The Eighth Worst Place to Live

The headline is a shocker: Midland, the eighth worst city to live in Canada. As I walked by the Town dock this morning and watched the morning sun sparkle on the Bay and glorify a pair of early sail boats, the question that came to mind was, "what were they thinking?".

To be fair, the author of the article, Moneysense Magazine, was referring to North Simcoe and not just to Midland. Both Penetanguishene and Tay are officially designated as rural areas, so it is problematic to consolidate them with Midland and call it all a "city". The underlying analysis was primarily financial in nature - unemployment rate, average income, years to buy a house, etc. For those that live in North Simcoe, these are known areas of concern.

The challenge before us then, is not to "question the data", but to move Midland in a direction where we show improvement with our financial metrics. And this is not done to satisfy Moneysense, but to respond to our own needs for a financially sustainable community.

Midland Council has spent considerable energy over the last four years to lay the foundation work. The four North Simcoe communities cooperated to build the Economic Development Corporation of North Simcoe - a private sector led corporation that will focus exclusively on improving our local economy. KPMG evaluated the Town's operating structure, which has led to improved efficiency and an average annual tax rate increase of 1.2%. The Town of Midland has just acquired the 40 acre Unimin site, setting the stage for a development project that will profoundly improve our economy, local employment, and the quality of life in Midland.

The Moneysense headline may cause some to doubt our community. Like most Midlanders, I know that we are far better than eighth to last place. So, let's push back.  Let's continue to fix our problems and take every opportunity to tell the world about the real story of Midland - one of the truly great Canadian towns in which to live.