Ladies and Gentlemen
The best of autumn awaits with Thanksgiving next week and
the lovely fall colours on standby. However there will be cold days ahead and
those who do not have a place to stay will turn again to our shelters and soup
kitchens. The Guesthouse is looking for volunteers. If you can spare a few hours to help serve a
meal, play some cards or simply be there to help, call Laura at 528-1096
ext.206.
The
Week Ahead
A slower start to the week. On Wednesday October the 5th
at 1:00 pm, the Javelin Co-op celebrates their 20th anniversary at
their location on William St. All are
welcome. Later that day, Community Living Huronia hosts an open house and AGM at
their Olive Street facility. The Social starts at 5:30 pm and the AGM at 6:30
pm. Please attend and show your support for these many delightful individuals
who make our community such a special place for all.
At 5:30 pm it’s Council’s turn with a special closed
meeting of Council. The meeting will receive an update on OPSUEU negotiations (see
announcement below) and on recent Midland Bay Landing discussions. At 7:00 pm the Planning and Development
Committee meets. The agenda includes:
-
Proposed changes from the Province affecting
our Growth Plan. Staff is voicing a number of concerns including: increased
technical review requirements and loss of local planning autonomy to higher
levels of government: increased scrutiny of developers: likely delay in our
current OPR process including more cost; a 60% intensification target eventually
moving to 80 persons/jobs per hectare that would start to significantly change
the look of Midland.
-
A verbal update by staff on Source Water Protection
On Thursday the 6th The Heart of Georgian Bay will
be having an Online Reputation Management & Digital Marketing Master
Workshop hosted by Jim Brody at the Midland Cultural Centre from 9:00 am – 2:00
pm. This event will be completely FREE and there will also be a lunch provided.
Spaces are limited, so please RSVP to our event through the following link: https://midlandpenetang.snapd.com/#/events/view/982519
Week -
End
Saturday October 8
·
Wye
Marsh starts its Marsh by Moonlight paddle series from 7:00 to 9:00 pm.
Paddling will also take place on October 15 and 22.
·
The colourful Thanksgiving Harvest Festival returns
to Sainte-Marie among the Hurons. The celebratory Thanksgiving Harvest Festival takes
place on Saturday October 8th and Sunday October 9th.
It’s an all-day event and features 40 artisans throughout the grounds.
·
Sharon and Bram at the MCC at 10:30 am. A
perennial favorite with the younger set
Sunday October 9
·
The Bombadils at the MCC from 7:00 - 9:00 pm
– for those who enjoy folk songs and good fiddle music.
·
Thanksgiving Harvest
Festival at Sainte-Marie Among the Hurons – all-day.
*****
Two items in closing:
1)
The NSCFDC is sponsoring Small Business Week.
A key gathering is the Business Breakfast on Thursday October 20th at
Brooklea – registration/networking starts at 7:00; 7:30 breakfast; 8:00 to 9:30
a presentation by Chef Dean Petit of Matty’s Seafood Brands and Rock Lobster
restaurants. The fee is $20. Pre-registration required by Oct 13th at www.nscfdc.on.ca
2)
The Town is negotiating with its OPSEU union
and has just released the following media release. Hopefully we will be able to
negotiate a settlement acceptable to all parties.
TOWN
OF MIDLAND – OPSEU NEGOTIATIONS STALL
(Midland, ON)
The collective bargaining process between the Town of Midland and the
Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) Local 328 which represents the
Municipality’s Parks & Recreation, Operations (roads) and Water/Wastewater
staff, has resulted in a request by OPSEU to the Ministry of Labour for a ‘no-board’
report. The union’s request for a
no-board report will allow OPSEU Local 328 to be in a legal strike position 17
days after the Ministry of Labour processes their request. Similarly, the employer (Town of Midland)
would be in a position to lock-out the employees.
The Town and the Union have been at the bargaining
table since June 16th, 2016. The Town
remains optimistic that a new collective agreement can be reached given their
ability to reach a negotiated settlement with the Town’s other employee union
IBEW (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers). Council has been consistent with its
unionized and non-union employees alike, and is committed to reaching an
agreement that is fair and reasonable to both employees and ratepayers. Council continues to be committed to
delivering services that respond to the needs of Midland residents and
businesses.
"We are
hopeful of reaching a new collective agreement, but at the same time it is
critical for the Town’s administration to commence with the development of
contingency plans in light of a potential labour disruption," said
Midland CAO, John Skorobohacz. "As always, our priority is to ensure the
effective delivery of our municipal services."
The Town would like to assure our residents and
businesses that many of the Town’s services will not be affected by any
potential labour disruption. Ongoing
communications with the public will provide more details as the potential for
the labour disruption approaches.
Updates respecting the potential labour disruption will be posted on www.midland.ca as well as the Town’s social media outlets.
Gord McKay
Your
Year for Getting Aboard – Midland is on the Move - 2016
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