Sunday, July 1, 2018

Sunday July 1, 2018 - Canada Day


Ladies and Gentlemen



Happy Canada Day and hello summer. As has been my tradition, News from the Town will take a break over the next two months, coming back in September. That does not mean that Midland shuts down for the summer, as you will see, but just my way of giving you more time to simply enjoy the season with family and friends.



I have changed today’s newsletter format a bit to help you find things.  I may also send you a special bulletin from time to time if required.



So grab your sun screen and BBQ tongs - - now get out there and have fun.



Special Activities



Council meetings should continue to take place on the fourth Monday of the month at 7:00 pm. The July General Committee meeting is cancelled (at this time) while the July Planning meeting (July 4th) is on. Both General Committee and Planning meetings will occur over the summer at the call of the Chair so please check the Town calendar for meeting dates at http://www.midland.ca/Pages/meetingagenda.aspx



This summer we have a cavalcade of movies for you. The Town and the BIA will be hosting movies under the stars starting at dusk at the 509 Bay Street parking lot. The line-up:

·         July 4 - Jumanji

·         July 18 - Coco

·         August 1 - Avengers

·         August 15 - The Muppets

·         August 18 - Tragically Hip Concert

·         August 29  - Star Wars – the Last Jedi

·         October 13 – Hotel Transylvania



And our Library is also screening free summer movies for you at their location at 6:30pm. The movies are:

·         July 12 - Mamma Mia!

·         July 26 - The Greatest Showman

·         August 9 - Black Panther

·         August 23 - Ready Player One



The Town and Rotary are organizing some fabulous summer entertainments for you.

·         Dockside Tuesday – Every Tuesday evening at Midland Town Dock

·         Music in the Park – Every Sunday evening at the Rotary stage in Little Lake Park

·         Cruise Ship Celebration -  All day, each day we have the Pearl Mist at the Town Dock

For further details on all these activities please see our Town website at http://www.midland.ca/quick-links/community-events-calendar



Midland Public Library has many summer programs for all ages. Please check out their activities at http://www.midlandlibrary.com/events/



And let’s not overlook our MCC and their sizzling summer entertainment. No hints but you will be impressed by their summer line-up. Check out upcoming attractions regularly at http://midlandculturalcentre.com/







The Month Ahead - July



July 2 (week of) - The last yard waste pick-up of the spring season. Don’t miss it



July 6, 7 and 8 – Midland’s free Garage Sale Permit Weekend. Your entrepreneurial chance to clean out the garage without paying the Town fee



July 7 - 1st Annual Sandy Mason & Friends Lawn Bowling Charity Day at the Midland Lawn Bowling Club. All proceeds to Hospice Huronia



July 8 – Performance Boat Poker Run from the Town Dock



July 12 to 14 - Festival du Loup in Lafontaine



July 14 - Downtown Midland Road Basketball Game at the 509 Bay Street Parking Lot from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm. FREE pizza from Papa's Pizza Mama's Chicken. FREE water from www.ShopMidland.com



July 16 to 23 - One of the most iconic airplanes from World War II, the B-25 Mitchell “Maid in the Shade,” will make a stop at Lake Simcoe Regional Airport as part of its Summer Flying Legends of Victory Tour. Open to the public on Monday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 2:00 to 6:00 pm and on Tuesday through Thursday from 9:00 am to 6:00 p.m. Reservations to fly on the bomber are required and can be booked by visiting http://bit.ly/FLOVTBarrieON



July 21 – Tiny Community BBQ at Perkinsfeild Park



July 20 to 22 – Feast Fest returns to Midland – all day party



July 24 – The Artrepreneur Expo at 6:30 pm at MCC. This event celebrates up and coming local artists who have completed their 13 week Artrepreneur program



July 27 – Wye Marsh Gardeners celebrate their 30th year of wildflower gardening at the Wye Marsh from 1:00 to 4:00 pm



July 27 – Last day to register to run in the fall municipal election. The registration closes at 2:00 pm today



July 27 to 28 – All Things Canadian Festival takes place in Penetanguishene



July 31 - PRIDE flag raising at Town Hall at noon



The Month Ahead - August



August 4 - Blood donor clinic from 2:00pm to 7:00pm at the NSSRC. Hope to see you when I am there from 10:00 to 11:00 am



August 4 – Pirates of the Bay Festival at HHP, Discovery Harbour



August 12 - Balm Beach Family Fun Day at Balm Beach



August 17 to18 – TugFest in Midland Harbour



August 18 – The 5th Annual Georgian Bay Pops raising funds for the CT scanner at Georgian Bay General Hospital.  Hosted at the private home of Helen and Frank Morneau, 120 West Shore Drive, Thunder Beach. Music to be performed by “Slocan Ramblers”.  Contact Shelly at 705-526-GIVE (4483) or email at prices@gbgh.on.ca



August 25 - Cycle Camelot Bike for Cancer Support starting from the Penetanguishene Curling Club  http://cyclecamelot.com/





Council Issues Update



Downtown Safety



The Community Safety Task Force will wrap up the problem definition phase of the project in August and make specific recommendations for short term actions, as well as identify the longer term challenges that will need further study.  If Council approves the longer term study may start this fall.



Midland Bay Landing



The Board for the new MBL Development Corporation will form over the summer. New Board members should be announced at one of the summer Council meetings.  The Board will then meet and prepare a plan of action for developing our major waterfront project.



MPUC



While the MPUC sale has been agreed by all parties, we still need the final OEB approval. The OEB has been very quiet over the last few months, likely related to the recent election. No problems have been identified so we expect to receive final approval shortly.



Downtown Health Clinic



Construction on the building will continue throughout the summer. The opening is still (optimistically) set for December but the betting says early 2019.



Official Plan Review



After a recent presentation to Council of the draft Plan, the process will go dormant through the civic election period. Late this year the new Council will restart the process by sending the draft to County for their approval.  Sometime in 2019 we should have an updated Official Plan.



Economic Development



The recent Economic Development Corporation of North Simcoe http://www.edcns.ca/  Prosperity Summit told the continuing good news of our growing manufacturing and healthcare sectors. Over 7,000 people in North Simcoe are employed in these two sectors. The challenge now is finding more good employees. In fact I have just received the following request from a local employer, Baytech:



“Baytech Plastics is looking for summer students and permanent full-time staff to work shifts at our two Midland plants. Pay is $14/hour (under review) and benefits for full-time staff after 3 months. If you know of anyone who might be interested they can email me or call me at 705-528-4027.”



Please pass this along if you know of anyone who might be interested.



The new Seasons on Little Lake project plans to start 50 new homes by this fall; the new GBDSS should be ready for students by year’s end: the Jarlette Healthcare facility is underway (currently delayed a bit due to a government slowdown) plus new apartment buildings and many new homes are under construction. Yes Midland, it is happening.





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Before I let you go to summer please remember we have a civic election this October. Our future, especially the next four years, will depend upon whom we vote to guide the Town. If you or someone you know has the desire to help us forge our future, please get your name registered for the ballot by July 27 at 2:00 pm http://www.midland.ca/Pages/Election.aspx



I can’t stress enough the importance of good municipal leadership.



Now enjoy your summer.





Gord McKay









The Year for Forging Our Future - 2018