All posts by SHLF

Barrie’s 2018 municipal election candidates

Mayor

Jeff Lehman –  .  

Ram Faerber – or .

Ward 1

— or .

—  , or .

Cole Walsh —  or . 

Ryan Cardwell — or . 

— , or . 

— , or .

Ann-Marie Kungl — :  or .  

Erin Hennigar — or .

Dusko Jankov — or .

Ward 2

Yolanda T. Gallo — or . 

Richard Forward — . 

Rose Romita  — , or .  

— , or .

Ward 3

Doug Shipley – .   

Lynn-Anne Hill — or .

Tanya Saari — or .

Ward 4

Bryan Harris — or . 

Barry Ward – , or .  

— or .

Ward 5

Peter Silveira

Robert Thomson — .   

Harry Ahmed — or .  

Brandon Cassidy — or .

Ward 6

— , or .  

Steve Trotter

— ,  or .  

Colin Nelthorpe — or .

Ward 7

— , or .   

Andrew Prince – , or . 

Bonnie North — , or .   

John McEachern — or .

Ward 8

— or .  

Jim Harris — or .

—  or .   

Shelly Skinner — .

Ward 9

Sergio Morales –  , or . 

Ward 10

Mike McCann –  or .  

Peter Culyer — or .

John Olthuis — or .

Simcoe County District School Board trustee (representing wards 1 to 3)

David William O’Brien — or .

Neli Trevisan — , or .   

Amanda Trinacty — or .   

Gillian MacLean — or .

SCDSB trustee (representing wards 4 to 6)

Beth Mouratidis — or .

Mike Washburn — , or .  

SCDSB trustee (representing wards 7 to 10)

Heidi MacNeil — or .    

Ajmal Noushahi — or .  

David Quigley —  or .  

Derek Dath — or .

Lisa-Marie Wilson — or .

Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board trustee (representing wards 1 to 5)

Robert Matthew LeCollier — or .   

Paul Rasiulis — or .  

Nathaniel Brown — or .

SMCDSB trustee (representing wards 6 to 10)

Andrew Hall — or .

Maria Hardie –  or .   

Corey James Henderson — or .

Member, Mon Avenir scolaire catholique

Claire Thibideau — or .  

Ryan Malenfant —

Member, Conseil scolaire Viamonde, Sector 5

Eric Lapointe — or .  

Guy Belcourt –  or .  

Saveria Caruso — or .

Midland residents will have opportunity to address Yonge St. changes

(UPDATE: The public meeting scheduled for August 27 has been deferred.)

Midland residents will have a chance to address council on the recent changes made to Yonge Street during an upcoming council meeting.

Council initially scheduled a public information session for Aug. 27 at 5:30 p.m. where a staff report on the implementation of the Yonge Street  would be presented.

Mayor Gord McKay has elected to defer the meeting “until sufficient data has been collected,” according to a statement on the town’s website.

Town administration will continue to gather traffic volumes and bike lane statistics over the course of the calendar year.

New lanes were painted on Yonge Street  in mid-July. A once four-lane road was changed to include two driving lanes, two bike lanes and a centre turning lane.

Collingwood staff focus on good planning as they aim to hit growth targets

Collingwood is one of the 25 fastest-growing communities in Canada.

The most recent census showed the municipality has a population of about 22,000 and the town also saw more than $100 million in construction value in 2017.

It’s no surprise that the community has been designated a growth node in the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, which was released in 2017 and outlines a long term plan for growth.

The plan has a series of targets for Collingwood that it must achieve by 2031. The town is expected to have a population of 33,400 and have a density of 50 people per hectare.

Collingwood’s planning department is tasked with guiding the municipality so it can achieve those growth targets.

Director of planning Nancy Farrer said planning staff are working with potential developers on proposals before they come to the council table.

She said many don’t meet the town’s targets when first proposed.

“There is a lot of initial meetings to change, modify the plan that we receive, so we get it to the vicinity of where we think this makes sense,” she said.

She said they are always looking at the density targets to see if they will help the town reach its goals.

“We have to get to 50 people per hectare,” she said.  “We’ll have some that are down at 20 or 30, but we’ll also have some that are up at 70 in order to balance the whole thing out.”

This means planners are looking for a mix of housing, including single detached homes, town houses, semi-detached homes and even apartments.

She said the days of single-family homes on large lots are long gone.

“If you do not have smaller lots, you’re never going to get close,” she said.

Planners are also looking at how the development that incorporates trails, active transportation and parks.

There are also provisions for smaller commercial operations in subdivisions so residents don’t have to drive to get certain items.

“They (guidelines) also indicate, we’re to achieve complete communities,” said community planner Mark Bryan. “Services and amenities should be provided in close proximity to where people live.”

With most developments, public meetings are held and many residents have raised concerns about the increase in traffic as a result. She said the town attempts to have a logical plan for roads and how people are going to get around, but an increase in traffic isn’t a reason to not recommend a development.

“The engineers are always looking at how we can best accommodate traffic,” she said. “We can’t stop people from driving cars, or from moving to town or getting where they need to go. We can’t say don’t develop because we’re going to have cars.”

What happens if the town doesn’t hit these growth targets?

“In theory, the government is going to be putting more resources, spending more money and giving more goods to the communities that are doing they are supposed to be doing,” Farrer said. “We don’t have an options for hitting those targets.”

‘They would have been coyote food.’ Litter of beagle puppies abandoned in Adjala-Tosorontio

It shouldn’t even need to be said, but the Alliston and District Humane Society is sending out a message to any pet owners who think a drive out into the country is an acceptable way to get rid of their animals.

“It’s really sad,” said dog program co-ordinator Emily Day. “I just wish people would just take their animals to a shelter, that’s why we are here.”

The most recent dog dumping incident happened Friday, Aug. 17 after a box of five beagle puppies were found in a ditch in Adjala-Tosorontio.

“A person driving past saw one of them on the side of the road,” she said. “She stopped her car and went and looked down into the ditch under the bush and found four more.”

Another litter of beagles was found by a neighbouring dog shelter.

“They look very similar, so they are all probably from the same litter,” she said.

The 10-week old puppies appear to be in good health, but one is lethargic and isn’t eating.

“My gut feeling is they were puppies someone couldn’t sell, which is sad,” she said.

The shelter is also caring for an adult shepherd/Great Dane cross that was dumped in the country.

“She was panicking, just running from car to car trying to find someone who would let her in,” she said.

Day said the dog was likely used for breeding but was severely neglected and had open sores in her ears infested with maggots.

“She looks like a bag of bones,” she said.

Animal dumping is sadly a common occurrence in the area, especially with kittens.

“If that lady hadn’t seen that one puppy they would have been coyote food,” she said. “Some person basically drove them out into the country and left them here to die, and that’s horrible.”

There’s another reason why people shouldn’t dump their animals.

“If anything, dumping them off in the middle of nowhere is abandonment, and there will be a charge for that,” she said.

Day said the beagle puppies will likely be ready for adoption by the end of the week.

The shelter is currently at capacity for dogs. The next open houses take place Saturday, Aug. 26 and Sept. 8.

For more information visit or call

Editor’s note: A correction was made to this article Aug. 23. The original version incorrectly stated the open houses take place on Sunday. Simcoe.com regrets the error.

Patrice Mccammon — Wasaga Beach councillor

My name is Patrice Mccammon, I am asking for your vote for Wasaga Beach councillor on Oct. 22.

I am a full-time resident (20 years). My career in business included district manager for the Canadian Federation of Independent  Business, a non-political organization. 

After my retirement I increased my volunteering and fundraising with Rotary, hospice, food bank and Wasaga Beach Blues. On the strength of these and other accomplishments, I was honoured with Citizen of the Year in 2014 and received the Order of Wasaga Beach in 2015.

The skill acquired through my worklife, volunteer work and fundraising have positioned me effectively to work with diverse groups of people with minimum friction and maximum productivity. I pride myself on being a non-partisan thinker and I am, ready and able to work with a government who desires a bright progressive future for Wasaga Beach. 

If elected, I have pledged to conduct myself in a professional and reasonable manner, and not let personal differences cloud my judgment. I support our current downtown plan and believe in the long term benefits it will bring to our  community. I am also committed to the success of our new walk in clinic, the funding of and construction of our new library and arena and the approval and construction of our high school. 

Only by working as a united council can we these initiatives come to fruition. I encourage you to visit my website and leave me a comment or suggestion, or to give me a call any time time at .  I will be happy to discuss concerns or suggestions. Your vote for me will help to ensure we stay “ Focused on our future.” 

ONTARIO COLD CASE: Grandmother left for dead in hit-and-run by SUV

Henrietta Bushey was just a few hundred feet from work when

Nearly seven years later, the driver has yet to be arrested.

“He left me in the road; he just left me for dead in the road,” Bushey, now 68, said about the horrific hit-and-run that left her with multiple injuries, including a damaged eye socket and fractured leg.

Bushey, a mother and grandmother, was walking to work on Dec. 8, 2011, and was only minutes away from Grohe Canada, where she worked as an assembler, when she was struck while crossing the street at Lakeshore and Dixie roads at about 5:45 a.m.

She said a “Good Samaritan” stopped, helped her and called 911.

“If there had been no one there to help me, maybe another car would have struck me and I wouldn’t be here right now,” she said.

Peel Regional Police said surveillance video from a nearby eatery shows the vehicle to likely be a dark-coloured GMC Envoy.

Police said in a 2011 news release the driver surely knows he/she struck someone.

“This is someone’s loved one, and if it was one of their loved ones, they would want somebody to come forward,” police said.

The driver of the SUV that struck her remains at large. Police haven’t received a single tip as to the motorist’s whereabouts.

Police Const. Bally Saini said any little tip might help and is urging residents to call police at 905-453-2121, ext. 3710, or Peel Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477.

The force’s Major Collision Bureau is reminding residents during the summer months that drivers need to give their full attention to driving safely and obeying the rules of the road while pedestrians should keep in mind that their safety is in their hands, “and that they need to be fully aware, at all times, of the movement of vehicles in their vicinity.”

Collingwood OPP has responded to 15 incidents of pets in hot cars since June

Since June 1, the Collingwood OPP has responded to 15 incidents of pets in hot vehicles.

For Sonya Reichel of the Georgian Triangle Humane Society, this is 15 too many.

“The message with no hot pets is ensuring people are aware there is no exceptions to the rule,” she said. “There is no excuse, we can’t have hot pets.”

A Wellington Township man was recently charged under Collingwood’s responsible pet ownership bylaw for leaving a dog in a parked car.

Reichel said there are no excuses to leave a pet in the car.

“I will never forget a story that I heard where someone had their golden retriever in their car, it was early morning, they were popping into an office, they got caught up in a meeting and two hours later when they came out their pet was dead,” she said.

Despite the pleas from animal organizations and the police, she said the problem persists.

“There is a misconception, that temporarily a pet in a car is OK, it’s not OK,” she said. “It’s a campaign our organization has been delivering for the last five years it really means that somehow, the message isn’t hitting home.”

Const. Martin Hachey of the Collingwood OPP said when police respond, people tell them they love their pet and they were only running in for a short time.

But Hachey said one minute is too long.

“You meet a friend in there and start talking and all of a sudden five becomes a 10,  the lineup at the till and all of a sudden, the 10 becomes a 15 and that’s when the heat really starts rising in a vehicle,” he said.

Hachey said even cracking a window, it can be hot for a pet. He said the best solution is to leave the pet at home when possible.

The Ontario SPCA is in the midst of a no hot pets campaign and as part of the initiative is encouraging businesses to register as pet friendly. This would allow the public to bring their pets inside with them.

Currently, only one business in Collingwood is registered as pet friendly, Collingwood Home Hardware Building Centre.

Owner Tracey Caron is an animal lover and several years ago saw a dog in distress in vehicle and she doesn’t want that to happen at her store.

“We are trying to encourage people to not leave their pets in the hot car,” she said.

Hachey said in addition to damage it may cause to the pet, the owner who leaves the pet in the car could be punished.

He said they could receive a fine under municipal bylaws, the Ontario SPCA act or the Criminal Code for cruelty to an animal.

“If we show there was intent to cause harm to the animal, that could possibly be laid,” he said.

Reichel is hoping other businesses “take the pledge,” and become pet friendly.

“We just need this to be something that’s a cultural norm,” she said. 

For more information visit

Georgina, Innisfil, listed among 10 highest property tax rates in GTA: study

Municipalities in York Region and Simcoe County have some of the ‘worst’ property taxes in the GTA, according to real estate brokerage and website company Zoocasa.

Georgina residents pay some of the highest average amount of taxes in the GTA and highest in York Region, according to the real estate portal’s best and worst list of 33 regions released this month.

Innisfil and Bradford top the list in Simcoe County.

Zoocasa calculated the average amount of tax paid, based on the municipal tax rate and average home price, in each region of the GTA.

Cities with the highest home values, such as the Toronto, Markham and Richmond Hill, tend to have the lowest property tax rates while cities such as Oshawa and Orangeville with the lowest average home values have some of the highest tax rates.

For example, Georgina’s average home price based on Toronto Real Estate Board figures is $595,946.

Zoocasa applied the 2017 rate of 1.12810 per cent to that number to calculate taxes of $6,723 per year — and ranked Georgina ninth out of the 10 municipalities with the highest tax rates in the GTA.

While Bradford West Gwillimbury’s northern neighbour of Innisfil has lower home values of $603,978 on average, it has a higher tax rate of 1.05760 per cent, which equates to an average property tax bill of $6,388, and rounds out the bottom 10.

BWG residents, who pay an average $6,676 on a home assessed at $665,640 based on a tax rate of 1.05760 per cent, aren’t far behind, however.

Compare that to Orangeville, which pays the highest percentage of property taxes in the GTA. The average homeowner there pays $7,906 in property tax on an average home assessment of $560,735.

Zoocasa’s Penelope Graham said while affordability and mortgage costs are typically top of mind for homebuyers, the amount of property tax you’ll need to pay each year is often overlooked.

For example, Oshawa, the most affordable GTA city where the average home price is $515,261, has the second highest property tax rate of 1.40690 per cent, resulting in annual taxes of $7,249.

Meanwhile, the average Richmond Hill home is worth twice as much at $1,033,754, but the owner pays about the same amount in property taxes at $7,418 because the tax rate is substantially lower at only 0.71760 per cent, explains Graham.

While King Township residents pay a whopping $12,182 in property taxes, that’s based on average home prices of $1.4 million and a tax rate of 0.86820, which is close to the GTA average.

GTA cities with lowest property tax rates

1. Toronto – 0.6355054% ($5,532 taxes based on $870,559 average June 2018 home price)

2. Markham – 0.6938% ($6,762 taxes based on $974,626 average June 2018 home price)

3. Milton – 0.6979% ($4,896 taxes based on $701,595 average June 2018 home price)

4. Richmond Hill – 0.7176% ($7,418 based on $1,033,754 average June 2018 home price)

5. Vaughan – 0.7281% ($6,850 based on $940,866 average June 2018 home price)

GTA cities with highest property tax rates

1. Orangeville – 1.4099% ($7,906 taxes based on $560,735 average June 2018 home price)

2. Oshawa – 1.4069% ($7,249 taxes based on $515,261 average June 2018 home price)

3. Brock – 1.2860% ($7,490 taxes based on $582,455 average June 2018 home price)

4. Clarington – 1.2228% ($6,516 taxes based on $532,908 average June 2018 home price)

5. Whitby – 1.18090% ($8,023 taxes based on $679,406 average June 2018 home price)

— with files from Karen Martin-Robbins

Editor’s note: This story was updated July 20, 2018 to clarify how Zoocasa calculated the numbers for the Town of Georgina.

Tiny Township woman survives heart attack, changes life

Marg Raynor is lucky to be alive.

The 72-year-old retired teacher suffered a heart attack eight years ago. It was properly diagnosed and she received angioplasty and a pacemaker in quick order.

That’s unusual.

According to the Heart & Stroke 2018 Heart Report entitled Ms. Understood, early heart attack signs were missed in 78 per cent of women.

Heart disease is the leading cause of premature death for women in Canada. In fact, every 20 minutes, a woman in Canada dies from heart disease.

“Too many women are unnecessarily suffering and dying from heart disease,” reads the opening statement of the report.

“They have been left behind because they are under-researched, under-diagnosed, under-treated and under-supported during recovery,” reads the second sentence.

Raynor, who is known in the community as a singer, guitarist, had no chest pain during her heart attacks.

“It was a sudden back ache. It was just a deep ache,” she said.

The first time it happened, she went and laid down, took some Tylenol and a hot bath. Days later it happened again with an added symptom.

“I had tingling and throbbing down my left arm.”

“I thought if I want to see my children and grandchildren grow up, I’d better go to hospital.”

Her husband drove her to Georgian Bay General Hospital and she sat in the regular emergency section with people with colds and flu.

Through tests she was diagnosed and immediately to Southlake Regional Health Centre in Newmarket where she got an emergency angioplasty with a stent.

“I was told I’d had two heart attacks and that I had 60 per cent damage to my heart.”

She got a pacemaker.

Upon reflection and research Raynor figures that it was brought on by stress combined with extensive dental work (root canals and infections) and a fungus infection.

She decided to take ownership of her new condition and follow her daughter’s advice: “Mom be gentle with your heart.”

Raynor said she had to change her philosophy from “getting it done” mode.

“I had to learn to tell a different story. If I’m sweating, I sit down or have a nap. I’m learning how to pace myself,” said Raynor, adding that she’s still active in the community.

“I’m letting myself go with the flow more, smelling the roses a little bit more.”

She sees her new philosophy in her garden. Her formerly manicured garden has wildflowers.

“Now I’ve got Monarchs,” she said.

The need for more research into women’s heart health prompted Cathy Hartley to organize the Women Have Heart Golf Tournament taking place on Sunday, Aug. 19 at Orr Lake Golf Club. All the funds raised from the event, which includes heart health education, will be directed to women’s heart research.

To register for the tournament, go to the website: and search Go Red Women or call .

For more information about heart facts go to the website

For a telling video starring Elizabeth Banks, go to YouTube’s presentation of Just a Little Heart Attack.



Where to keep cool in New Tecumseth

As the heat wave continues, the Town of New Tecumseth will be keeping its facilities open as cooling centres, to allow residents who don’t have air conditioning to get out of the heat.

The cooling centres include the , the ., and all three library branches.

The branch locations are , and

The facilities will be open as cooling centres during normal hours of operation.

is now open, and the town also has four splash pads that are open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The splash pads are at , next to the next to the , and at the

For more information on the dangers and precautions of extreme heat, visit the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit website at or call Your Health Connection at (1-877-721-7520).