Clarington Digest Your local Municipal news PUBLISHED DECEMBER 2020 Open for business – Toyota Eastern Parts Distribution Centre holds grand opening Message from Clarington Mayor Adrian Foster Welcome to the first edition of the Clarington Digest. This newspaper is produced by Municipal staff. Our focus is on sharing some of the biggest stories affecting Clarington, the community and you - our residents. There’s no doubt that 2020 has been a challenging year and one for the history books. With a global COIVD-19 Toyota Canada’s new Eastern Canada Parts Distribution Centre, located at 1050 pandemic, we’ve had to take Lambs Road in Bowmanville, officially opened on December 8. some unprecedented actions to protect public health. Despite this large obstacle, 2020 was also a very positive year for our Clarington Hospice – donations needed community with some great Earlier this year, Ontario announced In the Fall, the Tim Horton’s 2020 Smile things happening. So, without Cookie campaign raised more than further ado, this edition of the that it is investing in critical end- $224,000 for local hospices in the area Clarington Digest is dedicated of-life care services in Clarington. to “A year in review.” In case you The Province dedicated $800,000 split between Clarington, Port Perry and missed some of the great news to support the construction of four Whitby. Donations are being accepted stories from 2020, this is your additional beds at Durham Hospice to raise the $15 million necessary to digest to catch you up. As we in Clarington, bringing the total to build two new hospices in Durham look back, let me also take the nine beds. In 2018, the Province Region, one in Clarington and a new opportunity to look forward and initially invested $1 million to support 10-bed hospice in Whitby. Visit wish you all the very best of this the new hospice, which will provide www.durhamregionhospice.ca to find season as well as a healthy, much-needed services to patients and out how you can contribute. safe and happy New Year. families outside of the hospital setting. 1 PUBLISHED DECEMBER 2020 Clarington Digest the GTA average was 75.1 staff. Clarington ranks Clarington ranked fifth-lowest overall, Clarington is and the lowest in Durham Region, #1 in Durham with 57 employees dedicated per home to a new for efficiency in 1,000 housing starts. Clarington’s generation of its development nuclear power “Clarington is approval process leading many and opportunity Clarington has been ranked number municipalities Ontario Power Generation (OPG) one in Durham Region and fourth- as we continue announced plans to move ahead best overall in the Greater Toronto with the next generation of clean, Area (GTA) in a recent study by the to evolve and carbon-free nuclear power. OPG has resumed plans to build a small Building Industry Land Development improve our modular reactor (SMR) at its site in Association (BILD), which compared development Darlington by 2028. The company has development fees and timelines in approvals process. applied to renew its licence to build the development process among SMRs in Darlington, which is the only municipalities. The report reviewed The Municipality site in Canada licensed to allow new 18 GTA municipalities, including strives to nuclear. According to a Conference four in Durham Region (Pickering, remove red tape Board of Canada Study, the project Oshawa, Whitby, Clarington) will generate thousands of jobs in looking at factors that affect home and support Ontario. The report outlines 700 affordability. our growing new jobs will be created during the community project development, with 1,600 jobs In addition to leading the pack in added during the manufacturing and Durham, Clarington ranked fourth- and bustling construction phase and a further 200 best overall in three categories economy.” jobs during the operation of the SMR. “Clarington is excited to be home including planning features, - Mayor Adrian Foster municipal charges and approval to OPG as it expands its operations times. The report examined the cost and brings in a new era of nuclear technology,” said Clarington Mayor of building among municipalities, approval times are almost twice Adrian Foster. “The SMR is yet and overall, Clarington ranked as one as fast as compared to the three another addition to an already busy of the best when looking at low-rise municipalities with lower employees Darlington Nuclear Plant that is and high-rise building scenarios. dedicated per 1,000 housing starts. undergoing a major refurbishment of Clarington’s fees represented 7.1 per its four nuclear reactors to the tune The purpose of the Municipal cent of the cost of developing a low- of more than $12 billion. In addition, Benchmarking Study is to rise unit, and just 6.9 per cent of the OPG announced that it is moving its compare approaches that different cost of developing a high-rise unit. Corporate headquarters to Clarington, municipalities have in place for bringing another 2,000 jobs to our The report also analyzed timeframes the approval of new housing community,” added Mayor Foster. to process various development development, looking at factors that applications. Clarington ranked impact home affordability. The Darlington Nuclear plant is set as one of the most efficient to produce a key life-saving medical municipalities in terms of processing isotope – Cobalt-60. Cobalt-60 is development applications. When used to sterilize medical instruments including syringes, gloves, implants looking at estimated staff numbers and COVID-19 testing swabs. allocated per 1,000 housing starts, 2 PUBLISHED DECEMBER 2020 Clarington Digest Putting our environment first: Clarington implements green initiatives to combat Climate Change Clarington has been working on that the Municipality can implement reduce the number of recyclables a variety of measures to lessen to promote widespread EV use in the that end up in the garbage. Clarington the impacts of climate change community. Read the full plan on our has completed a waste audit at both and to minimize our community’s website, www.clarington.net/EVplan. Diane Hamre Recreation Complex environmental footprint. Thanks Clarington is also finalizing a Climate and Courtice Community Complex, to a partnership with the Region of Action Plan that will contain 135 which resulted in a 60 per cent Durham and funding from Natural action items the Municipality can take reduction of waste and recyclables at Resources Canada Zero Emission to respond to climate change. The the facilities. Vehicle Infrastructure Program, plan will be launched in 2021. Clarington will see seven new electric Waste management and diversion “There’s no doubt that vehicle (EV) charging stations. Those are also critical components of will be up and running by spring Clarington’s plan to mitigate climate climate change is 2021. EVs are a clean energy option change. The Municipality has taken one of the biggest and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) some significant steps toward issues of our time. emissions. To support this, Clarington eliminating single-use plastics well The Municipality has added three new EVs to the ahead of the Federal ban on single- Municipal fleet. These vehicles will use plastics, which takes effect at the is taking some save the Municipality an estimated end of 2021. Staff at the Municipal concrete steps to $6,000 per year on fuel and reduce Administrative Centre (Town Hall) mitigate the impacts our GHG emissions by as much as and other municipal facilities that by creating a real 13,000 kilograms a year. In addition, host events and meetings have Clarington has also launched its new eliminated single-use plastics where plan with action Community EV Plan, developed in other alternatives are available. Multi- items to reduce our partnership with students from Trent stream waste bins are also being GHG emissions.” University – Durham Campus. The used in facilities. This has helped - Mayor Adrian Foster report identifies 13 recommendations 3.