Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program Contribution for Park Improvements

Newmarket Mayor and Members of Council formally received $221,221 of funding through the Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program for the following park improvement projects:

Clare Salisbury Park Playground
Ken Sturgeon Park Playground
Paul Semple Park Playground
Audrie Sanderson Park Playground
Renovation of the Newmarket Youth Centre & Sk8 Park

For more information on funding received from Canada 150 programs, visit newmarket.ca/canada150

Minutes for the Town of Newmarket Council Meetings, outlining Council decisions, is available under Agendas, Minutes and Meetings on the Town of Newmarket website. For more information or to view the reports, visit

Save the date! Mark these events in your calendar:

Friday, September 1: Join in on the fitness fun with the Town of Newmarket’s Fit150 campaign. Starting today, this month-long social media campaign invites our community to get out and get active by promoting 150 minutes per week of fitness and healthy, active living. Participants are encouraged to post photos and videos on how they get their 150 minutes of fitness in a week and use the hashtag #newmarketfit150 and tag @TownofNewmarket on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

Sunday, September 24: Experience a full day of organized pandemonium, uncontrollable laughter and non-stop chaos at multiple locations around Town: Newmarket’s Riverwalk Commons (200 Doug Duncan Drive) and Timothy Street from 1 to 4:30 p.m. Street performers will entertain audiences of all ages. Free Admission. In the case of inclement weather, the location will be moved inside the Community Centre & Lions Hall and Old Town Hall. Present your 150 Days of Summer button to be invited to an exclusive performance. Bring a non-perishable food item and receive a Cobs Bread food voucher in our Get One, Give One Food Drive supporting the Newmarket Food Pantry. This event is sponsored by Cobs Bread.

Active Living & Information Fair for Adults 55+
Saturday, September 23: Visitors will have the opportunity to participate in active living demonstrations, attend informative presentations and drop by different vendor booths for information on a variety of services and programs available to adults 55+ to support an active and self-sufficient lifestyle from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Newmarket Seniors’ Meeting Place (474 Davis Drive). This event is sponsored and supported by Oak Ridges Retirement Community, OACAO and Government of Ontario.

September 30 and October 1: Join us for this national celebration of arts and culture and participate in free and interactive activities at the Elman W. Campbell Museum, Old Town Hall and throughout Historic Downtown Newmarket on the following dates:

On September 30 from 10 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. come to the Elman W. Campbell Museum (134 Main Street South) and try a Museum history hunt and get ready to go on a self-guided tour of historic Main Street, explore the Museum’s new display – Canada 150: Do You Remember? and view the heritage art exhibition – An Artist’s Eye: Newmarket’s Past through the Brush and Pencil of George Luesby.
On September 30 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and October 1 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. get together with neighbours and friends and take a tour throughout Historic Downtown Newmarket. Take a walk with the Newmarket Group of Artists’ Art Walk & Studio Tour and engage and chat with artists located in studios around the Downtown, as well as in the Community Centre, Old Town Hall and Main Street businesses.
On September 30 from 1 to 4 p.m., join communities across Canada as we create Newmarket’s Canada 150 Mosaic Mural at Newmarket’s Old Town Hall (460 Botsford Street and help connect Canada coast-to-coast with art. We provide the tiles and paint, you provide the creativity.
On September 30 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and October 1 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. drop by Newmarket’s Old Town Hall (460 Botsford Street) for the Newmarket Group of Artists Exhibition.
On October 1 from 1 to 4 p.m. visit Newmarket’s Old Town Hall (460 Botsford Street) for a family-friendly activity - Family Fun with Minions.

Wednesday, October 4, 11, 18 and 25: Join us as we tour Downtown and unleash the stories of Newmarket’s past. Guests will be taken on a guided walking tour of Main Street and the Old Town Hall, where they will learn about the many suspicious events and anecdotes that have haunted the area since the 1880’s. Throughout the evening, guests will also have the opportunity to learn about paranormal activity and by evenings end, experience a paranormal investigation hosted by The Georgina Paranormal Society. Meet at Newmarket’s Old Town Hall (460 Botsford Street) for one of two tour times: 7 to 8:30 p.m. or 7:30 to 9 p.m. Tickets are $20 per person. Please bring your ticket with you to the event. Attendees are reminded to wear comfortable clothing and dress for the weather as tours take place rain or shine. Be sure to arrive at Old Town Hall at least 5 minutes early and check-in with Newmarket staff. Stories are not to be filmed or recorded however; there will be opportunities for photos. The tour will take approximately 30 minutes followed by the paranormal investigation and treats. This event is sponsored by snapd Newmarket and The Georgina Paranormal Society.

Edge your sod, prevent damage to your property
Take time this summer/fall to edge your sod and ensure that all landscape features are not hanging over the sidewalk. Doing so will help prevent damage to your lawn/boulevard/landscape feature in the winter, when sidewalk snowplowing operations are in effect.

The Town recommends that property owners follow these steps:

Check and locate your property line and ensure nothing is placed on the Town’s road allowance
Check to see if sod on your lawn has overgrown onto the sidewalk
Edge any overgrown sod from the sidewalk back to the edge
Check to see if your driveway curb/landscape feature is hanging over the sidewalk. If so, the recommended distance from the sidewalk is 18 inches.

Overgrown sod that isn’t edged, and landscape features that are hanging over the sidewalk can get caught on sidewalk snowplowing machines, causing damage to your property. Sidewalks also don’t have curb edges, therefore it can be difficult for operators to see where the sidewalk and your lawn ends. As a result, it is extremely important to edge your sod and ensure your landscape features are set back from the sidewalk.

Newmarket sidewalk snow plow operators strive to minimize damage to your property during sidewalk snow plow operations. In the event that there is damage caused during sidewalk snow plowing operations, please call 905-895-5193 and ask that your address be placed on the spring sod repair list.

CYFS Annual Open House

Safety Cone Sam Road Safety Tips
Safety Cone Sam, reminds residents to keep the following tips in mind as children walk, bike or are driven to and from school and back-to-school traffic increases.

School Zone safety tips:

Do not park in a NO PARKING zone. You may stop briefly to drop-off or pick-up a passenger, but you cannot wait in your vehicle or leave your vehicle unattended.
Do not stop in a NO STOPPING zone for any reason. These are areas where a stopped vehicle could obstruct the visibility of other drivers and pedestrians.
Do not park or leave your vehicle unattended in the Kiss and Ride area. Kiss and Ride areas are designed to make it quick and efficient to pick-up and drop-off your children at school.
Do not block fire routes, as it can be dangerous for everyone. Fire routes help Fire and Emergency crews access a building quickly in the event of an emergency.
Participate in the “walk-a-block” initiative by parking on a side-street adjacent to a school, and then walk the student to and from school.
You must stop when a Crossing Guard is about to enter the roadway with the stop sign in an upright position and remain stopped until all children, parents/ guardians and Crossing Guard have safely cleared the roadway.
Motorists must stop at least 20 metres before approaching a stopped school bus with red signal lights flashing and must not proceed until the bus begins moving or the red signal lights have stopped flashing.

Pedestrian safety tips:

Always cross the street at crosswalks and press the button for the walk signal.
Be patient and take your indication to walk from the pedestrian signals, not the lights.
If you aren’t sure you have enough time to cross, don’t take the chance – wait for the next signal.
Be alert, pay attention to your surroundings and avoid using any mobile device that will distract your attention while crossing the street. Texting near traffic can distract you from approaching vehicles.

Cyclist safety tips:

Remember to wear a helmet when cycling. By law, in Ontario, anyone under the age of 17 is required to wear a helmet while cycling.
Make sure your helmet fits snuggly, has the straps done, has no visible cracks and is CSA approved.
Make eye contact with motorists whenever possible when cycling.
Make sure you are always aware of your surroundings and be on the lookout for road hazards such as glass, sand and gravel.

Motorist safety tips:

Don’t drive distracted. Good drivers keep their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road.
Watch for pedestrians who may be walking against their signal.
Be cautious when turning into any intersection and slow down on residential streets and school zones where children might be walking or playing.
Be alert and use caution when approaching intersections, crosswalks and stopped transit buses.

The Town of Newmarket encourages residents to report dangerous or aggressive driving behaviour to the York Regional Police’s Road Watch Program. This program provides residents with the means to report dangerous or unlawful driving behaviour such as speeding, unsafe lane changing, disobeying traffic lights and stop signs.

For more information on Newmarket’s Traffic Management Campaign, or other Newmarket initiatives, please visit newmarket.ca

Get Involved! Join a Town Committee
The Town of Newmarket is seeking volunteers to serve on the Accessibility Advisory Committee, Appeal Committee and Property Standards Committee. In addition to attending regular meetings, Committee members are expected to dedicate time to projects outside of regular meeting times. The deadline for receiving applications is September 25, 2017 by 4:30 p.m.

To learn more about the volunteer opportunities or to apply for any of the Committees listed above, please visit newmarket.ca or call 905-953-5300 ext. 2220.

Newmarket Council Highlights September 11 2017