Adam Prudhomme
Editor
June will once again be recognized as Pride Month across Greater Napanee.
Council voted unanimously to proclaim June as Pride Month at the request of the Greater Napanee Gender and Sexuality Alliance. Council also directed staff to work with Greater Napanee Pride as they plan celebrations for June, including a Pride March and art installations.
“At this time parades of any sort are a movement towards normal,” said deputy mayor Max Kaiser. “This is a joyous thing, it’s a happy event. I think it’s something that a lot of people can get behind, it’s about inclusion, it’s about acceptance. I have no issue.”
-In a semi-related matter, council voted to adopt an amended community flags art installation and proclamation policy followed a report compiled by town clerk Jessica Walters.
Council also directed staff to explore installing a flagpole at town hall. The report indicates the cost of installing a new community flagpole at Market Square would cost $2,000. Currently there is a pole atop the building but no easily accessible pole on the ground.
“What I would like to see, and maybe I’m dreaming, there would be three flag poles on the west side (of Market Square),” said mayor Marg Isbester. “It would be always a Canadian flag, the provincial flag, if we don’t have a proclamation in the centre would be Town of Greater Napanee flag. To have just one single flag pole to me just doesn’t do it. I think we are probably one of the only town halls, county buildings, hospitals, anything that I’ve been at that has a single flag pole.”
The flagpoles would serve as a place to formally recognize proclamations.
“It’s time we make Market Square look like our home, like we are a government building and that we’re respecting everything that goes with that,” said Isbester.
-Following up to a motion made earlier this year, council voted to amend the Taxi License By-Law to remove the municipally set fare structure, meaning cab companies are now able to set their own price without seeking council’s approval.
-The town has agreed to take on ownership of 28 navigational buoys on the Napanee River.
Previously owned and maintained by Quinte Conservation, the responsibly now falls on town staff.
“I think it’s a great idea that Town of Greater Napanee takes this over for the fact of the confidence that I would have that the buoys are put in the right place,” said councillor Dave Pinnell Jr. “As a boater that travels around from place to place I try to recruit people to come up our river as we know it’s not on Navionics, it’s not on charts as it’s private buoys, so a lot of people don’t come up it because they don’t know the river. At least this way we know that they’ll be in the right place.”
The town will control the timing and maintenance of the buoys and ensure they are in the right place ahead of walleye season.
“In the absence of any other authority willing to do it we must pick it up and if you can get us as close to cost neutral as possible then that’s the best case scenario for us, for our residents, tax payers and visitors that we want to support,” said Kaiser. “We certainly need to have something in place for spring as we know one of the markers is out of place now and is in proximity to another one so it’s going to lead to a confusing situation in spring if it’s still there.”
-The town is seeking public input on proposed development of the Centre Street boat launch. Current proposals include: doing nothing (which staff does not consider a viable option), a multi-purpose municipal parking lot with seasonal configuration, multi-purpose parking with fixed configuration or relocating the boat launch altogether. Residents can have their say at https://letstalkgreaternapanee.ca/.
-Council voted to adopt an amended election sign by-law, which includes slight changes to the current by-law.
The motion passed in a vote of four to two, with Isbester and Pinnell Jr. both voting against.
Isbester stated her intention to have all signs removed for all elections, including provincial and federal.
“I believe that direct contact, door-to-door, multiple all candidates meetings arranged by non-partisan organizations and of course social media mailings are the future of gaining any seat on any form of government,” said Isbester. “From looking at a sign can you tell whether a candidate will be reactive to your needs, will they return your phone calls? Will they be controlled by outside forces and groups? Will they be able to think on their own and then act for the good of all residents?”
Isbester went on to note that spending more in an election doesn’t guarantee success as the winners of Wards 1, 2, 3 and 4 all spent less than their opponents, as was the case in the race for mayor and deputy mayor.