2 Friday, January 6, 2017brooklintowncrier.com Less than Half the Picture By Richard Bercuson 2017 News Briefs I'd Like to See The Rolling Stones, the world's youngest geriatric rock group, will give an impromptu concert sometime this summer during Brooklin's Summer in the Park series. A spokesperson for the group says they occasionally drop in at some Toronto clubs to jam. However, they're looking for a more placid outdoor location and Brooklin was suggested. No date has yet been set. Word has leaked that Apple Canada is planning to open a "pop-up" store in downtown Brooklin by August, in time for back-to-school specials and the likely release of a new iphone. Though Apple has not confirmed this, it's believed the pop-up is a test run for a more permanent retail outlet, the only one east of Markville Mall, which one can't get to in any normal timeframe. McDonald's is indeed planning a restaurant within walking distance of Brooklin High School. However, to allay fears of junk food spending and senseless loitering, McDonald's says it will offer only salads and "nutritious" wraps during the high school lunch hours. Breakfast sandwiches will only be sold between 7 and 7:30 am when no self-respecting adolescent is yet conscious. To deal with loitering, every half hour, the restaurant will play medleys of The Kingston Trio's best known numbers along with some Baroque hits. The Luther Vipond Arena sports complex will be announced. The final project will include a major renovation to the arena itself, with it and adjacent lands placed inside a retractable "bubbledome." Designed by the same engineering firm that built Montreal's Olympic Stadium, the new Vipond Bubbledome will include, aside from the arena, an indoor baseball diamond, multi-purpose artificial turf fields, and a playground with instructions on how to use the equipment. For sports events, spectators will sit or stand behind soundproof one way glass partitions. There will also be free wifi and plugins. Road pylons once used by Ontario's Ministry of Transportation on the Baldwin/407 overpass will be donated to Brooklin to use as decorative planters in the downtown area. The MTO will also send a letter of apology to each Brooklin resident along with a $2 credit for the new stretch of highway (maximum of $4 per family). Whitby Council votes at meetings in chambers will be done on the internet right where councillors sit. No more raising of hands (ie. yea vs. nay) once research became available indicating how people can be swayed by what's called "the twitch vote." According to researchers in Brisbane, when a hand vote is called, such as in meetings, those unsure of their votes will surreptitiously watch others first to see if their arms twitch before going up. Votes are then frequently changed at the last moment. Under the new system, councillors will use a spe- cial internal app. The app's creator has no known connection to any foreign government. "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: Marissa Campbell at 905-243-3655 Email: yeswomanbrooklin@gmail.com Next Issue: Friday, January 20, 2017 Deadline: Friday, January 13, 2017 Final Results of 2016 Festive R.I.D.E. After seven weeks, the Festive R.I.D.E. team charged a total of 99 motorists for drinking and driving offences. Last year, 118 had been charged. Another 105 motorists registered a WARN on a roadside screening device and had their driver's licence suspended for 3 days. Last year, a total of 129 drivers had their licence suspended for registering a WARN. Durham Regional police officers conducted R.I.D.E. checks in Ajax, Pickering, Uxbridge, Port Perry, Whitby, Oshawa, and Claring- ton in Week 7 and six people were charged with drinking and driving offences. The final numbers from the 2016 Festive R.I.D.E. campaign are as follows (the numbers in brackets reflect the 2015 Festive R.I.D.E. totals, for comparison): 13,397 (10,017) Vehicles stopped by R.I.D.E. 695 (802) People given Roadside Breath Tests 105 (129) People received "3 Day Suspensions" for registering a "WARN" 9 (17) Novice Driver received a 24hr Licence Suspension 99 (118) People were charged with Drinking and Driving Offences 133 (162) Criminal Code Charges 25 (42) G1 G2 / Young Driver Licence Holder Breaches of No Alcohol Condition 251 (296) Charged with various Highway Traffic Act offences 10 (9) Drug Offences 13 (21) Criminal Code Charges (not related to drinking and driving) A complete list of those charged with Impaired/Exceed/Refuse is posted 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 automatically impounded for seven days. Durham Regional Police will continue R.I.D.E. spot checks throughout the year and remind motorists that drinking and driving will not be tolerated on our streets. "Plan Ahead, Don't Take a Chance, Don't Drink and Drive" Annual collection of natural Christmas trees Durham residents are reminded that natural Christmas tree collection will be offered after the holiday season. Residents should refer to their municipal waste col- lection calendar for scheduled collection dates, or call their local municipality. Unfavorable weather conditions may delay collection. Please leave trees out for collection on your scheduled date. Residents are encouraged to sign up for collection alerts on the Durham Region Waste App. Natural Christmas trees are shredded into wood chips and turned into mulch. Natural trees are grown as crops, eventually composting back into environment--unlike artificial trees, which end up discarded in the waste stream. Last year, approximately 376 tonnes of natural Christmas trees were collected. Please note the following set-out specifications: Trees must have tinsel, decorations, wire, plastic bags, lights and stands removed. Trees must be set out by 7 a.m. on your collection day, but no earlier than 7 p.m. the evening before your collection day. Trees in plastic bags will not be collected. There is no limit to the number of trees collected per household. Trees exceeding three metres (10 feet) must be cut in half for collection. Please ensure trees are not buried in snow or frozen to the ground. Residents who miss their collection date may also drop off trees at any of Durham's Waste Management Facilities during regular hours of operation (disposal fees will apply). For more information, visit www.durham.ca/wmf, email waste@durham.ca, call 1-800-667-5671 or download the Durham Region Waste App.