Wasaga Beach

Community Priority Setting Exercise

 April 27, 2007

Table of Contents

Facilitator: …………………………………………….3

Participants:  .………………………………………….3

Agenda …………………………………………………3

3.   Part 1:  Issues ……………………………………...4

3.1. Communities most pressing issues identified? ………..…4

3.2.  Important Factors Creating Issues…………………….…4

4.    Part 2:  Activities/Services/strategies/Resources: 8

4.1.  What is working well in the community? ………………8

4.2.  What do we need to improve or add that would make a difference? ...........................……………………………...………………9

5.   Ranking Of Issues ………………………………………10

Our Thanks to the Trillium Foundation for Funding this Project

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Facilitator:

Mrs. Marg Sheben-Edey Real Estate Agent

Participants:

Tracey MacLeod

Kerry Woodward

Bonnie Smith

Maria Hurlock

Colin MacKinnon

Cathy Belford

Patti Tjeerdsma

Agenda

1. Welcome & Introduction

2. Brief Review United Way of South Georgian & “Community Matters” project

3.  Part 1: Issues – Turbo Brainstorming

3.1. What are your communities’ most pressing issues?

3.2. What are the most important factors creating these issues?

  4.  Part 11:      Discussion

4.1. What is working well

4.2. What needs improvement

5.  Dotmocracy regarding issues

6.  Discussion regarding sharing of info

7.  Closing Remarks

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Part 1:                      Issues

3.1. What are your communities’ most pressing issues?

3.2. What are the important factors creating these issues?

3.1.  Communities most pressing issues identified

3.1.1.    Lack of Secondary Education

3.1.2.    Programs for Youth

3.1.3.    Transportation

3.1.4.    “Disconnect” With the Community/Sense of Community

3.1.5.     Migration of Workers/Lack of Employment Opportunities

3.1.6.     Under serviced/Increased Demand for Services

3.1.7.     U.W. Presence/Not Visible in the Community

3.1.8.     Volunteerism

3.1.9.     Lack of Medical Lab Services

3.1.10.   Services for Seniors

3.1.11.   Growth of the Town

3.1.12.   Traffic Flow

3.2.  Important Factors Creating Issues

3.2.1.   Lack of Secondary Education

• Students after they leave school, they only come back to the community to work for summers
• 9% of students provincially complete secondary education (What are the others doing?)
• Lack of transportation to get from one end of town to the other i.e. for youth to get to and from the Recplex
• Access to programs
• Bored kids leads to problems

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• Lack of understanding of Youth issues
• Youth haven’t had a voice
• Volunteer service hours are going outside the community
• The community has not been able to get a high school because the fear is that it would take away the numbers of the existing high schools
• The Town is afraid of loosing their youth because of the lack of opportunities for them in the community
• There needs to be a new Formula projected for accessing needs

3.2.2.  Programs for Youth

• Development of Recplex is helping with the concerns of Youth not having enough to do
• Need basketball courts
• New YMCA in September of 2006
• Coordination of services
• Lack of secondary school, in turn loose the pipe line to the Youth

3.2.3.  Transportation

• Lack of transportation within community, and lack of transportation to other communities
• Cost – Bus service was stopped because it wasn’t making enough money
• Heavy reliance of automobiles
• High population of people with disabilities that don’t have reliable transportation
• Poverty level residents, i.e. low income families, people with disabilities, welfare recipients, etc. can’t afford taxis, and without a bus service they are unable to get where they need to go
• Eligibility criteria for Red Cross vehicles, and lack of volunteers availability

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3.2.4.  “Disconnect” With the Community/Sense of Community

• We unfortunately ran out of time to brainstorm this particular issue, however it was rated the fourth most pressing issue

3.2.5.  Lack of Employment/Migration of Workers

> Impacts corporate giving

> Wasaga Beach will not have any industry and we need to work around it

> Tourism is the theme in Wasaga Beach

3.2.6.  Under serviced/Increased Demand for Services

• Rapid growth in the community
• Competition for dollars
• Community groups provide their services to Wasaga Beach 1 day a week, when they require full-time services
• There isn’t 1 focal point in Wasaga Beach.  It is very spread out which makes it difficult to provide services to the community
• Lack of a core service
• Because of growing population
• Lack of services for people in the hard of hearing and/or deaf community.   As an example, interpreting services are difficult to acquire, and they can be expensive.  You can book an interpreter through HHI at $50.00 an hour.  Often it can be an attitudinal mind set, that if a ramp is needed for someone in a wheelchair, nobody will question that request.  However, when it comes to hiring an interpreter for the person with the hearing impairment, the responsibility is left up to that individual to sort out.  And often times, the person becomes very isolated because of the lack of services available to them, and it restricts their ability to live independently, and to participate fully in their community.

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3.2.7.      United Way Presence/Not Visible In the Community

• No funding – no promotion
• Long-term goal was to have a like type service in Wasaga Beach as in Collingwood (Community Resource Centre)
• Cost restraints to have a United Way presence in Wasaga Beach
• More communication of specific needs between the residents of Wasaga Beach and United Way
• Level of giving needs to increase to allow more programs

3.2.8.  Volunteerism

• The volunteers that they do have are over worked
• Hard to recruit
• Most seniors are finished with volunteering and ready for retirement
• Probus club in Wasaga Beach has 400 members, but it is their mandate not to volunteer

3.2.9.  Lack of Medical Lab Services

• There are not anymore licences available to get a lab in WB
• No widespread Doctor support
• Not enough business for an independent to come in and pick-up the blood
• Consumers can’t get to Collingwood to get their blood work taken because of lack of transportation
• The growth in WB was not expected to be so quickly.  Awareness hasn’t caught up with the growth

3.2.10.  Services for Seniors

• Only 1 nursing home in Wasaga Beach
• No licensing provincially, dollars are going to expand existing services rather than build new
• Potential for growth in this area with the “Aging In Place” Initiative
• Active accessibility committee  

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3.2.11. Growth of the Town

• Services 35,000 homes and infrastructure
• Vacant lots are being developed
• Servicing made new development possible and attractive
• Strain on social services
• Retirees have influence on what is happening, and have become a new voice in the community
• Need to partner with seniors and youth

3.2.12.   Traffic Flow

• Impact of Emergency Services in the Summer time
• Traffic Flow on long weekends can be difficult for locals
• Experience in dealing with crowds

4.   Part 2:  Activities/Services/Strategies/Resources:

4.1.   What is working well in the community?

4.2.   What do we need to improve or add that would make a difference?

4.1.  What is working well in the community?

4.1.1.    Georgian Good Food Box (70 Boxes in Wasaga Beach)

4.1.2.    Local Food Bank is being used in large volumes (could be a hidden poverty issue)

4.1.3.    Recplex

4.1.4.    YMCA coming to Wasaga Beach

4.1.5.    Service Clubs are very active

4.1.6.    “Forward Motion” Accessibility Committee (changes have already been made)

4.1.7.    New rate payers group

4.1.8.    Local media/Media presence

4.1.9.    High participation by seniors in regards to political issues

4.1.10.  New radio station

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4.1.11.  Municipal Council members are visible in the community

4.1.12.  Great elementary schools

4.1.13.  Natural beautiful beach           

4.1.14.  Natural environment and attractions for physical activity

4.1.15.  Good water

4.1.16.  Beach is nice and clean

4.1.17.  Residents are from somewhere else.  It makes it easy to     meet people and get involved.

4.1.18.  By default, Wasaga Beach has become a town with residents that have money, cars etc.  (This could change once the senior population develops issues such as health concerns and transportation issues.   

4.2.  What do we need to improve or add that would make a difference?

4.2.1.  Community Resource Centre

4.2.2.  Provide more programs and services on a permanent basis

4.2.3.  Add Public Transportation, and review rider ship, where it is needed i.e. in town, shopping, and medical appointments, to Collingwood, to Barrie etc.  And be mindful that it will never be a money- maker.  It only works on a subsidized service model.

4.2.4.   Build High School

4.2.5.   Better Public Relations because as an example residents didn’t know about “Joe’s Bus” transportation service

4.2.6.   Need a County plan

4.2.7.   Residents need to change their attitude on the value of tourism, instead of focussing on the negatives.  Instead focus on the positive impacts it can mean.

4.2.8.   Attract large “Special Events”

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5.   Ranking Of Issues

Achieved Through The Dotmocracy Process.

3.2.1.      Lack of Secondary Education             ooooo                                    3.2.2.      Programs for Youth                               oooo                  

3.2.3.      Transportation                                         ooo

3.2.4.      “Disconnect” with community/               ooo

                          Sense of Community