Council Chatter: Code of conduct, awards recent talk of the Town of Newmarket

Influencer, project of the year, code of conduct, Bill 66, offering warmth are what the Town of Newmarket has been talking about recently

Yorkregion.com
February 20, 2019
Teresa Latchford

Influencer of the year

Former Newmarket mayor Tony Van Bynen has been named the 2018 Community Influencer of the Year by the Economic Developers Council of Ontario.

The award is given to an elected official who has made a significant impact on peers, the industry, community and overall influence of economic development.

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Van Bynen was recognized for his accomplishments, including founding the Newmarket economic development advisory committee, Celestica’s relocation from Toronto to Newmarket, the revitalization of Main Street, the construction of Riverwalk Commons, the HollisWealth Story Pod, the creation of the local Smart City council, CreateIT Now and NewmarketIT.

He was also lauded for the launch of Envi, Newmarket’s community-owned high-speed broadband network, the Soofa solar bench network downtown, the Urban Centres Secondary Plan and the acquisition of the Mulock property.

The town received recognition for its 2016-17 Community Report: Where Character Meets Community, and its blog, Where Work Meets Play.

Code of conduct

Newmarket’s code of conduct is expanding.

Come March, the town’s code of conduct will apply to a number of committees and boards members, rather than just members of council.

The code will now apply to members of the appeal committee, committee of adjustment, property standards committee, accessibility advisory committee, audit committee, Elman W. Campbell Museum board, heritage Newmarket advisory committee, Main Street Business Improvement Area board, downtown development committee, economic development advisory committee and environmental advisory committee.

The expansion was sparked by the enactment of Bill 68, Modernizing Ontario’s Municipal Legislation Act 2017, which required all municipalities to have an integrity commissioner and code of conduct in place by March 1.

The newly vamped code of conduct will now also allow the town’s integrity commissioner, Robert Swayze, to investigate Municipal Conflict of Interest Act complaints.

Council members will also have to submit a written statement of pecuniary (conflict of) interest with the town clerk to be included in the town’s public record. Previously, council members would just state it verbally during a meeting.

To view the full code of conduct, visit Newmarket.ca.

Project of the year

Newmarket’s Gorham Street water main replacement project has been recognized by the Ontario Public Works Association (OPWA).

It was awarded Project of the Year in the "structures less than $2 million" category and was presented at the OPWA annual conference for the project’s “excellent” project management techniques and innovative technologies, focused on minimizing active construction and traffic disruptions in a sensitive area.

The project was also recognized for its demonstration of strong community relations with residents, which included open, two-way communications between the town and neighbouring parties.

It saw 425 metres of new water main installed from Carlson Drive and Doak Lane to Leslies Street, including fire hydrants, water service connections, pressure reducing valve chamber and site restoration. The project replaced a critical section of water main that was more than 40 years old and had severe breaks in recent years due to corrosion.

Opposing Bill 66

The Town of Newmarket states it opposes Bill 66: Restoring Ontario’s Competitiveness Act.

Newmarket council received a town staff report titled "Open-for-Business Bylaw" that identified a number of concerns with the proposed legislation and recommended the report be submitted to the province as feedback.

The report laid out significant environmental, social and human health concerns, with the Bill 66 planning bylaw tool included in schedule 10 of the bill.

While the bill is intended to be an economic development tool for local municipalities, Newmarket believes the legislation does not support the planning process to ensure development applications are accepted in the best interest of the public. As a result, the town does not support the proposed bill.

The town is aware of the statement that has been made by the provincial government that it intends to remove Schedule 10 from the bill when it returns to the legislature this month but the town felt the need to submit its opinion.

Offering warmth

Baby it’s cold outside.

With the fluctuating cold temperatures, the Town of Newmarket is reminding residents and community members that those looking to stay warm can visit town facilities during its regular hours of operation.

These facilities include:

Magna Centre, 800 Mulock Dr., weekdays 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., weekends 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Ray Twinney Recreation Complex, 100 Eagle St. W., weekdays 5:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., weekends 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Newmarket Public Library, 438 Park Ave., Tuesday to Thursday 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 1 to 5 p.m.

Municipal offices, 395 Mulock Dr. weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Emergency housing and shelters are available across York Region for those experiencing homelessness. In Newmarket, visit Inn From the Cold, 510 Penrose St., Belinda’s Place, 16580 Yonge St. and Street Outreach Van by scheduling a meeting place.