As we wrap up another month of social distancing, frequent hand washing, and reduced unnecessary travel, the warm summer weather is so very welcome. Gardens are flourishing, and woodland trails and green spaces beckon us to enjoy the great outdoors.
As we cautiously move towards recovery some of our outdoor amenities have reopened. The boat launch at Meaford Harbour is available for day use, Beautiful Joe’s Leash-free Dog Park, the Skateboard Park and Tennis Courts have all been reopened, and reportedly are being well used. The critical challenge is to make sure that we can keep our residents safe. Staff are developing cleaning procedures; they are prioritizing the reopening of facilities by our capacity to manage the process, while complying strictly with Provincial and Health Unit guidelines. This might mean that our facilities take more time to reopen than our neighbours, but we’ll get there. Thank you all for your patience as we work hard to get our operations up and running again.
Your Council is here for you. We are taking care of municipal business – virtually now – with bi-weekly meetings. The next regular Council meeting is Monday, June 8th at 3:00 p.m., and there will also be a special meeting of Council on Monday, June 1st at 3:00 p.m. to review a staff report on TC Energy’s proposed energy storage project. Right now the public can’t attend these meetings in person, but you can stream them live, or view the archived videos at www.meaford.ca/youtube. You can share your thoughts on any items coming before Council by email at [email protected].
Grey County, and particularly our municipality, have an exemplary record of a low number of confirmed cases, the number of full recoveries, and no deaths related to Covid-19. This is not by accident; it is because our residents have steadfastly complied with the Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Arra’s, directions and the Health Unit’s protocols. However, we are not out of the woods yet.
We do not want a relapse that might be a repeat of what we have endured over the last two months. As restrictions relax and businesses reopen, we must do everything we can to keep COVID-19 cases from spiking once again. Frequent hand washing, social distancing within small groups of 5, and staying close to home – we know that’s the key to staying healthy and safe. As you support our local businesses, wear a mask if you can, respect floor markings or barriers, and shop with purpose by not handling items you don’t intend to purchase. Folks working in retail stores are our neighbours, so please be kind and patient as they attend to your needs. I encourage you to “Shop Local - Shop Smart”. As a caring community, it is up to all of us to support our local economy and to continue efforts to keep everyone safe and healthy.
Stay well everyone.
Mayor Barb Clumpus
Municipality of Meaford
