From grief to purpose, she transformed road safety in Ontario and saved lives

By Gazette Staff

June 15th, 2026

BURLINGTON, ON

 

Burlington MP Karina rose in the House of Commons earlier this month to note and read into the record that it has been 20 years since the death of OPP Sergeant Greg Stobbart, a beloved Burlington resident who was killed by a careless motorist while on a training ride on his bike. He was a dedicated officer with 25 years of experience, a committed athlete and a deeply loved family man and friend.

Eleanor founded the Share the Road Cycling Coalition.

In the face of unimaginable loss, Greg’s wife, Eleanor McMahon, chose courage. She founded the Share the Road Cycling Coalition, which has since become one of the most influential road safety organizations in Canada.

Eleanor’s advocacy resulted in “Greg’s law”, Ontario’s one-metre safe passage law, strengthening penalties for drivers who injure or kill vulnerable road users. From grief to purpose, she transformed road safety in Ontario and saved lives.

With the 20th-anniversary Share the Road Gran Fondo in Milton and the annual Ontario Bike Summit, we remember Sergeant Stobbart, honour his legacy and together continue the work.

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Blood drawn in Canada should be processed in Canada. Life Labs intends to send your blood to the US for processing

By Pepper Parr

June 15th, 2026

BURLINGTON, ON

 

Try this.

Your doctor wants some blood work done.

You go to a privately operated lab to have that work done.

The past practice was that the lab did the work and sent the blood or urine samples to the processing centre and the results were sent directly to your doctor.

LifeLabs, a company that has facilities across the country, in most communities, was sold to Quest, an American multinational. Quest has been attempting to cut back services to Ontario’s patients. In Sudbury, they attempted to close their laboratory processing facility entirely and have now reduced its staffing by half. Between January to March, they cancelled afternoon hours at the Kenora lab collection centre.

Currently, they are beginning to move lab tests that are done in Ontario’s hospitals to the United States.

Whoa!  Information about your health is being collected by a lab in  Canada and sent to the United States for processing? With the results being sent toyour doctor?

For decades, these reference laboratory tests have been performed in Ontario’s hospitals. Shifting them to the United States raises serious patient privacy and specimen quality concerns, delays results, harms the efficiency and independence of Ontario’s medical laboratory system, transfers more Ontario health care dollars to the United States and reduces income to our hospitals.

On March 9, 2026, LifeLabs/Quest informed “external laboratories” that reference laboratory tests will be transitioned to Quest Diagnostics. What they call “external laboratories” are Ontario’s public hospital medical laboratories that have been routinely used for many years by LifeLabs to test samples from Ontario patients that LifeLabs did not have the ability to process.

Quest’s reference laboratories are all in the United States. Quest’s March 9 memo states that phase one of this transfer of tests to the United States will begin on April 6 with phases two and three following in the period May to July of this year.

Quest’s actions will:

  • The blood was drawn in Canada and should be processed in Canada. Full Stop

    reduce the protection of Ontario patients’ medical data;

  • take financial resources away from hospitals;
  • make Ontario’s medical laboratory processing system less efficient by removing needed volume;
  • send more Ontario tax dollars to the United States, and;
  • jeopardize sample quality by increasing transportation and turnaround time and by making it harder for Ontario hospital patients to access needed reference tests.

The Ontario Health Coalition maintains these actions by Quest demonstrate a lack of concern about delivering high-quality medical laboratory services in Ontario. Maximizing corporate income by bleeding income from Ontario’s health care system and patients should not be the driving force of our medical laboratory system. Quest’s contract to provide outpatient medical laboratory services in Ontario must be cancelled as soon as possible and your government must restore all outpatient lab testing to the control of local public hospitals.

Burlington MPP Natalie Pierre

Transferring the community laboratory work to the hospitals will make a more integrated health system and ensure public – and Canadian domestic — control over these vital services. It will be cheaper, provide better quality and faster care, strengthen the services within the local hospitals and increase accessibility for patients to needed health services.

The provincial government is sitting in the Legislature these days, but the local MPP Natalie Pierre is still around.  Pop a note to her office asking her if she is aware of this change and what she thinks about it?

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Where are the parents? 12-year-old boy has been charged with seven offenses including attempted murder.

Gazette Staff

June 15th, 2026

BURLINGTON, ON

 

A 12-year-old boy has been charged in connection with an early-morning hit-and-run in East York on Monday that injured a Toronto police officer and that is also linked to a shooting, investigators say.

The boy faces seven charges including attempted murder, theft of a motor vehicle and assaulting an officer, police said in a post on social media.

Established in 1834, it was the first local police service created in North America and is one of the oldest police services in the English-speaking world.

Emergency crews responded to calls about a shooting near Mortimer and Donlands avenues in East York around midnight Monday, a Toronto paramedics spokesperson said. A youth was taken to hospital with injuries that weren’t life-threatening.

At about the same time, officers responded to a call about a vehicle theft in the area of Donlands Avenue and O’Connor Drive.

Authorities said they tried to stop a vehicle and shot at it before the driver hit an officer and fled the scene, police said. A Toronto police officer was taken to hospital with serious injuries, which are not considered life threatening, according to the police post.

After police found the vehicle again, the driver was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries, as well.

Three people — two 12-year-olds and a 13-year-old — were in the vehicle, which was stolen.

Four police officers — two each in two police vehicles — tried to stop the driver of the stolen vehicle. The driver tried to flee, during which “there was contact made with a police officer and that vehicle.  Multiple shots then fired at the stolen vehicle. The driver took off and abandoned the car at Floyd and Donlands avenues a short distance away before being arrested on foot later.

One youth who was in the car is still at large.

The boys will not be identified due to their age.  They will be punished and will eventually be released.  Is this incident the first step for a career criminal?  Where were the parents. What are the chances that this is a single parent situation

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Albert (Bert) Henry Detmold, a WWI private, will be buried at the Loos Cemetery

By Gazette Staff

June 15th, 2026

BURLINGTON, ON

 

The burial of a Canadian soldier killed in the First World War, Private Albert (Bert) Henry Detmold, will take place at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s (CWGC) Loos British Cemetery outside Loos-en-Gohelle, France. The public is also welcome to attend.

Private Detmold was born in Hamburg, Germany, to a prominent British family; his maternal uncle, Rufus Isaacs, was the first Jewish Chief Justice of England. After schooling in the UK, he immigrated to Canada to farm in Manitoba. When war broke out, he returned to Europe and ultimately served as part of the 107th (Timber Wolf) Battalion.

Private Detmold was killed in action on August 15, 1917, at the age of 33, on the first day of the Battle of Hill 70.

His remains were found during a construction project in August 2020. The Department of National Defence announced his identification in March 2026.

Private Detmold will be buried by The North Saskatchewan Regiment, in the presence of his family, with the support of Veterans Affairs Canada. Representatives of the Government of Canada and the local French Government will be in attendance.

These are the people who paid for the democracy we have today.

 

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Ontario Online Gambling: What Burlington Readers Should Check First

By Elfrida Stokes

June 12th, 2026

BURLINGTON, ON

 

Online gambling has quietly moved from a niche industry story into something Burlington households see every day.

Online gambling has quietly moved from a niche industry story into something Burlington households see every day. The ads now appear in places where readers are not looking for them at all:

  • alongside sports broadcasts
  • in social feeds
  • between search results
  • on Canadian comparison sites

This article is not a ranking of casinos and not an invitation to gamble.  This article treats online gambling the way it would treat any financial-risk topic: explain it, point to official sources, and flag the warning signs.

Why online gambling is now a local consumer issue

Provincial regulation does not stop at the city line. Ontarians see the same ads, the same bonus language, and the same payment promises whether they live in Toronto or Burlington.

One caveat sits inside that table. Active player accounts are not unique people, because the same person can hold accounts with several operators. A large account number is a measure of market reach, not a measure of how many Ontarians are gambling.

Local impact is harder to quantify than provincial revenue. Household budgets, family stress, and youth exposure to advertising do not appear in operator filings, but they show up in Burlington living rooms.

What “online gambling” means in Ontario

Before evaluating any site, it helps to separate the players in the system. Online gambling in Ontario covers casino-style games, sports and event betting, poker, bingo, and lottery-style products delivered through a website or app.

Four kinds of websites tend to get confused:

  • Operators: companies that run gambling sites and take wagers.
  • Platforms: the underlying technology a brand uses to deliver games.
  • Comparison or information directories: third-party sites that explain terms, list operators, or summarize bonuses.
  • Regulators: government bodies that license, register, and enforce the rules.

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario sits in the last category. Its player-support page for online gambling explains the regulator’s role in registering and supervising online gambling sites and setting standards for player protection and game integrity. Marketing copy from any other site, however polished, is not a substitute for that information.

Where casino directories fit, and what they cannot verify for you

Canadian casino-information directories should be treated as a starting point for vocabulary and comparison, not as a substitute for checking Ontario regulatory status or reading the operator’s own terms.

When readers search for terms like “wagering requirement,” “fast withdrawals,” or “Canadian-friendly casino,” they often land on comparison directories rather than regulator pages. These directories can help with vocabulary, but they should not be treated as official authority.

Readers may see licensing notes, payout claims, bonus language, and review-style summaries on Canadian casino-information directories such as https://casinocanada.com/, but those details should be treated as a starting point for vocabulary and comparison, not as a substitute for checking Ontario regulatory status or reading the operator’s own terms.

A directory can:

  • Explain what a wagering requirement or a no-deposit bonus is.
  • Show categories of payment methods or game types.
  • Summarize an operator’s claims.

A directory cannot:

  • Confirm that a particular operator is currently registered in Ontario.
  • Replace the operator’s full terms and conditions.
  • Promise outcomes such as fast payouts or fair play on your behalf.

The rule of thumb is simple. Use directories to learn the words, and use the AGCO and the operator’s own legal pages to learn the facts.

What Ontario regulation is supposed to do

The provincial igaming market launched on April 4, 2022, with iGaming Ontario conducting and managing the legal market and AGCO acting as regulator. The same iGaming Ontario annual report describes that mandate alongside work on responsible gambling, anti-money laundering, and a centralized self-exclusion system.

It helps to be specific about what regulation covers and what it does not.  That distinction matters when reading any marketing message. Regulated status tells you the operator has agreed to rules. It does not tell you that gambling is risk-free for you personally.

Advertising, bonuses, and the fine print readers should notice

Bonus language is one of the most common ways readers encounter online gambling, and it is also one of the most misread. The word “free” rarely means free without conditions.

AGCO’s marketing and advertising guidance sets out that advertising materials communicating gambling inducements, bonuses, and credits are prohibited in Ontario except on an operator’s own gaming site and through direct marketing after a player has given consent.

When a bonus offer does appear in a place where it is permitted, the details that matter sit in the fine print:

  1. Wagering requirements: how many times the bonus must be wagered before any winnings can be withdrawn.
  2. Eligible games: some games count fully, others only partially or not at all.
  3. Time limits: bonuses often expire within days.
  4. Maximum bet caps: betting above a stated amount while a bonus is active can void winnings.
  5. Withdrawal conditions: minimum amounts, identity verification, and processing times.

Reading those five items takes a few minutes and changes how an offer looks. A headline number says little until the conditions are checked.

Risk signals: when gambling stops being entertainment

Gambling problems rarely announce themselves in a single moment. CAMH’s overview of problem gambling describes harm as a continuum that can affect work, school, mental and physical health, finances, reputation, and relationships, rather than a single threshold to cross.

ConnexOntario’s gambling treatment service page lists warning signs that are easier to notice in everyday life:

  • Spending more time or money on gambling than planned.
  • Struggling to stop or cut back.
  • Chasing losses by gambling more to win back what was lost.
  • Borrowing money or building debt to keep gambling.
  • Hiding gambling activity from family or friends.
  • Feeling anxious, irritable, or low when not gambling.

Gambling harm is not only about losing money. It can quietly shift sleep, focus, mood, and trust inside a household well before a financial crisis is visible.

Noticing one of these signs is not a diagnosis. It is a reason to pause and consider whether the activity still looks like entertainment.

Scams, fake trust signals, and basic checks before money or ID changes hands

Not every gambling site that looks Canadian is regulated in Ontario, and not every trust badge on a homepage corresponds to a real audit. Practical caution comes before money or identity documents are shared.

A short checklist covers most situations:

  1. Verify regulatory status separately. Look up the operator through official regulator information rather than relying on the site’s own claims.
  2. Read the withdrawal terms, not just the deposit offer. Check minimums, processing windows, and verification steps.
  3. Identify who actually operates the site. The company name in the footer or terms is the entity behind the brand.
  4. Be skeptical of guarantees. Promises of guaranteed wins, instant payouts, or risk-free play are marketing, not facts.
  5. Treat bonus-heavy messaging as a prompt for extra caution, given Ontario’s restrictions on public advertising of inducements and credits.
  6. Do not share ID or payment details with operators whose registration and contact information cannot be confirmed.

If a check fails, the safer move is to walk away. Lost time is recoverable. Lost identity documents and deposits often are not.

Self-exclusion and support resources in Ontario

Self-exclusion is a voluntary tool that puts a barrier between a person and gambling for a defined period. The same iGaming Ontario annual report describes a centralized self-exclusion system that will allow Ontarians to self-exclude from all regulated igaming sites in the province, with registered operators required to participate.

For people who want to talk to someone before, during, or after taking that step, ConnexOntario offers free, confidential support that is available 24/7 across Ontario and does not require a referral.

A few points worth keeping in mind:

  • Self-exclusion is most useful as one part of a wider plan, alongside conversations, financial steps, and professional support where needed.
  • Help is not reserved for severe cases. ConnexOntario and CAMH services treat gambling concerns along a continuum.
  • Family members can also reach out for guidance about supporting someone else.

A household checklist for Burlington families

Conversations are easier before a crisis than during one. The warning signs listed by Ontario health and support sources translate naturally into household questions.

Topics worth raising at the kitchen table:

  • Money rules: a clear, separate amount for entertainment, never drawn from rent, food, savings, or debt payments.
  • Time rules: limits on sessions, especially in the evening when judgment fades.
  • Shared devices: whether gambling apps belong on phones or tablets that teenagers also use.
  • Advertising literacy: how to read sports-broadcast and social-media gambling ads as marketing, not advice.
  • Hidden losses: an agreement that financial mistakes can be raised without immediate blame.
  • When to ask for help: which Ontario resource the family will contact first if signs appear.

These are not legal or clinical answers. They are starting points that lower the cost of speaking up later.

Bottom line: read gambling information like any other financial-risk claim

A useful frame for the whole topic is this: online gambling material deserves the same scrutiny as an investment pitch or a credit offer.

Online gambling material deserves the same scrutiny as an investment pitch.

A short summary for readers who want one paragraph to remember:

  • Comparison directories explain vocabulary. Regulators define legality.
  • Advertising and bonus headlines are marketing. The conditions are in the terms.
  • Warning signs are personal and practical, not abstract.
  • Help in Ontario is free, confidential, and available before things reach a crisis.

Read with that frame, the noise tends to fall away, and the questions that actually protect Burlington households move to the front.

 

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City Clerk to conduct a review of Advisory Committees and recommend whether to maintain, combine or wind down committees.

By Gazette Staff

June 14th, 2026

BURLINGTON, ON

 

Council approved the Advisory Committees of Council Governance Framework (LLS-08-26) and directed the City Clerk to conduct a review of the Advisory Committees of Council portfolio, applying the framework to make recommendations on whether to maintain, combine or wind down committees.

Former Toronto Mayor David Crombie speaks at a Waterfront Advisory meeting and tells them to “look for some oddballs to sit on your design committee”. Mayor Goldring says he doesn’t know any oddballs to put on the committee he has formed to Define the Dream.

Staff are to report back to Committee of the Whole within the first three months of 2027 to align with the new term of Council.

Council also directed the City Clerk to update terms of reference, the Public Appointment Policy and other related documents to support the revised committee portfolio and governance framework.

One would hope that the City Clerk would reach out to the public and listen to what people who choose to be involved what City Hall does have to say.

At the very least, he should ask for written suggestions.

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Two Royal Canadian Navy Bands will be on stage BPAC Main Stage Thursday the 18th. Admission is free

By Gazette Staff

June 14th, 2026

BURLINGTON, ON

 

The Performing Arts people were a litte slow in getting this one out the door.

Bands from navy stations HMCS Stadacona and HMCS Naden will be on the BPAC Main Theatre stage for a seventy five minute concert.

Admission is FREE!

Bringing together musicians from Halifax and Victoria, this concert unites members of the Royal Canadian Navy’s Stadacona and Naden Bands for a rare joint performance.

Audiences can expect a dynamic and moving program showcasing Canadian music, featured soloists, and selections that reflect the proud traditions and evolving sound of Canada’s navy bands.

Performed by the country’s finest military musicians, this special evening highlights collective artistry and a shared commitment to honouring service.

An opportunity to hear the shared musical voice of the Royal Canadian Navy.

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Scammers think they can convince you that you have a security problem with PayPal

By Pepper Parr

June 14th, 2026

BURLINGTON, ON

 

Does this look suspicious to you?

Look at the email address.

manop@smartcalth.com

PayPal is tough on the security side.

You’ve got to be very very good to get past their security people.

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Political drama hides the real issue: cricket players are not getting what they need and residents are asked to put up with safety concerns

By Pepper Parr

June 14th, 2026

BURLINGTON, ON

 

Politically, it was a disaster. All kinds of procedural by-law issues resulted in the Ward 2 Councillor Lisa Kearns walking out of a Council meeting.

Ward 2 Councillor Lisa Kearns

“Today, I excused myself from the June Committee of the Whole meeting following two agenda items affecting Ward 2 Residents being Closed for Debate.

“I asserted that I could not dispose of my obligation to represent the community on items related to Cricket at Central Park and Options to Restrict Construction  without the procedural opportunity to state my voting rationale and complete my questions. Since this pattern emerged, I silently exited the Council Chambers for the balance of Committee and will resume with my work on behalf of the constituents I serve at Council on June 23rd, 2026.”

Setting the political drama aside – there is a problem with sufficient space for people to play cricket.

Staff at Recreation, Community and Culture had to know that there was a major change taking place in the demographic makeup of the city.  More people want to play cricket. The games tend to last a long time, and at this point, there is just the one cricket pitch in the city.  A second is scheduled for Sherwood Forest in 2029 at a cost that runs into the millions.

None of this was new. Our question is – why didn’t staff put together what was known and develop a policy that would manage the demographic changes taking place?

Kearns had a meeting with the people living along the border of Central Park, where the game is played on April 25th. It was not an easy meeting for the Council member and staff didn’t leave with gold stars.

They had legitimate complaints and they made their view very clear. The last comment made at the difficult meeting came from a resident who said to Kearns: “This one is on you.

Did Staff stick it to the Council member deliberately?  No but staff didn’t have a plan in place that citizens could understand and accept.

Emilie Cote: Director Recreation, Community and Culture

Emilie Cote, Director Recreation, Community and Culture, is a young intelligent woman in a role that has had to handle a couple of awkward files.

The allocation of pool time should have been resolved within the department.  Instead, it was given to the Procurement people who get tied up in procedural problems that are part of large dollar contracts.  The pool use issue is nickels and dimes.

Cote has been given a lot of room to grow the department. The tin ear she has when it comes to the politics of situations is very evident.  She should have taken the pool issue to a higher level – the Chief Administration Officer should have been consulted.  That didn’t seem to happen.

There is space at City View Park that could accommodate a cricket pitch with next to nothing in residential areas anywhere near the site.

There was a very very short conversation with Cote at that xx meeting.  She had little to say other than that the Sherwood Forest location would come on stream in 2029.

The cricket community has every reason to be upset and the residents who have to put up with the noise and the cricket balls landing in their back yards

The new dedicated cricket pitch and associated park upgrades at Sherwood Forest Park in Burlington are expected to be completed and ready for play by 2029. The total estimated budget for the park revitalization, which includes the cricket field with irrigation and lighting, is approximately $4.1 million.    The city is expected to tender the park renewal project in late 2026, with major construction planned between 2027 and 2028, leading up to the target 2029 opening.

The west side of Sherwood Forest Park (5270 Fairview St) was selected as the only municipal site in Burlington that has enough space to host a full-size, regulation cricket field.

 

 

Sherwood Forest Park in the East End of Burlington.

Related news story:

Ward 2 Councillor gets a rough ride.  Click HERE for the details

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Lakeshore Festival Program For the Two Day Event.

By Gazette Staff

June 14th, 2026

BURLINGTON, ON

 

A week and a bit away and the public will get to see what MRG Live is going to produce for their first Lakeshore Music & Arts Festival.

The Festival is replacing what we knew as the Sound of Music.

It has been an awkward process for many.

MRG Live is a private for profit company that has event in a number of communities.  They are very strong in British Columbia.  They are not local in the way that Sound of Music was; this is not a home grown event.  It is going to take time for them to figure out how the Burlington market can be made to work for the them and for Burlington to get used to an organization that is here to make a profit.

Making enough to cover costs proved not to be possible for the Sound of Music people and the city decided it didn’t want to continue subsidizing them.

MRG Live sets out what will appear on the two stages during the 20th and 21st of June.

No entrance fee. Gates open at

Saturday June 20th. from 11am-10:30pm 

Sunday June 21st. from 11am-9:30pm 

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Ontario’s Online Gambling Market Continues to Grow Amid Calls for Stronger Oversight

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Have Changes Been Made to the Student Theatre program?

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Film Festival to Take Place at Burlington Performing Arts

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Arrest Made in Relation to Home Invasions in Burlington and Oakville

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FIFA community event will take place in Spencer Smith Park July 9th.

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Council Shows That it is Seriously Divided and Cannot Conduct the Business of the City and be civil at the same time.

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