Sunday, January 14, 2018

Sunday January 14, 2018


Ladies and Gentlemen



To paraphrase Charles Dickens - It was the coldest of times. It was the warmest of times. And the result has been a significant challenge for our road crews in plowing the streets and removing the excess snow. Many of you have called about the conditions and Public Works is literally moving mountains to get our streets back in good repair. A collective thanks to the men and women who are out all night in -30 degree weather keeping our streets cleared.



The cold weather has also brought a significant increase in the number of fatal fires. They have devastated families as close as Waubaushene. Our Fire Department asks that you make sure you have a working smoke alarm on every level of your home and outside all sleeping areas. Test your smoke alarms monthly. Make sure everyone recognizes the sound of the alarm. Develop and practice a home fire escape plan. Fire prevention is everyone’s job - stay safe!



The Week Ahead



On Monday the Town’s Humans Resources Committee meets at 2:30 pm. The Committee will be addressing some of the recommendations from the Service Delivery Review, and how to better deploy our staff.



Tuesday the 16th I head to Toronto for a meeting with staff at the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport. This is all in aid of establishing Midland as a long term cruise ship port.



On Wednesday the 17th the Downtown Safety Committee meets at Town hall at 2:00 pm to review how recent changes to programs have affected our collective safety. Over at the Midland Cultural Centre, “A Day in the Life” will host sports personality Rod Black. Rod has been hailed as one of Canada’s most recognizable and distinguished sportscasters. Having worked for both CTV and TSN, Rod has been involved in hosting and announcing almost every sport: hockey, basketball, baseball, football, tennis, figure skating, golf, curling, boxing, auto racing and horseracing. He was involved as host or announcer at the 1992, 1996 and 2012 Summer Olympics. A Day in the Life starts at 7:30 pm.



A quieter close to the week. On Thursday I visit Father Knox, Director of the Martyr’s Shrine to discuss how we can work together in welcoming the many visitors to our area.  And on Friday I am at County for the 9:00 am meeting of the Housing Advisory Committee. This meeting will recommend our affordable housing targets for the next 3 years.





Week - End



Saturday January 20



-       8:00 pm - ABBA magic at the MCC. Your chance to enjoy all the ABBA classics



                                                                *****



Three items you may find interesting.



1)     Midland’s 2017 building permits totaled $34.9M, compared to $28.6M in 2016. While year over year comparisons have to be taken with a grain of salt, this still represents significant growth in development activity – and a vote of confidence in our municipality.



Within those numbers are 27 new single detached and 50 new second suite housing units.  Second suites represented 59% of all housing units created and has become a major contributor to resolving our affordable housing shortage.



2)     Hospice Huronia has come up with a novel fund raising method – an annual “No-Golf Tournament”.  So don’t come out and play. Just register with Hospice Huronia - $125 each or $500 for a foursome  - and then spend your time doing nothing. You can donate at  www.hospicehuronia.ca.  An anonymous donor will match all funds raised up to a maximum of $25,000. The No-Golf date is January 20th, rain or shine.



3)     It’s not every day that our Butter Tart Festival gets a mention in the New York Times… https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/12/dining/butter-tarts-canada.html.  Pretty cool.



In closing something for your calendar.



NSCFDC is starting a Marketing Monday education series. This series of free programs takes place from 7:30 to 9:00 am at the Midland Public Library.  Upcoming lectures are:

-       January 22nd - Marketing Foundations – Define your market and develop your marketing plan

-       January 29th - Networking – Identify local networking opportunities and how to become a star networker

-       February 5th - Traditional Marketing – How to use the basic channels – radio, print, TV, web

-       February 12th - Social Media – Choosing the right platform and getting results








Gord McKay









The Year for Forging Our Future - 2018

                                                                                              






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