Just a brief note to wish everyone a happy Labour Day. Its important that in our hectic lives we take time off to spend with our families and friends. Too often we go through life moving from one task to the next, but, don't take enough time to appreciate all that is good.
Also many students are gearing up to go back to school, It's important that we remember that school buses will be back on the road, and many will be walking to school. Please ensure that you keep your eye out and be extra cautious while driving in your neighbourhood.
And a special thank you to our town crossing guards who do a great job of making sure children arrive safely.
I've been doing a lot of reading lately. Frankly trying to catch up on a pile of books that I just haven't had time to get to. One author that I find provides some very original thoughts around community development is Richard Florida. Richard is a well known researcher and intellectual that is now based out of the Prosperity Institute at the University of Toronto - a real coup for Canadians. He has done extensive work on the economy, technology, and has studied how effective communities/cities function....its really quite compelling and really difficult to capture in this short blog posting....but I'll try nonetheless.
I have read a number of his books, and have also seen him a few times giving a speech. He is truly thought provoking. His latest book, Who's Your City?, he notes that where you live is the most important decision you will make in your life. He explains why some communities thrive and provides great perspective on cities rank up in comparison with each other.
I've learnt a lot from Richard Florida. He places great emphasis on the need for culture in a community. He stresses in the book, as well as previous books, how a community should try to attract creative and dynamic people to live there, and they will inherently create jobs and make it an even better place to live, work, and play. I've seen to many cities and towns spend big dollars trying to lure some big company to town through tax breaks and incentives, and then down the road they just pick up and leave. You need to create a community that will inherently attract these businesses and people.
Things such as our ample greenspace, active and passive parks, trail system, historic Main St., and cultural activities will augment our economic development activities. Currently, as I've written about in the past, we're in the throws of a new Cultural Master Plan - a committee I'm fortunate enough to chair, its very exciting.
So if you're looking for a great book to read - check out Who's Your City? or any other Florida title...it will be well worth it. Check out this brief video clip from one of his past lectures.
For some time if you walked through our parks and facilities in Newmarket you just saw garbage cans with very few recycling bins in sight. Its one of the complaints I got most as a councillor. Residents wanted to recycle if they were watching a ball game, or walking our trails, but they couldn't. We placed the recycling bins in our facilities but it took a bit longer to get them in all of our parks.
Now, with the help of the Region of York we're piloting a three-stream waste system throughout the Tom Taylor Trail and at the Ray Twinney Complex. The bins are great, and people are using them. The success of such a program is truly dependent on the efforts of the residents, and it looks tremendous so far. Well done. And a special thank you to the Region of York for piloting this program in Newmarket.
For more information on this program check out the town website here.
Its been a couple of weeks since I last posted. I spent some time visiting family before council ramps up this fall.
The other night Barack Obama accepted his parties nomination for President. I've made no secret of my support for him. Many find it odd that I care so much about US politics, but, our economy as a nation is so intrinsically linked to the US economy. As Trudeau said - "Living next to the Americans is like sleeping next to an elephant- no matter how friendly and even-tempered the elephant, one is affected by every twitch!"
The US economy is struggling, they are running an incredible defecit, and their stature in the world has declined. We need Americans to do well, we need them to thrive. I think Senator Obama is offering up the change they need; I hope he can get elected, and then deliver on the change he proposes.
I met the Senator a few months ago, and attended one of his famous speeches front and centre. It was an amazing experience, and one I'll write about as we approach their election in November. However, if you didn't get a chance to see his speech the other night I encourage you to watch the video clip below. I think he's a different kind of politician.
This post is to let residents know about the 2nd Annual Words Alive Literary Festival that is taking place in about a months time. Its an exciting event, and we're lucky to have it right here in York Region. I've helped out a little bit, but, the bulk of the work has been done by an amazing group of volunteers. We're so lucky to have such dedicated volunteers in our community. I attend a great deal of events, and am always floored by the number of people who roll up their sleeves to get the job done.
About the Festival:
The 2nd annual Words Alive Literary Festival celebrates a rich literary heritage providing a showcase for local and Canada-wide authors. One day of author readings, public readings, workshops, panel discussions and storytelling including poetry with music and art will allow you to travel with new voices to different lands and have the opportunity to become a part of their human experience.
Listen to Governor General’s Award winner Karolyn Smartz Frost discuss her book “I’ve Got a Home in Glory Land” as well as multi-award winner Uma Parmeswaren, Maureen Jennings nominated for the 25th Annual Arthur Ellis Award, best selling author Kelly Armstrong, Award winning poets Barry Dempster, Chris Dewdney, Bill Bissette, Allan Briesmaster, Maureen Scott Harris along with storytellers Heather Whaley, Fay Wilkinson, Brenda Byer and Jim Blake.
Monday, September 1, 2008 at 01:32PM 
Just a brief note to wish everyone a happy Labour Day. Its important that in our hectic lives we take time off to spend with our families and friends. Too often we go through life moving from one task to the next, but, don't take enough time to appreciate all that is good.
