Summary of our 2024 Annual General

The BMRA held its Annual General Meeting on Saturday, May 3 at the Marsh Street Centre. The meeting was well attended, and provided some interesting insights for our members, and accomplished the required business of the association.

Significant Guest Speakers

Our Riding MPP, Brian Saunderson

Our riding MPP, Brian Saunderson, spoke to a couple of key issues. He shared the most current Provincial thinking on the perspective creation of "Service Delivery Corporations (SDCs)". These would have responsibility for the development of regional infrastructure planning and execution. The premise is that given the huge magnitude of the required infrastructure growth in the southern Georgian Bay region, forming an SDC could allow for greater cost efficiency and operational effectiveness. This is merely a concept at this point in time, but the Province is clearly focused on expediting the build out of the infrastructure required to support the growth anticipated, without limitations imposed by existing upper and lower tier municipal boundaries.

MPP Saunderson also addressed the recently granted Strong Mayor Powers, of which TBM is one of 169 municipalities that have been impacted by this change. He made clear the central focus is on improving the diversity and volume of housing stock and delivering the infrastructure and services to support this expansion.  Brian referred to this as "Stronger Mayor Powers",  and suggested that democratic processes and Council  policy development should not be compromised.

Clearly, questions remain about this policy and its impact.

There is more to follow on the Strong Mayor Power issue, and the BMRA will provide our members with further information later this week.

Alan Pacheco, TBM Director of Operations

TBM DIrector of Operations, Alan Pacheco, also made time available on his Saturday morning to provide an overview of TBM's substantial infrastructure development plans. Alan detailed both the processes that the Town follows in delivering major infrastructure projects, and reviewed the list of priority projects being managed. The Town has a challenging list of deliverables to hit, and Alan clearly laid out the plans to do so successfully. Scott Findlay, the BMRA Board member focused on TBM infrastructure, will continue to work closely with Alan and his team to monitor the Town's success, critical to realizing a sustainable future.  

Reviewing Member Feedback & Perspectives

The results of the recently conducted member survey were presented. Among the findings were;

1. Sixty percent of members are not pleased with the performance of our current Council. The primary concern is a sense that not enough progress is being made on the important issues of the Town, in particular managing growth effectively, and not moving significant infrastructure projects forward in a timely manner. The survey results can be accessed through this link.
   

2. Almost three quarters of our members are aware that TBM has been granted Strong Mayor Powers. About 2/3 of respondents believe it could have a negative impact on our Town's governance, but there is agreement that more information is required to draw definitive conclusions.

Official AGM Business

The business of the Association was of course dealt with at the AGM. The financial report showed that member dues revenue essentially matched expenses, so that the bank balance remained steady at $11,000.

There were three motions proposed at the meeting. They were focused on board continuity, and succession planning for the presidency.

The first motion was:

Change from “Directors can serve 6 consecutive one-year terms” to “Directors can serve 3 consecutive two-year

terms. With Board approval, a Director can serve for oneadditional one-year term.
which was proposed by Brian Harkness and seconded by Scott Findlay.

The second motion was:

Establish a “First Vice President” role that is formally recognized, with Board approval, to be the proposed successor to the President
which was proposed by John White and seconded by Judy Grinton.

The third motion was

With Board approval, Jim Torrance will continue to fulfill the role of President through a transition period of 2025.

which was proposed by Scott Findlay, and seconded by Lorne Gladstone.

All motions were voted on and approved by the members in attendance.

Lastly, the proposed slate of directors were endorsed by the membership. The BMRA directors for 2025 are:

• Jim Torrance

• Sandra Banks

• John White

• Scott Findlay

• Judy Grinton

• Stephen Granger

• John Relihan

• Lorne Gladstone

The board will decide on the positions of 1st and 2nd vice presidents and treasurer, and will report back to the membership.

BMRA Portfolio Updates

The status of five key portofios was presented.  Click the buttons below to see the presentations

Thank you!

We would like to thank all the members who attended our AGM, and look forward to representing the interests of our members to the best of our ability through this new term.

Any Questions?