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York Regional Police Sgt. Aaron Sidenberg calls in another sighting as media joined police in action as they nabbed distracted drivers while peering out the windows of public transit buses. Police also unveiled signs, to be featured on select buses in York Region, meant to remind drivers they are being watched.
Police on a bus: ’Put down that phone’ KIM ZARZOUR kzarzour@yrmg.com Ever feel like you’re being watched? You should, because you are.
York Regional Police wants you to know that officers have their eyes on you when you’re on the road - and even when you think you can’t be seen, they see. That little trick you do, when
you tap at your cellphone between your knees, below the steering wheel? They’re onto you. Hiding the phone under your thigh?
They’re onto that, too, and you can thank public transit buses, towering above your car in the next lane, for revealing your secret. l See POLICE, page 9
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NEWS
Rental market is ’dog eats dog,’ car accident victim finds LISA QUEEN lqueen@yrmg.com Car accident victim Michael Graziano has learned the hard way how the soaring real estate market is hurting tenants. As he limps with a cane past packed boxes to join his wife Terri at the dining room table of their rented Aurora home, Graziano said it’s not only prospective homebuyers being squeezed by skyrocketing prices. Following a two-month search after learning they had to find a new place to live, the couple have finally found a rental unit, although they are less than thrilled with the state of it. They are moving into the three-bedroom upper level of a house at $1,550 a month this month even though they had paid rent until the end of April at their current home. Graziano, the drummer with the locally renowned Sean Bourke Band, was seriously injured in February 2013 when his van was hit head-on by another vehicle on Hwy. 9 near Schomberg. After being rescued with the
Steve Somerville/Metroland
Accident victim Michael Graziano and his wife, Terri, pack up their belongings as they prepare to move. Jaws of Life, the then-Newmarket resident was transported to hospital in Orangeville before being airlifted to St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto in critical condition. Now 61, Graziano suffered numerous injuries, including a broken hip, shattered elbow, broken legs and ankle, dislocated shoulder and separated knee cap. Graziano, who continues to
play in a pub band a couple of times a month, still faces multiple surgeries. "It took my whole life away from me," said the Canada Post letter carrier, who hasn’t returned to work. He receives monthly federal government disability benefits of $1,174 while 56-year-old Terri, a social service worker who has
chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia, also receives a monthly federal government disability cheque for $570. They have also received a lump sum disability payment last May from Graziano’s work benefits, although the monthly payments were terminated in September 2015, as well as an advance from his lawyer in anticipation of a lawsuit. Although they are able to pay their current rent of $1,510 plus utilities, choosy landlords in this market would rather rent to an employed tenant with a paycheque, the Grazianos said. "(The search) was horrible since the beginning of February because it didn’t matter how much money we had in the bank, people couldn’t trust that we were able to pay the rent," Terri said. "They saw (the disability benefits) as too much of a risk. About 15 times, we were turned down, sometimes before we even got to the place, because we shared what our situation was. You can’t go in there lying. Nowadays, they want a credit check, they want to see your bank statements, they want pay stubs, they want references."
The couple offered one landlord three months’ rent in addition to first and last months’ rent but were still turned down, in one case to tenants who paid a year’s rent in advance. "That’s how bad it is," Graziano said, adding they searched for an apartment in Aurora, Newmarket, Keswick and Bradford before finding one in Aurora. "It’s really dog eat dog." There was no point in looking in the south part of the region because rents are too expensive, he said. Lee Webb, a lawyer specializing in housing issues at the Richmond Hill-based Community Legal Clinic of York Region, which provides legal information and advice on rental housing and other issues, said the housing crunch is difficult not only on low-income earners but middle-income residents as well. "There is a rental housing crisis in York Region and this is driven both by a lack of tenancies or lack of rental apartments and also by the high cost of housing," he said. l See YORK, page 9
’It’s a mess’: town eyes audit of operations centre AMANDA PERSICO apersico@yrmg.com Aurora’s new Joint Operations Centre was touted as a project delivered on time and on budget. But after several council meetings and a number of staff reports, the project does not measure up and councillors want to see an independent audit and comprehensive report on lessons learned. The centre on Industrial Parkway north was more than $1.5 million or 7 per cent over budget. The final construction costs amount to about $22.1 million, compared to the initial $20.5 million budget. But that does not include $4 million for the land or $1.49 million in deleted projects - balloon-
ing total costs to more than $27 million. Several projects, amounting to more than $817,000, were - only to be added on to the 2018 budget - to ensure the project remained under budget. "This was supposed to be something to be proud of," said Coun. John Abel. "It’s a mess. Claiming the project was on time and within budget is not enough." Completing projects such as landscaping, installing way-finding signs, rear parking paving, asphalt, security officers and office furniture, will now cost the town about $1.49 million. Completing asphalt work at the time of construction would have cost an additional $617,000. Completing it now almost dou-
bles the cost to $1.1 million to deal with erosion issues and remove makeshift ramps and mini-roads that were built. There still are a number of projects not budgeted for, including designing and building a staircase at the back, making the dumpster area operational and applying topsoil at the back of the building. Staff presented a report pinpointing where the project went wrong and listed a number of lessons learned such as: • A standardization of the town’s project management process; • Improved financial reporting; • Each major project should have a project manager as well as a financial analyst to monitor pro-
Susie Kockerscheidt/Metroland
The Joint Operations Centre at 229 Industrial Pkwy. N., Aurora. ject finances; • Greater clarification on the role of steering committees and project scope; and • Clear separation of pre-construction, design and construc-
tion costs. "While short and concise, this is not comprehensive enough," said Coun. Wendy Gaertner. "This is our opportunity to make something good out of a bad situation."