Donald McArthur

Well, we played a new version of O Canada Monday night and council chambers didn’t come crashing down all around us.

It was a unique, up-tempo version and some parts were tricky to sing first time through — especially the passage in French. My daughter and wife are bilingual, but, me, I’m not so lucky. 😊

Amherstburg’s water treatment plant on Front Road North was built in 1971 – the year I was born — and features some electronic equipment that brings to mind those massive, blinking computers from the 1983 movie War Games.

Despite its advancing age, it’s an impressive, efficient plant staffed by a passionate and knowledgeable crew overseeing the treatment of enough river water to fill 10 billion bottles every day. Operations are only going to improve now that council has approved SCADA — Supervisory Control and Data for Acquisition — for the plant. Right now, it is the only plant in the province without it.

I was happy to support the Amherstburg Farmers' Market set up shop in a new location at Toddy Jones Park and I was also happy to support the opening of a new craft brewery in the downtown core. 

Here's how I voted:

There could soon be a small, craft brewery serving up its product in downtown Amherstburg if council endorses an administrative recommendation Monday night.

Hello, Malden! Where have you been all my life?

I made my way through south Amherstburg on my weekend long run and managed to log a personal best 15.3 miles. 

Council voted to change the name of a street that was causing confusion in Kingsbridge, voted to waive fees for the Rotary Ribfest and finally settled on a marketing logo and tagline so our tourism department can continue building on their considerable success.

Here's how I voted:

Amherstburg’s Uncommon Festival has been named the Best New Festival or Event by Festivals and Events Ontario. The town also took home top honours as Municipality of the Year. 

In the end, and it took us a long time to get there, in the end we went with the boxy logo modified to include a buoy and the North Star while scrubbing the railway tracks.

I opted for that logo because I believed it could be part of a tool kit the tourism department can use to market the town and attract visitors and their disposable incomes. Of all the logos presented, I felt it best spoke of the history and heritage the town wants to promote.

You hear a lot about speeding motorists and drivers rolling through stop signs when you go door-to-door during an election campaign.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re in a subdivision or on a Concession Road, residents want police to crack down on speeders near their homes or at least be visible enough to slow them down.

When you start a run off at the Greenway trailhead on Thomas Road, you’ve got all kinds of options.

You can head down the Greenway toward McGregor. You can head south to Alma and then choose to zig-zag through town or make your way to the Libro Centre, where you can circle back through town or push further down Creek Road.