Town Brewery pop-up coming to Whitby waterfront

A popular Whitby brewery will be introducing a new pop-up location at the waterfront. On May 15, Whitby Council voted for a license agreement to be executed to allow Town Brewery to use the historic pumphouse – located at 269 Water St. - for up to five years.

The pop-up will offer food, alcoholic beverages and Town Brewery branded merchandise. The Pumphouse was built in 1904 as the first water pumping station in Whitby. It has sat vacant since 1984. Earlier this year, the Town completed restoration works to the building that will protect the and preserve it until a permanent future use is determined.

Work continuing on Parks and Recreation Master Plan

A report to Council says work is continuing on a new Parks and Recreation Master Plan that will provide recommendations to guide Whitby’s parks and recreation decisions for the next 10 years.

Whitby is expected to experience population growth of 25 per cent over the next 10 years, especially in areas like West Whitby and Brooklin. This growth will increase demand on parks and recreation amenities, programs, and services.

Community engagement for the new master plan took place from November 2022 to February 2023 with more than 4,700 people participating.

Some of the trends identified include: more demand for drop-in and unstructured activities so people can self-schedule; increased demand for multi-use recreation facilities and parks that can be used year-round; and technology improvements such as WiFi in parks.

Once the recommendations are developed, residents will be consulted to confirm that the recommendations reflect what was heard from the community. After the second round of consultation is complete, Town staff will report back to Council with a draft master plan in fall 2023.

Whitby’s 2022 sustainability highlights and plans for 2023

Council has received Whitby’s 2022 Sustainability Annual Report for information. The report highlights the Town’s sustainability actions to date and upcoming initiatives for 2023.

Key accomplishments for 2022 included: completing the Zero Carbon Whitby Costing Study and the development of the first carbon budget; establishing the Zero Carbon Whitby Revolving Fund, completing Phase 1: Resilience of the Whitby Climate Emergency Response Plan; and establishing the Community Greening Program.

Upcoming sustainability projects for 2023 include: implementation of the zero carbon projects identified in the 2023 budget; completion of Phase 2 Mitigation of the Whitby Climate Emergency Response Plan; starting development of an incentive program to support implementation of the Whitby Green Standard; and development of a Corporate Waste Management Strategy.

On May 15, Council approved no stopping and no parking restrictions on several streets. A “no stopping” restriction will be put in place on segments of Des Newman Boulevard in West Whitby, in response to concerns from the community.

On Jim Flaherty Street, businesses and heavy truck operators have reported concerns as a result of street parking when games or practices are taking place at the nearby park. “No parking” restrictions will be put in place between Nordeagle Avenue and the north terminus of Jim Flaherty Street  – this will still allow for people/equipment to be dropped off or picked up. Parking is available at Iroquois Sports Centre.

On Price Street in Brooklin, a “no parking” restriction will be implemented on the east side between Vipond Road and Way Street to address concerns from residents that vehicles parked on the road make it difficult to back out of driveways. When the road is narrowed due to snow windrows, parked vehicles can also make the street impassable to two-way traffic. The cost to supply and install the additional no parking/stopping signage is expected to be about $31,500.

Report on the 2022 municipal election

A new report from Town staff provides an overview of the 2022 municipal election in Whitby. The report, which was received by Council for information on May 15, notes 45 candidates registered to run for office, including candidates for school board trustee seats and regional chair. For the third consecutive municipal election, Whitby voters were given the option to cast a ballot at any designated voting location.

A voter exit survey showed 98 per cent of voters were either very satisfied (87 per cent) or fairly satisfied (11 per cent) with the paper voting method and 99 per cent were very satisfied (92 per cent) or fairly satisfied (seven per cent) with support provided by election officials at voting locations. Overall, satisfaction with the 2022 municipal election was up compared to results from 2018.

Voter turnout for the 2022 municipal election in Whitby was 23.26 per cent, down from 26.32 per cent in 2018. That’s consistent with a trend of voter turnout decline across Ontario from an average of 38 per cent in 2018 to 36.3 per cent in 2022. Data shows Whitby has seen a declining trend in voter turnout dating back to 1994.

For the 2022 election, Whitby candidates were permitted to post a photo, contact information, short biography and election platform on the Town’s website. In previous elections, only names and contact information were included and voters had to research candidates and their platforms independently.