Category: Community Events

Categories
Community Events Video

next stop… Yonge! the sky is the limit!

YouTube video: next stop... Yonge! Colouring Contest

What do you get when you give imaginative minds a box of pencil crayons, paper and creative license to draw their vision of the future of transit? Some pretty amazing masterpieces!

This fall we teamed up with the Town of Newmarket’s Recreation and Culture Department along with the Newmarket Public Library to give kids between the ages of 6-12 a challenge. We wanted to see their vision of what transit on Yonge Street will look like in the future. We received many colourful masterpieces brought to life as part of our Next Stop….Yonge! Colouring Contest.

Check out our latest video for a glimpse of the amazing entries we received. We’re sure you’ll agree that selecting our winners was no easy task. Congratulations to Avery [age 6-8], Sienna [age 9 and 10] and Olga [age 11 and 12]! Visit the contest page to see all the artwork we received.

We can’t wait to see what the future of transit holds for the next generation, the sky is the limit based on their imagination!

To find out what we’ve been up to in your community, check out our community events page.

 

Categories
Community Events Fun & Games Live-work-play

that’s entertainment

The towns and cities of York Region offer lots of fun, entertaining activities in the summer months. Whether you’re in the mood to catch a movie and play some games at the arcade, or you’re more drawn to live entertainment, there’s something for you!

Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts

Located in the heart of the historic downtown area, the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts [RHCPA] is a state-of-the-art performance space that seats over 600 people. Featuring a variety of performances from acclaimed, professional artists, RHCPA performances celebrate the wide range of cultures in York Region. Follow the link above for schedules and ticket information, and be sure to check out the list of free summer concerts.

Newmarket Music in the Park

Every Thursday and Sunday night throughout the summer months, the Newmarket residents gather by Fairy Lake to enjoy an evening of culture, music and fun. Music in the Park is a free event hosted by the Town of Newmarket. Featuring performances from local entertainers, it’s a convenient, low-key evening that the whole family is guaranteed to enjoy. Come on out and support your local performers – they may just be the next big star!

Vaughan Colossus

Is there any better way to spend a humid, rainy summer day than taking in a movie with your friends or family? At Vaughan’s Colossus Cineplex, located right off Highway 7, you can catch all the latest flicks with your nearest and dearest. Additionally, Colossus is decked out with an XSCAPE Entertainment Centre, so you can spend time before and after the movie winning tickets for prizes in this interactive arcade.

If you haven’t visited one of these, add it to your list this summer – maybe it’ll be your new favourite place to go. York Region has lots of entertainment, and whether it’s indoor or outdoor, live performances or movies on the big screen; it’s all just a short transit ride away.

 

– Sydney Grant, student Public Relations Coordinator

Categories
Community Events General Live-work-play

pick a park, any park …

pick a park, any park ...

The summer months are often a chaotic time of year when it comes to finding fun, convenient activities that the whole family will enjoy.  This summer, let us help you plan the perfect outing.

Summers in the towns and cities of York Region provide residents with perfect places to spend time outside. Whether it’s picnics, playgrounds, fishing, or just good old fresh air and sunshine, York Region’s parks are an outdoor oasis.

Newmarket’s Fairy Lake

Fairy Lake is a staple location for Newmarket fairs and festivals throughout the summer months. Located just south of Newmarket’s Historic Main Street, this park serves as an urban greenspace in the heart of the town. Featuring playgrounds, gazebos and easy access to the Farmer’s Market at the Newmarket Riverwalk Commons, there is something for everyone. The new Viva service drops you off right at the top of Main Street for easy access.

Vaughan’s Chancellor District Park

Located in Woodbridge, just off of Ansley Grove Road, Chancellor District Park is a go-to greenspace in the community. Outfitted with an outdoor splash pad as well as a playground, this park is an ideal place to take children of all ages to for a day of outdoor fun. On August 3, 2016, this park is hosting a Michael Jackson tribute concert as part of the City of Vaughan’s Concerts in the Park series. If you see our vivaNext booth at a Concert in the Park, be sure to drop by and chat with us!

Markham’s Milne Dam Conservation Park

Located just off of Highway 7 and Markham Road, coming in at 305 acres, Milne Dam Conservation Park is an idyllic place to hike and bike with your family. Featuring 2.3 kilometers of trails running through the forest, a beach area and picnic tables, Milne Dam Conservation Park is the perfect place to immerse yourself in on a sunny day.

Whether it’s the walk in the park after dinner or a concert in the park across town, there are pockets of nature all around the region for everyone to enjoy. So get out your bikes, your picnic blankets and Frisbees because there’s lots of summer left to enjoy and with convenient and fast Viva service ready to take you were you want to go – it couldn’t be easier! Enjoy!

– Sydney Grant, student Public Relations Coordinator

Categories
Community Events Fun & Games

Happy Canada Day!

Today, Canadians across the country are celebrating the 149th anniversary of confederation with a well-deserved sum-sum-summertime day off and long weekend.

At vivaNext, we’re happy and proud to be building rapid transit and creating jobs in wonderfully diverse and fast-growing York Region – the best place to live in Canada!

There’s a great selection of events to enjoy this weekend, including the public debut of the Pride of Canada Carousel. In place of the usual ponies, this incredible carousel includes 44 quintessentially Canadian characters, like a Mountie, a moose, a bumblebee and a beaver, to name a few. Check it out at the Markham Canada Day celebration, noon to 5:00 p.m., Friday July 1 at 162 Enterprise and Birchmount – Viva can drop you right at the door with fast, easy service.

Check out more local York Region Canada Day events in Vaughan, Richmond Hill, Markham, Newmarket and Aurora – and in the nation’s capital.

As you take part in these celebrations, we wish you a fun, safe long weekend enjoying all the things Canada has to offer. Make your commute more enjoyable and take transit as part of your holiday adventures this weekend.

 

Questions or comments? Comment below or email us at contactus@vivanext.com. To stay up-to-date on construction, sign up for email updates at vivanext.com/subscribe.

 

Categories
Community Events Going Green

it’s all about trees >> and numbers >> on Earth Day 2016

Lad with earth day tree

Today, Earth Day turns 46. What does middle age mean for this global environmental event? An exciting theme and an ambitious goal: the Global 2016 theme is “Trees for the Earth”.

And as Earth Day edges closer to celebrating its half-century anniversary, Earthday.org is asking people around the world to plant trees, with the hope of reaching 7.8 billion trees planted by Earth Day 2020.

That’s one tree for every person on the planet!

In Canada, it’s the celebration of the 25th anniversary of Earth Day Canada, and citizens in this country are invited to participate in the #Rooting4Trees ‘pledge and plant’ campaign. The goal is to help grow a forest of 25,000 trees.

For our part here at vivaNext, we enthusiastically embrace and support the goals of Earth Day. Earth Day serves as our annual springtime reminder that we’re on the right track, as we continue building transit treasuring and protecting the natural environment, promoting smart growth, and building vibrant, livable cities, and healthy communities.

Following the theme of trees, very soon, you’ll see crews planting trees, shrubs and greenery along the Davis Drive rapidway and along Highway 7 West in Vaughan.

And in support of the movement to care for the earth – and to thank the Newmarket community for their patience during construction – watch for vivaNext at the Town of Newmarket’s upcoming Community Cleanup & Fun Day on Saturday, May 7.  We hope you stop in and see the vivaNext team.

Happy Earth Day, everyone!

Categories
Communications Community Events Construction

7 ways to communicate with vivaNext

YRRTC many ways to communicate

We want to hear from you!

If you’ve ever had a question about vivaNext, about construction in your neighbourhood, or about local business support during construction – we invite you to talk to us!

We’ve made sure that there are, literally, umpteen ways that you can communicate with us and we can regularly communicate with you.

  1. Sign up for notices
    Because coping with construction is a lot easier when you know what to expect, we routinely send email construction bulletins to thousands of subscribers with details about impending lane closures and information about exactly what’s going on. Check out a recent sample, and then sign up at www.vivanext.com/subscribe and select the project that’s relevant to you.
  2. Send us an email
    Have a comment or question? Contact us by sending us an email at contactus@vivanext.com.
  3. Contact your Community Liaison Specialist
    Community Liaison Specialists are here for you, covering each section of the vivaNext project and available to answer your questions and address your concerns. Find out more about the CLs.
  4. Visit us at your nearest Project Information Centre
    You are welcome to come visit us in person to chat, ask questions, provide feedback, see project maps and obtain more information. Here’s where to find us at these public offices, along with our office hours.
  5. Read the vivaNext blog
    We post new articles every week, providing details about the projects, and it gives a chance to read about what’s going on behind the scenes with construction, get information about transit and city planning, and the various topics of the day. You’re always welcome to comment, and we’re happy to respond. Or, let us know if there is a subject you would like to know more about.
  6. Visit us out in the community!
    Throughout the year, you’ll be seeing Community Liaisons and other vivaNext staff at different events and festivals to help keep everyone informed and to find out what you’re thinking. For information about the upcoming events we’ll be participating in this year, check out our Community Events page.
  7. Engage with us on social media
    We encourage you to follow us on Twitter, where we share all of our construction notices and other information, and to be sure to like us on Facebook, where we share interesting articles, cool retro photos and each new blogpost.

We’re all eyes and ears and we look forward to hearing from you soon!

Categories
Community Events

Newmarket Jazz Festival

Newmarket Jazz Festival

It’s already the middle of summer, and despite the heat, we hope you’ve been out in the weather, having fun. This weekend, the Newmarket Jazz Festival is the place to be for great music, fun activities for the kids, and food and vendors of all kinds.

Come out Friday night, 5:30-11pm – for the free t-shirts [first 500 ticket-holders], activities and music on two stages. On Saturday and Sunday from noon to 11pm and Monday from noon to 8pm, there will be more music, a Creative Kids Zone and special performances for the kids.

The vivaNext team will be there handing out scratch ‘n’ win cards, so stop by our booth and chat. And have a happy and safe long weekend!

 

Categories
Community Events Fun & Games

make some #connections this summer

Happy Canada Day!

Happy Canada Day!

It’s that time of year again, as the temperature rises and schools close, we start making plans for the summer. No matter whether you’re planning to take a big vacation or find fun and excitement in York Region, know that Viva is there to make your trips for work, shopping or playing a fast and enjoyable experience.

But on a day like today, we’re concentrating on the fun. Join us at events across York Region this summer in your community.  This July 1, our vivaNext team will be out celebrating Canada Day at the Kanata Summer Festival in Newmarket.

itching for ways to win?

Pick up a scratch ‘n’ win card from our vivaNext team at your next community event. We’ll be handing out vivaNext scratch cards for a chance to win one of 12 PRESTO cards, or one of three iPad Air 2 tablets. Both are perfect for getting you around town or staying connected to the people and places we love most. A PRESTO card is the most convenient way to get around town, connecting YRT/Viva, GO buses and trains, and the TTC with one card! And the iPad Air 2 is equally convenient for business or pleasure with a wide selection of apps to choose from [like this one, perhaps?]. For complete details, visit our website, or go straight to the rules and regulations.

up for a challenge?

For those who enjoy games check out our summer on-line game – another PRESTO card is up for grabs. The highest score wins, so play early and often to better your score. Play the #Connections Summer Game here.

Davis Drive walking tours in Newmarket

Looking for something to do this summer? Show your support for Davis Drive businesses with a short, guided walking tour of the new rapidways under construction. See the progress in action! Best of all, you’ll receive a $10 voucher to use at a participating Davis Drive restaurant on the day of your tour. Space is limited, so please register for a date and time convenient to you.

There is a lot happening around town and we hope to see you out and about this summer. In the meantime, Happy Canada Day everyone!

 

Categories
Community Events

engaging the community – and listening to you

engaging the community – and listening to you

One of the best things about springtime is how much more we all get outside – and that especially includes the many events in the communities in York Region. From festivals to farmers markets, home shows and other events, it’s important that we’re out and about, talking and listening to you.

In April, many of you visited us at our booth at the Aurora Home Show, where we were able to chat with several hundred people. People were very interested in making sure the Heritage Area along Yonge Street is properly protected – we were able to reassure you of the plans for Viva to continue to drive in mixed traffic through the Heritage blocks, rather than widening the road as in other areas. We also attended the Newmarket Home Show in March to make ourselves available to the community to answer questions and talk about the Rapidway and the construction along Davis Drive. We had some good conversations – this community remains very engaged in the plans and are looking forward to the end of construction!

In May, we were at the Richmond Hill Home Show talking about the Highway 7 East and Yonge Street rapidways, and we shared in the fun at York Region’s Family Fun Day in East Gwillimbury.

Throughout the summer, you’ll continue to see us at festivals and events. And throughout the year, we’ll be talking to business owners, property owners and local communities to ensure everyone is aware of ongoing and upcoming construction activities, and to help you plan ways of dealing with temporary road diversions and lane closures. Because we’re building where you live, shop, work and play, you’ll be seeing Community Liaisons and other vivaNext people at different events and festivals to help keep everyone informed.

Want more information on where you’ll find the vivaNext team? Check out our Community Events page.

 

Categories
Community Events

time for some family fun…

time for some family fun...

York Region’s Public Works and Emergency Medical Services [EMS] departments are hosting a Family Fun Day this weekend, and we’ll be there too to help recognize the importance of these services, and to have some fun!

We hope you can drop by our booth while you’re there, and be sure you take part in some of the activities, including:

  • Give transit a try and ride Viva through the bus wash facility in Newmarket [we especially recommend this activity!]
  • Tour the facilities at 80 and 90 Bales Drive, and see interesting equipment and vehicles
  • Watch or take part in the bike rodeo and bike helmet demonstrations
  • Food and refreshments at a charity BBQ [11:30 – 2pm]
  • Free garden mulch with a donation, and contests and prizes
  • Meet Pylon Pete, Barkley the Tree and Parry the Paramedic

So let’s enjoy the nice weather, spend quality time with family, and come see some of York Region’s services. We’ll see you there!

For detailed information about York Region’s Family Fun Day, visit York.ca.