Sunday, January 31, 2010

Sunday January 31, 2010

Ladies and Gentlemen

Winter’s back. And I have the shovel marks to prove it.

A fairly quiet week in the Town.

The Out of the Cold program is half-way through its season. We are typically feeding 20 people each evening – many have a home but do not have the means to put food on the table. The economic downturn continues to impact Midland.

On Wednesday February 3rd at 7:00 pm is the PAC meeting. (Speak at Discretion of Chair). The agenda includes:
- further discussion on “secondary suites” for single family dwellings
- a housekeeping proposal to our Town Plan. It covers many topics such as:
o where you can park on your residential property
o including decks in the definition of lot coverage
- an update on the County appeal to the OMB over the Official Plan process

This is Midland’s Winterfest weekend - a variety of events from Friday evening into Sunday. Check the Town website for details. Also on the social calendar for this Saturday February 6th are:
- Community Living Huronia gala starting at 5:30 pm at the Best Western
- Georgian Bay Musicians Assn. is holding a Winterfest Dance at 8:00 pm at the Windrifter.

And lastly, our Town has apparently joined a “Provincially Designated Growth Area Municipalities Committee”. This is a new organization made up of 3 Simcoe municipalities plus Barrie and Orillia. In a letter issued by its Chair, Mike MacEacheran, on January 20th one of the Committee’s tasks will be to “research and review alternative cooperative servicing opportunities to support the implementation of the necessary infrastructure required to accommodate the proposed growth nodes….” Interesting. When this comes to Midland Town Council for discussion I will be sure to let you know.

Gord McKay

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Sunday Janaury 24, 2010

Ladies and Gentlemen

January 24th and they are calling for a high of 6 degrees and heavy rain…bring on the global warming debate.

A busy week. On Monday the 25th we start off with a closed meeting at 6:30 regarding a matter of litigation concerning the Town. Then at 7:00 it is Council (Deputation Only). A fairly long agenda including;
- a deputation on septage (sewage sludge) disposal
- a letter from the County suggesting a meeting on leachate monitoring at the North Simcoe Transfer Station (Later on there is a By-law to use the Midland boundary road allowance as a leachate attenuation zone.)
- a discussion on the use of Harbourview Dr. sidewalks by snowmobiles
- a comment on your Committee’s recommendation to expand the permitted uses for our industrial zoning category

Wednesday the 27th is a very special day. Our new Chief of Police Mike Osborne will be sworn in at Town Hall in a special ceremony scheduled for 6:00 pm. Then at 8:30 pm Council will be meeting in a special closed session to discuss a possible land acquisition.

Thursday the 28th from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm, Garfield Dunlop MPP is holding his pre-budget consultation at the Brooklea. If you wish to present it is suggested that you call Garfield’s office ahead of time to register.

On Saturday, a number of your Councilors will be headed to Toronto for a short conference on job creation is the green economy. Hopefully a number of good ideas will be generated for our own economy.

And finally another bus company has offered to fill the transportation gap left by Greyhound’s decision to terminate service to the Town in April .More developments to follow.



Gord McKay

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Saturday January 16, 2010

Ladies and Gentlemen

I have not had to use my snowblower for a couple of weeks now. They are just not making winters the way they used to.
Monday the 18th of January starts early. At 9:00 am the County’s waste strategy committee meets in Midhurst. to start making the hard choices about our waste future. Then at 7:00 pm in the Midland Town Council Chambers your Poverty Committee meets to continue discussing what we will do about poverty (Speak at Discretion of Chair)

Friday the 22nd is the important Mayor’s Day in support of physician’s recruitment. You can still get tickets for either the breakfast or the lunch. James Lockyer is the keynote speaker.

While I focus this e-mail on the work of the Town’s major committees and Council, many less heralded meetings occur each week. For example, this week alone:
- Energy Committee – Tuesday at 3:30 pm
- Huronia Museum – Tuesday at 7:00 pm
- Trails Committee – Tuesday at 7:00 pm
- Police Services Board – Wednesday at 4:00 pm
- BIA – Wednesday at 6:00 pm
- Seniors Council – Thursday at 10:00 am

All dedicated to making Midland a better place.



Gord McKay

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Sunday January 10, 2010

Ladies and Gentlemen

Sunshine is a wonderful tonic. It almost makes shoveling snow enjoyable.

Your Town Council starts work on Monday at 7:00 pm with General Committee (Written Input). A fairly short agenda including;
- a report on possible changes to the downtown parking arrangements (eg. pay and display, increased fines, etc.)
- an interesting question from the Midland Library Board about how the announced wage freeze affects their staff
- new parking fees for Pete Petterson Park
- possible deferral of the planned purchase of a new bus because of budget
As you can see in the above items, a tighter Town budget is affecting many decisions

On Wednesday January the 12th you have a choice of two events at 7:00 pm:
1) Community Services will hold a public meeting at the NSSRC about the proposed new dog park
2) Zero Waste Simcoe is holding a public meeting at the YMCA Employment Resource Centre about the new waste practices for all of Simcoe County, including Midland. Your chance to help define where your waste ends up.

Other than that, get out and enjoy the winter weather.


Gord McKay

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Sunday January 3, 2010

Ladies and Gentlemen

Happy New Year. I hope that Santa has been good to you and that you are all set for an exciting and rewarding 2010 in Midland.

A very quiet first week (we all need time to recover).

On Tuesday January 5th at 7:00 pm at the Town, Bruce Stanton MP will be holding a public session for input on the federal budget. Your chance to tell Bruce what’s on your mind.

On Wednesday the 6th, the Town will hold a meeting with its auditor to discuss the upcoming audit review (You may Not Speak). Then at 7:00 pm is the first Planning Advisory Committee meeting (Speak at Discretion of Chair). The agenda is not yet available so I will update you as soon as I get my copy.

And that is pretty well it. If you are wondering what to do with all your spare time this week, take a look outside.

Gord McKay