By Pepper Parr
June 30th, 2025
BURLINGTON, ON
A very sad and disappointed President of the Burlington Aquatic Devilrays (BAD) Kimberly Calderbank said that she has evidence that the number of Burlington residents who belong to the Golden Horseshoe Swimming Club is just 28% – not the 85% the city required.
Kimberly Calderbank, Volunteer President of the Burlington Aquatic Devilrays.
Calderbank said BAD registration for people who live in Burlington is 79%
The data comes from Swim Ontario, the provincial governing body for competitive swimming in Ontario, operating under the national body, Swimming Canada.
Calderbank said, “our legal counsel will now seek an injunction to prevent the city from awarding a contract and ask for a judicial review.
Given the facts that are known, which the city appears to agree with, the document – a certificate of incorporation as a Non-Profit or Not-for-Profit organization. xxxx
Given that the city awarded the contract to the Devilrays in 2020 – would the document the city requires not have been included in that application?
There is some disagreement over whether or not the document, a certificate of incorporation as a Non-Profit or Not-for-Profit organization. actually exists?
Kalderbank fears that the Devilrays may have to cease operations. Members will move from the club they now belong to and join the Hamilton Club to ensure that they get pool time.
Coach Serge Soloukhin
BAD coach Serge Soloukhin said that he believes “someone wants to see us gone”
In a statement released minutes ago Calderbank starts with: “They Lied” referring the the Hamilton club. Adding – “ The Burlington Aquatic Devilrays (BAD) are deeply concerned and disappointed by a press release issued today by the City of Burlington, which states that Golden Horseshoe Aquatic Club (GHAC) has been awarded youth pool time based on having “85% of their registrants live in Burlington.”
“In the documentation received by BAD Swim Ontario it confirmed that only 28% of GHAC swimmers are Burlington residents — a far cry from the 85% figure publicly stated by the City.
“The Swim Canada registration system shows the following numbers for the Golden Horse Aquatics
REGISTRATION 2024-25
Golden Horseshoe Aquatics
Membership: 525
Burlington residents: 147 28%
Will this group of winners get pool time in Burlington?
“Additionally, the City’s press release claims that a certificate of incorporation was required as part of the RFP. That is incorrect. The City’s RFP documentation requested a current and valid certificate of incorporation, which, as confirmed with Service Ontario on Friday, June 6, does not exist. There is no way to obtain a “current” certificate of incorporation. This is a technicality that the City itself was aware of during the RFP process.
“This is a gross lie and devastating to our club. Our families, our swimmers, and our community deserve honesty, transparency, and fair treatment.
“Instead, this process has been riddled with misstatements and mistruths from the beginning. The fight is not over. Now that it is clear how unfair and unjust this process has been, our determination is only strengthened.”
“BAD has proudly served Burlington youth for decades and will continue to fight for fair, consistent access to City facilities on behalf of its athletes, coaches, and parents.”
Kimberly Calderbank, Volunteer President of the Burlington Aquatic Devilrays
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Half the swimmers in that photo left BAD, and the only ones left are the kids whose times are extremely poor.
The irony of this article’s photo is striking — it features swimmers, most of whom left BAD over the past year due to serious coaching concerns. Many now commute long distances to train with GHAC (Hamilton), MMST (Milton), or ESWIM (Etobicoke).
The caption asks, “Will this group of winners get pool time in Burlington?” The answer is: they should — and now, with GHAC’s inclusion and a more open system, they finally can.
BAD’s repeated claim of serving 85% Burlington residents is not supported by data. As published during this process, their actual resident usage sits at 79% — falling below the RFP’s clearly stated threshold. That is a direct violation of the eligibility criteria, and should not be dismissed if fairness and transparency truly matter.
Meanwhile, attacks on GHAC’s regional makeup miss the mark. GHAC is a high-performing, inclusive, and ethical club that delivers elite coaching while expanding access for Burlington swimmers — including valuable long-course training at McMaster.
Let’s shift the conversation from drama to quality. Burlington families deserve real choice, accurate information, and access to the best training available — in their own city.
Hi Blair, from what I have read from the articles, it suggests the BAD organization has to verify its Not for Profit status which is the one hurdle. Seems easy enough to achieve. It looks like the 85 factor will be the demise of both organizations operating in Burlington unless cooler heads prevail.
What I don’t understand is why BAD decided to attack another organization rather than cleaning up their own mess first.to meet the compliance request within the terms of the RFP.
What mess would you be referring to?
That is an interesting perspective Howard but I believe that you are confusing the victim with the aggressor. It is my understanding that the Golden Horseshoe Aquatic Club (GHAC) has an affiliation with the McMaster Swim Program, shares facilities and coaching and have been given 90 days (the amount of time that the City has to withdraw from the contract) to meet the 85% local swimmer requirement. The only way for them to do this is for BAD swimmers to join GHAC and the latter has begun an active recruitment program to ‘ease the transition” of BAD swimmers to GHAC. This whole thing is wrong on multiple levels.
Early in the history of my relationship with MMW, I noted several interesting characteristics; in addition to a commitment to very hard work and a tendency for overstatement, she never admitted that she erred, never apologized and, if challenged, would “double down” rather than retreat. The staff in our mayor’s administration seem to have followed her example. Pity. It doesn’t serve either them or Burlington citizens.
On its face, the City’s case does not bear scrutiny and staff’s inability to correct a truly devastating error speaks to the quiet arrogance and lack of respect for due process that I believe will be the hallmark of the Meed Ward administration. I am very disappointed but not surprised that every Councillor has taken refuge behind a misinterpretation of the legal restrictions on their involvement. The families of their constituents who are impacted – and it is the whole family not just the swimmers – must not forget that they chose to remain silent. Unfortunately, I don’t believe that any will be running in 2026. We won’t get even the small satisfaction of showing them the door.