Tennis star Milos Raonic offers Vaughan $25K to fix up Thornhill courts

Yorkregion.com
May 15, 2014
By Adam Martin-Robbins

Top-ranked Canadian tennis player Milos Raonic has reportedly offered the city $25,000 to help fix up the courts in Thornhill where he honed his skills as a youngster.

But a decision about whether or not to accept that donation has been postponed due to some council members raising concerns about a proposal to rename the courts after the 23-year-old tennis star, in part, because of his generous gift.

Mr. Raonic could not be reached for comment.

But, according to Thornhill Councillor Alan Shefman, Mr. Raonic stopped by Hefhill Park one day and noticed the tennis courts he frequented in his youth were crumbling and in need of repair.

Then, about a month ago, Mr. Raonic’s father contacted Mr. Shefman “out of the blue,” with the offer.

The local councillor leapt at the opportunity and put forward a motion at Tuesday’s committee of the whole to accept the donation; move up the scheduled rehabilitation of the Hefhill Park tennis courts to 2015 and rename them the Milos Raonic tennis courts.

But that didn’t sit well with some of his fellow councillors.

Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua was concerned people could be “left with the impression” the city is renaming the tennis courts due to the $25,000 donation, not because Mr. Raonic, the first Canadian singles player to crack the ATP World Tour top 10, earned the honour.

He felt city council should make a decision on renaming the tennis courts as a separate matter from a decision about accepting the donation.

Regional Councillor Deb Schulte echoed that concern.

“If we feel it’s appropriate, we should name the courts after him for his achievements,” she said.

She was also uncomfortable about moving the Hefhill Park tennis courts ahead of other courts already in the queue to be repaired next year.

Mr. Shefman disagreed, calling the concerns “nitpicking.”

Mr. Raonic didn’t offer the donation in exchange for renaming the tennis courts, Mr. Shefman said. In fact, it was his idea.

And, he said, the proposal to accept the $25,000 and rename the courts, in part, because of that donation, meets the city’s current policies on naming facilities.

“He’s being very generous,” Mr. Shefman said. “There’s nothing really wrong with ... recognizing his generosity.”

Ultimately, councillors voted to defer a decision on the matter until the next council meeting, scheduled for May 27.