Dear Santa

Living in Vaughan may be a blessing, but any good city always knows where improvements need to be made. For example, some have said our city lacks personality. Others say those who lead our city have too much personality.One thing is clear though: Santa will have his hands full once he receives our list.We asked around for some help on this one and it seems everyone had something to say. But here are the top items on our wish list.Now all we can do is hope we’re on Santa’s nice list.A unique identityStart with the biggest and perhaps difficult one.Right now, Vaughan is known for its big homes, quiet neighbourhoods and sprawling shopping malls but the city needs something to distinguish it from the rest of the 905.So far our claim to fame is we are the fastest growing city in Canada. But instead of letting traffic congestion become our legacy, we should ask Santa for something worth bragging about. How about making it a hot spot for fine dining? With Mezza Notte and Grazie’s moving north, we’re already well on our way.Another idea? Broadway North. The idea worked well in North York but now it’s time we brought some of that entertainment above the border.Student tech training“I’d like to see more funding for technology in our schools. I would love seeing a smartboard in every classroom and laptops to lend out to students who don’t have access to a computer. I’m in an area where our parent council does not have the resources to supplement whatever amount the ministry allocates per school/school board for technology.”— Elisa Krinsky, teacher, York Region Board of EducationMore subway routes

The war between cyclists and motorists knows no boundaries and it’s time Vaughan entered the battle.Bike lanes are of course a contentious topic in every city and we wonder how they’d be accepted in a car-centred community like Vaughan.Traffic congestion is a major problem in our city but maybe creating bike lanes would help encourage drivers to leave their SUVs behind in exchange for their two-wheelers.Granted, winters in Vaughan are tough for cyclists in any city so Santa, maybe along with some bike lanes, you can bring us some warm weather year round....and...You know what more bike lanes mean: we’ll need more bike riders to use them.You may think this is putting it backwards, social engineering at its worst. But seriously, people, you know you should be getting more exercise and using a bicycle is part of that — whether we have dedicated lanes on our roads or not. Vaughanites are way too car oriented with very few cyclists on its roads. That can’t be good for us.There are also some tremendous off-road areas for recreational cycling here as well.So this wish on our list is one for better health. Please, Santa, give our residents bicycles, but, even more importantly, give them the drive and energy to ride them.Helmets and lessons for safe cycling might also be good ideas.Support services“Vaughan is the most booming community in the Toronto area and in every dense population we see more people suffering from a variety of mental health disorders.Mental health is still in a large part a taboo subject that isn’t discussed and the closest support services are either in Markham or Toronto.“If I were to have something on Vaughan’s wish list, it would be to have services that are closer to home — dedicated services — to help improve the quality of life of its residents.”— Bryce Wylde, Host, Wylde on HealthWinter WonderlandWe’ve got Canada’s Wonderland but how are Vaughan families keeping busy in the winter?We propose a Winter Wonderland — an amusement park complete with rides on snow-capped mountains, a skating rink, igloo exhibit and sled races.We could even have a special section dedicated to Olympic winter sports and the local athletes who have made a difference.This is an expensive venture for sure, but also something that would make Vaughan stand out among other municipalities as an ideal destination to live and play in.An Occupy movementVaughan is getting a subway and attracting some big businesses to its downtown core. But what will it take for this city to be recognized as a major player in the GTA?An Occupy Vaughan movement.Okay, maybe not.But in all seriousness, Vaughan should ask Santa for some activism spirit.We have a few people in Vaughan who regularly speak out (some whom were covered here last month in our feature on local grassroots activism).But, by and large, Vaughanians need a movement to get themselves engaged and politically charged. Its own radio station