Saturday, February 20, 2016

Saturday February 20, 2016


Ladies and Gentlemen



On the good news front, the first member of our Syrian refugee family should be arriving at Toronto Pearson tomorrow. Given the chaotic state of refugee movements our local support group is not sure when the other family members will arrive. Hopefully once they are all here and settled you will have an opportunity to meet them.



On a more challenging front, the fight to save our hospital has begun. I use the term “fight” quite deliberately as it will take a concerted effort to make the difficult changes needed to put our hospital back on a healthy footing.



The challenges are manifold. The recent operational report pointed to a number of cultural and organizational issues that must be resolved. This first and foremost engages the hospital administration, staff and the doctors. The “vision” for our future hospital must be established.  What are the services that GBGH will deliver to serve our community while keeping our hospital financially viable?  Resolving the vision question will involve our hospital, the public and politicians. And our vision cannot be dictated by a cost-consultant or the provincial government.



Thirdly, the most insidious challenge is the improper funding of our hospital. The current funding formula and all its rationalizations are simply leading GBGH deeper into the hole. Radical change is needed.  Changing the funding will take a resolute hospital, an engaged North Simcoe public and flexibility on the part of the LHIN and the provincial government.



Make no mistake, we are fighting for the future of our healthcare in North Simcoe. Winning this fight will take a well thought out plan, collective energy and an acceptance by all the parties that we must come together to deliver a hospital solution that meets the needs of the people of North Simcoe.



Note: the next public meeting planned by our Citizen’s Healthcare Steering Committee is on March 7th from 5:00 - 7:00 pm at the Brian Orser arena in Penentanguishene.







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On Monday 22nd the regular business of the Town starts with a closed meeting at 5:30 pm. The meeting will discuss an OMB appeal regarding Source Water Protection, a legal issue and staffing matters. At 7:00 pm is the regular Council meeting.  The agenda includes:

-       Three deputations:

o    The Downtown Safety Committee reports on its progress

o    Brittany Black, our area Tourism Director, will tell you about plans for 2016

o    An update on the development of Marina Park

-       Preparations for the OPP costing process

-       Information on the mayors’ initiative on broadband fibre networks in North Simcoe

-       A motion to direct MPUC to look for a new business arrangement



The rest of the week is pretty quiet.  Many of the politicians will be at the ROMA conference in Toronto. I fortunately drew the short straw and will stay in Midland.



Council Issues Update



Midland Bay Landing

The Town held its Open House this past week.  Some 30-40 individuals attended and from what I could tell, were quite pleased with the zoning changes being proposed. Another key step in moving this project forward.



MPUC

Peterborough Council announced this week that it was investigating selling its LDC. If you are of the opinion that there have been a lot of changes recently with municipal LDC ownership, you would be right. The province is changing the rules and with that the entire LDC industry is changing. Our own MPUC, with an extremely small base of 6,500 customers, cannot just stand pat. On Monday Council will likely ask the MPUC Board to start looking for options.





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If you are interested in the future of Georgian Bay, there is a special event for you. The Great Lakes Café is taking place on Wednesday March 9th at 7:00 pm at the NSSRC. This moderated evening of dialogue, idea exchange and creativity will identify ways that we can raise awareness of the importance of our Great lakes.  Results of the Café will be presented to the International Joint Commission, the body that manages our Great Lakes.  



The event is sponsored by the federal governments of the US and Canada. Please preregister at https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/celebrating-the-great-lakes-north-simcoe-tickets-21520149346





Gord McKay







Your Year for Getting Aboard – Midlands on the Move - 2016

                                                                                              


Sunday, February 14, 2016

Sunday February 14, 2016


Ladies and Gentlemen



Happy Valentines Day. Its cold outside but I know there are a lot of warm hearts in Midland.



This past week I received a note from a man, living in Barrie, who wanted to move his family to Midland. He had visited and loved the Town but decided not to move - because of the high taxes.



His note serves as a reminder that in 2015 Midland had the second highest property tax rate in Simcoe County.  I am the first to point out (and I did) that property taxes are not the whole story.  Our taxes are somewhat offset by the low costs of sewer and water services, plus housing costs in Midland are quite low compared to other parts of the County. The fact remains though that we are a high tax jurisdiction.



Over the past three years the Town has made some progress in reducing taxes. As recently as 2014 Midland had the highest tax rate in the County. Over the past three years, Midland has turned in the lowest tax rate growth of any municipality in Simcoe County. A good start - more must be done.



Next month the Town will turn its fiscal attention to policing by starting the process for costing the OPP service. Policing costs must be examined for the simple fact that they are such a significant part of our annual budget. If you look at the yellow “2015 Town of Midland Taxes” sheet you received last year, you will see that policing took 27.5% of the municipal budget, the largest budget share for any department. Of equal concern to Council is the proportional growth of the police budget. As recently as five years ago the police budget represented only 16-18% of our budget.



While the question may have been raised by a financial concern, the answer critically involves the quality of policing that we receive. We do enjoy high quality policing from the Midland Police Service. And as stated by our Police Chief, the OPP is also a quality police service. So Council will have to address that issue once the costing situation has been clarified.



At this point we do not know what the costing exercise will show. At a minimum Council will have a better understanding of our own policing costs and insights as to where we can be more cost effective.  If there is a substantial cost difference, Council will have to very seriously consider looking at OPP as our policing option.





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Monday February 15th is Family Day.  Town Hall is closed. Whether you have the day off or not take time to enjoy your loved ones.



Tuesday the 16th starts with a meeting at Midland Secondary School. Plans are underway for the new school that will receive the students from PSS in Penetanguishene. I will be meeting with the Principle, the School Board and a leading manufacturer from our community to make sure that the school design accommodates the educational needs of students who want to enter the trades.  At 4:00 pm at Town Hall you are invited to attend what should be the last budget meeting, prior to Council voting on the 2016 Town budget.



On Wednesday at 3:30 pm you are invited to an entrepreneurial showcase at Georgian College, Midland Campus.  The meeting will share information on College activities and strengthen the entrepreneurial ecosystem within Midland.  Please RSVP if you wish to attend.  That evening I meet with Julianna Matyas of We are the Villagers to plan a “Mac and Cheese” extravaganza. The mayors, Bruce Stanton and Patrick Brown will be there to serve the people. Please put dinner on April 5th on your calendar – an event not to be missed.





On Thursday the 16th I will spend much of the day with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing in Toronto as I look for provincial support for our Downtown Master Plan project. Back in Midland you may want to attend the Midland Bay Landing Open House at 4:00 pm at Town Hall. And that evening at 7:00 pm at MCC, pure enjoyment as the Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra presents Bach.



Friday the 19th is a busy day for all. At 9:00 am at the Penetanguishene Memorial Community Centre is a special presentation for businesses on the topic of “Canada Revenue and You”. 

Registration is required. Contact Lois Irvine at North Simcoe CFDC, 705.526.1371 ext. 113 or lirvine@nscfdc.on.ca



Dinner is served from 5:00 till 7:00 pm at the Midland Legion by the Ladies Auxiliary of Branch 80 Midland Legion. These spaghetti dinners are always a wonderful event.  Tickets are $10.00 with children under 10 for $5.00.



At 8:00 pm at the MCC, Huronia Players launches 2016 with the well-loved comedy, The Perils of Persephone.



Weekend



Saturday

-       6:00 pm Ducks Unlimited hosts its annual dinner at the Best Western

-       7:30 pm Serenata Choir presents a cabaret and silent auction at Ste. Marie restaurant.  Tickets at Johnstones Musicland or from Serenata members



Council Issues Update



Budget

The 2016 process moves into the final phase with a budget meeting this Tuesday at 4:00 pm.  You are welcome to attend.





Midland Bay Landing

Another step towards getting the site ready for development occurs at the Town Hall this Thursday with the Public Open House respecting the zoning changes. This is not a design meeting to discuss what it will look like, but rather a consideration of the zoning requirements for the site and how it will support the MBL Master Plan.



GBGH

With the informational meetings on the report over, the mayors are now working closely with GBGH and its Board to ensure we have a service mix that is acceptable to the community and that the LHIN and the province provide the financial supports to keep our hospital viable.





Gord McKay

Sunday, February 7, 2016

Sunday, February 7, 2016


Ladies and Gentlemen



I hope you were able to get out and enjoy WinterFest. While it was a bit cool with the wind down at Little Lake, some of those hot chilis served up at the downtown square more than made up for it.



This past week saw many of our area’s large manufactures come together to discuss their challenges and how we can grow the area’s manufacturing economy. The outstanding news is that virtually every one of them is now hiring. Their challenge is finding skilled individuals to fill these well paid positions. One of the conclusions of the meeting was to reach out to area high schools, to make students, teachers and parents more aware of the rewarding career path involving the science/technology disciplines.



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Monday February 8th starts with a closed meeting of Council at 6:00 pm to discuss labour and personal matters. At 7:00 pm is the General Committee meeting featuring:

-       Recommendation for traffic calming on Norman Cres.

-       Overview of the Town’s new Operations Centre

-       Discussion of the request to not install sidewalks on Taylor Dr.



On Tuesday I am at the County for the regular County Council meeting at 9:00 am.  That evening, starting at 5:00 pm, is a special visioning session hosted by Wye Marsh. This is a public discussion of where the Wye Marsh is headed and how it should relate to the rest of the community.  If you plan on attending, please contact Sara at  sstreet@wyemarsh.com



A pretty quiet “rest of the week” as far as public meetings go.



Weekend



Saturday

11:00 am   Penetanguishene Winterama parade  - always a fun event but bundle up

7:30 pm   Masquarade Dance at Brian Orser Hall. Proceeds to support “We Are the Villagers”. Call 529-1247 for tickets

8:00 pm   Enjoy the Beatlemaniacs at MCC





Council Issues Update



Budget

Council provided direction to staff last Monday about what should be included in the 2016 budget. Expect a public budget meeting next week, and if we can come to agreement, the budget should come to Council for approval in early March.



GBGH

GBGH has held additional public meetings to explain their recently released operations report. Various citizen groups are organizing petitions to protest the changes to services identified in the report. Patrick Brown, our MPP, has agreed to make the sustainability of our hospital one of his major issues. The four mayors continue their work with the North Simcoe Muskoka LHIN and GBGH to ensure we retain our service mix (including obstetrics) and also fix the long outstanding funding problem faced by our hospital.





Gord McKay



Your Year for Getting Aboard – Midlands on the Move - 2016