Hwy. 412 tolls were always part of the plan Province tells Whitby Opportunity awaits as you enter Village of Brooklin BrooklinThursday, February 23, 2017 facebook.com/newsdurham twitter.com/newsdurham durhamregion.com Natalie Prychitko named new CEO of the Whitby Chamber of Commerce Whitby Idol finalists to perform live March 2 WHITBY -- Fifteen talented singers have been selected to take the stage during this year's Whitby Idol finale event. The finalists are Barrett Moore, Bree Ells, Charleigh Lepp, Chloe Silva, Feny Pandya, Hanna Harper, Kira Henders, Kyle Ibanez, Lauren Oliver, Malaika Lorde, Mariah Martin, Matthew Doran, Naya Liviah, Riley Wheater and Thomas Nedanis. Each of the finalists, who are between the ages of 13 and 18, will be awarded studio time at the MusicScene, as well as an opportunity to perform at various town events throughout the year. Whitby Idol is presented by the Whitby youth council - composed of youth and adults from local schools, agencies and organizations who work together to address the needs of Whitby youth - and sponsored by Panago. The finale will be held on Thursday, March 2 at 7 p.m. at the Centennial Building, 416 Centre St. S., Whitby. Local organizers lay out plans for programs and events to mark sesquicentennial PARVANEH PESSIAN ppessian@durhamregion.com BROOKLIN -- Libraries are more than just repositories for books; they're places for people to connect and learn from each other. That's exactly what staff at the Whitby Public Library had in mind while brainstorming ways to mark Canada's 150th anniversary this year. In addition to regular programming that strives to promote positive interactions between patrons, Canada-related themes are being incorporated into programs at the Brooklin, central and Rossland branches. The TD Summer Reading Club, for example, invites children to celebrate what makes books, libraries and Canada great by encouraging them to open up to new ideas, characters and landscapes. Celebrate Canada 150 in Brooklin RYAN PFEIFFER / METROLAND BROOKLIN -- Greydon Pilniuk played with some LEGO Duplo during the Junior Builders of Tomorrow program at the Brooklin Community Centre and Library. The Whitby Public Library is planning various programs and activities to offer opportunities for people to connect with one another at all three branches, coinciding with Canada's 150th birthday this year. SEE NUMEROUS PAGE 2