George Cornell looks at past year and Tiny’s year to come

There is no “i” in team, and Tiny Township Mayor George Cornell made sure that was known up front.

MidlandToday asked the mayor whether another run at the office was in his perspective for the October municipal elections.

“At this time, as a council, we continue to focus on the current term and the priorities identified in the township’s Strategic Plan as part of a collective effort to continue to grow and build our community,” Cornell responded.

And what exactly is this current term’s focus?

Some of the key challenges facing Cornell and the rest of council over the next few months include: Implementing a new short-term-rental licensing program, phase two of a public beach delineation project, the beach enjoyment strategy, a COVID exit and recovery planning.

Balancing the Tiny budget is a concern as well as the township monitors the impact of inflation, rising gas prices, international unrest, and the impact it will have on the 2022 municipal budget.

Cornell replied that critical projects benefiting Tiny was something the municipality was eager to move forward. One of these looked to address the climate emergency through the Partners for Climate Change Protection Program with Severn Sound Sustainability, and had been emphasized by 2022 budget funding for the purchase of three electric/hybrid vehicles to complement two others purchased in 2020.

The township has recently rolled out e-billing for taxes as a green initiative, and has a new website redesign set to roll out in upcoming weeks in full compliance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.

Looking past the election, Cornell noted that the next term of council would be handling these challenges and their impacts.

Council had its own challenge in living through a term during the COVID-19 pandemic. Cornell was asked how Tiny had fared as a whole throughout the ordeal.

“While we are no longer officially in a state of emergency, the Municipal Emergency Control Group continues to work diligently to ensure all aspects of our municipal response to the pandemic remain effective,” replied the mayor.

Pride was taken that the pandemic didn’t slow the township down as far as providing services, activities and events. Council and committees adapted to virtual meetings; the free mass notification system TinyConnect ensured residents remained informed; and the CivicWeb platform improved public access to documents and records.

Additionally, the recreation and culture department in consultation with the SImcoe Muskoka District Health Unit provided programming such as Fun-In-A-Box, Sports Loaner, beach clean up stewardship initiatives, and a self-guided Farm Crawl. The Mayor’s Charity Golf Tournament raised $54,000 to support 17 local charities in North Simcoe.

“2021 was one of the busiest years for building activity with 1100 building permits issued with a construction value of over $73 million,” Cornell stated.

Election day in Tiny Township is set for October 24, 2022. Further information can be found on the election page of the Tiny Township website.