SUMMER 2019 YORK REGION MATTERS AURORA | EAST GWILLIMBURY | GEORGINA | KING | MARKHAM | NEWMARKET | RICHMOND HILL | VAUGHAN | WHITCHURCH-STOUFFVILLE GIFT CARD Making the journey as enjoyable as your destination SHOPPING GIFT CARD $50 LOCAL ENHANCEMENT AND CANADA’S WONDERLAND BY DAY APPRECIATION OF FORESTS (LEAF) $200 Tell us what you think We always look for ways to enhance our publication and include information you are interested in. For a chance to win a $50 gift card to your favourite York Region shopping mall or a $200 gift certificate courtesy of non-profit LEAF (Local Enhancement & Appreciation of Forests) tell us what you think about this edition and what you would RIPLEY’S AQUARIUM BY NIGHT like to see in the future at york.ca/yorkregionmatters Visiting some of York Region’s many attractions over the GO Transit to make your trip a quick one. Make yrt.ca your next few months? Take York Region Transit to enjoy the first stop to help plan your next adventure. sights while relaxing along the way. With 182 bicycle racks located at bus stops, terminals and Within each of York Region’s nine cities and towns you’ll vivastations, as well as on all our buses, you can truly go find new destinations to explore with just the tap of green and leave your car at home. your PRESTO card. Enjoy the freshness of local farmers’ Share what you markets … stargaze at the David Dunlap Observatory … Did you know: love about summer ride a roller-coaster at Canada’s Wonderland … take in a Every time you choose transit, you make a positive impact free concert offered at many parks … decide which ribs in York Region on the environment: are best at a local ribfest. on social media • One bus can replace 40 cars on the road YRT can get you there. york.ca/loveyr • Electric buses will be added to our transit fleet next year Heading downtown to a ball game or Ripley’s Aquarium? • There are approximately 430 YRT solar-powered bus York Region Transit connects to six subway stations plus shelters Connect with us at: [email protected] 1-877-464-9675 york.ca Fight the bite! Your community, your ideas York Region is home to 1.2 million where residents of all abilities and Protect yourself and your family against residents and is expected to grow ages can live, work and play. As the dreaded bug bite to 1.8 million people and 900,000 we plan for the future, we want to jobs by 2041. We want your help understand what you love about In addition to being annoying, mosquitoes and ticks can carry dangerous to plan for this growth in the York Region and hear your ideas diseases like West Nile virus and Lyme disease. Municipal Comprehensive Review. on how we should accommodate There are simple things you can do to protect yourself and your family and York Region and its nine local population and job growth. still enjoy the great outdoors. Reduce the risk by: cities and towns is a diverse This is your opportunity to provide • Covering up with light-coloured, long-sleeved shirts and long pants community with options available us feedback and tell us the kind for transportation, employment, of place you want York Region to • Removing standing water around your home where mosquitoes like housing, retail, agriculture, be. Your feedback will help update to breed education and access to services. our Official Plan and will build on • Using an insect repellent containing DEET or icaridin Whether its access to urban the foundation for York Region’s downtown centres or our quiet social, economic and natural • Checking yourself and your children for ticks and removing any that rural communities, everyone has a environments. are attached as quickly as possible reason to #loveyr Building communities takes good Travelling soon? Check local travel advisories to find out if there are Our future plans are to continue planning and input from our infected mosquitoes and ticks in the area you are visiting and remember building the types of communities residents. to pack your insect repellent. For information about West Nile virus and Lyme disease, including information on how to submit a tick, contact York Region Health Take our online survey today and share your ideas Connection at 1-800-361-5653, TTY 1-866-252-9933 or visit for the future of York Region at york.ca/mcrgetinvolved york.ca/westnile and york.ca/lymedisease 2 | YORK REGION MATTERS SUMMER 2019 Buckthorn Dog-strangling vine Be aware and stay ahead of invasive species Summer brings warm weather and sunny days, making it perfect for • Look before you leave campaign: While enjoying nature, you could recreation and gardening – activities that may lead to the introduction and unknowingly spread invasive species; learn how to avoid these species spread of invasive species. ‘hitching a ride’ when you visit the York Regional Forest Invasive plants and animals are those not native to an ecosystem and • Grow Me Instead guide: Planting a garden? The Ontario Invasive Plant cause harm to our natural environments and wildlife, local economies and Council has developed a Grow Me Instead guide identifying invasive people. From dog-strangling vine to emerald ash borer and buckthorn, garden plants and providing suitable alternatives invasive species can adversely affect your garden and property. • Native plants and garden kits: York Region and Local Enhancement & Ontario has more than 660 invasive species – more than any other province Appreciation of Forests (LEAF) offer trees, shrubs and garden kits at a or territory in Canada. York Region and municipalities across Canada subsidized rate; order yours today continue to face significant pressures and costs to manage and control • EDDMapS Ontario: Early Detection & Distribution Mapping System is a their spread. free tool to report invasive species and to learn what might be lurking in These programs and resources can help you prevent or recover from your neighbourhood invasive species: • Emerald ash borer advisory service: Do you own a woodlot? An emerald To learn more about these programs and resources ash borer advisory service program is available to help you manage the effects of emerald ash borer on your woodlot visit york.ca/eab YORK REGION MATTERS SUMMER 2019 | 7 Keeping York Region moving York Region maintains thousands of kilometres of roads to provide safe and efficient travel to more than half a million daily commuters on York Region’s transportation network York Region is continuously evaluating designs and delivering replacing a water culvert deep beneath the road on Major a network connecting travellers to our nine cities and towns. Mackenzie Drive West, just east of McNaughton Road and Together with our municipal partners, we work to create Avro Road. vibrant streetscape enhancements and walking and cycling In addition to the new culvert, the end result will also infrastructure to encourage outdoor activity. As a result, York include a future pedestrian and cycling-friendly underpass Region residents enjoy the benefits of a strong and efficient and watermain connections to support the new Mackenzie Regional transportation system, every day. Vaughan Hospital. The work is expected to be complete by To service our growing communities, enhancements are the end of August. More information is available on this scheduled at more than 100 locations throughout the Region project at york.ca/MajorMackClosure in 2019, including: York Region’s high standard for planning, maintaining and • Leslie Street in the Town of Aurora and City of Richmond Hill prioritizing these important programs and assets is reflected • Major Mackenzie Drive in the City of Vaughan in the $2.8 billion 10-Year Roads and Transit Capital Program. This investment expands the Regional network by adding • Bathurst Street and Davis Drive in the Town of Newmarket new roads and lanes, as well as repairing existing roads and This year, sections of Major Mackenzie Drive are transforming structures to keep them in a state of good repair. with new connections to the Highway 427 Extension, and Norman Bethune Avenue, connecting the City of Markham Gibney Bridge on McCowan Road, north of Queensville Side Road East For more information, visit york.ca/roadconstruction and the City of Richmond Hill Major Mackenzie Drive West, east of Jane Street - Culvert Replacement Project 19th Avenue, west of Bayview Avenue – Before and After Bathurst Street and Davis Drive 4 | YORK REGION MATTERS SUMMER 2019 YORK REGION MATTERS SUMMER 2019 | 5 To flush, or not to flush? That, is the question Seat up or down? Roll under or over? One thing not Many items used for general cleaning, maintenance, gardening and car care can be dangerous if poured down the drain. To find the best method for debate is only pee, poo and toilet paper can be of safe disposal check york.ca/bindicator flushed down the toilet York Region participates in research projects to better understand Personal hygiene products – even those labelled “flushable” – do not emerging challenges to water quality and potential impacts to our break down in our wastewater system. services. To continue providing high-quality drinking water and Canadian municipalities spend more than $250 million each year removing wastewater services, we all need to do our part. Remember toilets and garbage from our sewer systems. When items such as wipes, dental floss drains are not garbage cans. or personal hygiene products are flushed down the toilet, they can block Learn how to properly dispose of hygiene products, expired medication sewers, causing possible sewer backups and flooded basements. All are and liquids (like fats, oils and grease) at york.ca/bindicator and extremely costly to municipalities and taxpayers. york.ca/idontflush Traces of pharmaceuticals are being detected in rivers, lakes, drinking water and soil.