The road ahead: Changing your commute

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1 SPRING 2015 The road ahead: Changing your commute Know the risks. Make a Plan. Get an Emergency Kit Fill er up with York Region tap water Rapidways moving right along In this term of Regional Council, more money is being invested in transportation enhancements than ever before to help improve travel throughout York Region. Progress has been made and can be seen across the Region. Warden Avenue from 16th Avenue to Major Mackenzie Drive is now complete. All three sections of construction on the Ninth Line from Major Mackenzie Drive to Rupert Avenue are scheduled to be complete this year. Road improvement projects scheduled in 2015 include 2nd Concession and Bathurst Street in the Town of East Gwillimbury, Major Mackenzie Drive in the City of and Highway 7 in the City of. For more information on planned road improvements in York Region, please visit york.ca/roadconstruction To find out more information about current EA studies and how to be involved, visit york.ca/ea 6 Protect yourself against ticks York Region is introducing a monthly e-newsletter to be conveniently ed to subscribers. Interested in receiving it? us at yorkworks@york.ca with Send me enews! in the subject line and you ll be added to our distribution list. Warden Avenue Pre-construction 2012 Mid-construction 2013 Completion 2014 Recent progress Warden Avenue - City of Two additional lanes Three new bridges Realigned intersection at Warden Avenue and Glenbourne Park Drive Sidewalks Traffic noise barriers Retaining walls and landscaping Ninth Line - Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville and City of Widening the road for increased capacity Installing storm and sanitary sewers Eliminating the jog at Main Street Installation of sidewalks, boulevards and traffic signals Construction from Hoover Park Drive to Major Mackenzie Drive is scheduled for completion this summer

2 Know the risks. Make a Plan. Get an emergency kit Did you know the first 72 hours are the most critical in any emergency situation? You can help protect yourself and your family by knowing what to do before an emergency occurs. York Region Emergency Management, together with all nine municipalities, has released a new edition of the York Region Emergency Preparedness Guide. The guide provides practical information on how to identify hazards and plan what to do before, during and after an emergency. It highlights how to shelter-in-place or quickly evacuate to safety. In addition, the guide includes information for people with disabilities to assist in preparing for and dealing with emergencies. Top hazards and risks most likely to impact York Region The new guide is available online at york.ca or you can pick up a copy at the York Region Administrative Centre and South Services Centre information kiosks. Energy emergencies Ice storms High wind events Severe summer storms Hazardous materials incidents Human health emergencies York Region Emergency Management ensures Regional compliance with the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act of Ontario by implementing and maintaining an emergency management program. Leading global technology firms choose York Region Big investments in transit and infrastructure really make a difference to investors and corporations looking for the best location to establish or grow their operations. Last November, global electronics giant Lenovo opened its new 37,000-square foot Canadian head office in the City of. Lenovo will employ 200 people in its new ultra-modern facility. s commitment to technology innovation was cited as a key reason Lenovo Canada chose to move here. Last fall, CenturyLink, a leading U.S. multinational communications company, opened its new 100,000-square foot data centre in. Many smaller technology companies have recently established new operations in York Region, including BlueSky Technology Partners and communications solutions firm Komutel. Construction is underway on new office towers in the City of and the City of to house KPMG Canada operations and the new Canadian head office of multinational insurance company Aviva. Combined, the two companies are expected to create 2,000 jobs locally once construction is completed in Asian financial giants Shinhan Bank and CTBC Bank both opened new branch offices in last year. Invest in York advisors work with our municipalities to help businesses new to York Region locate here and existing York Region companies to expand. For more information, please visit york.ca or investinyork.ca After Toronto, York Region is Ontario s largest business centre, Canada s largest Information and Communications Technology cluster and Ontario s largest Financial and Insurance Services cluster 2 Contact us at Access York

3 Fill ʼer up with York Region water Planting trees on your property Planting trees and forests near your home offers many benefits including keeping warm air in, cold winds out, creating shade and protecting our air, land and water. York Region offers several subsidized tree planting programs for residents and landowners interested in planting one tree in a backyard or many trees on a large property. Find out more about planting your own trees or forests by visiting york.ca/treeplanting York Region takes a proactive approach to ensure the safety and quality of our drinking water for residents and businesses. These efforts focus on: Source water protection Robust water treatment Regular system integrity checks Continuous monitoring and testing Ontario s drinking water is highly regulated. Last year, 36,817 water tests were performed to ensure York Region s drinking water meets or exceeds provincial water quality standards. The most recent report from the Chief Drinking Water Inspector gave York Region a perfect 100 per cent for the reporting year. For information on the Region s drinking water quality and quantity, including testing data summaries, please visit york.ca/drinkingwater to read a copy of the report. Visit us at linkedin.com/company/yorkregiongovt 3

4 Discover a new way to get around York Region Combine your cycling with transit. All YRT/Viva buses are equipped with bike racks and your bike rides for free. Cycling is a healthy, low-cost and environmentally friendly way to commute and to explore York Region. Discovering new cycling routes is now easier with the interactive cycling map found at york.ca/cycling York Region is proud to be a community partner of Bike Month. The month kicks off with Bike to Work Day on May 25 and involves a number of fun events across the Region including group rides, guided bike tours, festivals, art shows and film screenings. Community Bike to Work Day events Complimentary continental breakfast at Newmarket Riverwalk Commons hosted by Smart Commute Central York with exhibits and draws for great prizes Have your say in the future of York Region The Regional Municipality of York continues to plan for the future and is expected to grow to 1.79 million people and 900,000 jobs by To accommodate this growth, York Region is reviewing and updating a number of long-term strategic plans, including the Regional Official Plan, the Transportation Master Plan and the Water and Wastewater Master Plan. Ongoing resident feedback helps develop plans that meet York Region s present and future needs. Please visit york.ca to learn how to share your ideas and attend an upcoming Open House in June. Completion of these reviews is expected in Open houses were held in the fall to hear from residents, the business community and stakeholders on each plan. A ride around the Highway 7 and Leslie Street corridor hosted by Smart Commute Richmond Hill Free bike safety checks Celebration breakfast for cyclists at York University hosted by Smart Commute North Toronto- with free bike safety checks and cycling information available Visit BikeMonth.ca for more details about upcoming events. Feedback from initial open house Rapidways moving right along enter to w in rain b a ertrerel with divr a We re adding rapid transit along major roads to help shape where and how our Region grows. Across York Region you can see the design come to life. Six kilometres of the Highway 7 East rapidway is now complete. Since opening, riders connecting from Bayview Avenue to the downtown area are experiencing 35 per cent faster commutes during rush hour with the rapidways now open. In the Town of Newmarket, Davis Drive construction between Yonge Street and Roxborough Road is almost 70 per cent complete. The vivastations are taking shape at Longford/Parkside Drive, Main Street and Southlake Hospital. When the rapidway opens in December 2015, viva vehicles will have dedicated bus lanes for fast, convenient rapid transit. Rapidway construction on Highway 7 West in the City of is underway with the first vivastation being installed this summer. The vivanext rapidway will include wider sidewalks, attractive boulevards and multiple transit connections. Of the total 34 kilometres of rapidway in York Region to be built by 2019, 25 per cent will be open by the end of We re moving to a future with well-planned transit that benefits our communities, economy and the environment. 4 Talk with us on Facebook/YorkRegionGovt enter to win one of two enter a S M to gion E e R k r Yo ag win $25 Presto Cards bpr Guide e z i r C p Family with Contact us at Access York

5 Did you know York Region now offers a free online prenatal program? Protect yourself from ticks this spring Spring is a great time to get outdoors. It s also a season to take precautions against Lyme disease, spread from the bite of infected blacklegged ticks. Before heading out, especially into brushy or wooded areas, protect yourself with these simple tips: Wear light-coloured pants and long-sleeved tops to help spot ticks Choose closed footwear and tuck your pants into your socks Use an insect repellent containing DEET Search your body for ticks, especially the scalp, underarm areas, groin and back Remove attached ticks from your body as quickly as possible Although the risk of contracting Lyme disease is low, blacklegged ticks have been found in York Region. Signs and symptoms include a bull s eye rash, fatigue, chills, fever, headache, muscle and joint pain and swollen lymph nodes. For more information about Lyme disease including how to submit a tick for identification and testing, please contact York Region Health Connection at , TTY or visit york.ca/lymedisease York Region Public Health now offers The Gift of Motherhood Canada online prenatal program to expectant moms and their partner or support person. The program helps prepare for labour, childbirth and caring for a new baby. Topics include: Thinking ahead to childbirth Discomforts of pregnancy Understanding labour and birth Medical interventions and caesarean birth Adjustment to parenting Breastfeeding your newborn Caring for your newborn The program is available at no cost and includes printable fact sheets with information about pregnancy, parenting and community resources. This online prenatal program is a great option for those unable to attend in-person prenatal classes. Registrants can enter and exit the program at their convenience, as well as bookmark pages for their next visit. Online registration is required. To register or for more information on all York Region Public Health prenatal education options, please visit york.ca/prenatalclasses 6 Talk to us on

6 greener HOME GARDEN Visit us at linkedin.com/company/yorkregiongovt 7

7 Frank Scarpitti Jack Heath Jim Jones Joe Li Nirmala Armstrong David Barrow Richmond Hill Vito Spatafora Richmond Hill Brenda Hogg Richmond Hill Connect with your community Town of Aurora aurora.ca Town of Newmarket newmarket.ca Maurizio Bevilacqua Town of East Gwillimbury eastgwillimbury.ca Town of Georgina georgina.ca Township of King king.ca York Region Chairman & CEO Wayne Emmerson Town of Richmond Hill richmondhill.ca City of vaughan.ca Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville townofws.ca Tony Van Bynen Newmarket Michael Di Biase City of markham.ca The Regional Municipality of York york.ca John Taylor Newmarket Mario Ferri Gino Rosati Margaret Quirk Georgina Danny Wheeler Georgina Geoffrey Dawe Aurora Virginia Hackson East Gwillimbury Steve Pellegrini King Justin Altmann Whitchurch-Stouffville Yes to York making the perfect match! Help bring a York University campus to York Region! Voice your support through social media and help get everyone talking about Yes to York. A university campus in York Region will help all residents: Economic impact from the construction will generate more than $500 million, creating more than 3,000 person-years of employment Students will have the experience of a smaller campus, with the benefits and resources of one of Canada s largest universities soundly behind it 25 degree programs planned in eight fields of study, including business, life sciences and education It s not too late to let your voice be heard. To learn more, please visit yestoyork.ca and say Yes to York! We want your feedback! Tell us what you think of York Works and be entered to win a York Region prize pack. York Works is delivered to homes and businesses across York Region as part of York Region s commitment to communicating with our residents. Tell us what you would like to see in future editions of York Works. Give us your feedback at: york.ca/yorkworkssurvey FSC Logo to be inserted by printer Produced by the Corporate Communications Division For a pdf copy, please visit york.ca/yorkworks