Posted by auroracitizen on September 18, 2010
Magna Hoedown returned to Aurora with a bang. Great event that raised $514,000 for local community groups. Great food, great entertainment and great friends.
Did you go? Did you have a good time? Share your stories if you have any.
Special thanks to all the volunteers — without you , it wouldn’t have been possible.
Posted in Community Corner, Recreation | 14 Comments »
Posted by auroracitizen on September 9, 2010
This is officially our 300th post. We have also surpassed 4,700 comments.
We’ve had in excess of 150,000 visits since moving to the new WordPress platform in October 2009, which together with the almost 100,000 visits on the original site, means we have had almost 250,000 visitors since we started in August 2008.
We’ve been threatened twice by the town lawyers, yet here we are, still offering citizens of this great town the opportunity to provide commentary on what is happening in their community.
Councillor MacEachern asked for more balanced commentary, so we offered both her and Mayor Morris the opportunity to contribute. So far nothing — at least nothing that they have added their name to 🙂
We’ve been blitzed by supporters from both sides of issues and have used our best judgement to encourage dialogue versus diatribe.
We have numerous people regularly writing articles for the blog — some like Richard Johnson publish under their own names, others, desiring anonymity, offer their opinions for debate under the Aurora Citizen banner.
We also have a number of volunteers share the role of moderator duties to ensure that the comments — while somewhat direct and pointed — do not degenerate into diatribe, allegations and foul language.
This forum has become a platform for communicating with fellow Aurora Citizens. It has far surpassed expectations. We are glad to be part of the discussion and look forward to contributing long into the future.
Posted in Community Corner, Community Input, Guest Post | 7 Comments »
Posted by auroracitizen on August 22, 2010
Nigel Kean is the reason we have had the worst municipal government in Aurora’s history.
Phyllis Morris was the ‘winner’ of the 2006 mayoralty race — with less than 50% of votes — due to the candidacy of Nigel Kean and the vote splitting that ultimately defeated Tim Jones.
Nigel Kean was an adequate member of Council, but certainly not an outstanding one.
Now, again, in 2010, Nigel Kean is setting up to play the role of spoiler between incumbent Phyllis Morris and front-runner Geoff Dawe.
Nigel, if you had any sense of public duty, both to yourself and to Aurora and its citizens, you would withdraw from the mayoralty contest and run for Council instead. There is still lots of time, until September 10.
You will never make mayor, but you could turn out to be a great member of Council.
It takes a big person to accept one’s limitations. It takes an even bigger person to temper one’s personal ambitions in the best interest of the greater good of the community.
Please do the right thing; end your mayoralty bid and lead a new and rejuvenated group of people seeking council membership, as senior councillor. Lead the way to a general house cleaning and a new beginning.
You would earn the grateful thanks of your community.
Augustinius
Posted in Community Corner, Community Input, Election 2010, Guest Post, Leadership | 35 Comments »
Posted by auroracitizen on August 3, 2010
We have had a number of comments about the make up of Council going forward. The 2 that seem to be of interest are whether we need 8 Councillors and whether we should have a ward system.
Total Number of Councillors:
The argument has been put forward that based on our population that 8 Councillors and their corresponding salaries and work load is not justified. Both 4 and 6 have been put forward as options.
On the other hand, our population continues to grow and Councillors are part-time and resultant do not have the time to make the same commitment as a full-time councillor. Particularly those that have other full-time commitments.
Ward System:
The Ward system was debated prior to this election as to whether it should be put to a vote on this coming election ballot. It was decide not to include the question on this ballot. Currently councillors are elected at large. Everyone is put in the same pot and the top 8 councillors become the Council. They have no particular alignment with any specific area.
A key argument against wards is that every Councillor can be called by any citizen and they are not beholden to a specific area.
Against is that a Councillor has too many issues to worry about and they can’t focus on helping a specific ward.
Please use this post to discuss the various merits of these 2 topics.
Posted in Community Corner, Community Input, Growth, Town Council | 39 Comments »
Posted by auroracitizen on July 25, 2010
Since when is this allowed on TOWN PROPERTY?
A very large sign, on metal posts, advertising a private, ticketed (i.e. you have to pay money to attend) event!!
Local property taxes paying businesses are forbidden from placing signs in front of their place of business without a formal permit. Never seen a sign like this placed on Town property before.
Has Sher gotten a permit?
Can you even get a permit to place a promotional sign on Town property?
If not we hope the same by-law officer who was recently spotted checking vendor permits at the market will be checking into this situation.
Posted in Community Corner, Integrity, Legal, Local Business, Town Council | 26 Comments »
Posted by auroracitizen on July 25, 2010
The Aurora Jazz Festival is on next week, so therefore the Farmer’s Market has to move out. Sort of.
At the July 13th council meeting, Sher St. Kitts appeared at open forum to instruct the Mayor that the Farmer’s Market vendors who are located in the Park will be in the way of the Jazz Festival, and therefore would have to move.
The Mayor, as compliant as ever (at least to her “friends”) of course agreed, and then an email went out to the Farmer’s Market telling them they would have to move!
Last year, it was billed as the Aurora Jazz Festival and Farmer’s Market. This year, because certain people are no longer associated with the Farmer’s Market (you may recall that Sher quit when she didn’t get the compensation she demanded), it is just the Aurora Jazz Festival.
Resultant, all Vendors who are permitted to operate in the actual Town park — and this is their 3rd year of operation in the park — are NOT allowed to be in their spots next week. They are being relocated. The reasoning is that those vendors will interfere with the Jazz Festival.
However, the truth is they will NOT interfere with the Jazz Festival. The truth is, they WILL interfere with the Vendors that are coming with the Jazz Festival — for one week.
Yes, we are bumping vendors who have purchased permits to operate weekly in the Town Park (some for up to three years), with vendors who are coming for a ONE week event.
Oh, and they possibly paid a fee to organizer Sher St. Kitts for the privilege of having a booth.
Hmmm…… are we the only ones who finds this disgusting.
Mayor Morris and her special friend Sher St. Kitts strike again. Even with an election looming the arrogance and complete lack of respect for the folks in Aurora by this Mayor continue to amaze.
Posted in Code of Ethics, Community Corner, Community Input, Integrity, Leadership, Local Business | 67 Comments »
Posted by auroracitizen on July 21, 2010
Thank you for hosting this blog to allow residents to voice their opinions and concerns.
Here’s something I can’t figure out: why does the GO train run all day long from east to west but not north to south? And why no north-south weekend service?
The north-south trains are certainly full during commuter hours and the GO buses are often packed on weekends. As an Aurora resident who enjoys dining downtown, theatre and sightseeing, I would LOVE to have the same service as the people in Pickering or Burlington. I don’t get it. The tracks are there. The trains exist. The demand is likely there. But the service is not.
Personally, I would eagerly take advantage of a mid-day train to Barrie or downtown. I often take the GO bus downtown on Saturdays when I go to see shows or shopping. The bus, however, is NOT the train. The ride is uncomfortable — stuffy air, bumpy roads, sometimes stop-and-go traffic. I recently took the train from Toronto to Niagara and wow, what a difference. It was a lovely ride — and there were hardly any people on the train in the middle of a summer Saturday.
Think about this: Our Saturday GO buses are quite full and the Toronto-to-Niagara train is nearly empty. But the Toronto-Niagara Saturday riders have a wide-open schedule and we have only a few, crowded buses. We are constantly told that people should take transit rather than drive, but if the service is not convenient, how can we do so?
I would love to read what others have to say about this. How can we get all-day and weekend GO train service to take us north and south — downtown and to Barrie — the same way that the east-west service runs?
Or am I the only one who feels this way?
Marie
Posted in Community Corner, Community Input, Environment, Growth, Traffic/Parking, Uncategorized | 11 Comments »
Posted by auroracitizen on July 21, 2010
Out of the chaff being spread between Mr. Poppe and other posters including yours truly, I did find one grain of wheat that might do with some clarification.
Guy Poppe responded to my earlier post regarding Westhill.
“If you think it is expensive to fight legal battles (brought by others) wait until you find out the cost of having to remedy water issues for neighboring properties.
The Town has a choice: ensure proper water and sewage resources from the developer or face further litigation for negligent approval.”
If I’m reading correctly, GP believes the Mayor’s ‘spend now-save later’ strategy is an example of far-sighted wisdom. ie; Aurora should spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to kill a previously approved development because said development MAY damage the water and sewage works of neighbouring properties and IF that damage occurs Aurora MIGHT be on the hook for the costs of repairs and POSSIBLE litigation.
Since most of us seem to have the more cynical view that this is simply a case of blatant pandering to a special interest group perhaps our more informed readers/posters could enlighten us (at a See Spot Run level please) on the consequences of the worst case scenario.
If it all goes wrong as some fear is Aurora actually left holding the bag?
What about Westhill? the Region? the Province?
Tim the Enchanter
Posted in Community Corner, Community Input, Environment, Growth | 2 Comments »
Posted by auroracitizen on June 19, 2010
I do a lot of hiking on a weekly basis in town & in Newmarket and thoroughly enjoy Sheppard’s Bush and the Nokiidaa Trail north of Green Lane in Newmarket.
I just read the article at yorkregion.com, Trail link project set to start this winter ( http://www.yorkregion.com/news/article/835366–trail-link-project-set-to-start-this-winter )
At the General Committee meeting Aurora Council approved going ahead with linking the Nokiidaa trail in Aurora to Newmarket section, but would still need final approval. I have followed bits & pieces of this topic from various sources but don’t have the whole picture. I do see that this does not include the “other planned enhancements, such as turtle ponds and snake hibernacula” and the project is going to cost $500,000 (1/2 million) and that’s without the already spent consultant’s fees, etc.
Fair enough, you don’t get anything for free and I’m all for trails since I am a user, but I on these trails, weekday evenings, mornings and weekend mornings and I don’t see heavy use. You pass by a few hikers, runners, a couple of families sometimes.
Yes, trails are great, but here’s the kicker $500,000 and its less than ½ kilometer of trail. Less than 500 metres ( 283 metres of trail and 185 metres of board walk – so it’s an average of $1,000 per metre.
There’s already a great boardwalk already there on St. John’s Sideroad, why is another boardwalk needed at that cost? I hope they plan on putting parking in somewhere there because I have always seen that area to hike as a problem since you have to park down on Industrial Drive at the dog park or further south at the Leisure complex.
Anyone have a quick summary as to what they are getting at $1,000/metre?
Posted in Community Corner, Community Input, Environment, Guest Post, Recreation | 5 Comments »
Posted by auroracitizen on May 28, 2010
I had the opportunity this past Tuesday May 25th to watch the Aurora Council on Rogers TV in particular the debate and subsequent vote on the property development at Yonge & Centre streets. This issue consumed Tuesday evening’s council meeting and produced some heated debate from both sides as to whether the development should be delayed pending the release of the Promenade report.
I have also followed the reporting in the Banner and its web version yorkregion.com as well as the opinions in some of the Aurora based blogs including this one. It now strikes me that Aurora’s Code of Conduct may be working against any freedom of expression or was there actually a breach of the code committed in trying to sway the opinion of the Banner readers. It did strike me as odd that the chairperson of the town’s economic development advisory committee was critical of the councillors and the process.
Please read the excerpt from the below article and then the appropriate section from the Code of Conduct. What’s your opinion on this matter? Is the Code counter-productive, should it be applied to the letter of the law or simply a waste of space?
(I believe this article was also published in print in Tuesday May 25th edition of the Banner.)
Aurora project baffles development chairperson by Sean Pearce
The chairperson of the town’s economic development advisory committee says he is scratching his head after council paved the way for a multi-storey residential building planned for Yonge and Centre streets last week.
The steering committee for the downtown study is working to release a draft version of its plan next month so it’s curious why councillors would vote to greenlight a six-to-seven-storey mixed-use development at this point, EDAC chairperson and downtown steering committee member Chris Ballard said.
It’s concerning councillors would approve official plan and bylaw amendments to permit the proposal, eyed for the northeast corner of Yonge and Centre, without knowing what the downtown study has to say, as it may set a poor long-term precedent, he said.
He’s also perplexed why it’s being waved through despite having about 25 fewer parking spaces than current policies permit.
“Why spend all of that time and effort on a plan with new rules and regulations and then just sneak this in under the wire?” he said. “I’m pretty miffed certain councillors would vote for this when they know we have a draft of the (Aurora) promenade study coming out in June.”
Section 3 Communications and Media Relations
Committee Members will accurately and adequately communicate the attitudes and decisions of the Committee and Council, even if they disagree with the majority decision of Committee or Council.
Members shall show respect for the decision-making process of the Committee and Council.
Official information related to decisions and resolutions made by the Committee or Council will normally be communicated to the community and the media in an official capacity by the Mayor or designated staff member or through a Press Release issued by the Corporation.
Information concerning adopted policies, procedures and decisions of the committee shall be conveyed openly and accurately.
Confidential information will be communicated only when and after determined by Council.
When a committee member chooses to communicate through the media which may include or involve interviews, editorials, writing of a regular column in the newspaper of magazine, hosting/co-hosting a regular televised program, where they are identified as a “member of a committee of the Town of Aurora” which is a recognized entity of the Municipality as a Corporation, the committee member shall be expected to feature an appropriate acceptable disclaimer stating “the opinions reflected by the member are their own personal comments and are not endorsed nor representative of the committee or the Town of Aurora Council”.
Posted in Code of Ethics, Community Corner, Community Input, Leadership, Town Council | 5 Comments »
Aurora Citizen 