May 10 2020
The Deputy Mayor's Exchange
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Heroes Past and Present
Canadian soldiers fought to preserve the freedom that we enjoy today. Many of those heroes made the ultimate sacrifice.
Sadly one of those brave veterans,
Al Saunders, long time Unionville resident, passed away yesterday. Al was 96 and and had lived in the Heritage District since 1955. He served in the Royal Canadian Navy and took part in D-Day. Al was a native of Newfoundland.
Special thanks goes to Al's friend, neighbour and local hero Peter Wales whose daily help ensured that Al could stay in his own home to the end.
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We had some excitement this week as four fire trucks came screaming down our street.
Neighbours had left some rags in their garage that they had been using to stain new outdoor wood furniture. They smelled a funny odour and found their garage filled with smoke. The situation was quickly dealt with by Markham Fire. This should serve as an excellent reminder to dispose of oily/stain soaked rags properly and that every household should have a
fire emergency plan.
And to all the Moms and Grandmas, I hope you had a terrific
Mother's Day! 💐
Click here
to read the previous edition of
The Deputy Mayor's Exchange.
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In this issue
- Happy Highlights
- MPL from Home
- MSBC Upcoming Seminar
- Markham Board of Trade
- York Link
- The Missing Link
- Take the Challenge
- Rouge National Urban Park
- Virtual Varley
- Markham Museum Online
- Keeping Markham Safe
- Road Updates
- Mental Health Checklist
- Your Pet During COVID-19
- Contact Tracing
- Ambulance Donations
- Fight the Bite
- Parenting Resources
- Who Should I Contact?
- York Region Update
- Community Meetings and Events
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Please forward this update to anyone that may find it of interest.
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Looking for more information?
Any of the
blue text,
blue buttons and most of the graphics have links to further detail.
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Happy Highlights
Chelsea and Erika are the grandchildren of two residents at
Union Villa Long Term Care
.
Join the girls by dropping off your own decorated rock garden to support the terrific staff. #
positivityrocks
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A shout out to Ms. Jey's grade 2 class at Ashton Meadows Public School! Their class sent a thank you to Frontline workers at MSH who are risking their safety for ours.
As a part of an ongoing series, I am highlighting good news and events happening around the City. If you have something to share, please
send me the details of your local initiatives and I will be happy to include them in future editions of the DME.
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Let's Connect
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During this unprecedented time, we have to physically distance and isolate ourselves for everyone's well being. We are social beings and the inability to socialize and connect with friends, families and neighbours can be a very challenging time. It can be stressful and you may feel alone.
To ensure that the community still feels connected while we are physically apart, the Markham Public Library has launched Keeping Connected - a phone check in service for our community! MPL staff will contact you via phone for a friendly chat. They can offer information regarding all the resources and services that MPL is providing or just say hello, and chat about the weather -
Sign up here -
If you know someone who can benefit from this, please help to spread the news.
MPL will continue to hosting virtual meetups and other resources for both kids and adults.
Check out their Library at Home programming which includes circle time, parents social hour, STEAM activities, trivia night, infant sleep workshop and more.
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This week (Friday May 15) they are hosting another webinar to help retailers prepare their businesses to open. I participated on last week's webinar and it was very informative.
Register now for this week's event.
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The MBT is working to help local businesses with resources to
access various programs and events.
MBT has also sent up a website,
Are You Open?, to support Markham businesses. Use it to find out what's open and where you can buy locally.
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York Region Economic Development is has been answering questions about COVID-19 for business owners. Answers to their frequently asked questions can be found here including back to work protocols to keep employees healthy.
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Good news for Thornhill residents
This initiative sought “to reroute freight traffic to establish a new east-west rail network (over a new railway line through the southern portion of York Region and Thornhill) to facilitate Metrolinx’s plan to separate freight train and passenger train service (Regional Express Rail) on the Milton and Kitchener GO lines.”
I was always skeptical of the plan. Rerouting CP Rail’s freight traffic from Toronto to a new railway line through Thornhill would require a herculean effort of time, operational cooperation between two notorious competitors, slashing of bureaucratic red tape – both private and public sector – and a capital expenditure not seen since the building of Canada’s transcontinental railway in 1885 when Sir John A. Macdonald was in the Prime Minister’s chair.
We still need better public transit options. However, thinking that they should come at the expense of the safety and well being of densely populated communities was misguided from the start.
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Post your picture or video doing the challenge, tag @cityofmarkham and use #MarkhamRecAtHome for your chance to be featured and entered into a random draw to win a free City of Markham recreation program registration. A new winner will be chosen every week!
Details
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Parks Canada visitor services remain suspended and all visitor facilities remain closed. This means that all parking lots, washrooms and day use facilities are closed until further notice however roadways that pass through the park remain open. While you can't get out to the Park at this time, you can enjoy a
virtual visit
to the park.
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What is it with people dumping their garbage and not disposing of it properly? There has been an increase in illegal dumping in the Rouge. Please help to curb and report this harmful activity. For nearby locals and neighbours of the Rouge, if you witness incidents of illegal dumping in the park, please contact 416.282.1019 with any information. Tips may be left anonymously.
More information
To improve pedestrian safety in Rouge National Urban Park, Parks Canada in partnership with Regional Council, approved the creation of four pedestrian activated signalized crossings in the Park. Capital, construction and installation costs associated with the pedestrian walkways will be covered by Parks Canada, with York Region providing future servicing and maintenance costs.
The pedestrian crossings are to be located on 14th Avenue west of York-Durham Line, 16th Avenue east of Reesor Road, Major Mackenzie Drive west of Reesor Road and York Durham Line north of Concession 8 and will connect to a 10-kilometre section of trail that is accessible to all residents and visitors.
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Like other City of Markham facilities, the Varley Art Gallery has been closed to the public since the middle of March. Staff continue to work behind the scenes, working from home with essential staff on site for daily checking and maintenance of both the gallery and the McKay Art Centre.
What have they been working on? They have been working on their exhibit schedule and late summer and fall programs, the “Varley Case Competition” an online Business Challenge directed at high school students and scheduled for May 22. While they are closed to the public, they are also rolling out the following programming:
- explore the current exhibits from home - view now
- virtual lunch and learn - May 27 - 12:30pm - register now
- Isolation Creations - collage kits - the Varley has prepared everything you'll need to create a one-of-a-kind collage at home. Cut and paste materials for fun and expression. When you're done, share your work on social media using #varleyartgallery. Pick up you kit at the Varley Courtyard on Tuesday May 12 between 10am and 12pm (first come first served) and remember physical distancing when you go to get your kit.
- $1,000 Wallace Joyce Scholarship - Do you know a York Region high school student who will be graduating this year and going on to pursue post-secondary education in art, design or a related field? The Varley-McKay Art Foundation will be awarding a scholarship to one student - apply now
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While the Markham Museum is currently closed, they have been moving some of their
exhibits and resources
online.
In their current exhibit,
Markham Moves,
they investigate how transportation has changed over time and how our community has evolved. View the exhibit
here.
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from the Desk of Fire Chief Dave Decker
Since January 1, fire fatalities across Ontario increased by 65% compared to the same time last year, with 17 Ontarians dying in fires in March alone. Between January 1 and May 4, 2019, there were 31 fire fatalities in Ontario. Over that same period this year, there have been 51 fire fatalities. City of Markham residents must remain vigilant in preventing fires in their homes, especially now with so many people at home practicing physical distancing because of COVID-19.
How to protect yourself and your loved ones in your home:
- Always stay in the kitchen when you are cooking. Unattended cooking is a leading cause of home fires. Keep a close eye on anyone drinking alcohol and attempting to cook or smoke.
- Encourage smokers to smoke outside the home and outside the garage. Thoroughly extinguish all smoking materials in water or sand, NOT flower pots.
- Always blow out candles before leaving the room.
- Avoid overloading electrical outlets. Extension cords should be used only as a temporary connection. Avoid running electrical cords under rugs, which can damage the cords and cause a fire.
- Do not attempt to sterilize or decontaminate face masks for re-use by heating them in a microwave or other type of oven. Various fabric or metal components can overheat or create sparks and cause a fire if heated in a microwave.
- Test smoke alarms monthly by pressing the test button. Only working smoke alarms can give you the early warning you need to safely escape a fire in your home.
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Road Updates
Work is scheduled to begin this week o
n Highway 7 from Allstate Parkway to Town Centre Boulevard and expected to be complete in the fall. As with all road construction projects, some work may be rescheduled due to weather or delays related to COVID-19 guidelines. More detail
here
.
Microsurfacing
is a road preservation treatment that will be applied to treat minor defects. This process is a common and cost-effective process to extend the life of the road surface which will initially feel rougher and sound noisier. Over time, the stones will knead together and the surface will become quieter.
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York Region Council approved changes to speed limits at
four locations
across the Regional road network including Highway 7 from 100 metres west of McCowan Road to 200 metres east of Main Street Unionville from 70 km/hr to 60 km/hr
Speed limit revisions take a number of factors into consideration, including changing land use, promoting consistent speed limits and improving traffic operations.
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It is important to know that there's no need to go through COVID-19 alone. We're all in this together and it's important to keep our mental health top of mind. More information from CAMH can be
found here.
The Ontario government is also expanding
mental health services
to help thousands of Ontarians experiencing anxiety and depression.
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As much as staying home during COVID-19 can be a difficult adjustment for many people, our companion animals may also be finding the change of routine challenging.
Your everyday life is much different now, and so is theirs. Schedules have changed, tensions may be high, and normal routines have been disrupted. Some of you may be experiencing fear, anxiety, stress and frustration, and your pets may be experiencing these emotions, too.
This unsettled environment can lead to unwanted behaviours as your pet tries to cope with the new normal. To help animals adjust to the change, we’re sharing tips and resources on establishing daily routines, how to incorporate quiet time, managing meals and snacks, as well as games and activities to encourage independent play. Did you know that Markham has an Animal Care Committee?
Details here
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Contact tracing is Public Health’s most effective tool to slow the spread of COVID-19. It has helped successfully control the spread of COVID-19 in many other parts of the world, including South Korea, Taiwan and Singapore.
Contact tracing helps identify or isolate the close contacts (ring of people) around an infected individual, which in turn interrupts the spread of the disease from one individual to others around them. Close contacts include people you live with, have intimate relationships with, people you care for or who care for you, as well as people you’ve visited, spent time with at work or who have visited your home. More details
here
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York Region Donates Two Ambulances
York Region Council approved the donation of two decommissioned ambulances to not-for-profit organizations whose services align with services supported by York Region.
Donation of decommissioned ambulances enhances these organizations’ ability to provide services to York Region residents.
One ambulance will be donated to
St. John Ambulance
to meet increased demand and to provide training and community support services. The other ambulance will be donated to
Wounded Warriors Canada
to provide mobile mental health education in the community.
In York Region, ambulances that reach an established lifecycle of five years or approximately 250,000 kilometres are removed from use. Older decommissioned ambulances continue to be well-maintained and safe and can be repurposed to serve other communities in need.
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To limit the impact of vector-borne diseases including
West Nile
virus and
Lyme disease
, York Region begins its
vector borne disease program
this May. Vector-borne diseases are transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected vector such as a mosquito or tick. Ontario Public Health units manage these diseases in accordance with the Ontario Public Health standards.
2019 surveillance shows continued Lyme disease activity, including increased blacklegged ticks in natural forested areas.
To prevent vector-born disease, follow these simple tips if heading outdoors:
- Wear light-colored clothes and long-sleeved tops to help spot ticks and deter mosquitoes
- Clean up standing water around your home where mosquitoes like to breed (flower pots, old tires, tin cans, pool covers)
- Choose closed-toe footwear
- Use insect repellent containing DEET
- Search your body for ticks, especially through the groin, scalp, back and underarm areas
- Remove attached ticks from your body as quickly as possible and report to York Region Public Health
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Parenting has been exceptionally more challenging due to school and child care closures as a result of
COVID-19
. Resi
dents of York Region can access parenting support over the telephone.
Learn more
Having trouble coping as a new parent? You can talk or chat live with a registered nurse. Ask health questions confidentially at
york.ca/nursechat
or call 1.800.361.5653 and press 2.
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What level of Government can
help
?
False information continues to spread about COVID-19. Please use official sources to verify what you have heard or read. The best sources of official updates are noted below. The
City's page helps to decipher who to contact about various issues.
Below are some links mentioned - click on the
blue
text to access updates and resources
COVID-19 Assessment Centres
- check their website for specific hours
Federal or Provincial issues, please contact your local Member of Parliament or your Member of Provincial Parliament.
Upcoming Meetings
- May 11 - virtual Development Services Meeting - 9:30am - details
- May 12 - virtual Council Meeting - 1pm - details
- May 14 - virtual YR Committee of the Whole - 9am - details
- May 19 - virtual General Committee Meeting - 9:30am - details
- May 25 - virtual Development Services Meeting - 9:30am - details
- May 26 - virtual Council Meeting - 1pm - details
- May 28 - virtual YR Council Meeting - 9am - details
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We have been holding all meetings virtually including York Region Council meetings. Details of this and upcoming YR meetings and other information is available
here
.
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- SM4RT Living helps fight war on waste - details
- More than 102,000 trees and shrubs planted in 2019 - details
- Telephone support for parents with children up to age six - details
- Virtual Neonatal clinics help families at home - details
- Emergency Childcare - apply here
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Community Meetings and Events
As it stands now, most upcoming events have been cancelled.
Once new events are scheduled they will be added to the list.
- Upcoming Markham Public Library Events - here
- Upcoming Varley Gallery Events - here
I'd be pleased to highlight other community meetings in future newsletters. Please forward the details to
dhamilton@markham.ca
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Working together to make Markham better!
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