Milton Villager Magazine Volume 1, Issue 25 - October 2014 www.MiltonVillager.com
If you would like to advertise in Milton Villager email rick@dilorenzo.com Publisher - Rick Di Lorenzo, rick@dilorenzo.com Photographers - Ann Kornuta, Denise Cooperwhite, Grant Rushton, Eva Mende-Gibson Reporters - Stuart Service, Laura Steiner, Elizabeth Kogan, Genevieve Rushton-Givens Printed in Canada. All rights reserved. Opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily that of the publisher and no liability is assumed for omissions or errors Follow us on Facebook at http://facebook.com/MiltonVillager Milton Villager Magazine is available at these fine local businesses: Grocery stores: Metro, Food Port, Real Canadian Super Store, La Rose Bakery, Little Kabul Fine Food, Food Basics Food: Hero Burger, Pizza Nova, Troys Diner, Coffee Culture, Heritage Fish and Chips, Symposium, Shoeless Joe’s, Bombay Grill, Mama Mila’s Cafe, Quiznos, Empire Wok, Mr. Sub, Tim Hortons, The Hen and the Roost Recreation: Milton Sports Centre, Leisure Centre, Milton Centre for the Arts, Making Waves Swim School Shopping: Milton Mall, Home Hardware, Canadian Tire, Taylor Nursery
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by Elizabeth Kogan | Photos by Michelle Emson
Off To The
4 | Milton Villager
Camel Races
Optimist Club of Milton Fundraiser
T
he fastest? Best dressed? Most popular? These categories may evoke memories of school yearbooks of yesteryear, and yet, these competitive titles have a present day twist: they’re for a camel race competition. Yes, camels, in Milton. Well, seriously speaking, they’re not reallife, high pitched bleating camels, but read on as we tell you more about this unique and entertaining fundraising event. The Optimist Club of Milton is hosting its second annual Camel Race on Saturday, November 1, 2014 at the spectacular Rattle Snake Point Golf Club. A local service club chartered by Optimist International, the Optimist Club of Milton (Club) was founded 40 years ago. Its mandate is “to conduct positive service projects aimed primarily at providing a bringing out the best in kids.” The organization is tireless in its dedication to the community and hosts many fundraising activities including Comedy Night, Sunday Summertime Cruise Nights, TV Bingo on Cogeco, as well as assisting at Milton’s Ribfest. These activities allow the Club to sponsor youth in Milton, individuals in need, and local charitable or not-for-profit organizations. This year’s Camel Race will benefit the Lighthouse Program for Grieving Children, the ROCK (Reach Out Centre for Kids), Food4Kids, and Milton Optimist Youth projects. The contestants purchase a camel made of wood, and are asked to name and decorate their camel in accordance with this year’s theme: movies. Footloose, Grease, and 101
Dalmatians are a few of the movies that have served as the muse for some of the camels that will adorn the illustrious venue. Contestants are encouraged to be creative in dressing their camel as the competition is expected to be fierce. Samples of the decorated camels from last year’s event can be seen at MiltonCamelRace.Ca/Gallery. The race itself is designed like a life sized game board, whereby dice are thrown and camels advance to the next position or not, depending on their fate. As the game progresses, some camels are eliminated and finally, a winner is declared, the coveted Fastest Camel. This year, the organizers have added two new contests for the participants: Best Dressed Table and Best Dressed Guest. The event will also feature a silent auction, 50/50 draw, and prize draws throughout the race. Tickets to the Camel Race are $85/each (dinner included) and can be purchased by emailing info@optimistclubofMilton. org or visiting the MiltonCamelRace.Ca website and selecting the Buy Tickets option.
Karin Tomosky Chambers Running for local Councillor in Ward 1
tomoskychamberskp@gmail.com Cell # 905-220-6510. Home # 905-878-8603.
Travels the World By Laura Steiner | Photos by Grant Rushton
Chelsea, Dante and Mikaela
6 | Milton Villager
O
n September 21, food and fashion from around the world were the theme at the Italian Canadian Club of Milton (ICCM) for a fundraiser for the Tikko Foundation. Tikko is a plush stuffed polar bear that travels around the world promoting Autism awareness.
The idea for Tikko the bear started with tea. Christine Poe had a friend over one afternoon, and they got talking about an article about a girl who was sick with cancer. She wanted to travel, so she sent her teddy bear around the world, and people took pictures with it. “I told Dorian because I thought it was such a beautiful story, and he said ‘Mommy, I want to send Tikko around the world to raise autism awareness,’” Poe explained. That was in 2003, and since then Tikko has done everything from accompanying Travis Gerrits to the 2014 Olympics to flying with Chris Hadfield and the Snowbirds on Canada Day.
Musicians Alessia and Luke
all about being different, and it’s okay to be different,” she commented.
Michael Boyer didn’t start talking about his autism in school until second grade. “I’m autistic, that’s a label that makes me feel special,” he admitted to the crowd. He views Tikko as an example. “Like Tikko I can make a difference. To find out more about Tikko, and his travels around the world visit the website: www.tikkotravels.org
The fashion show organized by Kitsa Statti was based around Tikko’s travels. All the models were kids with autism. “It was very satisfying to see the children up in the show that would normally not have an opportunity to be in a fashion show,” Statti said. Laura McGowan modeled fashion based on Japan. “Laura’s been interested in all things Japanese for many years,” mom Heather explained. Laura has Asperger’s syndrome: “It’s difficult,” she said of living with the disease.
Speeches followed the fashion show highlighted by Christine Poe. Her son Dorian was diagnosed with Autism. She, and her husband realized something was wrong with him when he was 2 years old. The family was relieved when they found out what was wrong. “When we received the Autism diagnosis for Asperger’s it was a blessing, because we finally knew what was wrong.” she explained in her speech. They finally had a reason for his meltdowns, anxiety, and aggressiveness. “It’s
The Choi family
Jan, Robyn and Jayden
Karen and Howard cutting cake
Story by Stuart Service
Preparations underway for spooky fun at 8 | Milton Villager
Milton Haunted House V
isit Milton Mall on Main and Ontario Sts. on October 25th and 26th for a genuinely frightening Halloween experience at the 5th Annual Milton Haunted House. David Coulter, who hails from a “non-Halloween background,” is directly involved in the construction of the spooky structure. He said even he’s surprised at how much of a Halloween enthusiast he’s become.
Once Milton Haunted House is up and running “I’ll get fully dressed up in a zombie outfit and walk around the mall,” said Coulter, whose costume is so startling that he’ll often be asked to pose for photos throughout the weekend. “Growing up I was never into Halloween,” Coulter said. “I volunteered to help (event creator) Rick (Di Lorenzo) as a favour and this will actually be my third year doing it.” Di Lorenzo said he first hosted the annual haunted house from his garage before moving onto the driveway and front porch.
“My wife gave me an ultimatum: it had to leave the house,” he said. The event has since become an effective way to raise money for the Milton District Hospital Foundation through donations including silent auction prizes. It’s also one of the most entertaining ways in town for a high school student to earn volunteer hours.
“Seeing the volunteers come back year after year shows that it’s not a labour,” Coulter said. “It’s just to have fun
this October
with the kids of Milton. The charity side to it is just an added bonus.”
Coulter added that it’s never an easy process picking all of the scary furnishings to place inside the Milton Haunted House due to there being so many props to choose from.
“We probably have three times extra stuff other than what we use in the haunted house: zombies, masks, clowns, animatronics. It’s quite an extensive collection.”
ELECT
Oct 27
Asad Naqvi for
E ducation L eadership E thics C ommitment T echnology Integrity Communication Progressive Change & Your VOICE..
Public School Trustee for Wards 2, 3, 4 & 5 647 213 5569 asad@asadnaqvi.ca asadnaqvi.ca voteasadnaqvi For an inclusive community, Committed to progress and change.
Ryan Devries for local Ward 2 Councillor Dear Neighbours in Ward 2, I am the face you see around the community rollerblading with my dog, riding my bike, or going on a run. Born and raised here, I love Milton. I have held positions on the Milton Youth Advisory Committee, Halton Student Senate, and am currently Vice President of Enactus Sheridan, a student-run not-for-profit organization. Now, it is my goal to represent you.
Growth for Milton is nothing new, but how we manage it can be. Whether it’s focusing on the Milton Hospital, managing speeding, tailoring the transportation system to suit our community’s needs, or ensuring sustainable development planning, I want our community to plan for a long and bright future. I strive to turn passion into action, as your Ward 2 candidate. I am here to listen, meet your needs, exceed your expectations, and provide a fresh outlook on old and current issues. I look forward to meeting you. I’m asking for your vote on October 27th, Ryan Devries www.ryandevries.ca | 905-864-2163
Thank you O
n September 20, 2014 our son Derick would have turned 30 but tragically we lost him February 2010. We thank the Ivy Arms for accommodating us and being so helpful, kind and understanding when we had our sons gathering to celebrate his 30th but mostly a memorial for him. A special thank you to Mark who was our bartender and took great care of us and our guests. Thank you to everyone who came. We miss our son terribly and your support meant more then we can express. Derick’s Mom and Dad, Denise and John Cooperwhite.
Councillors and commuters 10 | Milton Villager
enjoy coffee and conversation Story by Stuart Service | Photos by Ann Kornuta
T
ransit staff and town councillors spent September 12 morning at the Main Street terminal offering free coffee to mid-transit train and bus passengers headed to work and school.
Mike Bugala, a former TTC operator and the current chair of Milton’s Transit Advisory Committee, highlighted the “huge difference” that’s occurred since the town hired Pacific Western to run the local bus system in 2010. “Now that we have somebody running our service for us it’s making a big difference… We have more input now,” Bugala said. “It’s going to take time, but it’s going to continue to grow.” Milton Transit manager Rick Wiebe said that Passenger Appreciation Day continues to be a worthy program.
Milton Mayor Gord Krantz enjoyed the opportunity to find out the state of his town’s bus system by speaking with passengers about their daily commute.
“Mayor, councillors and constituents gather together … it gives them an opportunity to answer any of the questions that customers may have for them. It’s an annual event and, to me, it’s a worthy program to have.
“I think the biggest majority of people that we talked to — and there was quite a number of them this morning — they seem to be reasonably satisfied with the system that we’re operating here,” Krantz said. “I know we can always improve on it, and that’s one of the main reasons for doing this (Passenger Appreciation Day): to get the feedback from the public.”
“In 2010, when I first came on board with [Milton Transit], we had a lower ridership at that time. Less buses; we were just in our infancy stages growing our customer base. Now it’s a very healthy program and now here we are in 2014 with a large customer base and it gets larger by the month because of how Milton Transit and the Town of Milton have grown.”
At the wheel of the mayor’s bus was Milton Transit operator Cam Boyd. “Every day to me, personally, is passenger appreciation day. If you get somebody from out of town to take a look (at Milton Transit) you’ll see I’m not just blowing smoke. It’s true,” he said. “There’s a really nice camaraderie between the drivers and the passengers,” Boyd added. “I’ve had the mayor on my bus a number of times and I like the fact that he’s genuine when he gets on and really emphasizes what this day is all about.”
Mallowe’en Public School Trustee for Wards 1,6,7,8
Elect Jaideep Kala
My quest for volunteering and contributing to community led me to seek election as trustee for wards 1, 6, 7 and 8. I am a big supporter of community services and public education. I want to see our students develop into well rounded individuals with healthy body and minds. Our School board has lot of excellent programs to serve the many different needs of student community. However, I feel that many parents/students who could benefit from these programs are not aware of them. One of my first task as trustee will be to communicate these programs to parents and encourage their participation. After attending parent council and other meetings I have noticed firsthand the great work being done by the board and the Schools for student achievement and success. As trustee my task will be to contribute and strengthen these activities. I would like to see our students take part in physical activities, learning new skills, and community services besides excelling in their studies. After all, it is all about our children as they our future and legacy. To learn more about myself please visit my website www.jaideepkala.com.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 25th, 10:00 am - 12 noon Craft & Pumpkin Carving Kids’ Sing Along Concert Mallowe’en Magic Show
10:00 am - 12 noon 10:30 am - 11:00 am 11:30 am - 12 noon
Open to children ages 4 to 12. Please note parent(s) must remain with their child(ren). Pumpkins, supplies and goodie bags are limited to the first 300 children present. For more details visit miltonmall.com and click on Kids’ Club Corner of Ontario and Main miltonmall.com
By: Laura Steiner | Photos by Ann Kornuta
12 | Milton Villager
he Italian Canadian Club of Milton (ICCM) has been at its current location of 104 Tremaine Rd. since 1969. T On September 14, they took time out to honour their past by unveiling a Founders’ wall; an engraving in the shape of a tree. The idea for a founders’ wall began about 18 months ago at a gathering of the Board of Directors. They were looking to decide what direction to take the club, and decided to honour the club’s history. “The Italian Canadian Club of Milton want to continue their endeavours, and giving back to our community.” Club President Domenic Pasqualino stated in his opening remarks. The ICCM has been active in Milton hosting cultural events, and hosting fundraisers for various causes. One of the ICCM’s goals is to promote the spirit of community while promoting Italian culture. The afternoon included an invitation-only dinner. A table of dignitaries including Regional Chairman Gary Carr, Mayor Gord Krantz, and MPP Indira Naidoo-Harris were seated at the front near a podium. The Italian, and Canadian national anthems kicked off the ceremonies with some attendees singing along. After came official speeches, and reading the names by founder Charlie Vizzini. For Club President Domenic Pasqualino it’s about honouring the past. “With the founder’s wall we wanted to recognize the word of the founding members, and their achievement,” he explained. Following speeches from Krantz, Carr, and Naidoo-Harris, Pasqualino resumed his place at the podium for a toast. “I propose a toast to the present, and the future. I want to thank you all for your friendship, cheers.” Everyone followed his example tapping their glass against a neighbour’s.
The group of dignitaries unveiled the engraving. The tree symbolized the idea of putting down roots. “You plant something, and it’s growing, and growing,” Vizzini said. The tree held gold, silver and bronze leaves. The gold are reserved exclusively for the founders, while silver and bronze will be for new donations based on the level; silver will be for $2000, and bronze for $1000. “It’s a symbol of life,” Pasqualino added. For more information on the ICCM including how to become a member visit their website: www.iccm.ca.
Donna Danielli Milton School Trustee for Wards 2,3,4,5 Connection to her community has always come naturally to Donna Danielli. A Queen’s Diamond Jubilee medal winner for community service and twice nominated for Business Person of the Year by the Chamber, it was volunteering as a tutor on the Don Jail that set her on her path to educational advocacy. “Not having the literacy skills to fill out a job application impacts your future,” says Donna. “A well rounded, publicly funded education is the most important gift we can give anyone.”
“Since 2006, we’ve built five elementary and one high school with another elementary school and a rebuild of Martin Street School coming next. Along with numerous expansions to programs, the walk to distances to schools have been reduced significantly.”
Donna reflects that “the most important thing to remember when I’m at the Board table is that every single decision, whether it is a balanced budget, a new school or a curriculum policy, has to be based on how it will impact student potential for success, because that’s what really matters.”
Catch the Moment For a Better Tomorrow in Ward 5
Elect Mike Bugala
On Monday October 27, 2014 as your Councillor www.mikebugala.ca mike@mikebugala.ca 905-878-8733 905-299-9900 As Someone who demonstrates a Strong Leadership and has been a resident of Ward 5 for over 35 years. These are my Priorities:
Work with all sectors of my constituency and to Keep Ward 5 a healthy residential and business community Advocate for jobs and more affordable Housing Better transit services
New developments that respects Milton’s culture, natural and architectural heritage Support arts and cultural activities recognizing their importance to the quality of life, economic development and tourism in Milton
Exhaustive reviews at budget times to keep taxes down
Advocate for the understanding of the value of Milton youth to the public and council and support the decisions regarding their priorities, issues and future plans. Are You Aware Ward 5 that:
Our Councillor for the past 4 years has been Arnold Huffman and not only did he ride the gravy train he was the conductor. Property Taxes have increased by 15%
Voted for an increase in his salary by 20%.
He was the most expensive member of Council attending more conferences, conventions and other Tax payers funded junkets
Supported getting involved in Pan Am games at the cost of a Velodrome with a $63,000,000.00 indoor cycling tract that will be used by other Municipalities and paid for by Milton Taxpayers He brought forward the motion to have Town Staff look at putting piano stairs in the Milton Centre of the Arts at a cost of $100,000.00 He brought forward a motion to turn the Milton Community Fund into a Political Slush Fund to garner support from Local Service Clubs. Our current councillor has not seen a tax dollar he can not wait to spend that is why we need a change in Ward 5
Elect Tony Lambert Hi, I am Tony Lambert. I am extremely honored and humbled to have been the Town and Regional councillor for wards 1,6,7 and 8. I As a community we have some very large challenges as our town continues to grow in population at an incredible rate. The challenges we face center around development, which affect our property taxes, transportation, schools and our environment. While on council I advocated strongly for my constituents to not allow our property tax increases to increase significantly, and for having infrastructure be implemented with the development, and not long after it. I also worked hard to address speeding concerns. Access to our representatives is very important to me, so I personally delivered my newsletter the Tony Lambert Report to my constituents while I was on council.
By voting for me I will focus on resolving the issues today that we will face in the very near future. The issues such as parking at the GO station, potential increases in air traffic noise, speeding and keeping our property increases to a reasonable amount will shape our community’s future, and affect our enjoyment of living in Milton. I will also focus on being extremely accessible to you by bringing my newsletter to you in person to hear your concerns regarding our town, as well as re-introduce ways to increase voters convenience to vote such as on-line voting. To me our community must come first when handling the challenges we face. Therefore by voting for me on October 27th I will act today regarding the issues we face, so they are not a problem for us in the future. Thank you.
Please visit my website www.tony-lambert.ca for more information on my ideas to improve our town.
Ward 2
Vote Ryan Devries Vote Ryan Devries to be your local Ward 2 Councillor • Ensure Sustainable Planning in Milton • Support entrepreneurial action • Keep the Ward 2 we know and love
The work begins with a conversation and a vote on October 27th
www.ryandevries.ca 905-864-2163 electryandevries@gmail.com facebook.com/RyanDevriesE twitter.com/1devriesrya
16 | Milton Villager
By Genevieve Rushton-Givens Photos by Denise Cooperwhite
I
t was a battle for parking spaces at Bishop Reding High School on the evening of Friday, September 19 as locals arrived at Garba Ni Raat, an popular event celebrating Navratri. The festival of Navratri is a 5000-year-old Hindu tradition (held five times a year) representing the triumph of the goddess Durga over evil. Navratri is observed universally throughout India and internationally amongst people of Indian heritage. It consists of nine nights of worshipping Durga, with each day dedicated to worshipping a different form of the goddess. The tenth day is called Dasara, celebrated by exchanging gifts and praying. The festival is celebrated in various ways throughout the different regions of India; some traditions include fasting, while the Western Indian (Gujarati) tradition includes the Garba and Dandiyas Raas dances performed in this event. Admission was $7 in advance and $9 at the door with the proceeds going to both the Milton District Hospital Foundation and The Vaishno Devi Hindu Temple in Oakville. Attendees enjoyed a variety of Indian vegetarian foods. An event that sells out almost every year, Garba Ni Raat was organized by the Halton Gujarati Samaj (HGS). HGS is a non-profit that focuses on both charity and promoting the culture of the Gujarati people, an Indian ethnic group. The event started in 2007 and has grown quite a bit since then, according to organizer Nilesh Patel: “we started with 200 people and grew up to 2000 people because people are seeing the quality and showing interest. There’s lots of new immigrants moving in to Milton which is basically expanding the events.”
Maithili Patel, Mahek Patel, Maitri Patel, Devanshi Barot, Meshwa Pandya & Riya Anadkat
Large assemblies of people took part in the dancing with nearly every person (even children) wearing traditional Navratri outfits for women (colourful, sparkling chaniya choli and dandiya dresses) and men (kafni pajamas and kediyu). There were large circles of people clapping, twirling and waving dandiya sticks (used for the Dandiya Raas dance). It was hypnotizing to watch hundreds of people dancing in sync, flowing together in a beautiful pattern of movement. Musicians Pramesh Nandi and Group accompanied the revelers in traditional Gujarati dances including Garba, Dandiya Raas, Sanedo and Bhai Bhai. The music was traditional Indian music with flute, syncopated percussion and lilting vocals with elaborate ascents and descents. Along with the dancing there was a prayer ritual (puja) to honour the deity Durga. Kuntal Patel explained, “We are doing a respect for our goddess. She has a different reincarnation, this goddess. Each life is a different reincarnation; in each reincarnation she came to us and [...] she helped us out.” Nilesh Patel saw the event as a way for people of Indian ancestry to remember their culture and to socialize. “The benefit of this event is basically people get together. Right now everyone lives in silos but this kind of event people come out, they get together, they enjoy. [...] A lot of people
Kunpal Patel is holing the oil lamps during the Arti prayer
[are] coming out of borders of the town, like Ninth Line, Tenth Line, Oakville, Burlington[.]” The organizers stressed that the event is open to everyone, regardless of religion or culture. An event like this is so helpful to Miltonians of Indian heritage who want to remember their culture and for Miltonians to learn about different cultures and the traditions that come with them. Hopefully in the future there will be more events and opportunities to learn about the various cultures that make up the diverse town of Milton. To learn more, visit http://www.haltongujaratisamaj.com or https://www.facebook.com/halton.samaj
Elect Jaideep Kala
Public School Trustee for Wards 1, 6, 7 & 8
Re-Elect Donna Danielli Public School Trustee for Wards 2,3,4 and 5. 905-699-7433 ddanielli@interhop.net Representing your voice in public education since 2006
jayfortrustee@hotmail.com 647-881-6277 www.jaideepkala.com www.facebook.com/JaideepKalaForTrustee
Sharon Barkley
running for Re-Election in Ward 1 on October 27th. This candidate brings more than a decade of experience representing Ward 1 to the table. Sharon Barkley was a Milton Hydro Commissioner and Hydro Chair from 1996-2009. More recently, in addition to her role as a Town Councillor Barkley has served as Vice-Chair of Town’s Administration & Planning Committee, Vice-chair of the Budget Committee, a member of the Milton Accessibility Advisory Committee, and a Milton Hydro director. Barkley was a co-founder of Skills for Change, a Torontobased non-profit that provides learning and training opportunities for immigrants and refugees to aid them to participate in the work force. She was also the Chair of Canadian Mental Health Halton for 10 years. Barkley says; “Representing the residents from Ward 1, the ‘oldest of the newer part of Milton’...4th Line/Cedar Hedge to James Snow in addition to all of south rural Milton has been an honour and a privilege. Balancing growth with the
needs of the existing residents continues to be my primary goal and focus. Ward 1 has ongoing residential construction, and there will soon be Commercial/Industrial building in the Derry Green Industrial Park. This expansion has to be done in a way that is sensitive to the existing residents. My top priorities continue to be the building of our hospital, funding for a university, and addressing the needs of both urban and rural residents...needs which include issues around traffic volume, traffic flow, and keeping property taxes the lowest in the GTA. I have received overwhelming support from Ward 1 residents and look forward to serving them over the next 4 years. I chose Milton and where we live more than 25 years ago, and with the support of the residents of Ward 1 on October 27th, I can continue promoting our community to be the wonderful place to live that Milton can be. A place to Live, Work, Play & Study.”
My name is Rick Di Lorenzo and it has been my pleasure and honour to serve as your Local Councillor for Ward 7 over the last four years. Milton is our home, it’s where we want to raise our family, so it’s our responsibility to make the community a better place for our children. As your local councillor I remain dedicated to serving the community by focusing on safety, fiscal responsibility and being easily accessible and available to help on local issues.
My first delegation to Town Council in 2005 spoke to the importance of community planning and managed growth. Before becoming your councillor, I was a member of my local school council, a fundraiser for Milton District Hospital Foundation and a vocal advocate for government transparency and improved resident communication.
I’m humbly asking for your support for re-election as your Ward 7 councillor on October 27th. There are new initiatives I’m supporting related to local high-paying job growth, improving our transportation network and bringing a future university to our town.
I’m a father, husband, councillor, blogger, publisher, library trustee, discussion forum administrator, fundraiser organizer and your neighbour. On October 27th, please support me for re-election as your representative.
Best regards,
Rick Di Lorenzo
ELECT RUBINA ALI FOR WARD 6 COUNCILLOR My VISION • To work for elimination of traffic congestion to and from, and in the town and to streamline the schedule for Milton transit for effective utilisation by Go Commuters, seniors and Milton residents. • To revitalise the businesses in Milton Downtown Core while preserving the personality of Milton’s Character Area. • To work for betterment of town facilities and their year round availability. • To have a more effective snow removal plan elimination of windrows being a special concern. • To address the parking concerns of GO commuters My Passions • I believe our beloved Canada is Canada because of our seniors. My passion is to work for the enhancement of the facilities for them. • Gender equality being one of my core values. I want the Town council to reflect the reality of our existence. • To turn Milton into a vibrant live and work place by bringing environmentally compliant businesses to the community. • To maintain the Heritage of Community in general and restoration of historic structures. MY BACKGROUND
• Member Milton Heritage Committee since 2011 • Member Rotary Club of Milton
Jennifer Smith has lived in downtown Milton for over twenty years and has seen what effect the town’s growth has had on her neighbourhood.
“On the surface, nothing has changed”, she points out. “But when the grocery store closed, it started a domino effect. Other businesses closed or moved out. We can’t walk to the library or the post office any more. Even the GO bus doesn’t stop here now. It’s taken its toll on the community, especially on our seniors and those struggling to raise a family”.
With Milton’s growth continuing to accelerate, Smith is determined to make that growth work for the benefit of central Milton, starting with her plan for revitalizing and expanding the town’s traditional downtown core.
“Some people think that it’s too late, and of course Milton will never be what it was. But with the right person representing us, I truly believe that we can make it even better. That’s why I’m running.”
By Elizabeth Kogan | Photos by Rob LaCosta
United Way of Milton
20 | Milton Villager
Running for #Change T
he skies were ominously dark as Mother Nature unleashed a dramatic rainfall during the morning of September 21, 2014. The determination and enthusiasm of the Milton community, however, was no match for the weather’s whims - it was the day of the United Way Milton Fun Run and no matter what, the race would go on.
United Way Milton, a registered charitable organization; established in 1982, is managed by a volunteer Board of Directors dedicated to ensuring its efficient and effective operation. Another volunteer committee assesses each agency application for funding - determining the annual allocation of funds. Teams of volunteers run fundraising events as well as the annual campaign. All funds raised in Milton stay in Milton to subsidize local programs and agencies. Each year their services reach out to more than 10,000 Milton families, children, youth, and seniors. Fun Run volunteers, led by Meredith Vincent, Manager of Volunteers for this year’s event, made their way into the barn of the Milton Fairgrounds early in the morning to prepare for the participants arrival– registration tables were set up; bagels and oranges were sliced; swag bags and T-shirts lined up and ready for distribution. Despite the ferocious sound of the rain as it hit the barn’s roof, the energy remained high and animated among the attendees. Friends hugged as they spotted each other in
the registration line and lively chatter filled the air. Mayor Gordon Krantz was on the scene, smiling and greeting the participants. The rain delayed the start of the events, but as the pitterpatter of the raindrops subsided, the 1K Kids Fun Run went into high gear. Once the children had completed their run; an energetic race warm up ensued by Heather Wild of Regenerate Fitness, followed by opening remarks by Mayor Krantz. The 5 and 10 kilometre fun runs as well as the 5 kilometre community walk took the runners and walkers through the picturesque streets of Milton starting and finishing at the Milton Fairgrounds. During the event, there was a Kids K Fun Way, a kid’s zone featuring a bouncy castle, sticker tattoos, and ball toss. United Way Milton CEO, Kate Holmes, and Director of the Fun Run event, Richard Bolton, took to the microphone and their voices filled with heartfelt conviction, thanked key sponsors Roxul and CN, as well as the volunteers and attendees for their generous support and commitment to the organization - $15,000 was raised for the United Way Milton during that momentous morning. The United Way Milton Fun Run website indicates the event’s mission was to “To bring the community of Milton together for a morning of fun and exercise in the spirit of healthy living.” Mission accomplished.
Karin Tomosky Chambers
Dental Clinic 905-864-4040
Preventative & Cosmetic Family Dentistry
for Ward 1 Milton Town Council
Karin and her parents moved to a Milton farm in 1968. The house was built in 1829 by Levi Willson, first Sheriff of Halton County. Her parents had the house designated as heritage to prevent a toxic waste site. Karin is committed to the preservation of Milton’s heritage, environmental conservation, keeping taxes low, maintaining and improving services, monitoring budget spending, better transit, traffic circles to reduce accidents, control speeding and relieve congestion, bicycle lanes, balancing heritage Milton with new development, preserving historic trees and planning for parks to provide a good quality of life.
Zhao McPhail, R.Ac, RMT, Ph.D Registered Acupuncturist
316 Martin Street, Milton ON L9T 2R6 email: daria_talanova@yahoo.com
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Balance Health Service
Martin St.
Karin worked in Public Health at the University of Toronto, McMaster University and the Ontario Public Health Agency. She is now a bee keeper on the family farm.
Steeles Ave.
Bronte St.
She is on the Board of Directors of the Milton Historical Society, the Milton Heritage Ad Hoc Task Force, supports the Milton Breakfast Programme, Transitional Housing, United Way, Salvation Army, Scott Mission and the MS Society of Canada.
After Hours Emergency Appointments Available
HWY 401
Derry Rd. W
9 am - 7 pm 9 am - 7 pm 9 am - 7 pm 9 am - 7 pm 9 am - 7 pm 9 am - 2 pm
Dr. Kulvinder Singh Hans • Dr. Disha Kaur Hans Tel: (905) 864-4040 Email: alliancedentalclinic@gmail.com Web: www.alliancedentalclinic.com
Milton Professional Building 470 Bronte St. S, Suite 109 Milton ON, L9T 2J4
Elect
Tony Lambert
Vote For Me, I will: 1. Stop the Infrastructure Planning Mistake at the Milton GO Station The province requires Milton’s population to grow by another 80,000 in 10 years, or 40,000 more motorists. Currently Milton GO station’s parking lot is full by 7:30am during the week. The province states there is no time-line to add more parking for 18 years. Without more parking, commuters to work will have to be at the GO station much earlier than 7:30am to find parking. I will work very hard with the province to be fair to us regarding growth and this issue by resolving this infrastructure planning mistake. 2. Address the Potential Increase In Air Noise North Oakville residents recently experienced a significant increase in air traffic noise. I will ask NAV Canada to inform us of upcoming changes in air noise so we can be informed before any changes. 3. On-Line Voting/Voting From Home Voters could have had the convenience of voting from home in this election. I believe voters should have that choice, so I will re-introduce this issue, that I voted for but was defeated at council last year. 4. Address Speeding In Our Neighborhoods Work with the town, province and other stake holders to bring more resources to address speeding. 5. Keep Property Tax Increases To A Minimum While on council our region had one of the lowest tax increases in Canada. I will continue to resist high property tax increases while protecting services. 6. Wilfred Laurier University While on council I endorsed a Wilfred Laurier campus in Milton. I will continue to advocate to the province to locate the campus here. 7. Be Accessible To You Each year I have brought my annual newsletter to you in person because I believe it is important to meet you and hear your views of our community. I will continue to do this so I can meet you personally. I live across from the Milton Sports Center a few hundred feet from ward 7. I will continue to bring my newsletter to you in person.
Re-Elect
Rick Di Lorenzo Ward 7 - Milton Town Council
www.miltonbusinessconnections.ca
Community Group
Vinyl Signs & Window Films
Niraj Adhiya | 905-875-3939 info@discovermilton.com www.discovermilton.com
Sam Kassam-Macfie | 416-995-0939 sam.kassam@momstown.ca milton.momstown.ca
Lena White | 647-382-8358 lena@musesigns.com www.musesigns.com
Vitamin Supplements
Mortgage Broker
Home & Auto Insurance
brokerage #10287
Sonya Levear 905-462-4400 s.levear@gmail.com www.sonyalevear.usana.com
Christine Walker | 647-801-0001 Christine.walker@mtgarc.ca www.mortgagesbychriswalker.ca
Rob Clarkson | 905-825-1065 rclarkson@youngsinsurance.ca www.robclarkson.ca
Contractor
Accountant
Life Insurance
Jason Sandilands | 416-873-6941 jason@i-gotta-guy.ca www.i-gotta-guy.ca
Airikka Passmore | 905-693-8269 airikka@airikkapassmore.com www.airikkapassmore.com
Doug Hopkins | 905-467-0346 douglas.hopkins@sunlife.com www.sunlife.ca/douglas.hopkins
Every Milton area small business owner who is looking to make new connections, should come out and meet our group to meet other great Milton entrepreneurs. Where: Ned Devine’s Irish Pub, 575 Ontario Street South When: 1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month from 7pm-9pm Hope to see you there. RSVP to connect@miltonbusinessconnections.ca
Milton Villager
Online Digital Media
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Your Connections to Milton’s Small Business Community