6 Friday, February 1, 2019 brooklintowncrier.com continued from page 5 Colgate. I hope to make an impact there and enjoy my four years and make great friends. If I get to stay in the national program, that's amazing. But if not, I think I ended it on a high. Whatever comes from that, I'll be happy with. Calabrese: I want to wind up strong with Durham West and hopefully that ends up with a gold medal. But if not, our team has done really well this year and no matter what we end with, if we keep moving forward, it'll be good. After that, I'm going to Princeton. I'd like to make an impact in my first year and build off of that. You've been chosen to be motivational speakers to a class or a team. What do you tell them? MacEachern: I think definitely to always work hard. Don't let setbacks get in your way. Dani and I have both faced setbacks, different ones maybe, but setbacks nonetheless. You need to keep your eye on the goal and whatever happens, just believe you have it within you to reach your goal. We've been dreaming about this for so long. Since I was selected to the U18 team last year, it's always been on my mind. Thinking now, everything that I've gone through in the last two years, like last year's team helped me get here. And to thank everyone who's ever been in your life. Calabrese: Kind of the same message as Maggie. Work hard and have fun. You perform a lot better if you enjoy what you're doing and the people you're around. Like Maggie said, being grateful for every opportunity you have. Taking advantage of it. Being thankful for the people who got you to that point. Everybody's path is a little bit different, so your setbacks shouldn't define you. Community Calendar Sat., Feb. 2: 9:15 am - 2nd annual Durham Rocks Charity FunSpiel, facilitated by the Durham Children's Aid Foundation Proceeds to support our most vulnerable children in Durham region, those affiliated with the Durham Children's Aid Society. The theme is "Canadiana" and there will be prizes awarded for the best dressed. Tickets are $100. Participants will play two sheets of ice and receive lunch, dinner and live entertainment. Sat., Feb. 2: Grand Opening: Love of Dog Wellness Centre off leash dog park Orientation at 10 am. (a monthly membership fee is required) To register, email Su at info@lovemydograwdiet.ca Web site: ForTheLoveOfDogWellnessCentre.ca Sat., Feb. 2: 5:15 pm Brooklin United Church Fundraiser Chili dinner and butter tart challenge (with 'blind' judging). Registration closes Sat., Jan. 26. To register and receive a challenger information sheet: Contact Karen Martin: 905-655-4945 For tickets, call church office at 905-655-4141 Adults $12.00, Children 5 - 12 years $5.00, Under 5 free Proceeds To Brooklin United Church A portion goes to 'bridge to a new home' refugee sponsorship program Sat.-Sun, Feb. 9-10: Wheelchair Rugby at Brooklin High School Ontario Parasports Games Games begin at 10 am on both days Sun. - Bronze medal game at 11:30 am Sun. - Gold medal game at 1 pm Fri., Feb. 22: 4:00 - 5:00 pm (4th Friday of each month) Teen Leadership Council at Brooklin Library Whitby Library's Brooklin Branch seeks Teen Leadership Council members to share ideas & assist with special events and programs. Grade 9-12 students earn community service hours. Snacks provided. No registration required. For information, email teenservices@whitbylibrary.ca. Sun., Feb. 24: 7:30-9 pm: Trivia Night At MichaelKelly's Eatery on Winchester and St. Thomas $20 per person cash only. Teams of 4-6 ONLY. Each team receives a large pizza and an order of garlic bread, with a beer per person. Winning team members will each get a $10 gift certificate to MK's. Register by emailing your name and number of team members to: editorofbtc@gmail.com Capacity is 42 people, so registration is first come-first served. Hosted by the BTC with all proceeds going to Prostate Cancer Canada Network (PCCN) Durham. French Family Storytime: Children and their caregivers can join Madame Sue for weekly French Family Storytime! A half hour of French stories and songs, with a dash of English! Drop in at Central Library's Children's Program Room Tuesdays: 7:25 pm: Brooklin Toastmasters Club Practice public speaking at Brooklin Community Centre & Library. Contact John Johnstone at jajhj@sympatico. ca or phone 905-683-4439 or Patricia Romano at promano257@outlook.com or phone 905-626-7055. 1st & 3rd Tuesdays Community Care Durham (CCD) Basic Foot Care at St. Thomas' Anglican Church. 905-668-6779 Mon.-Fri. CCD delivers hot or frozen meals. To order: Karen Andrews 905-668-6779 If you have a community not-for-profit event you would like included in the calendar, please email it to editorofBTC@gmail.com with the subject line "calendar." Priority will be given to Brooklin events. Some editing may occur. North Ward Councillor - By Steve Lee From Cannabis to Budget Cannabis was a very big topic here these past few weeks. I've seen many comments and had chats with many residents about it and what decisions we had to make before the provincial deadline of Jan.22 to opt in or out of having a retail store in town. By now, you've heard about the decision council voting 6-3 to opt out of having retail stores in Whitby and Brooklin. I should point out that even though I was one of the three who voted to opt in, I fully respect all council members and the decision taken. Here is the list of how each person voted: Opt In North Ward Councillor - Steve Lee Regional Councillor - Rhonda Mulcahy Regional Councillor - Elizabeth Roy Opt Out Mayor - Don Mitchell Regional Councillor - Chris Leahy Regional Councillor - Steve Yamada East Ward Councillor - Maleeha Shahid West Ward Councillor - Deidre Newman Centre Ward Councillor - JoAnne Alexander Cannabis is legal and is already in our town. There's no going back on that. The debate was about if a retail store should be allowed to exist, a topic that was debated by both sides. My view is that we should not be turning away a new business that would want to set up in Whitby. There were economic gains to be had as well as jobs. The province was also providing extra funding to those who voted to opt in before Jan 22. By opting out, Whitby will lose out on this funding and will not be entitled to it. Whether in or out, we would still have to deal with enforcement as well as the education of residents and our youth. These things exist as cannabis is legal. A store does not change it. A store gives people who choose to purchase it a safe regulated supply, a place to go in and talk with someone knowledgeable about the product. As well, I believe it would help reduce illegal sales in our town. Arguments against Those on the opt out side were against it because of lack of municipal control over the number and location of storefronts along with concerns regarding inadequate funding from the province and the inability to curtail its use in public areas. My argument was that we don't have a say in many types of stores in our town. This is a legal product and a highly regulated store. I did not have the same issues with having full control over the locations. As for public use, we had to address whether we'd have a store. I will be happy to speak with anyone who wishes to reach out and have a chat. As to upcoming business, the coming weeks will see us deal with the budget, another large topic. The budget will be presented to council on Feb 4 and the public will have a chance to have its say. Below are the important dates for everyone to make note of. Budget books released - February 4, 2019 Budget Overview and Public Input Meeting - February 11, 2019 Council Deliberations and Approval Meeting - February 19, 2019, 5:30 p.m., Special Council Meeting I encourage everyone to take a good look at it and come out to the meetings which are open to the public. There will be plenty to talk about regarding taxes, budget, the services the town offers, what's important to residents and what things we can do moving forward.