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April
Several of them suited up in firefighting gear to take part in training exercise hosted by King Fire and Emergency Services. They actually had to enter the smoke-filled house, and Councillor Bill Cober had to help bring out a couple of dummies in a mock rescue. "You can't see," he declared. "It's pitch black." "I think every little boy dreams of being a firefighter at some point," he added. "After this experience today, you certainly have to understand that it's more than a uniform." "What a great opportunity," Councillor Pellegrini remarked. "First-hand experience to actually see what they go through." + + + + + + + The annual National Home Show attracted plenty of visitors to that National Trade Centre at Exhibition Place, and one of the main attractions was the Dream House, built by King City's Funrooms.ca Inc., which specializes in building energy efficient homes.
+ + + + + + + Efforts were progressing to raise the funds to buy 170 Nobleton-area acres that Slokker Canada was prepared to part with. Township council agreed to have municipal staff look for another $15,000 to support the effort. Councillor Rupke suggested the money could be raised from the sale of road allowances that council had approved in closed session. Councillor Underhill didn't like the idea of buying property from developers, arguing the land should have been protected under the Oak Ridges Moraine legislation, but wasn't. Councillor Grandilli indicated the Township should be putting up more money. The idea was for the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) acquire the land from Slokker, with the Oak Ridges Moraine land trust having easements. Mayor Black told councillors the acquisition is slated to cost $2.9 million. There was still about $500,000 outstanding, but Black said there would be plenty of opportunities to raise it. + + + + + + + King City resident Liina Peacock decided she would take another shot at getting elected as Ward 1 representative on Township council. Councillor Grandilli announced he was be seeking a second term in the Ward 2 council seat. He had company by the end of the month. Long-time community activist Jeff Laidlaw announced he would be challenging Grandilli. + + + + + + + The Schomberg Cougars handed out awards at their annual season-end banquet, with goal-tending ace Calum McCullogh taking home most of the hardware. And then Head Coach Colin Stewart dropped a bombshell by announcing he was stepping down from his post behind the bench. + + + + + + + The King Cavalry Girls' Hockey Association completed their first season by securing a spot to compete in the provincial championships. + + + + + + + Ground was broken on the new gazebo in Nobleton. Councillor Grandilli, who had been pushing the project for a couple of years, said it would cost roughly $120,000, with contributions coming from a number of sources, including local businesses and service clubs. + + + + + + + The Township finally set a base rate of $12,541 per dwelling for assessing costs for the new King City sewer system. The figure was based on a residential equivalent basis, establishing rates for other properties based on their water use in comparison with the average house. It was stressed that this figure did not include the costs of connecting individual homes to the system. Estimates were that would amount to about $3,300 per property. As well, council agreed to have staff work on a policy for dealing with people who might have trouble with these payments because of financial hardships. Councillor Pabst proposed that. "No one should be threatened to lose their home," she commented. The bylaw had also contained provisions for a $75 permit fee for connections to individual properties, but councillors went along with a call from Councillor Pellegrini to wave that. "That just adds insult to injury," he remarked. Upwards of 200 people were on hand for the session, and many of them were not happy with what they were hearing. "That's total, total bulls...," one man loudly charged as he walked out of the room. But there were also people in the room pleased that a figure had been nailed down, and there was also satisfaction that it was a low as it was. + + + + + + + King received some good news from the Canada Ontario Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund (COMRIF), to the tune that it had approved a grant of $952,666 to help fund the replacement of four culverts in the municipality. "This grant is significant for our Township as it will greatly assist us with much needed capital works," Mayor Black declared. "I extend my sincere thanks to all of our staff for their efforts in ensuring a flawless COMRIF application and our governments are to be commended for their continued commitment to improving rural infrastructure." This grant covered provincial and federal shares of the funding. The Township was still on the hook for about $476,000 as its share. King councillors directed Township staff to meet with counterparts in other municipalities on dealing with east-west transportation issues in the middle portion of York Region. That was after council received an update from Paul May, director of infrastructure planning for the Region, on the current progress of the project. The concern was the Region, as well as officials in Richmond Hill, Vaughan and Aurora were all involved in this too, and there were fears that finding a consensus might be impossible. + + + + + + + Residents were out all over King late in the month, picking up litter that others had dropped. + + + + + + + The King Wild junior A hockey franchise was born, with Nobleton resident Naz Marchese as owner and Paul Hampton as head coach. The new club was to take to the ice in the fall, playing in the new Greater Metro Hockey League (GMHL). + + + + + + + High gas prices showed no indication that they were about to come down, and about all Prime Minister Stephen Harper was able to do was advise people to get used to it. + + + + + + + A lot can happen in the playoffs, as the Drillers demonstrated. They finished in last place in the King City Men's Hockey League standings, but improved their act in the post season and won the championship. + + + + + + + 12-year-old King resident Jamie Baker proved to be tough to beat on the squash courts, winning the Canadian Junior Closed Squash title. |
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