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2 Friday, February 1, 2019 brooklintowncrier.com Our Brooklin Kids By Leanne Brown Girl Drama Between the ages of 9 and 14, girls suddenly encounter the dreaded drama that comes with going through puberty. It can be nasty and hormone-fueled and can cause some stressful times for both kids and parents. The drama I am referring to includes the feuds, jealousy, competition, teasing, backstabbing and exclusion that tend to happen at this age. These are problems that are familiar to almost every girl of any age. Some girls seem to thrive on it; others suffer badly. Many feel swept along by a situation that brings out the worst in just about everybody. A drama can suck up every kid within kilometres. So what can we teach our kids to do when they feel themselves getting pulled in? Just don't... Don't play along with the bully. Your child can send a message that they don't like what is happening. Don't participate in a mean conversation. Don't forward a text. Don't repeat a rumour or laugh at a cruel joke. Just walk away. Speak up. This can be hard to do but when bystanders speak up, it matters. It opens the box towards acceptance. Kids who create drama want an audience and an easy victim. If public opinion is not on their side, it makes a change. Have a variety of friends. Kids who have friends outside of school and in other activities are happier because they have an escape from the daily drama. They offer friendship and a breath of fresh air when other friends are upset or trying to pull your child into drama. Talk it out Girls express feelings in an indirect way. This leads to miscommunication. Exclusion, gossip, and giving the stink eye don't fix things. They only makes things worse. Encourage kids to talk things out. Doing so creates trust and respect. Remind them that today isn't forever. When things are bad and friends are fighting, it can seem like forever but it's not. Kids will always have problems. However, they don't have to blow up into a hurricane. Sometimes just a kind word can calm a wind before it blows over the entire playground. Final Word: No Cannabis Retail in Whitby Whitby council voted on Jan. 21 to prohibit cannabis retail stores in Whitby. Council had till Jan. 22 to decide whether to opt in or out and notify the provincial government of its decision. The motion to prohibit, moved by Councillor Steve Yamada and seconded by Councillor Chris Leahy, was passed by a vote of 6-3. It was as a result of two public surveys in December that indicated the community was not in favour of allowing such stores in the town. Please read Councillor Steve Lee's North Ward column for more information. 407ETR Rates Rising The cost of driving on one of North America's most expensive toll roads goes up on Feb. 1. To view the new charges, visit: https://www.407etr.com/en/tolls/rate-charts/new-rate-chart-light.html Parasport Rugby Games at BHS Brooklin High will be the venue for the Ontario Parasports wheelchair rugby games on Feb. 10-11. All games will begin at 10 am on both days with the Bronze medal game on Sun at 11:30 am and the gold medal game at 1 pm. Government Funding Support For Durham Transit Regional Chair John Henry, several Regional Councillors and Durham MPPs were at Regional Headquarters on Jan. 18 to celebrate the recently announced provincial gas tax funding for Durham Region Transit (DRT). For 2019, DRT will be receiving $8,866,900, nearly $200,000 more than for 2018, and plans to increase mobility options with more frequent, flexible and seamless service in all areas of the Region. "We are delighted to receive increased provincial funding for 2019," says Regional Chair John Henry. "As we look to improve and enhance our services, our priority is to ensure that transit continues to be a safe, accessible and reliable option for our residents." The provincial funding comes on the tail of a successful year in which DRT met or exceeded its key performance measures toward success and greater accountability: Ridership is up: 4.6% year-to-year Area coverage is up: more homes, schools and work locations are within walking distance of a bus stop Customer Satisfaction is up: 6% year-to-year Safety is up: in 2018 we celebrated our lowest rate of preventable accidents in five years "Going forward, for 2019 we are focused, with predictable funding support, on continuing to measure and be accountable for key service elements, such as on-time performance," says Vincent Patterson, General Manager of DRT. Durham Police Close Project Vickery Durham Regional Police and the R.C.M.P. executed multiple search warrants early this week and seized over $2.1 million in cash and drugs as part of a GTA-wide drug investigation. The DRPS Gun and Gang Unit and the R.C.M.P. began Project Vickery in the fall of 2018. The focus was on drug traffickers in the GTA. Over the course of the investigation, search warrants were executed at 15 residences in Durham Region, Toronto, Peel Region and Kingston. All arrests occurred without incident and there were no injuries reported. Now that all evidence has been assembled and counted, the final results of Project Vickery include 26 search warrants executed, 21 persons arrested, 150 charges, $1.65 million in drugs, about $706,000 in cash, four handguns, 52 rounds of ammunition and eight vehicles. The drugs seized included cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, fentanyl, Ecstasy, morphine and marijuana. Officers also seized a hydraulic pill press and a prohibited electric baton. The total value of property seized as Proceeds of Crime exceeds $300,000. The DRPS and the R.C.M.P. would like to thank the many partners who assisted in this project, including the: Ontario Provincial Police; Toronto Police Service; Peel Regional Police Service; the Kingston Police Service, the Halton Regional Police Service and the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC)