The PROBUS Club of Blue Mountain Meeting Review is published following each regular meeting providing members with a summary of any meetings they may have missed. Prior Reviews can easily be found under the Meeting Reviews Tab above.

TALES OF INTEREST!

Carl Wintermeyer talked about Willow Lake that is nearby but many have not heard of. It’s located in the Minesing Wetlands that only forms once a year, for a month. The wetlands occupy 15,000 acres and is one of the largest in North America. It’s approximately 15 miles west of Barrie on George Johnston Road and is home to a diverse array of habitats.

Carl and a few members of the Probus paddling group took a guided tour (because if you didn’t have a guide, you’d probably get lost) that took about 4 hours and they were impressed by what he saw. A paddle well worth it!

Speaker

Stephen McKee introduced this month’s guest speaker, Terry Geddes, three term mayor and former Principal.

Terry started his presentation by giving us a brief history of the Poplar Health and Wellness Village.

The land where the H&W Village will be located is part of the 140 acres that was donated by Mr. DiPoce for the new hospital on Poplar Sideroad. This hospital would become a regional hospital that would encompass the surrounding municipalities. His vision was to have the H&W Village around the new hospital and be made up of three areas. The three areas would be comprised of medical clinics, a market square and affordable housing.

Unfortunately, Mr. DiPoce passed away in 2022. However, his two children have taken up the cause and are moving forward with their father’s vision.

Terry mentioned that the development of medical clinics would be built to entice more experienced and specialized doctors to move to the area. The market square would focus on health, wellness, food and the aging process with a performance center. The affordable housing project would provide 2,200 units for doctors, nurses, police officers, firefighters to live instead of having to drive to Collingwood each day.

Terry also mentioned a few challenges needed to be discussed such as: the need for more money, a new infrastructure and the fact that it’s becoming very expensive to live in Collingwood, would arise from the DiPoce’s vision. So, for all this to happen, we must have a strong economy, cut the bureaucracy, protect who we are and what we stand for, better communication among the people involved and people who will do what needs to be done to move this vision forward, sooner than later!