4 Ontario In Modified Step Two Whitby is in Step Two of the Provincial Roadmap to Reopen and will remain in this Step until at least January 26. Here is what you need to know: all Town recreation facilities are closed including Iroquois Park Sports Centre, the Whitby Civic Recreation Complex as well as the Health Club, Brooklin Community Centre and Library (excluding the library), as well as all indoor ice rinks and pools the Whitby 55+ Recreation Centre is closed, virtual programming continues in-person services at Town Hall are available by appointment only, book yours at whitby.ca/Appointments the start of the winter session of the Town's recreation programming is delayed for a period of at least five weeks; virtual recreation programming continues To learn more about how to connect with the Town during this time, as well as what facilities are open or closed, visit whitby.ca/COVID P: 905.430.4300 E: info@whitby.ca whitby.ca How Is Climate Change Affecting You? Whitby, the Town wants your feedback on how it prepares for Climate Change. Head to Connect Whitby to complete poll questions about the changing weather and how it affects you. Your feedback will help the Town prepare for future climate-related events. connectwhitby/ClimateChange Adopt A Pet Looking to give an animal a forever home? The Town provides animal care, sheltering and adoption services through the Whitby Animal Services Centre. See which animals are up for adoption at whitby.ca/PetAdoption Recognize a Snow Angel Whitby has a number of 'snow angels,' who give of their time to help their neighbours clear their driveways and/or sidewalks of snow and ice. If you know someone who is shovelling snow for seniors or residents with limited mobility you can nominate them. connectwhitby.ca/Champions What You Need To Know This Week: Christmas Tree Collection Christmas Trees will be collected in blue collection areas until January 14 and yellow collection areas from January 17 to 21. Please clean natural Christmas trees of any tinsel, decorations, wire, stands or bags, and cut trees longer than 4 metres (10 feet) in half. The Town can't collect trees that are frozen in snow banks. Visit whitby.ca/Waste to learn which colour you are in. Whitby's integrity commissioner has recommended council reprimand Deputy Mayor Chris Leahy for body-shaming comments he made in a meeting last October. In a series of four reports, to be released at a special council meeting on Monday, Jan. 10, integrity commissioner Guy Giorno said Leahy's comment, "Let's see what Big Rhonda has to say," merits a penalty by Whitby council. Giorno stopped short of recommending an unpaid suspension for Leahy, but also said his public apology did not go far enough to address the comment or the behaviour of the deputy mayor. Calling the comment addressed at Reg. Coun. Rhonda Mulcahy "hurtful, nasty, mocking and mean," Giorno said he believed a reprimand was the appropriate punishment. There were four separate complaints made about Leahy's comment, which was said during a committee-of-the-whole meeting on Oct. 4, 2021. One of the complaints was made, in fact, by Leahy himself. Another came from Patrick Forbes, who said he witnessed Leahy make the comment. A third came from Whitby resident Ron Stevens. The fourth complaint was made by Mulcahy, who also complained about ongoing behaviour in 2019 and 2020 byMayor Don Mitchell. Giorno stated that under the terms of the Whitby Code of Conduct, the complaint made about Mitchell fell outside time limits that require a complainant to file a complaint within six weeks of the conduct taking place and within six months of an alleged violation occurring. He therefore said he couldn't investigate it. Leahy did not dispute that he made the remark or that he contravened the Whitby Code of Conduct. Reached on Wednesday and asked for comment on the integrity commissioner's recommendation of a reprimand, he felt it was too harsh a penalty. "I respect the process of the investigation initiated by my complaint, even if I don't agree 100 per cent with the final conclusion," he said. "A few weeks ago, I made a terrible mistake. I apologized. But most importantly, I learned from the experience. You could say, I made my new year's resolution in October. I resolved to be a better councillor, a better man, a better father and a better husband. I learned that we as a town and a region could be more inclusive," Leahy said. Whitby council will vote on whether to reprimand Leahy at its Jan. 10 special council meeting. REPRIMAND CALLED FOR CHRIS LEAHY FOR 'BODY-SHAMING' WORDS TIM KELLY tkelly@durhamregion.com COUNCIL CHRIS LEAHY It was a less than merry Christmas for two Whitby council members who both contracted COVID-19 over the holidays. Mayor Don Mitchell and Reg. Coun. Steve Yamada confirmed they both tested positive for COVID late last month. Mitchell, 70, who has received both vaccines and a booster shot, said he tested positive at a PCR drive-thru testing area in Pickering on Dec. 21. He said he remained in isolation for the mandatory 10 days and had only a slight cough as a symptom as a result of COVID-19. Yamada, 43, who has two children under the age of five at home and is double-vaccinated -- he said he is getting his booster shot Jan. 19 -- tested positive for COVID-19 on Dec. 19 and isolated in his home until Dec. 29. He said, "I thought I had a cough and got tested," but said he didn't have any trouble breathing. Yamada said he had followed every public health guideline, but still managed to get the virus anyway. "I would just like to thank our public health workers for the exceptional job they're doing, and would urge everyone to get vaccinated," Yamada said. DON MITCHELL, STEVE YAMADA HAD COVID-19 OVER HOLIDAYS TIM KELLY tkelly@durhamregion.com NEWS