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.
Friday 20 May 2016
Monday 16 May 2016
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
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
Tuesday 3 May 2016
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 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.
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