Aurora Banner November 26

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HIGH SCHOOL 2 TOP TEAMS HEADING TO PAGE B8 CHAMPIONSHIPS

HOLIDAY SPIRIT

OUR VIEW

TOP THINGS TO DO THIS TIME OF YEAR PAGE A3

BOARD NEEDS TO DISTRIBUTE BOOKS PAGE A9

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YOUR TAXES

Region proposes 2.85% tax hike Dig deeper for another $62 in 2016 on average household in Aurora

Lights, camera ... Are you or one of your neighbours festive outdoor light enthusiasts? Are you in awe every time you drive by and see that house on the corner lit up in festive colours? Let us know where the best lights are in your neighbourhood and we’ll come by and take a photograph. Or, if you are handy with a camera, take a shot and send it in and we’ll add it to our photo gallery of Best Lights in Town. Send the address with the best holiday lighting to tkibble@yrmg.com.

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BY LISA QUEEN

lqueen@yrmg.com

s predicted last year when York Region adopted a fouryear budget forecast, it looks like the regional portion of your property taxes is going up 2.85 per cent next year. That would work out $63 for the average household, which has an assessed value of $547,000. The average household now pays $2,223.19 in regional taxes. Regional council started its budget discussions last Thursday and could adopt the fiscal document as early as Dec. 17. If the budget is approved as now proposed, the regional portion of the prop-

Tell us what you think about this issue. Email tkibble@yrmg.com

erty tax bill would go up by $34 on the average house in Georgina. In East Gwillimbury, it would increase by $54. The average Newmarket household would see its regional taxes climb by $50. Aurora’s average increase would be $62, just slightly above the average $61 in Whitchurch-Stouffville. In Markham, the average increase would be $64. The average households in Richmond Hill and Vaughan would see their regional

taxes boosted by $69. King Township would have the highest increase, with the average household paying an additional $76. Last year, regional council adopted a four-year budget plan, which saw regional taxes increase by 2.97 per cent in 2015 with projections of 2.85 per cent in 2016, 2.69 per cent in 2017 and 2.35 per cent in 2018. If approved, the 2016 budget would include $2 billion in operating expenses, up from $1.9 billion this year. The capital budget would drop to $783 million in 2016, down from $826million in 2015. The region plans to spend $6.1 bilSee page A7.

TRANSPORTATION

ALL SMILES

Rapid shuttle could mean relief from traffic woes Area around GO station frequently congested He recalled a conversation with a resident who must see her children off in the morning and then rush to the parking garage in the hope of finding a parking spot, so she can catch the train to work. Often, she finds herself in a panic with a lack of parking and her efforts to ditch the car and take public transit have resulted in her missing the train. “I don’t want to offend anyone, but we have the poorest transit service, with buses that are often late and can’t meet deadlines,” Abel said. “If we want to encourage more people to take transit, we will have to provide the services they need.” Abel envisions small shuttle buses that would have stops near main roads in each quadrant of Aurora with the specific mandate of picking up commuters and taking them straight to the Aurora GO station. To make it even more appealing to commuters, Abel envisions

BY TERESA LATCHFORD

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tlatchford@yrmg.com

traffic woes. It isn’t uncommon for the area southeast of Wellington Street East and Industrial Parkway South to be congested as GO train commuters enter and exit the commuter-parking garage during rush hour. The town has also received enough complaints from residents regarding commuter parking at Town Park that the town performed a parking enforcement review earlier this year, according to Councillor John Abel. “The parking garage is full on a daily basis and soon we will be evicting those parking at Town Park and they will have nowhere to go,” he explained. “When you ask why these commuters don’t take public transit to the station, they just laugh.”

STAFF PHOTO/STEVE SOMERVILLE

Harry Lambinos, Mitchell Law-Heese and Ben Kissack of the Dr. G. W. Williams Wildcats cheer as they win a point in their YRAA championship victory over the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Trailblazers. The Wildcats start their OFSAA tournament today. For more coverage, see B8.

YORK REGION

rapid shuttle to and from the Aurora GO train station could remedy ongoing and worsening commuter

See page A11.

LOCAL

Elected chair vote Animal control bylaw needs more bite delayed until next year Councillors to review whole governance system

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BY LISA QUEEN

lqueen@yrmg.com

ork councillors have put off making a decision about electing the regional chairperson until the new year, but have also opened the door to changing the structure of regional council. At last Thursday’s council meeting, during which several residents urged councillors to scrap the current system of having only mayors and regional councillors select the regional chair in favour of allowing voters to choose what is arguably the region’s most powerful political position, councillors decided to put off the decision until February. That will give them a chance to look at how well the system of electing a chair works in Durham, Halton and Waterloo regions. Councillors will also look at other governance issues such as

i

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whether East Gwillimbury, Aurora, Whitchurch-Stouffville and King should be represented on regional council by more than just their mayors when all other municipalities have at least two members. Vaughan Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua argued his city should have more than four representatives. Markham, which has a similar population, has five members. The governance review could also look at other issues such as whether regional councillors should be directly elected to regional council. Several residents pushed councillors to support a motion from Markham Councillor Joe Li and Whitchurch-Stouffville Mayor See page A7.

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BY TERESA LATCHFORD

tlatchford@yrmg.com

eter Smith believes Aurora’s animal control bylaw needs more teeth and should have more bite when it comes to enforcement. The longtime Aurora resident wants the town to shorten its leash on rules surrounding dog owners’ responsibility when their pets are on public property, such as walking trails, and to ban retractable leashes. “We should not have to carry bear spray or large sticks to ward off unpleasant pet encounters,” Smith said.

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Is this issue a concern to you? Why or why not? Email tkibble@yrmg.com

“We expect to be protected from attacks by domestic animals.” He felt the need to speak out after his wife, Irene, was injured during an encounter with an at-large dog. His wife and other women, who belong to the same walking club, frequent public trails and often encounter off-leash and at-large dogs, he said. One incident occurred Labour Day when an aggressive dog, on a retractable leash, allegedly lunged at his wife’s face, causing her to topple backward. She broke her right ankle in two places and has

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since undergone surgery to insert a metal plate and 10 screws. She is still recovering. “This is a severe blow to someone with an active lifestyle,” Smith continued. “If this can happen to a fit, healthy, strong person, then it can certainly happen to anyone.” While charges were not pursued, the family would still like to see additional signs posted in public areas regarding the leashing of dogs, more officers designated to monitor and enforce the laws and an increase of fines for owners who are charged.

See page A10.

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