On Saturday Orillia residents had a chance to share some big ideas. The sunshine city hosted its third annual Sunshine Initiative, a three-part process where residents pitch ideas on how to make Orillia a better place.

A music program for people with mental illness, a reuse centre at the landfill and a gathering place for those affected by the opioid crisis were just some of the ideas heard at the forum.

The idea for the forum came from the city’s mayor Steve Clarke.
"There's a number of things we can do to make us even better," the mayor said on Saturday.
Last year Stephen Davids pitched an idea to create a First Nation’s Literary Festival. The idea came to life in September, with more than 300 attendees.

“At the event, on the day standing there, I was intensely proud. Not of me and what I'd accomplished, but us and we'd accomplished together," said Davids.

There is no guarantee Saturday’s proposed ideas will come to fruition, but the many in the group say they have already surpassed one goal, which was to get the town talking.