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June 16, 2004
by Fred Kirby

 “The death of democracy is not likely to be an assassination from ambush. It will be a slow extinction from apathy, indifference, and undernourishment.” (Robert Maynard Hutchins)

 The current Town of Kincardine is a union of the former town of Kincardine, Bruce Township, and Kincardine Township. The birth was not easy. Kincardine Township came into the union in reasonable disposition to the inevitable but Bruce was a troubled child from birth. Fearing the loss of what it considered its birthright, the goose that lays the golden eggs, BMTS, Bruce sued its father, Mike Harris, for neglect. The problem when money comes into the family – it brings out the worse in people.

 So, rather than full amalgamation, the new municipality of Kincardine created wards geographically identical to the previous townships and town. Being neither fish nor fowl, this served no one well. Better had we proceeded into full amalgamation; by now we would have learned to live and grow together. Instead, after several years we still talk of war between wards; an immature approach to solving routine administrative issues. 

The ward system underlies much of what is wrong with Council. We elect people who see their primary role as guarding their turf rather than doing what is best for the municipality as a whole. We need to elect those whose world view does not stop at the nearest fence. We need to elect men and women who deeply respect the past yet have a view of the future. For example, only a person who as a sense of the future will see the importance of keeping and maintaining our heritage buildings because it is not only our history but it is what future generations will want to see.

 Council should move to full amalgamation dissolving the ward system and be ready for the next election to choose councillors from across the municipality giving voters an opportunity to elect the best available rather than be limited to a particular ward. It will take time so Council needs to start now.