The  North Simcoe Rec Centre houses youth sports from the youth of Midland and Penetanguishene, the townships of Severn, Oro-Medonte, Tay and Tiny, Springwater and Beausoleil First Nation on Christian Island. 
With celebrated athletes immortalized on the walls, murals, street signs and highways. Division was never an issue, boundaries existed by loyalty to your local youth association you supported. Or dictated by the governing body of said sports dictating where a child MUST play regardless of town boundaries. 

The town of Midland council and its leader Mayor Bill Gordon has now decided that Minor Sports organizations that have existed, ran, paid rental fees and housed offices, mail boxes in the NSSRC at 527 Len Self BLVD are now no longer part of Midland and any youth who does not possess a Midland Address will be charged an arena membership fee of $200 per household. 

So “what this means” if you are a member of the following and do not reside within the town of Midland you now will pay a $200 membership fee on top of any registration fees. Midland Minor Hockey Association, North Simcoe Girls HockeyAssociation,Skate Midland Titans Lacrosse Penetang Midland Minor Ball Hockey League ,Midland Waves Basketball , Midland Area Pickleball Club , Little Kickers Simcoe Muskoka (Soccer for Kids Aged 18 months to 7 years old. 

Instead of grown adults coming to a table and negotiating the youth of North Simcoe are being used as political pawns. Mayor Bill Gordon has been screaming subsidization from the roof tops but it simply isn’t true. The Town of Midland offers rentals. Groups purchase blocks of rental times. Whether it be gym, meeting rooms, Ice, arena floor “bare” and the Town of Midland is paid for those services. Subsidization is something that only exists in the Mayors political spin. His idea is to scuttle the ice surface and turn it into a pickle ball court. What will it be Mayor Gordon and council are you going to continue to celebrate these North Simcoe athletes on your walls, murals and halls of fame or will you continue to turn your back on the youth and pave paradise to put up a pickle ball court. 

The time to act is now as this membership fee kicks in for the 2024/2025 season. Please sign and share this petition email your local council, Mayor, member of provincial parliament and member of federal parliament.