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.
*****
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.
*****
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
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