Saturday October 10, 2015

Ladies and Gentlemen

Thanksgiving weekend and it’s a beauty.

I know that some people get upset when I say good things about our Town but there are a lot of positive signs out there. Our building permits are almost 3 times as high as they were this time last year – a lot of new development. Our new Downtown Heath Center has cleared Council – a major improvement to the healthcare of our residents. I know of three major companies in Town that are actively hiring, mainly skilled labour – young folks you need to do well in school. And our Syrian refugee family of three has increased in size.  I have just learned that they also have a 20 year old daughter.

Thanksgiving weekend – get out and enjoy.

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Tuesday October 13^th sees a lot of meetings. At 9:00 am it is County Council. The meeting features a presentation on the specifics of the Affordable Housing and Homelessness Strategy, including Midland’s target of 90 more affordable units. At 6:30 pm is a closed meeting to deal with a letter concerning a personal matter.  At 7:00 pm it’s the October General Committee at Town Hall. A challenging agenda including:

• Recommendation on the Town’s tiered response for emergency services
• Changes to fees for Town facilities at NSSRC and the harbor
• Direction on creating a park for Sunnyside
• Discussion on the future of Tiffin Pond
• Review of the considerations for leasing Town properties
• A “municipal dashboard” discussion. This item will challenge Council to set hard fiscal and service quality targets over the next three years
• A report on starting a Youth Committee
  
  
  At 7:30 pm at the MCC you have the opportunity to meet a remarkable person.  No less than the Samuel de Champlain. A Day in the Life will interview this famous explorer about his exploits circa 1635.  You will hear of the hardships he and his men faced, the wars between neighbouring bands of First Nations and his visits to Huronia. 
  
  
  Wednesday the 14^th starts at 7:00 am with the Christian Community Breakfast at the NSSRC.  Then at 6:30 pm you may wish to attend the Community Living Huronia AGM at the MCC.  At 7:00 pm the Planning and Development Committee meets at the Town. The discussion will include:
• Planning approval for the new Operations Depot on MacDonald Road
• Review of the Terms of Reference for the Home Occupation by-law
• Discussion of the pedestrian trail near Cook Drive
  
  
  
  
  Thursday the 15^th is a special day for Mary Graham who celebrates 90 years with a reception at the Legion at 3:00 pm.
  
  
  On Friday October 16^th I am back at the County for the regular Affordable Housing Advisory committee. At 7:00 pm the Ontario Archeological Society starts its three day conference at the Best Western.  This conference will focus on the link between archeology and First Nations.  More information at http://www.esaf-archeology.org/meetings.htm
  
  
  
  
  Weekend
  
  
  Saturday
• 7:30 pm its the GBGH 10^th Anniversary Gala at MCC
  
  
  Sunday
• 8:00 pm features Robert Milne at MCC. He will be entertaining you with the rich history of southern American music including pieces made famous by Louie Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, Stavin’ Chain, King Oliver, Tony Jackson and Buddy Bolden.
  
  
                                                           *****
  
  
  A number of closing items.
  
  

1. October 19^th is Election Day. Remember to get out and vote
   
   
2. Retired Constable Dave Hobson is still on patrol and asks you to take a look at an ATV safety video - http://bit.ly/1LEtmyF
   
   
3. The GBGH patio project needs your help. If you can offer a few “clicks” they may be able to undertake this important renovation at our hospital https://www.avivacommunityfund.org/ideas/acf32642
   
   
4. On November 24th, 2015, the Culture Midland Committee will be hosting the first annual Culture Midland Awards.  The purpose of the Culture Awards Program is to communicate the importance of culture, to inspire the cultural community and to recognize and celebrate the cultural talent in our community. This is your chance to nominate someone who has made an impact upon culture in our area. Please visit www.culturemidland.ca to find the nomination form and more information about Culture Midland. Deadline for nominations is Saturday, October 31st, 2015.
   
   
5. If you are interested in helping our Syrian refugee family please visit the support site at http://gbrefugeesupport.wix.com/support
   
   
   
   Gord McKay

Be part of Midland’s Year of Bold Action - 2015

                                                                                              

Sunday October 4, 2015

Ladies and Gentlemen

Its fall and looking forward to Blue Jays baseball and some Hallow’een fun. While tickets for the Jays are in short supply, I visited Discovery Harbour’s new Pumpkinferno display. Amazing – impressive area displays and some frightening haunted houses. Great family fun at: http://www.discoveryharbour.on.ca/dh/en/SpecialEvents/HalloweenDay/index.htm

This past week saw the decision by Council to proceed with the Downtown Health Centre located in part of Edgehill Park.  A tough decision for Council but one that is necessary for improving the healthcare for thousands of Midland residents.  With the decision made, I know that Chigamik and Waypoint will be reaching out to area residents to see what can be done to make the Centre a place that is well accepted by neighbours and clients alike.

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Monday is a quiet day at the Town.

On Tuesday October 6^th at 5:30 pm a very special Council meeting takes place at Town Hall. Council will establish its objectives for considering any sale or merger of our hydro distribution utility, MPUC.

Over the last few years provincial policy changes in the energy sector and advancements in technology have put small distribution utilities at increasing risk.  Midland Council has decided to respond to that risk by determining if there is a better business arrangement for our MPUC that satisfies our long-term objectives.  The meeting will consider those objectives – for example: improved cash flow; job protection; stability of hydro rates – and decide which must be met in any new arrangement. These objectives will become part of our “Request for Proposal” process, as we seek out an appropriate electricity company partner.

On Wednesday October 7^th at 6:00 pm you are invited to provide input (you may speak) to the Town’s 2016 budget. To date we have had two first round budget meetings. Links to the reports from those meetings are:

Capital Budget

http://www.midland.ca/Shared%20Documents/treasury/AGENDA%201st%20Draft%20CAPITAL%20Sept%2017%202015.pdf

Operating Budget

http://www.midland.ca/Shared%20Documents/treasury/AMENDED%20Agenda%20%201st%20Draft%202016%20OPERATING%202015%2009%2030.pdf

Thursday the 8^th will see a meeting of our Georgian Bay Refugee Support committee at the Library at 7:00 pm.  The group now has been assigned a three member Syrian refugee family who are expected to arrive in Midland within 3-6 months. If you want to get actively involved, please attend the meeting.  If you can help out financially, the group is now fundraising at

http://gbrefugeesupport.wix.com/support#!about_us/csgz

Weekend (Its Thanksgiving)

A weekend for gathering family and friends together to share a meal. But if you wish to get out of the house, there is lots going on at our Midland Cultural Centre.

http://midlandculturalcentre.com/page.php?page=Home&pageType=eventscalendar

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Our Library is launching the first Midland Public Library Survey to better determine what you think of our library service and how they can improve in future. You are invited to complete the survey at http://www.midlandlibrary.com/

Our hospital is making every effort to provide the facilities needed to keep our community heathy. Hospital staff has made arrangements with the Aviva Community Fund to compete for a grant to refurbish the existing patio on Level 1 at the hospital. Our chances of winning depend on the number of votes they can generate for the project. To see our proposal go to www.AvivaCommunityFund.org and scroll down to #ACF32642.  Please vote from Oct 6th at noon until Oct 23rd, one vote per day. All help greatly appreciated.

Gord McKay

Be part of Midland’s Year of Bold Action - 2015

                                                                                              

Sunday September 27, 2015

Ladies and Gentlemen

Our love affair with the warm summer-like weather continues but you don’t have to go too far to see the leaves changing color. Get out there and enjoy it while it lasts.

There were a couple of important healthcare meetings this past week.  On Tuesday the citizens of North Simcoe met for their quarterly update with the NSMLHIN and our hospital. We learned that there will likely be changes for CCAC (who provide a lot of the provincially funded home care); the possibility of changes for primary care delivery (our frontline doctors and nurses):  and the fact the NSMLHIN is about to name a new agency to coordinate the delivery of seniors’ healthcare. The meeting also introduced to our new Citizens Healthcare Steering Committee who will be our strong voice to ensure proper healthcare for the residents of North Simcoe.

Then last Thursday the GBGH Board invited the public in to comment on what should become of the surplus PGH site. Two main ideas were promoted by the some 15 speakers:

• Keep our GBGH viable
• Help the LHIN turn the PGH site into a new healthcare hub
  After the public meeting, the hospital Board decided to delay their vote on the future of the Penetanguishene site for up to eight months. The decision was based on a request from the NSMLHIN that the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care needs the time to review a proposal to repurpose the site into a health hub.

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Monday September 28^th and more meetings. At 1:30 pm at County, the Affordable Housing Advisory committee will be meeting with the BILD builders association to explore how the private sector can be induced to build more affordable housing units. Unless we have the private sector meaningfully participate in the construction of affordable housing, we will never get past the multi-year wait lists we have in Simcoe County.

At 6:30 pm, Council holds a closed session to consider committee appointments. At 7:00 pm is the regular Council meeting. A full agenda including:

• Three deputations:
  • Overview of the 2016 Senior Summer Games to be hosted by Midland
  • Concerns by Tiffin residents about their neighbourhood
  • Presentation by Bill Smith concerning the zoning of his property on Hwy 12
• A Public Meeting (you may speak) concerning four matters:
  • The proposed land sale at 808 Birchwood Dr.
  • Change of fees by-law to deal with repeat offenders
  • Change of fees by-law to reduce the cost to merchants for use of the downtown sidewalks
  • Amendment to the sign by-law to permit the Sargeant gas bar sign on County Road 93
• Introduction of our first ever municipal operations “dashboard”.  This is an ongoing tracking report that shows how the Town is progressing against key operational targets such as 1) cost control, 2) customer satisfaction and 3) staffing levels.
• A vote on the Chigamik/Waypoint Downtown Health Centre proposed for part of Edgehill Park
• Agreement on the process to assess the control of “second suites” in Midland
• Discussion on what we will do with tiered response by our Fire service
  
  
  
  
  Tuesday 29^th starts early with a 7:30 am breakfast meeting with BNI (Business Network International) at Na Na’s.   Our BNI chapter is made up of some 30 local companies that meet monthly to help each other market more successfully. A great organization.
  
  
  Keeping with the theme of business development, I meet later in the morning with the Chair of our Economic Development Corporation (EDCNS) to align the work we are doing as a municipality with that of EDCNS. Then that afternoon I meet with a local healthcare entrepreneur to discuss job growth in our area.
  
  
  On Wednesday September 30^th you are invited to attend the first draft operating budget meeting at 6:00 pm at Town Hall. While we are just at the start of the public budget process, the first draft should show us an operating increase, year over year, of about 0%. That will allow us to keep tax rates down when we deal with that matter later in the year.   Looking ahead, mark October 7^th at 6:00 pm on your calendar as the date for “public input” budget meeting - your chance to comment on the Town’s budget.
  
  
  Thursday is the first of October. Gets you thinking about Hallow’een. So it’s appropriate for Discovery Harbour to be launching its new Pumbkinferno event. More details at
  http://www.discoveryharbour.on.ca/dh/en/SpecialEvents/HalloweenDay/index.htm
  
  
  On Friday I have a meeting with our newly minted MPP Patrick Brown to discuss how he can help us with the issues that matter most to Midland. Patrick has already expressed an interest in doing some fundraising for GBGH.
  
  
  
  
  Weekend
  
  
  Saturday
  
  
• It’s Treasure Day. Your chance to put out good items you don’t need that may be of use to a neighbor. Put items out to the curb after 8:00 am and have those not picked up back in by 5:00 pm.
• 9:00 am Valu-Mart is hosting a Downtown Sidewalk Sale Spectacular. All proceeds will go to Wye Marsh
• 6:00 pm is the Tiawenk fundraiser for Martyrs’ Shrine at Brooklea
• 7:30 pm is the Be Our Guest concert by Serenata at St. Pauls. A free will offering with proceeds to the Guesthouse
  
  
  Sunday
  
  
• Treasure Day continues

Gord McKay

Be part of Midland’s Year of Bold Action - 2015

                                                                                              

Sunday September 20, 2015

Ladies and Gentlemen

Just back from the Terry Fox run.  A beautiful day and close to 1,000 people taking part. A big thank you to the organizers, volunteers, Midland Police and the OPP.  For those of you who have never seen Michelle Mink lead warm-up exercises, you have no idea what high energy is.

On Monday the 21^st the Town starts organizing for our 2016 Butter Tart festival. Over the last three years the Butter Tart has grown from a good idea to a scale that requires a year-long organizational effort. The kick off meeting is at 5:30 pm in the Council Chamber

At 6:00 pm the NS Community Futures Development Corporation is sponsoring a very special event, “Women in Business”.  It will feature a number of inspiring entrepreneurial speakers telling you real stories of women in business. The event is at the NSSRC. Preregistration is required – https://www.canadaone.com/canadian_business_events/event-list.html/event-info/details/id/12

On Tuesday September 22^nd, I am in Midhurst for the 9:00 am County Council meeting. Then at 2:00 pm the Citizens Healthcare meeting takes place at NSSRC. This meeting continues the dialog between the residents of North Simcoe and our healthcare community. Jill Tettmann, CEO of the North Simcoe Muskoka LHIN and Karen McGrath, CEO of GBGH will be there to update you on what is happening in our community. If you want to have your say about your healthcare, this is your chance.  And at 7:00 pm please join Gateway Centre for Learning for their Annual General Meeting at the MCC.

Wednesday the 23^rd will see the Downtown Safety committee resume its work. They meet at 10:00 am at the Town Hall.  You are most welcome to attend.

Who says being in politics is not a hair-raising experience. At 9:30 am on Thursday I will be at the “Hair We Are” salon on Elizabeth Street for a haircut, part of a day of haircutting in support of Gilda’s Club. This is your opportunity for a trim while lending a hand to a very worthwhile cause.

At 11:30 am the Huronia Community Foundation invites to you to a presentation by author and TEDTALKS speaker Susan Reynolds.  Susan’s inspiring talk will address why we volunteer and how it helps communities. The event is at the MCC and includes a light lunch.

At 4:30 pm the GBGH Board will hold a special meeting to hear from the public about the future of the hospital’s Penetanguishene site and the proposed heath hub. If you wish to speak please contact Jackie McLauchlin at mclauchlinj@gbgh.on.ca

On Friday the 25^th it’s the start of the weekend Coldwater Fall Fair. Their annual parade kicks off festivities at 1:00 pm. Lots of fun for the family

Weekend

Saturday

• Wish Bob Armstrong a happy 100^th birthday
• 12 noon will see an adult tricycle race in the NSSRC parking lot. Funds will go to the  new splash pad in Little Lake Park
  
  

Gord McKay

Be part of Midland’s Year of Bold Action - 2015

                                                                                              

Sunday September 13, 2015

Ladies and Gentlemen

I hope this grey Sunday is not indicative of the cold weather that awaits. Sunscreen in the morning - sweaters in the afternoon. Hard to keep up.

Monday September the 14^th will see Council back to its regular schedule with a special closed meeting starting at 5:30 pm. The topics include labour relations, and potential litigation on two matters. At 7:00 pm is the General Committee meeting including:

• Revising the Towns’ Indemnification By-law – how the municipality will cover the legal expenses of Councilors and employees caught up in legal disputes
• Reducing the fee to allow merchants to extend sidewalk cafes and displays onto the downtown King Street sidewalk
• Review of the Town’s many (35 plus) committees. Possibly moving the Council meeting to Thursday.
• Start of the discussion of where snowmobiles will be permitted in the Town
  
  
  On Tuesday the 15^th, the Housing Working Group reconvenes at Town Hall at 2:00 pm to advance ideas for new affordable housing projects in our area. In addition to looking at secondary suites and rental units at the PGH site, the group is considering “WWOOFing’, a communal style of housing for rural/farming areas.
  
  
  Thursday is the busy day. It starts at 8:30 am at the Kempenfelt Centre in Barrie where County Council will convene to discuss governance – how we need to be organized to effectively run this half billion dollar a year corporation. From noon to 5:00 pm you are welcome to attend the grand opening of Body Line Collision at 245 Whitfield Cres. And at 6:00 pm the Town starts the public budget process with a meeting on our 2016 capital budget. That takes place at Town Hall.
  
  
  The Syrian refugee crisis has been brought into sharp focus over the past few weeks. Elizabeth O’Connor and Richard Wakerlin have been leading a Midland initiative to bring a Syrian refugee family to our Town. If you would like to help out or simply want to hear more, they will be holding their next meeting at the Midland Library at 7:00 pm.
  
  
  On Friday the18^th one of our local manufacturing success stories, NEBS, will be celebrating the 100^th anniversary of its parent company Deluxe. So if you should see a large party at Little Lake Park, give them a friendly wave.
  
  
  Weekend
  
  
  Saturday
• We Are The Villagers is holding a fundraiser and recognition ceremony for the 100^th anniversary of our old library building on Hugel. WATV is a very worthy children’s charity that started here in Midland. Tickets available from Julianna at watv@bellnet.ca  
  
  
  Sunday
• 10 am the Terry Fox Run starts at Mountainview Mall
  
  
  
  

Gord McKay

Be part of Midland’s Year of Bold Action - 2015

                                                                                              

Monday September 7, 2015

Ladies and Gentlemen

And I am back….

I hope you had a great summer – a chance for good times with family, friends and just taking time to enjoy this wonderful place we all love as Midland.

To say it was a quiet summer would be misleading. Some of the things that you may have participated in or missed over the last two months:

-       The Martels have wrapped up their touring career with a set of final concerts

-       The Metis Nation of Ontario’s 400 delegates had a great time visiting Midland including a paddle in the Bay

-       Cruise ships Pearl Mist and St, Laurent have made 5 visits to our Town

-       The Ontario 55-plus summer games showcased the best Midland has to offer to over 200 visitors

-       First place – Midland’s newly minted “Best Maple Butter Tart beer” came first at the Muskoka craft brewers contest.  The winner will be coming soon to an LCBO outlet near you

-       The Hwy 12 - Jones Road intersection is almost open (still)

-       Mountainview Mall is under new ownership and expecting redevelopment in 2016

-       The Hanson development on Highway 12 has over1,000 pre-registrations

-       The recent provincial by-election sees the leader of the loyal opposition as our own MPP

-       Staff is deep into the 2016 budget process.  Look for the first public meetings later this month

-       Midland now allows (with permit) small backyard fires

-       Marina Park (building next to Bayport) has been sold. The Town is in discussions with the new owners to get this project completed

-       Downtown Health Centre (part of Edgehill Park)  will go to Council for a final decision on Sept 28

-       Environmental work continues on the Midland Bay Landing site. Still awaiting the draft design.

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The all-star series, a Day in the Life, continues at the MCC this Tuesday at 7:30 pm, September 8^th.   Fred Hacker will be speaking with Adam Dixon, a celebrated para-athlete who hails from our area.   As a youngster, Adam loved hockey.  Then, when he was 10, he was diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma. leading to the removal of his right tibia.  While Adam's dream of playing “stand up hockey” was shattered, he began playing sledge hockey at the age of 11 and, by the time he was 17, he was invited to try out for Canada's national team. He starred on the bronze winning Canadian Paralympic sledge hockey team in Sochi in 2014.  Fred invites you to learn more about a truly inspiring young man.

On Wednesday September 9^th at 6:30 pm at Town Hall you are invited to a Special Meeting of Council addressing two important topics. The first will be about our Library, where Council will hear about the Library Board’s intentions for new services they are considering for Midland.

The second topic of the night is a panel discussion on how different Local Distribution Companies (LDC – like our MPUC) are handling changes in the energy sector.  This panel has come about due to Council’s interest in looking at different business arrangements for our own LDC. The panel will feature speakers from municipalities/utilities that have experienced recent sale/mergers, including:

Mr. Chris Litschko, President of Lakeland (a similar sized LDC)

Ms. Lynn Strachan, Board Member Powerstream ( provides power to Penetanguishene)

Mr. Steve Zorbas, former CFO Town of Richmond Hill - PowerStream

Mayor Tony Van Bynen, Newmarket - Newmarket Tay Hydro (provides power to Tay)

The panel will discuss first-hand experiences about the pros and cons of sale/merger and what Midland power users could expect if Council chose to pursue one of those options. The discussion should also help us understand:

-       The risks in the energy sector for small LDCs given the government’s push for consolidation (MPUC with some 6,500 customers is a very small LDC)

-       The challenges and risks to a small LDC in keeping up with changes in technology including off-grid power generation

-       The Ontario Energy Board’s role in setting our hydro rates and realizing that some 80% of your hydro bill is a provincial pass through over which the LDC has no control

-       What to look for in choosing a partner for pursuing your LDC’s business objectives

Thursday the 10^th starts at 8:00 am with a breakfast at Lakehead University, hosted to recognize the County of Simcoe’s support for Lakehead. At 7:00 pm that evening at Penetanguishene Town Hall is a meeting to hear more about the joint transit system that will be shortly linking Midland and Penetanguishene.

Weekend

Saturday

-       15^th annual Pow Wow at Ste Marie starting at noon

Sunday

-       Pow Wow continues at Ste Marie starting at noon

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Many of you will have fond memories of recently retired OPP Constable Dave Hobson. Far from being “retired” Davey is still sending me safety notices.  Please see the attached and stay safe.

Gord McKay

Be part of Midland’s Year of Bold Action - 2015