The days are getting shorter and the Town agenda seems to be getting busier.
Fees will be going up for Town recreation programs and facilities. If you are interested in finding out how you will be affected there will be a Public Meeting on Monday Nov 5th at 7pm NSSRC.
The Town will be participating in a “Business Retention and Expansion” survey starting this fall. The survey, lead by the North Simcoe Community Futures Development Corporation ( try saying that quickly), will contact a cross section of local business to find out how they are doing and what can be done to improve their operating environment. This is a good start for our long needed business development plan.
On the social services front, the Town is organizing three public meeting to decide what role it should have in delivering social services. The meetings:
- Tuesday Oct 30, 7pm at the Town – receive report on downtown field work to date
- Wednesday Nov 14, 7pm at the Town - meet with area social agencies to determine role for Town
- Thursday Dec 6, 7pm at the Town - discuss funding options and partners for a possible $100,000 plan.
The Huronia Foundation for the Arts held its inaugural dinner this past Saturday – the 180 attendees had a great time. The HFA will now hold its first public meeting to elect a Board on Thursday 8th at 7pm, Seniors Room NSSRC. You are most welcome.
And lastly construction of the new Out of the Cold shelter at Knox is going well. Expect completion by mid-November with the doors to open on Dec 1. We are looking for volunteers who can help a few hours a week, so send me an e-mail.
Happy Halloween.
Gord McKay
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Saturday October 6th 2007
Before we get to the turkey a few quick notes about the upcoming week.
Tuesday October 9th the Town will be having its regular General Committee meeting. A couple of items of interest:
- We will hear about the 2008 water and sewer rates – should be about a 2% increase over last year or roughly $10 per consumer.
- The 2008 budget review schedule will be discussed. The first meeting is a lot earlier this year, set tentatively for December 4th.
Wednesday will feature a 7:00 pm public meeting on the zoning for the Stollar property at 935 Yonge St. This will be followed at 7:10 with the Planning Advisory Committee. Two interesting PAC items will be arrangements with the Town for the new Huronia Players Theatre and a prospective daycare development located at the Georgian Bay Native Friendship Centre.
Indications are that we will have another public meeting shortly to discuss the SOS outreach workers. I will let you know as that one firms up.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving
Gord McKay
Tuesday October 9th the Town will be having its regular General Committee meeting. A couple of items of interest:
- We will hear about the 2008 water and sewer rates – should be about a 2% increase over last year or roughly $10 per consumer.
- The 2008 budget review schedule will be discussed. The first meeting is a lot earlier this year, set tentatively for December 4th.
Wednesday will feature a 7:00 pm public meeting on the zoning for the Stollar property at 935 Yonge St. This will be followed at 7:10 with the Planning Advisory Committee. Two interesting PAC items will be arrangements with the Town for the new Huronia Players Theatre and a prospective daycare development located at the Georgian Bay Native Friendship Centre.
Indications are that we will have another public meeting shortly to discuss the SOS outreach workers. I will let you know as that one firms up.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving
Gord McKay
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Wednesday October 3rd 2007
It’s all about growth.
There is going to be a flurry of meetings intended to educate all of us about the County/Province’s growth plans for our area.
This Thursday October 4th at 7:00 pm, the Simcoe County Growth Management Presentation will take place in our Town Hall.
The County is also holding a number of other information evenings:
- October 16th, 4:30 pm Elmvale Community Centre, Elmvale
- October 22, 4:30 pm Barrie Country Club, Barrie
- October 23rd, 4:40 pm Highwayman Inn, Orillia
Changes are coming to our area. This is a good chance to see how they may affect us.
Gord McKay
There is going to be a flurry of meetings intended to educate all of us about the County/Province’s growth plans for our area.
This Thursday October 4th at 7:00 pm, the Simcoe County Growth Management Presentation will take place in our Town Hall.
The County is also holding a number of other information evenings:
- October 16th, 4:30 pm Elmvale Community Centre, Elmvale
- October 22, 4:30 pm Barrie Country Club, Barrie
- October 23rd, 4:40 pm Highwayman Inn, Orillia
Changes are coming to our area. This is a good chance to see how they may affect us.
Gord McKay
Monday, October 1, 2007
Monday October 1st 2007
Just a quick note.
Two interesting meetings tonight October 1st at Town Hall. Councillor Jeffery will start off at 7pm to discuss what the Town is going to be doing about the proposal from the two social outreach workers the Town hired this summer. Ideally we will hear where the Town stands on funding/participating in social service delivery in Midland.
Right after that the Mayor will broach the affordable housing issue. This will be the first meeting on the topic so little forward progress is likely. But we should begin to understand how likely the Town is to committing to getting involved in the issue.
The next Pesticide meeting is October 18th.
And if I can be permitted to promote a favourite group – The Huronia Foundation for the Arts will be hosting its inaugural dinner October the 20th. This will be a showcase for our local artists. Please e-mail me if you need tickets or information.
Two interesting meetings tonight October 1st at Town Hall. Councillor Jeffery will start off at 7pm to discuss what the Town is going to be doing about the proposal from the two social outreach workers the Town hired this summer. Ideally we will hear where the Town stands on funding/participating in social service delivery in Midland.
Right after that the Mayor will broach the affordable housing issue. This will be the first meeting on the topic so little forward progress is likely. But we should begin to understand how likely the Town is to committing to getting involved in the issue.
The next Pesticide meeting is October 18th.
And if I can be permitted to promote a favourite group – The Huronia Foundation for the Arts will be hosting its inaugural dinner October the 20th. This will be a showcase for our local artists. Please e-mail me if you need tickets or information.
Saturday, September 8, 2007
Saturday September 8 2007
The Town is back in full gear. As one of you commented to me, its time for the Councillors to start earning their salaries.
Lots of meetings coming up:
- Pesticide Committee – Thursday, September 13 at 7pm, Town Hall
- Streetworker Report – Monday, September 17 at 7pm, Town Hall
- Snowmobile Committee – Thursday, September 20 at 7pm, Town Hall
Our first General Committee meeting of the fall takes place this Monday the 10th at 7pm. The Frederick Street development will be discussed again and hopefully a final decision made on sidewalks and boulevards. We are also going to further our discussion on affordable housing. Should be interesting.
One other issue that I would appreciate your comments on. The Town is proposing to change its hours of operation to a consistent 8:30am to 4:30 pm year round. (It currently operates from 9am to 5pm during the colder months). Do you see any problems with such a change?
We will have a Public Meeting on the Home Occupation By-Law, that will take place Wednesday September 12 at 7pm in the Town Hall. The By-Law defines what type of business/employment can occur in a residential dwelling. It has generated some interesting debate on what is appropriate in our neighbourhoods. If you wish to see a draft of the by-law before the meeting, give me (or the Town) a call.
One sad note - our faithful town reporter on the Mirror, Kim Goggins, will be leaving us shortly. I will certainly miss her staying up late with us at Council meetings and the good reporting she has provided to all citizens in Midland.
And so as not to end on a sad note - the Huronia Foundation for the Arts will be holding its launch dinner on October 20th. More details at www.huroniaarts.ca.
Gord McKay
Lots of meetings coming up:
- Pesticide Committee – Thursday, September 13 at 7pm, Town Hall
- Streetworker Report – Monday, September 17 at 7pm, Town Hall
- Snowmobile Committee – Thursday, September 20 at 7pm, Town Hall
Our first General Committee meeting of the fall takes place this Monday the 10th at 7pm. The Frederick Street development will be discussed again and hopefully a final decision made on sidewalks and boulevards. We are also going to further our discussion on affordable housing. Should be interesting.
One other issue that I would appreciate your comments on. The Town is proposing to change its hours of operation to a consistent 8:30am to 4:30 pm year round. (It currently operates from 9am to 5pm during the colder months). Do you see any problems with such a change?
We will have a Public Meeting on the Home Occupation By-Law, that will take place Wednesday September 12 at 7pm in the Town Hall. The By-Law defines what type of business/employment can occur in a residential dwelling. It has generated some interesting debate on what is appropriate in our neighbourhoods. If you wish to see a draft of the by-law before the meeting, give me (or the Town) a call.
One sad note - our faithful town reporter on the Mirror, Kim Goggins, will be leaving us shortly. I will certainly miss her staying up late with us at Council meetings and the good reporting she has provided to all citizens in Midland.
And so as not to end on a sad note - the Huronia Foundation for the Arts will be holding its launch dinner on October 20th. More details at www.huroniaarts.ca.
Gord McKay
Friday, August 24, 2007
Friday August 24 2007
The trees are changing color – can you believe it! Summer is rapidly slipping away.
Well your Councillors are still busy. We were all attending the Association of Municipalities of Ontario Conference (AMO) in Ottawa this week. The conference hosted 1,700 attendees, including politicians from all levels of government. If you want to know what we were talking about, read on.
Reducing the Tax Burden on Municipal Ratepayers
Some of the social services provided by the province are still paid for through your property tax. Premier McGinty announced that the costs of ODSP (disability support) and ODB (drug benefit) will now be paid by the Province – removing some $930 million from property tax bills over 4 years. What you should see is a 1-2% reduction of your tax bill. Whether you will see it depends upon how our County and your Town set their 2008 tax rates.
Better Waste Management
A highlight of the conference was a tour of the PLASCO waste treatment facility in suburban Ottawa. PLASCO uses a new “plasma” (heat) treatment process that gets rid of all noxious gases and reduces 1 ton of garbage to 300 pounds of a safe gravel-like aggregate. And each ton also produces 1400 KWh of electricity. Many of your politicians were impressed with this promising Canadian technology.
Affordable Housing
The conference underscored that the top down approach has not solved our affordable housing problem. We also saw how some municipalities have gotten serious and made significant improvements. I will be bringing our affordable housing situation to the Council Meeting this Monday at 7:30pm.
The business of the Town will get into full gear shortly. The Ad-Hoc Pesticide Committee will meet on September 13th at 7pm at the Town Hall. The Snowmobile Committee will also be meeting shortly – I will let you know on that one.
Gord McKay
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Wednesday July 4 2007
I know you all are busy this summer so I will keep this short.
Snowmobiles:
The trail from Hwy. 12 to Bay Street has been penciled in. There are two areas where long term trail commitments are needed from property owners before we have a complete trail. Hopefully that will happen. Planning trails through the rest of the Town will take a least another year.
Huronia Players Theatre:Planning Advisory Committee will be meeting today, Wednesday July 4, at 7pm in the Town Hall. The first presentation will deal with the “new” theatre located at roughly William and Yonge. If you are interested you are most welcome to attend
Tiffin:
Work on the 12 story condominium tower is expected to start this fall.
Pesticides:
First public meeting was well attended. More to come.
Eastern Waterfront Trail:
Most of the cement waterfront trail is now in place. The last parts of the trail through to highway 12 are being finalized. Hopefully the trail will be ready this summer. The Town has agreed to form a “Trails Committee” to look after our growing trail system. If you want to get involved give me a call.
Gord McKay
Snowmobiles:
The trail from Hwy. 12 to Bay Street has been penciled in. There are two areas where long term trail commitments are needed from property owners before we have a complete trail. Hopefully that will happen. Planning trails through the rest of the Town will take a least another year.
Huronia Players Theatre:Planning Advisory Committee will be meeting today, Wednesday July 4, at 7pm in the Town Hall. The first presentation will deal with the “new” theatre located at roughly William and Yonge. If you are interested you are most welcome to attend
Tiffin:
Work on the 12 story condominium tower is expected to start this fall.
Pesticides:
First public meeting was well attended. More to come.
Eastern Waterfront Trail:
Most of the cement waterfront trail is now in place. The last parts of the trail through to highway 12 are being finalized. Hopefully the trail will be ready this summer. The Town has agreed to form a “Trails Committee” to look after our growing trail system. If you want to get involved give me a call.
Gord McKay
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