Category Pbqicmet

New $6.4M fire hall slated for Bradford

It’s been a long time coming, but Bradford West Gwillimbury will finally get a new fire hall after council gave the go-ahead for a $14 million redevelopment project involving a new station and public works operations centres.

“We can’t overestimate just how important this project is,” Mayor Rob Keffer said regarding the town’s redevelopment plan for Melbourne Drive and Line 11 at council June 19.

“It’s a big big project, but something our community is desperately in need of,” Deputy Mayor James LeDuc said.

“We’ve done a lot of capital expenditure for growth related issues and now we need to start looking at some of the services that our residents need.”

BWG Fire Chief Kevin Gallant said the new 2-storey, 19,000-sq.ft. hall, to be built at a cost of $6.4 million beside the current facility on the vacant town-owned 5.8-acre site at 75 Melbourne Drive, addresses current needs as well as accommodating growth in the community, in terms of location, response times and design.

According to the department’s master plan, the site of the new build is “almost in the optimum location for the urban area in regards to a four-minute response time,” Gallant said.

As far as construction timelines, Gallant said he’d like to see it built “as soon as possible because the department is really stretched thin at this point.”

While the new fire station can be built without any significant disruption of service to current fire operations, the town’s water and transportation services’ urban operations — also currently housed on Melbourne Drive — will be “significantly impacted,” according to the staff report tabled.

While the new hall is being built, the current operations buildings will need to be demolished.

As a result, $1 million is being allocated to build a new 12,000-sq. ft. facility for the water department at 3541 Line 11 as well as a second 12,000-sq. ft. building to store equipment.

Consolidating operations and equipment on to town-owned land will “provide greater efficiencies” by eliminating the town’s current lease costs for storage as well as prevent any disruption in service by fast-tracking construction ideally by October, the report states.

Under a $6.5 million budget, the old fire station will be re-purposed to house the transportation division’s urban operations centre as well as a rural works yard.

Construction on Line 11 is the first step, with an anticipated 2019 completion date.

Construction on Melbourne Drive is slated to begin next year and completed in 2021.

“We could probably pull the Melbourne construction off within a 12 to 16-month window,” the town’s director of community services Terry Foran said.

Since a good deal of the project is required as a result of growth, about two-thirds of the $14 million total cost will be covered by Development Charges, which are paid to the town by developers.

The project is the first phase of the town’s multi-year facilities initiative, which also includes a second fire station to serve the Hwy. 400 employment lands and Bond Head by 2022.

With town staff currently working in 10 different locations at eight different sites, a $35-million consolidated administration centre is also part of the long-term plan.

Rexall founder, former fighter pilot running for Collingwood mayor

Michael Blair believes his business and corporate administration background can be an asset for the Town of Collingwood.

It’s one of the reasons he has decides to run for mayor in the upcoming municipal election.

Blair was born in Moose Factory, Ontario and was a fighter pilot until 1974.

He joined General Electric and rose to senior vice president of corporate development before starting his own company, The Endfield Corporation.

“That company started with one factory in Cobourg that made plastic parts and through acquisition it grew to a billion dollars in assets and 10,000 employees,” he said.

He went on to operate a number of companies, including founding Rexall Drugs in 1991.

Blair has been in Collingwood part-time since 1988 and retired here in 2011. He believes taxes are too high and would be in favour of a tax freeze or a reduction.

He would also like to see the town investigate how to regulate short-term rentals such as Airbnb.

“I have time and I can make a contribution,” he said. “I see with my administrative background, the possibility that I can be of use by advancing the economics of the town.”

 

 

Chigamik launches Indigenous perinatal mental-health program in Midland

The Chigamik Community Health Centre has launched a new perinatal mental-health program to serve Indigenous communities in north Simcoe and Muskoka.

Through this program, expectant mothers and their families will have access to mental, emotional and spiritual support including a personalized care plan, counselling, health education and navigation to a number of Indigenous resources at Chigamik and externally.

“Mental illness doesn’t discriminate. It can happen to anyone at any time and it disrupts life not just for mothers, but for the entire family,” said Jodi Blue, Indigenous perinatal mental-health worker at Chigamik. “I look forward to working with local families to provide the support and resources needed for good emotional health of mom, baby and family.”

Unlike some mainstream North American treatment models, the goal of the Indigenous perinatal mental-health program is to promote good mental health based on the medicine wheel. The program encompasses the whole person in mind, body and spirit and focuses on being connected to family, community and nature.

The service will provide help navigating the system, housing support, baby/parenting supplies, counselling, access to a dietician and healthy food, traditional healing ceremonies, primary care, Indigenous doula and midwifery, and support groups.

“The Indigenous perinatal mental-health program is so important in our community because we know Ingenious families in remote areas don’t have access to perinatal services that are culturally relevant to customs and beliefs,” said David Jeffery, executive director of the Chigamik Community Health Centre. “This program will give parents and families across the region access to support when they need it most, which could prevent more serious mental-health issues.”

The Indigenous perinatal mental-health program is free and available to anyone who self-identifies as First nation, Métis or Inuit across north Simcoe Muskoka, on or off reserve.

Services will be offered at the main Chigamik Community Health Centre clinic at in Midland. They will then transition over to the new Chigamik/Waypoint Community Health Hub, which is currently being constructed on Bayshore Drive.

For more information and to book an appointment, please contact Jodi Blue at ,ext. 232.

Stayner man to throw 1st pitch at Blue Jays game

Raymond Hardisty thought he was showing up for a normal work shift at Dairy Queen in Stayner.

Boy, was he was wrong.

Hardisty received quite the surprise courtesy of Dairy Queen and the Toronto Blue Jays. Ace, the team mascot, was on hand to let Hardisty know he had a call from Blue Jays broadcaster Buck Martinez.

Martinez called to tell Hardisty that he would be throwing out the first pitch at the Rogers Centre on Aug. 8 in celebration of Miracle Treat Day.

“I think that’s awesome,” Martinez said. “You’ll also go behind the scenes and we’re going to take you out on the field to watch the Blue Jays take batting practice.”

Hardisty has a deep connection with Miracle Treat Day at the Hospital for Sick Children.

He was diagnosed with leukemia at age four, received a bone-marrow transplant and was diagnosed with graft versus host disease.

Hardisty was a Miracle Treat Day champion child in 2000 and has raised $30,000 for the Children’s Miracle Network. Miracle Treat Day takes place on Aug. 9 and sees a portion of every Blizzard treat sold go to the Children’s Miracle Network.

“Every kid deserves to live a full life,” he said. “It’s a shame when a kid is born and they’re sick. They shouldn’t have to live the first few years of their life in a hospital bed.”

Hardisty also received a Blue Jays jersey with his name on it as well as a new ball glove.

He said he’s always been a Blue Jays fan and said it’s “unbelievable” that he will be throwing out the first pitch.

“I’ve been a Blue Jays ever since I was a little kid,” he said.  “Even when I came home from the hospital, for my birthday, my parents made up a nice Toronto Blue Jays birthday cake for me.”

Stayner Dairy Queen owner Sherry Schaap thanked Hardisty for all of the work he has done in the community and for SickKids.

“I know you always say they have given you a second life, they have given our community a special angel, and you are that angel,” she said.