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TRANSIT: INVESTMENTS TAKE TIME PAGE A6

OUR VIEWMORE YORK REGION DOGS GETTING

LYME DISEASE, VETS WARN PAGE B1

REAL TICK OFF

SENIOR CITIZENS IN YORK REGION — A SERIES

See page A3.

‘WE WILL FEEL THE IMPACT ACROSS EVERYTHING’BY LISA QUEEN

[email protected]

n just two decades — from 2011 to 2031 — York Region’s senior popula-tion will increase by 148 per cent, almost four times faster than the

growth rate of the overall population.That changes everything.From societal shifts to family dynamics, from health care

to the workplace, from housing to transportation and more, there are few areas and services that will remain untouched by the unprecedented greying demographics.

“We will feel the impact right across everything we do in York Region. We will feel the impact right across every ser-vice we provide,” said Lisa Gonsalves, director of strategies and partnerships with York Region’s community and health services department.

“We still have to tap in and see how do we support that group?”

Last week, regional council approved a seniors strategy task force, which will come up with recommendations to address the needs of seniors and their impact on areas such as long-term care, paramedic services, land-use planning, public health and transportation.

There were just fewer than 125,700 seniors aged 65 and older living in the region in 2011, making up 12 per cent of the population, according to a new report called Towards a Seniors Strategy for York Region.

By 2031, there will be more than 311,250 seniors and they will comprise 21 per cent of the population.

Not only are seniors the fastest growing segment of the population, but York seniors are living longer than the pro-vincial and national averages, thanks, in part, to the region’s high quality of life.

The life expectancy in York is 84.1 years — 85.8 years for women and 82.2 years for men — compared to 81.5 years in Ontario and 81.1 years in Canada.

So, what does the face of aging in York Region look like

CHATS seniors Jack Iding (right) and Rita Henriques take part in morning exercise at the Aurora location.

STAFF PHOTO/NICK IWANYSHYN

I

TRANSPORTATION

BY LISA [email protected]

ith gridlock costing the economy of the Greater Toronto and Hamilton

Area $11 billion a year, the provin-cial and federal governments are pouring historic levels of funding into transportation infrastructure.

For example, in its spring budget, the province announced $16 billion for transit in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area while, on June 18, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced a $2.6-billion investment in Toronto Mayor John Tory’s SmartTrack initiative, a 53-kilometre, 22-station surface train service line on existing GO train lines.

York Region Rapid Transit Corporation presi-dent Mary-Frances Turner and chief engineer Paul May sat down with York Region Media Group to talk about the unprecedented transformation of public transit in York Region and across the sprawl-ing Golden Horseshoe.

Q: In May, the region launched a transpor-tation task force, described as one of the most significant committee’s in the region’s history. Can you explain why it is so important and why it is so timely?

Turner: Transportation has been stated as the No. 1 issue of priority to York Region residents for many, many, many years. It’s really important, as we look at major milestones like our transportation master plan, that we really examine opportuni-ties to really get it right. And getting it right means where do we spend our emphasis and our focus with respect to the dollars that need to be spent to improve our roads and our transit systems and cre-ate great places for people to walk and have mobil-ity, including on their bicycles. So, that’s why a task force was created, because it’s really important to York Region residents and their quality of life.

May: I think the other aspect is, I think it’s very timely now for this task force because there is an unparalleled level of investment in transporta-

tion in the GTA, not only with the things under construction in York Region, our rapid bus transit and the Spadina subway extension, but also all the RER (rapid express rail, which is electrification of the GO train lines allowing for 15-minute service) investment with Metrolinx.

Q: Why do we need all this? Are we choking on our own congestion?

May: We identified in the first transporta-tion master plan that the region did, which was approved in 2002, we strongly identified that we couldn’t widen enough roads in York Region to accommodate all the future travel just in cars. There just wasn’t enough roads to widen and not enough property. There would just have to be too many lanes on these arterial roads, so transit was the only way we were going to achieve the future need for travel in a sustainable manner. The two rapid way lanes in the middle of the road have more capacity to move people than the three lanes in each direction, so a total of six lanes, for regular cars.

Q: Just as a normal person, I hear Metrolinx, Viva, YRT, GO, there’s the TTC, there’s SmartTrack. How is this all working? It just seems like so much and I can’t wrap my head around it. Help me wrap my head around it.

Turner: We’ll start at the bottom and work our way up. YRT has existed for a considerable amount of time. It was formed by putting together all of the local transit systems and creating York Region Transit. And that was done by the region putting together all these small individuals into a large regional authority. That authority is responsible for operating the day-to-day system that you see run-ning around out there. The rapid transit corpora-tion, which is our service that we put out there and we run the rapid transit corporation, our goal is to find funding and to build the projects and then give them to YRT, York Region Transit, to put into service and they run the local service every day on our behalf. We have funding partners and one of the funding partners we have is Metrolinx. And Metrolinx was formed to create this umbrella

Transit: Where is it taking us and when will we get there?

W

See page A8.

ENVIRONMENT

Bee-killing chemical to be reduced in Ontario

BY SIMON MARTIN [email protected]

on’t kill that bee buzzing by your head, it is the unheralded superstar of our agriculture system, beekeeper James Murray

says. Bees are working behind the

scenes to pollinate our food. It’s not a coincidence that Murray has affec-tion for the bee. The Sharon resident has 70 hives housing 60,000 bees in each.

But Murray and beekeepers across Ontario have fallen on more difficult times in recent years. According to the province, in the winter of 2013-2014, bee deaths in Ontario reached a staggering 58 per cent. The generally accepted level by those who care for and breed bees is 15 per cent.

The culprit for the rapid rise in deaths, according to beekeepers,

the province and a host of scientists, are neonictinoids: a chemical that coats the vast majority of corn and soybeans (cash crops) seeds.

“Everything is being used pro-phylactically. There is going to be a day soon when these chemicals don’t work,” Murray said.

Starting July 1, Ontario will be the first jurisdiction in North America to enforce rules to reduce the number of acres planted with neonicotinoid-treated corn and soybean seeds by 80 per cent by 2017.

The reduction in neonics is something that Andre Flys thinks might help turn the tide of his dwin-dling hives. The third-generation beekeeper in Schomberg lost more than 70 per cent of his bees in 2013 and just more than 50 per cent in 2015.

“We are at our wits end about those who care for and breed bees is 15 per cent.

The culprit for the rapid rise in deaths, according to beekeepers,

2015. “We are at our wits end about

those who care for and breed bees is 2015. those who care for and breed bees is 2015.

James Murray is a beekeeper in Sharon who says the destruction of the bee population is a major problem to our agricultural system. The prov-ince is looking into banning certain pesticides in corn seed that are said to be part of the problem.

STAFF PHOTO/MIKE BARRETT

See page A7.

D

yorkregion.com Thursday, July 2, 2015 905-853-8888 $1 store sales / 26 pagesPublicationmail agreement #40051189

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A2 The Express, Thursday, July 2, 2015

Contact us 905-478-4282 [email protected]

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Car Show - The EG Car Show takes place every Saturdayfrom 6 p.m. to dusk at the Civic Centre.Farmers’ Market - Every Thursday from 2 to 7 p.m. atYonge Green Lane Commons (Lowe`s Plaza).EG Historical Society Meetings - There are no meetingsin July and August. See you all again in September! Fordetails call 905-954-5999.Teddy Bear Family Fun Fair - July 11 from 10 a.m. to 4p.m. at Brooks Family Farm. Pre-register atwww.cancerrecovery.ca.

COMMUNITY EVENTS

Casual Crossing Guard - No deadlineCasual Customer Service Rep. - Deadline July 10See eastgwillimbury.ca/jobs for submissions details.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Committee of the Whole Council - July 21 at 10 a.m.Special Meeting of Council - July 21 at 3 p.m.Council - July 21 at 7 p.m.The public is welcome to attend.

UPCOMING PUBLIC MEETINGApplication for zoning by-law amendment for 19783Leslie Street will be held on July 21 at 7 p.m. For moreinformation visit www.eastgwillimbury.ca/publicmeetings.

NEXT COUNCIL/CWC MEETINGS

Have you read Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory?Do you remember those exciting golden tickets? Well, we lovedthe idea and want you to find a golden ticket. About 100 “GoldenTickets” have been hidden on page 75 in books at the EastGwillimbury Public Library. Each ticket can be redeemed for a prize, such asmugs, pens, Author Reading ticket, or free entry to the Fall Giant Booksale earlybird event. The tickets are part of a year-long celebration of the Library’s 40thanniversary.

The contest commences July 2, 2015. Tickets can be redeemed at the circulationdesk through until the end of the year. The tickets are hidden in adult fiction,juvenile fiction, and adult non-fictionbooks.

More events to come!

For more events, visit www.egpl.ca

#egpl40

Find a Golden Ticket!

Council approved the 2015 residential water andwastewater rates effective July 1, 2015.Metered charges are based on water usage. Deliverycharges pay to maintain and ensure proper infrastructuresuch as water and wastewater pipes.

Visit York Region’s website www.waterfortomorrow.ca orcall 1-888-967-5426 for water conservation techniques.* Rates pertain to homes connected to the Town’s wastewater system

2015 WATER/WASTEWATER RATES

Up to 105m3 - $2.22 per m3

Over 105m3 - $3.63 per m3$45 - per quarter

$1.91 per m3 $45 - per quarter

The Town plans to perform water main cleaning work inthe Harvest Hills area on Thursday July 2nd and FridayJuly 3rd between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. This is to ensure andmaintain water quality. Affected residents will be delivereda notice with specific details.

WATER MAINTENANCE NOTICE

Metered Delivery

Water

Wastewater*

EG TRAIL WALK

Cawthra Mulock Nature ReserveJuly 11 @ 9 a.m.Meet in the parking lot east ofDufferin Street north of Miller Sdrd(extension of Green Lane West)

East Gwillimbury Trails

The 2014 final residential property tax bills were mailed byJune 18th,2015.Payment is due as follows:• 1st installment due: August 31, 2015• 2nd installment due: October 30, 2015We encourage the payment of your tax bill through thepre-authorized tax payment plan. Two pre-authorizedpayment plans are available for enrollment throughout theyear, however, tax accounts must be current.Option #1 – 10 Month Installment Plan (February toNovember -withdrawal date is the 15th of each monthOption #2 – Due Date Installment PlanOption #3 – Arrears Plan – preset monthly amount to helpyou catch up on any tax arrearsPayment can also be made by telephone/internet banking,at any Chartered Bank or in person by cash, cheque ordirect debit at the Civic Centre.All unpaid taxes will be charged an interest charge of1.25% per month effective the 1st day of default.Please contact the Town at 905-478-4282 if you did notreceive a tax bill, as failure to receive a tax bill does notexempt the bill from being due or from the taxpayerincurring late payment.

PROPERTY TAXES DUE

Good Shepherd students have spirit!Students born in 2011 can register for full-day Junior Kindergarten thissummer at the Board office, Mondays - Thursdays. Ask for Admissions!

Good Shepherd offers students in Grades K-8 a well-rounded education in a community-based setting. We take pride in guiding our students to reach their full potential and inspiringthem to become lifelong learners, caring family members & responsible global citizens.• Before and After School Care on site• Ask about transportation services from Holland Landing and Queensville• Students use modern technology, including iPads, Chromebooks, and more

Any child who is Catholic or has a Catholic parent can register!York Catholic District School Board

320 Bloomington Road West, Aurora, ONPhone: 905-713-2711

Website: www.ycdsb.caTwitter: @YCDSB

Good Shepherd Catholic School19112 2nd Concession Rd., East Gwillimbury, ONPhone: 905-895-0303Website: gsd.ycdsb.ca/Twitter: @GSDycdsb

Traffic calming pilot project - In order to promotecompliance with speed limits, staff have painted thenumber 50 in four locations on Yonge Street north ofQueensville Sideroad. The existing 50 km/h speed limitsigns will remain in place. A report summarizing the resultsof the pilot project will be presented to Council in the fall.

Addition of bike lanes to Woodspring Avenue - Newbike lanes will be painted on Woodspring Ave from thenorth limit of Newmarket to Green Lane. Woodspring willbecome a two lane road with one centre left hand turn laneand two bike lanes. This is reduced from the previous fourthrough lanes. The bike lines are scheduled to be paintedduring the summer for the start of school in September.

New all-way stop and speed limit reductions in MountAlbert - A new all all-way stop will be installed at thecorner of Centre and King Street. The 40 km/h zone onCentre Street will be extended to King Street. The speedlimit on Centre after King will also be reduced to 50 km/hfor 380 m. This project will be implemented over thesummer months.

NEW TRAFFIC SAFETY MEASURES

York Region will be completing road resurfacing work onMorning Sideroad between July 6 and the week of July 20.Residents are asked to take alternative routes wherepossible and exercise caution in construction areas.

REGIONAL RROAD RESURFACING

Water Conservation Tips Week OneWatering Tips For a Healthy Lawn and Garden

Your lawn and garden may not need as much water asyou think. Follow these tips to keep your lawn and gardenhealthy while saving water at the same time:• Use a watering gauge to measure the amount of water

that is applied to your lawn and garden through rainfalland then water only when needed

• Water once a week to encourage deep, strong rootgrowth and ensure your lawn can better cope with thehot, dry weather of summer only if there hasn’t been asignificant amount of rainfall

• Water grass in the early morning when the sun is low-est to ensure water gets to the roots

• Avoid evening or overnight watering as this createscool, moist conditions which can lead to problems withdisease and insects

• If using a sprinkler, choose a water-efficient sprinklerthat shoots low to the ground; oscillating sprinklerslose more water to evaporation and wind drift

• Consider using a rain barrel to conserve waterLearn more at www.waterfortomorrow.ca

BY LISA [email protected]

Candidates in the upcoming fed-eral election, take note, York Region has amended its bylaw governing election signs.

While the bylaw will apply to can-didates at all levels, it will be first tested out on candidates running in the Oct. 19 federal election.

The bylaw amendments are intended to help ensure signs don’t reduce visibility at intersections or interfere with transit stops and access to sidewalks and utilities.

Candidates will have to pay a non-refundable $250

permit fee for each municipality in which they

want to install signs.

Candidates will have to pay a non-refundable $250 permit fee for each municipality in which they want to install signs.

Signs not posted properly will be collected by the region and returned to candidates following the election.

No more than two signs per can-didate will be allowed at each inter-section, with a maximum of one sign per corner.

Signs will be prohibited at certain intersections with limited space.

Election signs for the federal elec-tion can be posted no earlier than 10 a.m. on Sept. 21 and must be removed 72 hours after the polls close.

The revisions are a first step toward aligning election sign bylaws between the region and the nine local-tier municipalities.

Election signs laws amended

We need to take your pulse. Yes, that’s right, your pulse.

Metroland Media wants to find out how you plan to spend your hard-earned dollars in the local mar-ketplace. The information you pro-vide will assist businesses and us — your local media team — in making decisions for the future.

“Growing local business is key to a thriving economy. This survey will assist our advertisers in under-standing consumer needs,” said David Harvey, general manager of Metroland’s Halton Newspaper Divi-sion and Premier Publications and Shows.

So how do we plan to retrieve this important information? Via an easy-to-complete, online survey. OK, we know you are rolling your eyes at yet another survey, however there is a total of $8,500 in prizes being awarded as an incentive to get you, our readers, to put fingers to the keyboard.

The questions are simple and all we ask is that you give us a little of your time. Did we mention there is a grand prize of $5,000? And two prizes of $1,000 and three prizes of $500? Not bad for filling out a survey.

Pulse Research is conducting the shopping survey for us. It does not give away your personal informa-tion, so no worries there.

To complete the survey, visit http://www.pulseresearch.com/metroland/.

Thanks for helping us with Metro-land’s Shopping Survey. We appreci-ate it.

Take our survey

for chance to win cash

No purchase necessary. Contest open to Ontario residents 18 years of age or older. Odds of winning depends on the number of eligible entries received. Six (6) prizes are available to be won: (i)One (1) Grand Prize of $5,000.00 CDN (Five Thousand Dollars CDN) in cash; (ii) Two (2) second place cash prizes in the amount of $1,000 CDN each (One Thousand Dollars Canadian); and (iii) Three (3) third place cash prizes in the amount of $500.00 each CDN (Five Hundred Dollar Canadian). Entrants must correctly answer, unaided, a mathematical skill-testing questions to be declared a winner. Contest closes July 20th 2015 at 11:59 p.m.. To enter and for complete contest rules visit www.pulseresearch.com/Metroland.

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A3The Express, Thursday, July 2, 2015

today and for the huge swell of boomers now moving into their golden years?

A snap shot, based on a regional report called A Profile of Baby Boomers and Seniors in York Region, which gathered informa-tion from a variety of sources, such as 2006 and 2011 Censuses, the National Household Survey, the Canadian Community Health Sur-vey and reports from governments and non-government organiza-tions, shows:Overall, boomers have a

higher level of education than seniors, but both groups are inter-ested in continuing their educa-tions and pursuing learning oppor-tunities;More York Region residents

aged 55 and older are working or looking for work than the national and provincial rates;Boomers and seniors provide

more than half the volunteer hours in Ontario, with their primary rea-son being the desire to contribute to their communities;Boomers are more likely than

previous generations to pursue second careers after retirement and they are more technology-savvy;Seniors are wealthier than

previous generations, which is like-ly to prompt financially strapped governments to see them as having more ability to pay for services;At the same time, there

are signs of financial stress. The banking industry warns Cana-dian boomers don’t have enough savings for retirement and many boomers and seniors are carry-ing debt, raising questions about their long-term financial security. Company pensions providing guaranteed incomes are becoming increasingly rare;The York Region Food Net-

work says more seniors are facing food insecurity;The vacancy rate for rental

housing for seniors in York has decreased since 2011;About half of York seniors

and boomers say they are in good or excellent health;Seniors report more chronic

conditions such as arthritis and high blood pressure than boomers;Calls to EMS from seniors

and boomers are increasing;Dementia among York

seniors is expected to increase rap-idly over the next 20 years;Cases of serious elder

abuse, including assault, criminal harassment, robbery and threats, increased between 2008 and 2012;With no new long-term care

facilities being built, there will be increased demands on local levels of government, community orga-nizations, families and seniors to care for aging residents;In 2011, immigrants made up

45 per cent of York’s population, a number that will grow during the next two decades.

‘We’ve got a strong economy, we’ve got good social infrastructure and seniors in York Region

appear to be living longer and wealthier than other

parts of the country.’

Not content to sit on the porch in their rocking chairs, seniors and boomers are changing the face of aging, experts said.

“There was once a percep-tion you reach 65, you retire, you

settle in a little bit and your health declines. Boomers, as they’re get-ting into their seniors years, are still as active as they were when they were 50 and 45,” Gonsalves said.

Christina Bisanz, CEO of Community Home Assistance to Seniors (CHATS), puts on a pre-sentation called “Getting old isn’t what it used to be”, which includes photos of dynamic seniors such as actor Betty White, Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger and 94-year-old Hazel McCallion, who retired as the mayor of Mississauga last fall.

“People are now working well into their 70s and being more active. That’s the good news, that it’s the mindset of keeping active, being more aware of preventive health maintenance, being physi-cally active, the importance of exercise, the importance of healthy, active living, good diet, all of those things we’re aware of and we know and hopefully are living that life-style,” Bisanz said.

At the same time, she is con-cerned with the growing gap between seniors who are aging well

and those whose “golden years” are filled with health problems such as chronic illnesses and fall hazards, financial woes and isolation.

“That’s where we (CHATS) fill in with supports so they can live independently with dignity, with maintaining their health and inde-pendence. It’s certainly more cost effective than a long-term care home,” she said.

“We also caution, though, that living at home doesn’t necessarily mean you can live without some kind of support. It’s great to be at home but it also requires the right care, the right time, the right amount, because what can also happen is that some seniors suffer from under-care. They, perhaps, become isolated, they’re at greater risk of fall hazards, they’re perhaps overlooking compliance with their medications, there could be all kinds of different challenges that could land them in hospital.”

The Central Local Health Inte-gration Network, which oversees health care planning for most of York Region, south Simcoe County and parts of northern Toronto, is committed to working with service providers to keep seniors healthy and living well in their homes for as long as possible and for ensur-ing seniors with complex needs receive the care they need, CEO Kim Baker said in a statement.

With the provincial government promoting an age-at-home philos-ophy rather than accommodating seniors in long-term care facilities, communities, local agencies, fam-ily and friends will take up more and more responsibility of caring for seniors, Newmarket Regional Councillor John Taylor said.

Technology will also play an increasing role, added Taylor, who is chairperson of the region’s com-munity and health services com-mittee.

He pointed to an app called Be My Eyes, which allows people with vision problems to share labels, transit schedules and other hard-to-read text with volunteers who can decipher it for them.

“I believe someone will create a Be My Eyes for seniors,” he said.

The surging senior popula-tion also means governments will be forced to target services to seniors most in need or establish a fee structure based on ability to pay, Taylor, Bizanz and Gonsalves agreed.

“We don’t know to what degree, yet, but to a certain degree, we’re going to be forced to be a little more targeted. That doesn’t mean we’re not going to do anything for seniors or shut down all seniors’ centres or anything like that,” Tay-lor said.

“But we have to make sure the services are getting to the right people. I don’t want to view seniors as a problem. It’s a challenge and we’ve got to make sure we’re think-ing it through and addressing it and managing scarce resources, but still be supporting the community.”

There is no doubt the soaring senior population will have an impact on virtually every sector of society, Taylor said.

“I don’t think this has hit the radar yet. I think it will soon. I don’t know the scope of the challenge. I know it won’t be small,” he said.

“Still, I have to say aging in York Region is fairly good news in comparison to aging in many areas of Canada. We’ve got a strong economy, we’ve got good social infrastructure and seniors in York Region appear to be living longer and wealthier than other parts of the country. There are various rea-sons for that.

“We’ve got one of the highest educated workforces in Canada, maybe the highest. There’s a lot of opportunity here.”

SENIOR CITIZENS IN YORK REGION — A SERIES, PART I

seniors

boomersA 3-part series discussing

York Region’s growing senior population, the contributions they

make, the services they need and the caregivers who provide support

&

Gap widening between haves, have notsFrom Page A1

CHATS senior Sid Morris takes part in morning activities at the Aurora location.

CHATS executive director Christina Bisanz goes through paperwork and chats to York Region Media Group about the programs o� ered to York’s growing senior population.

GET CONNECTEDWEIGH IN: What’s your take on this issue? Send comments to [email protected]

❑

LEARN MORE: Visit CHATS website on chats.on.ca

❑

The Training CentreTraining for tomorrow. Today.

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Pan Am flame comes to EGBy Simon martin [email protected]

School was out, the sun was up and the Pan Am Games torch celebration was in town.

The vibes coming from the East Gwillimbury Civic Centre Friday were positive as hundreds cheered on 16-year-old Holland Landing resident Brandon Wright as he ran with the torch onto the stage.

Brandon perfectly summed up how everyone was feeling.

“It’s a very cool experience,” Wright said. He was one of sever-al local residents who got to run with the torch that, apparently, is much heavier than it looks.

Wright was a mountain biking participant in the 2014 Ontario Games in Windsor and decided to enter his name to be part of the torch relay.

After his leg of the relay, Wright was joined by family, soaking in the moment.

“I have never done anything like this before,” he said. “My favourite part was when I first got the flame.”

An athlete himself, Wright was excited about the games get-ting started. He already has his tickets for the mountain biking event being held in Barrie. In fact, Wright had a race at the site two weeks ago.

Each torchbearer was tasked with running the flame 200 metres.

That hardly registers as anything more than a quick cool down for Sharon resident Charmin Riding who is used to running marathons, including the Boston Marathon. She was there the year of the bombings.

Riding applied to carry the torch and was happy to get a chance to share in the moment.

“I want to get everybody run-ning,” she added.

The torchbearers were out-numbered by droves of cheer-ing friends, family and local resi-dents who waved Canadian flags and ate ice cream cones.

Jusieret Singh made the trip from Brampton to cheer on his brother’s friend. “I came here to support him and Canada,”

he said. Mount Albert resident Jes-

sica Larsen came with her two children, so they could catch a glimpse of the festivities.

“They love it,” she said. Holland Landing resident

Barry Smith was sitting down at one of the picnic tables enjoying the sun. “My wife and I brought the grandkids out to come and celebrate,” he said.

The music blared in the shad-ow of the historic Sharon Temple as the crowd greeted the torch.

Mayor Virginia Hackson was on hand along with York-Simcoe MP Peter Van Loan. “We are so thrilled to have the torch here in East Gwillimbury,” Hackson said.

As Sharon resident and torch-bearer Jane Doran carried the torch off the stage toward Hol-land Landing and Bradford, the crowd continued to bask in the celebration.

“It was very special to be part of this,” Wright said.

The torch also went through Holland Landing and Mount Albert later in the day Friday.

STAFF PHOTO/STEVE SOMERVILLE

Jane Doran recieves high fives as she heads out on her torch run Friday at the East Gwillimbury Civic Centre.

C M Y


PUBLIC NOTICETELECOMMUNICATIONSTOWER

Bell Mobility Inc. in accordance with its obligationsunder the Radiocommunications Act and IndustryCanada procedure CPC-2-0-03 (2014) and Town ofEast Gwillimbury, hereby notifies the property ownersin the vicinity of 4772 Mount Albert Road in theTown of East Gwillimbury, Ontario of its intentions todevelop a Telecommunications Tower at the locationshown below consisting of :

Shehryar KhanFONTUR International Inc.70 East Beaver Creek Rd, Suite 22Richmond Hill, ON L4B 3B2Fax: [email protected]

Bell Mobility - contracted to:Stacey Kursikowski, PlannerDevelopment ServicesTown of East [email protected] ext. 3860

Town of East Gwillimbury contact:

On 4772 Mount Albert Road,Town of East Gwillimbury, Ontario

ANY PERSON may make a written submission to the individual listed below.Commenting deadline is Friday July 31, 2015.

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that Telecommunication tower/antenna facilities are exclusively regulatedby Federal legislation under the Radiocommunication Act and administered by Industry Canada.Therefore, Provincial legislation such as the Planning Act, including zoning by-laws, does not applyto these facilities. The Town of East Gwillimbury can only provide comments to Industry Canada anddoes not have the authority to stop the construction of a telecommunication tower/antenna facility.

A 70.0 metre Telecommunication Tower•An equipment shelter at the base, and•perimeter security fencing

70.0 metre Self-Support Tower4772 Mount Albert Road

55 St. Clair Avenue EastToronto, Ont.M4T [email protected]

Industry Canada contact:

THE CANADIAN TIRE NEWMARKET TEAM

CANADIAN TIRE NEWMARKET17750 Yonge Street 905-895-4568

NEWMARKET’S LEADINGDRIVECLEAN FACILITY

Specializing in: • Drive clean testsLight duty gas and diesel • Heavy duty gas

Drive clean diagnosis

Service Hours: MON-FRI 7:30am - 9pm • SAT 7:30am - 6pm • SUN 9am - 5pm

AUTOMOTIVEBATTERIESSTARTING FROM $89(SEE STORE FOR DETAILS)

Installationavailable see youradvisor for details

CASAS SoftbAll CriCket & fAmily fun DAyJuly 4 & 5, noon to 5 p.m.Sharon Hills Park, 255 Colonel Wayling Blvd.in East GwillimburyCASAS Softball Cricket will be played by youth teams over two days culminating in a game with the York Regional Police. (Cricket prevalent to both Caribbean & South Asian cultures, and was once Canada’s official national sport). Coaches will be onsite to explain the game and provide demonstrations. Interested players are invited to contact us. Family Fun Day interactive games and activities will be included off-field to attract and engage families during the games. Bring a picnic lunch and a chair.Info: Ranji Singh, [email protected], 416-801-6756.

what ’s onTo have your event included in what’s on, add it to our calendar at yorkregion.com

the lAnDingJuly 2, 3:45 to 5:30 p.m.Newmarket Community Church, 145 Pony Dr.The Landing is a free, weekly program offered at Newmarket Community Church that aims to equip teens (ages 12 to 17) with the tools needed to overcome life’s struggles.Contact: [email protected], 905-836-7251, 905-967-4081, www.newmarketcommunitychurch.org.

fAmily StorytimeJuly 2, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.Holland Landing Public Library, 19513 Yonge St.This program features stories, crafts, and activities. Ages 0 - 5. Meet special guest Sparky the Fire Dog from the EG Fire Dept on July 9.Contact: Heather Alblas, [email protected], 905-836-6492.

kitChen PArty muSiC JAmSJuly 4, 1 to 4 p.m.Colonel Mustard’s Pub, 16925 Yonge St. in Newmarket.We sit in a circle and jam acoustically (except for the country jam where amplified instruments are welcome). We take turns passing a microphone for vocals. We choose simple songs so that all can participate. Lead breaks and harmony singing is encouraged.Contact: [email protected], 905-640-7107.

newmArket fArmerS mArketJuly 4, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.Riverwalk Commons, Doug Duncan Drive.Fresh fruits and vegetables, meats, eggs, baked goods, food vendors, hand-crafted artifacts and products such as jewelry, furniture, soap, horseand wagon rides, musical entertainment, buskers, fresh flowers, etc.Contact: [email protected], 905-773-9751.

free ZumbA ClASS At riverwAlk CommonSJuly 4, 8 to 9 a.m.Newmarket Riverwalk Commons, 200 Doug Duncan Dr.Free Zumba Class every Saturday morning in June, July, and August from 8 - 9 a.m. at the Fairy Lake Newmarket Farmers Market, along side thereflecting pool. Instruction will be by The Move fitness and dance studio and will take place weather permitting. Sponsored by Peter C. Geibel, bro-ker - Main Street Realty, and Jerry Montpetit of RBC Insurance. No signup required just come out and enjoy. Like the page if you plan on coming.Contact: Peter Geibel, [email protected], 416-804-5581.

DiSCovery ClubJuly 7, 1:30 to 3 p.m.Holland Landing Public Library, 19513 Yonge St.This weekly club will get you busy with creative and hands-on projects, games and activities! Ages 6-10. Please register.Contact: Heather Alblas, [email protected], 905-836-6492.

mAker mADneSS workShoPSJuly 7, 2 to 3 p.m.Mount Albert Branch, East Gwillimbury Public Library, 19300 Centre St.Unleash your creative side at these hands-on workshops. Free Please Reg-ister Ages: 4+ July 7 & 21 Ages: 7+ June 30, July 14 & 28.

fAmily StorytimeJuly 7, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.Mount Albert Branch, East Gwillimbury Public Library, 19300 Centre St.This program features, stories, crafts & activities. Ages 0-5 Free July 7: Meet Sparky the Fire Dog

DiSCovery ClubJuly 8, 10:30 a.m. to noon.Mount Albert Branch, East Gwillimbury Public Library, 19300 Centre St.This weekly club will get you busy with creative and hands-on projects, games and activities! Ages 6-10. Please register.

tD PreSentS ConCertS in the PArk - SuSie SunShineJuly 8, 7 p.m.Aurora Town Park, Wells StThis is a free show but a donation for the Aurora Food Pantry would be appreciated. Food vendors will be on site. For your seating comfort bring a lawn chair.Contact: Shelley Ware, [email protected], 905-726-4762.Info: www.aurora.ca/summerconcerts.

mAker mADneSS workShoPSJuly 8, 2 to 3 p.m.Holland Landing Public Library, 19513 Yonge St.Unleash your creative side at these hands-on workshops. Free Please Register Ages: 4+Contact: Heather Alblas, [email protected], 905-836-6492.

the lAnDingJuly 9, 3:45 to 5:30 p.m.Newmarket Community Church, 145 Pony Dr.The Landing is a free, weekly program offered at Newmarket Community Church that aims to equip teens (ages 12 to 17) with the tools needed to overcome life’s struggles.Contact: [email protected], 905-836-7251, 905-967-4081, www.newmarketcommunitychurch.org.

fAmily StorytimeJuly 9, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.Holland Landing Public Library , 19513 Yonge St.This program features stories, crafts, and activities. Ages 0 - 5. Meet special guest Sparky the Fire Dog from the EG Fire Dept on July 9.Contact: Heather Alblas, [email protected], 905-836-6492.

Community bbQ benefiting mAke-A-wiShJuly 9, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.Innovative Spine & Wellness, 1100 Gorham St, Unit 11A in Newmarket.Innovative Spine & Wellness is pleased to announce, that once again, this year’s annual barbecue will benefit Make-A-Wish! Everyone is welcome

to attend and receive a complimentary stress survey, enjoy free BBQ food and test their luck in a prize draw, compliments of our sponsors. Have a wonderful afternoon supporting Make-A-Wish in their mission of fulfilling the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions.Contact: 905-868-9090.

beAt the heAt - mix it uP moCktAilSJuly 9, 1 to 2 p.m. Sobeys extra Aurora, 15500 Bayview Ave.Join Sobeys Dietitian Colleen for this fun filled class all about alcohol-free, tasty drinks that are great for summer thirst. Free samples included and you’ll take recipe ideas home. Register early to avoid being on a waitlist.Contact: Colleen Miller, [email protected], 905-726-2499.

Summer SCienCe lAbJuly 9, 2 to 3 p.m.Aurora Public Library, 15145 Yonge St.Join us as we transform our program room into a fully functional science lab. Together we will explore scientific principles like force, mass and energy by doing exciting experiments. Some will be messy, some will be loud,but they will all be fun and interesting! Drop In. Ages: 6-9, Optimist Room.Contact: 905-727-9494.

theAtre in PArk - fAlStAff & the merry wiveS of winDSorStarts July 10, 7 p.m. Aurora Town Park, Wells St.The Town of Aurora is proud to partner with the Humber River Shake-speare Company to bring you this dynamic live theatre presented in Aurora Town Park on July 10,11 and 12 at 7 p.m. This is a pay as you can perfor-mance and all proceeds go directly to supporting this production and the performers .The suggested donation is $20 per person.Contact: Shelley Ware, [email protected], 905-726-4762..

newmArket fArmerS mArketJuly 11, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.Riverwalk Commons, Doug Duncan Drive.Fresh fruits and vegetables, meats, eggs, baked goods, food vendors, hand-crafted artifacts and products such as jewelry, furniture, soap, horseand wagon rides, musical entertainment, buskers, fresh flowers, etc.Contact: [email protected], 905-773-9751.

free ZumbA ClASS At riverwAlk CommonSJuly 11, 8 to 9 a.m.Newmarket Riverwalk Commons, 200 Doug Duncan Dr.

Free Zumba Class every Saturday morning in June, July, and August from 8 - 9 a.m. at the Fairy Lake Newmarket Farmers Market, along side thereflecting pool. Instruction will be by The Move fitness and dance studio and will take place weather permitting. Sponsored by Peter C. Geibel, bro-ker - Main Street Realty, and Jerry Montpetit of RBC Insurance. No signup required just come out and enjoy. Like the page if you plan on coming.Contact: Peter Geibel, [email protected], 416-804-5581.

roy orbiSon: ShADeS of yeSterDAy tributeJuly 11, 8 p.m. Newmarket Theatre, 505 Pickering Cres.Show celebrates the life and music of the incredible “Big O”...Roy Orbison! Backed by the amazing Memphis Cats band, you’ll hear all of Roy’s great-est hits performed live by internationally acclaimed tribute artist Bernie Jessome, who captures the look, sound and voice of Roy Orbison! Songs performed include Only The Lonely, Running Scared, Sweet Dream Baby, and of course, Pretty Woman among other favourites. Tickets: $30 +HST.Contact: www.NewTix.ca, [email protected], 905-953-5122.

blooD Donor CliniCJuly 13, 2:30 to 7:30 p.m. St. Maximilian Kolbe CHS, 278 Wellington St. E in Aurora.Give Someone Their Summer. It can take up to 50 blood donors to save the life of a single car accident victim. Donate blood in July – You could save a life.Contact: www.blood.ca, 1-888-236-6283.

Today

Aurora arborist, Ian Bryant, took this Your Shot of a flowering tulip tree (and a guest) at Gurnett Street and Cousins Drive. Send us Your Shot. The ongoing theme is Nature & Wildlife. Email your high-quality jpegs to editor Tracy Kibble at [email protected] for a chance have your pho-tograph included in our online gallery and published in the newspaper.

To have your event included in what’s on, add it to our calendar at yorkregion.com

teDDy beAr fAmily fun fAirJuly 11, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.Brooks Farms, 122 Ashworth Rd. in East Gwillimbury.Join the Cancer Recovery Foundation of Canada in celebrating its annual Teddy Bear Family Fun Fair at Brooks Farms! There will be fun activities for the kids in addition to all of the great experiences the Farm has to offer. Cost is $25 for a family of four (children under 2 are free). Regular admission price $8 + HST/person. Family Pass available for purchase online until July 10!Info: Danielle Bastien, [email protected], 905-477-7743.Info: cancerrecovery.ca/get-involved/events/teddy-bear-fair/

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L E T T E R S T O T H E E D I T O R

Need more awareness of Lyme disease

Re: Lyme sufferers desperate for answers, treatment, June 25.

As a fellow Lyme sufferer, I praise Shari Allen and husband, Craig, for publicly sharing their story about Lyme disease.

Many of us quietly and infor-mally have been raising aware-ness by discussing with family and friends, however, it takes a lot of energy and courage to put yourself out there publicly.

It is refreshing to read an article on Lyme that is well informed and balanced. It is also a great benefit to our region that we now have Dr. Angela Lee who specializes in tick-borne illnesses. Her two mentors, Dr. Maureen McShane and Dr. Richard Horowitz are both high-ly respected American Lyme-literate doctors, and many of us in Canada are patients to one of these doctors.

It is true that many in Canada are suffering from Lyme, diag-nosed and undiagnosed. Unlike Shari Allen, I likely contracted Lyme in Canada, in Algonquin Park in 1989 (but diagnosed in 2010).

Others I know have similarly likely contracted the disease in Ontario — Peterborough, Parry Sound, Scarborough (Bluffs), just to name a few locations.

It’s not coming here, it is here, and we need much more aware-ness and change to deal with it. Political change has started at both the provincial and federal levels.

I spend upwards of $30,000 a year to deal with this illness, not counting lost income. I have multiple doctors, both MDs and NDs, and other therapists.

I am very lucky that I have a supportive husband and teen-age children, extended family and friends; many are not so lucky. But like our country’s abil-ity to deal with this very serious infectious disease, I have a long way to go.

Thank you, Shari and Craig Allen, your courage in moving us forward is commendable.

ANN SISKOSNEWMARKET

Queensville Sideroad used as bypass

The region may have nixed the construction of the Bradford bypass, but clever commuters have adopted their own.

It’s called Queensville Sideroad and is already inad-equate for the ever increasing volume from Hwy 404.

Shamefully long lineups now occur where Bathurst Street southbound meets Hwy. 11 due to the near-sighted removal of the loop-around ramp last year. Most drivers seem afraid to make the new right turn into the zooming traffic even though there is an empty lane to use. It’s crazy there. Scary. Heaven

E D I T O R I A L

Keep road ‘bumps’ in perspective

ISSUE: There is light at end of seemingly endless road

construction tunnel.

BOTTOM LINE: A better, more functional transit system

is going to take time.

help us when the other side of Bathurst from Green Lane is connected to this mess or the first few subdivisions are fin-ished.

It’s still not too late to put that loop-around back in, there is lots of empty land just sitting there. Here’s hoping.

M. CUTTHOLLAND LANDING

Chillax, we can’t win against Canada Post

Re: Aurora, Newmarket re-think fight against community mailboxes in wake of court rul-ing, June 21.

Chillax, It’s not as bad as you may think. Newmarket Regional Councillor John Taylor is correct.

It’s a battle you cannot win. Canada Post trumps all levels of government. Always has, prob-ably always will.

Glenway, If I recall correctly, was the first community in Can-ada to have them. I have had one across the road for 28 years. Me and my neighbor across the road take turns snow blowing around it and I keep old boards around to make a path through the mud in the spring.

I also tear off every hand bill that gets stuck on it as soon as I see one, to keep it from being an eyesore.

It has been “tagged” a couple of times with spray paint. A call to Canada Post usually results in graffiti removal within a few days. So, Councillor Dave Ker-win needs to go with the facts.

Now, one might think, “Maybe, I can meet neighbours at the mailbox.” It happens. I have had many meetings at the mailbox while working in my garage/garden. A sense of neigh-bourhood has become sadly lacking over the past few years. I have never lost mine.

Countless times, I have not been able to get in, or out, of my driveway, and countless cars use my driveway to turn around. A pain, but hardly the end of the world.

The boxes come with at least a few benefits. You can opt out of junk mail by just asking the carrier or leaving a note for him or her. They also end postal strikes for those of us old enough to remember being held hostage by postal unions (although teachers seem to have taken up the slack.)

In the end, the “big bad box” blends in and you get used to it. So, get over it. We have far big-ger fish to fry and much bigger mountains to climb.

ERIC SMITHNEWMARKET

Thanks for coinsMy optometrist at 679 Davis

Dr., Newmarket gave me a coin to exit the parking lot but it would not work and I did not have coins. My credit card would not work. People were

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t might not be pretty, but the VivaNext bus rapidway construc-tion occurring on Hwy. 7 through Markham, Vaughan and Rich-mond Hill and along Davis Drive in Newmarket is a case of short-

term pain for long-term gain.Granted, it may be difficult to keep

that in mind if you frequently find yourself idling in traffic in one of the work zones or are routinely forced to navigate a seemingly endless slalom of orange barrels and construction signs, but it’s important to keep the inconveniences these projects present in perspective. Some perspective will become even more crucial as rapid-way construction along Yonge Street ramps up through Newmarket and Richmond Hill.

It’s not always easy to recognize there’s a method to what appears like madness at times, so, with that in mind, reporter Lisa Queen recently sat down with York Region Rapid Transit Corporation president Mary-Frances Turner and chief engineer Paul May for a question-and-answer session on some of the public transit projects going on here in York and throughout the Greater Golden Horseshoe.

With congestion costing the econo-my of the Greater Toronto and Hamil-ton Area in the order of $11 billion per year, not to mention the loss of our precious time, it’s vital we get the tran-sit system right. We have no choice as noted by Turner who explained that the region recognized 13 years ago, in its first transportation master plan, there simply wasn’t enough proper-ty to widen the roads to a sufficient degree that they could handle all of the projected traffic volumes.

“There would just have to be too many lanes on these arterial roads, so transit was the only way we were going to achieve the future need for travel in a sustainable manner,” she said. “The two rapidway lanes in the middle of the road have more capacity to move people than the three lanes in each direction, so a total of six lanes, for regular cars.”

As York Region works to construct its rapid transit network, other agen-cies, such as the TTC and Metrolinx, are working on their own improve-ments.

The TTC’s Spadina subway expan-sion into Vaughan is nearing comple-tion and York Region hopes an expan-sion of the Yonge subway north to Richmond Hill will eventually move forward. Metrolinx, meanwhile, has unveiled a 10-year plan to establish a regional express rail system with all-day, two-way trains, electrification on the Barrie and Stouffville lines and an extension of the Richmond Hill cor-ridor.

Another potentially important project for getting people moving around the GTA is Toronto Mayor John Tory’s SmartTrack initiative, a 53-kilo-metre, 22-station surface train service line on existing GO train lines in the city. Prime Minister Stephen Harper recently pledged $2.6 billion toward the plan — about a third of the cost.

So, what might all of this look like by 2020 or so?

“In five years, we’ll have 37 kilo-metres of rapid transit corridors, bus rapid transit corridors, fully separated for buses to be running up and down. The Spadina subway will be open. We hope to be well into engineering for the Yonge subway because it’s another major piece of our puzzle,” accord-ing to Turner. “And we hope to have a (BRT) corridor running up Jane Street and across Major Mack and down Don Mills.” Five years after that, you should see electrification along some GO Transit rail lines running through York and even better service integra-tion, she added.

Without question, there’s much to do both in terms of construction work and changes to existing policies with fare integration being of paramount importance. A better, more function-al system is going to take time and money, but also patience.

With any luck, our children, grand-children and great grandchildren will marvel at the transit network we have forged and we will forget the (legiti-mately) aggravating bumps along the road to getting there.

I Ranked ballots important change

Chris Emanuel

here’s been no shortage of electoral reform discussion as of late.

In Ontario, Kathleen Wynne’s Liberal govern-

ment has announced it will permit municipalities to implement “ranked ballots” for the next municipal elec-tion.

I think this is great news on a few fronts, and may be one of the single most important changes to our elec-toral system in decades.

For those not aware of how ranked ballots work, it is quite simple. If there are multiple candidates running for an office, you rank them in order of your preference. Should your first choice receive the lowest number of votes, he or she drops off the ballot and your second choice now receives your vote. This keeps happening until one candidate emerges with at least 50 per cent of votes.

Implementing ranked ballots at the municipal level — where we have embarrassingly low voter turnouts that hover around 30 per cent — will have a large impact in electing candidates who have broad public support. There have been numer-ous candidates in York Region who have been elected with less than 10 per cent of eligible voters casting a ballot for them. Think about that for a moment; that is hardly a mandate of support for a campaign platform. The fact of the matter is, our current “first past the post” system allows for candidates to assume office with a tiny percentage of people supporting them and that fact is simply wrong and undemocratic. Ranked ballots allow the electorate to arrive at con-sensus candidates.

Imagine a campaign where can-didates won’t just be campaigning for your vote, but they’ll also be cam-paigning to be your second or third choice.

Think of how that alone could change the tone and tenor of elec-tions. My sense is that we will see more civil election campaigns that have a greater focus on the issues and policies rather than ad hominem attacks.

The electorate is growing tired of negative attack-style campaigns and the proliferation of social media has, in my mind, increased the vitriol we see in our elections.

Ranked ballots reward candidates who have broad-based platforms that speak to the widest spectrum of the electorate.

Finally, we could have a system in place that encourages civility instead of our current system that has devolved into systematic negative campaigns.

I know I will have my critics in my support for ranked ballots. I suspect they will over simplify my argument implying I want all candidates to get along and hold hands singing Kumbaya. I am not naïve, there will always be differences of opinions and thoughts, criticisms of other cam-paigns and candidates and, frankly, there should always be. However, can-didates who focus on negative attacks and not building bridges in their communities in an attempt to gain the widest support base will be chal-lenged to win and I’m OK with that and suspect most voters would be.

The Ontario government will give municipalities the option to have ranked ballots. Some may opt-in, some may not.

This is is the biggest flaw in the government’s proposal. It is the right thing to do for democracy and, hence, should be implemented in every sin-gle municipality. A change to the elec-toral system requires education and rolling out something like that should be done on a provincewide basis and not piecemeal.

— Chris Emanuel served on Newmarket Council for three consecu-tive terms as the Ward 7 councillor. He

left politics too pursue a career in the private sector in government relations.

He posts political blogs at chrisemanuel.com

T

SO-CIAL MEDIA Darts and Laurels from last week on Newmarket residents, town o� cials meet to discuss ‘les-sons learned’ from Glenway battle: bit.ly/1InM4HA

I am astonished that anyone found the meeting useful. No debrie� ng was presented. Municipal sta� absolved themselves of responsi-bility, blaming the provincial 180-day limit. That limit was known but resources were not allocated to meet it. The facilitated format discouraged meaningful discus-sion. The questions should have been released in advance and the groups allowed to capture their discussion using more advanced technology than chart paper. For instance, the development proposal at the OMB was di� erent from that presented to homeown-ers. That won’t show up in the � nal report but is crucial if the town plans to move to small-group consultation. The � nal report will be prepared by the facilitator. We’ll see if it’s helpful.

Dianne

The town’s own planners boycot-ted the Glenway OMB Hearing that cost taxpayers $588,291. Is it any surprise the town lost?You can read my blog about the lessons learned meeting at shrinkslessorsquare.ca

Gordon

Collision rates on York Region roads decline to 10-year low: bit.ly/1InNfqpThis report is complete BS. If law enforcement o� cials think that red light cameras, that no one even knows are there, are the reason for the decline in these accidents, they need to give their head a shake. Ninety per cent of the people that drive by these money-making machines, have no idea they are there. They do � nd out when they happen to roll over the white line and recieve a $280 � ne. This is more BS from a source that I would not believe if you paid me. The reason their are less acci-dents is simple. We have a police at every corner in York giving tickets when they should be out making their one-arrest-a-month quota. Everyone knows York is just one big speed trap.

Guest column

lined up behind me but one female driver in line asked me what the problem was and I told her. She gave me $3 in coins to get out.

This was very kind of her and I told her so. I would like to thank her again and, if possible, repay her in some way.

FRED MARSDEN SHARON

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ST. JOHNS SIDEROAD

WELLINGTON ST.

BLOOMINGTON RD.

YONG

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BAYVIEWAVE.

LESLIEST.

404

New regulations will have huge impact on local farmershow we are going to continue,” he said.

While Flys understands that farmers need to use pesticides in vulnerable areas, he thinks it is overkill to treat all seeds with these chemicals. The chemical is cer-tainly harmful to bees when they get it in their system, director of the Honey Bee Research Centre at the University of Guelph Dr. Ernesto Guzman said.

But the issue is much more complicated than that. “From the beekeeping standpoint, restricting the use of neonics would prevent some toxicity cases affecting the health of honey bees, which is good. From the agricultural stand-point, I cannot comment because I’m not an expert in that area,” he said.

The Grain Farmers of Ontario certainly believes the province has over reached. While bee deaths spiked in 2013, the resulting Health Canada investigation found that dust generated during seeding contained traces of pesticides.

The Pest Management Regu-latory Agency implemented guidelines for farmers for the 2014 planting season meant to reduce dust exposure. They appear to have been successful, according to GFO.

“Ontario’s rush to be the first in North America to restrict neoni-cotinoids is on track to cost rural Ontario’s economy more than $600 million a year, to solve a problem that it appears the federal govern-ment has already addressed,” GFO chairman Mark Brock said.

They filed a request to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice to provide an interpretation of the neonicotinoid-treated seed regula-

tions in June. “The decision to seek legal action against the Govern-ment of Ontario was not easy and is unprecedented in the history of our organization,” GFO CEO Barry Sneft said.

They are also asking the Supe-rior Court to delay the implemen-tation of the proposed regulations until May 1, 2016.

The new regulations will cer-tainly have a large impact on local farmers since the vast majority of farmland in York Region is used to grow corn and soybeans.

Rich Burkholder said it’s too early to know how the regulations will change his business. His fam-ily farms more than 2,500 acres in York and Durham regions.

“There are a lot of unknowns but it is going to alter things,” he said. “We will probably have to spray more.” The pesticide spray won’t have neonics in it but Bur-kholder doesn’t necessarily think that means it will be better for the environment. If the use of neonics is really what has caused the spike in bee deaths, Burkholder said dra-matically reducing their use is the right thing to do.

The problem Burkholder and many other farmers face in under-standing the impact of neonics is there are a lot of conflicting mes-sages. While Ontario has followed Europe’s lead in reducing their use, other areas seem less convinced.

The Alberta Beekeepers Com-mission, which represents around 45 per cent of the honeybee indus-try in Canada, said Alberta hasn’t seen the same issues as Ontario. The area should be particularly susceptible because canola seeds are coated in neonics and planted in great abundance in the area.

“The seed treatment technol-ogy significantly reduces honeybee

exposure to pesticides,” the com-mission said in a release. Neoni-cotinoid pesticides have been in use in Canada for about a decade. They were considered safer for the environment and farmers because they could be used as seed treat-ments, not broad spectrum sprays and only targeted insects directly attacking the plants.

“We really have been able to cut the use of pesticides down quite a bit with the use of these treat-ments. There is potential for a lot more use of pesticides,” Jeff Steiner said.

He works for Reesor Seed and Grain, who supplies area farmers with seeds and custom spraying on their fields. York and Durham regions have high insect pressure,

Steiner said, so a significant per-centage of crops need some form of treatment. The treated seed was a very popular product for farmers with increased yield and improved safety. “It’s a lot safer using treat-ment on seed than it is for farmers to use spray,” Steiner said. “(Spray) tends to be very toxic and a con-cern for us as farmers.”

All farmers know the value of bees, continued Steiner. “The bees are very important to farmers. If we don’t have bees, it just doesn’t work,” he said.

Stouffville resident Caleb Nie-meyer didn’t know too much about the heated debate surrounding neonics when he took honeybee biology at the University of Guelph last year.

He was interested in getting into beekeeping. “There isn’t clear consensus on one side or the other. It takes a lot of scientific literacy to weed through the studies to know which are credible and which are not,” he said.

Niemeyer got his first two bee hives in the mail last month and is giving beekeeping a try. His hives are right next to a cornfield that was planted with neonicotinoid-soaked seeds.

Niemeyer isn’t too concerned. “There are more important issues on honey bee health than neon-ics,” he said.

“I feel like the risks that lots of people associate with these chemi-cals aren’t as big as they make them out to be.”

Beekeeper James Murray shows how calm his bees are if they are not threatened. He has 70 hives housing 60,000 bees in each.


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regional transportation author-ity, to create the big picture that’s bigger than any one of our indi-vidual pictures, to put together the whole network and to determine the priorities of which pieces of that network should go ahead of the others. But (transit) is a very important, as you know, political hot potato for everyone to deal with. So, usually, you will find at election time, one of the platforms that a politician will run on is their ideas about a transit idea. So, in this case, (Toronto Mayor) John Tory came out with the idea of SmartTrack. And SmartTrack is just basically layered on top of the GO lines and adds a few more stations in the city of Toronto. But he’s been able to give it a phrase and a name and gain popularity as another way to move people around. But it hap-pens to be the same plan with a few more stations.

May: From a transit user per-spective, when you’ve got different systems operating in the Greater Toronto Area like this, there are two aspects that make it convenient for the user. One is service integration. So, can I connect from one service to another service to get where I want to go? And we do have service integration in York Region and in the Greater Toronto Area...The other aspect is fare integration so you have one unified fare system throughout the Greater Toronto Area and we don’t have that yet...There isn’t fare integration with the TTC…The Presto card is being implemented. Everyone in the GTA has implemented it except for the TTC and it’s in the process in

the TTC. They’ve started to and it will still be a couple years before they’ve finished implementing it on the TTC. So, that makes it more convenient. You just tap your card each time. In terms of integrating the fare policy, that’s more dif-ficult and Metrolinx is working on that and it needs to be done at the Greater Toronto Area level. It’s not something York Region can do on its own.

Q: Paint a picture of what transit will look like in five years.

Turner: In five years, we’ll have 37 kilometres of rapid transit corridors, bus rapid transit cor-ridors, fully separated for buses to be running up and down. The Spadina subway will be open. We hope to be well into engineering for the Yonge subway because it’s another major piece of our puzzle. And we hope to have a (BRT) cor-ridor running up Jane Street and across Major Mack and down Don Mills, providing rapid transit but in mixed traffic and as a precursor to future separated rapid transit investment. It will be buses like the first stage of Viva where we ran in mixed traffic and the stations will be curbside.

The goal is to start it in mixed traffic and get it into its own cor-ridor. Five years from now, you should be seeing much more frequent service on the GO lines and then five years from then, you’re going to see electrification. You’re going to have this whole rapid transit system of buses and subways start to be connected to the GO lines and the GO lines are going to be running up and down the corridors.

May: Metrolinx has a 10-year program to implement regional express rail, RER. These are all diesel trains right now. They’re electrifying some of the corridors, but not all of them. They’re not electrifying the Richmond Hill cor-ridor and the Kitchener corridor past Brampton. But they are elec-trifying the Stouffville line and the Barrie line. I don’t expect they will have that done in five years. It will take at least 10 years to do that, but they are going to incrementally add more trains to each of the GO rail lines. Plus, they’re extending the Richmond Hill rail line. Right now, it stops just north of Major Mack-enzie. They’re building a station

up at Stouffville Road and another station up at Bloomington and this should be done within five years.

Q: Paint a picture of what transit is going to look like in a quarter century.

Turner: I think the level of investment now being made will create an entirely different man-ner in the way people will be able to move around our community. Right now, we truly are still a car-dependent community. I would say (in) 20 to 25 years, we could truly say we will have the real opportunity to be a mobile com-munity. A mobile community has people moving by all modes of

transportation. There are people in their cars, there are people riding transit, there are people on bicycle paths. (People are) moving back and forth between all the levels of service and it will be an entirely different opportunity for mobility in the region.

May: And a fully connected rapid transit network. There are still a number of gaps in the system and we’re slowly filling in these gaps. You (will be able to) use rapid transit for all or most of your trip, not just part of it or certain people who it works for. It will be available to a broader sector of society. It will be available as a viable option to driving to work.

Q & A: Transit important ‘political hot potato’

Mary-Frances Turner and Paul May from York Region Rapid Transit sit down with York Region Media Group for a Q and A on transit and transportation issues. Go to yorkregion.com for the full interview.


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