Saturday 31 October 2015

Homelessness in York Region

The Toronto Star has published an article on the shocking rise of homelessness in York Region.  The tenor of the article is all wrong.  Homelessness isn't "hidden" as the article's headline suggests.  It is all around us and the crisis is plain for anyone to see.

In Newmarket, the youth shelter is filled to capacity.  East Gwillimbury has a men's shelter, the only one in York Region, and it too is bursting at the seams.  The Inn from the Cold, which operates seasonally in Newmarket, has difficulty keeping up with demand.

The Salvation Army, many local churches, United Way, and others run programs to help people on the precipice of becoming homeless, with programs and resources.

Yet, despite all of this, the problem persists.

Walk on Newmarket trails or through Jokers Hill trails in the early morning and the evidence of homelessness abounds.  Visit the library on a cold wintry day and you will see people who have nowhere else to go to keep warm.

In a town as wealthy as Newmarket, it is a community-wide tragedy to have people living without shelter surrounded by homes approaching $1,000,000.

Yet I don't want to give the impression that money solves the problem of homelessness.  Particular to Newmarket, we run into the issue of poor leadership that has exacerbated the crisis.

Mayor Van Bynen recently tweeted a photo of himself collected a large novelty cheque from the Royal Bank Branch on Yonge and Savage for Belinda's Place.  It is an ironic photo because directly across the street from the branch is the unfinished Belinda's Place, many months delayed (like so many other Newmarket construction projects led by this Mayor), despite having already reached its fundraising goals.

And it is an ironic photo because Royal Bank, (like all of the major banks), through predatory lending practices, that prey upon people who can't afford credit with 24% Visa or Mastercard interest rates, are the leading villains to the homelessness problem.  Social scientists used to blame addiction or family breakdown for homelessness, but after seeing the outcome of the 2008 US lending crisis, the billions of dollars each Canadian bank earns annually in profits are now looked upon in a much more sinister different light.

But ultimately, we need to look at those politicians at York Region Council who give a whole lot of lip service towards dealing with homelessness yet do absolutely nothing about.  York Region has 1.1 million residents yet only provides 30 spaces for homeless men (located in East Gwillimbury).  How can this make any sense to a self-appointed homelessness advocate like Newmarket's Deputy Mayor, John Taylor?  For years, he has been a leading member of the Housing York Inc. board, a taxpayer funded organization that provides emergency and low cost housing in York Region.  This organization is failing badly in its mandate to help.

If you are on the risk of becoming homeless and you live in southern York Region, (Markham, Richmond Hill, or Vaughan), there is very little help available from Housing York Inc.  Moving north, there is slightly more help available.

York Region is wealthy.  Corporations like the Royal Bank with their billions in annual profits are wealthy.  Surely there are scraps available to resolve the shelter bed shortage for this upcoming winter.

30 shelter beds for homeless men in our municipality of 1,100,000 residents is barbaric.  We must do much better.


Thursday 29 October 2015

Hollingsworth Arena can be sold and still used for hockey. Here's how.

There are many times when I sit back and ask myself, "Why doesn't Newmarket Council look at the obvious options?"

The issues with Hollingsworth are well known.  At 40 years old, it's an facility that is reaching the end of its life.  Despite that fact, there is truth to what Ward 3 Councillor Jane Twinney says too.  The arena is still in relatively good condition.  If there wasn't an offer to purchase from developer San Michael, we wouldn't be talking about tearing the building down.  We'd be quietly maintaining the structure and hoping to wring out a few more seasons out of the arena.

But the San Michael offer is reportedly a good one.  Probably too good to pass up, especially in an area of town that is prime for some re-development.  Building kitty-corner to the hospital is sure to attract buyers who work at Southlake.  Wouldn't we all like a home so close to work?

Yet the history of condominium construction in Newmarket should give everyone on Council pause to look at the best alternatives to keeping Hollingsworth.

One such option, and the preferred choice at the moment, is a P3 option (Private Public Partnership) of a new arena for the Pickering College grounds.

Another option is to build a third ice pad at the Ray Twinney Complex with its ample land and parking already in place.  This option is estimated to cost approximately $10 million according to staff.

But looking at how slow developers have been to build condominiums on projects already approved by the Town (such as Slessor Square and George St to name a couple), why not look at a third option for the Town?

The option I would propose is to sell the Hollingsworth land and then lease back the use of the arena for the next few years as San Michael goes through the process of selling units prior to construction.  This would be a win-win for both the developer and for Newmarket arena users.

San Michael can make some revenue in terms of rent on land that would otherwise sit empty.  And Newmarket doesn't need to spend millions of dollars to build a new arena if it can get a few more years out of Hollingsworth at a reasonable cost.  




Wednesday 21 October 2015

A credible conservative candidate for Newmarket Mayor emerges

Could Ottawa's loss be the Town of Newmarket's gain?

There seems to be a consensus building among local conservatives and other community minded individuals that the aftermath of Monday's election results could be an opportunity to return responsible government to Newmarket's town hall.

After years of corruption and "Laurel & Hardy" type bumbling by the gruesome twosome of Van Bynen and Taylor, many would like to recruit Lois Brown to become a candidate for mayor of Newmarket.

Lois Brown would immediately bring a credible conservative alternative to Newmarket's municipal government.  Her experience working with the provincial and federal governments could be exactly what we need to get our economy going again.

Would Ms. Brown be interested in this role?  It is too soon after her stinging defeat to say.  But considering how effectively Vaughan Mayor Maurizio Bevilaqua transitioned from MP to the mayor's chains, it would not be unprecedented for her to pursue this.

Remember that the Town of Newmarket Mayor is the 4th highest paid mayor in all of Canada/  If she wins in 2018, Ms. Brown would see a bump in pay.

Thursday 15 October 2015

Newmarket corruption exposed by Toronto media

It is well documented that "friends of Tony" thrive in Newmarket with government contracts and municipal government grants.

It is also well known that opponents of Tony face retaliation and retribution.

While listening to CFRB 1010 this morning it wasn't any surprise to hear that strong allegations of corruption have once again been leveled against our local government.

The co-owner of The Cove, Chris Benson, believes that Tony Van Bynen is purposefully trying to put him out of business.  Chris has been a vocal opponent of the Mayor's handling of Davis Drive. You can read about it here:

Tony and the spokesperson for Viva continue to spout the old company line.  According to these two, this bus lane is a good investment for Newmarket and the project is on time and on budget.

How can it be good for Davis when the York Region government is now the biggest landowner on this 2.6 km stretch through expropriation of land?  If this land was in the hands of small business owners, jobs would be created and the economy would benefit.

I believe that the York Region government is looking to benefit financially when businesses like the Cove shut down and gentrification of Davis Drive begins.  Developers will call the Region to purchase some of its many landholdings for new high rise condo towers.  The days of Davis Drive being the economic engine in Newmarket are numbered.  This area will transformed into high density residential while jobs will go elsewhere as local shops are forced to close.  York Region government will profit immensely from the gentrification of Davis Drive.

As for being on time and on budget, it is well known that the Viva bus lanes were supposed to have been completed in early 2014. The Viva spokesperson now claims that the 2014 wasn't a "deadline" but a "best guess".  I'm not buying his line and neither should you.

What we have in Newmarket are backroom secret deals and then lying to the public about it being the modus operandi of this administration.

Davis Drive's $261 million project is scheduled to be done by December 17, 2015.  The $480 million Yonge Street Viva bus lane project is just beginning.  Expect years and years of construction delays, economic hardship, job losses, and corruption as the mega project drags on.  A high cost to pay for a bus route with few riders.  

Sunday 11 October 2015

Hollingsworth Arena to be sold

The signs that the Hollingsworth Arena's days are coming to an end are all over the October 20, 2015 Committee of the Whole agenda.  You don't need tea leaves or tarot cards to know the arena's ultimate fate.

During the October 20th Committee of the Whole meeting, the developer San Michael will speak to Council again.

Then there is a vote requiring staff to work out the capital costs for replacing Hollingsworth with either a 3P arena sharing the costs and ownership with Pickering College, or by adding a third rink at the Ray Twinney Complex.

Further on in the agenda, there is a motion to be tabled by John Taylor for an outdoor rink.  It is not known whether Taylor intends this rink as an alternative to the Pickering College/ Ray Twinney proposals or in addition to them.

What is known is that the Town of Newmarket has no need for two additional ice pads at this time.  Youth involvement in hockey has been dropping steadily even though the town's population has been increasing.  With plans for new development over the next 15 years coming from high rise condos, such as the 15 storey San Michael proposal for the Hollingsworth land, we know that there won't be many children in those buildings.  Families generally don't live in those types of residences.

So, if we are building just one new ice pad, my support would be to decline the P3 Pickering College proposal and an indoor rink at Ray Twinney but go with an outdoor rink located at the Ray Twinney Complex where parking and land are both readily available.

If it is a standard sized rink, with proper refrigeration and care, there is no reason why Newmarket Minor Hockey and the various men's leagues couldn't use an outdoor rink.  In fact, the novelty might even appeal to users.  We have seen the popularity of the Toronto Maple Leafs outdoor practices and the NHL heavily promotes its Winter Classic games.

An outdoor rink should be the most cost effective way to replace Hollingsworth.

But if Taylor wants this outdoor pad in addition to building another ice pad elsewhere, then that is just a dumb idea.  There is no justification for two new pads.  It would be wasting money that frankly the Town doesn't have.  When the Magna Centre was opened, the plan at that time was to shut down Hollingsworth.  At that time we had a surplus of ice pads.  The only reason a new ice pad is even being considered is because the Town's "Play Book" policy anticipates that one could be needed in the future as the Town continues to grow.

As an end note, how are residents to know if residents are getting a good deal for selling Hollingsworth? The fact that the selling price has been kept a secret casts suspicions of the Town.  The developer has been meeting with Town staff for five-plus years.  This deal has been in the works for a long time but has been kept secret from the public.

Like many residents, I am getting sick of a Council that doesn't trust and/or like the people they supposedly represent.  Mayor Van Bynen is so concerned about public backlash that he keeps everything about this deal a secret.

But I have to ask, if selling this arena was a good deal for the public, then why would he anticipate backlash?   Or is there more to these secret meetings with the developer than meets the eye?

Friday 2 October 2015

John Taylor's Support of the YRT's Anti Worker Union Busting Tactics Calls for Explanation

An interesting article in the Toronto Star exposing the anti-labour union busting tactics of the York Region Transit employees.

York Region Transit may be privately owned, but it is heavily subsidized by and under contract to the Region of York.  As such, it should operate to the standards of the regional municipalities.

The YRT is taking advantage of a legal loophole within Ontario labour laws known as 'contract flipping' which allows the employer to lay off experienced workers and replace them with less experienced (as in lower salaried) workers.  It may be legal but it certainly isn't socially responsible or even good business.

The Toronto Star story tells of an 8-year veteran bus driver being laid off and replaced by a driver who was licensed for less than a few weeks.  I think a quick survey of passengers on the topic, "Would you feel safer with a new bus driver or an experienced bus driver?" would overwhelmingly favour the latter.

Having employees perpetually fearful of losing their jobs doesn't bode well for the economy which relies on people feeling secure enough to make large purchases.  Would you commit to a new car or a new home if you thought you could be made unemployed at any time?

The real reason why this contract flipping takes place?  It is a no holds barred fight to destroy the ATU the union which represents the drivers who lost their jobs.  When York Region Transit flipped from Veolia workers to Tok Transit, the ATU lost their representation rights.  

Newmarket Regional Councillor John Taylor sits on York Region's Transportation Committee.  He needs to explain to residents why York Region Council supports such strident anti-union, anti-worker tactics.