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Issues that effect the quality of life in Ward 5
The purpose of this page is to keep you up to date with the issues that effect our quality of life, both from a 'Town Wide' point of view, and also from our local neighbourhoods.
This list begins with the Top Ten Issues that have emerged as the biggest concerns of Ward Five residents. Following that is an alphabetical list of the issues that I'm most often asked about. For simplicity, I've grouped them by neighbourhood where it is appropriate.
Please click on the issue to find not only the relevant information, but also my opinion. I'd appreciate your feedback by clicking on the Contact page.
Issues
(The items marked are either new or have been updated during the past 30 to 90 days)
There are many other issues affecting Ward Five
Health Care
Markham-Stouffville Hospital has not received as much funding as have
other Regional Hospitals. I will speak out loudly to ensure the Region
does not continue to under fund Markham.
Trucks, Trucks and More Trucks
Our streets are not highways. Through traffic and trucks are not welcome
on Main Street Markham, any more that they are on the 9th Line. The
completion of the Bypass, as under construction, is imperative. However,
it also needs to take the commuters off Highway 7 by continuing south
as quickly as possible. I will champion this effort.
The 9th Line is technically a Regional Road, but in nature it's really
a residential road and should not be a shortcut for commuters from the
north of York Region to tear through our neighbourhood. Yes, there must
be easy access to the Markham-Stouffville Hospital and yes, emergency
vehicles need easy access to the residential area, but that doesn't
mean we need to have a major inter-urban highway in our midst.
Our Youth
Markham is blessed with a many good opportunities for recreation and
culture, but there's a need to help our youth in other ways. Encouragement
and mentoring by local businessmen in the Markham Board of Trade has
had a wonderful effect. We need to encourage similar projects in each
of the communities in Ward Five.
We need drop-in centers and after-school programs. We need to provide
facilities and programs that active young people are looking for. In
cooperation with the school system, we need to help our youth learn
how to find a job or learn skills, as well as to create a fertile ground
for the growth of the entrepreneurial spirit.
Parks
Our parks don't seem to receive the attention they require. Weeds,
long grass, litter are not acceptable. We need to find creative ways
to use our allotted budget to create the kind of community that we desire.
Parks are public property. That means we all own them, and with some
encouragement, we will treat them as though they were ours.
Annual "Pitch-in Days" are wonderful, but we need to be vigilant
all year long in attitude and deed to keep our public areas clean and
beautiful at all times. Let's extend the Character Community that the
students are learning in school to the entire extent of Ward Five.
Safe Cross Walks and Crossing Guards
There are school children crossing unprotected, busy streets to get
to school. This is unacceptable! We're designing our communities so
kids don't have to play on the streets, and then force them into unsafe
areas to get to parks and playgrounds. This must stop!
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