SERVING MAPLETON AND MINTO
THE
COMMUNITY NEWS VOLUME 51 ISSUE 50
1 Year GIC - 3.00% 3 Year GIC - 3.27% 5 Year GIC - 3.60% Daily Interest 1.50%
638-3328
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2018
Santa’s helpers - Drayton firefighters hosted Santa at the fire hall after the Drayton Santa Claus Parade on Dec. 7, and invited the community to visit and share Christmas wishes. Firefighters held a colouring contest this year and the winning children had the opportunity to ride in the fire trucks in the parade and were the first to sit on Santa’s knee. Santa’s elves, Emmaleigh Rozema and Blake Richardson, helped him greet the children. Additional photos on page 4 Photo by Jennifer Goertzen
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Horsing around - The Moorefield Santa Claus Parade, held downtown on Dec. 8, was enhanced by sunny weather and plenty of entries. Additional photos on page 5 Photo by Mike Robinson
‘Status quo is not an option’ new Mapleton mayor declares By Patrick Raftis MAPLETON – “The status quo is not an option,” Mayor Gregg Davidson declared as he painted a picture of an active four-year term to come at the inaugural meeting of Mapleton Township council on Dec. 3. “We live in a great community and we have an opportunity before us to make it even better for all who live here or will be living here in the future,” Davidson added. The new mayor began his address, following the official swearing-in ceremony for council members, by acknowledging his predecessor, former mayor Neil Driscoll, who was among those packing the council chamber for the meeting. “The first thing I’d like to say is a big thank you to Neil Driscoll for his past
Inaugural meeting - Members of the 2018 to 2022 Mapleton Township council took their oath of office at the inaugural meeting on Dec. 3. From left: councillors Michael Martin and Dennis Craven, Mayor Gregg Davidson, councillors Paul Douglas and Marlene Ottens. Photo by Patrick Raftis many years of service to our township, four of them as the mayor,” said Davidson. “I was fortunate to serve with Neil on Wellington
County council these past four years and I can say that Neil was never afraid to speak his mind … especially when it came to discussing
county roads and works projects, to ensure we got the right projects done in our community - and fighting for safety, including the Parker
area, where we need a roundabout. So thank you Neil for your service.” Council will begin the next four years by “setting the stage to be the envy of every other municipality,” said Davidson. “We will map out our direction in early 2019 with a strategic planning process that will clearly provide our direction and goals for the next four years.” Not only will council initiate strategic planning, said Davidson, “but we will redo our asset management plan. “This will give us a better understanding of our assets, their current condition and their timeline for repair or replacement. “To be forthright, we are building roads, bridges and other assets that need attention and there is little money for it, but it does need to get
done.” Davidson said council will quickly have to deal with questions surrounding legalized marijuana. “What are we going to do with cannabis? Are we going to have a store or not? That’s one of the big questions that we have. We’ll have discussions about that,” he said. In January council will begin budget discussions, added Davidson. “But we will do this while being mindful of our residents who have voiced their concern about needing tax relief.” The new mayor encouraged fellow council members to speak their mind. “As members of council you will have the opportunity to respectfully discuss many topics,” he said. “We will not always agree. SEE MAPLETON » 3
Acting CAO, clerk named at Town of Minto inaugural meeting – HARRISTON Infrastructure, recreation, staffing and youth engagement will provide challenges and opportunities for the next Town of Minto council, said Mayor George Bridge. Reelected for a third term as mayor on Oct. 27, Bridge addressed a crowd of citizens, staff, councillors and family members at the new council’s inaugural meeting on Dec. 4. The inaugural featured a little more pomp than usual
this year. The event was held at the Harriston Town Hall Theatre, with council members piped into the Patrick C. Smith Auditorium and led onto the stage by a colour party. A choir from the Grey Wellington Theatre Guild performed Oh Canada and a number of Christmas carols during the evening. Citing the town’s motto, “Where your family belongs,” Bridge told the gathering Minto is “a great place to move (to) and live and work
(in) … and it’s people like you out there that make that happen.” Bridge expressed confidence the incoming council will be up to the challenges. “I look at this next council and we’ve got some great people here,” he stated. “We’ve got some challenges going into the new year. We’ve got some succession planning … Bill (CAO Bill White) is going to be leaving, so we’re working on that.” Bridge noted some good ideas came forward at a
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recent meeting on flood prevention “and that will be a big thing going forward.” Bridge also said recreation planning would be a key agenda item in the coming term, along with continued youth engagement efforts. “I’m really excited about where our youth engagement is at ...” he said. “But we have some real youth issues right now, with mental health issues … so we really need to continue on
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By Patrick Raftis
“If you’re lucky enough to be different from everyone else, don’t change.” - Taylor Swift
New council - Minto Town council members were sworn in at the municipality’s inaugural meeting on Dec. 4. From left: front, deputy mayor Dave Turton, Mayor George Bridge, CAO/clerk Bill White; back, councillors Mark MacKenzie, Geoff Gunson, Ron Elliott, Judy Dirksen and Jean Anderson. Photo by Patrick Raftis
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