Vallhalla Newsletter March 2016

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Background Picture
The background picture this month was taken at Batson / Yonge looking south with just an iPhone 4s.  Pictures really don't do it justice. 

Crime Report The following are incidents reported to and by police over the last 30 days.
Please note; because you are being informed monthly of the crime within our area, you may think Valhalla is a high crime neighbourhood. Really it is not compared to other areas within Aurora and other municipalities. We seem to have sudden spurts now and then. The graffiti portion lasts a year or two when either they move on or “usually” young adults grow out of it, ...  The less crime we have within our area the better for numerous reasons; i.e. home/car insurance rates, overhead costs to our town and us, home/area property value, beauty within our area, ...  For example this month in other parts of Aurora, on Willow Farm Ln there was a Sexual Assualt, Bridgenorth / Hollandview Trail there was a sexual offence,  ....      

Yonge St / St. John’s
  • Vehicle Stop - Traffic Stop - Qty 19 
  • Community Policing - Street Check - Qty 6
  • Traffic - MVC - Property Damage - Qty 1

St. John's / Old Yonge St.
  • Vehicle Stop - Traffic Stop - Qty 8
  • Community Policing - Street Check - Qty 1

Hollingshead Drive
  • Breaking & Entering 5:40pm - Qty 1

Cedar / Mark
  • Community Policing - Street Check - Qty 2

Valhalla Ct.
  • Disorder - Mischief to Poperty Mar. 21st @6:35

Valhalla / Yonge
  • Vehicle Stop - Traffic Stop - Qty 1
  • Community Policing - Street Check - Qty 1

Walton / Mark
  • Vehicle Stop - Traffic Stop - Qty 1

Yonge / Batson 
  • Street Check - Qty 1
  • Assault with Weapon Level 2

Surveillance System - Hollingshead Break-In
Most of you should have received an e-mail notice regarding the break-in on Hollingshead during the middle of the month. York Regional Police (YRP) came to my door around 10pm. I turned on my outside lights, calmed the dog down, and answered the door. The constable identified himself. I requested his card. He then went onto explain there was a break-in on Hollingshead at ______ they came through the patio door by breaking the glass. He then went onto say that he and his colleagues noticed the small red lights on my home then further noticed they were cameras. He then asked if the cameras were recording and if so could YRP have a copy of the surveillance recording footage from three of the cameras from 5pm to 7pm. I then replied; Ok .. sure... but if the break-in took place up the street, why would you require my footage? The constable then stated that the footage may catch a vehicle that they can match to other break and enters. Oh ... Ok, what format does the footage need to be in? Where do I deliver it? When is it required? What is the assigned incident number? ... Anyways, because the footage is HD it took hours to select the time frame from each camera ... plus the format YRP wanted it saved in. When saved and completed I drove up to YRP Station One, located at 240 Prospect Street. The police vehicle parking lot was the only place I could park.  The lot was full.   The station is really not the easiest to access for the physically challenged.   It is my opinion with the growth of both Aurora and Newmarket that a new station will soon be required. Hope the powers at be have planned and budgeted for this.     

Take this link to report community concerns (traffic, graffitti, disorderly use, dumping) to York Regional Police: https://onlinereporting.yrp.ca/communityconcerns.html

Pictures below are of the decades old Willow Tree fallen into the Holland River tributary at Craddock Park north of Batson as a result of the ice storm March 25th.  There is an entire slideshow of the ice storm melt located at the bottom of the newsletter.   
Pictures really don't do it justice.  Pictures taken with just an iPhone 4S.   
OPINION:  Town of Aurora MAVRINAC Land.
As a resident / taxpayer of Aurora it is difficult for me to comprehend why our Town Council voted to allow the Mavrinac land to be used as a park. The intended planned use for this land years ago was for a school. The people who purchased homes around this property knew that. The separate school board years ago had an option to use the land for a school but declined. Our Town paid a consultant company over the last year to look at all the Park Land required, needed, planned for within our town now and in the future. Did you know that the consultant you and I paid for said "SELL this land"! From the people & clients I have been working with there is a requirement within our area for a special needs school. Has our Town Council looked into this? Has our Town Council recently spoken to the school boards, regions, special needs groups, …. Shouldn’t the land that we just purchased less then two years ago be used to benefit ALL of Aurora? We have so much debt now. It is my opinion the land should be used for its intended purpose. I find it difficult to believe with all the new development west of Leslie that a new elementary / middle school / daycare / private school would not be required for our Town.  What about helping those families that really require just a helping hand. What a great location for our town to become a leader for Habitat for Humanity program.  

 Street Lighting Update
Old Yonge LED Lighting update:

  
Please refer to previous newsletters regarding history.  Our concerns are taking a long time to be addressed.
On Feb. 18th I received the following e-mail from staff.
Hi Eric,
I talked to ______ regarding this project and he will give you a call to discuss the below email.  (please refer to last months newsletter.)
Regards,

On March 2nd at 11:20am I received the following;
Hi Eric,
I think we need to look at situations like yours separately. We have a couple of other problem spots and although _______ was working on figuring out how to address this are, it never happened before ______ left. I will have to reassign and move this forward with another lead. Looks like there will be no action in the immediate timeframe.
Sorry about this taking so long. Will need to get the resources focused on this and other similar lighting challenges.
Thanks,

The following e-mail was the reply sent back on the same day. 
Thank you ______ for the update … unfortunately the February Valhalla Newsletter went out to all the subscribers a few days ago.
What timeframe can we shoot for? This summer?
BTW: If you or your staff are looking for a copy of the consultants report, I think ______ sent me a pdf of it. I can try and find it and send it to you if required. 
A subscriber also stated they felt there was a lighting problem on Walton. I have not had a chance to investigate that further.
When we spoke on the phone many moons ago there was discussion of a light required at the bend on the walkway between Valhalla Court and Spruce. It was suggested at that time to install an LED solar powered light at that location.
The lighting consultant was to look at that as well. There was nothing within the report that I saw regarding this.
_______, if I can be of any assistance to you or your staff please do not hesitate to contact me.
Oh, when our contractors / in house staff know there is a storm happening in the evening, like yesterday evening, is there a reason why the snowploughs are not working after midnight when all the cars are off the road? I can tell you that both ploughs have not been on the side streets within my area at this time, 11:34am but the plough has been on Old Yonge Steet, but not the sidewalk. Many years ago  the ploughs worked during the night, this was the norm and the reason why no one was to park on the road after 11pm.
As always, thanks for your service and I’m looking forward to a tour of the Joint Operations Centre.

As of the writing of this Newsletter I have not received a reply.  
Some things that took place this month. 
Our request for boulevard Trees to be trimmed to allow the new LED lighting to illuminate the area and to allow us not to hunch over while walking on the sidewalk has almost been completed throughout Valhalla.  Note the photo below of a branch removed on Twelve Oaks that  blocked the illumination of the streelight next to it.    

A request for snow removal at specific intersections two days after the snowstorm. Pedestrians were walking on Yonge Street.  In order to press the indicator button to activate the crossing sign you needed to climb over a four – five foot hill of snow.   The area all around the indicator lights was covered.  

The morning of March 15th OSPCA was contacted because of a Raccoon injured and crying on the side of the boulevard on Yonge.  The crying made you shutter. 

March 18th a request last year to open a blocked storm water culvert at the intersection of Hollingshead and Buchanan was finally looked at. When we had a heavy rainstorm the water flowed over the intersection and down the sidewalk to Old Yonge eroding earth and bringing the debris from the road onto the sidewalk. 

The slideshow below shows those beautiful trees that the Region Planted at St. John's Sideroad and Old Yonge. You may recall that after our request  the Region moved two trees back because it was blocking our view of on coming pedestrians and traffic. It was suggested to the region that because of the salt spray they would need to be wrap these trees each year. The region did so the first year but guess they needed reminding. You can see most are dead and have a red ribbon on them to be removed. Your tax dollars at work. 
Why were the trees removed by the south fence at Atkinson Park? 
Sent: March 18, 2016 3:59 PM
Subject: Atkinson Park Trees
Hi ____:
Where the three Trees located along the south fence at Atkinson Park removed over the last month because of the Emerald Ash Borer?
Cheers,
Eric
Reply received March 21st
Hi Eric, Yes these were removed because of EAB and also because they had had fairly significant damage as a result of the ice storm and while they were structurally sound they had lost a large portion of their large limbs.

Slideshow on the RIGHT -> shows Before / After pics of Trees at Atkinson Park
Garage / Yard Sales Signs now require you to obtain a permit. Yes, this is true.
NEW Town Sign BYLAWS  / Visual Polution
Example of temporary signage on the right. ->
Our town has implemented new Sign BYLAWS.  I was pleased that BYLAW implemented a number of my suggestions but had no idea what our town's plans  were until I read the DRAFT.  I was informed that our town had advertised an open house regarding the new sign bylaws and not one person showed.  The Director state in an e-mail: If someone was having an event (garage sale for example) and wanted to place signs on the boulevard it would require a permit to identify where and for how long the signs would be placed.

I had sent the following e-mail to each of our Town elected officials.
Hello Councillor __________l: 
Please note I am in agreement of the DRAFT SIGN BYLAW as is other then an amendment required for the one small section regarding Real Estate Open House Direction Signs Page 16 Section 15-13 It is my opinion it would be beneficial that a clear amendment be created for residents regarding ALL directional signs.

BACKGROUND: I was sent the following e-mail last week by town staff; _________________ stated in an e-mail; “I will forward your concerns to the building department. ……………… It’s too bad that no one commented on this before now.”

If nothing is done for this one section of the bylaw it will be like this for another decade or more when the sign bylaw is reviewed again. A number of my suggestions have been implemented within the draft that I am thankful for but for some reason I discussed this with staff but forgot to put it in writing over the last year, other then last week.

I don’t see a specific section within the draft to make it easy for residents to understand regarding Temporary Directional signage other then Real Estate Open House Signs? Why? This signage is one that is most abused within our neighbourhoods / town. Residents are left to clean them up. Example: About seven years ago I called a resident to remind him to remove his GARAGE sale sign that was held and posted three weeks prior on the streetlight post in front of my property. He was far from polite when I called … I had to remove it myself. Does this mean there should be NO directional signs posted within our town accept Real Estate Open House Signs? I’m certain that is not the intent. You know this will not happen. When I state direction signs, the most common are; Yard Sale, Garage Sale, Art Sale, Event (anniversary, concert, party, … ) Our Town will not be able to stop residents from erecting these signs but they maybe able to control where and when they are posted, how they are posted, and when they should be removed. It’s terrible when people are nailing these signs to our trees or tie them with wire to a tree and the wire is still around it and grows into the tree, decapitating the tree “X” years later.

Maybe parts of the following proposed amendment for Real Estate Open House Signs can be included to make it clear for our residents! One question to ask is how many people have staff actually charged last year regarding directional signs? My guess would be zero. I think our Town / Region just pick the signs up along with all the bag signs that contractors are putting up. (roofers, paving, landscaping, pot lights, … )

AMENDMENT for Real Estate Open House Directional Signs: The following is what I’m suggesting for numerous reasons … safety, visual pollution … there is no reason Real Estate Open House signs need to be placed throughout our town when it is not during the actual time of the Open House. This revision would cover not just licensed Brokerages, REALTORS®, but also residents who may want to sell or lease a property themselves. Should builders / developers be allowed special treatment for their directional signs? Yes, I believe so … as long as they are posted only during weekends and picked up before dusk Sunday. Also it should be noted: Most licensed REALTORS® post an Open House sign on the top of the Real Estate sign that is posted on the lawn. Example: OPEN HOUSE Sun 1- 4 Personally, I post the Open House on over 2K Websites including www.Realtor.ca, TREB, plus Rogers Real Estate Television, e-mails to other REALTORS®, customers / clients who are looking, …

Max Size: 0.5 sq m (we have this)
Type: Open House directional signs shall include the address of the property for sale or lease plus include the DATE and TIME of the Open House.
Number: Max of SIX open house directional signs. (REASON; most people coming to an open house know the address already, with smart phones, GPS, it is my opinion on most properties you really don’t require more then four signs to make it easy for the consumer to navigate to the property.)
Location: Open house directions signs can be placed on the public road allowance excluding any centre median, traffic island or centre boulevard within the road allowance. Shall not be located closer then 0.3 meters from the pedestrian sidewalk and from the vehicular travelled portion of the road. Open House directional signs shall not be affixed to a utility pole, tree, official sign or other public property.
Duration: Open house directional signs may only be displayed no earlier then two hours before the beginning stated time posted on the Open House sign and must be removed within two hours after the open house time stated on the sign or before dusk what ever comes sooner.

I do hope this makes things clearer for you. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

I did hear back from the following councillors in order: Councillors Gaertner, Humfryes, Thompson, Kim, Pirri, Dawe   Councillor Gaertner was the only councillor that spoke on this subject at the council meeting.  
As an aside, did you know not one of our Town Directors lives in Aurora.  
The Director during the televised meeting (that can be view here. When the screen pops up look on the right and click Tuesday, March 29th, 2016 starting at 2:32:00) stated the following: 
There is no definition for Open House signs.   Limited period of time 24HRS   Real Estate signs are really not an issue.  Realtors are mindful of placing and retreiving their signs.    Real Estate Signs in my opinion are not a hug concern.    Garage sale signs are not really an issue.  We do not receive complaints. 

REALLY?  Well, I tried.   The bylaw will come back in the fall to review fees.  If you have any concerns regarding fee structures and temporary signs you will be able to voice them before then to your councillors.    

Temporary signs, in my opinion, make our area look junky and can be a safety concern depending on the size of the sign and where it is placed. Example: Blocking your view of a pedestrian or vehicle. We are often left to discard these signs when they are forgotten and/or damaged.  If you see "ANY" temporary signs such as the home improvment signs within the slideshow mentioned at the top of this article, they are illegally posted and you have every right to remove them. If you see anyone posting these signs, take a picture if you can of the person(s) installing them including the vehicle and licence number. Then contact the town ASAP so these people can be caught. They will be requested to remove all their signage throughout the town and maybe given a fine.


Power Stream 

We have been so lucky compared to most this month regarding power outages.  Yes, we did have one but that was not because of the ice storm. 

Reason for the power outage on March 16th:
According to our contact at Power Stream the outage occured at 6:11pm. The problem was a FUSE on Industrial Parkway that they suspect was hit by lightening.  Power Stream had our electricity back on at 8:30pm.   Around 5:30pm - 6pm I had noticed / heard / saw electrical arching on the pole across the street from 100 Old Yonge.  When I got to Closs Square a neighbour asked me if my power was out.  She seemed very stressed.  I said no but when I get home I will call Power Stream.  I thought it was odd that I was the first to report the outage within our area.  I presume residents think Power Stream automatically knows.  Sometimes yes ... it depends on the type of problem.  If someone had reported the problem earlier, the outage would have been fixed earlier.  Think about that.   

Power Stream has been working on the large transformer behind the pine trees at Wilson Park.   Looks like they have replaced some parts within it.  Refer to slideshow on the left.    

Do you recall the numerous few second outages we experienced a few years ago.  It was terrible. Everywhere I went in the house it was always flashing 12:00 ... LOL.  This month Power Stream cleaned the lines from salt build up and trimed the branches around the above ground power lines within Valhalla.   Please refer to the slideshow on the left.  The ice storm could have been a whole other matter for us if this had not been completed before hand.  
DocuPet - Pet Licensing 
As reported last month our town has partnered with "DOCUPET" for pet licensing.  I was delighted that our town implemented a few of our suggestions but did not know they were going to hire an outside source.  

After weeks of ordering my Aurora Pet Tag Licence on-line it finallay arrived on March 22nd.  
The following was sent to our contact:
Hi ____:
Just so you know, the ID on the Aurora Pet tag I had received looks like it was put on with a laser.
If you look at the tags we had from previous years they were stamped. The tag # was actually indented into the tag so it could not be worn out. It maybe prudent for you to obtain a couple of trials with active dogs that will be wearing their tags at all times.
What I had found with lasered tags, depending on how active the dog is, washing the dog, elements of weather, … the ID fades and is not legible. Also, if there is another tag on with the dog, example rabies, custom ID, … that does not have a plastic rubberized buffer in-between the id is scratched off and/or rubbed off the tag more quickly.
Hopefully this is not the case with our tags but I wanted to give you a heads up.
It would be terrible if someone lost their pet who depended on the tag. If the pet was found with the tag it may take a long time before that pet could get back to it’s owner. FYI: There is NO year printed on the tag.
Cheers,
Eric
The following message was received by staff:
Hi Eric,
Thank you for the feedback! We are hoping the tags are durable and long-lasting, but it is hard to say how long they will last. Also, I was aware that there is no year printed on the tag. The hope is that eventually the tag will last a couple of years, and would only need to be replaced if lost or damaged.
If you come across any issues, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Regards,

Ok, now this is interesting, how would a bylaw officer who is checking a tag know that the tag is valid if the year is not printed on the tag?  If the tags are planned to be used for "X" years a bylaw officer would need to enter the number from the tag each time they check a dog.  Wow, that will be time consuming. 
Transport Canada - Takata recalls in Canada 
Is your vehicle on the list?  Mine is.  Here is a link -> http://bit.ly/1SEpvCg    Acura, Honda, Mazda, Infiniti, Nissan, BMW, Subaru, Chrysler, Toyota, SAAB, Mitsubishi, General Motors, Ford, Vokswagen  

I had received my official letter from Acura last week.  In short it reads: RECALL Driver's airbag inflator requires replacement. Problem: In the event of an inflator ruptures, metal fragments could pass through the airbag cushion material possibly causing injury or FATALITY to vehicle occupants.  Recall service parts arrival is targeted for AUTUMN 2016.  This could mean my vehicle will not be serviced for this RECALL until 2017.  I called my insurance company  since I pay additional insurance on the vehicle as a business vehicle so my clients / customers would be covered.  I was told I would need my clients to sign a waiver. OMG!  Like I'm going to do that.  Until this is fixed I will meet my clients at each property.  If this becomes a problem, that I think it will with some, I will need to take out extra insurance on my dependable Pontiac Montana Van with 170+K on it.  Of course this make is not produced anymore because it runs. LOL  BTW:  The letter states: "your dealership may reimburse you or give you a loaner vehicle."  Called Sterne Acura.  They said no.  Was I shocked?  

The charts / graphs for

Aurora Homes Sales Statisitcs
has been updated.
 
Click the home below to open a new window.


To view homes currently posted "For Sale" within Valhalla on the Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB) click here.   
It is my opinion, because of current pricing, you will see numerous properties being posted "For Sale" within Valhalla.
If these Sellers have no idea where to move too they maybe in for an unfortunate surprise.  

Below are the current . A U R O R A . Weather Conditions

 

 
Clever Ideas
  • Get rid of lime build-up on sinks by soaking an old rag in vinegar, then wrapping it around the faucet and clasping with a paper clip.  Let sit for an hour then take off the rag and dry faucet.  If real bad, let sit overnight.  
  • Fill a spray bottle with white vinegar to clean chrome and stainless-steel fixtures, and remove scum, grime and mildew from your bathtub, tile or shower curtain. 
  • Dollar Store paint brushes are great to clean both the surfaces and grooves of your collectibles.  Dust framed photos with a pastry brush that is softer than a paintbrush and easier to dip into corners and places that are difficult.  
  • Use a lint brush with disposable sheets to dust lamp shades and plant leaves.  It works but be careful.  
  • If your kids have silly putty, use a ball of it to help clean up glass fragments that may not be too visible if you broke a dish or glass. 
  • Wrap a rubber elastic band around the outside of a paint can so you will know the level of the paint within it.
  • Try using the side of a rubber band to help remove a difficult screw
  • Rubber bands can even be used to remove marks from walls or a mistake made with a pencil. 
  • Need another cup holder in your car?  Try using an old running shoe. 
  • The things you can do with dental floss.  Use it to help clean the blade on your can opener.  Use dental floss to cut soft foods such as cakes perfectly. BTW: you may want to ensure the floss is unscented. 
  • Use a muffin tin to serve condiments at a BBQ.
  • Use a clean dustpan to fill a container that doesn't fit in the sink. 
  • Toothpaste can be used for numerous things.  If your plastic car headlights are hazy, try cleaning it with toothpaste. 
  • Did you remember to change your furnace filter?   I change mine at least once a month.  The fan on my furnace is programmed to run 24hrs a day.   This helps to circulate and clean the air within the home.   I purchase the Garson material furnace filters at Canadian Tire 16x25x1  There are two in a package for $9.99 +HST   You may think your furnace filter is clean but take it out and put it next to a new one.  I'm sure you will see a difference.  Stay Healthy! 

Pictures taken during the melt after the ice storm March 25th & 26th
A P R I L   useful dates

Collection Thursdays
April 7th    Green Bin, Recycling, and our first Yard Waste pick up.
April 14th  Garbage, Green Bin & Recycling
April 21st   Green Bin, Recycling & Yard Waste
April 28th   Garbage, Green Bin, & Recycling

                                  Aurora Home Show  
Friday April 15th  4pm to 8pm 
Saturday April 16th   9am to 5pm
Sunday April 17th   10pm to 3pm
Please visit the St. John Ambulance (SJA) both #164 and pet a Therapy Dog.
 For more information check out the Aurora Chamber  

Aurora SPRING Clean Up Saturday April 23rd 

 
Volunteering
How many hours have you volunteered this month?   Try something you may enjoy doing. 



Until next month, keep safe, keep laughing, stay healthy, and say hello to everyone you meet. Do what you can to help those around you.  There is always someone worse off than you.   How fortunate most of us are.  
Cheers, Eric 
Web site: www.McCartney.me  



 
 
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