Mayor Bevilacqua reflects upon recent successes

June 12, 2019 8:00 p.m.
​Significant progress has been made since inauguration in December
 
Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua delivered the following remarks at the final Vaughan Council meeting before the summer recess.
 
“Today marks the final Council meeting before we break for the summer recess and renew our efforts of being out in the community meeting with citizens, local businesses and stakeholders.
 
“As we reflect on the amount of business Council has undertaken since December, we have a lot to be proud of and a lot to look forward to.
 
“Together, we are delivering results. We are helping Vaughan reach its unrivalled potential as an emerging world-class city.
 
“On December 4, the inauguration of the 2018-2022 Term of Council took place.
 
“During that meeting, Council came together to unanimously endorse the Vaughan Accord – a pledge that commits all Members of Council to serve in a manner that reflects a positive image of the City and instills civic pride.
 
“The fruits of our labour are best captured in the City’s new Term of Council Service Excellence Strategic Plan.
 
“It has shaped our accomplishments and continues to guide our work.
 
“We continue to press ahead with important city-building efforts.
 
“Since 2010, the City has issued $11 billion in building permits.
 
“In January 2019, I announced the arrival of Niagara University to the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre. This marks the first university in Vaughan and York Region. To commemorate this important occasion, the Key to the City was presented to Niagara University President Rev. James J. Maher.
 
“The VMC continues to be the largest and most ambitious project in Vaughan’s history.
 
“In December, we marked the one-year anniversary of subway ridership. The Vaughan Metropolitan Centre TTC subway station has 15,000 daily riders.
 
“Several mixed-use developments are currently being planned or underway in the downtown. Of note, the site of the future PwC-YMCA Tower, which will feature a YMCA and a City of Vaughan Centre for Community.
 
“Council approved the continuation of the VMC Sub-Committee which held its first meeting in March. I am proud to chair this important working group.
 
“As we continue to grow, we are doing this in a responsible manner.
 
“We want people to have access to housing, we want businesses to invest, grow and succeed but we are also determined to safeguard our environment.
 
“We saw this when the community came together for a Special Committee of the Whole Working Session on Bill 66. Council and our citizens made it clear to the provincial government that Bill 66, in its present form, was unacceptable.
 
“We also made our voices loud and clear on the proposals outlined in Bill 108 – the More Homes, More Choice Act.
 
“Planning must be done in a responsible and inclusive manner. We are working with all levels of government to do this.
 
“In March, the federal government announced that Vaughan was receiving an investment of $16 million from Infrastructure Canada’s Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund to support the City’s ability to better protect residents.
 
“We face these natural disasters because the threat of climate change is real.
 
“I want to thank the students of Thornhill Woods Public School and their teacher, Ms. Brianne Whyte, for visiting Vaughan City Hall and delivering a very well-thought-out presentation to Council at our Committee of the Whole meeting on June 4.
 
“With their support, the City of Vaughan in principle declared a climate emergency for the purposes of deepening our commitment to protect our economy, environment and community from the impacts of climate change.
 
“There are many other examples of the progress being made on this front.
 
“We held another successful 20-Minute Makeover.
 
“More than 21,000 trees have been planted across Vaughan as part of the City’s tree replacement plan to restore the city’s tree canopy.
 
“We powered down for Earth Hour and conserved much needed savings.
 
“Vaughan reduced its energy consumption by an outstanding 4.2 per cent (13.68 megawatts), outpacing last year’s total of 3.6 per cent (12 megawatts).
 
“Our Environmental Days continue to be a complete success. The next one takes place June 23 at North Thornhill Community Centre.
 
“And, of course, North Maple Regional Park continues to be a signature city-building initiative. Once fully complete, it will be larger than New York City’s very own Central Park.
 
“Vaughan is a green city. It’s also an active, safe and diverse city. In fact, it is one of the safest communities in Canada.
 
“Earlier this year, we held another successful Vaughan Fire and Rescue Service recruitment graduation.
 
“Following a Special Committee of the Whole meeting on January 21, we continued to ensure community safety remained a priority by opting out from allowing licensed retail cannabis stores to operate in Vaughan.
 
“Vaughan continues to flourish as a diverse, inclusive and welcoming community.
 
“Celebrations like the Christmas tree lighting, Lunar New Year and menorah lighting ceremonies have become annual traditions.
 
“As have our Heritage Month Celebrations, such as Black History Month, Jewish Heritage Month, National Indigenous History Month and Italian Heritage Month – which have all been commemorated during this new Term of Council.
 
“Later this month we will mark National Indigenous Peoples Day on June 21 and Canadian Multiculturalism Day on June 27.
 
“It was during International Women’s Day that we formally signed the Leadership Accord on Gender Diversity. Vaughan became the first Canadian municipality to do this.
 
“We have already held a number of flag-raising ceremonies, such as:
 
  • World Autism Day
  • Cancer Awareness Month
  • National Hospice Palliative Care Week
  • Israel’s 71st Independence Day
  • National Public Works Week
  • MS Awareness Day
  • Pride Week
  • Italian Heritage Month
  • Filipino Day
 
“On June 17, we will mark Recreation and Parks Month with a flag-raising ceremony. And, of course, we continue to fly the Toronto Raptors flag and welcome fans from across the city here to Jurassic Park Vaughan!
 
“We owe much of this success to our citizens, including four individuals who were recently invested with the City’s highest civic honour, the Order of Vaughan – Maria Castro, Michael DeGasperis, Altaf Stationwala and Robert Charles Wilson.
 
“During Committee of the Whole in April, we presented the Ward 2 Civic Hero Award to Deborah McCracken-Nangereke.
 
“We also presented the Ward 4 Civic Hero Award to Rabbi Yechezkel Deren in May.
 
“Just yesterday, I presented an official Key to the City to Holocaust survivor Max Eisen.
 
“Bringing people together is what we do in Vaughan.
 
“We also saw this with the 30th anniversary of Winterfest.
 
“We are seeing this with the 25th anniversary of the Concerts in the Park Series that kicked off last week in Transit Square in the VMC – the first time the series has ever been held in the VMC.
 
“A healthy and thriving city is fundamental to attracting economic opportunities.
 
“Vaughan is home to more than 12,000 businesses that employ more than 222,000 people.
 
“Since 2010, Vaughan has led with an economic growth rate of four per cent – far outpacing Ontario and Canada – and has seen the creation of more than 60,000 new jobs.
 
“People have confidence to live and work in Vaughan because we are a well-run city.
 
“In February, we passed the 2019 budget – a financial blueprint that protects taxpayers and delivers quality public services.
 
“The budget includes a three per cent tax rate increase which maintains Vaughan’s commitment to have one of the lowest tax rates in the Greater Toronto Area.
 
“Vaughan signed an MOU to join US Ignite – becoming the first Canadian municipality to do so.
 
“US Ignite is a non-profit organization that promotes international leadership to develop new applications and to foster an environment for local governments – and technology partners – to work together to improve the lives of citizens through cutting-edge solutions.
 
“It is allowing us to move forward with our Smart City agenda.
 
“We are supporting our thriving tourism industry with new and dedicated funding.
 
“City operations are effective, efficient and entirely in line with Council’s commitment to a governance framework rooted in openness, transparency and accountability.
 
“We approved three task forces to address a range of important policy areas and develop recommendations that continue to elevate the city as a destination of choice.
 
“The 2018-2022 Term of Council Priority Task Forces will be chaired by the following Members of Council:
 
  • Transportation and Infrastructure Task Force: Chair, Ward 3 Councillor Rosanna DeFrancesca and Vice-Chair, Regional Councillor Gino Rosati
  • Governance Task Force: Chair, Ward 2 Councillor Tony Carella and Vice-Chair, Ward 5 Councillor Alan Shefman
  • I am proud to once again chair the Smart City Task Force joined by Ward 4 Councillor Sandra Yeung Racco, who will serve as Vice-Chair.
 
“Ward 1 Councillor Marilyn Iafrate, Regional Councillor Mario Ferri and Regional Councillor Linda Jackson, will have important roles with future task forces that will be launched later in the Council term.
 
“These task forces will address issues such as: Economic Prosperity, Investment and Social Capital; Environmental Leadership; and Diversity and Citizen Engagement.
 
“Council has also voted to renew the mandate of the Older Adult Task Force, which will have its inaugural meeting later this year.
 
“We have a lot to be proud of and a lot to look forward to.
 
“Staff continue to be recognized for their thought leadership by winning province-wide and national awards for their work and commitment to Service Excellence.
 
“We can take great pride in knowing that the most recent Citizen Satisfaction Survey found that 97 per cent of residents are happy with their quality of life here in our city.
 
“There is more work to be done.
 
“As we continue our journey towards building a world-class city, we do so with the knowledge that great communities are built by great people who work hard to create a meaningful life for their families. 
 
“People’s happiness matters, and it brings great pride to everyone in our city – from our public works professionals to senior administration – to know that our efforts are making a positive difference to people’s lives.”
 
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