Opera House Needs An Entertainment Overhaul

RICHARD KARON'S EXPERIMENTAL ART - A DIVERSE TALENT - NOT JUST A LANDSCAPE PAINTER

WITH THIS LEAD-UP TO THE LAUNCH OF THE RICHARD KARON BIOGRAPHY, I WANTED TO SHARE SOME OF HIS ART IN ADVANCE. THE FOLLOWING ART, TODAY, IS ON-LOAN FOR THIS PROJECT, AS GENEROUSLY PROVIDED BY THE ARTIST'S SON, RICHARD SAHOFF KARON. RICHARD KARON HAD A DISTINCT TALENT FOR STUDIO ART, BEYOND THE LANDSCAPES HE IS BEST KNOWN FOR HERE IN MUSKOKA. BE SURE TO VISIT THIS BLOG SITE AND THE YOUTUBE TRIBUTE VIDEO, ON MONDAY, BEGINNING AT 8:30 P.M., AND CONTINUING FOR SEVERAL WEEKS, WITH CONSECUTIVE BLOGS AND PAINTING EXHIBITS.

MAKE FULL USE THE GRAVENHURST OPERA HOUSE WHILE WE HAVE IT -

NOTHING LASTS FOREVER ACCEPT NATURE

TELL ME IF YOU'VE HEARD THIS STORY BEFORE. MAYBE YOU REMEMBER THIS OF A GREAT AUNT, A STRANGE COUSIN, YOUR LOVING GRANDMOTHER, HOARDING GRANDFATHER, OR PARENT. THIS ISN'T AN UNFAMILIAR STORY. BUT IT REMINDS ME SO POIGNANTLY ABOUT THE WISDOM, CONTAINED IN THOSE FIVE, QUICK TO THE POINT WORDS……"USE IT OR LOSE IT!"

GROWING UP, MY FAMILY WAS TYPICAL OF MILLIONS OF OTHER WORKING STIFFS, LIVING PAYDAY TO PAYDAY. JUST MAKING ENDS MEET BUT NEVER FEELING AS GLUM ABOUT IT, AS WE DO IN OUR STRESSED HOUSEHOLDS TODAY. IT WAS AN ORDINARY LIFE. EXPECTATIONS WERE MODEST, AND AS LONG AS WE HAD A ROOF OVER OUR HEADS, AND FOOD ON THE TABLE, WHAT MORE COULD YOU ASK FOR. THERE WERE YEARS MY DAD HAD TO BUM RIDES TO GET TO WORK, BECAUSE WE COULDN'T GET A BANK LOAN TO BUY EVEN A USED CAR. WE MIGHT HAVE FELT DISADVANTAGED, BUT ALOT OF OUR CLOSE FRIENDS AT THE TIME, WERE IN EITHER A SLIGHTLY BETTER ECONOMIC SITUATION, OR A LITTLE WORSE OFF. FOR THE LIFE OF ME, I JUST CAN'T REMEMBER MERLE OR ED WHINING ABOUT THEIR LOT IN LIFE. WE LIVED WELL FOR POOR FOLKS. THE ONLY PERSON TO HAVE EVER CALLED ME "POOR," WAS A KID WHO LIVED IN A SMALLER APARTMENT THAN OURS, AND AT THE TIME, HE WAS WEARING CLOTHES MY MOTHER GAVE HIS FAMILY.

MERLE DID HAVE A GREAT RESPECT FOR WHAT WE DID OWN. SHE HAD A ROUND COFFEE TABLE, WITH A WOOD VENEER TOP, THAT SHE SHINED EVERY DAY, UNTIL THE AFTERNOON, WHEN THE FURNITURE STORE DELIVERED HER A BETTER ONE. SHE POLISHED THE ROUND TABLE-TOP SO HARD, IT WAS LIKE A WOOD-VENEER MIRROR. THE SURFACE WAS WEARING THIN BECAUSE OF THE CONSTANT WORK-OUT WITH HER SPECIAL POLISHING CLOTH, AND SO MUCH PLEDGE. AS WE HAD FEW POSSESSIONS, THERE WERE ITEMS SHE GUARDED AS FUTURE HEIRLOOMS FOR ME. SHE WANTED TO GIVE CERTAIN SILVER PIECES SHE HAD ACQUIRED FROM HER FAMILY'S ESTATE, THAT SHE WANTED TO GIVE MY FUTURE BRIDE. FOR YEARS AND YEARS I CAN REMEMBER THOSE TIGHTLY WRAPPED SILVER PIECES, STUCK IN THE BACK OF THE CUPBOARD. A FEW TIMES EACH YEAR, LIKE THE CHANGING OF TIME IN THE SPRING AND FALL, SHE WOULD PULL ME OVER TO THE CUPBOARD, OPEN THE DOOR, AND POINT AT THE STASH OF SILVER, AND REMIND ME, "IN CASE I DON'T WAKE UP ONE MORNING, YOU MUST TAKE VERY GOOD CARE OF THESE PIECES. THEY'LL BE VALUABLE ONE DAY."

So every Christmas season, Easter, and Thanksgiving, Merle would somehow make mention of the silver service I would inherit one day, that would look so beautiful on the festive table…..and be worth a lot of money. She would not use them. I may have, on several foolish occasions, asked why she wasn't using the odds and ends of silver on our own table, for special occasions, and she'd react in shock, as if having just then, witnessed the earthly arrival of the Holy Ghost. "I'm saving them for your wife. You'll thank me for this one day."

Suzanne called to me, to come and see something she had found, in the bottom of my parents china cupboard. It was an afternoon that we had dedicated to cleaning out Merle and Ed's Bracebridge apartment, following the death several years ago, of my father following a stroke. My mother had died a year earlier. Suzanne had found the legacy silver, stuffed in behind three rows of odd glasses, Merle had thought were collectible enough, to warrant china cupboard space. In company of some cheap figurines and ornaments, she slipped the tightly wrapped packages out of the cupboard. This wasn't the ceremonial event I had always anticipated. Of all the chances Merle had to "gift" the silver to Suzanne, as she had always planned to do, she had succumbed to dementia before doing so. Ed probably never knew they were in the the china cupboard. These pieces have been moved all over the place. From our tiny residence in the Weber Apartments, on Alice Street, in Bracebridge, in the 1960's, to a cottage on Alport Bay, of Lake Muskoka, to the former McGibbon House, on Manitoba Street, all the way to Parry Sound (my father was a part owner of a lumber company), and back to Bracebridge. From a basement apartment, on Wellington Street, where they lived for a while, my parents carted the silver to the Bass Rock Apartments, where they shifted units after several years, from a one bedroom apartment to another, affording a better view, with an extra bedroom for our boys. Well, the silver didn't travel a million miles, but quite a few. They never had to be rescued from a sunken ship, and they weren't taken by a burglar. And never once since my childhood, were those silver pieces unwrapped by my mother. She had never followed through with her plan to give the silver to my wife. Here I was, a snotty nosed, smelly kid, licking a popsicle after a game of baseball, in 1968, and Merle's telling me about the heirloom silver, she's saving for my future family. So how powerfully strange it was, to sit in that hollowed-out apartment, as Suzanne finally took the wrapping of those few, modest pieces of silver, that had been guarded like the crown jewels, for most of my life.

As antique dealers, the silver plate pieces were of little value, if we had opted to sell them, as many folks do when they inherit things they don't need, or will never use. When Suzanne began wrapping them up again, I made only one request of this partner and mother. "Can we please use these pieces and give my poor mother some peace of mind in the afterlife?" Her intentions were good, but Suzanne and I both said the same thing, almost at once: "Why wouldn't she have used these for herself? She could have still given them away later?" It's hard to know what she was thinking off, as she denied herself for posterity, using items she would have very much enjoyed and celebrated, in order to convince me, that she was looking forward to the day I married the future mother of her grandchildren.

While this may seem like a convoluted, weird approach, to a presentation about the Gravenhurst Opera House, there are some realities that are strikingly similar. While I don't see it as intentional, or deliberate, to save our Opera House for the posterity of another era, another generation, another town council to decide on its use, I find there is a similar reluctance to admit, there is a timely quality to what we possess at this precise moment. At times, the voyeur, can be forgiven, when pondering the use or non-use of the Opera House, for thinking that it has somehow been forgotten at the back of the cupboard……and wouldn't it be nice, one day, to allow it to be used again. As we may also, impose upon the scene, that like heirloom pieces we might inherit, there is considerable rationale, to justify feeling somewhat dissatisfied it hasn't been used as much as it could have been, under better circumstances. One would be quite foolish, to think that this building, regardless of its protectors, will last forever. In the case of the Gravenhurst Opera House, what are its architectural limitations? When might it become too expensive to repair? Will there come a time when the historic venue can't be restored? A time when a future population of our town, will decide it needs a new entertainment venue on that corner, and simply vote for change? Despite heritage designations, some things won't adhere to declarations on filed documents, as well intended as they may be. For the realists, the truth seekers, and the modernists, the Opera House is still a gem on a transitional main street, in the midst of its own drastic and ongoing renewal. But it is an old one, and like, life itself, some of our heritage buildings will simply not survive the test of time. We can not know what a future council, a future population, in our town, will decide, over and above whatever protective designation it has been afforded, whether the Opera House should stay, or be removed for something better. Even as a lover of history, and supporter of efforts to protect heritage architecture, there is an inevitable end, that passion can not restore. And like those tightly wrapped pieces of silver my mother hoarded, for some future posterity, the error of our ways, is to under-appreciate, and under-utilize our heirloom property, that we should be celebrating constantly.

The Gravenhurst Opera House is an old and tired building. Councils in the future, will have a difficult time, selling the taxpayers on the idea, the Opera House is a good ongoing investment. There are those people today, who see it as a money pit. In the future, and we can't seriously guard against this, a new council, and a new generation, may decide that instead of spending millions of dollars refurbishing an old building…..that will still be old when the work is complete, to instead, tear the present building down, and re-build a modern, efficient, low maintenance community centre. With all the bells and whistles. It's being done all the time, all over the world. So don't think it can't happen in Gravenhurst. In fact, if you go back a tad in Opera House history, you'll realize it almost came to this, during the last major renovation, when some members of council found it quite difficult, to justify the restoration expense, on a building that was going to cost taxpayers big-time forever-more. The citizens rallied, Manager Fred Schulz started making some phone calls, got a pretty substantial amount of donation dollars, to cover the restoration, and by golly, thanks to Fred, the town, and a lot of generous businesses and citizens, we've had an open Opera House ever since. I've talked with Fred about this many times, and he's pretty proud of that period of town history. And so he should be. Yet it would be hard to deny, even if I put Fred on the spot, that even after the extensive work he helped pay for, there was always more that could have been done, repairs that should have been completed, and improvements that had to be left-off, because there wasn't enough left over, after the most pressing issues were covered. Today we are faced with the requirement for more repairs, more restoration and ongoing upgrades, and that's going to be expensive for a town already embracing an austerity decade. To replace a roof? Wow!

My point is a basic one. I adamantly support any well thought-out plan, or proposal, that would see our heirloom architecture, on the main street of our pleasantly appointed town, used and enjoyed while it is still in good overall condition. To me it is no different, than under-utilizing something, so as not to wear it out, or cause it to fall into disrepair. Time alone will do that. This is a time in our town's history, that renewal is on everyone's mind, who has an interest in seeing the main street, returned to a the thriving, bustling artery it has always been. Admittedly, as history has its period of transition, prosperity and decline, life and death, we are faced, whether we like it or not, with a difficult period of change. All main streets face this dilemma, at some time or other. For some, the transition and improvements take decades to settle into a new model. Even then, time and prevailing conditions will pronounce change upon us, whether we wish to accept it or not. So as we seem hell-bent of under-utilizing the Opera House, in the midst of all this transition and restoration of main street commerce, it can only be considered a waste of resources, that we have allowed this treasure to mire in relative obscurity in the field of entertainment. It is hard to accept. It is almost impossible to understand, how it could have become this way, under the stewardship of an ever-watchful council…..or at least this is what we are led to believe. And it has not just been the present council, that has watched it quagmire into near irrelevance, as a provincially acclaimed entertainment venue…..of which it was once well known. This has been a seven or eight year dive in potential, that has been duly noted by hundreds of citizens in this town, who remain frustrated and annoyed, we are paying for the survival of this grand venue, with little if any positive return. It is neither a hub of activity, and can not be described as a "going concern." While it may not have lost its attractiveness, its luster as a heritage building in this town, it is no longer the showplace it was, (and could be again).

When I suggested recently, that a citizen's advisory committee, be set up, to act as a liaison between the local population, the town, the Opera House management, and potential entertainment promoters, it is my own belief, that it is also a final foray, to convince our elected officials, to unwrap the heirloom, and let it be used for our benefit….right now. Future considerations are one thing, but the reality we're missing out, is our present chagrin. While I do care that my grandchildren might one day enjoy us taking them to see a children's program at this same Opera House……I don't have grandchildren at present. But I still want reason to go to the Opera House to be entertained. Today. Tomorrow. The next day. Hell, what about a week from now? Two weeks? I guess I must be a fussy son of a gun, because nothing scheduled, in the foreseeable future, is up my alley.

I believe a citizens committee, of entertainment savvy folks, who have known better days at the Opera House, could make a huge difference in the current entertainment program that frankly, does not appeal to a majority of people in this community. Take a survey. Please. Town council needs help with this. They are befuddled. It happens. But by golly, it doesn't have to stay this way. There are many qualified folks out there who would love to take a crack at this stalemate in entertainment. So what's standing in the way? The will of our elected officials! It's as simple as that! As council has benefitted from citizen advisory groups in the past, and at present, in a variety of support roles, an entertainment / Opera House advisory committee, isn't a great imposition to create. It's the benefits that we may profit from, that may change our fortune here……now, and in the future. It's not an expense thing! It's a wisdom thing!

My recommendation to establish such an advisory committee, is not an attempt to raise some sort of political coup d'tat at the Opera House, or a bid to replace a single soul in the network of management, right to the core of town hall. It is to work with the present management to provide some added measure of insight, and responsiveness, to bridge a widening gap in this community…..of what we own, and how it is utilized for, at the very least, our enjoyment. The Barge is a perfect example, of a venue that has been spared, for a little longer, to provide entertainment to the masses. The crowds that attend are substantial. People are not just attending from Gravenhurst. They are coming from our neighbor communities, including the Orillia area. Each concert brings some prosperity to vicinity businesses, who sell patrons what they need for the evening, whether it is sun shade lotion, lawnchairs, or the picnic lunch to go into the new cooler that just may have been purchased locally. Keeping the tradition of The Barge alive, is very much a business investment, as much as it is an entertainment victory……at least for the many hundreds who line that beautiful shoreline of our Gull Lake Park. One only needs to think, or recall, for a few moments, the legacy of the Opera House, to appreciate the same potentials have been reached, and handsomely surpassed, at this main street entertainment venue, known throughout Ontario. What happened? The will of council to accept status quo. This didn't happen with The Barge, because of more fervent participation by its friends, to demand improvements, and maintenance of a town tradition. And shazam, the will of Council to follow through, on their rightful stewardship of a town resource, came thundering along like a long-given-up-on cavalry.

A Town appointed advisory committee, to assist re-institution of entertainment variety, we once knew of the Opera House, does not, by its nature, have to be intrusive or abrasive, powerful or power-seeking, to provide an effective liaison for all parties involved. The idea of this committee, which could be reconstituted a variety of ways, to meet council protocols, is to work with the town, and in co-operation with the Opera House management, to bring the desires of the community to the forefront of ongoing operation. If it is seen as intrusive, and leverage to overthrow respective management, then it is being viewed from a precarious bias to begin with. As the founder of this little idea, I will not have it misconstrued, that there is any attempt on my part, to change what presently exists as the governing chain of command. What I would like to hear, is that these same overseers, would welcome the observations and suggestions of an advisory committee, that has as its mandate, improving what most councillors, and most citizens at present, agree, is in need of reclamation. It may also be perceived by some, as an attempt by the writer-in-residence, to take over the town as its savior, because all I apparently can offer is stark realism, and doomsaying diatribes, about what could happen…..but maybe never will. Of all things that I might be, and I've been afforded a wide variety of unpleasant parallels, I am not an armchair critic. Those who know me, appreciate I will defend with great enthusiasm, anything that I might suggest is good for someone else. I have always taken my own medicine, and received my "just desert." If ever there was a time, that I would be sought out, to discuss these suggestions, and proposed solutions to perceived problems, I would be delighted to participate. I can not expect to qualify my critiques, without standing the stress tests, of debate and trial-application. I shall look a foolish man, indeed, if crowds are half what I have boasted, for this summer's Concerts on the Barge. I will be in my favorite hillside alcove, directly across from The Barge, counting the Sunday evening patrons. If the numbers aren't as good as they should be, I will ask Mr. Schulz, if he'd mind, if I donated my time and writing skills, to help drum up some more business. I don't promote what I can't defend.

If the town doesn't like my idea for a citizen's committee, well, maybe they could find something parallel that is more palatable to their governance model. None the less, as I began this column with a little family tome, I shall end with the same sage advice……"Use it, or lose it!"

THE COMMUNITY NEEDS TO FIND WAYS OF ENTERTAINING ITSELF

There's a long way to go on this issue, of bringing the Opera House back to its former self, but one of my strongest recommendations, is for community groups, service clubs, fraternal organizations, church committees, local schools etc., to come up with ideas for the main stage in this fascinating building. I realize the limitations, with the austerity budget the town has just passed, that there isn't a lot of money left, to spend on the "Rolling Stones" or "The Who." But you know, the history of the Opera House, is very deeply rooted in homegrown talent, and the many variety shows, theatrical performances and musical events, that have showcased our citizens in widely varied rolls. It is even documented in a specially prepared book. This historic venue should be used by the High School, for their Pure Gold event, every year. It's how my boys got their start in the entertainment business themselves. Now they've gone on to host music events at the Opera House, usually twice each year, to benefit the local Food Bank, operated by the Salvation Army. There are many other groups, me thinks, that would like to use the Opera House, for their play, or musicale but can not afford the rental fee and associated costs. This is an issue that does need to be addressed, because it is wrong. Holding to these higher rental costs, is chasing business away. My question is, well, what are we getting as a consolation prize? Not much! Generally nothing comes back to us, except criticism that our Opera House is unaffordable! We are losing business as a result, and the BIA is short-changed activity, along the main business corridor of our town. A building that should be used and enjoyed, and a showcase for our community, is limited from use because of a general unwillingness, to look at what happens when you over-price something. When it's done in free enterprise, it closes a business. When its done by government, it's policy, and profit has nothing to do with it!

When the building sits idle, we are paying for it. If the building is being used, we still pay for it, but not as much. I can't imagine the citizens of this town, agreeing that free enterprise, and a lease arrangement, is the best way to go, to put the Opera House back in full service. Maybe it's the only way. I still think it's worth a shot, first, to put the community back in the driver's seat, to see if it can make a difference. What's the down side of a little experiment? It can't be any worse than watching a building get older, and having few reasons to venture inside.

I will return. Thanks for visiting this blog site.

New Theatre Project, How About Opera House

RICHARD KARON BIOGRAPHY AND TRIBUTE VIDEO ON SCHEDULE FOR THIS COMING MONDAY, ON THIS SITE

I WANTED TO SHARE AN IMAGE OF A KARON PAINTING WITH YOU, AS A PREAMBLE TO THE UPCOMING BIOGRAPHY. IT IS A PHOTOGRAPH OF A PAINTING OWNED BY JOYCE MEDLEY, OF BRACEBRIDGE, WHO, WITH HER HUSBAND, HAD PURCHASED THE ORIGINAL ART PANEL MORE THAN FORTY YEARS AGO, ON AN OCCASION WHEN RICHARD KARON WAS SELLING HIS WORK, FROM A BOOTH HE HAD SET UP, AT THE BRACEBRIDGE HOME SHOW, HELD AT THE MEMORIAL COMMUNITY CENTRE, ON JAMES STREET. MRS. MEDLEY EXPLAINED TO ME THAT MR. KARON HAD INDICATED, AT THE TIME, THE PAINTING WAS OF A SMALL LAKE NEAR HIS HOME / STUDIO, NEAR BAYSVILLE. THE WORK WAS DONE WITH A PALETTE KNIFE. MRS. MEDLEY WAS KIND ENOUGH TO HAVE HER PAINTING PHOTOGRAPHED, SO THAT I COULD HAVE AN IMAGE TO INCLUDE WITH THE BIOGRAPHY. THANK YOU SO MUCH. IT IS A WONDERFUL DEPICTION OF THE SCENERY IN THE TOWNSHIP OF LAKE OF BAYS.

MUSKOKA THEATRE PROJECT OFFERS A BREATH OF RENEWAL -

THERE NEEDS TO BE A LIAISON COMMITTEE BETWEEN POTENTIAL FACILITY USERS, THE VENUE, AND THE TOWN

CONSIDER THIS WISHFUL THINKING, AND ENTIRELY "OUT OF ORDER" AND ALTOGETHER NERVY TO SUGGEST THIS, BUT I WOULD LOVE TO THINK, THE NEW MUSKOKA THEATRE PROJECT PROMOTERS, WILL CONSIDER THE GRAVENHURST OPERA HOUSE, AS A POSSIBLE VENUE IN THE FUTURE. I WASN'T ABLE TO ATTEND THEIR MEETING THIS EVENING (WEDNESDAY), SO I'M JUMPING THE GUN HERE BY A COUNTRY MILE…..INFUSING AN OPINION THAT MIGHT NOT BE APPRECIATED. ACCEPT MY APOLOGIES IN ADVANCE FOR BUDDING-IN. IT'S JUST THE WAY I AM. A PAIN IN THE ARSE. BUT AN ENTHUSIASTIC PAIN IN THE ARSE!

I WAS CERTAINLY PLEASED TO READ ABOUT THE EXCITING NEW MUSKOKA THEATRE PROJECT, ANNOUNCED THIS WEEK IN THE GRAVENHURST BANNER. I'VE KNOWN ABOUT IT FOR SOME TIME, BUT ONLY A FEW DETAILS, REGARDING ITS FUTURE DEPTH AND BREADTH OF OPERATION.

SEVERAL MONTHS AGO, ONE OF THE PROJECT'S ORGANIZERS, VINCE GRITTANI, WHO I HAVE WORKED WITH AT PREVIOUS PUBLICATIONS, EMAILED ME REGARDING A BLOG I'D WRITTEN EARLIER, ABOUT THEATRE RENEWAL AT THE GRAVENHURST OPERA HOUSE. I WAS TOLD ABOUT AN UPCOMING MEETING, AND I DON'T THINK, AT THE TIME, I SENT BACK A NOTE OF CONGRATULATIONS, TO THIS HARD-WORKING, RESILIANT THEATRE GUY. HE IS WELL KNOWN FOR HIS "COTTAGE GUY," CARTOON, CARRIED BY REGIONAL PUBLICATIONS.

I DON'T HAVE A LONG OR SUCCESSFUL TENURE IN THE THEATRE BUSINESS. MINE WAS A VERY SHORT-LIVED GIG. I SERVED BRIEFLY ON THE LAST BOARD OF THE MUSKOKA FESTIVAL, AND FOR MANY YEARS I REVIEWED THEIR PLAYS FOR THE HERALD-GAZETTE AND THE MUSKOKA SUN. IT WAS THE CONTINUATION OF A WONDERFUL THEATRE HISTORY IN THIS COMMUNITY, BUT ONE THAT ENDED BADLY WITH MONEY OWING, AND NO SHOWS TO MAKE UP THE DIFFERENCE. AND UNFORTUNATELY, THIS IS WHAT MANY PEOPLE HERE AND IN THE LOCAL ENTERTAINMENT COMMUNITY, WILL REMEMBER OF THE FINAL YEARS OF WHAT HAD BEEN A GRAVENHURST TRADITION. I WAS SORRY TO SEE IT ALL END. SO WAS EVERYONE ON THAT FINAL COMMITTEE. I HAD BEEN IN CHARGE OF ARCHIVES MATERIAL AND PUBLIC RELATIONS. BY THIS TIME, THE ONLY PUBLIC RELATIONS MESSAGE TO RELAY, WAS "SORRY FOLKS, SHOW'S OVER."

MARY GAIR IS THE PRESIDENT OF THE MUSKOKA THEATRE PROJECT, ACCORDING TO THE APRIL 11TH, BANNER ARTICLE, WITH GRITTANI, THE WRITER, AS THE ACCOMPLISHED SIDE-KICK, BOTH BRINGING A WEALTH OF EXPERIENCE TO THE FLEDGLING THEATRE PROJECT. I ADMIRE THEIR FORTITUDE AND I CERTAINLY RESPECT AND VALIDATE THEIR PLAN. THEY ARE MEETING WITH INTERESTED MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC, AT GRAVENHURST'S MARRIOTT RESIDENCE INN, THIS EVENING, APRIL 11TH. I REALLY HOPE THEY DO HAVE A GOOD TURN-OUT, AND THEY FIND THE SUCCESS THEY'RE LOOKING FOR IN OUR TOWN, AND FROM MUSKOKA GENERALLY.

I have simply taken on too many writing projects this spring, to join anything more than a league of my own. Now in the final stages of the Richard Karon biography, which will begin on Monday, at approx. 8:30 p.m., on this blogsite, I will almost immediately be back working on a proper "Karon" online site, for completion by the end of June. Then I've got an antique business to operate. So as much as I would like to belong to a theatre group, such as this, I'll just stand-back and let the real movers and shakers take this to the main stage. Hopefully at the Opera House. But I have a little advice I'd like very much to share with all sides…..that may come together to advance this interesting project.

I have a very strong opinion, in this regard, that approaching Gravenhurst Town Council with this idea, needs a theatre-supportive liaison committee, that I have suggested several times before. The problem with taking this Theatre Project template to the town, is that it could be deferred to either the Opera House manager, or to the committee level of the respective town department. It will not have the advantage of having an "in-the-know" group, independent of the Theatre Project, that can work more closely with the municipality's committee, and management, responsible for the Opera House, to pave the way, to the eventual close scrutiny by members of council. Here's what I mean.

We have heard many rumors and innuendos over the years, about many significant projects and ideas that have been sunk long before they made it to council's agenda. Interesting new ideas with sound management, and considerable expertise attached, that were unceremoniously and possibly unfairly deemed unworthy of closer examination, without anything more than cursory investigation. This is hearsay, as far as I'm concerned, but I have heard this on numerous occasions none the less. These folks feel obstacles have been unfairly put in their way, by an unenthused committee. There has been a lot of frustration getting past the committee level, to have council give it an honest, thorough examination. Part of this comes from the fact, the committees responsible, were simply not prepared for the projects, the expected timeline, and the extensive nature of the programs proposed. There are two sides to the story, and I've only heard one. So in fairness, we have to look at a new theatre project, as kind of a litmus test……if they indeed are planning, at some point, to seek assistance from local council, or consider use of the Opera House as a suitable venue.

My idea of a liaison committee is simple. A group of three to five theatre-entertainment supportive citizens, none with a conflict of interest, who would volunteer as a liaison group, to help promote use of the Opera House by organizations such as the Muskoka Theatre Project, to name one. It would be the committee's responsibility to meet, and even recruit entertainment companies etc., with the Opera House as a favored venue, and work between the theatre company, for example, and the town council, to broker deals for shows, and longer term productions. It is necessary, in my opinion, to have a group of citizens who are clearly familiar with the council process, and fully knowledgeable about policies, funding requests, rent discounts, legal requirements, and a trillion other council nuances, to properly prepare council for submissions, and to simplify the application processes. A group that has as its mission statement, to promote and increase use of the Opera House, and understands how this can be achieved. Council and the committee / department of this town, sorry for being blunt, needs a vetting group to discern a good idea from one that won't fly, for any number of reasons. While I have no place, or solid footing on this matter, to tell the promoters of the Muskoka Theatre Project, council won't be receptive to their plan, it is one of those proposals that brings up memories of the unfortunate final days of Muskoka Festival. Not the amazing days of the summer theatre, and its positive impact on the local economy. I remember the good days, and the many full houses to see some talented performers making use of that beautiful stage, in a wonderfully historic Opera House building. I remember the contributions of Michael Ayoub and Michael Cole, and they both should be recognized for putting our Opera House on the map, for thousands upon thousands of eager theatre goers. But can we expect council to re-live all those grand days, at the time they have to make a decision to welcome another theatre company to the main stage. Maybe the group won't even approach the town. But if it did! There needs to be a committee to shoulder some of the administrative burden, and help the Theatre Project navigate the often confusing pathway from outside to inside. It's a group that can negotiate with the theatre group, so that when a presentation is made, it has been pared to what council or the committee responsible, needs for a proper application.

This is a good opportunity that could inspire many more interesting developments, for more intense, frequent use of the Opera House. Entertainment in the future should not fall entirely on the discretion and taste of town staff, because it hasn't been working for some time now. No one at town hall, it seems, wants to make this public. As we are stake holders in the presently under-used Opera House, the citizens of this community have every right to demand change. That doesn't mean the Muskoka Theatre Project is a perfect new project, but it's something we should be able to look at more closely, without it being deemed unworthy, off the cuff, by folks who may not have an interest in long bookings with theatre companies. We need an independent and informal citizen's group, with no fiscal attachments to the town or entertainment proposals, that can weigh the benefits and scrutinize the details of specific arrangements, to provide council with a fair review and recommendation of each. There could even be an opportunity for some negotiation, which the committee might also be able to facilitate. The idea is to have this group positioned, in theory, between management of the Opera House and both the respective, governing town department, the committee responsible, and actual Town Council, that will act as the vetting body, to then liaison and facilitate with town officials. This can and should prevent good and workable projects from getting dismissed prematurely, because of personal choices made by paid staff, who may not share the interests of the community at large, when it comes to what we would like to have, as entertainment at the theatre we own. I think getting eager, entertainment-starved volunteers, to serve on this type of committee, would be quite easy for a town truly interested in making improvements to this central venue. I can't imagine the BIA being adverse whatsoever, to increased use of the Opera House. It's in their front yard after all. I remember all the big crowds that used to arrive early for summer theatre, and who very much enjoyed dining out, before and after these events. There's a future to all this, but it needs a helping hand. A volunteer committee is a good way to start those wheels in motion.

A committee can also help create an entertainment plan, and make suggestions about groups and performers who should be approached, to do shows in the future. The committee wouldn't eclipse the work of the manager, or the respective committee in charge, and should not be seen as a threat to day to day Opera House operation, or its chain of command. An appointed citizen committee, is exactly what the Opera House needs in the future, and the town should be willing to listen to advice, from those who know how to change an under-used main street, BIA zone venue, into the showcase it is supposed to be…..and has been for many years in the past.

I'm being presumptuous with the Muskoka Theatre Project. Maybe they feel differently about the Opera House for their plays. But you know, I really feel bad that we have forgotten what Michael Cole and Michael Ayoub did for us, for so many years, without ever getting the credit they deserved. Muskoka Festival had an international acclaim, and I had the great fortune, to have attended many of those shows, as their guest, and never once, even with sharpened pencil and a critic's privilege, did I feel compelled to give them a harsh or negative review. They were doing something good for the town. I loved the opportunity to meet the many talented performers, who landed on that storied stage, and I still remember their amazing gala fundraiser…….for me it was the one with the hilarious skit, featuring local notables, Richard Corcelli, as Felix, and Jack Puntis, as Oscar, from the television show, movie, "The Odd Couple." It was memorable, and what the Opera House deserves on its stage, whether it is local acts and community theatre, or multi-date shows by large scale production companies, knowing the true potential of our historic venue. The place should be used constantly. We're paying dearly to keep it operational. We need to go the extra mile, and get good and crowd pleasing acts on that stage. There are people who can pull this off. Why not see who's interested in starting a new entertainment legacy for the Opera House?

The town has to be prepared to do its part, to make this happen. It's up to them to lead the way on this, as these words are just "non-binding observations," floating in cyberspace.

JUST A LITTLE OBSERVATION ABOUT OUR MAIN STREET, WHO SHOULD BE THERE, TRANSITIONS, LANDLORD PRIVILEGES, AND IS IT SAFE?

THERE ARE CRITICS AMONGST US, WHO LOOK AT URBAN TRANSITIONS, AS NEVER BEING FAST OR PROFOUND ENOUGH, TO SATISFY THEIR INNER YEARNINGS FOR SUCCESS AS THEY SEE IT. IT'S AS IF A MAIN STREET, IN A DIFFICULT FINANCIAL PERIOD, CAN ALL OF A SUDDEN CHANGE, AND BECOME EVERYTHING TO EVERYONE AT THE SAME TIME. WITH THE SNAP OF FINGERS, ALL THE TRANSFORMATIONS AND REDEVELOPMENTS WILL OCCUR, AND THERE WON'T BE A SINGLE DEFICIENCY IN THE PLAN, OR AN "UNDESIRABLE" WALKING THE NEIGHBORHOOD. IT WILL BE PLEASANTVILLE. OR HOW ABOUT OZ? WHERE THE STREETS ARE PAVED WITH GOLD, AND NO ONE EVER GROWS OLD. THERE ARE PLANS IN THE MINDS OF SOME, WHO WOULD TRANSPLANT "UTOPIA," ON TOP OF WHAT CAN ONLY BE SEEN, AT PRESENT, AS AN UNPROFITABLE WASTE OF SPACE. I AM NOT ONE TO STIFLE ANYONE'S RIGHT TO AN OPINION, AND I DON'T EXPECT, WHEN I WRITE THESE BLOGS, TO FORM A CULT OF CURRIE-BELIEVERS, TO TAKE OVER TOWN HALL. I'M NOT A ROLE MODEL FOR MY KIDS OR FOR ANY ONE ELSE. AS WOODY ALLEN ONCE SAID, "I WOULDN'T BELONG TO ANY CLUB THAT WOULD HAVE A GUY LIKE ME FOR A MEMBER." I'M JUST A SNARLY OLD FORMER EDITOR, WHO HAS A FEW INSIGHTS, NOW AND AGAIN, ABOUT LOCAL POLITICS, AND THE BUSINESS AS USUAL STUFF, FROM TOWN HALL, THAT I DON'T LIKE. I LIKE LOTS OF STUFF. I'LL TELL YOU ABOUT IT WHEN I FIND IT!

NOW FOLKS, I DON'T RUN A PHOTOGRAPH OF MYSELF WITH THIS BLOG FOR ONE GOOD REASON. I LOOK LIKE I SHOULD BE ON A WANTED POSTER. I'M A SORT OF CHARLES MANSON (NOT MARILYN MANSON) LOOK-A-LIKE, ON A GOOD HAIR DAY. SOMEONE MIGHT, ON INITIAL APPEARANCES, THINK I WAS A BIKER, A TERRORIST, A RELIGIOUS SECT LEADER, A SVENGALI OF SOME ACCLAIM, OR JUST SOMEONE YOU DON'T WANT MILLING-ABOUT UPTOWN. THERE ARE SOME CRITICS, AND ASSORTED URBAN SOOTHSAYERS, WHO MIGHT POLITELY ASK ME TO SHOP SOMEWHERE ELSE, AS I MIGHT BE A RISK TO THE APPROPRIATELY GROOMED, AND WELL MANNERED INDIVIDUALS, WELCOME UPTOWN. I'VE GOT TO TELL YOU FOLKS, THERE ARE TIMES WHEN I TRULY WONDER WHAT PLANET I'M ON, WHEN I READ AND HEAR THE KIND OF INFLAMMATORY STATEMENTS THAT ARE MAKING THE ROUNDS OF OUR TOWN. I JUST READ THE STUFF, HIT MY HANDS TO THE OLD FOREHEAD, AND RESOLVE TO NEVER, EVER ALLOW MYSELF SUCH LIBERTY AND INSENSITIVITY WITH MY OWN BLOG.

BUT HERE'S SOMETHING OVER AND ABOVE WHAT SOME CRITICS MAY ARGUE, ABOUT THE PRESENT SAFETY OF OUR STREETS. WITH OUR BOYS HAVING MANY LATE NIGHTS, WITH LESSONS AT THEIR MAIN STREET SHOP, AND THEIR INVOLVEMENT WITH LOCAL ENTERTAINMENT VENUES, I AM OFF TO PICK THEM UP WELL AFTER MIDNIGHT ON MANY OCCASIONS. THINKING BACK NOW ON THE LAST TEN TIMES I'VE MADE THE POST MIDNIGHT JOURNEY, TO THESE VENUES, I HAVE BEEN STOPPED ON TWO OCCASIONS BY THE ONTARIO PROVINCIAL POLICE. ON ABOUT SIX OF TEN TRIPS, NOT INCLUDING THE TIMES I WAS STOPPED, I HAVE WITNESSED CRUISERS IN AND AROUND THE MAIN STREET. THE FIRST TIME I WAS PULLED OVER, WAS WHEN AN OFFICER, AND RIGHTLY SO, ASSESSED THAT WE WERE DRIVING THE LONG WAY HOME. IT WAS TRUE. I OFTEN DO THIS BECAUSE VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE. WHAT THE OFFICER KNEW, BY CHECKING THE PLATE, WAS THAT THE OWNER OF THE VEHICLE BEING PURSUED, BELONGED TO A CHAP ON SEGWUN BOULEVARD. I JUST TOOK OUR BOYS THE LONG WAY AROUND, BUT AT THAT TIME OF NIGHT, AND HAVING TO DEAL WITH MANY BREAK AND ENTERS IN THESE SAME NEIGHBORHOODS, THE OFFICER HAD EVERY RIGHT TO STOP AND QUESTION ME. IN FACT, AFTER I'D BEEN CLEARED OF WRONG-DOING, I THANKED THE OFFICER FOR BEING SO THOROUGH AND ATTENTIVE, AS WE HAVE HAD TWO ATTEMPTED BREAK-INS IN THE PAST YEAR. I FELT VERY GOOD ABOUT BEING POLICED IN THIS FASHION.

ON THE SECOND OCCASION, I HAD JUST PULLED INTO A PARKING SPOT, IN FRONT OF OUR BOYS' STORE, ON THE MAIN STREET. IT WAS WELL AFTER MIDNIGHT, BUT THERE WERE A LOT OF PEOPLE WANDERING THE STREETS FOR WHATEVER REASON. ANDREW AND ROBERT HAD JUST ENTERED THE STORE, TO RETURN SOME RENTAL EQUIPMENT WE HAD IN THE VAN, AND A CRUISER PULLED UP BESIDE ME, AND ASKED IF THERE WAS ANY PROBLEM. I EXPLAINED WHY I WAS THERE, AND HE BID ME A GOOD NIGHT. SEVERAL YEARS AGO THE STORE HAD BEEN BROKEN-INTO, AND THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN INSTRUMENTS AND EQUIPMENT HAD BEEN STOLEN. SO I WAS DELIGHTED TO SEE AND EXPERIENCE THE POLICE PRESENCE, MAKING OR TOWN SAFER OVERALL. THEIR PRESENCE IS A DETERRENT. AND THEY HAVE BEEN VERY VISIBLE IN AND AROUND MUSKOKA ROAD, AND OTHER COMMERCIAL NODES, AND THIS SHOULD BE RE-ASSURING NEWS. BY THE WAY, THANKS TO THE OPP, AND THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM, THE CRIME AT OUR SHOP WAS SOLVED, AND OUR EQUIPMENT RETURNED. DAMAGE COSTS AND THE PRICE OF SEVERAL ITEMS THAT WEREN'T RECOVERED, WERE PAID BACK TO US OVER ABOUT TWO YEARS. WHEN WE HAVE NEEDED THE OPP, THEY HAVE BEEN QUICK TO RESPOND, INCLUDING TO AN ACCIDENT A YEAR OR SO AGO, AT THE END OF OUR STREET. THERE WILL ALWAYS BE THOSE WHO FEEL THE POLICE COVERAGE IS LESS THAN ADEQUATE, BUT I CAN TELL YOU FROM MANY LATE NIGHT DRIVES THROUGH THIS TOWN, THE POLICE PRESENCE IS CONSISTENT, AND IN THE PLACES THAT ARE MOST VULNERABLE FOR BREAK-INS. THEY PROBABLY DON'T GET COMPLIMENTS LIKE THIS VERY OFTEN. FACT IS, I DON'T FEEL INSULTED OR THAT MY CIVIL LIBERTIES HAVE BEEN VIOLATED, WHEN I AM STOPPED. THEY'RE ARE DOING THE JOB WE HAVE ASKED THEM TO DO. AND DOING IT WELL. AT LEAST THAT'S MY OPINION.

NOW AS TO WHETHER A GUY WITH A MUG LIKE MINE, MIGHT BE CONSIDERED OF THE "UNSAFE" CATEGORY OF HUMAN-KIND, BY SOME OVERSEERS OF THIS UTOPIA, I DON'T KNOW. I THINK IT WOULD BE A CLOSE CALL. IT'S THIS BADLY MANGLED NOSE, I GOT FROM A HUNDRED HOCKEY INCIDENTS, THAT GIVES ME MY UNSAVORY APPEARANCE.

THANKS FOR JOINING TODAY'S BLOG. PLEASE JOIN ME AGAIN SOON. AND PLEASE STAY WITH THIS BLOG FOR THE UPCOMING RICHARD KARON BIOGRAPHY, AND THE ACCOMPANYING TRIBUTE VIDEO, CREATED IN HIS MEMORY. THE FILM WAS DONE BY SON ROBERT AND THE MUSIC WAS PROVIDED BY GRAVENHURST SINGER, DANI O'CONNOR, WITH ROBERT CURRIE ON THE GUITAR. THIS IS A GOOD MUSKOKA STORY, AND IT WAS WRITTEN AND PRODUCED RIGHT HERE IN GRAVENHURST. IT WILL BE ON THIS BLOGSITE ON MONDAY EVENING AT APPROXIMATELY 8:30 P.M., AND WILL CONTINUE FOR A NUMBER OF WEEKS.

What About The Youth of Gravenhurst

THE HOLLOWING-OUT OF A COMMUNITY - HAVE WE FORGOTTEN OUR YOUTH?

LOSING A SCHOOL? WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR THE FUTURE?

YOU WILL FIND RESIDENTS OF OUR SUNNY LITTLE BURG TODAY, WHO HAVEN'T GOT A CLUE THAT OUR HIGH SCHOOL, HERE IN GRAVENHURST, IS LOOKING AT A BLEAK FUTURE. NOT BECAUSE STUDENTS DON'T WANT TO GO THERE. JUST NOT ENOUGH TO MAKE IT VIABLE IN THE DISTANT FUTURE, FOR THE TRILLIUM LAKELANDS BOARD OF EDUCATION. IT'S NOT THE FAULT OF THE SCHOOL BOARD. IT'S A PROVINCIAL STANDARD FOR BOARDS OF EDUCATION, AND THE SUBSIDY THAT HAS BEEN GIVEN TO UNDER-ENROLLED, UNDER-UTILIZED SCHOOLS, IS BEING SUSPENDED IN THE NEW YEAR, IF THE NEW BUDGET PASSES. IT'S ALL VERY MATTER OF FACT, BUT IT'S ONE OF THOSE REALITIES THAT CAN'T BE SHIFTED EASILY BY BLEEDING TESTIMONIALS AND LONG-WINDED DIATRIBES, ABOUT THE WAY WE WERE. THIS IS A MODERN DAY DILEMMA THAT IS GOING TO TAKE A MODERN DAY SOLUTION.

UNFORTUNATE AS IT MAY BE, I HAVE A FEELING THIS ISSUE COULD BECOME A CATALYST IN OTHER WAYS, TO MOTIVATE CITIZENS TO TAKE BACK THEIR COMMUNITY. THERE HAS BEEN A TREMENDOUS RELIANCE ON TOWN COUNCIL TO LEAD THE WAY. NOT TAKING THE INITIATIVE OURSELVES, HAS LEFT US "FENCE-SITTING" WHILE HISTORY IS BEING MADE BY OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS. AT TIMES IT SEEMS WE'VE SURRENDERED OUR OWN SENSE OF COMMUNITY, TO LET SOMEONE ELSE DEFINE IT FOR AWHILE. TOWN HALL DOES NOT DEFINE GRAVENHURST FOR ME. AND IT SHOULDN'T FOR YOU. BUT THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT HAS HAPPENED, PARTICULARLY IN THE PAST FIVE YEARS. WHEN THEY WAFFLE, AND GET MUDDLED ABOUT WHAT WE NEED, IT'S AS IF WE GET LOST IN THE SAME QUAGMIRE, FOR LACK OF A CLEAR DIRECTION TO TRAVEL.

THE POTENTIAL CLOSURE OF THE SCHOOL GOES BACK ABOUT A DECADE, WHEN WE FIRST FACED THE ISSUE OF BUSSING OUR STUDENTS TO A NEW SCHOOL IN BRACEBRIDGE. THOSE OF US CLOSE TO THE PROTEST, UNDERSTOOD THAT EVEN WITH THE VICTORY OVER CLOSURE, IT WAS AN ISSUE THAT WOULD RETURN IN THE FUTURE…….AS IT HAS PRESENTLY. MANY CITIZENS ARE UNAWARE JUST HOW CLOSE THE SCHOOL NUMBERS ARE, TO THE LINE, WHEN THE ENROLLMENT PERCENTAGE "FLAGS-US" AS "FUNDAMENTALLY UNDER-UTILIZED!" FRANKLY, THIS IS WHY TOWN COUNCIL SHOULD HAVE BEEN ON TOP OF THIS A LONG TIME AGO, AND IT'S NOT LIKE WE DIDN'T HAVE A PRECEDENT IN HAND. WHEN WE WERE GIVEN AN OPTION OF A SCHOOL AMALGAMATION, PARENTS WENT NUTS, AND WE WERE ABLE TO FILL MEETING HALLS IN PROTEST. NOTHING CHANGED WITH OUR VICTORY, OTHER THAN WE GOT A REPRIEVE. THIS IS HOW IT WAS UNDERSTOOD BY MOST OF US…..AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN BY TOWN HALL. THIS WAS NEVER A MINOR ISSUE. WHY HAS IT BEEN TAKEN AS SUCH, FOR SO LONG THAT IT DIDN'T WARRANT A LITTLE INVESTIGATION? YOU COULD PICK UP MOST OF THIS DISHARMONY ON THE STREET. STUDENTS HAVING FEWER AND FEWER OPTIONS FOR COURSES OF STUDY, BECAUSE OF THE SHRINKING ENROLLMENT. PARENTS ARE TALKING ABOUT IT, AND SOME ARE CONSIDERING SENDING THEIR KIDS TO BRACEBRIDGE INSTEAD. IF OUR BOYS WERE ABOUT TO START HIGH SCHOOL, WE'D HAVE THE SAME TOUGH DECISION TO MAKE, AND I'M JUST NOT SURE I COULD DENY THEM THE OPTIONS THEY DESERVE, ATTENDING A BIGGER, NEWER SCHOOL WITH MANY EXTRAS. ALTHOUGH I'M A STAUNCH HOMETOWNER, AND DEFENDER OF OUR SCHOOLS, WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO A DISTANCE OF TWENTY MILES OF TRAVEL, EACH DAY, WELL, I COULDN'T TELL A PARENT TODAY, UNDER THE PRESENT CIRCUMSTANCES, THAT IT WOULD BE WRONG TO SEND THEIR KIDS ELSEWHERE. THIS IS THE HORNS OF THE DILEMMA. PARENTS ARE THINKING ABOUT THIS RIGHT NOW, AND I'M AFRAID WE CAN'T COMPETE. WE HAVE A TIRED OLD BUILDING THAT NEEDS AN OVERHAUL. WE DON'T HAVE THE STUDENT NUMBERS TO WARRANT IT.

WHEN WE MOVED TO SEGWUN BOULEVARD, IN GRAVENHURST, IN THE FALL OF 1989, THE WEREN'T MANY KIDS ON THIS STREET. OR ON THIS BLOCK. CERTAINLY NOT AS MANY AS WE HAD HOPED FOR, TO PLAY WITH OUR LADS, ANDREW AND ROBERT. WITH SOME EXCEPTIONS AND A FEW FAMILIES THAT LIVED IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD TEMPORARILY, IT HAS BEEN MOSTLY A BALLYWICK OF OLDER RESIDENTS, WITH GROWN-UP KIDS AND GRANDCHILDREN VISITING OCCASIONALLY. I CONTINUE TO BE MESMERIZED BY THE SHRILL CALL OF THE LOON, THE ENCHANTING SOUND OF WIND RUSHING THROUGH THE TALL PINES, AND THE BIRD CALLS IN THE LOWLAND HERE, WE CALL THE BOG. BUT THERE IS NOTHING SO LIFE-ENHANCING, AND JOYFUL IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD NOW, THAN THE SOUND OF CHILDREN PLAYING. WHAT A PLEASANT TIME TO BE ON THIS BLOCK OF URBAN-RESIDENTIAL HOMESTEADS, AND SEE YOUNGSTERS AT THE SCHOOL BUS STOP AT THE CORNER. HOW UPLIFTING IT IS TO HEAR OUR YOUTH RUNNING UP THE STREET, CYCLING WITH CHUMS, AND ROLLING THEIR SKATEBOARDS UP AND DOWN THE SMALL RISE OF ROADWAY, ADJACENT TO OUR HOUSE. THE SOUND OF YOUTH IN THE ART OF LIVING-WELL, IS WHAT US OLDTIMERS NEED, TO FEEL INVIGORATED AGAIN. I WISH THESE KIDS HAD BEEN AROUND IN THESE NUMBERS, WHEN ANDREW AND ROBERT WERE GROWING UP. NOW SOME OF THESE KIDS TAKE MUSIC LESSONS FROM BOTH BOYS, AT THEIR GUITAR SHOP IN THE FORMER MUSKOKA THEATRE BUILDING, ACROSS FROM THE OPERA HOUSE. SO I GUESS THEIR PLAY-DATE WAS JUST A LITTLE DELAYED, BECAUSE I CAN TELL YOU, ANDREW AND ROBERT ARE LIVING LIFE-AS-RECREATION, WITH AN ACTIVITY THEY HAVE TRANSPLANTED FROM THEIR OWN CHILDHOOD, INTO A MODERN MAIN STREET BUSINESS. THEY WERE MUSIC FANCIERS EARLY IN THEIR TEENS, AND HAVE BEEN GOING AT IT EVER SINCE. I CAN'T DESCRIBE TO YOU, HOW INCREDIBLY HAPPY SUZANNE AND I ARE TODAY, AS PARENTS, THAT OUR BOYS THOUGHT ENOUGH OF THEIR HOME TOWN, TO INVEST THEIR FUTURES HERE. THEY BOTH SAW POTENTIAL IN GRAVENHURST FROM A YOUNG AGE, AND COULDN'T WAIT TO GRADUATE SCHOOL, IN ORDER TO SET UP THEIR BUSINESS. THEY TURNED DOWN NUMEROUS OPPORTUNITIES TO RENT STORE-FRONTS IN BRACEBRIDGE, WHERE THEY SPENT THE FIRST YEARS OF THEIR YOUNG LIVES. IT DIDN'T TAKE MUCH DISCUSSION, TO KNOW, THEY WERE BOTH GOING TO BE HAPPIER IN GRAVENHURST, CLOSE TO THEIR SCHOOL CHUMS, AND MATES,……FRIENDSHIPS THEY'VE MADE, BEING ON THE PERFORMANCE-END OF THE LOCAL MUSIC SPECTRUM.

On Saturday, the local business community put on an Easter celebration that struck a chord with me……with us generally. While Suzanne had to pitch-in at the boys' shop, because Andrew had to work at the Opera House, I hung around the store-front, watching the large crowd gathering at the parkette, where the White Pine cafe used to sit (before it was destroyed by fire). It was at about eleven on Saturday morning, and I spent about an hour and a half, reading the paper, and watching out as the crowd began getting even more substantial. It was an Easter fete, that brought out families. It was that perfect mixture of parents, grand-parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and yes, lots and lots of kids. I could hear the music and there was no mistaking the liberating sound of laughter and merry-making. If ever there was an inspirational moment, on our main street, it was to see and hear what family fun can do, to color the black and white of day to day business, with the bright shades of youthful exuberance. To see the comings and goings of the young families of this community, was truly uplifting and exciting, in fact, because it is the one serious deficiency we have had for quite a few years now, on our main street corridor. Fewer and fewer reasons to make uptown visits. Take families away from the centre of town, and we all suffer from the lethargy of a failing dynamic. If anything can kill off a downtown, it's a lack of infusion by young families who live here, but shop elsewhere for a variety of reasons…..some obvious, some not so clear. So it was heartening to see so much enthusiasm in the heart of the traditional, historic main street, as it was in the past. What did it all cost? I'll tell you one thing, it was a small amount to pay, "in kind," to restore confidence, we want everyone to come back to the street where it all began.

The one reason we decided to throw our support behind the revamped Gravenhurst Winter Carnival this year, is that we saw how its directorship, and their values, seemed different than the philosophy held by past committees which ran the Muskoka Winter Carnival. As far back as 1972, when the Carnival got its start, the emphasis was on bringing tourists to the area during the winter season. I've researched this extensively, and I think its great failing over the long-term, was that it always seemed to be removed from local citizens. Muskokans were supposed to run the carnival, staff the events, tend the beer venues, and look after the tourists' every need, without feeling particularly welcome themselves. This is how it began, but also one of the reasons it ultimately failed. The locals got fed-up catering to visitors, for the benefit of the business community. This revamped Gravenhurst edition of The Winter Carnival, is local-friendly, and encourages Gravenhurst families, and citizens generally, to be a part of a winter-time fete. It's just as tourist-friendly as ever, but there is a warm hometown essence to it, that shows a responsiveness to the local need for recreational opportunity. It's going to take a few years, and some more trial and error, but the directors are on the right path to imbedding the carnival, as a family oriented celebration, in the midst of a Muskoka winter. When I suggested to Andrew and Robert that they try to come up with a Winter Carnival theme song, it was based on this idea, that hometowners should be building this event…..….first and foremost, for the recreation of the families who give this community its life-force. With the help of singer Dani O'Connor, and Aaron Binder, Ray Parsons, Jon O'Connor, Andrew and Robert Currie, the "Skokie Song" was created, and donated to the Winter Carnival Committee, to help promote the weekend event. The song on YouTube had well over 2,000 hits. Best of all, they had fun preparing the song, and performing it live at the opening ceremonies in the Opera House square. What an electric evening, on a stormy winter night, perfect for introducing a made-in-Muskoka festival with an orange and brown "winter otter." It was good to see so many youngsters and young parents, braving the elements, to support a local initiative.

When I occasionally, and emphatically author blogs about the perils of losing the High School, in the precarious under-enrolled half-decade ahead, it is because of the damage that would be caused, to the true and self-regenerating dimension of community life and times. It would be much as if putting a block of wood tight against a spinning wheel, and leaving it there in perpetuity. While it comes down to a matter of policy for the board of education, relying on statistics and projections to determine the school's fate, and its fiscal realities as an under-utilized school, it seems a weak retort to hit back with a motherhood defense, that our kids should go to school where they live. There is a cycle of life here that requires a free flow, from kindergarten to the outer bounds of the victory lap, where Grade Thirteen used to dwell. I have talked with quite a few young parents, over the years, who do not wish to bus their kids off to Bracebridge. It was the molten core of the argument, a number of years ago, when we almost lost the high school, when a proposal was entertained to build a super school in Bracebridge. We were able to keep our school by the thinnest of margins. Young families came out to the protests, to defend the school, for the sake of their youngsters, who wanted to complete the cycle of education in their home town. And there were those others, who for personal reasons, thought it was a marvelous idea, to have the use of a brand-new school. Today there are numerous families who have sent their kids off to school in Bracebridge and other locations, because of perceived disadvantages of our small, older school. This is their right to do so. At the same time, it is one of the problems contributing to declining enrollment at Gravenhurst High School, which is a problem many school boards around the province must deal with today. It is certainly not just a Gravenhurst conundrum. But it is our burden to carry, and ultimately resolve. This time, it will be much more difficult to argue by emotion, without corroborating fact. Of this we find ourselves at a great disadvantage, and it is difficult to blame the school board for following protocol. I might not like it, but there are a lot of inevitabilities I don't care for, that I'm forced to live with. We simply don't have enough high school age students to fill the building. Only partially filling those classrooms, at this time of austerity measures by the province, leaves us quite vulnerable.

We have spent a lot of tax dollars, over the past twenty years, encouraging retirees to live in our town and region. We have spent very little, trying to encourage young families to move here. As it was council's mandate for many years, to facilitate developers of senior-compatible neighborhoods and retirement facilities, they had little concern about allocating time and resources, to make sure we didn't become too old for our own good. This is exactly what happened. While we have greatly benefitted from the infusion to the economy, from the retirement developments and citizens, without youth in this town, we shall not be able to rebound the way we always have, from the days of those first hand-hewn pine shanties (full of wee bairns) onward. I didn't like it here, when the only shuffle I heard, was from my elderly neighbors, taking out the weekly garbage. Mixed in, should have been the joyful laughter of a toddler, playing with a rubber ball. And forcing the elder statesman to pick it up, and for gosh sakes, throw it back. The cycle. It's what keeps a community vibrant. If our high school is closed, we stand to lose any great and lasting potential of this youthful contribution to our way of life. Our town will be seen as a retirement community generally, and young families will find it infinitely more convenient to move north or south. It will hurt every restaurant, and business that relies on student employment to survive, because they'll find opportunities elsewhere.

It may just appear a little glitch in our future, by the casual observer. Armed with some hardcore stats, and projections however, it will show just how wrong it has been, to have sat for so long, on that fence, wondering what we should do. Having our cycle of education services interrupted in such a fashion, would prove a determent to just about everything we cherish of our home town life. It might be an accounting issue to someone at Queen's Park, but it is a motherhood issue on home turf. This future initiative to save our High School, must be driven by those in elected office, as this depends on legal protocols and solutions, versus the usual emotional arguments that carried more weight before….than we can expect today. It is also, very much a case, that young folks in our town, take an interest in this issue, as it is their future hinging on political will, and government legislation.

Even if it is an issue that comes to fruition in five years time, it does not diminish whatsoever, the necessity today, of developing a strategy to deal with what is imminent if enrollment continues to decline. As I've written about many times in the past six months, it is imperative that our town council, realize the serious consequence to economic development, of a future decision to close the school…..whether two years down the road, or sometime in the next decade. The only hope of saving it, comes from the gumption of our councillors, unwilling to surrender what still characterizes us as a family community. If we want to encourage economic development here, it is a pretty big hole in the plan, when you can't promise the folks attached to a re-locating or new industry, that we have schools for the kids, you plan to bring along. But first we have to determine the will of council. I know a number of councillors have read my previous blogs on this issue, and that there are concerns being raised at town hall, about this potential. I'm glad of this fact. Yet it is still necessary, you see, to know how many of the council membership, supports maintaining our high school, as opposed to those who may be either indifferent, or supportive of the proposal to shift our students to a new school, with many more options and advantages, in another town. I want to think it would be an unanimous vote, to save our high school, but this has yet to be determined. It is not a priority yet, and with the exception of small news clips in the local newspaper, it's also appears a lesser priority for investigative reporting. So there's a chance that we're going to under-weigh the impact of this issue, because it seems too distant and low-key to worry about.

I was the first letter writer, to commence a challenge of the school amalgamation ten years ago. I'm doing it again. Hopefully, it will raise some interest in the right place.

Estimate, if you can, how long it would take, and how difficult the journey, to re-establish a high school in this town, in the future, once ours is officially closed. It's far easier to keep the one we have! Can we though?

Getting The Scoop Before They Knew It Was Gone

IT WASN'T ALL FUN AND GAMES DEALING WITH MUSKOKA POLITICIANS - THERE WAS A LITTLE BIT OF WORK INVOLVED

WE HAD NO CHOICE BUT BE ONE STEP AHEAD, KNOWING ABOUT THE POOP BEFORE THEY HID IT!

I AM NOT A FRONT LINE REPORTER. YOU WON'T FIND ME WEARING A PRESS BADGE IN THE BAND ON MY FEDORA. I CAN'T FLIP-OUT A PRESS BADGE TO GET INTO ENTERTAINMENT VENUES, OR INTO PRESS CONFERENCES WHERE CREDENTIALS ARE REQUIRED. I HAD MY DAY. I ATTENDED MAJOR AND MINOR EVENTS, AND WROTE ABOUT THEM. I WAS WITHIN INCHES OF PRINCESS MARGARET AND HER DAUGHTER, LADY SARAH, ON MANY PHOTO-OPS, WHEN THEY VISITED MUSKOKA. I WAS THE ONLY MEMBER OF THE PRESS TO MEET EUGENE WHALEN, FEDERAL MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, WHILE HE AWAITED HIS RIDE AT THE MUSKOKA AIRPORT. ACTUALLY, I WAS THE ONLY PERSON TO MEET HIM, AND WE HAD A HELL OF A NICE CHAT. I HAD A ONE ON ONE WITH PREMIER BILL DAVIS AT BOTH THE MUSKOKA AIRPORT AND THE NEW GEORGIAN BAY AIRPORT, ON TWO INTERESTING GIGS, AND I SAT WITH MINISTER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, JOHN MUNRO, DURING A MEETING AT MOOSE DEER POINT, SOUTH OF MACTIER. I WATCHED IN AWE, AS TRANSPORTATION MINISTER, JAMES SNOW, TOLD ME HE WAS GOING TO CUT-OFF MUSKOKA MPP, FRANK MILLER'S TIE, DURING A RIBBON CUTTING FOR A NEW OVERPASS IN HUNTSVILLE. HE HAD SPOKEN WITH ME, JUST BEFORE, AND TOLD ME TO TAKE THE PICTURE WHEN HE SHIFTED THE GIANT SCISSORS TO FRANK'S TIE, TO CLIP IT OFF. HE DIDN'T ACTUALLY MAKE THE CUT, BUT FRANK WAS CAUGHT OFF GUARD. JIM SNOW WAS A FINE CHAP, AND HE HAD A GREAT SENSE OF HUMOR. THESE WERE THE MOMENTS WHEN EVEN A DULL JOB, OF TAKING A PREDICTABLE PHOTO, COULD RAISE A LITTLE UNANTICIPATED EXCITEMENT.

THERE WERE OTHER TIMES WHEN I WANTED TO BE IN ANY OTHER PROFESSION. STANDING AT ACCIDENT SCENES TO TAKE PHOTOGRAPHS WAS AWFUL. ATTENDING FIRES WHERE THERE WAS A LOSS OF LIFE WAS MISERABLE, BUT IT HAD TO BE COVERED. THE OTHER REGIONAL PRESS WAS COVERING THEM, SO WE HAD NO CHOICE. DURING THIS PERIOD IN MUSKOKA, THE COMPETITION BETWEEN WEEKLY NEWSPAPERS WAS AT ITS MOST EXTREME, AND WE ALL HAD TO HANG ONTO OUR MARKET SHARE FOR THE COMPANY THAT EMPLOYED US. WE WERE TOO BROKE TO BE UNEMPLOYED. AS IT WAS, WE COULDN'T PAY OUR RENTS ON TIME. AS FOR PRESSURE, WELL, IT WAS THICK ENOUGH TO SPREAD ON YOUR MORNING TOAST. SO WE ALL WORKED HARD TO OUT-PERFORM THE OTHER REPORTERS. THERE WAS EVEN IN-HOUSE RIVALRY, AND NO JOB WAS SO SECURE THAT IT COULDN'T SUDDENLY BECOME VACANT……AND AFFORDED TO THE ONE WHO GOT BETTER NEWS COPY. FOR THIS REASON, WE GOT ON THE JOB TRAINING, ABOUT HOW EASILY WE COULD BE REPLACED. I KNEW MY OWN JOB WAS BEING OVER-SHADOWED, WHEN THEY GAVE MY MAIL BOX TO ANOTHER WRITER, WHILE I WAS STILL WORKING THERE. I REMEMBER ANOTHER WRITER COMING UP TO ME ONE DAY, AT AN ARTS AND CRAFTS EVENT, OF ALL PLACES, AND SAID, "MR. CURRIE, I WANT YOUR JOB." GEEZ, WITHIN A YEAR SHE WAS GIVEN AN EDITORSHIP OF A NEW PUBLICATION OUR COMPANY LAUNCHED THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN MINE. IT WAS RUTHLESS IN THE COMPANY, AND JUST AS TOUGH OUT ON THE BEAT. I DON'T KNOW HOW IT IS TODAY, WITH MUCH LESS COMPETITION. I'M NOT INTERESTED IN DONNING THE OLD FEDORA AGAIN. I LIKE BEING A CIVILIAN PAIN IN THE ASS INSTEAD. BUT HERE'S HOW I STARTED IN THE BUSINESS.

I DON'T WANT TO GIVE THE IMPRESSION, REPORTERS WORKING THE MUSKOKA BEAT, BACK IN MY VINTAGE OF THE LATE 1970'S AND 1980'S, DIDN'T TAKE THEIR TASK COVERING LOCAL COUNCILS SERIOUSLY. JUST NOT TOO SERIOUSLY. SOME OF THE POLITICIANS WE HAD TO COVER AND INTERVIEW ON OCCASION, WEREN'T NICE PEOPLE. THEY DIDN'T LIKE DEALING WITH THE PRESS, AND THEY MADE IT ABUNDANTLY CLEAR WE WERE THE DREGS OF SOCIETY, ALWAYS LOOKING TO EXPLOIT THE WELL CONNECTED, DOING THEIR CIVIC DUTY……TO PULL US POOR CREATURES OUT OF THE DIRE CONSEQUENCE, THEY ASSUMED WE DWELLED. THERE WERE A FEW WHO WOULD HAVE HAD US LAUNCHED OUT OF TOWN ON A CATAPULT IF A LARGE ONE HAD BEEN AVAILABLE.

FIRST OF ALL, SHORTLY AFTER ANY MUNICIPAL ELECTION, WE HAD ALREADY FIGURED OUT THE CHALLENGES OF THE NEXT TERM OF OFFICE. WHO WE COULD TALK WITH EASILY, WHO WOULD GIVE US A FEW TIPS, OTHERS WHO WOULD BE WILLING TO MEET WITH US REGULARLY, AND SEVERAL ON EACH COUNCIL WE'D AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE. PRIOR TO THE ELECTIONS, THESE CANDIDATES WOULD FIND ANY REASON AT ALL, TO TALK WITH US REPORTER-KIND, AND MAKE GREAT DETOURS AT SOCIAL OCCASIONS, TO MAKE OUR ACQUAINTANCE. THEY MIGHT EVEN HAND US A BEVERAGE, OR A PLATE OF CRACKERS AND CHEESE, IF WE'D ONLY LISTEN TO HOW THEY PLANNED TO REFORM THE PRESENT MUNICIPAL CONUNDRUMS. YUP, THEY WOULD SADDLE-UP TO US, AND ACTUALLY APPEAR INTERESTED IN OUR WELL-BEING. ONCE ELECTED, THESE SNOTS WOULD TURN ON US, FIVE SECONDS AFTER TAKING THE OATH OF OFFICE.

IF THEY HAD A CHEESE TRAY TO HAND US, AFTER THAT, THERE WOULDN'T BE MORE THAN CRUMBS LEFT TO DABB-UP WITH OUR WET FINGER.

Ninety percent of the reporters I worked with, over a dozen years, were hard working, eager, trustworthy writers, who truly wanted to better themselves in the profession. They hoped one day that the daily press would call, to offer them a spot on staff. We all had dreams of bigger and better things, than standing in some drafty doorway, to watch yet another ribbon cut by the mayor, or the poor sap who may have drawn the short straw, as a fill-in mayor-for-the-day. Taking grip and grin photographs wasn't what the major publishers were looking for, to enhance their newsrooms. When it came to covering municipal councils, in a small town in rural Ontario, it was only one-notch better than taking flicks of the grand openings, and dozens of cheque presentations we were forced to attend. But every now and again, there would be some council business, or occurrence at town hall, that seemed a gift to the patient reporter. Every council had their own way of dealing with the press, and some pretty effective ways of misleading and dodging pesky reporters. I remember on one occasion, I was chasing down a really good lead, that might have been a multi-week front pager, and all of a sudden, the meeting was ended without the normal protocols being followed. Reporters just sat there while the council chamber emptied. We knew they went to another part of the building but they sure as hell didn't invite us. One reporter hung around longer than us, as we were very thirsty, and the tavern had nice cold beer. Out of the kindness of the chap's heart, he met us at the pub later that night, and offered us a few insights about the meeting hiatus. It seems the meeting had been paused, in order that councillors could watch a portion of a World Series final. They resumed the meeting after the last inning, and didn't ring us on our mobiles to come back. We didn't have mobiles in those days, so we would have missed important decisions made in our absence. Thankfully, even competition between publications, didn't stop fair play, and the combined efforts of all the reporters on the job, to challenge this general disrespect. Not just for ditching us, but disregarding the taxpayers paying their salaries. The right thing to have done, in this circumstance, was NOT break for the World Series final inning. We bought our reporter friend lots of beer that night, and we made some intrusive inquiries the next morning, let me tell you. Town hall had made a mistake and we reminded them of the consequence. In print.

Here's why we didn't have a lot of patience with elected officials, if they tried to give us the run-around. Most of us reporters, at this time, had to cover many different beats. We didn't have the luxury of staff to cover just municipal business, or provincial court, education, or the police beat. When we had to go to council meetings, in the evening, we may have had a whole day of covering a murder or fraud case in court. Possibly, we had to stand out at an accident scene, while a body was being removed from a car involved in a head-on collision. Possibly we had been chasing fire trucks to a structure fire, and then returned to the office, to find that an advertising salesperson, had made an appointment for us, to cover the ceremonial opening of a new hair salon or restaurant. We might have been double booked to cover a hockey game and a badminton tournament at the local high school. We were making a pretty low wage to be happy about the work load. So then we'd grab a sandwich on the fly, six coffees to keep ourselves awake through the council meetings, and then have to deal with arrogant councillors who thought they were God's gift to the municipality. So if you think we may have targeted jerks, when we had a good and clear shot at them, well it shouldn't be a big surprise. If a councillor gave us a hard time, or slagged us off, which often occurred during actual council business, we'd make them a project at the next opportunity. We had the same opinion and the identical procedure to deal with municipal staff who doubled as smart asses. We could and did make them pay for treating us with disrespect. It wasn't hard to do, and it was all quite above board. It was discretionary. Our discretion.

I can remember an incident with a town department, when they made a change in their staffing that diminished one position's responsibility and increased what had been a secondary position, to be even greater in authority. When I challenged the committee chair to explain the move, and why it made sense, I was given the damnedest explanation to justify……"cause I can." It's what it came down to as a bottom line. "It's my department, and what I say goes." Amongst our staff reporters, we felt this was wrong, and shouldn't go unchallenged. So we started going after the rest of council, to get to the bottom of what appeared to us as a "backwards, forwards" strategy, to deal with perceived problems mores than actual problems. It got so bad, the chairman invited me to the tavern to talk about it over some drinks. I paid for my own booze, and let him tell me his story. I actually put down my notepad, and said to the guy, "I'm off the clock now. Let's talk honestly about this." I began debating the guy until I finally admitted to myself, there was no point carrying on, and walked away from the argument. I didn't back off and eventually the matter was solved by council, but with dignity to the chairman involved. We'd be right from the start, but no one at council level wanted to admit it…..that they'd been caught doing something not only illogical but a disservice to the community.

What councillors didn't know was that we had a substantial network of snitches, deep throats, sources within the town, who occasionally let us in on the real news at town hall. We had this relationship with every council we covered, and it was necessary. It used to drive councillors nuts, to pick up the weekly newspaper, and find that we had ferreted-out a news story they'd been covering-up or protecting in some way. I'd get to the office at about eleven in the morning, on a press day, and there would be a dozen messages already, from disgruntled folks who thought I shouldn't do my job that well…..that their secrets weren't so well concealed anymore. What they wanted from me, and us generally in the press corp, were the names of the snitches who'd given up the inside information. We didn't pay our sources money, but we sure as hell treated them well at the bar…. Just not at one we might get caught together. And it didn't matter if we did get caught, talking to a rogue staffer, because most of the offended officials couldn't put two and two together unless we did it for them. The same thing happens today in all levels of government, and usually has the same source of ignition. Someone doesn't like their boss. We reporters are all ears.

After an election, we found the councillors who were the weak links. That wasn't terribly hard. It's not that we would exploit them, but we knew they would be coached by the jerks we didn't like, and soon clam-up when we needed their help. In many cases, we could have caused them to get ousted from council, for some of the mistakes they made in our presence, talking about council business that was sensitive. If you were kind enough to talk with us, and help us understand what was going on behind the facade of council meeting etiquette, we would serve and protect you to eternity. I could have ended the careers of numerous politicians, by rejecting confidentiality and off-the-record status by the wink of an eye. I'm sure this is done all the time. But not when I was editor. We wanted to know what was going on, so that we could properly represent the news to our readers. We took this very seriously, and when we would run into a case, where it was a clear case of convenient deferral, or a genuine cover-up, we had to use whatever source was available to us. This wasn't just the case when we covered local council. It was across the board. Our job wasn't to make people look bad, or to assassinate people we didn't like, just because we had the power to put them on the front page. But if we perceived that skullduggery was being employed, to stall us, or as an evasion tactic, we would open up both barrels, and that meant some seriously black ink, double-banked on the front page, above the fold. Now that's when the phones would start humming, let me tell you.

As we had angry calls from pissed off politicians, etc., we also had as many congratulatory messages, from readers who appreciated our investigations on their behalf. We were always careful with our news material, and in my years in the press, and as editor, we never got hauled into court because I'd made a mistake in judgement or fact, and that has always been a feather in the old newsman's cap. It might be truly assessed, I was a bastard for uncovering the story, but not in error for either writing it, or publishing it in the weekly newspaper. I can remember running into these peeved officials and town staffers, and being told how I should be keel-hauled, for what I'd written about them, or as a result of their incompetence. Again, it wasn't just from politicians. If we ran a story about an impaired driver, and named the individual, I could have had my head torn off at any time. I hung around in the right bars for that to happen. When we did an expose about a cult working the streets of Bracebridge, we did such a good job, we got high praise from what was then known as COMA, which was the Committee On Mind Abuse, for revealing the fact our region was being infiltrated by a group we didn't want. As a result, we were put on a shit list by the cult, and the advice was, to back-off or else. We had actually arranged to infiltrate the cult itself, but we backed off when experts advised that we would be risking our lives…….as they expected this would be our next move. God it was exciting stuff. I would have never got past the "love-bombarding" cults use to break recruit's defenses down. I've always succumbed to unanticipated but always welcome affections……before I was married, of course. Point is here, we had considerable stealth capability, when story gathering, because it's what we found most exciting about the reporting business. It's what we adored, beyond the routine we had to follow each week, to satisfy advertising and the church branch of our readership, that enjoyed fluff features and soft news. Sorry if I've offended the church branch, but it was true in my day. In fact, I remember one occasion, when a survey of our work was taken by an actual church congregation, and the results presented to me….that they didn't like our subject matter for our weekly columns. They had even given management suggestions on how we could improve our paper, by not being quite so irreverent and nasty with our stories. There may still be a tiny hole in the ceiling tile, from when my head shot through it, after finding this out. I can't even describe the mood of the newsroom that day, when we found out that this less than scientific survey had been passed basically, pew to pew. I have no idea why this made any sense whatsoever. In retaliation, we got super mean after this. At this point, I should note on our behalf, that we had the largest circulation in the previous ten years of publication, because we had actually become a news paper instead of one that went through the motions, but never had the goods beneath those headlines. We had gotten rid of the "good times were had by all" publication, and replaced it with one that was competitive with the opposition media, and getting attention from readers who had formerly given up on the paper because of its lack of teeth.

I'm proud of the newspaper days I lived through, and moderately prospered. I learned a lot, by working beside some fine reporters and outstanding writers, who were ethical, practical, and hungry for news. It's quite true, that many politicians didn't like to see us coming at them, and we scared those who liked the town the way it was…….quiet and unassuming, with only occasional breaking news because it couldn't be avoided. Crime, car crashes, fires. There were many of the upper crust in Muskoka, that didn't like our intrusive reporting, and told our bosses as much. For what we were being paid, and what our challenges represented, we decided that the real opportunity here, was to make a name for ourselves in the news industry, and for some of us, that's exactly what happened.

There are some politicians today who feel I'm much too intrusive on their safe domains. They want what they want, and exposure that makes them look good. They think of me as some nosey constituent, who is bored with his life, and just wants to shit-disturb to fill the void. Well, I don't feel compelled to explain myself to them, and I don't back away from something my news sense tells me, deserves a little sleuthing. I don't use my reporting skills and experience as a threat, but if I need them, well, I'll use what I human resources I possess, to move the project further. But I never take it lightly, or pursue something for the sake of entertainment. I don't use my skills to get even, or to start or even end a fight. I will debate an issue face to face with any politician, and I've never been one to duck after making a jab. You want to hit me, go ahead.

If you are someone who has a respect for the press, and agree with the statements, "freedom of the press," and the "public's right to know," then we can be good friends. And I have developed numerous friendships with people in high places, who appreciate the importance of fair play and honest representation. My loyalty and friendship is guaranteed, and I've got a lifetime of corroborating evidence, to demonstrate this as an accurate assessment.

There are times locally when councillors might like to see me suddenly disappear off the face of the earth. Sometimes my wife ponders this possibility. While I don't set out each day, to scrape up scandal and hidden agenda, I won't leave it alone, if it happens to find its way to the end of my nose for news. My priority, as an unaffiliated news hound, is to be a good and co-operative citizen, willing to pitch-in to help my neighbors. My blog carries the same heading, as it did when I began work with Muskoka Today many years ago. "Hometown Advantage." I'm proud to live in Gravenhurst, and I hope it shows.

Thanks for joining today's blog. Please visit again.

The Old Days of Covering Muskoka Councils

THE MUNICIPAL BEAT IN MUSKOKA AND HOW WE SURVIVED

REPORTERS I HAD THE PLEASURE OF KNOWING - AND THE ROGUES THEY WERE

MY MENTORS IN THE NEWS BUSINESS, HERE IN MUSKOKA, WERE A MIXTURE OF ROGUES, BIGGER THAN LIFE CHARACTERS, THE UNIQUE, AND THE SURVIVORS. THOSE WHO HAD TRAINED ELSEWHERE, AND WERE EITHER GRADUATES FROM THE SCHOOL OF HARD KNOCKS, OR EXILES, CAST OUT FROM CONVENTIONAL, GENTLE AND LEGAL LIFESTYLES. THERE WERE SOME WELL-TRAVELLED AND AMAZING WRITERS, WHO FOR WHATEVER REASON, FOUND THIS PART OF ONTARIO A GOOD PLACE TO ANCHOR IN THE STORM…….PERSONAL STORMS, NECESSARY RESPITES, HIATUS PERIODS FROM CITY WHEELING AND DEALING, WHO KNOWS. I MET SOME TRULY INTERESTING PEOPLE DURING MY YEARS IMBEDDED IN THE NEWS INDUSTRY HERE IN MUSKOKA, BUT I CAN ONLY PRINT ABOUT A HUNDREDTH OF MY EXPERIENCES, BECAUSE THE REST ARE X-RATED, AND OTHERWISE UNBELIEVABLE. ONE OF THE BIGGEST FIGHTS I EVER HAD, WAS IN OUR NEWSROOM, WHEN ALL THE REPORTERS WERE FIGHTING OVER WHO GOT TO COVER THE MISS NUDE PAGEANT, THAT SUMMER. USUALLY IT WAS A BATTLE THE OTHER WAY AROUND. JUST TRYING TO GET THE WEEKEND EVENTS COVERED. WE ACTUALLY STARTED BITING EACH OTHER, TO GET THE PHOTO-ASSIGNMENT. I DIDN'T GET IT. THIS WAS ONE OF MANY DISAPPOINTMENTS, WHEN HAVING TO DRAW NEWSROOM STRAWS FOR THE LUXURY GIGS. I SHOULD HAVE PULLED RANK, BUT SUZANNE DIDN'T WANT ME TO GO ANYWAY. A YOUNG SINGLE GUY GOT THE CALL. OF COURSE, WE HAD TO EDIT THE PHOTOS PRETTY HEAVILY, TO MAKE THE FRONT PAGE.

I WAS A WRITER FIRST. A REPORTER BECAUSE I COULDN'T GET A BETER JOB…..SAY, SITTING AROUND ALL DAY, WRITING POETRY OR SHORT STORIES. SO I HAD TO LEARN HOW TO WRITE ABOUT ALL KINDS OF INTERESTING AND WEIRD STUFF, INCLUDING ACCOUNTS OF MINOR HOCKEY GAMES, DART COMPETITIONS, OBITUARIES, AND EVEN CLASSIFIED ADS, WHEN I HAD TO SELL THEM OVER THE COUNTER…..AND THE PERSON SUBMITTING THE AD NEEDED ME TO PEN THE COPY. I GOT GOOD AT WRITING ALL KINDS OF EDITORIAL COPY, AND IN THE SAME DAY, I MIGHT COMPOSE TWO OR THREE MEMORIALS, A STANDARD OBITUARY, AN OVERVIEW OF A BASEBALL GAME, A CHARITY GOLF EVENT, COUNCIL NEWS, ACCIDENT REPORTS OFF THE POLICE BLOTTER, AND A HUMAN INTEREST STORY OR BUSINESS FEATURE. I WAS A JOURNEYMAN WRITER AFTER MY FIRST TWO YEARS IN THE NEWSPAPER INDUSTRY, BETWEEN PRESS OFFICES BRACEBRIDGE AND MACTIER. AS A PHOTOGRAPHER, AS WELL, I GOT TO STAND FOR HOURS AT ANNIVERSARIES, BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS, GRAND OPENINGS, NEWS EVENTS, SUCH AS ACCIDENTS AND FIRE SCENES, AND OH YES, COVERING MUNICIPAL COUNCIL BUSINESS. FOR THOSE WHO MIGHT QUESTION MY QUALIFICATIONS TO MAKE COMMENTS ABOUT GRAVENHURST TOWN COUNCIL, I'LL OFFER A LITTLE BACKGROUNDER, HOW I GOT MY WINGS COVERING LOCAL COUNCILS FOR THE HERALD-GAZETTE IN BRACEBRIDGE, AND THE MUSKOKA LAKES - GEORGIAN BAY BEACON, IN MACTIER, DATING BACK TO THE LATE 1970'S, ONTO 1990, WHEN I LEFT THE EDITORSHIP OF THE GRAVENHURST BANNER.

MY FIRST MUNICIPAL COUNCIL GIG WAS IN PORT SEVERN, COVERING THE REGULAR MEETINGS OF THE TOWNSHIP OF GEORGIAN BAY, THEN UNDER MAYOR JOE JACQUES, A DECENT, HARD WORKING MAYOR, WHO ON OCCASION, USED TO TURN TO ME, AND ASK WHAT I THOUGHT OF A PARTICULAR MOTION, OR COUNCIL CONUNDRUM. I WAS THE ONLY REPORTER THERE, FOR TWO YEARS, SO WE BECAME GOOD BUDDIES. IT SURE WASN'T THE CASE THEY HID ANYTHING FROM ME. THERE WASN'T ANYTHING TO HIDE. I GOT STORIES EACH TRIP DOWN THERE, WHICH WAS A BEASTLY HIKE FOR ME BECAUSE I WAS STILL LIVING IN BRACEBRIDGE, AT THE TIME. THIS WAS THE ONLY COUNCIL I REALLY FELT, "ACCEPTED" THE PRESS, AND DID EVERYTHING THEY COULD TO MAKE MY WORK EASIER. I ALWAYS GOT A CUP OF COFFEE FOR MY EFFORTS OF DRIVING DOWN THERE ON MONDAY NIGHTS, IF MEMORY SERVES. JOE WAS OF THE LACROSS PLAYING JACQUES FAMILY, OF BRACEBRIDGE, AND ALTHOUGH A QUIET CHAP, WAS ALWAYS OBLIGING TO ANYTHING I NEEDED, INCLUDING INTERVIEWS THROUGH THE WEEK. A LOT OF COUNCIL FOLKS WERE EVASIVE AND ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO GET A HOLD OF, ONCE I LEFT THE SCHEDULED MEETINGS. OF COURSE, IT WAS DONE ON PURPOSE. I'D GET CALL-BACKS ON WEDNESDAY MORNING, WHEN THE PAPER WAS ALREADY ON THE STREET. THEY KNEW IF THEY DELAYED A DAY OR SO, I WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO USE THEIR INTERVIEWS THAT WEEK, AND BY THE NEXT ISSUE, THE STORY WAS OLD NEWS.

On every other Monday morning, I had to attend meetings in Port Carling, for the Township of Muskoka Lakes, where I got to be with my two favorite mentors; Lou Specht, of The Examiner, and Bill Cole, of the Gravenhurst News, two senior reporter / writers, who despite the fact we were competitors, always kept me up to speed as to what was going on, in the usually crowded municipal hall. There were usually three our four delegations attending to pitch a project, and initiative, or launch a protest against a re-zoning, or development proposal. I don't know what I would have done without these chaps. I remember once, sitting in the stuffy council chambers. badly hungover, and having a beggar of a time keeping up with my associate note-takers. They'd keep showing me their notes, so I could copy what they had written, and on one occasion, I was so lost in the mire of delegations, and amendments, motions, deferred items, and minor variances, it was necessary to beg for assistance. There was a very well dressed gentleman, who had been sitting beside us, and when he was asked to speak, the name was garbled to me, anyway, and when I thought I'd figure it out by the end of the presentation, it became imperative to ask Lou his name. Well, they both laughed at me, and Bill whispered, "It's the former Minister of National Defence," which was still foggy to me on that morning. "Paul Hellyer," said Lou Specht. Cripes, it was! I was so green, I'd missed snapping a photograph of a well known and accomplished Canadian politician, who stood right in front of me for fifteen minutes. He had been there to discuss restrictions on his resort property on the Muskoka Lakes, and his own business, Arundel Lodge, on Highway 169 near Walker's Point. What was stupid about this, is that both my grandfather Stan Jackson, my uncle Carmen, and my father Ed, had all worked for Mr. Hellyer in Toronto many years earlier. I knew what he looked like, and as a the holder of a degree in Canadian history, I really embarrassed myself in front of my peers.

Muskoka Lakes Council was a busy place on those Monday mornings, and I can always remember Mrs. Tozer, the Township Clerk, would have my minutes ready to go, and a little small talk to extend, if we had time. I'd gone to school with her daughter Sandy, so we reminisced. I had a good relationship with Mayor Bob Bennett, who was a well versed and passionate guy, famous in these parts for attempting to sue Inco, over its emissions which contributed to the manifestation of Acid Rain falling on, and damaging Muskoka's lakes and rivers. It didn't work out too good for Bob. He wrote a wonderful little book entitled "Bindle Stiff," about his young days as a hobo, traveling all over Canada and the United States in boxcars. He got me an autographed copy. Bob always had time for the press, but he also insisted on us getting the facts straight. But he'd give us all the time we needed to make sure we had the right information from the get-go. A lot of mayors and councillors used to do the "runner" once the meeting was declared over. I always left a little early to intercept them in the parking lot.

I had a terrific relationship with Mayor Wynn Maddock, and the only problem we ever had, between us, is that he had the same sense of humor as I did, and as time went on, I knew what kind of facial expression would make him start laughing. It all began once, when I ran into him at a dog show, at the Port Carling Winter Carnival, and I said, "Wynn, that is by far the ugliest dog I have ever seen…..can I get a picture of it." Before he could stop laughing, I asked him about the breed? Well, I even answered before he could. "Did you say an Arse Hound?" I thought I was going to have to give the him CPR, he was almost on his knees laughing. They guy couldn't go to a District Council meeting either, unless he turned the high-backed chair away from me. I had a running deal with CKCO cameraman Gar Lewis, and CKVR's John Palmer, to try and get Wynn on film cracking-up….after I'd made some sort of crazy sign to get his attention. There was another District Councillor who used to fall asleep, and slouch in his chair. We used to get a picture every time, just for the file drawer, in case the councillor got on our case at some point. It's not that we took these meetings lightly, but rather it was our way of staying awake ourselves, through some pretty boring council business. Of course, at this time, the boss of District was my own boss at The Herald-Gazette, Hugh Mackenzie, and every now and again he'd give Brant Scott and I crap for press gallery shenanigans. We snuck in food in our camera bags. It could look like a deli at our table.

At the Township of Muskoka Lakes, I also covered council under Mayor Sheilah Hatch, which was a particularly controversial period, when development interests were escalating around the lakeshore, including the on-again, off-again Roseneath Resort planned for Milford Bay, and at a time when the Muskoka Lakes Association became very heavily involved in local elections……supporting and running candidates, to represent their interests on council. Actually, ahead of this, I covered an election north of MacTier, in the Township of the Archipelago, when cottagers there reared-up and ran a slate of candidates in their municipal election. I made the mistake of suggesting to them, it was the equivalent of employing party politics in a municipal election, and they went nuts on me. I never changed my mind, despite the rigorous brow beating. And then the same thing happened in Muskoka Lakes, and it was a difficult period between the local and seasonal population. It was over increasing taxation, and the fact the township seemed to the cottagers, to be a little reckless with the way they were handling major developments on the lakeshore. This was the early 1980's. Of course, members of the press were treated much differently then, because we were considered useful conduits to getting the message out. The only problem was that we were being torn apart by opposing interests and politics. It was a raw period, and as editor of The Herald-Gazette, it was an egg-shell walk every week, because we had to be unbiased in our news coverage, such that no one side assumed we were against them. If the publisher wanted to write an editorial, we just stood back and gave him whatever typewriter he wanted. If we had to write one, knowing that we were going to get clobbered without a clear demonstration of fair play, we got real good at waffling, but in such a way, that each side felt we understood their perspective, and their protest; while at the same time, show regard for the council's necessity to entertain projects and development applications as democratically as possible. It was like being in the Daytona 500 every week, during this great period of controversy, because there was no margin for error. We had heavy weights on all sides of us, and I can never recall a time in my days reporting, when every front-pager could have been our last. There were lawyers everywhere it seemed. We used to run any particularly controversial news copy across our lawyer, Basil Reid's desk, down at his Chancery Lane office, to make sure, if we were going to get sued, we'd, by his tough standard, stayed inside the legal line. We wore a deep path into the asphalt in runs to his office, in those years, when so much was under scrutiny almost all the time.

In Bracebridge I covered their council under the leadership of Mayor Jim Lang, through that whole decade, and had a pretty fair relationship with most of the councillors. Those I could always get an interview with were Ralph Melvin, Ross Miller, Frank Henry, Jim Boyes, and Russ Crockford. Russ was a great guy for sharing stories of life and times on the Fraserburg Road, and when he started yarning, by golly, it was a treat from the normal fare of bylaws, and severances. He was wise and clever when it came to dealing with the press. But he was so wonderfully animated and had such a good sense of humor, that you, at best, never got more than five minutes of serious interview time, out of a full hour. Tell you what though. You got a hell of a history lesson, but not one you'd ever get from a book. They couldn't print that kind of stuff. Was it true? Damn right it was! When Russ did speak at a meeting, he started out gruff and in a low voice, and rookie reporters would look at him as if he was going to burst at the seams, he seemed so mad about something. You had to listen carefully, and patiently, but when he finished speaking…..and it was never a long presentation, the other councillors would be killing themselves laughing, and he would have, at the same time, made a profoundly sensible argument, or offered a practical solution. You'd just sit there and ponder the success the council could have had, with eight more like him.

When I came to Gravenhurst I covered local council for a short period, which was then directed by Mayor Gord Adams, who I got along with rather well, and I could tell at the time, he had his sights set on District Council. I knew a lot about that position, from my years covering the Pine Street chambers, and having Hugh Mackenzie as my newspaper boss at the same time. What a wild period it was. We had to watch for conflicts of interest all over the place, and let's just say we couldn't listen at his office door, which abutted our newsroom. It was tempting. There was a who's who of politicians coming through our office, including Frank Miller, then the Treasurer of Ontario, at that point, plus many of the mayors of the district, who'd pop-in from time to time. I didn't like our position in all of this, but we managed to walk that fine line for the entire decade. There were deep canyons on either side of that line, and we knew that even the slightest mistake, was going to toss us into the abyss. I had a lot of help from Brant Scott and Judith Brocklehurst week to week. We policed ourselves. Made sure that what made it to print was accurate. This doesn't mean we didn't hammer those who deserved it, just not such that we were going to be successfully sued for the effort.

I had good advice from a lot of talented writer-kind, such as veteran teacher / reporter Bill Kelly, who often shared stories with rookies, and good hearted folks like Norm Tanner, who was a human dictionary, and always someone you could run copy past, for an honest opinion. Bob Boyer used to read copy over my shoulder, and there was never a time, Bob hesitated to chastise us for a perceived or actual error in copy, particularly when it came to the protocols of names and titles, which I always had to ask his advice. Bob liked that, versus having to impose, over our shoulders, to read how we planned to editorially represent an event or situation of which he had an interest. I had more eyes over my shoulder in those days, but very few of them belonging to a face I wanted to kiss. Occasionally one of the office girls would want to read what was in my typewriter roller, (and there could be crackers or a partially eaten sandwich), and get real close such that I'd assume for an enchanted moment, we were dating. Reporters are lonely folks. We were a band of practical jokers, to keep ourselves from office madness. So when one day, the same girl brought in her pet lab, and she let him put his paws on my shoulder while I worked, I said, "If you're going to keep licking my neck Bes, we'd better open some wine." Well sir, she started laughing, the dog started barking, coffee was spilled, and the manager came running…….to see if a riot had broken-out in the newsroom.

When I might occasionally offer a critique about, for example, the Mayor's Newsletter, here in Gravenhurst, you have to consider my background in gonzo reporting, pressure editing, the experiences covering five regional councils, and a legion of past politicians I've had close working relationships with…..since the late 1970's. You might think me presumptuous and untutored in the fine art of municipal reporting, but it is just isn't so. I've done the miles and earned the stripes. I had a lot of help from associate reporters and from the subjects I was interviewing……the politicians I was reporting on. In between the day to day stuff of reporting on seriously controversial council business, we had some laughs and you know, I kind of miss those days. I liked being in the loop. Yea, and I liked to make Wynn Maddock laugh too. I could always lip read his response, once he stopped slobbering on himself after a laughing jag. "Currie you bastard." Hey, there are councillors still mouthing that when I walk by them. Ah, that's what I loved most about a reporter's life. It was always colorful and exciting, at the same time as it was nerve wracking and gut churning. It was the cold beer down at the old Holiday House, at the end of the work day, when we sank into a comfort zone with our mates from other newspapers, to share horror stories of a week on the front lines.

Suzanne knows how tough it is to live with a writer, who still carries some bad habits from my early years…….when she used to fetch me from that same comfort zone, well after midnight, when Brant, Scott McClellan, Mike Gavin and I, had found some cute groupies who found reporters like us, rugged and exciting conquests. It was kind of embarrassing to get pulled home by an ear lobe.

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Gravenhurst Council Can't Play It Safe

THE PROBLEM OF NOT BEING OUTSPOKEN - THE IRRELEVANCE OF PLAYING IT SAFE

IT'S A TIME TO BE KNOWN - THE TIME TO BE HEARD

I DON'T WANT THERE TO BE ANY CONFUSION ABOUT WHETHER I SUPPORT THE PRESENT GRAVENHURST COUNCIL OR NOT. I HAVE PRETTY GOOD INFORMATION, AND CONSIDERABLE EVIDENCE, OUR COUNCIL IS SOLID AND COMMITTED. I HAVE NO REASON TO, AT THIS POINT, QUESTION THEIR COLLECTIVE DECISIONS, REGARDING THE BUDGET, THE TAX INCREASE, OR IMPROVEMENTS PLANNED TO MAKE TOWN DEPARTMENTS MORE EFFICIENT. IT DOESN'T MEAN HOWEVER, THAT AS PROFICIENT AS THEY SEEM TO BE, IMPROVEMENTS AREN'T REQUIRED. ONE AREA THAT GIVES ME CONCERN, IS THE WAY THEY SEEM TO SIDESTEP CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES…..OR DEBATE MATTERS, IN PRIVATE, OVER COFFEE INSTEAD OF AT THE TABLE, WHERE REPORTERS MIGHT GET A CRACK AT THE REAL COUNCIL BEYOND THE FACADE. I'VE KNOWN COUNCILS LIKE THIS IN THE PAST, AND BELIEVE ME, WHEN OBSCURED NEWS AND DEBATES GET FERRETED-OUT EVENTUALLY, IT MAKES VERY BIG HEADLINES. MY NOSE FOR NEWS TELLS ME THAT THIS COUNCIL HAS A PREFERENCE TO MAINTAIN CIVILITY AT MEETINGS, EVEN THOUGH THERE ARE SOME SIMMERING ISSUES STEAMING BEHIND THE SCENES. YOU CAN'T HANG AROUND COFFEE SHOPS IN THIS TOWN AND NOT HEAR INSIDE SCOOPS, AND FIND-OUT ALL IS NOT AS HARMONIOUS AS IT APPEARS. WE DON'T CARE ABOUT THE DAY TO DAY OFFICE POLITICS, BUT WE DO CARE IF OUR COUNCIL IS GIVING US THE SANITIZED VERSION OF CURRENT EVENTS AT TOWN HALL.

MAYBE I'M NOT READING CAREFULLY ENOUGH, BUT EVEN OUR REPRESENTATIVES ON DISTRICT COUNCIL ARE CHURCH-MOUSE-QUIET. IT'S NOT LIKE THERE AREN'T SOME ISSUES TO RAISE HELL ABOUT, AT DISTRICT, CONSIDERING THE RE-STRUCTURING DEBATE GOING ON, AND THE HUGE DEBT WE FIND OURSELVES IN AS A REGIONAL MUNICIPALITY. ONE MIGHT ARGUE, THESE REPS ARE SHIT-DISTURBERS IN COMMITTEE MEETINGS, AND ARE RUTHLESS MANAGERS OF THE PUBLIC PURSE. I DON'T HAVE ENOUGH INFORMATION TO MAKE MUCH MORE THAN AN HONEST GUESS, HOW THESE FOLKS ARE REPRESENTING OUR TOWN AT THE DISTRICT TABLE. I READ ABOUT ISSUES RAISED BY COUNCILLORS FROM OTHER TOWNS, JUST NOT OURS. YOU KNOWN, NOW AND AGAIN, IT'S KIND OF IMPORTANT TO LET THE OTHER COUNCIL REPS KNOW WE EXIST, OTHER THAN WE'RE APPARENTLY FILLING THE EMPTY CHAIRS AROUND THE TABLE. IS EVERYTHING SO DARN GOOD OVER THERE, THAT IT JUSTIFIES BEING OF WALL FLOWER STATUS. MAYBE IT'S JUST ME, BECAUSE I'M ALWAYS MOUTHING-OFF, BUT WE NEED DISTRICT TO KNOW WE'RE CAPABLE OF REARING-UP NOW AND AGAIN, TO DEFEND OUR RIGHTS. THEY WILL REAR-UP WON'T THEY?

YESTERDAY, WHEN I OFFERED-UP A CRITIQUE OF A NEWSLETTER, THAT HAS JUST BEEN LAUNCHED, BY THE MAYOR'S OFFICE, HERE IN THE TOWN OF GRAVENHURST, I MENTIONED THE RELATIVE OBSCURITY OF MANY COUNCILLORS SERVING THIS TERM OF OFFICE. DURING ONE OF THE MOST CONTROVERSIAL, AND DIFFICULT YEARS OF OUR TOWN'S HISTORY……WHICH BY THE WAY DATES TO THE FINAL YEARS OF THE 1850'S, MOST OF THE CITIZENS OF THIS TOWN, PERMANENT, SEASONAL AND BUSINESS OWNERS, HAVE VERY THIN EVIDENCE THERE IS ACTUALLY A COUNCIL BEHIND MAYOR DONALDSON. WE DON'T READ TOO MUCH ABOUT THEM, AND CAN ONLY ASSUME THEY'RE A WELL BEHAVED, ALMOST "HAPPY GANG, WITH EVERYTHING THAT IS GOING ON. WHILE I MIGHT SEE SOME OF THESE COUNCILLORS AT VARIOUS EVENTS AROUND OUR COMMUNITY, AND OCCASIONALLY READ SOMETHING THEY HAVE ADDRESSED DURING COUNCIL BUSINESS, THEY CERTAINLY APPEAR TO BE PLAYING A LOW-KEY, POSSIBLY STEALTH ROLL, GETTING THINGS DONE. WHICH IS GOOD. WE DON'T NEED VERBAL DONNYBROOKS AT TOWN HALL, BUT EVERY NOW AND AGAIN, IT WOULD BE A CHANGE OF PACE, TO HAVE A STRONG DIFFERENCE OF OPINION. ABOUT SOMETHING. ANYTHING. I SEE STATUS QUO AS THE COUNCIL MOTTO. THIS DOESN'T MEAN THERE'S WIDE SPREAD CONTENT AROUND THE TABLE, BUT THEY CERTAINLY SEEM TO BE HOLDING THEMSELVES BACK FROM EMOTIONAL OUTBURSTS. THE WORD "VEHEMENT" DOESN'T REALLY APPLY TO THEIR OPPOSITION OF CERTAIN COUNCIL BUSINESS. IT'S ONLY QUARTER STRENGTH "VEHEMENT." THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST GENTLE AND QUIET COUNCILS I'VE KNOWN SINCE 1989, WHEN WE MOVED HERE. WILL ANY CITIZEN OF THIS MUNICIPALITY OFFER A REBUTTAL TO THIS ASSESSMENT? SO WHAT'S WRONG WITH BEING QUIET AND GENTLE? FOR ONE THING, THESE ARE NOT QUIET AND GENTLE TIMES, AND BEFORE THEIR COUNCIL TERM IS UP, THEY WILL ALL REALIZE WHAT THEY HAVE COME THROUGH…….LIKE BEING IN AN OUT OF CONTROL CAR GOING THROUGH GRID-LOCK, BUT NOT EVER HITTING ANYTHING. WHEN THE OCCUPANTS GET OUT, AND LOOK BACK WHERE THEY'VE BEEN, AND WHAT THEY'VE MISSED, BY NO MORE THAN A HAIR'S BREADTH, MIGHT ONE OR MORE, HAVE A RETROSPECTIVE TINKLE IN THEIR PANTS.

I'M SURE THEY ARE RESPONSIVE TO INDIVIDUAL RATEPAYER REQUESTS, IN THEIR RESPECTIVE RIDINGS; BUT EVEN AT THE DISTRICT LEVEL OF GOVERNMENT, IT ALMOST SEEMS OUR ELECTED MEMBERS ARE MEASURING THEIR WORDS TO SUCH A DEGREE, THERE ARE NONE SPOKEN. I'M NOT SURE IF COUNCILLORS ARE READING ABOUT THE EXTREME BOUTS OF TRANSIT AND BUDGET DEBATE, BEING SHARED BY ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES IN TORONTO. I'M NOT SURE WHAT KIND OF CONTROVERSIAL ISSUE NEEDS TO ARISE, TO GET SOME RETORTS OR VEHEMENT ARGUMENTS GOING HERE…..BUT I AM VERY MUCH AGAINST COMPLACENCY AND COMPLIANCE AT THE COUNCIL TABLE……WHICH SEEMS TO BE MOST OF THE TIME. NASTY THOUGHTS DON'T COUNT. THIS IS NOT THE TIME FOR COMPLACENCY, ANYWHERE ON EARTH…..WHILE WE STILL HAVE AN EARTH.

Coming off what can only be described as a pivotal year for change in our town, with a lot of good stuff to debate, and wrestle with, there has been barely more than a whimper from town hall. About anything and everything. Even when items were being slashed from the budget, either the press didn't hear the debate, or there wasn't one to report. We don't need pacifists at the council table. We need folks who are willing to take courageous stands, occasionally pound their fists on the table, and utter provocative directives like "I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this any more!" (Peter Finch, "Network." I don't want these people arguing over seating arrangements, and coffee cup assignments. I want them to make a stand for what they believe in, and wish to fight to protect, or discard. I've noted this before, but there is an unhealthy like-mindedness that makes it seem, being adversarial is just not the polite way of doing business. Some huge issues have been dealt with this year by diplomacy and protocol. Even with great sensitivity, such as during the aftermath of the main street fire. But the most disturbing aspect of the past year, is how our Council refrained from almost all comment on the police investigation, of our recreation centre controversy, the result of major-league headlines in the Toronto Star, about alleged financial irregularities regarding re-construction. I can understand, as a reporter of some tenure, why there was a quiet period during the investigation. When the police declined to lay charges, after their investigation, this past fall, the silence from Town Hall has been particularly troubling. The reluctance to re-enter the debacle, for some type of restitution, has left Gravenhurst citizens pondering why not? Where is the apology, or clarification, or anything that addresses why our town was placed in this unfortunate situation……unable to defend ourselves, other than through painstaking, and expensive investigation…..and even when the matter gives the appearance of resolution, the citizens still have poop on their shoes from months of bad publicity. Council has apparently opted to pull its head deep into the shell, and protect what's left to protect. Just forget it ever happened. This isn't right. And we're hoping our assumptions are untrue. Someone owes us money for a forensic audit, that by the way, didn't free up the grant money, that had been frozen. It was the OPP report that got things back on track.

While there may be legal activities involving the project, to this date, one year after the original articles appeared in the Toronto Star, we have never been addressed properly, or thoroughly as citizens of this town, as to the outcome; why, and how much has it all cost, to defend ourselves against these allegations? How much extra interest was paid on money that was borrowed, to make up for the frozen provincial and federal funding. Even if there is still a legal restriction on information that can be released, at present, Council needs to stop treating us as if we can't handle the truth. There is information to share, but like we find with other levels of government these days, it's more about "weathering the storm," than being ready to do what is required, and necessary, to keep constituents informed. It is selective and discretionary democracy. We are, at the very least, entitled to know what comes next. If that means council drafts a letter to the Toronto Star, geez, on behalf of the municipality, tell us if you want us to sign the petition for an apology. I think as people who have been insulted by this issue, on a large scale, it's what we deserve for the embarrassment we've endured. So the bottom line is, there's lots to debate, and rigorously challenge.

While I don't think we should transplant the volatility and aggression of city council, onto the ranks of Gravenhurst Council, it would be good to know our elected officials are still on the job. We haven't heard from them in a while. We've got contentious issues in this town, that require critical discussion, and maybe I'm missing something here, but one thing's for sure……gentle diplomacy will have it's face torn off, in the cyclonic wind of change, facing this town, in the very near future. A gentle approach to negotiation will fail to save our High School, if and when the issue rears its head. Former members of the Save Our School campaign can provide some insight on this, and how close we came to losing our school to Bracebridge. It was a pretty thin majority. This issue needs to be fiercely fought by everyone in this town, with our town council leading the charge. The last time this was an issue, Council was the reluctant cavalry, if you could even call it that, and the only reason they got involved is because they were given zero choice in the matter. I was embarrassed they had to be prodded to make a stand. They should have been adequately prepared to fight the good fight. This is what makes me very concerned today, because I feel the present council seems to prefer avoiding controversy, instead of clenching teeth, clutching, grasping and soldiering-on through the thick-of-it. If I'm wrong about all this, then council should give the press something to write a story about……with some meat on the bones……not just the crumby remains of the day. There's is nothing in the rule book, that says a councillor can't speak their mind on issues like this, and start demanding answers to some big questions about the High School's future. Lose the school, and the dominoes of this town's economic future, as a family community, will start falling in rapid succession. So there's every reason to change from gentle, diplomatic fortitude, and sharpen the talons, because there's a fight coming.

Just because we are given re-assuring advertorials, from council, that everything is okay, isn't any reason whatsoever, to drop our guard as conscientious constituents. We should remain suspicious because we didn't cause the over-run of expenses at the new rec. centre, and we certainly didn't twist the town's arm to buy the Health Unit building…..the one with the inadequate roof, that by due diligence, should have been identified. So if councillors ponder how we could ever be dissatisfied with the "good news" reports we get in newsletters, this is why….in a big nutshell.

Controversial issues seldom if ever go away, unless they are truly and absolutely resolved. We can deal with mistakes. We can't accept status quo, as a paddle for our canoe. There's a lot at stake here, and amends to be made, whether the town thinks so or not. The only exit strategy left, is to realize there isn't one. This is the "A" team, and there are no substitutions. I want to believe they have the right stuff, to stand up to both the Trillium Lakelands School Board and the Province of Ontario, to save our school. But I'd like to know now, if this preference to quiet diplomacy, is going to be enough to stave off what some townsfolks already believe as inevitable. If ever a council in this town was judged harshly, it will be over this issue, because it doesn't get much more motherhood, and "community" than the closing of a school…….high school or public….., because we've only got a few. I'm afraid emotional arguments won't work, as significant as they might be. This is legal and political stuff, and a demonstration of the will of council, to protect our future, is the only way forward.

To suggest that businesses will fail because we might, some day, lose our high school, is all the reason for councillors, to get out of town hall, and find out first hand……by talking to the stakeholders in person. This is the most thorough and logical survey, of present public opinion. The town hasn't got a clue what the present public opinion is……because they only ask once every four years, when they seek election. So there's work to do. Let's leave it at that!