1. Art and Diseño

THE AURORAN, Thursday, January 29, 2015
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IRTH D A Y
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WEARING OF THE GREEN:
Aurora students roamed the galleries of the Aurora Cultural Centre
last week, donning their “wearable art” as part of the opening
ceremonies for a new joint art show displaying the art of upcoming
grads from Dr. G.W. Williams Secondary School and Aurora High
School. From left: Rebecca wears “Barbie Story”, Chris with “$$$
Money” and Luis with “Jig Saw.” For more on the show, see Page 17.
Auroran photo by David Falconer
Budget talks begin with potential 6.1% tax hike
By Brock Weir
Aurora residents could be facing a
tax hike of as high as 6.1 per cent on
the municipal portion of their annual
tax bill, as Council began budget
deliberations Monday – this number,
however, is expected to be whittled
down as discussions continue.
Councillors went into this week’s
budget meeting expecting a municipal
tax increase of 4.96 per cent as a
starting point. This would have
translated into an overall tax impact to
Aurora residents of 3.42 per cent when
combined with the Region of York’s
proposed tax increase of 3.78 per cent.
A proposed budget from the Central
York Fire Services, the fire department
serving Aurora and Newmarket, and
jointly governed by Councillors from
both municipalities in the form of the
Joint Council Committee (JCC), threw
a wrench into that plan, however. What
was expected at Town Hall to be a tax
rate pressure of .76 per cent on the
budget increase has shot up to 1.9 per
cent.
“I humbly suggest JCC has some
work to do, and I suspect the members
from Newmarket will not be impressed
with the budget plan at this point
either,” said Aurora Treasurer Dan
Elliott, anticipating discussions set
to take place at the JCC next week.
“There will be a lot of discussion on the
impact of the Fire Master Plan. I can’t
predict the outcome. I know the Chief
is prepared for a frank discussion about
his budget and JCC will start that next
week. In some ways, we are at 6.1 per
cent and not 4.96.”
Councillors expressed dismay at the
numbers this week, confident that as
talks progressed both at Town Hall and
JCC the final number facing Aurorans
would be considerably less than 6.1.
Continued on page 6
Region will have say before pilot project
restricts turning on Yonge St.
Respite fund
started for
parents with
disabled kids
By Brock Weir
By Brock Weir
Caregivers often go about the
community unsung for their work,
with few supports out there to
help them along the way – but the
Rotary Club of Aurora is looking
to change that.
Beginning this February, the
local service club will establish the
Rotary Club of Aurora Children’s
Emergency Respite Fund, a fund
with an initial infusion of $5,000
to benefit caregivers – parental or
Continued on page 20
Regional representatives will appear
before Council before Aurora requests
a new pilot project prohibiting lefthand turns at Yonge and Wellington
this year.
The move came as Council voted
in favour of a motion asking the
Region of York to implement a pilot
project banning left hand turns at the
intersection during peak morning and
afternoon traffic periods.
The motion was brought to Council
by Councillor Tom Mrakas, who said it
was developed to address long-standing
concerns about traffic flow at the
intersection, building on a similar pilot
project undertaken at the intersection
in 1998 which showed favourable
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results.
“I found over my time living here
that the majority of people who are
making left hand turns during the peak
periods are usually not residents of
Aurora,” he said. “For me, when I travel
through town, I tend to avoid Yonge and
Wellington, take the side streets, cut
and weave, and I am sure most of us do
that. The intent of this is to bring the
residents of Aurora back to the area.
If we get the flow of traffic moving
properly, people will not be afraid to
come to that intersection.”
Supporting going forward with the
pilot project, Councillor Harold Kim
questioned how the success of such a
program would be measured – whether
it is by easier traffic flow, or where the
Continued on page 3
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THE AURORAN, Thursday, January 29, 2015
COUNCIL AND COMMITTEE MEETINGS
Tuesday, February 3
Saturday, February 7
Monday, February 9
Tuesday, February 10
Thursday, February 12
7 p.m.
9 a.m.
7 p.m.
7 p.m.
7 p.m.
Council Chambers
Council Chambers
Council Chambers
Council Chambers
Council Chambers
General Committee*
Special General Committee Capital Budget*
Special General Committee Capital Budget*
Council
Committee of Adjustment
Meetings are open to the public and can be seen on Rogers TV, channel 10. For a full list of upcoming meetings,
please visit www.aurora.ca
*Meetings can be viewed online by visiting www.aurora.ca/gcstream
REMINDER
Parking enforcement to commence March 1 at Town Park
THANK YOU
PROCLAMATION
Town of Aurora Bylaw officers will enforce parking prohibitions around Town Park
beginning March 1.
The Town of Aurora designates permitted parking areas around parks and prohibits
on-street parking between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. from November 15 to April 15. The
permitted areas help to ensure adequate parking for park users and the evening
parking prohibition assists with snow removal.
Salvation Army Kettle Drive Results!
The Town of Aurora and the Salvation Army held its annual Kettle
Drive in December and are pleased to announce more than
$40,000 was raised!
These generous contributions help provide practical assistance to
vulnerable members of our community during the holidays and
throughout the year.
Sincere thanks to Walmart, The Real Canadian Superstore, Metro,
The Beer Store and LCBO of Aurora for hosting the Kettle Drive.
Thanks also to everyone who donated and volunteered to make
this year’s campaign a resounding success!
WHEREAS His Excellency the Right Honourable David
Johnston, Governor General of Canada proclaimed 2015 the
Year of Sport in Canada in a ceremony on Parliament Hill on
October 16, 2014; and
WHEREAS the 2015 Year of Sport celebrates the role of sport
in our Country and encourages Canadians to participate and
seek the benefits of sports; and
WHEREAS in 2015 Canada will be host to several national and
international sporting events such as:
EMPLOYMENT
OPPORTUNITIES
• The International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior
Hockey Championship
• 25th Edition of the Canada Winter World Games
• FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada
• 2015 Pan and Parapan American Games; and
The Town of Aurora is now accepting applications for:
WHEREAS in 2015 York Region will host the first-ever Pan Am
Games Golf Tournament at Angus Glen Golf Club; and
Summer Camp Positions
Applications deadline is Friday, January 30
Summer Student (Legal Services)
Applications deadline is Friday, February 13
For more information, please visit
www.aurora.ca/employment
WHAT’S HAPPENING
Dinner and a Movie
Dolphin Tale 2 (Rated G)
Where:
When:
Ages:
Price:
Aurora Public Library
Saturday, January 31
7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
11 to 14 year-olds
Entry is $3 per person
and pizza will be served.
For more information, please call 905-727-3123 ext. 3121.
Clear Bag Information Session
The Town of Aurora will host a drop-in Information Session
at Aurora Town Hall to provide an opportunity for residents
to learn more about Aurora’s proposed Clear Bag Collection
Program.
When: Monday, February 9, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Where: Aurora Town Hall, Front foyer, 100 John West Way
The Information Session will have a rotating slide presentation,
samples of clear garbage bags, and staff on-hand to answer
questions. A clear bag survey is also available at www.aurora.
ca for residents to provide feedback on the proposed program.
WHEREAS the Town of Aurora supports and promotes Sport
through its Parks and Recreation programs and relationships
with various sports organizations such as:
• Aurora Minor Hockey Association
• The Aurora Tigers
• The Aurora Youth Soccer Club
• Sport Aurora which includes:
• Aurora Sports Hall of Fame
• Aurora Barbarians Rugby Football Club
• Aurora Minor Baseball Association
• Aurora Community Tennis Club
• Aurora Diggers Girls Softball Association
• Aurora Lawn Bowling Club
• Aurora Master Ducks Swim Club
• Aurora Masters Lacrosse
• Aurora Men’s Slo-Pitch League
• Aurora Seniors Association
• Aurora Skating Club
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of York
• Blue Dragon Meibukan Karate
• Central York Girls Hockey Association
• Just 4 Keepers
• York Simcoe Minor Bucs Football Association
• Coerver Soccer Academy
• Ducks Swimming Club
• Evolution Gymnastics
• Everest Academies
• Gateway Cafe & Lanes
• Newmarket Redbirds Lacrosse Club
• Storm Volleyball
• Spectrum North Baton Club
• St. Andrew’s College
• Special Olympics Ontario – Aurora
• Global Gymnastics
• York North Basketball Association
Extra bulky items can also be taken to one of The Regional
Municipality of York’s depots, wait till the next garbage cycle, or
contact a private removal company.
For more information, please visit
www.aurora.ca/wasteandrecycling or call Customer Service at
905-727-1375.
For a full list of The Regional Municipality of York’s depots, please
visit www.york.ca
Temporary Road Closure on Monday, February 16
Community Event:
Date:
Time:
Arctic Adventure
Monday, February 16
Start at 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Roads to be temporarily closed:
• Wells Street at Mosley Street – Full Closure
• Wells Street at Metcalfe Street – Road Closure – Local Traffic Only
• South property line to the Old Wells Street School (#64 Wells St.) - Full Closure
• Children’s activities
Snow shoeing, mini snow tubing,
floor curling and ‘snow’ much more!
• Inflatables, ice fishing
and mini golf
• Professional ice carving
demonstrations
• Outdoor skating
Weather permitting.
Helmets are strongly recommended.
• Aurora Farmers’ Market
Experience the market indoors at
the Aurora Armoury.
• Vendors serving delicious food
Dated at the Town of Aurora this 21st day of January, 2015.
Residents can dispose of their E-waste and batteries at one of the
The Regional Municipality of York’s local depots or at the Town’s
scheduled E-waste events at 9 Scanlon Court.
For more information, please call 905-726-4751 or visit www.aurora.ca
First Nations presentation,
“Battle of the Chainsaws” and more!
Council will be discussing the Clear Bag program in February.
Please note: Any items over the five extra bulky item limit
will be tagged and left at the curb. You do not require an
appointment to pick-up your five extra bulky items.
Please make it safe for everyone and ensure that your vehicles are not parked on
the street. It is also important to not park over sidewalks or onto the roadway. This
is a hazard for residents and it severely hinders the ability of our Infrastructure and
Environmental Services staff to efficiently plow our roads and sidewalks.
• Live entertainment
THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the
Proclamation designating the year beginning January 1, 2015,
as the ‘Year of Sport in Aurora’ be included in the Notice
Board.
• E-waste and batteries are
banned from curbside collection
• There is a maximum of five extra bulky items per scheduled
collection. For example, you can set out a maximum of five
extra bulky items along with your green bin(s), blue box(es)
and garbage bag(s)/can(s).
It’s that time of year again! Snow and ice are due to arrive soon.
(Corner of Wells Street and Mosley Street)
At its meeting on May 27, 2014 Aurora Town Council
endorsed a recommendation to review the proposed transition
to a clear bag for waste collection in early 2015. Information
on the benefits of clear bags was displayed over nine weeks in
autumn 2014 in the Town Notice Board.
As of January 1, 2015 all
residents and businesses in
Aurora who participate in
curbside collection must comply
with the following changes:
Winter Parking Restrictions in effect from November 15 to
April 15, 2 a.m. to 6 a.m.
Monday, February 16, 2015
10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Aurora Town Park
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT, on behalf of the Members
of Council for the Corporation of the Town of Aurora, I, Mayor
Geoffrey Dawe, do hereby proclaim 2015 as the Year of Sport
in Aurora and urge our citizens and visitors to discover the
benefits of Sport by participating in a wide variety of programs
and activities; and
New Changes coming to Curbside Collection!
Until recently, Town Park did not have signage indicating parking prohibitions.
Signs have since been installed and enforcement will commence in March.
ALL ACTIVITIES ARE
FREE OF CHARGE
Please note, nominal fees apply.
PLEASE NOTE, WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO CANCEL,
AMEND OR CHANGE ACTIVITIES.
Call 905-726-4762 or
visit www.aurora.ca
for more information
#AuroraEvents2015
Geoffrey Dawe
Mayor
WHAT’S HAPPENING
P.A. Day Leisure Swim
There is a P.A. Day Leisure Swim at the Stronach Aurora
Recreation Complex on Monday, February 2 from 1:30 p.m. to
3:30 p.m.
The cost for this session is:
• $3 for an all ages drop-in ticket
• $24 for a strip of 10 tickets all ages
Outdoor Ice Rinks are operational
The Parks & Recreation department has completed construction
of four outdoor ice rinks in Aurora. The rinks are located at Ada
Johnson Park, Town Park, Machell Park and Confederation Park.
All rinks are lit until 11 p.m. and are mixed use with both leisure
skating and hockey occurring. Please remember to respect other
users on the ice and to wear protective gear for your safety. Thank
you!



Community ReCognition
Citizen of the yeaR awards
The Town of Aurora believes in recognizing citizens who have made
a positive impact in our community. We are once again calling
for nominations for the 2015 Community Recognition awards.
The awards honour individuals, groups and businesses that have
actively supported the Town’s development and enhanced the overall
community.
Download a nomination form at
www.aurora.ca/CRa
nominations will be aCCepted until
Thursday, March 19, 2015 at 2 p.m.
for more information about the Community Recognition awards,
please contact Jennifer norton at 905-727-3123, ext. 4232
or email [email protected]
THE AURORAN, Thursday, January 29, 2015
Page 3
“Healthy minds and open hearts” at Dr. G.W. Williams earns award from Premier
By Brock Weir
Mary Tyler Moore might be able to
turn the world on with her smile, but
students at Dr. G.W. Williams Secondary
School are hoping a simple little
“hello” will do the trick throughout
their hallowed halls this year.
“Simply Say Hello” is a new
initiative getting ready to be unleashed
by students in the intensive class
in
Williams’
Special
Education
department. According to teacher
Joe Collins, the program will see the
students fan out with a goal of saying
“hello,” “good morning,” or the warm
greeting of their choice to at least 20
people a day.
“The salutation is very simple, but
we’re targeting at least 20 people a day
and we’re hoping the ripple effect of that
will help bring a healthier community
within the school population,” says Mr.
Collins.
If you’re skeptical that this simple
act of warmth will have the desired
effect, chances are Premier Kathleen
Wynne is not amongst the skeptics.
Premiere Wynne named Williams
one of 10 schools across Ontario –
and the only one in York Region – as
recipients of the 2013 – 2014 Premier’s
Awards for Accepting Schools. It is
the second time the school has been
recognized, after receiving the 2010
honour from Dalton McGuinty.
The award was formally celebrated
by students on Monday morning.
The school was recognized for
increasing student involvement in
steering priorities and resources
within the school environment towards
causes and initiatives most important
to the students in an effort to make
each student feel safe and included,
something the Province of Ontario
says has been an ongoing challenge for
Williams.
“However, some students with
various
exceptionalities
were
reluctant to participate in events or
deliver announcements,” reads the
citation. “Knowing these challenges,
the school wanted to promote the
importance of healthy living, safety,
and wellbeing in a caring, inclusive
learning environment in a variety of
ways.”
Such initiatives included ongoing
work with the York Regional Police,
Central York Fire Services, the
Canadian Mental Health Association,
and public health bodies on the
creation of a Safety Week and Mental
Health Week within the schools, with a
special emphasis on “Think Empathy”
designed to increase awareness of
bullying.
The “Food for Learning” initiative
enabled students to have access to
healthy snacks during school hours, in
addition to “Subsidized Salad Weeks”,
while “Purple Day” saw students join
forces with the Gay-Straight alliance
to show support for their LGBTQ
community.
On hand to receive the Premier’s award were, from left: (Back Row) Janice Noguera,
Joe Collins, Noah Spataro, Debbie Hinton, Constable Dave Collie, Claudia Contino,
Izabel Filichian, Chris Hilmer, Ezna Tuccitto, Richard Burke. (Front Row) Ben
Williamson, Caelan Carman, Victoria Stitt, Laura Noguera, Nikki Sarshab, and Kenny
Laing. Auroran photo by Brock Weir
“The school’s safety and inclusion
initiatives have made it a positive place
that offers students the resources they
need to overcome social and emotional
challenges and lead happier, healthier
lives,” said the province, noting the
impacts on engagement, visibility and
leadership skills of students with mild
intellectual disabilities.”
For Principal Christopher Hilmer,
receiving the honour for a second time
was “significant” for the school.
“I think it really attests to the work
the school does in order to create a
safe and accepting environment for all
students,” he said.
Such programs were facilitated by
Mr. Collins, alongside Debbie Hinton, a
public health nurse with the Region of
York. Ideas for initiatives have come out
of conferences held by Public Health
York Region and the York Regional
Police that bring together students to
share ideas. Going a step further, Ms.
Hinton said one thing which made
Williams students stand out from the
crowd was going directly to the people
they wanted to impact.
“These kids did a survey through
the entire Grade 10s and from that we
were able to identify some priorities
they were interested in,” she said.
“Bullying and mental health has been
a priority for the school.”
“Holistic approach” needed to
address traffic woes: Mayor
From page 1
traffic ultimately ends up.
“If
[neighbouring streets] are
inundated with traffic, it just transfers
the problem,” he said.
Those are issues that will have to be
worked out between Aurora and the
Region, according to municipal staff.
“We could work with the Region
to identify where the traffic might go
alternately,” said Ilmar Simanovskis,
Aurora’s Director of Infrastructure.
“I think what might be useful is traffic
counts at the intersection, as well as St.
John’s, because that is a primary route
both the Region and the Town supports
and advertises. I think it is prudent to
have conversations with the Region to
determine what the expectations are,
what the real goal is of this change, and
provide them with that kind of guidance
so they can measure it appropriately.”
The impact on neighbouring streets
was a concern also shared by Councillor
Jeff Thom. “Delighted” that the Region
would be presenting options before
implementing the pilot project, he said
the effects such a ban would have on
Temperance Street, Victoria Street,
and Mosley Street, among other roads,
should be kept in mind.
“I imagine that commuters already
use those roads to circumvent Yonge
and Wellington,” he said. “I imagine if
there were left hand turn restrictions
there would be more people using
[the other] streets to circumvent that
intersection as well.”
A pilot project in this area is not
exactly the road less travelled, as far as
Aurora is concerned. When questioned
by Councillor Michael Thompson as
Briefly
to why permanent measures weren’t
taken in the late 1990s when the last pilot
project was deemed to have favourable
results, Mr. Simanovskis said there
were “political” issues at play.
“My understanding of the removal
of the left-hand turn restriction was a
political decision at the time,” he said.
“From what I understand, there was
some feedback from the community
that suggested the old methodology was
preferred, so the Region was requested
to remove that left turn restriction.”
Seventeen years on, however, the
time might be here for a re-think, said
Councillors.
“It could be wonderful for the
intersection,” said Councillor Wendy
Gaertner. “I do think the education
component will be very important as
we try to convince people to take St.
John’s Sideroad and Industrial as the
bypass it was intended to circumvent
all that traffic on Yonge Street. I hope…
the public can come forward with their
ideas and concerns and then, after that,
we can also do a good job of educating
the public of what we would like them
to do to help us out with that traffic
problem.”
This issue also needs to be tackled
from a wide-ranging perspective, added
Mayor Dawe.
“We need to do this as a holistic
approach,” he said. “I am looking
forward to what the Region says because
part of the problem when Yonge and
Wellington became a challenge is
people started to make that left hand
turn at Centre, then the no left turn
went to Centre and they moved it down
to Catherine and down to Maple.”
King Richard’s English Pub was in the
spirit of giving last week, welcoming
long-standing community organizations
in to receive contributions to their funds.
(Above) Anne Beswick, gala coordinator,
and Alison Peck, Executive Director of
the York Region Abuse Program, accept
a $4,000 cheque from Tim Brochu of
King Richard’s. (L) A further donation of
$3,500 was accepted by Alicia Dirosa and
Dharshan Gopal on behalf of the Aurora
Food Pantry.
Photos by Diane Buchanan
DAWE ELECTED LSRCA CHAIR
Mayor Geoff Dawe has been elected Chair of the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority (LSRCA) Board
of Directors. He was named to the position at the LSRCA’s Annual General Meeting on Friday. In a statement,
Mayor Dawe said he was is “excited” by the opportunity to lead the Board. “As a long-time champion of the
Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority, and the tremendous work of the Authority and its staff to protect
the Lake Simcoe Watershed, I am very excited at the opportunity to help steer the direction of this world-class
organization as its elected chair,” he said. “I would like to thank my colleagues on the Board for placing their
support and faith in me, and I look forward to working together to further the ongoing critical and progressive
work of the authority. Bobbie Drew, Deputy Mayor of the Township of Scugog, was elected Vice Chair. For more
information on the LSRCA, visit www.lsrca.on.ca.
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Page 4
THE AURORAN, Thursday, January 29, 2015
Letter to the editor
Machell’s Corners
Public “disappointed and
frustrated” with Complex
delays
With just a few days before the Aurora
Leisure Complex (AFLC) re-opening to
the public for the swimming pool and
the gym, all plans are now cancelled.
February 28, 16 months after it was
closed for renovations, is the next target
date for the AFLC to be fully operational.
Swim lessons are now being run at the
pool; but the gym is closed and there is
no general swimming for the public.
This is not just an inconvenience to
many of the Auroran tax payers; it is
also a loss of employment for many of
the university and high school students
who work as lifeguards and as support
staff.
The staffing has been cut back to
service just one complex now at the
Stronach Aurora Recreational Complex.
The Youth Center is also closed off at
the Industrial Parkway location until
further notification from the Town
officials. Will this delay increase the
cost of the renovations and cause the
project to go over the original budget?
This is an example of poor planning
by the Town’s administration.
Why all the hoopla about the grand
opening when it was quite clear the
AFLC would not be ready for it a long
time ago? Official schedules were printed
off in December which illustrated the
swim times at both swimming pools,
etc. There were tours of the Leisure
Complex in late December to show off
the improvements of the renovations.
This was a short term strategy to
win some public support, but the public
is now frustrated and disappointed by
the series of delays for the full opening
of the facility.
One wonders what were the
construction
crews
doing
last
summer or fall, when there was an
opportunity to make good progress
on the construction? When I drove by
the building site, it seemed like a ghost
town. Furthermore, what was this
closure all about?
For example, in the men’s change
room there has been some paint
and plaster applied to spruce up the
walls, but the showers have not been
changed here. The women’s and the
family change rooms, however, got
new plumbing faucets and tile in their
shower stalls.
Surely, you would think that all of
the change rooms would have received
the same type of renovations. Can you
imagine what the public outcry would
have been if it were the women’s and
family change rooms which received
the second class treatment?
Jim Jackson
Aurora
Former councillor looks
for “accountability” on
Complex
(Re: Costs set to rise as Leisure
Complex faces setback. January 22, 2015)
I re-read the story for signs of
accountability.
Three months in office and elected a
month-and-a-half earlier is as long as
the project is late.
A media event before the election
halted work for a day or more, no doubt
intended to distract from what was not
accomplished. What gives? What has
the Mayor and Council been doing?
They are the responsible party. They
are in charge.
Publicly floundering about in
frustration doesn’t cut it.
The predicament is of their doing,
or undoing as the case may be. Lack
of attention to a problem is no less
culpable.
Five months late and three quarters
of a million dollars to be ponied up,
a scarcely veiled threat of litigation
Continued on page 18
THE AURORAN
Aurora’s Community Newspaper
The Auroran Newspaper Company Ltd.
15213 Yonge Street, Suite 8
Main number 905-727-3300 • Fax number 905-727-2620
Founder
Ron Wallace
Publisher Emeritus
Rosemary Schumaker
Subscriptions available within Canada and U.S.
email: [email protected]
Identity Crisis
It might not seem like it at this precise
moment, but Aurora just might be on
the cusp of an identity crisis.
Business at Town Hall, whether it is
Aurora’s Town Hall or any other place
of municipal government Canadawide, has never been known to move at
anything close to lightning speed. In fact,
to most people, the word “glacial” would
probably be their more appropriate
word of choice. It is certainly more
charitable.
Aurora’s
incumbent
Council,
however, appears to have different ideas.
In just a few short weeks since
returning to their table, the new Council
has not let any grass grow under their
feet.
Rather than spending time getting
these feet wet in the minutia, they have
immediately began laying the building
blocks for change, albeit change which
might come to pass a decade or two
down the road.
A decade or not, it is change
nonetheless.
Change can often happen in small
increments, often imperceptible to the
naked eye unless one is specifically
looking for it. If these changes just
happen to disrupt the well-oiled routine
of a morning or evening commute, on
the other hand, chances are people are
going to sit up and pay attention.
Paramount amongst these proposals
to bring change to Aurora in these early
days of Council are multiple proposals
to alleviate Aurora’s traffic problems,
particularly in the vicinity of Yonge and
Wellington.
Yonge Street traffic in our historic
downtown core, for instance, could be
retrofitted to one lane of traffic each
way, with the remainder of the street
dedicated to on-street parking. A “bold
vision”, according to the Mayor and
many Councillors, and one which
Mayor Dawe says could be a boon to
local business.
Enough
changes
have
been
proposed for the Yonge and Wellington
intersection to leave Aurora’s historic
crossroads positively raw from the
picking. Among them, a left-hand turn
restriction on Yonge Street could come
to pass, at least for the duration of a
pilot project, for peak hour traffic.
The purpose of this pilot project being,
of course, to see if it does anything to
snap the bottleneck of the derided, but
Editor
Brock Weir [email protected] BROCK’S
BANTER
Brock Weir
vital, intersection. If the pilot project
turns out to be a success – and history
tells us from the last pilot project they
undertook for the same purposes nearly
two decades ago that it will be – the big
question will be what to do with traffic.
Ah, Councillors have proposed
solutions for that as well. That solution,
of course, is the potential widening of
Industrial Parkway North to a four lane
thoroughfare on both its northern and
southern legs enabling drivers to get in
and out of Aurora while avoiding the
bottleneck. Going beyond the inevitable
headaches this could cause where
Industrial meets Wellington Street East,
the question has once again cropped
up on what how such changes, if they
ultimately come to fruition, will affect
neighbourhood streets – and their
respective neighbourhoods – leading
off Yonge Street. Increased traffic in
these sleepy, historic neighbourhoods
is bound to get residents’ dander up.
It will then be a question of how the
Town can best control traffic in these
neighbourhoods…and we are all too
familiar with what happened the last
time Aurora tried to control traffic in
these sectors.
Even though this might sound
cyclical, I can assure you that change is
coming.
As each traffic proposal hit the
Council table, debate inevitably swirled
back to the common theme that each
piece must be considered in conjunction
with all the other wheels Aurora has in
motion pertaining to the downtown core.
But, it might be time to have a broader
view and look at how these wheels are
turning Town-wide in order to chart
the way for the future. Further, as each
of these challenges were proposed they
were attributed to solving challenges
related to the all-important “growth.”
This was a challenge driven home at
this week’s Budget meeting by Aurora
General Manager
Bob Ince [email protected]
Advertising
Classifieds
Diane Buchanan 905-727-3300 ex.102
[email protected]@auroran.com
Production Manager
Cynthia Proctor
[email protected]
Photography
David Falconer
[email protected]
Advertising Zach Shoub [email protected] Motoring Heather Erwin
[email protected]
Todays New Homes Zach Shoub [email protected]
Vice President Sales, Marketing, Business Development
Karin Rossi
[email protected] • 416.518.064
CAO Neil Garbe.
“Aurora is changing,” he said. “It
is transitioning from a suburban
community to an urban community.
We see the end of our green field
development cycle and we see the
pressures of intensification, and we
have to think differently.”
Underscoring this transition, Mr.
Garbe highlighted a recent visit a
development in Aurora’s 2C Lands,
which had people camped out overnight
to secure homes in the area, many of
which sailed past the $1 million mark.
“Aurora is a desirable place to be,” he
concluded, adding sustainability as an
overriding theme in this year’s budget.
“People want to be here, and we build
good communities. I think that was a
very positive thing.”
It is certainly a positive thing, but
it brings forward the question of how
much differently can Aurora think, and
how willing residents are to go along
for the ride. Aurora is definitely in
transition, but it is time for a consensus
of what this transition will ultimately
mean, beyond Official, Master and
Promenade Plans. The ultimate goal
towards intensification is clear, but the
concept of “thinking differently” is
going to have to translate well beyond
John West Way to get a firm buy-in from
the community.
With growth being what it is, it is time
for Aurora to face the reality that we’re
no longer a small town. Many of us take
comfort in the fact we are small from a
geographical perspective, but some have
come to terms with this reality, content
to settle for the oh-so-quaint (and ohso-overplayed) term, “small town feel”
instead. Trying to maintain this could
be counterproductive in the end.
While it is important to look at all
matters relating to traffic, particularly
in the downtown core, in concert with
one another, they – and issues well
beyond traffic – should be looked at
in conjunction with all issues facing
our Town. It is fine to accept Aurora is
changing, but it is important to help
steer that change, politician and member
of the public alike. Things have to work
together to ensure Aurora is not only
sustainable to allow for people coming
into the community, but sustainable,
affordable, and livable for people who
have called Aurora home for a great deal
of their lives.
Editorial policy
Opinions expressed by columnists, contributors
and letter writers are not necessarily those of The Auroran. Letters must include name and phone number,
although number will not be published, and be limited
to 600 words. Letters may be edited or refused. All
contents protected by copyright.
Advertising policy
Publisher is not liable for slight changes or typographical errors that do not lessen the value of an advertisement. Disputes must be brought to the attention of the
publisher prior to the following edition.
THE AURORAN, Thursday, January 29, 2015
We can do better addressing homelessness
The car was green – a compact, I
believe. An older model, with rust and
dents. The inside of the windows were
coated with frost. It was out of place,
that frigid December, parked on a side
street as I walked my dog in the dark,
early hours.
Closer inspection revealed a young
man, no more than 25, was asleep on
the front seat, covered in a sleeping bag.
Bags filled the back seat.
Perhaps he’d had a fight with his
parents and was kicked out for the night.
Perhaps he’d had too much to drink and
had simply decided to sleep it off instead
of driving home. In any event, he looked
okay and I carried on.
But he was there the next day and
curiosity got the better of me. I knocked
on the car window and offered him a
coffee and muffin. He appreciated the
food and mumbled something about just
needing a place to crash and not having
any money. He seemed embarrassed to
say more, so I wished him well and went
on my way.
I stopped by for the next two days with
coffee – and then he was gone.
Who was he a son of ? What led him to
sleep in his car during the coldest days
of December? How had it come to be
that he had no place of his own?
I’m not so naive as to believe there
isn’t poverty and homelessness in our
town, but this was a shock – he was
living in his car less than two blocks
from my house.
That experience stayed with me
during my time as Councillor, especially
as I learned of other, local, homeless
View From
Queen’s Park
Chris Ballard, MPP
Newmarket-Aurora
issues, and now as MPP.
It’s one of the reasons I jumped at
the chance to work with Minister Deb
Matthews on implementing Ontario’s
second Poverty Reduction Strategy, with
a focus on youth homelessness.
Our community may be one of the
wealthiest in Canada, but there is
poverty. There is homelessness. We can
do better.
360 Kids, a York Region organization
dedicated to helping homeless youth,
estimates 300 young people are homeless
on any given night. (I’m participating
in the organization’s “360 Experience”
March 5 to raise awareness and funds
for the group by experiencing a night on
the streets. Details at www.360kids.ca.)
And so, I’m excited to report that this
past Monday I was at the table for the
launch of the Expert Advisory Panel on
Homelessness. The panel is co-chaired
by Ministers Deb Matthews and Ted
McMeekin, Minister of Municipal
Affairs and Housing.
Opening the conference, Minister
Matthews said “Our goal to end
homelessness will help us strengthen
our province and our economy. When
people have a place to call home, they are
healthier, more ready for employment
and better able to contribute to their
communities. This panel will help
us define the problem and determine
how to improve the lives of vulnerable
Ontarians.”
As part of its second Poverty
Reduction Strategy, Ontario set a longterm goal to end homelessness. The
province will work with this new panel
to get practical advice on how to best
approach this goal, beginning with ways
to define and measure homelessness.
Currently, there is no consistent
definition of homelessness, or methods
for counting the number of people
experiencing homelessness in Ontario.
If we can’t define the problem and count
the numbers of people affected, we can’t
measure the success of our programs.
So we must start at the beginning.
Luckily, a lot of work has been done.
The 13 experts at the table bring a
wide range of expertise and knowledge,
including the medical community
and
those
whose
organizations
deliver services to the homeless. One
individual brings a unique voice to
the table, having lived the experience
of being impoverished and homeless.
I’m particularly glad to see two
representatives at the table with
experience representing First Nations
members.
Since the fall, I’ve been meeting with
organizations dedicated to helping the
homeless and poor. It has been a moving
Continued on page 8
Customer Service – Round IX – Purchasing a Hockey Helmet
About six months ago, I wrote
about the fact that corporate loyalty
programs
have
been
proudly
trumpeted by organizations as a great
way to recognize and financially
reward long term customers.
In that column, I presented two
local companies – one with a façade
of a loyalty program and the other
one with a real and straight forward
program.
I also described a local, positive
buying experience that made me
happy and exceeded my expectations.
The lady behind the counter who
served me at the local Mastermind
store that day went above and beyond
the call of duty.
I took a chance and asked if they
had a box to put the presents in. A
minute later she came back with an
appropriately sized box.
She then put the wrapped presents
into the box, put some wrapping
paper (that she had turned inside out)
around the box to make it look better
and then proceeded to encase the box
in lots of transparent tape so all that
I needed to do now was put an address
on the package and pay for postage.
This lady’s effort saved me a bunch
of time, effort and maybe a couple of
dollars.
Let us compare and contrast this
with my buying experience last week.
My hockey helmet and full face
shield visor are over twenty years old;
the rivets on my helmet are starting
to come out and there are a lot of
scratches on the face shield, so it is
time to purchase a new set.
I was seeking a store with a huge
selection, and as I had been in a large
FRONT PORCH
PERSPECTIVE
Stephen Somerville
hockey store at the Vaughan Mills Mall
before Christmas and they seemed to
fit the bill.
I drove down there.
The store did have an array of
helmets; various makes, models and
colors.
I tried a couple on. I then searched
for a full face shield visor.
There were many half shield visors
available but the only full visor was a
“small”.
I asked one of the store employees
to help me.
The employee took a quick look in
their stock room and said that they did
not have any. I asked if he could order
me one.
I was dumfounded when he said
that they do not take orders and they
could not call me when one would
arrive at the store. I was even more
shocked when I asked for a suggestion
of another store. He did not have one.
I then drove up to Upper Canada
and entered a sport store within the
mall. Same thing.
At least the store clerk who assisted
me said that he was sorry that he could
not help me, and kindly suggested that
I go to National Sports.
Again, the store was out of the full
face shield visors that I was seeking,
but the clerk checked his computer
system and said that a bunch would
be coming in shortly. I asked him if
they could notify me when one came
in and he put my information into the
computer.
His colleague – having heard our
conversation and the fact that I have
been going across York region in
search of a visor, said that he had just
purchased the same visor recently at
Canadian Tire in Uxbridge, where he
lives and he suggested that if I needed
the visor right away I go the Canadian
Tire in Aurora.
It was a Sunday evening and the
Canadian Tire had just closed.
I will head back to the National
Sports when my item comes in.
The moral of my story is this: No
store will always have 100% of what
a potential customer is looking for.
However, a customer’s happiness and
whether he or she is going to come
back depends on how you deal with
them in these situations.
Having a nice, colorful store chock
full of merchandise is absolutely no
substitute for training or having a
strategy to deal with situations when
an item is not available.
Shoppers, like me, have a long
memory.
Remember, a happy customer means
a customer that will be coming back.
Stephen can be contacted at
[email protected]
Not every “green” idea is
a good idea: reader
(Re: 2015 will bring changes to your
curbside garbage pickup. January 15,
2015)
I currently buy dog food in large
bags. These bags cannot go in the blue box
because they are heavily waxed, so I
use them to put out the garbage. When
the “Clear Bag” program starts, I’m not
supposed to re-use these bags. I’m to
stuff them into a clear bag to throw out. How is this helpful?
The new initiative also says “you can
still use used grocery bags for waste
collection.”
The grocery bags are to ensure
privacy, but then they must be seen
inside a clear plastic bag for pick-up.
What exactly does that accomplish?
Other 2015 changes refer to
“volunteer residents” to tell people
about composters. People who want to compost are
doing it. To imply people aren’t aware
of composting is quite a haughty
stance. It’s like saying “we should have
volunteers educate folks door-to-door
about the health benefits of exercise.”
Surely then everyone who doesn’t
exercise will start.
Being in opposition to a green
initiative is not good optics, but not
every green idea is a good idea.
S. Thompson
Aurora
Traffic solutions don’t
make sense: reader
I
have
read
the
article
in
this
Thursday’s
edition.
The solutions offered by Mayor Dawe and
Councillor Mrakas on their own do not
make much sense. These ideas will only
make matters and the traffic a lot worse.
The traffic volume is there and it will only
increase since the population in Aurora
and Newmarket is still increasing. So,
restrictions on their own will not help.
A possible solution could be to make
Industrial Parkway a four lane road
from Yonge Street in the south to St.
John’s Sideroad in the north.
The idea would be to divert the
through traffic around the historic
part of Aurora on to the combination
Industrial Parkway/St. John’s Sideroad,
leading back to Yonge Street again.
Once this solution is in place, the
Mayor’s idea of restricting Yonge
Street could work, as a matter of
fact it would aid to get the traffic
flow over to the alternate route.
Another option would be to make
Yonge Street a one-way street
southbound from St. John’s Side Road
to Industrial Parkway and Industrial
Parkway a one-way road northbound.
It may be worthwhile looking at the
situation on a larger scale rather than
just focus onto the Yonge/Wellington
intersection.
Horst Wizemann
Aurora
To submit a letter to the editor,
please send your email to
[email protected]
Deadline for submissions is
Sunday at 1 p.m.
NEW
AURORAN POLL
Would you like to see
left-hand turn restrictions
at Yonge and Wellington?
A)
Yes
B)
No
C)
Unsure
Go to www.theauroran.com to vote!
Previous Poll
As Target prepares
to close, will you miss the retailer in Aurora?
Yes No Unsure
JANUARY 27, 2015
Auroran photo
by Brock Weir
LetterS to the editor
RESULTS
TO DATE
Senator Don Meredith
visited Lester B. Pearson
Public School on Friday
for two talks, speaking
to the Grade 5 class
about government
while addressing
Grades 7 & 8 about
the importance of
citizenship, youth
empowerment and
role models. Such
role models, he said,
should include people
like Lincoln Alexander,
a trailblazer within
government for
Canadians of African
descent, a nice prelude
to February’s Black
History Month, said the
Senator.
Page 5
YES
No
unsure
26% 74% 0%
Page 6
THE AURORAN, Thursday, January 29, 2015
Joint fire budget expected to be hot topic next week
From page 1
“All I am going to hear for the next
three or four months is the 6.1 per cent
increase,” said Councillor John Abel.
“It puts myself in a defensive posture
immediately because I have to then
explain historically we have always
had higher [proposed increases] and
Council has been able to fine tune and
bring it down 40 per cent or 50 per cent,
but the number still sticks.”
This, he added, could lead to less
engagement in the budget process.
The process of trimming the budget
was already undertaken by Town Staff
and it will be up to Council to carry the
football the rest of the way. Mr. Elliott
noted when staff came up with their
first consolidate budget, 4.96 per cent
was not the result.
“A lot of work has already been
done in bringing forward 4.96 per cent
and it will be interesting to see how
much further that can change [while
reaching] the goals and objectives we
MM
T T BY
MENTS
spoke of,” he said. “We believe what
we as staff have put forward is what
we need to run a municipality as we’re
currently used to running it.”
But what of those goals? Going
back to the originally proposed tax
pressure of 4.96 per cent, 3.69 per cent
of that can be attributed to the cost of
running Aurora as it is today, he said.
This accounts to a .78 per cent increase
in energy costs, a half a percent each
for employee salaries and benefits,
and software, .37 per cent for facility
repair and maintenance, and a .16 per
cent increase in insurance fees, among
other factors.
Beyond this, a 1.63 per cent pressure
is on the tax rate to account for growth,
including three new staff positions
at Town Hall, and .79 per cent to put
money away to prepare for the future
– including infrastructure funding
while reducing Aurora’s dependence
on interest garnered from the Hydro
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Tempering these pressures was
$782,000 in increased tax assessment,
which will help the “extension and
expansion” of existing services to
account for growth.
“We are getting pressure to expand
our services and our service offerings
to include new things,” said Mr. Elliott.
“We also have a desire at Council, and
within Finance, to reduce our reliance
on [the interest of] Hydro proceeds. We
have done that in the past and we wish
to continue to do that. This is pressure
to incorporate into the budget. We
need to continue to increase our Cash
to Capital infrastructure renewal and
we will see more details on that in the
Capital Budget and in our discussions
in our first meeting of the budget
committee.”
The initially proposed tax rate
increase planted Aurora firmly in the
middle of the pack as far as York Region
municipalities go, he added.
“It is difficult for people to look at
these facts and say taxes are way out
of control,” said Mr. Elliott. “In some
ways it indicates there is a little room
to move. In other ways, it says we’re
right in line and we’ve got to be careful.
We don’t have a lot of room to play
with, I don’t think, but it suggests there
may be room for some tax movement
depending on our needs.”
As things stand now, a 6.10 per cent
tax increase on the municipal portion
of your tax bill would result in a $106.19
annual increase for the average Aurora
home assessed at $500,000. Combined
with a tax increase from the Region of
York, as well as education taxes, this
translates into a combined tax rate
increase of 3.83 per cent – or an overall
increase of $185.37 annually on a home
assessed at the same value.
On the other end of the spectrum, if
numbers end up closer to the previously
forecasted 4.96 per cent on the municipal
side, this average homeowner would
expect an annual increase of $86.34 per
cent, or $165.52 at a combined rate of
3.42 per cent.
January’s Carrier of the month –
Mason Barone
By Chris McGowan
13-year-old
Mason
Barone has been named
The Auroran’s Carrier of
the Month for January.
Mason
has
been
delivering The Auroran
since home delivery started
three years ago. Along
with his dedication, he has
proved to be responsible
with the money he has
earned as he has saved most
of it, with the exception
of purchasing a Samsung
Tablet and a new bike, both this past
summer.
Mason is a grade eight student at
Northern Lights Public School, but
will be attending high school at Dr.
G. W. Williams Secondary School in
September. He has an
older sister, 16-year-old
Madison and, along
with his parents, they
have two kittens, Mabel
and Lucy.
Mason loves hockey
and plays defence for
the
Aurora
Minor
Bantam AE Tigers
team. His favorite NHL
team is the Boston
Bruins and his favorite
players
are
Zdeno
Chara and Patrice
Bergeron.
In the
summer, Mason plays 3 on 3 hockey in
both Newmarket and Richmond Hill.
He also loves to go camping and, of
course, spending time at Wonderland.
Well done, Mason. Thanks for your
hard work and dedication!
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CDS_KingWeeklySentinel_2015-01-16_FINAL.indd 1
12/15/14 4:42 PM
It bewilders me why people always
flock to buy mutual funds or GICs during
RRSP season. Did you know banks
invest mainly in real estate, not mutual
funds? We all talk about how profitable
Canadian chartered banks are. So why
should we invest differently?
Mutual fund fees are the black hole
of Canadian investing. Your portfolio
can take a major hit from what are
known as management expense ratios
(MERs). Most Canadians are not aware
that they pay on average 2.08% MER,
the highest in the world (“Morningstar
gave Canada’s fund industry an
F
grade in a 2011 global ranking for
having the highest fees”- Financial Post
on 02/08/2013).
“Morningstar gave Canada’s fund industry an
F grade in a 2011 global ranking for having the
highest fees”- Financial Post on 02/08/2013).
Doesn’t sound so high? To put it into
perspective, 2.08% would consume 51%
of the potential value of your portfolio
over 20 years! Maybe it is time to revisit
your RRSP statements and search for
alternatives.
Did you know you too can invest
your existing RRSP, TFSA, RRIF, LIRA
– “Registered Funds” directly in real
estate? You can also invest your cash
funds. Your RRSP can enjoy similar
benefits that the banks enjoy, such
as low volatility, predictable returns,
and lower risk as property is pledged
as collateral. Best of all, there are
opportunities right here in Aurora,
which means you can literally see your
money at work.
We have all witnessed the urban
growth in Aurora and watched real
estate prices rise over the past few years.
It’s no wonder, as Aurora has been rated
in the top 25 best places to live in Canada,
and Money Sense ranked Aurora as the
8th richest town in Canada. Would you
like your Registered Funds to share and
profit from this growth?
Before you go to the bank or see
your financial advisor for your RRSP
contribution, I invite you to attend a
very informative private event, being
held at:
Historic Oakland Hall Inn
16003 yonge Street, Aurora
Tuesday February 17th from 7 p.m.
to 8 p.m.
You must register to attend. Please
RSVP in advance as space is limited.
Refreshments and hors d’oeuvres will
be served.
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learn...
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Register today at:
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Or call 416-435-8340
[email protected]
About the speaker: Colman O’Brien is
considered one of the most astute investors
in Canada, appearing on CBC, City TV
and featured in the National Post and
the Toronto Star. He managed the largest
private client asset base at one of the
Chartered Banks. He has sat on the Ontario
Securities Committee for investor advice
and has been nominated for Entrepreneur
of the Year by Ernst & Young.
THE AURORAN, Thursday, January 29, 2015
BMO employee lives life by the
Golden Rule – and customers
show their appreciation
By Brock Weir
“Dear Miss Marie,” wrote one eight
year old customer, to BMO’s Marie De
Souza. “You are a really nice person
and you are very special to me… thank
you for being so nice to me in letting me
use the bathroom.”
This customer is much more than
that to Ms. De Souza. He is family –
and it was indeed a family reunion
at the Bank of Montreal’s Yonge and
Wellington Branch this month as
the bank bade farewell to her, their
Financial Services Coordinator, who
is retiring after nearly 20 years at that
location.
As the day went on, customers
coming into the bank were almost
evenly split – some were coming in to
deposit a cheque or make a withdrawal
but, more often than not, they were
coming in bearing flowers, cards, and
other tokens for Ms. De Souza.
“I have worked with Marie at this
branch for 15 years and Marie is BMO
in our clients’ eyes,” said Maureen
Farrell, after Ms. De Souza received a
congratulatory certificate from Mayor
Geoff Dawe. “This position is ideal
because she is the face of BMO and the
clients just think she is God. It is her
smile, her demeanour, and they just
love her.
“She just really cares about people,
she is their counsellor in that they will
come in and tell her anything, and she
is like a mother to everyone.”
This is a sentiment shared by Ms. De
Souza herself, who helmed her desk for
the last time on January 16.
“This is a family I am going to be
leaving,” she said. “These people are
not just customers. I have been with
them through their joys, their sorrows.
I have seen their babies have babies,
and I have made myself honourary
mother to a lot of these customers here
and it is going to be sad for me to leave
them.”
But, all good things must come to an
end. With her husband retired for the
last three years, she decided it was the
right time to spend some time together
because “you never know what is in the
stars.”
As countless members of her BMO
“family” came in for a hug and a chat,
Ms. De Souza’s son Chris, a Police
Constable at Queen’s Park, looked on
proudly and summed up his feelings
in a way that was particularly apt for
his profession: “She has been granted
parole for good behaviour, so she is
going to enjoy herself.”
“I think there are a lot of people that
really take to her and actually really
like the service she has provided for
the years she has been here,” he said.
“I think it is going to be emotional
because it is something she gets up and
does every day, she does it very well,
and she is happy to do it. Just by seeing
how many people are coming in and
taking time out of their day just to say
thank you, people who don’t actually
have official business here, it is very
powerful and empowering after all the
work she has done.”
Marie and her family came to Canada
from Jamaica over 30 years ago. After
they arrived, she was encouraged by a
friend working in the banking industry
to just give it a try. After 10 years working
in Downtown Toronto, she spent two
years working at the BMO branch on
Sounds of Welsh Choir to fill the
halls of Trinity this Saturday
By Brock Weir
The sounds of Wales will fill the
halls of Trinity Anglican Church this
Sunday as the Toronto Male Welsh
Choir bring their voices to Aurora to
benefit the Welcome Table.
According to choir member, and
Trinity parishioner, John Hitchmough,
tickets are selling fast.
“We try to keep the program varied
so there is a little bit for everybody,”
he says. “What I always worry about is
we might get too much Welsh in it and
people who aren’t Welsh might find it a
bit ethnic!”
Rounding out the program will be
the traditional Welsh hymns, including
those recently jazzed up by young
contestants on Britain’s Got Talent,
and more contemporary offerings,
including selections from the likes of
Rita MacNeil and Robbie Williams.
“A lot of people want to hear that
Welsh sound, but you’ve got to entice
them,” he says.
Aurora’s Welcome Table is based
out of Trinity Anglican Church and
provides weekly hot meals for people
struggling with financial difficulties.
As a charity, benefit concerts such as
these are always, well, welcome, and
proceeds raised will go directly into
their programming.
Mr. Hitchmough adds while over 250
tickets for Saturday’s concert had been
sold at press time, they aim to sell 300 at
$25 a head. Freshly cooked welsh cakes
sold at intermission will only sweeten
the deal!
To reserve your ticket, call 905-7276101. The concert begins at 7.30 p.m.
Choir member John Hitchmough
proudly displays the Welsh flag at Trinity
ahead of this week’s concert.
Auroran photo by Brock Weir
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Page 7
Marie De Souza receives a congratulatory certificate from Mayor Geoff Dawe upon
her retirement from the Bank of Montreal. She is joined by her son, Chris.
Auroran photo by Brock Weir
Yonge Street at Mulock Drive, before
beginning her 18 year tenure at Yonge
and Wellington.
When asked what her key was in
making such a connection with her
customers-cum-family, Ms. De Souza
says a very simple formula was handed
down to her by her mother.
“She always told me growing up that
we should always treat people as we
like to be treated and I have lived my
life by that,” she said. “Whether you
have $1 or $10 million, you need to be
treated with respect. If we could all just
take the time to see the other person
and be mindful of them, it would be a
nice world to live in.
“She also said if we smile, then the
world will smile with you, but if we
cry we cry alone. When people come
in on some days, they might not be
feeling great and they’ll ask, ‘So what
is so great about today?’ Because you
got up today. You lived to see another
day. That changes their whole attitude.
Sometimes if they come in frowning,
I just point at them and they smile
because they know what is coming
next.”
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THE AURORAN, Thursday, January 29, 2015
Review of proposed Yonge Street parking overhaul gets Council nod
By Brock Weir
A proposal to reduce Yonge Street
traffic to a single lane each way along
portions of Aurora’s Downtown Core
leaving the rest for on-street parking
was taken to the next level by Council
last week.
Councillors signed off on an
investigation looking into the feasibility
of a concept floated by Mayor Geoff
Dawe which would see traffic flow
reduced on Yonge Street from Kennedy
Street north to Wellington Street, to one
lane in each direction, accommodating
space devoted to parking.
The idea was sparked on a recent visit
to Niagara Falls to attend a conference
for the Federation of Canadian
Municipalities. Mayor Dawe said
what he saw encouraged pedestrian
traffic and, after talks with many local
business owners, there was support
here as well for something similar.
“I talked to many business owners
on Yonge Street, I talked to the Library,
I spoke with the Commissioner of
Transportation Services at the Region,
the President of York Rapid Transit
with respect to busing, and all of them
were on the positive side of the ledger,”
he said, noting the Commissioner of
Transportation was “more pragmatic”
on the proposal.
One concern, he added, was the ageold Aurora question if the Town is going
to “take away” a lane, how will traffic
flow be accommodated at rush hour.
That solution could lie in encouraging
traffic flow onto Industrial Parkway.
“For many, many Councillors there
has been much said and little done on
talking about Yonge Street,” said Mayor
Dawe. “We either have to say we’re
not going to do anything about Yonge
Street, or we’re going to have to come
up with something bold. I would much
prefer we do the bold route.”
Going the “bold route” was supported
by Councillor Tom Mrakas, who said
the Town has been looking at a solution
to this problem for over 20 years, and
was more than ripe for suggestions.
“I think this is something we can
look into and have staff possibly come
back with ideas on how to implement
it,” he said. “I am sure there are a lot
of problems that could arise from
emergency vehicles. I would like to
see bike lanes, and I am sure there
are other things we would like to see
implemented as part of this.”
A similar view was offered by
Councillor Wendy Gaertner, who said
Aurora already has a good tool in its
belt to help the Downtown Core in the
form of the Aurora Promenade Plan.
“I would certainly like to be a part of
the Council that can finally figure out
the revitalization of the Promenade,”
she said. “I think [the Promenade Plan]
will go a long way over time to help this
area and I am interested to know what
staff will come up with. It could be very
exciting. The concern I keep hearing
over and over the traffic is parking
issues and we need to figure out how to
sort that out.”
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Other Councillors, however, said
they were in favour of going forward
with investigating the plan but had
concerns that there could be off-shoot
problems if this becomes a reality.
“It is bold, certainly, and there is
significant support and also some initial
opposition as well,” said Councillor
Jeff Thom. “I think bringing it forward
to staff to make recommendations is
prudent, and we’re not going to commit
to anything yet. Currently, residents
and commuters who maybe don’t live
in Town may use ancillary roads [such
as Mosley Street, Church Street, and
Victoria Street] to circumvent that
intersection. It would be important
to make sure we look at those streets
because I would imagine that with less
room for traffic to move through north
and south that they may go east or
west.”
Whatever ultimately comes out of
staff’s investigation, and whether or not
Council decides to move forward with
this new parking concept, it all has to be
done from a “big picture” perspective to
ensure all wheels currently in motion
are turning together, according to other
Councillors.
“I think residents are tired of doing
everything piecemeal and us being
hamstrung in previous Councils as
well,” said Councillor Harold Kim,
noting dialogue needs to take place
with landowners as well. “We need to
do these things simultaneously so they
can have a bigger impact, as opposed
to small steps. We won’t be able to fully
realise the benefits of that step without
being in conjunction with the other
steps.”
Added
Councillor
Michael
Thompson: “This has got to be taken in
context with all the other initiatives we
have so that we don’t solve one problem
by creating another.”
View from
Queen’s Park
From page 5
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We’re
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addressing
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from
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It’s more important than ever before
to make sure our dollars are getting
measurable results and helping people
– that’s why our poverty reduction
strategy ensures our investments are
rooted in evidence. The work of the
panel will go a long way to ensuring the
province has the evidence it needs to
make informed decisions.
I’d like to hope that in the future, noone will be forced to live in their car
in the depths of winter, like the young
fellow in my neighbourhood.
Our community office is located at
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THE AURORAN, Thursday, January 29, 2015
Study of proposal to widen Industrial Parkway to four lanes gets
Council green light
By Brock Weir
The future of Industrial Parkway
will be given further consideration
in February after Council voted to
investigate widening the busy street to
100’s of
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four lanes.
Council gave the thumbs-up to an
investigation into the feasibility and
cost of widening Industrial Parkway
last week, with an eye of realising the
original vision of the street into a bypass
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for Yonge Street traffic.
The motion was initially put forward
by Councillor Tom Mrakas, who said
anticipated growth in Aurora will
only lead to further traffic congestion,
and this was the most practical way to
address this issue while also avoiding
drivers trying to avoid Yonge Street
by travelling through residential
neighbourhoods.
“I do believe [Industrial Parkway]
was a poorly designed bypass to begin
with, but it is nevertheless a bypass
which should be used,” said Councillor
Mrakas. “Looking at some of the things
we’re looking to do when it comes to the
Aurora Promenade Study, we’re looking
to divert some of that through traffic
that diverts onto Yonge Street and into
that corridor, and I think the best place
to divert it is down Industrial Parkway.”
When he drives down Industrial
Parkway as it is now, Councillor
Mrakas says he sees the street as
three lanes already in terms of width
to accommodate parking. Therefore,
there would be less land to expropriate
by creatively revising the lines on the
road. He also suggested it would be more
practical to do this sooner rather than
later.
“20 to 25 years from now, it might
be something we would be kicking
ourselves for not looking at doing and
saving ourselves an enormous amount
of costs,” he said. “I think spending
$15 million now would be better than
15500 Bayview Ave, Aurora
905-726-2530
Simple Snack
Solutions: Nachos!
Join our Wellbeing Counsellor & let’s
put a fun twist on your not-so typical
nachos! Recipes and samples will be
provided for Brie, Spinach &
Caramelized
Onion
Nachos,
Cucumber Greek Nachos and Dessert
Apple Nachos!
Pay $10, receive $10 Sobeys gift card!
Friday Feb. 6th, 12-1pm.
Asian Cuisine
Chef Serge is travelling to Asia
and will be whipping up some
delicious Asian inspired dishes! Join
him on this culinary adventure where
you will be trying: Chinese Dumplings,
Kung Pao Chicken and Banana &
Mango Spring Rolls with a Coconut
Chocolate Ganache. Wednesday, Feb.
11th, 12-2pm. Cost $20.
Pancake Tuesday!
Drop-by and visit our
Wellbeing Counsellor and Dietitian on
Pancake Tuesday to get inspired with
new tasty pancake and pancake
topping ideas! Find us in the store to
try our recipes. Tuesday Feb. 17th, 10-
2pm. FREE. Drop-in event – No Registration
Required.
Bacon Bonanza
Who doesn’t love bacon?
Chef Serge will be devoting an entire
class to this tasty food! Come in and
try his Bacon & Fontina Stuffed
Mushrooms, Cheese Stuffed Bacon and
White & Dark Chocolate Covered
Bacon. Can you say Yum?!
Wednesday Feb. 25th, 6-8pm. Cost $20.
th, 12-2pm. Cost $20.
Thursday,
Jan.is15Seniors
Tuesday
Day! Drop by
our Community Room between
9:30am & 11:30am for a continental
breakfast and coffee on us.
Sobeys Pharmacy is holding a Travel
Clinic on Feb 21st & 22nd to help you
be well prepared to have a safe
vacation this spring - don’t miss it!
Valentine’s Day Craft
Calling all Kids! Come out and
join our Community Room Coordinator
to make fun Valentine’s crafts to take
home and share with your loved ones.
We’ll be making: Hershey Kisses Rings,
Cereal Hearts and Lollipop Flower
Cards! Sunday Feb. 8th 3-4pm Cost $5.
Come out and join our Dietitian and
Wellbeing Counsellor for this hands-on
session where you will be put to work
whipping up some delicious recipes that
are heart friendly as this month is Heart
Month in Canada. Come hungry – we
will be enjoying our creations together
at the end of this class! Monday Feb. 9th,
6-8pm. Cost $20.
Taste & Learn:
Greek Yogurt
Have you
GreekCost
Yogurt?
Come out
Sunday
Feb.tried
8th, 3-4pm.
$5.
and join our Dietitian to learn what
makes this style of yogurt so popular
and get some ideas on how to
incorporate it into your diet. Recipes to
take home and samples provided!
Thursday Feb. 12th, 1:30-2:30pm OR
Monday Feb. 23rd, 7-8pm. FREE!
Valentine’s Day
Cake Decorating
Calling all Kids! Come out and decorate a
heart-shaped cake, prepared by our
bakery, just in time for Valentine’s Day!
Parents - enjoy the no mess at-home
activity while you are free to grocery
shop! Friday Feb. 13th 5-6pm OR Saturday
Feb. 14th, 12-2pm. Cost $5.99
Immune Health
Are you always catching
whatever bug is in the air? Do you want
to improve your overall wellbeing?
Would you like to understand how the
immune system plays a key role in your
vitality. Come out and join our
Wellbeing Counsellor to learn some tips
and tricks for improving the Immune
System. Wednesday Feb. 18th, 12-1pm. FREE!
Raw Power!
Raw Foods are all the rage! Why
are they so great? Join our Wellbeing
Counsellor and learn why they are so
important for our wellbeing and what
the benefits are! Take away tips for
adding them into your diet and sample
Nicole’s tasty Raw Power Salad! Thursday
Feb. 26th, 7-8pm. FREE!
Are you interested in booking our
Community Room for a birthday party,
private function or community group?
Please contact our Community Room
Coordinator, Maria either by email,
[email protected] or by 905726-2530 to see how we can assist
you!
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spending $25 million 10 years from now.
It is just something that we’re going to
need to do when we look at everything
altogether
instead
of
products
individually. Traffic is going to need to
go somewhere and I think a bypass is
where it needs to go.”
Although Council voted to undertake
a cursory study with some early cost
estimates and comments about whether
it would indeed be feasible, other
Councillors were a bit more tempered in
their enthusiasm.
“I am happy to support the motion
as is just to get the report on the second
meeting cycle in February, so we can
then get that information and make
a determination on whether to move
forward,” said Councillor Michael
Thompson.
Speaking
against
the
motion,
Councillor Paul Pirri said other retrofits
of Industrial Parkway should be
considered ahead of widening it to four
lanes, including time of day restrictions
on a third lane.
“I think there is a much more practical
solution to that problem and that is to
utilize the space we have for three lanes,
as opposed to widening the road, to put
in four lanes,” he said. “If we were to
utilize the lanes a little bit differently
that is something that is more feasible.
“If we’re trying to move people off
Yonge Street after the train has gone
through in the evening, we could allow
for southbound traffic in the extra
lane and, in the morning, we allow
for northbound traffic in the extra
lane south of Wellington. I think it is
smart that we look at trying to solve
those problems effectively, but I don’t
think tearing up a perfectly good road,
although not straight at all in the
slightest, is the solution we are looking
for.”
While other proposed changes for
Industrial Parkway were put on hold
pending the outcome of this report,
Councillor John Abel said there was
no time to waste in coming up with a
solution to a growing traffic problem,
exacerbated by commuters using the
GO Parking garage.
“A right hand lane is paramount,”
he said of commuter cars. “Whatever
else we do at [Industrial and Wellington
Street] doesn’t matter as long as we
create that right hand turn lane. We’re
doing this because we want to consider
making this bypass, but why not do it
together? [Widening] might take years
and we don’t have a single day, in my
mind, to delay putting a right hand turn
in there.”
Sobeys extra One Year
Anniversary
Can you believe we’ve been here for a
year already??
We are
our
Sunday
Feb. 8th, 3-4pm.
Cost celebrating
$5.
One Year Anniversary of our Grand ReOpening of Sobeys extra! Come out and
join us for a fun-filled day, with food
samples and an opportunity to learn
about the many great things we have in
store for you! FREE.
Drop-in event – No Registration Required.
Kids Cooking Class –
Wraps & Rolls
Saturday,
21stOur
, ??? FREE.
Calling allFeb.
kids!
Chef wants to invite
No
registration
required.
you to join him
in making all of his
Favourite Wraps & Rolls! His menu
includes: Sushi Pickles, Pizza Fried Rolls,
Shanghai Lettuce Wraps & Sweet Wraps
to top it off!
Saturday Feb. 28th, 12-2pm. Cost $10.
***Registration is required for classes
&
programs
unless
specified
otherwise. Please visit the customer
service desk or call 905-726-2530.
50
DAMIR VRANCIC
LAW OFFICE
BUSINESS LAW,
REAL ESTATE,
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2015-01-22 3:23 PM
THE AURORAN, Thursday, January 29, 2015
TA’s Kimberly Akimbo provides “gritty” opportunity for actress
By Brock Weir
Actresses of a certain age begin to
recognize there are only going to be
certain types of roles that are going to
come your way, says community theatre
veteran Joanna Megraw.
The self-described “theatre gypsy”,
and Bradford resident, says she is aging
out of what she describes as the “more
prominent roles” that have punctuated
her career in musical theatre over the
past 25 years, but landing the lead role in
Theatre Aurora’s upcoming production
of Kimberly Akimbo, she truly found a
role she could sink her teeth into.
Kimberly Akimbo, a dark comedy by
David Lindsay Abaire, follows the story
of a teenage girl with a rare condition
She still has lots of teen angst
and emotionality and all that,
but she is very clear about
what her life is about and
how little time she actually has.
which causes her body to rapidly age,
opens at Theatre Aurora next Thursday,
February 5, running through February
14.
“She is very cool, she is very
pragmatic, she recognizes her own
mortality and she is much easier about
it than her family because she has lived
it every day,” says Ms. Megraw, who got
her start at Cookstown’s South Simcoe
Theatre Company, which was founded
by her mother. “They are all struggling
so hard with the reality of what Kim
has to face. What I like about her is
that she stays very grounded. She still
has lots of teen angst and emotionality
and all that, but she is very clear about
what her life is about and how little
time she actually has. It makes her very
interesting.”
Although Ms. Megraw finds those
prominent roles more elusive as she
matures, counting the “Mames and
Hello Dollys” on her to-do list, she says
she is enjoying this change of pace and
the opportunity to dig a little deeper
and “be more emotional and vulnerable
on stage” than one has the opportunity
to be in a musical.
In finding her inner Kimberly, Joanna
sought out monologues intended for
16 and 17 year old girls, illustrating
what they wanted, what they needed,
“broken hearts and all that.”
“I just really got into that place of
many years ago, feeling passionate at
that age about something,” she says.
As a teen, her passion lay in the
theatre. At South Simcoe, her first
significant role outside of the chorus
was playing the Wicked Witch of
the West to her mother’s Scarecrow.
As she grew up, she said she felt she
didn’t have the patience for the “handto-mouth” lifestyle of theatre, and
went to University, now working in
the healthcare field. But, she came to
realise she could still maintain her
passions while pursuing her career.
In fact, her career experiences have
helped her get under the skin of the
characters she has played, particularly
Kimberly.
“I find people at their most vulnerable
when they are ill and suffering, and I
am part of their journey of healing,”
she says. “Everybody is walking
around wounded and in some kind of
trauma. Sometimes they can get stuck
there, it can make them ill, and I help
them heal and discover some potential
to recognizing their limitations and
what they are capable of. I see humans
in all their forms and I can call upon
that experience for whatever roles I
take on.”
As she looks forward to opening night
next week, Joanna says she is looking
forward to seeing how the audience
takes in the entire experience, and the
passion each member of the cast and
crew brings to the production.
“I have had a plethora of directors
and because doing a comedy or drama
is new for me, I really like [director
Harry Lavigne’s] approach,” she says.
“He lets you do your own thing and now
that we’re off-book, he helps us layer
the characters more and more, really
assisting us find the potential of the
character in each of us.”
Page 11
Actress Joanna Megraw is pictured backstage at Theatre Aurora on Saturday
afternoon ahead of a rehearsal of “Kimberly Akimbo”, the latest production from the
Henderson Drive-based theatre company. The show opens next Thursday. For ticket
information, call Theatre Aurora at 905-727-3669.
Auroran photo by Brock Weir
Mayor Geoff Dawe, left, presents a congratulatory plaque to Jane Kemp and
Michael Welsh, owners of the La Jolie Cheese Shop at their grand opening on
Saturday. La Jolie is located in the St. Andrew’s Village plaza on Yonge Street at
Orchard Heights. They strive to bring you the best selections of cheese from
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Auroran photo by David Falconer
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THE AURORAN, Thursday, January 29, 2015
WN
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150
SPORTS
ARTS & CULTURE
CLASSIFIEDS • AT YOUR SERVICE
theauroran.com
Vol. 15 No. 14 905-727-3300
FREE
Week of January 29, 2015
Solid goaltending leads Tigers to
OJHL playoff berth
By Jake Courtepatte
For the fourth year in a row, Aurora’s
Junior A Tigers are heading back to the
OJHL playoffs.
The clinch comes on the back of a
perfect week for the North Division
leaders, coming up with six of a possible
six points.
A trip up Yonge Street Thursday night
had the Tigers facing the Newmarket
Hurricanes in a game that was largely
over from the start.
Captain Michael Laidley put the
Tigers on the board just thirty seconds
into the contest, while goaltender Andy
Munroe locked it down at the other end
of the ice, stopping all thirteen shots he
faced in the first.
He would eventually stop 25 of 26 in a
4 – 1 Tiger victory.
Friday’s weekly home game had the
Tigers matched up against the Kingston
Voyageurs, a team fighting to stay
relevant in league standings.
The Voyageurs would mar their game
with careless penalties, earning three
stick penalties in the first period while
the Tigers outshot the visitors 18 – 7.
Midway through the second, when a
roughing-after-the-whistle call put the
Tigers on the power play once again,
Johnny Curran picked up his teamleading 54th point of the year putting
one in off the post.
Kingston has six separate minor
penalties in the frame.
With the Kingston net empty and
almost three minutes left on the clock,
the Tigers were left with plenty of time
to put the game away for good.
Vince Figliomeni did just that with a
nice hustle to beat a defender to a loose
puck, potting his second goal as a Tiger
since joining the team from Mississauga
earlier this month.
Munroe made 33 saves in his third
shutout of the season in the 3 – 0 victory.
It was a career highlight on Saturday
for the team’s backup and “future of
goaltending”, according to head coach
James Richmond.
Marcus Semiao brought his wins
column into double digits in a 5 – 2
routing of the North York Rangers.
He remains almost flawless on the
season, sporting a 10-0-1 record while
maintaining a 1.91 goals-against average.
Board picked up two goals in the game
to continue an impressive campaign of
his own, passing the 20-goal plateau.
Having already more than doubled
his point production from the 2013-2014
season, Board told The Auroran earlier
this year that he hoped to use his speed
to his advantage, a trait he has certainly
made good on.
“I think it helps me with my size,” said
Board, weighing in around 150 lbs. “I just
try to work my way around the guy.”
He has matched his 21 goals this
season with an additional 24 assists, and
credited his teammates with his success.
“It’s a team game, everyone’s working
Tiger captain Michael Laidley controls the puck in Friday’s 3 - 0 home win against the
Auroran photo by Jake Courtepatte
Kingston Voyageurs. hard out there.”
With just over a handful of games
left on the regular season schedule, the
Tigers are now looking to clinch the
North Division title for the third straight
year.
Standing in their way this week
are the Lindsay Muskies and the
Mississauga Chargers, two basementdwelling franchises sitting at the bottom
of their respective divisions.
They face the Muskies on the road
Friday at 7.30 p.m.
For stats, schedules, and more
information, visit www.auroratigers.
pointstreaksites.com.
We Aim High...
Aurora takes centre stage in girls hockey
tournament
By Jake Courtepatte
Female athletes from across Ontario
and the United States will converge
upon Aurora in a few weeks in what
is perhaps the most prestigious minor
hockey tournament in North America.
The Aurora Panthers will play host
to the 16th Annual International Silver
Stick Girls Finals from February 13 –
15 this year, just as they wrap up their
regular season schedules and look
ahead to the Central York Girls Hockey
Association playoffs.
From its humble beginnings in
Richmond Hill in 1956, the Silver Stick
Tournament has grown into the largest
North American minor hockey event,
hosting over 65,000 players and coaches
each year.
The Town of Aurora hosts 952 of
those players this month, as 56 different
teams battle for hockey supremacy.
They will represent AA, A and BB
divisions throughout the Atom and
Bantam age levels.
Well represented in the tournament,
the hometown organization has a team
competing in each division – teams that
have seen success in the tournament in
the past.
Last season, both the Atom AA and
Bantam BB Panthers came out on top
in the 2014 Silver Stick Tournament.
Games will be split between the
Aurora
Community
Centre,
the
NewRoads Basebar Auro 3 (Broad) 12/19/13
Stronach Aurora Recreation Complex,
and the Magna Centre, and the Ray
Twinney Recreation Complex, both in
Newmarket.
For more information or schedules
when posted, check out www.
silverstick.org.
Visit our beautiful King City campus and see why
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Page 1
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OR CALL TODAY TO ARRANGE YOUR PERSONAL TOUR
905-833-1909 • [email protected]
www.villanovacollege.org King City, Ontario
Page 14
THE AURORAN, Thursday, January 29, 2015
Charity meets athletics as Tigers and ‘Caines face off in
the Battle of York benefiting Southlake
By Jake Courtepatte
In what will be the final regular
season meeting between the OJHL’s
Aurora
Tigers
and
Newmarket
Hurricanes, the franchises are hoping
that the York Region community will
open their wallets for a good cause.
Mark Sunday, February 15 on your
calendar for the “Battle of York”, as the
two teams will battle it out on the ice for
Yonge Street supremacy for charity.
All proceeds from the game will go
to the Cancer Care unit at Southlake
Regional Health Centre.
Other than talented hockey, other
incentives include a live silent auction
and a chance to win a handful of prizes,
including a diamond ring in a puckshooting competition.
Considering the short distance
between the two division rivals, you can
expect both teams to be well represented
in the stands.
Some Aurora residents (and die-hard
Tigers fans) are already making plans
to attend.
“I’ve seen the posters,” said Juana
Willis, 68. “It’s not far, I don’t see why we
wouldn’t go…we’re at every game here
anyhow.”
“I think it’s a wonderful cause,”
added Leslie Chambers, also 68.
“It’s something to be proud of as a
community.”
The annual event is more than just a
charity fundraiser – it also works as a
memorial to three individuals that were
near and dear to the Hurricanes.
Kevin Lord lost a year-long battle
with brain cancer in 2006, while the
organization lost K.J. Ramolla in a
tragic car accident just two years later.
Both were members of the Junior A
club.
Though never a player, 14-year old
Josh Sedore was described as the
“heart and soul” of the Georgina Ice,
the Hurricane’s Junior C affiliate. His
father Steve is an assistant coach with
the Hurricanes.
Josh passed away in 2008 after battling
with Duchennes muscular dystrophy.
“For us and the Hurricanes, Josh was
the number-one fan,” said Ice president
Glenn Ulrich. “That’s what he lived for
was hockey.”
Tickets are $10 for adults, $6 for
seniors and students and $4 for kids ten
and under.
Puck drop is at 2.30 p.m. at the Ray
Twinney Complex in Newmarket.
For more information, visit www.
newmarkethurricanes.com.
Midget A Tigers losing ground
in playoff hopes
By Jake Courtepatte
Despite scraping together less than
a handful of wins over the regular
season, the start of the York-Simcoe
Minor Hockey League playoffs looked
positive for the Midget A Tigers.
On the back of a 3 – 3 tie with the
Richmond Hill Stars, the Tigers were
looking to make an impact in the playin round to kick off the postseason.
The four-way battle between East
Gwillimbury, Newmarket, Richmond
Hill and Aurora began with a matchup
against the East Gwillimbury Eagles,
winners of four of their last five
games.
It was déjà vu for the Tigers as they
once again found themselves in a 3 – 3
tie.
Monday night was a different story
of defensive breakdowns.
Although they found the most
success against the Stars during the
regular season, beating them twice,
the Tigers were unable to match their
success, eventually falling 4 – 1.
The Tigers have their work cut out
for them Thursday night, as they look
to pick up some points against the
undefeated Eagles on the road.
They will have over a full week to
recover before hosting the Newmarket
Redmen on February 8.
Are you ready?
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Peewee AE Tigers finalists at Silver
Stick International finals
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15207 Yonge Street, Aurora
Just south of the old post office
with the clock tower.
For an appointment, please call
905-727-2754
town of aurora
pubLic NOTice
NOTICE OF COMPLETE APPLICATION
The Town of Aurora has received the following applications under the Planning Act:
APPLICATION:
the owner has submitted an application to amend the Zoning By-law to allow business
and professional offices in an r5 Zone.
PROPERTY:
95 wellington Street East
LEGAL DESC.:
Lot 14, South of wellington Street, registered Plan 68
APPLICANT:
PMK Capital Inc.
FILE NUMBER:
ZBa-2014-10 and related file number SP-2014-12
CONTACT:
additional information may be obtained from Marty rokos of the Planning & Development
Services department at 905-727-3123 ext. 4350. Comments may also be mailed to the
Planning & Development Services department at the same address, faxed to 905-726-4736
or emailed to [email protected]. Please quote the file name and number.
the town of aurora collects personal information in communications or presentations made to town Council and/or
its Committees. the town collects this information to enable it to make informed decisions on the relevant issue(s).
If you are submitting letters, faxes, emails, presentations or other communications to the town, you should be aware
that your name and the fact that you communicated with the town will become part of the public record and will
appear on the town’s website. the town will also make your communication and any personal information in it, such
as your address and postal code or email address available to the public unless you expressly request the town to
remove it. By submitting a fax, email, presentation or other communication, you are authorizing the town to collect
and use the above-noted information for this purpose. the town audio records Public Planning meetings. If you
make a presentation to town Council and/or its Committees, the town will be audio recording you and town staff
and may make these audio recordings available to the public. Please direct any questions about this to the town
Clerk at 905-727-3123, ext. 4771.
Town of Aurora 100 John West Way, Aurora, ON L4G 6J1 | www.aurora.ca/publicnotices | 905-727-3123, ext. 4350
On January 7, the Peewee AE Tigers
headed to Niagara Falls to play in the
2014-15 Pelham International Silver
Stick Finals.
Facing teams from as far away as
Wyoming, Washington and Tennessee
and as near as Barrie, the Tigers played
some amazing hockey for 4 days.
With an impressive 35 goals for, and
only 7 goals against for the tournament,
the Tigers dominated the play in all
games throughout the weekend. The
quarter-finals saw the Tigers facing a
feisty Washington Capitals Academy
team but the boys came out strong and
moved on to the semis with a decisive
8-1 victory.
The semi-finals were played against
a determined team from Tennessee, the
Nashville Flyers, that came close until
the Tigers turned it on to take the game
with a 7-3 win.
The finals were played on Sunday,
January 11, against our friends from
the north, the Barrie Colts. Having met
three times in the regular season, the
Tigers knew this would not be an easy
opponent.
The boys were prepared and played
a solid game dominating the play for
much of the game. With the game
tied at 1-1 late in the third, Barrie got
a lucky bounce and scored to take the
lead. They added an empty net goal to
make the final score 3-1.
The Tigers would take away a silver
finish – certainly an accomplishment to
be proud of !
The Tigers played their hearts out all
weekend. The Coaches – Rob Wilson,
Dave Hilgendorff, Stewart Ritchie,
Trainer Keith Scott – and parents were
very proud of how the Tigers played,
representing Aurora with skill and
class on and off the ice.
If you asked the boys for the highlight
of the tournament, it wouldn’t be
receiving the shiny finalist medal – it
would be all about the pin trading.
With teams participating from
all over the US – from as far away as
California and Florida – trading the
Tiger pin for a Sharks pin made their
day!
All in all a very successful weekend
for the Peewee AE Tigers.
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D
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Art
s & Cult
ure
THE AURORAN, Thursday, January 29, 2015
Page 15
Author hopes people can learn from diaries charting very personal struggle
says he wasn’t sure what his family’s
reaction would be, but telling them
slowly and deliberately what his
intentions were in putting his very
personal struggles on the page,
they came around to the idea with
understanding.
“My parents said there were some
pages they probably wouldn’t have
been able to read because…it is a very
intense book, dark and sad, but it does
have its humourous moments in a
dark and twisted way, but they took
it very well, surprisingly. One thing
I remember people telling me when I
tried to open up to other people and
talk about my problems is that it was
mind over matter, but a lot of people
misunderstand the whole concept
behind
depression,
anxiety
and
By Brock Weir
Three years ago, Andreas Pfundt was
in a dark place.
He was going through emotional
difficulties, financial challenges from
trying to carve out a career in the
independent film industry, battling
his way constantly through anger and
despair.
After weighing his options, however,
he decided against a drastic approach
to his problem, instead channeling his
anger and emotions onto the page.
The result is “The Diary of a Suicidal
Artist”, a 364-page new book created by
the Aurora artist, charting his recovery
from “severe anxiety, depression and
obsessive compulsive disorder.”
“In a weird way, part of me thought
that whenever I died I imagined there
would be a little bit of history of
myself just around for a few seconds,
something that is tangible that people
can obtain in the future and reflect
upon,” says Mr. Pfundt on why he
decided to lay everything bare on the
page. “I also wanted to help other people
out with this. I was battling the idea of
going public with it, as I mention in my
diary entries, but it was more about
helping other people with depression,
anxiety and all these other labels
doctors constantly give their patients.
It is to show them they are not alone.”
The book is more than just a diary.
It is also a compilation of his drawings
and other forms of art.
“In a way, I have never been so
influenced by art,” he says. “I get
inspired by other artists, but I think I
biologically inherited it from my family.
My dad is an artist and a lot of my
relatives back in Europe have artistic
talents in acting and singing. Art is
almost not even something I wanted to
do, but almost like a little tick inside
my chest that made me want to express
myself in a visual medium.”
While he had an appreciation for
art from a very young age, he was also
aware of his emotional challenges from
an equally formative age. He says he
first had this feeling around the age of
seven when his parents and other family
members were going through divorces.
There was a lot of “animosity” in his
house and between his parents.
“As an only child, I sort of had to
raise myself,” he says. “I didn’t have
anybody else to help me out with that.
I had to be constantly batting between
things my mom was saying, things my
Andreas Pfundt is pictured in his home
studio holding his original diary, while
displaying the recently published
version.
Auroran photo by Brock Weir
dad was saying, and I had to become
this devil’s advocate all the time, and
that is constantly shown in myself
today. I don’t think there is an hour that
has gone by where I haven’t thought
of hurting myself, but I have slowly
come to fix those problems and I think
this diary has helped me make a lot of
major improvements.
“When you write something down
and you look at it after, I initially felt
very self-sympathetic, but when I
looked at the diary after I had written
it and reflected upon it, I realised I am
a constantly changing person. I was
always taking medication and things
for my illnesses and I felt like maybe
medication can only take you halfway
through those mental problems that
people go through. The other half is
helping yourself and as I go through
this book, I feel I have helped myself
just by creatively vomiting all over the
pages.”
Andreas, 24, grew up in Aurora.
After pursuing his career for four years
in Vancouver, he came back home to
Aurora to “unwind and relax” after
his challenges came to a head. Here, he
found peace and contentment with his
family and managed to complete his
project.
After completing the diary, Andreas
obsessive compulsive disorders.
“I think it is important for you
to express yourself, even if it is the
weirdest, most bizarre thing. Find some
sort of outlet to help yourself out. For
me, it was this diary. For others it could
be doing weird things like juggling, or
flying kites, or something that helps
you get in tune with yourself, even
talking to a psychologist…It helps you
immensely. Medication has taken me to
the halfway point of my life where I am
still focusing on fixing these problems
but a lot of that fixing process has to
be done by yourself with alternative
methods.”
The Diary of a Suicidal Artist can
be found at online retailers, including
Amazon.
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AURORA
FESTIVAL
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19 TH, 2015
6:30 PM ~ Aurora Cultural Centre
JOIN US for this JUMPIN’ evening of
LIVE MUSIC and FUNDRAISING
THE 24 TH STREET WAILERS
TICKET ALSO INCLUDES
AWBF “Youth In Music” Performance
Live & Silent Auction
Live painting “to the beat” –
artist Adubi Akinola
Hors d’oeuvres food stations
by Mississippi Queen
Good old fashion Dancin’
Door Prizes
Purchase tickets at awbf.ca
The Chieduch Group
Page 16
THE AURORAN, Thursday, January 29, 2015
Aurora
• Food • Drink • Markets • Events •
Feature Recipe
sponsors
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Try these chicken wings
during the big game, or any other time. Broilkingbbq.com offers a wide variety of recipes, tips,
and tricks for everyone from the novice griller to the die-hard outdoor chef. The barbecue chefs
at Broil King have developed this recipe for delicious grilled wings.
Grilled Chicken Wings with Roquefort Dip
Serves 6-8 people
3 lbs. chicken wings, cleaned and trimmed
Select wings of roughly equal size for evenness
of cooking.Ingredients
Marinade:
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Blue Cheese Dip
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon onion, grated
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/3 cup blue cheese, crumbled
D
best
Rink
Directions
Preheat the barbecue on high.
Cut each wing at the joint to make two pieces,
and discard wing tip if still attached. In a large
re-sealable bag, whisk together vegetable oil,
garlic, spices and vinegar. Add chicken wings
and toss to coat.
If using rotisserie basket, spray or brush lightly with vegetable oil to prevent sticking. Place
chicken wings on bottom of basket, cover with
the top part, and fasten on tightest setting to
secure the wings in place. Cooking grids will
need to be removed, and a drip pan placed
beneath. If using rear rotisserie burner, set to
THANK YOU
for
supporting
THE AURORAN
Advertisers
If cooking directly on well oiled cooking grids,
turn heat to low, and cook, turning frequently
until golden brown and crisp, 30 - 45 minutes.
Use an instant-read thermometer to ensure
that all wings are cooked through and ready
to eat.
Stir together all the dip ingredients. May be
made ahead of time and chilled until ready to
serve with chicken wings, celery and carrots.
Hogan’s Inn
Our Brewmaster had a penchant for English ale, so he
created something better, combining two styles of ales
he fancied while studying and brewing his way across the
UK. It’s an ingenius hybrid of a Northern Brown Ale and
a Midlands Mild, with a body tweaked to give it a lighter,
more North American appeal.
Hints of roasted nuts, caramel,
chocolate, and coffee combine
to make this award winner one of
Ontario’s best-selling craft beers.
www.hockleybeer.ca
high. If using lower burners, set to medium.
Place the basket on spit and in the rotisserie
and start the motor. Cook until golden brown
and crisp, about 45 minutes to an hour.
Seafood, Pasta & Steakhouse
w for our
o
n
n
o
ti
a
v
r
e
s
e
r
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ook you
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special
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n
n
i
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y
a
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Valentine’
featuring
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Lobster Bisque, Filet Mignon and much more
Beautiful Private Party Rooms, Private Business Meeting
Rooms and the Famous Hunt Pub with Live Entertainment
DS
LIVE BAN
Fri., Jan. 30 Souled Out
Fri., Feb. 6 Bad Dog
Sat., Jan. 31 Something Extra Sat., Feb. 7 Something Extra
IN THE HUNT PUB
For Reservations, Call 905.833.5311
HOURS: Mon.-Sat. 11am-10pm; Sun. 11am-8pm • Hunt Pub open until 2am weekends
CATERING AVAILABLE – ASK FOR DETAILS
HOGAN’ S I N N • 1 2 9 9 8 K E E L E S T. K IN G C IT Y • T H E H U N T P U B
BECAUSE
Eating well. Good food. Chatting with
friends. Sharp minds. Crazy ideas.
Agreeing. Disagreeing. Going for a hike.
Riding a bike. Going for it.
MATTERS.
If it matters to you, it matters to us. Your future. A path to
a career you love. Pursuit of your passion. Whatever it is,
it’s all here. Seneca has the programs, professors and an
abundance of learning opportunities to help you succeed.
becauseitmatters.ca
Because it matters.
THE AURORAN, Thursday, January 29, 2015
Page 17
Third generation artist hits
Cultural Centre as AHS,
Williams art goes up on
display
By Brock Weir
The image of a figure drowning just
below a murky surface is an image
TWO SCHOOLS COME
many people living with depression can
TOGETHER:
relate to, according to Grade 12 artist
Megan McClure.
Megan, a student at Dr. G.W. Williams (Clockwise from Top) Student curators
Secondary School, says she found Maddy, Julia, Avery, Maddy, and Hillary
painting these images in acrylic on receive recognition of their work from
wood a liberating experience, as well the Aurora Cultural Centre. Jennifer
as a new way to help her deal with her Smitten’s wearable art was not for the
birds. Breanna (right) looked no further
own stress.
“My inspiration was making a social than fellow student Hillary to be a model
statement about depression, and my own for her photography. Megan shows off
struggles with depression throughout “Drown” as “Johnny Depp” gives his best
my years at high school,” says Megan. Mona Lisa smile in the background.
“I used the image of drowning to
Auroran photos by David Falconer
represent common statements used by
people who are experiencing symptoms
of depression as being surrounded by
something that is completely crushing
and overwhelming.”
But, there is hope. Above her image
of the drowning figure are a pair more raw form of art is typical of the
of intertwined hands. These hands work created by Williams students for
represent strength, she says, as “We are the second floor gallery space, while
held up by the people around us, we are students from AHS appear to approach
held up by those who love us, and those their subjects from a different angle.
Both shows were curated by the
who care for us.”
Acupuncture
Treatment
Sessionwith guidance
students
themselves,
That strength can remain, however,
Acupuncture is a method of encouraging the body to not
promote natural
healing
and
to
improve
its
functions.
This is by Stephanie
when needed provided
when the hands are no longer physically
Acupuncture
Treatment Session
accomplished by the insertion of needles at very precise
acupuncture point. These acupuncture points are based
Nicolo of the Centre. This is the fourth
upon ancients Chinese medicine and are situated on
there to guide you.
meridians along which chi a "life energy" flows.
exhibition by AHS grads in the five
Megan is a granddaughter of theWhile
late
wellness spa
acupuncture is often associated with resolving
wellness spa
years
oftension
the
Centre,
physical problem
related to
and stress,
it has quiteand a first for
renowned Aurora artist Dorothy Clark
a wide range of applications.
Nail Care Waxing Waxing
NailaCare
point
McClure. Following in the artistic Williams, something that was
Eye Brown Shaping
$12
Manicure
$20
Acupuncture can be usedManicure
for the treatment
of:
Upper Lip
$7
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$10
of pride for Ms. Nicolo at Wednesday’s
brushstrokes of her grandmother
Chin
$8
Pedicure
$35
Acupuncture can be used for the treatment of:
Side Burn
$10
Polish Change
$15
gallery
opening.
Muscular Disorders:
and her father Andy, an art teacher
Underarm
$15
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Headaches neck pain, shoulder pain, tennis elbow, lower
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“You guys were the Grade
Nines
back pain and sciatica
at Williams, Megan is the first thirdFull Arm
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Half
Arm
$20
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Pedi
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when we started this program,”
she
generation artist to have his orDigestive
her Disorders:
Full Leg
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Gastritis spastic colon, constipation and diarrhea
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Leg
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us and
work on the walls of the Aurora said. “You have grown up with
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wechest
cannot
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more proud of Kidswhat you
Treatment
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of recurrent
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guys
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Williams
into
the
Aurora
Cultural
The exhibition opened at the Centre
Nail Care
Waxing
Paraffin
Centre. It has been a pleasure
working
Hand
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last Wednesday, and the significance Acupuncture
can be used for the treatment of:
Feet
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per sessionyou for showing
of exhibiting on walls that recently with Williams. Thank
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Added Mayor Geoff Dawe:
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the figure, particularly nudes, and this Town.”
Acupuncture is a method of encouraging the body to not
promote natural healing and to improve its functions. This is
accomplished by the insertion of needles at very precise
acupuncture point. These acupuncture points are based
upon ancients Chinese medicine and are situated on
meridians along which chi a "life energy" flows.
While acupuncture is often associated with resolving
physical problem related to tension and stress, it has quite
a wide range of applications.
Digestive Disorders:
Gastritis spastic colon, constipation and diarrhea
Respiratory Disorders:
Sinusitis, recurrent chest infection, bronchitis and asthma
Pelvic Disorders :
Urinary, menstrual and reproductive problems
$60
Acupuncture is a method of encouraging the body to not
promote natural healing and to improve its functions. This is
accomplished by the insertion of needles at very precise
acupuncture point. These acupuncture points are based
upon ancients Chinese medicine and are situated on
meridians along which chi a "life energy" flows.
$60
While acupuncture is often associated with resolving
physical problem related to tension and stress, it has quite
a wide range of applications.
Muscular Disorders:
Headaches neck pain, shoulder pain, tennis elbow, lower
back pain and sciatica
Digestive Disorders:
Gastritis spastic colon, constipation and diarrhea
Respiratory Disorders:
Sinusitis, recurrent chest infection, bronchitis and asthma
Pelvic Disorders :
Urinary, menstrual and reproductive problems
$60
Eye Brown Shaping
Upper Lip
Chin
Side Burn
Underarm
Full Face
Full Arm
Half Arm
Full Leg
Half Leg
Bikini
Brazilian
Full Leg with Bikini Line
Kids
Full Legwithout
with Brazilian
ManicurePrices are subjected
$17to change
notice.
Gentlemen's Chest
Manicure Polish Change
$8
Gentlemen's Back
Pedicure
$25
Pedicure Polish Change
$10
Manicure & Pedicure
$37
Manicure
$20
Manicure Polish Change
$10
Pedicure
$35
Polish Change
$15
Shellac Manicure
$35
Shellac Mani Polish Change $25
Shellac Pedicure
$55
Shellac Pedi Polish Change $30
Manicure & Pedicure
$50
Shellac Manicure & Pedicure $80
Design
$5
Paraffin
Hand
Feet
$12
$7
$8
$10
$15
$35
$30
$20
$45
$30
$20
$45
$60
$80
$40
$40
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$35
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Muscular Disorders:
Headaches neck pain, shoulder pain, tennis elbow, lower
back pain and sciatica
Kids
Manicure
Manicure Polish Change
Pedicure
Pedicure Polish Change
Manicure & Pedicure
$17
$8
$25
$10
$37
Paraffin
Hand
Feet
$30
$35
Eye Brown Shaping
Upper Lip
Chin
Side Burn
Underarm
Full Face
Full Arm
Half Arm
Full Leg
Half Leg
Bikini
Brazilian
Full Leg with Bikini Line
Full Leg with Brazilian
Gentlemen's Chest
Gentlemen's Back
Full Set
Seaweed Gel overlay with colour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Seaweed Gel overlay for toes with colour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Seaweed Gel Extension with colour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Refill
Seaweed Gel with colour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Gel Nail Removal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
$12
$7
$8
$10
$15
$35
$30
$20
$45
$30
$20
$45
$60
$80
$40
$40
$55
$55
$65
$45
$50
$20
Permanent Make-Up
$400
Permanent tattoo eyebrows (use Necrotic, slightly hurt)
Ear Candling
$40
A safe and gentle method of removing ear wax and debris
from the inner ears using cone-candle.
Bridal/Prom/Special Occasion Make-up
Regular Daytime Make-up
$55
$55
$65
$80-$120
$50-$80
Acupuncture is a method of encouraging the body to not
promote natural healing and to improve its functions. This is
accomplished by the insertion of needles at very precise
acupuncture point. These acupuncture points are based
upon ancients Chinese medicine and are situated on
meridians along which chi a "life energy" flows.
While acupuncture is often associated with resolving
physical problem related to tension and stress, it has quite
a wide range of applications.
Acupuncture can be used for the treatment of:
$45
$50
$20
Muscular Disorders:
Headaches neck pain, shoulder pain, tennis elbow, lower
back pain and sciatica
Digestive Disorders:
Gastritis spastic colon, constipation and diarrhea
Permanent Make-Up
$400
Permanent tattoo eyebrows (use Necrotic, slightly hurt)
Sinusitis, recurrent chest infection, bronchitis and asthma
Ear Candling
$40
A safe and gentle method of removing ear wax and debris
from the inner ears using cone-candle.
Urinary, menstrual and reproductive problems
Bridal/Prom/Special Occasion Make-up
Prices are subjected to change without notice.
Regular Daytime Make-up
Respiratory Disorders:
Pelvic Disorders :
$80-$120
$50-$80
We accepted insurance plans
$60
per session
Manicure
$20
Manicure Polish Change
$10
Pedicure
$35
Polish Change
$15
Shellac Manicure
$35
Shellac Mani Polish Change $25
Shellac Pedicure
$55
Shellac Pedi Polish Change $30
Manicure & Pedicure
$50
Shellac Manicure & Pedicure $80
Design
$5
Kids
Manicure
Manicure Polish Change
Pedicure
Pedicure Polish Change
Manicure & Pedicure
$17
$8
$25
$10
$37
Paraffin
Hand
Feet
$30
$35
Eye Brown Shaping
Upper Lip
Chin
Side Burn
Underarm
Full Face
Full Arm
Half Arm
Full Leg
Half Leg
Bikini
Brazilian
Full Leg with Bikini Line
Full Leg with Brazilian
Gentlemen's Chest
Gentlemen's Back
wellness spa
$12
$7
$8
$10
$15
$35
$30
$20
$45
$30
$20
$45
$60
$80
$40
$40
14800 Yonge Street, Unit 115
(Aurora Shopping Centre)
Aurora ON L4G 1N3
YOUR LOCAL FORD LINCOLN DEALER
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Seaweed Gel Extension with colour . . . . . . .
Refill
Seaweed Gel with colour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Seaweed Gel for toes with colour . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Gel Nail Removal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Book your appointment today!
Manicure
$20
Manicure Polish Change
$10
Pedicure
$35
Polish Change
$15
Shellac Manicure
$35
Shellac Mani Polish Change $25
Shellac Pedicure
$55
Shellac Pedi Polish Change $30
Manicure & Pedicure
$50
Shellac Manicure & Pedicure $80
Design
$5
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . $55
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . $55
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . $65
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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . $45
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . $50
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . $20
Other Services
Permanent Make-Up
Permanent tattoo eyebrows (use Necrotic, slightly hurt)
$400
Ear Candling
$40
A safe and gentle method of removing ear wax and debris
from the inner ears using cone-candle.
Bridal/Prom/Special Occasion Make-up
Prices are subjected to change without notice.
SALES • LEASING • SERVICE
QUICK LANE • PARTS
Regular Daytime Make-up
$80-$120
$50-$80
We accepted insurance plans
Page 18
THE AURORAN, Thursday, January 29, 2015
SENIOR
SCAPE
Jim Abram
Royal Canadian Legion –
Aurora Branch 385
much more than a place
for Veterans!
By Jim Abram
It was exactly 10 years ago I joined
the Aurora Legion. I am not a veteran
of any conflict. I joined for many
different reasons. The Legion offers
so much to active servicemen and
women, veterans, seniors and all
other community members. Everyone
is welcome. It is a very inviting and
hospitable place offering events,
programs and activities for all. Aurora
Branch 385 is famous for being the most
active Legion in Canada!
Last week I dropped into the Legion
(conveniently located at 105 Industrial
Parkway North in Aurora) and met with
Lori Hoyes for lunch. You might know
Lori as the Avon Lady! I also know Lori
from her family’s involvement with the
Queen’s York Rangers Army Cadets
who conduct training exercises at the
Legion. Their use of the Legion Hall
works out well.
The food is great at the Legion, both
tasty and affordable, and for those who
wish, there is also a cash bar service
available. We were fortunate enough to
have Len Whines join us. Len is a past
president of Aurora Branch 385 and
still very active in the Legion at the
young and spry age of 83.
Len is a veteran of the Second World
War where he drove a tank doing tank
recovery in Vimy.
While I was there, I met many seniors
that I know from the Seniors’ Centre
who play both regular Euchre and Bid
Euchre at the Legion. I glanced into
the snooker room and there was my
brother-in-law, John, enjoying a game.
My young nephew, Aidan, even dropped
in to say hello!
In addition to euchre, the Legion
schedules Darts tournaments, cribbage
games, and snooker games to mention a
few of the activities that go on.
Bill Nadeau On Stage
Starting at 8 p.m. on Friday, January
30, do not miss the musical guitar play
of Bill Nadeau. Bill plays entertaining
and inspirational music based upon
influences such as Stevie Ray Vaughan
and Led Zeppelin.
Progressive Euchre
For a friendly afternoon of cards in
the banquet hall, drop by the Legion on
Saturday, January 31 at 1 p.m. sharp. A
fun afternoon is in store for all for only
$5.00 per person.
Daytona 500 Nascar Fun
The Aurora Legion’s Colour Party
is hosting this fun event on Sunday,
February 22. The fun starts at 1 p.m. so
get there early to enjoy the race in the
comfort of the lounge where you can
relax and cheer on your favourite driver
while enjoying great food (wings) and
win prizes.
Valentines Dinner and Dance
For a modest $14 per person come on
out on Valentines’ Day for dinner at 7
PM. Come out and spend the night with
someone you love, or meet someone
new!
Letter to the editor
New You?
From page 4
Resolution:
Bright healthy teeth!
Book your appointment today!
Making you smile in the
of Aurora
Dr. Ron Goodlin
15213 Yonge Street Aurora
www.smiledental.ca
Family and Cosmetic Dentistry
For more information on the Aurora
Seniors’ Centre and all it has to offer,
drop by 90 John West Way, visit the
web site www.auroraseniors.ca, email
[email protected] or call 905726-4767 between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Monday to Friday.
For more information on the Royal
Canadian Legion and all it has to offer,
drop by 105 Industrial Parkway North,
Aurora, visit the web site www.legion.ca
or call 905-727-9932.
New Year
(905) 72-Smile (727-6453)
At the Aurora Seniors’ Centre
As always, there is more going
in Town at your very active Aurora
Seniors’ Centre!
On Friday, February 13, there will
be an evening of great theatre and
entertainment at the Aurora Seniors’
Centre by members of the Newmarket
Stage Company. This event will contain
comedy, drama and music and will take
place from 7 p.m. to 8.30 p.m. Doors
open at 6.45 p.m. Tickets are $10 each
which includes the show, refreshments
and door prizes!
This show is not suitable for children.
Tickets are available at the Reception
Desk at the Centre.
Get them early as there will be no
tickets sold at the door.
Jimmy’s last word: Get to know your
Legion. Everyone is welcome.
against the town in a public meeting by
a Director. How is that acceptable? What
of the flurry of other lame excuses?
Full prior investigations of the
site weren’t done because of time
constraints; flawed design work as a
result. Staff did their best with limited
authority. The extra can be paid from
Development Charges; it’s not like real
money. If proper investigation had
been done at first, it would have cost
money, so paying then or paying now,
it really doesn’t make no never mind.
Mould was found in air ducts.
Mould grows in moist, dank, dark
places without benefit of air movement.
Ducts are for the purpose of moving air.
Mould growing in a duct is as likely as
taking salt from a solution.
Reading
The
Auroran
story,
I searched in vain for comment from
our fearless leader.
His aversion to micromanagement is
known, but accountability is surely a
reasonable expectation.
We voted for it. We certainly pay for it.
Escalation is already established in
the $26 million Joint Facility Project.
Traffic problems are anticipated from
the disastrous choice of location.
Is anyone out there?
Evelyn Buck
Aurora
Aurora city5.qxp_caledon citizen 2015-01-27 1:28 PM Page 1
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THE AURORAN, Thursday, January 29, 2015
Heart attack survivor honours heroes, highlights
value of training
By Brock Weir
Aurora’s Brian Johnson promised
himself he wouldn’t get emotional, but
when you’re honouring four people
who helped save your life, sometimes it
is important to let it all out.
Mr. Johnson, a retired Toronto Fire
Fighter, appeared before Council last
week to publically thank three men and
one woman who happened to be in the
right place in the right time last fall to
save his life after Mr. Johnson collapsed
after a squash game at the Aurora
Family Leisure Complex.
In my time there, and in my retirement,
I never thought I would be on the
receiving end of a 911 call
“It has been almost two years since I
retired as a fire fighter from the Toronto
Fire Department after 31 years,” said
Mr. Johnson. “During my time down
there we ran a lot of medical calls,
thousands, and during that time when
we ran these calls we often had to do
CPR. Our success rate from doing CPR
was very low and that rate is actually
about five per cent.
“That rate is not indicative of a lack
of training, or through a lack of effort,
but it is the timeframes associated with
a patient having an incident. In my time
there, and in my retirement, I never
thought I would be on the receiving end
of a 911 call.”
That changed on October 6 when Mr.
Johnson finished off his squash game.
While talking to another man while
looking to see where they happened to
be in the squash standings, Mr. Johnson
fell to the ground with no vital signs.
“I was not breathing and I had
no pulse,” he said, paying tribute to
firefighter Brian Erskine, police officer
Greg Payne, pediatric nurse Branka
Asadi, and squash pro Howard Ceto.
“If it wasn’t for these four individuals
I have come here to [honour] tonight I
probably wouldn’t be here this evening,
through their coordinated effort, by
calling 911, getting CPR, locating a
defibrillator and being able to shock me
back to life, and also expediting my trip
to the hospital.
“A few days after that, I ended
up having a quadruple bypass. My
cardiologist told me I was extremely
lucky as there was a very small
percentage of me actually making it
through this. She also told me because
of how quickly they were able to revive
me that there was no permanent
damage to my heart. I couldn’t have
had my incident in better hands. To
the four of these people, I would like
to extend from myself and my family, a
very warm and sincere thanks for the
help and the courageous efforts that
evening.”
After the five individuals received
a resounding standing ovation from
Council and the crowd inside Council
chambers last week, Council members
asked for a rundown of measures in
place at Town Facilities, such as the
leisure complexes, to aid in situations
like these.
Al Downey, Aurora’s Director of
Parks and Recreation, said staff on
both the Parks and Recreation as well
as the Operation side of things at the
complexes are trained in first aid, CPR,
and defibrillators, money which Mayor
Geoff Dawe said was “well spent.”
Asked by Councillor Wendy Gaertner
on whether this training extends to
those working the service counters, Mr.
Downey said full time staff are trained,
but not part-time.
“When an incident occurs, primarily
the aquatics staff are responsible for
the response,” said Mr. Downey. “We
have now extended our training to
actual user groups, so there are some
user groups who are receiving that
training [for an incident]. It is critical
that we deal with these as quickly as
possible. Every minute that passes, the
percentages go down, so we want to
make sure that we respond extremely
quickly and make sure we have done as
much as we can before the 911 medical
staff arrive.”
Page 19
Recognized by Brian Johnson, to Mayor Dawe’s right, were Toronto police officer
Greg Payne, squash pro Howard Seto, and pediatric nurse Branka Asadi, alongside
Brian’s sons Kyle and Russell and wife Jutta. Not pictured: Mississauga firefighter Brian
Erskine. Auroran photo by Brock Weir
town of aurora
pubLic NOTice
NOTICE OF publIC mEETINg
Reconstruction design of Steeplechase Avenue, bluegrass Drive,
Woodsend Crescent and Skyview lane
The Town of Aurora intends to complete the reconstruction design of Steeplechase Avenue,
bluegrass Drive, Woodsend crescent and Skyview Lane. The preliminary design consists of asphalt
pavement reconstruction including shoulder stabilization, ditch regrading and driveway culvert
cleaning, repair and/or replacement, as required. interested residents/property owners are invited
to attend a public meeting to view the engineering design plans for this project and discuss any
questions or issues.
The meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 10 from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Aurora Town Hall,
Leksand Room (1st floor), located at 100 John West Way. Town staff will be available to discuss the
proposed works.
For additional information, please contact Steve Wilson at 905-727-3123, ext. 4377, by fax to
905-841-7119 or by email to [email protected]. Your input is welcome.
Town of Aurora 100 John West Way, Aurora, ON L4G 6J1 | www.aurora.ca/publicnotices | 905-727-1375
Remembering
past,
making
way
forforthe
Remembering the
past,
making
way
thefuture
futureat
atVillanova
Villanova
“Coming together is the beginning. ued growth.
“Coming together is the beginning. families, faculty, and students came
Keeping together is progress. Working toAlumni and their families were treatKeeping together is progress. Working together to pay homage to their roots by
gether
is success.”
ed
to a walk down
memory
lane,ofasThe
the
together
is success.”
participating
in the
demolition
Henry
Ford
school’s
Great
Hall
was
adorned
with
Henry Ford Annex to make way for future plans for
“Coming together is thephotos
beginning.
ued
growth.
and video
footage
of the origithe
campus’s
continued
growth.
Keeping
together
is progress.nal
Working
to- The
Alumni
and
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Ford
may
have
been
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building.
day’s
keynote
While Ford may have been referring
Alumni and their familiesaddress
were
gether is success.”
ed to a walk down memory lane, as the
totothe
Model
T or
as- came
from
School
President
Paul
Parthesuccess
successofofhishis
Model
T the
or the
treated
to
a
walk
down
memory
lane,
Henry Ford school’s Great Hall was
adorned with
assembly
line,
today,his
hiswords
words perfectly adiso,
as the who
school’s
Great
Hall
was
adorned
sembly
line,
today,
thanked
everyone
for
their
photos and video footage of the origiencompass the
the journey
journey
thatmay
has have
with
photos nal
and
video
footage
ofkeynote
the
encompass
that
has
beenbeen
contributions
to building.
the
school.
While Ford
referring
The day’s
address
Villanova
College.
original
building.
The
day’s
keynote
to
the
success
of
his
Model
T
or
the
ascame
from
School
President
Paul
ParVillanova College.
“We should all be proud of what we
sembly
line,
today,
his
words
perfectly
adiso,
who
thanked
everyone
for
their
Villanova
College
had
a
humble
address
came
from
School
President
Villanova College had a humble be- created and the legacy that began in
encompass
the journey
that
has Paradiso,
been contributions
to the
school.
beginning,
26 students
coming
Paul
who thanked
everyone
ginning, withwith
26
students
coming
to- that
humble structure,”
heallstated.
Af-of what we
Villanova
College.
“We
should
be
proud
together in the basement of Sacred for their contributions to the school.
gether
in the basement
of
Sacred
Heart
ter
his
remarks,
everyone
was
invited
Villanova College had a humble be- created and the legacy that began in
Heart Parish for its inaugural school
“We should all be proud of what we
26 students
coming toto-trythat
humble
structure,”
he stated. AfParish for its ginning,
inauguralwith
school
year outside
their
hand at
demolition.
year in September, 1999. Although created and the legacy that began in
getherAlthough
in the basement
of Sacred
Heart
ter his
remarks,
everyone was invited
inamenities
September
1999.
ameniWith
the
swing
of
a
sledgehammer,
and resources
faith school
that humble
hetheir
stated.
After
Parish forwere
its few,
inaugural
year structure,”
outside to try
hand
at demolition.
ties
and
resources
were
few,
faith
in
members
of
the
Villanova
Community
in the school’s future
was strong,
andAlthough
so his ameniremarks,
everyone
wasof invited
in September
1999.
With
the swing
a sledgehammer,
the
future
was
strong,
and
so few,
–outside
past
and
present
were
to makeCommunity
wasschool’s
the resolve
of its
founders
to
wade
tointry
their–hand
atable
demolition.
ties
and
resources
were
faith
members
of the
Villanova
was
the resolve
of its
founders
to wade
aWith
finaland
mark
on
a place
has –left
such
the
school’s
future
was strong,
– past
present
were
able to make
through
the paperwork
and
building
thesoswing
ofandathat
sledgehammer,
was to
theestablish
resolve
itsown
founders
to wade
final
mark on aCommunity
place that has left such
through
paperwork
and of
building
amembers
mark
on their
lives.
permits the
necessary
its
of athe
Villanova
through
the paperwork
building
a momentous
mark– onwere
theirable
lives.
permits
necessary
to establish
its own and
these
swings,
Prosite.
– After
past
and
present
to make
permits
necessary
to
establish
its
own
After
these
momentous
Jan. 24, 2000, the Green
a final mark
on a place
that
hasover
left such
site.Finally, on Friday,
Demolition
Ltd.
took
theswings, Prosite.
Green Demolition Ltd. took over the
school
community
moved
in
to2000,
a home
a mark while
on their
lives. spent the rest of
Finally,
on Friday,
Jan.on
24,Friday,
the
project
alumni
Finally,
Jan. 24,
2000, the project
while alumni spent the rest of
of
its
own
–
a
12,000-square-foot
portable
After
these
momentous
school community
moved
in to a moved
home in
the
touring
the touring
hallsswings,
ofthe
thehalls of the
school
community
to afternoon
a home the
afternoon
located
on
33
acres
at
Marylake.
ProGreen
Demolition
Ltd.
took
over
the
of
its
own
–
a
12,000-square-foot
portable
current
building
and
soaking
of its own – a 12,000-square-foot portable current building and soaking in the re- in the re“It was very
when
we project whileality
alumni
spent
thethe
rest
of has come
located
on 33 acres
at Marylake.
of the
just
how far
school
located
on 33 acres
atexciting
Marylake.
ality of just how
far
school
has
come
was and
very Celeste
exciting the
when
we in touring
15 short years.
moved,” recalled“ItMary
afternoon
the halls of the
“It was very
exciting when
we
in 15 short
years.
moved,”ofrecalled
and Celeste
Today,
site on which
Iacobelli, members
one Mary
of the
currentIacbuilding
andthesoaking
in thethe original
moved,”
recalled
Mary
and
Celeste
IacToday,
the
site
on
which
the
original
obelli,
members
of
one
of
the
school’s
school
stood
is
a
mound
rubble in the
school’s founding families. “The reality of just how far the school of
has
obelli,
members
of
one
of
the
school’s
school
stood
is
a
mound
of
rubble
in
the
founding
families.
“The
portable
was
shadow
of
a
building
that
boasts
state of
portable was a big step forward. Until come in 15 short years.
a big“The
step forward.
Until
that
time, of
thea building
the art amenities
that
earlier
founding
families.
portable
was
shadow
that
boasts
state
of
that time, the school was just an idea.
Today, the site on which the original
school
wasthat
just time,
an idea.
didn’t
students
could only dream
aWe
bigdidn’t
step forward.
Until
theWethe
art have
amenities
earlier
have anything
anything
that
we
could
school
stoodofisseeing.
athat
mound
of rubble
in
that we could touch and feel.
Although
plans for
school
was
just
an
idea.
We
didn’t
have
students
could
only
dream
touch and feel.When
Whenwe
we
had
site,
thesome
shadow
of a will
building
that
boasts
had
thethe
site,
we had
ap- what
replace
“The
Ananything
that appreciation
we
could touch
and
feel.
ofstate
seeing.
Although
plans
we had some
thatthis
thiswas
wasactually
of the
art amenities
earlier
preciation
that
going
nex”
have
yet for
tothat
be finalized,
actually
to
it
to happen.
happen.
For us,
it was
was
fresh will
start.
students
could
only
dream
seeing.
there
is
no
doubt
that
it will
When
we going
had the
site,
we For
had
some
ap- awhat
replace
“The
An- of
It
was
a
new
start.
It
was
a
great
experemain
as
important
a
site
in
a
fresh
start.
It
was
a
new
start.
It
was
Although
plans
for
what
will
replace
preciation that this was actually going nex” have yet to be finalized,
rience
to
have
a
home
for
the
kids.
We
the
school’s
future
as
it
has
great experience
have
a home
for there
“The is
Annex”
have
yetit to
be finalized,
toa happen.
For us, ittowas
a fresh
start.
no doubt
that
will
becameaa very
very close-knit
group,
andisthat
been in
theitpast.
the
kids.
We
became
close-knit
there
no
doubt
that
will
remain as
It was a new start.
It was
a great
expeimportant
a site
inRemo
building
became
more
likeremain
a homeas
for
As Josie
and
D’Angroup,
and
that
building
became
more
important
a
site
in
the
school’s
future
rience to have aour
home
for the kids. We the school’s future
as it has
families.”
gelo reflect:
“When comlike a home for our
families.”
aswould
it hascall
beenpared
in thetopast.
Students
and faculty
at VC
the Villanova of
became
a very close-knit
group,
and that
been
in the
past.
Students and faculty
at VC would
As when
Josie and
Remo
D’Angelo
reflect:
structure
home call
until
today,
it may
have been
‘the
building becamethis
more
like a home
for 2002,
As Josie
and
Remo
D’Anthis structure classes
home until
to times’
the Villanova
of
moved2002,
in to when
Phase 1 “When
of whatcompared
is, worst of
because the
our
families.” today,
gelo
reflect: have
“When
comclasses moved in
to Phase
1 of what is, building.
today, it mayportable
been
‘the
a 120,000-square-foot
wasn’t
theworst
most of
atStudents
and faculty
at VC
would
pared
to
thetractive
Villanova
of wasn’t
Despite
the
move call
and the
constant
building
we’d seen.
today,
a 120,000-square-foot
building.
times’
because
the portable
the
thisDespite
structure
2002,
when oftoday,
it may
have
beenwas,
‘the
growth
andthe
development
school
fa- But
it also
in seen.
a way,But
‘the
the home
move until
and
constant
most
attractive
building
we’d
cilities
over
the
next
12
years,
the
porbest
of
times.’
We
were
not
classes
moved
in
to
Phase
1
of
what
is,
worst
of
times’
because
the
growth and development of school it also was, in a way, ‘the best of times.’
table,
which
became
fondly
referred
to
just
a
school.
We
were
a
famtoday,
a 120,000-square-foot
building.
thea most
at- We were a
facilities
over the next 12
years, the portable
We werewasn’t
not just
school.
as “The Annex,” remained on the school ily, kids and parents alike.”
portable,
became
fondly
referred
family,
kids
and
parents
alike.”
Despite which
the move
and
the
constant
tractive
building
we’d
seen.
property, where it served as a reminder
Although the original
to as “The
Annex,”
remained
on the
Although
the
original
building
growth
and development
of school
fait alsoofwas,
in
a building
way, school
‘themay
of Villanova’s
history
and But
a symbol
school
no lonschool over
property,
where
it served
mayofnotimes.’
longer
exist,
as
incredible
growth.
gerWe
exist,
as Saturday’s
event
cilities
theits
next
12 years,
the as
por-a best
were
not Saturday’s
reminder
of
Villanova’s
history
and
a
event
attests,
it
leaves
behind
lasting
On
Saturday,
Jan.
24,
15
years
to
the
attests,
it
leaves
behind
lasttable, which became fondly referred to just a school. We were a famday that the
founding students
and fac-and
ingamemories
and
a powerful
symbol
of
its
incredible
growth.
memories
powerful
legacy
.
It
will
as “The Annex,” remained on the school ily, kids and parents alike.”
moved
the original
building,
It will
be a tesOn Saturday,ulty
24, in
15 toyears
to forever
be a legacy.
testament
toforever
the power
of
property,
where Villanova
it Jan.
served
as
a reminder
Although
the to
original
alumni
and
families,
faculty,
tament
the
power
of comthe day that the founding students coming together, keeping together
in
of Villanova’s history
and acame
symbol
of school
building
no lonand students
together
to pay homing may
together,
keeping togethand faculty moved in to the original pursuit of a common goal, and working As one chapter of Villanova College’s history came to a close, another one begins. The original portable
age to their roots by participating
in the
er in pursuit
of a common As
was
demolished
Saturday,
making
way for
futurecame
plansto
foracontinued
growth
at the
campus.
its
incredibleVillanova
growth.
ger exist,
as Saturday’s
event
one
chapter of
Villanova
College’s
history
close, another
one
beings.
The original portable
building,
alumni
and together to make these goals a reality.
demolition
of
The
Annex
to
make
way
goal,
and
working
together
Submitted
Photos
was
demolished
Saturday,
making
way
for
future
plans
for
continued
growth
at
the campus.
On Saturday, Jan. 24, 15 years to the attests, it leaves behind lastfor future plans for the campus’s contin- to make these goals a reality.
Submitted
Photos
day that the founding students and fac- ing memories and a powerful
ulty moved in to the original building, legacy. It will forever be a tes-
Remembering past, making way for the future at Villanova
Page 20
THE AURORAN, Thursday, January 29, 2015
Rotary hopes community input will
help respite fund grow beyond Aurora
CROSSWORD PUZZLE
From page 1
otherwise – of children with severe
disabilities within Aurora.
Slated to get off the ground in
the early part of the month ahead,
administrative support – and review
of applications – will be undertaken
by York Support Services Network.
For Aurora Rotarian Katie Ablett,
Director of Community Service
for the Club, the fund is a natural
extension of Rotary’s motto of
Service Above Self.
“For about a year now, I have
been contemplating how there are
wonderful caregivers who work very
hard to provide unpaid care and
support to children who have severe
disabilities, and a variety of other
types of caregivers,” says Ms. Ablett.
“There are lots of families that have
a child with a severe disability, there
are informal caregivers, typically
a parent or somebody else, who is a
dedicated support provider for them.
Through this fund, when the families
find themselves in a time of crisis,
or an emergency, either because
the child’s needs have increased
dramatically or suddenly, or because
the caregivers themselves have
experienced a crisis, they will be able
to apply for funding through this fund
so that a respite worker would be able
to come in and give some relief.
“The intention would be an
immediate source of direct support to
families who experience a crisis and
have a child with severe disabilities.”
Working with the York Support
Services Network, a registered
charity, to take in donations and
administer
the
program,
will
“streamline the process” so families
and clients in most immediate need
can apply for and receive some of the
funding.
The $5,000 infusion from Rotary
funds is hoped to be just the beginning,
says Ms. Ablett, as they hope others
service clubs, individuals and groups
come on board and support this
community endeavour – and perhaps
spread the wealth beyond Aurora in
the near future.
“The Rotary Club of Aurora is
focusing on Aurora, but it is actually
our hope to raise funds and awareness
across other groups, including other
Rotary clubs and try to help build the
fund and other funds like it because
there is a growing need,” she says.
“We’re hoping the community will
be able to make donations to the
fund. We’re planning to host a golf
tournament in May and those funds
will be dedicated to this fund. We’re
thinking of it as a permanent fund we
hope to continue contributing to and
we hope that funding will continue to
grow for this initiative.
“We understand that this is the
first fund of its kind in York Region
and the Rotary Club of Aurora is
excited to help fill this critical gap.
For more information about how
to access the fund, families are
asked to contact Maria Guevara,
Respite Access Facilitator for York
Support Services at 905-898-6455
x2385. For more on Rotary, visit www.
rotaryaurora.com.
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Needed
Intl Company Growing.
Work From Home PT/FT/
Flex. Call/Text
Terri 416-320-5857
[email protected]
SALES REP NEEDED for
The
Month Ahead Magazine. Work from
home.
Computer
required. Part-time.
Commission
only.
email: [email protected].
Live
out
position
available for experienced
Superintendent
in
condominium Building. King Township
location. Please fax resume: 905-948-1300 or
dan@aragonbuidling.
com
Jan
Woodlands
(2001) Inc. lebelcambium.com located in
Bolton, is now hiring:
Forklift
Operators.
Permanent / Full Time
/ Days. Benefits in 3
months. License is an
asset. Fax resume: 905951-8257 Attn: Stuart
Robinson or email:
[email protected]
Jan Woodlands
(2001) Inc. lebelcambium.com located in
Bolton, is now hiring:
Machine Operators &
General
Labourers.
Permanent / Full Time
/Days, Benefits in 3
months. Fax resume:
905-951-8257 Attn: Stuart Robinson or email:
[email protected]
F ull - time
nanny;
Live-in,
supervise child, meals,
house keeping. 1 year
to less than 2 years exprience. Contact Rita.
Fax. 905-264-1396.
Advertise in
THE AURORAN
CLASSIFIEDS 905-727-3300
Landscape co-ordinator
We are looking for an experienced person
with relevant landscape/construction experience:
• excel, adobe, Autocad computer experience
• support estimating team in the tender process
• issue Purchase Order's/ schedule deliveries
• schedule all utility locates
• schedule and order materials for warranty work
• general office administration as required.
NEED
EXTRA
MONEY?
Give us a call.
Potential employment
after the holiday
FULL/PART TIME POSITIONS
• demonstrates quality work ethic
• commitment to support of staff professionally and personally
• must be bondable • no evenings or weekends
• competitive wages • kilometers paid
• drivers and non-drivers needed
647-333-7397
Please apply by email to:
[email protected]
EXPERIENCED
MEAT CUTTERS and
LABOURERS wanted.
Cutting and deboning
poultry products an
asset. Labourers, $11$14/hr. Butchers with
minimum two years
experience - $16/hr.
Apply to Abate Packers Ltd by email at:
jobs@abate packers.
com or by fax: 519-8482793.
HEALTH/FITNESS
LOSE
WEIGHT,
STOP
SMOKING,
Relax,
Ease
Anxiety, Improve Sleep
with
Hypnotherapy.
Private sessions via
Skype or in-person
in Bolton. Free Consultation.
Refund
Guarantee. Call today:
647-891-0777 www.victry-nlp.com
PAINTER
helpUpaint
Quality Custom Work
416-606-4662
ON TIME • ON BUDGET
www.helpupaint.ca
BRIGHTEN YOUR DAY
HOME CLEANING
REQUIRES
RESIDENTIAL CLEANERS
Do you love to clean?
• No evenings or weekends
• Travel time paid
• P/T & F/T positions available
• Training provided
Call 905-713-3651
or email your resume to
[email protected]
Design Engineer - short term
assignment
Controller (Assistant) Etobicoke
Administrator - 6 month assignment
Bookkeeper - A/R, A/P, Trial
Balance, Jonas software
Millwright - Bolton - $30.00 / hr.
CNC…Water Jet Operator
Welding Supervisor Afternoon shift
Production Supervisors Metal Forming
Shipping Supervisor strong Computer skills
MIG Welders - $15.35
Metal Fabricators
Forklift Operators
Mechanical Assemblers $13.25/hr.
General Labour - Outside - $15/hr.
General Labour - Odd Days
• Resumes only, no phone calls
• Only qualified persons will be contacted
[email protected]
905-951-6300 Tel/Fax
866-274-7231 Toll Free
“Our Business is People”
THE AURORAN, Thursday, January 29, 2015
Page 21
COMING EVENTS
THURSDAY, JANUARY 29
Taoist Tai Chi will host the open house
Cultivating the Spirit for Better Health today at 73
Industrial Parkway North, Unit 2B, from 9.30 a.m.
to 11 a.m. Come for tea and a demonstration and
introduction to Taoist Tai Chi. Gentle turning and
stretching movements are designed to improve
circulation, contribute to better balance and
posture, and increase strength and flexibility.
The movements exercise the whole body and help
relieve harmful stress and anxiety. Movements
can be adapted for people with reduced mobility.
For more information, call 905-836-1219 or visit
www.taoist.org/newmarket.
****
The Canadian Federation of University Women
Aurora/Newmarket meets at the Royal Canadian
Legion (105 Industrial Parkway North) at 7.15 p.m.
Senior team member Gary Ryan will speak about
innovation and expansion and other highlights
at Southlake Regional Health Centre. All are
welcome. For more information, call Judy Craig at
905-895-8713 or visit www.cfuwauroranewmarket.
com.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 30
The Aurora Cultural Centre, 22 Church Street,
welcomes John Sheard Presents with very special
guest Sylvia Tyson, Canada’s own Queen of Folk.
Tickets selling quickly - don’t delay! For more
information, including ticket purchase info, visit
auroraculturalcentre.ca, call 905 713-1818 or drop
by the Centre.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 31
Trinity Anglican Church tonight in a concert
benefiting Welcome Table. The concert gets
underway at 7.30 p.m. For more information, visit
www.welshchoir.ca.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11
The PROBUS Club of Aurora holds their
monthly meeting today from 10 a.m. to 12 noon at
the Royal Canadian Legion (105 Industrial Parkway
North). Guest speaker is Judy Suke and her topic is
“Aging is for Sissies!” For more information about
our guest speaker, call Cliff White at 905-841-2421.
New members are welcome. Call Gary Gilbert at
905-895-2849 for more information.
Celebrate Valentine’s Day with the Love Train
Revue. The annual event features George St. Kitts,
along with Billy Newton-Davis, Kenni Hite, Jivaro
Smith, Nicole Robinson, and Coco Lorraine Veira.
The Love Train Revue kicks off at Newmarket
Theatre (505 Pickering Crescent) at 8 p.m. For
more information, including tickets and timing
B
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13
visit www.newmarkettheatre.ca.
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 22
The Royal Canadian Legion hosts the Daytona
500 Nascar Fun Party this afternoon, beginning at
1 p.m. Enjoy the race in the comfort of our lounge,
relax and cheer your favourite driver. For more
information, call 905-727-9932.
PS
Plumbing Service
A great evening of theatre is in store tonight
at the Aurora Seniors’ Centre from 7 p.m. to
8.30 p.m. This will be an evening of theatre and
entertainment by members of the Newmarket
Stage Company, containing comedy, drama, and
music. Tickets are $10 each, which includes the
show, refreshments and door prizes. The show is
not suitable for children. Tickets are on sale at the
Centre. Get your tickets early as there will be no
tickets sold at the door. Doors open at 6.45 p.m.
EST. 1972
• RESIDENTIAL • COMMERCIAL • INDUSTRIAL
905-727-3210
www.bobsplumbing.ca
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 14
The Royal Canadian Legion will host a
Valentine’s Dinner and Dance tonight, with dinner
set for 7 p.m. Tickets are $14 per person. Disc
jockey for your dancing and listening pleasure.
Come out and spend the night with someone you
love, or meet someone new! For more information,
call 905-727-9932.
****
The Toronto Welsh Male Voice Choir will play
COMFORT FOR LIFE
Bay Street Service,
Aurora Prices!
Gerry is available by appointment in his Aurora Office for
Business, Real Estate and other legal matters.
Will Your Gas Furnace
Withstand Winter?
905-727-9361 (Aurora Line)
Gerry Miller
Managing Partner
Avoid the inconvenience and discomfort when your gas
furnace breaks on the coldest day of winter. A Daikin
Comfort Pro can offer options to keep your unit running,
saving energy, and operating at peak performance. And be
certain to ask about our Comfort Promise.
(Insert Dealer Info Here)
390 Bay Street, Suite 1202
Toronto, ON M5H 2Y2
Tel: 416-363-2614 Fax: 416-363-8451
www.gmalaw.ca
GMA
136 Wellington St. E.,
905-727-4258
www.tholiver.com
GARDINER MILLER ARNOLD
LLP
BARRISTERS & SOLIC ITORS
Blog: www.ontariocondolaw.com
Our continuing commitment to quality products may mean a change in specifications without notice.
© 2013
· Houston, Texas · USA · www.daikincomfort.com
AT YOUR SERVICE
A directory of who does what in your community
DENTAL
AIRPORT LIMO
PAINTER
PIANO LESSONS
PIANO LESSONS
IN YOUR HOME
All levels,
for study
or pleasure
Very competitive rates from $79.00
Raymond Lorenz
905.727.9659
CLEANERS
DRUM LESSONS
DRUM LESSONS
Aurora Music Teacher
University degree in percussion,
Jazz degree from Humber College,
music educator with
YRDSB for 20 years.
Contact Paul @ 905 751 4408
TREE CARE
SUNSET BEECH
TREE CARE
Pruning • Removals
Consulting • Bracing
647-989-3509
[email protected]
GARAGE DOOR & ELECTRIC OPENERS
PROPANE AND APPLIANCES
PROPANE AND APPLIANCE SALES
• RESIDENTIAL
• COMMERCIAL
• INDUSTRIAL
INSTALLATIONS
SERVICE • DELIVERY
866-952-0146
CARLINg PROPANE INC.
Toll Free 1-866-952-0146 www.carlingpropane.ca
SERVICES FOR SENIORS
help?
S e r v i c ePlanning
s f o r T rto
a nlive
s i tini oyour
n i n home
g S e nbut
i o rneed
s
We can do the following for you:
• Groceries
• Housekeeping
• Meal Preparation • House Repairs
• Downsizing
• Move Management
• Snowbird Services • And more...
For a FREE consultation please call (416) 726-0834
CONSTRUCTION
LANDSCAPING
RENOVATIONS
FLOORING SPECIALIST
Hardwood, Refinishing Hardwood,
Stairs, Laminate, Carpet Tiles,
Granite Installation, Sales, Repairs.
416-677-7555
www.pearlknstructions.com
CREMATION
SKYLIGHTS
SKYLIGHTS LEAKING?
• interlock/pavers
• decks/fences
• retaining walls
• natural stone
• flagstone
• bobcat services
Office: 905-859-1046
Cell: 416-676-6641
WWW.MFCLANDSCAPING.COM
MOVING
• Skylights replaced?
• No mess in your home
• Leak-proof - Guaranteed!
• Licensed & Insured
• 10 year Guarantee
BRIGHT
SKYLIGHTS
INC.
Call Joe at any time 416-705-8635
www.brightskylights.ca
WATER
• FREE WATER TEST
0%
FINANCING
AVAILABLE
Call Today
Page 22
THE AURORAN, Thursday, January 29, 2015
Proud to have been helping
York Region residents with
their Real Estate needs
for 23 Years