September Council Report

Cruise ship coming into Midland, Ontario

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Council pulled another marathon session in September to make up for skipping a couple of gatherings over the summer.  It was a mostly good news meeting despite its length.

September not only marks the end of summer but also this community turning a page.  With the work of transitioning local policing from the Midland Police Service over to the OPP well underway, attention now shifts to the latest proposed change to the local landscape (forgive the pun) arising from the Natural Heritage System (NHS) proposals.  Over 100 people attended the first public meeting held at the NSSRC on September 28th about this proposed addition to the Town’s Official Plan.  From what we witnessed in the room that night, this looks as though the NHS will be Midland’s next contentious planning issue.  You will undoubtedly be hearing more in the months ahead as we at Midland Community will be closely monitoring this debate.
Now for the regular council meeting held September 25th.

First, congratulations to Midland Water & Wastewater technician Andre Pepin, who has recently attained Professional Operator Certification.  Council recognized Andre for achieving this educational milestone.

We then heard 3 deputations, the first by Tammy Carruthers of WSCS Consulting who are directing our current service delivery review.  Ms. Carruthers updated Council on the study’s efforts to identify waste and non-value added activities carried out by the Town.  Progress is being made and members of the public will be asked very soon to participate in a public survey looking for feedback.  Stay tuned.

Next was Karen Mealing, the Director of Quest Art who gave a summary of this summer’s Canada 150 mural project.  Four murals were created, one in each of the partner communities, Midland, Tay, Tiny and Penetanguishene, by 186 painters who contributed to a total of 678 volunteer hours. Each mural has its own 2 minute YouTube video and a 20 minute documentary film is on the way.  If you would like to see more about the creation of these works of art, visit www.questart.ca for additional details.

The third deputation was by Ron Neumann representing Culture Midland.  Mr. Neumann detailed how this highly motivated organization has restructured internally and is now in the process of hiring a new Development Coordinator.  Mr. Neumann announced Culture Midland would be managing the 2018 Butter Tart Festival as part of an expanded agenda, as well as working towards bringing the communities of Penetanguishene, Tay and Tiny under a broader culture tent.  And a reminder the annual Midland Cultural Awards take place on Tuesday November 14th.

On the financial front, we had positive news in the form of the Federal Gas Tax Grant which saw the Town receiving $245,000 which was allocated to a Transit Study and a substantial contribution towards the King Street redevelopment project.  We are fortunate to have a senior administration with the skills to put this money to work for the immediate benefit of the community.

Another date to mark on your calendar is Saturday, October 21 when the last of the series of outdoor movies will be shown in the parking lot at 509 Bay Street from 6:00 – 8:30pm.  The BIA in association with the Town of Midland will be presenting the Halloween classic “GHOSTBUSTERS”. Fun for the entire family but be sure to dress warm.

Cheers

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