East Gwillimbury newsmakers grabbed headlines in 2020

Southlake hospital, a 96-foot internet tower, marijuana greenhouses and the town's new logo ranked among top issues

Yorkregion.com
Jan. 4, 2021
Simon Martin

While Dr. Karim Kurji, medical officer of health, was the top Newsmaker of the Year for York Region, here are four East Gwillimbury newsmakers that made headlines in 2020:

Brian Smith
The East Gwillimbury resident caused much discussion earlier this year after he built 96-foot tower on his property to get better internet access. While a few people in the neighbourhood weren’t happy with the new tower, the vast majority supported the endeavour.

East Gwillimbury council eventually ruled to let Smith keep the tower until better internet is available in the community.

Once COVID-19 struck in March, Smith said, people were thanking their lucky stars that he had erected the tower, giving residents in the estate subdivision quality internet access. “Even before COVID, this had tremendous support,” Smith said. Now, families are coming to thank him for bringing quality internet that allows their children to participate in remote learning.

Smith thinks the incident has sparked East Gwillimbury to try and better address the lack of good internet in areas of the town. He expects similar projects to come forward in underserviced areas in the town next year. While Smith may have done local residents a favour, he doesn’t sugar-coat why he built the tower. “ I did not do this for the betterment of the community,” he said. “I was going to solve my internet issues.”

Southlake Regional Health Centre
The local hospital was in the spotlight throughout 2020. In April, a moving display, featuring hundreds of cars and emergency vehicles, circled the hospital to thank front-line staff for their work during the coronavirus crisis.

In December, Southlake and York Region’s other two hospitals warned they had reached a “tipping point” in COVID-19 cases.

The hospital was also the target of criticism throughout the year.

Southlake made the decision to lay off 97 nurses, which was decried by the Ontario Nurses’ Association.

Health-care workers also demanded a solution to increasing violence, and both patients and Dr. Carter Thorne slammed Southlake for pulling the plug on the award-winning arthritis program and the Whipper Watson therapeutic pool.

Holly deWinter
Holland Landing resident Holly deWinter literally changed the look of the town in 2020. When East Gwillimbury called for submissions for a new town logo in 2019, the graphic designer knew she wanted to submit something.

The town received a total of 66 submissions from 23 individuals, and deWinter was one of two winners -- winning $2,500. The monetary prize was icing on the cake for deWinter, who said when she first submitted something, there wasn’t even a cash prize.

“It’s pretty neat that it is going to be around for years,” deWinter said. “I’m really proud of how the final logo turned out and I’m proud to be part of East Gwillimbury.”

Greenhouses proliferated in the town's rural area this year and they weren’t growing vegetables. The town passed an interim control bylaw restricting the development of cannabis production facilities outside of industrial-zoned areas in June. Mayor Virginia Hackson said the measure was necessary to help gain more control over the current situation. “It gives us the tools to see what is going on,” she said. “It provides the town with time.”

In November, the town said they have completed inspections at 16 sites and noted 10 sites in violation of the zoning bylaw due to the production of medical marijuana in zones where production is prohibited.