Posted by Nick Aroutzidis on Nov 30, 2017
December 7, 2017: Club Ownership.

Head Table:  Our President Linda Bathe, invites, all major chairpersons, to join her at the head table.
 
This Week: Our speaker today was Rob Horne, Chief Administrative Officer at the City of Stratford.
 
Guess speaker Rob Horne CAO City of Stratford,  introduced by Rotarian Fritz.
 
Rob talked about the “big shift” in politics, culture and society and adjustments governments must make to accommodate these changes.
 
Demographics is a factor, we have smaller families and more seniors.  Stratford must retain more of its young people who should be trained for future roles, particularly in technology.  Creativity is the key.  There is a shift from “tangible” products to “soft” products.  The Stratford campus of the University of Waterloo will be a key factor in this shift for Stratford.  The campus here is one of two satellite campuses for the U of W, and is very successful.  The Stratford campus can now confer both undergraduate and graduate degrees in digital technology.  “The Toronto-Waterloo Technology Corridor” is rising in profile and poised to be Canada’s Silicon Valley. The automatic vehicle project is moving forward and Stratford will be a key player in the testing of this technology.  A test site has been established and the plan is to have 20 automated vehicles on the road in Stratford over the next 3 years.
 
Land development and infrastructure are important to Rob.  Provincial and federal governments provide financial assistance in these areas.  It is a very slow and sometimes frustrating process, but maintaining strong relationships with senior levels of government and other stakeholders is very important to the City.
 
Rob lives in Wellesley with his wife and 5 children.  Two of Rob’s children were Rotary Exchange Students, one in Thailand and one in Finland so he is grateful to Rotary for those opportunities.
 
Rob was introduced by Fritz Steigmeier and thanked by Geza Wordofa.
 
Scribe:  Gordon Sherwin
 
 
Chase the Ace draw at mall.
 
 
Rotarian Angus MacDermid manning Salvation Kettle.
 
Guests:  Today we welcomed: David Nolet – Stratford, Redirect Nerayo, Mike Beitz – Stratford, Colin Brisbors – Stratford, Bob Malcolmson – Stratford, Don Van Galen.
 
Draw: The draw prize today donated by Harry Brightwell (barometer)
and was won by Bill Lemon.
 
Make-ups: Angus MacDermid, November 29 at the Tavistock RC.
 
Respite House Update
October  1, 2017- November 30, 2017
 
Weekends of Respite                      7
Weeknight overnights                     5
Mondays & Wednesdays(4-8pm)   5
Total days of respite                       32
Total children served - 170- since January 16, 2004
 
What’s New:
1. 2 new children began visits to the house since October   1, 2017.
 
2. We continue to provide extra overnight respite to a young adult who has complex medical needs.
 
3. We are providing extra respite at the house to a high needs child with autism being raised by his grandmother.
 
 
December’s Attendance Committee: Guy Bellehumeur (I/C), Clare McCallum, Ollie Henry, Paul Roulston, Basil Hurst, John Kechnie, Mike Neilson, Fritz Steigmeier, Brent Shackleton.
 
 
Sponsors