Newsletter: October 2022
On Tuesday October 25th during Question Period at Queen’s Park, Simcoe-Grey MPP Brian Saunderson asked the Honourable Vic Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, to comment on meetings held on his recent trip to Japan and south Korea. Minister Fedeli said the mission provided an opportunity to re-engage with trusted partners in South Korea and Japan. He told the legislature that he met with international investors in the automotive and EV Battery sector in both countries. MPP Saunderson said the meetings were of particular interest to residents of Simcoe-Grey as two important automotive manufacturers operate in the riding.
It was a beautiful, sunny morning on Friday October 28th, to meet with Wasaga Beach Deputy Mayor Sylvia Bray and other local officials to celebrate a recognition event for the Ontario Trillium Fund in Wasaga Beach. The Ontario Trillium Fund provided $280,000 through the Community Building Fund – Capital Stream towards the renovation/repairs of the Pridham Bridge and McIntyre trail within Wasaga Beach.
Simcoe-Grey MPP Brian Saunderson extended greetings to the presenters and attendees of a Futurpreneur Canada seminar at the Collingwood Foundry on Wednesday October 19th.
Futurpreneur Entrepreneur-in-Residence Dominik Loncar and GTA & Simcoe Region Business Development manager Enrique Soissa have been touring the province, meeting with young people and helping them bring their business dreams to life.
The stop in downtown Collingwood was a part of Futurpreneur Canada’s overall goal to assist young, aspiring business owners, ages 18 to 39, turn great ideas into thriving businesses. Futurpreneur helps business owners connect with like-minded individuals who are passionate about entrepreneurship and offers both financing and mentoring programs.
www.futurpreneur.ca
LEFT TO RIGHT: MPP Brian Saunderson, Deputy Fire Chief Stephen Emo, Solicitor General Michael Kerzner, Fire Chief Dan Thurman
Solicitor General Michael Kerzner visited the Collingwood Fire Hall Monday Oct. 17th, taking time to meet with Town of Collingwood Fire Chief Dan Thurman and Simcoe-Grey MPP Brian Saunderson. Following the fire station visit, MPP Saunderson accompanied the Solicitor General on a tour of the newly renovated Collingwood OPP station, conducted by Staff Sergeant Chris Maecker. Prior to visiting the Collingwood Fire Hall and OPP station, the Solicitor General had addressed the Ontario Provincial Police Association (OPPA) Annual Conference AGM at the Blue Mountain Conference Centre.
The Attorney General, Doug Downey, and I had the pleasure of attending the Ontario Provincial Police Association AGM Awards Banquet on Thursday night (October 20th) at the Blue Mountain Resort Conference Centre.
I had the opportunity to speak with the Commissioner, Thomas Carrique and the newly elected President of the OPPA, John Cerasuolo.
Veteran Sargeant Steve MacNally was awarded the Member of the Year award.
It is estimated that as many as ten thousand police officers from throughout our region, across Canada and throughout North America gathered with family and friends in what was a powerful show of solidarity to commemorate the loss of slain South Simcoe constables Morgan Russell and Devon Northrup. The private funeral was held on Thursday October 20th at the Sadlon Arena in Barrie. Our thoughts and prayers continue for their family, colleagues and friends.
It was a busy and productive day at Queen’s Park today, where I had the opportunity to Chair the Justice Policy Standing Committee (Thursday October 27, 2022) as we selected Ministries and established the timelines for the review the 2022-2023 Budget Estimates.
I was pleased to meet with members of the Sikh Motorcycle Club on Thursday October 27, 2022, to enjoy some time together and to celebrate our government’s decision to exempt Sikh’s from wearing helmets 4 years ago.
www.smcontario.com
Councillors Shira Harrison-McIntyre, Donna Jebb, New Tecumseth Mayor Rick Milne, Imam Yehya Soliman and members of the Muslims of Shelburne Centre were all on hand for the first ever flag raising in New Tecumseth honouring Islamic Heritage Month.
Gateway Casinos & Entertainment Limited has the finish line in sight as construction wraps up of the beautiful new facility in west-end Wasaga Beach.
Rob Mitchell, Director Communications & Public Affairs for Gateway Casinos & Entertainment Limited gave me a tour of the site on Wednesday October 12th, and what I saw was impressive. The addition of the new casino will provide a major boost to the year-round economy of Wasaga Beach and will be a major attraction for the region. Gateway recently held a well-attended job fair, filling approximately 140 full time positions in preparation of opening this fall.
Simcoe-Grey MPP Brian Saunderson participated in a breakfast and networking event with RTOERO board members and staff on Monday October 24, 2002. An important portion of the conversation focused on the role RTOERO plays in supporting Ontario’s seniors in the education community.
Simcoe-Grey MPP Brian Saunderson toured the new Contact North|Contact Nord facility in Angus on Tuesday October 11th. Contact North|Contact Nord is Ontario’s community-based bilingual distance education and training network, helping underserved residents in 1,300-plus small, rural, remote, Indigenous and Francophone communities access education and training without leaving their communities.
On behalf of The Honourable Lisa Thompson, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, it was my pleasure to present Sobey’s Collingwood Manager Tracey Connolly and Produce Clerk Tammy Austin with the Silver Award of Merit for outstanding support of Ontario foods. This is the 5th year in a row for Sobey’s – Collingwood to receive this recognition! Congratulations! In addition, I was happy to present Sobey’s Angus Produce Manager Shane Rogers and Assistant Store Manager Jamie Deason with the Silver Award of Merit for outstanding support of Ontario foods.
Simcoe-Grey MPP Brian Saunderson attended an important virtual roundtable discussion on Tuesday October 4th with Minister Michael Ford of Citizenship and Multiculturalism in partnership with Leaders in Law Enforcement.
The conversation focused on the importance of Developing a Plan to Combat Hate in Ontario along with a good discussion dealing with opportunities for provincial action. My understanding is that there will be a series of roundtables to be rolled out to talk about hate and what the best approach would be to effectively address incidents such as hate towards women and girls, anti-Black racism, antisemitism, Islamophobia, and 2SLGBTQI+-centered violence.
My Friend’s House Senior Development Manager Jane Truemner and I at the Red Shoe Walk celebration at Sidelaunch Brewery in Collingwood.
The Collingwood Red Shoe Walk in October exceeded the fundraising target of $85,000 with a total of $96,223.75 raised to date with donations still rolling in.
Congratulations and thank you to the team at My Friend’s House on their fundraising success and for the important work they are doing in our community to support women facing domestic abuse.
www.myfriendshouse.ca
The South Asian Network of Simcoe held its 2nd annual Diwali Party – Festival of Lights on the 2nd of October from 3:00 PM to 8:00 PM in the Alliston Memorial Arena.
Friday night is hockey night in the Town of Collingwood, a tradition that dates back generations. In days gone by fans used to pack the downtown arena on Friday nights to cheer on the Collingwood Cubs, Green Shirts, Shipbuilders, Glassmen and now, the Collingwood Junior A Blues.
The Blues have been ranked number one in Canada this season. On this night the Collingwood Collegiate Band was in attendance adding to the already rockin’ atmosphere in the Eddie Bush Memorial Arena on game night.
It is great to see fans back in arenas able to cheer on their hometown teams throughout Simcoe-Grey again.
We have enjoyed beautiful weather throughout the month of October. Above average temperatures and brilliant sunny days allowed us to take in the fall colour show throughout Simcoe-Grey … and this year’s show was more colourful than normal! We did have a brief taste of what is to come as some areas of the riding experienced an early season snowfall. I think you will agree that every season is beautiful in Simcoe-Grey. We are so lucky to live here. Enjoy!
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Past Newsletter: CLICK HERE to view the September 2022 Newsletter