Ladies and Gentlemen
It was an amazing week for healthcare in North Simcoe.
First of all the Ministry of Health visited GBGH to make two announcements:
-
Funding will be provided to transfer 20 acute
care mental health beds from Waypoint to GBGH.
The funds will be used to construct a new wing at GBGH
-
Go ahead for the Waypoint/Chigamik downtown
health center. The sod turning is
scheduled for October 23rd
Both of these announcements come after years of work by
many different stakeholders – the hospitals, the North Simcoe LHIN, the
province and all North Simcoe municipalities. A major step towards effective
mental health care in our community.
The second development was Council’s support for the new
Jarlette long term care and geriatric centre.
This project will both upgrade long term care in our community and build
a geriatric centre of excellence, bringing together many of the services needed
by an aging population. The facility will also undertake research on how to
improve care for the aged. A significant development for Midland’s future. Look
for a public meeting on the Jarlette project to be announced shortly.
The
Week Ahead
October 8th to 14th is Fire
Prevention Week. This year’s theme is “Every Second Counts - Plan 2 Ways
Out”. Our Fire Fighters are setting up all sorts of opportunities for you
to come out and get your questions answered:
-
Thursday October 12th Fire Fighters
will be at McDonalds at both Hwy 93 and Walmart locations from 5:00 to 8:00 pm
-
Friday October 13th at Huronia Mall
from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm
-
Saturday October 14th at Midland
Home Depot (Hwy 12) from 9:00 am to noon. Activities for the kids and a chance
to try your hand with a fire hose
On Tuesday the 10th, County Council
holds its regular meeting at 9:00 am. Then at 7:00 pm it’s our October General Committee
meeting including:
-
Consideration for forming a “Municipal
Services Corporation” – a corporate entity that would allow the Town to better
manage the development of its Midland Bay Landing asset
-
Proposal to expand the BIA boundaries to
include such areas as the Boathouse and the Midland Bay Landing property
-
Discussion on having free parking downtown in
December
-
Proposal for a new committee to review the
Towns’ property standards bylaw.
At 7:30 pm at the MCC Dr. Keith Rose presents a discussion
on Bridging the Gap – Navigating the Youth Mental Health System. Please preregister at: http://midlandculturalcentre.com/page.php?page=Events&pageType=events&eventid=100045055
Wednesday the 11th sees me at Lakehead
University in Orillia at 5:00 pm for a special business innovation event. This
open ended discussion speaks to how business can be more entrepreneurial and better
able to take on new ideas to significantly grow their business,
On Thursday October 12th Askennonia's Seniors
Health & Active Living Fair takes place at the NSSRC from 10:00 am to 2:00
pm. The Fair features a variety of presentations by Dr. Richard Thomas,
Pharmacist Mike Tolmie and Sarah Orr-Shaw RN. They will address the topic of
opioids and their impact upon seniors. Also look for 35
vendors showing you all the latest in services and products for seniors.
Week -
End
Saturday October 14
-
6:00 pm - Civitan Annual Recognition Dinner
at “The Place” in Balm Beach
-
6:00 pm – Fundraiser for Wye Marsh’s famous Sonic
the Turtle. Nick Howell ( a great local musician) will be entertaining at the
Hidden Agenda nightclub on Hugel
-
6:30 pm to 8:30 pm - Wye Marsh by Moonlight
paddle series
Council
Issues Update
Service Delivery Review
The process is starting to get into gear. I have been personally
impressed with how Town staff have risen to the challenge and are now taking
leadership of the change initiative. Council should receive a second report at
the October Council meeting giving us a better insight into some of the improvements
we can expect to see over the next few months.
Downtown Health Clinic
With the announcement from the province it’s all ahead
full. The sod turning is set for the 23rd
and work on the site may be as early as the 24th.
*****
Three items in closing…
The Guesthouse has a new CEO. Mr. Steve Pelletier will be replacing Robert
Sykes effective immediately. Steve has been involved in many homelessness
prevention programs including the County’s Alliance to End Homelessness. He is
a faculty member of Georgian College’s Indigenous Studies and Vice President of
our local FACE organization. A big thank you to Robert Sykes for all he has done
over the years and welcome to Steve.
Karen Mealing will be taking over as the Town’s Cultural Development
Coordinator. Karen’s responsibilities will include managing our Butter Tart
festival and developing exciting cultural attractions for our area. If you
thought the summer of 2017 was fun, wait ‘til 2018.
The 2017 Terry Fox Run proved to be very successful. 886 participants braved hot weather to run,
walk, cycle and horseback ride in raising more than $71,000. Over 1,000 local organizations
helped out with goods and services. The run, first taking place in 1983, is now
closing in on $2M in total donations. A
wonderful testament to Terry, our community and the many volunteers led by Don
Chapman who make this happen.
Gord McKay
The
Year for Getting It Done - 2017
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