2 Friday, August 13, 2021 brooklintowncrier.com "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: 905.706.0482 Email: mulcahy42@rogers.com Next Issue: Friday, September 10, 2021 Deadline: Friday, September 3, 2021 During COVID-19 dates are subject to change. Less than half the picture: By Richard Bercuson Yikes! We're surrounded! Is our charm seeping away? Is it dripping off the curb, through a sewer grate and into the depths of whatever monstrously large cement piping lies beneath us? Has the Brooklin of yore vanished for good? Are these the questions we're asking ourselves, or are they merely rhetorical? (because where would we be without rhetorical questions?) Beyond the downtown core, we're surrounded by construction zones and will continue to be so for the foreseeable future. Like, until your elementary school children graduate from high school. South East: A massive construction site, replete with oversized Tonka trucks and magnificent signage, has spurted at Garrard and Conlin. What's going on? Is it stage one of a new NHL stadium? Is it a spectacular recreation site, à la Disney, for a water park and drive-in multiplex? Or, is it a warehouse of galactic proportions that few companies could manage? South: Just when we thought the new gas station and drive-thru Tims on Roybrook was enough, another site below/adjacent to it has begun. Meanwhile, any month now, the spanking new GO Transit terminal on the south side of the 407 will open. Some time in the next three years, a councillor or some politico of relative importance will jam a shovel into the ground at the site of the North Whitby Sports Complex, henceforth to be referred to as the North Whitby Sports Complex. Maybe. Perhaps. With everyone excited at the prospect of a local Longo's, there were delays, however that site at Baldwin and Winchester is back up and running. We know it's true because the lineups at Tims in the mall across the road are longer. Let's not forget the southern bypass, which I've cleverly named the Brooklin Bye-Bye Pass, to route traffic east below the 407. It will one day come to fruition. Possibly in this lifetime. West: The Robinson farm on Ashburn and Winchester is rubble, soon to be developed. The western bypass, to take trucks off Baldwin, will skirt us, going along Lakeridge and then east. North: Brooklin Concrete is to be developed into a major commercial/residential centre while other development on the north side of Columbus, as far east as Thickson is underway. Core: A new building is going up behind the Legion and possibly another next to the IDA. Meanwhile, recently opened buildings still need tenants. Has our downtown core lost its charm? Not so long as there's Grass Park and plenty of places to eat, drink and be merry (and a new one coming soon!). So, while we seem to be in the middle of it all, the good news is, we're in the middle of it all. As in, everything is happening around us. All we need now to keep us happy is one grand outdoor downtown concert. We deserve that much, don't we? Durham Transit's Youth Fare Incentive Cheaper Durham Region Transit (DRT) is pleased to announce the return of the Y10 monthly pass for youth, ages 13 to 19, for unlimited travel with DRT during the 2021/2022 academic year. Priced lower than ever before at $53.50 per month, this means saving $40 per month for up to $400 in total, making the return to school more affordable for transit riders. When: Available for purchase starting August 21, 2021 through June 2022. Where: PRESTO cards must be set up to take advantage of a Y10 monthly pass by visiting one of the following DRT PRESTO Points of Sale (POS) locations: Oshawa Centre Guest Services (419 King Street West, Oshawa) Pickering Town Centre Guest Services (1355 Kingston Road, Pickering) DRT Customer Service Centre (110 Westney Road, Ajax) Once purchased, subsequent Y10 monthly passes can be purchased at any DRT PRESTO POS. Why: By purchasing the September Y10 monthly pass at any DRT PRESTO POS, customers will automatically save $40 and pay only $53.50. The savings continue all year long: save $40 off each subsequent Y10 monthly pass purchased throughout the school year, from September to June, for a total savings of up to $400. Note: Customers must continue purchasing the Y10 monthly pass for each consecutive month through to June 2022. If you skip a month, you will not receive the discount again for the remainder of the 2021-2022 school year. For more information on the Y10 loyalty fare incentive, including terms and conditions, visit DurhamRegionTransit.com.