When the votes are tallied following the close of the online polls today at 8 p.m., Newmarket will have a new council — minimum, there will be a new mayor, regional councillor and deputy mayor, and Ward 1 and 2 councillors — to carry on the business of running the town.
NewmarketToday asked retiring Mayor Tony Van Bynen, who will officially pass the torch Nov. 26 to end an 18-year political career, to highlight the priorities, challenges and opportunities ahead for the town’s new leadership.
Top 3 priorities:
1. Increasing Newmarket’s capacity for growth
Simply put, Newmarket can’t grow.
The foremost priority for the new council should be to find a resolution to the limitations on the servicing allocation. All the requirements mandated by the Province for the Upper York Sewage Solution have been met, yet no response has been received.
The system expansion would occur in East Gwillimbury, which is going to see the biggest boost in population, but would allow for some capacity expansion in Newmarket and Aurora. It would take three to four years to build if the Province gives the go-ahead.
“And guess what? It’s not going to cost the province a dime, all they need to do is sign the document that has met all of their requirements. So that’s an easy solution. The benefit for the province is that we get to build housing accommodation, we get to build rental accommodation, and we get an assessment, and we get development charges, and all of those things will create revenues and jobs for the province, which creates income tax, sales tax and property tax. So there’s a huge benefit for the province to say you’re right, you’ve met all of the requirements.”
Why does it matter? The Town has been building out infrastructure to accommodate the population of 98,000 forecast in the official plan — we are at 88,000 — and has a financial model in place based on that number.
“If, as a result of the waste management capacity constraints, you can’t get there, there’s an inequity, it doesn’t balance itself out.”
And, of course, it means Newmarket will not be able to add the variety of housing units it requires to meet the needs of its citizens.
“I think there are a lot of people who want to come to Newmarket — or stay in Newmarket — and there’s no place to accommodate them.”
The Town has reserved about 300 units as an incentive for a developer to build a condominium “because that’s what’s missing in our housing mix”, including rental accommodation suitable for families.
The lack of housing options also creates a challenge for local businesses looking for labour, and impacts the Town’s ability to attract new businesses.
2. Marketing our story
“We know our story, we know that Newmarket has been one of the top 25 places to live for a number of years, but what’s important is for others to understand that and to bring forward what Newmarket represents as far as business opportunities go. I think Celestica was a major step forward for us. It’s a matter of being visible externally.”
The Town launched a marketing program this year, which includes a separate website, and it will be important to follow through and expand on these initiatives.
3. Innovation and collaboration
The Town’s start-up data infrastructure company, Envi Network Ltd., will deliver high-speed, fibre-optic internet service to local businesses.
“Envi is only the enabler for innovation and I think that’s going to be the real challenge and the real opportunity for the future, and that’s ingraining innovation, and collaboration, into everything we think and do and say. That’s going to be really key.”
Walking the talk on innovation and collaboration will create a town that retains and attracts millennials.
“I think we need to understand that our community’s opportunities and the prospects are with millennials and we have to build a community that’s attractive to millennials. I’m very proud of what’s happened on Main Street.”
The world is changing, and using data to customize services and solutions will be crucial. In the wake of the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica data scandal in early 2018, when it was revealed the company had harvested the personal data of millions of people's Facebook profiles without their consent and used it for political purposes, care is required.
“How they changed social behaviour shocked me — and that’s the one thing that bothers me here. We have to make sure we are protective of our data. But that we don’t run away from data because we simply can’t have what I call a vanilla ice cream solution for everybody, because we can’t afford that any longer.”
“If we have a vanilla ice cream solution, we’ll underservice people who have a legitimate, significant need and we’ll overservice people who don’t have that need. We need to be able to target the service levels that we have. And we need to be able to find ways to collect data and input so that we have targeted solutions.”
Top 3 challenges:
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Development, keeping in mind that currently, limited capacity is hampering growth.
- Clock Tower, Main Street: “The Clock Tower, that one, in fairness, it’s a historically sensitive area, and it’s got some community character, and some of those components played out significantly. The agreements that we have been able to come to were influenced by things like sewage capacity. What’s the point in going to the mat with the OMB and then finding that your business case is delayed as a result of sewage capacity?” Also, Main Street North, between Park and Davis, properties are ready for development if sewage capacity becomes available.
- Davis Drive: Discussions are occurring between York Region, a “substantial landowner” as a result of expropriations on Davis Drive from Prospect to Charles streets, Southlake Regional Health Centre and the Town on how to maximize the development opportunities.
- Hollingsworth Arena: “How do we maximize value for the Hollingsworth Arena and how do we work together with something that everybody will be very happy with?”
“I think there is a real challenge for the community to understand that revitalization, sustainability and resilience require growth and renewal, and that can be done in a sympathetic way provided that both sides of the argument are given equal treatment and fair consideration. I think polarity is counterproductive for everyone, right? And I think that’s what happened with Glenway, and the project went forward, and there were other factors that changed the direction of the Clock Tower.”
2. Readiness for integration
“Not necessarily for Newmarket alone, but northern York Region, will be how effectively we are able to respond and absorb the needs of the immigrant population that will be moving in. Our readiness for integration will be a real challenge. It doesn’t mean that we can’t succeed at it, but we need to understand its importance and to put the resources in to do that.”
Funding from the Province and Region will be key to ensure the appropriate social programs are meeting the needs of the community.
“We need to make sure that nobody is left behind, and our relationship with the Province will be very critical with this.”
3. Funding for infrastructure
“If I had a magic wand, I would review how we put the funding models together for different levels of government.”
The Association of Municipalities of Ontario has proposed adding a 1 per cent tax.
“The numbers say the population will accept a 1-per-cent sales tax provided it is very specifically dedicated for infrastructure renewal, that’s key.”
“That is part of the infrastructure problem. These are issues that are important but not urgent. And people that live today are dealing with urgent issues.”
Advice for next mayor?
“The first six months, blame the previous mayor,” he says with a laugh.
“My advice is to rely on the diversity that you have in the organization and help people grow. If there’s anything I am proud of it’s the way the organization has grown. (CAO) Bob Shelton has been an exceptional leader, and that it’s important for council to support the leadership at the head of the organization, but at the same time, give members of council the opportunity to get engaged and contribute in their own way to make Newmarket even better.”
And, finally, a few moments of reflection for our longtime mayor.
Proudest accomplishments?
- Envi
- Newmarket Economic Development Advisory Committee: “I’m very proud of the fact we’ve engaged our business community through NEDAC. It brings a business perspective to the municipality, in an advisory capacity. I started that as mayor.”
- The N6, the collaborative partnership between the region’s northern municipalities: “When you think about the millions — literally millions — of dollars we have saved in waste management. And the way we have been able to expand the expertise of the internal audit function through a partnership with the region and all the municipalities. As that was a function that didn’t exist.”
- Revitalized Main Street and downtown: “The very first challenge I received as an elected official from Mayor Tom Taylor was to take a look at the Main Street revitalization project, and now it has kind of peaked, and that’s 18 years (later).”
- Mayor in the Square, increasing accessibility: “I’ve always said, at the very beginning, I’m willing to listen, and I’ve always also said it doesn’t mean that we’ll always agree. The principles of democracy are that everyone should receive the same information. The minority has the right to make their views known and the majority has the right to make the decision, right? And if we stay with those principles, we can’t be wrong.”
Any regrets?
“There are some regrets (that) I can regain and that’s family time.”
What’s next?
“Being an elected official is not a job, it’s a calling, and I think that doesn’t leave you.”
Continuing to give back, as a board member for Southlake Regional Health Centre Foundation and as honorary chair of Oasis Bereavement Centre, with his daughters.
