 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON September 27, 2012 The vehicle pull down Brant Street by those marvelous people at city hall who keep the wheels turning in this city usually marks the beginning of the annual United Way program.
 Great weather to be outside, enjoy a burger and contribute to the United Way Campaign and be part of a team that pulls a fire truck down Brant Street. The weather is usually good, the crowd is enthusiastic and they have some fun while they are at it. The Fire Department has been the traditional winner of this event but last year Planning took the trophy – if memory serves me right they had two teams in last year.
 While the firemen took the trophy their anchor took a tumble for the team when he got the rope tangled around his feet. This year the Fire Department took the trophy back – Planning didn’t seem to be able to find the trophy they were given so it might be a bit before they actually get the thing.
It has to be noted that the vehicle being pulled this year was a fire truck – and while we aren’t suggesting the man behind the wheel had his foot on the brakes when others were pulling the thing – you know, the fireman might not have liked the idea of people who use their brains and their fingers to get their work done taking the prize for an event that calls for muscle and brawn. .
 Kim Phillips, one of the city’s General Managers with a focus on the administrative and financial side of the place – gave it the old high school try when she jumped into the line, grabbed the rope and pulled. Wasn’t quite enough – the firemen took the trophy this year. Not to be the least bit negative but last year the Clerk’s department had costumes that were a delight to see and the day had more teams out on the street – at least that was my recollection. Last year Lee Oliver played a bigger role in this event – bring him back.
City hall has been doing this vehicle pull for more than ten years and it might be time to come up with something new and different – jazz it up a bit more maybe. Staff clearly want to be part of an event. They have fun; Civic Square was close to packed.
The Burlington portion of the 2012 United Way Campaign is $2.1 million. That’s a big number that Burlington chair Paddy Torsney is going to have to be very creative to achieve. She has a strong team with a lot of new people taking part – many who are quite a bit younger than what United Way has been able to recruit in the past.
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON September 29, 2012 I was out on the Pier Friday afternoon – I mean out on the real pier, not just the part that is built on land – I was out there over the water. I wasn’t out on the trestle that is in place for heavy equipment to use. I was out there, right over the water, and I can tell you – you’re going to love the place when you get your chance to walk out on that Pier.
I realize I’m beginning to sound like a public relations flack on the Pier. It is a significant project that has had every problem you can imagine and it is going to cost close to three times the original price. We will tell you the full story once we have all the pieces. For now – we want to tell you about a Pier you are going to be immensely proud of and one you will want to walk out onto frequently. The Mayor’s office is already penciling in some plans for the opening ceremony.
Yes, the thing is costing us a fortune – and the spending isn’t over yet. And we’ve not heard a word about how much we are spending on the lawyers. They must just love this case.
But the focus today is on the pier and its progress. It is taking forever. When I was on the site there weren’t very many people around. The construction crew had been sent home and given a chance to get an early start on what looks like a great fall weekend. Some bolts – 450 of the things – needed to continue with the construction work weren’t on the site – so the crew got sent home.
The site is cold in the mornings now – the constructions workers wear hoods over their helmets. The fall weather is going to cut into the time the crews can work. They now work Saturday’s and they will be working Sundays as they get into the fall. That is going to mean getting a waiver on Sunday work and there will be people at the Waterfront Hotel who won’t like the sound of a construction crew on a Sunday morning after a wedding reception.
 Brad Cassidy, current project coordinator, serving as a fill in for the project manager, shows how thick the concrete base will be. Up to half way between his knee and his ankle. Next week there will be more steel on site and the hope is that come the end of the week the concrete people will begin to actually pour concrete.
 I wasn’t quite sure what the construction people meant when they talked about pier caps so city project manager Craig Stevens did a drawing on a scrap of paper. The wavy line is the water, the horizontal lines are the deck. Immediately beneath the deck is the re-bar and the concrete that will be put in place to bind the deck to the caissons. The pier is built atop seven sets of caissons. Atop each of these caissons they build a pier cap, which is what keeps the deck and the caissons together. Concrete and re bar – loads of the stuff get laid down. The concrete forms are put in place and then concrete poured.
Concrete can’t be poured in cold, cold weather. They can use propane tanks and large tarps to shelter the decks but it gets very windy out there. The real hope is that we be favoured with an “Indian Summer” and that the crews are able to get a lot of work done in the next 30 to 45 days.
That’s where we are now. The going forward part is dependent on the weather and while everyone hopes and many think the weather will hold – that’s something the construction crews have no control over.
 Those bars at the front of the picture are where the first set of seven caissons is located. A cap will be built atop the caissons and then concrete poured. The second pier cap will go in seven diaphragms up – the diaphragms are those cross beams keeping the girders apart. The last of the steel is expected to be on site the second week of November but we may see that steel sitting out there over the winter.
The project has had its problems on the city side of things but there are problems as well on the contractor’s side. Doug Dillon, the Graham Infrastructure Project Manager is no longer with the company and that has much of the day to day load falling on the shoulders of Brad Cassidy, a nice guy who certainly has the capacity to grow into a Project Manager. He is currently the Project Coordinator. Jim Rosien is going to serve as the Project Manager for now. Rosien is also the General Manager for Graham in eastern Canada – so the top man on this project is working his way through a very full plate. Not a confidence inspiring situation.
The contractor, Graham Infrastructure, has had six project managers cycle through this site – far, far too many. The city staff are at times close to spitting out teeth in frustration.
Quality Control and Quality Assurance are being a little overdone but don’t expect the city to tell you that. Everyone is making darn sure that there are no mistakes.
The beacon section of the Pier is being put together and the railing that will be in place is having small adjustments to the design done. We might be able to show you pictures of those parts in the near future.
Right now – the focus is on the weather – will it be a mild fall and early winter? If it is – we will see a Sound of Music opening. If there is snow soon – all bets are off.
On the legal side – things are moving along like molasses in December. The next step, Examination for Discovery was scheduled to start in November, has now been moved back to late January because of a conflict with a vacation schedule. This time it was a senior city staffer that decided it was a good time to take a vacation and January is a nice time to go south. Problem is that this staffer is a key element in the city’s case. There are some people at city hall very, very ticked off. This sort of thing wouldn’t be tolerated in the private sector.
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON September 28, 2012 Every Mayor decides at some point, what kind of a mark they want to make on the city they are leading. That mark is a combination of their hopes and dreams for the city; their background and experience and then the people they know who can help them fashion the mark they are going to leave.
That’s the dream – and it bumps into the cold hard reality of the world of politics and people and the economy they have to deal with.
There is a load of frustration and disappointment in being a Mayor and while many think the Mayor is “popular” and can call anyone for help – the truth is – it is very, very lonely at the top.
 Saturday evening the Mayor’s Cabaret will be held at the Burlington Performing Arts Centre. Getting the production to the stage was a bumpy road. A delay with the show date and a tremendous amount of work by the Mayor’s staff hasn’t produced the results they wanted. These events have to be carefully worked through to determine who the audience is supposed to be and then figuring out how you get them into the building.
It isn’t going to be a sold out event – and there probably won’t be a second Cabaret.
Burlington doesn’t have a long tradition of Gala’s headed up by the Mayor. This type of event became popular in the 90’s with former Mayor Rob MacIsaac holding the first event and using it to raise funds for the Community Development Foundation.
 Former Mayor Jackson ran a different kind of Gala and then ran afoul of the city manager and didn’t hold an event his last year in office. Mayor Jackson ran a different form of Gala and then ran into some difficulty during his final year in office with his event. Jackson went on to lose the election – not because of the way his Gala`s were run we might add. After leaving City Hall Jackson became a lobbyist for a professional organization. We are advised that he has since left the group he was representing.
There are former Mayors who don`t feel events like this should be run out of the Mayor`s office. Mayor Goldring has found that putting on an event like this eats up far too much of his staffs’ time.
The event won`t be a bust – but it will probably be the last one sponsored by the Mayor.
Rick Goldring is doing something else that matters – and it is with his Inspire series of speakers that we can expect to see change – albeit not in the short term. Planting new ideas in the minds of a community that tends not to take on new ideas easily is a challenge. What Goldring has done is find speakers who have ideas and something to say that can lead the city in a different direction and give us something to base our decisions upon.
The first speaker was Chris Hume of the Toronto Star who made no bones about what he thought of what McMaster University had done to the city. He saw their decision to back out of putting a campus into the downtown core as “morally repugnant”
Hume got the event off to a strong start and it has been uphill from there. The events have been held at McMaster’s DeGroote campus on the South Service Road but have moved to the Performing Arts Centre where they come close to full house events.
 The speaker at the Mayor’s next Inspire series will be Dr. Samir K. Sinha, Director of Geriatrics, Mount Sinai and the University Health Network Hospital And it is on this level, stimulating the minds and the imaginations of the community where Mayor Goldring has chosen to make his mark. Later this Month Dr. Samir K. Sinha, Director of Geriatrics, Mount Sinai and the University Health Network Hospitals, will speak on how we care for our aging population, which for Burlington is going to be a huge challenge.
While it is the hospital that will actually deliver that care – it is the community that is going to have to communicate to the hospital what kind of care that it wants, needs and is prepared to pay for. The $60 million given to the hospital by the city on behalf of its taxpayers has to stand for something.
 Ken Greenberg explained the role the large pension funds are playing in the development of the downtown cores of Mississauga and how his group had worked with developers in Toronto. It is now clear what this Mayor wants to do – he wants to get people thinking; he wants to bring new ideas to the table and create discussions that result in a public ready to do things differently. He has certainly brought in excellent speakers. Andre Picard talked about where the public health business was going; Ken Greenberg talked about the way major developments were being done and who the players were in the development game.
Gil Penalosa told the city how we could make more and better use of bikes and “create vibrant and healthy cities for all: from 8 to 80 years old”. His focus was the design and use of parks and streets as great public places, as well as on walking and cycling for recreation and transportation. Out of that talk came the two Car Free Sundays we had this summer. One of the two was a strong success – closing Brant Street didn’t go as well. Will we do it again? We should.
The city got a bronze level award for the way we have begun to focus on getting people outdoors and using bicycles more frequently. Burlington loves getting awards and this one will probably spur the city into doing more bike related stuff. There is a night ride scheduled by a group in the city this weekend.
 The two Car Free Sundays went well enough to try again next summer – although many of the people stuck in their cars may not think it was a good idea. The idea was to get those people out of their cars. All very good speakers – BUT, and this is not meant to rain on the Mayor’s parade – is anyone listening to these speakers; are they being heard? The city is currently looking into what it wants to do and can do with its employment lands – those properties that will hold the office buildings and high tech, high value added manufacturing operations the city needs.
Time and again we hear the consultants we hire telling council to “do your homework”. The Molinaro’s recently announced the purchase of the large lot in front of the GO station on Fairview, to the east of Wal-Mart and will be moving forward with their plans to develop the property.
During the Workshop the city held earlier in the week on the Employment Lands Councillor Jack Dennison (Ward 4) asked if maybe the Molinaro’s could be asked to include an office building in their plans. The Molinaro’s didn’t get to where they are with that kind of woolly thinking. They have already decided what they want to do with that property and have it all costed out.
That the city doesn’t know what they have planned suggests that perhaps some Council members are still using rotary dial telephones and have forgotten how to use them.
The Mayor fully understands the gravity of the problems we have and he is doing a part of the job that needs to be done. He does need to immerse himself into the talks with the developers and not leave that to the Economic Development people – nothing is getting done over there.
But the Mayor can’t do it all – the rest of us have to do our homework.
If we don’t do things differently – we won’t continue to exist.
 By Margaret Lindsay Holton
BURLINGTON, ON September 28, 2012 You may recall the recent spat between the Mayor of Toronto’s brother, Doug Ford, and Margaret Atwood, famed Canadian literary icon. Aside from the eye-opening revelation that Mr. Ford had no idea who Ms. Atwood was, he and his brother, Mayor Rob Ford, on elected promises of tax cutting, were about to eliminate several community libraries. Quelle Horreur!!! The Twittersphere exploded. Facebook campaigns were hatched. Newspaper headlines joined the harangue. Canadian literati rose en masse and Ms. Atwood became their witty champion. A ‘Libraries-Are-Essential!’ REVOLT erupted.
And yet, really, have public libraries become a subsidized luxury that we, as a debt-ridden democracy, can no longer afford?
The naysayers say NO. They do believe public libraries are invaluable venues for all strata of society to not only access current information, but as research centres and repositories of our diverse social histories, local and global.
 Maureen Barry, CEO of the Burlington Public Library and a consummate professional has overseen the move deeper into electronic media yet keeping real books on shelves. As Maureen Barry, CEO of the Burlington Public Library writes, “For 140 years, generations of Burlington residents have helped shape who we are and what we do.” She goes on, “Our thriving library system is a testament to the many citizens who have supported their public library as patrons and volunteers.”
Consider this. Public libraries as an IDEA of ‘free and open access to the public’ only really caught on in Victorian England. Prior to that, public access to cherished sacred and secular written texts – and a better education – was pretty much non-existent. Illiterate serfs remained illiterate serfs. Public access, of sorts, initially began during the violent upheaval of the French Revolution (1789-1799) when cleric manuscript collections and rich nobles’ private libraries were confiscated and became ‘state property’. Over 300,000 items became a part of the newly conceived national library, the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris. “Old ideas of monarchy, aristocracy and religious authority were abruptly overthrown by the Enlightenment principles of equality, citizenship and inalienable human rights.” These principles were a natural outcome of the invention of the printing press during the 15th century. “The affordability of the printed word boosted the democratization of knowledge.” (Wikipedia) And that democratization became the cornerstone of today’s democratically inspired public library service, a service available to the general public regardless of wealth or education.
The first known library in Canada was established at a Jesuit seminary in Quebec City in 1635. The public were not allowed access. The first public library in Lower Canada was founded in Montreal in 1796, a mere seven years after the French Assembly in Paris published the first ‘Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen’. The first public library in Upper Canada opened in Niagara in 1800.
It took another 100 years to build a proper public library in Burlington. But that did not stop the IDEA of a public library service taking root in this growing lakeside community within the newly hatched Dominion of Canada. Library services in Burlington began in 1872 when local public school trustees voted to spend $56 to purchase a suitable supply of books from the Toronto Board of Education. These books were placed in the reception hallway at the schoolhouse located on the southeast corner of Brant and Caroline Streets. Members, paying fifty cents a year, were able to access the collection for one hour on Friday evenings.
 John Waldie, early library patron, was the MPP oversaw the merger of Port Nelson and Wellington Square into the Village of Burlington. It took the initiative and open-mindedness of a former local resident, of Scottish descent, to build the first ‘free’ public library. And he, John Waldie, did a lot more ‘community-building’ before he finally got around to doing that. During the course of a very successful career as a wheat trader in Burlington, then lumber merchant in Toronto, and as a re-elected MPP for Halton, Mr. Waldie was largely responsible for amalgamating the two lakeside communities of Port Nelson and Wellington Square into the Village of Burlington in 1873.
Several decades later, primarily through his broad-minded philanthropy, the first library in Burlington was built on Brant Street (on the site of the current City Hall.) It also shared the premises with the town offices and council chambers of the time.
 First Burlington Public Library on Brant Street, 1913. Current home of City Hall. Photocredit: Burlington Public Library Today, a 140 years later, with a somewhat staggering budget of $8.5 million (2011) allocated for staff, maintenance, IT acquisitions, and material book purchases and with a registered user base of less then half the population of Burlington, the public library could be seen as an expensive civic extravagance by the rest of the ‘unregistered’ city population. Begging the question again, are public libraries too expensive, especially in the age of the internet?
Let’s look at some other statistics provided by the library’s public relations department. In 2011, nearly 2 million items were borrowed from the library; nearly one million ‘unregistered’ patrons visited library branches; near 45,000 attended library specific programs; and over 100,000 information requests were fulfilled by library staff. All told, it would appear that this particular library, our library, for the monies allocated, is serving the regional populace very well.
There is no question though those libraries, like us, in this burgeoning internet era, have had to adapt. Today, Information Technology (IT) infrastructure at the library often consumes a greater proportion of the budget than the book acquisition fund. Within the BPL’s Strategic Plan (2012-2015) entitled: ‘The Next Chapter: Thinking Outside the Books’, the BPL intends to further improve functionality and accessibility “by upgrading the core computer system”. The new reality is that we are all increasingly ‘plugged in’. Like it or not.
In Alberta, city libraries charge patrons anywhere from $5 to $20 a year for library cards, but in Ontario, the Ontario Public Libraries Act forbids charging money for access to a library or for borrowing books. There are, thus, few other options for generating revenue aside from taxes. All the more reason for the BPL to provide exemplary ‘connected’ library services to the tax-paying ‘plugged in’ public.
Many would argue, (myself included), that libraries, regardless of spiraling IT and staff costs, continue to provide an irreplaceable democratic role within our young Canadian society. To close them in the name of the ‘global’ internet, would not only close access to those who cannot afford purchasing a private library or pay for monthly internet access, but closure would diminish the nurturing lifeblood of local vibrant communities. Communities coalesce within the ‘free and accessible’ democratic framework of library branches. Public libraries are fundamentally a democratic institution. And one sign of a diminishing democracy would be the closing of community libraries.
It is hard to imagine the lack of an element that we take so much for granted today: electricity. This means of illumination only became available to the general public at the beginning of the twentieth century, (about the same time that Waldie donated thousands of books to form the backbone of the Burlington Public Library.) Today, we plug in, bounce around on WIFI, and unthinkingly consume megawatts of purchased electrical power to illuminate our expensive laptops and computers. Primarily, we use this bought power to read items for work, school or pleasure: briefs, newspapers, text messages etc, and increasingly, e-books. But, worth asking, what happens if the power goes out, or, Harper forbid, the economy collapses? Communities, without the resources of their public libraries, would suffer profoundly.
Free e-books were first developed in 1971 by the late Michael S. Hart, founder of Gutenberg.org. More here:
The greater question remains, can we, as Canadians, AFFORD public libraries? The time and money we privately expend on consumer-electronic portals is far greater than any we physically devote to our library. Likewise, some would say that television, YouTube and the ubiquity of photo imagery – (‘A picture tells a thousands words’) – have usurped literacy altogether (a la Doug Ford).
 Child reading And yet, on closer examination, it is clear that the fundamentals of literacy remain the same for all times and for all ages.
Creating strong narrative arcs to teach and to guide, and using potent language effectively to inform and advise, are the results of a solid education grounded in the basics of reading and writing. Learning how to think is built on the constructions of other’s better words. Their thought-filled written scripts funnel our curiosity and creativity so that we, in turn, develop new insights and pass on our know-how. In that regard, the story-telling cuneiform clay tablets of Sumer dating back to 2500 BC really are the antecedents of the trendy ‘tablets’ of today. The difference is that ‘being literate’ now involves additional skills beyond reading and writing: one must also become computer literate.
As much as the internet does increasingly pre-occupy our time, attention and money, a successful public library providing popular library services – as a kind of ‘out reach’ extension of a nurturing public school system – continues to constructively guide our ever-inquiring minds. As many also well know, a well-directed search or inquiry through the library is a welcome antidote to the growing anxiety iDisorder of ‘E-Information Overload’. The library has an information service many find useful: – Just Ask-a-Librarian: It is not surprising that the Burlington Public Library website was visited over 1.5 million times last year. That works out to over 4000 ‘hits’ per day. Yes, active minds seek answers.
Rather than redundant or too expensive, public libraries have become increasingly necessary filaments that maintain the democratic ideals espoused by our freedom-fighting democratic forefathers. Without them we would also become increasingly disenfranchised from the roots of our very real earth-bound communities. As vibrant hubs of community service, public libraries today provide much more than free access to current newspapers, periodicals, CDs, DVD’s and books. They also offer early reading programs, computer access and training, literacy tutoring for children and adults alike, and a safe haven for ‘intellectual freedom’. Altogether, they augment the basic tenets of our democracy.
The mission statement for the Burlington Public Library states, “Enriching Burlington by supporting 21st century literacies, lifelong learning, and community connections.” Yes. That is what they do. As Ms. Maureen Barry so aptly writes, “Our public library is truly a dynamic civic commons. “ Yes, that is what it is. All the more reason for us, within the larger community, to continue to support and promote it. Because, as much of the rest of the war-torn and weary world knows: if we don’t protect and use this hard-won democratic ‘freedom’, we just might lose it.
Fiscal prudence and long term accountability must, of course, be continuously evaluated and considered. Cutting back on some library services might be necessary in the days ahead, but never, ever, must we contemplate cutting out our public libraries completely.
And now, a bit of fun.
The Top 100 Books of All Time.
For those who prefer non-fiction: The Top 100 Non-Fiction Books of All Time –
Better yet, JOIN The Burlington Public Library.
It is FREE, still, for those who live, work or pay taxes within Burlington.
Also coming up at the Burlington Public Library on September 29th: The Human Library. Eleven men and women, of diverse backgrounds, some from oppressive totalitarian regimes, use the ancient arts of ‘story-telling’ and dialogue to break down barriers of prejudice that have shaped their lives. Their stories of disenfranchisement – and ultimate survival – continue to open our minds to the challenges of our ever-evolving humanity. Book your half hour with an engaging living person.
These stories remind us all of the on-going preciousness of an open-minded community-orientated democratic public library service in Burlington, and in Canada.
Margaret Lindsay Holton is both an environmentalist and a community activist. She is an artist of some renown and the designer of a typeface. She is also a photographer and the holder of opinions, which are her own, that she will share with you in an instant. She appears as an Our Burlington columnist every two weeks.
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON September 27, 2012 They didn’t kiss and make up but they did all sit at the same table and sign the same document and make nice. Didn’t take long – maybe ten minutes to affix signatures to a document that had the hospital raising $60 million and the city coming up with $60 million out of the taxpayers’ pockets to build the city a new hospital.
It was sort of like one of those wedding receptions where no one really likes the guy their daughter married – but they are married now and you’re going to be the grandparents of the children they will have – so make the best of it.
 JBMH Chair Stephen Friday on the left, along with Burlington Mayor Rick Goldring and hospital President Eric Vandewall sign the agreement that has the city putting up $60 million of taxpayers dollars and the hospital raising an additional $60 million for the expansion. Shovels will go in the ground soon. This agreement was not easy to get down on paper. While we were not privy to what the hospital did on their side – we don’t cover their meetings and they aren’t very good with press releases, but the city was very public and very open. They were prepared to raise taxes to pay for their share of the hospital expansion but they didn’t want the money raised going into a parking garage which is what the hospital had at first suggested.
It is at times astounding how the hospital cannot seem to get along with the city – they are both institutions there to serve the public and in the hospital’s case it is our personal health they are dealing with.
The hospital held a board meeting just before the agreement signing event. The Board members all arrived in the meeting room at about the same time but they didn’t seem to mingle all that well with the people on the city side. There wasn’t any “frostiness” but there wasn’t the sense that these two institutions were about to do something really great and everyone in the city was going to benefit.
 Mayor Goldring on the left with hospital chair Stephen Friday on the right, go back some time to the days when they both worked for the same financial management firm. They have an excellent personal relationship and, if this picture is any indication, we can expect smoother working relationships between the hospital and the city. When the documents were signed and held up for the photographers to capture for eternity there was no round of applause. The documents had to be signed and the city made the best of the situation. Might have been better if the signing had been done at city hall.
The city will tell you in a heartbeat how much they have raised from the taxpayers but it isn’t easy to learn how much the hospital has raised. One has to dig around to figure out just how much of the hospital portion of the $120 million total the city and the hospital has to raise is in the bank. I didn’t hear anyone say how much the hospital had raised.
The Amazing Bed Race took in more than $100,000 last weekend and ran a two page full colour advertisement in a local newspaper to tell us about it.
There is the sense that the hospital and the city are not really in this together, which is both unfortunate and critical to the health of the community.
 Stephen Friday, recently appointed Chair of the Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital has got to have the sharpest collection of neck ties in the city. Burlington is at the beginning of a process that is going to see fundamental changes in the makeup of the community. There are going to be more older people in the city and those people are going to need superb health care. For those people to get that health care the city and the hospital administration need to be true partners working together tightly – they aren’t yet.
Should an ambulance have to come to my house to take me to a hospital I will croak the words “take me to Oakville” if I have to. I don’t want to be at JBMH.
The hospital has a newly appointed Chair. We don’t know much about Stephen Friday yet. He has a good pedigree and wears great ties but can he control the President and change the culture of the place to one that has the hospital and the city working together for the betterment of everyone in the city?
We don’t know that yet.
 By Pepper Parr
The people numbers were up – the money numbers were down, but the Terry Fox run was a major success nevertheless.
It was the 31st time the event took place in Burlington. To date the community has raised $1,470,000 and countless numbers of Burlingtonians have run for Terry Fox and for those who found themselves facing cancer.
 Don Carmichael, chair of the 2012 run, and expected to chair the 2013 run as well, noted that this year “we had a group running with more than 200 members. That was very, very significant and is a large part of what the Burlington Terry Fox run is all about.”
More than 1,100 people participated in the run this year. “We printed up 1000 ribbons for people to wear and ran out”, said Carmichael. “It was a very good crowd this year”, he added.
The fund raising didn’t do as well. $84,000 was raised in 2011 while just $70,000 was raised in 2012, bringing the total raised by the Burlington Terry Fox Run since its inception to more than $1,470,000 That is a very significant sum of money.
 Commemoration boards were set up on the site for people to write a few ords on. What few know is that the organizing committee has kept every board ever set up and written on. They are set up each year in a quiet corner where pople can go and read what they wrote in the past. Every dollar raised in Burlington goes to cancer research and while the run doesn’t have an official sponsor there are organizations in Burlington that come forward to meet the needs that range from water to food. This level of support is hugely appreciated by not only the people who organize the run but by the community at large.
 More than 100 volunteers make the Terry Fox Run happen. Carmichael noted that they were seeing more “teams” groups of people running to remember someone or support someone fighting cancer. “In the past” said Carmichael, “we have had smaller groups running – three or four, sometimes a dozen or more. The team running for Casey Cosgrove this year exceeded 200 which is a big change for the run.”
Many people find that the run is a way to commemorate a person and to use the time those who walk the route need to think about, celebrate or miss the person they are “running” for.
 Many people see the Terry Fox run as a unique thing that happened in Canada and was the result of one Canadian’s supreme effort. The Canadian flag just seems to be a part of the event – and there were plenty of them handed out. The event is as much a community event as it is a single person running, with each person having their own personal reasons for being there, but everyone on the site for the same reason – they want to see cancer beaten.
Great strides have been made in research and many forms of cancer are treatable and cured if caught early enough. Carmichael expects to see more groups being formed to take part in the event.
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON September 25, 2012 while sitting on a bench late in the evening with a female friend a 20 year old Burlington male was assaulted while trying to recover a backpack a thief had snatched.
Shortly after midnight on September 23rd, a man and woman were seated at a bench in the area of Brant Street and Ghent Avenue, Burlington. A backpack belonging to the female was placed on the ground next to the bench.
A man, unknown to the man and the woman, approached the two, stole the backpack and began to run. The male gave chase, and caught up with the thief and tried to recover the backpack.
Moments later, three accomplices jumped out of a car parked nearby and began beating up on the male who was trying to recover the backpack.
Four to one is tough to handle – the thieves beat up on the male and then took off and fled in the car.
The victim suffered minor injuries.
The ‘Element’ backpack contained a quantity of cash, identification and some small personal items.
The vehicle the thieves fled in was an older model, black, four door sedan.
The suspects were described as male, black in their 20’s, wearing dark clothing. The first suspect was described as having short hair.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact the Burlington Criminal Investigations Bureau at 905 825-4747 x2315, Crime Stoppers at 1 800 222-TIPS(8477), through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.com or by texting “Tip201” with your message to 274637(crimes).
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON September 25, 2012 Frank McKeown, Mayor Goldring’s right hand man and chief strategist will be leaving the Office of the Mayor and being replaced by Jackie Isada effective the end of the year. These are two radically different people and will result in much more humour on the eighth floor.
 Frank McKeown, on the left, was always one of the smartest people in the room, was a strong right hand for Mayor Goldring during his first year in office, is now leaving after serving the Mayor for two years. He is shown here with Ward 5 Councillor Paul Sharman. McKeown is a thinker, he is very strong at identifying a problem and putting together different scenarios that work their way into becoming solutions. But Frank McKeown will never get a job as a stand-up comedian at Yuk Yuks.
Whereas Isada has a great sense of humour and is strong at the execution level – she gets things done and is a strong idea person. A Newfoundlander, who followed her heart to Ontario and a person that loves people and works exceptionally well with just about anyone – she will be a significant addition to the Office of the Mayor.
City Manager Jeff Fielding can provide the Mayor with all the deep thinking he needs – the concern is that the political aspects of the job of being Mayor not be run over by the administrative side that Fielding handles.
McKeown and the Mayor go back a bit. Frank worked with Goldring on his election campaign and has been invaluable for Goldring during his first year in office. There were some exceptionally malicious and cruel remarks made by some staff at city hall who should have known better about how much the Mayor relied on McKeown.
McKeown did provide a level of understanding on issues that Goldring needed and became a second set of eyes and ears for the Mayor. Goldring’s choice of McKeown was a wise one at the time. We predicted that McKeown would move on about six months ago – we were a little ahead of the news flow on that one.
Goldring announced the staffing change earlier and announced that McKeown will leave his position as chief of staff at the end of the year. He will be replaced by Jackie Isada of the Burlington Economic Development Corp. (BEDC) taking over the role in January.
“I have had two positive and successful years working for Mayor Rick Goldring,” McKeown said. “I am now making more time for family and focusing on new opportunities.”
McKeown, an entrepreneur, technology buff and sports enthusiast, was an active fundraiser before he began his work with Mayor Goldring. In addition to being past president of the Burlington Old-timers Hockey Club, McKeown helped raise money for such groups as the Appleby Ice Centre ice users to offset the cost of adding ice pads to the city’s arena. He is on the board of the ROCK (Reach Out Centre for Kids) Foundation.
“I have enjoyed working with Frank and appreciate his insights and community-mindedness,” said Mayor Goldring. “I look forward to our ongoing friendship, and I know Frank will continue to add to the vibrancy of this city.”
During the development of the city’s Strategic Plan McKeown sat in on the vast majority of the meetings and began to be referred to as the “seventh” councillor. His presence and the degree of involvement on his part was not always appreciated by some staff.
 Jackie Isada will bring her wonderful Newfoundland chuckle and her ability to work with people to the Office of the Mayor. Rick Goldring may never be the same. Isada, Manager of Marketing and Strategic Partnerships with the BEDC, will join the mayor’s team in January 2013.
“I am pleased to announce that Jackie will be joining my team,” said Mayor Goldring. “Jackie brings with her a new perspective and diverse skill set that includes economic development, marketing and event management. She is a strong communicator who has worked at the provincial and municipal levels of government and has a talent for forging relationships.”
Isada has a bachelor of arts degree in political science from Memorial University, is a member of the Economic Developers Association of Canada and is on the marketing awards committee for the Economic Developers Council of Ontario.
 By Staff
BURLINGTON, ON September 24, 2012 Sutton Drive in north Burlington will be closed at the Dundas Street intersection from Friday, September 28, 2012 at 7 p.m. until Saturday, September 29, 2012 at 8 p.m. as a new water main is installed by Halton Region.
 Alternate routes for getting out of the community while construction work is being done. Construction is being done overnight on a weekend to limit the disruption to local residents and John William Boich Public School. If the work is not completed, due to unforeseen circumstances, the same overnight closure will occur the following weekend on Friday, October 5 to Saturday October 6, 2012.
The work is part of a larger watermain installation project on Dundas Street (Regional Road 5), stretching from Appleby Line (Regional Road 20) to Bronte Road (Regional Road 25).
Alternate access to Sutton Drive will be available from Upper Middle Road and Dryden Avenue via Appleby Line. A map showing the road closure and alternate vehicle routes
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON September 22, 2012. The provincial government is getting close to the point where they will make some kind of decision on the recommendations that are expected very soon from the Ministry of Transportation (MOT) on what kind of a road might get built north of Dundas Road – these are the people burrowing away over their tables drawing lines on maps to show where a new road through the Escarpment might go.
The Region and the city of Burlington are not at all keen on any kind of road going through the northern part of the city and they want to keep the pressure on the provincial government to just forget about the idea of a new highway – we don’t need it and we don’t want it, is the refrain from our part of the province.
 The green arrow on the map was a shock to everyone opposed to any kind of road cutting through the Escarpment. That arrow motivated the community to realizing it might have a battle on its hands and resulted in the creation of SEHC – Stop the Escarpment Highway Coalition – a collection of 14 different community organizations. During the municipal election in 2010 the Ministry of Municipal Affairs (MMA) sent a thick envelope to the Regional government saying they wanted some changes to the Region’s official plan that would add in some green arrows showing where a new highway might go. That green arrow was a sharp punch to the solar plexus of the city as well as the Region.
THAT put the fat in the fire and resulted in a large public meeting at the Mainway arena where hundreds of people showed up to protest.
The province sort of blinked and backed off a bit – then there was the provincial election in May where everyone, except the truckers, said publicly that a highway should not be rammed through Mt. Nemo.
 Those grey shaded areas represent the six option the Ministry of Transportation are putting forward. These will go to the Minister in the very near future. There will then be Public Information Centers set up for public input. The hope is that these aren’t snuck in on Friday afternoons a few weeks before Christmas. SEHC wants a full public discourse on this issue. But those bureaucrats with the MOT, who work out of offices in St. Catharines, met with Region two months ago and offered up new plans – which didn’t have the green arrow that scared the daylights out of everyone. This time they gave a range of options – six of them – that ranged from widening highway 6 and connecting it more solidly to the 401, to a road that would still cut across a significant swath of lower Burlington. This is land that Burlington sees as close to sacred ground. Run a highway through any part of the Escarpment and Burlington doesn’t have much of a reason for being – we might as well amalgamate with Oakville, or worse, with Mississauga.
This is an ongoing battle that Burlington has to continually wage. If the citizens of the city ease up, if the Region slacks off or if Burlington’s city council decides ‘you know, it wouldn’t be that bad’, there will be bulldozers out there in close to a flash, property values north of Dundas Road will skyrocket and the streams and creeks that run into Lake Ontario and provide our water supply will be contaminated.
 Councillor John Taylor, the longest serving member on Council and a tireless fighter to keep any kind of road from going through the Escarpment. Taylor knows this battle is going to last long after he is gone. It is a battle that will last for as much as twenty years. “We will be having this fight long after I’m gone” said Burlington Councillor John Taylor who is perhaps the most tireless fighter on city council when it comes to the Escarpment.
The last round in this three way fight was between the Region and the province when the MOT types appeared at a meeting with yet another map. This one – shown below, suggests a number of places a highway could be built. There were six options put before the Regional Council – the one Burlington wants to keep away from is the road that runs through a section of the city and just too close to Escarpment land for comfort.
 The sign, that you see throughout the Escarpment represents the thinking of the 14 organizations that came together to form the Stop Escarpment Highway Coalition While the regional government and the city of Burlington make the official protests – there is a coalition of 13 organizations (they recently approved a 14th) that formed as the Stop Escarpment Highway Coalition – have been tireless in their battle to ensure that the governments don’t sell everyone out.
SEHC has worked with Cogeco Cable on a two hour program that will air October 4th from 7 – 9 pm. The first hour, unfortunately, will consist of talking heads giving prepared and already known positions. What one shouldn’t expect is anything new or revealing unless something comes out of a meeting that Regional Chair Gary Carr and Burlington Mayor Rick Goldring expect to have with Minister of Transportation Bob Chiarelli sometime this week at Queen’s Park.
Carr and Goldring are sort of on call for a dash into Toronto to meet with the Minister of Transportation who can’t leave Toronto. The provincial Liberals are a minority government and things are kind of tight and tense at Queen’s Park these days – so none of the Liberals are allowed to leave town.
Carr and Goldring are taking their positions to Toronto and will, once again, work the Minister over and ensure that he fully understands the feeling of both the Region and the City.
Then, on October 23rd there will be a large community meeting at the Mainway Arena. The city is going all out again on this one, with mail drops to every dwelling north of Dundas, supported with advertising in the local media. With no hockey on television there should be a really solid turnout.
The politicians, along with SEHC, want to up the volume on the protest and ensure that Queen’s Park gets the message.
There is one sure way to block any highway and that is find a job that the government can offer Burlington’s MPP Jane McKenna. That would open up her seat to a by-election during which the Liberals would promise to ensure that a highway is never, ever going to be built through the Escarpment – which would win them the election and give them a majority government (they are currently one seat short) and all would be well. Oh – they tried that in Kitchener-Waterloo and it didn’t work there. Maybe that’s not such a good idea. Besides what would they offer McKenna and would she be smart enough to take it?
The last time there was a public meeting on the Escarpment, there was a sense of panic due to the province requiring a change in the Regional Official Plan that showed a road through the Escarpment no one had ever seen before. That meeting brought out hundreds of people and resulted in the creation of SEHC – the Stop the Escarpment Highway Coalition. They have become a very effective advocacy group for this issue and have managed to both keep the pressure on the politicians at every level and at the same time serve as a form for the exchange of ideas and information.
Two dates to keep in mind – watching the Cogeco Cable show on the 4th and getting out to the community meeting at Mainway arena on the 23th. This is an issue that matters.
 By Staff
BURLINGTON, ON October 22, 2012 An old-fashioned fall fair right here in the city! Next weekend, Sunday, September 30th! ~11 – 4 p.m. at the Ireland House at Oakridge Farm, 2168 Guelph Line, Burlington
 The Farmall tractor – hundreds of the things, if not a couple of thousand, tilled the fields that are now sub-divisions in Burlington. Manufactured by International Harvester, a company that has been in Burlington for more than fifty years but is now moving to Hamilton You can start the day with a Country-style home-made pancakes & specialty syrup! That runs from 9:00 a.m. — 11:00 a.m.
What else can you expect?
Jump into the sea of hay and join in a great harvest fair tradition – Make Your Own Scarecrow!
How about a try at the Hay Maze?
Live roping demonstrations with the Ontario Rodeo Association!
Take a tour through the historic Ireland House
Experience historic cooking, apple schnitzing and apple cider making!
See antique tractors and historic automobiles on display.
 Ireland House, a part of the Museums Burlington operation, is the only example of a farming property that is publicly viewable in the city south of Dundas, It is an excellent example of its period. Worth as visit Watch as fascinating artisans demonstrate their craft! Make your own neat crafts! Have fun with the Fall Harvest Obstacle Course and Games, Pony Rides (12-3pm), Junior Farmer Competitions and Games, Fair-Style Activities, Historic Cooking and Horticultural society arrangements.
There will be animal exhibits and special farm displays! Check out the Trifles & Treasures Bazaar. Find excellent fall treasures, home decorations and unique handmade items in the vendor area. Enjoy live stage entertainment all day including country dance demonstrations and musical performances! And don’t miss your chance to bid at the Applefest Silent Auction!
Finally, be sure to sign your children up for their chance to be crowned this year’s Applefest Fall Fair Prince and Princess! Contest is open to children 6-10 years old!
Admision to Applefest is FREE thanks to the generous support of The Rocca Sisters Team! Additionally, all children will receive a free goodie bag and a ticket to be entered into a draw to win a special prize basket!
 By Staff
BURLINGTON, ON October 22, 2012 In the week we are going into more than 4,000 Halton students will spend a part of a day taking part in the seventh annual Halton Children’s Water Festival (HCWF) being held from September 25 to 28, 2012.
Students from grades two to five registered to participate in the festival taking place outdoors at the picturesque Kelso Conservation Area in Milton.
 He really wants you to look at the bullfrog he is holding. Students at the Festival will experience a unique opportunity to learn about water in a fun and interactive way at activity centres which cover Ontario curriculum requirements. New this year, French language activity centres will be piloted with grade five French Immersion students on Thursday, September 27. The HCWF features nearly 60 activity centres that incorporate four main water related themes:
 Kids + water = fun and noise – all part of the Halton Children’s Water Festival. A full day of fun at a cost of $5 per student. “Since the Halton Children’s Water Festival began in 2006, more than 25,000 children have participated which shows the demand and interest for high quality environmental education in our community,” said Conservation Halton Chairman John Vice. ”The Festival’s success is due to the enthusiastic participation by volunteers, teachers and students backed by the commitment of partner organizations as well as tremendous support from individuals and businesses in the community. We thank everyone who has participated and contributed to the Water Festival over the past seven years.”
The Festival is co-hosted by Conservation Halton and Halton Region in partnership with, the Halton District School Board, the Halton Catholic District School Board, the City of Burlington, the Town of Halton Hills, the Town of Milton, and the Town of Oakville. This partnership has created a successful and financially sustainable water festival in Halton. Conservation Halton Chairman John Vice and Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr serve as the Festival’s honorary co-chairs.
 It isn’t all classroom stuff – just look at the way this girl rounds the bale of hay. A winner for sure. The Festival is a community partnership dependent on more than 150 volunteers each day to help with various activities. Halton high school students and community volunteers are once again generously offering their time and gaining experience in community outreach, public speaking, teaching and time management.
The Festival is offered to Halton schools at a cost of just $5 per child, which includes a full day at the Festival as well as transportation to and from the event. Schools seeking Ontario EcoSchools certification can count their attendance at the HCWF as a field trip in the Curriculum category.
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON September 21, 2012 The Halton Regional Police have been tracking a person they suspected of being a drug dealer. Late in August, an undercover officer contacted the male and arranged the purchase of 1.75 grams of cocaine. The transaction was completed in the City of Burlington.
On September 20th 2012, an undercover officer contacted the male and again arranged the purchase of 1.75 grams of cocaine. The male attended the pre-arranged location where he was placed under arrest by members of the Drug and Morality Unit and Guns and Gangs Unit. The police then seized a quantity of cocaine, currency and other evidence of drug trafficking.
 Oxycodone is a visicioulsy addictive drug. Intended for pain relief the drug was soon abused and became a favourite for drug addicts Subsequently, police conducted a search warrant at a residence in the City of Hamilton and located a sophisticated indoor cannabis marihuana grow operation. The grow operation contained 678 cannabis marihuana plants in various stages of growth. Also located was a quantity of Ecstasy, cocaine, cannabis resin along with , Oxycodone and Psilocybin. Investigators estimate the street value of the controlled substances to be $695,000.
In addition $16,800 in Canadian currency, $1000 in Euro and $280 in U.S. currency was also seized. A further search revealed a restricted firearm with ammunition, 1400 volt Taser, 3 shurikens (throwing stars) and a set of nunchaku.
Three members of one family have been charged along with a fourth individual.
Radomir ACAMOVIC (22 years) of Hamilton has been charged with:
Possession of Cocaine for the Purpose of Trafficking (two counts)
Trafficking in Cocaine
Production of Cannabis Marihuana
Possession of Cannabis Marihuana for the Purpose of Trafficking
Possession of Ecstasy
Possession of Oxycodone
Unauthorized Possession of a Prohibited Weapon (three counts)
Also charged was Dragomir ACAMOVIC (24 years) of Hamilton. Those charges were:
Possession of Cannabis Resin for the Purpose of Trafficking
Possession of Cannabis Marihuana over 30 grams
Possession of Psilocybin
Possession of Ecstasy
Production of Cannabis Marihuana
Possession of Cannabis Marihuana for the Purpose of Trafficking
Dalibor ACAMOVIC (48 years) of Hamilton was charged with:
Production of Cannabis Marihuana
Possession of Cannabis Marihuana for the Purpose of Trafficking
Possession of Cocaine
Improper Storage of a Firearm
Possession of a Restricted Firearm without a Licence
Possession of a Restricted Firearm with Ammunition Readily Available
Diogo CARRUCO (30 years) of Scarborough was charged with:
Production of Cannabis Marihuana
Possession of Cannabis Marihuana for the Purpose of Trafficking
CARRUCO was released with a court date in October 2012 with conditions. Radomir ACAMOVIC, Dragomir ACAMOVIC and Dalibor ACAMOVIC were held for a bail hearing on today’s date.
Police investigators remind the public to utilize Crime Stoppers to report on any illegal drug, gang, or gun activity at 1 800 222 8477(TIPS), through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.com or by texting “Tip201” with your message to 274637(crimes).
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON September 21, 2012 It would have been great – as it was it was very good. The rain spoiled the public participation but it didn’t stop two chef’s from Spencer’s on the Waterfront from showing a small crowd that huddled under umbrellas as Chris Hayworth and Andy McLean put together two really fine meals at an outdoor location in what the Farmer’s Market called Street Fight # 1 with Hayworth vs McLeod. The knives were out.
 You don’t see hand drawn type like this very often It was promoted as a Street Fight # 1, indicating that this would become an ongoing event. The first pitted two experienced chef’s from one of the better, if not the best, restaurant in the downtown area.
While the rain certainly dampened the public attendance the event was clearly something that could be done fairly frequently next season. If promoted effectively it could become an event to which day tourists travel to Burlington to take in.
The crowd that was on hand last Friday certainly enjoyed themselves even if they had to huddle in the rain under umbrellas tasting the results. Hayworth’s cauliflower soup was especially nice.
While the competition was to have two chef’s competing the event turned out to be a battle with the elements. With just drizzle, one umbrella was enough; but when it turned into real rain – Barry Imber went looking for as many umbrellas as he could find. His finds and what others had on hand kept most of the rain off the audience.
 Chef Hayworth on the left and Chef McLean next to him take their recipes through the final stages of preparation before letting the crowd taste the meal – and it most certainly was a meal.  Chef Chris Hayworth on the left with chef Andy McLean to his left prepare food for individual tastings. There wasn’t nearly enough to go around. The original plan was to have people sitting on benches observing; but the rain had people huddling around the cooking tables, while the chefs worked in very cramped quarters constantly hoping the electrical cables wouldn’t short out. The Farmer’s Market will shut down sometime in October and has to be seen as a success – not a raging success but a very positive addition to life in the downtown core.
Our Burlington supported the event from its very beginning and we will be reminding you about its return in the Spring.
Barry Imber is the driving force behind the concept and the guy who did much of the hands on work to make it happen. He was the guy who made the phone calls to get people to take part; he was the guy who chased down umbrellas and put them up as the rain moved from a drizzle to a real rainfall. He was the guy who went looking for additional electrical extension so the chef’s could continue cooking.
 One of the vendors teaches children at the Farmer’s Market some hand clapping dances There were different vendors throughout the year with Featherstone and Plan B on hand consistently. Some vendors were on the site when they had product – Gibson’s Honey who sold out every time he was there.
There were people from the Tourism office watching the event which many thought could be something done several times during the season and promoted as a destination event. There people who would love to make a day trip to Burlington to attend an event likes this, stay for the day and drive up into the Escarpment. As an event – it has potential.
The market is intended for those people who are purely organic. If you want pure food with nothing added, no preservatives or colouring to make the food look nicer.
What many wondered as the two chef’s worked away was – who was doing the cooking at Spencer’s while Hayworth and Mclean were at the market.
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON September 19, 2012 Community Development Halton held their annual general meeting last night and it was much more pleasant than the meeting they held last year when their funding from the Region was seriously challenged. The community got behind the CDH people, the funding was kept in place, albeit with a little jiggling and shuffling on the part of the reason.
Nina Truscott, president of the non-profit corporation, whisked the audience through the AGM part of the evening in very short order. The organization bid farewell to Angus Coll-Smith and Penny Smith who have completed their term of office.
 Joey Edwardh talking to the Gooding’s after the Community Development Halton annual general meeting. Surprisingly, the Executive Director, Joey Edwardh, did not make any “state of the nation” comments.
Truscott informed the audience that the CDH was alive financially and at the same time recognized a very generous anonymous donation during the past two years.
Community Development Halton is funded by the Region to the tune of $244,500 from the Region for the 2012 fiscal year. Funds are received from the Burlington/Hamilton United Way as well as the Oakville United Way. Total revenue for CDH is $802,745 with expenses coming in at $802,021 – slim but that’s the financial reality of the not for profit community. No fat in this operation.
Where CDH excels is in project administration and the data they collect on changes in the socio-economic makeup of the Region.
 Angus Coll-Smith retires from the Community development Halton board after completing his term of office. There are two research associates that collect, analyze and put data in formats that make the information useful to the user. Burlington uses their data as does the Region. Our Burlington has been fortunate enough to be able to use some of the CDH data to explain a point we try to make.
 Penny Smith, after completing her term of office, retires from the Community Development Board CDH sources funds from different government agencies to carry out a project and the research needed. Volunteer Halton is part of their operation – it’s the place to go if you want to volunteer as well as the place to go if you are looking for volunteers.
Retired people tend to want to remain active and look for ways to volunteer in the community – with the aging population in the Region growing the Volunteers arm of CDH should be kept busy.
The evening ended with a presentation by the Burlington Theatre Centre and the Tottering Biped Theatre.
By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON September 19, 2012 We knew the Zellers store was going to close – we told you that in May of this year.
Now the closing is very real – the signs came down today and the stores have had almost everything taken out of them.
 The Zellers sign comes off the store in the Burlington Mall. Store will get a total makeover and re-open as a Target store in April 2013 During the months ahead there will be a total gutting and then Target, the new store brand, will begin to put their equipment, sales counters, check out aisles and racks to display merchandize in place. Burlingtonians will flood into the new Target store sometime in April of 2013 – which will be a month or so before the pier opens to the public.
Two Zellers stores are closed; the one in Millcroft Centre and the one in the Burlington Mall.
 Not a sales clerk in sight. In April, 2013 the space will be filled with new merchandise in the kind of store Burlington hasn’t seen for some time. All the Zellers staff lost their jobs. Target didn’t buy the Zellers store – they assumed the lease, which means they now pay the rent and can do whatever they want to do with the space. That space is now empty and in the next five or six months the store – two in Burlington, will get new equipment and new staff will be hired and trained.
Target is a very different kind of retailer. They bring a different product line and they operate differently. Tough on the people who no longer have jobs. Some of them may get hired by Target but the betting in the retail community is that Target will not want people with Zellers training.
Zellers is no more – Target is now king. The Bay and Sears along with a number of other retailers in Burlington will see a bit of an uptick in their sales which they should enjoy while it lasts because the moment Target opens its doors – the customers they had will flee in droves to Target who will do everything they can to make them loyal customers.
 By Staff
BURLINGTON, ON September 19, 2012 The country is on a bit of a culture kick and for the last week of this month – September – there will be about as much culture as an average family can absorb. The focus is from September 28 to 30; the objective to raise awareness of art and culture.
Mayor Rick Goldring described the events as a “citywide celebration, and is one of the many celebrations happening across Canada. I encourage everyone to come out and see the amazing works of Burlington’s artists, musicians, writers, actors and craftspeople.”
All of the cultural institutions will be in on the events: Performing Arts Centre, Burlington Arts Centre, the Public Library, Royal Botanical Gardens, Ireland House. The only place not on the list is the Joseph Brant Museum.
 The Teen Tour Band won’t be in the Family room at the Performing Arts Centre but there will be kids running all over the place. Some will get to tickle the keys on the Grand Piano in the Main Theatre. Families can enjoy free entertainment—including clowns, street performers, slam poetry recitals, stories and more—at The Burlington Performing Arts Centre on Sunday, Sept. 30 from 1 to 4 p.m.
Events will take place inside and outside The Centre, which is located on Locust Street, just north of Lakeshore Road. Parking at the Locust Street lot is free on Sundays.
Free community arts events are also taking place in other parts of Burlington, including:
Friday, Sept. 28, 2012
ZimSculpt: Royal Botanical Gardens – 9 a.m. to dusk
Saturday, Sept. 29, 2012
Human Library: Burlington Public Library, Central Branch- 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
 Loads of things to so at the Burlington Art Centre during the Cultural weekend. Tottering Biped: Burlington Art Centre – Afternoon
Sunday, Sept. 30, 2012
Applefest Fall Fair: Ireland House – 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Burlington Performing Arts Centre – Music of Elton John, Frankie Valli and Whitney Houston. Buskers, clowns and more: 1-4 p.m.
Earlier in that week the people developing a Cultural Action Plan proposal for the city will be meeting in different parts of the city to hear what the public has to say about the ideas and data that have been gathered so far.
The same organization is overseeing the development of some public art that will be placed outside the Performing Arts centre. Our Burlington’s columnist Margaret Lindsay Holton commented on the process being used to select what will be put up. She took exception to the process that she felt eliminated local artists and felt that at least one local artist should have been included in the final three. Holton will have more to say on this.
Culture Days will be celebrated in hundreds of cities and towns from coast to coast, with thousands of free activities from a wide range of disciplines.
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON September 19, 2012 She used the Save our Waterfront (SOW) to win in Ward 2 in 2010. She did her best to get at least one of her people on the Waterfront Access and Protection Advisory (WAPA) Committee and when she realized it was going to come to an inglorious end when the city sunset the thing, she quickly formed another committee on the waterfront.
 All is not going to stay quiet on this waterfront. A city council member, Marianne Meed Ward has created a citizens advisory committee on the waterfront that is going to take a holistic look at what is best for the city. The unfinished pier is in the background. Marianne Meed Ward announced this week that there will be a waterfront committee (it doesn’t appear to have a name yet) that will be run out of her office.
Meed Ward, along with the existing 11 committee members felt the waterfront was too important to come to an end and come January there will be a new one.
Meed Ward voted for the sun setting of the committee because, she says, there was too much duplication with other committees in place. Those other committees are still in place but that isn’t going to stop Meed Ward. Her committee is going to be unique in its makeup and focus.
If Meed Ward focuses too much of her attention on the Beachway Park, which is the biggest issue on the waterfront at this time, she will run into some pretty stiff opposition from Rick Craven – the Beachway is in his ward.
 At some point in the near future the Riviera Motel will get torn down and construction will begin on at least one part of the Bridgewater complex that is permitted to put three structures on the property; two seven storey and one 22 storey. Meed Ward has a very special interest in this part of the waterfront Meed Ward is going to bring a “holistic” view to her committee, which she will chair but not have a vote on. She expects to have two people from each ward in the city with a number of alternates to handle those situations where someone can’t make a meeting.
One of the problem WAPA chair, Nick Leblovic had was ensuring that he actually had a quorum; there were occasions when he had to suspend his meeting while someone went to the washroom.
Meed Ward was the only member of this council that voted against going to a new contractor to complete the pier. She felt at the time that the city should have and could have worked out the construction problems with the original contractor Henry Schilthuis and Sons Ltd.
The city begins spending really serious dollars in November on the pier when all the lawyers gather in rooms to begin the process of discovery – which is when each side gets to question the other sides witnesses on who did what when. That process could take a month – and it is going to be very expensive.
Meed Ward plans monthly evening meetings that will be open to the public. Because this isn’t a city created committee it won’t report to any of the city council committees. It will probably have to rely on Meed Ward piping up at appropriate times and explaining what “her people” have to say. She may have them delegating the way she did as a citizen.
It all gets even a little fuzzier with Mayor Rick Goldring having said that he too was going to have a Waterfront Advisory Committee. Mayors in the past have created committees to advise them, this is probably the first time the city has had a council member create a committee of citizens.
This is certainly a different approach for Burlington. There will be people in the Mayor’s office scratching their heads over this one and asking: ‘Can she do this’?
It appears that Meed Ward is going to invite all the former members of the WAPA committee to join this new venture. What are the odds on Leblovic serving on this new committee?
Meed Ward apparently “sees a long and bright future for the committee” . Her office can be contacted on how to apply for the new waterfront citizens’ committee.
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON September 19, 2012 It’s one of those events you need to plan for and to note it on your calender. The annual Burlington Art in Action tour which takes place the weekend of November 3rd and 4th this year.
 One of the better studio tours in the province. If art matters to you – don’t miss this event. The Art in Action people will be announcing the line up early in October and we will tell you all you need to know. Today, we just want to give you a heads up.
Great event. Last year we spent a full day going from studio to studio and met some really neat people, saw some art that interested us. Watched artists sell their work to people who were just beginning to collect art.
Note the dates.
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, O N September 18, 2012 Members of the Chamber of Commerce saw a different Jane McKenna last Friday morning when she met with business leaders to talk about what she has been doing at Queen’s Park on their behalf.
McKenna, Burlington’s MPP, is very partisan; it’s in her nature. Nothing wrong with that – she is a politician with an agenda and she has certainly grown since she was first nominated as the Progressive Conservative candidate for Burlington. She knew next to nothing when she was nominated and her campaign committee, wisely, kept her in a bubble during the campaign.
 The Jane McKenna we saw during the election campaign wore the right Tory blue pin stripe suit and was taught to be earnest and direct with people. The Jane MC Kenna we saw at the Chamber of Commerce breakfast had a grip on the numbers that mattered and was capable of being as angry as an opposition MPP is supposed to be. But the Jane McKenna you see today is not the ‘didn’t know very much” that we saw six months ago. McKenna has a very impressive grip on the numbers part of what’s going on at Queen’s Park. It sounded as if she could give you a number on just about anything that was going on in the province. How much had been spent on the cancellation of the hydro plant in Mississauga or how much had been spent on the cancellation of the hydro plant in Oakville as well? McKenna has those numbers at her fingertips. Well not the Oakville numbers – and that has her getting ready to go after the Minister of Energy.
She did err a little on the size of the deficit – she threw out a $15 billion deficit number – when it is close to $13 billion. McKenna argues that “we are broke”. How broke? She maintains we are spending $1.8 million more a day than we are taking in and that 20% of the money we spend is borrowed money”. “It is bad” said McKenna and for a room filled with business people who know what it is to deal with a cash tight situation – McKenna was preaching to the converted.
McKenna wants to see an across the board pay cut to every civil servant. She has no problem with what the province is doing to the teachers – she wants the same thing done to everyone. I would assume that includes her own salary – which I’m pretty sure McKenna would say: Everyone means everyone.
 The Ornge helicopter scandal has McKenna bursting with indignation She railed at the 8.7% increase the MPAC people were given. (MPAC- Municipal Property Assessment Corporation – the people that determine the value of your home for tax purposes). Some 150 people attended the breakfast event at the Burlington Golf and Country Club where McKenna was described as heavily involved in the community. That was a bit of a stretch. What we appear to be seeing is a resume upgrade, which, if repeated often enough, will become truth.
Jane McKenna ran in one municipal election. She did so at the request of a colleague and came in dead last. She did run her own advertising sales agency and consulted for others on minor projects.
She did not intend to be a candidate for the Progressive Conservative nomination. She was, at the time, the campaign manager for a person who was asked by the party to step aside as a candidate for the nomination. Sometime after that candidate stepped aside, the PC association approached Jane McKenna, asked her to consider being the candidate and she took advantage of the opportunity. If you know Keith Strong – you know how that conversation went.
What we appear to be seeing is a Member of the provincial Legislature becoming exceptionally political – we don’t see this kind of political posturing from Mike Wallace the Conservative member of the House of Commons for Burlington.
 Jane McKenna yuks it up with guests at the Joseph Brant hospital annual meeting. A few months earlier she couldn’t get in the place to attend a meeting with the Liberal Health Minister who was delivering cheques. McKenna is creating a political persona of a politician that has a deep understanding of what the government is doing and where they are making their mistakes. It will all be very political. Is this something McKenna has decided to do on her own or is this something her handlers are creating? Whichever, anyone who thought she would be a knock off in the next provincial election is in for a surprise. We won’t see the fumbling that we saw at the Central High School debate. McKenna is now much more confident and while she may not fully understand the issues and their longer term implications – she can and will throw numbers at you until your dizzy.
She nailed Chris Bentley, Minister of Energy for his failure to provide information to a Legislative committee last May. Secret documents on the cost of scrapping the Oakville power plant — located in a Liberal riding, — must be released, the Speaker of Ontario’s legislature ruled Thursday, the day before McKenna talked to the Chamber crowd. Basically the Liberal Energy Minister was on the verge of a rare contempt of parliament censure for refusing to release the documents.
McKenna will pounce all over the Minister on this one – and she’s right. The Liberals pulled a fast one during the provincial election – and got away with it.
They tried the same thing in Kitchener-Waterloo where they caused a by-election to be held after offering a nice plum to Elizabeth Witmer, the sitting member, who was not very happy with PC leader Tim Hudak and was quite prepared to leave the Legislature.
Liberal leader Dalton McGuinty and his political advisers thought they could win the seat. A win in Kitchener-Waterloo along with the all but guaranteed win in Vaughan and the Liberals would have the majority they didn’t win during the provincial election. The New Democrats spoiled that plan and they won the seat.
McKenna told the Chamber breakfast that her party didn’t have a platform during the by-election. That’s a pretty bold admission; refreshing.
McKenna does have PC leader Tim Hudak’s ear and she has some clout, partially because of her energy and drive. McKenna told the breakfast meeting that when she got to Queen’s Park she was “shocked. The process didn’t work. The Ornge hospital helicopter disaster and the $300 million loans the Health Minister didn’t know about” “The shutting down of the two power plants. Where does it stop? I knew absolutely nothing about this stuff before I got to Queen’s Park”, she said.
McKenna wants much more transparency and accountability, which is easy to call for when you are in opposition. How will McKenna handle things if she is part of a government and learns that that is the way government does things – you say nothing unless you have to and then you put out a press release late on the Friday afternoon of a long weekend.
Is McKenna going to be the fresh face of provincial politics? Not in the next three years and if she is part of a government it will not be one led by Tim Hudak. Is McKenna leadership material? Not yet and a little too early to tell if she has real leadership within her.
McKenna talks about being big on “transparency”. “Everything we do is on line” she told her office. Sure, if you know the name of the document and you are aware it is actually on a web site. McKenna doesn’t send out press releases from her office. She will answer direct questions if you can get some face time with her.
When the city of Burlington used some “political protocol” nonsense to keep McKenna away from an event that had the Liberal member Ted McMeekin, the closest Cabinet Minister to Burlington, talking about the money the province put up for the Community Garden project – McKenna talked to Our Burlington and at the time didn’t fully understand why she was being “uninvited”. We did a small piece on the stupid position the city had taken.
McKenna, like her or not, is Burlington’s representative at Queen’s Park. She got shut out of meeting when the Minister of Health was at the hospital talking about the funding JBMH eventually got from the province.
McKenna, has real “cahonies” when it comes to being brash and bold. The woman knows no shame (that is meant as a compliment) when it comes to going after what she wants.
Politics is all about power. With a majority in the Legislature a political party can do almost anything it wants. The Tories aren’t in power but then neither are the Liberals. The New Democrats were offering the people in Kitchener-Waterloo what they wanted and they ran a better campaign and won the seat.
Jane McKenna is growing as a politician. A little less stridency, more reflection and over time she could become a Charlotte Whitton – all the Tories that matter in this town will remember her – and nod approvingly.
Can McKenna make that transition. It will be a challenge.
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