Sunday June 3, 2018

Ladies and Gentlemen

Summer draws closer, though we haven’t done too badly with the recent spring heat wave. Our first cruise ship is coming in this week and the Butter Tart Festival takes place on the week-end. Can’t beat Midland.

The Week Ahead

Monday June 4^th. As you may recall your mayor is leading a provincially sponsored study of the Great Lakes cruise ship industry. The study consultant is in Town today to assess the port of Midland and our ability to handle cruise ships and their passengers.  This information will be complied along with that of 7 other Ontario ports to develop an overall assessment of the cruise potential in the Great Lakes.  This could be the first step in us becoming a cruise ship terminus and moving Midland into the main stream of international tourism.

And you are invited downtown today as Kathleen Wynne is expected to drop by the Gerry Marshall campaign office on Bay Street (next to Grounded) at 6:00 pm.

On Tuesday the 5^th the Simcoe County District School Board is hosting a public meeting to hear your concerns about their intention to significantly raise the education development charges on new buildings.  The meeting is at the SMCDSB, Catholic Education Center, 46 Alliance Blvd. in Barrie, starting at 6:00 pm.

Wednesday sees the Pearl Mist return to our harbor.  Please come down as the Town has quite a day of fun and festivities planned for everyone at the Town dock.  It’s also Tim Horton’s Camp Day.  All money from coffee sales goes to deserving kids who need help attending summer camp. I will be at the Tim’s on Hwy 12 at 8:00 am, so do drop by.

At 10:00 am the Community Safety Task Force meets to set its work plan for our Community Safety Plan. At 2:00 pm, the Governance Review Committee meets at Town Hall to finalize its changes to the Procedural By-law, the rules that govern how Council operates. Then at 5:00 pm our Youth Committee meets to organize their summer events. And finally at 7:00 pm Planning and Development Committee meets at Town Hall.  The agenda includes:

-       Zoning By-Law Amendment for 786 William Street, concerning the building of two apartment buildings

-       Site plan and pre-servicing agreement for the Seasons on Little Lake subdivision

Thursday June 7^th is provincial Election Day.  Please take the time to get out and vote for the best candidate for Midland and the province.

On Friday the 8^th you are invited to join the Physician Recruitment team as they honour our rural candidates for medical internship with a BBQ at Waypoint at noon.

Week - End

Saturday June 9

-       Butter Tart Festival - all day – downtown King Street. Come out for a day of great family fun

-       The tART Music and Art Festival, a two-day fair, featuring artists and artisans, a midway and a beer garden in downtown Midland

Sunday June 10

-       10:30 am – Martyrs’ Shrine invites you to a special mass at the Shrine to dedicate the 4 new community gardens.  Our own Midland Garden Club has prepared the Midland garden as our show of support for Martyrs’ Shrine and its many visitors. All are welcome

-       The tART Music and Art Festival, a two-day fair, featuring artists and artisans, a midway and a beer garden in downtown Midland

Council Issues Update

Downtown Safety

The Community Safety Task Force is starting it “problem definition” phase – what are the safety issues we see in the downtown and what are their likely causes?  A public Town Hall meeting will be held at St. Paul’s for all residents who want to speak to the matter. The meeting should be on Wednesday June 20^th at 7:00 pm. I will let you know when the date is finalized.

Gord McKay

The Year for Forging Our Future - 2018