either of you have to mitigate the so-called emergency?
Admittedly, I have only viewed about 3 or 4 Council Meeting on -line in the past 4 yrs. I really rely on J.D.’s Blog. But in the few meetings I have caught on line, Aaron has seemed to me to be a non-contributor and has even appeared like he’s snoozing. With no accomplishments listed on his site, I won’t be voting for him.
Kathleen, that seems a fair assessment of Aaron. At least he is not actively harmful like many of the other incumbents.
Thanks for the comment, Kathleen. I am still in the process of updating my website and I will definitely be listing my accomplishments from being on council the past 6 years, as well as expanding upon my platform.
As for the comment about me falling asleep in meetings, my wife has also commented to me back when we were doing zoom meetings that when I am looking down and reading my agenda and notes, it does appear that my eyes are closed, but I can assure you that I was not sleeping. I am definitely not one for speaking just to hear myself talk, so I don’t often feel the need to echo fellow councillors statements of support during meetings.
I would be glad to meet with you for coffee sometime if you would like a chance to get to know me personally rather than relying on having only watched a handful of meetings and hearing opinions of others who comment on this blog. If you would like to give me this opportunity to speak with you in person, or have a phone conversation, please reach out to me at 905-377-5055. Thanks!
Sincere question – What is the strategy behind posting a campaign website before it’s ready?
Aaron,
Perhaps during the Zoom meetings you were not napping, however, pre-covid during the live meetings in the council chambers, you were definitely observed and heard sleeping, not only by fellow Council members, but by those in the gallery as well.
As for speaking out, I agree that parroting others is a waste of time. The problem is that you voiced no original ideas or comments. Zero contribution.
It would also be nice if you wrote your own stuff instead of Lindy. The style is noticeably different.
“ you were definitely observed and heard sleeping, not only by fellow Council members, but by those in the gallery as well.”
Proof please, where is the video of this? If not found, apologise for this potentially libelous statement.
Ben,
SWB is not going to be able to provide the videos unless he/she downloaded copies at the time. All of the pre Sept 2020 material was lost when the Town converted from Civicweb to eScribe. Some might say a happy coincidence for Aaron.
However, all is not lost. There are witnesses. Members of Council, Staff and the public who saw and heard the “nappings”. As a frequent Council watcher, I witnessed several naps. I know several Council members and some gallery folk who saw the events. We have discussed the matter, usually in a “haha” manner.
Aaron explains the matter away regarding its occurrence during Zoom meetings as appearing to be napping while he was reading documents. That may hold for the Zoom meetings and some of the live meetings, but certainly not all. I don’t know anyone who snores while reading documents.
So will the issue move from the minor sin of “napping” to the more serious….a coverup. “NAPGATE”
It’s a matter of integrity, accountability and leadership, or more correctly, the lack of it.
As Head of Council John Henderson should have called Aaron out for this behavior. NOTHING happened. Leadership failure.
Aaron needs to step up and take responsibility.
Adam and Aaron
As business owners, you understand the importance of being profitable, efficient and competitive.
Why don’t either of you have a plan to decrease the size of public government and to be more efficient?
Doing this would ultimately empower the taxpayer and citizens? Continuing to spend our tax dollars on endless social programs only increases the tax burden and disempowers the citizens.
CCR
If possible, can you give some ideas of where to cut municipal employees and which social programs you want eliminated?
Thats easy. Just like in a private business, Any one, or any program that does not generate a positive net benefit for taxpayers needs to be cut out and cancelled. If there are no programs in place that measure effectiveness or efficiency, then their should be.
Why should you or me as a taxpayer put up with anything less?
If your argument is that the net benefit is intangible, then that is an argument of whim and of individual and private situations, which has no place in public discourse.
The role of public government should not to be to pander to endless intangible benefits (paid for of course by tangible assets and the taxpayer), but to empower its citizenry to make responsible and efficient decisions, such that government intervention is NOT necessary.
“Any one, or any program that does not generate a positive net benefit for taxpayers needs to be cut out and cancelled.”
Benefit to you as a taxpayer, how about if your neighbour benefits? Who are you to judge the benefits of programmes that you don’t use, and please tell us what ‘useless’ programme you would eliminate.
Ben, for optional expenses (exclude roads, sewers, storm water management, snow removal, police/fire, etc), perhaps the criteria should be that at least 50% of the households will benefit?
Consider the proposed skateboard park. What percentage of Cobourg’s households have children who are likely to use a skateboard park?
Consider the adult fitness park. What percentage of Cobourg’s households will use it?
Consider our $1M+ bus service. What percentage of Cobourg’s households use the bus?
Ben,
In your response, you seemed appalled that I wasn’t concerned about my
neighbour.
Why should I be?
Even though I am under no moral obligation to take care of my neighbour, I still do so ON MY OWN TERMS. For example, if I buy food for the homeless, because I can, and I want to, this is both helpful, empowering, and I create no financial strain on everyone else in the
form of taxation.
What you are referring to is called forced altruism, whereby through taxation, I must take care of, and watch my neighbour at all times. If I see him/her smoking, should I run over and rip the cigarette our of their mouth?, because that certainly in the future will create a strain on public health.
So yes! Any one, or any program that does not generate a positive net benefit for taxpayers needs to be cut out and cancelled.
“So yes! Any one, or any program that does not generate a positive net benefit for taxpayers needs to be cut out and cancelled.”
An interesting response that tells the Board the kind of Citizen you are. However in order to demonstrate your insular position in regards to your fellow Citizens please tell us how you, or whomever else you designate, will judge the people/ programme you see as not generating a ” net positive benefit” and what a “net positive benefit” is.
Ben,
First off, good use of the ad hominen logical fallacy – It doesn’t matter what kind of citizen I am, what matters is the POLICIES being promulgated by those in power and by those hoping to gain power.
Getting back to the question, A net positive benefit is an aggregate of two things:
1. A benefit to the taxpayer that is relevant to ALL citizens and justifies ALL citizens to pay
2. The benefit must be supported by the tax base and not cause a deficit.
There are very few things that satisfy 1 and 2, and therefore explains the predicament that we are in today – spending on endless social programs that satisfy any whim of the imagination and burden the taxpayer.
For example, the private landlord, unlike public officials, needs to clear his expenses and maybe even make a profit, thus the rental rates in this town are directly related to the taxes charged to the property. So you see, social spending only hurts those who need it most. Need more examples? I have lots…
My point is, of course, public governments should be operated like private businesses because the way it is now, there is NO incentive to be efficient, or God forbid, to have a surplus.
CCR
Ben and CCR,
If I may ask your thoughts on the following…
https://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/2011/09/15/taxpayers_vs_citizens.html
From the above article, “Our future as a society rests not only on calculations of financial cost to individual tax payers, but on the assessment of communal value.”
The basis of my ask is it is my experience there is much value for the benefit to our community contributed by volunteers and volunteer organizations in the community.
Miriam, thanks for pointing this in my direction. A well written essay for both “Citizens” and “Taxpayers” to ponder.
Two quotes can be kept and will sum up the essay:
I know which side of the argument I am on
Miriam,
I appreciate your article post.. There is so much to say about this article that it would take me a whole paper to address all the concepts presented here. So I will be as cogent as possible now in my response.
This article asserted a few premises to note:
1. Taxpayers only care about money
2. Taxpayers are not citizens
3. Taxpayers cannot balance the rights and responsibilities of living in a community.
Prima facie, the taxpayer is an individual. The taxpayer is not the collective. The collective is an imaginary concept made up of everyone else but the individual. The tax payer is the one who has mastered specific knowledge, skills, and abilities in order to firstly care for his/her immediate family, AND THEN AND ONLY THEN, is able to help other people. This taxpayer has to be RESPONSIBLE enough to get his/her house in order to continue to pay for others that cannot do the same.
To the collectivist, the inverse if true. This same taxpayer is coerced into believing that everyone else is more important than him/herself, and that their ultimate civic duty is to payout an endless amount of taxes to support his neighbor. Do you understand how backwards that is? And you wonder why mental health issues have exploded. Because people have been conned into believing that they as individuals are not as important as everyone else.
Everytime governments commit to social programs, they are actually inadvertently hurting those who they intend to help.
And I’m out of room… more to come
CCR
Any program or Anyone that doesn’t produce a net benefit for the taxpayer.
Still crickets from the reapondents. Prove to us Adam and Aaron that you are different, lest we remember that all Politicians are the same….