MAYOR RYAN: PICKERING IS EVOLVING INTO A WORLD-CLASS CITY

Pickering is

evolving

STORY BY: Mayor Dave Ryan | PHOTO BY: David Leyes

When the Guinness Book of World Records confirmed the Pickering Pedestrian Bridge as the longest enclosed people crossing in the world earlier this year, I expressed pride that the bridge was officially recognized as an international and world-class landmark.

But this feat of engineering is much more than that. When the City of Pickering first proposed a pedestrian bridge that would span Canada’s busiest highway to link our GO Transit station to a new office tower, our vision was to construct a “bridge to the future.” More than a decade later, that future is unfolding as our City Centre undergoes a bold transformation. In 2018 – the same year construction of the pedestrian bridge was completed – we announced our plans to partner with the owners of Pickering Town Centre to redevelop the lands on the east side of the mall.

Inspired by world-renowned public spaces, our vision is to create a vibrant downtown with new state-of-theart municipal facilities, including a performing arts centre, a combined seniors and youth centre, and a relocated and expanded Central Library, surrounded by a vibrant and pedestrianfriendly public square.

The City Centre project will introduce a never-before-seen energy and dynamic to Pickering and, together with Durham Live, will bolster our reputation as a tourism destination. Durham Live will become one of the premier entertainment and tourism districts east of Yonge Street, and a popular Ontario destination. Anchored by a resort casino and five-star hotel, it will include a boutique hotel, convention centre, amphitheatre, restaurants, cinemas, performance venues, an office tower and film studios.

The City of Pickering is pleased to support a project that will move forward after satisfying several key requirements.

Eventually, it will bring 10,000+ full-time, wellpaying jobs to Durham Region, which will go a long way to helping our region on its path to postpandemic economic recovery.

Also on the economic development front, Ontario Power Generation has been investing in projects focused on decommissioning and nuclear material management since opening its Centre for Canadian Nuclear Sustainability (CCNS) last year. OPG owns the largest reactor fleet in Canada and will begin the decommissioning phase of Pickering Nuclear Generating Station in the mid2020s. CCNS, featured in this magazine, will make Canada a world leader in nuclear decommissioning.

One of the most significant actions Canada can take to mitigate climate change is to further invest in green energy and we look forward to building on our long history of being on the leading edge in terms of nuclear power. Pickering is a regional hub not only for the nuclear supply chain but also as the industry works to develop sustainable solutions for the electricity sector.

Pickering takes pride in finding solutions, as we have demonstrated throughout the pandemic. We were proud to host successful mass vaccination clinics at the Chestnut Hill Developments Recreation Complex, where thousands of doses of COVID-19 vaccines were administered at the height of the pandemic.

As we emerge from one of the most difficult periods in our nation’s history, we will remember inspirational acts of

Mayor Dave Ryan, City of Pickering

Community engagement has long been a hallmark of our city and continues to be one of our highest priorities.

into a world class city

kindness big and small that helped us weather the storm. Namely, GrandDad’s Cares Collective was born out of a businessowner’s desire to reach out to others when the pandemic turned our world upside down. And Caremongers Pickering-Ajax was created to help people in crisis by providing short-term emergency support.

Community engagement has long been a hallmark of our city and continues to be one of our highest priorities. That is why we launched a new online platform, LetsTalkPickering.ca. Ensuring our residents have a fun and easy way to have a say on the programs, policies, and projects that are shaping Pickering now and into the future helps us see the big picture so we can make better and more informed decisions.

We have encouraged community engagement on a variety of issues, including our bid to bring Lakeridge Health’s new full-service hospital with an emergency room to Pickering. Our proposed 70-acre site would accommodate both a hospital and healthcare campus and would be ideally situated to better support our residents and accommodate future growth.

We also asked our community for input on our Housing Strategy Study. Amid a country-wide housing crisis that has put homeownership out of reach for a growing number of Canadians, all levels of government must pay attention to housing affordability. I believe it is Pickering’s duty to not only acknowledge the crisis, but to take real and meaningful action to address it.

We know a healthy housing system offers a diverse mix of housing to accommodate a variety of individual and family needs. The purpose of the Housing Strategy Study is to establish our role and priorities in facilitating opportunities for developing a diverse range of housing, including affordable, age-friendly and accessible housing here over the next decade.

Pickering has already taken steps to address this important issue. The first residential component within the City Centre, for instance, will be a purposebuilt apartment building. The Durham Live residential project, meanwhile, will be home to 1,500 residential units, 150 units of which have already been designated affordable housing and not just when the units are initially occupied but when transferred to the next occupants.

As we look forward to a new year ahead, I wish you and your loved ones good health and happiness. I am confident we will continue to find strength by helping one another and look forward to your continued and meaningful input into our shared future. As the Pickering Pedestrian Bridge illustrates, great accomplishments begin with a forward-thinking vision that inspires and motivates!

WINTER NIGHTS WINTER NIGHTS City Lights City Lights

A WALK THROUGH EXPERIENCE A WALK THROUGH EXPERIENCE

Take a winter walk through Esplanade Park and experience the magic all season. Immerse yourself into recorded performances including LED dancers, live performers from Groove Marmalade, and a tree lighting countdown, placed throughout the park via QR codes. View our new LED Tree Light Sculpture, lit by Elexicon and Capture the Moment inside Pickering’s Light Tunnel and selfie stations by OPG. Enjoy the magic now until February 2022.