Saturday February 2, 2013

Ladies and Gentlemen

A fabulous weekend for Winterfest. A light snow is falling and lots of town folk and visitors are enjoying the warmth of a Midland winter. Get out and enjoy – Spring will be here before you know it.

This past Thursday, Mayor Marshall held an area meeting on the low water levels in Georgian Bay. About 150 people participated.  Citizens from the four municipalities came forward with stories of marinas having to repeatedly dredge to allow boat access; cottagers whose boats cannot come anywhere near their cottage docks; and downtown businesses affected by the drop in boaters to our area.

This Monday I shall head to Owen Sound to meet with mayors from the west end of Georgian Bay. Then on Wednesday we hold a meeting of the southern mayors in Midland. Our purpose is to quickly build a case for relief that we can take to the federal and provincial governments – we do not need another sturdy to tell us that the water level is low.  Once we have our game plan organized we will call another meeting to get the public fully involved in this important cause.

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Tuesday February 5^th, Garfield Dunlop MPP will be holding his budget consultation at the Brooklea. This is a public forum but you should book ahead through his office if you wish to speak. Later that day Out of the Cold will be meeting with its neighbors to ensure that their safety concerns are properly addressed. This is a fine example of neighbours working with neighbours to find a solution that satisfies all.

On Wednesday February 6^th at 7:00 pm is the Planning and Development Committee meeting.  The agenda items include:

-       Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendment respecting the recycling facility on MacDonald Road

-       An update on the many development projects in the Town for 2013

You will have to get up early on February 7^th if you plan to attend the NSCFDC Employer’s Breakfast. It starts at 7:00 am at the Brooklea and brings area employers together to network on business challenges. Please pre-register.

Then at 6:30 pm that day your Council holds a closed meeting to complete its review of the “personal” recommendations from the KPMG report. At 7:00 pm at the Town Hall is the public meeting where Council will complete its direction setting for the operational recommendations from the KPMG report.

Gord McKay

PS: Winterfest activities continue on Sunday - Please see http://www.midland.ca/ws_par/groups/public/@pub/@midland/documents/web_content/wspar_041587.pdf

Be part of Midland’s Year of Getting Involved - 2013.