What a year Aurora had.
We completed our new arts and culture centre, built new parks, and came together at so many memorable Town-led special events. I want to thank all our active and engaged community members who take part in Town initiatives and who help guide our decision making through conversations, surveys and Council meetings.
Here are some of my top community highlights from 2024, and some of the exciting work ahead in 2025.
A central hub in the heart of downtown
Opening Aurora Town Square in the fall was undoubtedly one of my proudest moments as Mayor. Thousands of community members visited the new space during our weeks-long celebration, which featured live performances (including Sloan!), art exhibits and more. Town Square – the single biggest project in the Town’s history – has quickly become the vibrant gathering place we envisioned, with community members coming together to celebrate, connect, and immerse themselves in world-class arts and culture. This landmark project is also driving our downtown revitalization efforts, drawing visitors from across the region, boosting local businesses, and attracting new opportunities
Unveiling new outdoor spaces
Supporting people’s mental and physical well-being is a huge priority for the Town, so our ability to deliver and secure more outdoor spaces in 2024 was another big highlight. In October, we opened John Abel Park, a new outdoor space honouring our late, beloved councillor. In November, we finished Phase 2 of the David Tomlinson Nature Reserve trail. And just last month, we proudly unveiled the new playground at Town Park that features a wheelchair-accessible swing, making Town Park one of the few playgrounds in Ontario to offer this great innovation. What I’m most proud of, however, is the Town’s acquisition of three separate properties over the past year – 28 acres in total – for future park development. In the coming months, we’ll be seeking your feedback on how these spaces should be developed
Our amazing Town-led events
I couldn’t do a year in review without including our incredible Town-led events, three of which were honoured on Festivals and Events Ontario Top 100 list: Multicultural Festival, Haunted Forest and Christmas Market. Our events are attended by thousands and thousands of community members, and I really do love seeing our community come together to connect and create lasting memories. I can’t wait to see you all at these wonderful events in 2025 – you can visit aurora.ca/specialevents for the full list.
Unearthing our unique history
In June, a documentary about the restoration efforts at Aurora’s historic pet cemetery, produced in partnership with the Aurora Museum & Archives, won a prestigious Telly Award, which honours excellence in video and television worldwide. Winning the award was cool, but it’s the restoration work that’s truly fascinating. Believed to be Canada’s first pet cemetery, Happy Woodland Pet Cemetery opened in the 1930s but was neglected for decades after being sold in the 1970s. The Town acquired the land in 2011, and the Museum & Archives has been busy cataloguing over 800 pet burial sites, uncovering headstones, and working to define the original boundaries. We hope to one day reopen this special place to the public and pursue National Historical Site designation.
Confirmed: Aurora one of the best place to find that sweet balance
In May, Aurora was named as the sixth best place in Canada for work-life balance – second in Ontario! – in a study by online real estate marketplace Point2Homes. The study garnered significant media station, combing through 30 key metrics covering work intensity, health & wellbeing, and liveability. This was wonderful recognition for Aurora, but I wasn’t surprised by these results – work-life balance is a priority for so many of our residents and we’ve worked hard at the Town to support that through best-in-class recreation and cultural programming, as well as amenities.
2025 LOOKAHEAD
More spaces to enjoy
Our commitment to ensuring Aurorans have access to more beautiful and functional spaces will continue in 2025. We will officially open the 7,500-square-foot addition to the SARC in the first half of the year, featuring a new, full-sized indoor court. We will make numerous court improvements for pickleball and tennis players, upgrade playgrounds at Fleury Park, Evans Park and Tom’s Park, and redevelop the boardwalk at Benjamin Pearson Park. We will also be moving forward on two innovative partnerships: one with St. Anne’s School and Shining Hill to create a new community park and state-of-the-art turf field, and the other with the Aurora Barbarians Rugby Football Club to develop an additional turf field at Sheppards Bush. Both new spaces will be open to residents and local sports groups in 2025.
Modernizing Yonge
I’m also really jazzed about finalizing the streetscape design for improvements slated for Yonge Street between Wellington Street and Church Street, also know as the Aurora Promenade. This project is central in our efforts to ensure our downtown is a modern, vibrant and inclusive place that draws people in and keeps them coming back. Some elements of the redesign include light pole upgrades, sidewalks improvements, parking and traffic flow improvements, landscaping and more. We’ll have several opportunities in 2025 for the community to learn more about the project and provide feedback, so stay tuned!
Getting more shovels in the ground
A top priority for me in 2025 is working hard to ensure that anyone who wants to live in Aurora can do so. A big part of that is implementing measures to further streamline zoning and the development approval process. This includes tools like the Community Planning Permit System that combines zoning, site plan and minor variance processes into one application, helping ensure that we’re not only building more housing, but the right kind of housing that our community needs.
Thank you, Aurora, for an incredible 2024. Together, we’ve built, celebrated, and achieved so much, and I’m excited for what’s ahead in 2025. Let’s keep making Aurora the vibrant, welcoming, and forward-thinking community we’re proud to call home. Here’s to an amazing year ahead! as we work together to get things done….
