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STOUFFVILLE<br />
Vol.12 Issue 10 <strong>November</strong> <strong>2023</strong><br />
WWW.STOUFFVILLEREVIEW.COM<br />
WWW.MARKHAMREVIEW.COM<br />
WHAT’S INSIDE<br />
A lifetime of helping youth<br />
Bonnie Harkness, chief operating officer of<br />
360kids, describes the organization and shares<br />
her experiences and impressions of young<br />
people in <strong>Markham</strong> and York Region.<br />
SEE PAGE 9<br />
Local news the victim in government, big-tech battle<br />
Mental Health First Aid course built<br />
for veterans, supporters<br />
At this time of year, thoughts often turn to our<br />
veterans as we remember those who served and<br />
sacrificed at home and abroad.<br />
A great mix of shows this month<br />
at <strong>Markham</strong> Theatre<br />
Hub to provide accessible<br />
seniors-focused programs<br />
Exciting developments are underway in York<br />
Region as plans for the Unionville Commons<br />
Seniors Hub takes shape.<br />
<strong>Markham</strong>-<strong>Stouffville</strong> <strong>Review</strong> General Manager Duncan Fletcher, seen here with print and online versions of the paper, says that<br />
local media is being threatened by misguided government policy and combative tech giants. SEE PAGE 11<br />
COMMUNITY<br />
SEE PAGE 5<br />
After a busy October with its Diamond Season<br />
kicking into full swing, <strong>November</strong> and early<br />
December find the <strong>Markham</strong> Theatre with another<br />
packed schedule.<br />
SEE PAGE 6<br />
A Very Merry Motown Christmas<br />
SEE PAGE 4<br />
A Very Merry Motown Christmas takes you to a time<br />
when the best holiday playlist was filled with the<br />
unmistakable soul, rhythm, and groove of classic<br />
Motor City cool.<br />
SEE PAGE 8<br />
MLT delivers a great mix of<br />
mystery and comedy<br />
<strong>Markham</strong> Little Theatre returns to the Flato<br />
<strong>Markham</strong> Theatre stage for the first time this<br />
season with The Game’s Afoot.<br />
GivingTuesday encourages people<br />
to help others<br />
GivingTuesday started ten years ago as a<br />
simple idea: encourage people to do good,<br />
even if just for a day. This initiative quickly<br />
picked up momentum globally.<br />
Theatre launches free online<br />
access for ‘Simply Series’<br />
<strong>Markham</strong> Theatre has launched its live<br />
stream of the 2022 Simply Series, a series<br />
of ten intimate and uplifting evenings with<br />
beloved Canadian artists.<br />
You don’t have to miss out on local news and<br />
information. Just check out markhamreview.com<br />
and stouffvillereview.com for fresh, original articles,<br />
updated daily. Did you miss a print edition?<br />
Catch up with our replica e-paper, available<br />
anytime on our website.<br />
SEE PAGE 2 SEE PAGE 3<br />
SEE PAGE 10<br />
A Next Generation<br />
Leahy Christmas<br />
Friday, December 15 // 8pm<br />
flatomarkhamtheatre.ca / 905.305.7469<br />
230110 FMT_<strong>Markham</strong> <strong>Review</strong> - 23.24 Season - Next Generation Leahy - NEW SIZE 10x1.75.indd 1 <strong>2023</strong>-10-18 1:49 PM
2 MARKHAM STOUFFVILLE REVIEW COMMUNITY NOVEMBER <strong>2023</strong><br />
MLT delivers a great mix of mystery and comedy<br />
BY JEFF JONES<br />
<strong>Markham</strong> Little Theatre returns to the<br />
Flato <strong>Markham</strong> Theatre stage for the first<br />
time this season with The Game’s Afoot.<br />
Equal parts murder mystery and comedy,<br />
the play, written by award-winning playwright<br />
Ken Ludwig, runs from <strong>November</strong><br />
15 to 18th.<br />
“There is nothing like a good murder<br />
mystery,” says show director Kerry Harman.<br />
“We have period costumes, a fabulous<br />
set with hidden goodies, lighting, sound and<br />
weapons. We think you’ll love it.”<br />
The play features a fictionalized version<br />
of legendary American stage actor,<br />
William Gillette. Gillette became a star<br />
on Broadway in the late 1800s after he<br />
persuaded Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to let<br />
him adapt Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes for<br />
the stage. Gillette then took the fortune he<br />
earned and built a castle in Connecticut<br />
that was apparently full of devices from<br />
Sherlock Holmes stories like rotating walls,<br />
two-way mirrors and secret passages.<br />
In The Games Afoot, a retired Gillette<br />
has invited former castmates and a surprise<br />
guest to this same castle for the Christmas<br />
holiday. The guests banter in quotes from<br />
favourite plays as secret behind-the-scenes<br />
drama is revealed, as you might imagine<br />
from a room full of ageing and nostalgic actors,<br />
until a murder turns the party to chaos.<br />
“This show has it all,” says stage manager<br />
Sarah MacDonald. “It’s a spoof and the<br />
cast and crew are having a wonderful time<br />
bringing it to life.”<br />
The cast of The Game’s Afoot.<br />
The cast is a mix of MLT mainstays<br />
and folks new to the company. Gillette is<br />
played by Imre Szabo with his guests being<br />
portrayed by an ensemble that features<br />
John Fetherston, Noah Bicknell, Michèle<br />
Browne, Shelagh Carlini, Nicky Marsh, and<br />
Katarina Matthiessen. The cast is rounded<br />
out by Catherine Hughes as the inspector<br />
who tries to make sense of the whole thing.<br />
“Rehearsals are going very well,” says<br />
Harman. We spent the first few weeks<br />
working on characters; now we’re onto the<br />
action. Just come prepared to laugh and<br />
enjoy.”<br />
The play is full of twists and turns,<br />
thrills, and more than a little farce. Perhaps<br />
the largest challenge for the creative team,<br />
however, is the setting of a castle in the<br />
1930s.<br />
“Clothing and set design are key,” says<br />
Harmon. “This is a big show to produce,<br />
and we want it to reflect the ostentatious<br />
glory of Gillette’s mansion. The set will<br />
feature some Art Deco pieces, and the team<br />
is already sourcing props.”<br />
In addition to Harman and MacDonald,<br />
the production team features Phil Mitchell<br />
and Keith Pybus (with help from René<br />
Vriends) collaborating on set design; Maria<br />
Cerone designing costumes; an ambitious<br />
sound design by Annie Clark; lighting design<br />
by John Sellens; and Carl Gambacort<br />
and Steve Birtles on props.<br />
“The show will be big and beautiful,”<br />
says Harman.<br />
“We have a lot of fun with plays like<br />
this one,” adds MacDonald. “Sound effects,<br />
beautiful costumes, lighting effects, a great<br />
set, and fantastic actors – it’s going to be an<br />
exciting show.”<br />
With 55 years of shows under<br />
<strong>Markham</strong> Little Theatre’s collective belt,<br />
these seem like predictions you can trust.<br />
Founded in 1967, with its first production<br />
performed at the local High School,<br />
MLT is a volunteer army of Theatre creators<br />
almost unmatched in Ontario. The group<br />
has seen <strong>Markham</strong> through half a century<br />
of changes and remained a constant.<br />
Today, with a headquarters at the <strong>Markham</strong><br />
Museum and as regular tenants of the Flato<br />
<strong>Markham</strong> Theatre, they continue to set the<br />
standard for local arts in <strong>Markham</strong>.<br />
“This play will bring you the best of<br />
MLT,” says Harman. “What a fantastic way<br />
to spend an evening.”<br />
The Game’s Afoot will be presented at<br />
Flato <strong>Markham</strong> Theatre from <strong>November</strong> 15<br />
to 18.<br />
All shows begin at 8 p.m., except the<br />
18th at 2 p.m., with ticket prices starting at<br />
$25.<br />
Visit markhamtheatre.ca for more<br />
information<br />
Lest we forget<br />
Remembrance Day<br />
PAUL CALANDRA, MPP<br />
<strong>Markham</strong>-<strong>Stouffville</strong><br />
Suite 400, 37 Sandiford Dr. <strong>Stouffville</strong>, ON L4A 3Z2<br />
(905) 642 2588 • paul.calandra@pc.ola.org
NOVEMBER <strong>2023</strong><br />
COMMUNITY 3 MARKHAM STOUFFVILLE REVIEW<br />
GivingTuesday encourages people to help others<br />
BY GEORGE REDAK<br />
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter<br />
GivingTuesday started ten years ago as<br />
a simple idea: encourage people to do good,<br />
even if just for a day. This initiative quickly<br />
picked up momentum globally, and in 2013<br />
CanadaHelps.org along with several other<br />
partners brought GivingTuesday to Canada.<br />
Today, the initiative is embraced<br />
by foundations across Canada, with the<br />
<strong>Markham</strong> <strong>Stouffville</strong> Hospital Foundation<br />
playing a key role in receiving donations<br />
from the York Region.<br />
In 2016 the MSH Foundation created<br />
Bear Necessities, a program designed<br />
Enbridge Gas receives funding<br />
for hydrogen project<br />
Enbridge Gas in <strong>Markham</strong> will receive<br />
provincial funding that focuses on opportunities<br />
for hydrogen to serve as a clean alternative<br />
fuel for transportation and other uses for<br />
a “groundbreaking project.”<br />
It’s receiving about $1.787 million<br />
through the new Hydrogen Innovation Fund<br />
for a hydrogen-driven Combined Heat and<br />
Power (CHP) facility that can also blend<br />
hydrogen with natural gas to produce energy.<br />
“Our groundbreaking project – the first<br />
of its kind in North America – will demonstrate<br />
the potential of using hydrogen, natural<br />
gas or a range of blends to power a CHP system,”<br />
says Enbridge Gas President Michele<br />
Harradence. “The system can quickly switch<br />
between energy sources, making it a reliable<br />
and efficient way to reduce emissions.”<br />
The project is one of the first six projects<br />
that will receive a combined $7.5 million<br />
in funding through the new Hydrogen<br />
Innovation Fund, which is administered by<br />
the Independent Electricity System Operator<br />
(IESO). “As Ontario explores pathways to<br />
achieve a low-carbon energy future, one of<br />
the fuels that shows considerable promise is<br />
hydrogen,” says IESO President and CEO<br />
Lesley Gallinger.<br />
Announced in February, the fund will<br />
invest $15 million over the next three years<br />
to kickstart and develop opportunities for<br />
hydrogen to be integrated into Ontario’s<br />
clean electricity system, including hydrogen<br />
storage.<br />
Premier Doug Ford’s government says<br />
its Low-Carbon Hydrogen Strategy will position<br />
Ontario as a clean manufacturing hub.<br />
The strategy identifies innovative projects,<br />
from hydrogen production and hydrogen<br />
hubs to exploring electricity rate options for<br />
hydrogen producers, to meet that goal.<br />
“Our government is leveraging one of<br />
our province’s clear strengths – our worldclass<br />
clean, reliable and affordable electricity<br />
system – to make us a leader in the growing<br />
hydrogen economy,” says Minister of Energy<br />
Todd Smith.<br />
By 2050, the hydrogen economy could<br />
create more than 100,000 jobs across the<br />
province while reducing greenhouse gas<br />
(GHG) emissions by 50 megatonnes per<br />
year. This reduction in GHG emissions<br />
would be equivalent to about a quarter of<br />
Ontario’s 2005 emissions or removing 15<br />
million cars off the road, the province reports.<br />
All the money raised from Bear Necessities will be used to expand MSH.<br />
to create a comfortable environment for<br />
patients at MSH. By 2018, the program<br />
delivering teddy bears expanded to include<br />
soft sleep sacks for infants as well as plush<br />
blankets for patients. The initiative will<br />
relaunch this fall for the first time since the<br />
COVID pandemic began.<br />
“Giving a bear hug allows our community<br />
to provide comfort in a tangible way,”<br />
says Suzette Strong, CEO of <strong>Markham</strong><br />
<strong>Stouffville</strong> Hospital Foundation. “Your<br />
support this Giving Tuesday will support<br />
some of our most vulnerable patients, from<br />
our tiniest patients in the Neonatal Intensive<br />
Care Unit to women fighting cancer<br />
in our chemotherapy clinic, to our elderly<br />
patients.”<br />
All the money raised from Bear Necessities<br />
will be used to expand MSH. By<br />
2030, the goal is to be able to serve 500,000<br />
patients a year. Expanding Emergency Care<br />
and doubling the volume of cancer patients,<br />
surgeries and mental health needs are of the<br />
utmost priority.<br />
The date for this year’s GivingTuesday<br />
is <strong>November</strong> 28. This is the official global<br />
celebration, however, the primary objective<br />
of the movement is to highlight the value<br />
and importance of generosity. The most successful<br />
campaigns are a year-round effort.<br />
Donations and volunteering are encouraged<br />
on whatever days make sense for each<br />
individual. In many ways, GivingTuesday<br />
is not just about that one single day. It is<br />
meant as a message to citizens of more than<br />
80 participating countries to help, donate<br />
and volunteer with any foundation that they<br />
have a close connection to.<br />
All GivingTuesday partners are responsible<br />
for organizing their own GivingTuesday<br />
campaigns and activities, allowing<br />
communities across Canada to get involved.<br />
There are no restrictions on who can participate,<br />
and all are welcome to become a<br />
part of this movement. From charities and<br />
non-profits to small businesses, corporations,<br />
schools and community groups,<br />
GivingTuesday is about bringing everyone<br />
together under one shared commitment: to<br />
be generous and create positive change.<br />
Visit lifesavinggifts.ca to purchase<br />
a Bear Necessity and double your impact<br />
thanks to Shahan and Aida Güler’s pledge<br />
to match donations this Giving Tuesday on<br />
<strong>November</strong> 28.
4 MARKHAM STOUFFVILLE REVIEW COMMUNITY NOVEMBER <strong>2023</strong><br />
A lifetime of helping youth<br />
Seneca grads can launch<br />
medical careers in Grenada<br />
BY ANDREW FUYARCHUK<br />
Bonnie Harkness, chief operating officer<br />
of 360kids, describes the organization<br />
and shares her experiences and impressions<br />
of young people in <strong>Markham</strong> and York<br />
Region.<br />
Harkness has worked with youth for<br />
over thirty years and has been working with<br />
them in York Region for over twenty-four<br />
years, initially, at Youth Homes in <strong>Markham</strong><br />
in 1996. Since referrals were coming from<br />
Richmond Hill, she became the director of<br />
Home Base Drop-in Centre in Richmond<br />
Hill. It is now known as Richmond Hill<br />
Youth Hub. She also served as the director<br />
of Big Brothers and Sisters in Durham<br />
before joining 360kids.<br />
360kids is dedicated to the long-term<br />
success and well-being of low-risk to multibarriered<br />
youth the latter of whom may be<br />
homeless or at risk of homelessness. To that<br />
end, they manage employment programs,<br />
house young people on a broad spectrum,<br />
provide family support and help to stabilize<br />
those with possible drug addiction or<br />
possible exploitation by human traffickers.<br />
Their motto is “Every kid matters. No kid is<br />
left behind.”<br />
Harkness reflects on the youth today,<br />
“In the past, trade schools were there to<br />
help but when they were phased out, people<br />
who ought to have been placed there were<br />
channelled into academic streams. This<br />
created anxiety for them.” She explains that<br />
immersion in technology is also creating<br />
problems. Young people benefit most from<br />
healthy social interactions, but the technologies<br />
they use today stand in the way.<br />
Harkness adds that in addition to academic<br />
pressures and the negative influence of technology<br />
on social skills, youth are experiencing<br />
stress at home. She explains that further<br />
stress is added when middle-class families<br />
are getting by paycheque to paycheque.<br />
One of her memorable experiences<br />
happened late at night at a bus stop in<br />
Newmarket. She had just finished work and<br />
recognized a man she remembered having<br />
helped twenty years ago. He hugged her and<br />
said, “I was thinking of you last week.” He<br />
told her about his life and success. Harkness<br />
reflects, “What we do today really matters<br />
to their future.”<br />
Harkness relates that there is poverty<br />
in <strong>Markham</strong>. There are multigenerational<br />
families living together, and some youth<br />
in <strong>Markham</strong> are ending up on the streets.<br />
“Kids left on the street are preyed upon by<br />
drug dealers and pimps. That is our competition.”<br />
Since support services in the city<br />
are lacking, “360kids” partners with community<br />
centres to help young people access<br />
services.<br />
As COO of 360kids, Harkness is<br />
resilient. She solves problems and overcomes<br />
obstacles to deliver the best service<br />
possible. She concludes, “Our backyard is<br />
their backyard. They have a right to live and<br />
be successful in their own communities.”<br />
A new partnership opens the door for<br />
Seneca Polytechnic graduates to launch their<br />
careers as medical doctors at a university on<br />
the tropical island of Grenada in the West<br />
Indies.<br />
A new partnership with St. George’s<br />
University will offer qualified Seneca students<br />
fast-track status and expedited entry<br />
into the five- or six-year M.D. programs at<br />
the St. George’s School of Medicine.<br />
“We are excited to offer this direct<br />
pathway to M.D. programs,” says Marianne<br />
Marando, Vice-President of Academic &<br />
Students at Seneca Polytechnic. “This new<br />
partnership will provide our students with<br />
an outstanding opportunity to pursue further<br />
studies in medicine and the long history of<br />
excellent medical education at St. George’s<br />
makes them an ideal partner.”<br />
St. George’s draws students and faculty<br />
from 140 countries to its programs in<br />
medicine, veterinary medicine, public health,<br />
science and business. Its School of Medicine<br />
is accredited by the Grenada Medical and<br />
Dental Council, which is recognized by the<br />
World Federation for Medical Education.<br />
Seneca students can apply for the<br />
special admissions pathways to St. George’s<br />
when applying to or while enrolled at the<br />
polytechnic. In addition to completing all<br />
required prerequisite coursework, they must<br />
maintain a strong undergraduate GPA and<br />
score competitively on relevant entrance<br />
exams.<br />
Seneca’s Arts and Science – University<br />
Transfer diploma program graduates<br />
who complete all required prerequisites<br />
enter St. George’s five-year M.D. program.<br />
Pre-Health Sciences Pathway to Advanced<br />
Diplomas & Degrees certificate program<br />
graduates who meet St. George’s admissions<br />
standards enter the six-year program.<br />
Students in the five-year track must<br />
complete one year of preclinical coursework<br />
in Grenada, while those in the six-year<br />
track will complete two years of preclinical<br />
coursework there. Students in both programs<br />
can then complete their first year of medical<br />
study in Grenada or at Northumbria University<br />
in the U.K. Students will complete their<br />
second year of medical study in Grenada and<br />
their final two years in clinical rotations at<br />
affiliated hospitals in the U.S. and the U.K.<br />
Publisher<br />
Nicole Fletcher<br />
General Manager<br />
Duncan Fletcher<br />
Creative Design<br />
Sam Pun<br />
Editorial Contributors<br />
Jeff Jones<br />
Connor Simonds<br />
George Redak<br />
Andrew Fuyarchuk<br />
Stephen Sweet<br />
Nick Cagna<br />
Rebecca Simkin<br />
178 Main Street, Suite 306, Unionville, ON<br />
nicolefletcher@rogers.com<br />
(416) 884-4343
NOVEMBER <strong>2023</strong><br />
COMMUNITY 5 MARKHAM STOUFFVILLE REVIEW<br />
Mental Health First Aid course built for veterans, supporters<br />
BY DUNCAN FLETCHER<br />
At this time of year, thoughts often<br />
turn to our veterans as we remember those<br />
who served and sacrificed at home and<br />
abroad.<br />
They do a tough job, and sometimes<br />
the price of duty is injuries that follow<br />
them back into civilian life, both physical<br />
and mental. Post-traumatic stress disorder<br />
(PTSD), also known as operational stress<br />
injury, has become better recognized with<br />
some supports already in place. Mental<br />
Health First Aid (MHFA) – a course<br />
supported by Veteran Affairs Canada – is<br />
being offered locally at no cost to participants.<br />
This program is designed for<br />
veterans and those around them — family,<br />
friends, supporters, health professionals,<br />
and caring community members.<br />
Ryan Mitchell, a <strong>Markham</strong> resident<br />
and member of the <strong>Markham</strong> and District<br />
Veteran’s Association (MDVA), has<br />
been front and centre in the push for such<br />
supports and is a point person for MHFA<br />
locally. With 18 years of service, including<br />
tours of duty in Bosnia, Croatia and<br />
several domestic tours under his belt,<br />
Mitchell had to confront the hard reality<br />
that he was physically too damaged to<br />
continue and was medically discharged in<br />
2013. But he also discovered as he found<br />
his way back to civilian life that he carried<br />
emotional damage too and was diagnosed<br />
with PTSD.<br />
But while his recovery continued, a<br />
new recognition hit home with him as it<br />
Ryan Mitchell, kneeling centre-left, is one of the organizers of the MHFA course. Here he<br />
poses with recent graduates of the course held recently at the <strong>Markham</strong> and District Veterans<br />
Association.<br />
has for many in his place, that the burden<br />
of recovery lies not just on their shoulders<br />
but those around them too and scant<br />
attention has traditionally been paid to<br />
those very important people in the lives<br />
of vets who are often the core of their<br />
support network. This is why Mitchell has<br />
chosen to become a public promoter of the<br />
program offered locally at the MDVA and<br />
in cooperation with other Royal Canadian<br />
Legions in York including <strong>Stouffville</strong>,<br />
Aurora and Newmarket.<br />
“The reason I am so involved (with<br />
the program) is that I’ve seen a real difference<br />
in people’s lives, including my<br />
own and my family and the community<br />
around me,” says Mitchell.<br />
The course, taken over 13 hours, is<br />
not meant to replace professional counselling<br />
but rather to make people more<br />
comfortable responding to emerging mental<br />
health issues. Or, as the title suggests,<br />
applying mental health first aid.<br />
Topics covered include recognizing<br />
common mental health issues like traumarelated,<br />
psychotic, mood and substancerelated<br />
disorders and best responses for<br />
incidence of panic attacks, psychosis,<br />
overdose or acute stress reactions. The<br />
course is part of a bigger societal issue to<br />
decrease the stigma and discrimination<br />
around mental health.<br />
This broader veteran’s support group<br />
trained by MHFA now totals over 200,000<br />
people nationally and about 500 so far in<br />
York Region. The sessions at the MDVA<br />
are offered quarterly. To register or find<br />
out more about the course in the <strong>Markham</strong><br />
and <strong>Stouffville</strong> area, contact ryanmitchellcd@gmail.com<br />
or markhamveterans@<br />
rogers.com or visit www.mhfa.ca.<br />
LJI funding<br />
from the<br />
Government<br />
of Canada
6 MARKHAM STOUFFVILLE REVIEW COMMUNITY NOVEMBER <strong>2023</strong><br />
A great mix of shows this month at <strong>Markham</strong> Theatre<br />
BY JEFF JONES<br />
After a busy October with its Diamond<br />
Season kicking into full swing, <strong>November</strong><br />
and early December find the <strong>Markham</strong><br />
Theatre with another packed schedule. The<br />
lineup features a mix of Diamond Season<br />
offerings and work by local and independent<br />
producers.<br />
“We’re beyond excited with the great<br />
start to our season,” says Flato <strong>Markham</strong><br />
Theatre general manager Eric Lariviere.<br />
The lineup starts off with audience<br />
favourite Classic Albums Live performing<br />
Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours on <strong>November</strong> 9 at<br />
8 p.m. Rumours is one of the largest-selling<br />
rock records of all time with over 40 million<br />
copies sold worldwide. Despite the legendary<br />
tumult within the band during its creation, the<br />
album was instantly successful in 1977 and<br />
has become a fixture in rock radio with an<br />
influence that is difficult to overstate.<br />
“They’re brilliant,” says Lariviere.<br />
“Classic Albums gives our audience a chance<br />
to enjoy their favourite artist’s studio work<br />
and artistry in a live setting.”<br />
Classic Albums Live treats the music of<br />
legendary recordings like a modern chamber<br />
orchestra might. Every part and every note<br />
are faithfully and perfectly performed; with<br />
an accuracy that the original artists themselves<br />
rarely, if ever, matched. The second<br />
half of the show features a greatest hits style<br />
review of the band’s other important work.<br />
Shifting from the Diamond Season to a<br />
community producer, <strong>Markham</strong> Little Theatre<br />
returns with The Game’s Afoot by Ken<br />
Ludwig from <strong>November</strong> 15 to 18, with shows<br />
at 8 p.m. through the 17th and at 2 p.m. on the<br />
18th. This local company has been producing<br />
theatre in <strong>Markham</strong> for more than half a<br />
century and murder mysteries like this have<br />
been a mainstay throughout its history.<br />
“Our relationship to these groups is<br />
absolutely essential to our mission,” explains<br />
Lariviere. “It’s what makes us a whole community.”<br />
Keeping with community producers, next<br />
up is <strong>Markham</strong> at the Movies on <strong>November</strong><br />
21 at 8 p.m. The goal of this company is to<br />
bring award-winning films from Canada and<br />
the world to <strong>Markham</strong>. This month’s feature is<br />
the Italian/Belgium film, The Eight Mountains<br />
(Le otto montagne).<br />
Following these shows is the unofficial<br />
start of the holiday season at <strong>Markham</strong><br />
Theatre. A Very Merry Motown Christmas hits<br />
the stage on <strong>November</strong> 23 at 8 p.m. Expect<br />
the evening to dip into the surprising wealth of<br />
seasonal hits from Motown history.<br />
“We love celebrating the holidays at the<br />
theatre,” says Lariviere.<br />
The holiday season continues into the<br />
Diamond season on December 1st at 8 p.m.<br />
with Men of the Deeps: Christmas in the<br />
Mine. This chorus of Cape Breton coal miners<br />
is keeping their tradition alive from coast to<br />
coast. The popular and iconic group returns to<br />
the <strong>Markham</strong> Theatre with selections from its<br />
first-ever solo holiday recording<br />
“There’s something very beautiful<br />
that just connects about this group,” says<br />
Lariviere, “but it’s also the story of the artist<br />
themselves; where they come from and where<br />
they’ve been.”<br />
The very next night, on December 2nd,<br />
The Manhattan Transfer brings its Farewell<br />
Tour to town for two shows at 3 p.m. and 8<br />
p.m. This show is their only appearance in<br />
the GTA as they celebrate an incomparable<br />
career of pop and jazz hits while supporting<br />
their 50th Anniversary and the release of their<br />
new album, FIFTY. on this Farewell World<br />
Tour.<br />
“This show is about two weeks before<br />
they finish, forever,” explains Lariviere. “We<br />
are more than excited to add this show to the<br />
best jazz series in the GTA.”<br />
The legendary quartet have 21 Grammy<br />
nominations and 10 wins, 29 albums, and<br />
has been inducted into the Vocal Group Hall<br />
of Fame. This legendary group choosing<br />
<strong>Markham</strong> as their only local stop on their<br />
final tour speaks volumes about the growth of<br />
both the jazz program at the theatre and about<br />
the vibrant scene in and around <strong>Markham</strong><br />
“To be able to host iconic artists like<br />
The Manhattan Transfer is an honour that is<br />
both affirming and humbling,” says Lariviere.<br />
“We can’t wait for these shows.”<br />
Finally, another perennial community<br />
producer, The <strong>Markham</strong> Concert Band brings<br />
their seasonal celebration to the theatre on<br />
December 3rd at 2 p.m. The show features<br />
the classic, ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas,<br />
crowd favourite Xmas Swingin’ Collection,<br />
and lots more. Sources have confirmed<br />
at this time that Santa Claus himself is<br />
expected for a surprise appearance.<br />
Visit markhamtheatre.ca for more information.
NOVEMBER <strong>2023</strong><br />
COMMUNITY 7 MARKHAM STOUFFVILLE REVIEW<br />
Funding to help biotech company<br />
develop COVID-19 therapies<br />
Photo of the opening of the new paramedic response station in <strong>Markham</strong> courtesy of York Region.<br />
New paramedic response station<br />
opens in <strong>Markham</strong><br />
A new paramedic response station in support our region’s growing communities,”<br />
<strong>Markham</strong> can accommodate up to six ambulances<br />
and will have paramedics working There are currently 27 paramedic re-<br />
Emmerson says.<br />
around the clock to provide emergency and sponse stations located across York Region,<br />
non-emergency services.<br />
which is planning to build four additional<br />
“York Region’s paramedics provide the stations over the next three years and upgrade<br />
two existing stations to expand service<br />
highest quality of care to patients in York Region<br />
and this new station will support York capacity as part of the York Region Paramedic<br />
Services Master Plan (2021-2031). As<br />
Region Paramedic Services in continuing to<br />
deliver critical and life-saving services,” says York’s population continues to grow and age,<br />
York Region Chairman and CEO Wayne Emmerson.<br />
projected to increase to more than 163,600<br />
the demand for paramedic services is also<br />
The LEED silver certified station is calls per year by 2031, the plan reports.<br />
located at 180 Cachet Woods Court. New “York Region is expected to add more<br />
stations are strategically built within areas than 600,000 new residents by 2041,” says<br />
experiencing a growth in population and help City of Vaughan Regional Councillor Gino<br />
York Region Paramedic Services continue to Rosati, Chair of Community and Health Services.<br />
“With the rapidly growing and aging<br />
meet the needs of residents. “With more than<br />
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for the essential care and services required to services is also expected to increase.”<br />
The federal government has given a<br />
<strong>Markham</strong>-based biopharmaceutical research<br />
and development company working to<br />
develop therapies to treat the leading cause<br />
of death in COVID-10 patients a shot in the<br />
arm.<br />
It will invest $23 million to accelerate<br />
Edesa Biotech’s Phase III clinical study to<br />
demonstrate the safety and efficacy of its<br />
monoclonal antibody therapy (EB05) for<br />
the treatment of acute respiratory distress<br />
syndrome (ARDS) caused by COVID-19.<br />
ARDS is a severe form of respiratory<br />
failure characterized by widespread inflammatory<br />
injury to the lungs. There are currently<br />
few meaningful treatments for moderate to<br />
severe cases of ARDS other than supplemental<br />
oxygen and mechanical ventilation. The<br />
mortality rate among patients is high.<br />
Edesa focuses on developing and commercializing<br />
novel clinical-stage drugs for<br />
autoimmune and infectious diseases. “These<br />
breakthrough medicines have the potential<br />
to be important tools in both pandemic<br />
preparedness and biodefence,” says Edesa<br />
Founder and CEO Dr. Par Nijhawan.<br />
In addition to accelerating its research<br />
plans, the funding Edesa receives from<br />
the Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) for its<br />
$61-million project will also allow it to reach<br />
more hospitals and move another significant<br />
step closer to commercialization, he reports.<br />
The company’s Phase II trials were funded<br />
by the SIF in 2021 and endorsed by the CO-<br />
VID-19 Therapeutics Task Force.<br />
The SIF provides major investments<br />
in innovative projects that will help grow<br />
Canada’s economy for the wellbeing of all<br />
Canadians. The most recent SIF investment<br />
reflects the federal government’s commitment<br />
to medical innovation and economic<br />
growth, says Minister of Export Promotion,<br />
International Trade and Economic Development<br />
Mary Ng, MP for <strong>Markham</strong>-Thornhill.<br />
The funding will allow Edesa to add<br />
34 new positions and hire 26 co-op students<br />
to complement its existing workforce of 50,<br />
“bolstering our clinical trial capabilities and<br />
skills,” she adds.<br />
The federal government earmarked $2.2<br />
billion over seven years toward growing a vibrant<br />
domestic life sciences sector and securing<br />
pandemic preparedness in Budget 2021.<br />
“Building a strong, competitive domestic life<br />
sciences sector with cutting-edge biomanufacturing<br />
capabilities is our priority,” says<br />
Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry<br />
François-Philippe Champagne.<br />
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8 MARKHAM STOUFFVILLE REVIEW COMMUNITY<br />
NOVEMBER <strong>2023</strong><br />
Community Health Clinic expands<br />
as respiratory season approaches<br />
Oak Valley Health is now offering<br />
enhanced care services to help protect<br />
the community this fall and winter during<br />
what is anticipated to be a very challenging<br />
flu and respiratory illness season. This<br />
expansion builds on the early success of the<br />
Community Health Clinic (CHC) located in<br />
<strong>Stouffville</strong>.<br />
Staffed by nurse practitioners, the CHC<br />
offers same and next-day appointments for<br />
patients seeking care. With the expansion<br />
of services, the CHC is now able to provide<br />
care to all patients six months of age and<br />
older, as well as rapid access for paediatric<br />
patients.<br />
Along with in-person appointments at<br />
the CHC, Oak Valley Health has partnered<br />
with Ontario Health and the Eastern York<br />
Region North Durham (EYRND) Ontario<br />
Health Team (OHT) to offer virtual care.<br />
This service operates after hours and is<br />
available for those who require timely access<br />
to care for urgent, non-life-threatening<br />
conditions that can be addressed virtually.<br />
This service is also appointment-based and<br />
operates daily between the hours of 1-9<br />
p.m.<br />
Appointments for adult and rapid<br />
access paediatric care, both in-person and<br />
virtual, can be booked through oakvalleyhealth.ca.<br />
“With the upcoming fall respiratory<br />
season, we are grateful for this expansion<br />
of the CHC. This is a step towards making<br />
health care more accessible to everyone in<br />
our community,” says Elena Pacheco, vice<br />
president and chief operating officer. “Additionally,<br />
the expansion will help ease the<br />
burden for families and children and reduce<br />
the strain on our busy Emergency Departments,<br />
particularly as we expect to see a rise<br />
in influenza, COVID-19, and RSV.”<br />
In partnership with the EYRND OHT<br />
and Well Plus Compounding Pharmacy, Oak<br />
Valley Health opened the CHC in May <strong>2023</strong>,<br />
providing health care services for individuals<br />
without primary care providers, allowing<br />
patients to access immediate and follow-up<br />
care when necessary and appropriate.<br />
“At the CHC, we see a variety of family<br />
medicine and care needs, most often related<br />
to respiratory, viral, and gastrointestinal<br />
illnesses,” says Terri Stuart-McEwan, vice<br />
president, clinical programs and chief nursing<br />
executive. “We welcome all patients to<br />
see one of our practitioners for in-person<br />
or virtual assessments, as well as followup<br />
reassessments to ensure our patients are<br />
improving.”<br />
These enhanced services will support<br />
the health of our community this respiratory<br />
season, providing new options for patients<br />
and families to access care. The CHC will<br />
also work to relieve the Emergency Departments<br />
of non-acute volumes.<br />
A Very Merry Motown Christmas<br />
A holiday tradition continues. Colourful,<br />
engaging and full of fun. A Very Merry<br />
Motown Christmas takes you to a time when<br />
the best holiday playlist was filled with the<br />
unmistakable soul, rhythm, and groove of<br />
classic Motor City cool.<br />
Enjoy hits from Aretha Franklin,<br />
Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross, Gladys Knight<br />
and The Supremes, and others, alongside<br />
Christmas and Motown classics. Christmas<br />
is a time for celebration and what could be<br />
more festive than a holiday tribute to the best<br />
from the legendary music powerhouse era of<br />
Motown.<br />
Performed by an all-star class of musical<br />
talent, led by visionary musical director<br />
George St. Kitts.<br />
A consummate entertainer and versatile<br />
vocalist, St. Kitts performed in Toronto’s<br />
“The Lion King,” and as Sammy Davis Jr. in<br />
“The Rat Pack Show.”<br />
His musical talents have been showcased<br />
on the international stage and on<br />
numerous award shows.<br />
St. Kitts, in harmony with Mondo Entertainment<br />
Inc., has put together innovative<br />
arrangements for these holiday classics that<br />
are both familiar and refreshing.<br />
This show provides holiday family<br />
entertainment at its best. A Very Merry Motown<br />
Christmas will light up your evening<br />
on Nov. 23 at the <strong>Markham</strong> Theatre.<br />
Visit markhamtheatre.ca for more information.
NOVEMBER <strong>2023</strong><br />
COMMUNITY 9 MARKHAM STOUFFVILLE REVIEW<br />
Local news the victim in government, big-tech battle<br />
BY DUNCAN FLETCHER<br />
Social media is about sharing. While<br />
some arguably overshare frivolous details<br />
of their lives, social media has become an<br />
important platform to share fun and often<br />
important community news and information.<br />
But if you’ve tried to share a great article<br />
from a local, regional or national news<br />
outlet lately, you’ve undoubtedly found that<br />
impossible. You can’t even share the URL.<br />
Similarly, if you want to check out the<br />
<strong>Stouffville</strong> or <strong>Markham</strong> <strong>Review</strong>’s latest post<br />
on Facebook, sorry. You can’t do that either.<br />
Either way, you’ve probably found a<br />
message simply saying, “This content isn’t<br />
available in Canada.”<br />
But it’s not the news source preventing<br />
you from seeing its content. We wish we<br />
could share as much as possible with you.<br />
In response to new, and some might<br />
say, misguided federal government legislation,<br />
the Online News Act will force<br />
companies like Meta (Facebook, Instagram<br />
and WhatsApp’s parent company), as well<br />
as other large digital social outlets like<br />
Alphabet (Google, YouTube) to compensate<br />
traditional media for news they create and<br />
then shared on social sites. In response,<br />
Meta has gone nuclear and erased all hint of<br />
news from its platforms – large and small.<br />
Google has also said they will follow<br />
suit shortly, erasing all search results for<br />
Canadian news articles on their platforms.<br />
The upshot of this legislative stand-off is<br />
that your access to legitimate news content<br />
will be severely curtailed, and news sites<br />
will be unable to share even the most critically<br />
important information except on their<br />
site.<br />
The backdrop to this story is a longrunning<br />
erosion of advertising dollars from<br />
“traditional media” to trackable digital platforms<br />
over the last 15 years or so. Trackable<br />
is a keyword here.<br />
Facebook and Google have exceptional<br />
data collection capabilities and know how<br />
to use it. They know where you go on the<br />
internet, what you like, when you are online<br />
and where you’ll likely go. They see what<br />
news interests you and where you go to<br />
get it and use the data they get from your<br />
behaviour and target ads your way and advertisers<br />
pay to access you through various<br />
means that the big two provide.<br />
It’s been a resounding success. Over<br />
80 per cent of all digital ads in Canada go<br />
to the big two at the expense of traditional<br />
advertising outlets — namely news sources.<br />
Traditional media have tried to adapt by<br />
putting all their content on websites and<br />
gaining what meagre digital ad dollars<br />
might trickle down to them, which isn’t<br />
much – even for more prominent outlets<br />
like the Toronto Star, CBC, CTV etc. Even<br />
these outlets don’t have the power to drive<br />
sufficient traffic on their own sites to live<br />
off the ad revenue as they once did when<br />
the content was delivered in print or on<br />
traditional broadcast mediums.<br />
So, knowing that many people have<br />
become accustomed to accessing news via<br />
social media, most news outlets post links<br />
there, hoping to redirect the valuable eyeballs<br />
back to their sites.<br />
<strong>Markham</strong>-<strong>Stouffville</strong> <strong>Review</strong> General Manager Duncan Fletcher, seen here with print and<br />
online versions of the paper, says that local media is being threatened by misguided government<br />
policy and combative tech giants.<br />
On the surface, it seems like a win-win,<br />
doesn’t it? Facebook gets data and news<br />
sites get referrals through links they post.<br />
Over a third of <strong>Stouffville</strong> and <strong>Markham</strong><br />
<strong>Review</strong>’s traffic has typically come from<br />
social media. We don’t complain. Sometimes<br />
we’ve even paid Facebook to boost<br />
our posts.<br />
However many more prominent Canadian<br />
news outlets contend that the dominant<br />
market position Facebook and Google have<br />
has been achieved on the backs of traditional<br />
media as Meta, Google, et al, don’t<br />
produce any news content they display and<br />
benefit from. Also, they note, that ad dollars<br />
from local businesses go right back to<br />
a foreign jurisdiction and invest precisely<br />
zero back into local communities. And<br />
so, traditional media are demanding some<br />
of the ad money back from them even if<br />
Facebook and Google don’t make ad sales<br />
directly from news content.<br />
Facebook, for their part, says, ‘Don’t<br />
blame us for building a better mouse trap.<br />
If you want more ad dollars, build a better<br />
system.’ They also argue the millions of<br />
eyeballs they send to news sites are payment<br />
enough. If news outlets don’t think<br />
they’re valuable, don’t post on the platform.<br />
That is a good point in principle. But<br />
do they owe Canadians nothing beyond<br />
well-targeted, increasingly expensive ads?<br />
The Canadian government, allegedly<br />
in the interest of promoting a strong and<br />
vibrant domestic news sector, agreed with<br />
news content producers.<br />
Following similar legislation enacted<br />
in Australia, it produced the Online News<br />
Act, which will force big digital to collectively<br />
negotiate with Canadian news outlets<br />
and distribute payment to them for any links<br />
used on their platforms.<br />
Further, the Online News Act grandiosely<br />
claims the Act’s outcome will be<br />
the “sustainability of the Canadian news<br />
ecosystem, including the sustainability of<br />
independent news businesses….” The details<br />
about how the negotiating process will<br />
work are still to be determined, and assessing<br />
what each link is worth will be messy.<br />
But estimates from both the government<br />
and Facebook/Google suggest numbers<br />
totalling upwards of $200 million a year.<br />
The digital giants will resist being<br />
squeezed, and even if they do buckle, any<br />
funds that do go back to media as a result<br />
of the Act will be sucked up by larger,<br />
lumbering, traditional, money-losing news<br />
organizations like the already governmentfunded<br />
CBC or struggling newspapers like<br />
the Toronto Star who support the Act.<br />
Torstar, the parent company of the<br />
Star, has sought bankruptcy protection<br />
for Metroland newspapers which includes<br />
the <strong>Stouffville</strong> Sun-Tribune and <strong>Markham</strong><br />
Economist & Sun despite already having<br />
a revenue-sharing deal with Facebook.<br />
Traditional news sources are losing money<br />
so fast that whatever money is wrung from<br />
Facebook or Google will not change the trajectory<br />
of their business. The Online News<br />
Act is not doing anything to help build a<br />
more vibrant media landscape. It is merely<br />
a last-gasp attempt to shore up a failed business<br />
model and delay the inevitable.<br />
While big traditional media suck up<br />
what they can, small, local, independently<br />
owned outlets like the <strong>Stouffville</strong> and<br />
<strong>Markham</strong> <strong>Review</strong> will get nothing from the<br />
Online News Act arrangement.<br />
That’s because the Online Act contains<br />
a stilted and dated view of a news organization.<br />
It itemizes, that, among other characteristics,<br />
a news business must employ two<br />
journalists to be eligible. Many owner-operated<br />
news organizations stay afloat with the<br />
assistance of freelance reporters. Many of<br />
these small organizations wouldn’t qualify<br />
for this funding (unless Indigenous-owned).<br />
That doesn’t square with the new media<br />
reality where many highly qualified and<br />
talented writers, photographers, and digital<br />
media producers, having worked with big<br />
media, increasingly strike out on their own<br />
and provide much-needed and insightful<br />
local content, often online only.<br />
In the <strong>Review</strong>’s case, a family-owned<br />
outlet whose two owners have collectively,<br />
more than 60 years of media experience<br />
doesn’t count as an independent news business<br />
no matter how many local stories we<br />
write or of what quality or worth they are<br />
because we’re classed as owners and not<br />
paid exclusively as journalists. The dozen<br />
or so contributors and freelance writers who<br />
write on our printed pages and websites<br />
don’t count either. Even though paid, they<br />
are not officially employees, so not classed<br />
as journalists for the purposes of the Act.<br />
So here we are.<br />
The federal government doesn’t classify<br />
us as a news organization, but Facebook<br />
and Google are punishing us like we<br />
are.<br />
So, who’s looking out for local news?<br />
Well, it’s up to us. I guess. But we’ll<br />
need your help.<br />
First, pick up our print product and<br />
pass it on to a friend when done. They are<br />
available at local grocery stores, libraries,<br />
community centres and other high-traffic<br />
locations. Patronize the good advertisers<br />
that still spend money on local news. They<br />
are getting good results and helping pay for<br />
local stories to be told.<br />
If you’re a local business, consider<br />
spending some of your local budget on local<br />
media directly, in print or online. We offer<br />
packages that combine both and you’ll be<br />
noticed as a business that cares about independent<br />
news.<br />
Secondly, bookmark our website in<br />
your browser and any other local site you<br />
like. Go straight to the source often and<br />
don’t rely on Facebook to decide what can<br />
be shared with you. If you like the format,<br />
our print product is replicated on our site in<br />
an interactive PDF, but we update the site<br />
daily with more news and information than<br />
we can fit in print.<br />
And then hope that common sense<br />
prevails, and the government looks to more<br />
productive ways of engaging digital reality<br />
than subsidizing a dying business model<br />
and Facebook and Google stop acting like<br />
the schoolyard bully.<br />
There are better ways forward. Maybe<br />
even call your local MP and let them know<br />
you expect more from the government than<br />
the misguided, news-killing Online News<br />
Act.<br />
Tell them you read about the whole<br />
mess in a local, independent news outlet.<br />
Now, one of very few left.
10 MARKHAM STOUFFVILLE REVIEW COMMUNITY NOVEMBER <strong>2023</strong><br />
Theatre launches free<br />
online access for ‘Simply Series’<br />
Flato <strong>Markham</strong> Theatre has launched<br />
its live stream of the 2022 Simply Series, a<br />
series of ten intimate and uplifting evenings<br />
with beloved Canadian artists, available to<br />
the public to enjoy for free online.<br />
The Simply Series, a truly unique and<br />
innovative program sponsored by Flato<br />
Developments and the Department of Canadian<br />
Heritage, is a fusion of storytelling<br />
and live performance, designed to focus on<br />
the close relationship between the artist and<br />
the spectator.<br />
Blending both the music and the story<br />
behind it, each show episode features live<br />
and pre-recorded elements, taped during<br />
the artists’ performance at Flato <strong>Markham</strong><br />
Theatre.<br />
The series aims to highlight a selection<br />
of professional Canadian artists with<br />
unique stories to share in an intimate setting<br />
with their audience. These are more<br />
than stage performances – with meaningful<br />
stories of challenge and triumph revealing<br />
the person behind the music, these<br />
are shows with a special, personal touch,<br />
providing a one-of-a-kind experience that<br />
will all be accessible to music lovers in one<br />
place.<br />
You’ll want to check out the live<br />
stream footage of Canadian rock icon<br />
Gowan, whose Simply performance has<br />
been kept under wraps until now. Be the<br />
first to hear the personal storytelling of the<br />
beloved rocker and hear his soaring voice<br />
sing his megahits that have been inspiring<br />
generations of new artists for decades.<br />
The remaining featured artists in the<br />
project include Michael Kaeshammer, live<br />
with additional highlights and a full interview,<br />
revealing the vocal ability, sense of<br />
humour and handsome charm that has won<br />
over audiences at every show; Lata Pada,<br />
founder and artistic director of the awardwinning<br />
Canadian professional dance<br />
company Sampradaya Dance Creations,<br />
specializing in classical and contemporary<br />
dance works rooted in the Indian dance<br />
form of Bharatanatyam; Rob Tardik and<br />
Kimberley Black, whose performance<br />
revolves around the miraculous story of<br />
Kim’s survival in an attempted murder and<br />
deals with overcoming trauma, building<br />
resilience, and inspiring hope through the<br />
art of dance, storytelling, and music. Also<br />
featured is the versatile singer, writer and<br />
producer George St. Kitts, whose shows<br />
bring his audience back to a time filled with<br />
soul, rhythm, and joy; Ottawa-based jazz<br />
star Kellylee Evans, whose show combines<br />
the themes of mental health, resilience,<br />
imagination, and resourcefulness; Canadian<br />
Brass, a group that knows the fine art of<br />
playing music to tell a well-crafted story;<br />
and John McDermott, who chronicles his<br />
30-year career in music with stories of<br />
love, loss, patriotism, family, sacrifice, and<br />
honour.<br />
Sit back, relax, and enjoy the hours of<br />
special storytelling that threads together<br />
music, love, joy, hardship, and real-life<br />
experience – for free. Visit the new Simply<br />
Series website simplyseries.ca.<br />
Visit markhamtheatre.ca for information<br />
on the <strong>2023</strong>-2024 Diamond Season<br />
performers.<br />
More speed enforcement cameras<br />
on their way<br />
York Region plans to add 60 new automated<br />
speed enforcement cameras by 2027<br />
and will create an in-house processing centre<br />
to handle the speeding tickets that will be<br />
generated as a result.<br />
The region decided to continue the<br />
automated speed enforcement system following<br />
a two-year pilot project in specific school<br />
areas along regional roads. Operating speeds<br />
decreased by about nine kilometres an hour<br />
and speed compliance more than doubled, it<br />
reports.<br />
Automated speed enforcement uses a<br />
camera and speed measurement device to<br />
enforce speed limits in identified areas. If a<br />
vehicle exceeds the posted speed limit in one<br />
of those areas, the automated speed enforcement<br />
system captures an image which is<br />
reviewed by a provincial offences officer. An<br />
image of the offence, licence plate and ticket<br />
with an associated fine will be mailed within<br />
the next 30 days.<br />
More than half of fatal collisions on<br />
regional roads are related to speeding. Automated<br />
enforcement helps to improve safety<br />
and change driver behaviour in our community,<br />
the region says.
NOVEMBER <strong>2023</strong><br />
Hub to provide accessible seniors-focused programs<br />
11 MARKHAM STOUFFVILLE REVIEW<br />
BY CONNOR SIMONDS<br />
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter<br />
Exciting developments are underway<br />
in York Region as plans for the Unionville<br />
Commons Seniors Hub takes shape.<br />
The project aims to provide enhanced<br />
services for seniors, promoting community<br />
well-being and inclusivity.<br />
Jennifer Strong, acting director of Integrated<br />
Business Services with York Region,<br />
states, “York Region’s senior population is<br />
growing faster than any other age group,”<br />
and with the senior population on the rise,<br />
there is a growing need for localized and<br />
accessible services. Community hubs have<br />
emerged as effective spaces for bringing<br />
people together and offering a range of programs<br />
and opportunities. The Seniors Hub<br />
and Community Centre align with York<br />
Region’s Seniors Strategy, which focuses<br />
on creating multi-service centres that adapt<br />
to the changing needs of seniors.<br />
The opportunity to establish the seniors<br />
hub arose during the redevelopment of the<br />
Unionville Home Society campus. Collaborating<br />
with Unionville Home Society and<br />
Minto Communities, the project includes<br />
a 265-unit affordable rental building for<br />
seniors. Located on the ground floor of<br />
Unionville Commons, at 4310 Highway 7<br />
East, the hub and community centre will become<br />
a centre for seniors-focused services,<br />
programs, and amenities.<br />
According to Strong, “The City of<br />
<strong>Markham</strong> is home to the highest share of<br />
York Region seniors, and it is estimated<br />
that between 2021 and 2051, the number of<br />
seniors living in the City of <strong>Markham</strong> will<br />
grow by 113 per cent,” underscoring the<br />
pressing need for this initiative.<br />
“In the coming months, we will<br />
begin recruiting residents from Unionville<br />
Museum will use grant to keep<br />
seniors ‘socially connected’<br />
Commons, community members, and key<br />
partners to create the Seniors Hub Advisory<br />
Group; the group will provide feedback<br />
and advice to York Region on the planning,<br />
operations, and continuous improvement<br />
of the hub and will also support ongoing<br />
consultation opportunities with community<br />
members and agencies,” says Strong,<br />
reflecting the commitment to involving the<br />
community in the project.<br />
In addition to the seniors hub and<br />
community centre, Unionville Commons is<br />
making significant strides in construction.<br />
The development features two towers, an<br />
eight-storey and a 12-storey building, providing<br />
a total of 265 apartments for seniors.<br />
Designed with seniors’ specific needs in<br />
mind, the building offers universal accessibility<br />
and on-site parking. Outdoor spaces,<br />
gardens, and pedestrian walkways will contribute<br />
to the residents’ overall well-being.<br />
York Region’s commitment to building<br />
age-friendly communities is evident in the<br />
Unionville Commons development and the<br />
seniors hub and community centre.<br />
Funding for the capital construction<br />
costs will be supplemented by contributions<br />
from the federal and provincial governments<br />
through the Investing in Canada<br />
Infrastructure Program. The hub and community<br />
centre operations are designed to<br />
be self-sustaining, avoiding the need for<br />
regional tax levy contributions or subsidies<br />
from Housing York Inc. Affordable membership<br />
fees will ensure accessibility for the<br />
community.<br />
“York Region received funding to<br />
support capital costs to build the seniors<br />
hub through the Community, Culture, and<br />
Recreation funding stream of the Investing<br />
in Canada Infrastructure Program,” says<br />
Strong. The collaboration with the City of<br />
<strong>Markham</strong> underscores the shared dedication<br />
to meet the needs of the growing senior<br />
population and create a vibrant and inclusive<br />
community.<br />
Strong concludes by stating that the<br />
design and construction of the seniors hub<br />
is anticipated to begin in 2024, with operations<br />
commencing in 2025. She also notes<br />
that “In 2024, we will initiate a public process<br />
to bring in partner organizations; these<br />
partners will provide seniors with programs<br />
and services at the hub that are tailored to<br />
the community and easy to access.”<br />
Local dignitaries at the Sept. 23 government funding announcement at <strong>Markham</strong> Museum.<br />
The <strong>Markham</strong> Museum will use a community<br />
grant to encourage older adults to<br />
take part in pottery classes and group tours<br />
of an exhibition that shares experiences of<br />
the Chinese community.<br />
The museum has received about<br />
$24,500 through the provincial government’s<br />
<strong>2023</strong>-24 Seniors Community Grant Program<br />
and will use it to focus on seniors who may<br />
face a variety of barriers to participation,<br />
such as economic, language, lack of opportunities<br />
and accessibility.<br />
“Seniors Community Grants are keeping<br />
our seniors fit, active, healthy and socially<br />
connected close to home in their communities,”<br />
Minister for Seniors and Accessibility<br />
Raymond Cho says. “Our government is<br />
proud to invest in these projects with local<br />
organizations to meet the needs of seniors,<br />
provide the supports seniors need and deserve<br />
that also help to battle social isolation.”<br />
The ministry reports investing more<br />
than $22 million in Seniors Community<br />
Grants to more than 1,200 grassroots projects<br />
that have helped seniors stay socially and<br />
physically active in their communities since<br />
2018.<br />
<strong>Markham</strong> Museum is home to more<br />
than 20 historic buildings on 25 acres of<br />
parkland. It offers year-round exhibits, public<br />
programs, signature events and research<br />
facilities. It will use the Seniors Community<br />
Grant to offer three main programs, including<br />
four sessions of five-week pottery handbuilding<br />
courses at the museum between<br />
October and March.<br />
It will also offer 10 two-hour introduction<br />
to pottery hand-building classes in the<br />
community. Finally, it will offer six group<br />
tours of the Standing in the Doorway: Lived<br />
Histories and Experiences of the Chinese<br />
Community exhibition and related activities.<br />
Two of the tours will offer accessible busing<br />
at no cost.<br />
“<strong>Markham</strong>’s commitment to inclusion<br />
has always extended to seniors in our<br />
community,” says Mayor Frank Scarpitti.<br />
“With this additional funding, the <strong>Markham</strong><br />
Museum can extend its already robust series<br />
of programs for people of all ages. Programming<br />
specifically for older adults focuses on<br />
their particular interests and the ability to<br />
access the museum site.”
12 MARKHAM STOUFFVILLE REVIEW NOVEMBER <strong>2023</strong>