Burlington is blessed with some of the best geography in the world; on family day hundreds of people showed up to walk amongst the Trumpeter Swans and watch these beautiful creatures strut about.
It was our pleasure to sponsor a photo contest and a delight to report on the event. We got this idea off the ground in less than three days – working with the Trumpeter Swan Coalition was a pleasure” said Gazette Publisher Pepper Parr.
The Trumpeter Swan Coalition did the judging and is pleased to announce the winners of the Family Day photography contest. The photos were taken on February 18th during the annual Meet the Trumpeters event at LaSalle Park in Burlington hosted this year by the Ontariogreen and BurlingtonGreen, in conjunction with The Coalition and the Trumpeter Swan Restoration Group.
First place prize went to Amanda Kerr for “Beauty and Grace”.
“There were so many beautiful photos submitted it was almost impossible to select just three,” said Liz Benneian. In the end, the Coalition chose photos that were very different from each other and that highlighted varying aspects of the Trumpeters and their winter habitat. Altogether 65 photos were submitted by 24 photographers.
The 1st place winner was a photo by Amanda Kerr called “Beauty and Grace”. Captured in the moment as two Trumpeters display, this photo expresses the beauty and grace of the swans at home within both the natural and man-made environment of Hamilton Harbour. Kerr’s winning photograph will be framed and presented to the City of Burlington.
Amanda is an animal nutritionist at the University of Guelph where she earned both a Bachelors and a Master degree. She is currently employed at the university. Amanda has been a serious photographer for just over a year. She used Cannon body with Sigma telephoto lens. She opened her lens at 55.6 and used a shutter speed of 1/4000th’
Prior to getting some heavy duty equipment Amanda was a point and shoot photographer. Her weekends are out hiking and looking for that just right photo opportunity.
Cathy Rowcliffe – Iceberg Harbour
The 2nd place winner is a photo by Cathy Rowcliffe called “Safe Harbour”. It is a beautiful wide shot, with great depth of field that illustrates what a wonderful winter habitat the harbour at Lasalle Park is, not only for Trumpeter Swans, but for ducks, geese and all manner of water birds.
Cathy is a Burlington resident who has been taking pictures for a number of years. She loves getting out with her grandson and her camera.
Mary Lyn Hopper – Swans over Hamilton
The 3rd place winner is a photo by Mary Lyn Hopper called “Despite everything, they persevere”. This photo demonstrates the resilience of nature, and of the Trumpeter Swans in particular, who have fought their way back from the brink of extinction and have managed to survive despite human’s continuing assaults on the environment.
The Coalition also gave special recognition to photographer Jennifer Howard’s stunningly beautiful photo of two swans at the snow-covered lake’s edge called “Snow Birds”.
Jennifer Howard – Snow Birds
A sampling of the many other photos submitted will be showcased on the Trumpeter Swan Coalition’s Facebook page and in the Gazette in the weeks ahead.
The Gazette intends to sponsor the Family Day Trumpeter Swan Photo Contest for the next five years. Gazette Publisher Parr said: “Community is what people do where they live. Watching hundreds of people mingling with the swans and hearing the story about how this close to extinct species of birds was saved is what gives the city a large part of its character.“
“The Coalition thanks our partners and sponsors and especially all those who came out to enjoy LaSalle Park and learn more about this important over-wintering habitat for Trumpeter Swans and many other kinds of wildlife,” said Benneian. “LaSalle Park is a very special place and critical to the survival of the Trumpeter Swans that have made a comeback from near extinction. Having such a wonderful place in its own backyard is a real bonus for Burlington.”
If I’d been prime minster of this great land I might have done some things differently. For starters I would have kept my promise to bury the undemocratic first-past-the-post electoral system. Preferential balloting for 2019, then an information campaign leading to a referendum on proportional representation as was recommended in the last parliamentary committee on electoral reform.
I would have applied the carbon tax universally across Canada and used the proceeds to remove the HST (federal portion) on electric vehicles, electric heating and appliances, and to help defer the costs of provincial renewable energy production.
And I wouldn’t have shuffled Jody Wilson-Raybould (JWR). She is a formidable force to reckon with, as anyone watching her carefully crafted testimony before the Justice Committee last week could see. She spoke straight-up and convincingly from detailed notes, though some of the most damning quotations were only from secondary sources.
Jody Wilson-Raybould: She spoke straight-up and convincingly
She said that nothing which had transpired was illegal. She had never been directed against her will, and while she sensed what she called ‘veiled threats’, no one had actually threatened her with anything. She simply got annoyed after some 11 people had asked or urged her to reconsider her position. Then she was shuffled to a different Cabinet position, but she could not talk about that. It was covered by Cabinet confidentiality.
So she spoke her ‘truth to power’, which according to Wikipedia is “a non-violent political tactic, employed by dissidents against the received wisdom or propaganda of governments they regard as oppressive, authoritarian or an ideocracy.” Is that really how Jody Wilson-Raybould saw the government she had been such a big part of for the last three and half years? And was that the political party of which she still wants to remain a member?
Conservative leader Andrew Scheer and his nodding fellow Tories.
The Commons Justice Committee will not resolve anything substantive against the PM, it has a Liberal majority after all. The Ethics Commissioner will not find that Mr. Trudeau’s actions were intended to benefit him personally. And the RCMP will ignore the idiotic request by Conservative leader Andrew Scheer and his nodding fellow Tories.
JWR, or Puglaas as she is considered in her native culture, will be expelled from the Liberal caucus at an appropriate time and may return to her earlier work as regional chief of her first nation. Or having had a taste of partisan politics may look to join one of the other parties.
Either of the other major parties would likely welcome her. She might be more comfortable, though, with the NDP, and Jagmeet Singh would, no doubt, embrace her. Though, despite his recent victory in Burnaby South, some of the NDP membership might wish it were her rather than him as leader.
Justin Trudeau recruited JWR. There was history between their fathers. And though she never actually served in a specific Cabinet role related to her aboriginal background, he must have seen her assisting with his goal of achieving indigenous reconciliation. We know that she was at least marginally engaged in that issue. The Clerk of the Privy Council mentioned that there was some friction between her and other ministers on that file.
Reconciliation is more than making amends for the residential schools fiasco.
Reconciliation is a complicated matter and evades a single or simple definition. But it is more than making amends for the residential schools fiasco. Trudeau had been hoping we would finally get beyond the 1867 Indian Act – the most discriminatory piece of legislation in Canadian history, if we ignore what happened with WWII Japanese – Canadian interment. With JWR out of the picture, reconciliation is likely to be on the back burner until after the election, or perhaps even longer if Andrew Scheer becomes the next PM and follows Stephen Harper’s approach.
It would be interesting to see a poll on how Canadians feel about SNC Lavalin and whether it should have to go to court or be allowed to plea bargain it’s way out of its two decade old corporate bribery charge, in otherwise corrupt Libya.
JWR decided to support the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and force SNC to run the gauntlet of a trial. She must have known that her party, and likely those on the other side as well, would have preferred to see a remediation agreement – the way this kind of crime is handled just about everywhere else.
But she chose a red line – a hill to fight for and hold. And she may have won the battle. The PM cannot possibly get his new AG to override the DPP after somebody leaked this story to the Globe and Mail, and all that has transpired since.
But somebody else needs to ask who leaked what appears to be Cabinet confidential information. They would likely be in violation of section 38 of the Canada Evidence Act given that you’d have to be there to get this kind of detail. So perhaps it wasn’t the whole Truth to the power that we heard.
Ray Rivers writes weekly on both federal and provincial politics, applying his more than 25 years as a federal bureaucrat to his thinking. Rivers was a candidate for provincial office in Burlington where he ran against Cam Jackson in 1995, the year Mike Harris and the Common Sense Revolution swept the province. He developed the current policy process for the Ontario Liberal Party.
The shift that has taken place in the way city council works now is almost seismic.
Burlington voted for five new council members in October. Two of the five were the result of former councillors who decided not to run again. The other two were defeated at the polls.
The Mayor lost his chain of office – Marianne Med Ward now wears that symbol of office.
The 2010 to 2018 Council was almost always mean spirited – the Mayor was not able to change the culture of that Council. Meed Ward’s relationship with then ward 1 councillor Rick Craven was close to toxic; Meed Ward often felt her personal safety was at risk. The Gazette didn’t see it that way, however they certainly didn’t get along.
The 2019 city council – seven people quite pleased with themselves – they have every reason to be proud of what they ave done so far.
Ward 5 Councillor Paul Sharman was almost as bad as Rick Craven – they seemed to feed off each other with former Councillor Lancaster following along and former Councillor Dennison, who should have known better, let them get away with it.
Marianne Meed Ward was determined that this was not the way the city council she was to lead would work. She made that abundantly clear during the final meeting of the 2010 – 2018 city Council.
The question was: Could she pull it off?
Too early to be definitive but if what we are seeing so far – it is and will continue to be a much more collegial and effective city council.
Meed Ward gets to laugh from time to time.
When she realizes after hearing what staff and other Councillors have to say that her opinion needs to change – she is direct and forthright – and changes her mind.
She is also challenging staff in a way they have not been challenged for the past ten years. This is really healthy. There is certainly some chatter amongst the Directors as to how she inserts herself into a situation – they will get over it and come to realize that they are fortunate to have a Mayor who will actually lead.
Meed Ward still has some work to do on getting her council members onside. In an important vote related to the Randall Reef work being done in Hamilton, Meed Ward said she wanted her colleagues with her on this one. The motion passed but it was one of those 4-3 votes Burlington used to see every council meeting.
Councillors Lisa Kearns, Paul Sharman and Kelvin Galbraith did not vote with her on the item which had to do with using reserve funds money for a short period of time.
Randall Reef – The second worst environmental waste deposit in the country had to be cleaned up: Burlington paid $2.3 million over ten years.
Randall Reef is a three government level undertaking to bury tonnes of toxic sludge in Hamilton Harbour. Burlington is in for $2.3 million, Hamilton $6 million – the Region and federal government in for the balance.
The most socially liberal spend came from Councillor Sharman who said free transit for people who do not have enough money to live on “is the biggest gift we can give them” put the expense in the base now.
The Region uses a formula that is made up of LICO + 15%. The low income cut-offs (LICOs) are income thresholds below which a family will likely devote a larger share of its income on the necessities of food, shelter and clothing than the average family.
Thus a household with one person will be eligible for the free transit if their income is below $29,139.
The cut off point for larger households is set out below.
1 person 29,139
2 persons 36,276
3 persons 44,597
4 persons 54,147
5 persons 61,412
6 persons 69,262
7 persons or more 77,113
There were some extraordinary decisions made at the Standing Committee meetings this week. They should hold up at the Council meeting at the end of the month.
City Council has been toying around with a private tree bylaw for years.
A tentative toe in the water step has been taken – now we wait to see how the public reacts.
This glade of trees on the east side of City View Park is to be cleared of these trees to create space for the construction of Maintenance space. BurlingtonGreen didn’t think this was necessary.
There are the tree huggers who argue that no one owns a tree – we are just stewards of one of God’s gifts – here to take care of the tree while the tree takes care of us.
On the other side there are those that see the tree as their property and no one is going to tell them what to do with their property.
And if someone wants to cut the tree down because they are tired of raking up the levees cutting down that tree is their right.
With a “pilot” private tree bylaw in place we now get to see what the Luddites actually do.
Private Tree Bylaw is now in effect within the Roseland community area, for two years. During this time, consultation will be facilitated by the Roads, Parks and Forestry Department to investigate the feasibility of rolling out the bylaw city-wide. At the end of the two-year pilot, a decision will be made by council to make the bylaw city-wide as-is, make changes to the bylaw or cancel it.
The pilot project protects private trees with diameters larger than 30 cm, historic and rare tree species from damage or destruction.
Two information sessions were held; one for residents of the Roseland Community and one for the general public. The presentation from the information sessions can be found at burlington.ca/privatetree.
About the Private Tree Bylaw
Within the Roseland Community, no person can injure, destroy, cause or permit the injury or destruction of a tree with a diameter of 30cm or greater or of a tree of significance (historic or rare).
To read the full bylaw, including information on permits, exemptions and fines, visit Burlington.ca/PrivateTree. The document is ten pages in length.
Roseland tree boundaries 2019
Examples of exemptions include:
• Trees with a diameter of less than 30cm
• For the purpose of pruning in accordance with Good Arboricultural Practices
• For emergency work
• If the tree has a high or extreme likelihood of failure and impact as verified or confirmed by an Arborist or the Manager
• If the tree is dead, as confirmed by the Manager of Urban Forestry, or designate
• If the tree is an ash tree (due to the Emerald Ash Borer), as confirmed by the Manager of Urban Forestry, or designate
• If a tree is within two metres of an occupied building
Permits
A person wanting to remove a tree with a diameter larger than 30 cm or of significance can apply for a permit online by visiting Burlington.ca/privatetree.
Fines
Minimum fine is $500. Maximum fine is $100,000.
That $100,000 fine will be the talk of the cocktail circuit in Roseland.
Steve Robinson, Manager of Forestry, the guy who is going to have to oversee this one did say that: “As this pilot progresses, we will be looking at what is working, what isn’t working and if any changes are needed. Once we have enough information to make an educated decision, we will present our findings and recommendation to council. We want a system in place that protects our trees and is manageable from a staffing perspective but doesn’t infringe upon property owner rights or slow development.”
The tax increase for the 2019 budget will be 2.99%.
They did it.
Marianne Meed Ward – just sworn in as Mayor. And today she got her first budget approved.
The Operations budget is set at $165,960,609.
The Fire Chief didn’t get his $50,000 drone but the Manager/Supervisor of the bylaw enforcement team did get $35,000 for a car.
There were some incredible decisions made – those people who live below the poverty line are going to be able to get bus passes that will allow them to use transit totally free of charge.
More detail later today – council is getting ready to wind up – talking through some Staff Directions they would like staff to work at and think about.
We have a Mayor who worked hard to bring her colleagues with her and challenged staff to look at the way funds are used differently.
The decision made at the Standing Committee is just a recommendation – it can be changed at the city council meeting at the end of March.
A new council produced a budget that will surprise man.
The City of Burlington is preparing a Rural Active Transportation Strategy in order to create safe walking and cycling options in rural Burlington for residents. Event will take place on March 7th, at the Conservation Halton office on Britannia Road.
This is what rural Burlington is all about – large fields, small farms and people wanting to maintain a lifestyle where roads can be walked on.
Having safe and connected active transportation infrastructure allows for residents to access recreational and green space in rural Burlington through walking, cycling, or any other form of non-motorized transportation.
Rural Burlington has a unique set of challenges and opportunities that this strategy plans to address through the following:
• Identifying opportunities to enhance safety. Provide realistic, cost-effective options to enable active transportation.
• Identifying missing links and barriers to active transportation.
• Identifying opportunities to integrate the Bruce Trail into the on-road transportation facilities.
• Improving the safety of trail crossings.
At this time, we would like to invite you to a Rural Active Transportation Workshop. The workshop will be an opportunity to hear about how people are currently using active transportation in rural Burlington, the types of trips being taken and where people are going. We also want to hear about issues and barriers to using active transportation.
The workshop will be interactive, providing opportunity to discuss and visualize active transportation facilities suitable for small town and rural areas. This fun, informative and interactive workshop is available to any persons interested in active transportation in rural Burlington. Very important to all living in rural Burlington!
To register for this free event, please contact: Dan Ozimkovic, C.E.T, Transportation Planning Technologist, Transportation Services
905-335-7671, ext. 7485 – danijel.ozimkovic@burlington.ca
The workshop will be led by: Kate Whitfield and Ezra Lipton from Alta Planning + Design
Date: Thursday, March 7, 2019: Time: 6:30 to 9 p.m.
Location: Conservation Halton, 2596 Britannia Rd, Burlington, L7P 0G3
Walt Rickli, on the left, is an artist and active member of the Lowville community. Should Lowville secede from the Region of Halton Rickli would be elected Mayor in a landslide
Crossing the finish line: Easy when there is no snow. It is going to be a challenge this Sunday.
That time of year again – when hundreds of runner take to the pavement and tun the Chilly Half Marathon. This time it is really going to be chilly.
There will be transit route disruptions.
Routes 3, 10 & 20 Detour – March 3
Detour Area: Brant St. south of Caroline St. and Lakeshore Rd. from Brant St. to Burloak Dr.
Detour Dates: March 3, 2019 6 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Detour Routes:
• Route 3 Northbound will leave the Terminal and travel along New St. turning left onto Guelph Line and continue regular routing
• Route 3 to Burlington GO will leave the Terminal and travel along John St. and Caroline St. then turn onto Brant Street and continue regular routing
• Route 10 will leave the Terminal and travel along John St., Caroline St, Locust St., and Ontario St. then turn onto Maple Ave. and continue regular routing
• Route 10 from the Burlington GO will travel along Maple Ave. then turn onto Ontario street and travel along Locust St., Caroline St. and John St. to the Terminal
• Route 20 will travel along Appleby Line turn left onto Spruce Ave. and travel along Hampton Heath Rd., Stratton Rd., Boxley Rd. and Winston Rd. then turn left onto Burloak Dr. and continue regular routing
Stops not in Service:
• Lakeshore Rd. between Brant St. and Guelph Line and between Appleby St. and Burloak Dr.
• Burloak Dr. between Winston Rd. and Lakeshore Rd.
The City of Burlington is pleased to launch a new youth mural project. Lead by professional artists, youth will get a hands-on opportunity to make a mural that will be unveiled as part of Youth Week (May 2019).
The city is looking for youth ages 14 – 18 to help create a mural that will be part of the City of Burlington’s public art collection.
Workshops
• Youth participants are invited to attend one of 3 meetings on their area to learn more. • Each meeting is 2-3 hours long and includes a dinner break (food and refreshments provided) • The meeting includes hands-on art making activities; each participant will take home their own graffiti art inspired poster • The workshops will take place at the following locations:
Meeting 1 Burlington Seniors’ Centre, 2285 New St. Tuesday, March 19 from 4:30-7:30 p.m.
Meeting 2 Haber Community Centre, 3040 Tim Dobbie Dr. Wednesday, March 21 from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Meeting 3 Mountainside Community Centre, 2205 Mount Forest Dr. Thursday, March 22 from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Attend any ONE meeting to meet the Artist and discuss the project. Dinner provided.
Project team meeting: Week of April 1-5, Student Theatre Centre 2131 Prospect St. – exact date and time TBD
Production: April 15-30 unveiling and launch Saturday, May 4, during National Youth Week.
How to Participate:
RSVP to rainer.noack@burlington.ca
About the Artists
Jimmy Baptiste is a youth educator/facilitator, graphic artist, curator and muralist raised in Montreal, Quebec. His aim is to develop and provide his clients a unique approach to education through the arts. He promotes the use of murals as graffiti vandalism deterrent, engages people of all ages in positive skill-building experiences while simultaneously supporting local arts and culture, and enhancing a neighbourhood’s beauty for residents and visitors.
In 2015, Jimmy received the P. Lantz Bursary as an artist-in-residency from the Department of Integrated Studies and Education (D.I.S.E) of McGill University in Montreal. He as collaborated with various organisations like Mikw Chyiam as artist in residency in first nation communities, A’Shop, Under Pressure Graffiti Festival branding, Cossette Media and the Educational Program of Place des Arts in Montreal.
Hans Schmitter is a US born, Montreal-based artist with over 20 years experience with spray can art and graphic design. He has worked on countless commercial projects and painted hundreds of murals, large and small, in many locations around the world. He has worked as a solo artist and in collaboration with other artist and team members, in every capacity, from assistant to creative director
There was a time when the Honorary Colonels for the two regiments based in Hamilton were residents of Burlington.
There was a time when people in Hamilton were giving consideration to moving the football team to Burlington – that one turned out to be wishful thinking of a property owner.
Ivor Wynne Stadium the home of the Canadian Football League team, The Hamilton Tiger-Cats is found in a residential area in Hamilton east end. The stadium was built in 1930 to host the British Empire Games, becoming the home for the Tiger Cats in 1950.
The holding of the Grey Cup in 2021 is now more than wishful thinking. It’s a fact and the smart thinkers are lining up to get their ticket orders in. The true believers in Hamilton are planning for the victory parade. The Tiger Cats have to first get to the point where they are actually in the Grey Cup game.
The Tiger Cats have won the Grey Cup eight times – they won it during a home field game in 1972 when they defeated the Saskatchewan Rough Riders in a thriller of a game..
A local resident brought to our attention that it was Burlington residents who made the big, big difference in getting the 2021 Grey Cup game to Hamilton.
Randy Ambrosie CFL Commissioner
Randy Ambrosie the Commissioner of the CFL, and an Aldershot/Burlington resident along with Matt Afinec, a lifetime Burlington resident and President of the Hamilton Tiger Cats were the movers and shakers that made it happen.
Matt Afinec, President of Hamilton Tiger CAts
Matt is also a member of the board of directors of the Burlington Foundation. Jim Lawson the Chair of the CFL, and President of Woodbine Entertainment grew up on North Shore Blvd in Aldershot which is almost as good as living in the city.
As city council works its way through the 2019 budget, determined, it would appear, to come in with a tax increase of not more than2.99% over what they dinged the public for last year, a number of things become evident.
The Mayor is front and center on this budget.
Reserves are not just money that is kept for a rainy day
And a new expense doesn’t just get added to the base budget where Mayor Marianne Meed Ward believes it gets forgotten.
No doubt about who is steering the direction the 2019 budget is going in – Mayor Med Ward is very hands on.
Mayor Meed Ward is all over this budget; she speaks on every item, listens carefully to staff and will adjust her thinking when she hears a good argument.
She is keeping staff on their toes – and letting the Finance department know that she, the Mayor, doesn’t see those reserves as sacrosanct.
Municipalities are not allowed to show a deficit. They rely on reserves when income doesn’t match expenses.
When it looks as if there isn’t going to be enough revenue the municipality will borrow. Debt for Burlington is set at not more than 15% of revenue which is defined as what can be collected through property taxes.
In the municipal world they never know what is going to hit them next: a flood, an ice storm or a winter when snowfall exceeds what was expected – and with climate change the word “expected” isn’t something that makes sense anymore.
During the current budget discussions Meed Ward made it clear that asking her to go along with the addition of staff isn’t a given.
The Joseph Brant Museum people made a request for staff needed to operate the museum expansion expected to open around July of this year.
Any new people were going to be needed on an ongoing basis going forward – it would make sense to add those costs to the base budget – no?
Meed Ward didn’t see it quite that way. She was prepared to go along with new staff costs on a one time basis and have the museum staff return the following year and let council know how they had done in terms of revenue. She wanted the museum people to know that she expected the museum to earn at least a part of their keep.
It would be a little on the harsh side to say that the Mayor was being hard nosed – but she is certainly not being a push over. If Burlington’s bureaucrats want public money for their operations – they are going to have to show this council that they are going to put the funds to good use and bring back as much as they can as a return.
Joseph Brant Museum – undergoing a rebuild – scheduled to open in July, will look a lot different.
There was a staff Direction included for the Executive Director of the Museum that set out what was expected of her – Barb Teatero had left the meeting before that document got read into the record.
The Mayor is working with five people who are new to the world of municipal finance. One would hope that much of this new approach to financing city operations rubs off on these new Councillors – Meed Ward isn’t going to be Mayor for life. Our guess – two terms and she will be off for bigger things.
Councillor Stolte on the right with Councillor Nisan during budget discussions.
When determining who the Standing Committee Chairs would be, Meed Ward didn’t have much to pick from. Ward 4 Councillor Stolte struggles at times with the numbers side of things, Ward 6 Councillor Angelo Bentivegna doesn’t always fully grasp what the issue is, Ward 3 Councillor Rory Nisan seems to want to align himself with ward 5 Councillor Paul Sharman but also wants to go out on his own – he just isn’t sure quite where that is.
Ward 1 Councillor Kelvin Galbraith explaining a point to ward 6 Councillor Angelo Bentivegna.
Ward 1 Councillor Kelvin Galbraith certainly understands the numbers – at times he seems positively amazed at what goes on in the world of municipal finance.
Ward 2 Councillor with art by a local painter in her office that has a lot of non issue furniture as well.
Ward 2 Councillor Lisa Kearns has a sound understanding of what she has to do and has surprised many with the way she handles herself. She has the most developed sense of humour on this council and doesn’t let anything on the numbers side get past her –at least not so far.
As for Councillor Sharman, ward 5, he appears to suffer some indigestion when he sees the way Mayor Meed Ward drains funds from the surplus accounts.
The Brant Inn – most of the population of the city couldn’t tell you what it is, where it was or anything about the period of time when it was one of the swingiest places in the province.
People came by train and car by the thousands to take in a show.
There once was a different Burlington. The town jumped.
All that is left is a plaque on the northern edge of Spender Smith Park and, if you look closely, some of the pilings at the water’s edge when the deck of the Inn stretched into the lake.
The story of the Brant Inn is being brought to the Performing Arts stage March 19th for a single performance.
It was the place to be when it was well managed.
Show Producer Franklin Penny, described as “… a showman, a fine musician, a singer with great chops, and astonishingly, a nice guy. It doesn’t get any better than that!” is the man behind the show that will feature Sophisticated Swing, an Award-Winning 17-piece Big Band with some of the finest musicians in the Golden Horseshoe and beyond.
Roy Wilson, a former editor of the Burlington Gazette (the print version – not our on line publication) will be the Master of Ceremonies.
“…continual ministrations” that’s what physicians did in those days.
The event is touted as a “terrific tribute to the legendary Brant Inn, the many artists who played there, and the famous big bands that many thousands danced to in the ‘Sky Club’.
Take advantage of the Early Bird and Group ticket prices now on sale!
After the dust had settled on the three by-elections, the Liberals came out one seat ahead. It was the one they used to own – in Outremont, Quebec. The Tories cleaned up in York-Simcoe to nobody’s surprise. But the prize was in Burnaby South where NDP leader Jagmeet Singh easily won, confounding the pundits, though it was a seat previously held by his party.
Jagmeet Singh now has a seat in the House of Commons; now the hard part for him begins.
Political analysts will struggle trying to dissect Singh’s victory in that ethnically diverse riding of Burnaby South. The Liberals placed second, ahead of the Conservatives but well below where they might have been thanks to some unfavourable headlines. To begin with their initial candidate had to resign after making racist comments. She’d argued that her chances of winning were good since more voters were of Chinese origin, like her, than Indian (Sikh), like Singh.
The Liberals rushed to replace her but clearly had lost valuable campaign time and ended up with a parachute candidate. In fact, Singh was the only candidate from a major party who actually lived in the riding, having moved there from Ontario. He had campaigned hard for this win, as if his future depended on it. And it did.
Party leaders are rarely defeated, perhaps in the spirit of fair play among voters. But the odds were out on Singh. Some committed Conservative and Liberal voters may have decided to stay home just to give Singh a chance. Still with an overall turnout of 30%, this was a more representative poll than either of the other two by-elections that night. But perhaps it was the weather helping the turnout – always kinder to voters in La La land.
It is no secret that Liberals had been musing whether their chances in the next election would actually be better with Mr. Singh sitting in Parliament or the NDP scrambling for a new leader. But then scrambling for a new leader didn’t hurt the Ontario Tories last election. And it’s also no secret that some in his own party were having misgivings about their last choice for NDP leader. They were not so quietly saying that there would be no second chance if Singh lost.
But there may have been other factors. For example, the provincial NDP is locked in a legal and political fight with Alberta’s NDP and the Trudeau government over the Trans Mountain pipeline, and Singh’s own objections to the pipeline, and the oil sands in general, no doubt played a role in his victory. Burnaby is the terminus of the pipeline and potential bitumen spills and enhanced tanker traffic are real concerns.
The NDP and Greens were alone in this opposition to more oil, but the absence of a Green Party candidate meant that Singh got all of those anti-pipeline votes as well. And on the topic of vote splitting, Maxime Bernier’s new People’s Party made a decent first showing in this riding, getting a third of the right-wing vote, and holding the real Conservatives back from getting to second place. But then the wild west is where the more libertarian/reform minded parties tend to do well, so that should not have been too surprising.
Jody Wilson Raybould – probably not a woman you want to argue with.
The Liberals were also undoubtably hurt by the Wilson-Raybould/SNC Lavalin issue. The riding of the former Attorney General (AG) is just down the hall from Burnaby. Sometimes the mere mention of a scandal is enough to sideline any politician. And Trudeau and the Liberal brand have already been damaged, tarnished by allegations of political interference in favour of the Quebec based industrial giant, SNC Lavalin.
Nothing happened! Lavalin is going to court to face the music. But the mere fact that the PM or one of his staff or his senior bureaucrat may have spoken to the AG about this matter is being referred to as pressure. And this is where it gets crazy. Because the AG is just another Liberal politician and a fellow Cabinet minister, and would have been expected to discuss the SNC case with her colleagues in that capacity. But was she pressured?
Jody Wilson-Raybould is a very accomplished person with an extensive and impressive resume. She was a BC provincial crown attorney, land claims negotiator and Regional Chief of the BC Assembly of First Nations. Recruited into the Liberal family as late as 2013 by Mr. Trudeau she was appointed Minister of Justice and Attorney General following the 2015. election. There is an historical connection between Justin and Jody, since their fathers had tangled in discussions leading to Canada’s constitution.
Wilson-Raybould is to testify before the Commons Justice Committee this week, so that everyone may find out what her ‘truth’, as she calls it, really is. Mr. Trudeau, for his part, has not addressed why he chose to demote her just months away from the next election. She had completed a milestones report of the many accomplishments during her three years as AG, which included legislation on marijuana, medially assisted dying and impaired driving legislation.
Jody Wilson Raybould: Handles media well, doesn’t appear to do selfies.
There are some who would detract as to how well she had served her time as AG. But she also has a lot of followers, particularly since she resigned from the Trudeau Cabinet. Wilson-Raybould has stated that she is a Liberal and plans to run in the next election. So one has to ask why she is doing this. Why is she creating a crisis that might well sink any hope of the Liberals retaining government and Mr. Trudeau continuing as Prime Minister?
But perhaps that is the plan. Jody’s father once told Pierre Trudeau that he wanted one of his daughters to become PM. Perhaps once Justin has been defeated she’ll take over.
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
It has been chop, chop, chop at the Operational budget review meeting that started this morning.
City staff came in with a proposed tax increase of 3.99% – Mayor Meed Ward said she liked the look of 2.99% – and at noon this council had the amount whittled down to 3.1%
This new Council is looking to the reserve funds for the dollars that are needed to pay for some of the new asks. They actually debated on whether or not they would hire new bus drivers for the new buses they approved of last night.
Brant Museum Executive Director left the Standing Committee meeting before getting the wording on the Staff Direction that was prepared for her.
The Brant Museum got a close close look – and had its funding request handled as a one time expense – council wants to see what the Museum staff can do on the revenue side.
Councillors Galbraith, Bentevegna and Mayor Meed Ward worked at lessening the new spending and using reserve funds to pay for new services.
This is a different council – one that talks openly about how big an advocate ward 4 Councillor Shawna Stolte has become for the fire department. There is a ride on a fire truck in the works for her. Mayor Meed Ward seems intent on being on that fire truck as well.
Bureaucrats at almost every level want to know what the people they serve think – so they do surveys.
The Halton District School Board is inviting students, parents, staff and community members to participate in the online engagement survey: Have Your Say. Topics for feedback include learning opportunities, communication, involvement in schools, technology use, equitable and inclusive learning environments, and transportation.
Student comment gathered in a 2017-18 survey. Was there nothing negative gathered?
The surveys are open for all groups from Feb. 1 to March 29, 2019. The information gathered from the survey will help the Board continue to create a positive learning environment to help shape school improvement and well-being plans. The survey will be available at www.HaveYourSayHDSB.ca, or via the Board’s website at www.hdsb.ca. The survey is available in six additional languages: Arabic, French, Hindi, Mandarin, Punjabi, and Urdu.
The Have Your Say survey will provide the Board with feedback regarding the goals and targets in the Halton District School Board’s Multi-Year Plan (2016-2020).
The Board will share a summary of the information collected with all stakeholders in June 2019. This data continues to support school and system improvement planning.
The Have Your Say survey is completely anonymous and the questionnaire will take approximately 10 minutes to complete. Individual responses will be grouped together for analysis.
Stuart Miller, Director of Education
“As partners in education, your input is valued and appreciated,” says Stuart Miller, Director of Education for the Halton District School Board. ”The Board is committed to engaging our community and building relationships to continually improve the educational experience for all students. We recognize your involvement is critical to student success, which is why we’re inviting you to complete this online survey. With your feedback, we can help guide meaningful change to improve student learning, well-being and success.”
An application for a retail cannabis store in Burlington has been received by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario. Written comments due by March 6
The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (ACGO) has received an application for a retail cannabis store in Burlington at 103-4031 Fairview St.
Proposed location for a retail cannabis operation. On Fairview east of Walkers Line.
Written comments about the proposed location at 103-4031 Fairview St. will be received by the AGCO until March 6, 2019 and may be submitted online at www.agco.ca/iAGCO. The AGCO will accept submissions from:
• A resident of the municipality in which the proposed store is located • The municipality representing the area in which the proposed store is located and/or its upper-tier municipality.
Comments submitted to the AGCO should relate to the following matters of public interest:
• Protecting public health and safety • Protecting youth and restricting their access to cannabis • Preventing illicit activities in relation to cannabis.
After March 6, the AGCO will consider all written comments and available information to decide whether the application for the proposed store location will be approved.
Mayor Marianne Meed Ward has been an advocate for retail cannabis operations. During the election campaign she said she was surprised at the resistance to retail locations in the city.
When it came to a vote at city council Councillors Shawna Stolte, Ward 4 and ward 6 Councillor Angelo Bentevegna voted to not have retail outlets.
Mayor Meed Ward supports the opening of a retail cannabis site: two of the six Councillors were not n side with her.
The Mayor said: “This is the kind of location where it is appropriate for accommodating retail cannabis stores in our city. It is more than 150 metres from any school or any of the other locations of particular concern, including parks, pools, arenas, libraries or recreation centres. And it is also along transit routes and near the QEW/Hwy. 403.
She added that the city “won’t be submitting comments to the AGCO on this application given its suitability. The public can submit their comments by March 6 to the AGCO’s website. Burlington City Council is in the process of creating a task force to develop a set of standard comments we would provide to the AGCO, when applications come forward, that reflect community perspectives on where these should be located.”
Meed Ward has been appointed as one of four members of a working group at the Large Urban Mayor’s Caucus of Ontario (LUMCO), part of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, that will work to develop similar guidelines for suitable locations. The working group includes mayors of two municipalities that opted in and two that opted out of allowing cannabis retail stores, recognizing that our concerns are similar. The guidelines we create will be shared with the AGCO and our municipalities.
We’re letting you know that we’ve noticed some suspicious activity on your account. We believe someone has learned your password from a website or service not associated with Evernote. We care about the security of your Evernote account and to make sure it’s secure, we’ve reset your password.
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The Evernote Security Team
If you are concerned about the authenticity of this email or have any questions, please visit this Help and Learning page: https://help.evernote.com/hc/articles/115004380587.
Here’s the problem – we don’t have an Evernote account. We have used the service when we have been invited to an event. The service is useful but someone appears to have decided they can use its popularity and begin stealing your identity.
We aren’t going to touch this one with a ten foot pole.
The email looks Ok but – the trust factor we need just isn’t there.
The Halton District School Board (HDSB) is currently reviewing the boundaries of Frontenac Public School along with the following Ward 4 elementary schools: John T. Tuck, Pauline Johnson, Ryerson, and Tecumseh.
This review will not impact current high school boundaries. That means students currently residing in the Nelson HS catchment will continue to be directed to Nelson HS.
Pauline Johnson PS has a number of portable to accommodate the student population
Boundary reviews are necessary when student enrollments are imbalanced. When populations exceed school capacity, portables are necessary. When individual school populations are consistently low (under 60% utilization), school closure conversations (otherwise known as a Program Accommodation Review) can be triggered.
The school board publishes an annual report on the current and long term enrollment predictions for all schools in Halton. This report is called the Long Term Accommodation Plan
The Boundary Review Committee (BRC) consists of a superintendent, a trustee, and two parent representatives from each school in the affected communities. BRC meetings will take place at the New Street Education Centre (3250 New Street), also known as Gary Allan HS, from 7–9 p.m. on February 26, April 9, and May 14. The public is welcome to attend, as observers, at any of the BRC meetings.
The public is invited to participate in the Boundary Review Public Consultation meeting being held on April 30 at the same location and time as above. Here, the public may view the options being considered and ask questions of the HDSB staff and Boundary Review Committee members in attendance.
Once again Burlington’s Best nomination deadline has been extended – this time to March 7
In an announcement from city hall the public is advised that those wishing to nominate a fellow resident for a Burlington’s Best Award can now do so until Thursday, March 7, 2018. The original deadline has been extended by seven days.
Visit burlington.ca/best to nominate someone deserving of civic recognition for their hard work, compassion and dedication.
Nomination forms can be completed online at burlington.ca/best or by picking up a nomination form at the Clerks Department at City Hall, 426 Brant St.
The deadline for what has been an annual event for the past 53 years is February 28th. The city asks the citizens to nominate people they feel have served the city well in eight categories.
The 2017 winners pose with their awards. From left to right: Kim Moss (Community Service), Addison Wood (Junior), Ron Danielsen, on behalf of Friends of Freeman Station (Heritage), Mae Radford (Senior), Osob Adus (Citizen of the Year), Mayor Rick Goldring, Bill Murray (Accessibility), Teresa Seaton (Arts Person), Gloria Reid (Environmental)
The eight categories are:
Citizen of the Year
A person whose volunteer activity has made a significant and sustained contribution to the vibrancy and well being of the Burlington community in 2018.
Junior Citizen of the Year
A youth, 14-18 years of age who has made a significant contribution to the Burlington community in 2018.
Senior Person of the Year
A person, 55 years or older who has made a significant contribution to the Burlington Community and/or advocated on behalf of seniors in 2018.
Environmental Award
An individual or group that improved and/or protects Burlington’s environment in 2018.
Arts Person of the Year
An individual who has contributed to the arts in Burlington as an artist, patron or advocate including but not limited to, visual arts, media arts, musical arts, performing arts and literary arts in 2018.
Community Service Award
An individual or group whose volunteer activity has contributed to the betterment of the Burlington community in 2018.
Heritage Award
An individual or group who has demonstrated a commitment to the preservation of Burlington’s heritage, and has volunteered their time in an effort to support the preservation of Burlington’s heritage in 2018.
Accessibility Award
An individual, organization or business who have made significant contributions to increase access and participation of people with disabilities in the Burlington community in 2018.
In the past the city has stretched the nomination date – the uptake on the part of the citizens wasn’t as robust as it could have been.
Many have used their being named one of the Best as a launch for a political career. There have been some abuses: wives have nominated husbands; mothers have nominated sons
This, the 53rd event is reported to be the last.
Gazette sources have advised that the program will come to an en this year.
Established in February 1965 as the Civic Recognition Committee it may have outlived its usefulness.
What isn’t clear is – who made the decision to end the program?
By Staff
Ray Rivers writes weekly on both federal and provincial politics, applying his more than 25 years as a federal bureaucrat to his thinking. Rivers was a candidate for provincial office in Burlington where he ran against Cam Jackson in 1995, the year Mike Harris and the Common Sense Revolution swept the province. He developed the current policy process for the Ontario Liberal Party.
Meed Ward gets to laugh from time to time.
And if someone wants to cut the tree down because they are tired of raking up the levees cutting down that tree is their right.
Walt Rickli, on the left, is an artist and active member of the Lowville community. Should Lowville secede from the Region of Halton Rickli would be elected Mayor in a landslide
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In an announcement from city hall the public is advised that those wishing to nominate a fellow resident for a Burlington’s Best Award can now do so until Thursday, March 7, 2018. The original deadline has been extended by seven days.
