From the Desk of Mayor Rawson & Council #12

18 April 2023

Hi, I wanted to reach out this week with some updates and information. We have some great things happening and appreciate your feedback. I want to begin by thanking everyone who contributes to our service clubs, associations, sports teams, groups, charities, not-for-profits, schools, programming, and so on. Without your commitment and unwavering support, our community would not be what it is. This week we pay special attention to all the volunteers that make so many great things happen. Words cannot express enough gratitude on behalf of our residents and council – Thank you! 

Today, Tuesday, April 18, 2023, we will be holding a Community Based Strategic Plan Open House and would value your feedback. Please stop by Penetanguishene Memorial Community Centre (Arena) between 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm.  

An important issue to many within our community is the associated costs of policing directly attributed to Central North Correctional Centre (CNCC). Our municipality has been working diligently advocating with the province about these costs and I am happy to state that our CAO, Jeff Lees, our Deputy Mayor Dan La Rose, and myself will be doing a delegation to the Solicitor General at the Ontario Good Roads Conference in Toronto while our strategic planning process is being conducted. I am optimistic as we move forward that this delegation will provide context and impact to our municipality and will find financial relief from the province. We will continue this advocacy and work hard to ensure a meaningful resolution for Penetanguishene. 

This Wednesday, April 19th, @ 7:00 pm, we will be holding a Special Committee of the Whole meeting where members of the public are invited to attend or watch live on YouTube. Please join us as Tony Pigott, Executive Director of the Georgian Bay Geo Park presents the plan, partnerships, and details of Georgian Bay becoming a future UNESCO site. 

UPCOMING COUNCIL EVENTS 

Wednesday, April 19, 2023 @ 7:00 pm - Town of Penetanguishene Special Committee of the Whole Meeting.  

Committee of the Whole will be discussing: 

  • Presentation: Georgian Bay Geo Park 

 If you want to review the agenda, you can find it here, or you can watch the Council Meeting live on the Town’s YouTube channel. As always, we welcome your participation and comments at all of our meetings. 

COMMUNITY INFORMATION 

I appreciate everyone that has reached out with questions and comments about the Audio & Visual capabilities within council chambers. I would like to confirm that a budgetary allocation was approved in this year's budget to improve the audio and visuals within council meetings. Currently, our town staff are evaluating and exploring all options and we hope to have some discernible improvements in the coming months.  

If you would like to review or see any previous council meetings you can watch and listen to them on the Town’s YouTube channel. Please subscribe to ensure you are updated on new meetings that are posted (all regular and special meetings are live-streamed).  

During the budget this year, allocations have been made to ensure we are effectively communicating with everyone within our community. You can find this newsletter across town facilities and in your email and posted to the Town website. Please pass this along to anyone that you feel could benefit. Additionally, I have been doing Question & Answer sessions with Rogers Local Cable TV.  If you have a question you would like answered for Rogers you can email us at askus@penetanguishene.ca  

The two previous sessions can be viewed here: 

Interview #2 - INFO Simcoe | One-on-One with Penetanguishene Mayor Doug Rawson Part 2 | Rogers tv 

Interview #1 - INFO Simcoe | One-on-One with Penetanguishene Mayor Doug Rawson | Rogers tv 

How to keep up to date with Community Events 

You can find community events on the town's website by visiting the Community Calendar. Subscribe to ensure you never miss an event. You can also submit any community events you would like to share with the community. 

Please help spread the word about this communication and encourage others to subscribe. We have placed this newsletter throughout the community (arena, town hall, library) and are open to other sources. A summary of the month will be shared in the Midland Mirror, on the fourth Thursday of each month.  

Subscribe to Town of Penetanguishene News Portal 

Who to contact? 

If you or someone you know has difficulty figuring out where to turn for help or want to learn about available resources, I encourage you to call 2-1-1. This free community service will help you find the right resources in our community.    

Have a great rest of your week, 

Doug 

Mayor Doug Rawson

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