Stouffville Review, December 2022
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Vol.9 Issue 12 <strong>December</strong> <strong>2022</strong><br />
WWW.STOUFFVILLEREVIEW.COM<br />
WHAT’S INSIDE<br />
York approves long-term vision<br />
for transportation<br />
York Region plans to spend about $8.54 billion to<br />
ensure its growing population and workforce will<br />
be able to get around safely<br />
SEE PAGE 2<br />
Anti-Human Trafficking Conference<br />
educates and builds critical awareness<br />
Human trafficking for sexual exploitation is one<br />
of the most rapidly growing and lucrative crimes<br />
worldwide, and it’s happening right here in York<br />
Region.<br />
SEE PAGE 4<br />
Creating personalized gifts this season<br />
<strong>December</strong> is a month of reflection and celebration.<br />
We pause to reflect on the completion of another<br />
year, and celebrate both the year that has passed<br />
and another which is about to begin.<br />
SEE PAGE 7<br />
York Catholic EQAO results higher than provincial averages<br />
York Catholic District School Board students outscored their provincial peers in all areas of Education Quality and Accountability<br />
Office testing, which reveals the pandemic had a more significant impact on math than on literacy achievement among<br />
students across Ontario.<br />
Oak Valley Health recognized<br />
for exemplary standing<br />
SEE PAGE 7<br />
Accreditation Canada recognizes Oak Valley<br />
Health for being awarded with exemplary standing,<br />
the highest award possible from the national<br />
quality standards organization.<br />
SEE PAGE 8<br />
Province wants to fast track<br />
sewage system upgrades<br />
The provincial government is taking steps to improve<br />
the York-Durham Sewage System network to<br />
accommodate growth and new housing in the upper<br />
part of York Region over the next three decades.<br />
SEE PAGE 10<br />
COMMUNITY<br />
MSH gains good fortune<br />
Markham <strong>Stouffville</strong> Hospital Foundation<br />
recently hosted its inaugural The Fortune<br />
Ball presented by TD. Guests came together<br />
to celebrate the modern tradition of Chinese<br />
culture during an enchanting evening<br />
filled with elegant charm and outstanding<br />
entertainment.<br />
226 Harold Avenue<br />
built by Boadway<br />
On a cool afternoon, one can walk through<br />
this heritage neighbourhood and find very<br />
different types of homes.<br />
SEE PAGE 2 SEE PAGE 3<br />
Uplifting holiday entertainment<br />
With the holiday season fast approaching,<br />
the Markham Theatre has a great slate of<br />
programming coming up. You won’t want to<br />
miss ViVA Trio, Gowan and Ballet Jörgen’s<br />
The Nutcracker.<br />
SEE PAGE 9<br />
You don’t have to miss out on local news and<br />
information. Just check out the <strong>Stouffville</strong><br />
<strong>Review</strong> online at www.stouffvillereview.com for<br />
fresh, original articles, updated daily. Did you<br />
miss a print edition? Catch up with our replica<br />
e-paper, available anytime on our website.<br />
Ballet Jörgen<br />
Nutcracker<br />
Friday, <strong>December</strong> 30 // 2pm & 7pm<br />
Saturday, <strong>December</strong> 31 // 2pm<br />
flatomarkhamtheatre.ca / 905.305.7469<br />
220106 FMT_Markham <strong>Review</strong> - Nutcracker - NEW SIZE 10x1.75.indd 2 <strong>2022</strong>-11-18 4:27 PM
2 STOUFFVILLE REVIEW COMMUNITY DECEMBER <strong>2022</strong> STOUFFVILLEREVIEW.COM<br />
York approves long-term vision for transportation<br />
Under its recently updated Transportation<br />
Master Plan (TMP), York Region plans<br />
to spend about $8.54 billion to ensure its<br />
growing population and workforce will<br />
be able to get around safely and will have<br />
transportation options over the next three<br />
decades.<br />
In that time, its population is expected<br />
to grow from 1.2 million people to more<br />
than two million and the number of jobs<br />
here will reach nearly one million.<br />
The total price tag includes $4.07<br />
billion for transit, $3.97 billion for roads<br />
– including active transportation improvements<br />
– and $496 million for stand-alone<br />
active transportation projects. Proposed<br />
actions and initiatives will be brought<br />
forward through the annual capital planning<br />
business and budget process.<br />
Among other things, the Region says<br />
the TMP will focus on ‘transportation<br />
equity,’ which means providing options that<br />
are inclusive and recognize a diversity of<br />
personal abilities, age, gender, income and<br />
culture. The revamped TMP will also focus<br />
on reducing car travel, especially during<br />
rush hours, as well as fiscal and environmental<br />
sustainability to ensure transportation<br />
investment remains affordable and continues<br />
to consider environmental impacts.<br />
York Region reviews the TMP every<br />
five years to ensure the Regional transportation<br />
network meets the needs of motorists,<br />
pedestrians, cyclists and transit riders.<br />
“Input from the community has always<br />
played a lead role in the TMP since the first<br />
plan in 2002,” Lauren Crawford, manager<br />
of transportation long-term planning, says<br />
in a video introducing the TMP.<br />
Accomplishments in that time include<br />
the introduction of bus rapid transit to provide<br />
fast, convenient service and easy connections<br />
to urban centres and bringing subway<br />
connections to York to support growing<br />
populations, stimulate economic growth<br />
and reduce traffic congestion, she reports.<br />
Additional accomplishments include transforming<br />
roads and improving intersections<br />
to improve traffic flow, provide safer crossings<br />
for pedestrians and cyclists and support<br />
public transit service investments; and<br />
installing high occupancy vehicle lanes and<br />
bicycle facilities to provide more options to<br />
more people and to save travel time.<br />
The TMP was developed in coordination<br />
with the Region’s Municipal Comprehensive<br />
<strong>Review</strong> Process, which includes<br />
updates to the Regional Official Plan and<br />
Water and Wastewater Master Plan. Visit<br />
york.ca/TMP to learn more about the public<br />
consultation process and previous TMPs.<br />
Support local journalism. Businesses,<br />
advertise with us online and in print.<br />
416-884-4343, contact@stouffvillereview.com<br />
MSH gains good fortune<br />
Markham <strong>Stouffville</strong> Hospital Foundation recently hosted its inaugural The Fortune Ball presented<br />
by TD. Performers from the Sun Ling School of Dance were some of the many entertainment<br />
highlights of the evening.<br />
Markham <strong>Stouffville</strong> Hospital (MSH)<br />
Foundation recently hosted its inaugural<br />
The Fortune Ball presented by TD.<br />
Guests came together at the Hilton<br />
Toronto/Markham Suites to celebrate the<br />
modern tradition of Chinese culture during<br />
an enchanting evening filled with elegant<br />
charm and outstanding entertainment.<br />
MSH Foundation aims to promote<br />
community pride within the local Chinese-<br />
Canadian population and inspire Chinese<br />
business and philanthropic leaders to help<br />
bring abundant blessings to MSH through<br />
the sharing of their good fortune and prosperity.<br />
Community leaders and founding<br />
members of MSH Foundation’s Fortune<br />
Leadership Council (FLC) have taken on<br />
the role of co-chairs of this inaugural gala.<br />
The members include Kenny Wan, Alan<br />
Kwong, Gordon Chan, David Ho and Stephen<br />
Li. FLC is a network of local Chinese<br />
business leaders who came together in 2016<br />
with a mission to give back to the hospital.<br />
“Our community depends on Oak Valley<br />
Health’s Markham <strong>Stouffville</strong> Hospital<br />
to deliver a lifetime of care closer to home.<br />
And the community plays an important role<br />
in ensuring Markham <strong>Stouffville</strong> Hospital<br />
has life-saving equipment and innovative<br />
technology,” Wan said “There is a Chinese<br />
proverb that says — ‘If you always give,<br />
you will always have.’”<br />
Access to the most state-of-the-art<br />
equipment is essential for MSH to continue<br />
providing the exceptional, patient-centred<br />
care the community needs and deserves,<br />
close to home. Urgent and emerging needs<br />
abound within surgery, diagnostic imaging<br />
and emergency medicine — directly related<br />
to the rapidly expanding and aging population<br />
that MSH serves. Government can’t<br />
fund all critical equipment and top-priority<br />
needs. Community support is the reason<br />
patients can count on MSH for exceptional,<br />
life-saving care, regardless of what brings<br />
them through the doors.<br />
“The past two years have brought<br />
some of the most challenging times we’ve<br />
faced — as a community and as a hospital.<br />
Now, more than ever, the support from the<br />
community means everything, said Suzette<br />
Strong, CEO of MSH Foundation. “Funds<br />
raised through The Fortune Ball will enable<br />
MSH to remain on the cutting-edge of<br />
patient care, prepared to provide life-saving<br />
care and treatment to every patient, in any<br />
scenario.”
STOUFFVILLEREVIEW.COM DECEMBER <strong>2022</strong><br />
226 Harold Avenue<br />
built by Boadway<br />
COMMUNITY<br />
3 STOUFFVILLE REVIEW<br />
BY FRED ROBBINS,<br />
<strong>Stouffville</strong> Historian<br />
On a cool afternoon, one can walk<br />
through this heritage neighbourhood and<br />
find very different types of homes.<br />
This average-size frame house has a<br />
porch across the entire front with tapered<br />
full-length columns. It may remind some<br />
people of the Sears catalogue homes which<br />
were popular in the early 1900s.<br />
The streets in this area have a few<br />
similar homes to those catalogue homes.<br />
This model was a story and a half with a<br />
large dormer on the upper roof.<br />
Sears sold a variety of plans and materials<br />
for houses, including Modern Home<br />
No. 147 available for $872 in 1913. A<br />
century ago the typical salary was $687 per<br />
year.<br />
Elizabeth Hutchinson was living on<br />
Harold Avenue in 1920 purchasing the<br />
building for $2,000. The same day she took<br />
out a mortgage for $1,000 from a neighbour<br />
Allen Closson. The mortgage was paid off<br />
in ten years. She sold her house on Harold<br />
Avenue to Isaac Boadway.<br />
Boadway had been a carpenter/builder<br />
in town for twenty years having learned the<br />
trade in Toronto. He was born in a little pioneer<br />
cabin home right here on Main Street<br />
in the east end close to the street called<br />
Harding Gate named after the Harding family<br />
which had a home on the corner. He was<br />
likely the builder of this house on Harold<br />
Street as noted in the local paper.<br />
Closson purchased the house from<br />
Boadway and lived there for ten years.<br />
The sale on Sept. 10, 1952, from Closson<br />
to Archie Forfar, was for $7,250. This<br />
house on Harold Avenue was a rental property<br />
and was rented by Norman Lehman.<br />
Forfar and his bride moved into this home<br />
as newlyweds. They lived there for four<br />
years.<br />
Leonard W. J. Buckland was the next<br />
owner. He had moved quite a bit in town<br />
living on Victoria Street, then moving to<br />
Edward Street and then this home on Harold<br />
Avenue in 1956. After only a year Buckland<br />
sold the home for $11,500 to George<br />
M. Johnson of Ringwood. Johnson made<br />
this his long-time home and raised a family<br />
there for 24 years, staying until 1981.<br />
Electrolytes are essential<br />
BY SHANA DANIEL<br />
Hitting on buzzwords in the wellness<br />
industry initiates curiosity and encourages<br />
the reader to learn more about their health<br />
when stumbling upon a term or a word not<br />
often heard.<br />
Electrolytes are commonly used, but<br />
not many know of their importance and/or<br />
relevance in the diet.<br />
Electrolytes are essential and can<br />
impact the very way water is absorbed or<br />
not into the body’s cells. They balance the<br />
amount of water in your body.<br />
They play a role in conducting nerve<br />
impulses, contract muscles, keep you hydrated<br />
and regulate your body’s pH levels.<br />
Electrolytes found in your body<br />
include; sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium,<br />
magnesium, phosphate and bicarbonate.<br />
They’re crucial to keeping your muscles<br />
and nervous system functioning and<br />
your internal body’s processes balanced.<br />
When it comes to exercise, hot weather<br />
and prescription use, water has to be kept<br />
in the right amounts both inside and outside<br />
each cell in your body. This is referred to as<br />
intracellular and extracellular fluid.<br />
Electrolytes, particularly sodium, help<br />
maintain fluid balance through osmosis.<br />
Osmosis is a process where water<br />
moves through the wall of a cell membrane<br />
from a dilute solution (more water and fewer<br />
electrolytes) toward a more concentrated<br />
solution (less water and more electrolytes).<br />
This prevents cells from bursting<br />
from being too full or shrivelling up due to<br />
dehydration. Additionally, electrolytes help<br />
to regulate your body’s pH. If levels are<br />
imbalanced for your body’s requirements,<br />
more serious symptoms can occur.<br />
The best way to reach and maintain<br />
electrolyte balance is through a healthy diet.<br />
The main food sources of electrolytes are<br />
fruits and vegetables.<br />
Sources of electrolytes include sodium,<br />
chloride, potassium, magnesium and<br />
calcium. Try to add some of the following<br />
to your diet: (sodium) pickled foods and<br />
cheese, (chloride) minute amounts of table<br />
salt, (potassium) banana, avocado, sweet<br />
potato and pure coconut water, (magnesium)<br />
seeds and nuts, and (calcium) leafy<br />
greens and dairy products or fortified dairy<br />
alternatives.<br />
Remember that supplementing, although<br />
a wise idea, can also impact a body<br />
negatively if not done correctly. Working<br />
with a wellness practitioner can help determine<br />
which ones are suited to your lifestyle<br />
and needs, as no one person is identical to<br />
another.<br />
Remember as well that hydrating with<br />
water is still your body’s best ally when it<br />
comes to regulating balance and systems in<br />
the body.
4 STOUFFVILLE REVIEW COMMUNITY<br />
DECEMBER <strong>2022</strong><br />
Many human trafficking victims are as young as 13<br />
STOUFFVILLEREVIEW.COM<br />
BY JENNIFER MCLAUGHLIN<br />
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter<br />
Human trafficking for sexual exploitation<br />
is one of the most rapidly growing and<br />
lucrative crimes worldwide, and it’s happening<br />
right here in York Region.<br />
The impact on victims, survivors, families,<br />
and communities is devastating.<br />
The Anti-Human Trafficking York<br />
Region Conference <strong>2022</strong> was recently<br />
presented virtually over four sessions. Signs<br />
and risk factors of human trafficking, community<br />
support for victims and survivors,<br />
and legislation to combat it were among the<br />
topics discussed.<br />
Human trafficking involves recruiting,<br />
transporting, transferring, receiving, holding,<br />
concealing, harbouring, or exercising<br />
control, direction, or influence over a<br />
person for exploitation.<br />
The conference focused on human trafficking<br />
involving sexual exploitation, given<br />
its prevalence in York Region. Jasmine<br />
De Fina, a human trafficking specialist<br />
for Victim Services of York Region and<br />
executive director of SafeHope, Canada’s<br />
only long-term comprehensive program for<br />
survivors of human trafficking, spoke on the<br />
conference’s opening night.<br />
She explained that a widespread<br />
misconception about human trafficking is<br />
that the victim is aware of the situation in<br />
which they’re getting involved. The victim<br />
is led to believe that they have a choice, but<br />
through threat, force, coercion, manipulation,<br />
fraud, or abuse of power, the trafficker<br />
gets the victim to do something they don’t<br />
want to do.<br />
A trafficker may meet the fundamental<br />
needs of the victim by providing food,<br />
drugs, or alcohol. Sometimes, the victim<br />
will receive lavish gifts. A dependency on<br />
the trafficker grows.<br />
She explained that the cycle of human<br />
trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation<br />
is very similar to domestic violence<br />
in terms of the methods of control, often<br />
starting in a “honeymoon phase.” Initially,<br />
the trafficker is highly attentive and loving<br />
but eventually starts to pull back and seems<br />
angry. The victim is desperate to feel love<br />
and will do anything to get it back.<br />
In Canada, the majority of victims<br />
are women and girls. The average age of a<br />
young trafficking victim is 13.<br />
There are a variety of insecurities that<br />
can make an individual vulnerable to the<br />
dangers of trafficking. Low self-esteem,<br />
drug dependency, and abandonment are<br />
just a few.<br />
Bonnie Harkness, chief operating<br />
officer of 360°kids, spoke to conference<br />
participants about the connection between<br />
homelessness and human trafficking. She<br />
explained that some kids become homeless<br />
because of human trafficking, and some<br />
become victims of human trafficking because<br />
they are homeless. These individuals<br />
rely on “survivor sex” through trafficking<br />
to fulfil basic needs like food and shelter.<br />
The 360°kids HOPE Program provides<br />
transitional housing and wrap-around<br />
services for female survivors of human<br />
trafficking aged 16-26 in York Region.<br />
She added that given York Region is<br />
considered a relatively affluent area, it’s<br />
not only impoverished youth who become<br />
susceptible to trafficking. Kids from more<br />
wealthy families tend to be less “street<br />
smart” and can be more vulnerable to the<br />
deception that occurs when getting lured<br />
into trafficking.<br />
It’s crucial, said Harkness, to teach<br />
our kids what to look for so they are aware<br />
of the dangers that can occur in various<br />
settings and situations.<br />
Traffickers lure their victims through<br />
dating apps and other online connections,<br />
at schools, through friends or family members,<br />
and at social meeting places such as<br />
shopping malls. Visit victimservices-york.<br />
org and 360kids.ca for information.
STOUFFVILLEREVIEW.COM DECEMBER <strong>2022</strong><br />
COMMUNITY<br />
5 STOUFFVILLE REVIEW
6 STOUFFVILLE REVIEW COMMUNITY<br />
DECEMBER <strong>2022</strong><br />
STOUFFVILLEREVIEW.COM<br />
Wayne Emmerson has been re-elected to a third term as chairman and CEO of York Region.<br />
York chairman and CEO<br />
re-elected for third term<br />
Dannielle Rodrigues<br />
imagines all the life<br />
moments she and her<br />
family would have missed<br />
if not for Markham<br />
<strong>Stouffville</strong> Hospital.<br />
Over the past 10 years, her<br />
mom, Lucy, has made 43<br />
visits to MSH’s Emergency<br />
Department and been<br />
admitted 21 times.<br />
We’re here<br />
for life’s<br />
moments<br />
Because of her mom’s<br />
health, her family has<br />
celebrated many special<br />
occasions at the hospital.<br />
Dannielle and Lucy’s<br />
story reminds us that we<br />
are at the heart of this<br />
community. To ensure that<br />
we can continue making<br />
special life moments<br />
possible, please give this<br />
holiday season.<br />
After being unanimously re-elected to<br />
a third term as chairman and CEO of York<br />
Region, Wayne Emmerson shared progress<br />
made over the past eight years but reminded<br />
councillors about important responsibilities<br />
that lay ahead.<br />
“We enter this term of council in a<br />
time of global economic uncertainty and<br />
in the face of a recession. Interest rates are<br />
rising, and life is becoming increasingly less<br />
affordable for our residents,” he said at the<br />
inaugural meeting of the <strong>2022</strong> to 2026 term<br />
on November 17.<br />
“This means more and more individuals<br />
and families will rely on us for essential<br />
programs and services…The issues of<br />
affordable housing, broadband connectivity,<br />
economic development, transportation and<br />
growth will continue to be top priorities for<br />
our residents.”<br />
The last term of council “was unlike<br />
any before it,” said Emmerson. “In early<br />
2020, we faced a global pandemic that<br />
brought business, the community and our<br />
economy to a grinding halt. In response, a<br />
state of emergency was declared for the first<br />
time in York Region’s 51-year history.”<br />
But the region’s response to the<br />
pandemic “balanced the health and safety<br />
of residents with the economic interests of<br />
local businesses” and “helped protect our<br />
communities and mitigate the spread of<br />
COVID-19,” said Emmerson. He served<br />
as mayor of Whitchurch-<strong>Stouffville</strong> for 17<br />
years before first being elected chairman and<br />
CEO of York Region in 2014.<br />
During the last term, council approved<br />
both the Yonge North Subway Extension,<br />
a top transportation project, and the <strong>2022</strong><br />
Development Charges Bylaw to help fund<br />
infrastructure needed to service planned<br />
growth. Council also supported the York<br />
University Markham Centre Campus, which<br />
will bring 4,200 new student spaces to York<br />
in the 2023/2024 academic year.<br />
Key investments in broadband connectivity,<br />
meanwhile, helped expand the<br />
YorkNet fibre network, bringing highspeed<br />
internet to thousands of underserved<br />
households and businesses across the region,<br />
Emmerson reported. Council also updated<br />
the Regional Official Plan, which helps coordinate<br />
infrastructure delivery to meet the<br />
needs of a growing population, and made<br />
a commitment to address housing affordability<br />
challenges through public and private<br />
partnerships.<br />
As chairman and CEO of York Region,<br />
Emmerson is an ex-officio member of all<br />
regional committees. Additionally, he’s<br />
vice chair of York Regional Police Services<br />
Board, a member of the YorkNet board,<br />
CEO of the York Region Rapid Transit<br />
Board, chair of the Lake Simcoe Region<br />
Conservation Authority, co-chair of Toronto<br />
Global and a member of the board of directors<br />
for the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.<br />
Give today<br />
MSHF.on.ca<br />
<strong>2022</strong> Holiday AD Lucy Half Page _News <strong>Review</strong>_FINAL.indd 1 11/17/<strong>2022</strong> 5:21:08 PM
STOUFFVILLEREVIEW.COM DECEMBER <strong>2022</strong><br />
York Catholic EQAO results<br />
higher than provincial averages<br />
COMMUNITY<br />
7 STOUFFVILLE REVIEW<br />
York Catholic District School Board<br />
(YCDSB) students outscored their provincial<br />
peers in all areas of Education Quality<br />
and Accountability Office (EQAO) testing,<br />
which reveals the pandemic had a more<br />
significant impact on math than on literacy<br />
achievement among students across Ontario.<br />
“We are very proud of our students and<br />
staff for the high level of achievement they<br />
consistently demonstrate throughout the<br />
school year,” says director of education Domenic<br />
Scuglia. “We are pleased that students<br />
at York Catholic performed well on the<br />
assessments, yet we know that there is more<br />
work to be done, especially in mathematics.”<br />
Here are Grade 3 results by subject, followed<br />
by board average and then provincial<br />
average: reading (82 per cent vs. 73 per<br />
cent), writing (78 per cent vs. 65 per cent)<br />
and math (68 per cent vs. 59 per cent). Here<br />
are Grade 6 results: reading (91 per cent vs.<br />
85 per cent), writing (93 per cent vs. 84 per<br />
cent) and math (55 per cent vs. 47 per cent).<br />
The board average in Grade 9 math was<br />
60 per cent, while the provincial average<br />
was 52 per cent.<br />
“EQAO scores provide one aspect<br />
of the overall assessment of our students<br />
that assists us in developing our Board and<br />
school improvement plans,” says Elizabeth<br />
Crowe, chair of the board of trustees.<br />
The 2021–<strong>2022</strong> assessments marked<br />
a return to EQAO’s large-scale provincial<br />
assessment administration after a pause for<br />
the prior two years. The results provide important<br />
data on student learning through the<br />
COVID-19 pandemic. More than 600,000<br />
students completed EQAO assessments at<br />
the elementary and secondary levels in the<br />
English- and French-language school systems.<br />
In keeping with government direction,<br />
students learning in person and students<br />
learning remotely who wrote in person<br />
participated in the assessments. In <strong>2022</strong>, 97<br />
per cent of YCDSB Grade 3 students and 93<br />
per cent of Grade 6 students participated in<br />
the EQAO assessments, while 94 per cent of<br />
Grade 9 students completed the math assessment.<br />
Due to several contextual differences,<br />
the 2021-<strong>2022</strong> EQAO assessments serve as<br />
a new baseline for student achievement in<br />
the province of Ontario. As a result of those<br />
differences, there’s no meaningful comparison<br />
of student achievement to previous administrations<br />
of the provincial assessments,<br />
the YCDSB reports.<br />
YCDSB students also outpaced their<br />
provincial peers in the Grade 10 Ontario<br />
Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT),<br />
earning a board average of 87 per cent<br />
compared to the provincial average of 82<br />
per cent. Ninety-five per cent of students<br />
eligible to take the test for the first time<br />
participated. Successful completion of the<br />
literacy test is one of 32 requirements students<br />
must meet to graduate.<br />
More information about the <strong>2022</strong><br />
EQAO and OSSLT results, including individual<br />
school results, are available on the<br />
EQAO website at https://www.eqao.com/<br />
results/.<br />
Creating personalized<br />
gifts this season<br />
<strong>December</strong> is a month of reflection and<br />
celebration.<br />
We pause to reflect on the completion<br />
of another year, and celebrate both the year<br />
that has passed and another which is about<br />
to begin.<br />
Celebrations abound, and the Library<br />
and Latcham Art Centre have programs that<br />
will inspire participants to create a personalized<br />
gift for family or friends.<br />
On Dec. 6 and Dec. 12, the library will<br />
be offering two Cricut Creations: Holiday<br />
Gift Tags classes.<br />
In each class, participants will get ready<br />
for the holidays by learning how to make<br />
custom gift tags on the Cricut. Supplies will<br />
be provided to make five holiday gift tags.<br />
Registration can be done via WS Play<br />
online using barcode 24944 for the Dec. 6<br />
class and 24945 for the Dec. 12 class.<br />
Latcham Art Centre is hosting a<br />
sculpture/installation workshop on Dec. 14<br />
for adults aged 18-plus. In this three-hour<br />
workshop, participants will create one piece<br />
of artwork using mixed media to create their<br />
own unique sculpture/installation. Register<br />
at latchamartcentre.ca/programs.<br />
Finally, Latcham Art Centre will be<br />
hosting Winter Break Art Camp for artists<br />
aged 5-11. Participants of this art camp can<br />
select which days they would like to attend.<br />
Each day features new projects using different<br />
materials, styles, and techniques.<br />
Register at latchamartcentre.ca/programs.<br />
Visit townofws.ca for more details or to<br />
register for the various town programs.
8 STOUFFVILLE REVIEW COMMUNITY<br />
Golden<br />
Student of the month<br />
McDonald’s is proud to salute<br />
this month’s Golden Student<br />
of the Month,<br />
FARAH BADR<br />
DECEMBER <strong>2022</strong><br />
STOUFFVILLEREVIEW.COM<br />
Oak Valley Health recognized<br />
for exemplary standing<br />
Accreditation Canada recognizes Oak<br />
Valley Health for being awarded with exemplary<br />
standing, the highest award possible<br />
from the national quality standards organization,<br />
with an even higher score than the one<br />
achieved four years ago.<br />
“We are incredibly honoured to be<br />
placed among top-ranked hospitals in Canada<br />
achieving 100 per cent of the required organizational<br />
practices and 99.8 per cent compliance<br />
with over 2,300 internationally recognized<br />
standards,” says Jo-anne Marr, president<br />
and CEO. “This achievement is a testament to<br />
our staff, physicians, and volunteers who are<br />
committed to providing exceptional care to<br />
our patients and families each and every day.<br />
“It is even more remarkable given we<br />
achieved a stronger result than four years ago<br />
despite all the challenges we have faced in<br />
navigating the ongoing pandemic.”<br />
Accreditation is a voluntary, third-party<br />
assessment process that hospitals across<br />
Canada can choose to participate in. Every<br />
four years, Oak Valley Health invites a team<br />
of surveyors from Accreditation Canada to<br />
evaluate the organization on quality, safety,<br />
and efficiency.<br />
Based on a four-day site visit in September,<br />
surveyors were particularly impressed<br />
with Oak Valley Health’s values and philosophy<br />
and how they are expressed and<br />
demonstrated every day. They complimented<br />
the organization on its strong, friendly, and<br />
Oak Valley Health CEO Jo-anne Marr.<br />
inviting culture that exhibits teamwork and<br />
engagement.<br />
Accreditation Canada also remarked on<br />
Oak Valley Health’s commitment to patient<br />
and family-centred care. Oak Valley Health<br />
was one of the first organizations to invite<br />
a patient surveyor to participate as part of<br />
the accreditation process. Oak Valley Health<br />
is committed to continuing its journey as a<br />
patient-led organization and evolving its approach<br />
from including patient feedback and<br />
engagement to embedding patient co-design,<br />
co-production, and co-evaluation.<br />
“This is a remarkable achievement for<br />
Oak Valley Health and a clear measure of the<br />
incredible work being done by our physicians,<br />
staff, and volunteers,” Marr says. “There is<br />
always more to do in healthcare, but today it<br />
is a very proud day for Oak Valley Health and<br />
our people.”<br />
Farah Badr is a very active Grade 12 student at<br />
SDSS. She is praised for her dedication, passion, and<br />
positive attitude. Known as a kind and hardworking<br />
student who enthusiastically supports school<br />
initiatives and community activities, Farah is a<br />
member of the Student Council, the Leadership<br />
Team, the Equity and Inclusivity Club, the Indian<br />
Student Association, the President Council, and Co-<br />
President of the Muslim Student Association. She is<br />
also a volunteer in both the classroom and the office<br />
at a local elementary school. In addition to all that,<br />
Farah also teaches an online religious course helping<br />
students with their spiritual journey, an experience<br />
that she finds truly rewarding.<br />
CONGRATULATIONS FARAH!<br />
Your passion for volunteering builds a better<br />
<strong>Stouffville</strong> for all of us!<br />
Hon. Dr. Helena<br />
Jaczek<br />
®<br />
Marcia and Todd Finlayson operate 7 McDonald’s<br />
Resturants in York region. They also championed<br />
the building and annual operation of the Ronald<br />
McDonald Family Room at Markham <strong>Stouffville</strong><br />
Hospital. Through this monthly feature, Marcia and<br />
Todd are proud to encourage and celebrate the<br />
volunteers in the <strong>Stouffville</strong> community who are<br />
building their own legacy of social responsibility.<br />
C 2018 McDaonald’s<br />
MP, Markham-<strong>Stouffville</strong><br />
If you need help with federal<br />
programs or services, please<br />
contact my office:<br />
905-471-8963<br />
helena.jaczek@parl.gc.ca
STOUFFVILLEREVIEW.COM DECEMBER <strong>2022</strong><br />
COMMUNITY<br />
Uplifting holiday entertainment<br />
9 STOUFFVILLE REVIEW<br />
BY JEFF JONES<br />
With the holiday season fast approaching,<br />
the Markham Theatre has a great slate<br />
of programming coming up.<br />
This season has been a confident but<br />
careful one that has seen general manager<br />
Eric Lariviere make great strides toward<br />
rebuilding the live performance audience in<br />
Markham back to 2019 levels.<br />
“Things are going well,” Lariviere reports.<br />
“No one has a crystal ball, but we are<br />
on track to getting back to where we were.<br />
We’ll see how it goes.”<br />
<strong>December</strong> starts off early with perennial<br />
favourites, Classic Albums Live returns<br />
on Dec. 2. This show will highlight the<br />
early 80s landmark record, Breakfast in<br />
America by Supertramp. Often hailed as a<br />
modern-day, rock orchestra, the show features<br />
an impeccable note-for-note recreation<br />
of the album in question and then a second<br />
set that features hits and notable tracks by<br />
the same artist.<br />
“I think it’s a brilliant concept,”<br />
explains Lariviere, “and their following is<br />
strong enough now that we can bring them<br />
every year. It’s a great night of music.”<br />
On Dec. 3, holiday spirit collides with<br />
rock ‘n roll royalty with Elvis: Wonderful<br />
World of Christmas. World-renowned Elvis<br />
tribute artist Steve Michaels stars in this<br />
holiday show like no other. Expect faithful<br />
renditions of Presley’s holiday classics, such<br />
as Blue Christmas, Here Comes Santa Claus,<br />
and the gospel songs that were the cornerstone<br />
of Elvis’ identity and inspiration.<br />
The Markham Theatre has a great slate of programming this holiday season.<br />
“I really wanted to program fun shows<br />
for this season,” Lariviere says. “Elvis is<br />
globally recognized, our audience loves<br />
his music, and Steve Michaels is the best<br />
tribute artist out there.”<br />
Next up, on Dec. 8 is an evening that<br />
promises to be part Monty Python, part Mr.<br />
Bean, and even part Dr. Seuss.<br />
O Christmas Tea: A British Comedy is<br />
a new work by London’s 3-time Impresario<br />
award-winning duo, James and Jamesy<br />
that they promise to be outrageously funny<br />
and reminiscent of classic British pantos.<br />
Expect physical comedy, wordplay and<br />
interactive elements to deliver the laughs.<br />
The ViVA Trio comes to Markham next<br />
with their Light Up the Season Holiday<br />
Show on Dec. 9. This Canadian, all-female<br />
trio of sopranos set out to build cinematic<br />
soundscapes featuring their soaring vocals<br />
and three-part harmony which they bring<br />
to a set of classics from O Holy Night to<br />
Silver Bells.<br />
“These great singers are right from our<br />
own backyard,” Lariviere says. “We showcased<br />
them when we launched the season,<br />
and I look forward to their full show too.”<br />
The following week the theatre welcomes<br />
a Canadian music legend home when<br />
Gowan performs. Raised a few kilometres<br />
south in Scarborough, the Dec. 16 performance<br />
is as close as it gets to a hometown<br />
show for him. Expect international hits<br />
like Strange Animal, A Criminal Mind and<br />
Moonlight Desires for sure but keep in<br />
mind that rarely does an intimate performance<br />
by a star like this go by without the<br />
feeling of magic in the air.<br />
“Lawrence (Gowan) has a great fanbase,”<br />
Lariviere says. “When he communicates<br />
on stage, you can feel it right away.<br />
He’s fantastic.”<br />
The month and the season come to a<br />
close with the restarting of a tradition with<br />
Ballet Jörgen’s The Nutcracker: A Canadian<br />
Tradition returning for three shows on<br />
Dec. 30 and 31. Acclaimed choreographer<br />
and artistic director Bengt Jörgen, whose<br />
recent piece based on Anne of Green Gables<br />
had its world premiere in Markham,<br />
created this version of The Nutcracker with<br />
both tradition and magic in mind.<br />
It draws modern visual inspiration<br />
from the renowned McMichael Canadian<br />
Art Collection but keeps both the music<br />
and the story in place, despite other choreographers<br />
changing the story liberally.<br />
The result is a production that features a<br />
uniquely Canadian take on an international<br />
classic.<br />
“The quality of Ballet Jörgen is<br />
great,” Lariviere says. “It’s a different<br />
show than you might see downtown, but<br />
there are more than a few that prefer his<br />
intimate, sort of, personal storytelling to<br />
the glitzy production at the National Ballet.<br />
We support them 100 per cent.”
10 STOUFFVILLE REVIEW COMMUNITY DECEMBER <strong>2022</strong> STOUFFVILLEREVIEW.COM<br />
Province aims to cool housing prices with increased foreign buyer tax<br />
BY JENNIFER MCLAUGHLIN<br />
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter<br />
According to the Ontario Housing<br />
Affordability Task Force Report, housing<br />
prices in Ontario have almost tripled in<br />
the past 10 years – far outpacing growth in<br />
household incomes.<br />
A recent increase in the non-resident<br />
speculation tax (NRST) rate is one strategy<br />
the provincial government is using to cool<br />
the housing market by reducing demand<br />
from foreign investors.<br />
“Young families, newcomers, and<br />
those all over the province dream of having<br />
their own home, a dream which continues<br />
to be out of reach for too many,” said Peter<br />
Bethlenfalvy, Minister of Finance.<br />
Effective Oct.25, the provincial government<br />
is prioritizing Ontario families and<br />
homebuyers by increasing the NRST rate<br />
from 20 to 25 per cent province-wide. This<br />
comes after an increase earlier this year,<br />
from 15 to 20 per cent in March <strong>2022</strong>.<br />
“To help Ontario homebuyers, our<br />
government is increasing the Non-Resident<br />
Speculation Tax rate by another five percentage<br />
points to 25 per cent,” Bethlenfalvy<br />
added, “making it the highest in Canada, to<br />
further discourage foreign speculation in<br />
Ontario’s housing market.”<br />
The NRST applies to the price of<br />
homes purchased in Ontario by foreign<br />
nationals (individuals who are not citizens<br />
or permanent residents of Canada), foreign<br />
corporations, or a trust having a foreign<br />
entity as either a trustee or beneficiary.<br />
The increased NRST rate is one of several<br />
strategies stemming from recommendations<br />
from the Ontario Housing Affordability<br />
Task Force and the Provincial-Municipal<br />
Housing Summit. Both initiatives aim to<br />
identify and implement measures to address<br />
the housing supply crisis.<br />
Data supplied by the Ministry of<br />
Finance confirms that from July 1, 2019,<br />
to June 30, 2020, there were 261 NRST<br />
payments made to the province totalling<br />
$45.3 million for homes purchased in York<br />
Region by foreign speculators.<br />
Scott Blodgett, a spokesperson for<br />
the Ministry of Finance, advises that these<br />
amounts may still be subject to rebates and<br />
refunds that could reduce the net NRST collected<br />
over time.<br />
He clarified, however, that the NRST’s<br />
objective isn’t to bring additional revenue<br />
to the province.<br />
“Instead, the Non-Resident Speculation<br />
Tax changes are introduced to help discourage<br />
foreign speculation and make sure<br />
Ontario families and Ontario homebuyers<br />
are the first priority for housing,” he said.<br />
“(This) announcement is another step<br />
in our government’s plan to make housing<br />
more attainable for all Ontarians,” said<br />
Steve Clark, Minister of Municipal Affairs<br />
and Housing.<br />
A commitment to building 1.5 million<br />
new homes over the next 10 years is<br />
another strategy the Ontario government is<br />
implementing to increase access to housing<br />
across the province.<br />
Visit ontario.ca/document/land-transfer-tax/non-resident-speculation-tax<br />
for<br />
information.<br />
The Food Bank of York Region is continuing its efforts to fight food insecurity with a new program<br />
to support school-aged kids at both the primary and secondary levels. (FBYR photo)<br />
Food Bank of York Region<br />
expands into schools<br />
BY JENNIFER MCLAUGHLIN<br />
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter<br />
The Food Bank of York Region<br />
(FBYR) is continuing its efforts to fight<br />
food insecurity with a new program to support<br />
school-aged kids at both the primary<br />
and secondary levels.<br />
“We are very engaged and committed<br />
to helping to support and grow new food<br />
pantry and snack programs in our schools.<br />
Children need the right nourishment to succeed<br />
in and outside of the classroom, and<br />
we can help provide that,” said Alex Bilotta,<br />
founder and CEO of the Food Bank of York<br />
Region.<br />
Glad Park Public School in <strong>Stouffville</strong>,<br />
with a student population of about 850 kids,<br />
was the first York Region school to connect<br />
with FBYR last February. A Glad Park<br />
staff member who had worked with one of<br />
FBYR’s agencies and was familiar with the<br />
organization’s programming saw an opportunity<br />
for a partnership with FBYR and got<br />
the ball rolling.<br />
Studies have proven the correlation<br />
between nutrition and children’s academic,<br />
social, and developmental success. Kids<br />
with regular access to healthy food are<br />
more likely to succeed than their peers who<br />
experience poverty and food insecurity.<br />
The FBYR is working towards<br />
levelling the playing field for all children<br />
because no child deserves to go hungry and<br />
be denied the chance to thrive.<br />
“Inflation, the increasing number of<br />
families relying on low-wage work, and the<br />
exorbitant cost of housing in York Region<br />
means more families, many who have never<br />
experienced food insecurity before, are now<br />
relying on help from others. We welcome<br />
the support of the FBYR to establish supports<br />
in our schools that contribute to food<br />
security for students and families,” said<br />
Yvonne Kelly, Community and Partnership<br />
Developer with York Region District School<br />
Board (YRDSB).<br />
FBYR credits Kelly with connecting<br />
them to schools she recognized could benefit<br />
from their support.<br />
The FBYR provides a weekly delivery<br />
of fresh and non-perishable school-safe<br />
snacks and foods throughout the school<br />
year. A volunteer team of teachers, support<br />
staff, and students coordinates healthy and<br />
nutritious meals and snacks from the food<br />
supplied by the FBYR for students to eat in<br />
school or take home.<br />
“We are continuing to expand into<br />
schools across the region where our help<br />
is needed and look forward to providing<br />
some relief to food insecure kids and their<br />
parents,” said Bilotta.<br />
FBYR continues to engage with new<br />
schools throughout the region to help<br />
fight hunger and support the basic needs<br />
of school-aged children. As of September<br />
<strong>2022</strong>, three more York Region schools<br />
joined the program: Dr. J. M. Denison<br />
Secondary School and Maple Leaf Public<br />
School in Newmarket, and Sutton District<br />
High School.<br />
Visit fbyr.ca for information or to apply<br />
for the in-school program.<br />
Province wants to fast track<br />
sewage system upgrades<br />
The provincial government is taking<br />
steps to improve the York-Durham Sewage<br />
System network to accommodate growth<br />
and new housing in the upper part of York<br />
Region over the next three decades.<br />
Under the proposed Supporting Growth<br />
and Housing in York and Durham Act,<br />
<strong>2022</strong>, it would fast track improvements to<br />
the existing York-Durham Sewage System<br />
network connected to the Duffin Creek<br />
treatment facility that’s co-owned and operated<br />
by York and Durham Regions.<br />
“Expansion of this shared critical<br />
wastewater infrastructure for York and<br />
Durham Regions is needed to support their<br />
significant population housing and economic<br />
growth. Our government is proposing<br />
a solution that ensures the most robust<br />
wastewater treatment as these communities<br />
continue to grow,” says Minister of the Environment,<br />
Conservation and Parks David<br />
Piccini.<br />
The proposed legislation follows<br />
recommendations made by the York Region<br />
Wastewater Advisory Panel, which was created<br />
last year to advise the government on<br />
possible solutions to meet the region’s sewage<br />
servicing needs. Among other things,<br />
the legislation would call on York and<br />
Durham to work together “to do everything<br />
in their powers” to enlarge and improve the<br />
existing sewage system to transport sewage<br />
from Aurora, Newmarket and East Gwillimbury<br />
to the Duffin Creek Water Pollution<br />
Control Plant in Durham for treatment and<br />
discharge into Lake Ontario, the government<br />
explains.<br />
“The Duffin Creek treatment facility<br />
is one of the best performing wastewater<br />
The Duffin Creek Plant was built in the 1970s<br />
by the provincial government, and its ownership<br />
was transferred to York and Durham Regions<br />
in 1997. Photo courtesy of the Regional<br />
Municipality of York.<br />
facilities in the province that ensures the<br />
protection, enjoyment and welfare of Lake<br />
Ontario, shoreline communities and nearshore<br />
areas,” Piccini says.<br />
It has achieved world-class standards<br />
for high-quality treatment, phosphorus<br />
control and protective measures for the surrounding<br />
environment and watershed, with<br />
a capacity to process 630 million litres per<br />
day, the government reports.<br />
The facility currently operates at about<br />
50 per cent capacity. The proposal would<br />
add an additional 12 per cent to the current<br />
flow level, which means the facility has<br />
the capacity to ensure every litre of water<br />
received gets high-quality treatment. Phosphorous<br />
limits at the plant are significantly<br />
lower than those at other wastewater facilities<br />
in Ontario and will continue to drop as<br />
the facility implements additional upgrades<br />
between now and 2030, according to the<br />
government.
STOUFFVILLEREVIEW.COM DECEMBER <strong>2022</strong><br />
COMMUNITY<br />
11 STOUFFVILLE REVIEW<br />
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<strong>2022</strong>-11-18 4:36 PM
12 STOUFFVILLE REVIEW DECEMBER <strong>2022</strong> STOUFFVILLEREVIEW.COM<br />
WISHING YOU<br />
THE BEST OF THE<br />
HOLIDAY<br />
SEASON!