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LISA QUEEN lqueen@yrmg.com
yorkregion.com Three people, including a 17-year-old male from Georgina, have been charged with human trafficking after York Regional Police responded to a 911 call from a victim in Georgina. Police received a 911 call March 12 from a female being held against her will at an unknown location for the purpose of prostitution. Officers were able to track down the location of the call and locate the victim. Three male suspects were arrested inside the residence and have been charged with several offences related to human trafficking, according to police. Contrary to common misperceptions that sex slaves are brought here from impoverished countries, 63 per cent of Ontario’s victims of human trafficking are Canadian citizens, says the organizer of a York Region awareness event on human trafficking. Females make up 90 per cent of victims, with 63 per cent ranging in age l See TRIO, page 2
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Steve Somerville/Metroland
Stephanie Jackson and Marianne Deeks mark their wrists with an ’X’, the symbol for the global End It Movement aimed at putting a stop to human trafficking.
NEWS
Region considering asking province for new taxing powers LISA QUEEN lqueen@yrmg.com
Steve Somerville/Metroland
York Region is contemplating new taxes and revenue sources.
If you already feel tax collectors have their hands in your wallet too much as it is, this won’t come as good news. York Region is looking at the possibility of asking the province to allow it to introduce new taxes, or "revenue tools," as bureaucrats and politicians prefer to call them. The region, which is talking to officials from other municipalities in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area to see if they are in the same boat, is eyeing taxes Toronto is permitted to implement such as land transfer, vehicle registration, alcohol, tobacco, entertainment and billboard
taxes, Yi Luo, York’s manager of forecasting and policy, said. That is not to say council would choose to implement all those taxes, she said. At the moment, municipalities other than Toronto can only rely on property taxes, development charges on new growth, user rates such as water and wastewater fees and transit fares, and some minimal fines and penalties. A report outlining various fiscal pressures faced by the region and advocating for additional revenueraising powers is expected to come before councillors in April or May, Luo said. "The reason why we’re investigating the potential new revenue sources is that the region really faces the
dual challenge of servicing the tremendous amount of growth that we’re anticipating, and also making sure that our large and growing asset base (such as roads, water treatment facilities, social housing and paramedic services) is kept in a state of good repair so that we can do both those things in a financially sustainable way to continue to provide the kind of quality services that we provide to our residents." The region’s assets, not including land owned by the region, are now valued at $11 billion, Luo said. The region’s 10-year capital plan calls for $6.1 billion worth of investments, with more than 60 per cent required to accommodate growth.
The transportation master plan shows $22.1 billion is needed until 2041 for roads and transit infrastructure. "We’re basically only meeting a fraction of that need. When you look at the gap, it’s tremendous," Luo said. "Basically, what we’re saying is we’re a growing municipality, we have a large population. But when you look at the kind of tools we have to address these pressures, we have the same tools as a small town in Ontario. Our existing tools don’t have the capacity to allow us to address all of those problems." Council has made financially prudent decisions in l See REGION’S, page 2
NEWS
Newmarket considers power of entry bylaw for officers bylaw officer would attend a property to investigate a complaint, such as overgrown grass or unsightly debris on the property, explained Lesley Long, Newmarket bylaw enforcement supervisor. "The bylaw officer would knock on the door and ask for permission to investigate the property under the current rules," she said. "If they weren’t home, we would leave a note and a card to arrange a return visit or ask the neighbour to use their
TERESA LATCHFORD tlatchford@yrmg.com Bylaw officers may no longer need permission to enter your property. Council has agreed to consider a stand-alone power of entry bylaw that would allow a bylaw officer to investigate the exterior of your property without your permission, a court order or a search warrant. The bylaw is set to be tabled for discussion at the council meeting on March 27. As it stands right now, a
property." If the owner of the property refused, the officer must obtain a court order to investigate the complaint. Under the proposed bylaw, officers will be able to investigate any exterior of a property without consent from the owner or a court order or search warrant. Permission or a court order would still be needed to investigate the interior of buildings on the property. l See PERMISSION, page 7
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Under the proposed power of entry bylaw being considered by Newmarket council, bylaw officers would no longer require permission from the owner, a court order or a search warrant to conduct an inspection.
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