Newmarket Council Meeting

Improving the customer experience through new Customer Complaint Policy : Newmarket Council Highlights April 4th 2016

Welcome to the April 2016 edition of 'Newmarket Now!' Send us your feedback or suggestions for future editions by replying to this email or sending comments to communications@newmarket.ca

Improving the customer experience through new Customer Complaint Policy

The Mayor and Members of Newmarket Council approved the new Customer Complaint Policy in an effort to help Town of Newmarket staff better meet the needs of residents. The policy is a formalization of existing practices, and: outlines how customers can escalate complaints, helps promote increased fairness and consistency and provides Newmarket residents with a reliable channel to pursue unresolved issues.

Background Information

Findings from the 2014 Community Survey indicate that 81 per cent of Newmarket residents are satisfied with the overall quality of service delivery, 79 per cent are satisfied with the service received and 88 per cent are satisfied with the staff that provide the service. The Customer Complaint Policy is intended to build on this success by formalizing the Town’s focus on continuous improvement and excellent service delivery and will come into effect following a sufficient period of training for Town staff.

Working to address hospital-area parking issues

The Mayor and Members of Newmarket Council were presented with recommendations from the Town of Newmarket’s consultant WSP Canada Inc. regarding ways staff at the Town and Southlake Regional Health Centre can work closely together to address parking-related issues on residential streets surrounding the hospital and other medical buildings.

Moving forward with enhanced recreational opportunities for residents

The Town of Newmarket is moving forward with the second phase of the three-phase Recreation Playbook – a 10-year master plan that shapes the vision for recreational service delivery, facility development and affordable access to recreational services in Newmarket. Phase 1 of the plan is already in progress and includes an artificial turf field to be built in partnership with the York Region District School Board. Phase 2 is approved to begin in 2016-2017. It includes the design and construction of two additional community splash pads, and two outdoor skate parks.

Food trucks coming to Fairy Lake

In an effort to continue to make Newmarket even better, the Mayor and Members of Newmarket Council approved Fairy Lake’s parking lot #1 – off Water Street at Doug Duncan Drive – as the location of choice for up to two food trucks that will be stationed at the popular downtown spot starting sometime in the late spring.

Minutes for the Town of Newmarket Council Meetings

Outlining Council decisions is available for review underAgendas, Minutes and Meetings on the Town of Newmarket website. For more information or to view the reports, visitwww.newmarket.ca

Don't Miss These Upcoming Events:

Volunteer Appreciation Night

April 12: Volunteers are the roots of a strong community. Please join us in celebrating Newmarket's wellbeyond the ordinary volunteers in celebration of National Volunteer Week. For more information please visit www.newmarket.ca/events 

Public Information Centre: The Community Energy Plan

April 19: The Community Energy Plan is currently being prepared and will be released for public review the week of April 4. The vision for this project is to create a sustainable community whose energy future is efficient, secure, reliable and environmentally progressive. Drop-in to the Public Information Centre from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Municipal Offices (395 Mulock Drive) outside of the Council Chambers to learn more about The Community Energy Plan.

Discovery and Adventure Night

April 26:  Looking for a way to clown around for an evening? Head down to Newmarket Riverwalk Commons (200 Doug Duncan Drive) to check out "Lofty the Magician". Lofty combines an amazing magic show and hilarious clowning for a fun and entertaining interactive performance. Please bring a lawn chair. In case of  inclement weather, we will move inside the Newmarket Community Centre and Lions Hall (200 Doug Duncan Drive). 

Gear Up For More Bikeways in Newmarket

On Tuesday, March 15, 2016 the Province of Ontario announced a $325,000 investment in Newmarket's cycling infrastructure. With the support of the provincial government through its Ontario Municipal Cycling Infrastructure Program, the Town of Newmarket will embark on the design and construction of the Newmarket East-to-West Bikeway, connecting residents from Eagle Street West to Leslie Street.The Bikeway will include more than five kilometres of bike lanes, improvements to intersections, bike racks along the route, cycling and pedestrian wayfinding signs, a sheltered bike parking area in the downtown and improvements to pavement surfacing as needed along the route. A detailed design of the Bikeway has yet to be completed by the Town, but is expected in 2016. It is anticipated that the Bikeway will be open to enjoy by mid-2017. For more information visitwww.newmarket.ca

Start Spring Cleaning Your Garden: Yard waste collection starts in April

It's finally time to bring out your gardening tools and get your garden ready to grow. Yard waste collection will begin on a bi-weekly basis beginning April 5 until November. Please remember to bundle branches separately and place plant trimmings and weeds into paper yard waste bags or open top garbage cans with open handles marked ‘yard waste’ (plastic bags will not be accepted). Please keep excess dirt out of the bags as bags filled with dirt cannot be collected due to weight restrictions. Remember, garbage is collected one week and yard waste the next.

For more information on Newmarket’s waste and recycling programs, visitwww.newmarket.ca/wasteandrecycling call 905-895-5193 or download the My-WasteTM app from the App Store on your Apple or Android device.