The Deputy Mayor's Exchange - A New Face For An Old Street

February 20 2022

The Deputy Mayor's Exchange

Can't view entire email? Click here to read in your browser.

A New Face For An Old Street

Main Street Unionville will be under the microscope this week as the Development Services Committee discusses approval of a staff recommendation to spend $10,250,000 towards rehabilitation and renewal of the street. This is part of the normal lifecycle process of City of Markham assets. Underground infrastructure, road surfaces, boulevard and sidewalk treatments are all due for replacement. Due to the strong fiscal planning by our finance and administrative staff we are financially ready for this project.

Wednesday is Pink Shirt day. I will have mine on will you?

Family Day is tomorrow. Whatever the make up of your family take time to enjoy the day. Don't forget that pets and grandparents are part of the family too so be sure to include them in your activities if possible.

Have a safe and enjoyable week.

Email - dhamilton@markham.ca

In this issue

- Happy Family Day!

- Still Need a Vaccine or Booster?

- Black History Month Celebration

- Pink Shirt Day

- Volunteers Needed

- Durham York Energy Centre

- Crime Prevention Presentation

- Student Housing Forum

- Sports Equipment Donation Drive

- Report Coyote Sightings

- Other Items

- Upcoming Meetings

- York Region Update

- Community Happenings

Please forward this update to anyone that may find it of interest.

Looking for more information?

Any of the blue text, blue buttons and most of the graphics

have links to further detail.

Find Your Ward Councillor

Click here to read the previous edition of The Deputy Mayor's Exchange.

Happy Family Day!

Looking for something to do tomorrow on your long Family Day weekend?

Here some suggestions of things to do around Markham. If the weather cooperates, why not try a winter hike through part of the York Region Forest? Or perhaps one of the many other activities that are open and ready for fun. Here are 25 things to do around York Region.

Still Need a Vaccine or Booster?

At some point the DME will no longer be including updates on vaccine availability and other COVID-19 related details, but for this week here is the current information. Details continue to change and as always, the most up-to-date source remains york.ca/covid19.

As of this week, vaccine doses

559,471 COVID-19 booster doses have been administered in York Region, representing 46.5% of all York Region residents
61.2% of York Region children age 5 to 11 have received their first dose vaccine and 30.5% have received a second dose
88.1% of residents age 5+ have received at least one vaccine dose and 84.1% have received two doses

Booster Doses for youth 12 to 17

on February 14, the Provincial Government announced the expansion of booster dose eligibility to include all youth aged 12 to 17 and as of last Friday this group can now receive a booster dose
first, second and booster doses are available for walk-ins and by booking an appointment - details can be found at york.ca/covid19vaccine

Clinic availability

On Family Day, Monday February 21, all York Region Public Health, hospital and community partner vaccine clinics will be closed and will reopen on Tuesday. Other options will remain available and can be found at york.ca/covid19vaccine.
York Region will continue to assess the ongoing need for mass vaccination operations and will over time scale down and demobilize mass clinics. Updates on what clinics are open and where you can receive your vaccine or booster can be found at york.ca/covid19vaccine.
GO-VAXX bus mobile vaccine clinics run by the Ontario Government, in partnership with Metrolinx, are accepting walk-ins for first, second and booster doses at upcoming GO-VAXX clinics. The following local clinics are happening on Monday:
Markville Mall, 5000 Highway 7 East from 10am to 6pm
SoccerCity, 45 Innovator Avenue in Stouffville from 10am to 6pm

Do you have questions about COVID-19 vaccines for your children aged 5 to 11? York Region Public Health will be hosting a webinar on Tuesday February 22 from 6pm to 7pm for parents, guardians and caregivers that will featuring local experts and health care professionals. It's your opportunity to learn more and ask questions. Additional information about the event and registration details can be found here.

Celebrating Black History Month in Markham

Join the City of Markham on Wednesday February 23 at 5:30pm for a free, virtual Black History Month celebration - learn more.

In collaboration with the Markham African Caribbean Canadian Association, the Markham Public Library and the Mayor’s Black Youth Liaison Committee, the City is pleased to celebrate the theme “Black Inspiration: Making history.” This virtual event will feature:

guest speakers from Black York Region (BYR) Youth
presentation of the Community Appreciation Awards
keynote speaker: Tiyahna Ridley-Padmore, including a live reading of her book, Trailblazers: The Black Pioneers who Have Shaped Canada
special musical performance from Aria Zenua.

Pink Shirt Day

Pink Shirt Day is on Wednesday February 23 and it's the day to wear a pink shirt to support anti-bullying programs that teach empathy, compassion and kindness. Don't have a pink shirt? You can wear another pink item of clothing to show your support too.

Pink Shirt Day was first organized in 2007 by David Shepherd and Travis Price of Berwick, Nova Scotia. After a grade 9 student was bullied for wearing a pink shirt on the first day of school, David and Travis distributed pink shirts to all of the boys in their school to take a stance against harassment. Learn more about Pink Shirt day here.

Since then Pink Shirt Day has become a day that is committed to raising awareness and ending bullying and harassment. Take a stand, celebrate diversity and challenge stereotypes by wearing pink on February 23 and using #MarkhamWearsPink on social media.

Volunteers Needed

Now's your opportunity to get involved and help shape some of the decisions made by Markham City Council. Markham Boards and Committees provide advice to Council on their specific mandate and volunteer positions are currently available on the following Committees:

Advisory Committee on Accessibility
Animal Care Committee
Environmental Advisory Committee
German Mills Community Centre Board
Heritage Markham Committee
Race Relations Committee.

The deadline for applications is March 7 2022. More information and application details are available at markham.ca/volunteering.

Durham York Energy Centre

Do you know where you garbage goes when it is collected from your curb?

Some of it is taken to the Durham York Energy Centre (DYEC) which safely processes 140,000 tonnes per year of residential garbage from both York and Durham Regions. This is the garbage that remains after maximizing waste diversion programs – reducing, reusing, recycling and composting. DYEC is a waste management facility that produces energy from the combustion of garbage - virtual tour here. Did you know that:

the facility is owned by Durham and York Regions and only residential garbage from those Regions is accepted
in 2019 it diverted 140,000 tonnes of waste from landfill and produced enough electricity to power the equivalent of 10,000 homes for one year
it also recovered and recycled the equivalent of 36 million aluminum cans and 3,000 cars worth of steel.

Residual waste is received from York Region municipalities (including Markham) at two transfer stations, mixed together and shipped out for processing. Of the Region's 139,000 tonnes of residual garbage 22% is processed at DYEC and the remainder is processed at two other energy recovery facilities. Approximately 6,000 tonnes of the total 26,000 tonnes of waste received from Markham was processed at DYEC in 2021. You can learn more about the Durham York Energy Centre here.

Crime Prevention Presentation

Markham Crime Prevention Officer, Brian Hinds, will be presenting a workshop on Community Safety and Well-Being, specifically Break and Enter and Car Thefts on Wednesday February 23at 5-6.30pm. The event will discuss the new Community Safety Data Portal and also cover how to can set up a Neighbourhood Watch Group for your area. There will also be an opportunity to ask questions.

You can register for the event here. Attaining knowledge and then taking appropriate action is always good to keep away criminals and to create a safer community.

Student Housing Forum

This week Ward 3 Councillor Reid McAlpine will be hosting a Student Housing Forum on February 22 at 7 pm via Zoom as York University's Markham Campus is scheduled to open in the Fall of 2023.

Along with all the positive impacts that this new campus is expected to bring to the area there will also be some challenges. One of those will be affordable student housing. Over the next months Councillor McAlpine will be hosting a number of additional public forums to help everyone understand the issues. At this meeting will include a presentation on the City's policies on basement apartments and rooming houses, a discussion with two City of Oshawa Councillors who will share their experiences relative to Ontario Tech University (formerly UOIT) and a Q&A session. To register for this event please email Reid's EA Marina Antonoglou at mantonoglou@markham.ca.

Sport Equipment Donation Drive

Is it too early for a bit of Spring cleaning? Now's the time to have a look around your home and collect any new or gently used baseball bats, gloves and soccer equipment. These gently used item can be dropped off until the end of February. All donations will support growing the game of youth baseball and soccer in the Eabametoong First Nation to support physical activity. More information and drop off locations can be found at markham.ca/sportsdrive.

You Can Report Coyote Sightings

Thank you to Ward 1 Councillor Keith Irish for bringing to my attention a new coyote reporting tool. York Region News has published a map that track coyote sightings. If you see or hear a coyote in your neighbourhood, email newsroom@yrmg.com or message them on Twitter @yorkregion with the details.

Humans are not the only ones that live in Markham. Foxes, coyotes, deer and other wildlife life here too. As a friendly reminder, please be mindful of your Green Bin waste and garbage disposal and don't put it out the night before your collection day. Wild animals should catch their own food but will become dependent and lose their fear of humans if food is left out. There is now a new $615 immediate fine for feeding wild animal. Please keep wildlife wild and don’t feed them. Learn more at markham.ca/wildlife.

Other items

They're back! The Flato Markham Theatre re-opened to the public on Friday evening. It will be great to finally get out and see a live performance. New shows are being added to their lineup as more performers start touring again. Here's a sampling:

March 16 - John McDermott
March 18 - The Canadian Brass
April 22 - Just for Laughs Road Show

See current availability and purchase tickets here.

York Region is exploring an opportunity to develop community housing in the Box Grove area at the corner of 14th Avenue and Donald Cousens Parkway. The current proposal includes a mixed-income development with two buildings between four and six storeys in height with both affordable and market rental units. York Region is beginning the planning process and community engagement early on to ensure the site is development ready in the future. Construction will not begin until funding is secured.

York Region will be hosting a virtual Public Information Centre on Monday February 28 from 6:30pm to 8 pm during which time there will be an overview of the proposal and the planning application process. Community members will also have a chance to ask questions and provide feedback on the proposal.

More information about the project and details of the meeting can be found here.

Just a quick reminder that all Markham recycling depots will be closed on Family Day.

When it's collection day, please leave your waste at the curbside and not on the snow bank.

The City of Markham was pleased to receive an Inclusive Community Initiative grant from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities as a part of its Canadian Women in Local Leadership program. Learn how the City will be using this grant - details here. Learn more at markham.ca/diversity.

Attention high school and post-secondary students!

Do you have an amazing business idea? As an individual or up to a group of 3 submit a slide deck showcasing a potential business and get the chance to win up to $500. Submit a video pitch and get a chance to win an additional $200 - learn more here.

February is Heart Month and it's the time to take action to reduce your risk for heart disease. According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, 90% of Canadians have at least one risk factor for heart disease.

Cardiac arrest can happen to anyone, at any age and at any time. Learn to recognize the signs of cardiac arrest and how to perform hands-only CPR. It's easy and you could help to save a life. Do you know what to do in a cardiac emergency? To learn more visit york.ca/CPR.

Do you want to learn how to improve energy efficiency in your home and how to save money?

Sign up for the free virtual Home Efficiency Retrofit Orientation workshop on February 24 at 6pm. More information and registration details can be found here.

Markham and Barrie Fire and Emergency Services enter new

dispatch service agreement - learn more.

Do you use the Markham Public Library? Let them know how they are doing so they can continually provide exceptional library services to you and maybe provide some suggestions too.

Fill out their online survey for a chance to win. Find the survey here.