Ladies
and Gentlemen
Our downtown outdoor skating rink is in full swing. Bring
your family down and let’s start enjoying our Canadian winter.
A couple of developments on the business front from this past
week:
The four mayors
together with our new economic organization, EDCNS, are organizing a response
to the announced loss of our Pillsbury plant. We met with federal Minister
Goodyear this past week; General Mills head office has been contacted and will work
with us; and to date 5 members of the public come forward with ideas to replace
the lost jobs. The mayors and EDCNS meet on Tuesday to plan our next steps.
More to come.
The County has
completed most of its deliberations on the 2015 budget. While it still has to
be passed it looks like a 1% County levy increase this year. Midland’s new
Council similarly had its first budget meeting. We currently stand at about a
1.4% increase, but decisions are still outstanding on the police budget.
*****
Monday January 19th will start on an
interesting note. St. Theresa’s Grade 12 philosophy class has asked me to participate
in their debate. I suspect we will get into
the core issue of civil governance – the rights of the individual versus those of
the group. As long as they stay away from Senate reform I should be OK.
That
evening the Frank Graham Cycle Liberation Tour is holding a fundraiser at
Boston Pizza from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Ten percent of food purchases will be donated
by BP to support the 2015 tour by our young people as they attend the 70th
anniversary celebrations of WWII in Europe. Also on Monday is the start of the Ontario
Scotties Tournament of Hearts, at the Penetanguishene Curling Club. This event
will feature our area’s own Sherry Middaugh.
The matches run from the 19th to the 25th. Go
online for tickets - http://www.curling.ca/2015scotties-en/tickets/
On Tuesday the 20th at 2:00 pm at Town Hall is
the regular meeting of our Citizens Healthcare Steering Committee. The meeting will continue the development of
our “healthcare charter” as well as discuss preparations for the January 30th
1:00 pm public healthcare meeting in Tay.
Then at 7:00 pm that evening, Healthcare Innovators meets – making good
progress on healthcare business ideas for our area.
If healthcare is not your passion, you may wish to see the
screening of Tosca at 7:00 pm at the MCC. Brookside is pleased to present this Puccini
opera about a world of political instability and menace. (Sounds familiar)
Wednesday will see your Council in an all-day strategy session.
Starting at 8:30 am at Town Hall, Council will consider the vision for Midland and
then start selecting its Council priorities for the next four years. You are
most welcome to attend.
On Thursday January 22nd you are invited to
the public launch of our area’s new brand “The Heart of Georgian Bay”. The event will display our new brand and logo
plus tell you how our four municipalities plan to promote our area’s tourism. This
branding is exactly what we need. That’s at 10:00 am at the MCC.
At 3:00 pm the four mayors are sponsoring an equally serious
discussion about the societal relationship between men and women. Every
December the 6th the mayors participate in a moving ceremony
sponsored by Rosewood, to commemorate the 14 female victims from Ecole Polytechnique. Each year we also hear about additional deaths
- women murdered often by their male partner. This meeting will begin the
discussion in our own community about the nature of the local problem and what
we can do about it. The meeting takes place at the Midland Council chamber at
3:00 pm
Weekend
Saturday
-
Legion Branch 80 hosts its Robbie Burns
supper at 5:00 pm at the Legion
-
Skating on our new downtown rink
Sunday
-
Wrap up of Tournament of Hearts in Penetanguishene
-
Tiffin Homeowners have their member’s
bonspiel.
(If you have neighborhood
event that you would like me to mention in News from the Town, please let me
know)
*****
Two
items to mark on your calendar for this summer.
1)
The 2015 Central Region 55+ Summer Games will take place in Midland
on Wednesday, August 26th.
Events include 5 Pin Bowling, Shuffleboard, Swimming, Tennis, 5 Km Run and
Pickle Ball. If you can help out by volunteering a few hours, please contact
Garry Morehouse at garrymorehouse@hotmail.com
2)
This
summer Midland harbour will welcome two
cruise lines.
Pearl Mist (200
passengers)
August 3 – 7:00 am to
5 pm
August 24 – 7:00 am
to August 25th morning
September 7 – 7:00 am
to 5:00 pm
St. Laurent – Hymark
(210 passengers)
August 15 – 7:00 am
to 5:00 pm
August 23 – 5:00 am
to 6:30 pm
Please come down and help me welcome these many visitors to our
Town.
Gord
McKay
Be
part of Midland’s Year of Bold Action - 2015
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