Retail Pages July 2008

A Message from - Doug Dickerson

Pickering Retail News - July 2008

School's out. Vacations are underway. The dog days of summer are upon us and the enormous drifts of snow are behind us. And you know all is well in Pickering because it seems everywhere you go, you see construction activity - roads and sidewalks, new homes, new businesses and plenty of renovations are underway. This is what a growing, vibrant and well-tuned community experiences every year - if you don't see it, then you will know we've got a problem.

I'm hopeful that before this summer is over, Council will have given the green light to proceed with our first ever, off-leash dog park. The final location is still being debated but there are several excellent locations being considered.

Another 'first' the City recently experienced was Ribfest held June 6th-8th in the Esplanade Park. Conceived by the Ajax Rotary Club, I was very happy to answer their urgent call to find a location when they were turned down by Ajax's Mayor, leaving us just five short months to plan the event. Joining forces with the Pickering Rotarians, these men and women put on a weekend featuring the finest ribbers in North America along with some of the best home-grown entertainment being showcased. It was also the largest event ever hosted in Pickering with over 35,000 residents attending and not a single problem requiring security arising. We look forward to repeating this again next year and for many more years following. Kudos also to the City staff who did an outstanding job working alongside the Rotarians and kept the entire site safe, clean and well organized.

Kudos also to my partner, Jo-Ann, who organized and hosted a Breast Cancer Awareness Event for thirty-three ladies, in June, at our home. Although not billed as a fund-raiser, the evening raised $1600.00 to support Heather Butler who will be running in the upcoming Breast Cancer "Run for the Cure" relay in the fall. Heather is a member of City staff and also an Auxiliary Police Officer. Thanks to Councillor Rick Johnson and Lucy Stocco of Tribute Communities who each made a substantial contribution to this worthy cause.

Regional Council, at its June 18th meeting, approved the final design of the expansion slated for Brock Road between Bayly St. and Hwy. 401. The original proposal called for a median to run between the two with no opportunity for any left-hand turns and that would have severely impacted a number of businesses located along that stretch. Councillor McLean and I organized the businesses to change the proposal - to challenge the Region. What was finally approved was for the median to be broken at Plummer Street, allowing left-turning movements. The intersection will also see traffic signals installed, something I have battled for nearly 20 years now. The road will be expanded to six lanes and sidewalks will be installed. I want to publicly thank the thirty-five businesses which came out to a number of meetings, lending their rock solid support and standing tall, in our quest to alter what we believed was a flawed design and likely a fatal one to a number of those same businesses.

I'm sure by now, most residents have witnessed the redevelopment of the old Shindler Elevator site as it evolves into a new Home Depot location. Another new building on the site will likely be home for Future Shop and another building for a new restaurant/pub. Replacing the former "Licks" plaza facing Kingston Road will be "a strikingly different style of plaza with a number of pleasing features", said Guery Goyo, President of Brookdale Square Inc., property developer. Guery has been working with Site Plan Committee for some time and, as Chair, I certainly appreciate the new level of excellence shown and the commitment to the sustainable features we are pushing for in all new developments. Not only will the new buildings bring in much higher tax revenue than the previous ones, but will also create hundreds of new job opportunities for local residents - jobs which will range from entry level to senior management - another sign of a healthy and prosperous community.

Contact: Doug Dickerson
City Councillor, Ward 2
E-mail: ddickerson@city.pickering.on.ca