Tiny Senior Times – By Jennifer Gray, Volunteer Writer,Aug 28 2025
Township of Tiny Senior Speaker Series
This coming Fall, the Township of Tiny’s Senior Advisory Committee is pleased to present our annual Senior Speaker Series event – a series of informative workshops on issues pertaining to seniors, older adults and their caregivers. The five sessions will be held in partnership with local clubs and service providers. Admittance to the following presentations is free with pre-registration:
Thursday September 11, 2025: The Benefits of Being in Nature
Discover the many physical, mental and emotional benefits of spending time in nature. Attendees will learn simple, accessible ways to connect with the natural world, reduce stress and improve overall well-being. Whether it’s a walk in the park or simply noticing the world around you, learn how nature can support healthy aging and a more mindful life.
Presenter: Karen Chaplin, Certified Forest Therapy Guide; Caitlin O’Connell, Scientific Visual Communicator and Outdoors Enthusiast
Time: 9:30am-12:00pm
Location: Township of Tiny Community Centre (91 Concession 8 East, Tiny)
Thursday, September 25, 2025: Strong, Supported and Active: Living Well with Arthritis and Osteoporosis
Join us for an empowering session featuring experts from the Arthritis Society of Canada. Learn practical tips to stay active, protect your joints, support your bone health and maintain the quality of life you deserve. Whether you’re living with arthritis, osteoporosis or simply want to learn more, this session will provide useful strategies to help you move with confidence and stay strong.
Presenter: Renee Scrutton, the Arthritis Society of Canada
Time: 9:30am-12:00pm
Location: Township of Tiny Community Centre (91 Concession 8 East, Tiny)
Thursday October 16, 2025: Aging Well in Simcoe County
Recognized by the World Health Organization as an age-friendly community for its commitment to older adults, the County of Simcoe is investing in programs and services through its comprehensive Age-Friendly Positive Aging Strategy. Join us to explore initiatives such as the Seniors Housing Grant, Recognition Awards, a new Activity Calendar and see how they are helping to foster inclusive communities where residents of all ages can thrive.
Presenter: Tracy Hill, Supervisor, Program and Support Services, Senior Services Age-Friendly Champion, County of Simcoe
Time: 10:00am-12:00pm
Location: Township of Tiny Community Centre (91 Concession 8 East, Tiny)
Thursday, October 30, 2025: Active Living for Life
Staying active is one of the best ways to support your health and happiness as you age. This fun, interactive session will introduce easy exercises and activities to help you move more, feel better and boost your overall well-being. No special equipment or experience needed, just come ready to participate and enjoy.
Presenters: Donna Montgomery, Seniors Fitness Instructor; and Richlyn Spalding, Line Dancing Instructor
Time: 9:30am-12:00pm
Location: Township of Tiny Community Centre (91 Concession 8 East, Tiny)
Thursday November 6, 2025: Emergency Preparedness for Seniors
Being prepared brings peace of mind. This practical and informative session will focus on how to stay safe and ready for unexpected situations such as power outages and severe weather. You’ll learn how to create a simple emergency plan, what to pack in a go-bag, and how to stay connected during emergencies. Designed with seniors in mind, the workshop offers clear, step-by-step guidance to help you feel confident and prepared.
Presenters: Denis Maurice, CEMC and Division Chief of Fire Prevention, Township of Tiny; and Sahar Balvardi, Emergency Management Coordinator, Canadian Red Cross
Time: 9:30am-12:00pm
Location: Township of Tiny Community Centre (91 Concession 8 East, Tiny)
Registration is free, but participants must reserve a ticket in advance.
For more information and to register, visit www.tiny.ca/seniors/programs.
The information in this article is provided as a public service by the Township of Tiny Senior’s Advisory Committee. We invite and welcome your feedback and suggestions on how we can make Senior Tiny Times a valuable information resource for our Seniors.
Website: www.tiny.ca/seniors
Phone: 705-526-4204
Email: seniors@tiny.ca
Tiny looking at budget hikes to ‘close the infrastructure gap’
By: Derek Howard, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Source: MidlandToday.ca, Aug 20, 2025
Residents of Tiny Township were provided a glimpse into the possibilities within the next 20 years as a recent special council meeting aimed municipal finances for a course toward 2045.
The working session document for a long-term forecast report was presented to Tiny council during the meeting by deputy CAO and corporate services director Haley Leblond. It was a meeting with intent to guide council toward the 2026 draft budget and future budgets, with assumptions and omissions based on various known and unknown factors.
One key item not included in the forecast was the municipal building at 130 Balm Beach Rd. W., as the assumption was its sale due to the construction of a new administration centre at 255 Concession 9 E.
“The asset management plan recommends a 2.39 per cent annual increase, based on the 2024 municipal levy, over 20 years to close the infrastructure gap,” said Leblond. “This equates to $375,500 annually reaching $7.5 million in full funding set aside in the infrastructure reserve by 2044.”
Leblond also noted that while 2026 and 2027 estimates were considered stable with no major economic shifts forecast, “like tariffs,” a 15 per cent contingency was added to all road infrastructure projects.
The meeting delved into various categories: bridges and culverts; buildings; equipment and reports (such as the asset management plan); fleet; land improvements; road networks; storm network; and other (including septage receipt).
One particularly expensive necessity forecast by Leblond involved replacement of financial software (responsible for tax collection and more) as the current system was reaching end of life in 2029 for municipalities not just in Tiny Township but across Canada.
As discussed among council, the costly transfer to a new system could be diffused throughout various municipalities if a proposed municipal pool were to materialize, similar to a recently established county municipal insurance pool.
The meeting wasn’t without contention.
During a discussion on fleet assets, Coun. Dave Brunelle requested granular access to the maintenance logs of fleet maintenance staff. The query prompted responses from public works director Tim Leitch, and Mayor Dave Evans, who gave varying responses that, essentially, the township staff were trustworthy enough for council to keep to high-level decision making instead of council members getting in so deep.
Brunelle immediately requested a bio-break, and during the intermission he spoke to residents in attendance for the finance meeting.
Council returned and continued poring over spreadsheets of departments, and upon a lengthy pause Leblond made a suggestion for council to provide spending targets for which staff could return reworked figures at a later date.
Coun. Kelly Helowka said: “We’ve got a big expense, a necessary evil in the building that is a necessity. The new building is going to hit us with a pretty large price. I think we need to trim everything else for the next couple of years.”
The comment sparked response from attendee Karen Zulynik in a brief challenge, which was diffused by Evans, who reminded Helowka the administration centre, with a price tag estimated at $25 million, would be financed through debt.
With CAO Robert Lamb advising that unforecasted occurrences could impact asset management between budget cycles, such as a $3.6-million septage deal with Midland in February, council members continued to refer to Brunelle’s granular scrutiny comment while they suggested looking at higher-level overview suggestions.
A motion was passed for council to receive the report as information, with staff to keep capital projects as a budget priority, “including risks associated with project deferrals.”
Deputations followed the approval, where frequent opponents to the Tiny Township administration centre (Zulynik, Drew Ironstone and Paul Bell) all spoke against the construction project; Ironstone offered that asset management plans included arbitrary life spans for their forecasts.
The long-term forecast report and working session documentation can be viewed on the agenda page on the Township of Tiny website.
Archives of council meetings are available to view on the township’s YouTube channel.