Friday, February 21, 2020 3 Brooklin Town Crier Join the Town of Whitby at an upcoming Community Open House to learn more about some of the trail renewal and splash pad projects planned for 2020. Tuesday, February 25 Drop in between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. to the Whitby Town Hall Council Chambers (575 Rossland Road East) to learn more about the following projects: • Pringle Creek Park: new pedestrian bridge and boardwalk; improved and expanded trails • Waterfront Trail: repaving of the existing trail from South Blair Street to Intrepid Park • Bradley Park: new trail connection from the existing Ash Creek Trail to Brock Street sidewalk • Kiwanis-Heydenshore Park Splash Pad: splash pad renovation • Hydro Electric Power Corridor Trail: new trail connection from Longwood Park to Thickson Road For more information, visit whitby.ca/parkplanning or contact Sean Malby, Supervisor of Park Development, at 905.444.1830 or malbys@whitby.ca. Whitby's Special Projects Last week Sam Oosterhoff, the Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Education, announced the province is moving forward with a review of the student transportation funding formula to achieve a more efficient and accountable student transportation system and improve the transportation experience for students across the province. First announced in March 2019, the review responds to calls from student transportation partners to improve the funding formula, which could be more responsive to the changing needs and costs encountered by school boards. "Durham Region Transit is already engaging with Durham Student Transportation Service (DSTS) and the school boards, and we are more than willing to work together towards equitable solutions that remove redundancy in our transportation systems for the benefit of our residents and taxpayers." says Shaun Collier, Mayor of Ajax and Chair of the Transit Executive Committee. Bill Holmes, General Manager of DRT adds that "we have worked successfully with our local boards to promote new fare incentives to encourage youth and students to use public transit in Durham, and we look forward to any opportunity that will enhance access to public transit within our communities." DRT's commitment to increasing youth ridership was evident throughout 2019, including successful fare incentive campaigns: • The Kids ride free campaign launched in May 2019 provided 54,448 free trips (as of December 2019) for children aged 12 and under, the next generation of transit users. • Launched in September 2019, the Y10 youth loyalty fare incentive generated a 45 per cent increase in youth pass sales the first month alone, and as of December 2019, has provided 1,985 youth with easier and more affordable access to transit. • In its second year, the 2019 youth summer 2-for-1 monthly pass promotion enabled 670 youth to benefit from unlimited free travel in August when a July pass was purchased. Student Transportation Funding Helps Durham Transit The Brooklin Town Crier is looking for a sponsor for our upcoming Easter Colouring Contest! If you know a business that would like to have some fun with a colouring contest, we are all bunny ears! E-mail mulcahy42@rogers.com today! Current situation The World Health Organization (WHO) has renamed 2019- nCoV, with the formal name of COVID-19. The WHO has declared a public health emergency of international concern regarding novel coronavirus (COVID-19). To date, no cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Durham Region. The Health Department continues to monitor the situation closely. For information regarding the status of cases in Ontario see the Ontario Ministry of Health website, which is updated every weekday at 10:30 a.m. Risk to Durham Region residents The Public Health Agency of Canada has assessed the public health risk associated with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) as low for Canada. Public health risk is continually reassessed as new information becomes available. Currently, there are no cases of COVID-19 in Durham Region and the risk to residents remains low. The Health Department is working closely with local, provincial and federal health partners to monitor the situation. Travellers returning from affected areas Travellers who have returned from Hubei Province, China including Wuhan City, should: Contact Durham Region Health Department at 905-668-2020 or 1-800-841-2729 within 24 hours of arriving in Canada. Durham Region Health Department will provide further information about how to effectively home isolate and monitor for signs and symptoms. Travellers who have returned from mainland China should: Monitor themselves for signs and symptoms of COVID-19 for 14 days after leaving China. Contact your health care provider and Durham Region Health Department at 905-668-2020 or 1-800-841-2729 if they experience symptoms of novel coronavirus or think they may have been in contact with someone who has novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Coronavirus - The Local Update Police are investigating more re- ports of posters being placed around Durham Region with discriminatory messages toward immigrants. Some of the recent incidents occurred in Whitby where the posters were found this week outside of the Whitby Public Library, a school in Brooklin and on a mailbox in the Beech Street West and Cochrane Street area. The posters look similar, with a white background and black text, and had a similar discriminatory message directed towards immigrants. Other such posters were found in October in Port Perry and in November in Newcastle. Investigators are asking anyone who may have witnessed someone placing discriminatory posters to call police. If anyone has any new information in regards to these incidents, please contact the Central West Community Resource Unit at 1-888-579-1520 ext. 1871. Anonymous information can be sent to Durham Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or online at www.durhamregionalcrimestoppers.ca<http://www.durhamregion- alcrimestoppers.ca/> and tipsters may be eligible for a $2,000 cash reward. Police Investigating Posters with Discriminatory Messages