Lights Out In Downtown Brantford

I usually avoid downtown Brantford as much as possible. But tonight I had occasion to drive through it. What struck me was the large number of streetlights that were not functioning, particularly at the intersection of Colborne and Queen St., where on the south side of Colborne St. (the boarded up side) there must have been about eight lights in a row that weren't on at all. Further on was little better with a number of lights out and most of the rest only at about half brightness. Dalhousie Street wasn't much better either. In fact, in all there were probably only about a handful of lights that were fully lit up. After spending (actually wasting) millions of dollars trying to attract people to the downtown, leaving the streets so dimly lit would seem to have the opposite effect. It sure won't instill a sense of safety in those brave enough to venture down to evening activities at Harmony Square or to the returning university students.

Maybe it is to match the old saying that the last one out gets to turn off the lights but in this case one light is extinguished for each business as it flees the downtown. Or maybe the lights are that way purposely to match the dimness at City Hall.

Revolting Developments

It seems that Councillor Calnan has changed his mind about a development freeze on disputed lands in Brantford, well sort of anyway. One of the things that should be made clear is that the Brantford Council doesn't have the authority to just stop issuing building permits. Of course they could try but the City will just end up being taken to the Ontario Municipal Board where they will be over-ruled and probably face paying all costs as well as likely being sued. The Federal Government doesn't have the authority to halt development either. That power rests with the Ontario Provincial Government and with Premier McGuinty's reluctance to even acknowledge that there is anything going on in Brantford or Caledonia and the fact that Brantford and Brant Count have been named in the provincial "Places to Grow Act", it would seem unlikely that the Ontario Legislature would take this step and rightly so.

And even trying to limit development to certain areas is not without its risks either. The Town of Caledon is trying to steer development away from Bolton for at least the next decade. There are those that support this position as well as those that oppose it including the local Chamber of Commerce and the Coalition of Concerned Residents & Businesses of Bolton saying that "that stifling Bolton's expansion will mean fewer new residents and businesses and lead to the town's slow death" (sound familiar?) . One developer( Solmar Development Corp.) has threated to sue "Caledon, or the mayor or council or Town staff or all of the foregoing parties" for $500 million. Ten times what the Town's liability insurance would cover.

One way to help cut down on urban sprawl is to go with intensification, or achieving growth through greater density in already built-up areas. But as seen with recent articles in the Expositor about concerns with and opposition to redevelopment plans for the former Penman's property and the boarded up buildings across from Alexander Park this is not universally popular either.