There has
been a lot of activity with both the Township of Springwater and the County of
Simcoe in recent weeks.
The Elmvale
Maple Syrup Festival had record crowds and excellent weather this year. The
Pancake Breakfast had long lineups but was well worth the wait. The log sawing
contest had 17 teams competing and was again a must see event. Congratulations
go to winners MPP Garfield Dunlop and Jane for winning the Open competition by
a wide margin. The Ladies event was won by our own Springwater Fire Services Volunteers
Karen Todd and Lesley French. Special recognition also goes out to two more
Township representatives as runner-ups in the Ladies division, Councilor Jennifer
Coughlin and Community Liaison Janine Peck. I would be remiss if I did not
mention the Friday Night Elmvale Maple Syrup Festival Variety Show at Elmvale
District High School and the Youth Awards. The talent was of such a caliber
that any of these young singers and performers could have competed on some of our
top TV talent shows such as the Voice or America’s Got Talent. The Youth Awards
were presented to Adrianna McGinnis, Sydney McGee and Brendan Rebidoux of EDHS
and Fraser Swan of St. Teresa’s. Congratulations and our special thanks for all
that you do.
We at
Springwater have undertaken the development of a vision and direction for our
own economic development strategy in Springwater and more will come as time
progresses. I am also the Western representative for Springwater, Clearview,
Collingwood and Wasaga Beach on the County of Simcoe Economic Development
sub-committee and we had our first meeting last week. OMAFRA also hosted an
excellent municipal workshop last week for the Economic Development Officers
and other interested parties at the County Museum. It was very informative and
will help all of us develop plans to create job opportunities in our area.
Springwater
Park is an important part of Springwater Township’s fabric. The Ministry of
Natural Resources has been negotiating with our First Nations people to
establish an agreement to reopen the Park. The original plan was targeted for the
upcoming Victoria Day Weekend. I spoke to the local Ministry representative and
my First Nations contact and there are some delays but both are optimistic that
a deal is imminent. I did offer the assistance of Springwater to expedite the
opening day and, if necessary, possibly becoming an interim transitional operator,
which would be subject to Springwater Council’s approval of course.
The last
election spoke loudly to Springwater being in control of future development in
the township so we can grow progressively and in an orderly fashion and avoid
the problems of uncontrolled growth. For quite some time, planning has been
reactionary in that developers table proposals and the township responds. What
we as a Township plan to do is develop a new planning document that directs
developers to where, when, how and what we want in all areas of Springwater. Step
one is to bring everyone up to speed on the process of updating and creating a
new Official Plan as the current Springwater OP dates back to 1998 and has been
unchanged except for some Official Plan Amendments and Secondary Plans such as
Hillsdale and Midhurst. The Province suggests that Official Plans should be
updated every 5 years, so our current plan is well past its useful shelf life.
We are engaging well respected Planning Consultant Bob Lehman and Associates to
lead our workshop.
Last week I
had the pleasure of meeting with Jim Wilson, the Interim Conservative and
Opposition Leader, and requested his continued support for improvements and
expansion of Elmvale District High School. We discussed residential growth
issues and concerns in Springwater and I reported on Deputy Don Allen’s and my
excellent meeting with Minister McMeekin in March. I also asked that he
consider requesting some provincial funding for a transit study that might see
Springwater working with Barrie to expand its bus routes into Springwater,
especially in the Midhurst area.
I must
congratulate the Midhurst Ratepayers Association for hosting a very informative
meeting last week featuring expert speakers on a variety of subjects.
Your
councilors are eager to respond to your questions and are always open to
suggestions and comments. Do not hesitate to contact them.
Aside from
the fact that I invite you to phone and set up a meeting with me at any time, starting
May 8th, I am setting aside every Friday afternoon from 1 to 4 p.m.
and inviting you to drop in for a chat with me personally without an
appointment. I will treat you to a cup of coffee or a glass of water. You
elected me to be your voice, so let me know what is important to you and I will
bring that to Council. Let’s talk!
