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 19^th 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 17^th 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 21^st 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 22^nd 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 22^nd 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 30^th 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