Sunday, September 25, 2016

Sunday September 25, 2016


Ladies and Gentlemen



You have probably heard enough bragging from me about our manufacturers but this part of our local economy seems to be taking flight. This past week I attended our area’s Manufacturers Round Table at Weber Manufacturing. Of the seven major manufacturers at the table everyone but one (and they didn’t say) are hiring. Six years ago the message would have been exactly the opposite. This is about as positive a hiring situation as I have seen. All they need are good qualified workers.  So if you know of someone who might make the move to the Heart of Georgian Bay and has some solid skills to offer our manufacturers, invite them up.





The Week Ahead



Monday September 26th sees the start of the NSCFDC Speakers Series. The first session is at 9:00 am at Brian Orser Hall in Penetanguishene. The guest speaker, Jane Barnett, will inform you about the “Customer Connection”. There are two other presentations in the series:

1)     Thursday October 27th 9:00 am at NSSRC – Keeping Things Fresh, with Jamie Tripp

2)     Thursday November 24th 9:00 am at NSSRC – Mental Health in the Workplace, with Sarah Durant

Please register online at www.nscfdc.on.ca



At noon our faithful GBGH Volunteer Association celebrates 110 years of service with a gathering at Café Ste. Marie.



6:00 pm starts the Town business. It begins with a closed meeting to learn about the status of our OPSEU negotiations. We will also consider nominations for the Youth Committee. The September Council meeting starts at 7:00 pm and includes:

            Four deputations:

-       Sharon Vegh provides on update on economic development/ EDCNS

-       Huronia airport reports on their many new developments

-       A report on our 2016  Butter Tart Festival – not to be a spoiler but we are going to hear some great numbers

-       Sustainable Severn Sound updates their many activities

Discussion about allowing ATVs on Town roads

Three by-law reports:

-       The property at 168 William Street

-       The property at 228 Chaingate

-       The smoking/loitering issue affecting residents on Christine and Maxwell

Further discussion on retaining Mark Rogers for the sale of MPUC



On Tuesday I am down to County Council at 9:00 am for a couple of key topics. We will vote on accepting the transit plan that will see improved bus service from Midland to Barrie/Orillia. Then the Committee of the Whole will consider a number of changes to how we collect waste with the view to increasing our diversion rate to 70%.



Wednesday the 28th at 2:00 pm at Town Hall features a Midland Bay Landing steering committee meeting to further discuss how to deal with our development partners



On Friday September 30th you are invited to an Age-Friendly Community Consultation sponsored by the County. These focus groups will include caregivers, service providers, social club members, Francophones, newcomers, business owners, aboriginals and senior-living communities to discuss how we need to change our communities to accommodate the increasing demands of elderly citizens. The consultations are at Georgian Village in Penetanguishene at 2 – 4 pm and then again from 6 – 8 pm.



Week - End



Saturday October 1



·         Treasure Day weekend in Midland. Have your treasures out by 8:00 am

·         9:30 am to 4:30 pm Big Brothers/Sisters Thanksgiving Home Tour

·         Pumpkinferno starts at Discovery Harbor HHP.  A spooky great time. Open from October 1st to 30th but only on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm.

·         7:00 pm Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony and dinner at NSSRC



Sunday October 2



·         Treasure Day weekend. Have your treasures back in by 5:00 pm







Gord McKay





Your Year for Getting Aboard – Midland is on the Move - 2016

                                                                                              






Sunday, September 18, 2016

Sunday September 18, 2016


Ladies and Gentlemen



Midland is changing. I was going through my News from the Town editions from 6 years ago and what jumps out is our new approach to “culture”. Six years ago our large community gatherings were typically membership groups or fundraising galas. Not a lot else was going on. In fact I used to be able to write my early News from the Town editions in half a page!



Now take a look at what this past month alone has brought us:

·         Midland Reads, jointly sponsored by the Library and MCC, put authors in a many downtown stores

·         The Seniors 55+ Games concluded with over 1,300 athletes coming to Midland

·         The first ZucchiniMania was held by Askennonia

·         MCC has just announced that Brian Mulroney is coming to speak at the MCC

·         Artslam takes pace this Friday –  a brand new arts event by Quest Gallery

·         The BIA/Town movie night is a new regular feature in our downtown

·         The Tale of a Town oral history project just wrapped up at the Huronia Museum

And this is just a partial list.



Your Council continues to work on Midland’s Cultural Plan but more importantly many, many groups within our community have taken up a new interest in culture and are making good progress in transforming Midland into the place where we are all proud to live.





The Week Ahead



Monday September 19th will see a meeting of the Citizen Healthcare Steering Committee at GBGH (Rm 1) at 5:00 pm.  This is their monthly meeting and will feature planning for the next quarterly public healthcare Town Hall scheduled for October 17th at 7:00 pm.



Tuesday its economic development. Our area manufacturers will meet with municipal leaders to continue the initiative to create and/or bring more jobs to North Simcoe. Special thanks to Chris Edwards, President of Weber for hosting the round table. Top issue for our manufacturers – finding employees with the right skills and who are willing to work.



Wednesday the 21st starts with a Share the Road workshop at the MCC sponsored by the County of Simcoe. This full day program starts at 9:00 am and will focus on the facts about cycling in our area and what is being done to resolve the challenges caused by sharing the roads. Please register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/share-the-road-workshop-tickets-27047963186



At 5:00 pm your mayors and deputy mayors meet as “Heads of Council” at the Penetanguishene Fire Hall. This meeting features a general discussion among the four North Simcoe communities about issues that affect our area.



On Thursday September the 22nd we need your help. At 4:30 pm, in the NSSRC boardroom, the Town’s Official Plan Review (OPR) Steering Committee meets.  They are charged with setting the process to engage the public in our 5-year review of the Town’s Official Plan and ensure all aspects are properly carried out. Then at 6:30 pm it’s your turn. There will be a Public Forum in the NSSRC Community Hall to discuss all aspects of the OPR process and its results. The OPR will produce our main planning document, guiding planning decisions in Midland for at least the next 5 years. For more information please visit http://www.midland.ca/official-plan-review





Friday the fun starts. Quest Gallery and Art School is launching a brand new event – Artslam. This event sees 24 artists given a topic and 30 minutes to create a work of art. Doors open at 7:00 pm; the painting starts at 7:30 pm.  (You can appreciate this could get messy)  The Canadian Cancer Society hosts Neon Night Walk in Little Lake Park. This is another new event for Midland and is generating a lot of social media interest. The 5 km run/walk starts at 8:00 pm and wraps up by 10:00 pm. You are most welcome to join the fun.



Week - End



Saturday September 24



·         Mental Health in Motion – A walk/run fundraiser for mental health. The course starts at the Atruim building at Waypoint. Registration is 8:00 am with the walk/run at 9:00 am.  Register at https://www.events.runningroom.com//site/?raceId=13492



·         Martyrs Shrine hosts a gathering of the Shrine community for its third annual Tiawenk fundraiser. The event is at the Brooklea starting at 5:30 pm.



Sunday September 25



·         OSPCA walk at the Wye Marsh to help their many causes. Be there for a 9:00 am start.



Council Issues Update



OPP



The Town should be getting a price quotation from the OPP over the next two weeks. It will then go to Council for an open discussion on what form of policing we want in Midland.





GBGH



The GBGH Board should be making their decision on the 22nd with regard to the clinical recommendations from the Geyer report. The big one for our area is the decision on keeping obstetrics.



                                                                     *****



La Clé de la Baie célèbre ses 20 ans cette année!! Nous vous invitons à célébrer cet évènement unique le 30 septembre prochain au Best Western Highland Inn & Conference Centre à Midland (Ontario) dès 17 h. À l'horaire :
- un cocktail dînatoire (un léger buffet sera servi)
- la reconnaissance des bénévoles
- l'assemblée générale annuelle
- un spectacle communautaire mettant en vedette divers artistes locaux

R.S.V.P. requis avant le 23 septembre - 705 725-9755, poste 7201 ou
mzlaurin@lacle.ca


(Translated - La Cle de la Baie celebrates 20 years at Best Western on September 30th starting at 5:00 pm with cocktails, followed by an AGM and entertainment.  Please RSVP at 725-9755 by September 21.)









Gord McKay





Your Year for Getting Aboard – Midland is on the Move - 2016

                                                                                              




Sunday, September 11, 2016

Sunday September 11, 2016


Ladies and Gentlemen



You can feel fall coming. Mother Nature is beginning to show her fall colors, the kids are back at school; fewer tourists on the streets – so not surprisingly things are getting busier in Town.





The Week Ahead



This Monday September the 12th sees the General Committee meeting at 7:00 pm at the Town Hall.  A short agenda including:

1)     Review of the dog control by-law (changing terminology to “service dog”)

2)     Issues raised by citizens – property standards at 228 Chaingate; derelict house at 174 William



At 7:30 pm you are invited to the first program in the 5th season of A Day in The Life at the MCC.  This month’s guest is Alan Rock, past federal Liberal Justice Minister and Health Minister, Ambassador to the UN and currently President of the University of Ottawa. It will be a fascinating evening.



On Tuesday at 7:30 pm the MCC hosts a new information series based upon local healthcare. The Good the Bad and the Ugly – the story of the GBGH Emergency Department is moderated by Dr. Keith Rose. Your chance for an inside look at the workings of your local Emergency Department.  No charge but please register in advance at: http://midlandculturalcentre.com/page.php?page=Events&pageType=events&eventid=100041343



On Thursday the 15th at noon you are invited to attend a flag raising at Town Hall in honor of Terry Fox. (The walk is on Sunday). Then from 3:30 to 6:30 pm there is a special event for artists and those interested in the arts called “Artrepeneurship in North Simcoe” the event takes place at the MCC and includes sessions on business planning and funding opportunities. Reserve tickets at http://www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/1287429



Friday the 16th is busy. Patrick Brown hosts A Day for Seniors at NSSRC from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm. This annual event features a trade show and all sorts of information about programs and activities for the senior lifestyle. At 3:00 pm, at the Huronia Museum, we hear our Tale of a Town.  Over the last few weeks the Ontario government has sponsored a group of young people to walk our streets and hear our collective stories. They will be presenting what they have been hearing and how they are creating an oral record of small town Canada.   Come and see if your story is amongst them.



That evening it’s the annual Wye Marsh Fundraising Dinner and Silent Auction. Running from 5:30 pm to 9:00 pm at the Marsh it will feature many of the local mayors and councilors, great food, entertainment and some interesting Silent Auction items including a “live butler” auction involving a certain Tay Township Mayor.



Week - End



Sunday September 18



The Terry Fox run starts at 9 am from the Perkinsfield Park and Arena to Midland and back. Come and be part of this amazing movement.





Council Issues Update



MPUC



Council has proceeded with the hiring of Mark Rogers to assist with the MPUC sale process.  Council is also interested in keeping as much of the sale discussion public as possible. As you can appreciate certain matters such as specific offers from companies must be kept confidential. Look for Council to set up the public portion of the process and the “negotiating team” in October.







Gord McKay





Your Year for Getting Aboard – Midland is on the Move - 2016