By Staff
February 4th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
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February 4th, 2019 BURLINGTON, ON
The Mayor’s State of the city address last week before the Chamber of Commerce was a first for Marianne Meed Ward. She will get to do this three more times before she has to go before the electorate who will decide if she has heard what the city wants and has made measurable strides in getting there. She spoke at length last Wednesday, she did not get a standing ovation and there were a few issues – climate change and the private tree bylaw – that got a clap or two from a tree hugger or a “this is a hill to die on “ environmentalist. She was a little off her pace on a very few occasions – but at the end of the session when people were getting their coats and preparing to step out into some very cold weather there were a number, a rather significant number of people who were lined up to say a few words to the new Mayor and hang around to have pictures taken. The Gazette has published State of the City address for the past eight years they aren’t the kind of thing that people dig out of the archives. We publish them for the record. The Meed Ward address had a lot of information that has to be teased out and looked at in a larger context. The Gazette will be doing a series of articles in the next few weeks drilling down into what she had to say and suggesting as well as we can what we might expect from our Mayor.  Mayor Meed Ward chatting with one of the people who attended her State of the City address.We have been watching Meed Ward for more than ten years; we sat in on several of her early campaign meetings when she first ran for the ward 2 seat in 2010.The issue that will overshadow all the others is the Region’s decision to return the Official Plan. Here is what Meed Ward had to say on that: “As a result, I am bringing forward a motion to re-examine the policies of the Official Plan that was adopted, though not officially approved, in April of 2018, and review matters of height and density. Halton Region has also recently identified areas of non-conformity, so this motion seeks to gain the time to address those issues. “Once the Region identified areas of non-conformity, that stopped the clock on approving the new Official Plan and opened the plan up for any other matters of discussion. This allows our new City Council the time to define what areas we want to study, undertake that work, consult with the community, and send back a comprehensive plan. We expect that plan to truly reflect the needs, best interests and vision of the community and its elected Council. “The motion will also provide absolute clarity to staff and to the community that the City of Burlington staff are not to use the adopted 2018 plan in evaluating current/new development applications and the existing Official Plan is still in full legal force and effect. Multiple analyses by staff in assessing development applications, downtown in particular, have made it clear we do not need to over-intensify in order to meet our obligations under the Province’s Places To Grow legislation. “Further, we will immediately discontinue use of the “Grow Bold” term and related branding to ensure we are absolutely clear on our direction.” There are some critically important phrases: this motion seeks to gain the time to address those issues.  She is focused on putting her mark on city hall. stopped the clock on approving the new Official Plan and opened the plan up for any other matters of discussion. The motion will also provide absolute clarity to staff and to the community that the City of Burlington staff are not to use the adopted 2018 plan in evaluating current/new development applications and the existing Official Plan is still in full legal force and effect. Meed Ward knows exactly where she wants to go and has a council with five new members that has yet to find its footing – they will follow her lead – it is what they based their individual election platforms on.  Deputy city manager Mary Lou Tanner. The really strong differences of opinion between the Mayor and the Deputy city manager are so wide and have been that way for a long time – one of them has to go – not much guesswork on who will be clearing out a desk before the end of the year. The Planning department is going to have to come into line very soon with the thinking that is taking place at council. Roman Martiuk, failed to advise council that there was going to be a $9 million budget surplus in 2011 – that cost him his job. Martiuk used to tell council he was there to “serve the will of council”. Interim city manager Tim Commisso is going to have to determine just what the will of council is and then ensure that the departments fall into line.  Director of Finance Joan Ford There are several departments that have been doing a fine job for some time: Finance, Capital Works and Information Technology are worthy of bonuses. Planning is a mess; Transportation is so far behind in several of its critical reports that are holding up a number of other initiatives. The world of municipal administration has to be in tune with the political changes that take place in a community. There are some at city hall who appear to have tin ears and don’t understand the change that took place last October when the ballots were cast or they don’t care and will continue to do what they have been doing since those ballots were marked. Meed Ward has made it abundantly clear – the times have changed – get with the plan. There are some very smart and dedicated people in the Planning department. For about a dozen their career paths have been inhibited by the organizational mess and the leadership failure within the department; the place isn’t the planning mecca it could be.
Right about now one can ask: Where is the Work Force Plan that Tim Commisso will have to put before city council at some point in the near future. What we learn tends to come out of the Mayor’s office. Salt with Pepper are the views, opinions and reflections of the Gazette Publisher
February 4th, 2019 BURLINGTON, ON
If there is a notice that the material is not censored and is intended for a mature audience- and they’ve been offering it for the last four years – it might be something you want to give some thought to. For the Fifth year in a row the BURLINGTON COMEDY FESTIVAL will take place from February 24th – February 27th. Several venues for the event; Pepperwoods, Art Gallery of Burlington and Emma’s Back Porch and The Water Street Cooker.  “Skinny German Juggle Boy” The four-day event kicks off on Sunday February 24, 2019 with a Family Variety Show at the Art Gallery of Burlington. The variety show features international acts from Hilbilly “Skinny German Juggle Boy” to Ireland’s Jack Wise and the American comedic contortionist and daredevil Alakazam. Tickets are $12.50 (or Family Pack of four: $40.00), doors open at 1:30 p.m. and the all-ages show begins at 2:00 p.m. The Festival features over twelve comedians and variety acts performing five shows at two amazing venues tailor made for live stand-up: The Art Gallery of Burlington (AGB) and the iconic Water Street Cooker (2084 Old Lakeshore Road) This year’s events are in partnership with The Gift of Giving Back, Canada’s largest community food drive which helps a dozen agencies serve their needy clients across the GTA. Donations of non-perishable goods and cash will be accepted at all shows.  Derek Seguin, a CBC Just for Laughs regular. Derek Seguin, a CBC Just for Laughs regular. Evening performances begin on Monday February 25 at both The Water Street Cooker and AGB with an 8:00 show time at both venues. Headliners include Montreal-based Derek Seguin a Just for Laughs alumnus and Mark Forward, a series regular on Crave TV’s Letterkenny. The following evening our headliners switch venues with all tickets valued at $29.00. Burlington Comedy Festival ends with a bang on Wednesday February 27th as we feature the “Best of the Fest” (tickets are $59.00) at the Art Gallery of Burlington, 8 p.m. start time. The seven comic line-up features gust host Gemini Award-winning actor/comedian Shaun Majumder and host of the hit show The Debaters on CBC Radio One –Steve Patterson. Patrons are also encouraged to enjoy dinner and a show through a special deal at two of Downtown’s best eateries!  Comedy Festival 2019 – February 24th to the 27th – multiple venues The best deals in town are the VIP Food & Funny Deals at Emma’s Back Porch and Pepperwood Bistro. They include admission to the reserved seating area and a $25 voucher for dinner at the participating restaurant. This package is $49.00 ($69.00 for the “Best of the Fest”). You can buy tickets in person in January at Emma’s Back Porch and Pepperwood Bistro. Please note that the material is not censored and intended for a mature audience. Seating is general admission, no recordings are permitted. For a full list of complete acts and to buy tickets online please log onto www.burlingtoncomedy.com  Downtown Business Association Executive Director Brian Dean has worked hard with the hospitality community to make this event the success it has become. The Gazette has been assured that Brian will not be on stage – ever. Brian Dean, Executive Director, Burlington Downtown Business Association said: “After five years we are more convinced than ever that there is a strong appetite for professional comedy in Burlington. The Festival helps us to showcase our thriving small business community by bringing crowds to the downtown core for laughs and great hospitality. –
February 1st, 20129 BURLINGTON, ON
The Gazette published a short piece on the problems homeless people in Burlington have coping with the bitterly cold weather. We asked each member of Council and the Mayor for their thoughts on what could be done to help these people. The Mayor and her team “consulted and, in addition to her own thoughts, many Councillors were also eager to jump in and speak about the ways our community comes together to support homeless individuals” said the Chief of Communications & Strategic Advisor. She sent us the following: “As you know, Burlington is part of Halton Region, which has several resources and processes for supporting the homeless during extreme cold weather and all year long. “As you referenced in your earlier article, Halton Region funds the Salvation Army’s Lighthouse Shelter in Oakville. Outreach staff provide counselling and connect individuals in the shelter to community resources that can help them regain stable and affordable housing. “Single individuals with no children can dial 311 and be connected with staff who will assess their situation and help them find the best available temporary option which may include staying at the Lighthouse Emergency Shelter, with family, friends or other options. Even though the shelter is not in Burlington, staff there can work with individuals to try and arrange transportation assistance to the shelter itself. In a cold alert, additional beds are made available at the Lighthouse to ensure those most at-risk are provided an emergency option.  The Riviera Motel was once rented by the Region as a stop gap location for people who needed housing. It was torn down to make way for the Bridgewater condo and a Marriott Hotel. “Families with children are immediately triaged into 1 of 8 emergency apartments located throughout the Region. Hotels are used as surge capacity, including in the City of Burlington. “The Region is aware of individuals from time to time who do not wish to access emergency shelter services, and seeks to provide them with local supports around mental health outreach, housing related case management services, as well as emergency food. Any community group concerned about a particular individual in their community is encouraged to call the Region to access supports and services. “Halton region also works with police and the COAST (Crisis Outreach and Support Team) to reach out to people who may be on the streets and get them help. In speaking today with Alex Sarchuk, Commissioner of Social and Community Services for Halton, we confirmed that when the Halton Regional Police see homeless individuals they refer them to the Region as well as the Canadian Mental Health Association who provide rapid response teams who work to respond quickly to instances of elevated risk. Through the Halton Housing First program, we also have the ability to provide permanent housing with wrap-around support services for high needs homeless individuals and families – these are located throughout Halton Region, including in the City of Burlington.  Seen as a front line responder the Salvation Army doesn’t have any space for the homeless in Burlington. “We further want to mention the many other valuable service groups in our City that help the homeless with providing needed food and warm clothing. They are spread out through the city and include the Burlington Food Bank, Compassion Society, Goodwill, Salvation Army, Food for Life, and Halton Women’s Place. “Resources are available so that there is no reason for anyone to spend a night on Burlington’s streets. The City of Burlington staff and leadership are always open to feedback from the community and continued evaluation of the programs that exist along with their use and effectiveness. More information can be found on the website: https://www.halton.ca/living_in_halton/housing/need_emergency_shelter/ We had hoped we would get some individual comment from the members – what we got was a group think out of the Mayor’s office. We wonder what Shawna Stolte of ward 4 would have to say and measure that against what ward 5 Councillor Paul Sharman would add to our understanding of these people.  Marianne Meed Ward was just a citizen when this picture was taken – now she is on the other side of the podium, sitting as the Mayor. The Gazette has watched Marianne Meed Ward grow from a consistent and persistent city hall delegation into a candidate for office in a ward she could win in. In her first Burlington election she ran in ward 1 against Rick Craven – something he never forgave her for and got creamed. Several days after her first win as the Councillor for Ward 2 she got a call from a resident complaining that there was a bag of garbage being blown down the street. Meed Ward did something that few politicians wouldn’t even think of doing. She got into the family van and picked up the garbage herself. Her first few months in office were difficult – for city hall staff. Meed Ward blew through her postage budget in short order and ran out of money used to pay for the coffee and donuts she provided at her community meetings. At one of those meetings, which were more like homework classes for the residents who just loved the time and attention they were getting, Meed Ward blurted out “I just love this job” –and indeed she did. One would hope that in her own way Meed Ward will make phone calls asking around about how many people the police had to help out. Burlington can be surprisingly negligent when it comes to understanding and doing something about the really really poor people. Marilyn Ansley got back to us after we published the first article saying she too was in touch with the Region – the most she was able to get was ‘they should call 311’. Related news story: No begging on the streets of Burlington.
February 1st, 2019 BURLINGTON, ON
Other than the credit card balances we would rather not look at and the toys those cards bought that have already been abandoned by the children – there isn’t much more to remember about the festive season. The Festival of Trees put on by the Performing Arts Centre to raise funds for the use of the Community Theatre by different arts group was a bright spot that will be appreciated throughout the year. More than double the funds raised last year were brought in this year – they actually sold out the draw tickets they had.  Hayley Verral, a budding Burlington singer and song writer who has done Nashville looks good beside the tree she sponsored with her Mother. Described as a massive success, the event brought 8000 visitors between Nov. 22 and Dec 20, and $7,305 for our Community Studio Theatre initiative, which provides grants to local artists and arts organizations to offset the cost of renting the Community Studio Theatre. Funds raised are transferred to the Arts & Culture Organization of Burlington (ACCOB), who administer and adjudicate the funding applications. The concept of the Festival of Trees was brought to BPAC by Executive Director Tammy Fox in 2017, after she had been part of launching a similar event over 20 years ago at Port Hope’s Capitol Theatre, which continues to be an annual community event to this day. “The staff and the sponsors all contribute a great deal to ensure that the Festival of Trees happens each year,” says Fox, “but increasing access to the Studio Theatre for our local artists is definitely a priority, and the rewards of this community-building event are well worth the effort.”  Ti Vesto Boutique want you to know how they feel about their tree. BPAC partnered with Canadian Tire- Burlington Stores to present this now annual festival. Canadian Tire generously donated 25 pre-lit artificial Christmas Trees that were all sponsored and decorated by local businesses. The 2018 tree sponsors were: 27th Orchard Scout Troup, A Different Drummer Books, BLR Chartered Professional Accountants, Bodhi Bar, Burlington Beach Rentals, Burlington Network Group, Century 21 Dreams Inc. Brokerage, Conservation Halton, Cori Arthurs Floral Design, Harmony Fine Jewellers, Hayley Verral Music & Leah Verrall Artist, Holland Park Garden Gallery, Joelle’s & Jeff’s Guyshop, Long & McQuade Musical Instruments- Burlington, Mirella’s Ladies Boutique, MollyCake, Mrs. B’s Gifthouse, Museums of Burlington, NUVO Network, S. Taylor Jewellery Appraisal & Consultation, Son of a Peach Pizzeria & The Sunshine Doughnut Co., Sound of Music Festival, Springridge Farm, Ti Vesto Boutique, and Tourism Burlington/Taste of Burlington. During the Festival BPAC presented a number of free lobby activities for the community which featured The Enchorus Children’s Choir, The Myriad Ensemble, an ornament craft-making activity, and two visits from Santa! BPAC also hosted a Food Drive for Food 4 Kids Halton during our Festival of Trees and F4KH was amazed with the support from our community, having to make multiple trips to collect all the donations. We were thrilled by the generosity of our community and happy to help both artists and kids in need during the holiday season.  Carl Dixon provided a wonderful picture of what the Performing Arts Centre looks like when it is all dressed up. Even a full moon. Anyone interested in applying for the Community Studio Theatre Initiative funding should visit https://www.artscultureburlington.ca/. The deadline for this year’s funding is March 1st, 2019.
February 1st, 2019 BURLINGTON, ON
Our correspondent in Milton advises us that It was a full house for Prime Minister Trudeau when he visited the Craig Kielburger Secondary School in Milton. 1300 tickets were let out and every one snatched up. Pam Damoff and John Oliver were the ostensible hosts; this was an event run out of the Prime Minister’s Office to do everything possible to pull the Milton riding back into the Liberal fold.  Milton MP – Lisa Raitt Lisa Raitt, Deputy Leader of the Opposition is doing a fine job of keeping the government on their toes – the Liberals would love to take this seat and nominated a high profile athlete to give Raitt a run for her money. It will be a race to watch. The packed audience was a Trudeau Town Hall – he handles this type of thing very well. And he just loves the “selfies” that get taken. The first question came from a young person who expressed concern about the Huawei situation. Trudeau told the crowd that Canada is standing up for the rule of law; that we will not interfere in the judiciary process, despite political pressures by China.  This is what the Prime Minister does well -he takes questions head on – doesn’t fluff them off and does take much guff either. He faced a packed high school gymnasium in Milton earlier this week Photo by Stacey Newman. Questions were raised about the environment and climate change; the future of energy in Canada; plastic pollutants in our oceans. To that last Trudeau told us that 90% of the plastic in oceans comes from 10 rivers around the world – none in Canada – but he did acknowledge that not enough was being done in Canada, that we have to do a lot better, that young people have a role to play, that they were a large part in getting the recycling movement underway – kids pressuring their parents. To answer a question about Canada’s vision for energy, Trudeau spoke to our need to move away from fossil fuels; focus on renewables, and putting in place a carbon tax that will give money to families while encouraging big polluters to reduce their emissions.  Justin Trudeau – exceptionally well informed, talks directly and forcefully. Crowds love him for the most part. Photo by Stacey Newman Another question from a student was quite interesting: how much funding went to space exploration vs education, especially math and the sciences? The prime minister said space exploration was more than about all that (pointing to the skies), that there were so many potentials for us here on earth. By choosing to invest in space, we created the robotic Canadarm. Investing in the technology that made that robotic arm, understanding the algorithms that perform calculations, data processing, holds so many potentials for us here on earth -robotics are used in manufacturing, in surgical procedures, as examples.
Trudeau addressed questions from the audience for an hour and a half, our correspondent reports that he was “fairly well-received by the crowd”.
February 1st, 2019 BURLINGTON, ON
A Halton Regional mushroom farm was convicted for the second time under the Occupational Health and Safety Act .  Mushroom production. Monaghan Mushrooms Ltd., a mushroom farming facility at 7345 Guelph Line, Campbellville, Ontario was fined $90,000 by Justice of the Peace Paul Macphail in Burlington court. The court also imposed a 25-per-cent victim fine surcharge as required by the Provincial Offences Act. The surcharge is credited to a special provincial government fund to assist victims of crime. This is the second time the company has been convicted under section 25(2)(h) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act . Background: • The pallet truck was being operated by one worker (worker 1) and the forklift was being operated by another worker (worker 2). • Worker 1 was driving the pallet truck down a long hallway to drop a last skid of mushrooms in the facility’s pack house; worker 2’s forklift was transporting mushroom trays down the hallway to a tray de-stacker. • A third worker driving a forklift pulled into the tray de-stacker to pick up a load of trays. Worker 1 stopped the pallet truck in the hallway to wait for that task to be completed, as did worker 2 with the forklift. • The third worker reversed out of the de-stacker and drove away. Worker 2 then drove the forklift forward and turned into the de-stacker to drop the load. • At this point worker 1 was standing at the controls of the pallet truck. • At the same time, worker 1 started driving forward to drop off the last load. The two vehicles collided. • The forklift struck Worker 1; the worker was sprung from the pallet truck and fell to the ground. • It was later found that Monaghan had not developed or implemented any policies, procedures or training about which vehicles had the right of way. The Ministry of Labour’s investigation found that the three workers had differing beliefs about which vehicle had right of way. • The mobile equipment involved in the accident was determined to be in good working condition. • The company had a prior record in relation to a fatality at the workplace. On December 20, 2011, a worker employed by a subcontractor was struck and killed by a front-end loader operating in reverse. Monaghan pleaded guilty and was convicted on April 8, 2014 of failing to take every precaution reasonable in the circumstances for the protection of a worker, contrary to section 25(2)(h) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act; at that time the company was fined $140,000. The Campbellville, Ontario facility is the largest mushroom farm in Canada and the largest farm in the Monaghan Group; with production capacity of 650,000 lbs of mushrooms per week. Monaghan exports $10,500,000(CDN) worth of mushrooms from Canada to the United States each year, predominately to California, Michigan and Washington State.
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Let’s look at this again in a year and see if there have been any real changes.
Adam van Koeverdon was in attendance and worked the room – Milton is a want to win riding for the Liberals – it was odd that the Prime Minister didn’t make any mention of the candidate – the October election is already underway and they want the Milton seat. A portion of the Milton constituency includes some of the northern part of the city of Burlington.