 By Staff
August 3rd, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
 Data from radar tells the story of where the rain fell and how extensive it was. It was this weekend four years ago that the rain began in the early mid-afternoon – and just didn’t stop.
Mayoralty candidate Marianne Meed Ward sums up her view of one of the most expensive natural disasters to hit the city.
As we approach the four-year anniversary of the Burlington flood on August 4, 2014, it’s an appropriate time to take stock of what’s been done, and how far we still need to go.
What’s happened so far:
The city increased spending on Stormwater infrastructure by $20 million over 10 years to reduce water flow blockages, for example larger creek culverts and creek channel improvements. That only slightly accelerates what we would have been doing, and primarily addresses flood effects, not root causes.
The post-flood report released in phases in 2015 and 2017 contained fifteen key recommendations, most of which are ongoing or just started.
 Hundreds of basements were flooding – damage was in the millions. A grant program was established to assist homeowners with disconnection of foundation drains from the sewer system, and installation of back flow valves and sump pumps. While helpful, this addresses leaves flood mitigation to the individual homeowner.
The home inspection program to identify flood entry areas offered in partnership with University of Waterloo and the Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation has seen only 92 participants. This also leaves responsibility for flooding on the homeowner.
 Extensive rain is going to be part of the new climate. These are not one offs. We must do better. We can’t assume severe weather is a “one-off.”
According to a Globe and Mail editorial in May 2017, “Flooding is the most costly hazard in terms of urban property damage, and has surpassed fire and theft as the principle source of property insurance claims.”
Insured damages associated with the Burlington flood alone are estimated to be in excess of $90 million with many people under- or un-insured.
A plan that addresses root causes
We need a plan to be prepared for flooding that deals with root causes, more than effects. We also need to treat our trees, greenspace, creeks and waterfront as valuable resources that have a role to play in Stormwater management and reducing flood risk.
We must take a more integrated, city-wide (not individual homeowner) approach to managing storm water and reducing flood risk. The current approach that’s largely focused on increasing the capacity of Stormwater systems is limited – and this runoff goes directly into our creeks and lake, a prime source of drinking water. We need to adopt new tools and approaches.
Responsible growth, retaining water at source, restoring a citizen’s voice on the waterfront:
There are two key actions we can take: approve responsible growth, not over-development; and retain water at source through low-impact development.
We also need to restore a citizen’s voice on waterfront issues, and expand the mandate to include Stormwater runoff into our lake.
 Meed Ward out doing her bit for those hammered by the storm Here she talks with Peter Hodgeson, the retired police officer who headed up the Red Cross work in the community. As your mayor I will support measures to reduce flooding causes, and effects at the city level by:
Advocating responsible growth, not over-development.
The 2018 Conservation Halton Watershed Report Card grades Burlington an F for “poor” or “very poor” for its surface water quality, forest conditions (our tree canopy) and the amount of our paved and hard surfaces.
Hard surfaces increase the amount of water run-off and flooding. These ratings are exactly the same as the Watershed Report Card published in 2013.
We can reduce runoff by reducing hard surfaces and adding greespace through measures to:
Create more building setbacks, ending lot-line to lot-line hard surface coverage
Set minimum parkland access standards, which don’t currently exist
Set tree canopy targets, which don’t currently exist
Trees, parkland and greenspace around buildings provide natural ways to absorb stormwater before it ends up in creeks and Stormwater pipes.
Keeping water at source through low-impact development
 A strip mall parking lot on Fairview. The city’s Sustainable Development guidelines on low impact development are voluntary, with the incentive of an award. We need stronger incentives, in partnership with grant programs at other levels of government. And we need to lead in terms of our own infrastructure. Leading low-impact development includes measures like:
Naturalized area in parking lots
Water absorbing sidewalks and traffic medians
Larger courtyards in new developments
Effectively treating run-off that goes into our lakes to reduce pollution entering our waterfront
Reasonable incentives for the private sector to reconfigure the paved footprint of developments to allow more water to either be stored or go directly into the ground
Restore Waterfront Advisory Committee
Finally, we need to restore a citizen’s voice on issues that affect our waterfront and watershed. Stormwater not contained at source through low-impact development currently flows with all its potential pollutants into our waterfront, including beside public areas such as Spencer Smith Park’s sand beach.
 Gary Scobie, far right, was a member of the Waterfront Access and Protection Advisory Committee which was sunset by the city. Nick Leblovic, chair of the committee is on the left. This mayor and council promised the Waterfront Access and Protection Advisory Committee in the 2010 election, then quietly axed the committee in a 6-1 vote two years later.
That isn’t entirely true. The Waterfront Advisory Committer was a Cam Jackson committee. The chair of the committee was quite ineffective and the city decided to bring it to an end,
I will reinstate the citizen’s Waterfront Advisory Committee, and expand the mandate to include water quality, creeks and Stormwater runoff into lakes. I will also restore the city’s relationship with the Waterfront Trail organization and oppose any sale of city-owned waterfront property (this mayor and council voted 6-1 to sell waterfront property between Market and St. Paul St to private homeowners).
 False modesty and a flooded car Action on flood risk
As your mayor, I will ensure that we prepare for the future with a comprehensive plan for storm water management, in partnership with residents, other levels of government, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, the McMaster Centre for Climate Change and the development industry. We’ll develop a city-wide approach that addresses causes, not just effects at the home-owner level.
We need to treat our trees, parks, greenspaces, creeks and Lake Ontario as invaluable green infrastructure, and protect and increase these resources. We need to restore a citizen’s voice on our waterfront.
 By Staff
August 3rd, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
And so the season ends for the Burlington Herd; The Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Herd in their final game of the season in extra innings
Justin Marra’s two-run blast in the top of the 11th broke a 2-2 tie and helped the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Burlington Herd 6-3 Thursday night at Nelson Park.
 Marra’s blast, his 10th of the season, came after Dan Marra walked to start the inning. Damon Topolie’s RBI singled scored Garret Takamatsu later in the inning. Topolie, Takamatsu and Zac Orchard all finished with two hits and a run.
Andrew Simonetti (1-1) picked up the win, giving up a run on three hits over two innings. He was the Leafs’ third reliever after starter Justin Cicatello allowed a pair of runs on four hits with five strikeouts over seven innings.
Toronto (15-19) is tied with Guelph for fourth place.
Burlington (12-24) placed last in the standings before the playoffs begin.
Reese O’Farrell drove in two runs and had a stolen base for the last-place Herd, which dropped to 12-24. Vaughn Bryan went 2-for-5 with an RBI and a run, while Justin Gideon and Mattingly Romanin each had a hit and a run.
Casey Bouillere-Howard (4-4) took the loss, giving up three runs on four hits in two innings. He walked two and struck out two.
Trent Lunsford started and allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits with two walks and five strikeouts over five innings.
 By Staff
August 3rd, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
Halton Police have arrested a male party after a residence was broken into in Aldershot and two high end vehicles were stolen.
The party is alleged to have forced entry into the garage of an unoccupied house and subsequently stole two unlocked vehicles that also contained the keys. One of the vehicles was subsequently located by police in the City of Hamilton being operated by the accused party, Leon Robert BLAIS.
BLAIS, age 38, of the City of Hamilton, is charged with the following offences;
Break and Enter, two counts of Theft of a Motor Vehicle, two counts of Possession of Property Obtained by Crime and Possession of a Controlled Substance.
Unoccupied home; cars with keys in the ignition – someone knew something.
Anyone with information relating to this incident is encouraged to contact the Halton Regional Police Service Criminal Investigations Bureau at 905-825-4747 extension 2316.
Tips can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers “See Something? Hear Something? Know Something? Contact Crime Stoppers” at 1-800-222-8477 or throught the internet at www.haltoncrimestoppers.ca.
“Taxpayer money should never be used for partisan purposes….If politicians want to self-promote, go out and raise money. Don’t use money that could otherwise be spent improving hospitals or fixing bridges to tell voters how awesome you are.”
Christine Van Geyn, Canadian Taxpayers Foundation.
 By Ray Rivers
August 3rd, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
Just this week Ontario’s new Conservative government kicked off its own news channel hidden in the tax-payer funded Caucus Services mine-field of bureaucracy. That allows the Ford crowd to skirt disclosure and advertising rules introduced by the McGuinty government, a decade and a half ago, specifically to prevent government from engaging in this kind of partisan advertising.
McGuinty’s regulation had been an election promise at the time to prohibit whatever political party was in power from using tax-payer money to produce, what is for them essentially, free political advertising – something the previous Harris/Eves government had been doing with gay abandon.
 They probably thought it was a good idea at the time. Ontario News Now is a page out of former Conservative PM Harper’s attempt to control the sound bites which ultimately end up on social media, including Google, where so many people now get their information of what is going on. Except Harper, who apparently dreaded showing up before reporters, didn’t actually bill his 24/Seven YouTube show as news, but rather just another vehicle to get his political message out.
Still it was prepared by Harper’s staff at public expense and its purpose was to avoid Harper having to attend regular media briefings and answer reporters’ questions. The entire program was scrapped soon after Justin Trudeau took over as PM.
This latest attempt by Ford to control the message is, for him, a natural follow-through after the apparent success of Ford Nation Live. That election gimmick enabled him to get his message out to social mediawithout having to defend his positions.
Critical questioning is the time honoured procedure of holding politicians’ feet to the fire when they make claims and brag about their accomplishments, and especially when they are avoiding any mention of the downsides of their efforts.
And Ford used his North Korea styled broadcast to brag about a number of events he had attended in his brief time as premier, and the promises he has met. But he should have lost us all when he bragged about having already reduced gasoline pump prices by ten cents. We all know that is a baseless fib at best, easily verified by a quick glance at the pixel boards of any service station. So it may be a new news channel but it’s also got fake news content – those alternate facts.
His first audience was estimated to be in the thousands and delivered to all kinds of social media including twitter, the outlet of choice for the US president. Still @OntarioNewsNow had a following of over two thousand early into its first week of operations.
As expected much of the traditional media have panned this effort. They don’t like somebody else doing their jobs for them – or at least the easy part. And so references to Ford as our ‘Dear Leader’ are just starting to appear in the legitimate news media, and one Globe and Mail writer boldly summed it up as…” Hiding behind home videos and canned applause this early in his mandate suggests insecurity and fear, as if the Premier doesn’t actually have the courage of his convictions.”
 Sadly, not all of our traditional media have yet woken up to what’s happening. Mr. Ford’s cheerleading journals, the Toronto Sun and the National Post must have hidden and/or buried the news of the unveiling of this Ford government initiative. But perhaps it’s just that these are early days. And besides, Ontario News Now isn’t really news, is it? It’s just another blatant attempt at political propaganda.
But taking the production of news away from our traditional news outlets, socializing and nationalizing the business of news is a dangerous step for a society committed to openness and democracy. After all, once we lose our independent media outlets can our other freedoms be far behind? And at what price do we take these freedoms for granted.
As a friend of mine once remarked… “It is amazing, in looking at the sweep of history, how much effort, blood and money has been devoted to liberating states from autocratic rule to democracies and how easily some of us who have enjoyed the benefits that our ancestors struggled to achieve are so willing to throw it away.”
 Doug Ford with an admirer – his wife. Said to be a Hamilton girl. Perhaps Ford was not actually trying to undercut and further diminish the role of our traditional media as honest brokers of the news. And perhaps he genuinely wanted his own TV show so Ontario taxpayers would see where their money is being spent.
But given Ontario’s massive debt load and Ford’s promise to cut waste and unnecessary spending, the creation of a provincially operated so-called news channel is an insult to all of the public and those folks who voted for him in particular. Or do they really believe this is how the new government for all the people puts your hard earned tax-dollars to work for you?
 Ray Rivers writes regularly on both federal and provincial politics, applying his more than 25 years as a federal bureaucrat to his thinking. Rivers was once a candidate for provincial office in Burlington. He was the founder of the Burlington citizen committee on sustainability at a time when climate warming was a hotly debated subject. Tweet @rayzrivers
Background links: Korea Comes to Queens Park – Ford Undermines Democracy –
Ford’s Insecurity – Tweet Away –
 By Pepper Parr
August 3rd, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
This story is beginning to look like the New Street Road Diet – that one just went on and on. The massive drop in Burlington’s ranking in the annual Best Place to Live report was really small potatoes as issues go. But the public is reacting in a less than positive way.
Earlier this week Colin Gribbons, and advocate for better transit service said he “looks forward to the hemming and hawing as most of the current members of Council try to explain this one away.”
 Burlington didn’t make the top ten – the city was ranked # 31 after years of being at the top.  Roland Tanner Yesterday Roland Tanner, a candidate for the ward 2 city council seat asked: What does that MoneySense Best City ranking for Burlington actually mean for citizens? And then answered the question: “ Almost nothing. A delve into the statistics shows we shouldn’t have trusted the ranking before, and shouldn’t trust it now.”
Lynne Crosby, one of the very active parent participants in the high school closing debates chimed with this insight:
“The interesting part here isn’t so much the drop in the standings but the Mayor’s and City’s response to the drop in the standings. The current mayor tweeted: “New methodology means we lost points this year due to our modest growth compared to other cities growing at a faster rate.”
 Lynne Crosby “Well, actually no. The MoneySense report said: “While it’s true fast-growing cities can face challenges, we believe those difficulties can be absorbed and addressed if local leaders are effective….If the municipality is doing a bad job of handling that growth, it’s likely to be reflected in other areas of the ranking.”
Crosby points out that “Growth is also ranked 8th out of 10 in order of importance. And that is growth with the caveat that it is managed well. The criteria that is 8th out of 10 would not cause us to plummet down to #31.
The high-ranked cities were touted for various reasons by MoneySense, but growth wasn’t one of them.
“There are lots of intangible qualities that make a city a great place to live that can’t be measured. But we believe there are plenty of important characteristics that can be captured by hard data. A liveable city should be prosperous, but affordable. Safe, yet easy to get around. And it should have the type of weather that draws you outdoors.”
Crosby goes on to say: “Then we have our neighbouring community on the lake, Oakville. The City that told the Province: No, we won’t have an urban growth centre in the downtown. The City with the downtown that Councillor Lancaster called “desolate” at a recent council meeting. The #1 ranked city.
“Oakville Mayor Rob Burton has as the header on his Facebook page a graphic touting the fact that in his terms he has controlled growth, and slowed it down as compared to the previous mayor. From MoneySense:
 Small town feel and no urban growth in their downtown core. “Burton says the key to Oakville’s success is maintaining a small-town sense of community, even as the city’s population breaks 200,000. In fact, the municipality’s official name stubbornly remains “the Town of Oakville,” something Burton doesn’t see any reason to change.
“Oakville is a city that calls itself a town and acts like a village,” he says. “Oakville as a community is determined to maintain that town vibe.”
Greg Woodruff, a candidate for Burlington’s Mayor hopped on this one saying:
“First off the whole Money Sense idea is somewhat silly. No “best” place to live exists. People are different and with different tastes, it means everyone’s “best” place is different. However, the fall in rankings can be used to shed light on our current problems. We don’t have any clear agreement of what “best” even is.
“The basic problem is that what the majority of residents think is “best” and what the planning staff and Council thinks is “best” are in direct opposition. If you rely on the “expert” opinion of the day Burlington has too little modern art, hi-density apartment buildings and has far too many lanes of traffic, parking spots and well kept single family houses.
 The city has a “portal” in what used to be a parking lot. “Now I realize to the average person in Burlington going about their lives this comes as quite a shock. However, that’s what the New Street road diet is – an attempt to remove some of those “burdensome” lanes of traffic. That’s why we removed downtown parking for modern art. Because in the minds of some; “best” is modern art and if people don’t come downtown and businesses close – who cares – we got the “Portal” to stare into. That’s why all the hi-rises, because they are the “best” way to hold the most people. And the most people is “best”.
“What made Burlington “best” to local residents was the feeling of a smaller green place with all the amenities, shops and stores we wanted just a couple of minutes away. You could trade a longer commute for a nicer house here with a lawn for your kids to run on. It’s a great place to raise a family. It’s safe, it’s clean, it’s on the water, it’s got low taxes, nice parks – it’s an easy living city. Previous councils implemented a great version of suburban living and the people who settled here agreed.
 Candidate for Mayor Greg Woodruff “The fault for all this is entirely ours. We took the entire thing for granted. We didn’t form community groups. We didn’t demand concrete plans from elected officials. We didn’t comprehend that the government was capable of planning against our wishes. We didn’t give our local candidates $50 at election time. And we didn’t even vote.
“We need a clear plan to break from the over-development – my plan is a 6-floor residential limit. We need a clear plan to control over spending – my plan is tax increases no greater than inflation. We need a clear plan to reduce our traffic congestion – my plan is light synchronization and some extra region supplied HOV lanes.
“Whoever you are going to vote for – challenge them – what their idea of “best” is? What are the specific plans to bring it about on earth. If we don’t the yearly in Money Sense rankings are going to be the least of our problems. Though maybe we can all walk 60 minutes in the shadow of hi-rises beside gridlock traffic and stare at the latest art project.”
 Burlington didn’t make the top ten in the 2018 MoneySense rankings – the city placed #31 Mike Wallace chose to be less verbose saying: “Burlington has dropped 21 places nationally in Money Sense Magazine’s annual ranking of the best places to live in Canada. We now are ranked behind all the other communities in our Region of Halton.
 Mike Wallace: Is he hitch hiking or is he going to drive the car – and will it get him to city hall? “If the current Council can take credit for the past rankings they must take responsibility for the current results. October 22nd is your time to make better choices for the city.”
It will take master politicians at city hall to find a way to back out of this one. Councillor Craven and Taylor aren’t running again. They Mayor has said what he has to say. Councillors Sharman, Dennison and Lancaster may add some comment. It could well become a burning tire that members of the current city council have to wear around their necks.
 By Staff
August 2nd, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
The new wing of the Joseph Brant Hospital has been open for almost a year – the renovation of the old part of the hospital is still underway.
The emergency entrance to the hospital has been moved – it is now on Lakeshore Road.
Knowing where the entrance to the hospital emergency isn’t something you need to know until you NEED to know where it is.
The graphic below is something you want to stick into that “back of your head” memory. It might become vital information for you.
By Staff
August 2nd, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
Little by little the transformed Joseph Brant Museum begins to take shape.
Scheduled to open in July of 2019 the replica of the original Brant house will sit on top of the museum and serve as office and administration space. The public will never get into that space unless they are there on some kind of business matter.
 Rendering of what the Museum site will look like when completed. The lower level that is being built now will consist of three galleries.
 Some of the early drawings setting out what will be where when the transformation of the museum is complete. The “new” Joseph Brant Museum will feature three new galleries. The Burlington Gallery will feature Joseph Brant, Thayendanegea, and will look at the development of Burlington from immigration and early industry to modern development. The Costume Gallery will evoke a “fashion show” experience. Costumes on the runway will contextualize social history focusing on the time of the famous Brant Inn and the big band era.
The Discovery Gallery will be a place dedicated to children where they can touch, play and learn.
Construction is on time and said to be on budget as well.
 The entrance area to the galleries will be at the street level.
 The Brant house replica can be seen in the background where is rests on wooden block several feet off the ground waiting to be positioned on the site when the gallery area below is completed.
 By Staff
August 2nd, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
We thought we had ended the commenting on the drop in Burlington’s MoneySense magazine ranking.
Mayoralty candidate Marianne Meed Ward put out a stinging statement on her community web site and managed to turn the remarks into a campaign statement. She is running for Mayor.
The following is from Meed Ward:
Insight & Analysis — MoneySense magazine has just released their list of Canada’s Best Places to Live for 2018, and Burlington has dropped again for the third year in a row, down to #31 overall out of a list of 415 cities across Canada.
Last year we came in at #9 overall, and in 2016 we ranked in the #2 spot.
Looking only at mid-size cities, Burlington is the sixth best “mid-sized city” in which to live in Canada, down from the number one spot.
So why the big drop?
Here’s a summary of the rankings, what’s different, and some thoughts on what we need to improve to make our community better for all residents.
What’s different:
The number of cities ranked for comparison fluctuates. The survey in 2016 had 219 cities in their ranking. That year we ranked second overall. Last year, 417 cities were ranked, and we dropped to ninth overall. A similar number of cities are ranked this year (415), but we dropped to #31.
There have also been some changes to the category components and weightings versus previous years, making it hard to do a pure “apples to apples” comparison with our previous years’ results.
Median wait times for medical procedures is now in the mix, for example.
The method for tracking population growth has changed, so cities earn more points the faster they are growing, versus the former method of counting a city’s growth rate related to the national average. However growth is ranked 8 out of 10 in importance and weighting, with other factors like wealth, affordability, health care and weather still considered more important.
MoneySense considers population growth an advantage, as it assumes that if more people want to live in a city, it’s a positive reflection on that location overall.
However, they included an important caveat that growth must be properly managed.
Stated MoneySense: “While it’s true fast-growing cities can face challenges, we believe those difficulties can be absorbed and addressed if local leaders are effective….If the municipality is doing a bad job of handling that growth, it’s likely to be reflected in other areas of the ranking.”
Criteria and weighting
There are 10 categories the rankings consider. They are listed below in the order that they have the most weight and therefore importance (according to MoneySense):
Wealth & Economy (including employment rate & average household income)
Affordability (of housing/rental units)
Access to health care (# of doctors, specialists, and procedure wait-times)
Weather (less rain = better)
Commute (more points for the % of people who walk, bike or take transit to work)
Crime (the lower the crime rate, the better)
Taxes (including provincial sales tax and property tax)
Population growth (growth is good – if managed properly)
Culture (% of people working in arts, culture & recreation + engagement in community)
Amenities (restaurants, bars, and reasonable access to theatres, airports & universities)
We need to do better
Changes to the criteria aside, it’s hard to argue that we have taken a big hit in our ranking. Our city, including our current mayor, has often referred to this ranking as a source of pride over the years, whether to attract new businesses or encourage new residents and festivals to come here.
While we are all still very proud of the wonderful city we live in, it’s worth taking stock of what pushed us out of the top 10 all the way to #31 this year, and think about what we could do better. We want to move in a direction that gets us back where we belong.
My Take and My Plan to make Burlington better
Ranking lists are limited in value by what they measure and the weight given to each. However, when we trumpet that we’re Canada’s best mid-sized city, it can create complacency where we rest on our laurels and take things for granted, instead of driving to improve the quality of life for all our residents.
We’re clearly at a tipping point with this sudden drop, and instead of making excuses, we need to take positive action to ensure we’re focused on the things that are important to making our city thrive.
With the recent decisions by the current mayor and council approving overdevelopment, we’re headed for congestion, lack of housing affordability and lost greenspace.
We’re at a crossroads, and we now have to work harder to protect the city we love.
 There are over-developments proposed or approved across the city. Meed Ward believes the Lakeshore Road development in the east end is one of them. Our top priority must be managing our growth better, avoiding the over-intensification of recent decisions by this mayor and council, for example the 18 storey building across from City Hall, and up to 30 more high-rises downtown in the new Official Plan. There are over-developments proposed or approved across the city, from townhouses at 2100 Brant St., Dynes Road, and Georgina Court, to high-rises in Alton, at Appleby Mall, Lakeside Plaza and Plains Road. Residents support scaled back projects, but we’re getting over-development.
You want a voice in shaping development in our city, but residents have been tuned out and ignored as NIMBYs (Not In My Back Yard) who just don’t understand planning.
We have to get growth right, which includes amending the new Official Plan to scale back over intensification, and sticking closely to the existing Official Plan with new applications.
We also must ensure that as we grow and change, we retain our small-town feel, community character and quality of life, not detract from it. That means we protect and enhance our community amenities, like parks, community centres, and seniors programming; protect and add trees, trails and green space; improve traffic flow and light synchronization with emerging technologies; protect and add to rental housing; use planning tools to add affordable housing, and make job attraction a priority to reduce commute times and allow more of our residents to work in Burlington.
 Meed Wards wants to keep the small town open space feel the city has going for it. Read more about my plans for managing Burlington’s growth in a responsible way, for protecting the character of our neighborhoods and downtown, for making it easier to do business here, for improving the effectiveness of City Hall, for restoring respect for residents, and for ensuring we have the amenities and greenspace we need for our young people, seniors and families to thrive and live healthy lives.
Visit my website and explore my vision, my plan, and how you can get involved: mariannemeedward.ca.
We know Burlington is one of Canada’s Best Places to Live. Let’s get the leadership we need to put us back on top where we belong. Vote for change on October 22nd, for the mayor who will put residents first.
No word from Mike Wallace, Rick Goldring or Greg Woodruff on the change in the MoneySense magazine ranking.
The Gazette has always seen the ranking as a readership promotion campaign on behalf of the magazine that has a circulation in excess of 110,000
Former Mayor Cam Jackson took the things seriously. He didn’t like the way Burlington was lumped in with Hamilton, talked to the magazine’s editors and out of that came a Burlington specific ranking that city hall fell in love with.
That romance seems to have come to an end.
By Pepper Parr
August 1st, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
It’s summer, time to relax get outside and enjoy what the city has to offer.
Burlington has been celebrating a Joseph Brant Day since 1980; it is held at La Salle Park on the Civic Holiday Monday in August.
Museums of Burlington has presented this event for over 30 years where they celebrates our local heritage and community, free of charge.
The Brant Day Festival attracts well over 5,000 people, featuring a strong line-up of family friendly entertainment, historical displays, a food truck rally, vendors and a variety of interactive experiences.
 Food trucks are a very welcome part of the Brant Day event. The Food Trucks this year include:
50 Pesos
Café du Monde Creperie
Dora’s Express
Pappas Greek
Star Dairy Bar
Sweet Temptations
True North BBQ
The Festival runs from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm at La Salle Park, 50 North Shore Boulevard, Burlington, Ontario.
FREE parking is available at Aldershot High School, 50 Fairwood Place West, Burlington.
 A 7 year old aboriginal boy demonstrated using hoops at the Brant Day event at LaSalle Park Schedule for the day:
11:00am-11:45am: Opening Ceremony
12:00pm – 12:30pm: Burlington Teen Tour Band
12:45pm-1:15pm: Healthy Aboriginal Men’s Drum Circle
1:30pm-2:15pm: Halton Dance Network
2:30pm-3:00pm: Hoop Dancing Performance
3:15pm-4:00pm: Bare Blue Sea
The Brant Festival isn’t the only thing going on in the city. ONE BURLINGTON FESTIVAL: Building Bridges Between Faiths will be taking place at Central Park at the Band shell and will run from noon to 4:00 pm
In the event of rain, the festival will be moved inside Central Arena.
“I am excited for this Festival and have been meeting with Muslim friends from the mosque, Hindu and Jewish groups and a variety of Christian leaders – and we will be able to learn about different faiths and cultures while sampling many different ethnic foods,” said Rev. Orville James, minister of Wellington Square United Church.
 One Burlington – where the focus is on community. Osob-Adus-BEST-2017Osob Adus, Burlington Citizen of the Year and well-known community activist, said the festival is a way of knowing and embracing the beauty of all faith traditions and creating bridges between them.
“Mutual understanding and respect are the foundations for building communities across the borders of difference,” said Adus, a Muslim.
Now in its second year, One Burlington Festival was initially held as a response to the Quebec City mosque mass shooting that occurred the evening of January 29, 2017 at the Islamic Cultural Centre of Quebec City.
This year, the festival will open with an Interfaith prayer led by five clergy representing different faiths. An Indigenous smudging ceremony will follow.
Throughout the afternoon, along with free food, entertainment from different cultures will be featured. Performers include local singer-song writer Kim Verrall and violinist Sophie Huang; the Burlington Slam Poets who are celebrating their 10th anniversary; First Nations performer Jimmy Dick and his family and dance groups from the Sikh, Persian and Afro-Canadian communities.
The ecological theme of this year’s festival focuses on building an understanding of the connections between faith and ecology. Everything from Eco-dinnerware to a green clean-up team are embedded in this year’s event.
 There isn’t a better place to be on a hot day. Swimming pools and splash pads around the city are open – check on the hours – they aren’t the same for every location.
 Oberon, the Dwarf King signed documents for all the pixies that passed by. At the Royal Botanical Gardens the word is that all the gnomes, fairies, pixies, and sprites are asked to make their way to the Gardens where a touch of magic awaits them.
Meet mystical creatures, participate in delightful activities, and learn the secrets of our Enchanted Garden.
Monday, August 6, 2018 11:00 AM – 04:00 PM
 By Pepper Parr
August 1st, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
Collin Gribbons, a Burlington resident with significant depth in public transit matters, wrote in to say he “looks forward to the hemming and hawing as most of the current members of Council try to explain this one away.”
 Collin Gribbons Gribbons was commenting on the significant change in Burlington’s position on the MoneySense magazine listing of the best places to live in Canada.
For a number of years Burlington ranked at the very top – then there was a sudden drop from # 1 to # 31 – which is precipitous by any standard.
The “hemming and hawing” Gribbons was expecting came from Kwab Ako-Adjei, Senior Manager Government Relations & Strategic Communications who said: “We are fortunate to have beautiful natural features, rural area, escarpment and lake, but also have created and maintained a livable, thriving city where people and businesses want to be. Out of 415 cities and towns Burlington ranked as the sixth best mid-sized city and fourth best place in Canada in which to retire; Burlington scores very well.
“We also noticed that the new methodology is rewarding growth in mid-size communities, many fast-growing municipalities have jumped to the top of the list.”
Gribbons in his comments to the Gazette did point out that “The rankings were always skewed by things that didn’t really make a city a good place to live. For example, MoneySense awarded points based on how many cars a family had (the more the better), how old they were (under three years = good) and average incomes (higher=better).
“None of these have much to do with the overall quality of life in a city for the average working stiff. Maybe this year they’ve changed their scoring system to put more emphasis on things like walkability (very poor outside of downtown), the availability of transit and City spending on things that actually help people, as opposed to pouring millions into a marina that will serve only 100 or so boaters.
“Perhaps they even took into account the way Council completely ignored anyone who opposed the way developers are taking over city planning.”
The differences of opinion on why the drop in the rankings took place and what they mean could go on forever – Burlington tends to hang on to some issues like an old dog with a bone.
The ranking were editorial fluff from a magazine that wants to grow its readership. We can put this one to rest now.
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