 By Pepper Parr
August 1st, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Everyone has heard of Crime Stoppers.
It is an international organization and one of the bigger tools available to the police.
It is an organization that gets information on criminal activity and makes it available to the police without telling the police where the information came from. Its strength is the anonymity that applies to all the information it gets.
Except for an administrative person who handles the telephone and takes care of the paper work Crime Stoppers is a totally volunteer run operation.
 Halton Crime Stoppers chair Cal Millar with HRPS liaison officer Detective Jodi Richmond at the most successful shredding event ever held in Burlington, Almost every community of any size has Crime Stoppers organization. In Halton Cal Millar, a retired journalist, is the current chair and is supported by a three member executive along with seven directors.
Jan Westcott is the vice-chair, Roger Alfaro, treasurer and Doug Maybee the past chair
Directors are: David Woodm, Ron van der Steen, Wally Trapler, Jane Miller, Rod Piukkala, Bob Maich and Corey Evans.
The Halton Regional Police assign an officer to act as liaison with Crime Stoppers. That liaison person is Detective Constable Jodi Richmond who recently attended a number of conferences and training sessions where she met with people doing the same job in different jurisdictions.
In Halton Region the TIPS go to a secure telephone line that prevents the Crime Stoppers staff from knowing who is calling or what number the call is coming from. All they get is the area code and the first three digits of the number a call is coming from.
 Detective Constable Jodi Richmond, police liaison. with Halton Crime Stoppers The Crime Stoppers staff person takes the call and notes the information which she gives to the police liaison officer, Jodi Richmond. A caller is never asked to identify themselves.
Depending on the type of criminal event that is being reported Richmond puts in a call to the relevant division of the HRPS and they take the matter from there. All the police have is information about what a caller thinks is a criminal event.
It could be something to do with a driver behaving erratically behind the wheel of a car or the witnessing of an assault or witnessing a theft taking place.
Richmond knows all there is to know about every department within the police service and can be in instant contact with the appropriate people.
During her training Richmond learned that in the United States the Crime Stoppers operation is driven by the rewards. More than 90% of the calls the Americans get is from people who want and expect to receive the reward that is available. In Canada Richmond said, less than 5% of the reward money is claimed.
In Canadian jurisdictions the information received goes directly to the appropriate police department. Richmond said that in many American communities the Crime Stoppers operation gets involved in some of the early investigation work.
In Canada Crime Stoppers depends on local media to get their message out. The Gazette worked with Crime Stoppers on getting the message out to the public about their annual sensitive document shredding event.
 The star of every shredding event is a truck that shreds documents on location. It was filled to capacity at the June shredding event in Burlington. The June event raised more in the way of way of donations than any previous shredding event and shredded more paper than they have ever done in the past.
Richmond told of the way several American Crime Stoppers organizations are working more tightly with the police on getting information and warnings out to the public.
Some jurisdictions have electronic kiosks strategically place in communities where information is sent to the kiosk electronically and can be updated in minutes.
 American law enforcement agencies work with Crime Stoppers and have electronic kiosks that are fed information via the internet alerting the public of people who are wanted by the police. Thus, explained Richmond let the police get information on very fluid situations out to the public immediately. It is a little like the Amber Alert used to alert the public when a child has gone missing.
The kiosks have a lot more information and the ability to use photographs. Some American jurisdictions talk of having kiosks at every supermarket.
Cal Millar, chair of Halton Crime Stoppers said he looks forward to raising the profile of the organization and to continue to work with the public to play a role in the apprehension of criminals and at the same time to work with strategic partners to be part of the process of educating the public on the increasing sophistication of the criminal element.
The size of the financial losses people suffer because of Identity Theft and internet based scams where the police struggle to keep up with the latest wrinkle is daunting.
Apprehension is a large part of the work the police do – Crime Stoppers will continue to be involved in helping the police catch criminals – what they would like to do as well is educate the public about just what it is the criminals are doing and prevent some of the crimes that in some cases clean people out financially.
The Gazette will follow up the article with how people get involved with the organization as volunteers.
 By Staff
August 1. 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
 The beginning of the end of the playoff season for the Burlington Herd starts on Wednesday when the team takes to the ball diamond and plays against the London Majors, a team they were not able to beat during the regular season.
This could be a very short play-off season for the Herd.
The schedule is as follows:
SERIES “B” – LONDON (3) vs. BURLINGTON (6)
Game 1: Wednesday, Aug. 2, at London, 7:05 p.m.
Game 2: Thursday, Aug. 3, at Burlington, 7:15 p.m.
Game 3: Friday, Aug. 4, at London, 7:35 p.m.
Game 4: Sunday, Aug. 6, at Burlington, 5:30 p.m.
Game 5: Tuesday, Aug. 8, at London, 7:05 p.m.
Game 6: Thursday, Aug. 10 at Burlington, 7:15 p.m.
Game 7: Friday, Aug. 11, at London, 7:35 p.m.
 By Pepper Parr
July 31st, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The CNE has been running their Rising Star Talent Competition program since 1987.
Each year young boys and girls from across the province enter the competition that runs for xx days at the Canadian National Exhibition.
The talent competition showcases young artists between the ages of 6 to 21
Contestants are judged on their natural ability, audience appeal, stage presence and the quality of their performance
Erica Pickering, a 12 year old grade 7 student at Sacred Heart where she says her best subjects are English and languages is a Rising Star contestant.
Erica puts in 25 hours a week on training but doesn’t talk in terms of a dance career for herself. She likes the look of interior design and decorating but is typical for a girl hr age – she is “considering her options”
 Erica Pickering, a contestant in the CNE Rising Star competition. Erica sings and dances and does some acting; commercial work is something she thinks she might like to do. She sees herself as a “triple threat”
Erica has this pixie look to her. The photographs of her as a performer are not the girl that you talk to in the back yard of her home.
The Erica on a stage has a very polished professional look to her.
In an interview she is confident; doesn’t look to her Mother for the answers to questions and doesn’t hesitate to tell you what she thinks – and does so very politely.
“Dancing is hard work” she will tell you but she must be doing something right: she was one of the top five in the Atlantic City event.
Now it is on to the CNE competition which is an event you must apply to for consideration.
There are usually more than 100 participants in the numerous categories.
The event is described as a “nice show” one that doesn’t have the meanness that is often seen on the events that have a reality aspect to them.
That is so Canadian: decent, polite, clean and fun – which pretty well sums up Erica Pickering.
The Gazette will follow her performances.
The Rising Star schedule is:
Junior Preliminaries: Friday August 18 – Monday August 21
Junior Semi-Finals: Monday August 28 & Tuesday August 29
Junior Finals: Saturday September 2
Youth Preliminaries: Tuesday August 22 – Sunday August 27
Youth Semi-Finals: Wednesday August 30 – Friday September 1
Youth Finals: Sunday September 3
The Grand Champion of the junior competition will receive $1,000. The Grand Champion of the youth competition will receive $2,500.
Youth division is 13 – 21 years of age ; the Junior division is 6 – 12 years old
By Staff
July 30th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The 2017 regular season for the InterCounty Baseball League (IBL) comes to a close later this week with the playoff series to follow.
At this point the teams to watch are the Barrie Baycats who have gone 33-2 and the Toronto Maple Leafs who are the only team to beat the Baycats – they did that twice.
The Burlington Herd will be playing the London Majors in the quarter finals – the Herd was unable to beat the London Majors during the regular season, which suggests the Majors will move on to play the Toronto Maple Leafs who should take that series and go on to play either Kitchener or Hamilton – Kitchener is favoured to win that series – which gets the league to a final series between the Barrie Baycats and the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Leafs will go into that series as the under dogs – expect to see some really good competitive baseball. Worth driving to Toronto to take in a game.
For the die hard Leaf fans they could look upon the baseball games as the whetting of their appetites for the coming hockey season.
The men who swing the bats do not get paid.
Did you know that the men who play for the Inter-County Baseball League (IBL) do not get paid?
IBL compensation rules, 2017 season state that: Payment for playing in the IBL is not allowed. Additionally, compensation is not allowed as an incentive.
The IBL rate for mileage for 2017 season will be a maximum of 0.40 per kilometre. Maximum flat rates for players for the 2017 season is $35.
Non-Canadians, who are unable to legally work, but staying “in town” for the season, may be subsidized for housing and food. The amount for food is not to be greater than $50 per diem and the amount for housing is to be the real cost incurred by the player or the team.
Players cannot accept cash, significant gifts or discounts or any financial compensation from third parties in return for playing in the IBL.
Violation of these rules may result in suspension of the player(s) involved as well as team officials. The team may also face forfeiture of games in which the identified player(s) appeared.
A lot of name changes for the Burlington baseball team – playoff wins have been scarce.
Back in 2010 InterCounty baseball was revived in Burlington when a team named the Twin,who started out in St. Thomas moved to Stratford in 2004 and then moved to Mississauga for the 2008 season and operated there for two years before moving to Burlington in 2011. They were renamed as the Burlington Bandits in 2013 and were taken over by new owners. Two season later the team was once again sold to new owners and renamed the Burlington Herd.
 By Pepper Parr
July 30th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
If you do what many of us do – plan your week on Sunday you might want to give some thought to slipping up to Lowville to take in a performance of Othello at Thinkspot where you can sit outside on a large large lawn and watch gifted actors perform one of Shakespeare’s plays.
Getting out in the middle of the week to watch a play isn’t the way most people spend their time – unless of course they are on vacation.
 Driftwood Theatre performing at Thinkspot in Lowville Whether you are on vacation or putting in time at the office – Wednesday evening – 7:00 pm the Driftwood Theatre Company will take to the outdoor stage and give you an interpretation of Othello that you will not have seen before.
Lowville has been the locale for a number of artistic endeavours. The annual Lowville Festival is now an established event that has shown admirable resilience getting off the ground. With three years behind them and respectable sponsorships in place – they can be expected to do nothing but grow.
Thinkspot has been welcoming the Driftwood Theatre to their location for a number of years. Lowville has become one of the more than 20 locations that Driftwood performs at each year.
At the end of the production, always to boisterous rounds of applause, some of the deeply committed audience for the works of William Shakespeare gather around a fire place and talk about the merits of the performance and the how’s and why’s of what the director chose to do.
 Using Canada’s United Nations role in Cyprus as the backdrop for a production of Othello is both a brave and audacious decision.
The experience is well worth the time and the locale is one to be treasured.
This is a Pay what you can event with a suggested $20.
By Staff
July 29th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
It was a dismal way to end the season for the Burlington Herd who struggled to get above the bottom half of the league standings throughout the season.
New name, new logo, new ownership weren’t enough to put th Herd in top half of the league standings. A new name and new ownership wasn’t enough, the team ended with a 13 – 23 win loss record.
They will play the London Majors during the playoff season.
 London Major player. Photo by Matt Hiscox. The London Majors defeated the Burlington Herd twice on Friday – A game that started on July 20 in Burlington was tied 7-7 when it was called due to darkness. When the game resumed yesterday each team scored once in the 11th, and London added two more in the 13th. That gave London a 10-8 win for the delayed game.
In Friday’s scheduled game, London won 11-1.
The Herd will now play London for the quarter final of the playoff series
Standings
Barrie Baycats 32-1
Kitchener Panthers 27-8
London Majors 24-9
Toronto Maple Leafs 17-17
Brantford Red Sox 15-19
Burlington Herd 13-23
Hamilton Cardinals 8-25
Guelph withdrew.
By Staff
July 28th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The Burlington Youth Soccer Club (BYSC) is hosting its “Burli Blast Festival” this Saturday, July 29th to celebrate the end of the soccer season for the U3 – U6 age groups in their Outdoor House League program.
 The Burli Blast Festival is an event dedicated to celebrating the successes and achievements of the players and volunteer coaches over the course of the summer season. There are over 800 players in these age divisions, and with parents and coaches, the expected attendance is upwards of 2,500 people.
Burli Blast will take place from 9:00 am – 2:00 pm at Sherwood Forest Park (at the end of Fairview Street past the Appleby GO station) in Burlington. The festival will feature 60 mini soccer matches and medal presentations spread throughout the morning and afternoon.
 The BYSC has also invited many of its community partners that are providing bouncy castles, carnival games, food, and prizes. The BYSC invites the Burlington community to come out and enjoy the day, regardless of whether your child plays in their programs. An information tent with staff will be in attendance if you have questions about any BYSC programs or if you are interested in registration.
For more information about Burli Blast Festival or other BYSC programs, visit www.burlingtonsoccer.com or call 905-333-0777.
 By Staff
July 28, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The southbound lane on Brant Street, just south of Victoria Avenue, will be closed on Saturday, July 29, 2017 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. for excavation work.
 Brant Street – looking south – part of the road will be closed for some excavation work.
 By Staff
July 28, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The Toronto Maple Leafs scored in seven different innings of their 20-6 victory over the Burlington Herd Thursday night.
For Burlington, Justin Gideon had three hits, an RBI and a run. Ryan Freemantle drove in two and scored once, John Whaley had two RBI, and Matt Schmidt singled twice and had an RBI. Nolan Pettipiece scored twice.
Casey Bouillere-Howard (0-1) gave up nine runs (seven earned) on 13 hits over seven innings. He walked two and struck out two.
 The Leafs seemed to get production out of every player. Zac Orchard went 4-for-6 with a home run, two doubles, three RBI and three runs. Daniel Szpik had three hits, including a home run, four RBI and two runs. Dan Marra singled, doubled and drove in three while scoring twice, Justin Marra had three hits, two RBI and two runs, Jonathan Solazzo went 2-for-5 with two runs and an RBI, Tyler Hardie and Ryan White each had two hits and two RBI and combined to score four times.
Julian Johnson singled twice and had an RBI and three runs, and Grant Tamane added a double and scored twice.
Adam Garner (1-0) went seven innings for the win. He scattered three hits and allowed an unearned run while walking one and striking out one.
The Herd hasn’t been out of the bottom half of the league so far this season. The team has just one more game before the league moves into the playoff part of the season.
Looks as if the playoffs are going to be short on the farm.
The playoff schedule will be:
 Barrie Baycats with their 32-1 position get a bye
# 2 plays #7
#3 plays # 6
#4 plays #5
Future games
Friday, July 28
Burlington at London, 6:35 p.m. (completion of suspended game of July 20, tied 7-7)
Burlington at London, 7:35 p.m.
Standings
Barrie Baycats 32-1
Kitchener Panthers 27-7
London Majors 22-9
Toronto Maple Leafs 16-17
Brantford Red Sox 14-19
Burlington Herd 13-21
Hamilton Cardinals 8-24
* Guelph Royals 1-35
* – Ceased operations
 By Staff
July 28th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Two batches of mosquitoes trapped this week in the City of Burlington have tested positive for West Nile virus (WNV).
These are the first batches of WNV positive mosquitoes confirmed in Burlington this year.
In 2017, an additional four batches were confirmed in Oakville and one batch in Milton, for a total of seven WNV positive batches in Halton to date.
“The Halton Region Health Department works diligently to reduce the risk of West Nile virus in our community through both education and preventative programs such as larviciding,” said Dr. Julie Emili, Acting Medical Officer of Health, Halton Region. “We can all work together to keep our community safe and protect ourselves from West Nile virus by removing standing water sites that breed mosquitos and covering up or applying DEET or Icaridin when outside during dusk and dawn.”
Urban areas are more likely to have mosquitoes that carry WNV. The types of mosquitoes that transmit WNV to humans most commonly breed in urban areas, typically in places that hold water such as bird baths, plant pots, old toys, and tires.
Residents can take the following steps to protect themselves and their families from mosquitoes:
 • Cover up. Wear light-coloured, long-sleeved shirts and pants with tightly-woven fabric.
• Use an approved insect repellent, such as one containing DEET or Icaridin.
• Avoid being outdoors from early evening to morning when mosquitoes are most active and likely to bite, as well as at any time in shady, wooded areas.
• Make sure your window and door screens are tight and without holes, cuts or other openings.
• Reduce mosquito breeding sites around your home by getting rid of all water-filled containers and objects, where possible. Change the water in bird baths at least once per week.
To report standing water at public facilities or for more information about West Nile virus, please visit halton.ca/wnv, call 311 or e-mail wnv@halton.ca.
By Staff
July 28, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
In the last week Halton Regional Police Service have seen another variation of the commonly known CRA scam.
Victims are being told that they have outstanding debt with the CRA and in order to avoid arrest they are now being directed to local “BITCOIN” ATM machines to deposit cash funds into anonymous digital wallets, thinking that they are paying off the alleged debt and avoiding arrest.
 Investigation into one such digital wallet revealed that 17 deposits had been made in one 24hr period, with an equivalent amount being $11,900 dollars USA. The source of all these deposits is not known, but police suspect they are all victims to fraud related scams.
Many people will have no idea what a “digital wallet” is. The cardinal rule is that if it doesn’t sound right to you – then it is probably wrong. If in doubt – don’t.
The Halton police would like to again warn the public about the CRA scam and remind them that the CRA would never ask for payment to be made through gift cards or Bitcoin and would never use the phone as a first point of contact when dealing with clients.
If contacted by the CRA in such a manor police recommend hanging up the phone, and if in any doubt to source the true number for the CRA and make your own enquiries about the status of your account. Do not call the caller back on any phone numbers that they themselves have provided you.
 By Staff
July 28th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
It was MP Karina Gould’s job to fill in for her Cabinet colleague The Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour and deliver the announcement that The Centre for Skills Development & Training (“The Centre”) in Burlington was going to be given $1,931,884 over a three year period.
 From the left: Burlington MP Karina Gould, Lisa Rizatto, Centre CAO and a Get in Gear student during the funding presentation. The funds are to be used to assist youth in determining a career path, introducing the skilled trades, building confidence and getting a paid work experience are the hallmarks of Get In Gear (GIG) – a program funded by Skills Link, part of the Government of Canada’s Youth Employment Strategy, and delivered by The Centre for Skills Development & Training.
Skills Link supports projects that help young people who face more barriers to employment than others develop employability skills and gain valuable job experience. This helps them in making a successful transition into the workforce or to return to school. These youth could include those who have not completed high school, those who are unemployed or underemployed, low-income single parents, Indigenous youth, young persons with disabilities, youth living in rural or remote areas, or newcomers.
In a media the federal government explained that “Developing Canada’s youth is a priority. This project is a concrete example of what we can achieve for youth by working in partnership with organizations across the country. Projects like this one can help put regular paycheques into the reach of those who need it. But more than that, they give young Canadians the chance to change their future.”
 Lisa Rizatto – The Centre’s CAO, The Centre’s CAO, Lisa Rizatto said the “program is a solid stepping stone. The three-year funding represents a strong investment in our youth. It provides them with choices to gain valuable real-world experience and to make informed decisions to positively impact their future, which not only improves their lives but also gives life to the economy.”
The working title for the program is Getting in Gear (GiG); it is free with a limit of 15 seats per session. Participants interested in the 10-week, in-class program which is followed by a 10-week paid work placement, can call 905-333-3499 x182 to find out more about the application procedure, or visit thecentre.on.ca/SkilledTrades/GetInGear/
Eligibility requirements for Get in Gear participants include:
· Between 17-30 years old
· Legally entitled to work in Canada
· Not attending full-time school, work or training
· Not in receipt (or never have been in receipt) of Employment Insurance benefits
· Motivated to succeed
· Looking for help to overcome difficulties finding and keeping a job
Graduates of the GIG program have many options from pursuing full-time employment to undergoing formal training such as The Centre’s pre-apprenticeship skilled trades programs. The next GIG session will run from September 25.
The Centre for Skills Development & Training is a not-for-profit incorporated affiliate of the Halton District School Board with locations in Burlington, Milton, Oakville and Mississauga. The Centre helps people at all stages of life get on a path to career success—from youth just starting out, to older workers who have been laid off; from newcomers to Canada who need to improve their workplace English, to people interested in the trades who need to build their technical skills; and from small business owners looking to hire staff, to large companies who need help developing and transitioning their workforce.
 By Staff
July 27th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
BurlingtonGreen told us all that July was being recognized as Plastic Free month; an initiative to refuse all single-use plastic products for the entire month of July.
For good reason.
It is now believed that there are “5.25 trillion pieces of plastic debris in the ocean. Of that mass, 269,000 tons float on the surface, while some four billion plastic microfibers per square kilometer litter the deep sea”
As individuals and a community, we have the power to say NO to plastic, creating positive change with far reaching impact.
They list more than 100 ways to skip using plastic. One that caught our eye was the plastic straw that restaurants place on the table when they give you a glass or carton of some beverage. Skip the Straw suggest the BG people.
 Interesting – funny – but necessary. Straws are one of the worst offenders of single-use waste, but do we honestly need them? How many times have you been given a straw without asking for it? How many times have you immediately picked out the straw and thrown it away? How many times was that straw encased in paper waste? If you really need one, there are alternatives available, including metal straws or your reusable water bottle with a drinkable lid.
Something to think about. Straws just might go the way of carbon paper!
 By Staff
July 26, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
This August, sixty young men will participate in the Burlington Cougars 2017/18 Training Camp to pursue their hockey dreams of playing Junior A Hockey. These players, who range in age from 16-20 years old, are mostly local players but there are others from across Ontario and beyond who are looking for a place to call home here in Burlington.
The Cougars are looking for homes for up to 8 players that will be on the 2017/18 roster.
The Burlington Cougars Billet, Host Family Program, is a staple to the organization, which allows players from outside the immediate area the opportunity to play at the highest level of junior hockey and have a home away from home. Billet families provide a caring, supportive, family environment for the players with the reward of lifelong relationships.
 “Our billet families provide a home away from home for some of our players, their support of our organization is important to the success of our team. They become lifelong family and friends. They really open their arms to our players and it’s a really awesome and unique thing. ” says Cougars Head Coach Terry Richardson.
Families who join the Cougars billet program are provided with the following:
– a monthly remuneration to assist in offsetting food and other costs
– an invitation to participate in the Cougars Family Appreciation Night event
– two full season tickets per player they host
“The billeting program has been a critical aspect to our program,” said General Manager Alex Bezerra. “It has been a rewarding experience for many of our players over the years. Connections have been made between both players and their families, which will last a lifetime.”
This year the Cougars are looking for homes for up to 8 players that will be on the 2017/18 roster.
Anyone interested in learning more about the billet family program can contact Cougars General Manager Alex Bezerra, at 647-300-0559 or via email abezerra@burlingtoncougarsjrahockey.ca
By Pepper Parr
July 26th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
They just wanted a retirement home.
In a nice quiet community – not too far from the downtown part of the city.
Their daughter was a real estate agent and was able to help them out with the purchase of the home they bought in the west side of the Tyandaga neighbourhood.
They bought, arranged to have some renovations on their new home done and were beginning to get a sense of the neighbourhood they had chosen to move into.
The road into the neighbourhood cuts through a small section that has nicely treed property on either side of the road. You have no idea if that land is public or private – it’s just there.
You come around a bend in the road and the street stretches out before you with a bit of a gradual slope that lets you see the city, the bay and the bridge almost as if it was a picture framed by the houses.
It was while the renovation work was being done that Heather found a letter in her mail box from a company that was doing some quarrying in the area.
 The homes are shown upper right. The quarries are above Bayview Park with the brick manufacturing operation below the park. “Quarrying” asked Heather. “Where is the quarry – and why didn’t I know this when I bought my house?”
Those questions were the beginning of a process that has brought a community into pretty direct conflict with their Mayor, the city council member, the province and a corporation that is a major manufacturer of a vital construction product – clay bricks.
 This berm is about 25 yards from the back yard of the homes on the west side of West Haven Drive. That quarry was just behind a huge Bern that had been built behind the homes when they were initially built in the late 1990’ss.
Heather wasn’t the stereotype suburban dweller who tends to pay little attention to what the city does as long as the garbage is picked up and the roads are plowed in the winter and the tax rate is reasonable and the streets are safe.
She wanted to know more – and she made it her business to learn more and then gather her neighbours together and begin asking questions.
And learn more they did.
The notice Heather got from the mining company was from Meridian Brick advising her that they were going to begin a shale quarrying operation in the eastern cell of their property. There are three cells: western, central and eastern. The western cell is reported to have 3 to 5 years of production left; the central cell has 6 to 8 years of production left. The direction is evident – the eastern cell will need to be opened up in the not too distant future – and that eastern cell is less than 100 yards from the back yards of the people on the western side of West Haven Drive.
To do that excavation mining they would be cutting down most of the some 9000 trees in the area.
Heather sent letters out to the 80 some neighbours asking them to meet. Close to a dozen showed up. Out of that meeting came TEC – Tyendaga Environmental Coalition Inc.
 Part of the quarrying operation couple o hundred yards from West Haven Drive homes. These were not a bunch of people who didn’t fully understand the issues – these, for the most part, were professionals who had succeeded in their careers – they’d have had too – the homes in the community aren’t cheap.
They were smart and had connections – and they knew how to make things happen.
The created an organization – asked each member to pony up $500 – 30 did – so there was now a bit of a war chest.
They then hired David Donnelly to help them through the bureaucracy.
Donnelly was the lawyer that PERL – Protecting Escarpment and Rural Land – used when they fought the expansion of the Nelson Quarry on Colling Road. That case went before a Tribunal hearing that found the Jefferson Salamander, an endangered species, lived in that part of rural Burlington – more aggregate mining could not take place.
 In the middle of the picture some of the shale mining quarry can be seen – Burlington Bay can be seen on the horizon, When the TEC took their concern to the Mayor and the city Councillor they were told that the company had a permit and that there was a notation on their deeds and they should have known that some mining was going to take place.
In a media release the Mayor said:
“After extensive review by staff in several city and regional departments, we have come to understand that Meridian Brick is within its legal rights and that the Province of Ontario, not the City of Burlington, has jurisdiction over this matter.”
There is a reported notation on the property deeds that: All purchasers are informed of the following warning clause registered on title:
“The purchaser acknowledges the presence of a future extractive industrial land use to the west and that extraction may take place during the daytime only.”
No one with property deeds could find any notation on their documents about any rights the mining company had.
That a company had the right to mine a hundred yards or so from their homes and that there was a notation to this effect on their property deeds which they couldn’t see was more than enough to mobilize the neighbourhood.
These people got serious – especially when they learned that the mining company had a permit – given to them in 1972, to mine for Queenston shale, the only type that is used for brick making in Ontario. And there aren’t many places left where that shale can be extracted.
The TEC people say the issue is that they “… need, at a minimum, to have the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) decision (to issue the original quarry license) to be re-evaluated in the light of the ‘HERE and NOW – 2016’. We appreciate that the MNRF does not have a history of reviewing their decisions but in this case we believe that the area under question has undergone such a dramatic change in the last FORTY-FOUR YEARS with the enormous growth in industry, schools, residences, traffic, etc. that it would warrant an exception to their rule.”
Brick making had been taking place in North Aldershot since the early 1900’s and it is now a large industry and a significant tax payer.
 West Haven Drive looking south. The West Haven Drive point out that the assessed value of the 141 homes on the street (these are million dollar homes) is just as big as that assessed value of the mining lands – and that residents pay higher tax rates than a mining operation.
The two politicians, the Mayor and the ward Councillor may come to regret the way they blew off the residents.
This is going to be an ongoing story – there are a number of interests at play – one being the importance of the brick manufacturing operation to the economy of the city and its importance to the residential construction industry in the province. Meridian manufactures an estimated 55% of the clay brick produced in Canada and 45% of that is made in Burlington. Tough to fight an industry with that level of market penetration.
Related story link:
What’s going on at West Haven Drive?
By Staff
July 26, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Halton Region Retains Distinction as Canada’s Safest for Eighth Straight Year
The Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) is pleased to announce that Halton has retained its distinction as Canada’s safest regional municipality with a population of 100,000 or more for the eighth straight year, according to Statistics Canada’s annual report on crime in Canada. The report, entitled “Police-reported crime statistics in Canada, 2016”, provides a detailed overview of crime statistics as reported by police services across the country.
According to the recently-released data, Halton Region:
• Had the lowest Crime Severity Index* (CSI), Violent Crime Severity Index and Non-Violent Crime Severity Index when compared to Ontario’s ‘Big 12’ police services;
• Maintained the lowest values for each of the indices for eight straight reporting years (2009 – 2016);
• Had the lowest overall crime rate, violent crime rate, and property crime rate among Ontario’s ‘Big 12’ police services;
• Had the highest weighted clearance rate (49.8 per cent) of the same ‘Big 12’.
Nationally, Halton ranked 298 out of a total of 305 police services in terms of its overall Crime Severity Index. Only seven communities in Canada with populations greater than 10,000 have lower overall CSI values.
 Halton Regional Police Chief Stephen Tanner “This longstanding distinction could not be achieved without the continuous efforts of our uniform officers and the support of, and strong partnerships with, Halton’s citizens – the true ambassadors of our great Region”, said Stephen Tanner, Chief of Police. “Through effective and efficient police operations and citizen engagement, we are well positioned to maintain our reputation as Canada’s safest regional municipality to live, work, raise a family and retire for many years to come.”
The Regional Police force budget is $144,940,030. As of June they have 695 Sworn Members and 279 Civilian Members.
A detailed overview of crime statistics by type and district was published last month as part of the Service’s 2016 Annual Report. The report is available online at www.haltonpolice.ca under Services -> Publications.
Policing fundamentals such as crime prevention and enforcement remained a mainstay of everyday operations in 2016, HRPS has enhanced its capacity to serve members of the public through new, community-based approaches to issues related to traffic, crime, mental health and addiction, crime prevention and vulnerable persons.
This innovative and integrated strategy is the foundation of Halton’s Community Safety and Well-being Plan, which the Service has been developing in collaboration with its valued community partners, and which is slated to officially launch later this year.
HRPS is committed to a Community First policing philosophy that focuses on incorporating the four pillars of (community) safety and well-being into Service priorities: Emergency Response, Risk Intervention, Prevention, and Social Development. More information can be found at www.haltonpolice.ca under Community or by following @HaltonPolice on Twitter or Facebook.
By Staff
July 26th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The Burlington Herd took advantage of 13 walks in a 9-4 win over the Hamilton Cardinals Tuesday night.
Burlington collected eight hits but used the free passes to build a 5-0 lead after three innings and a 9-1 advantage in the seventh.
 Giving that incoming ball a close look. John Whaley drove in a pair of runs, and Justin Gideon scored twice and swiped a pair of bases. He also had an RBI.
Ryan Freemantle, Matt McCue and Nolan Pettipiece each singled, scored and had an RBI, while Andrew Mercier drove in a run. Ethan Cummins singled and scored twice.
Rich Corrente (2-3) went six innings and allowed a run on four hits with two walks and three strikeouts.
Mike Hart singled twice and had an RBI and run for the Cardinals. TJ Baker had a pair of singles, and Connor Bowie went 2-for-2 with an RBI. Luke Tevlin drove in a run and scored once.
Jackson Jones (0-3) took the loss, giving up five runs (two earned) on three hits with eight walks and two strikeouts in five innings.
Future games
Thursday, July 27
Toronto at Burlington, 7:15 p.m.
Standings
Barrie Baycats 30-1
Kitchener Panthers 27-6
London Majors 22-9
Toronto Maple Leafs 15-17
Brantford Red Sox 14-18
Burlington Herd 13-20
Hamilton Cardinals 8-24
* Guelph Royals 1-35
* – Ceased operations
 By Pepper Parr
July 25th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
School is out and not for just the students.
Much of the staff at the Board of Education are taking their vacations, however there is work that has to be done – one of those tasks is responding to the requests for an Administrative Review made by parents from both Lester B. Pearson and Bateman high school.
 It took Bateman some time to organize themselves – were demonstrations like this effective? Each parent group is preparing their requests separately and when completed they file the request with the Ministry of Education. That was dine early in July.
The Ministry sends a copy to the Board of Education and gives them 30 days to prepare the Board staff response to the parent request for the review.
Board communications people advise use that the task of responding was assigned to a number of senior staff.
That document is due in the hands on the Ministry during the first half of August.
When the Ministry has both sets of documents they sit down and do a review to determine if they, the Ministry, should appoint a facilitator who will be given the task of reviewing the documents and making a decision.
The facilitator can decide that there was nothing wrong with the Program Accommodation Review that took place or he can decide that there were flaws and order the Board to hold another Review. There is a considerable amount of latitude for the facilitator.
Halton District School Board has been told in the past that the process they used to decide to close a school was not acceptable.
Sometime in September the public should learn what is come to come out of the request for the Reviews.
The Gazette recently published the request that was made by the parents at Lester B. Pearson. It is a strong document and has merit.
We were not as fortunate with our request for a copy of the document prepared by the Bateman high school parents.
Responding to our request, Lisa Bull, a Bateman parent and a member of the Program Accommodation Review committee, who was a strong and very vocal advocate for more innovation in the thinking from the Board staff, said the following:
You continue to call out/blame the parents of Bateman for not getting into the ‘fight’ soon enough. This is problematic for several reasons. First, it ignores the fact that few parents from any schools other than Central and Pearson attended the first public meeting. How about blaming the HDSB for not adequately or competently explaining WHAT the PSR process was and how it could potentially impact schools and communities? I am an engaged and informed parent and I wasn’t at that first meeting. I did not understand, at that point in time, what PAR was about or why I should care. As you know, the more I learned the more active I became as was the case with many in our community. I blame the HDSB for their lack of competence in community engagement. Not the parents who have proven that they can and will show up when needed.
Ward 5 school board trustee Amy Collard told the Gazette that “communications to parents come directly from the HDSB. All Burlington parents with an email address in our system would have gotten the emails through our synrevoice email system.
Ms Bull, the excuse you give just doesn’t hold water.
For many of the parents of special needs students at Bateman, getting to additional meetings is incredibly difficult. Many of these parents are exhausted by the daily challenges of caring for their kids. To blame them for not getting into this sooner is victim blaming and is behavior that is just as shameful as that of the HDSB.
I know that you believe that our Admin Review document should be made public and that this should be done via the Gazette. This is your opinion and desire but is not a requirement. Given the position that you have taken and the opinions you have published about the Bateman community, our Committee will not be sending our report at this time.
Responses like this are often described as “shooting the messenger”
Bateman parents have struggled with getting their response out which is unfortunate – they have a very strong case but instead of making their case they fell back on emotional arguments and claimed that the Central parents had ‘thrown them under the bus’.
 Sharon Picken, a PARC member – never gave as much as an inch in her argument to keep Bateman open. The Central parents fully understood the risk and pulled together as a team, raised $14,000 in a silent auction to ensure they had any funds they might need and then dug deep and pulled out all kinds facts that the Board staff had missed.
The Central case was so compelling that the Director, with the support of his staff, decided to change the recommendation and ask the trustees to close Bateman and send some of the students to Central and others to Bateman.
Bateman parents weren’t prepared to accept that the Director of Education did what any intelligent person would do – review new information and if the information was valid and relevant change the decision.
The Bateman parents had only to look at the map that showed the distance between Nelson and Bateman to realize that they were at risk for closure.
When the Director of Education revised his decision the Bateman parents began to say that it was because Ward 2 city Councillor Marianne Meed Ward, who had a child at Central high school and was made one of the Central high school representatives on the PARC, had undue influence with the Director.
They alluded to meetings Meed Ward had with the Director of Education and all the communications tools she had as a city Councillor.
What Meed Ward had going for her was her skill as a community organizer. She worked hard with a dedicated team that was focused and supported by a community that was going to do whatever it took.
 PARC member Lisa Bull who was one of the better thinkers on that committee. Bateman had skills of its own. Lisa Bull was also a member of the PARC and she was consistent in her drive to get the Board staff and the trustees to look at the problem the Board faced with fresh eyes and not take a simple solution: – too many schools – close a school or two and the problem is solved.
The Bateman parents know it is n’t quite that simple and the tragedy for this city is that the trustees were not able to see a solution within the more than 50 delegations made.
Bateman was fortunate in that they had the best trustee there is on the Board. Amy Collard bust her buns to sway her fellow trustees and gave the Director of Education more than one uncomfortable moment when she did her level best to get her motion on the table and ensure that it was properly and fully debated.
Collard, serving her second term as a trustee, was acclaimed on both occasions. She should be acclaimed a third time.
When Bateman realized it had a fight on its hands they did some superb community grass roots work. They got excellent television coverage but they were not able to catch the ears of a majority of the trustees.
It was at this point that the public began to get a glimpse of just what the Community Pathways Program was really about and how unfortunate the impact was going to be on the parents who had children in those programs.
We don’t know what the Bateman parents chose to say in their request for an Administrative Review. The document is public and the Gazette will use the provincial Freedom of Information process to get a copy and publish the details.
 Ward 5 school board trustee Amy Collard. The tragedy in all this is that there are several hundred students who will experience significant upset and turmoil in their lives. There are parents who believed they had finally found a school that met the needs of their children. All that is at risk.
The Board staff has said they will provide the Bateman parents and their children with facilities and a level of service that will be better than what they currently have.
The saving grace in all this is that the Bateman parents have a trustee who will be watching very closely to ensure that the students don’t go without.
What Collard is not going to be able to change is the social environment in the school they are being transferred to – that is the real challenge for everyone.
By Staff
July 25th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Ken Hall has been selected by a community jury, with input from public engagement, for the Spirit of Sport public art project.
Born in Toronto, and educated at the University of Waterloo in Mechanical Engineering and Fine Arts, Ken’s work is characterized by his ability to exploit a wide range of media, allowing him to seek out the fundamental form of expression for each piece; ranging from public sculpture to interactive digital artwork.
 Ken Hall explaining a piece of his work to students The project is part of the City’s ongoing Public Art program.
Online and in-person public engagement took place in February and gathered feedback from 135 residents, which helped inform the jury’s decision.
The Spirit of Sport public art project aims to celebrate Burlington’s long history of sports excellence, on both an amateur and professional level. A series of three small to medium-scale, exterior public artworks will be installed at the following: Mainway Recreation Centre, Brant Hills Community Centre and Nelson Recreation Centre.
 The front of the Brant Hills sports complex with its red ribbon These locations were selected as they represent a broad range of types of sport as well as different levels of play, ranging from children/youth to competitive play.
The artwork is being created over the summer and will be installed in fall 2018.
Artwork Concept
To honour this Spirit of Sport, red ribbon-like sculptures will celebrate active living and inclusive community participation, while engaging and welcoming the public to the recreation centres.
 A free standing sculpture that will be part of the Mainway Recreation Centre The red ribbons reflect key components of many activities, such as the flowing rhythm of gymnastics; the curved, red stitching on a baseball; the goal line in hockey; and the finish line in track and field, among others.
The fluttering ribbon is a perfect form for these sculptures, having long been associated with sporting excellence; whether being used to support medals won at competitive events, or as a means of celebrating participation in community activities, such as awareness walks for issues like breast cancer.
The association with medals is particularly relevant given the City of Burlington’s rich history of sporting innovation, which includes: Dr. Frank Hayden, founder of the International Special Olympics Movement; Melville Marks Robinson, founder of the Commonwealth Games; along with numerous Olympic athletes and coaches, including Melanie Booth (soccer) and Angela Coughlan (swimming).
The rolling ribbon also celebrates a heart-healthy, active lifestyle, calling to mind the visualization of a heartbeat on an ECG machine. The red colour represents the circulation of oxygenated blood, reminding us that regardless of age, ethnicity or gender, we all benefit from active physical and social participation.
 By Staff
July 25, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The Councillor got that one right – this “clearly is a major redevelopment proposal.”
 The all rental community is about to undergo a very significant change. Georgian Court Estates, in east Aldershot, has disclosed the details of its redevelopment plan for this 20 acre site. The plan has not been submitted to the City yet, but was shared with existing tenants of the rental complex.
The owner is proposing major intensification, specifically replacement of the current 288 townhouses with 1,450 new rental units including townhouses and apartments.
The plan calls for one 23 storey building, one 18 storey building, one 15 storey building, eight 8 storey buildings, six 6 storey buildings, five 4 storey buildings and a series of 3 storey townhouses.
 Architects rendering of re-development plans for the Georgian Court Estates – originally developed 50 years ago the plan is to demolish everything and create a new community with considerably more density. The plan also includes a central public park and a variety of amenities. Further it proposes to extend Sunset Road north to Surrey Lane. Spokespeople for the owner say the entire project, if approved, will take about ten years to build.
Ward 1 Councillor Rick Craven is working with the Warwick Surrey Community Association to establish a Neighbourhood Advisory Committee to examine this plan in detail and ensure existing tenants are protected.
When the city receives the application, perhaps in July, a full, formal consultation process will begin.
Craven explains the plan in a short video
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