2 Friday, January 12, 2024 brooklintowncrier.com Hidden in mostly plain sight in Brooklin are three significant centres, each of which provides a segment of the population with services unavailable in most places. The Charles Best Diabetes Centre on Columbus Rd at Thickson is one. The Renascent Addiction Rehab Centre on Colston off Baldwin just north of downtown is the second. And then there's this jewel hidden among the trees on Cedarbrook Trail, a wee hop from the burgeoning new builds along Columbus and Thickson Roads. It's Nova's Ark. Not a zoo, not a petting zoo, not an animal sanctuary, not a tourist spot, and not a drop-in centre. It almost defies any definition of what a place should be called when it caters solely to special needs children and adults. Indeed, its slogan is "Where Special is Welcome." About the name To begin with, Mary-Ann Nova, its director and chief everything, had the prescience years ago to marry Geoff whose family came from Poland. When they arrived, immigration officials decided to "Canadianize" the last name. Hence, Nova. Could they have known how beautiful the name Nova's Ark would work instead of, say, Novostosky's Ark? Mary-Ann, who grew up on a farm in Selkirk, Manitoba, was that elementary school teacher with a passion for science, the one who'd bring little animals to class such as snakes in her pocket. She later became a principal, leaving the profession in 2011 as Nova's Ark took shape. The woman wears her heart on her sleeve during our walkabout where most everything has been donated. It's a few days before she makes at a key decision about Nova's Ark's future. At the heart of a polarizing issue isn't the wonderful programming she and her staff provide families with special needs kids. It's the existence of exotic animals, 74 as of last May, 61 she claims presently. Their presence has been violating a Whitby bylaw from which she requested an exemption. There's also the fact that she leads some individuals into animals' enclosures. Withdrew request On Monday, she withdrew the request, halting what would have become an emotional and contentious council meeting with delegates speaking for both sides. Her supporters would offer how these "exotics" were integral to their kids' well being. Industry experts would explain just how dangerous these animals could be, both from the obvious physicality and also as a pure health matter. According to specialists, they can carry harmful bugs and diseases. "We don't look at anyone's negativities or their disadvantages," she says about the people she works with, "but their strengths." For her, it isn't rhetoric; it's a core belief. At the lynx and bobcat enclosure, she invites me inside to meet Sasha, the nearly 13 year old lynx, and its "best friend," the bobcat. No thanks, I say, joking that if she's eaten alive, I'm not coming in to save her. In my view, it's still a wild animal. She enters alone, pets the big cat and talks - passionately, always passionately - about how she (Sasha) is the most amazing teacher "because what we've done with our children is we've worked with something called zones of regulation. So lots of personal body awareness. And our animals, our children learn more from the animals than they can learn from each other. So what ends up happening is children know that this is her place. The need to touch "Our children need to touch," she says. "They need to feel. And for our children, a house cat or a dog doesn't do it. For our children, it is being able to learn how to control their emotions so that they could do something like this." It should be noted that animal-assisted therapy is not a new concept. Whitby's Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences has long used animals in its programming though it has focused on house pets. There was a time when Nova's Ark participated in Whitby events like the Santa Claus parade. However, she soon learned that having her animals involved in such things sent entirely the wrong message. Her animal care team, she boasts, is marvelous. However she won't let them in to the lynx/ bobcat pen, for instance, with- Less than half the picture: The Jewel Keeps Its Sheen By Richard Bercuson Monday - Thursday 9:00am-7:00pm Friday 9:00am-5:30pm Saturday 9:00am-5:00pm Sunday Closed New Year - New Truck! 1201 Dundas St. East, Whitby SALES 905-668-5846 SERVICE 905-668-8871 PARTS 905-668-8853 ORDER YOUR PRE-OWNED VEHICLE WITH US! SALES (905) 721-6599 SERVICE (905) 721-6588 PARTS (905) 721-6577 445 Winchester Road East, Brooklin Check out our Pre-Owned Inventory on our website! VIEW CURRENT SPECIAL OFFERS AT HYUNDAICANADA.COM OR COME SEE US! 2024 Ioniq 6 In Stock! 5 TO CHOOSE FROM Drive away Next week! continued on page 3