Vol. 10 No. 27
YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER COVERING NORTH DURHAM
THURSDAY, JULY 4, 2013
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Editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Business Buzz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Entertainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
JULIE COLBY* Assistant
Talking trails in Uxbridge BLAKE WOLFE The Standard
UXBRIDGE: The movement of trail systems away from sensitive lands and the preservation of historic buildings are among the highlights of a new environmental management plan affecting lands within Uxbridge Township. Uxbridge councillors recently got an update on the Toronto Region Conservation Authority’s East Duffins Creek management plan, which, according to TRCA spokesperson Adam Szaflarski, will be implemented over a 15-year timeframe. The $2.375 million plan, approved in principle in
March, is now seeking the support from involved municipalities including Uxbridge (council approved the plan on June 24), which contains a large portion of lands involved. A finalized version of the plan is anticipated in September. Among the plan’s highlights, said Mr. Szaflarski, will be the relocation of numerous trails – approximately 100 km – away from lands identified as sensitive, as well as the maintenance and preservation of several historic buildings, including the Walker Mill, which Mr. Szaf larski said would likely be turned into an “interpretive feature”
accessible to the public, depending on how safe the current structure is. “There’s some work needed to keep it safe,” said Mr. Szaflarski. “It may only be a viewing feature. It’s the cultural heritage treasure of the property.” Councillors offered their support for the plan, with Ward 5 Councillor Gord Highet looking toward the potential economic benefits for the township. “If we can get one per cent of the trail users into town,” said the councillor, who also sits on the township’s trails committee, “that’s still a very large number of people going shopping here.”
Parking fees a no-GO BLAKE WOLFE The Standard
HAPPY CANADA DAY!: Scugog and Uxbridge Town Crier Bill McKee declares beginning of the Canada Day opening ceremonies in Port Perry, which once again drew massive crowds to Palmer Park. See Pages 12 and 13 for more photos from Canada Day in North Durham. BENJAMIN PRIEBE The Standard
DURHAM: Local commuters using GO trains and buses won’t be paying a little extra after all, following a lively discussion by Regional council regarding the potential introduction of parking fees at the service’s lots and garages. The issue of GO parking fees was one of a pair of amendments introduced by Ajax Mayor Steve Parish, during a discussion of Durham’s response to a provincial report on the next phase of the Metrolinx transit expansion project. Twenty members of council voted against the proposal. The notion of investigating a parking fee was previously removed from the report, during a discussion at the Region’s Finance and Administration committee. Durham Finance Commissioner RJ Clapp explained that the parking fee was originally discussed with Durham Region Transit as a “mechanism to assist local transit expenditures.” The Ajax mayor’s second amendment - regarding proposed changes to the Region’s Development Charge Act, which
would allow for Durham to direct more funding toward its cycling plan - was also voted down. According to Mayor Parish, the GO parking fees could serve as a way for the Region to not only recoup some costs related to the maintenance of Durham Region Transit, but to also help reduce rush hour gridlock by limiting the number of vehicles parked at GO lots. “We pay a lot of money for our transit service and everything that enhances that service,” said Mayor Parish. “But there’s no such thing as free – free means someone else is paying for it. By charging a reasonable fee for parking at GO stations, that makes people make a sound economic decision whether to take the car or take a bus. The Westney Rd. station is very much overloaded during rush hour. This won’t raise big money, but it will send a message and the money is best raised by helping people make a better decision regarding transit. Along the lakefront municipalities, gridlock is an issue that is costing the Region millions of dollars every year.” T U R N TO PAG E 5