In Kincardine, a healthy dose of skepticism is a good thing

By dictionary definition, to be skeptical is to be not easily convinced, having doubts or reservations; to be dubious, doubtful, cynical, distrustful, suspicious, disbelieving.

 

That's the reality for those who have lived in Kincardine for decades, or their entire lives, and watched one misadventure after another, by the council of the day.

 

Hence, we become a distrustful and suspicious group, wondering what council will do next, and how many years it will take to fix the ensuing problems.

 

Who remembers the saga of the Kincardine Community Medical Clinic (now the Hawthorne Community Clinic), built beside the hospital? Right after it was opened, roof shingles blew off and the front door broke because of the high wind – even though anyone who has lived here for a few years could have informed council that the hospital is situated on the windiest hill in the area.

 

It wasn't long before water was leaking into the basement at the medical clinic, requiring a drainage fix. And then there was mould in the basement, which required a further retrofit and then an addition, so that physicians were no longer working in the basement. This also meant the relocation of McKechnie Pharmacy for almost a year.

 

And while we have a great medical facility, we are one of only a few municipalities in Bruce County, and possibly Ontario and across the country, where patients must pay for parking in order to see the doctor.

 

Then there's the Huron Ridge subdivision where council's decision was a complete reconstruction of the roads and installation of storm sewers, to counter a flooding problem. Only to find out later that perhaps that wasn't the problem at all – what was required is what is being done now – improvements to the sewer line across the golf course and the Connaught Park pumping station.

 

Meanwhile, the additions to the Davidson Centre have certainly had their pitfalls, with delays to the first one which included a seniors' room; and then a halt to the second addition while the foundation was shored up so it could handle the new gymnasium.

 

Another Kincardine media outlet chastises us for being dubious of the municipality's proposed shoreline protection project, slated to fix the extensive erosion problem along the Lake Huron coastline, from just north of Kincardine Harbour to Dunsmoor Park, at a cost of $300,000.

 

This, despite a lengthy history of mistakes, courtesy of the former Town of Kincardine and the current Municipality of Kincardine.

 

This, despite a lack of information presented by council when the project was first introduced.

 

This, despite the fact that the north and south ends of the lakeshore have resulted in a wasteland of rocks and bushes and weeds.

 

Oh, trust your local government to do the right thing.

 

Are you serious?

 

Freedom of speech means we can question whatever information is presented, or not presented, as the case may be. We can demand that our municipal officials be accountable.

 

And when the final rock is in place, and 20 years down the road, the view is obscured by rocks and bushes and weeds, we can expect that the municipal government of the day will spend millions of dollars to correct its mistake, once more.

 

Ah, but maybe we're just being too skeptical!