Author Archives: szpinner

[The views here are the personal opinion of the undersigned and not necessarily those of the website management.] Former Ajax mayor Steve Parish has made a number of worthwhile and valid cautions about the “Strong Mayors” policy in Ontario. Agreed, … Continue reading →

These comments were copied from material submitted to “The Editor” of Durham News (Media) and are presented here for the benefit of residents interested in the topic. The comments were written by Steve Parish, former mayor of Ajax). We invited interested residents … Continue reading →

Powers and Duties The Mayor has special powers and duties under Part VI.1 of the Municipal Act, 2001 S.O. 2001, c. 25 and in accordance with O. Reg. 530/22 and O. Reg. 580/22. These powers include the ability to: Appoint/dismiss the Chief Administrative Officer;* Hire/dismiss … Continue reading →

An interpretation of the meaning of Mayor Ashe’s statement regarding ‘Strong mayors:”   Step 1 is to accept the Power through a communication to the Clerk which he did.   Step 2 is refers to the legislation he will assume … Continue reading →

Mayor Ashe has made a public statement explaining his “Use of Strong Mayor” powers. Budget The mayor will: prepare a budget prior to the February 1st timeline. provide the budget to the Council for consideration. The Strong Mayor Powers give … Continue reading →

The tempest surrounding the LGBTQ+ community continues to percolate in Pickering. Councilor Robinson’s opposition to raising unique group representative flags, namely the PRIDE flag, at the Durham Board of Education and public places continues to percolate throughout the political council. In … Continue reading →

City of Pickering Receives Seniors Active Living Centres Grants The City of Pickering is celebrating seniors throughout the month of June. What better way to do that than to accept not one, but two Seniors Active Living Centres’ (SALC) Grants … Continue reading →

Happy Canada Day! Celebrate safely! There will be a Canada Day celebration at Pickering’s Kinsmen Park. Fireworks will conclude the celebration there. 7:00 -10:00 pm  

The Pickering City Council Meeting, June 26, seemed to be a “town hall,” in that, its atmosphere was a constant near boiling over the edge. The atmosphere was kept from becoming more volatile and vitriolic because of the strict maintenance … Continue reading →

DATE: JULY 5 TIME:  7pm LOCATION: Chestnut Hill Recreation Centre (O’Brien ROOM) _________1867 Valley Farm Rd, PICKERING, ON    

The Reflections Garden is a public space for visitors to enjoy quiet moments of peaceful reflection. Located in the northeast corner of Esplanade Park, the garden is a city landmark that includes sensory plantings, accessible seating, a shaded structure, and … Continue reading →

The June 23rd Brenner newsletter is presented in two forms: a link to the full version and a highlights only form displayed below. Original newsletter, click —> FULL NEWSLETTER below, the highlights version of Brenner’s eNEWSLETTER [This is a summary … Continue reading →

Councillor Lisa Robinson, Ward 1, has been the center of some controversy in regard to a number of issues. She has received support from some on these issues and also faced some heated opposition to her views regarding them. (sz104) … Continue reading →

sz103   On July 12/23 at 7pm Maurice Brenner will co-host the first of its kind Town Hall meeting outside. The co-host partner will be Paul White, President, Fairport Beach Neighbourhood Association   The event will be held in the … Continue reading →

Mayor Ashe’s Official Statement on Strong Mayor Powers sz102 Pickering, June 16, 2023 – “Today, the Government of Ontario expanded strong mayor powers to 26 of the province’s large and fast-growing municipalities, including the City of Pickering and all of … Continue reading →

Legislated bullying, thanks to Doggie Ford. Doggie Ford has done it again…extended the power of bullying. Now more mayors  in the province have the power to increase the number of Ford supporters. Machiavelli could take lessons from the master of … Continue reading →

Holding public office seems like a thankless job…and any perks attached to the position are questioned and scrutinized by the public like sharks swimming in blood-tainted waters. Municipal councillors are offered ‘gifts,’ freebies by various sources, often with the claim … Continue reading →

Durham Region Nuclear Emergency Procedures The emergency procedures plan is out of date, published in 2018. The councillors were notified of this at a Ward 1 Town Hall early in 2023. Nothing has been published about any notification. The Region … Continue reading →

May 10, 2023 City of Pickering received $4,230,279 as fourth-quarter payment from the Casino recently. During OLG’s fiscal year, from April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023, Pickering has received $16,641,766. Since the gaming site opened in July 2021, Pickering … Continue reading →

Conservative Party: An event organized by PUCA local Pickering-Uxbridge Conservative Party Association The buzz from the Pub-Night with Pints and Politics event organized by Pickering-Uxbridge members of the federal Conservative Party continues. It was a well-attended gathering of people interested … Continue reading →

City of Pickering passes 2023 Current & Capital Budgets The approved Current Budget is $82,162,832 The approved Capital Budget is $58,899,668 The City’s portion of the residential property tax bill will increase by 2.44%. This increase, when combined with the … Continue reading →

One councillor voted against tax hikes for residents of Pickering. It would have been interesting to hear the debate on this topic!

May 27, 10 am – 4 pm Join us at Central Library and explore your library beyond the books! Come see live demos of some of the equipment available in the Maker Space! From sewing machines to coding there will … Continue reading →

Ward 2 Town Hall Report The Ward 2 Town Hall, Apr. 25, held by WARD 2 councillors, Linda Cook and Mara Nagy was a very informative and friendly event. These rookie councillors could give veteran councillors some needed pointers on … Continue reading →

Ward 1 Town Hall Councillers Brenner and Robinson, an unbeLEAFably comprehensive meeting Lessons learned at the Ward 1 Town Hall Town Halls are opportunities for local residents to express views and voice concerns relating to their city councillors’ work and … Continue reading →

From Richard’s desk… REPORT: City of Pickering: Council meeting, Apr. 24 Primary Agenda: Pickering Airport There were about a dozen delegations presenting to the Pickering Councillors, and most of them dealt with the proposed Pickering airport. Mary Delany, LandoverLandings Mary … Continue reading →

Though the Toronto campaign for mayor of Toronto is not Pickering news, many residents are still very interested in this political race. Toronto Star City hall bureau chief, David Rider, has launched an excellent first piece regarding the campaign with … Continue reading →

AMICA RETIREMENT HOME had a party on Sunday, April 2. The celebrants ranged from old coots to old pooches…maybe said a bit politically incorrectly but these party people showed no signs of age and surprising energy and spirit in their … Continue reading →

Next TOWN HALL: Tentative Agenda (to be confirmed) Focus on City programs and services available to Seniors Changes to snow clearing program Improvements to the Waterfront parking program, and Reminder regarding Senior’s Property tax program. 

The Rougemount Community and Recreation Association is planning to launch for May 1, 2023.  Information flyers will be available soon, along with more information about the association.

Thought the City of Pickering has not yet begun improving its digital footprint at Pickering.ca, it has taken the first steps to improve communication with its residents by publishing “Council Meeting highlights,” (Mar 27/23). A great start to the promise … Continue reading →

The Ward 2 Town Hall. Mar. 20th  was a volatile and vociferous meeting managed superbly by the ward’s two rookie councilors, Linda Cook and Mara Nagy. They recognized soon after the meeting started that they were holding a tiger by … Continue reading →