The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Friday, December 14, 2018 3Brooklin Town Crier "Proud to be a Brooklinite" Founded in 2000 and published 24 times per year. Editor, Richard Bercuson 613-769-8629 • editorofbtc@gmail.com The Brooklin Town Crier is locally owned and operated and is a publication of Appletree Graphic Design Inc. We accept advertising in good faith but do not endorse advertisers nor advertisements. All editorial submissions are subject to editing. For advertising information, contact: 905.655.7642 Email: brooklintowncrier@gmail.com Next Issue: Friday, January 4, 2019 Deadline: Friday, December 28, 2018 905.655.6200 • www.brooklineyecare.ca Whitby Hospice Gets Provincial Support The provincial government announced last week, through local MPP Lorne Coe's office, it is moving forward with plans to build 10 new hospice beds at the VON Durham Whitby Residential Hospice. No details were provided regarding exactly how much money the province will contribute to the expected $10 million cost. "Our Government is increasing access to hospice beds across the province, by providing appropriate end-of-life care for those who need it," said Coe. Coe's office stated that Ontario is investing nearly $33.6 million to build 193 new hospice beds across the province. When these beds open, the government will provide $20.3 million each year in operational funding for nursing, personal support, and other services. The government is also supporting an additional 6,000 new long-term care beds, the first wave of more than 15,000 new long-term care beds being added in the next five years. There will be an additional investment of $90 million in 2018-19 to build 1,100 beds and spaces in hospitals and the community, including 640 new beds and spaces. Mayor's response "I am delighted by the Province of Ontario's announcement that they will be moving forward with plans to build ten new hospice beds here in our community," added Whitby Mayor Don Mitchell. "Right now, the only option for terminally ill residents living in Durham Region, including Whitby, is to seek care in local hospitals or at home - something that needs to and will now soon change. "Over the past couple of years, Town Council has supported the Durham Region Hospice organization and its efforts to have a residential hospice established in Whitby. On April 10, 2018, Whitby Town Council unanimously voted to donate an approximately three-acre parcel of land to Durham Region Hospice for exactly this purpose. "The new hospice will provide free and much-needed end-of-life care and support to terminally ill residents and their families in a place that aims to feel just like home. It will also provide facility users with important access to an interdisciplinary team of healthcare professionals and volunteers to help manage pain and comfort levels. Ultimately, it will provide those who need it with the care and support they deserve." Fundraisers Meanwhile, a major fundraising campaign has been launched, spear-headed by the Brooklin Medical Centre (BMC) along with other Brooklin businesses and organizations. They've targeted January, 2019, as the focus of their efforts. In addition to an auction and a Facebook page called Brooklin Cares, the medical centre will accept small cash donations from patients while online and Facebook options are also being established. As well, a "Paint Nite" will be held on Fri., Jan. 27 at St. Thomas' Anglican Church at a cost of $45 per person with proceeds going towards the construction of the new hospice. The link for the fundraiser is: bit.ly/paintBrooklinCares A 'paint nite' event is one where a professional artists leads audience members through the steps in creating a painting, much like a paint-by-numbers. "We seldom talk about end-of-life care," says Dr. Caroline McAllister, Physician Lead, Oshawa Community Palliative Care and a physician at the BMC. "But it is crucial for us to start having these discussions. At some point, we will all be faced with the realities of having to care for a loved one. One reality is that most people prefer to be at home as they approach the end of their life. For more information about Durham Region Hospice and this campaign, email: info@durhamregionhospice.ca, or Donna McFarlane at: donna.mcfarlane@von.ca. Festive R.I.D.E. Results: Week Three After its third week of the Festive R.I.D.E program, DRPS has stopped more than 5,000 vehicles, charging 43 drivers with drinking and driving offences. Last year at the same time, 52 had been charged. Another 39 motorists have registered a WARN on a roadside screening device and had their driver's licence suspended for three days. Last year at the same time, 47 drivers had their licence suspended for registering a WARN. One driver was confirmed impaired by our Drug Recognition Expert. Durham Regional Officers conducted R.I.D.E. checks in Ajax, Pickering, Whitby, Oshawa, Clarington, and Township of Uxbridge with the following totals: ***Note - 2017 R.I.D.E. stats during same time frame in brackets*** 5277 (1269) Vehicles stopped by R.I.D.E. 109 (102) People given Roadside Breath Tests 22 (14) People received "3 Day Suspensions" for registering a "WARN" 0 (0) Novice Driver received a "3 Day Suspension" 22 (19) People were charged with Drinking and Driving Offences 23 (23) Criminal Code Charges 94 (77) Charged with various Highway Traffic Act offences Police remind motorists to become aware of the new cannabis laws while transporting it in your motor vehicle. A driver cannot have cannabis in a motor vehicle when the seal of its original packaging is open and is within reach of the driver. In Week Three, there were seven Cannabis Act offences. Festive R.I.D.E. officers are equipped with Body Worn Cameras (BWC) for the first time and for the duration of the Festive R.I.D.E. season as part of a pilot project. A complete list of those charged with Impaired/Exceed/Refuse will be posted on our website later this week at www.drps.ca under Hot Topics. Note: Under the Ontario Highway Traffic Act, anyone charged with a drinking and driving criminal offence will have his or her driver's licence suspended for 90 days and their vehicle impounded automatically for 7 days. Brooklin's Early Woman Architect One of the first woman architects in Canada, Lylia McBrien, (1894-1984), lived all her life in Brooklin. Miss McBrien, whose career began in the 1920s, designed the second floor of the William A. Dryden house at Columbus and Thickson Roads in 1926 and the former Brooklin Public Library, built in 1961. No complete record of her architectural accomplishments is known to exist. For much of her life, she was a real estate and insurance broker. Historically Speaking: By Brian Winter Retired Archivist Town of Whitby