March 28, 2024 · 0 Comments
A feast for the senses will unfold at the historic Aurora Armoury on April 24 as CHATS – Community & Home Assistance to Seniors – hosts its second-annual Bubbles & Smiles event.
Formally, the second-annual “Bubbles & Smiles Sommelier Tutored Tasting & Culinary Experience,” this year’s event will feature a variety of champagnes and “bubbles from around the world” showcased by sommelier Ben Pilsky-Somers of Bossanova Wine & Beer and hors d’oeuvre pairings from the Armoury’s Chef Soohyeong Lee.
Bubbles & Smiles is the brainchild of Colleen Jones, Past Vice Chair of CHATS’ Board of Directors, who wanted to continue helping to fill in the gaps when it comes to local seniors’ care.
“Like most seniors, my mom did not want to move from her home, but living on her own, without help, was no longer viable,” said Jones. “Unfortunately, the community where she lived did not have the types of supports she needed.”
In keeping with the theme, proceeds from the second-annual event will help enhance programs to address senior isolation and loneliness.
“We’re finding the uptake on people coming back to in-person activities has been a lot slower than we would have thought,” says CHATS CEO Christina Bisanz. “We’re really trying to raise awareness that we have wellness programs in the community, that we have programs for diverse communities available, but that period of time where people stayed home and didn’t engage, I think, is still continuing on at this time. We really want to be able to get out, perhaps offer some new programs in different communities where we haven’t been present before and be able to serve our older adults with engaging activities that will get them out of isolation and address potential loneliness.”
CHATS is currently exploring ways in which they can address what they describe as “NORC” models – Naturally-Occurring Retirement Communities – that have formed in other locations within Canada and the United States.
These would be programs implemented in buildings that have a significant population of seniors – more than 30 per cent – but are not necessarily senior-specific communities.
“Many of these buildings are privately-owned, but they have common rooms, large lobbies, areas for people to congregate and be socially-involved – there are different models and we’re looking at NORC buildings in Aurora and Newmarket to see if there is potential for us to bring some programs into buildings and get people socially-engaged and active.
“An organization like CHATS, for example, would come in and organize social wellness programs – maybe a little light exercise. There could be a congregate meal that is served where people sit down and share [the experience]. In Halton, they have a PACE model – Progress for All-Inclusive Care of the Elderly. Those programs are even more robust in terms of also offering healthcare services that come into the building and have somebody on site who provides care coordination – helping older adults navigate care services and how to access care and understand where those services are available. Oasis, in Kingston, is a combination of social and healthcare and that is what we want to do just to start: to explore different models, understand how they are operating, what’s involved.”
There is also, she added, interest and support from members of the Northern York-South Simcoe Ontario Health Team to look at opportunities to partner with other groups.
“It’s early days, but this is an area where we really think there is tremendous potential to get something started.”
And every bubble and delicacy will help CHATS move forward.
Tickets for the April 24 event are on sale now at chatsbubblessmiles.ca.
By Brock Weir
Editor
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
March 28, 2024 · 0 Comments
The community is warming up for the 2024 Nature’s Emporium Run for Southlake on April 28, but volunteers are always needed to ensure the event continues to be a resounding success for Southlake Regional Health Centre and the communities it serves.
Volunteers are essential before and on event day, according to the Southlake Regional Health Centre Foundation, including stuffing race kits, plotting out wayfinding, sorting corrals on race day and, of course, cheering on participants.
Volunteer positions are available for anyone high school-age or older, but if you are a student, the time you contribute to the event will count towards community service hours.
“Anyone who is willing to come out and spend a morning to contribute would be a good volunteer,” says Southlake Run board member John Firman, who first got involved with the event as a volunteer when it was hosted in Aurora nearly 15 years ago. “There is all kinds of stuff to do, so you don’t have to be an athlete! All you need to be a good volunteer is the willingness to come out and help.
“There is not a lot of real expertise required. We have people helping hand out water on the run, we have people helping cheer people along, people who help out if there is entertainment somewhere, maybe helping set that up and clean up the food stations and things like that at the end of the Run – a variety of tasks. We encourage people to go to the Run for Southlake website and take a look at the opportunities that are available because we show them online as well.”
Asked why people should consider volunteering, Firman stressed that although Southlake is based in Newmarket, it is Aurora’s hospital as well – as well as for portions of northern York Region and south Simcoe County.
“Sadly, at some point in our life, we will need a hospital,” he says. “I look at this as an investment in the future. When you think about all the things that aren’t funded by the Province, whether it be something big and fancy like a CT scanner or the basics that we don’t usually think of, like just an IV pole, the little things – all that is funded by fundraising and other revenue streams. To me, it’s an investment in your future – you’re investing in the day you may need those services yourself and you need to be there.
“This is our hospital. We as the community need to support it to make sure the hospital has all the resources we as individuals may need for ourselves and our families in the future. Any way you can support is valuable, whether it is volunteering, running yourself, or sponsoring someone else who is running. At the end of it, all of it goes to support our hospital and it needs our support. For people who are participating, the registration dollars really cover the costs for our event. That’s where the fundraising piece is so important: that’s the money that actually comes to the hospital. Once you’ve registered, all you’ve done is paid for the costs for the event and we really encourage everyone to do that extra step and do the fundraising to get their friends, neighbourhood and families to sponsor them so we can generate those dollars that are needed for the hospital itself.”
For more information on the 2024 Nature’s Emporium Run for Southlake, including volunteer opportunities, registration, and how to sponsor and support an individual or team, visit runforsouthlake.ca.
By Brock Weir
Editor
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
March 28, 2024 · 0 Comments
Regional Council is calling for answers on why its so-called “Northern Six” municipalities’ applications to the Federal Government’s Housing Accelerator Fund were denied.
The motion, which was approved by Regional Council last week, was put forward by Whitchurch-Stouffville Mayor Iain Lovatt, called on Federal Housing Minister Sean Fraser and the CMHC to “formally re-assess” the applications of the N6 – Aurora, Newmarket, King, Whitchurch-Stouffville and Georgina, with East Gwillimbury excepted – and to give further consideration to “advancing new Housing Accelerator investments in this year’s budget.”
The motion also asks the Feds to “prioritize municipalities with significant forecasted residential and employment growth like York Region and the N6 specifically.”
“What really frustrated me with the process, and I don’t disparage any municipality in the country that received this funding, but there is a municipality in Southwest Ontario of over 40,000 people, which is a little smaller than Whitchurch-Stouffville, but significant nonetheless, that received $4.5 million from the Federal Government to build 139 single family homes over the next three years and that is not insignificant funding to support a smaller municipality like Stouffville. We started 1,140 homes last year alone in our community. The fact we didn’t get an explanation about what was wrong with our application kind of makes it frustrating in and of itself. We had a meeting with CMHC and they wouldn’t tell us. I am hoping that with the weight of this Council supporting this resolution we can get answers and certainly look at supporting future applications.”
While the motion received support at the Regional table, Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti questioned why the motion was there in the first place.
“There are a lot of grants that municipalities apply for…sometimes we get them, sometimes we don’t, and I don’t think we come running to the Region every time a local municipality doesn’t get one of the grants. It is a little tough as well, and I want to make sure everyone made proper submissions…but I don’t know the content of the individual applications and what [unsuccessful municipalities] put forward.”
Mayor Scarpitti also said some of the messaging put out by mayors of unsuccessful York Region municipalities were “misleading” in “implying” the Feds overlooked York Region’s housing program.
“They absolutely did not,” he contended, adding that $148 million came to York Region as a whole. “Three municipalities in York Region that are providing the bulk of housing over the next 30 years did get funding.”
In the end, however, he supported the motion, as did Richmond Hill Mayor David West.
Richmond Hill was a successful applicant, but he said the more successful York Region municipalities are in receiving funding, the further the Region can “move the needle” on housing targets.
“That’s the message we need to be sending as elected officials to be able to say we need more of this kind of thing rather than less,” he said. “This is the kind of program that needs to be replicated on a Provincial level as well because the kind of program we have under the Building Faster Fund is not particularly helpful in incentivizing in a way that would help us with the jurisdiction we have to actually be successful. This sends a message that we all stand stronger together.
“It’s helpful to all of us if we’re able to be successful.”
Aurora, as announced earlier this month, was not successful in its funding. Although Mayor Tom Mrakas, Aurora’s representative at the Regional table, did not take part in last week’s discussions, he expressed his “dismay” with the decision at the outset, stating the Feds had “politicized” the process.
“It’s disheartening to see them withhold taxpayer funds from municipalities with strong applications, while seemingly favouring those that align with their political agenda,” he said. “This approach undermines the genuine efforts of those of us working tirelessly to address the housing crisis and achieve ‘housing for all.’ It’s a disservice to communities in need and reflect a prioritization of optics over real solutions.”
Aurora-Oak Ridges-Richmond Hill MP Leah Taylor Roy, however, stated Aurora’s application was not “ambitious” enough with housing goals and Council’s refusal of a men’s transitional housing building in Aurora’s south end did not send a “strong message to the people reviewing the application that Aurora was doing everything they could to provide homes to all residents.”
INFRASTRUCTURE ANNOUNCEMENT WELCOMED
On Thursday, the Province announced funding of $1 billion through the Municipal Housing Infrastructure Program to support communities with, as the name suggests, infrastructure programs related to housing.
While the announcement did not include an allocation of what municipalities like Aurora might see, Mayor Mrakas said it was “welcome news.”
“This significant investment of tax dollars back into our communities will assist in covering the costs of building necessary infrastructure as we aim for responsible growth,” said Mayor Mrakas in a statement.
“Many municipalities, including myself, have advocated for more predicable funding to support infrastructure needs as our communities expand. It’s widely recognized that growth does not pay for growth. For every tax dollar collected, municipalities typically receive only 9 to 11 cents, despite being responsible for over 65 per cent of infrastructure. This unsustainable practice underscores the importance of the funds announced by the Province, marking a positive step towards ensuring our communities have the necessary infrastructure to continue thriving and growing. I will be [waiting] for the particulars of the newly-announced Municipal Housing Infrastructure Program to see how our Town stands to gain in accessing this critical funding.”
By Brock Weir
Editor
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
March 28, 2024 · 0 Comments
Local municipalities all have the power to “put their foot down” and demand affordable and rental housing units from potential incoming developers, says York Regional Chair Wayne Emmerson.
Comments from Emmerson, who said York’s nine municipalities and their representatives are “the boots on the ground” when it comes to addressing homelessness, came earlier this month at a Committee of the Whole meeting where Council members discussed the Region’s draft 10-year Housing and Homelessness Plan.
A blueprint to guide addressing the issue beginning next year though 2035, it’s expected to be brought forward for Regional Council’s adoption in the second quarter of 2025.
“Local municipalities are critical partners in advancing the priorities of Housing Solutions by enabling development of affordable housing options and responding to homelessness,” said Regional staff in their update to Council. “Local municipalities will continue to be engaged through 2024 as the Affordable Private Market Housing Implementation Plan, Community Housing Development Master Plan, Homelessness Service System Plan, and the next 10-year housing and homelessness plan are being developed.”
Discussing the update, Regional reps agreed that more funding needs to come from the Federal and Provincial government to meet upcoming goals, but Newmarket Mayor John Taylor said time is of the essence to make concrete steps forward.
“We not only have a housing affordability crisis, but…just people [looking to] survive,” he said. “I guarantee every member around this table has more people contacting them…who can’t figure out how to make it until the next month. The reason I say that is because I think the data is very clear that is presented here, that is presented through some of the workshops we’ve done in the past, the number of people who are experiencing homelessness is growing… ‘exponentially’ might not be the right word – is there a bigger word than ‘exponentially’? I think we need to get our heads around that. I know this plan will do some of that work.
“There is a lot we’re doing, but I am going to say it…it’s not even close to enough in the next three to five years.”
Regional Council, he said, needs to have a “clear opportunity” before the next budget to vote on the amount of funding York will put towards transitional housing and shelter beds in the next three years.
“When those three years come and our parks have tents all over the place, we know that we had that chance to quickly do something. Is there some logic and an additional recommendation that staff bring back a short-term rapid implementation with housing options?” he asked. “We have very significant reserves. I have been a proponent of making sure we have sustainable financing going into the future…but the amount of money it would take for us to get…ahead of the game… wouldn’t drastically impact our reserves.
“We need to look at it straight in the eye, decide to move it forward or not, so that when three years happens from now, we don’t say, ‘We didn’t see that coming. We didn’t have a chance to get ahead of that.’”
Emmerson agreed that Regional Council will have to “step up” at budget time, but said municipalities are the “boots on the ground” as well.
“We know what is happening on the streets and in our parks, in our municipalities,” he said. “You can’t let the Province and Feds off the hook. We can’t. We’ve got to continue to fight. When developers come to your door, when they look at 500 units to be build, you’ve got to step up and say, ‘Where can we get 30 affordable housing units or rental?’ You have the ability when they come to your table… it is nothing to do with the Region. When it comes to a planning issue… you all have the power to put your foot down and say, ‘We want this,’ when you’re going forward.”
By Brock Weir
Editor
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
March 28, 2024 · 0 Comments
As a musician, Amir Amiri is deeply rooted in Persian classical tradition, but what he produces is something altogether new – a blend of classical tradition through a modern lens.
A santur player, composer, and “cultural inventor,” Amiri will bring his ground-breaking style to Aurora next Saturday, April 6, in a concert hosted by the Aurora Cultural Centre at Trinity Anglican Church.
Set to be joined on stage by Nagmeh Farahmand, the Cultural Centre promises a “mesmerizing solo performance as the hammers delicately wander across the trapezoid zither box exploring tradition woven with Amiri’s fresh ideas,” and, on the part of Farahmand, “an acclaimed percussion showcase.”
Amiri came to Canada from Iran in 1996, bringing with him the musical traditions of home which he was then able to interpret through what he describes as a “different cultural operating system.”
“It’s an incredible concept to know what I know, which is deeply Persian classical music, and sift it through this rhythmic mesh,” he says. “What comes out the other side is this sound organization that has been touched by my personal experience, which is rooted in Persian classical tradition. Is it Persian classical music? No. Is it modern music? Yes, but influenced by me and my experience.
“My work is a journey of East and West… where you are from, where you are, and where you’re going to be. That point of reference is very important and that point of reference is that Iranian-ness to my work.”
When you set out on any path, he says, you have the option of going in a straight line – but where you’re from can sometimes dictate the length of that path. In a place like the Middle East where scores of smaller countries are concentrated in one geographic area, these straight lines can be very short.
“When you think of the Middle East as such a huge area… all of these places have their own vocabulary – of course, they all eat humus, but slightly different, and the music is the same. It’s reflective of the food, the person. There is a thread that is very similar, but it also comes with that physicality, and that goes back to the rhythm.”
Amiri likes these in-between spaces where cultures meet. When they do, they enrich each other, he says.
“It’s the human experience and that doesn’t have a boundary,” he says. “We talk a lot these days about borders and things like that, and I am thinking maybe the cultural connection is not as important anymore; it’s more the human connection. We need to start looking at the bigger picture. Everywhere in the world right now, we’re missing something. There’s some really bad stuff happening. My question to myself is, what can I do? What is my responsibility?
“Music in general has a capacity to defragment and this defragmentation comes into different parts of one’s daily life as sort of groupings of allowed agreements… As an artist I appreciate when a human being decides to go to my concert. I think they have done their job. So, for me, I have been trusted by these years of knowledge through music, through classical music, traditional music… allowing this river of energy, allowing this experience to shape together… That is what the power of chamber music is about – music for a room. We’re just together, I’m playing for you and you’re listening. The mistress will do the rest of the job.”
Adds the Aurora Cultural Centre: “Amiri is a master of the santur, a 72-string instrument dating from approximately 500 BCE. Surrounding himself with outstanding collaborators from the worlds of jazz, classical and world music, Amiri fearlessly transcends genres and borders, exquisitely transporting his ancient instrument into the musical conversations of our time.
“Since arriving in Canada in 1996, Amiri has created numerous ground-breaking ensembles including the Amir Amiri Ensemble, inspired by the fluidity of musical influences in Iran and featuring the hypnotic presence of a Whirling Dervish; and Ensemble Kimya, a Montreal-Paris collaboration, combining early classical and contemporary music from Europe, the Middle East and India. Perséides, his duo with double bass player Jean Félix Mailloux, was featured at the National Arts Centre’s Sounds of Persia: Canada’s New Music Masters in 2018, where Amiri was Artistic Director. His ensemble was showcased WOMEX 2021 in Porto, Portugal. Amir Amiri was awarded the 2003 CBC Artist of the Year from the Galaxie Rising Stars Program. He performs and tours with a vast spectrum of ensembles, enchanting with his signature down-to-earth style and profound connection with audiences.”
By Brock Weir
Editor
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
March 28, 2024 · 0 Comments
The following ten players—rostered by the Junior A Tigers during the 2022-23 and/or 2023-24 seasons—were either traded or waived by the Aurora hockey club over the past two seasons and have contributed to their new teams’ playoff runs this Spring.
Stanojevic, Lindsay, Van Weelie, Lopes, Crandall, Hampel, and Urzomarzo are thriving on strong Elite 8 teams who are competing in Round 2 of the OJHL playoffs:
By Jim Stewart
March 28, 2024 · 0 Comments
A Review by Jim Stewart
Revival’s lead singer Joey Villeneuve welcomed hundreds of green-clad revelers at Castle John’s on Yonge Street for his band’s St. Patrick’s Day performance.
Hospitality and great times were in order on that Sunday afternoon at the eight-year old eatery as the four-man band rolled out masterful covers much to the delight of the packed venue.
The immediately recognizable songs were part of the charm of Revival’s late afternoon performance that appealed to a wide audience assembled at the north Newmarket pub. With screens beaming sports events surrounding the stage area, patrons were treated to the Final Round of the PGA Players Championship in the background and great music in the foreground—a celebration of Golf Greens and Green Beer in wonderful symmetry.
The quartet—comprised of the dynamic Villeneuve on lead vocals and guitar; JD Parent on drums; Owen Bulger on bass and vocals; and Bruno Tassone on lead guitar and vocals—opened and closed each set with high-velocity Irish and Newfoundlander tunes.
In between the book-ended St. Patrick’s Day staples, set one featured Revival’s classic bar tunes such as “Bad Moon Rising” by CCR, “Brown Eyed Girl” by Van Morrison, and “Stuck in the Middle with You” by Stealers Wheel with Tassone and Villeneuve hitting Gerry Rafferty’s range of notes.
Tassone’s delivery of Oasis’s “Don’t Look Back in Anger” was the highlight of the opening set and the revelers responded with a thunderous ovation. There wasn’t a hint of anger at Castle John’s, especially when Revival moved seamlessly from the Gallagher brothers to Blue Rodeo’s “Til I’m Myself Again” with Villeneuve covering Jim Cuddy as patrons enjoyed both the band’s playlist and the tasty gustatory offerings of the pub.
The radiant Yazra set up my writer’s table stage left and delivered a refreshing green Molson Canadian
My second verdant-tinted pint arrived with a delicious Shepherd’s Pie, grilled vegetables, and a wee pot of perfect gravy between sets. Hospitality was on full display at the pub with ten friendly, green-garbed servers looking after the patrons.
The food and drink complemented my St. Patrick’s Day concert experience as did the band’s stellar second set featuring a rousing version of Tom Petty’s “American Girl.” Patrons clanged their bells and noisemakers, especially in tribute to Tassone’s fine guitar work. Appreciative audience members sang along to Villeneuve’s delivery of “She Ain’t Pretty” by the Northern Pikes and took in the perfect drum rolls of Parent on the Beatles’ classic “Come Together.”
“Ramblin’ Man” by The Allman Brothers energized the big crowd at CJ’s followed by The Clash’s “Should I Stay or Should I Go?”—a rhetorical question posed to the audience. The answer to the question was easy. Hundreds stayed for the good times and company. Tassone’s steady vocals and Villeneuve’s harmonica solo in “What I Like about You” rolled together to set off the Romantics’ hit song.
An up-tempo delivery of Dire Straits’ “Walk of Life” filled the dance floor and bassist Owen Bulger’s lead vocal of the 1963 Beatles’ hit “I Saw Her Standing There” further energized the dancers. Revival’s versatility was on full display during the second set as its three vocalists took turns engaging the revelers. A transition to 1983 with the Violent Femmes’ “Blister in the Sun” then back to the 60’s to the Monkees’ standard “I’m a Believer”—a song with broad appeal in the bar due to Smash Mouth’s remake that appeared on the Shrek soundtrack.
The Killers’ hypnotic chorus “I got soul – but I’m not a soldier” from “All These Things That I’ve Done” got the revelers chanting and what Revival concert would be complete without Villeneuve covering Gord Downie and The Tragically Hip’s “New Orleans is Sinking.” A high energy version of Duran Duran’s “Hungry Like the Wolf” and Bulger’s growling vocal work on Billy Idol’s “Dancing with Myself” packed the dance floor as revelers soaked in the band’s musical stylings and the green beer that filled tables.
Revival lived up to their name on Sunday as the concert felt like a Rite of Spring after a dreary Winter. The quartet is one of York Region’s bar band treasures and offered another stellar performance on their home turf on St. Patrick’s Day at Castle John’s. Slainte.
March 28, 2024 · 0 Comments
Spring is in full swing, and if you’re starting to turn your mind to a bit of seasonal cleaning, think big as Aurora gears up for the first of its twice-annual Community Clean-Up Day.
The Spring Community Clean-Up Day will take place Saturday, April 20, with Town Park as its nerve-centre.
Beginning at 8 a.m., registered participants can pick-up their cleaning kits at the Downtown Aurora greenspace and fan out to one of several “target” locations throughout the community to pick up what shouldn’t be there.
Andrea Lee-Han, who has been participating in the Community Clean Up Days for the last three years, will once again be heading out on April 20 to beautify Aurora, not just with her own family, but with a number of residents she cares for at Kingsway Place Retirement Community on Murray Drive.
“It’s nice that we can all be together on this one day to do this one task, but it is not just one day – every day we need to think about the earth, what we do, and making sure that we do have something left for the next generation,” she says.
When she first began participating in days like these, she says she noticed a lot of high school kids were having trouble completing their community service hours and thought this was a great opportunity to get that done.
“I said to my kids, ‘Come on out, it’s a nice day, we’re going to pick up garbage,’ and they were like, ‘Oh, okay,’” she says, affecting a groan and a chuckle. “It snowballed from there and I wanted to bring that to Kingsway. We didn’t start at Kingsway in that first year, I thought, let’s get them conditioned first to be able to pick something up from the floor from a lower level and be safe to navigate when they are outside in the community. Because we had COVID at the time everyone had to be masked, everyone had to be social-distanced, and this was an opportunity to do something outside.”
“One of the things I kind of preach is we live in a community and we have to take care of our community. You don’t want to live in garbage, you want to make sure that you’re home. This is your home and when your home is clean you feel better about it and you also feel you’re helping your neighbours, too,” adds Lee-Han, noting that the area Kingsway and its residents and volunteers take on include the greenspaces around their residence and nearby schools. “We had high school students who came in with us, for the older ones I was able to leave them in certain areas, the Guides were there teaching them, too, so they could make sure they were understanding we are stewards of this earth and we need to take care of it if we want to have a future. That’s my takeaway and I hope I instil that with the residents, too. If you take pride in your surroundings, hopefully that will transfer to whatever is inside the building will also be outside the building, too.
Target locations this month’s Clean-Up Day include John West Way, Alex Brodie Drive, Vandorf Sideroad, River Ridge Boulevard, Earl Stewart Drive, Issacson Court, Henderson Drive between Yonge Street and Watts Meadow, Stone Road, First Commerce Drive, Desjardins Way, William Graham Drive, Old Bloomington Road, St. John’s Sideroad, Industrial Parkway, Bayview Avenue, Yonge Street, Wellington Street, and all stormwater management ponds.
“Our community takes pride in maintaining a clean and beautiful environment,” said Mayor Tom Mrakas in a statement. “The annual spring cleanup is an excellent opportunity for residents to actively contribute to preserving the natural beauty of Aurora and fostering a sense of community pride.”
To participate, individuals or groups can register at aurora.ca/Cleanup. Registration must be completed by Friday, April 19. Cleanup kits will be available for pickup at Town Park on the day of the event, while supplies last. Volunteers will have the option to choose their own cleanup location or select from a list of target areas provided on the Town’s website.
Students participating in the cleanup will receive volunteer hours for their contribution to the community.
For more information on the Spring Community Cleanup or to register, please visit aurora.ca/Cleanup.
By Brock Weir
Editor
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
March 28, 2024 · 0 Comments
“Aurora is safe,” members of York Regional Police told residents at Town Hall on Thursday evening at a Community Safety forum hosted by Newmarket-Aurora MPP Dawn Gallagher Murphy – but area residents who have fallen victim to crime said they did not feel safe.
The Community Safety Town Hall was held March 21 and was attended by the MPP, Mayor Tom Mrakas, members of Council, and several members of the York Regional Police (YRP) who call Aurora home.
For MPP Gallagher Murphy, it was a chance for members of the public to hear directly from those “who are tackling crime right here in Aurora and Newmarket” and share safety initiatives, and for YRP Deputy Chief Paulo Da Silva the opportunity to share data and challenge residents on “what you have heard as opposed to what you know.”
“Aurora is safe,” said Da Silva. “We realize there is a lot of concern with what we see in the media and what we have heard or read, but I can’t stress enough that Aurora is safe.”
“We want you (the public) to have the one source of truth [that] is actually the data that is presented here,” he continued, following an introduction to the YRP’s Community Data Portal, which allows residents to go online and look at crime statistics in their communities, right down to the neighbourhood level.
This message was reiterated by YRP Detective Sergeant Sherwin Bachoo, who told residents he and his family moved from Brampton to Aurora for the safety this community offered.
“We are all safe – that’s number one,” said Bachoo. “I know everyone has been getting this information [from] the news, TV, TikTok, social media stuff, Instagram…you’re getting bad information. The real information is I live in the community and I am telling you it is safe.”
Trends related to break-and-enters and other forms of theft fluctuate throughout the year, he said, and as much as YRP patrols it is important for residents to “get to know your neighbours.”
“They are the best crime prevention you can have,” he said.
Assembled members of the YRP said these types of crimes are crimes of opportunity and it is important to “take that opportunity away” from criminals and would-be criminals, including being diligent about lighting, installing doorbell cameras which can provide invaluable information to police not just for the homes they are installed but the surrounding community as well, and even Faraday bags, offered by the police, to protect your key fobs from being targeted.
“Community safety is a shared responsibility,” said Da Silva.
Community members, however, questioned just how accurate and up-to-date the information contained within the Community Data Portal was.
Stephanie McCleave, a resident of Aurora’s northwest quadrant, told Police a number of break-ins in this part of the community were not reflected on the portal.
“Our numbers might seem small in comparison to what is going on elsewhere in the Region,” she said, noting a series of break-ins from 2009, 2013, 2013, before ramping back up over the pandemic. “We want as a neighbourhood to get ahead of this before their experience becomes ours and that is the whole reason why we are bringing this up: we don’t want to be sitting here whinging that we should have done something sooner; we want to work with police, the neighbourhood and the community to try and make that happen so we can get ahead of it. Once your house is broken into, your memories of your whole past in that home has become tarnished.”
This was a view supported by resident Penney Reynolds who said her house was broken into in November while she was at her cottage. She came home on a Friday afternoon to find all the doors wide-open, drapes pulled shut, pictures pulled off walls – “they really trashed it.”
“[My daughter] will not stay by herself in the house anymore, I don’t blame her,” said Reynolds, who said she and her neighbours have been sharing information on the break-ins in their community. “I see on your (YRP’s) map some of them, but I don’t see the one that was on Whispering Pine the week before Christmas, another one that was on Valley Crescent, Heathwood…
“The Police were very good about coming out, they wrote a report, the Constable said somebody would be checking the neighbourhood cameras; nobody ever checked because none of my neighbours has ever been approached… Forensics came in and said, ‘I can’t find any fingerprints in your house.’ I’m not that great a housekeeper – I’ve got news for you, there are fingerprints that are there.
“Do I feel safe? I don’t feel safe; I’m a victim.”
Reynolds said she would like to see more police patrols within Aurora and for YRP officers to take neighbourhood streets on shift changes, rather than busy thoroughfares like Yonge and Wellington, when on their rounds to add increased community presence in a way that wouldn’t impact Police budgets or time.
“We could be a leader in crime prevention,” she concluded.
Measures suggested by McCleave included lights on local trail systems, for direct notification to residents when a crime occurs in their neighbourhoods, and potentially the use of drones for nighttime patrol.
Da Silva said he “understood” that communities were feeling unsafe and stressed he was in no way trying to “minimize” the impact crime has had on them.
“I want to reassure you that we hear you and we understand,” he said. “If we know there are vulnerabilities there, then we can do certain things to make sure our officers are proactive in what they do.”
He encouraged everyone to keep an eye on their community in an “informal” Neighbourhood Watch program.
“You don’t need a formalized program; all you need are eyes and ears of the community to say, ‘I know what is happening in my neighbourhood and I know that F150 shouldn’t be there and I perhaps should pick up the phone [and make] the enquiry.’”
He also said patrols like the ones cited by McCleave were always what the YRP was looking for.
“Don’t take the main streets – go through the neighbourhoods, that will make a big difference. I can tell you that is something we will take away and definitely enact. I hope the next time we meet, you can say that you actually saw a police officer not just once, but more than once.”
By Brock Weir
Editor
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
March 28, 2024 · 0 Comments
Spring is here, and as residents’ thoughts turn towards getting their homes ready for the warmer weather, the Aurora Chamber of Commerce is hard at work to showcase all the options – and local businesses that can help bring your vision to life.
The Chamber’s annual Home & Living Show will return to the Stronach Aurora Recreation Complex April 20 – 21, taking over both arenas where there will be extra-special attractions for event-goers.
While this year’s Home and Living Show will offer everything you’ve come to love about the annual event, the return to both arenas has allowed some fresh ideas take root.
“We’re trying to elevate the Home Show,” says Alison Mumford, Director of Operations for the Aurora Chamber of Commerce. “Going back to both arenas is a big draw as one of our vendors and sponsors is Backyard Pools and Spa, which will take over an entire half of one of the arenas, bringing in pools and spas which will be filled up.
“Beyond that, part of the ‘elevation in design’ aspect is we’re asking certain vendors, as part of our design space, actually curate different areas of the home: the garden, the garage, the dining room, living room, kitchen, etc., so it looks like more of a vignette, a place where you can walk through, and not just a booth.”
Another facet of this year’s planning, Mumford adds, was “bringing fresh eyes” that reflect the “air of elegance and affluence” that Aurora has and “making sure that is represented – not necessarily in affluence, but definitely upscale.”
Helping bring this vision to life will be an array of new and returning vendors.
On hand to answer all your questions on contracting and interior design will be, among others, A4 Group Construction, Apollo Glass & Mirror, Ivish Interiors, Lifestyle Home Creations, The Millionaire’s Daughter, Glidden Plumbing and Renovations, Student Works Painting, Homes 2B Design and Senso Design.
For landscaping, decks, and fencing, vendors include MKW Services, Pathways to Perennials, Resting Rock, Miller Compost, MPS Property Services, Barrie Newmarket Rubber Resurfacing, Hallscape, and Queensville Sod Farms.
Helping to let the sunshine in through windows, doors and sunrooms include Browning Windows & Doors, White Elm, Magic, Kempenfelt Windows & Doors, Renoasis, and Renewal by Andersen.
If you’re looking for exterior services like roofing, pools, and heating and cooling systems, vendors like AllPro Roofing, Rydel Roofing, Leaffilter, Aurora Overhead Door, Backyard Pools & Spa, Seaway Pools & Beachcomber Hot Tubs, Summers & Smith, Best Climate Heating & Cooling, and Canco Climatecare will be there for you.
“There are still a handful of spaces left,” says Mumford of booth availability. “We’ve had a big surge of people filling up this week.”
With such a big surge of interest, the Aurora Chamber of Commerce is looking forward to welcoming residents to the SARC and, with free admission, courtesy of admission sponsor Summers & Smith, that just sweetens the deal.
“For new people, it is something to check out to get to know all the local businesses and find inspiration. There are always things you can do inside your home, outside your home – even if it is not this year, it’s knowing who is available, who is around, and the level of expertise that is there,” says Mumford. “There are over 10,000 square feet of curated design space, whether that is indoor or outdoor. Between different, various room designs, garden designs, a full deck being built, lots of trends being displayed, there is a lot to check out.
“For returning guests, I think there is a difference, especially with our design centre, the installations by Backyard Pools & Spa, and the different things you can see. There will be new entertainment, new food, lots of activities for kids to do, so I think it has a different feel. There’s buzz about it, so I think it will be an exciting year!”
For more information, including a complete and up-to-date list of exhibitors, visit www.aurorachamber.on.ca/aurorahomeshow.
By Brock Weir
Editor
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter