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By LISA [email protected]
It’s not easy being invis-ible.
Although York Region has a $3 billion annual budget and provides a number of crucial servic-
es, it’s the level of govern-ment many people don’t give a second thought about, regional chairper-son Wayne Emmerson said at the first regional
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CALENDAR
PAGE 9
Craft beer and food truck festival is in our events list
IN PICTURES
PAGE 3
METROLAND SPECIAL FEATURE
KingConnectionServing King City, Nobleton and Schomberg Thursday, June 2, 2016
Pub
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Demolition demo
PAGES 14-16
A look at bidding wars in the GTA housing market
We capture some stills from Schomberg Fair classic
Staff photo/Mike Barrett
One of the Ontario Cup under-17 boys basketball tournament gold medal matches was played at King City Secondary School on Sunday as teams from Stoney Creek and North Toronto (white) battled. Here, Stoney Creek’s Gordon Swenor reaches hard for a rebound. Stoney Creek won the championship 53-48.
By TIm [email protected]
Township council decided a teardown beat a makeover Monday night as it made its final decision on its new council cham-bers.
So, that means the for-mer Holy Name Catholic Elementary School will get the full wrecking-ball treatment this summer so a new Township Hall,
complete with public gym-nasium and York Regional Police substation, can rise in its place.
The $11.3-million con-struction project at 2585 King Road is expected to be ready for occupancy by December 2017. It is expected to be a massive improvement over the cramped quarters at 2075
A move ahead on new municipal digs
See page 7
See page 10
Reach foR it...
Expected to be ready for occupancy by December 2017
Region chair comes to King Township
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*THE DARYL KING TEAM CONSISTS OF 43 REGISTERED SALES REPRESENTATIVES. **FOR ROYAL LEPAGE YOUR COMMUNITY REALTY, BASED ON REAL ESTATE SALES IN 2014. ***FOR ROYAL LEPAGE, BASED ON REAL ESTATE SALES OF INDEPENDENTLY OWNED & OPERATED FRANCHISES IN 2015. NOT INTENDED TO SOLICIT PROPERTIES CURRENTLY UNDER A CONTRACT WITH ANOTHER BROKERAGE.
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3
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IN PICTURES
Demolition Derby: a DemonstrationClockwise from top left: Bradford driver Matt Reesor competes in the small car class during the demoltion derby, part of the 166th Schomberg Fair on Friday; the Friday night tradition draws a crowd; Jody Walker takes a spin around the pit; Schomberg native and first time driver Lisa Caranci gets ready; finishing touches before the start of the demoltion derby; Reesor puts the finishing touches on his car
Photos/Nick Iwanyshyn
ONLINE: Visit yorkregion.com for more photos from this event.
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By Tim [email protected]
In a move to back their planning staff, Township council refused an application by a King City resident to sever her large lot with the goal of building a home on the sec-ond lot.
The actual formal applica-tion by the applicant was to have the Township amend the official plan and zoning bylaw. It’s not clear now whether applicants Mark and Liina Peacock of 325 Warren Rd. will take their request to the Ontar-io Municipal Board.
While Monday evening’s vote at Township Hall was not unanimous – councillors Bill Cober and Linda Pabst spoke and voted in favour of the sev-erance application and against director of planning Stephen Kitchen’s recommendation – council stood firm in its resolve against the application.
The key sticking point was that the newly severed proper-ties would not each meet the King City Community Plan’s
minimum lot size require-ments of 1,400 square metres.
The newly severed lots would be 1,049.61 square metres and 1,067.18 square metres respectively and that means they fallshort of sec-tion 12.5.9 in the KCCP’s min-imum-lot size. The commu-nity plan is very specific saying “in no case” will approval be granted of a property in the area should minimum lot size be achieved.
That was good enough for councillors Avia Eek and Deb-bie Schaefer to back Kitchen’s recommendation that the sev-erance application be refused.
“I keep coming back to the very clear language in section 12.5.9 which says in no case should no parcel be granted that does not conform with the provisions of the zoning bylaw,” Schaefer said.
Cober said he judges appli-cations on their merits.
“From the word go, even back in 2010, I thought this application had merit. I thought this application could
be integrated cleanly into the community,” he said.
Pabst said she thought it was, “a totally acceptable sev-erance. It will keep people who want to stay in King, in King, instead of driving them out. I thought our council was very much in support of keeping people in King. The report, as I read it, I was shocked at the answer at the end (to refuse the severance).”
Councillor Cleve Mortelliti, in whose ward the application was made and who defeated Liina Peacock in the 2006 municipal race for Ward 1, has been a strong advocate of not supporting severance applica-tions in established subdivi-sions.
Mortelliti stood by that position in backing the staff recommendation Monday evening.
“I was compelled in 2014-2015 to basically put a position out there as a local councillor. I cannot support the chang-ing of our existing neighbour-hoods,” he said.
Council denies King City severance application
COUNCIL
| The Connection | Thursday, June 2, 2016
5
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O Publisher Dana Robbins
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■ COLUMNCOLUMN
Tim Kelly
It may be London’s Memorial Cup but York Region has a mighty strong claim to it as well.
The local hockey contin-gent on this year’s power-house London Knights was impressive indeed as four of the regular contributors to Canada’s major junior hock-ey champions are from this region.
While everyone who pays attention to the sport – espe-cially long-suffering Toronto Maple Leaf fans – is well aware of the exploits of Lon-don superstar Mitch Marner of Thornhill, many may not be aware of the three other York Region players who helped the Knights to junior hockey supremacy.
They have a lot to be proud of. This is a team that went unbeaten for 17 straight games including four games at the Memo-rial Cup, plus the Ontario Hockey League finals, OHL Western Conference finals and the OHL Western Con-ference semifinals.
Wow. Might never hap-
pen again.Richmond Hill’s Cliff Pu,
Victor Mete of Woodbridge and Robert Thomas of Auro-ra all helped the Knights rise to the top of the ladder.
Pu, a second-line cen-tre acquired in the 2014-15 from the Oshawa Generals – a team that went on to the win the Memorial Cup last year – played a big role behind the team’s top line of Christian Dvorak/Matthew Tkachuk/Marner, and had 39 points during the season.
Mete, one of the team’s best defencemen and eligi-ble for this year’s NHL draft, had 38 points during the season. He was a key player for the Knights this year.
And Thomas, just 16, had 15 points in 40 reg-ular-season games and will be a big contributor in the future. He got into the Memorial Cup final game.
As for Marner – what didn’t he do this year? OHL most valuable player, CHL most valuable player, win-ner of the Wayne Gretzky trophy as MVP of the OHL playoffs and to top it off,
the Stafford Smythe trophy as MVP of the Memorial Cup.
The only thing he really has left to do is make the Leafs next October.
With Alex Pietrangelo of King City joining Steven Stamkos of Markham on Team Canada in this Sep-tember’s World Cup of Hock-ey and Connor McDavid of Newmarket playing for the under-23 NHL Team North America, we have lots to savor in terms of hockey fla-vour from York Region.
Tim Kelly is a reporter with the York Region Media Group. Reach him at [email protected]
York Region contribution to Memorial Cuphen I was growing up, my parents would employ some crazy young family manage-
ment practices, like put it out to the whole clan, “We’re having takeout, what would you like to have for dinner?”
This was the type of thing you did when you didn’t have the inter-net or 500 TV channels.
You let your kids entertain you.In the case of impromptu take-
out nights, there was a catch. We were buying the dinner from one place. We just needed a consensus on what that place would be.
The O.J. Simpson jury probably did less wrangling.
Again, takeout is being legalized for this evening and this evening only as far as this week goes. Just come together on what form that takeout will take and let us know. Or at least show us you have a majority vote.
Eventually, through some debat-ers making a strong case (“We had burgers last time!” “You always want subs!”) we’d end up with an X-large pizza or bucket of chicken and of the five kids in the family (yes, five kids... those were the days) two were happy, one was indiffer-ent, one sulked as he chewed on a crust (or chicken bone) and one went up to her room and did not eat. She’d slam her bedroom door to make her point.
Meanwhile my dad refried some potatoes that were in the fridge, and smiled, as if he enjoyed noth-ing more than his evening of UN-style family government.
What all this accomplished I was never sure.
Pure, live entertainment, yes.Or it preserved the illusion a
family is a democracy, when, in fact, the parents have the majority vote.
I wondered why one of them didn’t just come walking through the door with a couple of big pizzas.
“If you don’t like it, have a bowl of cereal.”
I think of these times in the wake of the fiasco related to the pot dispensaries in Toronto that were busted this past week, the same way a couple of identi-cal pot dispensaries in York Region were busted months ago.
Police, at the apparent urging of the city’s mayor, endeavoured to enforce the laws as they appar-ently exist (you need to use a lot of apparentlys here, because appar-ently a lot of people are very con-fused about what the rules are — even those intimately involved).
Why are they confused (or leaping to fill a vaccuum amid the apparent confusion)?
A government with a young leader who admits to having smoked marijuana as an MP, runs on the promise to legalize marijua-na. That government is elected to a majority. Months and months pass.
Finally an announcement is made that they hope to have the legislation passed, at some point (hopefully) next year — a year and a half after being elected.
A long time, considering how prevalent the use of this stuff already is, whether we like it or not.
York police use something called a “crime map” on their website. If you set it to show you all the drug-related crimes (90 per cent of which appear to be possession of mari-juana) between when the Liberals were elected and today, the map lights up with literally hundreds and hundreds of charges.
The other day I saw a driver in a BMW as we crawled along 16th Avenue, holding a marijuana joint out the window (so as not stink up his nice car) between puffs.
I doubt smoking up while driv-ing is going to be allowed under the coming legislation.
But in the wake of no new legis-lation, people are doing whatever they please, it seems to me.
I wish those in charge — in this case, our government — would just order the large pizza, metaphori-cally speaking, and get on with it. When it comes to the haze of pot laws, clarity is needed.
New pot laws need expediting
WBernie O’Neill
| The Connection | Thursday, June 2, 2016
7
Wednesday, June 15th, 2016$35 Birdie donor$55 eagle donor
$100 hole in one donor
Kerrysplace.orgKerrysplace.orgMake a cash donation today at
22nd Annual KERRY’S PLACE GOLF CLASSICpresented by
Phone: (905) 841-6611 ext. 371Email: [email protected]
Memorial Park25 DOCTORS LANE, KING CITY
SATURDAYJUNE 11TH 20
16
NOON 9:30pmuntil
Tickets $10advance
$15at gateand
craftbeerandfood.ca
1700 King Rd l (289) 207-0042 l DawsonDental.caAll are welcome!
Years
Community Anniversary CelebrationFace painting for the kids,fun activities, snacks and anopportunity to meet KingCity dentist, Dr. Marr.
Live On Location!
Saturday, June 4th9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
King’s Ridge Marketplace
King Rd., now “bursting at the seams,” as a Township news release confirms.
In the words of Mayor Steve Pellegrini, “you are going to have to add some air freshen-ers that smell like pizza,” jok-ing the current hall is located beside a Pizza Pizza outlet.
Referring to the gymnasi-um, expected to be open to the public during hours when
township employees are gone for the day, Pellegrini said:
“I don’t want a place where people just pay taxes. I want a community facility where peo-ple want to go there... I want it where it’s a community hub.”
The new facility will cost just under $400,000 more than a renovation would have cost, but offers more cost certainty, according to consultants who prepared a report for council’s consideration.
They also pointed to a
shorter life expectancy for a renovated building over build-ing new, easier for accessibil-ity in new versus renovated, and a more compact building footprint.
Total costs including demo-lition, land acquisition, vari-ous studies, consultant fees, relocation and full construc-tion costs is $18.5 million. The sources of financing for the project include $1.484 million in development charges, $1 million from the York Regional
Police capital contribution and $1 million from the parkland acquisition reserve for playing field for $3,484,100 so far.
The balance of funds still to come on the project will be generated from the sale of the building and land at 2075 King Road – current Township Hall – expected to bring millions in revenue at current market rates – and from Township borrowing. What’s left to pay for the new Township Hall is $15,015,900.
New facility to provide more cost certainty, say consultantsFrom front page
I don’t want a place where people just pay
taxes. I want a community facility where people want
to go there...
– Mayor Steve Pellegrini
FROM FRONT
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Traffic Beyond the 6ixA three-part, interactive panel discussion seriesfeaturing experts in the field of transportation
Location: Markham Pan Am Centre16 Main Street Unionville,the City of Markham
7 p.m. to 8:45 p.m.
Contact Rob Di Profio1-877-464-9675 ext. [email protected]
Register OnlineTo register, please visithttps://goo.gl/AEpxNM
Session 1: Tuesday, May 31, 2016Roads Well Travelled: Congestionin York Region - A discussionaddressing questions such as:What is congestion? What are theimpacts? What has York Regionbeen doing to address it?
Session 2: Tuesday, June 7, 2016Clearing the Clog: Suggestions forCongestion - A discussion aboutwhat can be done to managetraffic and what has beensuccessful in other jurisdictions.
Session 3: Tuesday, June 14, 2016TECHnical Decongestion:Alternative ‘Avenues’ for GettingAround - A discussion lookinginto how technological solutions,ride sharing and the advent ofautonomous vehicles areinfluencing mobility and what thelocal implications are.
The Regional Municipality of York presents
york.ca
Photo/KING TOWNSHIP MUSEUM AND ARCHIVES
This week’s Classic King image is of the Pottageville United Church in the 1970s. Built c .1880 this building is now being used for commercial purposes. Named after Edward Pottage, bailiff, the hamlet of Pottageville once boasted two sawmills, a hotel, cooperage, tannery and post office as well as a general store. Visit yorkregion.com/classick-ing to see this and other historical photographs. Every second Thursday, a new image will be added. Additionally, community submissions for consideration are welcome. Email images, back-ground information and questions to [email protected]
POTTAGEVILLE UNITED
ONLINE: For more information, visit yorkregion.com/ classicking
CONTEST | CLASSIC KING
How would you like to win a $25 gift card?
You just need your name and email address to enter in our online contest at yorkregion.com
To increase your chances of winning you can enter once each day during the contest period.
And to earn even more entries, share the contest
with your friends and family on social media.
A winner will be select-ed at random from all eligible entries.
The contest runs until June 8, 2016.
To enter go to yorkregion.com/con-tests or facebook.com/yrmgnews/
No purchase necessary.
Win a $25 gift card in our contestContest runs until June 8, 2016
| The Connection | Thursday, June 2, 2016
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HAMILTON 340 Hwy 20 R.R. 1 East of Upper Centennial (905) 692-6900 | BURLINGTON Hwy 5 East of Brant St. (905) 332-3222MILTON Britannia Rd. West of Trafalgar (905) 876-4000 | WATERDOWN Hwy 6 & 5th Concession East (905) 689-1999VAUGHN Keele St. North of Kirby Side Rd. (905) 832-6955All items while quantities last, subject to availability. Category offers exclude “TERRA Essentials”.
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OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK Monday - Friday 8 am - 8 pm | Saturday / Sunday 8 am - 6 pm
❚ Saturday, June 4Say Yes to the Wedding Dress!WHEN: 2 to 4 p.m. WHERE: King Heritage and Cultural Cen-tre, 2920 King Rd. CONTACT: Caroline, 905-833-2331, [email protected] COST: $20 a personAs seen in Today’s Bride Magazine, the Mobile Millinery Museum and Costume Archive present a collection of antique and vintage bridal fashion, showcasing iconic wedding gowns from the 1860s to the 1980s. Tea and refreshments served after the presentation. $20 a person. For more info and to register please contact the museum.
❚ Saturday, June 11Adult Jewelry MakingWHEN: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. WHERE: King Heritage and Cultural Centre, 2920 King Rd. CONTACT: Caroline Bendiner, 905-833-2331, [email protected] COST: $85Make your very own jewelry in this full-day workshop run by Amanda Brittin. Learning tech-niques in hammering, texturing, wire-work, and stone-wrapping, your jewelry will be unique and beautiful! $85 covers all ma-terials and light refreshments. Please register in advance.
King City Craft Beer and Food Truck FestivalWHEN: Noon to 9:30 p.m. WHERE: Memorial Park, 25 Doc-tor’s Lane, King City CONTACT: Tasha, 905-833-5321 ext. 5223, [email protected], kingcraftbeer-andfood.com COST: Music pass $5 (12 and under free); Craft Beer event pass ($10 online, $15 at door); Lions Combo Pass ($25) Great beer, great food, great mu-sic. The annual festival returns! Visit the website for more.
❚ Tuesday, June 14
Colossal Chamber Networking EventWHEN: 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. WHERE: The Manor at Car-rying Place Golf and Country Club, 16750 Weston Rd. CONTACT: Sandra Watson, 905-727-Helen Neville, info@kingchamber,ca 905 717-7199 COST: $25 members; $35 non memberslease join us for the 2016 Colossal Chamber Networking Event, sponsored by The Manor Event Venue byPeterandPauls.com, featuring the York Region Business Excellence Awards.
Guests will have the opportu-nity to network with members from the Aurora Chamber of Commerce, Bradford Board of Trade, East Gwillimbury Chamber of Commerce, Geor-gina Chamber of Commerce, King Chamber of Commerce, Markham Board of Trade, New-market Chamber of Commerce, Richmond Hill Chamber of Commerce, Vaughan Chamber of Commerce, and Whitchurch Stouffville Chamber of Com-merce. Each ticket includes the opportunity to sample food stations highlighting menu items from The Manor byPe-terandPauls.com, as well as a complimentary drink ticket
❚ Wednesday, June 15BLOOD DONOR CLINICWHEN: 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. WHERE: Trisan Centre, 25 Dillane Drive (Hwy 27 & Hwy 9) CONTACT: Canadian Blood Services, 1-888-236-6283, , [email protected] COST: FreeWhy NOW is the time to be-come a blood donor: 200,000 blood donations are needed by July 1, to help patients through-out the summer. We have a greater need for donors with Type O blood, but all donors are encouraged to get involved. This is important: Pa-tients need you to come in, sit down, and roll up your sleeve. Book your appointment online at www.blood.ca or download the GiveBlood app.
❚ Saturday, June 18Father’s Day Print MakingWHEN: 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. WHERE: King Heritage and Cultural Centre, 2920 King Road CONTACT: Caroline, 9058332331, , [email protected] COST: $5 per person / $10 for a family of up to 4 membersWhat better way to celebrate Dad than by giving him the perfect Father’s Day card - one that you have printed yourself! Join us for an experience with some old fashioned printing and card making for all the Dads out there. $5/person or $10/family up to 4 members. For more info and to register please contact [email protected] or (905) 833-2331.
❚ GET LISTED IN YOuR CALENDARInterested in submitting events to The King Connection? Visit bit.ly/yorkregioncalendar to find out more and to download instructions for submitting to our online community calendar. These submissions get con-sidered for print publication as well. You can also email [email protected] or [email protected]
CALENDAR
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chair’s lunch, hosted by the Aurora, Newmarket and King chambers of commerce Monday.
Ask residents what their local municipalities do and many will be able to rhyme off parks and recre-ation, fire services, libraries, local planning and dog licences.
But ask those same residents what the region does and you’re likely to get blank looks, even though the upper tier municipal govern-ment is respon-sible for police, p a r a m e d i c s , public transit, regional roads, water and sew-age, regional planning, emer-gency planning, court services, public health and waste man-agement
“However, I have made it a personal priority to inform everyone about what we do at York Region,” Emmerson said at the event at the Manor in Kettleby.
“It’s not only good to know, it’s important. Consider this, approxi-mately 50 per cent of every local tax dollar goes to funding regional
services. The region’s overall budget is just shy of $3 billion. That’s billion with a ‘B.’ It is significant.”
Speaking to the business crowd, Emmerson said the region is focused on promoting York’s eco-nomic interests.
“Economic vitality is a strategic priority of regional council. Busi-ness growth and job creation are common threads that are weaved through everything we do,” he said.
“As political leaders, we sup-port business development in four
ways: by fostering an environment that attracts, grows and m a i n t a i n s business, by supporting the develop-ment and retention of a regionwide workforce, by focusing on
networks and systems that connect people, goods and services and by ensuring optimal locations for busi-ness and employment growth are available.”
The region is a magnet for tech-nology companies, Doug Linde-
blom, the region’s director of eco-nomic strategy, told the audience.
“Our claim to fame in York Region is that we are the Toronto area’s and, in fact, one of Canada’s lead-ing technology hubs. We know that tech-savvy businesses are located throughout this region,” he said.
“On a per capita basis, York Region has more information and communications technology (ICT) firms than anywhere else in Canada, and that includes Toronto and places like Waterloo that we’re always hearing about. And, in fact, we’re on par with some of the big-gest technology clusters in North America, particularly in the United
States.”Across the region, there are more
than 4,400 ICT firms.“(That includes) start ups, small
and medium-sized businesses and some of the biggest and best known global brands. Our companies, they sell all over the world and we export more than $4 billion in goods and services annually,” Lindeblom said.
“What makes our economy strong is the diversity of business clusters. It’s not just about informa-tion and communications technol-ogy. We’re very strong in life sciences and health care, finance, insurance and business services, clean tech-nology, automotive and auto parts, consumer products, agri-business and engineering and construction. Many of these businesses, though, are here and flourishing because they’re supported by that strong information, communications and technology cluster.”
While there are many big name companies in the region, the largest portion of the business community is made up of small and medium-sized enterprises of fewer than 100 employees, Lindeblom said.
“That’s the real strength of our economy, where we’re seeing inno-vation and growth really happen-ing,” he said.
Overall, the region’s top priori-ties include securing approvals and funding to extend the Yonge subway north from Finch station in Toron-to to Richmond Hill’s Langstaff urban growth centre, completing the final four Viva rapidway public transit bus routes, increasing the region’s range of housing options, developing new affordable hous-ing, building the Upper York Sewage System to accommodate growth in East Gwillimbury, Newmarket and Aurora until 2031 and expanding public sector broadband initiatives throughout the region, Emmerson said.
“I have an idea what you might be thinking at this point. These are very expensive projects and what sort of tax increases can we expect in the future?” he said.
“We are pushing the federal and provincial governments to pick up 100 per cent of the costs of these projects or as close to 100 per cent as possible. Time will tell if we are successful.”
When it comes to regional prop-erty taxes, the region’s first four-year budget has meant tax hikes of 2.97 per cent last year and 2.85 per cent this year and projected increases of 2.69 per cent in 2016 and 2.35 per cent in 2017, Emmerson said.
Emmerson identifies ‘economic vitality’ as a ‘strategic priority’From front page
York Region Chairman Wayne Emmerson addresses a gathering at the Manor in Kettleby.‘Our claim to fame in York
Region is that we are the Toronto area’s and, in fact,
one of Canada’s leading technology hubs.’
– Wayne Emmerson
| The Connection | Thursday, June 2, 2016
11
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Did you live at an Ontario Institution for People with Developmental Disabilities?
There was a lawsuit about 12 Ontario institutionsfor people with developmental disabilities. Thelawsuit is now over and there is money forpeople who were harmed while living at anyof these institutions. Check the dates beside thename of the place where you lived. If you livedthere between those dates, then you can now askfor money from the lawsuit.
How do I get this money?You must fill in a Claim Form and send it tothe claims office. You must send the form byFebruary 28, 2017. The office will check yourform to decide whether they can pay you.
How much money could I get?You could get up to:• $2,000 if you were harmed or hurt atany of these institutions.• $42,000 if you write about how youwere harmed or hurt.
How much you get depends on what you writein the form and how many people send in forms.
How do I get a Claim Form?You can call the claims office:
• Phone 1-866-442-4465• TTY: 1-877-627-7027
You can also get the form online atwww.Schedule1Facilities.ca
Can I get help with the form?Yes. Your family member, support person orsomeone you trust can fill in the form. You canalso call for help:
• Phone 1-866-442-4465• TTY: 1-877-627-7027
Can family members get money?No. But estates of class members who lived atone of these institutions and died after June 16,2012 can ask for money.
Do you know someone who lived at one ofthese institutions?
Please share this information with them or theirsupport person.
A Lawsuit Settlement Has Been Approved and YouMay Be Able To Get SomeMoney.
St. Lawrence Regional Centrebetween April 1, 1975 - June 30, 1983
L.S. Penrose Centrebetween April 1, 1974 - March 31, 1977
D’Arcy Placebetween Sept. 1, 1963 - Dec. 31, 1996
Oxford Regional Centrebetween April 1, 1974 - March 31,1996 or in the “Mental RetardationUnit” or “MR Unit” betweenJan. 1, 1969 - March 31, 1974
Midwestern Regional Centrebetween Sept. 1, 1963 - March 31, 1998
Adult Occupational Centrebetween Jan. 1, 1966 - March 31, 1999
Durham Centre forDevelopmentally Handicappedbetween April 1, 1974 - Sept. 28, 1986
Muskoka Centrebetween Aug. 28, 1973 - June 30, 1993
Prince Edward Heightsbetween Jan. 1, 1971 - Dec. 31, 1999
Northwestern Regional Centrebetween April 1, 1974 - March 31, 1994
Bluewater Centrebetween April 1, 1976 - Dec. 20, 1983
Pine Ridgebetween Sept. 1, 1963 - Aug. 31, 1984
Our Carpet Bowlers accounted for two more Medals last week at the Regional 55+ Seniors’ Sum-mer Games competitions, upping King City’s total to four.
The team of Vince and Rita Cancelli took the gold, while Hilda Baumhard and partner Kathy Kastner won the bronze. Our total now stands at four: two gold and two bronze.
The Games ended yes-terday with the Horseshoe pitching competition. King City had two teams entered
in this event, so stay tuned for possibly more good news.
❚ Defibrillator SeminarKing Township Fire Ser-
vices will conduct a seminar on the use of a defibrillator on Monday, June 13 at 1:00 p.m. in the King City Seniors Centre. Everyone is welcome
to attend this very important and educational session.
❚ Travel Club News Tuesday, June 28 – “Hil-
da’s Yard” at King’s Wharf Theatre
Enjoy a hot lunch at the Captain’s Table with a beau-tiful view of the historic Tall Ships and Penetanguishene Bay. Next, we make our way to King’s Wharf Theatre to see a production of “Hilda’s Yard.”
Cost: $114 per personFor further information,
or to book a seat, call Jane Hepworth at 905-833-5870.
KinG CiTY
SENIORS
Carpet bowlers add to medal totalsCOLUMN | ANNOUNCEMENT
The York Region Media Group’s headquarters at 580B Steven Court, New-market, home to The King Connection, is undergoing improvement renovations.
The office will be closed to the public while construc-tion workers are on site, starting 9 a.m. tomorrow (June 3) and will re-open 9 a.m. Wednesday, June 15.
To minimize disruption and for your convenience, our phone lines will be oper-ational during this time and staff will be working remote-ly and available via email.
Advertising represen-tatives will visit clients as usual and our reporters and photographers will be out in the community during this time.
Please call the main office at 905-853-8888 for any inquires and we will be happy to assist you. Any deliveries can be sent to our warehouse at 250 Industrial Parkway, Aurora.
We appreciate your patience and support dur-ing this time period and we look forward to returning to our fresh new office soon.
We’re renovating our offices
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attend festivals towin* a
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June 16 – 18MarkhamVillageMusic FestivalMain StreetMarkham
June 17 & 18Oak Ridges FairLakeWilcox
how towin1 - download the York Region Festivals app2 - automatically earn reward points at
each festival you attend3 - enjoy the fun and festivities!
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Grand Prize is a 8 day Toronto to Shanghai round-trip tour for two*
COMMUNITY
By NaNcy HopkiNsoNSpecial to The Connection
This Sunday, June 5, at 11:15 a.m., lay leader Ed Elli-otson will return to conduct our service. His messages are interesting.
Our next Messy Church on Tuesday June 14, 5 to 7p.m., will have the theme “roads”. Do you have a big box that we could use to make a stand-in car? Although people travel around now in cars, in Bible times, they had to walk or to ride an animal. Journeys would have been much slow-er. The various activities will relate to roads and journeys and are suitable for a range of ages from 2 years to early teens. Messy Church contin-ues throughout the summer on every second Tuesday of the month. Messy Church includes dinner because we know that busy parents and/or grandparents need to have time to enjoy crafts with their children without worrying about making a meal.
❚ Looking aheadIf you have children or
grandchildren, ages 6-16,
Camp Simpresca may inter-est you. There are 3 night mini-camps for younger children, and teen camps for older ones. Activities include swimming, kayaking, high ropes, crafts, campfires and games on the shores of Geor-gian Bay on the outskirts of Midland (90 miles north of Toronto). Their website is www.simpresca.net.
Later in June, our guest speakers will be Patricia Edmonds (12th) and Kathy Dakin (19th, 26th).
In the summer, we join with Schomberg United. Throughout July, our ser-vices will be in Schomberg at 9:30 a.m., and throughout August, our services will be in Nobleton at 11:15 a.m. On Sunday July 17, there will be a baptism. On Sunday July 24 there is a congregational pic-
nic at Jack and Kim Camp-bell’s. Phone Jack at 905-939-2992 for directions. We will gather at 11 a.m., sing some songs, have a short message, and then lunch at 11:30 a.m. Bring a salad or dessert. The BBQ and drinks will be sup-plied. There are walks that you can take and/or have a swim in the pool.
❚ Looking back We had a lively musical
service with the Day by Day group led by Lynne Smith. They even sang “Day by Day”! Rev. Kerrie Perry provided an interesting Communion service making use of the musical group to illustrate her story: the percussionist drummed out heart beats, and later sounds of footsteps; the vocalists sang hallelujahs and when a haunting tune was mentioned, they sang “Jesus loves me”.
❚ contact For more info, visit our
website at nobletonunited-church.com, our Facebook page, or call our church at 905-859-3976.
NobletoN UNited
CHURCH
Lively service with Day by Day group
| The Connection | Thursday, June 2, 2016
13
Thursday, June 2, 2016
www.YourCommunityRealty.com• For Royal LePage, based on Real Estate sales of Independently Owned Franchises in 2014
Vivian RisiBroker of RecordOwner
Justin RisiOffice Manager
Broker
Vaughan OffiCes9411 Jane Street@ Rutherford Rd
131 Woodbridge Ave@ Market Lane905.832.6656
At Royal LePage Your Community Realty, people come first... and it shows!
Richmond hillHead Office905.731.2000
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AuRoRAOffice905.727.3154
ToRonToDowntown Office416.637.8000
unionvilleMarkham Office905.940.4180
STouffvilleOffice905.642.6333
KeSwicKOffice905.476.4337
SuTTonOffice905.722.3211
905.717.8504
AURORA TOWNHOUSES | THREE UNITS AVAILABLE FROM $239,000 - $255,000
Robin EvansSales Representative
905.853.5955Tor. 416.229.4835
www.robinevans.ca
Group Future Realty Inc. BrokerageIndependently Owned & Operated
Spacious custom built bungalow lovingly maintained & updated by original owners. This 4 Bed1½ bath home features Hdwd, ceramic, updated mechanicals & décor,full part finished basement. Located on treed 1 acre landscaped lot.
2490 9th Line, Bradford
$699,900
OPEN HOUSE SAT. JUNE 4TH 2-4 PM. 223 Karl Rose Trail, Newmarket. Follow o/h signs @Bathurst/Woodspring. JUST LISTED! Gorgeous 3 bedroom detached home w/double garage &w/o basement! Lovely hardwood floors, spacious modern eat-in kitchen & 3 bathrooms! Beautifulneutral décor & huge windows = bright sunny rooms & a lovely familyhome near parks, trails, schools & shops! $798,000
Anita KotsovosSales Representative
905-898-1211416-520-3651www.anitakotsovos.com
RealtRon Realty Inc., BRokeRageIndependently owned and operated
1010 Janette St, Newmarket West off Leslie North of Davis Dr This fabulous home is built with the finestcraftsmanship and materials. Stunning kitchen with quartz counters, large centre island & SS appliances.Gleaming hand scraped hardwood floors throughout the home and travertine stone in all 3 bathrooms & laundryroom. 750 SF Garage with gas heat and a 2nd storey loft. Mature treed lot80 ft by 150 ft. Close to Highway 404. Call Phil for your private viewing.
OPEN HOUSE Sat. & SUN., JUNE 4 & 5 • 1-3 Pm
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Phil QueenSales Representative
W 905-898-1211C [email protected]
Realtron Realty Inc. BrokerageIndependently Owned and Operated
111 Civic Square Gate,Ste. 119, Aurora
$699,900This impeccably finished Ridgewood II beauty shows to
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Full height windows illuminate the living room that features awalk out to the spacious patio and provides great social flowfor entertaining inside and out.
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The master bedroom has custom his & hers closets and afour-piece ensuite with stone vanity and glass wall shower. Thesecond bedroom offers custom double closets and walk out tothe patio. A second bathroom has stone vanity and tub.
This wonderful neighbourhood has a high walk score – it’sjust steps to cinema, restaurants, groceries, banks, doctors,and Aurora Town Hall. Get close to nature in the Arboretumthat is also just a short walk away, with scenic trails perfect forwalking or biking.
Designed to perfection, tastefully decorated, and in a primelocation – this is a true turnkey home.
MArion L. CArCone, SAleS RepReSenTATIve, 905-895-6886 oR 905-727-1941Re/MAX HAllMARk YoRk GRoup ReAlTY lTD., BRokeRAGe vIew THIS lISTInG ATwww.MarionLCarcone.com
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If you’re planning to buy a house in the Greater Toronto Area, be prepared to go to war.
As demand in the local housing market increas-es substantially on an almost monthly basis, so, too, does the number of bidding wars.
Graham Jones, a Re/Max Hallmark agent who has worked in the industry for 25 years, just sold a house in a bidding war that netted his clients a substantial profit.
Their Richmond Hill bungalow was listed for $899,000. There were nine bidders and the property sold for $1.43 million.
He compares the sale to “winning the lottery” for his clients.
“It was underpriced a little bit to set up the bidding war, but still, it set records all over the place,” Jones said.
“We had three bidders that were just beating the living daylights out of each other. We didn’t know where they were going to stop. It’s a nice home, but it’s a 65-year-old, 900-square-foot bungalow on a 50-foot lot. They (sellers) are so happy. I can’t even begin to tell you. They’re retiring and going to buy a piece of property up north and build a house. They got way more money in their pocket than they expected. They’re absolutely thrilled. Every deal I’ve done in the past two years has been multiple offers.”
It seems this story is becoming commonplace. The Toronto Real Estate Board reported a 12.6-per-
cent increase in home selling prices in April, when
compared to the same period last year. The average home sold for $766,472 in Toronto in April, compared to $690,658 in April 2015. Throughout the rest of the GTA, average prices also increased from $605,336 in April 2015 to $724,235 this year.
The increase is blamed on several factors. Interests rates are at or near record lows, the Canadian dollar lags behind other world currencies and, historically, GTA real estate is a relatively safe investment gamble.
“Our real estate, in world dollars, is still much cheaper than in Washington or London,” Mark Weisleder, a partner in Vaughan’s RealEstateLawyers.ca LLP firm, said. “Even if it’s increased, it’s a good investment for foreigners.”
Immigration does play a role in driving the market upward. The Ontario government estimates about 100,000 immigrants move into the province each year. Many of those people settle in the GTA.
Between Aurora in York Region and Innisfil in Sim-coe County, there appears to be an influx of Chinese buyers.
BIDDING ADIEUto the home of your dreams
CHRIS [email protected]
Graham Jones brokered the deal that made $180,000 extra on this property at Mill Pond Court and Rumble Avenue in Richmond Hill. The property was listed at $899,000 and sold for $1,080,000.
STEVE SOMERVILLE PHOTO
Compared to other world currencies. Right now, our dollar is trading at about 80 cents against the American greenback. The British pound and the Euro are also highly valued against our money. That allows foreign investment in the GTA market. “They’re purchasing a $300,000 property for $220,000 US,” Royal LePage sales representative Wasim Jarrah said. “To them, that’s a great deal.”
WEAK CANADIAN DOLLAR
of bidding warsROOT CAUSES
We’re not building new homes fast enough to support demand. Also, Baby Boomers are choosing to stay in their homes, rather than downsize.“If you look at the number of housing starts compared to population growth, we’re just not building homes fast enough,” Joe Asensio, of JN Asensio Realty Inc., said.
INVENTORY SHORTAGE
They’re helping to stabilize the economy and make home purchases much more appealing, Asensio said.“The real estate market is going to stay nuts for a long time yet,” he said. “I don’t know whether there’s a need to slow it down.”
INTEREST RATES AT HISTORIC LOWS
In northern York Region and some areas of southern Simcoe County, for example, Chinese buyers are bid-ding amounts substantially above asking price. Wasim Jarrah estimates Chinese bidders account for 60 per cent of people placing bids in multiple-offer situations in the area. According to the Ontario government, about 100,000 immigrants enter the province each year.
BIDDING ABOVE ASKING PRICE
See page 15
| The Connection | Thursday, June 2, 2016
15
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“They can move their family here while still finding affordable housing,” Royal LePage sales represen-tative Wasim Jarrah, who works out of an office in Aurora, said. “Chinese buyers are savvy. They like to negotiate and feel like they’ve got a good deal. It’s the same thing that happened to Markham, and for the Italians in Vaughan. It’s a very healthy real estate market. Even when people are purchas-ing in multiple offers, they’ll realize a profit if they stay in their properties for up to three years. The (current) sellers are making a sizable profit as well.”
There’s also a significant lack of inventory — a combination of slowly progressing new construction sites and an apparent unwillingness by aging Baby Boomers to sell their homes and downsize.
“If you look at the number of hous-ing starts compared to population growth, we’re just not building homes fast enough,” Joe Asensio, of the Brampton-based JN Asensio Realty, said.
“You see homes going up everywhere, but they’re all sold before they even build them. I’m on the tail end of the Baby Boomers; this will sound terrible, but we’re just not dying fast enough. People need somewhere to live; there just isn’t enough afford-able housing available. This trend will continue for a long while. The real estate market is going to stay nuts for a long time yet. I don’t know whether there’s a need to slow it down.”
Asensio is involved in multiple-offer scenarios daily. He watched 51 offers roll in for a property in Brampton recently and admits the number of bids on homes in the area will often enter double digits.
Jones agrees with these assessments that Asian buyers, low interest rates and short supply have driven the housing market. However, some sectors are in higher demand than others. For example,
townhouses and condominiums are not generally seeing the same per-centage increases in value as freehold homes.
“People don’t have a lot of options,” Jones said. “It’s impossible to tell whether it’s foreign or domestic money, but there’s certainly a lot of Asian buyers who are desperately try-ing to get freehold properties in the GTA. Condos and townhouses still sell, and you might even get the occa-sional bidding war, but it’s two offers or three. Condos have gone up, but it’s not what’s driving the market.”
Prime market conditions are lead-ing to high demand for houses.
Jarrah says any York Region prop-erty, for example, currently listed at an appropriate market value, will likely fetch $50,000 to $100,000 more than asking price, if there’s an offer presen-tation date attached. That date is key because it forces all potential buyers to make blind bids on the property.
“It creates an atmosphere of competitiveness,” Jarrah said.
‘We’re just not building enough homes’
“We had three bidders that were just beating the
living daylights out of each other. We
didn’t know where they were going
to stop.”
While a property may be incredibly attractive and well staged, those lovely accents will disappear once the seller packs up. Establish price margins before putting in an offer on a home. “You can’t get emotional. Leave the emotion at home. You need to feel good about this win, not think, ‘I got this house, but at what price?” Joe Asensio, of JN Asensio Realty Inc., says.
DON’T GET EMOTIONAL
‘leave emotion at home’TIPS FOR BUYERS
This will allow you to feel more comfortable with simpli-fied purchase conditions. Mini inspections have become more popular in the GTA as the housing market heats up. An inspector will check mechanical systems, struc-ture, dampness and the “bones” of the house.
GET A HOME INSPECTION
If you like the property, make sure the seller knows you’re serious. “If 10 people show up, one guy has a cheque and nine don’t, he may not have the best offer, but he’s a sure deal,” Asensio says.
CHEQUE IN HAND
Make sure the house doesn’t cost you a social life. It’s important to be able to spend a night on the town every once in awhile. If necessary, look north into smaller markets, such as Simcoe County.
DON’T LIVE FOR YOUR MORTGAGE
From page 14
See page 16
“No one really knows what that offer price is or what the conditions are. I don’t know what the offer is, but if I want that house, I’m going to put in a lot more money and take out conditions for inspection and financing and everything else. Given there’s a shortage of housing on the market, people want to get into the market and they have to compete.”
Of the more than 120 houses that were listed in Newmarket in early May, for example, nearly 110 had offer dates attached, Jarrah said.
However, the hot market is creating some unintended consequences. With prices jumping so quickly, banks are hav-ing difficulty accurately gauging property values. So lenders are starting to ask pur-chasers to come up with larger down pay-ments, to make up for the significant dif-ference between the assessed value of the home and its purchase price.
“Every home has a reasonable limit to what it’s worth,” Asensio said. “We’ve had a couple of scenarios where we’ve actually turned down offers because they were so high you can’t finance to these levels. We’ve turned offers away that were astronomical for the value of the area. That’s a hard decision. The need and the greed of the seller factors in.”
Bidders also often exclude some standard conditions from their offers, including home inspections. The deci-sion is putting purchasers at risk.
“It’s a scary thing,” Weisleder said. “The pressure is
high to put in an offer without conditions, in order to win the bidding war. When you put in an offer without condi-tions, you could have all kinds of serious problems with the property condition after closing, which could cost who knows how much money to fix.”
The market is also forcing first-time homebuyers to look for cheaper properties farther north, in municipali-ties such as Barrie, Essa Township, Georgina and Innisfil.
“Newmarket is not a first-time home-buyer community anymore,” Jarrah said, noting the market should stay hot for another 12 to 18 months.
Others aren’t sure the market will slow down by then.
“Are we overpriced?” Asensio said “Realistically… not really. We’re still one of the most affordable areas in the coun-try. I don’t believe we’re in a bubble and I don’t foresee that prices are going to drop anytime soon.”
While rising home values may excite potential sellers, they need to remember that other houses are also jumping in price. So, the hike may negate some of their gains when they try to purchase another property.
Sellers should consider buying the next house first, before listing their current property — a decision that will ensure a smoother transition between homes.
Buyers, meanwhile, are advised to stay within their means, even if that forces them to walk away from a bid-ding war.
“Don’t sacrifice everything to make that mortgage pay-ment,” Weisleder said.
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Bidders exclude conditions to win
“We’ve turned offers away that
were astronomical for the value of the area. That’s a hard decision. The need and the greed of
the seller factors in.”
Poker face — While you may be excited or overwhelmed when bids come in, it’s important to keep emotions in check. “The bidding process can be fun to watch,” Asensio says. “Even if you love the offer, stay calm. Nobody’s supposed to know your reaction.”
POKER FACE
‘stay calm’TIPS FOR SELLERS
This will cover you in case the proposed buyer has to back away. Deposits don’t necessarily end up in the hands of the sellers. In many cases, that money actually ends up in trust accounts held within the real estate industry. “Those cheques don’t go anywhere; they’re just lost,” Asensio says.
CLOSING INSURANCE
Consider purchasing the next property before placing your current home on the market. This lessens the risk of market fluctuations and ensures there’s a place for you to go after you sell. “You’ve got to do it within the same time (period),” Weisleder says. “Otherwise, you’re speculating whether the market will go down or up and you could be without a place to live.”
ANOTHER HOME LINED UP
From page 15
| The Connection | Thursday, June 2, 2016
17
This Employment Ontario service is funded in part by the Government of Canada
The views expressed in this publication are the views of this Service Provider and do not necessarily reflect those of the Ministry
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| The Connection | Thursday, June 2, 2016
19
storiesifeL A celebration of lives well livedand people well lovedRead more Life Stories on yorkregion.com
By Ali [email protected]
f you take a look at Lionel Purcell’s life, you’ll learn it’s impossible to find someone he didn’t help.
Whether it was serv-ing his country, engaging in his community or helping his fam-ily, Lionel had a heart that never lacked room for anyone in need. His candle burned long and bright before his passing on May 12 at the age of 95.
He’s survived by his wife of 59 years, Rita; and their four children, Carrie, Mark, Blair and Holly; four grandchildren, Blake, Kathryn, Andrew and Christo-pher; and his brother Vernon.
Blair Purcell said
his father taught his
family the importance of
giving. “There was good
in giving” he used to tell
them.
Following his memorial service last month, Lionel was taken on a final ride through the Highland Hills cemetery in Gormley. Fittingly, two ponies pulled the carriage.
Beyond his family, Lionel is remembered for his tireless volunteer work across Scarbor-ough and Markham, and for his Whitchurch-Stouffville farm that brought endless joy for thousands of children and their families.
Lionel and his wife Rita started Lionel’s Pony & Petting Farm in 1963 at their then Scar-borough farm, near Birchmount Avenue and Steeles Avenue. In 1981, he and his family moved to McCowan Road in Stouffville and continued Lionel’s Farm operations.
His farm served as a fun learning experience for people of all ages who would learn everything about agriculture
Lionel Purcell loved his ponies and people
Lionel Purcell’s son Blair, with Lionel’s wife Rita, steers two shetland ponies around the diveway at Highland Hills Funeral Home and Cemetery, in Gorm-ley, following a memorial service for Lionel last month. The family operates a popular pony farm and petting zoo on McCowan Road. Lionel was well known throughout the GTA for his volunteer work. He was 95.
Ifrom processing grain to brush-ing a pony. As part of his legacy, Lionel’s Farm is still owned and operated by his family today.
“He was a man before his time,” said his son Blair. “Some of the things he’d done with school programs back in the late 1960s and early ‘70s was similar to things in the modern curricu-lum today.”
Things such as getting chil-dren to clip a pony’s hooves, or strip the grain off the stock and remind them that’s the source of their oatmeal breakfast they had in the morning. His hands-on approach left parents and chil-dren alike walking out of classes amazed by what they’d learned.
“Mr. Purcell had the unique skill to teach just about anyone about animal agriculture,” said Whitchurch-Stouffville Mayor Justin Altmann. “He was respect-ed and admired by our commu-nity members and his famous farm has provided thousands of people near and far with the opportunity to experience agri-culture.”
Before opening his farm, Lionel worked as a realtor, fol-lowing the footsteps of his father. He would often sell plots of farms in Scarborough and Markham, including the land for the Markham Fairgrounds. At 17 years old in 1937, Lionel was the youngest person at the time to receive his real estate licence in this area, Blair said.
But shortly after receiving that licence, Lionel enlisted in the Canadian army’s armoured regiment. He taught shooting, first in Canada, then in Europe shortly after D-Day. He went through Holland, Belgium, France and Germany before returning to Canada to continue his tireless efforts to help others.
“He found enjoyment in being involved in the commu-nity,” Blair said. “That’s why he joined all these organizations, it was important to him to follow the lines and steps of people who laid the foundation before him and hoping people would
carry on after them.”His volunteer work stretched
across countless organizations. The Scarborough Lions Club, Scarborough Historical Soci-ety, Rouge Valley Foundation, Scarborough planning board, Markham Fair, Canadian Pony Society, Canadian Livestock Records and Royal Agricultural Winter Fair were some of the organizations he volunteered with.
Lionel became known in Scar-borough and York Region for tak-ing in animals others didn’t want.
And he would help others in the community if they needed anything.
“He was always willing to sup-ply carriages, animals, ponies and horses to various events in
Stouffville, Markham and Scar-borough,” said his daughter, Holly.
Lionel was interested in ponies ever since he had his first one at the age of three. He bred them throughout his life.
His work with the Cana-dian Pony Society and Canadian Livestock Records reflects his meticulous care and concern for animals.
“He got involved with orga-nizations that governed his ani-mals,” Blair said. “He was always one for proper rules and regula-tions, it meant a lot for him.”
Blair said his father taught his family the importance of giving. “There was good in giving” he used to tell them.
“He was never one to say no,”
Blair said. “It was never about receiving anything.”
Lionel achieved much in his life; the Scarborough Walk of Fame named him citizen of the year in 2003 for his work with the Scar-borough Historical Society. He was one of five people recognized that year.
Lions Clubs International awarded Lionel the Melvin Jones Fellowship Award for his dedica-tion to humanitarian services. Lions was an organization Lionel greatly cared for but his family always came first.
“He was a family man, loved his family, but he was passionate about the farm. He said ‘if you love what you do you’ll never work a day in your life’ and that fit him to a T,” Blair said.
LIONEL PURCELL
STAFF PHOTO/STEVE SOMERVILLE
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