March 22, 2012

Peterborough Little Lake Musicfest Announces 2012 Lineup

March 22, 2012/ PTBOCANADA

The Little Lake Musicfest have announced their 2012 lineup, and it includes stars such as Jimmy Rankin, Jim Witter, Kim Mitchell and season closer Hanson.

Click here to view the entire lineup.

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[Contributed by PtboCanada's Evan Holt]

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March 22, 2012

Backroom Briefing Q: What's The Backup When A City Councillor Has To Resign?

March 22, 2012/ PTBOCANADA

Q: What is the backup plan when a City Councillor is ill or has to resign for other reasons? –Jeff, Peterborough

Goyette: There are a number of ways that a City Council seat can become vacant, including resignation; disqualification; appointment or election to another Council position; unauthorized absence from Council meetings for three successive months; a judicial declaration; or death. Interestingly, a Councillor’s resignation is not effective if it reduces the number of Councillors to less than a quorum.

So what happens if a Council seat becomes vacant? This is a complex field with a thousand little rules, but here is the gist of it. If there is a vacancy on City Council, the Council declares the seat to be vacant at the first Council meeting following the vacancy. In the case of a vacancy resulting from death, Council has up to two meetings to declare the seat vacant. Then, the Council has a choice: either fill the vacancy by appointing someone who will agree to serve, or hold a by-election.

And here’s where it gets interesting and frequently contentious.

The appointment of a new Councillor is quick, involves very little cost, can be determined by a simple interview process, and can reward a runner-up from the last election. Its downside is that it denies people the opportunity to directly elect their own representative – a principle that lies at the heart of democracy.

On the other hand, a by-election for a new Councillor is time consuming and expensive. It can be financially challenging for those candidates who have just completed a costly campaign in a regular election. It puts a temporary halt on Council business and may serve as a platform for focused criticism of the entire Council. However, it wears the noble cloak of electoral accountability which, to some, is all it needs to commend itself.

Consider two additional complexities. First, the timing of the vacancy is important. If it occurs at the beginning of a four year term, an election is typically favoured. If it occurs near to the end of the term, an appointment seems more palatable. In fact, if the vacancy occurs within 90 days of an upcoming regular election, the City doesn’t have to fill it at all.

Second, when a person is appointed to fill a vacancy, he or she will have an undeniable advantage if they decide to run in the next regular election, including incumbency, experience and exposure ... benefits that were not earned by election. In other places, compromises have been reached whereby the appointment is conditional on an agreement with the appointee that he or she will not run in the next regular election.

Life happens. People resign and seats become vacant. The municipal response is a very good measure of the value a community places on the balance between efficiency and accountability.

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David Goyette is the Executive Assistant to Peterborough Mayor Daryl Bennett. Email your burning questions for David about City Hall to feedback@ptbocanada.com.

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March 21, 2012

Take A Look At This Excellent Interview With Rick Mercer On PCVS (He's As Confused As Anyone Why It's Closing)

March 21, 2012/ PTBOCANADA

[YouTube]

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March 21, 2012

Here's A Video Segment On Rick Mercer's Appearance At PCVS Today

March 21, 2012/ PTBOCANADA

[CHEX Newswatch]

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March 21, 2012

Here's Pictures Of Rick Mercer In The Halls Of PCVS Today

March 21, 2012/ PTBOCANADA

[Pictures by PTBOCanada contributor @maryammonef]

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March 20, 2012

Here's A PCVS Rant Video In Honour Of Special Guest Rick Mercer

March 20, 2012/ PTBOCANADA

Rant by PCVS student council president Matthew Finlan. Rick Mercer is here in town to film a segment on the school.

[YouTube]

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March 20, 2012

PCVS Wins Spread The Net Challenge

March 20, 2012/ PTBOCANADA

CHEX Newswatch reporter Pamela VanMeer broke the news today on Twitter that PCVS has won the Spread the Net challenge. The school raised $52,631 for the campaign. Their win will be announced on the Rick Mercer Report tonight, which airs on CBC at 8 p.m.

Mercer and his production crew will be in Peterborough tomorrow (March 21st) to film a segment at PCVS for his show.

Here's video from when the amount raised was announced at the school earlier this month...