Gordon Prentice at Large - Politics in Newmarket
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- Written by: Gordon Prentice
Olivia Chow is the new face of Toronto
The election of Olivia Chow as the new Mayor of Toronto comes as a very pleasant surprise. The early results showed Chow trailing John Tory’s favourite, Ana Bailão, and I thought: “Oh no! Here we go again.”
In the event Chow won by a decent 34,000 votes – or 37.1% to Bailão’s 34.2%
The official results, certified by the City Clerk, are here.
The Toronto Star has wall to wall coverage. The Star's editorial board had backed Ana Bailão but this morning's editorial recognises that a vote for Chow is a vote for change - not more of the same.
The Local has some excellent reporting showing how the vote split by ward.
Turnout was 38.5% - a figure in the range that is, tragically, becoming the new normal.
Ford and Tory on the losing side
Doug Ford and ex-Mayor John Tory – who both vowed to stay out of the election campaign – end up with egg on their face.
Ford predicted Chow would be an “unmitigated disaster” for Toronto. And, at the eleventh hour, Tory urged people to back Ana Bailão.
Chow has pledged not to use the “Strong Mayor” powers just at the very time Ford is extending them to 26 municipalities across the Province. We shall see how this plays out.
I hope she shakes things up.
Update on 28 June 2023: Editorial from the Globe and Mail: Get the party started in Toronto vote. Click "read more" below
Read more: Olivia Chow shatters the mould to become Toronto's new Mayor
Newmarket to get 15,000 new neighbours and a new acute hospital and Tom Vegh has “Nothing to report”
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- Written by: Gordon Prentice
Newmarket Council meetings always have a spot on the agenda for report-backs from our Regional Councillor, Tom Vegh. The Mayor, who also sits on York Regional Council, generally has a few words to say about what is happening there.
Earlier today, the Mayor, John Taylor, invites Tom to give his report.
Tom Vegh replies:
“Thank you very much for the opportunity but there is really nothing to report this week. Thank you.”
Good grief! This has been one of the most momentous months I can recall. The future of York Region is on the line. Markham’s Mayor, Frank Scarpitti, called for the abolition of Newmarket and the other eight lower tier municipalities and the creation of a new megacity. Not to be outdone, Vaughan’s Mayor, Steven Del Duca, wants to see single tier municipalities in York which would be responsible for most if not all services.
Vegh did his last report back to Newmarket Council on 5 June 2023. York Region’s Committee of the Whole met on 15 June 2023 and considered an important report on fiscal sustainability. Members, including Tom Vegh, learned for the first time that Newmarket could have 15,000 new neighbours on land in King, just the other side of Bathurst. Oh, yes, and there will be a new acute hospital located there too.
The York Region agenda included comments from King Township on the proposed Provincial Planning Statement which is at the centre of the current controversy over future land use planning. And there were comments from the Region’s Chief Planner.
There was a report on the potential dissolution of Peel Region and its impact on York Region.
There was an important report on housing and another on affordable housing.
Clearly, there’s a lot of stuff happening that is passing Tom by.
“There’s really nothing to report.”
Like Tom, I am lost for words.
Postscript: Why doesn't Newmarket Council invite Southlake's Chief Executive, Arden Krystal, to brief them on her plan to have a second hospital campus in King? That's what I'd do. What is there left to hide?
See also: Southlake and the sale of the Greenbelt lands in King
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- Written by: Gordon Prentice
I wonder when Southlake’s Delphic Chief Executive, Arden Krystal, is going to make a public statement about the former Greenbelt lands in King which are earmarked for a new acute hospital. This is a very big deal. Personally, I’d like to know how it all came about. 
For the moment we’ve got to parse emails to discern their real meaning. It would be a lot easier for everyone if we just had a simple narrative from Southlake explaining what happened when and why.
Last week York Region’s Chief Administrative Officer, Bruce Macgregor, told us our 15,000 new neighbours will occupy lands
“identified by the Province to also contain a hospital expansion up here in the Newmarket area – expansion of Southlake hospital.”
Breathless
As the whole world now knows, Arden Krystal met developer Michael Rice and King Mayor Steve Pellegrini at King Municipal Centre on Tuesday 1 November 2022 when Rice offered for a nominal fee some of the Greenbelt land he had bought in King a few months earlier for a new hospital site. On Friday 4 November 2022 Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister, Steve Clark, announced that certain lands were to be removed from the Greenbelt, including those in King, opening them up for development. On Monday 7 November 2022 Pellegrini moved a motion at King’s Committee of the Whole supporting a new hospital on the Rice lands, breathlessly congratulating everyone involved.
Pellegrini, who didn’t want to get anything wrong, sent an email to Arden Krystal at 12:09 pm on 7 November 2022 attaching a draft of the motion he proposed to put before King Councillors that evening:
“Call if you have any questions, thanks Steve”
Krystal got back to Pellegrini at 2:24 pm the same day attaching an amended version of his proposed motion: 
“Hey Steve. Thanks so much for your support – this is truly exciting! I wondered if you would be agreeable to a few small edits to the motion that I think will have the same impact but perhaps be less controversial. Please let me know if these would be acceptable. Cheers and thanks again.”
Steve replies to Arden at 3:48 pm:
“All good. Will make those changes”
And, one nano second later, Arden replies:
“Awesome. Many thanks!!”
She copies her email to Township Clerk Denny Timm and Chief Administrative Officer Daniel Kostopoulos.
Nuanced
So what were the changes? Most of Pellegrini’s motion escaped Krystal’s blue pencil but there were a few changes which are nuanced.
Pellegrini version:
AND WHEREAS the lands satisfy the locational criteria for the new Southlake regional Health Centre
Arden Krystal’s amended version:
AND WHEREAS the lands satisfy our understanding of the locational criteria for the new Southlake Regional Health Centre site
Pellegrini version:
AND WHEREAS the landowner has made a commitment to provide the necessary lands for the Southlake Regional Health Centre for a nominal fee
Arden Krystal’s amended version:
AND WHEREAS the landowner is committed to providing the necessary lands for the Southlake Regional Health Centre site for a nominal fee
Pellegrini version:
AND WHEREAS the area designated as “Settlement Area” is not required to accommodate the new Southlake Regional Health Centre
Arden Krystal’s amended version:
AND WHEREAS based on our understanding of the locational criteria for the new hospital the area designated as “Settlement Area” is not required.
It is my understanding that Rice had been in discussion with Southlake on their plans for a new hospital since, at least, January 2022. And it is also my understanding that Pellegrini has been scouring King for a site for a new hospital since 2019. In fact he said as much.
Pellegrini told the Era newspaper that the Province’s decision to remove the Rice lands from the Greenbelt had come like a bolt from the blue:
When without warning the province pulled the King land out of the Greenbelt, council capitalised on it by saying “at least give us a hospital”.
“Without warning.”
Good one!
See also: Timeline: Southlake and the sale of the Greenbelt lands in King