New hospital one step closer to reality with medical centre opening
by Justyne Edgell
Dreams of the new hospital that will replace Uxbridge’s beloved but ageing ‘cottage’ hospital became slightly more real last Friday as Uxbridge Health Centre formally opened its new location, and announced that plans for the new hospital, which will be in the same location, are moving ahead.
The new Oak Tree Medical Centre welcomed MPP Peter Bethlenfalvy, Regional Chair John Henry, Mayor Dave Barton, the senior leadership team from Oak Valley Health, and several other guests were on hand for a ribbon cutting for the new building. Following that, Markham Stouffville CEO Jo-Anne Marr, and Elena Pacheco, vice president of planning and transformation, applauded the new building, saying that it is one that has been long awaited and will be “a game changer for healthcare in the community.”
Through Marr, Oak Valley Health, the parent corporation of both Markham Stouffville Hospital and Uxbridge Hospital, shared the news that the new Uxbridge hospital build is now in Stage 2 of the capital planning process. The proposed new hospital will be on the same grounds as the current hospital, and will be connected to the Oak Tree Medical Centre building.
Dr. Jennifer Wilson, an Uxbridge physician and part owner of Oak Tree Medical Centre, says that the building was built with the new hospital plans in mind.
“It was March of 2018, when we, the somewhat nervous physicians of Uxbridge Health Centre, brought our vision to Elena, who holds the title VP of planning and transformation for good reason!” laughed Wilson while addressing the small gathering. “She listened to our vision for a bigger, brighter, greener clinic for our patients and trainees and quickly recognized that our vision integrated perfectly with the hospital’s vision of “Care Beyond our Walls.”
The 37,000 square foot building houses the physicians of Uxbridge Health Centre, who were formerly located in the Rexall plaza, south of town. Units in the new building are being prepared for other services and businesses to enter in the new year, including Annina’s Bakeshop, Oak Tree Medical Pharmacy (owned by Uxbridge Pharmasave’s Sameer Remtulla), and Alpha Laboratories.
Marr said that the new building, which is owned and operated by the physicians, will be “closely integrated with the hospital” and will help create a “one stop shop for medical and healthcare needs.”
The physicians say they took the environmental impact of the building into consideration while planning their new space. All lights in their second floor unit are on motion sensors, they implemented bio-swails into the parking lot to filter water run off, and are using specially designed eco garbage bins. There are also plans to implement solar energy to run the emergency lights for the helipad, and in the future, “hopefully all emergency lighting in the building,” said clinic administrator Debbie Edgell.
Uxbridge country gal wins first country music award
by Justyne Edgell
Uxbridge’s own Robyn Ottolini won the Rising Star title at this year’s Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) Awards.
On Monday night, in London, Ont., Ottolini took to the stage alongside other big names in Canadian country music including The Reklaws, Dallas Smith and more.
Along with her award win, Ottolini performed her breakout song “F-150” on the CCMA stage. In a Facebook post on Tuesday morning, she wrote: “I’m still shaking…I’ve had an absolute blast in the nose bleeds over the years but the stage felt warm and cozy last night.”
This has been a big month for Ottolini – she has released two singles, including her first holiday track, “Getting a Hangover For Christmas.” She has also been seen above Yonge and Dundas Square in Toronto, where she was featured on Spotify’s New Music Friday billboard for her new single, “Boujee On A Budget.”
Additionally, just last week Ottolini was announced as being one of the openers for Shania Twain at Boots and Hearts Music Festival in Oro-Medonte, Ont., next summer.
This is Ottolini’s first CCMA Award win, and with a career that seems to have an upward trajectory, Uxbridge can likely expect to see this “celeb” taking on bigger stages and gaining even more fans.
“This took a village of people I love who are passionate about making the world a better place by being honest and speaking the truth,” said Ottolini, “I couldn’t be more lucky or more blessed.”
Uxbridge sewage capacity actually an unknown
by Roger Varley
With a number of development proposals on the books or already under way, the subject of township sewage treatment capacity has been under discussion for several years. The recent unveiling of a 588-unit development proposed for land to the north of Quaker Village saw several residents complaining that Uxbridge does not have the sewage capacity to handle it.
In an attempt to obtain some definitive numbers, the Cosmos reached out to township officials for some details. Township planning consultant Elizabeth Howson said those details are not available at this time.
Howson pointed out that the region and the township both come up with different numbers when discussing capacity and with some of that capacity already allocated to such projects as the expanding Butternut retirement home and a new long-term care facility, it is difficult to crunch the numbers. She noted, however, that a new report on sewage capacity is expected early in the new year.
But, even though capacity is still under review, Howson said council has no choice but examine any new development proposals that come along.
Budget affected by COVID-19 and the unexpected
by Roger Varley
For Councillor Bruce Garrod, chair of the finance committee, the upcoming budget discussions will be a question of making hard decisions.
With revenues already affected drastically by the COVID-19 pandemic, Garrod now has to deal with an inflation rate close to a 20-year high, uncertainty at the gas pumps, increasing insurance rates and supply chain problems. As well, the contract for unionized township employees comes up for renewal next year. This combination of factors will see property tax rates increase when the budget is finalized early next year, although Garrod could not say just how much that increase will be.
“We have to take what we know today and work with it,” Garrod said on Tuesday, referring to inflation. As for gas prices, which were expected to rise again this week after a 10-cent-a-litre drop last week from record-setting levels, Garrod said it is the same as any householder planning a budget: “You still have to plan your life: you just have to keep your guard up.”
Garrod and Mayor Dave Barton joined Chief Administrative Officer Kristi Honey last week to host a virtual budget open house. They presented an in-depth look at where the township’s revenues come from, where they go and where the dollars that stay in Uxbridge are spent. It also explained exactly how property taxes are calculated.
As the presentation points out, revenue from township facilities such as the arena, community centres and Uxpool are still down considerably because of COVID-19 restrictions, although Garrod said those revenues should be returning to near normal in 2022. As well, money received from the province under the Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund has dropped from $1.2 million in 2012 to $400,000 in 2019.
Garrod said there are no significant savings to be found in the township’s operating budget, noting there are few, if any, additional cuts that can be made. As the presentation points out, the township is responsible for maintaining 329 kilometres of roads, and in the winter that means 658 kilometres of plowing. On top of that, the township has facilities, parks, trails and programs to run and maintain.
To illustrate the challenges facing the township on the operating budget, Garrod said grass cutting in parks, which is usually contracted out, will see prices going up because the contractors are facing rising insurance costs. In fact, some contractors are not even bidding any more because of their increasing costs.
As for the capital budget, all those roads, infrastructure and facilities cannot be put on the back burner until better times. One major expenditure under the capital budget will be the acquisition of a new fire truck to replace a 22-year-old vehicle.
“Delays make problems worse, which ends up costing more,” said Garrod.
As a case in point, Garrod said the new ball diamond at the Fields of Uxbridge could have been delayed, but that would have meant the township would miss out on government grants, meaning eventual higher costs for Uxbridge.
Property taxes paid on a house assessed by MPAC at $600,000 amounted to $6,218 in 2021. Of that, only $1,719 stayed in Uxbridge: the rest went to the region and to the province for education. Garrod said that if the budget sees a 4.5 per cent increase, that would increase the homeowner’s Uxbridge taxes by $77.
Three budget meetings are scheduled for December, beginning Dec. 7, with another three in January if needed. All meetings begin at 1 p.m. and are accessible to the public in virtual format. Garrod, noting that only five residents tuned in to the budget presentation last week, said he would like to see more residents take an interest in the discussions.
Merchants end Bruins’ mini-streak
by Roger Varley
A streak of five wins and a tie came to an end for the Uxbridge Bruins on Friday when the visiting Little Britain Merchants defeated them 3-1 at the arena.
In a game that had more “ohs” and “oohs” than a box of Cheerios, the teams provided the fans with an entertaining game. Only two minor penalties – one per team – were called during the game as both sides opted for a free-wheeling style of play. Both teams were guilty of numerous errant passes, which led to just as many quick attacks on the opposing goal.
Little Britain opened the scoring in the first minute of the game when Cole Kimble tucked the puck under goalie Jack Randall’s pads. Ten minutes later, Spencer Krabi evened the score, with assists going to Trent Underwood and Daniel Giorgio.
Apart from the two penalties, the second period was simply 20 minutes of back and forth.
Midway through the third, Randall was unable to zero in on a bouncing puck that went over his head and dropped in the net behind him for what proved to be the winning goal. Kimble added his second of the night as the period wound down. In the dying moments of the game, Steven Bozios suffered an injured arm in a collision behind the Little Britain net which left him yelling in agony.
The Cosmos selected Declan Meek as the Bruins player of the game and picked Braydon Leeking for the Merchants.
The loss dropped the Bruins to just under the .500 mark and placed them three points behind the fourth-place Lakefield Chiefs.
On Saturday night, with the fans already in their seats and the ice being flooded after the warm-up session, it was announced that the game against the Chiefs had been postponed because no referee or linesmen showed up to officiate. The game was supposed to make up for the opening game of the season, which was postponed because Lakefield failed to show due to a scheduling mix-up. Presumably, the teams will try another make-up game later in the season. At least the warm-up session gave the fans the chance to see the Chiefs in their “third” uniform, an impressive blue jersey that contrasted with their usual red. A Chiefs official said the team wears the third uniform about five times a year.
Local school families benefit when Uxbridge Cares
by Justyne Edgell
Holiday shoppers looking for gifts in local small businesses may see a basket for Uxbridge Cares, a holiday program aimed at providing “support to local families that have experienced significant hardships and are now in need of extra help during the holiday season,” and this is its fourth year in operation.
“The families supported by Uxbridge Cares are identified directly by the local public schools,” says co-founder, Michelle Lee. “We rely on the expertise and judgement of our incredible school administrators and educators to determine which families will need the most support.”
During the holiday collection period, baskets are placed in some of Uxbridge’s small businesses for community members to generously donate to the program. This year, baskets are placed in Pharmasave, Axis Chiropractic, The Bridge Social, Fig Kitchen & Market, The Cindy Wood Team, The Lemonade Stand, and Urban Pantry.
Lee says there are also some community partners who have stepped up with meaningful initiatives of their own to support Uxbridge Cares. Blue Heron Books will be having a book drive, H. Bee Architecture has a gift card tree, the Lemonade Stand will have a gift wrapping station for purchases going to Uxbridge Cares, Pharmasave is giving discounts on purchases for the basket made on December 11, re•fine Facial + Brow Studio will be offering a pay-it- forward gift card purchase at the end of every treatment, and Starbucks is raising donations towards Uxbridge Cares.
“The community spirit supporting Uxbridge Cares has been amazing and we’re excited and incredibly grateful to be able to continue to run this program year after year,” says Lee.
Those interested in learning more about Uxbridge Cares can follow it on social media, on Instagram at @uxbridgecares or on Facebook, and can email the program at uxbridgecares@hotmail.com
Local family physicians and a paediatrician host a town hall meeting to answer community questions about children and the COVID-19 vaccine. For those who missed this interactive information session, you can watch it here.
