R T O JUNE No.41 | 2020 Businesses During COVID-19 Artist Showcase Developments L4A Who and What COLUMNS Millennial Matters Giving Back From Where I Live Sports Town MAYOR LOVATT & MIKE PRIESTMAN Feature PKG RESPONDS Pg 12 FROM THE EDITOR COUNCILCOUNCIL CORNER CORNER 3 3 A cute mutt nibbles a ball at Muttz with Mannerz. See story and interview with Corey McCusker and other On the Road in Whitchurch-Stouffville (OTR) business adapting to disruption, starting on PG.4 is the Monthly magazine of the Town. The R purpose of it is to communicate with residents, promote local businesses, support agriculture, Town wants your Highway 48 opinions develop tourism and, most importantly, build New Blue Box program responsibilities, construction at Main & Baker Hill, coming soon community. Glenn Jackson, Contributor In this issue you can peruse photographs of art and development, read candid interviews This is a monthly column summarizing recent T with local businesses, and catch-up with our Whitchurch-Stouffville Council decisions. distinguished columnists. Subscribe to our eNewsletter for more detailed information: eepurl.com/cKPNg9 David Tuley, Editor | [email protected] Highway 48 Visioning Study. The Town wants your opinion about how the Highway 48 corridor south of Main Street should be O developed. The public consultation, as part of the Highway 48 Visioning Exercise, focuses on the land roughly bounded by Stouffville Road to the north, McCowan Road to the west, 19th Avenue to the south, and encompassing the Smart Centre lands and Dickson Hill in Markham. ABOVE/RIGHT: The Town is looking for public input Town Council heard a presentation from the regarding three visioning options for the Highway 48 project’s consultant, the Planning Partnership, corridor. Council received a presentation on May 19 at the May 19 meeting which outlined the outlining three possible scenarios for the long-term development of the land south of Stouffville Road, east consultation process and the timelines. of McCowan Road. Citizens can offer their opinion until The presentation outlined three “Visioning June 5 at cometogetherws.ca/Highway48 Options” of how the land could be developed for future use. It outlined the planning Park Dr. and Sam’s Way, for instance, would considerations in the area and a high-level both extend from Highway 48 and curve up analysis of other laws and Plans that govern to Stouffville Road. ‘Mixed-use’ land would its use. be primarily located close to the Stouffville The three options that were presented Road/Highway 48 intersection creating a (see graphics to the right) explore different neighbourhood “framed by green space and departments features scenarios for street patterns, natural heritage focused around parks.” COUNCIL CORNER enhancements, parks and green space Both Options 2 and 3 suggest extending 03 PAGE 10 and ending December 31, 2025. By December An Artist Showcase Event allotments and various land uses. Ringwood Drive down to Hoover Park Drive. 10 WHAT'S ON Option 1, as presented, suggests Hoover The Town has created a highly-detailed 31, 2025, producers will be fully responsible PAGE 12 for providing Blue Box services across the 18 CONTRIBUTORS Park Drive to be the ”main street” as it extends downloadable survey for citizens to fill out Cover Story west of Highway 48 into a mid- and high-rise and submit to the Development Services province. 22 COMMUNITY NEWS residential community. Extensive green space Department. There is also an online version It is expected that the full costs of operating PAGE 16 the program will be paid for by producers Developments, and parkland would extend to McCowan Road that can be submitted electronically. The New Photography: once transition occurs. Council, at the May Cover - Joelle Segal; Muttz and Developments - Dennis Hristovski in Photographs to “form a natural boundary and transition to surveys are open until June 5. the surrounding countryside.” The vision does More details about the project, including the 5 meeting, approved a transition date of PAGE 18 not suggest any road connections McCowan surveys, can be found on the project’s webpage December 31, 2025 for Whitchurch-Stouffville. Millennial Matters with Cassandra Papas Rd. cometogetherws.ca/Highway48. Option 2 suggests Hoover Park Drive should Construction Soon at Baker Hill. Council, NEWSFLASH on May 5, removed the ‘Holding Symbol’ from L4A.CA Who and What? PAGE 19 extend to McCowan Road through a ‘mixed- Blue Box Transition. On August 15, 2019, So many businesses have come out of the woodwork to sign up for • DAISY TAM MUSIC THEORY & PIANO. In Stouffville, Giving Back use’ neighbourhood with a combination of the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, lands at the corner of Main Street and Baker L4A.ca. Many of them, you probably didn't know existed because Daisy is an RCM certified teacher offering music theory with Dave Mills residential units and retail storefronts. The Conservation and Parks began the transition Hill Blvd., paving the way for the construction and piano lessons by way of ZOOM. See daisytam.com these are home-based businesses. All have amazing websites. streets would be pedestrian oriented and of the management of Ontario’s Blue Box of homes starting as soon as this summer. • PETE'S PRO LANDSCAPING AND PLOW. In east PAGE 20 From Where I Live laid out in a grid system with two outlets on program to the producers of paper products • BELICIOUS PRODUCTS. West of Ballantrae, they produce Stouffville, is a family business that specializes in decks, COUNCIL MEETINGS: with Bruce Stapley McCowan Road and three outlets on Stouffville and packaging. wildflower honey, comb honey, lip balms, iced honey, and more. fences, and interlocking. See petespro.business.site Under the current COVID-19 situation, meetings are generally Road. The Blue Box program will transition to See beliciousproducts.com • DUKU. At Musselman's Lake is a professional one stop 1 p.m. every other Tuesday via teleconference. Detailed PAGE 21 Option 3 features a ‘radial grid’ of streets full producer responsibility in phases over a information at townofws.ca/COVID19 • PERENNIAL PETALS. East of Gormley is a small boutique shop for all your renovation, engineering and construction Sports Town Listen live: townofws.ca/cmlivestream. flower farm offering cut flowers, workshops and unique container needs. Projects range from remodeled kitchens and with Jim Mason bending through the neighbourhood. Hoover three-year period, starting January 1, 2023 Live tweets: @ws_townhall arrangements. See perennialpetals.com bathrooms, to new builds and commercial. See duku.ca 4 BUSINESS COMMUNITY DURING COVID-19 COREY Mc CUSKER Muttz with Mannerz Muttz with Mannerz opened on December Muttz had to lay off their Groomer, nipping, etc. Our groomer has revisited her offerings and 19, 2019 after struggling for 11-months with Receptionist and Dog Trainers, plus one "Both myself and our Educational Manager, will be providing specialty grooms." Kelli contractors and renovations. As a new daycare staff. Despite the hard work and Diane Purser, are developing a puppy took courses to ensure the grooming salon is business to be hit with COVID-19 was tough investment, rent relief was barely in the cards. education portal for our website now. Our COVID-19 safe. and challenging, but, "We overcame so many “We requested rent relief on March 15. The groomer, Kelli Gillis and I did a video series to "We always valued our diverse team and the challenges last year we knew we could get Landlord agreed to defer our April 1 rent to help our clients groom their dogs at home and enhanced knowledge within it. COVID-19 has through this. I feel it will be a good 12 months April 15. We are still following up with them provided the tools and techniques needed," allowed many of us to gain more knowledge before we are operating at full capacity and to see if they will be able to take advantage said Corey. via virtual training and courses offered so we it’s ever evolving as we are revamping and of the rent relief program announced by the "The training we offered in daycare for will be even better than before." creating new programs and services for our Government,” reported Corey. the puppies and dogs made us realize how "Our clients appreciate the value that we clients," said owner Corey McCusker. Federal relief programs have these made our services added so much value because we provide to them especially the daycare and OTR interviewed Corey in February for a difference for Muttz. “Thank God! We have customized it to each dog not just the entire grooming services and we want to continue to the April edition. "We've been tracking taken advantage of the $40K loan and the wage pack," she said. exceed their expectations and provide a safe, Corey's progress since 2018," said Economic subsidiary for our one remaining employee. The Muttz facility has enabled them to clean place to care for their pets," concludes Development Officer Dave Tuley. "Corey was This has been so helpful,” she said. provide highly interactive games and training Corey. finally in at a stage of development where she to those dogs that need it - not only physically This is not the interview or article that OTR was comfortable - ready for the public." Then Resiliency inside, but also virtually. was expecting to write just a few short months things changed. Muttz with Mannerz has shown great ago; however, Muttz remains a good story to resiliency. No human clients could enter the Looking Forward March 14, 2020 facility, so they picked up dogs at the curbside, Muttz with Mannerz is being especially Muttz with Mannerz closed the Grooming and this will remain in place until all is clear. positive, considering they were forced to close Salon, cancelled all socialization playdates Corey started a weekly educational puppy as soon as they opened.