Advantage Chris Ballard

At what point did the Newmarket-Aurora Progressive Conservatives lose the election of 2014?

Prior to 2014, the Newmarket-Aurora riding has always voted PC ever since its inception. The Liberals had no momentum here. In fact, the Liberal Party had a tough time drumming up a candidate who would be interested in running because Newmarket-Aurora was considered a "safe" PC seat. Eventually, Chris Ballard was acclaimed because no other Liberal step forward to run against him.

So why did this riding flip in 2014.

In a word, "Authenticity."

The 2014 Canadians Choice candidate, Dorian Baxter, enunciating every syllable of "authenticity", delivered the coup de grace to then PC candidate Jane Twinney's campaign. He struck to the heart of Twinney's image problem. She wasn't a legitimate conservative and the voting public knew it.

The lesson voters delivered, "We don't want phonies or opportunists."

Have local PC members learned their "authenticity" lesson this time around?



These two may be well qualified for employment at the drive thru window, but are they qualified to run as PC candidates based on the evidence of their dismal voting record on Aurora, Newmarket, and York Region Council? Do voters really want to replace "tax and spend" Liberals with "tax and spend" PCs?

Advantage: Chris Ballard.

Why Taylor's Way Shouldn't Be the Final Word on the Clock Tower Development

There are a number of people in Newmarket who feel that Main Street is perfectly fine as it is. Those people will be happy to hear that the Clock Tower development proposal won't be going ahead.

But in order to have a vibrant community, growth and change must happen. Otherwise Main Street is to become as lifeless as a museum. And unless we start charging admission (like most museums do), the economics of keeping Main Street locked in one point in time don't make sense.

What we are seeing on Main Street and elsewhere in Newmarket, are the results of years and years of neglecting planning. The Taylor legacy, from Tom Taylor through to John Taylor, over the past number of decades, has been a passive approach to development. The Taylor way is to sit and wait until developers propose something, then give into the various NIMBY groups who in turn promise to vote Taylor in the next election, And here are the results:

• Davis Drive - once the business heart of our community is now essentially a ghost town. Multiple proposals for high rise condos gather dust on the shelf because our economy is not in good shape for high rise condo development. There just aren't any new jobs in Newmarket that would support new high rise condo development.
• Yonge St - again, mostly a ghost town. Same plans as Davis Drive and guess what? Same sorry end result of empty plazas and derelict buildings. 
• Harry Walker Parkway - this area was supposed to become the economic driver of our community. Most lots are either empty or have a vacant structure occupying the lot. 

Main Street Newmarket is not in a good economic health. We know this because one bank has already left Main Street for greener pastures. Banks go where the money goes and Scotia Bank leaving indicates that the money has already left. 

Anyone with two eyes knows what Main Street needs to thrive. It needs a grocery store and a general goods/ hardware store (like a Home Hardware). Without these two anchor businesses, serving not only Main Street, but also the residents nearby - like Church, Botsford, Queen, Park and Millard residents - then there is really no reason for people to head over to Main St on a regular basis. 

But without an influx of new people moving into the Main Street area, something that the Clock Tower development would have provided, entrepreneurs don't see the upside of opening a grocery or hardware store. And that is the predicament that we are in. 

My advice for the Forrest Group, which owns a valuable asset in these Main Street buildings, is to take a page from the Taylor election campaign book. The next municipal election is just under two years away. There is time to recruit and promote the right candidates for mayor and other council seats. Good, hardworking, decent people who appreciate what prudent municipal planning really means.

The Clock Tower development doesn't have to be at odds with the best interests of the public. In fact, a good case can be made to say that this construction is exactly what our town needs. So if Bob Forrest believes in what he is doing, then put the case to the public through the ballot box in 2018.  

We all should care about the economic vibrancy of Newmarket's Main Street because a disproportionate amount of public resources are spent propping this part of town up. If Main Street was in better shape economically, then it would result in public money being freed up to be invested in other parts of the community or maybe even a reduction in property taxes (something that hasn't happened in Newmarket for as long as a Taylor has been in charge). 

Unbiased reporting at the Newmarket Era? Some assembly required

The credibility of the media in the wake of the US Presidential election has never been more in doubt. "Lyin' media" was the rallying cry of many Trump supporters. And who could forget this t-shirt that sent a stark message in the last few days of the campaign?

Yet, criticism of the American press can be quite appropriate. The false equivalency the media gave to the Clinton Wikileaks to some of the impolitic things Trump said is one example. The voting public knew that Hillary Clinton's emails were far more serious and didn't believe the press who actively tried to convince everyone that these email revelations weren't important.

The American press unfortunately crossed the line from covering the news to actively campaigning for Hillary Clinton. When they did that, the voting public didn't believe three-quarters of the news coverage they reported on Donald Trump.

And just as President Obama's talk of gun control achieved no other results other than to unintentionally increase the number of guns sold in the US, the pro-Hillary bias in the American press actually convinced the plurality of voters to cast a ballot for Trump.

Time will tell what the consequences for the United States will be as an outcome of the American press abandoning its neutrality. Will Americans ever believe the Fourth Estate ever again?

There are parallels to Newmarket.

In the last municipal election, the Newmarket Era was narrowly focused on getting rid of Maddie Di Muccio on Council and ensuring no conservative minded Councillors were elected, (the Era even went so far as publishing multiple false "news" about her and other candidates), and despite achieving success in the short term, the Newmarket Era is now in a tailspin as a result.

Instead of Council meetings where important measures received meaningful debate, we now have 15-minute long Council meetings that basically rubber stamp $600,000+ projects without any due consideration.

And outside of a Letter to the Editor from the Inn From the Cold organization demanding that the Newmarket Era report facts not innuendo, when was the last time any resident from Newmarket ever wrote about any issue related to Newmarket Council? Recently the new editor of the Era (the third one since 2014), wrote an editorial begging Newmarket residents to write to him.

But ever since Deputy Mayor John Taylor's wife became a top executive at the Newmarket Era "newspaper", credibility in the local media has dropped to an all time low. The Era, which had a tenuous idea of unbiased journalism previously, has devolved into a fan-page for the Gruesome Twosome of Mayor Van Bynen and Deputy Mayor Taylor and their council cronies.

The public has stopped trusting the Newmarket Era and more importantly, stopped reading and engaging too. The once profitable Newmarket Era has been steadily losing money as a result

I began this blog five years ago in response to what I felt was bias reporting. I made a promise to stop my blog once the Newmarket Era re-committed to the basic tenets of journalism. Instead of heeding the wake-up call, the Newmarket Era swung the pendulum even more to the extreme. 3 editors later, I am still blogging and the newspaper is still losing money. The public needs me in order to hear the truth about Newmarket Council.

After five years of bleeding red ink, you would think that the parent company of the Newmarket Era would get the message?

New tax for Newmarket homeowners to be voted on tomorrow

Tomorrow's Special Committee of the Whole meeting will very quietly and almost surreptitiously impose a new "user fee" (ahem, tax) on Newmarket homes and businesses starting in 2017 related to storm water management.

The Town staff are going out of their way to say how transparent they've been. They had 44 likes on Facebook and 12 people showed up at a public information centre earlier this year on this topic. But it is fair to say that most people who live in Newmarket don't know this additional charge is coming.

Currently, the Town includes the costs of managing storm water within our property taxes. Staff have complained that our infrastructure hasn't been kept current and its getting too old and nearing the end of its usefulness. With replacement of storm water drains and other infrastructure upgrades looming on the horizon, the Town staff needs new ways to get more of your hard earned income dollars into the municipal government's hands.

Town officials promising that the first year will be revenue neutral. But no such guarantees are being offered on future years as this fund opens up the possibility of a cash cow for the Van Bynen/ Taylor administration.

For those listening in to tomorrow's 9 am meeting, expect lots of tsk tsk'ing about climate change. But the real culprit of the spiraling costs of storm water management is a lack of maintenance spending and an excessive reliance on road salt during the winter months. Both of these factors are entirely in the hands of the Van Bynen/ Taylor administration.

  

Newmarket's peculiar tolerance of a racial slur

Former NMHA president Murray Taylor doesn't think that the Redmen nickname for the Newmarket hockey teams is offensive. He believes this because it wasn't meant to be connected to First Nations people when it was adopted. According to Taylor, the Redmen nickname refers to the colour of the jersey that the team wore back in the 1930's.

Taylor is obviously wrong in his support of the Redmen nickname.

Even though NMHA may have had other intentions back in the 1930's, in the context of 2016 the term "Redmen" is very much associated with a racial slur. And First Nations people should not have to tolerate pejorative nicknames any more.

In the same 1930's, Irish immigrants were derisively called a "Mick" or a "Paddy" after the popularity of naming male babies Michael or Patrick. (The Town of Newmarket still commemorates our local "Paddy Town" with a sign on Main Street north of Davis Drive). A socially conscious person wouldn't dare use these same terms to refer to a person of Irish descent today. That's because they are offensive.

Germans were once called "Krauts" after the pickled cabbage, sauerkraut, which was once a staple of the diet of many Europeans. In 2016, calling someone a Kraut is offensive.  

And Russians were pejoratively called "Comrade" during the Soviet era. We don't use that term any more because it is offensive.

Calling a sports team the "Indians", the "Redskins", or the "Redmen" in 2016 is wrong. These are all offensive, pejorative nicknames for First Nations people. Hopefully the parents who register for hockey will pressure the leaders of the NMHA to adopt a more appropriate name. I don't see how we can teach today's generation of young people to be tolerant of other cultures while we force them to wear racial epithets across their chests while playing hockey.  

And while we are at it, the Town of Newmarket should take down that damn Paddy Town sign too.

Say "No" to Mulock GO until we have all the answers from Mayor and Metrolinx

WARNING The Gruesome-Twosome are intending on developing environmentally sensitive lands along Mulock Drive. And they are seeking to make this move without any public consultation.

Buried on page 31 of Monday's Committee of the Whole agenda is this item (click here). It calls upon the Town of Newmarket to endorse the location of a new train station on Mulock Drive, abutting sensitive waterways that are abundant with urban wildlife.

Yet this proposed GO Train station comes with strings attached. Metrolinx is demanding that the Town of Newmarket provide a commitment to "transit supportive planning regimes around the station," a stipulation which may put the existing green space and nearby St. Andrews Golf Course within the gun sights of developers. After all, how could the Town argue against new developments at the OMB after they have already carte blanche approved development that supports the GO station?

It is most important to emphasize that Metrolinx is not committing to any improved services with this new train station. We also don't know if Metrolinx is planning to reduce service to the existing Davis Drive GO Station or shut the station down altogether.

Is this proposed GO Mulock Station a good deal for Newmarket?

So let's weigh the PROs and CONs for Council approval of this agenda item:

PRO

• Perhaps, maybe, possibly less vehicle traffic interruption along Davis Drive associated with the arrivals and departures of the GO Train in the event that Metrolinx decides to shutter the Davis Drive GO Station. (Noting that there is still a level crossing at this intersection that would require the vehicle traffic to stop as the train passes at low speed).  

CON

• Definitely more traffic interruptions along Mulock Drive associated with the comings and goings of the GO Train. 
• The new station would be devastating for the businesses located within the Tannery Mall and nearby the current GO Train Station, which rely on commuters for their customer base.
• There is relatively no businesses in the new proposed GO Station vicinity that would benefit from increased commuter traffic.
• Developing environmentally sensitive wetlands and displacing urban wild life.
• Council is giving carte blanch approval to future development in the vicinity of the new GO Train Station because Newmarket Council approves "transit supportive planning regimes around the station."
• The Town has not negotiated any commitment from Metrolinx to improve GO Train services to Newmarket.
• The location of the new GO Station doesn't connect with the Viva Rapid Bus Transit system that taxpayers just spent a half billion dollars constructing.
• The existing GO Train station is located within easy walking distance of the existing GO/ YRT Bus terminal located at Davis/ Yonge. The proposed Mulock GO station is located too far away for pedestrians seeking to connect to other public transit routes.

Maybe life-long Wynne-Liberals Tony Van Bynen and John Taylor are just trying to please their provincial Liberal allies by pushing this agenda item through? Who can forget Wynne Liberal Ministers Chris Ballard and Steven Del Duca along with Liberal MP Kyle Peterson flanking Van Bynen and Taylor at the official announcement back in June? The Town of Newmarket even issued a gushing press release thanking the Wynne-Liberal government (click here). In a York Region newspaper article  Mayor Van Bynen advised Newmarket residents to do a "happy dance."

Hopefully, the Mayor and his Council cronies will take more time than they allotted to the fifteen minute October 10th Newmarket Council meeting to inform us what we have to be happy about. What does this new GO Station give us that we don't already have on Davis Drive?

They can also tell us why the Town is required to have Public Information Centres on mundane matters,but this agenda item doesn't qualify for public input. What is being proposed would create a major shift in Newmarket's commuter traffic (just a scant few months after spending $500 million to enhance public transit along Davis Drive) and yet there is no public consultation?

And will we hear any concerns raised by the two mostly mute Council members who represent the specific wards affected? Or will Councillors Vegh and Broome just follow along with Van Bynen's "happy dance?"

Getting Along Doesn't Mean Getting Things Done

A fifteen minute council meeting? With several council members not in attendance?

Don't be so surprised, Newmarket.

Isn't that what you wanted when you decided that "getting along" on Council was more important than holding Mayor Van Bynen's administration accountable?

After all, aren't the voters always right?

Two years ago, several self appointed "elites" (ironically, most of them came from Aurora) pumped thousands of dollars into removing the lone member of Council who actually participated in Council meetings, by asking questions and demanding answers.

Awestruck by big blue signs and glossy materials, voters elected instead a mannequin who attends every meeting but doesn't speak. Dutifully, she votes any which way the Gruesome-Twosome demand of her.

We now have a Council that gets along famously. Too bad they don't accomplish anything at all.

Where are the big initiatives the Gruesome-Twosome promised?

- Broadband?
- Accelerated intensification of Yonge and Davis Corridor?
- New jobs for Newmarket?
- Positive working relationships with local businesses?
- Post secondary campus?
- Better performing hospital?

Our Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Council haven't made a single accomplishment towards any of these goals.

A four year mandate and more than half of that time has been wasted "getting along" with each other.

Van Bynen/ Taylor Continue to Ravage Newmarket's Historic Architecture

Historic buildings are important to maintain and invest in. More often than not, these buildings are physical reminders of the community's roots and the values that continue to bring us together.

During the Ward 5 by-election, many candidates are talking about the former Federal Building which used to serve us as the post office and customs house. The building is owned by a private developer with plans to preserve the facade of the historic structure while building a 7-storey residential tower behind it.

If residents are concerned about what the Gruesome-Twosome might do, they only need to consider what has been done with one of Newmarket's other historic buildings, the Old Town Hall.  Built in 1883, the Old Town Hall was designated an historic building in 1999.

The 1883 building is quite beautiful with its bell tower and high narrow windows. Unfortunately, the ravages of time combined the willful neglect and lack of building maintenance under the Van Bynen/ Taylor led Council were causing the foundation to crumble. A significant portion of the over $10 million that was invested in the Old Town Hall renovations were quite frankly sunk into the building's foundation.

The character of this historic building has been lost due to the erratic modern architecture that comprises the remainder of the renovations. Glass, concrete, and glaring lights are inconsistent with the regeneration of the original structure.

It looks very, very ugly.

Would the Gruesome-Twosome repeat the same mistake with the former Federal Building on Main Street? Based on the type of architecture they seem to approve of - the Old Town Hall, the Magna Centre, and Belinda's Place - the answer is almost assuredly a resounding, Yes.

The Gruesome-Twosome have terrible track record against aesthetically pleasing architecture. All major projects approved by the Van Bynen/ Taylor led Council have been unsightly and misshapen messes.


  CTV News, photo of the glass and concrete addition to the historic Old Town Hall building

New Taxation Without Representation

At today's Committee of the Whole meeting, Newmarket Council is reviewing user fees, licensing, and other ancillary revenue sources for the Town.

That, in itself, isn't news. Under the "leadership" of the gruesome twosome taxes and other fees have gone up,up and up for each year they've been in elected office.

And guess what? It is safe to predict that they'll go up again next year and the year after that too.

If overburdened Newmarket residents can ever hope to see tax relief, they will have to elect new leadership who actually gives a damn about fiscal management.

What is "news" is that Council is going ahead with reviewing these hikes without the input of any representative of Ward 5.

What's the rush?

Why isn't Council waiting just a short six weeks until the new Council member is elected in order to ensure that there is no taxation without representation?

Could this rush to get these new hikes through (with what I expect will be little or no debate) be a sign that the incumbent powers on Council are concerned about the outcome of the by-election?

Lord know that Council is very good at deferring issues. Asking for a deferral is a regular occurrence at Council. I would suggest that Council should wait the six weeks to hike user fees and licensing costs in order that all Wards are represented.

The Burden of Real Estate Agents Sitting on Newmarket Town Council

I never accepted former Councillor Joe Sponga's explanation of why he quit his Council seat just 17 months into his term. The idea of a potential law suit or code of conduct complaint running him out of office just seemed preposterous. It seemed to me that Sponga was simply seeking attention with his "Woe is me" act. How sad for him.

Now we know the truth.

Sponga has recently updated his Linked-In page to show that he is now a real estate agent. It seems obvious that Sponga was concerned with the inherent conflict of interests that will present themselves between that profession and his duties on council. He couldn't serve his constituents if he was always being forced to declare a conflict of interest (by having a listing in the area or a potential sale in the area, and so on).

In the Ward 5 By Election, there are a few candidates who are real estate agents or studying to become real estate agents. These candidates need to explain to voters now how they will attempt to balance their profession and their council responsibilities.

If a Council member is declaring a conflict of interest on a significant percentage of Council votes, then what use is there in this person occupying a Council seat? It would be better to follow Sponga's example and step aside, allowing an unencumbered representative to do the job representing constituents on each and every issue before the Council.

Either Councillor Dave Kerwin has laryngitis, or ....

Dave Kerwin doesn't intend to be at Monday's meeting when Council decides how it will fill the vacant Ward 5 seat:

http://newmarket.siretechnologies.com/sirepub/cache/2/ufqku2a1mk0dmexqud3l2gm0/4312807212016042800256.PDF

Which begs the question: if Mr. Kerwin was taking the time to draft a letter about how he would have voted on July 25th, could he not have included in his letter an explanation to his constituents as to why he was missing this vote?

It would seem common courtesy to his constituents is taking a back seat to Kerwin's need to showboat.

Kerwin wants the people to know he believes in democracy.

All well and good except that the Councillor who voters in Ward 2 have elected over and over again couldn't be bothered to come out and vote himself on July 25th.

No wonder municipal voter turnout is so low. Council member turnout at meetings and committees isn't setting much of an example.

Hey Newmarket Era...Leave that man alone.

On its Facebook Page, the Newmarket Era is promising to get to the bottom of the story: "Why did Joe Sponga quit?"

The paper is incensed and aghast that Sponga is refusing to provide any comment. The Era is asking its followers to weigh in on the topic. The paper even started an "Is it just me?" promotion to hype the interest in the so-called Sponga controversy.

But the response rate is negligible. The paper's editor and publisher must be wondering why nobody is responding to their incessant demands for public comment.

The reason why Newmarket residents aren't responding is because for the most part Newmarket residents are generally good people. We are supportive friends and neighbours. We generally don't partake in idle gossip. We are discrete.

The people who know Joe respect his right to privacy. We accept and respect his right to resign and we don't feel we are owed any additional comment or explanation. The moment that Joe Sponga resigned, he stopped being a politician. So people in Newmarket will treat him as one of us.

I don't know what has caused this disconnect of the Newmarket Era from the community, but the paper has misread us terribly.

Maybe it's a generational thing. A Generation Y reporter raised in the era where social media has broken down respect for personal privacy could be the cause. I remember when the Era was a much kinder, gentler publication and much more respectful. That Era has long passed unfortunately.

I also suspect that a John Taylor - through his wife, Michelle Digulla, who is vice president of the publication that writes the Era - connection to this paper may have played a part in the Era's obsession with Sponga's resignation. Whenever the paper has written multiple stories about a single issue in the past (or conversely, ignored issues altogether), John Taylor had political reasons for doing so. Does John Taylor have political reasons to motivate the paper's desire to make Sponga appear 'unhinged' in the public's eye?

My advice is for the public to keep on doing we're doing. Joe Sponga is no longer a politician. As citizens, we wouldn't want someone stirring up innuendo about us. We owe it to Joe to do the same.

It's time for the Newmarket Era to move on and leave Joe alone.

In Ward 5, one candidate for the vacant council seat rises above all the rest

The July 25th Council meeting will not provide us with any clues about why Joe Sponga controversially resigned amid threats of lawsuits and code of conduct complaints.

The meeting will focus on how Sponga will be replaced followed by who will replace him.

And I would humbly submit that Ward 5 residents and business leaders should make a beeline to former Ward 6 councillor Di Muccio's door step asking her to run.

I don't make this recommendation lightly or without serious consideration. I have surveyed potential Ward 5 councillors and Di Muccio's credentials rises above all others.

There are only two years left in this term, and many significant issues remain that affect this ward. Specifically, Clock Tower, Library, Broad Band Internet, parking issues and so on all need to be debated and voted on.

Di Muccio has been in the closed door meetings between 2010 and 2014 and knows the context of all of these issues. Anyone else will have to rely on other Councillors to "fill them in" on the finer details and are more susceptible to being ill informed when voting. The other councillors won't be able to pull the wool over Di Muccio's eyes because she has first hand knowledge of these issues..

Di Muccio has a consistent track record for standing up to Mayor Van Bynen and John Taylor. Simply put, the gruesome-twosome don't intimidate her. Newmarket has elected "opposition" candidates in the past, only to see them switch sides as soon as they take their oath of office. Jane Twinney and Tom Hempen are two recent examples who ran against incumbents, only to adopt the incumbent's mindset once in office. Di Muccio stayed true to her principles consistently.

The reasons the establishment wanted Di Muccio off council in 2014 don't hold any water in 2016. The establishment said she was too disruptive and pointed to politically motivated integrity commissioner complaints as proof. Well, Newmarket has spent more than double on Integrity Commissioner complaints since October than what we did in four years previous, with more than a dozen investigations against our present council members. So what does that prove about our present council?

And Sponga's resignation shows how dysfunctional this current council is. If Newmarket council was debilitated in 2014, it certainly wasn't the fault of Di Muccio. Newmarket council is more broken in 2016 than ever before. Maybe the fault lies with the gruesome-twosome.

Instead of Newmarket's current "get along gang," the public deserves a council that asks tough questions and holds Town of Newmarket staff accountable for delivering top quality services. I don't see anyone on this present council willing to do that. I do recall that Di Muccio asked tough questions and demanded answers when she served on council, though.

We have a window of opportunity to improve the functioning of our town council, not only for the residents of Ward 5, but for all of Newmarket, as a result of this by-election. I endorse Maddie Di Muccio to fill the vacant seat because she won't flip flop and sell us out. I can't say that wouldn't be the case if others were elected or appointed to replace Sponga.

Ward 5's Next "Elected" Ward Councillor

With Joe Sponga's resignation, the decision on how to replace him rests with the rest of Council. It's a shame that the Ward 5 residents' right to have elected representation now lies with Council members, who represent other wards.

These council members must decide between appointing someone to replace Sponga or hold a by-election and let the residents chose their own elected representative. We are only 19 months into this term, so you might think that a by-election would be their preferred option.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news for all potential Ward 5 candidates, but there is no way in hell that we are going to see a by-election in Ward 5 this term.

Elections are very messy things and by-elections are far too tricky to predict the outcome. Council has very little to gain and everything to lose if they don't appoint a seat warmer "Yes" person to fill the vacancy.

1) Keep in mind, voter turnout during a regular municipal election is 35%. During a by-election where the stakes are so low, we'd be looking at a turnout between 15 and 20% of eligible voters. In a general election, it may take 1,000 votes to win. If this by-election takes place, and with multiple candidates sure to run, someone may win the seat with just 300-400 votes.

The sitting council members simply couldn't take the risk that someone gets elected and starts asking tough questions and demanding answers.

2) If there were to be a by-election, it would most certainly be a referendum on the Clock Tower development. Council is already committed to proceeding with this project. What would happen if the residents voted someone who was vehemently opposed? All the backroom (of Tim Hortons on Yonge St) wheeling and dealing that has taken place over the past 5 years would have to begin again in earnest.

In order to save Council's plans for the Clock Tower development, the sitting members of Council won't risk a by-election.

Here is my shortlist of possible "YES" people who could be appointed to replace Joe Sponga:

1) Jackie Playter - a long term ally of Tony Van Bynen and someone who has years of experience dealing with the Main Street BIA (even though she is on the 'outs' with the current BIA board). If Jackie doesn't want the job, her son Wes may get it by default.

2) Joan Stonehocker - volunteer with the library board and an advocate for bicycles and growing her own food. These are two issues that Council approves of.

3) Rob Clark - owner of RC Designs and a close ally of John Taylor. Taylor owes Clark a number of political favours and this appointment may be payback time.

4) Rob Buckley - owner of Buckley insurance and a close friend of Councillor Dave Kerwin.

5) Karen Dubeau - a former Library Board member and a strong advocate of Tony Van Bynen's Giga Bit corridor.

6) Sean Stephens - CEO of Treefrog and another supporter of Van Bynen's Giga Bit corridor.

Update (thanks to one of my readers for pointing out this obvious omission)

7) Victor Woodhouse - the former Town of Newmarket Councillor. Although there is no love lost between him and the currrent Ward 3 Councillor Jane Twinney, the fact that the Mayor and Deputy Mayor could always count on his council vote means he'll be under consideration.

If you can think of any other "YES" appointees that I may have missed, please use the comments section and let's get a discussion going.

Municipality-owned Broad Band Internet Corridor Construction Begins in September 2017

It's a plan that has been discussed since 2007 in hopes of transforming the municipality into what the politicians are calling an "Intelligent City." Starting in September 2017, the shovels hit the ground for a five year project to a install broad band internet corridor owned by the municipality.

Phase 1 will run along the municipality's busiest street and connect the library, the municipal offices, and the hospital.

Phase 2 will run through the business district.

The hope is that this high speed broad band internet service will draw in young people and create jobs.

The investment in the broad band infrastructure is currently estimated at $9,000,000, but the municipality plans to have it paid for within 20 years.

Does this plan sound familiar? You could be forgiven if you thought this plan was for Newmarket, (although Mayor Van Bynen's Council is nowhere near this level of preparedness). No, we're talking about New Westminster (population 65,000 - as compared to Newmarket's population of 88,000).

The key difference is that New Westminster has $9,000,000 to spend. New Westminster is flush with cash and its politicians are proud to boast how well funded their project is.

The Town of Newmarket, with just $18,000,000 in total reserves, does not have that amount of money to spend, unless Council foolhardily decided to bet it's bank gambling on a business plan that is full of optimism, but high in risk. You can see the Town of Newmarket's reserves in this information report published on June 15, 2016.

Isn't it time that Tony Van Bynen and his Council allies admit to the residents and the business community that his Giga Bit Corridor is a non-starter? After so many years of economic development failures (Davis Drive, York University Campus, Harry Walker Parkway, Shared Digital Imaging and so on), residents have gotten pretty used to Van Bynen/Taylor coming up short.

But before another nickle is invested in "researching" broad band internet, residents need to be shown that their is a funding strategy that makes sense. Will it mean selling off Newmarket Hydro, for example, and letting go of our golden goose to pursue their vanity project?

I believe we can chalk up Newmarket's Giga Bit Corridor initiative up to a desperate Mayor and his allies who were willing to promise voters anything to dupe us into believing that they have a plan for new economic growth. This promise came during an election campaign but it appears as though this Council doesn't have any intention of following through with it.

For those keeping score at home:

• Davis Drive Bus Lanes
• York University Campus
• Harry Walker Parkway
• Shared Digital Imaging
• Finland/ Estonia Junket
• Giga Bit Corridor

The list of Van Bynen/Taylor endorsed "economic development" failures just continues to grow.

Why Won't Council Commit to a Cross Walk Signal on Water Street?

With the Province promising to increase GO Train traffic to every 30 minutes and Council intending to almost double the amount of parking spots at Fairy Lake, pedestrians in the Fairy Lake area have every right to feel ignored in the hubbub.

For many years, people that walk between Riverwalk Commons and the Fairy Lake portion of the Tom Taylor trail, must carefully cross the very busy Water St without any crosswalk, lights, or other pedestrian aids.

A May 27th Information Report once again refuses to commit to installing a pedestrian crossing light to stop traffic on Water St.

Instead, this report is proposing to construct a "refuge island" to allow pedestrians who are unable to cross the street in one attempt, to at least make it halfway to wait for another possible opening in traffic. Frankly, its a very dumb but expensive idea.

It seems like a lot of construction work as opposed to the obvious solution.

Here is what the right solution should be:

1) Put in a cross walk signal for people who are crossing Water Street on weekdays and weekends between September and June.
2) On Saturday mornings during the summer months (for the period of time the Farmer's Market is open), close Water Street to vehicular traffic between Doug Duncan Dr. and Main St. This will allow free flow of pedestrians during this peak use time.
3) Close Water St between Doug Duncan and Main St. during periods when Fairy Lake is hosting popular events such as the upcoming Canada Day event.

Closing Water St. to cars and trucks for a few brief hours on a summer Saturday morning is hardly going to inconvenience anyone and will keep residents safe.

Its a very simple solution.

It's too bad that none of our highly paid town planners could have thought of it on their own.

Parking Plan Shows Gruesome Twosome's Controversial Clock Tower Development Will Proceed

John Taylor (the junior partner in Newmarket's Gruesome Twosome) is breathlessly trying to convince residents that Main Street's vibrancy is behind the plan to pave over Fairy Lake green space to create 33 new parking spots.

Wait just a minute.

33 spaces?

Isn't that number awfully familiar?

Seems like that figure matches the number of parking spots that will be lost if the controversial Gruesome Twosome's land swap proposal with the Clock Tower development gets approved on August 29th.

Coincidence?

I don't think so.  Unless there is new development, there really isn't any need to create the volume of parking spaces that are being proposed.  Even if there is minor development, there still must be allowances made for the improved public transit, bike lanes, and trails that service this area.  Not every visitor uses a car.

The status quo for parking is perfectly fine if there is no new residential development.

But if a decision about the Clock Tower has already been made (as suggested by the number of back room meetings that the developer has been conducting with Council members individually and in small groups), then - and only then - would the additional parking be required.

A lot of hardworking community activists are about to be greatly disappointed.

Preserve Fairy Lake for People not Cars

Here is an excerpt from the Association of Municipalities Ontario (AMO)

"Municipal Government  
The powers of municipal governments are determined by the provincial government. Municipal governments in Ontario are responsible for providing many of the services within their local boundaries that you rely on daily such as: 

• Airports 
• Ambulance 
• Animal Control and By-law Enforcement 
• Arts and Culture 
• Child Care 
• Economic Development 
• Fire Services 
• Garbage Collection and Recycling 
• Electric Utilities 
• Library Services 
• Long Term Care and Senior Housing  
• Maintenance of Local Road Network 
• Parks and Recreation 
• Public Transit 
• Planning New Community Developments and Enhancing Existing Neighbourhoods 
• Police Services 
• Property Assessment 
• Provincial Offences Administration  
• Public Health 
• Side Walks 
• Snow Removal 
• Social Services 
• Social Housing  
• Storm Sewers 
• Tax Collection 
• Water and Sewage "

Do you know what's missing from this list?

Parking.

Yet the Town of Newmarket has become obsessed with paving over green spaces, like Fairy Lake, to create more and more parking spots. Have they confused "parks" for "parking lots?"

Who benefits when green spaces Fairy Lake are paved over? Certainly not the public. 

Local businesses in the Main St. area might like to have more parking for their customers but their wishes should not supersede the public's need for green space. Besides, if a Main St business is really dependent on more parking, then I'd suggest that there are plenty of vacancies along Davis Drive and Yonge Street corridors that could use a new tenant. These near empty plazas, the casualties of the VivaNext construction, provide plenty of parking opportunities.

Our trail systems and bike lanes all connect commuters to Riverwalk commons. So does YRT transit. People traveling to the Riverwalk Commons, Farmer's Market, Old Town Hall or Library should consider alternative modes of transit that have been promoted by our "green" town.  We won't be green much longer though if our Mayor and Council pave over to make way for more automobiles.    

There is a place for the automobile but it is up to private businesses to concern themselves with parking needs of their patrons. I agree with the AMO. The Town's business is to preserve our parks for people, not cars.  

What would motivate Jane Twinney to make learning to drive less safe for students?

Jane Twinney, a politician with a notorious track record for pandering, has a motion on the May 30th Committee of the Whole meeting calling on the Town of Newmarket to consider banning driving schools from certain residential streets.

Why?

Has there been a rash of accidents related to G1 drivers practicing parallel parking?

Obviously not. In fact, learning to drive on residential streets is much safer, as the speed limits are lower and traffic flow is much less. Jane Twinney's motion only serves to make learning to drive less safe for teens.

Unfortunately, Jane Twinney has been influenced by some loud-mouthed resident who parks his car on the street and is disturbed that a driving school would use his vehicle as a pylon to teach a novice driver.

There isn't a residence in Newmarket that doesn't include parking. In fact, it's the law that parking must be provided.

Those who park on the street are using public property.

It always amazes me the number of people who feel they personally "own" the road in front of their homes. It's public property.

The Town of Newmarket has always been too willing accommodate those car owners who claim ownership of the street.

The reason we don't have more bike lanes, for example, is explained by the Town of Newmarket that they would remove on-the-street parking opportunities.

The reason we don't generate more user fees from parking meters is because we have politicians kow-towing to car owners.

The reason why the Town of Newmarket is considering paving over parkland at May 30th's Committee of the Whole meeting is to build an additional 33 parking spots.

The politicians will show up on May 30th to get their photo taken at "Bike to Work Day," but ultimately, they work for car owners.

If these politicians have their way, every square inch of Newmarket's green space will be paved over with asphalt, including the walking paths within our trail system, so as the accommodate the pickup trucks our Town employees drive.

All of this will happen as pandering politicians, like Jane Twinney, continue to suck up to people who unfairly demand that their car ownership gives them the right to dominate others, including bike lanes, parkland, and novice drivers.

Taylor/Van Bynen plan return to "glory days" of Ray Twinney corruption?

The Town of Newmarket Council has been dishonest about many things in the recent past. But if there is one issue that the Gruesome Twosome has been completely honest about, it's their plans supporting unbridled development in our town.

It always amazes me to talk to people who honestly believe that Mayor Van Bynen and Deputy Mayor Taylor give a rat's patootie about preserving our neighbourhoods - whether it be Glenway, Davis Drive,or Main Street.

Last week, the province of Ontario announced plans to increase intensification for Places to Grow communities from 40% to 60%. For many years, Newmarket's un-dynamic duo has been chirping loud and clear that they advocate for 100% intensification in Newmarket.

They are and have always been on the side of the developers.

But before we rush in an put a high rise condo tower on every street corner and pave over our parkland to create more parking lots (as is their plans in the River Walk Commons area), let's take heed of what the Mayor of Barrie, a community in the midst of intensive development, has recently reported. (You can read Jeff Lehman's comments here)

No doubt about it, intensification will lead to a higher cost of living in our town. Housing prices will rise. It will be more expensive to live in Newmarket if the Gruesome-Twosome succeed.

Clean water, wildlife and natural heritage are all under attack under the controversial Taylor/Van Bynen's plan.

They want to take away the power of the people to appeal to the OMB and instead make themselves the final arbiter of what gets built and where. Remember when former Mayor Ray Twinney was arrested on corruption charges? That's the era that Taylor and Van Bynen want to return to.  Ah the glory days of council members accepting bribes from developers. Who doesn't want to return to that?

There is another path of course. We could demand sustainable development that respects our current neighbourhoods, preserves and actually builds more green space, and keeps home ownership more affordable. There is another way that ties new job growth to development.

Yet Van Bynen and Taylor believe that whatever works in Toronto will work in Newmarket. I think that's a false premise. Toronto can sustain the development because there are jobs in the city. Newmarket's housing will not be affordable because we don't have any economic growth here. Our residents must drive to Toronto for work. Bike lanes and bus rapid way systems that travel East-West across Davis Drive don't connect residents to local jobs.

And somehow the bike lane and Viva Davis Drive bus seem like the perfect illustrations of what's wrong with the flawed planning behind Taylor/ Van Bynen's unbridled growth strategy
  

Making Rental Happen in the Town of Newmarket

Over recent years, people engaged in social media noticed a trend from certain Newmarket politicians to hashtag "Make Rental Happen" after their posts.

Newmarket Council was seemingly engaged in advocating for more rental opportunities in our community.

After all, we know that our region has the lowest percentage of rental dwellings in the Greater Toronto Area. 11.5% of York Region households are rentals, as opposed to 28.4% in the GTA.

In 2012, there were just 33 new rental units completed in York Region.

To say that renters can go live "someplace else" isn't a solution. Newmarket businesses need employees and customers to fuel economic growth.

So the solution is simple.  Newmarket Council has to (hashtag) "Make Rental Happen."

Along comes the Clock Tower proposed development, which plans to construct 165 rental units on Main Street. It's important to note that Main Street has received significant investment of Town of Newmarket resources - time, money, manpower - over a 30-year period.

Council has an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. It can "make rental happen" and it can inject a significant amount of potential new customers into a shopping district that needs the economic boost.

What does our Newmarket Council do when faced with a Win-Win situation?

Lead by the controversial Regional Councillor John Taylor, Council decides to do everything it can to ensure this project fails.

I invite  you to read John Taylor's blog (Really I do - because taxpayers like you and me apparently paid John Taylor via his council expense account almost $2,000 to post his opinions on line). You can click here to see what your tax dollars paid for.

I think the lesson in all of this is that residents expect a heck of a lot more from our elected officials to (hashtag) "Make Rental Happen" than a tweet, Facebook post or a vacuous resolution.

Yet when it comes to making those tough decisions, our Council, lead by John Taylor, would rather prevaricate and pander.

That's not leadership.

Newmarket Council Prefers the View from Outer Space

Construction has barely begun on the Yonge Viva bus lanes and already we are seeing the same sort of nonsense that plagued a similar project on Davis Drive for many years.

Coordination and planning are really impossible tasks for York Region and the Town of Newmarket.

It seems that the people in charge couldn't manage to plan for a one-car parade.

Yonge Street is very likely the busiest street in Newmarket. It's important to keep all traffic flowing in both directions during the period of construction.

But already we've seen examples where traffic is being blocked on both sides of the street for days at a time.

I am not talking about vehicle traffic, although there have been single lane closures that have snarled traffic too.

I am talking about pedestrian traffic.

The other day, I had an occasion to walk a significant stretch of Yonge Street. Between Mulock and Eagle, the sidewalks on both the east and west sides were either closed with a sign, or blocked by trucks and heavy machinery.

There is no way for a pedestrian to get by.

On Monday, Newmarket Council will vote to adopt David Suzuki's Blue Dot resolution, and our Council members will pat themselves on the back about how much "work" they've accomplished to achieve a greener planet.

"Blue Dot" refers to what planet Earth looks like from outer space.

It's a good metaphor for our Newmarket Council. They prefer to talk about things like "global warming" and "CO2 emissions"- which are frankly beyond the municipality's reach.

Yet on local issues, like pedestrian safety concerns, you can't find a single accomplishment that you could attribute to them.

Time and again, our Newmarket councillors vote against a new sidewalk, or in support of paving over parkland in favour of creating more parking spaces.

They keep their focus on the blue dot view from outer space as opposed to real action they can take right here, right now.

Gruesome-Twosome Tag Team Wrestling Takes Over Newmarket Council

A number of concerned citizens approached Newmarket Council today to be heard on a variety of issues including:

• exorbitant development charges
• lack of action on electing a York Region Chair
• a vacuous resolution on OMB reform
• recommending a lobbyist registry
• Main St. BIA

The amount of venom being spewed by council members in response to polite, well spoken, citizens was jarring. Perhaps the lowest point was when Councillor Sponga accused the President of the Main St BIA of lying. (But maybe lower than that, was while this was going on, none of his Council colleagues objected to Joe Sponga's accusation with a point of privilege).  

When a Mayor and Council feels it must go to war against every member of the public that speaks at a Council meeting, then we know it's time for a change in Newmarket.

The Mayor and members of the Newmarket Council owe the public a huge apology for acting in such an ill mannered way at today's meeting.  

And the Mayor and members of Council need to reflect on why they are so aggressive towards the public they are supposed to be accountable to.  

Stronach bagman Hinder refused seat on York Regional Police Services Board but 'Glenway/Slessor Square' Brad Rogers is chosen

Remember when Christina Bisanz talked about laying down in front of bulldozers to stop the Glenway development?

Well it better not come that, because one of the newly appointed members of the York Regional Police Services Board is Brad Rogers of Groundswell Urban Planners Inc. His company is behind such controversial Town of Newmarket developments as Glenway and Slessor Square. His influence within the York Regional Police could spell trouble for any potential protests against his upcoming projects from local residents.

And while these appointees are officially "provincial appointments" there can be no doubt to residents how close Brad Rogers is with the municipal level politicians at York Region Council. As Groundswell Urban Planners Inc is primarily focused on Newmarket and Georgina, it's safe to say that Newmarket Mayor Tony Van Bynen and Regional Councillor John Taylor were both consulted and signed off on his appointment.

With Brad Rogers' new appointment, the curtain has been pulled back to reveal how tight the Mayor and Regional Councillor are with developers - especially those associated with the Glenway and Slessor Square mega projects.

Noticing that Ward 7 Councillor Christina Bisanz is in every photo-op with Mayor Van Bynen these days. it is hard to imagine that she didn't know about this controversial appointment beforehand too. This certainly wouldn't be the first time that she betrayed her election promises to Glenway residents in favour of developer interests.
  
The second newly appointed member, Khalid Usman, is probably best known for being the Treasurer of the the Frank Scarpitti Foundation. Seeing as Frank Scarpitti is the Chair of the York Regional Police Services Board, it isn't hard to see who influenced Mr. Usman's "provincial appointment."

Overseeing the York Regional Police annual budget makes the Police Services Board one of the most influential groups in local politics. The other citizen members of the Board include long term member and former Town of Newmarket Fire Chief John Molyneaux and failed Liberal candidate Bang-Gu Jiang of Markham. The politicians on the Board include Chair Frank Scarpitti, Deputy Chair Virginia Hackson, and York Regional Chair Wayne Emerson.

Most notably absent from the list is Steve Hinder, who our sources say campaigned quite openly for the appointment but was rejected. Hinder is known locally as being the bagman for Frank and Belinda Stronach, directing campaign donations to certain municipal council incumbents. He would be seen as someone who politicians might owe favours to, but he failed to get the support when it counted.  

Note that Steve Hinder delivered fat campaign donations from the Stronachs and/or Magna to only four Newmarket politicians, including Van Bynen, Taylor, and Bisanz. The fact that these three politicians refused to back Hinder must really sting his ego.

Reasons as to why Mr. Hinder was denied an appointed are not made public but I'd like to think that this blog may have had some influence:  (Click here)

Vice Chair of the "Stink Letter" Newmarket Library is the Executive Director of Local Homeless Shelter

I want to send out a note of support to the employees of the Newmarket Public Library who are merely trying to do their jobs as best they can.

I couldn't imagine how embarrassing it would be to have someone approach you with a letter informing you that other people are complaining about your body odor. But I have to empathize that it must be equally awkward for the individual who is required to deliver that message too.

Don't blame these library employees folks. Instead, let's turn our attention on the policymakers for the Newmarket Public Library. The Newmarket Public Library Board has been mostly silent while employees are being vilified in the media, with the CEO stating he would be taking a "hiatus" from Twitter.

The Newmarket that I know is a great community. Our local churches engage in helping the less fortunate. Citizens come out in droves to fund raise for Syrian refugees or Belinda's Place homeless shelter. What a slap in the face it is for all the dedicated volunteers who work with the less fortunate and those who donate money to this cause to see our local government enforce such a socially offensive "stink" policy at one of our public buildings.

So who is behind this policy?

Tom Vegh - Ward 1 Councillor, Vice Chair of the Newmarket Library Board, and Executive Director of the Inn From the Cold homeless shelter.

Kelly Broome Plumley - Ward 6 Councillor and a former recipient of the Neighborhood Network's Character Community Award. She is also a member of the Newmarket Library Board.

Joe Sponga - Represents the ward in which the Newmarket Public Library is situated and also sits on the Newmarket Library Board. In 2014, Joe Sponga contemplated running for the NDP in Newmarket Aurora.

Knowing the people behind the "stink" controversy at the Newmarket Public Library reminds me of the Valley of the Hypocrites in Dante's Inferno. These damned souls were condemned to wear beautiful, dazzling coats that were lined with lead which weighed them down and prevented them from spiritually progressing.

Isn't that an appropriate metaphor for our Council members who rush in for every photo opp to appear to be doing great things in our community? But behind the scenes and away from the camera flashes, they are ordering Newmarket employees to hand out "stink" notices to humiliate those very same people they are supposedly helping.

And just like a coat of lead, such action really does prevent our local government from having a real effect on helping the people in need.

Newmarket Council Members Are Paid to Show Up At Community Events So Why Don't They Attend?

Every time we bring up the issues of council member expenses, our elected officials get awfully prickly and defensive.

David Dingwall famously declared, "I am entitled to my entitlements." With that kind of attitude, he would fit in perfectly with Newmarket Council.

Let's review Newmarket Council's entitlements:

Our Mayor is amongst the highest paid politicians in this country.  But unlike most others, he has a unique taxpayer funded subsidy that allows him to keep more of his paycheque than the other elected officials do.  When Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne makes $208,974 annually, she pays income tax on that amount.  Although Tony Van Bynen's salary is slightly below hers, his take home pay is greater because 1/3 of his Mayor's salary is not subject to income tax.

This 1/3 tax free benefit is a holdover from a previous era when politicians used to pay out of their own pockets to attend community events or send newsletters. When taxpayer funded expense accounts were introduced, most municipalities did away with the 1/3 tax free benefit.

Not Newmarket.  Our Mayor and Council members get to have their cake (1/3 tax free) and eat it too (with a taxpayer funded expense account).  It's an embarrassment of riches.

Earlier I wrote about the atrocious attendance of our Council members at scheduled meetings.  (Click here if you want to review their attendance track record).  But attendance at community events is even worse.

Should we expect our Council members to show up at community events?

- YES -

We are giving Council members a 1/3 income tax free subsidy plus an extremely generous expense account and yet they still won't show up.

Yesterday's Big Brothers Big Sisters bowling fundraiser is a good example.

Newmarket Era reporter Chris Simon and Mayor Van Bynen's wife were called in to fill in when not enough Council members showed up to participate.  And despite the low turnout, John Taylor left halfway through not caring that his absence meant that the "team" would be undermanned.  Only three of the potential 9 Council members put in the time with the community to earn their extra perks.

This one example demonstrates what your members of Council are doing with the 1/3 income tax free subsidy and their publicly funded expense account.

If Council members don't want to feel obligated to show up to community events then they should refuse the extra take home pay and the publicly funded expense account.

The public can only expect that these Council members "show up" to community events as long as we are paying for these perks. If the Council member refuses the perks, then the public would have no right to complain when a Council member decides to stay home.

So now it is up to these members of Council.  Will they show up and earn the extra money that the public is allotting to them?  If not, will they have the integrity to refuse these funds?  

Why the Newmarket Era is Distorting the Facts About Campaign Fairness Reforms

Earlier this week, I posted a blog calling for the cessation of developer, union and corporate donations in Newmarket municipal elections.

As the Newmaret Era so often does in reaction to what I write, a few days later, the paper published an editorial calling for the end of developer - but not union or corporate - donations.

The Newmarket Era cites Campaign Fairness and the will of the people to justify it's point of view. (To learn more about Campaign Fairness, click the link here).

I don't have to fight Campaign Fairness' battles, but clearly the Newmarket Era is distorting the organization's views. Campaign Fairness in bold lettering declares:

Fair campaign finance laws for Ontario municipalities. Ban all corporate and union donations.

It couldn't be clearer that what Campaign Fairness is fighting for isn't just prohibiting "developer" donations, but all corporate and union donations too.  

Why would the Newmarket Era purposefully distort this fact? 

1)  The company that owns the Newmarket Era, the York Region Media Group, has itself donated money to incumbent's campaign in the past. The editorial writer wouldn't dare be critical of what her bosses have been doing.  

2) The worst offender of being beholden to corporate donations - and there is irrefutable evidence of him using his council expense account to repay his campaign donor (RC Designs) with public funds almost three times the amount of the donation - is Regional Councillor John Taylor. Recall that the spouse of  the controversial Mr. Taylor is a senior executive within the organization that owns the Newmarket Era. As I wrote earlier, Mr, Taylor's 2014 re-election campaign had 42 corporate donations between $500 and $750, the most of any candidate in 2014. The editorial writer certainly wouldn't criticize that, would she?  

Clearly because the editorial writer is fearful of her corporate bosses, the public receives distortions of fact within the pages of the local paper.  

A couple of years ago, the editor of the Newmarket Era went public with a speech declaring that Newmarket Town Hall Watch was an aberration, and only professional journalists, not citizen journalists like me, had the ethics and integrity to report the news. 

All of this is pure bluster of course. The reality is that her corporate bosses heavily influence her to distort the facts. She is the last person who should be allowed to advise us of what is good for democracy.  

Citizen journalists, like me, are not beholden to private, corporate, and union interests. We are 10,000% more likely to tell the story accurately because of this. 

Professional journalists often moan and complain that their form of media is dying out in favour of bloggers, YouTubers, and Twitter users.  

The Newmarket Era should be the case study in journalism school that defines why newspapers are endangered species. The public knows that the citizen journalists who talk about issues, like myself, are a far more trustworthy news source.   

Let's Put an End to Developer, Union and Corporate Donations in Newmarket Municipal Elections

I am glad to see that Kathleen Wynne is taking a long hard look at the effect of corporate, developer, and union donations on campaign financing.

Provincially, the Premier has established fundraising targets for her Ministers, as reported in the Toronto Star. Ministers in Wynne's cabinet are each expected to raise several hundreds of thousands each year. As a result, the opposition parties are raising many examples of corporate donors to the Liberal Party of Ontario subsequently receiving lucrative government contracts.

Things have come to a boil after a $2.5 million "Heritage" fundraising dinner last week when the public outrage over selling access to Ontario Government Ministers received much coverage in the media.

On Monday afternoon, the Ontario Government released a discussion paper meant to provoke a conversation on municipal election campaign financing. What the government is proposing is to allow municipalities to follow the lead from federal election rules and ban donations from developers, unions and corporate donors. Wynne is expected to propose the same for the province.

In the 2014 municipal election, the biggest fundraiser in Newmarket was the controversial Regional Councillor, John Taylor. He held a July 2014 fundraiser selling tickets for $750 apiece that generated $24,000 in income for his campaign.

He had 42 corporations donating between $500 and $750 - the maximum donation - either in cash or product/service in kind. This generated $30,350. In addition, because the law allows this as a loophole to get around maximum donation limits, business owners who may have also donated corporately, personally gave him another $6,000.

All of this money went towards funding his election campaign income of $57,737.18. Miraculously, he spent the exact same amount of money - right down to the penny - on his campaign, so there was neither a deficit nor a surplus.

I think it's highly unlikely that someone like John Taylor will follow Kathleen Wynne's lead on prohibiting campaign donations from corporations, unions and developers in a Newmarket election. And because the new provincial legislation will make it optional for municipalities to adopt these new rules, don't expect to see Newmarket follow suit as long as Taylor is in office. Without their money, he wouldn't be able to fund his re-election campaign.

And that's why Kathleen Wynne should make these rules mandatory - not optional.

That said, imagine a Newmarket and York Regional government that focused on the issues that matter to residents, as opposed to the special interests of corporations, unions, and developers.

Goodwill dump sight in Newmarket an eyesore despite bylaw

Once upon a time, Newmarket council members used to blog about their opinions and views on town related issues. Today, despite the fact that the public is funding their personal web sites (see here ), taxpayers never really know what their council members are doing or thinking. In the specific case of the aforementioned example, the taxpayers don't actually know if the website we bought and paid for even exists.

But back to my original point, here is a throw back to 2012 (see here). Beyond the spelling and grammar errors contained within the blog, former Councillor Emanuel argues against messy clothing donation bins owned by various charities located on private property. He calls them unsightly.  

Later, in May 2013, former Councillor Emanuel convinced his allies on Council to charge a deposit fee to these charities, which supposedly go towards the cost of cleaning up overflowing bins.

In his blog, then Councillor Emanuel referenced the Goodwill store as an example of a company that "take items for donation to bennefit (sic) the broader community".

My...how times have changed. I photographed this scene of the Goodwill store earlier today.



It's time that the Town of Newmarket step in and clean up the mess left behind by Goodwill.

Hopefully, the Town's workers will have the good sense to send Goodwill an invoice for the dumpster fees.

But if a bankrupt Goodwill can't afford to pay the fees, then the cost of cleaning up is borne by us. All we are left with is the unfortunate irony to then Councillor Emanuel's claim that Goodwill had a "bennefit to the broader community."  

Newmarket's dark history with our own version of Donald Trump

In US politics, much was made when the former "Grand Wizard" of the Klu Klux Klan endorsed Donald Trump for President.

Remember Trump's infamous CNN interview when Jake Tapper asked him to denounce David Duke's support? Here is what he said:

"Well, just so you understand, I don't know anything about David Duke. OK? I don't know anything about what you're even talking about with white supremacy or white supremacists. So, I don't know. I don't know, did he endorse me or what's going on, because, you know, I know nothing about David Duke. I know nothing about white supremacists. And so you're asking me a question that I'm supposed to be talking about people that I know nothing about." 

In Newmarket, we have our own dark history with racism, sexism and other exclusionary tactics. It still goes on today, and one of the frequent targets are people of middle-eastern descent. Longer term residents will recall the very public negativity surrounding the establishment of a mosque in our town.    

But we aren't alone with this problem. In Austria, MP Richard Lugar has compared refugees fleeing the civil war in Iraq and Syria to "Neanderthals." He has called for all refugees to provide DNA samples so that a database can be set up to be accessed in criminal investigations.  

Referring to asylum seekers as sub-human and criminals has echos of the darkest moments of our civilization. David Duke would likely recognize those sentiments.  

Why would residents of Newmarket care what an Austrian MP has to say about refugees?  

Because Richard Lugar isn't just a MP. He is also the Chairman of the "Team Stronach" Party in Austria.  

Just like Donald Trump, Frank Stronach is an eccentric billionaire who likes to put his name on things. A drive through Newmarket will result in many places carrying his surname.  

He is the founder and funder of Team Stronach in Austria.

He also funds many of our local politicians too. Newmarket Mayor Tony Van Bynen, Deputy Mayor John Taylor, Ward 6 Councillor Kelly Broome-Plumley and Ward 7 Councillor Christina Bisanz all received maximum campaign donations from Stronach related companies.  

Stronach political support and funding has not been without sordid controversy. Stronach is being sued by a local resident after his bagman, Steve Hinder, punched the man at a 2014 political event in Aurora. The punch was such as to result in the victim being admitted to hospital requiring lifesaving emergency surgery.  

That incident of Stronach sponsored violence in local politics conjures up images of Donald Trump's recent rally/riot in Chicago.   

Eventually, even Donald Trump had the good sense to distance himself from David Duke and his offer of support.  

When will Van Bynen, Taylor, Broome-Plumley and Bisanz denounce Frank Stronach and everything his "Team Stronach" party has been spewing about refugees? Will they return the campaign donations they received from Frank Stronach related companies?

And will the Town of Newmarket and Southlake Regional Hospital remove the Stronach name from publicly owned property?

I hope to see Syrian refugees come and settle in Newmarket. I just can't imagine any of their children playing in Stronach Park located in Copper Hills subdivision.  What peace could they find in a park named after someone who spews hate by calling refugees "Neanderthals" and "criminals"? 

Spend, Spend, Spend - Newmarket Council ought to be ashamed

In 2014, incumbents of the Town of Newmarket Council threw in everything and the kitchen sink to ensure that tax fighter Maddie Di Muccio did not get re-elected.

Newmarket has never seen such a nasty campaign. We saw a barrage of very negative tactics which included bogus trumped up charges under the Council Code of Conduct, outrageously malicious Youtube ads, kangaroo court council procedures and defamatory hate mail delivered anonymously to constituent's mailboxes.

Hopefully that was the lowest these people will stoop.

Unfortunately, these tactics worked. Maddie Di Muccio was tossed from office. The candidate that Council approved of, Kelly Broome Plumley, has been quietly occupying the Ward 6 seat, never stirring to ask any difficult questions, and always dutifully voting in concert with her patrons' wishes just like I predicted here: http://nwkttownhall.blogspot.ca/2014/10/newmarkets-manchurian-candidate.html

The gruesome twosome have never had it so good.

With the release of the 2015 expense report, residents can now see how good these incumbents have things.

Just look at how much their discretionary spending has increased in the one year since Maddie Di Muccio left Council:

Council Member           Percentage Increase in Discretionary Spending 2014 & 2015

Tony Van Bynen                      115.34%

John Taylor                              222.11%

Tom Vegh                                29.46%

Dave Kerwin                            74.60%

Jane Twinney                           64.49%

Tom Hempen                           800.49%

Joe Sponga                               74.91%


In the case of the gruesome twosome specifically, the amount of funds provided by the taxpayers of Newmarket wasn't enough to sate their appetites for spending. They also dipped into public money belonging to York Region.

In the case of John Taylor, it allowed him to spend more than the money allocated by the Town. Including the travel costs he was reimbursed by York Region, Taylor spent 124% of the funds he was allocated by the Town of Newmarket.

Spend. Spend. Spend.

Taylor ought to be ashamed.

In the case of Tony Van Bynen, he squirreled money into the Region to avoid appearances that he exhausted the entire amount of his allocated budget with his reckless ways.

As taxpayers, it makes no difference to us whether the Region or Newmarket paid for the gruesome twosome's travel costs.

We get one property tax bill.

And if a taxpayer cared enough to take a closer look at the paperwork, they'd realize that most of their tax dollars via council expenses go to the very businesses or community organizations that help the same politicians get elected time and time again.

That's how empires evolve.

And that's how democracy loses.

Van Bynen failing to deliver promised "new economy" jobs

Tony Van Bynen promised to create new jobs for Newmarket. He ran his re-election campaign around this single election promise. During his re-election bid, Van Bynen heralded that his broad band internet scheme would transition our economy towards the "new economy".

That was 2014.

Two years have elapsed and Mayor Van Bynen hasn't made any progress.

This week, the Town of Newmarket issued an information report on job growth in Newmarket. The numbers are not pretty.

The GTA grew its economy with 4.1% growth in new employment. York Region lagged behind with just 2.4% but those results were weighed down with Newmarket's lagging economy. Newmarket grew it's new jobs by just 1.5%, well behind the rest of York Region and the Greater Toronto Area.

When will Van Bynen and his allies on Council do anything about growing the Newmarket economy? As Van Bynen's administration remains idling by, the rest of the GTA economy is growing and adding new opportunities.

Newmarket has not added any full time jobs. The number of part time jobs in Newmarket has actually decreased over the years. The only "new employment" in Newmarket is of the contract worker type that can only be described as precarious, at best.

Is that the "new economy" Van Bynen had in mind?

Hey Christina Bisanz -- Let's win one for Bogart Creek

Next week is "Earth Hour" and the Town of Newmarket is once again asking residents to turn off their lights between 8:30 and 9:30 on March 19.

Earth Hour is a symbolic gesture. We are all smart enough to know that one hour of reduced energy usage will have no effect on improving the environment.

But there is one decision before Council that does have long term effects.

Each winter, tons of snow from around Newmarket are collected and stored at the unused parking lot at the Ray Twinney Complex. When the snow melts, the sands, silts, and salts are captured. The process is our best option from an environmental viewpoint.

However, there are two or three NIMBY's who live near the Ray Twinney Complex who have convinced Council to end this environmentally safe process.

Instead, Council wants to move the process to 429-445 Harry Walker Parkway, which is a 3.47 hectare property at the headwaters of the environmentally sensitive Bogart Creek. The cost of moving the snow storage is currently estimated at $70,000.

According to Ward 2 Councillor Dave Kerwin, there are no guarantees that the sands, silts and salts from the melting snow won't end up poisoning the surrounding land. If the melting snow runs off into the Bogart Creek, the damage to the environment will spread down stream.

Closing the Ray Twinney snow storage was the brain child of Ward 7 Councillor Christina Bisanz.
This week on Twitter, she is encouraging her supporters to join the "Earth Hour Challenge"

 

ChristinaBisanz

Hey Ward 7--let's win this one! http://fb.me/2bQvJFsQG 

"Let's win this one?"

How can it be a win for the environment when she is advocating polluting Bogart Creek rather than risk disappointing two or three of her supporters? Are those few votes so important that it's worth the risk of polluting our ecological heritage?