Search - Gordon Prentice at Large - Politics in Newmarket

1. The Greenbelt Scandal in King: Senior Officials in the dark about second Southlake in King: (Blog); The latest tranche of Freedom of Information files from EcoJustice exposes the internal wiring of Government as never before. Astonishing as it may seem, as late as 15 November 2022, senior officials ...; Created on 31 October 2023
2. Province re-writes York Region's Official Plan but without explaining wh: (Blog); ... Lavelle-Tuns was deputy Manager of Doug Ford’s 2018 PC leadership campaign. The Aurora "special provision" was one of five changing policy on specified lands. 80 changes The York Regional Official ...; Created on 12 November 2022
3. Confusion Reigns as York Regional Council approves Official Plan in 14-7 vote: (Blog); Yesterday, York Regional Council gave final approval to its Official Plan which guides development over the next 30 years. In a long debate punctuated by profound procedural confusion, pointed remarks ...; Created on 01 July 2022
4. Taylor votes against York Region’s Official Plan and slams colleagues for undermining the entire planning process: (Blog); Last Thursday, Newmarket Mayor John Taylor, voted against endorsing York Region's Official Plan (ROP) which guides development over the next 30 years. An angry Taylor said he had never voted against a ...; Created on 19 June 2022
5. IT'S OFFICIAL: Lois Brown's hazardous election signs block sightlines and are unlawf: (Blog); Yesterday, I wrote to York Regional Clerk, Christopher Rayner: “I am writing to you formally to draw to your attention a breach of York Region Sign By-law 2015-36 which forbids election signs on regional ...; Created on 18 September 2019
6. Forrest doctors the official record: (Blog); ... this sleight of hand. Which version is the official record? This could be important if the Town approves Forrest's rental building and, in so doing, votes against its own Zoning By-law and Heritage ...; Created on 24 May 2016
7. Official: Newmarket Mayor Tony Van Bynen gets paid for being on Hydro Board: (Blog); Bob Shelton, Newmarket’s Chief Administrative Officer, confirmed this afternoon (Thursday 18 June) that the Mayor receives remuneration from Newmarket-Tay Power. He serves as a Director by virtue of ...; Created on 18 June 2015
8. Eagle Street: another departure from the Official Plan: (Blog); On Monday 27 February Councillors will consider yet another departure from the Town’s Official Plan. This time, the focus of attention is 55 Eagle Street. Millford Development Ltd want an Official ...; Created on 25 February 2012
9. Whatever happened to… the RCMP investigation into the Greenbelt scandal?: (Blog); ... lost jobs in Greenbelt scandal still haven’t been interviewed by RCMP Royal Canadian Mounted Police officials were tight-lipped when contacted about the second anniversary of launching their criminal ...; Created on 22 December 2025
10. The Homelessness Crisis: Time to License Lodging Houses: (Blog); ... part of the solution. Seems to me there is no reason why Newmarket cannot follow other municipalities and take steps now to incorporate policies in its Official Plan and Zoning By Laws. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ...; Created on 09 September 2025
11. Regulating Lodging Houses: the case of "Pastor" Saeid Rezae: (Blog); Background: The Town of Newmarket should license and regulate lodging/rooming houses and make reference to them in its Official Plan which is currently being revised and updated. The Town is looking ...; Created on 20 August 2025
12. Who are the homeless in Newmarket?: (Blog); ... 29 June 2025) Surge in homelessness By 2024 Regional officials were reporting that 2,525 people were known to have experienced homelessness – a 35% increase from 2023. “Chronic homelessness more ...; Created on 12 August 2025
13. Data from Newmarket Public Library is useless and can't be truste: (Blog); ... and the official response. The Province is willing to let me have this information but they must first consult Ms Munusami. If she objects, she has a right to appeal the decision to the Information and ...; Created on 06 July 2025
14. Postscript: "Extraordinary assumptions" and the valuation of land at Glenway Wes: (Blog); ... a more nuanced concept and no longer requires like-to-like housing forms. “On the matter of compatibility, you are correct there were Official Plan policies focused on residential uses as being of the ...; Created on 16 June 2025
15. The real Greenbelt Scandal: "When records are lost, destroyed, obfuscated, or never created in the first place...: (Blog); ... Annual Report which found: “officials broke legal record keeping obligations in planning Greenbelt Removals”. Accountability She makes a series of recommendations for strengthening transparency and ...; Created on 14 June 2025
16. Why doesn't the Town license Boarding Houses in Newmarket: (Blog); ... the Town will be completing its Official Plan Review and I cannot believe it will say nothing about Boarding Houses. As everyone knows, rental housing in Newmarket is scarce and expensive with people ...; Created on 18 May 2025
17. Bogus land valuation nets developer a multi-million dollar tax windfall: (Blog); ... paper. The Town marked the official handover in a news release on 16 December 2021. Later that month Newmarket Today reported that the Glenway West development was nearing the planning finish line after ...; Created on 03 May 2025
18. Newmarket Public Library Membership figures reported to the Province for 2023 are off by a mile: (Blog); ... Gray, said 2024 was an extraordinary year for the Library and trumpeted a “significant growth” in membership. I relied on the official figure reported by the Library’s Chief Executive to the province ...; Created on 20 April 2025
19. All Candidates Forum in Newmarket-Aurora planned for this Tuesday, 15 April: (Blog); ... Gollen will turn up. How are the organisers supposed to contact her with no website, no contact number and with her name missing from the NDP’s official list of candidates? But if I'm wrong I shall ...; Created on 13 April 2025
20. NDP fields paper candidate in Newmarket-Aurora: (Blog); ... Liberal and NDP candidates appear on the official Elections Canada website but it will be updated with the definitive list posted on Wednesday. The People’s Party of Canada says their candidate is Andre ...; Created on 07 April 2025
21. The Federal election in Newmarket-Aurora is too close to call: (Blog); ... we have the resources for at the moment.” So it looks as if it will be left to citizens’ groups to organise something but if it is not “official” experience tells us some candidates may not show up. ...; Created on 26 March 2025
22. Jennifer McLachlan: Work in Progress: (Blog); ... gives the NDP official opposition status at Queen’s Park with many, many fewer votes than the Liberals is, surely, worthy of comment? Saying you are there to listen to people – rather than express an ...; Created on 20 March 2025
23. 285 Liberals in Newmarket-Aurora voted for Mark Carney (and that was a landslide): (Blog); ... campaign-finance irregularities. One Liberal party official dismissed Ms. Dhalla’s figures, saying the party has only identified about 200 registered Liberals as Dhalla supporters, though they did not ...; Created on 11 March 2025
24. Mapping the result of the Provincial Election in Newmarket-Aurora 2025: (Blog); ... boundaries. We shall see what happens then. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Note: The recently published official results from Elections Ontario differ, in some cases quite significantly, from the unofficial ...; Created on 08 March 2025
25. What is Doug Ford going to do with his new Mandate?: (Blog); ... win More people in Newmarket-Aurora didn’t vote in yesterday’s election than did. Turnout Province wide was 45.4%. In Newmarket-Aurora 44.6%. (Based on Elections Ontario unofficial figures) First-Past-the-Post ...; Created on 28 February 2025
26. Victim shaming? Teena Bogner and Dawn Gallagher Murphy MPP: (Blog); ... “More victim shaming. Yes, let’s dump on the victim and make her the problem, not the elected official. Oh, and let’s not forget that this woman had the strength to stand up to Goliath in a very public ...; Created on 05 February 2025
27. Glenway: a decade on: (Blog); ... as a golf course through a lease with a third party operator”. This would have been the ideal outcome in Newmarket where the Town’s own Official Plan identified the North-West quadrant as being short ...; Created on 26 January 2025
28. The UK election and the end of the Conservatives: (Blog); ... Prime Minister, Kim Campbell, lost her riding in Vancouver Centre and saw her Progressive Conservative Party wiped out, reduced to two seats. The Bloc Québécois became the Official Opposition. In his ...; Created on 03 July 2024
29. The UK General Election 2024 and what happens afterwards: (Blog); ... Party leaders squashing dissent wherever they find it. “The realisation that a single unwise tweet, however ancient, or even the mildest dissent from the official line, can be career-ending will have ...; Created on 02 June 2024
30. Housing the homeless: the case against Tom "not in my patch" Mraka: (Blog); ... in Aurora. Mrakas said it did not fit “seamlessly” into the Town’s Official Plan and Zoning regulations. But, by the same token, would putting homeless men in the Regional HQ – an office building – fit ...; Created on 13 April 2024
31. Is Dawn Gallagher Murphy happy or sad for the nurses?: (Blog); ... legislation" that limited nurses’ pay rises to 1% for three years. Dawn is everywhere on social media, opening things, shaking hands, congratulating people, awarding certificates and giving the official ...; Created on 26 February 2024
32. Tom Mrakas and Emergency Housing: (Blog); ... a more appropriate site in Aurora, one that aligns with the intent of our Official Plan.” Mrakas is now gilding the lily. At no stage during that January 2023 meeting did he explicitly mention a comparative ...; Created on 19 February 2024
33. The Greenbelt Scandal: Michael Rice, John Dunlap, Steve Pellegrini and the new Southlake: (Blog); ... Both Mr. Rice and Mr. McGovern, who also attended the meeting with the mayor and the chief administrative officer, told me these officials initiated the conversation about using some of this particular ...; Created on 29 December 2023
34. We have a Government that stifles debate, ignores rules, trashes conventions and breaks the law. What is to be done?: (Blog); ... general public. Bill 136 which returns lands to the Greenbelt, Bill 150 which restores Official Plan boundaries and Bill 154 on Ontario Place have all sped through the Legislature in a matter of days. ...; Created on 06 December 2023
35. Christine Elliott goes from Health Minister to Private Sector Health Lobbyist in a Heartbeat: (Blog); ... health minister Christine Elliott registered to lobby the Ford government on behalf of Clearpoint. Her official registration says her lobbying goals are to "engage the government in updating and increasing ...; Created on 15 November 2023
36. The Greenbelt Scandal in King: Why don't they just ask him: (Blog); ... On 1 February 2023 he demanded an apology from the Official Opposition at Queen's Park for their “slanderous” allegation. Elsewhere... We have had some movement from Southlake but there is more to come ...; Created on 07 November 2023
37. The Sophistry of Doug Ford: (Blog); ... processes in order to override official plans and impose boundary changes on Ontario municipalities, a move also since reversed. But with numerous comments in the emails and other internal communications ...; Created on 04 November 2023
38. The Greenbelt Scandal in King: servicing the Bathurst lands: (Blog); ... Doug Ford's Office was involved in municipal lands decision See also: Township of King Official Plan September 2019 Memo. To: Michael Rice Date: September 27, 2022 RE: Greenbelt / Oak Ridges ...; Created on 31 October 2023
39. The Greenbelt Scandal in King: Developer Michael Rice makes no mention of a second Southlake when asking for Bathurst lands to be removed from the Greenbelt: (Blog); ... officials other than those involving the Mayor. The Township’s Official Plan (2019) - which was adopted by Council on 23 September 2019 and approved by York Region on 24 September 2020 - looks ahead ...; Created on 30 October 2023
40. The Greenbelt Scandal: Chief Executive explains why Southlake has no records of the meeting when developer Michael Rice gifted land for a new hospital: (Blog); ... a follow-up meeting with Holt. In his report at paragraph 289, the Integrity Commissioner noted that Michael Rice had been in communication with hospital officials about other possible hospital sites ...; Created on 29 October 2023
41. The Greenbelt Scandal in King: Decision on naming mystery landowner who "brought forward idea of donating lands" for a new Southlake will be made by King Township on 6 November 202: (Blog); ... This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. See also: Township of King Official Plan, September 2019 To Mayor Pellegrini: 15 October 2023 Dear Mayor Pellegrini We have been in correspondence before about your ...; Created on 28 October 2023
42. Ford and Calandra rule out debate on Integrity Commissioner’s report censuring Steve Clark for his role in the Greenbelt scandal: (Blog); ... this case, including talking to witnesses this government muzzled by confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements. But the Premier is just ignoring the commissioner’s recommendations to officially reprimand ...; Created on 26 October 2023
43. CORRECTION: Review of Regional Governance: (Blog); ... changes and wind back changes made by the Province to official plans. The Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister, Paul Calandra, said today: “In reviewing how decisions were made regarding official ...; Created on 23 October 2023
44. Greenbelt U-Turn Bill tabled at Queen’s Park: (Blog); ... by line scrutiny, prolonging the agony. The NDP official opposition has asked for a debate on the Integrity Commissioner's recommendation to reprimand former Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister, Steve ...; Created on 16 October 2023
45. The Greenbelt Scandal: Why the RCMP should interview Steve Pellegrini under caution: (Blog); ... for the hospital and a significant benefit for King Township.” No-one on King Council – neither elected officials nor senior staff – will admit to knowing where these “other lands” are. Nor will they ...; Created on 12 October 2023
46. Discuss: the Ford Government and low ethical standards: (Blog); Corruption is a spreading stain in the Ford Government. Ford and his enablers like Paul Calandra contaminate everything they touch. From their casual disregard for the truth to their shameless and ...; Created on 04 October 2023
47. From the Globe & Mail: Proposal to build hospital on protected Greenbelt land cancelled: (Blog); ... However, when asked by The Globe and Mail last week about the implications of the government’s Greenbelt reversal on its consideration of Mr. Rice’s land, a Southlake spokesperson said officials are ...; Created on 03 October 2023