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Newsletter: April 2023

April has been another busy, productive month both here in the riding at at Queen’s Park. At this time of year we are in transition. The winter tires get put away until late fall, the patio furniture comes out of storage and the trees and early spring blossoms begin to bloom. The ski and snowboarding season enjoyed an extension thanks to the late winter weather while golfers and cyclists were able to enjoy the arrival of warmer weather. Spring in Simcoe-Grey. There is no better place to be!

Cherry blossoms in full bloom at Queen’s Park … a sure sign of spring!

Ontario Making it Easier and More Convenient to Visit Provincial Parks

VIDEO: Simcoe-Grey MPP Brian Saunderson, along with Wasaga Beach Provincial Park Superintendent John Fisher and Wasaga Beach Deputy Mayor Tanya Snell, welcomed John Yakabuski, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks to Wasaga Beach on Friday April 14th. MPP Yakabuski, representing David Piccini, Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, was on hand to make a special announcement.

Simcoe-Grey MPP Brian Saunderson and John Yakabuski, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks had the world’s longest fresh water beach to themselves on a beautiful, summer-like day.

WASAGA BEACH — The Ontario government is expanding the advance day-use reservation service, available at select provincial parks. This year, 20 additional parks will adopt the service, bringing the total to 57 parks across the province. This expansion will help reduce overcrowding and provide visitors with greater certainty when planning park visits on busy days like weekends and holidays.

“Ontario’s provincial parks are some of the most beautiful and well-loved places in our province, which is why we are always looking for ways to improve and modernize the Ontario Parks experience,” said David Piccini, Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. “By expanding the advance daily vehicle permit service, we are responding to feedback from visitors who want a fast and convenient way to visit our parks so they can focus on what really matters – enjoying their visit to the fullest.”

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Champion Stayner Siskins to compete for the Schmaltz Cup

Championship Team – 2022/2023 Stayner Siskins – PJHL supplied photo

Congratulations to the Stayner Siskins, winners of the North Conference Final Junior C hockey series. The Siskins defeated the Midland Flyers, Orillia Terriers, their long-time rivals the Alliston Hornets in a hard fought series and charged ahead to defeat the Mount Forest Patriots 6-2 at home in front of a packed arena on Sunday April 30th to win the North Conference Finals and earn the right to compete in the Schmalz Cup Final Four Tournament in Woodstock!

The PJHL Schmalz Cup Championship Tournament will be held from May 11th to14th in Woodstock and will see the four conferences compete in a round-robin format to determine rankings for the semi-finals to be played on May 13th featuring the Lakeshore Canadiens, Stayner Siskins, Clarington Eagles and the Wellesley Applejacks.


Collingwood Blues OJHL Champions

Hockey Night in Collingwood is now in the record books! Congratulations to the Mike Jackson Collingwood Blues for winning the OJHL title Friday night, April 28th, at home in the sold out Eddie Bush Memorial Arena. It took overtime for the Blues to win 2-1 over the Trenton Golden Hawks, taking the best-of-seven Nutrafarms Championship Series four games to one. Mark McIntosh scored both goals for the Blues, including the game and series winner at 2:53 of overtime. Collingwood’s stand-out goaltender Noah Pak was named the OJHL playoff MVP.

The champion Collingwood Blues will now move on to battle for the Centennial Cup with their first game May 11th in Portage la Prairie against the Manitoba champions.

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Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at the New Location of The Insurance Store in Downtown Collingwood

I was pleased to participate in the ribbon cutting ceremony of the Insurance Store at its new Downtown Collingwood location on Friday April 28th. The Insurance Store, formerly known as Noble Insurance, is located in the new Monaco complex at Hume and Hurontario Streets. Irosha Balasuriya from The Insurance Store provided some history behind the new name and new location of the facility. “The former Noble Insurance was founded in 1945, amalgamated its operations in the Georgian Bay area with St. Clair Insurance Brokers from Southern Ontario and assumed the name Insurance Store Inc.  We value servicing our clients in person and to live and work in our communities., therefore we moved to our new location to serve our clients better.”

The Insurance Store’s new location has included large murals showing the heritage streetscape of downtown Collingwood. MPP Brian Saunderson, a former Mayor of Collingwood, is pictured here standing in front of the Market Building/Town Hall.

CONTACT Community Services Ontario Trillium Foundation Grant

Group photo including Executive Director Emily McIntosh, Ontario Minister of Transportation and Minister of Francophone Affairs – MPP for York-Simcoe Caroline Mulroney and Simcoe-Grey MPP Brian Saunderson

ALLISTON, ON – On Friday, Brian Saunderson, MPP and the Hon. Caroline Mulroney, MPP were at CONTACT Community Services to celebrate the launch of a new website, as well as the milestones achieved thanks to having received a $150,000 Resilient Communities Fund grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) in 2022. OTF developed this grant program in 2020 to help non-profit organizations across the province to rebuild and recover from the impacts of COVID-19.  

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IMPOSSIBLE Metals

Canadian Director and Chief Technical Officer of Impossible Metals Jason Gillham with Simcoe-Grey MPP Brian Saunderson

It was my pleasure to meet Jason Gillham and the team of @ImpossMetals in Collingwood on Thursday April 13th.

Impossible Metals builds underwater robotics vehicles built to collect battery metals from the seabed without harming the environment. As stated on the company website, Impossible Metals (YC W22) has a mission to deliver responsible seabed mining and refining of critical battery metals, enabling the world’s transition to sustainable energy. As stressed by Gillham, their work is to be carried out while protecting the seafloor ecosystem. 

CLICK HERE to read more


Podcasts are ready to play on my website as we discuss important issues and stories from Simcoe-Grey and Queen’s Park.

CLICK HERE to visit my PODCAST page


Ontario Providing Funding for Highway 26 Repairs

Simcoe-Grey: Collingwood – The Ontario government is providing $2,120,170 to help with the rehabilitation of Highway 26 from Osler Bluff Road to Cranberry Trail West. The funding is being delivered through the Connecting Links program and will help to support the safe movement of people and goods and spur economic growth.

CLICK HERE to read more

Alliston Good Shepherd Food Bank Honoured

Left-to-Right: Board Members Dave Bradbury, Joan Starr, Janet Humphrey

The Good Shepherd Food Bank in Allison has been recognized for its ongoing outstanding, critical work in the community. This recognition comes at a time when news reports project a rise in demand for food bank services by as much as 60% in 2023. The recognition of the The Good Shepherd Food Bank | Alliston came as a part of Nonprofit Sector Appreciation Week Act, or Bill 9, which was given Royal Assent in 2021. It proclaims that nonprofits “serve millions of Ontarians every year in every corner of the province. Ontario Premier Doug Ford recognizes the hard working people at nonprofits as being community champions.


Simcoe-Grey MPP Brian Saunderson, Town of The Blue Mountains Mayor Andrea Matrosovs

The Ontario government is responding to a request from the Town of The Blue Mountains to streamline approvals to build 160 long-term care beds and housing for seniors in Grey County.

Once complete, the Community Campus of Care will be located on approximately 20 acres of town-owned surplus lands at 125 Peel Street South. The campus will also provide a range of retirement home living options, such as affordable housing and attainable housing units (e.g., townhouses and apartments), daycare facilities, and certain commercial uses.

Ontario is supporting this development through a new tool that helps municipalities fast-track their own planning process, the Community Infrastructure and Housing Accelerator. It helps municipalities speed up approvals for housing and community infrastructure, like hospitals and community centres, while increasing transparency and accountability. This is the first Community Infrastructure and Housing Accelerator order to be issued by the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

CLICK HERE to read more


Cassidy & Joe Alliston Ribbon Cutting

I was pleased to attend the ribbon cutting at the new location of Cassidy & Joe Real Estate at 78 Victoria Street West in Alliston on Friday March 31st. I was in the good company of Mayor Richard Norcross, Ward 1 Councillor Chris Rapin, Simcoe-Grey MP Terry Dowdall and Cassidy & Joe team members.


Parliamentary Assistant to the Attorney General, Brian Saunderson, speaks to the impacts of Bill 102.


It was a pleasure to meet virtually with medical students from the Ontario Medical Students Association (OMSA) this past week at Queen’s Park.

We discussed the housing and homelessness issue in Ontario and how our government can continue working towards tackling these important issues.


This week I met with members of the Appraisal Institute of Canada / Institut canadien des évaluateurs.

Representing over 2600 appraisers in Ontario, the Appraisal Institute of Canada is the leading voice of the appraisal industry in the province.


VIDEO: MPP Brian Saunderson highlights businesses in Simcoe-Grey that use innovation, science and technology to the benefit of the people of Ontario.


I was delighted to join the Attorney General Douglas Downey as Parliamentary Assistant at the Good Roads Conference and meet with delegates from across Ontario.


On Tuesday April 18th, I had the pleasure of meeting with members of Farm Fresh Ontario at Queen’s Park. We discussed the agricultural tourism industry and the many opportunities and challenges facing farmers in Simcoe-Grey. Visit Farm Fresh Ontario to learn more.


I was happy to stop into First Work Ontario Queen’s Park Reception on Tuesday April 18th and speak with Alliston resident Mike MacEachern, former Mayor of New Tecumseth and current Executive Director of FOCUS Community Development Corporation.


Supporting Creation of Heart Valve Disease Awareness Day and Week

VIDEO: Simcoe-Grey MPP Brian Saunderson spoke at Queen’s Park in support of establishing Heart Valve Disease Awareness Day and Heart Valve Disease Awareness Week.


Bill 91 Less Red Tape, Stronger Economy Act

VIDEO: Simcoe-Grey MPP Brian Saunderson spoke at the Ontario Legislature on Wednesday April 5th, during the debate on a motion for second reading of Bill 91, Less Red Tape, Stronger Economy Act, 2023.


Motion to reform Criminal Code and Strengthen Canada’s Bail System

VIDEO: Simcoe-Grey MPP Brian Saunderson spoke to a motion to immediately reform the criminal code of Canada and strengthen Canada’s bail system to better protect the public and frontline law enforcement officers. MPP Saunderson spoke to the motion at Queen’s Park on Tuesday April 4, 2023.

“Those who are repeat, violent offenders, charged with violent firearms related offences pose a very real threat to our communities and they need to be kept off the streets … period” stated MPP Saunderson.


Discussion with OALA to Increase Housing Supply

I was pleased to meet virtually with the Ontario Association of Landscape Architects today to discuss innovative ways to increase the supply of housing in an environmentally and accessible way for all Ontarians.


Protecting New Home Buyers

VIDEO: During Question Period at Queen’s Park on Tuesday April 4th, Simcoe-Grey MPP asked the Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery, Kaleed Rasheed, to talk about strengthening protection fo new home buyers. “In this province there is a zero tolerance approach for those who try to make extra money off the backs of new home buyers” Minister Rasheed said.

MPP Saunderson said buying a new home represents a major, often once-in-a-lifetime experience. “It should not be a worrisome and stressful experience for individuals and families because they are concerned about the quality of the new home they are purchasing.”


Lake Simcoe Watershed Impacts Simcoe-Grey

VIDEO: Simcoe-Grey MPP Brian Saunderson asked David Piccini, Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, to provide an update on the status of ecosystems and waterways in the region. MPP Saunderson stated some of his constituents have expressed concerns about the sustainability of land and water uses across Lake Simcoe, as the Lake Simcoe watershed key natural, urban and agricultural systems directly impact his riding of Simcoe-Grey.


Celebrating Greatness in Sports in Simcoe-Grey

VIDEO: Simcoe-Grey MPP Brian Saunderson talked in the Ontario Legislature about the long and proud tradition of elite athletes and great teams in Simcoe-Grey.


Previous Newsletters

March 2023 Newsletter
February 2023 Newsletter
January 2023 Newsletter
September 2022 Newsletter
October 2022 Newsletter
November 2022 Newsletter
December 2022 Newsletter