 By Pepper Parr
July 30th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
We erred – there are four people running for Mayor. This story has been corrected. The number is still 63
Nominations closed at city hall Friday afternoon.
There are 63 candidates running for city council seats, Board of Education seats, both Catholic and Public.
There is also a race for the Regional Chair.
There is one acclamation.
Ward 1 has 11 nominations, ward 2 has 6 and ward 3 has 5.
The only straight one on one battle is in ward 4 where Shawna Stolte is taking on 25 year + incumbent Jack Dennison who has a battle on his hands this time.
Four people are running for Mayor.
Two of the seven Burlington Council members have resigned: Rick Craven in ward 1 and John Taylor in ward 3.
There are 13 people running for seats on the Halton District Catholic School Board where there are some fundamental questions to be worked through.
The Halton District School Board has challengers for three of the four Burlington seats on the 11 member board. Amy Collard has been acclaimed in ward 5 once again. The residents in ward 5 know when they have a good thing going for them.
Expect to see the school board issues made part of the municipal election; the parents at Bateman appear to be getting ready to blame the closing of Bateman high school on ward 2 city Councillor Marianne Meed Ward when it was the school board trustees who made that decision.
The October election looks as if it is going to be messy with development being the biggest issue. A project in the east end of the city that wants to put 11 buildings in the old Lakeshore Plaza site, now named Lakeshore Village Plaza, will bring out those that want Burlington to remain what it has been for some time. Those who don’t want to kind of development that is being brought forward by the developers use the phrase “responsible development”.
It will be up to the new city council to determine just what is responsible development is.
With four candidates running for Mayor the choices are not going to be easy. Meed Ward at some time has to put forward a really clear position on just what she thinks the city should have in the way of a development plan going forward; the Mayor, Rik Goldring has to stop saying that the tax increases are in line with inflation – they are not. He is fudging the numbers to his advantage.
Mike Wallace has to begin to say more about what he would look for as Mayor. So far we know that he now realizes the city needs a larger city council. – the reason we have just the six members of council is because of a motion Wallace brought years ago that reduced the 17 then to the six now.
Wallace has talked about a “Liberty Village” for Burlington. Interpreted that is about land development – which developer are we talking about here – there isn’t all that much land available.
We aren’t hearing anything from Wallace on the downtown development.
Greg Woodruff has to do more than have a Facebook page.
When 63 people run for public office you know that there are a lot of people very unhappy with the way things have been done the past eight years.
 By Staff
July 29th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
The Halton Regional Police in Burlington are currently investigating a death in Burlington where a firearm was used.
 At 11:10 PM, yesterday, police received a call of a male with a gun in a backyard on Churchill Rd near Brant Street in Burlington.
Officers arrived and located the male deceased with a long gun present.
Police are currently on scene and are attempting to notify next-of-kin and no further details regarding the deceased is being released at this time.
There is no threat to public safety and police are not looking for any suspects.
Anyone with information is asked to please contact the Burlington Criminal Investigations Bureau at 905-825-4747 Ext. 2316 or Crime Stoppers “See something, Hear something, Say something” at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.ca or by texting “Tip 201” with your message to 274637 (crimes).
 By Ray Rivers
July 29th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
“I stand with Mayor Tory… that is a direct affront on democracy… That is tin pot dictator stuff.” (Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi – Friday July 27, 2018))
Is anyone really surprised? Doug Ford is showing his real colours – the vengeful little ‘man of all the people’ with a healthy disrespect for democracy, the political process, and the people within it. Friday was the last day for municipal nominations and without any public discussion or forewarning, King Ford decided to cut the size of Toronto’s city council by almost 50%. Of course this caught everyone by surprise, and especially those candidates who had already submitted their nomination papers for wards which now no longer exist.
 Ontario Premier Doug Ford Ford apparently has the power to do pretty much what he wants. But everyone is asking why this wasn’t part of the PC election campaign. Its’ common knowledge that he and his late brother, the former mayor, had long harboured an ambition to punish City Council, and/or its mayor. After all Mayor Tory beat Ford in the last election.
Still if that was in the cards, why didn’t Ford nation mention the intention to downsize City Hall during the campaign. Our new Mr. ‘Create-a-Crisis’ is also cancelling elections for regional chair in Peel, in an attempt to contain former PC leader Patrick Brown, who was in the running. After all, once Brown wins his defamation law suit against CTV, he’ll be coming after Ford.
So Mr. ‘Wreck-it-Ralph’ is on the move. At least everyone understood from what existed of his piecemeal campaign that Ford was going to kill the province’s market-based climate change plan, scrap sex-education in schools and shut down Ontario’s renewable energy programs. It was an incredibly wrong-headed, in fact bone-headed, set of promises, if for no other reason than Ford and his team had yet to invent plausible alternatives to these purposeful policies.
Now Ontario taxpayers will be subjected to a long, divisive and costly legal battle with the federal government, which will implement it’s own carbon tax here this year. And that will be more costly than the one Ford has just cancelled. And nobody with half a brain expects the courts to side with Ford, particularly as how the feds will be returning all of the money collected back to Ontario’s households.
Schools will go back to teaching a 1998 version of sex-education, which predates the emergence of the real dangers of sexual predation on the internet, gender issues and the topic of consent, as an eleventh-hour stop gap promise to Wreck-it Ralph’s party’s religious-right wing. In the end, of course, the government will likely just repackage the current sex-ed curriculum and re-implement it. After all, education is neither liberal nor conservative – it is just education. And this poly-boo-hoo over sex-ed was just about winning the election.
 A smog day in Toronto – most people thought these were a thing of the past – are there smog days ahead of us? And ending the expansion of our renewable energy systems will condemn us to even greater reliance on climate-changing natural gas, and/or a return to imports of US coal fired electricity to meet Ontario’s emerging need for electricity. Importing US power in US dollars will be costly, though the biggest price will be deteriorating air quality, as we possibly move back to the era of smog days. Note that there were no smog days in the last year (2015) of phasing out coal burning compared to 53 a decade earlier.
Ford’s claim that he’ll be saving Ontario families $260 or so by killing cap and trade is as laughable as his assertion that it’ll only cost $5 million to do so. Has anyone seen buck-a-bottle beer yet or noticed that the pump prices have fallen by anything like the dime he promised? I’m looking forward to my 20% income tax rebate and another 12% off my hydro bill.
 Toronto Mayor John Tory on the left in conversation with Ontario Premier Doug Ford. He says he’s gutting TO’s city hall, making Toronto the most under represented city in Ontario, in order to save the city $25 million dollars. But the city will need to hire more staff to deal with the additional demand of now twice as many residents per Councillor. And that means that the costs will likely increase. And while we understand Ford’s disregard for Toronto’s politicians, does he really want to replace them with more bureaucrats? Doesn’t this remind everyone of how Mike Harris forced amalgamation on Toronto to supposedly save taxpayers money?
It’s easier to tear down than to build up again. And while Ford told us a bit about what he would be doing, he kept secret all the other plans he must have had, like reducing democracy in Toronto. Perhaps he hadn’t been warned by his entourage about how the public might react to such a draconian measure? Or perhaps downsizing was just a spontaneous thought that hit him when he read that municipal office nominations were closing on Friday?
 The sign says it all. Ford came to his position as party leader in a hurry and Ontario voters, at least 40% of them, were also in an almost inexplicable hurry to get rid of the Liberals. So Ontario voters might have been a little hasty. And there is little comfort for those who ignore those time-worn adages like haste makes waste, don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater, and you can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear. The truth is that when you put garbage in a refrigerator it won’t take long until the fridge begins to smell like a garbage can.
And speaking of garbage, that was one of Ontario’s new premier’s claims to fame. As one-time Councillor he and his bro, Mayor Rob, dragged the rest of Toronto’s Council, fighting and screaming, into privatizing garbage collection. Oh, and there’s another adage which applies to the last provincial election: ‘garbage in… garbage out’.
 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. Tweet @rayzrivers
Background links:
Ford on Carbon Tax – Carbon Taxes – Climate Change –
Ford’s Toronto – More Toronto – Smog Days – Ford’s Powers –
By Pepper Parr
July 28th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
For those who sincerely believe that the public is better served with smaller government the decision Premier Doug Ford made about the size of Toronto’s city council will come as good news.
Ford has told Toronto that it has to align the ward boundaries with the boundaries in place for the federal and provincial constituencies; the two are identical.
Toronto has 25 federal/provincial constituencies and so they will have 25 wards.
Burlington has three federal/provincial constituencies – Milton, Burlington and Oakville North Burlington.
 Boundaries for the riding of Burlington  Boundary for the riding of Milton.  Boundary for the riding of Oakville North Burlington. Some of the people in the Northern part of Burlington are represented by the MP Lisa Raitt and the MPP Parm Gil from Milton.
Some of the people in the eastern part of the city are represented by MP Pam Damoff and MPP Effie Triantafilipoulos in the Oakville North Burlington constituency.
The rest of the citizens are represented by Karina Gould, a member of the Justin Trudeau cabinet and MPP Jane McKenna.
Using the Ford formula – Burlington would have three council members and a Mayor.
That would be nice and cozy wouldn’t it?
By Pepper Parr
July 27th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
The Gazette was able to get some background information on the organizational mess within Sound of Music Festival.
There is that wonderful Paul Newman line in “Cool Hand Luke” that goes: What we have here is a failure to communicate and that is basically what has happened.
At some point the president will come out of his tent, make a statement and things should settle down.
Our conversation was with someone who understands the board and the complexities of the festival business.
They are going to need a few days to let the dust they raised settle down.
Then they can get on with planning the 2019 program – it will be their 40th and they intend to make it the best they have ever done.
We hear too that the several chairs that resigned are re-thinking their position.
Peace love and light goes a long way.
Brian Ellis said in response to a comment from another Gazette reader that: “As a Past President of the S of M Board of Directors during the early years as a ‘not for profit’ organization, I would argue that the board has an obligation to its stakeholders to be as open and transparent as possible.
The volunteers, committee chairs, corporate donors and the citizens of Burlington in this case replace the shareholders of a normal ‘for profit’ company. It appears that the initial decision of the board (along with their subsequent failure to explain their actions) has the volunteers voting with their feet.
 These are the real shareholders – these are the people the Board should be responsible to – if the current board doesn’t understand that – look for a new board. It is the seeming unwillingness of the board to “deal with this internally” that has turned this into a full blown crisis. Pulling the rug over the mess as you seem to be suggesting will do nothing to resolve the situation.
Let’s leave it at that for the time being and give them some time to get their act together.
Salt with Pepper is an opinion column reflecting the thoughts, opinions, observations and musing of the Gazette publisher.
By Pepper Parr
July 27th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
It was an occasion for some celebration.
TechPlace had been in operation for more than a year and the plans were rolling out the way Frank McKeown and his team had expected.
Like anything in the high tech field there are surprises – some awkward that call for a course correction and other pleasant that bring out the best in people.
 Halton’s “Godfather”, Frank McKeown, taking care of Claire Green’s new baby. TechPlace manager Claire Green gave birth to a child and McKeown seems to have become the Godfather – fitting title for the man.
 Catching up and trading notes. The evening was to be the Haltech Annual Summer social that took place at TechPlace – the technical type do social a little differently; the participants spend all their time pitching their development and talking about the changes.
The high tech world hierarchy can be confusing:
Haltech is at the nexus of Halton Region’s innovation ecosystem, working with technology companies to accelerate innovation for business growth. Their mission is straightforward: they help technology entrepreneurs and companies to develop and transform their good ideas and product innovations into well positioned, growing ventures.
Haltech first began operating in 2011. The organization went through some bumps getting off the ground and becoming relevant. They have supported more than 500 start-ups and entrepreneurs in Halton region, several of whom have grown into successful commercial businesses.
 Haltech focuses on companies who innovate in the following technology sectors that are important in our region: Advanced Manufacturing, Digital Media & ICT, Clean Technology, and Life Sciences & Healthcare.
 Explaining what the application is all about. They have worked with companies in other diverse sectors such as Educational Technology, Agricultural & Food Science, Mining, Consumer Goods, and Social Innovation.
Haltech is funded by the provincial Ministry of Research, Innovation and Science – the current funding is in place for the next two years. A small portion of their funding comes from sponsors.
 Anita Cassidy, Interim Executive Director Burlington Economic Development Corporation. TechPlace is led by the Burlington Economic Development Corporation (BEDC), it is dedicated to connecting, developing, and advancing entrepreneurs at all stages. This means providing access to space, programming, mentorship, networking and resources that are fundamental to growing a business in today’s technology-driven marketplace.
TechPlace rents space to Haltech for there presence in Burlington.
TechPlace is funded by the Burlington Economic Development Corporation that was, until very recently, run by Frank McKeown who retired late in June. Anita Cassidy is serving as the interim TechPlace Executive Director; she is a candidate in the competition for the job.
 By Pepper Parr
July 27th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
It started out with an email sent on July 18, 2018, at 4:29 PM, from Peter Martin, president of the Sound of Music Festival who said:
Greetings Everyone.
Let me start off by apologizing profusely for the short notice of the cancellation of tonight’s meeting. This decision was made by the board.
Dave Miller is no longer with the festival.. We as a Board wish Dave the best of luck with his future endeavours.
We will provide further information at a later date.
The email stunned many.
Since then the Gazette has heard from many Sound of Music Festival volunteers; copies of emails have been sent to us.
 The volunteers – the heart and soul of the Sound of Music Festival. Here two check to see that the right vendor is going to set up in the right space. There appear to be two camps: a Board of Directors who are failing to comply with their own bylaws and a large number (estimated to be more than 500) of volunteers who are dedicated to the now fired Executive Director.
Those who have provided email messages have asked us to not identify them at this point in time.
The confusion for the people who actually make the Festival happen is evident in this response to the Peter Martin notice of a meeting cancellation:
This is very unprofessional…
There needs to be a wrap up meeting as per our bylaws when will this be happening?
Can we have a meeting to discuss what will happen in transition towards a new executive director?
Where will the job listing be posted?
We have scheduled meetings coming up with all of our suppliers who will be attending them with me?
Shall I cancel until further notice?
The inventory organization and storage move happening next Wednesday.
Have the vehicles been organized and what time will they be picked up?
I have my committee showing up at 6pm to start organizing who will be there to talk to the sponsors and arrange for the locations to be unlocked?
I would also like to inform you that xxx – redacted, will no longer be continuing with the festival, several members of logistics have heard that Dave has left and have made the choice to leave due to uncertainty of how this change will negatively impact the festival they feel that having a new executive director and operations manager will be too stressful and add a lot of work to their plate.
I am holding a xxxxx meeting this Friday to try and talk to people – is there more information I can pass on about the current situation?
Awaiting your response feedback / comments.
Another volunteer joined the email thread and asked:
 Festival set up crews setting up tents. The funny thing here I have ask myself, who is the BOARD? Is it strange that you are part of an organisation and you don’t even know who the BOARD is – the BOARD!
This feels like a stranger have just walked into your home and separated your family.
I agree we deserve answers. Also where can we read the constitution by which the BOARD operates, is there a constitution; who puts the BOARD in place?
What structure is this organisation following and how is the processes of the BOARD vetted? At the end of the day WHAT IS THE GOAL.
Burlington just might be witnessing the melt down of an organization that has put the city on the map and drawn thousands of visitors to the downtown core.
Volunteers have explained to the Gazette that there are reports that have to be made to granting organizations and sponsors in order to ensure that the Festival can take place in 2019.
 They stream into Spencer Smith Park in the thousands to take in a free concert. At this point the President, Peter Martin and another Board member have installed themselves as the co-executive directors until a new Executive Director can be put in place.
The Gazette has reached out to the President and the Festival Corporate Secretary for comment and answers to a number of questions. We have not heard from either person.
Many of the volunteers fear that the Board is going to choose someone with little or no experience with the Burlington Sound of Music.
It is not too late to save this incredible organization – but they are running out of time.
Dave Miller is taking a much needed break from this mess – he is reported to be taking a vacation that will see him unavailable until about the middle of August.
By Staff
July 26th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
The Burlington Fire Department recognized 12 young people, aged 12 to 14, who successfully completed Camp Ignite, a firefighter boot camp, at a graduation ceremony at Burlington Fire Station 1.
 Camp Ignite graduates – 2018 Burlington Fire Chief Dave Lazenby and fire department staff, along with Big Brothers Big Sisters staff, volunteers and families congratulated the campers and celebrated their accomplishments at the department’s first-ever Camp Ignite.
 Rappelling down the wall of a building was part of the week long camp experience. Camp Ignite is a week-long boot camp, in partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Halton and Hamilton, that gives youth the opportunity to participate in emergency response training while providing them with valuable life skills. Campers experienced a scaled-down firefighter recruit training program, including:
 Handling the fire hoses is not easy. The experience was very real for these young people. • Vehicle rescue training
• High-angle rope rescue training
• Car and dumpster fires training
• Search and rescue training
• Water rescue training
• CPR awareness and first-aid training
This camp was funded by donations provided by Burlington Professional Firefighters Association, IAFF Local 1552 and the City of Burlington’s Parks and Recreation Department.
 By Staff
July 26th,2018
BURLINGTON, ON
The 3 District Street Crime Unit (SCU), began an investigation earlier in July.
At the conclusion of the investigation a Burlington Resident was arrested and charged with multiple drug and criminal offences. On July 25, 2018, A Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA) search warrant was executed at the residence of the accused. Discovered inside the residence were quantities of Xanax, Marihuana and cocaine. The street value of the drugs is not known at press time.
Jahmael SMITH 21 yrs, has been charged with the following offences.
Trafficking a controlled Substance
Possession for the purpose of trafficking (Xanax)
Possession for the purpose of Trafficking (Cocaine)
Possession of Marihuana
and Four counts of Fail to comply with Probation.
The accused will be in Milton Court for a bail hearing on July 26.
Tips can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers “See Something? Hear Something? Know Something? Contact
Crime Stoppers” at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), or through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.ca.
 By Pepper Parr
July 25th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
A follow up on that Sound of Music situation.
The Board and the committee chairs are meeting this evening.
What isn’t clear is – which chairs will be in the room?
Some have resigned and the vice chair has not been invited.
There are several chairs who have expressed their disdain, anger, disappointment – they are just royally pissed off – and they haven’t been invited.
There is someone who has been invited – an as yet unnamed mediator who is there to ensure that the meeting doesn’t turn into a punch up.
So far – not a word from anyone on the Board.
Stay tuned.
 With crowds like this – how can you screw things up. Easy end up with Directors who forget what their job is.
By Pepper Parr
July 25th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
There is a lot of buzz, a lot of questions and very few answers on what appears to be a major mess at the Sound of Music Board of Directors level.
The Board recently dismissed Dave Miller as the Executive Director. These things happen,
However, in this situation there hasn’t been a word from the Board and there are a lot of questions from the 500+ volunteers – the people who serve on the 21 committees that make the Festival happen every year.
The Gazette has learned that the board in place now is not elected by the member of the Sound of Music.
More surprising – the Sound of Music doesn’t actually have a membership other than the directors who elect themselves.
 When Walk Off the Earth is on the stage Spencer Smith park is packed. It does have a $2 million dollar budget and consistently wins awards for the quality of the annual event.
In most not for profit corporations the Executive Director attends all the Board meetings – and Miller did attend the Board meetings – but he wasn’t permitted to stay for all of the meeting. He would deliver his report and then be asked to leave.
The Gazette has learned that the music selection, that is the bands that play at the event are not chosen by the Executive Director.
Many have complained about the quality of the bands in the recent past.
We are advised that the Board has hired a company to do the band selection for them in the future and that the company they have hired is owned or operated by a former Board member.
Anywhere else that would be called a conflict of interest.
The city of Burlington gives the Festival a significant grant every year, the province of Ontario also gives a substantial grant. The sponsors come up with an additional $400,000 + each year.
 It is the 500 volunteers that make the Sound of Music actually take place – and right now they are not happy campers. The Gazette has reached out to Peter Martin President of the Sound of Music as well as the Corporate Secretary. No response so far.
The Board appears to have taken the route that less sophisticated corporate officers take; duck, say nothing and hope that it will go away.
When there is a real story it eventually comes out.
The Gazette reached out to the Mayor – no response there either.
We have heard from a number of volunteers who are not happy campers.
We asked several of the candidates for public office and got the following responses:
 Ward 2 candidate Roland Tanner Ward 2 candidate Roland Tanner said: “The Burlington Sound of Music is an independent not-for-profit corporation. As such, its internal staff appointments are not a matter for the City of Burlington and it would be unhelpful for me as a candidate to pass comment on recent changes at this time. I look forward to hearing the Sound of Music’s plans for continued success as they approach their 40th anniversary.”
 Ward 4 candidate Shawna Stolte Ward 5 candidate Shawna Stolte: “As a Ward 4 Candidate I am disturbed about the secrecy and lack of information coming forward from an organization that has received millions of dollars of funding from the taxpayers of Burlington over the past 40 years.
I understand that there is likely legal reasons for not fully disclosing the details of the strife between the Sound of Music Board of Directors and the Executive but I do believe that some explanation is warranted and appropriate.
What disturbs me even more is the apparent lack of transparency and respect given to the hundreds of volunteers that make the Sound of Music Festival the success that it is.
The SOM is the keystone of Burlington’s summer festival season and these volunteers donate thousands of hours of their precious time from their work, family and leisure lives because they believe in the spirit of music and community that the Sound of Music Festival brings to the city. They deserve a better explanation as to what is going on.
The SOM is in crisis and at a crossroads. All organizations go through periods of distress, particularly when senior management are not on the same page, but I’m not convinced that the future of this event that is so critical to the cultural and economic prosperity of our city should be left in the hands of a clearly struggling organization.
 Councillor Marianne Meed Ward is a candidate for Mayor.  Candidate for Mayor Mike Wallace with his recent Order of the Rising Sun medals. Mike Wallace a former member of city council as well as a MP for Burlington said today that: “The Sound of Music festival is an important community event not only for Burlington residents but vital to attracting visitors and building the Burlington brand across Ontario. It is an important part of our culture and our economy.
“As a former board member of the organization, I appreciate the challenges of organizing and managing this fantastic festival with a complex mix of paid and volunteer staff. I welcome the opportunity to help the organization resolve any of the challenges it is facing, in any way I can.”
Ward 2 Councillor and candidate for the office of Mayor Marianne Meed Ward said: “The news was a shock. This must be difficult for everyone involved.
Legitimate questions have been raised around board governance which deserve a response. I encourage the board to be open and transparent with the community, while protecting personal privacy and confidentiality.
I thank Dave Miller and all the volunteers, past and present, who have given generously of their time to make this a great event for our community. We all want the event to be successful.
 Ward 1 city council candidate Vince Fiorito Ward 1 candidate Vince Fiorito said: “Since the SOM festival generates about $10M in local economic activity, attracts tourists, contributes significantly to Burlington’s strategic direction of an “Engaging City” and the City of Burlington (CoB) is a significant source of SOM funding, The City of Burlington is an important SOM stakeholder with an interest in its continued success.
To ensure the SOM festival’s continued success in the future, I recommend:
1) City Council request a seat on the SOM’s governing board (we voluntarily gave it up in 2015)… after the October 22nd municipal election.
2) City Council make an inquiry into the current state of the SOM governance and the festival’s viability going forward. Given the distraction of a looming municipal election, the ideal city councillors to lead this inquiry would be either retiring City Councillors Rick Craven, John Taylor or both.
3) City Councillors leading the inquiry meet individually with former Executive Director David Miller, President Peter Martin and Corporate Secretary Rich Anderson, for their suggestions on how the SOM festival can be improved going forward.
4) City Council send an email or letter to all SOM 2016-2018 volunteers, inviting their feedback and commentary for the purposes of improving the SOM festival going forward.
5) City Council meet “in camera” to discuss their findings and generate a report recommending actions to be taken to ensure the SOM festivals continued success going forward.
6) The city should approach other major SOM sponsors
a) to gauge interest in sharing the cost of an independent review of the SOM’s finances for the purposes of finding efficiencies and savings, going forward.
b) for their support of the CoB’s request to retake a seat on the SOM’s governing board
 Ward 2 city council candidate Lisa Kerns. Lisa Kerns, a candidate for the ward 2 council seat said: “From my perspective, more information concerning the change in leadership at Sound of Music appears to still be coming forward. My interest in this hinges solely on whether City funds were used appropriately or positions of power were abused. I hope the outcome of this change in direction is founded in transparency and respect, more so that the change contributes to enhancing the event.
The Sound of Music festival is a tremendous event for the City of Burlington and Ward 2 alike bringing vibrancy to our great City through culture and entertainment for residents and visitors.”
This is a story that isn’t going to go away.
 Craig Gardner on the left being recognized by Mayor Goldring Several of the volunteers the Gazette has talked to have either resigned from the committees they sit on or will resign in the near future.
Craig Gardner, a two year volunteer pointed out that the Committee chairs have to produce reports – and that those reports have to be submitted and accepted if future funding is to come through.
Gardner added that without the volunteers in place the Festival just couldn’t take place.
By Pepper Parr
July 25th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
Part two of a two part article on a proposed development in the east end of Burlington,
When the plans for the re-development of the Lakeside Village Plaza were shown to the public last week it wasn’t what many people thought they were going to see.
The presentation had large posters showing what would go where.
Two of the three candidates running for the ward 5 city council seat were in the room; Councillor Sharman worked one end of the room while retired school principal Mary Alice St. James worked the other end.
 Councillor Paul Sharman explaining the development. Councillor Sharman has been working to get some development of the site since his first year as a city Councillor – few thought that this was what Sharman had planned for the community.
St. James has made it clear that she doesn’t like the height and she isn’t pleased with the length of time it will take to complete the project. This could be as much as a decade – great for sidewalk superintendents but not what those who want a “peaceable Kingdom”.
If approved by city council the site will consist of nine buildings and underground parking with some of the structures reaching 19 storeys into the sky.
 Nine buildings will be on the site – they range froma single story to 19 storeys. The Plan has five phases that will take years to be completed.
The information before the public at this point comes from a Justification report prepared by professional planners who were hired by the developer, Glanelm Property Management.
The city’s role up to this point is to ensure that all the required reports are received and the required fees are paid. Glenelm has paid the city $235,052.50 and the Region $9,184.72.
 Dana Anderson – planning consultant for the developer. At this point data and information is coming from the developers planner. Residents haven’t had a chance to hear what the city has to say. The ward Councillor is in love with this project – it is something he had been pushing almost from the first day he was elected.
Ward 5 candidate Mary Alice St. James said: “The Lakeside Plaza is an example of why I put my name forward as a candidate as Ward 5 Councillor. Throughout Ward 5 there are intensification proposals for Lakeside Plaza, Appleby Village, on vacant land ripe for development and in the south end of Ward 5 where older homes are being swooped up to be over-intensified, over-massed.
 Mary Alice St. James – pulling in the votes. 1- Lakeside Plaza is a tired plaza that requires a much needed, as soon as possible update.
2- This first draft is too high, too dense with too many buildings with too big a span, all of which is too close to the abutting streets and current residents.
3- The City of Burlington needs to oppose this first draft.
The developers Justification report talks in terms of “taking into account efficient sequencing of site servicing, ensuring adequate access and parking is provided for uses that operate during the redevelopment process and facilitating the relocation of existing tenants to new portions of the site with minimal disruption to business operations.”
Phase 1 includes the demolition of the north-west corner of the existing plaza structure and the construction of a 6 storey residential structure with 3 levels of underground parking (Block B) facing Kenwood Avenue. Access Lane A will also be constructed at this time which will provide shared access to the Subject Lands and Skyway Arena. A second access will be introduced on Kenwood Avenue along with the associated Access Lane B which, through future phases, will connect to corresponding driveway access on Hampton Heath Road.
 Where the buildings are to be located with parking and green space at the ground level Phase 2 will see the demolition of the remainder to the west wing of the plaza and the construction of a 1 storey commercial podium facing Lakeshore Road with two residential tower elements on top with 13 (Block E) and 13 (Block F) storey heights. A 5 storey residential structure will link the two towers, the top of which will correspond with a further building step back on both tower elements. A 1 storey restaurant building (Block A) will be attached to the podium building facing Kenwood Avenue. Access Lane B will be extended to the middle of the Subject Lands.
Existing Access Lane D which provides access to Lakeshore Road will be improved with sidewalks and landscaping. The parking area north of Block E and F will be reconfigured and improved with landscaping and sidewalks.
Phase 3 will see the demolition of the eastern portion of the commercial plaza. The 1 storey grocery store will be redeveloped with an attached 4 storey retail and office building. A landscaped public amenity area will be created in front of Block I. The surface parking area in front of Block I and the grocery store will be reconfigured, providing landscaping and sidewalks. The service lane at the rear of the property will also be improved at this time.
That grocery store redevelopment – where will people shop while that is being done?
 The view of the development from Hampton Heath looking west. Phase 4 will see the removal of the remaining central portion of the commercial plaza and the construction of a 1 storey commercial podium with two residential tower elements (Blocks C and D), both 10 storeys in height. The two tower elements will be linked by a 3 storey residential structure, the top of which will correspond with a further building step back on both tower elements. The parking area in front of the blocks will also be reconfigured, landscaped and improved with sidewalks. A public amenity area will be constructed in front of Block D and a pedestrian only mews created between Blocks D and I. Access Lane A will also be extended up to the mews.
Phase 5 will replace an existing surface parking area with a 1 storey commercial podium facing Lakeshore Road with two residential tower elements on top with 17 (Block G) and 9 (Block H) storey heights. A 5 storey residential structure will link the two towers, the top of which will correspond with a further building step back on both tower elements. A landscaped pedestrian path into the Subject Lands will be provided between Block H and the abutting Scotiabank property.
 This is what the development will look like when completed. All the buildings front onto Lakeshore Road. The proposed redevelopment will see the phased implementation of a 3 storey underground parking garage for all portions of the Subject Lands where new buildings are proposed. The garage will be constructed as the corresponding above grade portion of each phase is constructed.
The proposed redevelopment has carefully considered these guiding principles in its design. The redevelopment is an efficient use of land through intensification at an appropriate location in the City and advances the Province’s growth objectives while balancing other objectives of the OP. The redevelopment will also be appropriately phased to ensure these principles are continued to be addressed in the implementation of the development.
The proposed redevelopment conforms to the City’s policy direction for land use by providing for a redevelopment on an under-utilized site in an existing neighbourhood. The redevelopment provides for a mix of housing and also maintains the planned function for the existing commercial centre.
 The view of the development from Kenwood looking east. The Official Plan seeks to achieve a number of goals for new development with respect to urban design including compatibility with existing neighbourhoods while promoting higher densities and compact built form. The buildings are proposed to be located on the site in such a way as to provide a gradation in height and density. The highest buildings (at 18 storeys) are located along Lakeshore Road, a Minor Arterial road, opposite apartment buildings ranging in height from 5 to 19 storeys.
The building heights in the proposed development decrease moving away from Lakeshore Road. A 14 storey building is proposed along Kenwood Avenue opposite the existing Husky Gas station and commercial plaza.
A 6 storey building is proposed further north along Kenwood Avenue, opposite which are two storey townhouses. Two 11 storey buildings are proposed abutting the northerly lot line which abuts the park. These buildings will face the existing Skyway Arena and Park. The existing one storey grocery store will remain at its current location with a 4 storey addition along its westerly fa ade to provide for additional retail and office units. The distribution of heights and densities allows the proposed development to fit into the existing urban fabric and provides appropriate transition to minimize impacts on the surrounding residential land uses.
The Subject Lands are just under 4 ha and represent a significantly large redevelopment area which allows for a distribution of heights throughout the site. Given that the one storey height is being maintained for the grocery store and restaurant in Block A, it is appropriate to transfer what could have been 11 storeys in height on that Block to additional storeys on the buildings along Lakeshore Road (where taller buildings are more context-appropriate given the arterial road frontage and existing taller buildings to the south).
Cute!
There are a number of hoops that every development application has to go through. The developers planners spend a lot of time making sure that they comply as much as possible –and where their compliance is a little on the short side – the find a justification for a change in the zoning.
The proposal is consistent with Provincial Policy Statement 2014 (but not with 2017)
The proposal conforms to the Growth Plan, 2017
The proposal conforms to the Halton Regional Official Plan, 2015 and the inforce city of Burlington Official Plan, except those sections proposed to be amended.
The proposal is in conformity with the general direction of the proposed intensification framework set out in the draft city of Burlington Official Plan dates April 2018.
They don’t say they are in conformity – they say they are in conformity with the “general direction”.
 Not convinced yet. The proposal can be adequately serviced and does not create any adverse impacts to the existing site and surrounding areas.
The proposal is well served by existing community infrastructure including public transit, bike lanes, parks, schools, places of worship and an arena
The proposal enhances the pedestrian environment within the site and along the exterior street frontages and along the exterior street frontages.
The proposal is in keeping with the character of the neighbourhood, provides an opportunity for intensification within the Built Up Area, preserves and upholds the overall urban structure as set out in the in-force OP and would implement the proposed urban structure set out in the Officasl Plan Review.
Careful here – the Justification report appears to want it both way – the development upholds what is required by the existing OP and would implement what was in the draft OP that has yet to be approved and will not apply to this development.
In the notes taken when the public met in a visioning session in 2015, the vast majority of the comment talked in terms of three, four and maybe six storey buildings. There was one mention of high density towers (25 storeys),
This development is for the most part legal – they can do what they want to do.
Related new stories:
The early concept.
By Pepper Parr
July 25th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
At the start of almost every delegation made to city council the words: “Thank you to Council and Staff for hearing my delegation.”
It is my view that the council and staff should be thanking the delegator for taking the time to prepare their remarks and speak publicly to those elected to office. Many members of Council do say – Thank you for coming – and then stop listening. Rarely do the members of council say – That’s a good idea – I will ask staff to make it happen.
 Gary Scobie- a frequent delegator  Jim Young, one of the best delegators city council gets to hear. Language determines the direction a conversation takes. If a delegator appears as a supplicant members of Council will treat them as supplicants.
Burlington’s city council has treated the public as supplicants during the period of time Cam Jackson was Mayor and for the two terms Rick Goldring has been Mayor.
The public lets them do this and the civic leadership in the past has been content to let it continue.
It is going to take a Mayor that fully understands and commits to the belief that the voters are supreme on the day they cast their ballots and that they matter every day of a term of office.
The Gazette has listened to well over 100 delegations – some are exceptionally well prepared – others could have used more work but every delegation was an important part of the democratic process that has to be respected by the elected to office.
The current Procedural bylaw needs a revision; it limits how a delegator can address council and basically prevents a delegator from addressing staff in a formal setting unless the chair lets that kind of interaction take place.
Burlington has a city manager who believes his role is to protect his staff. He has been recorded as saying that he is passionate about protecting his staff.
On far too many occasions the Chair of a council meeting, the Mayor is the worst offender, insist that there be no clapping or applause when a delegator has finished their presentation. The Mayor however has no problem letting the public applaud when he is handing out certificates of merit.
The public process is a large part of the heart of a community. It needs to be allowed to swell and be proud and to express sadness and disappointment.
 Candidate for Mayor – Mike Wallace  Seeking re-election to a third term Rick Goldring Citizens of Burlington will decide between three candidates in October. The number of new people running for office makes it evident that people want to see changes. Nominations close on Friday.
Use the summer to think about what you want and then determine who best meets your wishes.
 Ward 2 Councillor Marianne Meed Ward running for Mayor  Greg Woodruff wants to be Mayor Municipal government in Canada is not political party based. Hopefully both the Liberals and the Progressive Conservatives will not hop on the wagon being pulled by a candidate for Mayor.
The New Democrats and the Greens have their followings as well.
Candidates have to be judged on their merits and being a Liberal or a Progressive Conservative is not necessarily meritorious.
Salt with Pepper is an opinion column reflecting the thoughts, opinions, observations and musing of the Gazette publisher.
By Staff
July 24th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
The Burlington Fire Department has lifted the open-air burning ban, issued on July 13, 2018.
Residents that live in designated burning areas, with open-air burning permits, can resume open-air burning for controlled brush burning and recreational fires.
 Controlled out door fires are not permitted – with a permit. The Burlington Fire Department will continue to monitor and assess the fire danger rating, and the local weather forecast, and provide updates on city burning restrictions.
For more information about open-air burning and fire safety tips, contact the Burlington Fire Department at 905-637-8253 or visit www.burlington.ca/openairburning.
Joe Wintar, Chief Fire Prevention Officer explains that “The recent rainfall and current weather conditions have led to the decision to lift the open-air burning ban in Burlington. Though the fire ban has been lifted, residents should still use extra caution when burning outdoors. Open-air burning is only allowed in approved rural areas of Burlington and requires an open-air burning permit.”
 By Staff
July 24th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
The number of candidates running in wards 1 and 2 is impressive.
Both are wards where the incumbent has either announced retirement or has plans to go on to bigger and better things.
 As a Standing Committee chair, Ward 1 Councillor Rick Craven is as good as it gets. Handling delegations and accepting the ideas of other people – not as good. But he won elections. Ward 1 Councillor Rick Craven has opted for retirement and, as of today, there are ten people wanting his job. Jason Boelhouwer, Vince Fiorito, Kelvin Galbraith, Arlene Iantomasi, Kevin Lee, Garry Milne, Tayler Morin, René Papin, Marty Staz and Judy Worsley
 Marianne Meed Ward is looking for an upgrade from Councillor to Mayor. In Ward 2, incumbent Marianne Med Ward has declared herself a candidate for the Office of Mayor. Seven people are taking a run at the seat: Kimberly Calderbank, David Cherry, Michael Jones, Lisa Kearns, Gerard Shkuda, Roland Tanner and Walter Wiebe
There are several candidates that will get votes from family and close friends and that will be about it.
A number of people have suggested that with a high number of candidates it is anyone’s race to win – which is why we have elections.
Candidates have to get out and convince people that they are the best choice and can best represent the citizens.
Burlingtonians are much more primed for change this election. One can expect higher voter turnout.
Engaged Citizens of Burlington (ECoB) has taken on the task of holding debates in all six wards as well as a debate for the Mayoral candidates. The Canadian Federation of University Women are collaborating with ECoB on that event.
Dates and times are being worked out, several of the events will take place in local schools.
For those who have looked at the list of candidates and wonder if they have even a hope – the time to drop out is this Friday, July 27 at 2 pm.
Some might remain in the race just to see their name on a ballot.
The Gazette expect to interview all the candidates.
By Staff
July 24th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
At approximately 12:50 p.m. on the 24th of July, 2018, a lone male suspect entered the TD Canada Trust at 1505 Guelph Line in the City of Burlington. The suspect approached a teller and demanded money at which time he was provided a quantity of cash before leaving the bank.
No weapon was seen in the commission of this robbery and there were no injuries.
The suspect walked from the area, last seen heading south west toward Guelph Line.
 Police asking for help in identifying this bank robbery suspect. As observed in the attached photographs the suspect is described as; male, white, 40-50 years of age, with a thin build, short brown/greying hair, an unshaven face, wearing a black Nike Toronto Blue Jays baseball hat, dark sunglasses, a black jacket with white stripes on the sleeve, matching black pants and grey casual shoes.
 Side view of suspected bank robber Police are seeking the public’s assistance in identifying the suspect. Anyone with information relating to this incident is encouraged to contact the Halton Regional Police Service Criminal Investigations Bureau at 905-825-4747 extension 2316.
Tips can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers “See Something? Hear Something? Know Something? Contact Crime Stoppers” at 1-800-222-8477 or throught the internet at www.haltoncrimestoppers.ca.
By Staff
July 24th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
On Tuesday July 24, 2018 at approximately 1:55 pm police received a call for 20 year old male who had been stabbed. Police and ambulance attended the area of Mountainside Dr and Guelph Line.
As a result of the initial scene investigation it was determined that the male was stabbed by his 17 year old girlfriend during an argument.
The female was arrested and the victim was transported to hospital for treatment via ambulance. At this time, the injuries to the victim do not appear to be life threatening.
To help protect the identity of the victim and as the suspect is a young offender names are being withheld.
No additional information is expected to be released.
 By Staff
July 24th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The city of Burlington is continuing with its public art program and is looking for submissions for Lowville Park and the Appleby Ice Centre.
The mural commission for Lowville Park is $5,000 – design only.
The Appleby Ice Centre commission is $12,500 – design and fabrication/installation)
Applicants must be a resident of Burlington. .
Deadline: Friday, September 14, 2018
 Art work done above the grade separation on King Road. The Local Artist Program is dedicated to telling local stories using local talent. Each year, the City of Burlington public art program commissions local artists to create small to medium-scale artworks throughout the city. This can take a variety of forms including murals, small-scale sculptures and functional artwork such as bike racks and benches. These commissions are open exclusively to artists residing in Burlington, Ont. Free professional development opportunities are available to assist artists with the application process and project development.
The Application Package is available at:
Calls for Artists
By Pepper Parr
July 24th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
The Sound of Music is part of the heart of Burlington.
There are some who are uncomfortable with the noise. The SoM works hard to respect the time frames within which they have agreed to operate.
During the weekend they operate the city closes down Brant Street that is then flooded with people enjoying the city at its best.
But there is trouble in paradise.
The Sound of Music Board appears to be politically corrupt.
 Dave Miller, former Executive Director of the Sound of Music. The Gazette was made aware that Executive Director Dave Miller was summarily fired last week.
Shortly after that the Gazette began to hear from the hundreds of volunteers that make the festival the event that it is.
Many were prepared to talk but not on the record.
The Gazette reached out to the President and the Sound of Music Corporate Secretary and asked some questions. There was no response.
We asked Peter Martin, President the following questions:
Would you provide a statement on the organizational status of the Sound of Music.
Is there a replacement for Dave Miller in place?
Who will do the work that Miller has been doing?
Who will conduct the post festival interviews with the 21 committee chairs?
When will you be available for an interview?
We asked Corporate Secretary Rich Anderson the following questions:
Would you confirm that the Sound of Music Festival is incorporated as a non-profit in Ontario.
Would you set out how the by laws define the membership of the organization.
Would you describe the process that puts directors into office each year, that is who actually elects the directors and what are the requirements to serve as a director.
Would you provide me with the date of the last AGM
The Gazette has not had an answer from Martin or Anderson.
What we did get was a letter Tara Hambly, a chair of one of the 21 SoM committees and a former SoM vice president.. It is the volunteer committees that make the Festival the success it is.
The letter, written in September of 2016, was her resignation from the SoM. In a conversation Hambly said: “I am willing to go on record with how it changed back when I was on the board and the VP of the festival.
“I have been in contact with many who just resigned and forwarded my resignation letter from 2 years I have been involved in this Festival for numerous years now and have thoroughly enjoyed my time, however after the events of this past Wednesday I feel as though I am no longer able to continue in my role on the Board.
 When the music is right – Spender Smith park is filled. The music hasn’t been as right as many thought it should be the past few years. “As a Board member you sometimes you do not agree with the results of a motion, however, regardless of the outcome you as a Board member have to support the direction of the Board. I feel I am no longer able to support the decisions that the Board makes and therefore am resigning.
“When I chose to resign it was my decision and therefore, how I resign will also be my decision, not on the pre-written statement provided to me.
“Over the past year there have been specific decision that I am not proud of and feel need to be changed. My regret is that I have not always spoken up on some issues and for others I may have not spoken loud enough.
1. “The Executive Director should, by virtue of their role, be a member of the Board and be a part of all meetings to be able to offer expertise and opinions on any motion. They should not be a voting member, however, they should be there always, in a non-voting capacity. How can you have someone run the day to day dealings of a Festival and ignore their opinion? It is not right. If there are motions that deal with the contract or concerns of the executive director, at that point they can be asked to leave, but not having them there for the rest is detrimental to the organization. Withholding agendas and topics of discussion from the executive director do not allow for the input needed going forward.
 The Spoons on the Sound of Music stage – it doesn’t get better than that. 2. “AGM should be open to ALL. Having an AGM with only 10 directors present who are only concerned with re-electing themselves is not in the best interest of the organization. AGM’s use to be open to the public and notice was put in the paper so anyone could attend. SOM is funded with money from the city, government grants and sponsors. It is run by volunteers. All stakeholders should be able to have a say in who the Board is and who the Executive is. At the very least, the meeting should be open even if not everyone has a vote. Why make it so secretive? People have put their names in to join the Board to be brought to AGM and are then asked to wait outside. Why are they denied the opportunity to speak about their intent to joint the Board? The Board has given itself full power to make changes and decide who they want to join. Unfortunately, with this power comes personal agendas and vindictiveness. People are holding on to grudges from the past and awaiting opportunity to act on them.
3. “Transparency between the Board and Operating committee. Everything is done secretively in Board meetings. The Board has spoken up about concerns with transparency between the executive and the board thinking the executive is hiding information. The Board demands transparency however, refuses to be transparent with the chairs and vice chairs, volunteers who bring so much insight and expertise to the organization. Chairs and Vices have just as much right as the Board to offer opinions and to know everything that is going on. These volunteers devote hundreds, if not thousands, of hours every year to put on the Festival. With so much time devoted they have a right to know what is going on and to have a say.
 They come to listen – and listen they do. 4. “The make-up of the Board. If you are going to have a working Board it should go back to how it was with all Chairs being on the Board. Having some on and others not creates division within the organization. If you do not want a working Board then you have a Board run by completely outside individuals. But if it is a working Board, it should go back to how it was with all Chairs on the Boards and all chairs able to have a say in matters. Walking into operations meetings last year I could feel the tension in the room when the Board entered, especially when we entered late. First of all, I personally apologize for the lateness at times. My time is no more valuable than anyone else’s. Making people wait while a Board meeting is conducted is disrespectful. The Board should have either conducted meetings on separate nights or recessed to join operations at the designated time. Unfortunately, there are Board members who would leave after Board meetings. As a working board you should be aware of the operations of the festival and if not for that reason, attend out of respect to the volunteers giving up their time to follow through on Board motions. If it is to remain a working board, it needs to be a working board, and board members need to work with the volunteers to ensure the success of the festival.
5. “The division in the organization. There is a clear division among the board and operations. In speaking to chairs and vice chairs I personally feel that many do not feel appreciated for their contributions to the festival. Many have asked how you get on the Board and have come to realize that it is much harder than it should be. Anyone should have the opportunity to put in their name and be considered. There is a clear division between the groups as it is not transparent on how one can have a fair chance to get onto the board.
 The weekend event is a family affair. 6. “Conflicts of Interest. If you are financially gaining from your role in the Festival, or as a result of something you did while in your role at the Festival it should be openly disclosed to all so it can be decided if there is a conflict of interest or not. Many volunteers bring expertise to their committees from their work experiences, however, if their Festival involvement results in personal financial gain or employment opportunities, everyone should be made aware of the situation to decide if it is a conflict or not.
“I have enjoyed all my time with the Festival and it was very difficult to come to the decision to walk away from it, however, I know that right now being on the Board would be putting myself into an environment I do not want to be in. There are just too many decisions that I do not support.
“Last week someone told me everyone was replaceable. I agree we all are replaceable, but at what cost? People can be replaced however things will never be the same when they are and it’s not always for the better.
 Still some room for those with a blanket – crowds are fully engaged when the music is right. “I hope that things will change for the better and Sound of Music will once again find the greatness it had and a much warmer, welcoming environment to all, and equal say for all. Transparency to all stake holders is key to achieving this.
“All the best to each and every one of you I hope our paths cross in the future, it has been a pleasure.
“Please consider this my formal resignation, effective immediately.
Tara Hambly
The SoM is a $2 million operation that raises about $440,000 in sponsorship money.
 The many sponsors that make the Festival possible are all listed. Note that the pier in this 2011 picture isn’t visible because there was nothing to see. The city of Burlington funds the organization.
The province of Ontario funds the organization.
The TD Bank is a major sponsor
Tim Hortons is a major sponsor.
The list goes on.
The Burlington Downtown Business Association is one of the sponsors. In a conversation with Brian Dean, Executive Director of the BDBA he said that if there is an issue with the way the SoM Board is operating I will want to take that to my Board and ask for input from them on what the BDBA position with the SoM should be going forward.
One can expect all the sponsors to take a second look at just what it is they are sponsoring.
By Staff
July 23rd, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
Former Conservative MP and Burlington mayoral candidate Mike Wallace has been awarded the Order of the Rising Sun by the Japanese Embassy in Canada.
 Mike Wallace with Japan’s Order of The Rising Sun Award July 2018. This is a very significant award. The award puts him among 140 foreign nationals named earlier this year to the award of civil and military merit. The Ontario MP represented Burlington from 2006 to 2015 and is now running for mayor of the city in this October’s municipal race. He was previously elected four times to the Burlington city council before entering federal politics. Wallace was presented the award in a private ceremony at the Japanese Embassy in Ottawa.
When Japanese Ambassador to Canada Kimihiro Ishikane presented the medals in July, Wallace had a strong cheering squad, with his wife Caroline, parents, sister and former staff all at the ambassador’s Rockcliffe Park residence.
“I am deeply honoured by this award,” Wallace said. “It is the Japanese version of Canada’s Order of Canada.”
Wallace’s fellow award 2018 award winners include former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, U.S senators Robert Corker and John McCain, among others.
Wallace “contributed to promoting parliamentary relations and friendship between Japan and Canada,” as an MP and former co-chair of the Canada-Japan Inter-Parliamentary Group, the 2018 medal list document said.
He was named co-chair of the group in 2011 after serving on the group’s executive five years before that. At the time he said he wanted Canada to pursue an active diplomatic relationship with Japan.
Japan was especially grateful for the leadership Wallace demonstrated in coordinating Canada’s response to the 2015 Fukishima disaster.
 Burlington’s Chain of Office, worn by the Mayor when he chairs council meetings and at Official events. “I want to follow our community’s lead in solidifying both economic and cultural ties with Japan as we have done locally with our sister city, Itabashi, Japan,” he said.
The Order of the Rising Sun outranks the Burlington Chain of Office. Would Wallace wear both – assuming he wins the election.
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