Aurora Banner, December 1, 2016

Page 1

The Banner. AURORA

THURSDAY

DECEMBER 1, 2016 ®

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News, events and information on your desktop, laptop or mobile device

In Photos

Check out the latest community shots from our photographers www.yorkregion.com/photos

Events Calendar Steve Somerville/Metroland

Mary Ann Proulx (right), executive director of the Housing Help Centre, confers with client Norma Smith of Richmond Hill, who is upset to hear York Region will cut funding to the centre next month.

‘Shock’ as region ends help centre funding LIsa QUEEN lqueen@yrmg.com A senior citizen who never had a chance to go far in school, Norma Smith has turned many times to the Identification Clinic at York Region's Housing Help Centre to help her understand government forms and to assist her filling out paperwork for

needed documentation. "They are so handy and helpful to the community," she said. The former nanny and personal care worker is devastated to learn regional government will end its funding next month to the Richmond Hill centre, which helps more than 2,000 low- and moderate-income York Region residents a year.

"Oh my God, I don't have the words to say," said Smith, a native of Jamaica, who said staff at the centre have encouraged to her to take adult learning classes. "I am very, very sad, deeply sad. They are like a family to me. It's going to be very difficult for the community." The region is cutting off the

$204,230 it provides annually for the ID clinic and the $136,310 it gives for the housing help centre, executive director Mary Ann Proulx said. The region is the sole source of funding for the programs, other than a small amount the facility gets from PowerStream

● See MOVE, page A9

See what’s happening by visiting our online community calendar. www.yorkregion.com/events

uReport newsroom@yrmg.com www.facebook/yrmgnews @yorkregion yorkregion.com/ureport

COUNCIL

Town council wants photo radar in community safety zones TEREsa LaTChfORd tlatchford@yrmg.com Photo radar may be coming to a street near you. Prompted by complaints from residents about "excessive speeding" on streets surrounding Town Park, the suggestion to implement photo radar was tabled by Coun. Wendy Gaertner. She initially proposed that the area around the park be deemed as a community safety zone and asked York Region Police for assistance in controlling the speeding, and that if the province gives municipalities the authority to install photo radar cameras that staff do so. "Community safety zones mean the fines (for offences) are doubled," Coun. Harold Kim pointed out. "I believe York Region has a policy that deems all school areas are community safety zones - but if they don't, I would like to see this apply to all school zones as well."

Metroland file photo

Aurora will consider implementing photo radar in all community safety zones in town pending the finalization of photo radar regulations by the province. Mayor Geoff Dawe pointed out that more often than not, when photo radar is installed, the first people caught are usu-

ally local residents. He insisted the town would not be looking to target anyone but that speeding is just plain speeding and is

against the law. "I just wanted to state that for the people who will email calling it a cash grab," he said.

"To which I will promptly reply that it is only a cash grab if you speed." Gaertner suggested conducting public consultation sessions to ensure residents are informed and to make sure this would be an exercise in speed control that has the support of the community. Feedback should also be included in a staff report before council makes a final decision. While Ontario has announced new rules are in the works to give municipalities the authority to install photo radar, a tool that takes photos of speeding car's licence plate to issue a speeding ticket via mail, within their own communities, the full regulations have yet to be finalized. Council members agreed to amend the original motion to include a clause directing town staff to report back on the feasibility and cost associated with photo radar in all community safety zones once the provincial regulations have been set.

ENVIRONMENT

Environment Canada predicts 'Goldilocks' winter for York Region aLI Raza aliraza@yrmg.com

York Region is in for a "Goldilocks" winter this season, says Environment Canada. Not too cold, not too warm. It's what The Weather Network is calling a "classic Canadian winter." Environment Canada meteo-

rologist David Phillips explains why the region won't see last year's mild winter where residents dreamed of a white Christmas that never came nor will they see the merciless frigidity of the two previous winters. Phillips explained that the last seven months (May to November) yielded one of the warmest summers on record and one of

the warmest falls on record. "Why that's important is because it stores a lot of heat in the ground, lakes, rivers, etc.," he explained. "That eventually gives up, but it takes a while for winter to really come in when you have residual heat." That residual heat, especially in the northern half of York Region closer to Lake Simcoe,

will yield lake-effect snow. Phillips says as the Great Lakes and Lake Simcoe are warmer than average, the lake-effect can yield a lot of snow. As cold air from the Arctic moves south and over the lakes, it causes the warm lake water to condense and be carried away to land where it precipitates in the form of snow. A greater dif-

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ference between the air and lake temperature yields a greater chance - and amount - of lakeeffect snow. What this means throughout winter is lakes are expected to take much longer to freeze. It also means that residents in York Region won't see the severe,

● See NATURE, page A9


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Aurora Banner, December 1, 2016 by Aurora Banner - Issuu