Notes from Council, December 2025
Dear Residents & Ratepayers,
The Village of Milo Council has hired a new Chief Administrative Officer. Gillian Williamson has lived in Milo for several years and we are fortunate to have an established member of the community take on this challenging role. Since prior to moving here, Gillian has been in business for herself as a videographer. Her partnership in Studio Lumen has resulted in several local projects receiving her professional touch, whether it be a promotional video for Vulcan County, the Milo Development Co-op’s “Will Family Legacy Project,” the Village of Arrowwood’s “Find Your Way Home,” or the Vulcan County Emergency Partnership’s pandemic response videos. With her experience running a business, managing a variety of projects, as well as writing grant proposals, Gillian’s talents will align well with being a municipal administrator. I look forward to working with Gillian for community growth and economic development, as well as with the Village Council on intermunicipal collaboration.
Gillian takes over from Wendy Hingley. Wendy served as the Village of Milo’s CAO for seven years, and her contribution to the village and moving the Milo Community forward is significant! Under Wendy’s management the Village renovated a nearly 100-year-old building to accommodate its post office service. She worked to lessen operating costs by reviewing what hours would be most cost-effective while striving to accommodate ALL members of the community (including County residents). From there, Wendy embarked on some significant infrastructure projects, as well as a few that will have long-term economic benefit. To name a few of these projects, there was a sewer sanitary rehabilitation project, the Centre Street repaving project, the gazebo and landscaped garden on Centre Street (paid for by a grant and in partnership with the Lions), the electric vehicle charging stations (another grant) that generate additional revenue, the Regional Infrastructure Master Plan with the Village of Arrowwood and Vulcan County, the new and greatly improved village campground, as well as the $18 million dollar regional water line project that will provide a new water treatment plant for Milo, as well as municipal water supply to the Village of Arrowwood and the Hamlet of Mossleigh. The Lake McGregor Reservoir Recreation Area was transformed when Wendy and the Village Council agreed to take over operations. Not only has this enhanced equipment and organizational capacity for the village, Milo proved instrumental in getting the new concrete outhouses installed. The list goes on!
Wendy’s leadership in local government for the benefit of our region will be missed, especially among her colleagues in other village offices. At her initiative, Wendy got village administrators communicating regularly to discuss current challenges and solutions. As a result of Wendy’s leadership, Arrowwood, Champion, Lomond, Milo, and Vulcan County work collaboratively to share costs on Neptune water meter reading software and utilization. I thank Wendy and her husband Mike for their service to the Milo Community and wish them well on the next chapter of their lives.
In closing, please continue to follow the County’s website for insight into Council business. The Council meetings can be viewed online, and I welcome your thoughts on any agenda item. The New Year could bring some potential changes to the subdivision and development appeal board, as well as see a re-engagement with municipal partners on Intermunicipal Collaboration Frameworks. We anticipate finally commencing a marina to improve access to McGregor Lake.
Happy New Year!
Christopher Northcott