Ladies
and Gentlemen
Midland just wrapped up a very special weekend. Sunday was
an important day for most of us being Mother’s Day. Saturday brought some 150 people
from all over Ontario to King Street to celebrate the park dedication to Andrew
Mixemong. Andrew was a leader of the
Beausoleil First Nation who was killed in our downtown two years ago. The sun
was out, the wind blew lustily and Andrew’s warm spirit was felt by many - a
day that brought our communities closer together.
Monday May 12th starts with a closed meeting
at 6:15 pm to deal with two matters:
OPSEU negotiations and a matter of litigation. Then at 7:00 pm is the
May General Committee meeting. Agenda items include:
-
Creation of the Midland Cultural Committee
-
Update on our 2014 geese management
activities
-
Discussion on whether we should host a
WaterCross sporting event on Little Lake
-
A follow-up report on the Town’s 2013 budget surplus
-
The Police Service Board response to Council’s’
questions on their 2014 budget
-
A staff report on the state of backflow
preventers in Midland (Backflow
preventers are valves used to make sure that water in a building does not get siphoned
back into the municipal water supply)
Tuesday the 13th and more meetings. County Council
meets at Midhurst at 9:00 am. At 7:00 pm
there is a special Council meeting to discuss the Little Lake store lease and the
expected DC charges for Midland for the next five years. You are welcome to attend.
Also
at 7:00 pm Mr. Fred Hacker’s A Day
in the Life will feature the legendary Lloyd Robertson, the news anchor for CTV News for 35 years and
now host of CTV’s “W5”. I believe that
all the tickets are sold for this one. A tip of the hat to Fred – attracting this
caliber of person to Midland shows that we can compete with the best.
Wednesday May 14th I am back at County for the
inaugural meeting of the Simcoe County Housing Advisory Committee. This Committee
will inform County actions for the next decade on the housing solutions needed
in Midland and area. To support my role in representing North Simcoe, we will
be forming a North Simcoe Housing Committee. They will start their work on May 27th.
Look for a lot of public engagement in
the months ahead if we are to make a meaningful change to providing the housing
needed by all of our residents.
At 4:00 pm is the regular meeting of the Police Service
Board at Town Hall. Then at 7:00 pm is
the May Planning and Development Committee meeting. Topics include:
-
Staff recommendations on the Guesthouse homeless
shelter
-
Establishment of the Downtown Master Plan
Steering Committee
-
Review of the Town’s response to the County Transportation
Master Plan
And now for something completely different. On Thursday May 15th starting at
4:30 at the NSSRC, Youth Engagement is hosting a “Zombie Walk”. Yes, a Zombie
Walk down King Street in Midland. All for a good cause to get youth involved and spread awareness of upcoming blood donor clinics in the
Midland area. So come down and be part of what’s happening.
Weekend
Saturday
-
Port-O-Rama parade in Port McNicoll starting
at 11:00 am. Come for the parade and stay
the week-end.
******
Two notes in closing. First, the four municipalities have
now formed the Economic Development Corporation of North Simcoe (EDCNS) - a
very important step forward for our area. This arm’s length corporation will organize
and lead economic development and job growth for North Simcoe. We are now starting
to look for six private sector members to be on the EDCNS Board. If you have the skills and are interested in
helping our community grow economically, this may be an opportunity for
you. Recruiting announcements should be
out shortly.
And the private sector is not waiting around. One of our
up and coming downtown businesses, “Shopcity.com” is changing the way we shop while
strengthening local community. Colin Pape, the President, has passed along the following
information:
1.
Want to find who is selling what in Midland
and area? The new SGB Chamber of Commerce app, developed in partnership with ShopMidland.com is now live for both iPhone
and Android. Download at www.southerngeorgianbay.ca/app
2.
The
new Midland BIA website is now up, also powered by ShopMidland.com. You can see
some great new shopping features and “what’s going on” at www.downtownmidland.ca.
Shopcity
is making some great things happen, not only in Midland but in cities across
North America. It is redefining the marketplace and stands to become one of our
major employers. Thanks to Colin and his
team it is getting easier to tell the world that in Midland – Yes we can!
Gord
McKay
Be
part of Midland’s Year of Making Decisions - 2014
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