About

Mission

Midlandcommunity.ca is a community–based citizen’s group that:

  • promotes fair taxation and a policy-friendly community;
  • encourages and monitors accountable and competitive delivery of municipal services;
  • works toward sustainable growth and economic development;
  • provides timely and relevant communication to the community at large through its website www.midlandcommunity.ca.

These are the metrics we apply to identify issues we will address.

Like other communities, the Town of Midland faces many challenges;

  • delivery of quality medical care and education;
  • a balanced approach to urban development and quality of life;
  • accommodation for accessibility and active transportation;
  • addressing poverty and homelessness;
  • environmental protection;

…and many more

However, midlandcommunity.ca does not have the experience, time, or resources to consider, analyze, reach conclusions and publicize positions on all issues of importance to our town.

Each of these matters resonates with different individuals, special interest groups and Councillors, and we encourage other community groups to engage in issues that are important to them through respectful and constructive discourse. As a small volunteer group, midlandcommunity.ca cannot address all issues. We must remain focused on our mission or we will soon find ourselves stretched so thin that we are ineffective in all areas.

Guiding Principles

We welcome members from all backgrounds. Ethical governance and respectful communication are core to our values. We are proud of the contributions of our members and the work they do to help Midland get to a more competitive place for sustainability.

We believe that the members of midlandcommunity.ca have a responsibility to be courteous to those who hold different opinions and bring different perspectives to the table, and our members also have the right to privacy and anonymity. Just as universal suffrage and the “secret ballot” are fundamental to Canadian democracy, we believe it doesn’t matter who holds an opinion, as long as the opinion and the discussion around it are worthwhile and respectful. Our members should be able to participate in this conversation without fear of intimidation, retribution, or personal attacks. By moderating our site we ensure that these values are maintained, at least within the small corner of the Internet that we take responsibility for.

Key activities:

  1. Understand and monitor the issues and opportunities confronting the town by attending council and other relevant meetings, and reporting on decisions made back to the community.
  2. Help create greater transparency and accountability at the municipal government level.
  3. Increase citizen/voter participation by making council more relevant to constituents.
  4. Help maximize the urban node status opportunity through debate, knowledge and involvement.
  5. Encourage neighbouring communities to come together on those matters that will mutually benefit the parties i.e. shared services, urban node, economic development, etc.
  6. Provide member resources to town and council, at no charge, to support those activities and initiatives that promote Midland’s full potential.
  7. Conduct analyses on relevant issues and share results with members, the community, council and/or town staff, as appropriate.
  8. Provide a forum that informs, and is informed by, the citizens of Midland on issues that affects the functioning and prosperity of the town.