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yorkregion.com
Thursday, Feb. 25, 2016
REGIONAL CHAIR DEBATE
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COLDEST NIGHT SMASHES GOAL
Should mayors have supported councils’ vote? Regional politicians free to vote with their conscience BY LISA QUEEN
W
lqueen@yrmg.com
hen four York Region mayors voted against NewmarketAurora MPP Chris Ballard’s private member’s bill advocating for an elected regional chair — even though their local councils supported it — it raised an interesting question. Should mayors vote in favour of the wishes of their local councils if they disagree or according to their own conscience? According to the Municipal Act, a mayor, as chief executive officer of a municipality, shall uphold and promote the purposes of the municipality. Last week at regional council, Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti, Newmarket Mayor Tony Van
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Bynen, Aurora Mayor Geoff Dawe and East Gwillimbury Mayor Virginia Hackson voted contrary to the positions their local council had taken on Ballard’s bill, although they did agree to look at the idea of an elected chair as part of a governance review. Whitchurch-Stouffville Mayor Justin Altmann was the only mayor whose municipality had considered the issue who voted in favour of Ballard’s bill at regional council, which mirrored his vote See page A12.
ONLINE NEWS
STAFF PHOTO/STEVE SOMERVILLE
Anastasia Trutneva, Patrick Derry and Kelly Stacy lead a fun dance exercise on stage during Saturday’s local Coldest Night of the Year walk that started at Riverwalk Commons. For the story and more photos, go to yorkregion.com by following bit.ly/1L9QPru. For more, visit innfromthecold.ca or call 905-895-8889.
PUBLIC TRANSIT
Service improvements bring worries, hopes DON’T SEE IT IN THE PAPER? CHECK OUT MORE STORIES ONLINE INCLUDING:
❐ POLICE DISAPPOINTED: People just aren’t getting ‘don’t drink/drive’ message: bit.ly/20QMlb1
❐ DINE SAFE YORK: Find out which restaurants and pubs aren’t meeting health standards: bit.ly/1KpTRrt ❐ 2 HIT & RUNS: York Region man arrested following two incidents in Oshawa: bit.ly/1QagbT3
❐ LIFE STORY: Decorated Second World War veteran from Newmarket remembered: bit.ly/20TDoh9
It’s an ‘unprecedented time in transit. There’s a lot going on’ BY LISA QUEEN
W
lqueen@yrmg.com
hen Jen Bowie and her husband bought their Aurora home almost three years ago, they deliberately chose a house backing on the railway tracks because they didn’t want neighbours behind them. Now, with the promise of 15-minute GO train service arriving over coming years, the mother of a toddler and baby is wondering whether constant disruptive, noisy trains will soon be her new “neighbours.” “Where we lived before, we were in a fish bowl, so this time, we wanted something where we didn’t
TRANSPORTATION
Don’t expect roads to clear any time soon BY SIMON MARTIN
D
smartin@yrmg.com
on’t expect construction traffic on Leslie Street to let up anytime soon. The north/south road — under construction from Green Lane to Mount Albert Road in Sharon — will not be completed by spring. The developer representing Acorn and South Sharon Developments told council it will need six weeks when the weather clears to finish paving the thoroughfare. A tri-party agreement was FILE PHOTO/MIKE BARRETT struck in 2014 between the town, Construction in East Gwillimbury will continue to frustrate commutAcorn and South Sharon and the Sharon Village Landowners Group ers long past spring, developers say. development to complete Murrell ments are working on the south Boulevard bypass that would run portion of the road from Green from Mount Albert Road to Green Lane to Sharonvit Estates, while Lane. the Sharon Village Land Owners ❑ What do you think about this isThe road was originally supGroup works on the northern sue? How should it be handled? posed to be open to construction portion, from Sharonvit to Mount Email tkibble@yrmg.com traffic last fall, so the main access Albert Road. to the Sharon developments When complete, Murrell will wouldn’t be off Leslie right next to “We wanted the road constructed provide an alternate route from Sharon Public School. so cement trucks weren’t going Leslie to go north and south in “I am really hoping we are not through our community and past looking at this at the end of June,” our school.” Mayor Virginia Hackson said. Criterion and Acorn DevelopSee page A8.
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have people’s backyards backing on to us,” the Walton Drive resident said in explaining their decision to buy a house backing on to the train tracks. “My main thing is if (train service is going to be) every 15 minutes,
even every half an hour, and we can see them from our backyard because there is a hill at the back, it’s the See page A4.
JUSTICE
‘I’m truly sorry’, Muzzo tells court Man who killed 4 people apologizes to family
‘I
BY CHRIS SIMON
csimon@yrmg.com
’m truly sorry... from the bottom of my heart.” Choking back tears, Marco Muzzo says he has been “tortured” by his decision to drive drunk, which led to a crash that caused the deaths of four members of the Neville-Lake family Sept. 27. Muzzo gave a statement lasting several minutes to the packed courtroom of Justice Michelle Fuerst in Newmarket Wednesday. It was another emotional day at the courthouse, as Crown and defence attorneys took turns making sentencing statements.
i
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“I stand here... with great remorse,” he said. “I’ve listened to the catastrophic consequences of my actions. I’m at a loss for words and in constant search for the right way to express my sorrow. There are no actions that can ever change what happened.” The Crown is pushing for Muzzo to be sentenced to 10 to 12 years in See page A10.
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