R I C H M O N D H I L L’ S C O M M U N I T Y N E W S PA P E R S I N C E 1 8 7 8
Buying/Selling in 2016? get
The LIBERAL
$1 /32 PAGES
■
Thursday, Aug. 18, 2016
■
yorkregion.com
905-881-3373
Commission 10% ca$h back*+ low Rates for Sellers
Guaranteed in Writing! antonella (ant) Talotta
Platinum Award Winning Sales Representative
Direct: 416-917-7447 Office: 416-654-1010 www.BuyandSellwithAnt.com tOP 1% PRODuCeR** **Sutton Group Security Real Estate Inc. Brokerage
*Based on Antonella’s net commission
MUNICIPAL NEWS
Roof rescue?
FILE PHOTO/SJOERD WITTEVEEN STAFF PHOTO/STEVE SOMERVILLE
Neighbour, owner having spat over patched roof PAGE 14 NATIONAL NEWS
Postal picket
Canada Post workers worry about contract negotiations PAGE 20
While family members shop, Pierre Stinson (left) along with Shifu Sun and grandson, Albert Jiao, watch the Rio Olympics 100m heats from the Olympic lounge at Hillcrest Mall Saturday.
Now both Rio Olympians, bronze medalist Andre De Grasse (left) and Richmond Hill’s Bolade Ajomale showed huge talent in 2012 York Region track competitions.
Shoppers cheer on athletes at mall’s Olympic lounge By Michael Hayakawa
mhayakawa@yrmg.com
How can you bring a country together to celebrate? Hillcrest Mall might have an answer — at least while the 2016 Summer Olympics are going on in Rio de Janeiro. The Richmond Hill mall has set up an Olympic lounge just outside of the Hudson’s Bay store, which is an official retail outlet for Canadian Olympic apparel. Yhe lounge is comprised of four big screen TV monitors utilizing the CBC telecast of the Games around a perimeter with comfortable sofas in the middle. Lisa Resnic, Hillcrest Mall marketing director, noted the Olympic viewing louonge is not only offered at at their shopping centre, but also at other Oxford Properties locations in the province, including Scarborough Town Centre,
Yorkdale Mall and Square One in Mississauga, as examples. While the 2016 Games are just at the midway point, she said the response to the lounge has been positive. “We started when the Opening Ceremonies took place last Friday and there’s been a steady flow of onlookers through the entire week,” she said. “It’s been popular. We’re happy with it and CBC’s mandate in televising the Olympics is to get through to as many viewers as possible and I think we’ve helped.” As part of the Olympic festivities at Hillcrest, Canadian ice dancing competitor and Markham resident Paul Poirier was on hand to sign autographs Saturday. A former competitor at the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver when he skated with Aurora resident Vanessa Crone, Poirier is currently skating with Piper Gilles and finished
serpaautomotivegroup.com
eighth at this year’s world championships. When he’s not on the ice, Poirier has lent some of his downtime to Can Fund, an organization that assists aspiring Canadian amateur athletes with bursary funding. “I applied for funding before I went to the Vancouver Games and received assistance,” he recalled. “It was a blessing and I’ve become more involved with them by serving as a liaison with other athletes.” Poirier said he’s been watching as much of the 2016 Summer Games as time permits. While his competitive season does not begin until September, he said he and his partner are in training in preparation for the upcoming campaign, one they hope will inch them closer toward being medal contenders when the 2018 Winter Games take place in See ‘WE’RE PROUD’, page 27.