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Region of York - Overview

York Region Council is comprised of 21 elected representatives.  Newmarket is represented by Mayor Tony Van Bynen and Regional Councillor John Taylor. 

York Region is responsible for the following services in Newmarket: 

  • Community Services & Housing
  • Health & Emergency Services
  • Long term health care
  • Planning & Economic Development
  • Police Services
  • Public Transit 
  • Road Maintenance
    • Davis Drive, Mulock Drive, Eagle / Water/ Gorham Streets, Bathurst Street, Yonge Street and Leslie Street
  • Waste Disposal

For more information on services offered by the Region of York, please visit http://www.region.york.on.ca/Services/default+services.htm

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Finance & Administration Committee

During the current term of office, I was Chair of this Regional Committee

Two of the most successful programs introduced by this Committee cut York Region’s debt.

A Capital Asset Replacement funding program was introduced through this Committee, similar to the one Newmarket Council adopted. Through the provision of significant funding each year to a 2010 level of $22.6 million, this funding program has cut long-term debt needs by over $226 million in the 10-year forecast.

An annual budgetary provision for debt reduction of $11.8 million introduced in 2007 by the Committee resulted in reduced debt requirements over the four-year period of $47.2 million and will reduce future debt requirements by $112 million over the 10-year capital budget period.

The Committee recommended to Council a new Development Charge Bylaw which eliminates the discounting of non-residential development charges, reducing the tax burden for new growth on existing taxpayers.

Through our continual lobbying by the Region, the Ontario government finally agreed to phase out and eliminate the GTA pooling which was transferring millions of your tax dollars to Toronto’s coffers.

Our good management was rewarded by an improved credit rating from Standard and Poors to a full Aaa, removing their negative trend qualifier. We also maintained an AAA rating with Moody’s Investor Services.

Our aggressive lobbying also resulted in the establishment of The Provincial-Municipal Fiscal and Service Delivery review after which the Province committed to take back the costs of Ontario Disability Support Payments, Ontario Drug Plan, Ontario Works, and Court Security costs which had previously been downloaded to the Region.

We secured a total of $52.7 million of infrastructure stimulus funding from the Government of Canada and the Province of Ontario, advancing $79 million worth of key infrastructure projects to stimulate the economy and create immediate additional jobs in York Region.

 

We also made major strides forward during this term on programs and services. Here are our accomplishments in this area:

  • Continued lobbying of the Province to provide tax relief for seniors resulted in a new provincial grant for seniors in the 2008 budget.
  • We provided opportunities for tax relief by lowering the annual tax threshold for property tax increases within the Region’s tax relief program for seniors and low income disabled persons.
  • We implemented the requirements of the Accessibility Standards for Customer Service Regulation under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 including training all staff and adopting a corporate Accessible Customer Service Policy by January 1, 2010.
  • Council approved our Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the York Region hospitals for $12 million a year in funding to 2026 – the MOU includes the option to withhold funding equal to the amount of operational costs to EMS related to hospital off-load delays.
  • We completed more than $2.5 million of energy efficient building retrofits, resulting in annual savings of over $400,000 in utility costs.
  • With the LEED® Sustainable Building Policy established in 2006, a total of 11 regional buildings were either built or are being built to at least LEED® Silver standards by 2009. Included are three EMS Paramedic Response Stations and our Affordable Housing Project in Newmarket. Other green energy initiatives undertaken include the Region’s first geothermal installation at Vaughan Community Environmental Centre, the Region’s largest solar array at Stouffville Zone 2 pumping station, and purchases of clean energy through Bullfrog Power for three facilities.
  • York Region Court Services expanded the Walk-In-First Attendance program which provides customers with a way to resolve their charge without a trial, and the Services implemented an electronic customer flow system at Tannery Court location.
  • In the area of governance, the Region realigned the council committee structure and completed a review of the purchasing bylaw to enhance transparency and accountability.
  • Numerous land acquisitions for the Region’s Rapid Transit and Capital Infrastructure programs, including the Spadina Subway extension, were handled, and a joint venture with King Township resulted in use of Regional lands for a new arena and EMS Station at Schomberg.