Partnerships make Newmarket better for residents: 3 take-aways from mayor's annual Chamber of Commerce lunch

'We want to be a community that finds ways to say yes, that gets things done,' John Taylor says

Thestar.com
May 2, 2022
Lisa Queen

From delivering COVID-19 vaccines and helping businesses recover from lockdowns to creating a more inclusive and welcoming community and delivering long-term environmental and financial sustainability, residents have benefitted from town partnerships, Mayor John Taylor said.

He stressed the need for collaboration between the town and businesses, organizations and other levels of government at the Newmarket Chamber of Commerce’s annual Mayor Luncheon on April 26 at the Old Town Hall.

“I know what Newmarket wants to be isn’t a place to be that goes and looks at anything and says, ‘Oh, that’s going to be expensive or some of the public might complain about that or that sounds complicated and will take a long time.’ Those are all reasons to say no,” he said.

“If we really want to be one of the best places to live in Canada, we have to be a community that says yes to opportunities. We’ve got to make sure we always have the public’s best interests always front and centre, but we want to be a community that finds ways to say yes, that gets things done and moves the agenda forward.”

Three take-aways from Taylor’s presentation:

Accelerate Newmarket -- a collaboration between the chamber, Newmarket’s Treefrog Inc. digital transformation company, the Schulich School of Business and the town providing entrepreneurs with mentorship, pitch development and networking to accelerate their businesses.

The future Main Street Clock Tower boutique hotel -- the creation of this hotel builds on past partnerships in the downtown, which included businesses, property owners and the BIA, that made the area an attractive investment. The group effort to bring a new vision for what the clock tower could be included Streetcar Developments, the two realtors who sold the building, Joshua Campbell and Graham Purvis, the downtown BIA and the town.

Shining Hill, a large development coming northwest of Yonge Street and St. John’s Sideroad -- an agreement will see 80 acres of land permanently preserved in public ownership, green homes and affordable housing, a new tennis centre, dog park, expanded trails and funds to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance the Mulock House. The town, the developer and environmentalists with Drawdown Newmarket-Aurora worked on the deal.