HEALTH BATTLE FIGHTING FOR RARE PAGE B1 DISEASE FUNDING
KA-BOOMERS!
OUR VIEW
MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER PAGE A3 TO STAY ACTIVE
POLITICIANS HAVE RIGHT TO BLOCK ‘HATERS’ PAGE A6
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MAKING A SPLASH
STAFF PHOTO/NICK IWANYSHYN
Aurora Master Ducks swimmer Jack So competes in the 100-meter butterfly during the fifth annual Thornhill Masters Invitational swim meet at the Markham Pan Am Centre Sunday. For more photos, visit yorkregion.com and don’t forget to check out our online Sportsboard.
MUNICIPAL NEWS
FEDERAL BUDGET
Ottawa trip will surely net cash for York: chair
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BY LISA QUEEN
lqueen@yrmg.com
fter meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Environment Minister Catherine McKenna and other federal politicians on a trip to Ottawa last week, York Region leaders are looking for a financial payoff coming out of this month’s federal budget. “We were very well received. Their budget is out March 22 and when we left, we felt quite comfortable there will be stuff in that budget that’s going to pertain to York Region,” regional chair Wayne Emmerson said. “I’m very excited that we’re going to get some funding in all of it. Just how much, I won’t know that till March 22.” Emmerson, East Gwillimbury Mayor Virginia Hackson, Georgina Mayor Margaret Quirk, Newmarket Mayor Tony Van Bynen, Aurora Mayor Geoff Dawe, Whitchurch-Stouffville Mayor Justin Altmann, Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti, Markham councillors Jack Heath, Nirmala Armstrong, Jim Jones and Joe Li, Richmond Hill Councillor Brenda Hogg, regional CAO Bruce Macgregor, director of
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government relations and executive assistant to the chair Lina Bigioni and Greg Stasyna, program manager of training, exercise and public education went on the trip. The cost for the bus and hotel rooms came in at about $3,500. Aurora-Oak Ridges-Richmond Hill MP Leona Alleslev did not say whether this month’s federal budget will deliver on the region’s requests, but called the visit worthwhile. “I think it was important that representatives from York Region came to visit Ottawa. We had a very productive meeting with the prime minister,
See page A2.
EDUCATION
Town staff to report back with options in spring
i
BY TERESA LATCHFORD
R
tlatchford@yrmg.com
esidents are applauding council for rejecting the notion of selling the Mavrinac lands they hope will remain green
space. The Town of Aurora purchased the 2.4-hectare Mavrinac property, also known as Block 208, for $2.47 million after a legal dispute with Minto Communities last July. Since then, area residents have been eager to see what will be done with the property and have urged town councillors to keep it green. During a presentation of the town’s draft parks and recreation master plan, consultants from Monteith-Brown suggested the property be sold to purchase land in an area more suitable for active or intensive
recreation. Many nearby citizens disagreed and pleaded at a number of meetings for the town to retain the property. Resident Catherine Collister spoke to the rights of children to play as set out by the United Nations and the importance of the activity in childhood development to help persuade councillors at this week’s general committee. “Some of you will remember playing hide-and-seek, house, tag and red rover, while others might recall arguing over the rules of kick See page A7.
Bomb disposal robot donated to St. Max club York Regional Police give school decommissioned unit
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local high school robotics club has welcomed a bomb disposal robot to its fleet. Members of the St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic High School robotics club accepted the donation of the 12-year-old decommissioned Van Guard robot from York Regional Police emergency response unit Feb. 26. “I think this is fantastic and will let us see how robots can be used in the real world and how robotics could turn into a career for us,” student robotics club
director Anthony Drektraan said. “We can explore the mechanisms and how it operates and maybe apply that to our own designs.” Driving alongside the donated robot were two others that students and club members designed, built and programmed specifically to complete tasks in upcoming competitions. “We do everything from handling the finances of the club to machining the parts ourselves,” Drektraan added. “The most challenging part is coming up with the design because it can See page A9.
IN PHOTO: York Regional Police officers donated a decommissioned explosives robot Feb. 26 to staff and students at St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic High School. Here, Mackenzie Valdez takes the club’s new device for a spin.
❐ VAULTER BANDIT GROUNDED: Police have notorious bank robber in custody: bit.ly/218fEWW ❐ DINE SAFE YORK: Find out which restaurants and pubs aren’t meeting health standards: bit.ly/1KpTRrt
❐ CHILD PORN DISCOVERY: Former Jewish school director faces charges: bit.ly/1pnPtQ9 ❐ HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS: York Region schools hold wall climbing competition: bit.ly/1E3HA8J
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ONLINE NEWS
BY TERESA LATCHFORD
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Council moves to make Mavrinac property a park
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