By Cecilia Nasmith/Today’s Northumberland
With the six-month mark approaching since Northumberland County opened its shelter in Cobourg at 310 Division St., Mayor Lucas Cleveland made a Notice of Motion at Cobourg’s April council meeting that will let residents have their say about it.
The motion cites “ongoing and growing concern from residents and businesses located within a 500-metre radius of Transition House regarding safety, transparency and communication around the shelter’s operations and impacts on the community.”
It also cites a “breakdown in communication between residents and businesses in the Town of Cobourg and the decision makers at Northumberland County.”
Cleveland added to this remark, bringing up the last county council meeting where he could not attend but failed to send Deputy Mayor Nicole Beatty in his place. His request to attend by Zoom would have required a council motion to allow it, which was not forthcoming.
“I would like to suggest that perhaps one of the reasons why the public is so outraged at the moment is due to the last county council meeting and the refusal to allow me to participate virtually despite numerous other occasions over the last two and a half years with other councillors being able to participate virtually,” he said.
“I think it’s time that we start allowing the people of Cobourg to speak directly to the decision makers who are deciding on the funding and the operations of social services that we know are primarily delivered in this community.”
The motion set out a list of municipal, union and political representatives to be invited, and required previous recorded comments on the homeless problem dating back to September 2023, when the Brookside encampment began.
Once the date is set, it will be “communicated well in advance through all available public channels to ensure maximum community participation.”
It will take place no later than June 5 so that it can be discussed at the June council meeting.
Cleveland called for a recorded vote on the motion, which passed unanimously.
