Beacon Hall receives bomb threat as potential sale turns nasty

York Regional Police investigated 3 incidents

Yorkregion.com
Dec. 9, 2020
Jeremy Grimaldi

The potential sale of Aurora’s Beacon Hall Golf Club, an exclusive, private course that's considered one of the best in the country, appears to be creating a divide among members.

York Regional Police has been called multiple times since a $250-million bid for the club and its lands by a Vaughan housing developer was leaked.

The first notice of trouble came in June, when an email related to the sale of the club was circulating among some members.

A second “untraceable” email that made allegations against members of the board, which is overseeing the bidding process, came to the attention of police in September.

Then on Sept. 13, York Regional Police received a call from a phone booth during which someone said there was a bomb at Beacon Hall.

Investigators were unable to determine who made the call.

Some of the 260 members want to sell the club, with the potential for a payday nearing $1 million per golfer.

Others don’t want to lose their beloved course and don’t care about the money.

Still others feel members are being fed improper numbers and information, suggesting the actual amount at the end of the day will be far less than advertised.

The are also homeowners who live on the property, but are not members of the club, left wondering how they'll be impacted.

Although originally unknown, the name of the developer has now been made public.

Nicholas Fidei, president of Treasure Hill Homes, confirmed in an email the firm has a conditional offer to purchase the course and is at the early stages of assessing the “development feasibility” of the lands.

He said the project, which many fear will destroy a swath of Aurora's prized green space, will benefit from plenty of “open space.”

“Our preliminary work has indicated that while there is a substantial opportunity to develop an exciting new residential community on these lands, a significant portion of the lands will remain as open space and will likely be conveyed into public ownership through the development process,” a company spokesperson said by email. “We are looking forward to the prospect of working with community stakeholders and municipal staff to deliver a ‘legacy community’.”

A vote among membership is scheduled to take place in February. A sale of the club would require two thirds of the members to vote for the transaction.

Aurora Mayor Tom Mrakas and Coun. Wendy Gaertner have already expressed their opposition to the redevelopment of the golf course.

Beacon Hall declined the opportunity to speak on the police involvement or the potential sale of the club.