Huntsville Council has appointed Councillor Scott Morrison as the town’s “navigator” for community well-being.
Morrison says his new role makes him an easy point of contact for what he calls the “three-legged stool” of community wellness: addictions, housing, and mental health.
“I’ll be basically coordinating people that maybe have questions about how to get affordable housing off the ground,” says Morrison. “Somebody who is having some mental health issues and doesn’t know where to turn. Somebody who maybe has some land that they would like to utilise for a community project, like a sports dome. Things like this that I think are good for the mental health of our community.”
Morrison says he can direct people to the right resources, such as connecting mental health organizations to grant writers or helping people set up a deputation to council for bigger items. “Making sure that the public knows that they have a say around the table, and we’re here to help them with anything to do with community wellness,” he adds.
According to Morrison, he’s already been approached about an equine therapy program for youth and will meet with Parry Sound-Muskoka MPP Graydon Smith about how to incentivize more people to be affordable landlords.
As Chair of Finance and Corporate Services committee for the town, and a member of the same committee for the District of Muskoka, Morrison says he’s well aware of what funding is available and what is or isn’t doable. He also sits on the Huntsville Municipal Accommodation Tax board and chairs the town’s Community Services and Waterfront Master Plan committee, two positions he says are well positioned to coordinate community projects.
Although bigger items and asks will still need to go through council, Morrison says this means people can get assistance with daily issues, rather than having to wait for the council cycle to run its course.
“When you’re dealing with municipal governance, there’s procedures and timelines, and it all has to go through the proper channels,” says Morrison. “So I brought up that I’d like to have a more nimble group that can deal with stuff on a day-to-day basis that might need answers quicker and help quicker. As opposed to the need for staff to do reports, and come back to council, and then go around.”
You can reach out to Morrison at 705-783-8199 or [email protected].
“With community health, community wellness, if somebody needs to speak, they need to speak quickly,” says Morrison. “I’m known for responding quickly to inquiries, so they can email me direct or call me direct at any time.”