Ladies
and Gentlemen
It’s a tough way to start a new year with the announcement
that the Pillsbury plant is closing. The plant has been with us since 1952. I
have been told that the plant will continue to run until summer 2016 when it
will close with the loss of about 100 jobs.
There is no way to sugar coat it. The loss of 100 jobs
will affect our community. Families will be hurt – less money in the local
economy – some people may have to leave our area. And this closing has nothing
to do with the high quality of the work being done at the plant. General Mills
has told us that they are realigning their global supply chain and that the
work being done in Midland is moving somewhere else.
The only saving grace is that Midland is a strong resilient
community. I have already had contact with the province to help staff retrain
and find new employment. I will meet with Minister Goodyear this week to
discuss what can be done about the General Mills closing and other local situations,
such as CCL in Penetanguishene. Your Council will be working closely with our
newly formed Economic Development Corporation to make sure that the General
Mills property quickly becomes the home of new jobs for our community. Giving up is not in our vocabulary.
*****
On Monday January 12th your Council gets down
to business. At 5:30 pm we gather in the
Council chamber for our official Council picture. At 6:00 pm it’s a closed
meeting to discuss a personal matter and land acquisition. At 7:00 pm we are
back in public with the January General Committee meeting. The agenda is not too
challenging with:
-
An application for a second farmers market
this summer
-
Announcement of our annual downtown road hockey
game set for January 30th from 4:00 to 6:00 pm
-
Proposed agreement with GB Snowriders for
in-town trails
Tuesday the 13th starts with the County Committee
of the Whole in Midhurst at 9:00 am. The main item on the agenda is
recommendation of the 2015 County budget. Following that I am scheduled for a meeting
with Minister Gary Goodyear, the Minister of State for Economic Development for
Southern Ontario.
Wednesday January 14th gives you a choice for
your evening. At 7:00 pm at the Town Hall is the Planning and Development Committee.
The agenda includes;
-
The 2015 Development overview. This is an excellent summary presentation of
all the development activity underway in Midland as well as what is on the
horizon. Look for updates on Bayport,
Marina Park and the Hanson development.
-
Devonsleigh Homes has filed a request for a lot
control extension
-
The announcement of the start of our Official
Plan process, including a request for a public meeting.
-
Proposed arrangement with Penetanguishene for
a shared Chief Building Officer service
-
The closing report on the OMB decision
regarding the Guesthouse shelter
If
you are not into planning you may wish to attend A Day in the Life featuring Kevin James LaBrie, the lead
singer of the internationally
acclaimed progressive metal rock band, Dream Theater. For
more than two decades, he and his bands have produced more than two dozen albums and participated in 30 tours worldwide. Dream Theater
has performed concerts throughout Europe,
Asia, South America, Australia and North America. The band has
been nominated for three Grammy awards and band members have won numerous
awards individually and collectively. That’s at 7:00 pm at the MCC. Tickets are $19 ($10 for students) and are available at the MCC
Box Office or online at www.midlandculturalcentre.com
On Thursday January 15th at 6:00 pm Midland’s
new Council discusses the 2015 budget. A proposed 2015 budget was prepared by the
previous Council. The new Council will now have a chance to decide on any changes
that they wish to make. Midland should wrap
up its budget process with Council approval in February.
Friday January 16th will see the regular
Waterfront Project Steering committee meeting at 11:00 am at Town Hall. That evening at 7:00 pm Quest Art School +
Gallery will open two exhibitions at the MCC. Paintings by Wasaga Beach artist
Sue Miller with sculptures created by Halyna Mordonec-Regenbogen, a resident of
Tiny Township, will be upstairs. Concurrently, the Atrium Gallery will
present From Shore to Sky, a community exhibition featuring artwork
depicting elements of shore- and skylines.
*****
Last week I told you about
our area’s new tourism branding – The Heart
of Georgian Bay. This week our tourism
group has launched a new Tourism trade association. This “destination marketing
organization” (DMO) will be industry-led and municipally-supported, The DMO is named
“North Simcoe Tourism” and is under the care of our new economic development group,
the Economic Development Corporation of
North Simcoe. North Simcoe Tourism will
work with all the tourism partners in the area to build our brand, attract
visitors and ensure that we grow a healthy balanced tourist industry.
And
lastly, your County Christmas tree pick-up will take place the weeks of January
12th and 26th.
Gord
McKay
Be
part of Midland’s Year of Bold Action - 2015
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