It was a very hot, but amazing Canada Day, starting with the Aurora Canada Day Parade.
Did you know that Aurora is Canada’s Birthday Town? Back in 1967, the residents of Richardson Drive threw a good-old fashioned street party on July 1st which grew over the years until an official proclamation earned Aurora the title of Canada’s Birthday Town in 1969. I was happy to see all the red and white colours and smiling faces in Aurora and then continuing in Newmarket with the Tim Horton’s Canada Day festivities. Main Street was jam-packed with patriotic residents and Riverwalk Commons alive with music and exciting fire juggling.
It was a privilege to attend the NACCA Scholarship Ceremony where I congratulated the recipients of the NACCA Scholarships. This year's recipients include students who have achieved high academic performance, as well as demonstrating true leadership and commitment to community service. These inspirational students are all truly deserving of these scholarships, and I can’t wait to see what they do next.
At the end of June, it was with great honour that I visited our local Margaret Bahen Hospice to announce an investment of $946,000 in additional funding over the next two years for nursing, personal support, and other services delivered to patients. This funding comes at a pivotal time as the hospice continues to operate with a 93% occupancy rate, proving the need for their essential palliative care service for York Region residents. Expanding operational capacity will ensure that each resident and each family or caregiver's physical, emotional, and spiritual needs are met with compassionate care.
As a part of Ontario’s plan to prepare for rising electricity demands in the future, our government is working with Ontario Power Generation (OPG) to commence planning and licensing for three additional small modular reactors (SMRs), for a total of four SMRs at the Darlington nuclear site. Once deployed, these four units would produce a total 1200 MW of electricity, equivalent to powering 1.2 million homes. Building these additional SMRs will also provide more opportunities for Ontario companies and suppliers of nuclear equipment, components, and services to make further investments to expand their operation to serve the growing SMR market both domestically and abroad. Our government is also starting pre-development work with Bruce Power to site the first large-scale nuclear build over thirty years. This work will be conducted with the intent of determining the feasibility of locating up to 4,800 MW of new nuclear electricity generation – enough to power 4.8 million homes. This work marks another milestone in the province’s plan to build the reliable, affordable and clean electricity grid needed to enable electrification and more investment in our province’s growing economy.
Ontario is taking action to ensure vital water resources and ecosystems in the province are protected. The Wetlands Conservation Partner Program represents one of the largest investments in wetland restoration in Ontario’s history. As part of the government’s five-year, $30 million Wetlands Conservation Partner Program, 14 Ontario-based conservation partners will receive up to $6.9 million to restore more than 2,400 acres of wetlands in the province, improving water quality, helping prevent flooding and building climate change resiliency. Since the program was launched in 2020, $20 million has been invested in over 330 wetland projects, restoring and enhancing approximately 7,200 acres of wetlands across the province. About eight times the size of the Toronto Islands!
Excited to announce that I am hosting a photography contest for high school students who live in our community. I am inviting our youth to go out and explore Newmarket-Aurora while documenting their discoveries through photos. The winners of the contest will have their photographs featured in my 2024 community calendar that is sent to more than 50,000 households. Looking forward to seeing all the wonderful inspirations our youth find throughout our beautiful community! For more details on application requirements and where to submit, please visit my website at https://
