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Written by Gordon Prentice

Published: 26 June 2017

At long last a Code of Conduct is to be brought in to police the behaviour of members of York Regional Council. 

York Region is responsible for spending billions of dollars of public money but, curiously, doesn't have one. Its members never regarded a Code of Conduct as a top priority. The Chair, Wayne Emmerson (right), thought it unnecessary.

Last week, Regional Solicitor, Joy Hulton, outlined a raft of changes to the Municipal Act designed to keep the members on their toes. The measures - which include the mandatory appointment of an Integrity Commissioner - have long been resisted by members of the Council even when one of their own was behaving in a scandalous way.

Elephant in the room

At the Committee of the Whole on 22 June the elephant in the room is, of course, their  disgraced former colleague Michael Di Biase. No-one dares utter the words "Code of Conduct" or "Integrity Commissioner". Their silence on the core issue speaks volumes. Instead, they witter on about anything but.

Markham's Deputy Mayor Jack Heath opens with a confession. He has something very personal to say. First I hear a collective sharp intake of breath. Now I hear nervous laughter and chortling. What a tease!

He says with an air of faux embarrassment that if he gets re-elected next year and serves another full four year term he will be two weeks short of his 25 year long service award.

What can be done about this injustice?

"Round it up" cries a wag.

He asks about alternate members - where a local council can appoint one of its members to act in the place of a person who is a member of the Regional Council. As I am listening to Jack Heath my eye strays to the right to see Van Trappist gently snoozing.

Van Trappist and diversity

In two hours he makes one feeble contribution lasting around 15 seconds. He is talking about the application of the Retail Business Holidays Act. Some businesses are upset they are forced to close on certain days of the year. Van Trappist tells us we live in a diverse society and cautions against singling out Christmas and Easter and ordering retail businesses to shut up shop on these days.

I groan silently. No-one mentions employees forced to work on Christmas day. Not even a glancing reference.

Roll on Judgement Day

Now we are getting a presentation on the Court Services Annual Report. I learn it is the mission of Court Services

"to provide timely, quality and cost effective access to Justice."

As I am listening to this my mind drifts off to the case of Di Muccio v Taylor which, astonishingly, is still live and active.

The fragile former Newmarket councillor, Maddie Di Muccio, is demanding $5,000 from Regional Councillor John Taylor for defamation and hurt feelings. The case opened on 15 June 2015 and is 743 days old. The two day trial ended on 3 May 2017 and we are waiting for the Judgement to be delivered or "handed down" as they used to say.

No rush, M'lud.

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Written by Gordon Prentice

Published: 20 June 2017

The Mobility Hub Study for the GO rail station at the Tannery on Davis Drive will not address two key issues flagged up in the Town's Secondary Plan. 

These Mobility Hub Studies look at ways of connecting trains, buses, cars and people as seamlessly and as painlessly as possible.

The Study, undertaken by Metrolinx and partnered by the Town, is currently underway and consultation meetings have recently been held at the Seniors' Centre on Davis Drive.

Grade separation

Unfortunately, the Study will not look at grade separation and nor will it examine the possibility and desirability of co-locating the GO bus terminal at Eagle with the GO Rail station at the Tannery.

Grade separation costs an arm and a leg but in some places - such as Davis Drive - it is essential. But, amazingly, it doesn't look as if it is going to get into the plan. After all the millions of dollars spent on the corridor we shall still have a clunky level crossing with barriers, bells and flashing red lights. And, no doubt, the sizzling overhead wires suspended above the rail track that come with electrification.

Co-locating bus terminals and rail stations makes sense and it beggars belief that this option is not part and parcel of the Mobility Hub Study. True, there was talk years ago of the possibility of moving the bus terminal at Eagle on to the Upper Canada Mall site. But, as is often the way of these things, nothing has materialised. The thicker and more authoritative the planning document, the more likely it is to be ignored.

"as a minimum"

The Town's Urban Centres Secondary Plan is a perfect example that illustrates the point. Its latest version (Office consolidation October 25, 2016) solemnly promises the Mobility Hub Study Station Area Plan should address as a minimum the potential for grade separation of the rail line at Davis Drive and the integration between the GO Rail Station, the Rapidway, the future GO bus services and the GO bus terminal. Of course, this doesn't necessarily mean co-location but it doesn't rule it out either.

At some point, the twin tracking which is currently planned to stop at Aurora will be extended northwards. Fast trains will slow to a crawl at Davis Drive to negotiate safely the level crossing.

Metrolinx published its GO Rail Station Access Plan last December which helpfully shows current station usage together with the 2031 forecast. It also details expansion plans for each station location. It shows that ridership is projected to more than double network-wide from a current average of close to 100,000 daily riders (2016)  to 225,000-250,000 in 2031.

Aurora the busiest Rail Station by far

The report gives details for each Rail Station. (See pages 133-142) Some of the projected ridership figures surprise me. They seem to be on the low side for areas slated for major growth. By contrast, the very high projected ridership at Aurora comes as no surprise given its 15 minute two-way all-day service.

Metrolinx hopes to persuade people to get to their home GO Rail Station by public transit, kiss and ride, and by walking and cycling.  Driving to the Rail Station and parking will be made ever more difficult.

Here are the Rail Stations in Newmarket and those most local to us.

The Station Area development potential for Aurora, East Gwillimbury and Newmarket is deemed "moderate". For Mulock, it is low.

Electrification

There will be a Metrolinx presentation on electrification at the Community Centre, Doug Duncan Drive, Newmarket on Wednesday 5 July 2017 from 6.30pm - 8.30pm with the presentation starting at 7pm.

This will be a great opportunity to hear more about electrification and what it means in practice.

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Urban Centres Secondary Plan. Office Consolidation, October 25, 2016

9.3.3 Newmarket GO Rail Mobility Hub Station Area

i. The Newmarket GO Rail Station will be planned as an urban station that is primarily accessed by pedestrians, cyclists and transit riders, with limited park-and-ride capacity. Park-and-ride service should be focused at the East Gwillimbury GO Rail station and the future Mulock Drive GO Rail station.

ii. The Town of Newmarket will encourage Metrolinx to partner with the Town, the Region and other relevant partners to prepare a Mobility Hub Station Area Plan for the area around the Newmarket GO Rail Station, as conceptually illustrated in Schedule 5. The Mobility Hub Station Area Plan should address as a minimum, the following:

a) the long-term role and function of the Newmarket GO Rail Station within the broader GO Rail network, taking into account Policy 9.3.3 (i);

b) potential for grade separation of the rail line at Davis Drive;

c) potential re-location of theNewmarket GO Rail Station access to Main Street to improve access and reduce traffic impacts on Davis Drive;

d) integration between the GO Rail Station, the Rapidway, the future GO bus services and the GO bus terminal;

e) pedestrian connections between the Rapidway Station at Davis Drive and Main Street and the GO Rail platform;

f) pedestrian connections between the active transportation network and the GO Rail platform;

g) opportunities and constraints to development in the vicinity of the station, including floodplain restrictions; and

h) accessibility and bicycle parking considerations.

iii. An amendment to this Plan may be necessary in order to incorporate relevant findings or directions from the Mobility Hub Station Area Plan

Details

Written by Gordon Prentice

Published: 19 June 2017

My spies tell me the Newmarket-Aurora PC riding association has seen a wave of resignations following the "selection" of Charity McGrath as their candidate in next year's provincial election. They believe McGrath cheated and stole the election.

As regular readers will know, I am not a Progressive Conservative but I am happy to comment on their internal battles. In political parties, as in life, I prefer fair play over skullduggery.

My spies say disgruntled PCs are resigning in droves because they cannot bring themselves to support the candidate or, indeed the party, "given the ethics".

Bad move

This is a seriously bad move. 

The resignations will be a one week wonder, reported fleetingly by the local press and then immediately forgotten by the wider public. 

And without internal opposition, the new candidate will cement herself in place, impossible to dislodge.

She is already out-and-about, getting herself a profile. (Photo: with Patrick Brown at the Aurora Street Festival.)

The PC MPP hopeful in Hamilton, Vikram Singh, has already gone to Court, alleging dirty tricks. His application will be heard in the Ontario Superior Court in Hamilton tomorrow.

The Newmarket-Aurora PCs who are angry and upset should stick in there and let events take their course.

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Details

Written by Gordon Prentice

Published: 13 June 2017

Charity McGrath, the Progressive Conservatives' standard bearer in Newmarket-Aurora in next year's provincial election, is a cheat according to the riding association Board. 

I have to pinch myself as I tap out the word "cheat" on the keyboard but, astonishing as it is, I am merely repeating what appeared on the front page of last week's ERA newspaper which reported in a matter-of-fact sort of way:

"Local riding president Derek Murray, with the support of the riding executive, filed two appeals following the April 8 nomination meeting, claiming candidate Charity McGrath cheated by falsifying signatures on memberships and paying the $10 membership fee for new members, both of which are against party rules."

Malpractice widespread

The allegations of cheating were put before the Party Leader, Patrick Brown, but he decided to soldier on regardless, endorsing McGrath and others across the Province similarly accused of malpractice.

The Newmarket-Aurora riding Board says there is

"clear and substantial evidence indicating the campaign team for Charity McGrath Di Paola blatantly breached party rules in their membership drive when members did not pay their own fees and their signature was falsified on the membership form and fraudulent members were knowingly allowed to vote at the nomination meeting in which (she) was declared the winning candidate."

It is stated as fact that people attending the nomination meeting:

"may have personally seen school buses funded by the McGrath campaign bringing people from the buildings in question to vote. It is these memberships that are under question." 

Forging signatures   

I have no idea if it is against the rules for candidates to hire transport to ferry supporters to  the nomination meeting - I suspect not. But you don't need a degree in jurisprudence to know it is corrupt to forge the signatures of "supporters" or to pay their membership fees for them.

I learn that McGrath's margin of victory was 35 votes out of 717 cast but the Board asserts that

"many more than 35 were bussed in."

The riding Board had commissioned an independent survey of the riding's membership before the nomination meeting on 8 April 2017. Members were asked:

(1) if they had been contacted by a candidate to attend the nomination meeting on 8 April

(2) if they had signed an application to become a member of the Ontario PCs and

(3) if they or an immediate family member paid the membership fee.

The telephone survey tried to contact all 1267 members and got a response from 287 (22.6%). It listed so called "challenge addresses" involving 358 "members".

On 28 May 2017, the provincial nominating committee told the Newmarket-Aurora riding Board it proposed to take no action on the allegations of cheating and fraud.

PC Leader, Patrick Brown, has now ruled that the nominations of the 64 candidates endorsed and approved to date will stand, though many are challenged. A new, more rigorous, system for checking on cheating will be brought in for all nominations "going forward".  

Membership cut-off date

One simple, straightforward and easy fix is for the membership freeze date to be brought forward many months before the nomination meeting. Unless this happens, candidates may feel forced to go on a last minute membership recruiting spree, signing people up who have little or no ideological affinity with the PCs just to make up the numbers.

This is no way to run a party. It leads to clientism and bogus members packing meetings. Soon the whole body politic is infected.

Brown has said he will be signing the nomination papers of candidates such as Charity McGrath, branded as a cheat by leading members of the Newmarket-Aurora riding association.

Banana Republic

You expect this kind of fiddling in a banana republic - not in apartment blocks on Davis Drive allegedly full of fraudulent "members".

It is in Charity McGrath's own best interests to press for a review of the nomination process and to co-operate fully with it. And to temporarily stand down until it is completed.

I don't like labelling candidates for political office as cheats.

But I like it even less when unscrupulous people steal elections.

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Update on 15 June 2017: PC Vikram Singh goes to Court over ballot stuffing allegation.