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July 18th, 2019 BURLINGTON, ON  Doors on this side of city hall will be open. Locust Street, between Elgin Street and the entrance to City Hall, will be closed on Friday, July 19 and Monday July 22, 2019 for crane activity. The closure will be in place from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Local traffic will be detoured along Elgin Street and Ontario Street and access to the City Hall Locust Street entrance will be maintained from Ontario Street. 
July 18th, 2019 BURLINGTON, ON
How do you start a marathon when there are 52,000 people competing? That was the question we asked Ashley Worobec, a sports chiropractor who practices in Burlington and has been accepted as a competitor for the New York City Marathon which is a 42km run that winds its way through all five New York City boroughs starting on Staten Island.  42 km marathon that will cover all five New York City Burroughs – with 52,000 runners.
 Ashley Worobec, sports chiropracter Ashley was a participant in the Torch run during the 2015 Pan American games and has run the Boston Marathon. She expects that her time in the New York Marathon will be in the 31/2 hour range. The marathon selection is usually a lottery draw – she qualified at a half marathon run in Mississauga where her time was verified. Why is she doing this? Not sure was the first part of her answer – to which she added that the challenge was a bog and given that she had not run a marathon since 2007 – two children will do that, she decided she was ready to get back into the game. With her son now 10 and her daughter 7 – Ashley feels she can get away and do something her kids will understand. The Gazette has decided to follow the 16 week prep time to the run which takes place November 3rd and then to cover the event as live as we can. Each week we will be doing a piece on where she is in the prep event.
July 18th, 2019 BURLINGTON, ON
The Burlington Museums Board announces the upcoming retirement of Museums Director, Barbara Teatero. Barbara Teatero began her career with the Museums of Burlington over 35 years ago as the Business Manager at Joseph Brant Museum.  Barbara Teatero before city council explaining what she needs to operate the museums once the Joseph Brant site is ready for the public. For more than 20 years, Barbara has held the position of Director of Museums overseeing Joseph Brant Museum and Ireland House at Oakridge Farm.  Barbara Teatero with her husband during the ground breaking ceremony for a transformed Joseph Brant Museum. Barbara was responsible for amalgamating Burlington’s two museums under the authority of the Burlington Museums Board. She has been instrumental in guiding the Museums programs and events to unprecedented levels of participation. Her signature accomplishment has been the realization of a 25 year vision, which culminated in the renovation and expansion of Joseph Brant Museum, which will open in September. Barbara will begin her retirement in early September. Kimberly Anne Watson will take up the role of Director of Museums effective September 9, 2019. Ms. Watson joined the Museums of Burlington in 2015 as Curator, bringing with her various experiences in the cultural heritage field ranging from large national institutions such as the National Museum of Science and Technology, to small municipally run community museums.  Kimberly Anne Watson Prior to taking up her post with the Museums of Burlington, Kimberly was the Curator/Manager of The Soccer Hall of Fame and Museum located in Vaughan, Ontario. For the last several years, Kimberly has been very involved with the transformation of Joseph Brant Museum and has worked tirelessly to ensure that the ‘new’ Joseph Brant Museum will be everything it can be, while at the same ensuring the ongoing care of Ireland House Museum and its collection.
July 18th, 2019 BURLINGTON, ON
The heavy rains that we are experiencing, sometime in just pockets of the Region, create serious flood potential. The old approach to weather is a thing of the past – all the weather people can do is issue notices and monitor what is taking place tightly and keep the first responders a phone call away.
The latest water level is 12 cm below this year’s peak level (recorded on June 15th), but remains 78 cm above average and continues to be a record level for this time of year. Record high outflows (equivalent to the peak releases during June to August of 2017) continue to be released to lower the lake level and provide some relief to shoreline stakeholders, while also considering the effects of higher flows on interests in the St. Lawrence River. Lake Ontario levels are expected to continue to slowly decline in the coming days, with the resumption of drier conditions combined with the continuation of record-high outflows. Notwithstanding, water levels will remain elevated for the next several weeks and well into the summer months as record inflows from Lake Erie are expected to continue. All shoreline areas should be considered dangerous during this time. Localized flooding combined with the potential for waves to overtop break walls and other shoreline structures continue to make these locations extremely dangerous. Conservation Halton is asking all residents to exercise caution around Lake Ontario shoreline areas and to alert children in your care of these imminent dangers. This Flood Watch – Lake Ontario Shoreline message will remain in effect until July 31st. Conservation Halton will continue to monitor Lake Ontario wind conditions and lake levels closely and will either terminate this message or issue further updates as necessary. The Conservation Authority has a Flood Duty Officer whose job it is to keep a close eye on what is taking place and ensure that the people who take care of us are in the loop.
July 18th, 2019 BURLINGTON, ON
Put the best spin possible on the situation and bull on through it is about all you can do. Six months into her term of office and the Mayor loses one of her staff or as the Mayor put it in her announcement: “There’s been some recent changes in the Mayor’s Office — I’m looking for an Executive Administrator to help fill an opening on my team of three staffers. “My former assistant Annemarie Cumber has taken an opportunity for career advancement and a secondment to assist with large corporate projects, such as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Enterprise Asset Management Solution (EAMS), at the City of Burlington. We wish her the best of luck and success in her new role. “I have asked my former assistant from my time as a councillor, Georgie Gartside, to help us out in the Mayor’s Office during this transition phase. We are very grateful for her assistance — she is a true asset and great addition to the Mayor’s team. I also want to thank the Councillors’ Assistants team who are working together to provide coverage in the councillors’ offices during this time. In addition, we’re very grateful for the time and dedication high school co-op student Kaitlyn Fitzpatrick has been lending us this month. Kaitlyn is assisting my office until Aug. 2 and has been doing very well in the time she’s spent with us already. I thank my office staff and City of Burlington staff for making her feel welcome and a part of our team.  The Office of the Mayor – she got to choose the colours. “The Mayors Office Executive Administrator position is posted online on the City of Burlington’s website and is a contract position from September 2019-November 2022 — the posting closing date is July 30, 2019. Please click the links for more details. “Reporting directly to the Mayor’s Chief of Staff the Mayor’s Executive Administrator will provide administrative, communications, logistics and constituent relations support to the Office of the Mayor. By managing the Mayor’s schedule, overseeing incoming communications and requests, providing event support, and liaising with constituents, internal staff and external partners, this role is essential in contributing to the overall efficiency and effectiveness of the Office of the Mayor. “We’re looking for someone who thrives in challenging environments and can juggle many balls at the same time. You are comfortable interacting with people and don’t mind being out in the public eye. You are empathetic, diplomatic, a great problem-solver and can work independently and confidently, while making sound judgement calls on a host of matters.” There has been an interesting upgrade to the titles that are used in the office of the Mayor. The last time we talked to Victoria Al-Samadi she was Mayor’s Chief of Communications & Strategic Advisor; now she is referred to as the Chief of Staff . Also, what’s with the secondment? Our understanding of the term is; “The term secondment describes where an employee or a group of employees is assigned on a temporary basis to work for another, ‘host’ organization, or a different part of their employer’s organization. On expiry of the secondment term, the employee (the ‘secondee’) will ‘return’ to their original employer.” The job opening is posted on the city’s web site
July 16, 2019 BURLINGTON, ON
This scam is good – they’ve done a good job of looking legit – they aren’t.
It is scams like this that caught a Burlington city staffer off guard – it happens. Dear Client, Upon completion you will automatically receive an email with an attached signed copy of this Service Agreement. Regards Do Not Share This Email Sign documents electronically in just minutes. It’s safe, secure, and legally binding. Whether you’re in an office, at home, on-the-go — or even across the globe — DocuSign provides a professional trusted solution for Digital Transaction Management™. This message was sent to you by Simmons Canada Inc who is using the DocuSign Electronic Signature Service. If you would rather not receive email from this sender you may contact the sender with your request. This email was sent by: Simmons (Mouldings) Ltd
July 16th, 2019 BURLINGTON, ON  Locust Street parking lot to be closed while paving is done.
Temporary Closure of Locust Street Parking Lot, between Caroline Street and Ontario Street, starting July 16. The municipal parking lot on Locust Street in downtown Burlington (Lot 7), will be closed for paving beginning Tuesday, July 16, 2019. The parking lot is expected to re-open by Friday, July 19.
July 16th, 2019 BURLINGTON, ON
By seamlessly connecting to leading accounting platforms, WayPay specializes in helping companies reduce their payables pain points by improving the reconciliation and approvals process, creating significant time and cost savings. In a statement RBC said: “This acquisition enables us to expand our portfolio of digitally-enabled capabilities and advice for our business clients and further strengthens RBC’s position as a digital leader in the market,” says Greg Grice, Executive Vice-President of Business Financial Services at RBC. “By integrating WayPay’s innovative payment solution, we’re able to provide clients with a secure, simple and automated payables and payments solution as part of RBC’s comprehensive suite of business offerings to help them manage and grow their business with greater ease and efficiency.”
“WayPay was built to allow businesses to automate their payables process regardless of their accounting software and how many, what type, or where in the world they wish to send a payment. We are helping businesses spend less time approving and reconciling their payables and providing greater visibility so they can focus on building and growing their business,” says Robert Bast, Co-Founder at WayPay. “We are thrilled to join the RBC team where we see incredible synergies which will create even more value and ensure many more business owners benefit from the power of automated reconciliation and digital payments.”
WayPay will continue to be an agnostic solution which means users can benefit even if they wish to use products from other financial institutions on the platform. Learn more at www.waypay.ca. Burlington’s approach to economic development has been, in part, to focus on the small, start up tech sector which was the rationale for the creation of Tech Place located on the North Service Road and dedicated to the start up tech community. That approach is being reviewed by the city. Mayor Marianne Meed Ward heard Rob Burton Mayor of Oakville tell an audience that Oakville lost interest in shelling out tonnes of cash but not having the deciding vote on the direction taken by the economic development people. That didn’t hurt the interest the Mayor has in bringing that work in house – after a thorough review is done. What added to the discomfort within city hall was the news that Tech Place is a high rent rate over the six year period they are in the space. They got a year of free rent to get them into the space they occupy on the North Service Road. Expect to see some changes in the way economic development is handled in the city once everyone is back from summer vacation.
July 16th, 2019 BURLINGTON, ON
The 2018-2022 Plan: From Vision to Focus is the City’s work plan that prioritizes key strategic direction from Burlington’s long-term 25-year Strategic Plan. From Vision to Focus details key goals and actions required to move priorities forward during this term of Council and was approved at Council last night.
City staff did a lot of work leading to the completion of the document that now takes on a life of its own. Council members were given the opportunity to talk at length on what they saw as the vision for the city; those conversations were one-on-one which was important. There was a series of joint workshops with the 2018-2022 Burlington Council and the Burlington Leadership Team to reconfirm the specific focus areas and define goals and actions required to execute on the plan. Burlington’s relationship with Strategic Plans in the past was disappointing. The Gazette got to look at documents that were decades old that were not much more than a collection of photographs accompanying clichés and bromides.  The ideas were all over the map – it was the first time there was a deep dive Strategic Review exercise for the city in more than two decades. The 2010 Strategic Plan was a serious effort to pull staff and council together on a vision – it didn’t work out quite that way. When it came to using little coloured dots to indicate choices and preferences it became painfully clear that staff and council were not only not on the same page – they weren’t in the same room.  Councillor Sharman with his back to the camera faces off with Councillor Meed Ward at a Strategic Planning session in 2011 They work together more easily two elections later. The 2014 Strategic Plan was better but the leadership on Council just wasn’t there to ensure that the views of the elected were heard and made front and center.  We started here …  … grew into a 25 year plan. That changed when the Strategic Plan was made into a 25 year document rather than a four year term of council document. It was a huge step forward. There however does not appear to be any record of a debate on doing from four years to 25 years – it just got done. The Strategic Plan has four pillars that were turned into focus areas for the V2V document – with a 5th added. City resources will be aligned to ensure progress is made in the 5 identified focus areas: • Focus Area 1 – Increasing Economic Prosperity and Community Responsive Growth Management (updated based on Council approval on July 15, 2019) • Focus Area 2 – Improving Integrated City Mobility • Focus Area 3 – Supporting Sustainable Infrastructure and a Resilient Environment • Focus Area 4 – Building More Citizen Engagement, Community Health and Culture • Focus Area 5 – Delivering Customer Centric Services with a Focus on Efficiency and Technology Transformation  The vision and a summary of the goals that will get us there. “This plan is a living document. Other updates to this document are in progress and an updated version will be available September 2019. Of note, some initiatives identified in this plan may go beyond the 4-year term and will be carried over into future years for continued implementation. “The 2018 to 2022 Plan: From Vision to Focus will be monitored and reported to Burlington Council on a regular basis and progress evaluated and reviewed. (It wasn’t clear during debates if the review was to be every six months or just once a year – what was very clear is that this initiative is in the hands of council and not something the planners get to keep to themselves. It is perhaps the most ‘political’ document this council has produced.) “There may be changes along the way, such as: global, regional, and city circumstances changing, events occurring, and other levels of government influencing further updates to the plan document.” V2F reflects what Council wants in a way that Grow Bold did not; if Council takes the document seriously it should serve the residents well going forward. Some members of the current Council struggled with the level of detail. Others had interests that took them in a different direction. Others still had different ideas on what a council member is really supposed to do. Mayor Marianne Meed-Wards said: “This work plan lays out what we want to focus on as a City and Council in the next four years to get us to where we want to be by 2040 (our vision). This is a living document that will be re-calibrated year over year — we want to get the wheels in motion to make it easy to fulfill the matters that are top of mind among our residents: the tree canopy, green space, and growth and development. “I believe there is an appetite for visionary aspirations among staff at the City of Burlington, and I can tell you the community is already there — they are ready for this. I’m proud of this plan and want to thank and congratulate staff on all the great work they have put together in it.”  There is a road map with time frames.
“The City has clear focus areas and key actions we need to achieve”; that point is now at least clear. “Our capable staff continue to work hard to move our strategic priorities forward so that our city sees the benefits and residents feel the positive impacts to their quality of life. Staff is committed to letting Council and our community know how this work is progressing and how we have moved the needle for Burlington. ” Staff at this point is to a considerable degree a beleaguered bunch of people. The turnover rate is high – good people are seeking greener pastures – for good reasons. During one of the presentation last week given by Director of Human Resources pointed out that Burlington is at the 50th percentile when its pay rates are compared with their peer groups. Burlington is not paying people terribly well – the benefits are good – but the salaries are not attracting the best and the brightest. The Escarpment and the lake are great attractions but the cost of housing means many of the younger people who are in that 50th percentile cannot afford to live in the city – and have to spend an hour or more getting to their jobs. The only upside is that parking is free. Burlington is looking at ways to get to the point where staff are at the 65th percentile – something that is not going to go over all that well with the voters. Background links Related new story:
July 15th, 2019 BURLINGTON, ON
At its Annual General Meeting on July 5, 2019, the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association (OPSBA) selected its Executive Council/leadership team and members of Work Teams for the 2019-20 school year. Trustees of the Halton District School Board were selected for four of these positions. OPSBA represents public school boards across Ontario and advocates on behalf of the best interests and needs of the public school system in Ontario. OPSBA is seen as the credible voice of public education in Ontario and is routinely called on by the provincial government for input and advice on legislation and the impact of government policy directions.  Donna Danielli – trustee representing Milton. Donna Danielli, HDSB Trustee for Milton – Wards 1 & 2, will serve as Regional Chair for the Central West Region on OPSBA’s Executive Council/leadership team for the 2019-20 school year. Members of OPSBA’s two core Work Teams help advance the Association’s priorities and provide recommendations to the Board of Directors/Executive Council on issues related to education program reform, children’s services and social policy.  Amy Collard – Burlington school board trustee. On the Education Program Work Team, Amy Collard, HDSB Trustee for Burlington – Ward 5 was selected as a member for the Central West Region. Joanna Oliver, HDSB Trustee for Oakville – Ward 4 was selected as an alternate for this committee. Jeanne Gray, HDSB Trustee for Halton Hills, was selected for the Policy Development Work Team, which provides recommendations to the Board of Directors/Executive Council on issues related to the analysis of legislation and the development of OPSBA policy in areas affecting education finance and governance. “It is great to see strong support for HDSB trustees in the provincial organization for initiatives to support all students in Ontario,” says Andréa Grebenc, Chair of the Halton District School Board. “As these positions are voluntary and beyond the duties outlined in the trustee role, it demonstrates the deep commitment to student achievement and well-being.” Donna Danielli brings significant depth at both the Board and classroom issues level. They are lucky to have her. Amy Collard is one of the most direct to the point school board trustees we have seen in more than four decades of covering school boards in Ontario. This woman is being wasted at the trustee level.
July 15th, 2019 BURLINGTON, ON
 Joey Edwardh, the Executive Director of Community Development Joey Edwardh, the Executive Director of Community Development Halton advised the board last week that she planned to retire in October. The Board accepted the retirement notice and wishes Joey well as she moves into this next phase of her life. The CDH Board has just completed an exhaustive vision statement process and is now working on a business plan that will deliver on the vision. The CDH Board Executive Committee will begin the process of hiring a new Executive Director once the business plan is in place The CDH is also in discussions with another Ontario, Halton based NGO to share administrative services.
Community Lens and in depth look at social trends, needs and issues relevant to a variety of constituencies in their communities. The most recent of which was data on the opioid crisis. CDH supports the communities of Oakville, Burlington, Milton and Halton Hills and is funded by the United Way and the Region of Halton. They offer a number of programs that help the NGO sector improve their service delivery and improve their administrative capacities. Community Lens, a regular series of reports on issues vital to the communities they serve; the most recent of which was data on the opioid crisis. CDH organizes a service that connects people who want to volunteer with organizations that need volunteers. They supports nonprofit agencies with training, consulting, and the promotion of volunteerism.
July 14th, 2019 BURLINGTON, ON Canada is a federation of provinces but the provincial premiers do not elect the federal government – the people of Canada do. So it was, at best, inappropriate and, at worst, an outrage that Canada’s sub-national leaders concluded their most recent Council of the Federation (COF) meeting in school-child fashion, by writing letters to the country’s federal political leaders.
When Mr. Trudeau came into office the majority of the provincial/territorial leaders were progressives and all but one supported carbon pricing. Only four years later B.C., Quebec and a couple east coast provinces are all that are left in that category. And so this COF had the distinct aura of a conspiracy by the right-of-centre provincial leaders to get rid of Trudeau, the interventionist PM.  Premier Moe of Saskatchewan. There was the eternal musing about reducing restrictions on interprovincial trade. Then, as expected, COF host, Premier Moe of Saskatchewan, found his nerve and addressed the elephant in the room. He wanted Quebec to sign onto Andrew Scheer and Jason Kenny’s dream of a transnational oil highway. But Quebec’s François Legault wasn’t going to be goaded into allowing an oil pipeline through his province. And even Kenny’s argument that Quebec’s equalization payments come from Alberta’s oil revenues, failed to move him. Unlike Kenny and Moe, Legault understands that there is no long term future for oil, and consequently no social acceptability, as he put it, for an environmentally risky pipeline. After all Quebec is currently Canada’s leading jurisdiction when it comes to the environment.  Quebec Premier François Legault Manitoba’s Brian Pallister challenged Quebec on its cultural symbols legislation. But again it was a waste of time. Quebecers are committed to a culturally neutral public service – so leave your religion at the door if you want to work for the people in that province. Given earlier discussions of the constitutional division of powers and provincial rights, this was, at best, an inappropriate intrusion into another province’s social policy. There were reports that the premiers ended on a note of unity. But that was hardly the tone Jason Kenny echoed as he went on at length to, once again, threaten secession. “The level of frustration and alienation that exists in Alberta right now towards Ottawa and the federation is, I believe, at its highest level, certainly in our country’s modern history.” Seriously? Where does he think landlocked Alberta would go? Does Kenny really believe that Alberta would be able to move its bitumen any easier through B.C. if it were a separate country? He really doesn’t get it. In any case Trans Mountain is almost certainly the last interprovincial oil pipeline to be built in Canada regardless which political party holds power after October. He should be thankful. The western premiers had already pretty much exhausted their discussion on the evils of the federally imposed carbon tax. But with two courts deciding in favour of the federal government, and the Supreme Court likely to go the same way, it will take an election of Mr. Scheer or Mr. Bernier to get rid of this regulatory instrument. Besides not all provinces disagree with carbon pricing so the issue didn’t get the profile some premiers would have liked. But Quebec is on-side with the Tory ideological struggle against the federal carbon tax. Quebec is exempted from the federal carbon tax, given its California-linked cap-and-trade program, exactly as Ontario had been before the Ford government killed it. So Legault’s position is parochial – solely about minimizing the potential role of the federal government and its policies in Quebec. And in that Quebec has become an odd bedfellow to its Tory-led provincial counterparts. Quebec based Bombardier’s impending layoff of over 500 workers in Thunder Bay provoked calls for the federal government to get the US government to drop its Buy American policy on federal contracts and grant funding. Seriously? Good luck with that in Trump’s America. And it’s not like Canada doesn’t have its own domestic content rules in areas like media broadcasting (Can Com). The Ford government is on the defensive over Bombardier. There might have been additional orders for rail cars if only the province had got its act together and got its paperwork for federal co-funding together. Of course Bombardier has developed an unfortunate reputation when it comes to management and government handouts. So who knows? Perhaps the company is just playing politics…or even economic blackmail.  Jeans, white Stetsons and cowboy boots were the rig of the day for some of the Premiers. Climate change is one of the questions the premiers asked in their letters to the federal party leaders. And this one was a trick question because the answer is found in the preamble. “Provinces and territories are implementing climate action policies that make sense in regard to their distinct needs and priorities.” In other words don’t impose anything like a carbon tax on Canadians in our province or territory. But mind-your-own-business is not going to cut it. Canada is on the hook to meet its Paris global commitment and, if Ontario, Saskatchewan and Alberta are examples, leaving it to the provinces will only result in failure. Pretty much the way this latest Council of the Federation ended.
Background links: Politics, premiers, pipelines and religious symbols https://globalnews.ca/news/5485954/alberta-kenney-premiers-meeting-unity/
July 13th, 2019
Globe and Mail editorial has a viewpoint on both the character and built form of a community that sheds some light on what Burlington faces. Several words have been set in bold by the Gazette.
It’s time for change – and urgently so. The cost of housing in Vancouver and Toronto is stratospheric, and even in more affordable cities like Calgary, Ottawa and Montreal, it is way more expensive than a generation ago. Expensive housing hinders economic growth. Cities are the engines of the economy but are increasingly inaccessible, and the financial challenge of moving to Canada’s biggest cities, to study or to pursue a career, is daunting. The high cost of housing also leaves a generation of young Canadians facing the prospect of a lifetime of renting, never able to build equity, or shouldering a worrisome amount of mortgage debt that will take decades to pay off. There are many factors at play – British Columbia has done much to address the issue of foreign speculators – but the core problem is the allocation of land. Our zoning is forcing cities to expand endlessly outward, by preventing them from building up.  Alton Village The bulk of municipal land zoned for housing – at least two-thirds of it in many cities – is reserved for detached homes, while multiunit housing is restricted to small designated areas, generally in the city core but often far beyond or on abandoned industrial lands. That leaves the supply of housing artificially limited, particularly in areas near transit lines and city centres. Meanwhile, owners of detached homes, who have the ear of elected officials, argue the so-called character of their neighbourhoods must not be disturbed. The long-standing status quo serves them well, effectively enriching them through government policy. But the argument about character is a smokescreen. Where there is a neighbourhood of single-family homes, there was once a forest or a field. No one mourns the lost character of what had been there before. Character is wielded as a weapon against change. As Globe and Mail architecture critic Alex Bozikovic put it in June, “’Character’ means exclusion.” There is an answer. It’s called the missing middle: small-scale, multiunit housing, from duplexes and triplexes to mid-rise apartment buildings. The missing middle is not a fix-all, but it is an essential step forward. Minneapolis is a beacon of possible change. Last December, city council passed a plan that ended the dominion of single-family zoning. It is regarded as the first of its kind in the United States, but it’s hardly radical. Where a single house was previously permitted, a building with three units, a triplex, is now allowed. The rallying cry has been “Neighbors for More Neighbors.” Oregon was the next to move. State legislators in late June passed a bill that will remake single-family zoning to allow fourplexes in cities of more than 25,000 people, and throughout the Portland region. In Canada, the prospect of change is depressingly dim. In the City of Vancouver, a one-year trial allows applications for duplexes in single-detached zones. This is in a region where the typical house costs $1.4-million and median annual household income is $73,000. Meanwhile, city council is ponderously debating whether to get work started on a new citywide plan that will take three years to complete. This is the opposite of urgency. In Toronto, the story isn’t much better. The province in June approved new rules for downtown and midtown Toronto, after reworking plans the city had submitted, but the geographic reach of change is limited. There is no serious talk of rezoning what’s dubbed the “yellow belt” – the 70 per cent of available land limited to single-family homes. The moves in Minneapolis and Oregon are interesting, but modest compared with what is needed in Vancouver and Toronto. Small apartment buildings – of three, four or five storeys – would go a long way. Then there are important questions about low-income housing and rental housing. And there’s the issue of how cities should benefit from increases in land values sparked by zoning changes. But first we need some political will. There are 10 million Canadians between the ages of 20 to 40, the time of life when people make a first foray into home ownership. Canada’s zoning rules are antiquated. They should be rewritten to serve the present, not the past.
June 12th, 2019 BURLINGTON, ON At a few minutes before 4:00 pm yesterday afternoon Council adjourned and will meet again on the 15th to approve (or not approve) all the reports that were debated. It has been a mammoth session for this crowd. On Monday they went from 9:30 am to 10 pm In June Council revised their working schedule and had Standing Committee meetings start at 9:30 am instead of the standard 1:00 pm start. The work load and the amount of time to read, think about the reports, discuss them with constituents and then stay at a desk for those lengths of time is going above and beyond. This is a determined bunch of people – Mayor Meed Ward is right in her element – she is just loving it. Others however, are wondering if this is the best way to run a municipal government.  Bentivegna – “Agenda just keeps getting bigger and bigger and bigger.” Ward 6 Councillor Angelo Bentivegna said that the agendas are “getting bigger and bigger and bigger” and keeping up is a challenge for both Bentivegna and several others. We are seeing some quality work being done and we are also seeing some shifting as to where the decision making is actually being done. City manager Tim Commisso has adopted a style that has him commenting on a matter rather than leading the discussion. When council was in the process of determining what they needed in the way of a city manager the Gazette suggested someone with depth and experience who wasn’t necessarily going to be around for ten years or, someone younger who was ready for the kind of challenge Burlington is and could put in the time to rebuild the ranks and develop a different culture. Commisso – doesn’t say much, tends to lean into his chair and listen. Doesn’t pick up his cell phone that often and rarely speaks at any length. The only time the Gazette saw him fussed at all was when it looked as if council was going to empty all the cookie jars (known as reserve funds) and leave him and the Treasurer to figure out what to do when there was a real crisis.  The Commisso stare. Our view of Commisso’ s approach is not intended to suggest he is slack or not paying attention. When he becomes aware that a staffer is not really answering the questions adequately they get what can only be called ‘the Commisso stare’. At one point he chose to lean forward and point to a document to direct the staffer – who we understand might be leaving the position he holds. Commisso is fully engaged – but he is not immersed the way former city managers tended to behave. He is prudent – he will spend when he has to but he doesn’t reach for the wallet all that quickly. Too early to tell, but he likes the people he is leading, and make no mistake, Commisso is leading. He serves at the will of council and this council is very happy to have him lead them – certainly at this stage of their political careers. The round of Standing Committee meetings this council just completed some vitally important recommendations that will go to council Monday evening. The downside to all this is that there is not much time for the public to be aware of what was done and then time to reflect and discuss with their neighbours what is being recommended. The agenda itself is five pages long. This approach is not what one would describe as “fully engaging the public”. Given the recommendations coming forward there is no obvious reason why the council meeting could not have been held on the 22nd or the 29th. We asked the Office of the Mayor for comment – our contact is away until Monday. Are they that anxious to get started on their vacations? which by the way they deserve, but let’s complete the work and then start the vacations.
July 12th, 2019 BURLINGTON, ON
Seems like everything is being held up by the federal election expected to take place in October. Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario has been told to dummy up by the federal Conservatives; now we learn that the Provincial Review that was looking into what could be done to “improve efficiencies at the Regional level” will not produce their report until after the federal election. The big concern for municipalities in Halton Region was that they would be taken out of play and the whole kibosh turned into a city of Halton.
All the changes being made at the provincial level are somehow going to find their way to your tax bill. City council, in a frivolous mood, came up with some ideas to let the taxpayers know who was causing the financial pain. Tax bills are produced by the city treasurer and have some room for an extra line or two. There is currently a line showing people what portion of their tax bill goes to the Hospital levy as well as a line for the Infrastructure levy. There is still some room for a third line – this council has asked Joan Ford to get back to them on adding a line that might be referred to as the “Ford” levy – pointing to increases that were necessary when the province changed the rules of the game. Tax bills look like they may becoming pieces of campaign literature. Will the city have to seek status as a Third Party advertiser?
July 12th, 2019 BURLINGTON, ON
 Karina Gould, on the right, with some of her 2015 election campaign team. Karina Gould Campaign Kick Off & Office Opening will take place on Saturday, July 13th at 1pm. Speeches will start at 1:15pm. Location: 3485 Fairview Street There wasn’t much more than that in the media release. Expect a good turnout -Gould campaigns hard and has a solid team.
July 11th, 2019 BURLINGTON, ON
 Paul Sharman – a private sector advocate In his heart Paul Sharman is a private sector advocate; he is of the belief that the private sector has always been a better producer of results that the public sector. He chafes at the process many city issues get put through when the direction comes from the bureaucrats. An opportunity to put forward a private sector approach to a city issue popped up in his ward when Endress + Hauser (EH) Canada Ltd., a world leader in high technology process control systems decided to increase their Burlington operation from 27,000 sq. ft to 46,000 sq. ft, expandable to 55,000 sq. ft. The new building is planned to be state of the art, LEED GOLD level, Net Zero Energy and Net Zero Carbon.  Shovels in the ground in October for an application that will be in front of the planners on Friday – aggressive The scheduled development goals are ambitious as EH wish to be “in the ground” by October 2019 to install geothermal infrastructure. “This schedule” may be achievable said Sharman, “ if City processes are adapted to accommodate and process applications within the speed of business.” In a memo to his colleagues Sharman advised that: “City staff are currently working with a company in Ward 5, Endress + Hauser (EH) Canada Ltd., one of several corporations who have successfully implemented Project Management, Lean Management and integrated process management/value chains and aligned performance measurement. Several of their staff are Black Belt Six Sigma qualified and members of their senior management team are Green Belt Six Sigma.  It’s the E&H mantra – the planners at city hall will be gobsmacked with this stuff. It is proposed that the EH application be engaged by the City of Burlington as a prototyping initiative to learn from EH about how to successfully implement leading practice Project Management, Lean Management with integrated process management/value chains and aligned performance measurement. What this means is that city Council is being asked to let the private sector into the kitchen while city chefs put together a meal. Sharman loved the idea and said he “wished to put forth the following staff direction: “Direct the City Manager, Director of City Building and staff to engage with Endress + Hauser on their application to develop land on International Boulevard taking advantage of their Project Management, Lean Management with integrated process management/value chains and aligned performance measurement expertise in order to enhance City Planning and Development Application approval processes and achieve the applicants desired construction timeline.” Ward 2 Councillor Lisa Kearns was excited – mention Sigma 6 and green belts and you’ve got her attention. City manager Tim Commisso – happy to have a discussion. The city manager didn’t seem quite as excited as he watched two people from E&H take Council and some staff through a presentation that had more energy than circus performers and more than enough corporate gobbledygook to require a different dictionary. City manager Tim Commisso said he would be happy to have a discussion. Sharman commented that “you improve processes by actually managing them” and managing the process of what E&H is all about. They are intense, direct and they will be all over the planning staff. The tag team from E&H were impressive. While one member was talking the other was scanning the faces of the audience to see who was paying close attention and who wasn’t. They were good – and in the corporate world they would be welcomed with open arms.  Tony Varga and his side kick Lisa paying very close attention to what is being said. City hall is not the corporate world. When the people from E&H start working with people in the City Building department (that’s what they are calling the Planning department these days) the clashing of cultures will be painful. Tony Varga, the lead presenter for the delegation said that a first step is to identify the “Apostles” in the planning department E&H is hoping they can get the planners to move with a level of dispatch they need to get shovels in the ground by October of this year – yes this year.  Lisa and Tony doing their dog and pony show – council doesn’t get to see they kind of energy these two people pumped out very often. To be fair, E&H was able to get the purchase of the land they are going to build on in close to record time; the BEDC was able to help them get around most of the obstacles. The Gazette will be watching this one carefully – perhaps a real change in the culture at city hall will be seen, experienced and made permanent. If that does happen – the young people who work as planners will want to come to Burlington – too many of them have left for what they hoped were greener pastures. Promise is the word that will carry this one forward. Proof will be in the pudding. The formal application will be given to the Planning department on Friday.
July 11, 2019 BURLINGTON, ON
An early look at what the 2020 municipal budget is going to look like had a couple of gulps and let the public see what the city council sense of humour looks like.  Director of Finance Joan Ford told Council that she was hoping to deliver a budget that will require a tax levy lower than last year. The early projection for the city is 4.27 over last year with the actual impact on the tax bill amounting to 2.67 which City treasurer Joan Ford said that her staff were working on getting that down to 2.45 – which would get the number under the 2.92 for 2019
Couple of problems there – Ford said that she was running out of space on the tax bill and then told us that the province determines what the tax bill must look like. These are early days in the budget process – we can see what is coming. Meed Ward proudly tells anyone who asks that the council in place from 2010 to 2018 was never able to lower taxes. This council expect to bring in a lower tax levy – despite what the provincial government has done to make life at the municipal level as tough as it can get.
July 11, 2019 BURLINGTON, ON  Second of two structures on Brock now under construction.
Beginning Thursday, July 11, 2019, a portion of Brock Avenue, between Ontario Street and the entrance to the Brock Avenue parking lot, will be closed for a period of two years to allow for the construction of a development at 490-492 Brock Ave. In accordance with to the City’s Delegated Authority ByLaw 99-2012, a full road closure request longer than five days requires Council approval. The Brock Avenue road closure was approved by Burlington City Council at the Nov. 12, 2018 meeting of Council in report TS-15-18. During the construction: • Pedestrian access to the sidewalk on the west side of Brock Avenue will be closed There are no residential accesses within the proposed closure limits.
July 11th, 2019 BURLINGTON, ON
The report was received and filed after more than an hour of discussion and debate. The version that council heard yesterday will not return to council in the same form.  Ward 3 Councillor Rory Nisan thought that more than the colour grey was needed to suggest a nautical theme. During the discussion Councillor Nisan asked why there was no mention of design excellence in the report that was about the Downtown Streetscape designs. The Staffer explained that Design Excellence was inherent throughout the document. Nisan came back with – he was thinking in terms of something a little more attractive. Things went downhill from there. Burlington is currently working with design standards that were last reviewed in 1982 – it was time for another look. The document presented by Staff was a framework for a transformation from the old design standards to whatever the new design was going to be.  Streetscape design standards to apply to the area shown above Reference was made to the colours that were put forward – black, grey and a wood effect. The grey was going to be used on the Lakeshore Road part of the downtown that the guidelines were to be applied to – Nisan said that he thought the look of the Lakeshore area should be a little more “nautical” and was told that’s what the grey was for – to which Nisan came back with –”I suppose grey could apply to ships”. Mayor Meed Ward asked if the staffer had gotten any feedback from the public on the design standards – he hadn’t, he said. Meed Ward later added that she had heard from dozens and dozens of people and the people of Burlington didn’t want a steel and glass look to the downtown core. They wanted the heritage feel of the core to be reflected in the streetscape – and that look wasn’t in the designs that were put forward.  This bench could qualify as the most uncomfortable ever built. Ward Councillor wants to know who decided on the design Nisan asked about benches that would be installed – those he had experienced were not very comfortable and had very little in the way of back support. He wanted to know who chose the design in the pathway through the parking lot south of Kellys. Most uncomfortable bench imaginable – certainly not something you would sit in for very long. Meed Ward, Nisan, Kearns and Stolte had taken the position that streets become animated when people use them and putting park benches out is a way for people sit and talk with friends. If that concept exists within the Planning department – it wasn’t reflected in the report that was presented.  The city has design standards that it wants to apply to downtown streets. Lisa Kearns, ward 2 city Councillor wanted to know where the road fit into the design plans. She said that parts of downtown have deteriorated significantly and she wanted to know if there were funds to do some immediate upgrades. She mentioned later that some of the money the city is not going to be able to spend on the revitalization of Civic Square – could perhaps be applied to fixing up the scruffy look in parts of the downtown. The City Building department had missed the mark on this one. What they presented just didn’t resonate with this council. We saw much the same when the Capital Works people were unable to anticipate where Council’s thinking was going on a revitalization of Civic Square. Related news story. Most uncomfortable bench ever made.
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The latest information provided by the International Lake Ontario – St. Lawrence River Board (ILOSLRB) indicates that Lake Ontario reached a mean daily water level of 75.80 m on July 14th, declining just under 1cm per day during the preceding week.
The dream, at least a part of it, came true for HalTech and Tech Place, when RBC announced the acquisition of WayPay, a cloud-based payments fintech from Burlington, Ontario that offers business clients a best-in-class solution for accounts payable automation and payment optimization.
“Many businesses are already planning the transition from paper cheques as manual reconciliation is a time-sensitive process prone to errors. The acquisition of WayPay will add new capabilities for RBC to bring all payment types together onto one platform, providing clients with a more comprehensive view of their accounts while facilitating the shift from manual, paper-based processes to digital payments.
Anita Cassidy, Acting Executive Director at Burlington Economic Development Corporation (BEDC) is thrilled with the announcement. “Since its launch in 2014, WayPay has been an innovation ecosystem leader in Burlington,” she said. “Our team has had the opportunity to get to know the leadership team at WayPay and witness firsthand their dedication and enthusiasm for what they do. We are incredibly excited for them because being acquired by a larger company is an incredible achievement for a start-up. WayPay was founded with the goal to scale, and so being acquired by RBC demonstrates the value in their technology.”
In the media release the city sent out there is very little in terms of detail. The Gazette put together a lengthy piece setting out what the city wanted to get done in each of the five focus areas. That article can be accessed 
Mary Lou Tanner, Deputy City Manager, the woman who gave the city the Grow Bold concept said: “The commitment from the Burlington Leadership Team and Burlington Council to work towards common objectives in partnership with our community is at the root of this important four-year plan.
Community Development Halton is a leader in social planning activities in the Region and has, in the past produced research on social trends, needs and issues relevant to a variety of constituencies in their communities. They have undertaken independent research and publish on a regular basis
These impertinent letters each contain eight questions covering: economic competitiveness; skills training; immigration; healthcare; climate change; the Arctic; indigenous reconciliation; and federalism. Interestingly Maxime Bernier and his People’s Party didn’t get a letter. Was that an oversight or because a vote for Bernier would end up as a vote for the centre-left parties?
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. Ray has a post graduate degree in economics that he earned at the University of Ottawa. Tweet @rayzrivers
The defining feature of North American cities is the single-family detached home. It is the least efficient way to house people, yet municipal zoning laws have historically served to ensure its primacy.
Salt with Pepper is the musings, reflections and opinions of the publisher of the Burlington Gazette, an online newspaper that was formed in 2010 and is a member of the National Newsmedia Council.
Oakville and Burlington were mighty upset and formed local advocacy groups.
Mayor Meed Ward wanted to see several lines added to the tax bill and had a line saying “Ford Levy” showing which increases were the results of changes by the Ford government that are going to whack us in the wallet.
