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Friday, September 13, 2019 7Brooklin Town Crier Ward One Councillor Report - By Steve Lee It's been quite the busy summer. I've been working behind the scenes to get some new initiatives moving forward for Whitby. These include a new hospital for Whitby, traffic safety measures, and environmental issues around the use of plastics, along with all the other business of Whitby. I spent a few days in Ottawa at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) conference. This great event highlighted what other municipalities are doing and allowed me the chance to learn from the many seminars and to see the tradeshow where companies demonstrated their newest products and services. For instance, some of you may have seen the picture of myself and Councillor Mulcahy with new speed signs that I was excited about. That same company has a variety of products for road safety, speed, and pedestrian crossings that I am investigating. We also recently hosted a free community BBQ with most of Whitby's town councillors. We wanted this event to be a "green" event to really educate and try to change people's ideas of single use plastics in our town. The federal government is proposing a ban of single use plastics starting in 2021. I believe it's a good idea to get a jump start on this and open up those discussions with staff and residents. The BBQ was a great success as hundreds of people came out. It was a way to show that we can make simple changes to really reduce our waste. So, the BBQ used no single use plastic. There were no disposable plastic or Styrofoam plates or cutlery. Instead, we had compostable bamboo forks along with paper plates and cups. For water, we asked everyone bring a water bottle and we had arranged for large jugs of water to be available to fill them up. This meant we were able to carry on the event without a single plastic water bottle. One other thing I was excited about was providing attendees a free gift of a set of stainless steel reusable drinking straws. The positive response was overwhelming. We have a few left and Councillor Mulcahy and I will be at the grand opening of Harvest Festival in Brooklin and we'd be happy to get you a set until we run out. Please make sure to come by and say hi to us. Harvest Festival's grand opening will be on Sept.14th 10 am at Grass Park A Single Use Plastic-less BBQ Youth are invited to celebrate Whitby's first annual Youth Day on Saturday, September 21 with a variety of free activities and events. Earlier this year, Town Council proclaimed the third Saturday of September as "Whitby Youth Day" to celebrate the importance of youth (ages 12 to 18) in the community. The event was also created to provide youth with the opportunity to learn more about the Town programs, events and activities available to them throughout the year. "Whitby Youth Day is an opportunity to celebrate the incredible young people who call our vibrant community home," said Mayor Don Mitchell. "As a platinum level youth-friendly community, our Town is proud to offer a range of activities and events throughout the year for our youth to take part in. On September 21, I invite all youth to come out and learn more." On Saturday, September 21, youth ages 12 to 18 are invited to take part in the following free activities being offered by the Town and Youth Council: Youth Rooms Pizza, video game tournaments, pool challenges and prizes will be offered from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Brooklin Community Centre and Library, and McKinney Centre Youth Rooms. Drop-In Basketball Youth can practice their basketball skills or join a pick-up game during Drop-in Youth Basketball at the Brooklin Community Centre and Library from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. Free Skate Free skating admission is available at the following locations on Youth Day: Iroquois Park Sports Centre - 12:30 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. Luther Vipond Memorial Arena - 2 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. McKinney Centre - 6:30 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. Free Swim Free swimming for youth is available at the Anne Ottenbrite Pool in the Iroquois Park Sports Centre from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Whitby Public Library Youth in grades 7 to 12 can drop by any Whitby Public Library location to pick up a free book and a snack (while supplies last). For more information, visit whitby.ca/youthevents, follow us on Twitter or Facebook at @townofwhitby, or engage with us on Instagram at @whitbyyouth Whitby Youth Day To Feature Free Activities