SERVING THE THORNHILL COMMUNITY SINCE 1878
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MARKHAM
Consultant to bring balance to ward map 2 Thornhill wards have fewest residents BY L.H. TIFFANY HSIEH
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Thursday, June 14, 2012
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Former landfill eyed as ‘habitat’ Proposal could bring relief to Settlers Park community concerned about methane gas pilot project BY KIM ZARZOUR
kzarzour@yrmg.com
Residents in the Settlers Park community are hopeful their cherished greenspace, slated for an aer-
obic bioreactor pilot project, will be preserved after a motion was tabled at Markham council Tuesday night. The motion, introduced by Thornhill Councillor Howard
Shore, calls for the former Sabiston landfill site, near John and Leslie streets, to be recognized and preserved as a unique natural habitat. The motion, to be voted on by councillors June 26, makes several
stipulations, including: • That the town no longer consider aerobic technology for the landfill; • The land formally be brought See GREEN, page 28.
FUN WITH MOM
thsieh@yrmg.com
Markham could increase the size of its council from the current eight local wards in the next municipal election. But the possibility of an extra ward doesn’t sit well with at least one councillor. Deputy Mayor Jack Heath said Markham should tell the consultant they are going to hire to work within the existing eight wards: “We are satisfied with 13 (members of council) and let’s see what you can do with it,” he said. On Tuesday, Markham’s town councillors gave staff the OK to hire Dr. Robert Williams, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Waterloo, at the cost of more than $30,000 to review the town’s current ward boundaries.
NEW WARD? MAYBE The review won’t necessarily result in a recommendation for a new ward, as it will also look at the possibility of adjusting the current ward boundaries to ensure effective representation. “At the end of the process, two or three councillors are not gonna be happy that their workload could double,” Mayor Frank Scarpitti said. Markham’s current system of eight wards was adopted in 1997 and realigned in 2005. See TAKE, page 30.
STAFF PHOTO/MIKE BARRETT
Storytime at the Schwartz/Reisman Centre in Vaughan, hosted by PJ Library and Camp Gesher, was fun for Ariella Behar, 2, who gets some help from mother Tanya at the craft table.
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