Current & Past Articles » Sports

Rose hits milestone in lacrosse career

March 28, 2024   ·   0 Comments

106th career win after Sunday game

Toronto Rock goalie and former Junior A Northmen player, Nick Rose, has notched an impressive milestone in his professional career after the Rock won 9-8 in overtime over the Halifax Thunderbirds at the First Ontario Centre in Hamilton on Sunday, March 24.

The game marked Rose’s 106th win as a professional goalie in the National Lacrosse League and moved him into third place for all-time goalie wins in the League.

The win moved him ahead of former Rock legend, Bob Watson, who retired with 105 wins. It also places him only one win behind Pat O’Toole who has 107 wins for his career. O’Toole retired from the National Lacrosse League in 2010.

Rose could take over the second spot this season. He has won 12 games so far this year.

Rose won Sunday’s game in front of a packed house of 9,500 fans.

Starting with the Orangeville Junior A Northmen, where he helped the Northmen win the 2009 Minto Cup, and was named the tournament MVP, Rose started his professional career with the Boston Blazers in 2010.

He played two seasons with the Blazers then moved to the Calgary Roughnecks.

Rose was traded to the Toronto Rock in 2012.

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Provincial Junior Hockey League moving into Division finals

March 28, 2024   ·   0 Comments

By Brian Lockhart

Sixteen Junior C hockey teams are going into the Division championship series this week after completing the quarter-final and semi-final rounds of competition.

The Provincial Junior Hockey League is the world’s largest Junior hockey league with 61 teams and eight Divisions.

There were few surprises in the playoffs this season. In seven of the divisions, the two teams who placed first and second in the regular season will be meeting for the division championship.

The only exception is in the East Tod Division where the first-place Frankford Huskies lost their semi-final to the fourth-place Napanee Raiders. In that same Division, the third-place Port Hope Panthers defeated the second-place Amherstview Jets in a semi-final in a series that went six games. This means second and fourth place teams will meet for the title series.

The Division championships provide some very exciting hockey for fans and many arenas are packed for the series games. Division champions will go on to play for the Conference championship. Teams that win the Conference will go on to compete for the provincial Schmaltz Cup.

The Stobbs Division final got an early start with game one of the series between the Lakeshore Canadiens and Essex 73’s getting underway on Sunday, March 24.

Essex won that opening game to lead 1-0.

In the North Carruthers Division, the Stayner Siskins will be up against the Alliston Hornets. That series is scheduled to start on Thursday, March 28, on Alliston home ice. If it goes the distance, the final game will be held on April 8.

The Pollock Division will see the Hanover Barons facing the Mount Forest Patriots.

The Clarington Eagles will meet the Georgina Ice for the Orr Division championship. That series is slated to start on March 28.

In the Tod Division, the Port Hope Panthers will be up against the Napanee Raiders.

The powerhouse Grimsby Peach Kings, who have won the Division title five times over the past seven years, will be up against the Dundas Blues.

In the Doherty Division, the New Hamburg Firebirds will meet the Woodstock Navy Vets.

The Thamesford Trojans will be up against the Mt. Brydges Bulldogs in the Yeck Division.

The winning teams can expect to be playing a long season as the Schmaltz Cup final takes place after the Conference championships meaning the final series of the Junior C season will take place well into May.

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Orangeville Lions 25th Home and Garden Show returning to fairgrounds with over 130 vendors

March 28, 2024   ·   0 Comments

By Sam Odrowski

As spring comes into full swing, there’s no better time to start thinking about home improvement projects.

Whether it’s landscaping, painting, roofing, a major renovation or finding the perfect furniture and décor, a three-day event that’s returning to the Orangeville Fairgrounds (247090 5th Sideroad) will help you find what you need.

The 25th Annual Orangeville Lions Home and Garden Show is running from Friday, April 5 to Sunday, April 7, with plenty to do and see.

“Come on down and celebrate spring with us,” said Orangeville Lion Yasmine Slater, who is helping organize the event. “The Home Show is a centralized spot where the community can come out and see local businesses.”

The home show provides attendees with the opportunity to browse over 130 vendors from various industries, primarily related to home improvement, and discuss their vision with professionals.

While the home show is free, it acts as a fundraiser for the not-for-profit Orangeville Lions, who organize it annually. Through sponsorships and the sale of booth spaces, the Lions are hoping to raise $40,000. That money goes back into the community through charitable projects and donations to other service groups.

“Because we’re a volunteer organization, all the money we collect from vendors supports projects in the local community,” said Slater.

Some projects the Orangeville Lions have completed in the past include the Orangeville Lions Club Sports Park on Diana Dr., the BMX Park on the Alder Parklands and more recently, a natural playground at Island Lake Conservation Centre.

Dufferin Emergency Search and Rescue, a local not-for-profit, will be managing the home show’s free parking, and accepting donations to support their operations.

Organizers of the home show anticipate anywhere from 5,000 to 7,000 attendees over the three-day event.

Slater said the event is a great opportunity to support the local business community and learn more about what they offer.

“You might have a project in mind that you want to source out a local business or if you are looking for inspiration, there will be lots of businesses showcasing the work they’ve done in the past,” said Slater. “It’s very well curated for different types of home projects.”

In addition to home improvement, the three-day event is a great opportunity to learn more about not-for-profit organizations in the region, whether it’s a charity or sports group. They will be set up in the cafeteria area at the event, alongside Cookies by Gia, providing attendees with food options. 

While some vendors will be there for the first time, many come year after year to meet with potential clients. But they usually bring something different to the table. 

“Vendors that come back year after year often have new products,” said Slater. “There might be some new, up and coming technology that’s being showcased this year.”

This year’s home show marks its 25th edition, which also happens to coincide with the 75th anniversary of the Orangeville Lions, as the group was chartered on April 12, 1949.

It started with 21 members and has grown to 51 today.

The Orangeville Lions will have a booth set up at the event for anyone interested in learning more about the organization or volunteering.

“If you’re a little bit curious about joining the Lions and some of the other work we do… I think it’s a great opportunity for people to meet with us and we can discuss some of the great things we’re doing in the community,” said Slater.

If anyone is interested in joining the club but won’t be at the home show, they can email membership@orangevillelions.org.

Slater said she’d encourage everyone to stop by the Orangeville Fairgrounds from April 5 to 7 to shop local and support the local Lions Club. 

The event runs from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on April 5, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on April 6. and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on April 7.

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Current & Past Articles » General News

Wayne Hudson’s paintings love the light

March 28, 2024   ·   0 Comments

By Constance Scrafield

Relatively new to Headwaters Arts at the Alton Mill Arts Centre, Wayne Hudson had his first show at the gallery in the fall of last year. Now he is back with a couple of paintings in his latest show, titled Rejuvenation.

While Hudson grew up in Moncton, NB, he has been settled here in Caledon for many years. 

“I paint what I know,” he said. “Landscapes mainly and with the animals I see. There is an impressionist influence in my paintings.”

Earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) Degree at York University, with a side specializing in painting, he works mostly with acrylics. 

“I graduated and have been painting since then,” he said, adding that, as a landscaper, this year with so little snow has been good for his studio work.

Combining art with landscaping makes sense: the one informs the other. By and large, Mr. Hudson’s business is on contracts with commercial buildings, like condos.

He designs and plants perennial gardens, saying, “My business is working in garden designs. Mostly commercial, I do a High Park area in Toronto, extensive gardens and it is an extension of a canvas. The way I put colours together in a garden is as a result of what I do in painting.”

Being outdoors is the reference for his painting and impressionism works an influence.

“I’m a Christian,” he said. “I appreciate God’s creation and I’m hoping to reflect some of that. My three kids, one is 22, doing his last year in university. My wife is a teacher of grades three and four.

“Our kids are doing their own things, one is a wildlife biologist. Our daughter is in psychology. They’re my best critics. My studio is on the main floor of my house. They see what I’m doing as they walk into the house.

“They all have different takes on my work.”

As with many artists, a life of marriage and children did push art to the side a bit. Over the years, Mr. Hudson still had paintings in juried shows. Most recently, he was part of an art collective in Hamilton, Flagship, until about two years ago. During that association, he staged two solo shows.

In the fall show at the Alton Mill, he sold a piece.

“It’s something I’ll always have,” he said. “Lately, I’ve been more into it. I’ve had more time. During this past winter, I’ve probably produced more than ever before. That’s been a bonus; painting has always been important to me.”

For the last couple of years, Mr. Hudson has opted to run his business with just himself and a couple of students. When artwork gets viewed as a hobby by others, he denies it and asserts that it’s not that for him.

“I hope the viewer stands back and sees what I’ve seen in nature. I just did three snow geese on a simple field, another with animals in a scene, a forest walk.”

His hope is people will stop and look at what is in front of them. 

“I love to paint what I know – small moments. I’m working on a small painting now with the sun coming through the trees in the winter. It makes you pause for a minute,” he observed.

During the days with Flagship in Hamilton, the comment he often got was, “We don’t see the darkness in your paintings.” But Mr. Hudson is not interested in painting the dark side. He paints hope and beauty into his pictures.

With a couple of his recent paintings, he promotes simplicity and light with a pelican he saw in Mexico, the other of ducks on a pond, drawing people in to pause and just look.

Hudson met his wife at university, where she was attending Glendon campus, doing French and English. They graduated at the same time and “we’ve been together ever since, coming up to 33 years.”

We asked him about his ambitions. Pausing momentarily, he told us, “One thing I’m thinking about is getting involved with Headwaters and getting out there. Should I? Always that little trepidation: I don’t know how people will like it. But they do.”

“I just want to keep getting better.”

With simple paintings of what he and many viewers know – easy to look at – we asked him what is he doing to grab the attention of the viewer.

He clarified what is special about his work: “How I handle the colour and light; I keep them fairly bright, care for how the light hits something. One painting was a bull moose – it looked almost like watercolour. The back is misty but how the light makes things appeal to convey hope in the darkness, depicting how the light and colour can make a difference.” 

He mentioned a beach scene bathed in sunshine, and the snow geese, depicting how white is all kinds of other colours too.

“As a Christian, that’s what fits in my life. My witness to the world, what it means to me.

“Everybody has something in his life that is sad,” he said, yet, light always brings hope in Wayne Hudson’s paintings.

@waynehudson.artist

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Peel Police hold summit addressing rising cases of auto theft

March 28, 2024   ·   0 Comments

Summit held in collaboration with a joint management team

By ZACHARY ROMAN

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Peel Regional Police, along with police services from across Ontario, recently met to discuss a rising issue in the Province: auto theft. 

On March 20, in collaboration with a joint management team, the Peel Regional Police held the 2024 Auto Theft Summit. 

The joint management team consisted of the Durham Regional Police Service, Halton Regional Police Service, Hamilton Police Service, Niagara Regional Police Service, Ontario Provincial Police, Toronto Police Service, York Regional Police, Criminal Intelligence Service of Ontario, and Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police.

The summit was held to give law enforcement agencies, government officials, auto manufacturers, the insurance industry, and advocates a chance to come together and tackle the issue of auto theft and address vulnerabilities that are contributing to it. 

The summit was the second to be held; a first was held in 2023. 

Peel Regional Police Chief Nishan Duraiappah said organized auto theft has become an epidemic in many Ontario jurisdictions.

“It has escalated into a complex national issue, impacting the safety and well-being of our communities,” he said. “While we continue to dedicate significant policing resources and see positive results in the work, we also need solutions from government, [and the] automotive and insurance (industries), to vulnerabilities that are contributing to auto theft.”

According to data from the Peel Regional Police, Ontario Provincial Police, Toronto Police service, York Regional Police, Durham Regional Police, Hamilton Regional Police, Niagara Regional Police, and Ottawa Police Services, there has been a 116 per cent increase in stolen vehicles between 2019 and 2023.  

During that time, 15,757 stolen vehicles, valued at $545 million, were recovered.

Peel Regional Police said in 2023 alone 7,400 vehicles were stolen in the Region of Peel. This equals over 600 vehicles stolen per month, around 20 per day.

In the last two years in Peel, there’s been 185 carjackings. One of them resulted in a homicide.

Police services in Ontario have combined to establish a Provincial Car Jacking Task Force to address the rising number of violent auto theft incidents.

According to Peel Regional Police, the task force has to date laid over 730 criminal charges and recovered more than 150 stolen vehicles. This has also resulted in the seizure of numerous firearms.

Provincially-led operations from the Ontario Provincial Police and Criminal Intelligence Service of Ontario have, to date, resulted in over 1,400 criminal charges and the recovery of over 900 stolen vehicles.

York Regional Police Chief Jim MacSween, President of the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police, said Ontario’s police services are working together with governments, community groups, and corporate partners to find effective ways to stop auto theft.

“Organized auto theft is among the top three revenue generators for criminal organizations. It represents a growing and serious threat to public safety and puts police officers at risk as individuals committing these crimes are using increasingly dangerous ways to evade capture and eventual arrest,” said MacSween.

At the summit, calls were made to strengthen enforcement at ports of entry, as well as for targeted legislation and sanctions to curb organized crime. 

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Current & Past Articles » General News

Region to help fund 14 affordable housing units in Caledon

March 28, 2024   ·   0 Comments

Units will be located on Kennedy Road in Southfields Village 

By ZACHARY ROMAN

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Region of Peel is taking steps to secure affordable housing units in Caledon.

At Region of Peel Council’s March 21 meeting, Councillors unanimously approved $7.1 million in funding to secure 14 affordable rental units for 30 years in Caledon. 

At the same time, Councillors approved $2.2 million in funding to secure 50 affordable rental and supportive housing units for 40 years in Mississauga; and $6.3 million in funding to secure 14 affordable rental units for 25 years at another Mississauga location.

The Region gave out the funding through its Peel Affordable Rental Incentives Program (PARIP), which offers incentives to private and non-profit developers to provide affordable rental housing through an annual, competitive call for applications.

Strawberry Fields Residences (Chacon) Inc. is the successful applicant that will be building the 14 affordable housing units in Caledon. They will be located in Southfields Village at 12530, 12540, 12550, and 12560 Kennedy Road. 

The Region started its PARIP program to increase the stock of affordable rental housing in Peel and provide places for low and middle-income families to live. PARIP started in 2021 as a pilot program and in 2022, after a vote of support from Regional Councillors, it became permanent.

The three housing projects that are receiving funding from Peel were selected after they were competitively scored by Region of Peel staff.

A staff report submitted to Regional Council at the March 21 meeting from Sean Baird, Peel’s Commissioner of Human Services, said “staff evaluated applications based on the organization qualifications and experience, their financial proposal, the project readiness, the depth and duration of affordability for the units receiving incentives (beyond the minimum requirements), the planning approvals stage, the proximity to community services and amenities, and how the project meets the needs of the community.”

Region of Peel staff said the need for incentives to support specific housing objectives is becoming recognized more and more across all levels of government. 

In September 2023, the Federal Government announced 100 per cent GST relief for new, purpose-built rental projects. In November 2023, the Provincial Government announced it would be removing the Province’s portion of HST on new purpose-built rental projects.

The Region said it’s going to be monitoring the affordable housing units it secures to ensure that the units remain affordable for the entirety of the agreed-upon periods.

There will be self-reporting from developers, and auditing from the Region.

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Riyasat Indian Restaurant & Bar opens in Bolton

March 28, 2024   ·   0 Comments

Restaurant is the eighth Riyasat to open in the GTA

Caledon Citizen Staff

There’s a new Indian restaurant in Bolton.

On March 23, members of Caledon Council attended Riyasat Indian Restaurant & Bar in Bolton for a grand opening ceremony.

Regional Councillor Mario Russo, Acting Mayor for the day, shared a welcome message to restaurant owners M.K. Sharma and Meet Aulakh.

“On behalf of Mayor Groves and all our Council colleagues, congratulations. It’s our pleasure to be here today to celebrate the grand opening of Riyasat,” said Russo. “As Caledon grows, the Town remains committed to supporting the growth of our local economy. I would like to extend a sincere thanks to the Riyasat team for choosing to invest in Caledon.”

Russo said a new restaurant in Caledon creates jobs and drives the local economy.

“We are fortunate to have your business and look forward to supporting your growth in the community,” said Russo. 

Aulakh explained Riyasat was founded in 2018 with a location in Oakville, and after seeing success it has since expanded to include locations in Etobicoke, Brampton, Mississauga, and now Caledon.

“This city has been welcoming… we have seen an overwhelming response,” he said, adding that Caledon is a beautiful town. 

Aulakh said the decor at Riyasat is designed to provide a royal ambiance.

“The most important thing is our focus on cuisine, quality of food,” he said. “We give authentic Indian food, it’s like a gateway to India.”

Aulakh said he was thankful Riyasat received a warm welcome in Bolton and said he’s looking forward to being a part of the Bolton business community and growing alongside Caledon’s economy.

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Peel submits plans, funding requests to Provincial and Federal governments for asylum claimant response

March 28, 2024   ·   0 Comments

Peel to open Regional Reception Centre for asylum claimants pending funding

By ZACHARY ROMAN

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Region of Peel has developed what it calls a sustainable plan to help asylum claimants — but it needs the support of the Provincial and Federal governments to implement it.

On March 21 the Region announced it was submitting its “Asylum Claimant Response — Moving Towards a Sustainable Model” proposal to the Provincial and Federal governments to let them know what funding would be required to adopt and implement it.

There’s an unprecedented number of asylum seekers coming to Canada right now, and it can be seen in Peel Region where emergency shelters are operating well above capacity (over 350 per cent). The Region said the rise in asylum claimants first started in June 2023 and has continued to grow since, with no end in sight.

The Region of Peel, which is in charge of housing services, secured additional shelter facilities and overflow hotels. However, this is expensive and unsustainable from a funding standpoint. Due to this, Peel is looking to differentiate its asylum claimant response system from its emergency shelter and homelessness response system.

The Region has been working on a new model which will contain two distinct components. The Region wants to implement a “Regional Reception Centre” with coordinated transfers to other municipalities, and dedicated Peel shelter facilities for asylum claimants.

According to the Region, the Regional Reception Centre will serve the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area and provide the following services: needs assessments, service navigation, orientation sessions, legal aid, IRCC information, Ontario Works information, language and settlement services, and health services where applicable.

The Region said this approach, which it calls person-centred, will give asylum claimants the tools and resources they need to successfully integrate into Canadian society.

Peel said it needs an annual commitment of $62,000 per asylum claimant from the Provincial and Federal governments in order to operationalize its Regional Reception Centre. It said funding will move with asylum claimants if they settle outside of Peel.

Peel said regardless of whether it gets the funding, it will create asylum claimant-focused shelters. However, it said if it doesn’t get funding, the approach will cause further strain on homelessness prevention efforts and hinder asylum claimants in their efforts to integrate into the community.

The Region also wants the Federal Government to commit to one-time capital and annual operating costs for the Regional Reception Centre, which it currently estimates at $10 million and $9.3 million respectively. 

Peel’s commissioner of human services Sean Baird said the continued arrival of asylum seekers in Peel Region represents a growing social crisis. He said Peel’s already-strained homelessness support system is nearing collapse.

“We cannot continue to simply lease additional hotels to provide temporary housing for thousands of asylum seekers,” said Baird. “A new model is necessary to ensure all levels of government can work together and proper supports can be provided to those who are here and working to establish themselves in Canada, as well as the tens of thousands expected to continue to arrive into the GTHA.”

Region of Peel Council Chair Nando Iannicca said Peel staff have gone above and beyond to support asylum claimants on their journeys to settling in Canada.

“This is incredibly complex work that touches so many lives,” he said. “As we move from a crisis-level response to a more sustainable solution, an all-governments approach is required. I look forward to sharing Peel’s proposed response and actioning its solutions together.”

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Halt all hiring: an immediate fix for reining in unchecked government bureaucracy

March 28, 2024   ·   0 Comments

by FRANK STRONACH

Most Canadians would not be surprised to learn there are way too many civil servants in Ottawa. 

But they would probably be shocked to learn just how top-heavy the Canadian bureaucracy really is. That’s one of the eye-opening bits of information revealed at a House of Commons committee meeting last week featuring Parliamentary Budget Officer Yves Giroux.   

According to Giroux, federal bureaucrats can report to as many as seven different levels of management within various government departments. When questioned whether seven layers of management was excessive or necessary, Giroux responded that “there is room to reduce.” 

Even the federal government, which is not known for fiscal discipline, said it could lop $3 billion per year in government administration over the next five years. But that only represents a paltry one percent reduction in total annual spending. Surely there’s a lot more fat, duplication and waste that can be cut out of the budget without laying off any civil servants.  

For the past several years, I’ve consistently advocated for government spending cuts of 5 per cent per year over a period of ten years, which would end up reducing government overhead by half within a decade. I’ve also suggested the creation of a task force comprised of retired business leaders who could assist in determining areas where the government could cut spending.

The Fraser Institute published a report last month showing how the federal government could balance the budget within a year simply by reducing government spending by 4.3 per cent – an amount very close to what I’ve proposed. 

The proposed spending cut formula I put forward is one of seven common-sense principles I’ve advocated for the past year as part of a new Economic Charter of Rights to revive our economy and restore Canadian prosperity.  

But it’s not just the cost of excessive bureaucracy that Canadians object to. It’s also the red tape and regulations that come with it, which end up making everything slower and more complicated than necessary. 

The federal civil service now chews up over $67 billion per year in salaries, benefits and pensions – a record high amount. The escalating growth in payroll was termed “worrisome” by the Parliamentary Budget Officer.

Not only are there more civil servants than ever, but there’s also more bureaucrats than ever taking home six-figure salaries. According to the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, over 110,000 federal public servants made in excess of $100,000 in 2023. In short, not only is our bureaucracy growing by the day – it’s also becoming more expensive. 

Despite the swelling size of our civil service, it’s important to note that bureaucrats should never be made the scapegoat for the financial mismanagement created by governments. It’s not their fault spending has gotten out of control.  

Regardless, the problem posed by our ever-expanding bureaucracy needs to be dealt with immediately. It’s been put on the back burner for far too long.

In addition to reducing government spending on overhead by five per cent per year for ten years, we should implement an immediate and permanent hiring freeze when it comes to the civil service until the public sector payroll shrinks to a more sustainable level. 

If the government official who’s been put in charge of keeping an eye on our budget says there’s room to reduce the size of our bureaucracy, then we should start reducing. 

Not only will we save billions of dollars, but Canadians might also finally get a break from overzealous bureaucrats meddling in every aspect of our lives.

To learn more about how we can increase Canadian living standards, email me at info@economiccharter.ca.   

Author Bio

Frank Stronach is the founder of Magna International Inc., one of Canada’s largest global companies, and the Stronach Foundation for Economic Rights  (www.economiccharter.ca). 

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Credit where credit is due

March 28, 2024   ·   0 Comments

by SHERALYN ROMAN

We are rapidly approaching everyone’s favourite time of year, tax time, but despite the title, that’s not what this column is about. Known for occasionally calling out the Town (and/or Doug Ford) on a variety of issues, I hope I am equally known for trying to be generous of spirit and give credit where credit is due, even if the amount of credit is very, very, small. After all, most progress is incremental whether we’re talking about a baby learning to walk, recovery from a health concern, or when learning long division. Is that still a thing? Did I just give away my age with that last question? I digress. Slow or not, here’s a reminder of some of the things for which we should be thankful, followed of course by perhaps just one or two callouts! 

While the Town (at least in theory) remains busy addressing a response to the application of a multinational consortium intent on decimating yet more Caledon acreage, it’s only fair we make note of something pit-related that’s slightly more positive. The Credit Valley Conservation Authority is hosting a “Pits to Parks” information session on April 18 to update residents and seek input on the ecological restoration of two former aggregate sites. Their goal is to undertake a series of studies reviewing the “technical, environmental and social feasibility of importing clean excess soil to facilitate the enhanced ecological restoration of Pinchin Pit and Flaherty West Pit.”

Yes, it strikes me as a little ironic that while we are talking about allowing not just excavation, but the blasting to kingdom come at yet another quarry in our collective backyards, we are also talking about filling in the damage caused by previous pits. However, to give credit where credit is due, the potential incremental progress of a “pits to parks” policy is one that will benefit Caledon residents if not now, then for generations to come.

In other news, the carnage on Highway 10 continues to dominate the Caledon news cycle.

There’s simply no other way to refer to this highway as anything other than a multitude of accidents waiting to happen, and happening they are. However, in addition to changes that were implemented some time ago to address significant traffic concerns at Highway 10 and Olde Base Line, finally something is also being done to help alleviate the chaotic mayhem happening now at Highway 10 and Old School Road. A recent announcement has confirmed that a “protective permissive left turn” signal has been installed. In other words, an advanced green light. This will potentially enhance the safety of the thousands of people travelling through that intersection daily. Combined with the VERY LONG OVERDUE building of a second exit out of Southfields (when Abbotside Way finally connects to Heart Lake Road) residents at the south end of Caledon will hopefully begin to feel at least a little more secure in their daily commutes. Nonetheless, the critics were fast and furious, taking to social media demanding a complete overhaul of the highway from Shelburne to south of Valleywood Blvd. I am in complete agreement, but progress is progress however slow it might be, so I’m giving credit where credit is due.

As “giving credit” goes, let’s hope that those Councillors who have lobbied hard for further changes to enhance safety on Highway 10 (Ward One Councillor Lynn Kiernan, thank you) continue to do so. In his own recent social media post, it seems Councillor Sheen agrees that “Highway 10 continues to be a very busy highway with ever increasing volumes of traffic.”

Perhaps he and other Councillors will add their voice to the advocacy work because with both commuters and heavy truck traffic rising exponentially, if approved a new quarry will only exacerbate the problem. Credit where it is due but let’s keep up the push for change.

In other news, I fear yet more traffic trouble is headed our way. It appears that roads previously designated as “haulage routes” are henceforth to be known as a Strategic Goods Movement Network (SGMN).  That’s a mouthful. A cynic (ok, me) might think this is not a “rose by any other name would smell as sweet” scenario, but rather, an attempt at labelling something as a “strategic goods” movement network provides a workaround allowing pits and quarries to use whatever roads suit them best (such as the completely unsafe use of Main Street through downtown Alton running within just a few metres of an elementary school, a retirement home and places of business) because what they are “moving” are considered “strategic goods.”

Still on the topic of traffic, my final comments are “credit is due,” served with a side of snark.

Adding their voices to the many calling for an overhead crosswalk or a set of traffic lights at the intersection of Stowmarket and Kennedy Road in Southfields, a group of area seniors met a while ago with Mayor Groves to share their concerns. So, this is first, a thank you to the Mayor for making time in her busy schedule to meet personally with those residents. There are genuine concerns about this portion of our Caledon roadways and with both seniors walking, and children heading to school, forming a significant portion of the pedestrian traffic in an area where stop sign running occurs regularly at high speeds, something must be done sooner than later.

Since the meeting, however, as the saying goes, it’s been “crickets.” Things take time, we all understand that, but let’s not wait until someone is injured or worse. There have already been too many close calls. Whether it was already scheduled work, or a social media posting by Councillor Sheen last year, the offer to paint “more visible” crosswalk lines was made but that will do nothing to disrupt the flow of traffic, particularly so in winter when those lines will be anything BUT visible.

It’s time to do the right thing and listen to our elders who really do know better. Make this intersection safe please, Mayor Groves. I’m going to go ahead and give credit where credit is due and hope that you’ll recognize (when no one else seems to be listening) the importance of a “safety first” attitude at this particular location. Older adults and young children’s lives depend on it.

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