Cobourg Mayor Lucas Cleveland says Northumberland County’s latest 310 Division Street service report raises important questions about who is actually showing up for vulnerable residents — and he isn’t surprised by the numbers.
The County report, covering March 3, 2025, to June 30, 2026, tracks the number of days outside organizations provided onsite services at 310 Division Street.
The numbers vary dramatically.
Some organizations were there almost continuously.
Others appeared only once during the 16-month reporting period.
Green Wood Coalition was among those recorded as being onsite just one day.
Cleveland said he appreciated Today’s Northumberland bringing the report and its numbers to public attention.
“First of all, I did appreciate the article,” Cleveland said. “I’m glad it’s out there.”
Cleveland said the report represents the kind of transparency he has pushed for during his time on Northumberland County Council.
“As one of the people at the county council who fought many, many times to get this kind of transparency and reporting, I’m glad to see it’s being done,” he said.
“And I’m glad to see the public becoming more informed.”
The numbers certainly provide a stark contrast.
According to the County report, Green Wood Coalition was onsite for one day between March 3, 2025, and June 30, 2026.
Meanwhile:
SE Health — 209 days
NHH Assertive Community Treatment Team — 199 days
Hope and Light Outreach — 187 days
Nursing/PSW Support — 178 days
Northumberland County Outreach — 108 days
NHH Community Mental Health — 77 days
OATC/CATC Port Hope — 63 days
Northumberland Paramedics — 45 days
Serenity Addiction Recovery Group — 35 days
The Help Centre — 33 days
Cleveland said the figures become particularly interesting when viewed alongside the controversy involving what he called the “gang of five.”
That reference is to five agencies that previously wrote a letter concerning provincial legislation and Cleveland.
“What I think is really interesting is in regards to the old gang of five — the five agencies that decided to write a letter for me talking about the provincial laws,” Cleveland said.
He then offered a pointed response.
“People who live in glass houses, shouldn’t throw stones.”
Cleveland stopped short of accusing individual organizations of failing to provide services.
But he said the report is nevertheless revealing.
“I think that that report is both telling and timely,” he said.
When asked specifically whether it surprised him that Green Wood Coalition had only one recorded day at 310 Division Street, Cleveland declined to get into the organization’s specific circumstances.
“I’m not going to get into the specifics,” he said.
But he again referred to the “gang of five” and said Green Wood was one of those organizations.
One day doesn’t tell the whole story
The County’s numbers come with an important qualification.
The report measures onsite visits to 310 Division Street. It does not necessarily capture work an organization performs elsewhere in the community, telephone support, advocacy, meetings, outreach outside the building or other services.
That means one day onsite does not automatically mean an organization is inactive or failing to help people.
But Cleveland believes transparency around the numbers is important.
And the public may reasonably ask what those organizations are doing outside 310 Division Street.
How many people are being helped?
How many are being connected with housing?
How many are receiving support?
How many are being connected with addiction or mental-health services?
And what measurable outcomes are being achieved?
Those questions become especially important when taxpayers are funding a network of agencies intended to help some of Northumberland’s most vulnerable residents.
Cleveland said the public deserves to understand what is actually happening.
“I’m glad to see the public becoming more informed,” he said.
Transparency versus honesty
Cleveland ended the discussion by drawing a distinction between two words he believes are particularly important heading into the next few weeks.
“There’s a difference between honesty and transparency,” he said.
“And what we’re needing in this community is a lot more transparency.”
The Mayor also suggested residents should be paying close attention to what is happening in municipal politics as the election approaches.
“I think we’re going to see a lot of really important and really factual things come to light over the next few weeks,” Cleveland said.
“And I think it’s really important that people like you and the media and the public out there at large are doing their due diligence and paying attention.”
The 310 Division Street report does not provide the complete picture of social services in Northumberland County.
But it does provide something that has often been difficult for the public to see — a numerical snapshot of how frequently organizations are physically present at one of the County’s key service locations.
For some agencies, that presence is measured in hundreds of days.
For Green Wood Coalition and a number of other organizations, it was one day.
Cleveland isn’t saying the number tells the whole story.
But he clearly believes it is a number worth asking questions about.
And his message to those criticizing others is blunt:
“People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.”
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
