(Today’s Northumberland file photo)
Citizens of Cobourg
The following Notice of Motion was submitted by me to the Clerk’s Office and to Council on the same day as my official public statement regarding the proposed Parks and Recreation Master Plan. The Notice of Motion below represents exactly what the vast majority of the public is demanding. A clear and formal, on-the-record response by your Council to a document that should never have reached the public in the form it has, and a commitment that the process going forward will reflect the values and the laws of this Province and this community.
Lucas Cleveland, Mayor of Cobourg
WHEREAS no plan nor any draft plan paid for by the taxpayers of Cobourg should encourage, endorse, or make it easier to commit acts of criminality under federal or provincial law in our public parks or any public space in this town; and
WHEREAS the draft Parks and Recreation Master Plan contains language affirming “housing as a fundamental human right,” recommends syringe disposal bins at Victoria Park, Victoria Beach, and the Ecology Garden, and prescribes harm reduction signage frameworks that normalize illegal drug use in municipal parks — none of which reflects Council’s policy direction or this municipality’s legislative responsibilities; and
WHEREAS the Province of Ontario enacted Bill 6 — the Safer Municipalities Act, 2025 — making encampments and the consumption of illegal substances in public spaces offences subject to fines of up to $10,000 or imprisonment of up to six months, or both; and
WHEREAS the Town of Cobourg has reinforced that legislative direction through Nuisance By-law 048-2016 as amended by By-law 017-2024, Parks By-law 022-2016 as amended by By-law 070-2023, and By-law 018-2024 — collectively affirming that Cobourg’s parks exist for the recreation, health, and quality of life of all residents, not as sites of encampment or illegal activity;
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Council direct staff to ensure the revised draft Parks and Recreation Master Plan, prior to presentation for adoption, removes in its entirety any language that:
a) Affirms housing or shelter as a human right in the context of parks planning;
b) Recommends harm reduction infrastructure including syringe disposal bins or non-stigmatizing drug use signage in municipal parks;
c) Frames homelessness or encampment use of public parks sympathetically or as a parks planning consideration.
d) Contradicts or is inconsistent with the Safer Municipalities Act, 2025, the Restricting Public Consumption of Illegal Substances Act, 2025, the Trespass to Property Act as amended, or any Town of Cobourg by-law governing public parks; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that staff confirm in writing to Council, prior to adoption, that all language identified above has been removed and that the revised document fully reflects the Town’s legislative obligations, Council’s policy direction, and the values of the residents of Cobourg.
This notice of Motion was Submitted to Clerks office Friday June 6th at 5:00pm.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
