 By Pepper Parr
July 4th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
How did some people decorate their home to celebrate Canada 150?
 The residents of this building were, for the most part, showing their colours. There is a building in the downtown core, on the corner of Pearl and Pine with a bit of a view to Lakeshore Road.
If you look up a laneway from Lakeshore Road one could see the large Canadian flags hung from the balconies – it will be interesting to see what the residents do next year when the word gets out that we will be around to see if every balcony is draped with a Canadian flag.
The Gazette was out doing its check up on various construction projects in the city.
The Bridgewater project has now poked its head above the street grade – soon the public will get a sense as to the impact the two buildings are going to have on the way we see that part of Lakeshore Road and how much of the lake you are going to be able to see.
The city currently has three projects under construction south of the QEW with a number of others that are ready to get taken to city hall for approval.
The city that people experience today will be significantly different within five years. all were approved before the city released its Grow Bold plans which are currently being reviewed by citizen groups.
 The opening from the Lakeshore Road into the public area that will be between the hotel on the west and the 22 story condominium on the east will be about where the crane tower is shown in this picture.  Architects rendering what what the Bridgewater project is going to look like when it is completed in 2019. The project will consist of a condominium on the right, a hotel on the left and a smaller condominium south of the hotel. There will be some surprises when people realize just how small the opening to the lake actually is – progress.
 By Staff
July 4th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The Bank of Montreal appears to be the Canadian bank of choice for the identity thieves. The most recent goes as like this:
The biggest clue is the sender of the email – not even a mention of a bank in the email address the notice came from.
When you see stuff like that click delete.
And know as well that your bank will not use email to send you this kind of notice.
For some reason BMO, ScotiaBank and TD seem to be the choices for the identity thieves that have us on their target lists.
 By Staff
July 1st, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Gazette readers have been clamoring for someone to start up a Class Action law suit against the Upper Middle Road dentist who was shut down by the Halton Region health authorities for using medical equipment that was said not to have been properly cleaned or sterilized.
A Toronto based law firm of Flaherty McCarthy LLP announced today that they have commenced a Class Proceeding against Dr. Vivek (Vick) Handa and Upper Middle Dental seeking $10 million in damages on behalf of their patients.
The allegations against the defendants, said the lawyers in their media release. have not yet been proven in Court, but there remains a very real and substantial risk of immediate and irreparable harm to Class Members if they do not take steps to contact their physician to discuss testing for hepatitis B, hepatitis C and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
 Upper Middle dental was closed by Regional Health officials but allowed to open several days later. “Patients trust their dentists to use properly cleaned and sterilized tools. Upper Middle Dental and Dr. Handa have completely breached their trust. As a result, these patients and their family members face the prospect of having infectious diseases, and must undergo lengthy and invasive testing,” says Sean A. Brown of Flaherty McCarthy LLP.”
“We intend to seek the assistance of the Court so that the defendants will compensate these patients and their family members for this egregious breach.”
For more information, contact: Candace Mak; Flaherty McCarthy LLP. Candace is at cmak@fmlaw.ca and is anxiously awaiting your email.
What is a little surprising is that none of the larger Burlington or Hamilton legal firms took this on.
 By Pepper Parr
July 1st, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Steve Atkinson, the Lester B. Pearson high school parent, who has worked tirelessly to keep the school open thinks there just might be an opportunity to put the decision to close the schools on hold.
Earlier in the week Minister of Education Mitzie Hunter announced that there will be an overhaul of the process school boards use to review schools for potential closure.
 Has Minister of Education and Premier Kathleen Wynne given Burlington high school parents the opening they need to put a hold on school closings? While the process is under review, school boards will not begin any new reviews, with the exception of those reviews which would support joint-use projects between school boards or for student safety.
In a comment made in the Gazette earlier today Atkinson said: “Now that we have been proven correct in our assertion that the PAR was flawed, by no less than Mitzie Hunter and Premier Wynne with their decision to immediately pause Ontario school closures, I wonder if this administrative review can be used as a “decision pending” designation for Pearson & Bateman as opposed to “on the chopping block”?
“I am certain our MPP can now provide input AND valuable assistance on this provincial decision and will contact her immediately.”
Atkinson and parents at Bateman high school are in the process of preparing a request for an Administrative Review of the decision the Halton District School Board June 7th, to close both Bateman high school and Lester B. Pearson.
It’s a long shot but certainly one well worth taking.
Related article
High school parents seeking an Administrative Review of Board’s school closing decision.
By Pepper Parr
July 1st, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Forget the politics for the moment.
It is really remarkable that a 30 year old woman sits as a member of cabinet in the federal government. And that she represents Burlington which has a strong, deep conservative history is also remarkable.
Karina Gould walks the streets of our city, is one of the most approachable people you will ever meet with a level of sincerity that rings true.
 Politicians don’t rank all that high in the public mind – this one is different.
Admittedly she has served just the one term in office so far and many people would be hard pressed to tell you what she has done for the city. Her hands were part of the push that got major funding for the Joseph Brant Museum.
CBC did a short piece on three very young politicians that included Gould – worth watching. The link to the piece is set out below.
The three are part of the setting of the agenda for the next 50 years. CLICK for the news clip
https://watch.cbc.ca/the-national/-/the-national-for-june-30–2017/44b8224-00c9890cd9b
 By Staff
July 1st. 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Every member of the Brantford Red Sox got a hit when the team slaughtered the Burlington Herd 11 -2.
The Red Sox, whacked the ball 20 times in total during their visit to Burlington Friday night.
 Nate DeSouza had three of Brantford’s hits, including his second home run of the season. He drove in four and scored twice. Blake Kauer singled twice and added a solo home run, while Dan Jagdeo had two hits, two RBI and two runs. Dennon Koziol singled four times and had an RBI and a run, Benjamin Bostick went 4-for-6 with two runs and an RBI, and Andris Rizquez drove in a run and scored once.
Matt Martinow (1-3) went five innings to get the win. He allowed two runs on four hits with a walk and no strikeouts.
Justin Gideon and Nolan Pettipiece drove in Burlington’s runs. Quinton Bent had two of the Herd’s six hits – a single and double – and scored once.
Christian Hauck (2-1) took the loss, giving up five runs (four earned) on 11 hits in 5.2 innings. He walked five and struck out five.
Standings
Barrie Baycats 18-0
London Majors 14-1
Kitchener Panthers 13-5
Toronto Maple Leafs 10-10
Burlington Herd 9-13
Brantford Red Sox 6-12
Hamilton Cardinals 3-12
Guelph Royals 1-22
 By Staff
June 30th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Canada Day event organizers have arranged for Burlington Transit shuttle service with three pick-up points:
Haber Recreation Centre,
Mainway Recreation Centre
and the north side of Burlington GO Station.
The buses will begin at noon and run until the fireworks end.
This is great for the people in Alton – parking will be impossible downtown – take the bus – there should be plenty o parking at the Haber Centre – schools are closed.
For specific departure times and more event information, please visit the Canada Day event website.
Burlington Transit is also operating a regular Saturday service schedule on July 1, which includes late night routes 50, 51, and 52.
By Pepper Parr
June 30th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
If you looked out over the Lake from Lakeshore Road at Brant you could see them off in the distance – they seemed lined up with a lot of space between them.
They looked like ship under sail.
And indeed they were – a collection of Tall ships had rendezvoused in Burlington Bay and lined up to enter the canal and proceed into Hamilton Harbour.
 They were there in the thousands – on both side of th canal THE place to see the majestic ships was at the canal – each eased into the opening and headed towards the lie bridge which was up for more than an hour.
 They were almost close enough to touch as they slid by – those with big Canadian flags got a round of applause. The crowds were huge – it was as if the fleet had come home and the families of the sailors were on the dock ready to greet them.
It was standing room only on either side of the canal.
 People parked wherever there was a patch of grass It wasn’t all festivities and celebration. A Beachway resident summed up the feeling many had when the saw a parking control officer walking from car to car doing a brisk business
 His job was like spearing fish in a barrel – a shameful cash grab on the part of either the city or the Conservation Authority. This resident known for her very pointed use of the English language wrote in and said:
“What a shit show this city is…parking enforcement officer immediately giving out parking tickets near lift bridge area. People are furious.”
 Ray Rivers
June 30th, 2107
BURLINGTON, ON
As Canadians watch how our friends south of the border grapple with developing a better system of health care coverage, it is hard not to be just a little smug. After all, we figured it out back in the sixties, what is the matter with them? We came to consensus long ago that ensuring adequate health coverage for our citizens was essential for a healthy and growing economy.
 A massive Canadian flag was passed hand over hand amongst a huge crowd in Montreal days before the citizens of Quebec voted in their referendum to remain a part of Canada. Canada may be a ‘developed nation’ but it is still growing. Our most valuable natural resource is our population. And sick people don’t contribute to our economy, they are a drain. Further, people fretting about whether they can afford to pay for basic health services are distracted and not at their fullest potential. So providing affordable health care coverage is an economic benefit that easily justifies the cost.
And our single payer health care system is efficient. The numbers say it all. Per capita health care in the US is twice what it costs Canadians. It consumes over 15% of GDP there, versus only 10% in Canada. And even with their massive health insurance system, governments in the US still spend almost a quarter more than their Canadian counterparts.
One would assume that the more expensive US mixed public-private system, including their Medicare and Medicaid, would produce better results, better health outcomes. But it doesn’t. In fact Canadians have higher life expectancy and lower infant mortality rates.
The World Health Organization (WHO) granted that medical responsive was marginally better in the US, at least for those who could afford care. But even with all the money Americans spend, our health care system still ranked seven positions ahead of our neighbours to the south, in the 2000 WHO overall ratings.
That is just one reason I love this country. Universal health care. It may have been the brain-child of CCF/NDP leader Tommy Douglas and packaged nationally by Lester Pearson and Pierre Trudeau, but it was implemented across the country by politicians of all stripes including Social Credit. And that’s another reason I love this country – our political leaders occasionally do come to general consensus and get it right.
Yes there was debate, and there still is, mostly about ideology and philosophy, about how single payer is the next step to socialism. That is the same kind of discussion our US cousins have been having for decades. And the critics will complain about how our health care is rationed with waiting lists for some services. But it is rationing by medical urgency rather than by the pocket book.
Recently the media reported on a women who showed up at a Mississauga walk-in clinic with her son and demanded to be seen by a ‘white doctor’. If you missed this story, it’s OK.
 We welcomed them – knowing that we will be a stronger country because of them. Because that’s another reason I love this country. Nobody supported her in her racist rant. Canada is a land that was built by immigrants and a nation that welcomes people from elsewhere to join us in developing our great Canadian project. As our Governor General recently said, we are all immigrants.
So as I celebrate Canada’s 150 year birthday, I’ll be thankful for our embrace of diversity, for our good government and because our health care coverage is automatic. That is something our American friends cannot say, even today while they still have Obama Care.
And they know that the day after their big July 4th birthday bash their government will be introducing some kind of Trump Care – a plan which only 12% of the people support and which will leave another 22 million without any health care coverage at all. Happy birthday Canada.
 Ray Rivers writes weekly on both federal and provincial politics, applying his more than 25 years as a federal bureaucrat to his thinking. Rivers was a candidate for provincial office in Burlington in 1995. 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:
Comparative Health Systems – Mississauga Rant – Governor General on Immigrants –
Post Obama Plan – Canada on its 150th –
 By Staff
June 30th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The picture that tells the city’s story today?
Those tall ships sailing through the canal on their way into Hamilton Harbour where they will be on display for Canada Day.
Thousands gathered on both sides of the canal to watch these majestic ship slide by. Those with massive Canadian flags drew rounds of applause.
 By Staff
June 29th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
What did the city look like at around 10 am this morning?
A Beachway resident captured a band of fog lingering over the Pier – and we decided to share it with you.
 A band of fog hovers over the Pier.
By Pepper Parr
June 29th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Information comes to us in many different forms.
Print has been with us forever – radio has that instant aspect top it.
The internet has allowed a lot of information to get put out where everyone can see it and in many instances respond to it as well.
One of the problems is that we don’t always know who is writing the information and how accurate it is. We now talk of the “spin” that gets put on information. Frequently when a government has bad news they will have some of their senior people get before the media and give the information the interpretation they want a public to have.
Without accurate reliable information a society can’t function.
The Gazette was asked recently if we were interested in an infographic, which is information set out in a graphic form. We looked at the information and decided to publish it and let our readers decide if the information was useful. In this instance it is certainly interesting. There is a lot of information that is readable and understandable when it is provided in a graphic format.
City hall recently used an infographic to show where its revenue comes from and how that revenue is spent.
The company that supplied us the infographic is in the business of transferring funds. They are a reputable organization with an interesting service.
The infographic is set out below.
https://blog.curexe.com/2017/06/27/canadian-importing-exporting-infographic/
Related article:
City hall infographic
By Staff
June 28th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
It will be exciting!
Eleven magnificent Tall Ships will gather on Lake Ontario near the entrance to the Burlington Bay Canal on Friday, June 30 beginning at 2:00 p.m. with all ships docking at Pier 8 at 4:00 p.m.
In order to get to that canal – you gotta sail past the Burlington Pier, the most expensive chunk of concrete in the province – but we digress.
 Where you park and where the ships are. Burlingtonians can watch the ship sail towards the canal
Prominent vantage points to watch the parade of ships on the Burlington side of the Skyway are|:
Burlington Canal
LaSalle and Bayshore Parks in Burlington.
And of course from the Pier and from a number of vantage points in the Beachway.
 The Empire Sandy Access to vantage points will be affected by the closure of Eastport Drive at the Burlington Canal Lift Bridge from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. to enable the ships to enter Hamilton Harbour.
With the ships in Hamilton, tied up at Pier 8 the Parade of Sail launches the Rendez-Vous 2017 Tall Ships Regatta at Pier 8, Discovery Drive, on July 1.
This will be a rare opportunity – and the only place in the GTHA – to witness the spectacle of 11 Tall Ships touring Hamilton’s beautiful Waterfront.
• Free deck tours are offered from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (first come, first served – no guarantee of access past 5 p.m.)
• Ticketed Harbour Cruises available for purchase online at www.hamilton.ca/tallships. See website for cruise times and pricing, including the evening fireworks cruise that boards at 9:00 p.m.
 The Pathfinder • Family-friendly and nautical-themed activities
• Music on the Waterfront Stage featuring great musicians from Hamilton’s thriving music scene
• Numerous food vendors
• The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum’s Avro Lancaster will conduct multiple fly-overs of the Waterfront between 11:00 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. on July 1st.
This event is organized by the City of Hamilton in association with Le Rendez-Vous Naval de Quebec, Sail Training International, the Hamilton Port Authority and the Hamilton Waterfront Trust.
 The Niagara More than 40 Tall Ships will be sailing Canadian waters to honour the 150th anniversary of the Canadian Confederation in 2017, with stops in Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes
It is a Hamilton event – but they do have to sail past Burlington to get to Hamilton Harbour.
By Staff
June 28th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
We didn’t see this one coming.
A date in Hamilton is said to be the most expensive you will encounter – even higher than Toronto.
The research for this dubious WORD was done by EliteSingles, a national organization in the relationship business.
 They totaled up the cost of a typical date night in Canada – and found that Hamilton is Canada’s most expensive big city for a romantic night out, with Toronto coming in second place! Those in Ottawa get off lightly – a date night in the city is below the average cost.
The full study is on their web site – including a rundown of date night costs in 10 of Canada’s biggest cities, and a global dating comparison that shows the cost of dating in 25 cities around the world.
They have highlighted the price differences in two interactive, shareable maps that you can find on our site.
If the love of your life is in Hamilton – be ready to spend more than your Canadian Tire money.
Given that just about everything in Burlington costs more than in Hamilton – especially when it come to gasoline prices – Oakville might be an option.
The full scoop is HERE
By Staff
June 28th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The Halton District School Board announces that the graduation rate of Halton students continues to exceed that of the provincial average.
In 2016, 90.7 per cent of Halton District School Board students graduated within five years of starting Grade 9, exceeding the Ontario average of 86.5 per cent.
The Board’s four-year graduation rate for students in 2016 (Grade 9 students enrolled in the 2012-13 school year) is 83.3 per cent compared to the Ontario average of 79.6 per cent.
 The Robert Bateman High school graduation class of 2017 “The progress represented in the graduation rate indicator, both provincially and locally, is reflective of the efforts and leadership of many people including our students, staff, and families,” said Julie Hunt Gibbons, Superintendent of Education (Secondary Programs) for the Halton District School Board. “We will continue to support all students through our various Student Success initiatives so our graduation rate continues to trend upward.”
“The Halton District School Board provides innovative Specialist High Skills Majors, dual credit options, apprenticeships and cooperative education opportunities that help students customize their high school experience,” said Julie Hunt Gibbons, Superintendent of Education (Secondary Programs) for the Board.
No mention that there will be fewer high schools for these students to graduate from starting next year when Lester B. Pearson sees its last student accept a diploma.
 By Staff
June 27, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Joanna Roselli from Assumption Catholic High School has been awarded the 2017 Burlington Art in Action Group scholarship.
 Joanna Roselli accepting the award with Rocco Di Ianni – Principal of Assumption Catholic Secondary School. Darlene Throop – Chair of the Art in Action Scholarship Committee and Gina Giannotti –Guidance Counsellor, Assumption Catholic Secondary School on the far right. For the last seven years the Burlington Art in Action Group, with the assistance of their sponsors, have been able to offer an Arts Scholarship to a graduating Burlington high school student continuing post-secondary education in an arts focused program.
There were four talented applicants representing four high schools from both Boards of Education. The four member jury reviewed the applications and were very impressed with the variety and quality of art presented. The winner this year of the $1000.00 scholarship is also given free admission to participate in the Burlington Studio Tour which takes place on the first weekend of November and be a part of a show at the Art Gallery of Burlington
Joanna will attend Ryerson University in the fall to study and be part of a four year program studying the business side of the arts.
The Art in Action show preview will take place in October
The Studio Tour takes place November 4th and 5th – 10:00 am to 5:00 PM. Put it in your calendar – it is one of those annual not to be missed events.
 By Pepper Parr
June 26th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Everyone is blaming the eleven trustees for the decision they made to close two of Burlington’s seven high schools.
 The trustees needed a clear signal from the parents – they didn’t get one. All they did was their job. The signals they got from parents were pure self-interest. Central fought like crazy to get their name off the close list. They did that by organizing and putting facts on the table.
Lester B. Pearson put very solid facts on the table – they had the best of the arguments to not lose their school.
 The Board staff did everything they could to tell parents that changes were in the wind. The Bateman parents at first paid no attention whatsoever about the school closing issue – they saw themselves as safe and did nothing.
When they realized they weren’t safe at all – that they were at serious risk they had to scramble to get their story out. It was a very solid story – few people outside Bateman knew how successful a school Bateman really is. The closing of that school is going to be very disruptive for families that have had more than their share of disruption.
The trustees were faced with a situation where the Board made a recommendation, then changed that recommendation and then proceeded to hold several meetings that left few parents happy with the way things were going.
 It was too little too late – Bateman parents who deserved better treatment got caught up in a turf war they didn’t see coming. Many of the students at the school will suffer because of their individual circumstances. It didn’t need to happen this way. What was clear during the Program Accommodation Review (PAR) process was that no one really wanted to see a school closed. It took a bit of time for the PAR committee to coalesce as a group and when they did it was evident that they had within them the capacity to come up with some innovative ideas. They needed more time.
One Gazette commentator pointed out that the city spent more time on deciding what to do with the Freeman Station than the school board allowed for the parents to have a meaningful input on the school closing decision.
When city hall made the wrong decision citizens moved in and got it right – on our sesquicentennial next Saturday you will be able to tour a really well preserved Freeman train station that served this city well. Citizens inevitably make the right decision – they just need some leadership.
The PAR committee learned, much to their surprise, that what they understood innovation to mean was not what the parents meant. What we saw was the size of the divide between a protected part of the economy (school board staff) and the private sector that has to earn its bread every day.
 Option # 7 don’t close any of the high schools.  Option 19 – the Staff recommendation,  What turned out not to be possible for the PAR committee to do was to settle on just the one recommendation and that was to not close any schools and to change some of the school boundaries.
It was there for them to choose – #7.
But instead the different communities chose to protect their own turf and do whatever they could to save their school.
Imagine – just imagine if the PAR had settled on the one option – # 7 and then said to the trustees – don’t you dare close any schools until this issue has been thoroughly reviewed and the community agrees on what is best for the whole community.
 Delegations argued their individual school case and in doing so lost an opportunity to put a collective case in front of the trustees and direct them to listen to the parents. And imagine if every one of the 50+ delegations had said the same thing – don’t you dare close any of these schools. Direct the staff to do a better job of coming up with a better solution.
Had the PAR committee and the delegations done what they could have done – do you think the trustees would have voted the way they did?
And had the community pulled together the way they could have we would not have the rancour and really bad feelings between the parents at one school feeling as aggrieved as they have a right to feel.
The matter of those 1800 empty seats is a concern – the world is not going to come to an end if many of those seats remain empty for a while. The 1800 number isn’t apparently the real number – it is somewhat less but it is an issue that needs serious attention.
The trustees had little choice – they didn’t fail – the parents failed. What the trustees got was a set of very mixed messages – close theirs but don’t close mine. Some argue that the Board of Education set things up so just this would happen. I don’t believe they did – but if they did – did we have to follow that direction?
All you had to do was say No! Every one of you – just say No! That didn’t happen and the trustees went to the safest corner they could find – the wishes of the staff. One Burlington trustee who campaigned on no school closures went along with her colleagues and voted to let Bateman high school close.
The upside, and it is small, is that trustees get chosen again in just over a year and maybe someone will find a way to get something on the agenda that takes a second look at the decision made June 7th, 2017.
The properties are not going to be sold to developers for years – if they are sold at all. Right now the plan is to close them and that is a decision we have to live with because we let it happen.
Those who buy into the belief that Burlington is the best mid-sized city in the country are probably the same people who claim downtown Burlington is vibrant.
We are really better people than this.
Work together, work for each other and make the place the city that has more than a wonderful waterfront and a magnificent escarpment going for it.
 By Staff
June 26, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Had the Burlington Herd been able to board the bus after their first baseball game on Sunday in Kitchener it would have been a good day.
But it was to be a double header between the Herd and the Panthers and ended up in a draw with each team taking a game apiece.
Burlington won the first game, 4-0. Adam Prashad (3-2) threw a complete-game two-hitter with three strikeouts. Matt Schmidt drilled a three-run home run in the third inning, and Kevin Hussey hit a solo blast in the fifth.
Yulexis La Rose and Colin Gordner had Kitchener’s hits.
Matt McGovern (1-1) went the distance for the Panthers and allowed four runs on eight hits, walking one and striking out four.
In game two, Ryan Douse scored on an error in the 10th inning as the Panthers won 9-8. Kitchener led 8-3 before Burlington scored five in the seventh inning.
Jeff Pietraszko homered and drove in four with two runs scored in the win. Douse doubled twice and scored once and drove in a run. Justin Interisano had a pair of RBI and a run. Zarley Cina had the other RBI. Yorbis Borroto scored twice.
Noelvis Entenza (3-0) picked up the win after going 3.2 scoreless innings of relief, scattering two hits with a walk and three strikeouts. Ian Rendon started and allowed an earned run on four hits over 3.2 innings with three walks and three strikeouts.
For Burlington, Kevin Hussey homered and drove in three. Quinton Bent went 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBI. Cooper Lamb had a hit, RBI and two runs, and Justin Gideon drove in a run.
Ben Braun (0-2) took the loss, allowing a run on a hit in one-third of an inning. Rich Corrente started and went four innings, giving up five runs (one earned) on three hits with a walk and three strikeouts.
The game between the Barrie Baycats and the Hamilton Cardinals was rained out as was the game scheduled between the London Majors and the Brantford Red Sox. No make-up date has been announced for either game.
Future games:
Tuesday, June 27
London at Barrie, 7:45 p.m.
Wednesday, June 28
Kitchener at Toronto, 7:35 p.m.
Hamilton at Brantford, 8 p.m.
Standings
Barrie Baycats 15-0
London Majors 14-0
Kitchener Panthers 12-5
Toronto Maple Leafs 10-9
Burlington Herd 7-12
Brantford Red Sox 4-11
Hamilton Cardinals 3-10
Guelph Royals 1-19
By Pepper Parr
June 26th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
This article was revised. In the original version we said Marianne Meed Ward sent just the one message to trustee Reynolds during the school board meeting. Meed Ward advised us that she sent several messages all of which were related to procedural matters.
Ward 2 city Councillor Marianne Meed Ward admits that she did send ward 1 and 2 school board trustee Leah Reynolds messages electronically advising her not to vote on a motion that was before the board.
 “Don’t vote … Let it go” said parent Marianne Meed Ward to school trustee Leah Reynolds. The message was seen as private and was an acceptable practice? Meed Ward adds that the messages she sent – there were several had to do with a complex procedural situation that the Board of Education debated for an hour.
Meed Ward’s view appears to be that a comment or advice on a procedural matter is acceptable.
The Chair of the Board of Education Kelly Amos said that trustees get messages from people in the public gallery all the time.
Meed Ward maintains the message was private and that it is being misrepresented and that false allegations are being made about her motives.
Meed Ward asks people to look at the facts and not come to a conclusion without all the facts.
The difficulty with this is that the facts are complex, confusing and that there are several sets of facts.
 Chair Kelly Amos and vice chair Kim Graves trying to figure out just what the rules require when there are two different motions on the floor. The issue before the board was which motion was going to be heard first. A Parliamentarian who was brought in by Board staff took the position that two motions could be on the floor at the same time.
The Boards lawyer saw it differently and said the Board could debate just the one motion at a time.
In matters like this – the Chair rules and Kelly Amos went along with the opinion given her by the Parliamentarian.
 People in the public gallery at the June 7th Board of Education meting – this shot is of a mostly Central high school people For the Bateman parents it was all about a trustee who voted for the closure of their school getting advice from a member of city council who was also one of the parent representatives from Central, a high school that was originally recommended for closure.
It is not a pretty picture and it certainly smells. It was a complex issue and feelings were running very high. They were just as high at Central high school when they were recommended for closure.
When the closure recommendation was changed to closing Bateman rather than Central – attitudes changed in minutes and everyone began behaving badly.
One has to take Meed Ward at her word. She says she sent messages that to a procedural matter. If there is evidence to the contrary that should be brought forward.
Meed Ward told the Gazette that what she did was the right thing to do and added that it has been a very tough situation.
 Meed Ward sitting as a parent representative at the PAR meetings. Asked if she regrets accepting the role of being a member of the Program Accommodation Review (PAR) Meed Ward said she had no regrets.
What she does regret is the lack of respect for differing opinions. “I have empathy for the parents at Bateman” said Meed Ward. The decision to close a school has real impact on a community and it is hard for people to accept changes like this, she added.
What bothers Meed Ward most is the disregard and damage being done to civil discourse. The public drops out of public debate when the respect for the views of each other are disregarded, she said. People don’t want to become involved when there is so much misrepresentation and distortion of the facts.
What is bothering people who are not directly involved in the school closings is the acceptance of a practice that has people in the public gallery sending electronic message to trustees with advice and direction – even if it relates to just a procedural matter.
What also bothers some is why the parents who had the evidence showing a person sending a message to a trustee waited more than two weeks before releasing the information they had.
 Is what is on that computer screen public or private? A further concern is the matter of what is private and what is public: When a city Councillor attends a public Board of Education meeting and is seen sending a message electronically to a trustee – is the sending of that message private or is it in the public interest for that message to be made public?
Trustee Leah Reynolds was asked to make herself available for an interview. So far there has not been a response.
The Board of Education has begun the transition process and appointed Superintendent Terry Blackwell to oversee the process.
The Board announced that it will hire architects who will do the design work on Nelson high school for the transfer of the Bateman students to that location in 2020.
By Staff
June 25th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Burlington just loves being on lists where the city is named the best of this or the best of that.
 Canadian Automobile Association recognizes a Burlington street. An observant ready recently came across a mention the city got from the CAA – the Canadian Automobile Association.
 Another public mention for Burlington – joins our being the BEST small Canadian city to live in We are number 3 on the CAA’s 2017 Worst Roads list.
The CAA has New Street as the recipient of that distinguished mention.
If you drive that road today there is a nice new layer of asphalt with bright white lane markings. A worst designation can’t be about the quality of the surface – must be about the lane markings or the reconfiguration of the traffic lanes.
 White blotches of paint show where the bike lane lines are to be located. New Street will have one lane in each direction, a turning lane between the two traffic lanes and a bicycle lane on either side of the road.
The bike lanes are the issue. City hall just hasn’t been able to get a grip on a problem that is perhaps not clearly understood.
The city’s transportation department is trying to deliver on a city council objective – do a pilot study and see what happens when the traffic lane configuration is changed and bike lanes are added to each side of the road.
The cycling community wants bike lanes, which they argue, will be heavily used once there is a network of bike lanes that allow a person to actually get somewhere.
The car drivers want their traffic lanes back – something about a God given right Burlingtonians have to roads to drive their cars on.
Those who like driving a bike and would use it as a mode of transportation providing there are barriers that protect the cyclists from the cars or the buses and trucks.
New Street has become a thorn in the side of the Mayor – he seems to be the lightning rod for the issue.
Poor man gets button-holed by voters when he is at the Y exercising – they want him to do something about the road.
In the world of politics skill at managing issues is vital – and having departments that can put together plans to manage the way an initiative is rolled out is critical. Both communications and transportation get a thumbs down on this one. One wonders where the communications people in the Mayor’s office are on this one.
Everyone seems to be adrift.
The pilot study that was supposed to start last fall got derailed. It is set to begin in the very near future. Let’s see what the data looks like when it becomes available.
Can’t wait for those eager citizens to claim that the data was rigged to give the city the results it wants.
There is some doubt that the people at city hall really know what they want – on this project at least.
|
|
