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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
Construction Fun & Games

bringing rapid transit to your doorstep… a behind the scenes look at building a vivastation

Bringing rapid transit to your doorstep… a behind the scenes look at building a vivastation

Throughout the fall and winter, crews have endured every kind of weather Mother Nature has thrown their way, while installing the vivastation at Longford/Parkside and Davis. There are many detailed steps to constructing a vivastation, and as we shared with you last year, it takes careful planning and precision throughout those stages of the construction.

We’ve captured components of the delivery, installation and construction for the west and eastbound platforms at Longford and Davis on video to provide you with a behind-the-scenes look and better understanding of what it takes to build a vivastation. All of the vivastations that are built as part of the vivaNext bus rapidway project are an important component of the top-notch transit system in York Region. When the Davis rapidway is in service this December 2015, transit users will enjoy the convenience of the new-technology and innovative features that each Viva vehicle and vivastation offers.

As you can see in the video, the vivastation was constructed piece-by-piece, like a puzzle, and crews will continue braving the elements to add the finishing touches to the west and eastbound platforms at Longford/Davis throughout the year. The vivastations at Main and Southlake Regional Health Centre are also progressing right on schedule and will give transit riders all the same conveniences.

By the end of the year, Viva will be running on Davis Drive from Yonge Street to Highway 404 and residents and visitors to the area will begin to experience the benefits of having rapid transit at their doorsteps. We know living through construction hasn’t been easy and we’re grateful for everyone’s patience as we work as quickly as possible to complete this large undertaking.

 

Categories
Fun & Games

spending quality time with your loved ones – enjoy this Family Day weekend

click here to play the game: http://www.vivanext.com/vgame

Happy Valentine’s Day, and we hope you enjoy February’s long holiday weekend! It’s nice to have a long weekend to spend some quality time with family and friends and get out for some fun in this winter weather. York Region has a lot of great sites and events that you can explore on YRT/Viva transit. From skating at the Markham Civic Centre outdoor rink and the Richmond Green Skate Trail in Richmond Hill, to the Winter Wonderland at the Riverwalk Commons in Newmarket.

Here at vivaNext, our staff is also taking this time to rest, relax and rejuvenate so that come spring construction season, we are ready to get the shovels back in the ground. Although the cold temperatures and snow certainly slow down construction, work does continue on utilities and behind-the-scenes work. Check out the progress in your community at vivanext.com.

If you choose to stay warm and spend your time indoors this weekend, we challenge you to try out our puzzle game, have a little fun and see – can you beat the best time? http://www.vivanext.com/vgame

 

Categories
Fun & Games

happy holidays from vivaNext

Click here to see our holiday card - from us to you!

Click here to see our holiday card – from us to you!

We hope your plans this season include fun and relaxation, and celebrating with friends and family. We have plenty to celebrate after a productive year on all our projects.

Ringing in the New Year usually comes with a look back at the previous year, and some resolutions for the coming year. Our 2015 resolutions are all lined up in the form of goals for each project, and we’re proud to say that our 2014 accomplishments will give us the boost we need to achieve our 2015 goals.

A little rest and relaxation will help us prepare to keep up the momentum in 2015. For just a few days from December 25 to January 4, our offices will be closed.

Season’s Greetings to all and a Happy New Year – see you in 2015!

 

Categories
Community Events Fun & Games Ways to win

celebrate culture with vivaNext

celebrate culture with vivaNext

Experience culture from around the world right here in York Region!

This Sunday, July 20, Newmarket is hosting the fifth annual Around the World Multicultural Event to celebrate diversity in the community. From 12:00 pm to 8:30 pm, watch Newmarket Riverwalk Commons (200 Doug Duncan Drive – map) transform into a vibrant and unique cultural display. Indulge in a blend of delicious food and multicultural stage shows featuring music, dance, and theatre, all while learning about a variety of cultures.

Bring your family and friends to watch live performances on two different world stages, and interact with over 25 exhibitors eager to share food, crafts and information. Admission to the event is free and will take place rain or shine. In the case of inclement weather, all activities will be moved inside the Newmarket Community Centre & Lions Hall. For a full list of performance times and vendor types, see the main event page.

VivaNext is proud to be part of such a diverse community that values the culture, identity and opinions of its residents. We will be taking part in this year’s colourful festivities and we encourage you to join us. In between Zumba classes and First Nations’ teachings, be sure to stop by our booth to receive updates on the rapidway projects underway in your community. You can also try your luck on a scratch ‘n’ win card for the chance at some cool prizes.

Diversity is yet another reason why York Region is a great place to live, work, shop, and play so let’s celebrate!

 

Categories
Fun & Games Ways to win

summer – time fun!

summer - time for fun and games

 

Happy Canada Day everyone!

It’s summer, and most people are looking forward to enjoying the warm weather, taking time to make new memories, and maybe doing some travelling. A picture is just a moment frozen in time, but can tell a great story. If you’re travelling on YRT\Viva this summer, we’d like you to share your picture-stories with us by posting snapshots on Instagram of you and your friends enjoying a YRT\Viva moment in time around York Region. There are great shops and destinations around town and we know many of you are using transit to get there, so we encourage you to share those moments with us. We will be running a photo contest from July 1 to September 1, after which we’ll award a “Best Photo” prize – see the photo contest details.

As part of our summer moments in time contest, we wanted to also offer you a break for fun too. So if you like puzzles and games, try out your skills with our website game, and compete for the highest score in each level to win a prize!

We know everyone isn’t a photographer or a gamer, but if you enter your contact details in the photo contest or the website game, we’ll also add your name to a random draw on September 3, just for participating and sharing a moment of your time with us!

And last but certainly not least, be sure to find the vivaNext team in the community this summer, so you can talk to us about what’s happening with the projects. The construction along the corridors is in full swing; but it is nice to take a break for a moment in time…happy summer everyone, get out and enjoy.

 

Categories
Community Events Fun & Games

a big thank you

June 21 Davis Drive construction tours

This past Saturday, June 21st, vivaNext held construction tours and updates on the progress of the bus rapidway project in Newmarket. A combined 200 people came out between our 130 Davis Drive location and Main Street & Davis location for the day’s activities. “Construction Guy” and “Explorer Girl” welcomed families and residents as they engaged in interactive walking tours, received project updates, and enjoyed free ice cream.

Congratulations to the lucky winners of our ShopDavis prize packs, which featured goodies and services purchased from the businesses and restaurants along the corridor. The prize packs cover themes from Food & Drink  to Tech & Spa and really highlight the diversity of businesses that Davis Drive has to offer. Thank you for continuing to stop, shop and dine on Davis during the busy construction season. A complete list of winners and the businesses featured in the prize packs can be found on our website.

If you weren’t able to attend the event, all of the materials that were shared are available on our Past Meetings page, so you can read up on the latest information that you may have missed. You can also subscribe to project updates.

We’d like to extend a special thank you to everyone who attended the event. We couldn’t have asked for a better day, and we appreciate everyone’s support and interest. Our goal is to continue to keep you informed about the transformation of Davis Drive. It was great to speak with residents about the future of the rapidway project, and we hope to see you at similar events in the future!

 

 

Categories
Announcements Fun & Games Uncategorized

happy holidays!

Happy holidays! Spending quality time with family shopping, skating or just hanging out, Viva will make it faster and easier to take part in all the holiday fun across York Region. To help you and your family get in the spirit, here’s a fun little game for you to enjoy.

Categories
Fun & Games vivaNext.com

It’s April at vivaNext

Riding on transit is always a fun adventure with friends you just don’t know yet.

Check out what makes riding a bus the best way to go.

Happy April Fool’s Day!

Categories
Fun & Games General Live-work-play Rapidways Uncategorized Urban Planning

VivaNext has Olympic spirit!

vivaNext Olympics

The summer Olympics bring together the best and brightest of athletes around the world in a variety of summer sports, ready to compete. As we cheer on Team Canada in the vivaNext office, we notice some similarities between the dedication that each athlete has to his/her sport and the dedication that we have to our new vivaNext rapid transit system.

Athletes, whether participating in summer or winter Olympics, are forced to endure the elements when it comes to practice. Whether braving through cold to ski or melting in the heat practicing beach volleyball, these athletes continue to give it their all. Likewise, vivaNext has to work with the elements as we go through construction. In the summer months, it’s important that our construction workers stay cool under the hot sun. On days when it rains, construction can be at a stand-still, forcing us to work even harder the next day.

Just like any athlete, we have a team of coaches and supporting staff that are making the vivaNext vision a reality. From the engineering to communications teams to onsite supervisors, our success is a group effort. Although only the athlete may receive a medal, it is often a team effort, with coaches included, to help them reach the podium. Similarly, it is a team effort to ensure that the vivaNext transformation is a success.

And of course, there is something to be said for the speed at which athletes that cycle, row, or run track travel. They are constantly looking to move faster and improve their travel times. Our rapidways will help reduce congestion and provide a reliable rapid transit network along our corridors as well. We’ll reduce travel time by up to 40%, and make reaching your destination easier and more efficient.

At the vivaNext office, we are supporting Canadian athletes through our own office Olympics. Departments are virtually going head-to-head to earn medals for different sports. How are you supporting Team Canada? Is there an athlete that you’re rooting for? Let us know by commenting below!

If you’re interested in learning more about the vivaNext projects, visit us at www.vivanext.com. You can also sign up to receive e-mail construction updates here.