Friday, January 20, 2017 3 Brooklin Town Crier Brooklin Women Help Organize Women's March on Washington By Richard Bercuson The message should be clear: equality, diversity and inclusion matter. When thousands of women take to the streets of Washington, D.C., on Saturday, Jan. 21, the day after Donald Trump's inauguration, getting that message out will be the aim. Front and centre to the Women's March on Washington (WMW) will be Brooklin residents Kristi Honey and Marissa McTasney, two of the organizers for the Canadian contingent. While the WMW is centered on the U.S. and Washington, similar marches are planned for a number of places around the world, including various major American and Canadian cities. The Canadian portion will have a caravan of buses, loaded with over 400 marchers, heading out Friday evening (Jan. 20) and returning right after the march. The involvement of these two ladies is likely similar to many others in the U.S. in that they felt something had to be said. While Honey admits she wasn't acutely tuned in to the American campaign prior to the November election, she was certainly aware of, and appalled by, the rhetoric coming from Trump. "I was utterly shocked. Words were taken right out of my mouth," she says about the election result. "I was really devastated. Were there that many people in the U.S. who espoused these values, or at least not bothered by the rhetoric? "I'm not activist nor a protester. I've never even been to a rally. But since the campaign, I've seen things here in Canada I don't think I'd ever seen before. It's as if people have been empowered to do and say things." She and McTasney, who runs a women's safety footwear and apparel company Moxie Trades (moxi- etrades,.com), had never met prior to connecting on Facebook. Once they did, they found they had mutual reactions and a common goal, which has led to what may become a significant historical event, both for Canadian women and others. "As their sisters to the north, I want to stand with our American friends to show our support," Honey says. "We believe in their message, that values are important. That's the objective." On the eve of this march, Kristi Honey, an IT executive and member of Durham College's Board of Governors, doesn't quite know if excitement describes her feelings. "I'm not sure what to expect. My husband says if there's one place on earth where security won't be an issue, it's Washington. "But none of us have done this kind of work before," she adds. "I'm just happy there's been a way I could take action. And I hope our voice is heard." As would be expected with an event of this magnitude, there has been criticism. When the Huffington Post ran a story on the march, there was considerable negative commentary, most of it personal and disturbing. Aside from the internet trolls though, Honey says there hasn't been anyone who said it's a terrible idea. As well, she notes the "incredible cooperation" organizers have received from the Canadian Embassy. She and McTasney left for Washington last Monday and planned to at- tend the inauguration. Between that and the march itself, Honey says they've bandied about answers to one question: what happens on Jan. 22? The answer probably doesn't rest with them. It will hopefully be taken up by a society that needs to address just how important are equality, diversity and inclusion. Petition: Make Highway 412 Toll-Free Adrian Piccolo By Richard Bercuson Growing up in Brampton, Adrian Piccolo learned to become accustomed to the value of north-south highway links. Then, as now, highways 410 and 427 connected his community with major arteries such as the 401. Most importantly, they were free. So when the new highway 412 was on the verge of opening last spring, Piccolo says he was under the impression that it, like all other north-south arterial highways in the GTA, would be free. To him, it seemed logical. Of course, that didn't happen and the result was that the Brooklin resident decided "enough was enough." Never mind that the 407 is already Canada's most expensive toll road. Moreover, it ranks 5th in North America (at off-peak hours rates) as the most expensive, at 34.87 cents per mile (to compare it with U.S. cities). Convert that to American dollars and it's 4th. (Editor's note: These figures use the 407's least expensive charge, the off-peak rate for passenger vehicles. At peak hours, the rate jumps to 62 cents per mile, the continent's most expensive toll road). Piccolo took definitive action. He created an online petition to obtain 5000 signatures to send to Ontario's Ministry of Transportation expressing support for making the 412 a non-toll route. As of last weekend, the petition had drawn nearly 6000 names, making his next "ceiling" 7500. The petition's web site is at: https://www.change.org/p/ keep-ontario-highway-412 -as-a-non-toll-route It states: "All other Ontario link highways to and from highway 401 are non-tolled highways. This allows for the relief of congestion along the different stretches of highway 401 and municipal roads leading to highway 401. With the current plan to make the newly opened highway 412 a toll route in 2017, it will drastically discourage people from driving it, therefore, keeping the already congested Durham Region stretch of highway 401 bumper to bumper. The Ontario Government will make money off highway 407 East (as that will be tolled in 2017) and by giving people a free alternative to get to the 407 (eastbound or westbound), it will lighten the load on highway 401." He's not alone on the issue either. Whitby town council voted at its December council meeting to let the province know it, too, wants the road to be toll-free and Mayor Don Mitchell has expressed his support to Piccolo. "My family in Brampton is surprised that Durham Region didn't have a free connection to the 401," Piccolo says. "And a lot of my friends have noticed that since the 412 came and was free for a few months that the 401 has been less bogged down. It just feels like the province is nickel and diming us with this." The toll-free period ends on Feb. 1 yet signatories to the petition keep pouring in. Piccolo does eventually plan to send it to the ministry. Where it goes from there though is anyone's guess. Shortly after arriving in Washington this week, Marissa (left) and Kristi were interviewed at the CTV News affiliate in Washington, ABC News.