Presentation
to Midland Rotary Club – May 2, 2012
Ladies
and Gentlemen
It’s
an honor to be with you today. I am here to tell you about the biggest project
perhaps in the history of Midland. Let me start by setting the stage.
My
wife and I came to Midland 11 years ago – we knew immediately it was a special
place.
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A
quiet little Town nestled into Georgian Bay – tree lined streets, sunshine
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We
walked down King St. and were welcomed at Gianettos and introduced to their addictive
cottage cheese dip
A
beautiful place – so just leave it the way it is.
But
the more we became part of Midland the more that we realized that this idyllic
community was under threat from events both within and without
The
realization started with small things – Midland wasn’t growing
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In
1996 our population was 16,347 and in 2011 16,572 – 225 people in
15 years – flat growth
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So
we are a slow growth community – no real problem
-
But
the reality of no growth in population is slower development, slow real estate
market, a lower profile with the province (perhaps a good thing)
Those
of us who are here are getting older and the young people are quickly leaving
-
In
2001 19% of us were 65+ versus
Ontario at 13%
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By
2006 our seniors ranks had grown to 19.8%
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Fewer
younger people - in 2001 just 18.3% were
under 19 versus Ontario at 19.6%
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By
2006 our share of young people had dropped to 15.5%
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Now
a greying population is fine but the economic realities are fewer people
working, lower consumer spending, a greater demand for municipal services – and
fewer children in the street
-
Not
so bad as long as we still have jobs ……………..
The
global economy is changing Midland and has been doing so for years
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A
problem with being a small community is that you don’t have access to good
local statistics. We can see the impact of the global recession anecdotally –
Bruin closed, Schott Gemtron layoffs, and lately Unimin closed.
-
One
of the few sources of jobs numbers in our area is the Business Times. They
publish an annual survey of our large employers in Midland and Penetanguishene,
companies with 100 plus employees. Over the last three years, 2008 -2011.
o Midland and
Penetanguishene’s largest employers have
lost over 300 positions
o The manufacturing
sector alone has been shedding 150
jobs a year
o But the stats also
show a silver lining – the healthcare sector has added some 130 jobs over
this same period
And
that is what I want to talk to you about.
*****
The
quality of life is what has attracted us to Midland and what keeps us
here.
We
don’t want that to change. But unless we
do change, we will not be able to preserve that quality of life. And that
brings us to the topic of economic development.
When
I became mayor there was virtually no focus economic development. No budget –
no staffing – limited public awareness. I
want to recognize the exemplary efforts of Debra Muenz at the NSCFDC. Good analysis
– but limited impact. We were not yet
ready. So we started the discussion.
And
sometimes fate steps in to help. The
last election brought in four mayors in North Simcoe who had different degrees
of interest in economic development. While rural Tay, is different from cottage
Tiny, is different from urban Penetanguishene, all faced economic challenges. So
we began talking about our differences and common ground. We borrowed ideas
from other prior studies. And by the fall of 2011 we had crafted an economic
strategy document to guide our efforts.
(Review the North Simcoe Economic Action
Initiative Strategy)
With
the mayors aboard, each of our Councils had to buy in. Again a lot of internal
debate. Against all odds by early 2012 all Councils had agreed to support the Strategy. Midland Council went one further and identified
economic development as its top priority.
So
we were in good shape. Right? The commitment was still not there – each
Council voted only $5,000 to the cause. Our
total investment for the future of North Simcoe was just $20,000. This sum,
though small, will allow some critical initial work to be done in 2012:
-
Create
an economic development web-site
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Develop
an area opportunities listing
-
Host
a Prosperity Summit, September 26.
*****
Getting
the politicians philosophically on side is a good thing but without the involvement
and leadership of the private sector it is a hollow venture. It was time to
reach out and gain that support.
On
February 1st Midland started the Summit Series. The Summits are a special series of meetings
with selected invitees focusing on the key sectors identified in the Strategy. Their purpose is to guide the initial action
plans for each economic sector.
Midland
started with the first sector, Healthcare.
We brought in the key stakeholders in our local healthcare economy –
GBGH, Waypoint, Jarlette, Georgian College and Lakehead University. We asked them 3 questions:
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In
20 years what will our local healthcare economy look like – where are the jobs?
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What
have we got to fix or change to get there?
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What
are our first steps?
And
they told us.
They
identified how the entire sector was changing – the service models, the funding
formulas, where the jobs are likely to be and the types of resources that are
needed to be successful. While the
meeting helped refine the strategy, it did much more - it set in motion a
change of attitude that will help us take on this transformation and brought
together those who could make it happen.
It takes Midland from
simply reacting to external events to a position where we can start managing
our economic future. And in these tough economic times managing is
essential.
Let
me give you an example. In our healthcare
discussions with the LHIN, they told us that provincial funding will be moving
away from institutions and towards distributed health services. So that’s where
you need to look for jobs. One person
who has found those jobs was an entrepreneur in town named Ron Shulman. He
became aware of a rule change in dental care regulations that permitted dental
support services to be provided away from the dentist’s office. The result – he built a new business around this idea. The business provides
services at a price point well below the established market. The business
started in Midland, has branched to Wasaga Beach and he is now looking for
capital for further expansion. Our future jobs are out there – we just need
some help in seeing them.
Over
in Penetanguishene, Gerry Marshall has just completed the second Summit on
Smart Manufacture. Scott Warnock is
setting up the Tourism Summit for early 2013 and Ray Millar has started work on
his Agri-science summit. We are all looking to redefine our local economy.
*****
So
far I have talked about four municipalities working on four main sectors in our
economic strategy, plus getting the private sector engaged. You can see how complex this can become. So
how do you organize all of this successfully?
Again
Midland is taking the lead.
We
began by recognizing that we will be successful when the public and private
sector interests are focussed on and aligned in building the North Simcoe
economy.
We
currently have no vehicle that will allow that to happen – so we have to build
one.
The
process will start on May 29th as senior business leaders from North Simcoe
meet to discuss an economic development organization. An organization led by
the private sector and closely supported by the municipalities.
What
are we trying to accomplish?
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Bring
the public and private sector into an effective cooperative arrangement
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Provide
a long-term and sustainable platform for our economy
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Reduce
the unintended effects of the political process (For example: election upsets every four
years)
What
will this look like – you will have to invite me back in six months.
*****
I
have talked a lot about the economic foundation blocks. But as my constituents keep
asking - what are you doing for me today?
The
following are just some of the economic initiatives currently underway in Midland.
-
Simplifying
the municipal planning regulations – (Example – a change to development
financing by allowing conditional Letters of Credit)
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Renew
Midland, bringing life to our downtown
-
Georgian
College trades incubator
-
Public
consultation process for the Unimin site
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Public
consultation on gaming opportunities
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Selecting
a signature event for Midland
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Bringing
marina operators together for sector discussions
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A
major Town tourism initiative, including the PASSPORT program
All
of this is not done for the sake of growth – but to build a solution that will
sustain our quality of life. The people
of Midland require this. And we are responding.
*****
I have spoken about community building through economic
development. If any organization epitomizes community building it has to be the
Midland Rotary. Your organization has made
such a positive difference:
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The Rotary Trail
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Party on the Dock
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The rotary stage and summer concert series
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Our new MCC.
Our economic development project is perhaps the largest
community building exercise that we have ever undertaken. It will impact our
jobs, our healthcare, our taxes, our children – our quality of life. I look forward to working with Rotary as we
continue to build this beautiful place we call Midland.
