Lots of folks took advantage of the beautiful day and took to the ice on the canal for an afternoon of skating.
@Ptbo_Canada Spent #FamilyDay tapping my maple trees, exploring #creativePtbo events online for this week, and creating in a sunny studio!
— Trout in Plaid (@Troutinplaid) February 21, 2012
[Contributed by PtboCanada's Julie Morris]
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I guess the Groundhog was right after all, as high above the houses was the first sign of Spring yesterday.
[Contributed by PtboCanada's Evan Holt]
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The United Way will be hosting a 70th Anniversary Gala Celebration on Saturday, February 25th at The Venue. Tickets are being sold for $125 and can be reserved by calling 705-742-8839
[Contributed by PtboCanada's Julie Morris]
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Careful on the roads, we're supposed to get 5 to 10 cm today.
[Contributed by PtboCanada's Evan Holt]
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This past Wednesday Rock the Ice returned to Peterborough for the third time and PtboCanada was able to chat with Elvis Stojko before he hit the ice for warm-up prior to the evening show. It was a pleasure to meet both Elvis and many of the other performers who we have all loved and respected over the years and watched the success of their careers. If you live in Peterborough and surrounding area, today is your chance to pitch your big biz idea to the producers of CBC's hit show Dragons' Den. You have until 6 p.m. to make your way to the Great Hall. The producers are asking some tough questions to determine investment potential! Here's some pics from this morning sent to us by photographer Doug Logan...
[Photos courtesy Doug Logan]
[Related: Dragons' Den Hosting Audtions In Peterborough At Trent University February 16th]
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Q: Are there party politics at Peterborough City Hall? —Whitney, Peterborough
Goyette: Yes and no, but don’t give up on me just yet.
Officially, party politics do not exist at City Hall. There is no formal organization of Liberals, Greens, Conservatives, New Democrats, Communists, or any other political party that directs the work or the decision making of the elected Councillors. This is not to say that there are not well established municipal political parties elsewhere. They are a common feature of political life in Rome, Stockholm, Tokyo, Berlin and London.
In Canada, they have a foothold in Vancouver, Montreal and Quebec, and we have seen parties and caucuses formed in cities such as Surrey, Richmond, Edmonton and Winnipeg. Even Toronto has played around the edges of formal partisanship with the Responsible Government Group. I want to suggest that the greater the regional polarization among provincial or federal parties, the greater the likelihood of municipal partisanship.
Most Ontario politicians do not see the need for new municipal political parties, because it could weaken their own riding association or supporter base. Worse, it could result in a popular local politician rising to challenge the provincial leadership outside of the control of the traditional political parties. There is a quaint notion that little local issues do not rise to the standard of weighty provincial or federal issues, and therefore do not merit the discipline of political partisanship.
Those opposed to municipal parties also argue that City Hall is a place that, unlike an opposition party with its duty to oppose, has a duty to find consensus, and that the creation of consensus would be undermined by partisanship. On the other side of the argument, political parties are seen to give voters real choices; help replace “personality voting” with more substantive “issue voting;” permit a healthy electoral debate about vision rather than potholes; and increase voter turnout.
Locally, partisanship is like the reality that dares not speak its name. Some Peterborough City Councillors belong to political parties; all have political leanings. Some attend and speak at partisan electoral events and conventions; some rely on party election workers and fundraisers. But voting patterns at City Council are not expressly partisan. Instead, they are based on a combination of influences such as staff advice, personal values, assumed or expressed constituency preference, electoral implications, alliances with other Councillors or applicants, self perceptions as team players or mavericks, and the play between intellectual principle and emotional immediacy.
As I see it, municipal political parties are not on the local horizon and there is no desire to see political partisanship come out from under the covers.
Councillors understand that if you want decisions that best represent community opinion, you are more likely to find them based on a consideration of the merits of each individual issue, coupled with the creation of one-time alliances, than you are through predetermined partisanship. Not only that, but partisans sink or swim with the party, which can make for some very short careers.
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David Goyette is the Executive Assistant to Peterborough Mayor Daryl Bennett. For more on his Backroom Briefing column, click here. Email your burning questions for David about City Hall to feedback@ptbocanada.com.
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This evening from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., come on out to the Peterborough Chamber of Commerce (175 George Street North) for All-You-Can-Eat Cupcakes hosted by Chacho's Bakery. It's only $7, and $2 from each person will be going towards Five Counties Children's Centre. Space is limited, but you can reserve your spot by contacting Jamie from Chacho's by email or by phone at 705.868.6542.
[Contributed by PtboCanada's Julie Morris]
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