All posts by SHLF

Beer Yoga to raise cash for Collingwood women’s shelter

Do you like yoga? Do you like beer with your yoga?

If so, My Friend’s House has the event for you. The organization has partnered with Side Launch Brewery to host a session called Beer Yoga on Aug. 13 at the Mountain Road location at 6:30 p.m.

Jen Tindale from Wasaga Beach Yoga will teach a one-hour gentle class with the emphasis on fun. During the class you will get beer education and a flight of Side Launch beer. Money raised helps support My Friend’s House, a shelter for abused women and children in Collingwood and South Georgian Bay.

Participants are asked to bring their own mat. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit


French immersion programming in Midland will look a little different this school year

The French immersion program at Mundy’s Bay Public School is going to look a little different come September, as some students will be transitioning over to Huron Park Public School.

The Simcoe County District School Board has decided to operate the French immersion program between the two schools, as neither building has the capacity to handle the ever-growing program. Grades 1 through 4 will stay at Mundy’s Bay, while grades 5 through 8 will be offered at Huron Park.

“At the end of the day what we decided to do was minimize the number of students impacted and minimize the number of transitions for the students,” said Chris Samis, superintendent of programs and special education at SCDSB.

With the French program just advancing into Grade 6, the students in grades 4 and 5 at Mundy’s Bay will transition over to Huron Park for grades 5 and 6. French immersion classes in Grade 7 and 8 will be added as those students advance.

“It is really only a total of about 45 students that will be impacted,” said Samis. “All of them are transitioning together. It is not like we are moving part of a class. The entire class is moving.”

Interest in the local French immersion programming has grown significantly over the past five years. This success forced the school into finding a creative solution.

Last year Mundy’s Bay was bursting at the seams, operating at 124 per cent capacity with 576 students enrolled in a building built for 464. Of those, 139 were in the French immersion and 97 were in extended French.

In October, board officials knew the program wasn’t going to be able to continue to grow in its current location and began searching for options.

“We knew status quo wasn’t an option,” said Samis. “We were already over capacity.”

Huron Park, located just down the road from Mundy’s Bay, operated at 86 per cent capacity last year with two empty classrooms. A total of 354 students were enrolled in a building with room for 404.

After the decision was made, principals from the two schools participated in a number of activities to ensure a smooth transition.

Clare Riepma – Barrie Ward 1

I was born on a farm in southwestern Ontario and went to university in Toronto.  We chose to live in Barrie because it has a lot to offer and to be closer to our parents, children and grandchildren.

I am a civil engineer with a master’s degree in environmental studies and have my own consulting company working primarily as a city planner. 

I have worked in many municipalities throughout Ontario and as a result have a great deal of experience in the area of municipal government.  I have always been involved in my community and have served as president of the Barrie East End Householders Association, on Town and Gown, North Shore Working Group, and various other municipal advisory committees over the years.

It is time for a change in Ward 1.  Time for a more positive and collaborative approach to resolving issues in Ward 1.  Listening to resident’s concerns and doing something about them is my priority.

Our roads are rough but we pay generous taxes.  We need better value for our tax dollar.  I will work hard to find efficiencies in the city’s operations so that we can hold the line on taxes.  

Our neighbourhoods were not designed to accommodate the numbers of students currently living in some of them. 

As a result, there are conflicts and some absentee landowners are having a negative effect in some our neighbourhoods. 

I will propose that these units be better regulated and inspected to ensure that they are safe and that standards such as parking and maintenance are respected.

We need to attract more businesses to Barrie.  People need good jobs close to home and our youth need opportunities as well.  We need to balance our industrial – residential assessment to bring our taxes into line.

I am a strong supporter of our downtown, and our waterfront.  We need to bring more people, the arts and economic activity to the area to support our local businesses.

Kal Johnson — Ramara Township Ward 5

My name is Kal Johnson, I’m 61 years old and I’m running for re-election as Ward 5 councillor in Ramara. 

My wife and I have resided in Lagoon City for 24 years, been married 40 years and have three children.  After running a successful business for 28 years (400-plus employees), I decided to retire in 2011.

I was honoured to be voted councillor in 2014.  Over the course of 40 years in business and now municipal experience, I have developed a skill set of financial management, employee relations, production, and project management. I am dedicated to our town and have diligently worked these past four years to implement fresh ideas and accountability.  Your support enabled us to make Ward 5 a better place to live.  We managed to table a balanced budget, reduce debt, find greater success in weed management in our lagoons and create a dog park — all in just four years!

I actively sit on 13 boards and a variety of committees. I have a reputation of being involved, knowledgeable and approachable.  

My vision for the next four years is to continue focusing on affordability, accessibility, safety and support, and building our community. 

We can do this by:

•    Finding greater efficiency in our water and waste treatment plant;

•    Dealing with the long waits at the railroad tracks;

•    Exploring new ways to manage our lagoons;

•    Regulating short term rentals within the town.   

 
I publish a monthly article which keeps residents educated and informed. If you would like to receive a copy, please email me for inclusion in the email blast.  

 
I’m excited to serve this community for another term. If you have questions or concerns, please call or email me.

Please consider showing your support with a lawn sign.  

 
Do you want to help our town continue to take action?  Let’s do this together — a vote for me is a vote for action!  

Kal Johnson

Collingwood’s first family of arm wrestling continues winning tradition

Being successful at arm wrestling is a tradition in the Wilson family.

And Sarah Wilson is carrying on that tradition.

The 31-year-old Collingwood woman recently returned from the Canadian Arm Wrestling Federation national championships with a pair of gold medals.

Wilson won the left and right championships in the 80 kg plus women’s division defeating multi-time Canadian champion Maria Petersen and Alma Keuhl.

Wilson lost in the finals to Petersen in 2017.

This marks her third national title, winning in 2014, but the 2018 event in Laval Quebec is probably the most special to date.

“This is the first time I’ve won both arms,” she said. “It was really awesome.”

Wilson has been around the arm wrestling seen since she was a kid as her father Earl, is recognized as one of the best in the sport.

Earl is the owner of more than 30 Canadian titles, and 11 world titles and is a member of both the Canadian Arm Wrestling Hall of Fame and the Collingwood Sports Hall of Fame.

Earl casts a large shadow in the arm wrestling circle and Sarah admits it adds more pressure.

“Everyone puts me on a higher level because my dad is who is,” she said in an interview with simcoe.com.

“People look at me and say, you’re going to win. And let’s say I don’t, like I did last year, it’s so heartbreaking and I feel like I’ve let everybody down.”

Sarah said she grew up with the sport, but didn’t start to take it seriously until her late 20s.

She said her dad has always been supportive and she’s used some of his techniques on the table.

“I’ve watched him since I was a kid so I pretty much adapted his style and tweaked it a little bit,” she said.

Sarah trains daily at The Centre for Squash and Wellness on High Street in Collingwood and is honing her skills on the table twice a week. She said those efforts were stepped up heading into the nationals.

“It’s not just gym time, it’s table time,” she said. “These are the best girls this country has to offer. I want to win, so you have to amp up the training

With the victories, Sarah has qualified for the world championships in Turkey but won’t be attending.

She said her goal is to win at the 2019 national championships in Edmonton and then attend the world championships.

“I want to try and make that one, because he won there so I think that would be really cool,” she said.

Ultimately, her goal is to top her dad’s accomplishments.

“That’s something I do want to do, I want to beat those records,” she said.

Earl believes she has the right attitude and ability to achieve that.

“She trains hard, she’s focused,” he said.  “If you have the desire and she seems to have that, I believe she has the potential to be in those record books.”

 

Barrie-area MP hails Canada Summer Jobs program a ‘success’

More than 200 local students will find summer employment this year, thanks to the federal government.

Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte MP Alex Nuttall announced $761,024 in funding for the riding through the 2018 iteration of the Canada Summer Jobs program. That money helped create 208 jobs for students.

“We really want to highlight the good work our young people are doing in the community (and) the experience they’re gaining,” he said.

Mayor Jeff Lehman also touted the benefits of the program. The city receives funding through Summer Jobs, which it uses to hire lifeguards and camp counsellors. In total, the municipality collected $25,000 and hired 16 students this year.

“There’s often not enough opportunities out there for seasonal employment,” he said. “It allows more kids to go to summer camp because we’re able to have more counsellors and programs.”

Summer Jobs provides funding to not-for-profit organizations, public sector employers and small businesses with 50 or fewer employees. Young people ages 15 to 30, who are full-time students planning to attend classes during the next school year, can participate.

“The real focus was to stay away, as much as we could, from the private sector,” Nuttall said, noting arts, sports and community organizations and youth programs received a good amount of the local funding. “This year, there was a values test placed on the grant program that has affected quite a number of religious institutions and not-for-profits in the community. Having said that, the funds we have in place will do a ton of good work.”

The federal Liberals introduced a new element on the Summer Jobs application form, which asked participants to check a box attesting they respect individual human rights in Canada.

The government says the provision was put in place to ensure funding helps organizations that support “reproductive rights and the right to be free from discrimination on the basis of sex, religion, race, national or ethnic origin, colour, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation or gender identity or expression.”

But several local faith groups declined to check the box because they believe it infringes on their religious rights.

Collingwood-area task force has ideas for affordable housing

The Tourism Labour Supply Task Force is proposing two projects they believe will lead to more attainable housing for South Georgian Bay.

In a recent presentation to Town of The Blue Mountains council, the task force presented options about housing projects that could work as public-private partnerships.

Andrew Siegwart, president of the Blue Mountain Village Association, has been leading the task force, which includes representatives from municipalities and business leaders in the community.

“The tourism industry is very proud to have led this initiative,” he said. “We anticipate this work will serve as a catalyst for a broader strategy.”

The task force said there is a labour shortage in the community and the lack of affordable housing is one of the factors of the shortage.

The group hired Mark Conway of NBLC Consulting to do a study on the needs of the region and potential solutions.

Conway said housing issues are prominent in resort communities, but South Georgian Bay is unique. He said the housing market is largely being driven by retirees moving to the community.

“It’s not driven completely by the resort community,” he said.

Conway said while average wages have increased about 14 per cent in the last six years while house prices have jumped 58 per cent.

He said the report gathered information from 519 respondents, 70 per cent working in the tourism industry and 50 per cent paying more than $1,500 a month in housing costs.

About 33 per cent had incomes below $45,000 and 60 per cent said affordability is a barrier to living in the area permanently

Conway said 91 per cent indicated finding housing was a challenge and 71 per cent indicated improved transit would give them more choice.

“You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to realize it’s getting tougher and tougher for people to purchase and rent a home,” he said.

Conway recommended that a public-private partnership is the best way to build housing that’s affordable.

He presented the option of dormitory style housing, which would target the entry-level workforce. Conway said it would be a partnership between employers, the municipality and a developer.

He said the plan would see the employer guarantee rental of a certain number of units. He estimates rents would cost anywhere from $550-$650 per month depending if development charges were waived.

He said this is a popular option with college and university students who want to live off campus.

“Developers have figured out there is a market to provide very small units,” he said. “We think that very same model could be applied to employee housing.”

Conway also recommended an ownership apartment complex, which would see the municipality or the county offer second mortgages to residents thus reducing the down payment requirements.

He also suggested a tiny home park, which would require municipal approvals and there were some questions whether smaller homes would work in the climate of South Georgian Bay.

 

Penetanguishene to commission downtown art project

The Town of Penetanguishene will be directing part of a $43,000 grant to brighten up the downtown.

At the request of Deputy Mayor Anita Dubeau, council approved a motion to use $20,000 of the grant they received from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs to commission and install multiple pieces of art within the Main Street corridor.

The proposal did see some opposition from a few councillors, who felt the entirety of the grant should be put toward debt.

“Our job is to have good roads, safe water and keep our taxes as low as possible, not worry about art. That is not our priority today,” said Coun. Doug Rawson.

In the end the motion passed 6-3, as the majority of council believed they needed to spruce up the downtown.

“I think we have a responsibility to our citizens far beyond just keeping the good roads and taxes down,” said Mayor Gerry Marshall. “We need to have a town that is vibrant, engaging and active and makes people proud to be a part of.”

An ad hoc committee, to be made up of public and council members, will debate exactly what the money is used for. The remaining $23,000 will go toward debt.

Steven Fishman — Innisfil deputy mayor

My name is Steven Fishman, and I’m running to be the next deputy mayor of Innisfil. I’m currently 54 years old and have a background in Marketing and Business administration. I first ran for office in 2007 as the Provincial Liberal Candidate in the riding of Simcoe-Grey. In 2010, while still living in Wasaga Beach, I ran for mayor. While I did not win either race, it was a great experience meeting residents across Simcoe County.

During my career, I’ve worked in a management position with the city of Vaughan. This gave me great insight into how municipal government works, and that experience, combined with my political experience, has prepared me to be the next deputy mayor of Innisfil.

Innisfil is at a crossroads with residents playing the highest taxes and hydro rates in Simcoe County. My goal, if elected, will be to review the towns operations and see where savings can be achieved. I want your council to be open and transparent; therefore, I will seek to have the expenses of town staff and members of council posted on the town’s website each quarter. 

In an effort to reduce our hydro rates, I have a plan that will see our hydro rates go down, improve service, and bring an influx of cash to the town. I have a plan to deal with issues at our beach park and parking in the surrounding area. I have a plan to expand Innisfil’s Uber program. I have a plan to deal with our traffic safety issues.

Change is coming to Innisfil, and it’s time that your elected council works for you. I encourage you to visit my website at , give me a call at 647-299-4146 or send me an email at . I can also be reached on Facebook at on Twitter,, and on Instagam at .

Innisfil man injured after early morning rollover

An 18-year-old Innisfil man has been charged with careless driving after a report of a vehicle rollover on Aug. 8.

Officers responded to the single-vehicle accident at 6:30 a.m. on the 20th Sideroad between the 5th and 6th Line.

The driver had minor injuries and was checked by paramedics at the scene.