This past weekend, the York Region Pride Fest Committee put on a terrific event in downtown Newmarket. This is the fifth time the committee has held Pride Fest but a first for Newmarket.
Pride is a month long global event (at least in the Western world) to demonstrate inclusivity and diversity for all peoples regardless of sexual gender or orientation. The Toronto Pride Parade is among the largest in the world. Indeed, it is among the largest cultural events in North America.
While holding Pride events in big cities is important, it is even more critical to host them in smaller communities such as Newmarket. We still live in a time when LGBT youth often feel isolated and alone in expressing their sexuality. That can lead to a difficult experience in a large urban centre but at least there is a sizeable LGBT community in cities like Toronto to offer support and acceptance. In a town like Newmarket, there just isn't the same community experience for LGBT youth.
Holding a Pride Fest event in Newmarket is an invitation to all to be true to yourself. Thank you to the York Regional Police, the local unions, and other supporters who are providing outreach and support.
Thank you to all the Pride Fest organizers. Hopefully Newmarket earned your faith and trust and you will bring the event back to Newmarket next June.
Tuesday, 20 June 2017
Friday, 2 June 2017
Property taxes for 2018 - How political are employees at the Town of Newmarket?
How do we know a municipal election year is coming?
Well, if you are Newmarket resident, you can tell by the property tax increase schedule released by our "non-partisan" civil servants.
In any non-election year, the schedule of public hearings and council meetings result in the property tax increase being passed by Council in or around February of the year that the budget takes effect. For example, the property tax increase for 2017 was approved by Council on February 13, 2017.
But a February 2018 approval for the 2018 property tax increase would likely be too fresh in voters minds. So here comes our "non-partisan" bureaucrats to save the day for our incumbent Mayor and Council. They are suggesting that an October/ November 2017 date for property tax increases (approximately 1 year prior to election day) will bring many benefits to the community.
If there were benefits to rushing the approval process for property tax increases to be completed several months in advance, then perhaps staff could explain why they don't follow this process each year? Why is the rushed property tax increase approval dates only used when there is a municipal election looming?
One of the campaign platforms I'd like to see in 2018 is a frank discussion of how blatantly partisan the employees of the Town of Newmarket have become in favour of the status quo. This not only involves when tax increases are voted on, but also what information is available to the public via freedom of information requests, and even who is going to face thousands of dollars in bylaw fines (ahem, not Tony Van Bynen despite flagrant disregard for the election signs rules).
Maybe we need a candidate to come forward to suggest it is time to clean house at Newmarket Town Hall?
Well, if you are Newmarket resident, you can tell by the property tax increase schedule released by our "non-partisan" civil servants.
In any non-election year, the schedule of public hearings and council meetings result in the property tax increase being passed by Council in or around February of the year that the budget takes effect. For example, the property tax increase for 2017 was approved by Council on February 13, 2017.
But a February 2018 approval for the 2018 property tax increase would likely be too fresh in voters minds. So here comes our "non-partisan" bureaucrats to save the day for our incumbent Mayor and Council. They are suggesting that an October/ November 2017 date for property tax increases (approximately 1 year prior to election day) will bring many benefits to the community.
If there were benefits to rushing the approval process for property tax increases to be completed several months in advance, then perhaps staff could explain why they don't follow this process each year? Why is the rushed property tax increase approval dates only used when there is a municipal election looming?
One of the campaign platforms I'd like to see in 2018 is a frank discussion of how blatantly partisan the employees of the Town of Newmarket have become in favour of the status quo. This not only involves when tax increases are voted on, but also what information is available to the public via freedom of information requests, and even who is going to face thousands of dollars in bylaw fines (ahem, not Tony Van Bynen despite flagrant disregard for the election signs rules).
Maybe we need a candidate to come forward to suggest it is time to clean house at Newmarket Town Hall?
Sunday, 7 May 2017
How safe is Newmarket water really?
Another spring and, like clockwork, Newmarket's municipal water works is advising residents that another round of "swabbing" is needed to make our drinking water safe to drink again. (You can read about it here),
Swabbing is a process by which chemical agents are added into our drinking water to dissolve microorganisms, such as algae, molds, bacteria and other life forms, that accumulate on the pipes. While this process is underway, residents are asked to shut off the main water valve to their home for a period of 10 hours.
If your household needs water during this period, the township recommends filling a bath tub prior to the swabbing process and then using the saved water for washing, cooking, flushing toilets and so on.
Once the swabbing process is complete, the chemical will be flushed out through a neighbourhood fire hydrant to run off into the storm sewers or the local streams and water ways. If the town officials know how many hundreds of thousands of litres of water is being purged this way, they aren't making that number available to the public. Officially, they have told the public that they just don't know how much chemical laced water is being pumped into the environment through the fire hydrant.
Town residents are already familiar with the yellow-ish-brown discoloration in the water after swabbing occurs which the town assures is perfectly safe to drink. However, if you use the washing machine with discolored water, it will stain your clothes a yellowy-brown tinge.
I have found instances of other towns that will swab their drinking water system. I have never found another example of an Ontario town that does it annually like Newmarket does. Such a frequency begs the question if we can trust our Town when they insist our drinking water is as safe as other York Region municipalities?
Swabbing is a process by which chemical agents are added into our drinking water to dissolve microorganisms, such as algae, molds, bacteria and other life forms, that accumulate on the pipes. While this process is underway, residents are asked to shut off the main water valve to their home for a period of 10 hours.
If your household needs water during this period, the township recommends filling a bath tub prior to the swabbing process and then using the saved water for washing, cooking, flushing toilets and so on.
Once the swabbing process is complete, the chemical will be flushed out through a neighbourhood fire hydrant to run off into the storm sewers or the local streams and water ways. If the town officials know how many hundreds of thousands of litres of water is being purged this way, they aren't making that number available to the public. Officially, they have told the public that they just don't know how much chemical laced water is being pumped into the environment through the fire hydrant.
Town residents are already familiar with the yellow-ish-brown discoloration in the water after swabbing occurs which the town assures is perfectly safe to drink. However, if you use the washing machine with discolored water, it will stain your clothes a yellowy-brown tinge.
I have found instances of other towns that will swab their drinking water system. I have never found another example of an Ontario town that does it annually like Newmarket does. Such a frequency begs the question if we can trust our Town when they insist our drinking water is as safe as other York Region municipalities?
Saturday, 6 May 2017
Is it "Three Strikes You're Out" with the Newmarket-Aurora PCs?
Things at the Newmarket Aurora PC Association just keep going from bad to worse.
Current EDA president Derek Murray, with the blessing of former MPP Frank Klees, is disputing the outcome of last month's candidate nomination vote. (See here for The Auroran article).
While Murray won't say publicly what the irregularities are, it's well known that Charity McGrath, who won the vote, acted improperly to attain victory. Abuses of the local membership lists and brazenly handing out $25 'gift' bags to her PC member sign-ups - who were bused in - are among the allegations I have heard from outraged members.
It's well known that this isn't the first time the Richmond Hill resident has courted controversy. McGrath's failed 2016 nomination in Oshawa, which she lost to now MPP Lorne Coe, included several similar irregularities. In that fiasco, it was rumoured she purchased over 1,000 memberships from people who never signed up. Some PC insiders have openly questioned how she and Mr. Coe could work together in the same caucus if she ever gets elected.
Her husband, Joe Di Paola, was a former Richmond Hill councillor who was booted out in the last election. Readers have to look no further than this story to see how the McGraths/DiPoalas are among one of the most embarrassing couple in Ontario politics.
If you notice in the above article, the McGraths/DiPoalas have a penchant for changing their addresses depending on where they're running. McGrath continues to lie to residents here that she lives in Newmarket - until a journalist exposed her.
Murray's complaint is now the third investigation conducted by the Ontario PC Party into shenanigans in Newmarket-Aurora since January 2017.
The party was well warned about the potential of controversy relating to the Newmarket Aurora nomination several times during 2015 and 2016. For reasons unknown, the Ontario PC's decided to ignore all the sound advice, and instead chose the perilous route which courted disaster.
Local PC supporters are telling me that they are just fed up and won't support either Patrick Brown or whomever ends up being the local Newmarket-Aurora candidate. As with other ridings, many are openly complaining that Patrick Brown is on course to re-elect a Kathleen Wynne government through his own ineptitude.
Current EDA president Derek Murray, with the blessing of former MPP Frank Klees, is disputing the outcome of last month's candidate nomination vote. (See here for The Auroran article).
While Murray won't say publicly what the irregularities are, it's well known that Charity McGrath, who won the vote, acted improperly to attain victory. Abuses of the local membership lists and brazenly handing out $25 'gift' bags to her PC member sign-ups - who were bused in - are among the allegations I have heard from outraged members.
It's well known that this isn't the first time the Richmond Hill resident has courted controversy. McGrath's failed 2016 nomination in Oshawa, which she lost to now MPP Lorne Coe, included several similar irregularities. In that fiasco, it was rumoured she purchased over 1,000 memberships from people who never signed up. Some PC insiders have openly questioned how she and Mr. Coe could work together in the same caucus if she ever gets elected.
Her husband, Joe Di Paola, was a former Richmond Hill councillor who was booted out in the last election. Readers have to look no further than this story to see how the McGraths/DiPoalas are among one of the most embarrassing couple in Ontario politics.
If you notice in the above article, the McGraths/DiPoalas have a penchant for changing their addresses depending on where they're running. McGrath continues to lie to residents here that she lives in Newmarket - until a journalist exposed her.
Murray's complaint is now the third investigation conducted by the Ontario PC Party into shenanigans in Newmarket-Aurora since January 2017.
The party was well warned about the potential of controversy relating to the Newmarket Aurora nomination several times during 2015 and 2016. For reasons unknown, the Ontario PC's decided to ignore all the sound advice, and instead chose the perilous route which courted disaster.
Local PC supporters are telling me that they are just fed up and won't support either Patrick Brown or whomever ends up being the local Newmarket-Aurora candidate. As with other ridings, many are openly complaining that Patrick Brown is on course to re-elect a Kathleen Wynne government through his own ineptitude.
Wednesday, 3 May 2017
Newmarket's Town Drunk Named Citizen of the Year
Has it really been 40 years?
A frantic call came into the municipal offices urgently demanding to speak to Mayor Ray Twinney.
The caller had a complaint to make. One of the local town council members showed up at his house and this councillor was completely boozed up. Drunk like a skunk. Three sheets to the wind.
It was demanded that the mayor drive over to pick up this plastered politician and make sure he ended up at his home to sleep it off.
What an embarrassment.
Well yesterday it was announced that the infamous drunkard was named Newmarket's Citizen of the Year.
I wonder if they'll tell this story at his induction ceremony?
A frantic call came into the municipal offices urgently demanding to speak to Mayor Ray Twinney.
The caller had a complaint to make. One of the local town council members showed up at his house and this councillor was completely boozed up. Drunk like a skunk. Three sheets to the wind.
It was demanded that the mayor drive over to pick up this plastered politician and make sure he ended up at his home to sleep it off.
What an embarrassment.
Well yesterday it was announced that the infamous drunkard was named Newmarket's Citizen of the Year.
I wonder if they'll tell this story at his induction ceremony?
Saturday, 8 April 2017
PC strategy of opposing Mulock GO is off the rails
They say all politics is local.
Which is why the Ontario PC Party wants to weigh in, here in Newmarket. PC MPP transportation critic Michael Harris believes he has a strategy of winning the next election in our riding. He wants to oppose the Mulock GO Train station.
In this week's Era newspaper, MPP Michael Harris has declared that the proposed Mulock GO station doesn't make sense.
Full disclosure, I also oppose the new GO station for Mulock and have written about it last October. But in response to that blog post, I heard a unanimous chorus in support of the new station that would be built in the Steven Court area. It is going to be financed with Metrolinx money and it will bring jobs to Newmarket through construction,
The Ontario PCs are also running against new public transit projects in Vaughan and Hamilton. From accounts that I have read, the PC view has been soundly rejected by municipal level politicians and the general public.
Michael Harris - who is from Kitchener but somehow knows the Newmarket political landscape - publicly railing against the new train station is a god-send for local Liberal organizers, as it is bound to tip support towards current MPP Chris Ballard.
Which is why the Ontario PC Party wants to weigh in, here in Newmarket. PC MPP transportation critic Michael Harris believes he has a strategy of winning the next election in our riding. He wants to oppose the Mulock GO Train station.
In this week's Era newspaper, MPP Michael Harris has declared that the proposed Mulock GO station doesn't make sense.
Full disclosure, I also oppose the new GO station for Mulock and have written about it last October. But in response to that blog post, I heard a unanimous chorus in support of the new station that would be built in the Steven Court area. It is going to be financed with Metrolinx money and it will bring jobs to Newmarket through construction,
The Ontario PCs are also running against new public transit projects in Vaughan and Hamilton. From accounts that I have read, the PC view has been soundly rejected by municipal level politicians and the general public.
Michael Harris - who is from Kitchener but somehow knows the Newmarket political landscape - publicly railing against the new train station is a god-send for local Liberal organizers, as it is bound to tip support towards current MPP Chris Ballard.
Friday, 7 April 2017
How many investigations of Newmarket Aurora is Rick Dykstra conducting?
For the second time in two months, Ontario PC Party president Rick Dykstra is promising to launch a serious investigation into allegations of wrong-doing involving the local Newmarket-Aurora PC membership list. In the latest series of complaints, dozens of people have contacted PC Party head quarters as personal information was given to a third party company without the party's consent.
All three candidates on the local PC nomination ballot, (Charity McGrath, Tom Vegh, and Bill Hogg), have been connected to serious allegations of past misconduct. For local members, it is a veritable rogues' gallery on the ballot.
As of this time, all three candidates have been OK'd by party screeners and the nomination vote will proceed as planned.
Local members learned the extent of today's latest PC controversy when Bob Stanley, the Executive Director of the Ontario PC Party, contacted each member by phone this morning through robo-calling to confirm the anonymous company was not affiliated with the party.
Noting that I cannot link him to this present controversy, it is curious to note that Court documents show that Bill Hogg was found to have lied in a filed affidavit while he was sued by a pharmaceutical business for having taken their client list without permission.
But it could have been any one of the current candidates.
All three candidates on the local PC nomination ballot, (Charity McGrath, Tom Vegh, and Bill Hogg), have been connected to serious allegations of past misconduct. For local members, it is a veritable rogues' gallery on the ballot.
As of this time, all three candidates have been OK'd by party screeners and the nomination vote will proceed as planned.
Local members learned the extent of today's latest PC controversy when Bob Stanley, the Executive Director of the Ontario PC Party, contacted each member by phone this morning through robo-calling to confirm the anonymous company was not affiliated with the party.
Noting that I cannot link him to this present controversy, it is curious to note that Court documents show that Bill Hogg was found to have lied in a filed affidavit while he was sued by a pharmaceutical business for having taken their client list without permission.
But it could have been any one of the current candidates.
Water issues in the Newmarket Public Library
Innocent questions about the location of the Newmarket Public Library's only water fountain deserve an answer.
Currently, the sole water fountain is located in the Children's Department. This is convenient for families who use the Library, But concerns have been raised that the Library may be putting young children at risk by requiring strangers (without accompanying children) to visit the Children's area. Should this area be restricted to young children and accompanying adults only?
Why aren't there any other options?
Would it not be simpler to install a second water fountain in the main lobby on the first floor?
I would like to point out that a plug in water cooler can be purchased from Canadian Tire for a very reasonable cost. See this link
For less than $200, the Library can address the safety concerns that have been raised.
What are they waiting for?
Currently, the sole water fountain is located in the Children's Department. This is convenient for families who use the Library, But concerns have been raised that the Library may be putting young children at risk by requiring strangers (without accompanying children) to visit the Children's area. Should this area be restricted to young children and accompanying adults only?
Why aren't there any other options?
Would it not be simpler to install a second water fountain in the main lobby on the first floor?
I would like to point out that a plug in water cooler can be purchased from Canadian Tire for a very reasonable cost. See this link
For less than $200, the Library can address the safety concerns that have been raised.
What are they waiting for?
Saturday, 25 March 2017
Top Ten Earners at Newmarket Town Hall - 2016 "Sunshine List" Released
Did your salary keep pace with the bureaucrats who work for you at Newmarket Town Hall?
The Ontario Government released the details of how much the senior management at the Town of Newmarket earned in 2016. Here are your Top Ten earners:
- CAO Robert Shelton continues to earn the most in Newmarket bringing home $247,641.16.
- Commissioner Peter Noehammar brought home $182,403.22.
- His colleague, Commissioner Ian MacDougall saw a salary of $179,553.30 in 2016.
- Rachel Prudhomme, the Director of Engineering, earned $165,492,19 in 2016.
- The Town's Director of Public Works, Chris Kalimootooo, he earned $162,769.62 last year.
- Commissioner Esther Armchuk took home $153,814.55..
- The Director of Finance was the next highest earner. Mike Mayes earned $149,889.10 in 2016.
- Wanda Bennett, Director of Corporate Communications, earned $146.453.27.
- Susan Chase, the Manager of of IT, was the Town of Newmarket's 9th highest earner at $146,453.27.
- Karen Georgeff, the Director of Human Resources, rounds out the Top Ten list bringing home $146,453.27.
With just one exception, this year's top ten earners are the same as last year's. No new blood has been injected into the senior management team of the Town of Newmarket.
It is impossible to compare year to year increases because the way the Town of Newmarket publishes information seems to change with each edition of the Sunshine List. Based on the published data without any context leads us to believe that most of the top ten earners had a pay decrease from 2015 but we don't know if the same factors were included in these two years. It seems far more likely, that the Town of Newmarket did not count all the apples in their basket which makes the pay seem lower.
Conspicuously absent from the Top 10 list is our Mayor, Tony Van Bynen. According to the Sunshine List, Mayor Van Bynen earned $117,162.21+ in 2016. The Sunshine List reported sum does not appear to include the $54,337.92 he earns as one of Newmarket's representatives at York Region Council. Nor does it appear to include the $12,004.00 he earned as a board member of the Newmarket Tay Hydro Board (a position he holds automatically, because he was elected Mayor). We should also make special note that $31,398.12 of his earnings is not subject to income tax by virtue of a vote by the Gruesome-Twosome Council which deems 1/3 of his municipal pay to be "tax-free".
It is impossible to compare year to year increases because the way the Town of Newmarket publishes information seems to change with each edition of the Sunshine List. Based on the published data without any context leads us to believe that most of the top ten earners had a pay decrease from 2015 but we don't know if the same factors were included in these two years. It seems far more likely, that the Town of Newmarket did not count all the apples in their basket which makes the pay seem lower.
Conspicuously absent from the Top 10 list is our Mayor, Tony Van Bynen. According to the Sunshine List, Mayor Van Bynen earned $117,162.21+ in 2016. The Sunshine List reported sum does not appear to include the $54,337.92 he earns as one of Newmarket's representatives at York Region Council. Nor does it appear to include the $12,004.00 he earned as a board member of the Newmarket Tay Hydro Board (a position he holds automatically, because he was elected Mayor). We should also make special note that $31,398.12 of his earnings is not subject to income tax by virtue of a vote by the Gruesome-Twosome Council which deems 1/3 of his municipal pay to be "tax-free".
As with previous years, because of the discrepancies between the various published reports and lack of an explanation forthcoming by the Mayor and his administration, the public still cannot say how much Mayor Van Bynen actually earns from taxpayers. These contradictions between the published reports creates a confusion that has led many to believe that Mayor Van Bynen is among the highest paid elected officials in Canada. But just like Donald Trump, Mayor Van Bynen isn't going to release his T4 slips any time soon despite the fact that his paycheque is funded exclusively by public money.
Wednesday, 22 March 2017
No Search Warrant? No Problem for Town of Newmarket Investigators
What would you do if you arrived home from work this spring to find a stranger poking around in your backyard? What if this stranger was peering into the windows of your home?
Would your first reaction be to call the police?
Well the Gruesome-Twosome Council of the Town of Newmarket is about to make it legal for its bylaws officers to enter your property without a search warrant to investigate whether homeowners are cutting grass or have an illegal accessory dwelling unit (ADU) such as a basement apartment.
These extraordinary powers for bylaws officers go well beyond what the real police have the authority to do. If the police suspected a drug lab in a basement, they would first need to go before a Justice of Peace to get a search warrant before they could legally breach the homeowner's right to privacy.
We need to think of what is in the public's best interest when it comes to law enforcement. Are people in imminent danger? Is an indictable offense being perpetrated? Of course not.
So why can't our bylaws officers simply knock on your door and make an appointment with the homeowner to view the property? Wouldn't common courtesy and respect for privacy trump the need to creep around and snoop without the homeowners consent? If there was an urgent need to inspect a property, shouldn't the bylaw officer justify their case (just like police officers do) and get a search warrant?
Instead of being decent and respectful, our municipal government is considering Gestapo tactics to deal with alleged rule breakers, such as people who don't cut their grass in their own backyard to the standards of a nosy neighbour. This change is to be considered by Council on March 27th,
Would your first reaction be to call the police?
Well the Gruesome-Twosome Council of the Town of Newmarket is about to make it legal for its bylaws officers to enter your property without a search warrant to investigate whether homeowners are cutting grass or have an illegal accessory dwelling unit (ADU) such as a basement apartment.
These extraordinary powers for bylaws officers go well beyond what the real police have the authority to do. If the police suspected a drug lab in a basement, they would first need to go before a Justice of Peace to get a search warrant before they could legally breach the homeowner's right to privacy.
We need to think of what is in the public's best interest when it comes to law enforcement. Are people in imminent danger? Is an indictable offense being perpetrated? Of course not.
So why can't our bylaws officers simply knock on your door and make an appointment with the homeowner to view the property? Wouldn't common courtesy and respect for privacy trump the need to creep around and snoop without the homeowners consent? If there was an urgent need to inspect a property, shouldn't the bylaw officer justify their case (just like police officers do) and get a search warrant?
Instead of being decent and respectful, our municipal government is considering Gestapo tactics to deal with alleged rule breakers, such as people who don't cut their grass in their own backyard to the standards of a nosy neighbour. This change is to be considered by Council on March 27th,
Wednesday, 1 February 2017
Should I continue?
My blog is now in its eighth year. I started it as a way to inform Newmarket taxpayers about the lies and distortions published by the Newmarket Era while the paper continues to ignore more serious news.
After publishing 50+ blog postings each year, and slowly chipping away at the credibility of the Newmarket Era and the exaggerated fluffing of the gruesome twosome, I see that, (on social media at least), people are coming around to my perspective.
The Newmarket Era has continually betrayed our community's trust to report honestly and factually on the affairs of our Town Council.
I remain embarrassed for the Newmarket Era each time it arrives at the end of my driveway.
I am angered each time I think that my exorbitantly high property taxes are handed over to the Newmarket Era as a form of corporate welfare to keep it afloat. I get angry even still when I recall that John Taylor's wife's gets an executive salary to take home as a result of this corporate welfare. And when I think of the additional garbage pick up costs we all assume as a result of the Newmarket Era filling our blue boxes each week with unwanted, unnecessary junk flyers (why aren't they distributed on line only?) I am frustrated even more.
But do I need to continue to beat this dead horse? Has my blog run its course? If we all know agree that the Newmarket Era has lost its credibility by becoming the propaganda arm of the gruesome twosome, then what role is there left for the Newmarket Town Hall Watch blog?
After publishing 50+ blog postings each year, and slowly chipping away at the credibility of the Newmarket Era and the exaggerated fluffing of the gruesome twosome, I see that, (on social media at least), people are coming around to my perspective.
The Newmarket Era has continually betrayed our community's trust to report honestly and factually on the affairs of our Town Council.
I remain embarrassed for the Newmarket Era each time it arrives at the end of my driveway.
I am angered each time I think that my exorbitantly high property taxes are handed over to the Newmarket Era as a form of corporate welfare to keep it afloat. I get angry even still when I recall that John Taylor's wife's gets an executive salary to take home as a result of this corporate welfare. And when I think of the additional garbage pick up costs we all assume as a result of the Newmarket Era filling our blue boxes each week with unwanted, unnecessary junk flyers (why aren't they distributed on line only?) I am frustrated even more.
But do I need to continue to beat this dead horse? Has my blog run its course? If we all know agree that the Newmarket Era has lost its credibility by becoming the propaganda arm of the gruesome twosome, then what role is there left for the Newmarket Town Hall Watch blog?
Sunday, 22 January 2017
Council members can no longer be silent on questions of corporate corruption
The allegations of corporate cheating to influence the outcome of the last Town of Newmarket municipal election appear to be highly credible.
But remember that no corporation would risk their brand's reputation just to get one of its employees another part time job as a Town Councillor. This cheating wasn't about obtaining a $40,000 per year job for Kelly Broome. These corporations have their own self interests in play and are expecting a much higher payback.
For example, let's look at the new Mulock GO Train Station. Back in October 2016, Council voted for a resolution that encourages Metrolinx to fund development plans of a new GO station on the south-east corner of the train tracks on Mulock Drive. This same resolution promised to support amending Newmarket's Official Plan to support changes to land use provisions of the neighbouring properties of the train station. Changes to the Official Plan could potentially be worth millions of dollars to landholders in the area if developers seek to cash in on developing within the vicinity of the new train station.
Did anyone consider which car dealership is located at 349 Mulock Drive (located on the north-west corner across from proposed train station)? Or which Council member is employed by the owner of that dealership? And did that Council member declare a conflict of interest prior to casting her vote?
How about another Council member who is also the president of a controversial charity that used to operate right next door to the dealership located at 349 Mulock Drive? What is the relationship between that dealership and the charity belonging to the Council member? Did he declare a conflict of interest prior to voting in favour of the new train station?
And should we forget that other members of Council received "support" in their election from the owner of this dealership? Did that corporate donation weigh into their decision to vote in favour of this Mulock train station?
The public deserves answers from our members of Council to these important questions. When Council decisions could lead to real estate transactions valued in potential millions of dollars involving a Council member's employer, or the member's charity sponsor, or their campaign campaign "supporters", shouldn't every measure be taken to ensure complete transparency and openness?
I truly hope that the Council members will speak openly about their vote. To remain silent (like they are apt to do) only increases the speculation that our democracy is at risk of being sold to the highest corporate bidder.
But remember that no corporation would risk their brand's reputation just to get one of its employees another part time job as a Town Councillor. This cheating wasn't about obtaining a $40,000 per year job for Kelly Broome. These corporations have their own self interests in play and are expecting a much higher payback.
For example, let's look at the new Mulock GO Train Station. Back in October 2016, Council voted for a resolution that encourages Metrolinx to fund development plans of a new GO station on the south-east corner of the train tracks on Mulock Drive. This same resolution promised to support amending Newmarket's Official Plan to support changes to land use provisions of the neighbouring properties of the train station. Changes to the Official Plan could potentially be worth millions of dollars to landholders in the area if developers seek to cash in on developing within the vicinity of the new train station.
Did anyone consider which car dealership is located at 349 Mulock Drive (located on the north-west corner across from proposed train station)? Or which Council member is employed by the owner of that dealership? And did that Council member declare a conflict of interest prior to casting her vote?
How about another Council member who is also the president of a controversial charity that used to operate right next door to the dealership located at 349 Mulock Drive? What is the relationship between that dealership and the charity belonging to the Council member? Did he declare a conflict of interest prior to voting in favour of the new train station?
And should we forget that other members of Council received "support" in their election from the owner of this dealership? Did that corporate donation weigh into their decision to vote in favour of this Mulock train station?
The public deserves answers from our members of Council to these important questions. When Council decisions could lead to real estate transactions valued in potential millions of dollars involving a Council member's employer, or the member's charity sponsor, or their campaign campaign "supporters", shouldn't every measure be taken to ensure complete transparency and openness?
I truly hope that the Council members will speak openly about their vote. To remain silent (like they are apt to do) only increases the speculation that our democracy is at risk of being sold to the highest corporate bidder.
Tuesday, 10 January 2017
Mayor's Levee, By Election Update and Naming & Shaming
Mayor's Levee
"It was a small but enthusiastic crowd."
This is the way a small number of people will remember last weekend's Mayor's New Years Levee.
The weather was decent. The event was organized. Yet hardly anyone showed.
With the Town of Newmarket struggling to stay within its fiscal means, it begs the question whether the annual Mayor's Levee should be continued. Certainly, the event cost some money but couldn't that money be put to better use?
Most telling is that many of our Council members didn't bother to show up either.
By Election Update
After weeks and weeks of delay, the Town of Newmarket finally decided to post the Candidate campaign expenses.
The public can view the filed expenses here.
No word from the Town of Newmarket if there is a deadline for a member of the public to request a campaign finance audit.
All in all, a very sloppy display of election transparency by the Town of Newmarket.and certainly not to the quality that we have been accustomed to in the past.
Naming and Shaming
I have been critical in the past of the Newmarket Era's decision to publish restaurant health violations and it dismayed me to see these stories listed among the most popular articles posted on the www.yorkregion.com web site.
Yet, it surprises me that the newspaper wouldn't be consistent here:
Of course those arrested for drinking and driving ought to be named and shamed.
We have an open and widespread epidemic of drivers flouting the law with their reckless impairment and lives and property are needlessly placed at risk. Arrest rates are at record levels in York Region but the tide of drivers willing to risk your life and property due to their irresponsible intoxication doesn't appear to be abating.
The politicians haven't come to the table with suitably harsh prison sentences.
So the newspaper has a very important obligation to step up and provide the necessary deterrent. Make people think twice before getting behind the wheel after drinking. Let them know their reputation within the community, with their employer, and others is at stake. If someone can't govern themselves to act responsibly around alcohol, then the rest of us should know how dangerous they really are.
"It was a small but enthusiastic crowd."
This is the way a small number of people will remember last weekend's Mayor's New Years Levee.
The weather was decent. The event was organized. Yet hardly anyone showed.
With the Town of Newmarket struggling to stay within its fiscal means, it begs the question whether the annual Mayor's Levee should be continued. Certainly, the event cost some money but couldn't that money be put to better use?
Most telling is that many of our Council members didn't bother to show up either.
By Election Update
After weeks and weeks of delay, the Town of Newmarket finally decided to post the Candidate campaign expenses.
The public can view the filed expenses here.
No word from the Town of Newmarket if there is a deadline for a member of the public to request a campaign finance audit.
All in all, a very sloppy display of election transparency by the Town of Newmarket.and certainly not to the quality that we have been accustomed to in the past.
Naming and Shaming
I have been critical in the past of the Newmarket Era's decision to publish restaurant health violations and it dismayed me to see these stories listed among the most popular articles posted on the www.yorkregion.com web site.
Yet, it surprises me that the newspaper wouldn't be consistent here:
Of course those arrested for drinking and driving ought to be named and shamed.
We have an open and widespread epidemic of drivers flouting the law with their reckless impairment and lives and property are needlessly placed at risk. Arrest rates are at record levels in York Region but the tide of drivers willing to risk your life and property due to their irresponsible intoxication doesn't appear to be abating.
The politicians haven't come to the table with suitably harsh prison sentences.
So the newspaper has a very important obligation to step up and provide the necessary deterrent. Make people think twice before getting behind the wheel after drinking. Let them know their reputation within the community, with their employer, and others is at stake. If someone can't govern themselves to act responsibly around alcohol, then the rest of us should know how dangerous they really are.
Saturday, 10 December 2016
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.
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.
Wednesday, 30 November 2016
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:
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).
Sunday, 13 November 2016
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?
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?
Sunday, 30 October 2016
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.
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.
Thursday, 20 October 2016
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.
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.
Friday, 14 October 2016
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
CON
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?"
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?"
Sunday, 9 October 2016
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.
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.
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