11 | durhamregion.com | This Week | Thursday, December 22, 2022 | It was an eventful year for Whitby in 2022. Here are our picks for five major events that shaped the community. A NEW HOSPITAL FOR WHITBY The new year in 2022 started off with a massive announcement for Whitby on Jan. 6 when Lakeridge Health announced that a north Whitby site would be the home to Durham's next hospital. "A proposed future hospital in Durham region will serve all the communities in Durham," said Sharon Cochran, chair of the Lakeridge Health board of trustees at the time. "We are pleased to accept the expert panel's recommendation regarding the Whitby site -- this is an important step in advancing the development of a new hospital as envisioned in our master planning process." PROVINCE REMOVES TOLLS ON HIGHWAYS 412 AND 418 Durham leaders have long campaigned for the removal of tolls on highways 412 and 418, pointing out that Highway 407 connector freeways in other communities weren't tolled and that tolls resulted in additional traffic and upkeep costs on local roads. Finally, in February, Premier Doug Ford visited Whitby to announce he was keeping a campaign promise and removing tolls. Whitby drivers now had a fast and free route to travel north and south. THERMEA SPA VILLAGE OPENS The Thermea Spa Village was a long-anticipated project in Whitby. Built on the former Cullen Gardens property, the new spa was expected to be a major tourism draw in Durham and offered a high-end spa experience with saunas, a slew of pools, restaurants and other wellness services. In the works since 2010 with several delays, the triumphant opening drew politicians and business leaders from across Durham the day before the spa opened to an excited public on Oct. 6. DOZENS BECOME ILL AFTER VISITING THERMEA SPA The excitement about the Thermea grand opening was short-lived, as just days after the spa opened its doors, visitors began to experience skin infections, fevers, ear infections and more. Durham Region health department ordered the Kalla salt- water pool closed on Oct. 14 after testing found pseudomonas and staphylococcus bacteria in the pool. Thermea closed the other pools at the facility as a precaution and an audit summary released by the company revealed the Kalla pool's disinfection system had failed. Although spa ownership listed steps they were taking to rectify the problems -- including changing the disinfection system in the Kalla pool -- more than 70 people who reported health issues were left underwhelmed by the response, and a lawsuit was launched against the spa by those who had become ill. Though the Kalla pool remained closed, the spa's other pools reopened on Dec. 1. A NEW COUNCIL FOR WHITBY Following the October municipal election, there is a new look to Whitby council, with former councillor Elizabeth Roy assuming the mayor's seat. New faces on council include Matt Cardwell, Niki Lundquist and Victoria Bozinovski, and there is a new gender balance on council. In addition to the mayor, half of the councillors are female. This new team will shape Whitby for the next four years in which the community is expected to continue to grow at a brisk pace. 5 EVENTS THAT SHAPED WHITBY IN 2022 REKA SZEKELY rszekely@durhamregion.com NEWS OUR PICKS FOR MAJOR EVENTS THAT SHAPED THE COMMUNITY New Whitby Mayor Elizabeth Roy celebrated the win at her victory party at Brock Street Brewery in Whitby on Oct. 24. Jason Liebregts/Metroland