Submitted by Brian McHattie
With winter in the air, we hosted a good crowd at November’s Men’s Breakfast with both brand new and returning long-term members The menu continued to evolve this month with the introduction of spicy sausages. Jokes fared poorly as measured by the number of groans in the audience, but supportive humour from the crowd bailed us out!
Our speaker was Peggy Van Mierlo-West, the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) for the Municipality of Northern Bruce Peninsula. Peggy took us through accomplishments from last term of Council, guided by their Strategic Plan. She also highlighted the new Councillors, noting that voting amongst the 18-24 year old cohort was up noticeably – a good sign!
Over the past four years, the Municipality completed a number of studies and plans: Asset Management Plan listing details on all buildings and properties, Parks and Recreation Plan (upcoming Lion’s Head Arena/Community Centre upgrades), Attainable Housing Strategy, Climate Change Plan, Roads and Sidewalks Study, and Customer Service and Efficiencies Plan. Specifics include better tracking through an improved geographic information system, and a geographic positioning system on municipal vehicles (which interestingly allowed staff to track a stolen vehicle so O.P.P. could apprehend the perpetrators), and attaching internet fibre to hydro poles for better internet service. The website has an excellent public engagement section entitled, “Let’s Talk NBP”, and a new section directed to tourists: “How to Visit Responsibly” a project of the municipal Sustainable Tourism Action Group.
The takeaway was a real sense of professionalism and competence in municipal management.
This term of Council will include consultation on a Water and Sewer Servicing Plan for Lion’s Head and Tobermory – we know we need more attainable housing and this plan will lay the infrastructure for smart growth. Stay tuned for your opportunity to get involved!
Next Men’s Breakfast December 3rd
The next Men’s Breakfast is Saturday, December 3 at the Tobermory Community Centre. Our speaker is Jack Burt, Fire Chief for the Municipality of Northern Bruce Peninsula. Amongst other things, Jack will touch on emergency response plans in the risk of forest fire in the Tobermory area.
If you are planning to attend the Breakfast, please let Martin know at hogarth@amtelecom.net. Breakfast is at 9, tasty Tobermory Brewing Company coffee ready at 8 a.m.
