Ladies and Gentlemen
With this lovely weather I expect that all thoughts are
about enjoying another day in the sun.
But businesses in our area have been busy. This past week-end I visited IFM in
Penetanguishene to celebrate their expansion. Business has grown significantly
for them. This Thursday I will be at the Streit manufacturing facility (the old
Pillsbury plant) as they start production. This manufacturer of armored cars is
bringing over 100 quality jobs to our area.
Another indicator of economic health is that almost all of our large
manufacturers are hiring. Spread the
word – Midland is the place to be.
The
Week Ahead
Monday the 25th is a day of Town
meetings. At 2:00 pm the Official Plan
Review Steering Committee meets, mainly to prepare for the public session this
Thursday. At 5:00 pm Council goes into
closed session to discuss a number of personal matters respecting staff and
committee nominees. Then at 7:00 pm the September Council meeting takes place.
A very busy agenda including:
-
Two meetings to hear from the public about
removing the “Holding” symbols on the properties at 226/230 Queen and at 281
Lakewood Dr.
-
Three deputations:
o
Presentation on the Town’s Service Delivery Review
process
o
Review of Quest Art’s Canada 150 mural
program
o
Update on Culture Midland
-
Request by Jarlette Healthcare to start site
work at their new King Street location
-
Selection of a consultant for the Town’s
Parks and Trail master plan
-
Confirmation of the new bus transit link
between Barrie and Midland. The fare will be $7 including the transfer to/from
the Midland bus system
-
Response to recent Ontario Municipal Act
changes including developing a Code of Conduct and identifying an Integrity
Commissioner
-
Updates on a number of internal projects:
o
Midland Forward
o
Implementation of Council strategy
o
Service Delivery Review
On Tuesday I head to County for a Council meeting
at 9:00 am. The most interesting item is the start of a trial for a standardized
garbage container. Currently each
household provides its own. The County
intends to move to a “one size for all” program with a standardized 80 litre
container. At 3:00 pm the North Simcoe
Housing Working group resumes its schedule at Town Hall with an update by the
County on affordable housing in our area.
Thursday September the 28th it’s the
Huronia Community Foundation “Caring Counts Charity Showcase”. From 11:00 am to
2:30 pm at the NSSRC you will see exhibits from local charities and be entertained
by Evan Hadfield, the person behind Col. Chris Hadfield’s musical sensation
“Space Oddity”. At 1:00 pm I am at
Streit Manufacturing as they start operations in Midland. Commendations to Town
staff and EDCNS in helping bring this international company to our community.
At 4:00 pm you are invited to the Hospice Huronia launch for their new facility
and capital campaign. It takes place at 25 Jeffery St. in Penetanguishene.
That evening you have a choice of two special events. At
6:30 pm you are invited to the NSSRC for a public meeting to discuss the
Natural Heritage System, a new (to Midland) feature of the Official Plan
process. This change will affect many properties in Midland. At 7:00 pm Huronia
Historical Parks launches the return of its popular Pumpkinferno at Discovery
Harbor in Penentanguishene.
Week -
End
Saturday September 30
-
Treasure Day in Midland. Put reusable items
out to the curb by 8:00 am and take them back in by 5:00 pm. Helping us help
each other.
-
Big Brothers Big Sisters “Showcase of Homes”.
From 9:30 am to 4:30 pm. Take a self-guided
tour of 6 spectacular homes plus lunch at Restaurant Ste. Marie. Tickets at Simply Country, Tripps Paint, Cabin
Boy or at www.kidsdomatter.com
-
12 noon - Feast of the Martyrs mass at Martyrs’
Shine
-
4:00 pm - OPP Pedal for the Past at Ste.
Marie Among the Hurons. A fund raiser for
the OPP museum
-
6:30 pm to 8:30 pm - Wye Marsh by moonlight,
a paddle series
Sunday October 1
-
Treasure Day in Midland. Put reusable items
out to the curb by 8:00 am and take them back in by 5:00pm.
-
10:00 am – The first annual Julianna Matyas
memorial golf tournament at Brooklea. For reservations contact Liesje at observer@rogers.com
Council
Issues Update
Service Delivery Review
This staff-led process is looking for better ways to
deliver our services to you. With the assistance of a consultant, internal and
external surveys for all our operations have now been completed and initial
recommendations for improvement are coming in. The Council report this week should
give us some early indications of adjustments we need to make. More to come.
Budget
A
lot of financial work is underway at the Town. We have just completed our 2016
audit. The finance department is still going through the exercise to fully
allocate administrative costs to the respective operating departments, plus Finance
is preparing a comprehensive statement of our municipal reserves, debt and
capital assets. With all this work the Town will not get around to starting its
budget process until January – the last budget that this Council will pass.
GBGH
Our
new GBGH CEO Gail Hunt, has arrived. Ms. Hunt led the Chapleau Health Services
unit for the last 15 years. Please take
the opportunity to welcome her to our community.
*****
Midland, together with our fellow North Simcoe
communities, is getting ready to implement high-speed internet throughout the
area. The first challenge is to figure
out who has what type of access right now.
Our Community Futures Development Corporation has contracted with a
network company to sample the speed of the connection to your computer – and we
need your help. Please go to https://performance.cira.ca/northsimcoe/ which will bring up a page with a map. Fill
in your postal code, confirm your street location, click start and that’s it –
thirty seconds tops. This information will go into an anonymous database (no
one will see your individual result) to be used when we talk to the telcos
about where the need for high speed internet is greatest.
Gord McKay
The
Year for Getting It Done - 2017
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