 By Staff
March 14th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
How bad is the morning commute going to be?
An early look at the QEW shows roads that are pretty clear and the snow looks as if it has stopped falling.
 QEW between Walkers Line and Appleby Line just before 6 am this morning.  QEW at Guelph Line just before 6:00 am this morning.  QEW at the 403 intersection just before 6:00 am this morning, City streets have had their first brush with the snow plows and the buildup of snow on those cars that are parked outside is not all that bad.
Drive carefully and everyone should get to where they want to go safely.
The City of Burlington is open for business during today’s storm.
At this time, all early bird swims have been cancelled
All city facilities running March Break programs will open at 7:30 a.m. for drop-off and other facilities will open at the regular scheduled time.
Burlington Transit buses are running and crews are beginning to clear bus stops.
The plowing of primary roads is completed and work continues to clear secondary roads. Sidewalk clearing will begin at 7 a.m. It is anticipated that the plowing of locals roads will begin later today.
 By Staff
March 13, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Tomorrow, (Tuesday, March 14, 2017) the Halton District School Board office and all Board-related sites will be closed due to significantly poor weather conditions that are forecast to track into the region over the next several hours.
 Trucks will be out in force. The city has its plows on the road – snow continues to fall. Significant snowfall is predicted.
By Staff
March 13th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
What does it look like out there?
At 9:20 pm on March 13th traffic on the QEW is moving
 QEW between Burloak and Bronte.  QEW at Guelph line Salters are currently out across the city.
Snow plows are ready to go once accumulations reach 5 cm on primary roads.
This snowfall might be the last of the season. Snow clearing to date has been very good on the snow clearing budget – unless we really get wacked there should be a surplus in the account at the end of the fiscal year; of course there is always the first three months of 2018 weather.
By Pepper Parr
March 13th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Real estate sales are beginning to read like gossip columns – people want to know what houses in their neighbourhood are going for – they think that maybe this is the time to sell – and if that is the kind of thinking you are doing the Rocca Sisters would love to hear from you.
“If you were to ask a top producing realtor in Burlington if they thought the number of sales were down in January 2017 as compared to 2016 and without the benefit of the statistics Rocca provides on a regular basis, they would almost certainly say that they were way down. That inventory levels were at an all-time low and that prices increased exponentially”, reported the Rocca organization
 Some startling numbers – great for sellers, providing they don’t intend to by something else in the city. “In fact, sales were up in January – the big difference being days on market. More than half of the properties sold in under 7 days in January and almost 2/3rds sold for the asking price or considerably more.
“The biggest standout was a 2 storey semi in Alton Village that sold for just under $772,000, almost 23% over the asking price. There are a few anomalies that emerged in the stats – the Maple area hasn’t suddenly increased in value by 67% – there were a couple of very unusual sales that have skewed that number for the month.
“Roseland has not seen an enormous drop in value – just several fixer upper opportunities sold during the month”, they added.
The real stories, according to the Sisters, is in Headon Forest, sale prices up 33% – that’s a real number. Millcroft, sale prices up 32%.
 Alton Village is not a cheap place to live – it is also sassy and brassy – these people worked hard to be able to live in this community and they are going to make the city a different place. “Palmer, sale prices up 41% and finally, Alton Village seeing an almost 37% swing in sale prices. We feel certain that we are going to see considerably more inventory coming on the market in the coming months – we just don’t see any end to the vast numbers of buyers scooping up these properties at any cost.”
The hovering questions is – how long can this last.
 By Staff
March 13th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The City of Burlington is following a snow and wind storm that is forecasted for this area. The snow has started falling and is expected to be heaviest between 6 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Tuesday, March 14.
In this type of extreme winter weather, the city considers closing city buildings that may include City Hall, pools, arenas and community centres.
At this time, all early bird swims and early program rentals have been offered the option to cancel their bookings.
All city facilities running March Break programs will open at 8 a.m. for drop-off and other facilities will open at the regular scheduled time.
The Gazette will follow the storm as it approaches the city.
At 4|:00 pm this afternoon
Weather conditions continue to be monitored.
Salters are currently out across the city.
Snow plows are ready to go once accumulations reach 5 cm on primary roads.
Please assist our operators by removing vehicles from the road during winter operations.
 By Staff
March 13th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
It’s Fraud Prevention Month (#FPM2017) and the Halton Regional Police Service released the second of four scheduled Frauds of the Week: Emergency Scams. Emergency scams typically target older individuals and play upon their emotions to steal their money.
 According to the Better Business Bureau of Canada, the total amount lost to emergency scams in 2016 was $1.9 million. Since January 1, 2017, eight to ten victims in Halton alone have been defrauded of funds. One of these victims lost $14,000. Like romance scams, actual figures are believed to be much higher as victims often feel too ashamed to report fraud to police.
“Emergency scams work well because fraudsters throw victims into a state of mini-crisis,” according to Staff Sergeant Chris Lawson of the Regional Fraud Unit. “When this happens, the ability to think clearly or assess a situation is hampered and the first inclination – to help – kicks in.”
In a typical emergency scam scenario, an older person receives a phone call from someone claiming to be their grandchild, neighbour or friend of the family. The caller goes on to say that they are in some kind of trouble, a car accident, stranded in a foreign country or in jail, and need money immediately.
Some victims may get calls from two people, one purporting to be their loved one and the other a police officer or a lawyer. The caller will ask potential victims a series of leading questions which prompts them to volunteer personal information. Callers say that they don’t want others to find out what has happened. Typically, they will ask for money to be wired through a money transfer company.
More recently, victims have been asked for gift cards, known as “steam cards” as payment instead of money. In this variation, victims are asked to purchase the cards and read their serial codes to the caller over the phone.
Victims often don’t verify the caller’s story until after the money has been sent or the gift card information shared and cashed in.
The following tips to protect yourself from emergency scams have been provided courtesy of the Better Business Bureau and Royal Canadian Mounted Police:
• Remember: Scammers count on the fact that victims will want to act quickly to help their loved one in an emergency.
• Caution: Never send money to anyone you don’t know and trust. Verify the person’s identity before you take any steps to help.
• Think: Don’t give out any personal information to the caller.
• Investigate: Ask the person questions that only your loved one would be able to answer. Call someone you both know to verify the story. Scammers can learn a lot about you from social media, or while talking to you on the phone.
• Ask yourself: Does the caller’s story make sense?
• Important: Police will never ask you for money, steam cards or other forms of payment.
Anyone with information pertaining to a fraud or any other crime is asked to contact the Regional Fraud Bureau Intake Office at 905-465-8741 or Fraud@haltonpolice.ca. Tips can also be submitted anonymously to Crime Stoppers “See something, Hear something, Say something” at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.ca, or by texting “Tip201” with your message to 274637 (crimes).
By Staff
March 13th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The Burlington Performing Arts Centre is accepting nominations for its 2017 Hall of Fame Inductee.
 Bob Missen, 2016 inductee into the Performing Arts Centre Hall of Fame. Missen joined Gordie Tapp (2013), Rainer Noack (2014), Lawrence Bonanno and Stewart Laughton (2015) Established in 2013, The Burlington Performing Arts Centre’s Hall of Fame recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to the performing arts in Burlington. Recipients of this award demonstrate the diversity of artistic accomplishment that comprises the rich cultural tapestry of the City of Burlington. The Hall of Fame Inductee will be announced at the 2017/2018 Season Launch event held at The Centre on Tuesday, May 17.
Nomination applications must be submitted by noon on Monday, April 10th, 2017. The nomination form can be downloaded from The Centre’s website.
The Burlington Performing Arts Centre recognizes individual and group artists contribution to Burlington’s reputation as a city with a strong, long-term commitment to the development of cultural excellence.
The Centre’s Interim Executive Director, Brian McCurdy notes, “Year after year, we receive so many nominations for individuals who have made an impact through their work within or for the performing arts in our Community. It is a statement about the community as a whole and the overall commitment to Arts & Culture that we receive so many quality nominations.”
McCurdy went on to say, “This is a meaningful way to recognize those who have distinguished themselves by making the performing arts a part of our lives in a significant way.”
Hall of Fame Inductees include Gordie Tapp (2013), Rainer Noack (2014), Lawrence Bonanno (2015) and Stewart Laughton (2015) and Bob Missen (2016)
 By Jay Fallis
March 13th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
My grandfather led a very healthy life. He exercised every day, followed a strict diet, and only ate chocolate ice cream once a year. At the age of 94, doctors were in awe of the fact that he did not take prescription drugs.
His story is certainly unique. For most of us, prescription drugs, are, or will become, essential for treating illness or physical ailments.
However, for many Canadians, prescriptions are difficult to come by. Stories of patients re-using needles and parents having to choose which child to buy medication for have become all too common in this country.
Unnecessary struggles of this nature lead one to ponder why Canada does not have some form of a universal drug plan.
It seems that politicians in Ottawa have begun to question this as well. In recent months the Standing Committee on Health began discussing the possibility of developing some form of a National Pharmacare Program, and began to look at what such a program might entail. To understand the committee’s progress so far and the issue a little further, I spoke with a member of the Health Committee and Oakville MP, John Oliver.
To start, Oliver discussed Canada’s unique situation.
“Canada is one of the few countries that has a comprehensive universal healthcare plan that doesn’t include pharmaceuticals outside of hospital care. In our current plan today you are [treated] in hospital care, but the minute you are discharged you have to pay for those drugs out of your pocket or through a private insurance plan.”
He went on to suggest that this presents a serious problem for many Canadians
“About 10% of Canadians do not have any form of drug coverage and are unable to afford medications. So about 10% of Canadians show up, have a prescription to fill and they cannot fill it because of unaffordability.”
However, Oliver was clear that this problem was not just limited to those who didn’t have drug coverage.
“Many Canadians have insurance through their employment. But, those private coverage plans are becoming increasingly expensive as new drugs emerge… I’ve heard from inside the industry that there is a concern that private companies won’t be able to continue to afford a drug benefit plan for their employees.” He said.
Essentially, it won’t just be unemployed Canadians who will continue to suffer from a non-existent public pharmaceutical plan. Even those who have pharmaceutical coverage plans through their jobs could be forced to pay for expensive medical treatment themselves.
There are, of course, alternatives used around the world in response to such a harsh reality. Among them is the model used in New Zealand, on which the Health Committee recently heard testimony.
“I think in New Zealand there is a $5 fee that you pay regardless of the value of the drug.” Oliver said.
He went on to describe New Zealand’s model in more detail.
“We did hear that one of the potential downsides of a universal pharma care plan for certain drugs was that there can be delays introducing the drug and making it available to the [distributors] because it’s going through an economic benefit evaluation.”
However, Oliver suggested that despite these occasional delays, New Zealanders appreciate the system.
“There are a lot of left and right leaning political parties in New Zealand. So I asked would any party run on a platform to do away with universal pharmacare coverage and the answer we got was “No””.
Even though New Zealand’s pharmaceutical plan does delay the introduction of some drugs to market, the testimony, that Oliver and the rest of the committee heard, made it clear that this was a popular initiative. So much so, that all sides of the political spectrum wouldn’t dare advocate for its elimination.
Our country has so much to gain from implementing a national pharmaceutical plan. It is popular elsewhere, and it guarantees that no one will suffer because of unaffordability or lack of insurance coverage. While our government still has a long way to go in developing such a broad plan, I am reminded by Oliver’s reply as to whether this was a good time to start this discussion:
“Absolutely, I think it’s past due.”
By Pepper Parr
March 11th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
It is pretty clear that we are going to build more city; there are construction cranes poking up into the sky in several places in the city and literally dozens of project in front of the Planning department and even more in the board rooms of those developers active in the city.
Some of those projects are mired in the Ontario Municipal Board bureaucracy.
 The first of five towers going in on Fairview has reached its full height. Changing the sky line. Two that are coming along very nicely in the downtown core are the Molinaro Paradigm project on Fairview road next to Walmart and the Bridgewater project that is not above grade yet on Lakeshore Road and Elizabeth.
Some might suggest that Paradigm is not in the downtown core and they would not be wrong – watch the downtown core grow north to Fairview. The projects in the works for Brant street all but guarantee that.
The five tower Paradigm project has reached full height for the first tower – we now know what the skyline along Fairview is going to look like going forward. That project will add some 2000 people to the population of the city and change the Fairview street we used to know to something much more active. It will also change the product offering at the Walmart which is a parking lot away from the five towers that will eventually rise.
 The Bridgewater project has been in the works since 1985 – was approved by city council in 1995. Scheduled to open in late 2018 Bridgewater, which will be the toniest residence in the city is big hole in the ground right now with the four level garage being built and the base put in place for the three structures that will rise out of the ground. A singe garage will serve all three buildings.
 Upper left oblong is where the 22 storey condominium will be, bottom left is where the four star hotel is going to be with the seven storey condominium in below the hotel. The 22 storey condominium the nine storey hotel and the seven storey condominium that will be at the southern part of the property a couple of football fields away from the Pier.
Once the city and the Adi people work out their differences in front of the Ontario Municipal Board we will know what to expect in the way of structures on the north side of Lakeshore Road. If Adi gets the nod from the OMB expect to see at least one more tower on the lots to the immediate east of what Adi wants to do and then some eye popping proposals for the property between John and Brant streets.
 There are many wondering just what the city means when they say they intend to Grow Bold; new office at 1455 Lakeshore Road. If I were a betting man – I’d give odds on the Adi Development being turned down completely. The OMB hearing officer will give it a two thumbs down.
By Pepper Parr
March 11, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Here is the message I got – thought I would pass it along:
This Saturday night remember to SPRING FORWARD so you’re not late to church!
 The fire department reminds people that this is a time to ensure that you change the batteries in your smoke alarms.
Today everyone understands that the way we record the time of day is, for the most part, done by everyone at the same time. It wasn’t always that way. There was a time when every municipality could set the clocks that way they wanted which played havoc with railway schedule. What was noon in one town was 1 pm in another.
A man named Sanford Fleming advocated for a system of time zones that would be applied to the whole world. Fleming didn’t get what he thought should exists but he was instrumental in bringing about a standardized system.
 Sandford Fleming (in tallest hat) at the ceremony of the “last spike” being driven on the Canadian Pacific Railway. He advocated for the time recording system we use today. Fleming was an incredible Canadian – he designed the first postage stamp and was at the ceremony where the last spike was driven into the tracks of the Canadian Pacific Railway that ran across the country.
 By Ray Rivers
March 10th, 2017
BURLINGTON,ON
What did you do to celebrate International Woman’s Day? I attended a media roundtable with Ontario’s first female Premier at her office in Queen’s Park. Always professional and direct, Kathleen Wynne should have been facing a potentially tough media presser, the trendy term for press conference. But she got off lightly considering the topic, electricity pricing, has been largely responsible for her party’s position at the bottom of the opinion polls.
The sorry history of the electricity file most recently begins with that common sense guy, Mike Harris, who did to Ontario’s electoral sector what GW Bush had done to Iraq. In his ideological zeal to replace everything government, he broke up Ontario Hydro then banned Ontario Power Generation (OPG), one of the largest and most experienced power companies in North America, from developing alternate energy supplies.
 The look pretty well sums it up. His mismanagement spiked hydro rates and led to black and brown outs, even in that brief period of these changes before the Liberals ousted him. But then Dalton McGuinty had also drunk the Kool Aid, and in his passion to keep the lights on while he phased-out the coal power plants, continued writing lucrative 20 year private sector energy contracts like the proverbial drunken sailor. The contracts mostly guaranteed prices and quantities of power delivered, regardless of whether the energy was needed.
It made some sense from the point of view of the small energy supplier who needed market assurances in order to invest. But in the process Ontario not only bought over-capacity, but over-production, which periodically has to be sold at bargain basement rates to utilities south of the border – or spilled.
 Niagara Falls – the source of a lot of the energy that powers western Ontario. It once made the province a leader in hydro generation.
McGuinty and Harris and their cheering section of academics and industry special interests were wrong when they claimed electricity in Ontario shouldn’t be a natural monopoly. It is no secret that those public hydro monopolies in B.C., Manitoba and Quebec have the lowest utility rates in the country. Of course those provinces have vast stores of water power and Ontario did waste a ton of money experimenting with the nukes. But where has all this new alternative private power development landed us? When prompted, the Premier confessed that her staff had considered re-inventing the old Hydro One, but they believe the time for that option is long passed.
We are now stuck with our mixed private-publicly owned system and the consumers are stuck with the big bills we’ve seen of late. So instead of forcing energy users to pay those bills as we go, Ontario’s new ‘Hydro Plan’ involves buying a 30 year mortgage at today’s low interest rates. That way those billions of dollars committed to private sector contracts will spread out over a longer term, and even with the new financing costs, the average utility bill will fall by about a quarter. Of course that presumes that interest rates don’t start to rise.
 Will the arms be as open in June of 2018 – which is when we get to cast a ballot. The government will peg rate increases to inflation for the next few years, while doing something to bring down the outrageous cost of delivery and using more tax-based subsidy to assist households with lower incomes, and small business. Electricity is no stranger to subsidy and debt. We should recall the massive debt the old Ontario Hydro had run up prior to Harris’ version of shock and awe. Almost 30 billion in liabilities exceeded the assets of both Hydro One and OPG.
Wynne may call this a structural change, sharing the financial burden imposed by these contracts with the next generation. But it is really just about moving money around, taking out a mortgage to help cover sunk costs instead of paying as we go. And it’s not like there are any other options to lower the prices, short of tearing up the contracts, something the courts would never allow.
So the Premier got off pretty lightly with the media at the presser. Perhaps they all understand that she is short on options to deal with something that should have been dealt with a decade or two earlier. Or maybe they are just tired of this topic that has been played too frequently by a media looking for human interest stories, and opposition parties looking to raise their own profile.
 The Premier explaining … We should all hope that the mistakes of the past will not be repeated and that somebody in the energy ministry is working on a real plan, but that was not revealed in the Premier’s presser. Perhaps that is something she is keeping under wraps until the party’s election platform is unveiled next year? But for now it looks like this is as good as it gets.
 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:
Premier’s Statement – Wynne’s Popularity – Hydro plan – More Hydro Plan –
Voter Anger – Business Perspective –
By Staff
March 9, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The consequences of leaving anything of value in your car were evident when two Hamilton residents were charged with theft from motor vehicle and subsequent fraudulent use of stolen credit cards.
The arrested have been identified as:
 Chantal Cindy BARDY  Allan Edward ALLAN and Chantal Cindy BARDY walking into a retail outlet. Allan Edward ALLAN ( 29 yrs) and Chantal Cindy BARDY (31 yrs) both of Hamilton. They have been arrested and charged with theft under $5000, possession of property obtained by crime and use stolen credit card.
ALLAN will appear in Milton Court on March 22nd 2017 and BARDY will appear in Milton Court on April 5th 2017.
Police would like to remind the public to ensure their vehicles are locked and avoid leaving valuables inside and/or in plain view and to report any suspicious persons.
Anyone who with information is asked to contact Detective Constable Mark Urie of the Burlington Criminal Investigations Bureau – Residential Crime Team at 905-825-4747 Ext. 2338. Tips can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers “See something, Hear something, Say something” at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.ca, or by texting “Tip201” with your message to 274637 (crimes).
 By Staff
March 9th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Why now?
Because they can and to recognize and celebrate Canada 150 and surprise the community with a march, convergence and performance.
The Burlington Teen Tour Band Canada 150 Surprise Performance is going to take place Monday, March 13, at the Burlington Mall.
The Band will march in through different entrances of the Burlington Mall and converge near the food court. They will exit the mall together through the west doors near Cogeco and perform in the mall parking lot at the corner of Fairview Street and Guelph Line to celebrate Canada 150.
Monday, March 13, 2017 at noon.
 The Burlington Teen Tour Band took over the Burlington Performing Arts Centre the day the city turned the building over to the community. Weather is predicted to be cold – but that doesn’t dampen the spirits or the skills of this remarkable Burlington institution.
The band did much the same thing when they took part in the opening of the Performing Arts Centre.
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By Staff
March 9th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Closing schools isn’t just a Burlington issue.
The Halton District Catholic School board decided yesterday that two elementary schools in Oakviolle would be closed.
Holy Family and St. John’s were both at 75% utilization; staff recommended closure and the board voted for it.
“What happens when the areas north of Dundas in Oakville are wholly developed and we need the schools?” Was a question one board member asked after the decision was made.
It was the largest closure in Board history.
Oakville Trustee, Anthony Danko, voted to close the schools, citing fiscal conservatism for the vote.
With Jane Michael and trustees Paul Marai, Anthony Quinn and Helena Karabela voting against the motion it looked like there was going to be a tie vote which meant the motion would fail.
 HDCSB Director of Education Paula Dawson An observer at the meeting said she overheard Director Paula Dawson, saying to the Chair for this year, Diane Rabenda, to vote for closure. She did and the motion passed.
The Director of Education at almost every school board have a tremendous amount of influence over the trustees. Many Directors cultivate the trustees who are all too frequently in over their heads – to be fair education is big business (the Halton District School Board is the biggest business in the Region).
The province announced late this afternoon that there are 300 schools on the “chopping block”. Having settled their labour issues with the teachers the provincial government now wants to look for ways to cut their costs.
The price for what you expect to get in the way of lower hydro fees might be the closure of your local school.
You get your chance to have your say in June of 2018.
The provincial government is trying to convince the two schools boards, Catholic and public, to share facilities.
Our source said: “Someone brought that up at the meeting – sharing facilities with our Coterminous Board is very contentious. It is akin to saying we are good with One Board for all. All nine HDCSB Trustees would have to vote to even go down that road, and it would never be unanimous. “
 Best time to inflict the pain is right after a win. A long time ago former Premier Bill Davis arrived at an agreement with the Cardinal that the separate school boards would remain. Davis and the Cardinal used to smoke cigars and sip good Scotch together.
Premier Wynn and the current Cardinal will not be sipping Scotch together and she isn’t likely to even suggest that the two boards be merged.
Should she win in June 2018 she just might have to take some drastic steps. Best time to inflict the pain is right after a win – no pun intended.
By Staff
March 9th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Halton Regional Police have identified and arrested two individuals responsible for numerous fraudulent purchases across the GTA of Canada Goose Jackets using digital gift cards issued by a well-known outdoor retail chain, Sail Canada.
 The investigation first began in October of 2016 after two males made suspicious purchases at the Sail store in Burlington, Ontario, using gift cards. With the assistance of the company it was determined that the gift cards had been purchased with fraudulent credit cards and involved a similar pattern that had been occurring across the GTA.
Investigators from the Halton Regional Police Service Fraud Unit continued the investigation that led to the identity of the two individuals involved. A total of 71 digital gift cards were used, these cards were purchased using the credit card data of 19 different victims from both the USA and Canada.
Arrested and charged are:
Li De HUANG (Male) 29yrs of Scarborough
Jun WANG (Male) 27yrs of Mississauga
The charges include Fraud Over $5,000, multiple counts of Identity Fraud, and Unauthorized use of credit card data all contrary to the Criminal Code of Canada. Both accused parties are to appear in Milton Court, March 29th, 2017 to answer to the charges.
Anyone with information pertaining to a fraud or any other crime is asked to contact the Regional Fraud Bureau Intake Office at 905-465-8741 or Fraud@haltonpolice.ca. Tips can also be submitted anonymously to Crime Stoppers “See something, Hear something, Say something” at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.ca, or by texting “Tip201” with your message to 274637 (crimes).
 By James Burchill
March 9th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
I visited with a client today and during the conversation it became apparent they were having issues with their advertising – print advertising to be precise. They showed me the original advert and told me it cost them a little more than $1,700 to place the ad.
When I asked them who created the concept, the copy and the design – the client smiled and said …
“The publisher included it for free.”
OUCH!
You see, free is fabulous in marketing, but not when it comes to the design and production of your advertising materials.
 What is this advertisement about? Not sure but the brand name is in there – somewhere. It never ceases to amaze me the number of people who think the design of the advert and copy concept are not important enough to pay a professional to develop. They’ll spend thousands buying advertising space and they’ll skip over the design of the selling mechanism. Here’s an analogy that might help you see my point of view:
So you buy some ‘space’ where your prospective clients like to shop and they’re walking around happy and fat with cash – and what do you do now? Well, the smart move would be to place a professional sales person in the crowd, but no … you’re too darned cheap.
 Don’t let this be your sales agent – let her do what she does best. You look around (trying to save a buck) and press gang the first warm body you can find in the office – and it’s Ethel the almost ready-to-retire cleaning lady who is adored by everyone for her friendliness, but she’s terrible at sales. But hey, you don’t care. You don’t believe the ability to sell or captivate the audience is important. You just bought the space where your clients shop, what more do you need?
Ethel is your advert. She stands there with her bucket and her mop and smiles. She’s friendly and talks to people who stop and wonder what she’s all about. The day drifts by and it’s time to go. Ethel has sold nothing – but she’s really friendly, and she was ever so cheap. Maybe if we buy the same space again tomorrow and put Ethel back – maybe then we’ll make some sales.
Put like this it sounds absolutely stupid – and yet every day thousands of business men and women make this decision. However, you can’t blame them – they have come to the conclusion that the advertising publisher, who is offering them the free design service, knows what they are doing. And the publisher does … they know how to sell advert space to you … by giving away free advert design!
 Trained sales people know how to sell. Seriously, if you spend $1,700 on placing an ad and it generates no sales then was it worth it? If you spend and additional $1,000 on the services of a marketing strategist who develops the copy, concept and design and the resulting advert sells more product – was that worth it? I’d say so.
“Don’t be penny wise and pound foolish” as my Grandma used to say. And for those in North America that don’t get the joke it roughly translates into “don’t be penny wise and dollar foolish.” An advert at any price which sells nothing is not worth it – no matter how cheap it was. And an advert that sells more than it costs is worth it – no matter the price you paid.
 By Staff
March 9th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The wind kept traffic off the Skyway Bridge until close to 6:00 pm creating traffic jam havoc for those heading west out of the city.
The dramatic removal of a truck trailer from the bridge was part of the late afternoon news feed.
The damage done to the cemetery at St. Luke’s Anglican Church on Elgin Street, the oldest church in the city, is going to require close to a total rebuild of the western side. Two very large trees were brought down by the wind with a large number of tombstones in the cemetery that fronts onto Ontario Street were damaged.
The land which St. Luke’s is built on was given to Joseph Brant, the famous Mohawk leader, for his services to British-Canadian forces during the American Revolution. Brant, who had been an Anglican since the age of twenty, gave the land to his daughter, Elizabeth. She, in turn, donated the land for the construction of a church.
Pictures tell the cemetery story:
 The task of removing the branches is going to prove to be a very delicate one. Many of the tombstones will have to be handled very carefully.  It did not appear that any of the tombstones were broken.  The cemetery is going to look a lot different when the damaged trees are removed.
By Staff
March 8th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Marianne Meed Ward, city Councillor for ward 2 and Central high school member on the PARC said this morning that “We are disappointed with the vote of course, but now there’s an opportunity for the current government to bring forward its own motion for a moratorium on school closures and current PARs underway, including in Burlington. Recall that was one of the first steps former Liberal premier Dalton McGuinty took when he gained office.”
 Marianne Meed Ward at a media event at Queen’s Park with leader of the Opposition Patrick Brown. Meed Ward sat in the public gallery of the provincial Legislature and listened to the debate on a motion brought by the leader of the Opposition, Progressive Conservative Patrick Brown. Earlier in the day she took part in a press conference with Brown.
“A huge benefit of our visit: said Meed Ward is that “all party leaders have now gotten our message that this is not just a rural issue: communities across the GTA and 905 are facing potential school closures. We also outlined 13 ways the provincial funding formula and broken PAR process needs to be fixed, detailed in our Open Letter hand delivered to all party leaders.”
Meed Ward was also able to meet with Burlington MPP Hon. Eleanor McMahon yesterday evening.
“I ended up going back to Queen’s Park for the impromptu meeting, and unfortunately missed last night’s public meeting, but felt the meeting with our MPP was the best way to serve the community.
“Three of us had a two hour meeting after the vote with Eleanor and a staff member working on PARs in Education Minister Hon. Mitzie Hunter’s office after the vote.
“We shared our concerns about the process, detailed in our open letter. We asked for her to work with her colleagues for a moratorium on school closures and current PARs underway until the funding formula and process can be fixed.
 Burlington MPP Eleanor McMahon at her first public event after being made a member of the Wynn cabinet. “McMahon was very receptive, listened intently to our concerns and asked a lot of questions. She is committed to bringing the issues we raised back to caucus and her Liberal colleagues for discussion. We are very grateful for the time she gave us” said Meed Ward
“It was a full day with ups and downs said Meed Ward “but it was time very well spent. We made progress on elevating the discussion to the real issues: a broken provincial funding formula and PAR process that will not deliver the best outcome for students or our communities in both rural and urban areas. We need a moratorium on school closures and PARs until what’s broken can be fixed.”
McMahon has yet to make a statement on what her party will do about a moratorium on the Program Accommodation Review taking place in Burlington. Her office did put out a media release on International Women’s Day.
 By Donna Grandin
March 8th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Where’s our Supercrawl, Burlington?
Yes, we have Sound of Music, but that’s an annual event in a park. The momentum of the annual Supercrawl is sustained by monthly art crawls, and the creative businesses on James St. N and surrounding streets.
 Donna Grandin is a successful local artist active in the annual Art Tour. Where is our local art scene? The pop-up galleries, established commercial art galleries, affordable artists’ studios, and then all the other businesses that develop on the fringes of the “scene”?
In the last five years especially, I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know many of you Arts & Culture people in Burlington, but I’ve also seen us lose talented members of our community as they answered the call of lower cost of living, and a more support for the arts, in Hamilton.
Do we just not have enough people interested in buying local art, in going out to local arts events, in investing in the local arts community?
Apparently, there’s not enough potential for gentrification, our real estate prices are too high, rent is too high.
But I still see empty buildings here and there.
Any thoughts?
By Pepper Parr
March 7th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Photo description off the police officer has been revised – turns out he was a parent attending the event.
If the Fire Marshall had known how many people were in the room – he would have ordered the building cleared.
 You can’t ask for much more in the way of public engagement. Are views being changed? The room at the New Street Educational Centre was PACKED. It was the second of two public meetings to inform parents on the details behind the six recommendations that had been settled on by the Halton District School Board Program Accommodation Review Committee (PARC). That committee may yet whittle the options down to two.
That PARC has two more meetings to take place after the Spring Break – and they will do their best to get closer to a consensus – they won’t achieve one, there are too many parents focused on saving their school. The facts as they know them suggests they will come up with two options.
Many parents don’t think the really hard work being done by the 14 PARC members is going to get reflected in the report that goes to the Director of Education.
 Will these people turn out in the same numbers for the 2018 municipal election? While parents were at the New Street Education Centre, a small group had gone to the provincial Legislature to take in the debate on a motion put forward by the leader of the Opposition Patrick Brown for a moratorium on both school closures in the province and a halt to all the PARC’s currently taking place across the province.
The motion did not pass leaving the parents who watched the debate furious with Burlington MPP Eleanor McMahon who voted the Liberal party line.
There are too many reports of an overly emotional Burlington MPP who does not seem to be able to hold a rational conversation with the constituents she meets. Burlington parents feel their MPP, who is a Cabinet Minister, can have some influence on the Minister of Education, who has suggested that public school boards work with the Catholic school boards to see if they can find ways to share buildings.
A large part of the purpose behind the concept of separate schools boards was to keep the students apart. It will take decades to find a way for the two philosophies working in the same building.
 This is not a happy parent. No one liked what they were hearing at the Legislature and it wasn’t much different at the New Street Educational centre. Parents were close to enraged at times and emotions spilled over. Senior school board staff were publicly booed.
 The police officer was not on “duty” – he was a parent taking part in the meeting. What was the line in that song “You don’t take your guns to town”. The concern over how the public was going to react was so high that the board of education asked that police be on hand. The police officer on duty wasn’t there to blend in with the crowd – he was brute force incarnate.
Many of the trustees were in the room, realizing that they were next in line for a solid piece of the public ire.
Central high school parents were all over the place – some wearing the Save Central lawn signs that had been made as clothing.
Some of the trustees seemed several paces removed from what was going on.
 Wards 1 and 2 school board trustee Leah Reynolds speaking to Central high school students. During a discussion between a parent and a trustee over how keeping a school open would be paid for the parent, who appeared to have done her homework and was prepared to challenge the trustee, was told that she was being disrespectful. Not a positive sign.
There were five of the seven city council members at the first information meeting held a week earlier at Hayden high school for parents in the northern part of the city – not one in sight at this second information meeting.
 Nelson students were letting everyone know they expected to be standing upright when this was all over There was representation of Bateman parents at this second meeting but they didn’t appear to be as evident. On Saturday they gave their school a ceremonial hug – almost as if they were saying goodbye to the place.
Nelson high school made it very clear they were in the room and they expected to be standing up when this was all over.
Parents complained about not hearing any innovative or radical ideas from board staff who met in groups around board of education staff who clung to the party line – ‘we have to close schools to ensure that the children get the best education possible’.
Parents fully realize that the final decision, to be made May 17th, will be made by the trustees they elected and they want to see some steel in the spine of those trustees. The fear many, if not most have, is that the trustees are going to fold and eat the Pablum being served to them by board staff.
 The PARC members were in attendance – they are much closer to the parents interests than the trustees. Some very intelligent people look askance at the data the board is putting out and they experience serious disappointment over the way some senior staff at the board keep changing some of the numbers.
Others wonder what closing Central high school will do to property values? Will people want to buy homes in a community where their children will have to take buses to get to a classroom. They see Burlington as a community that buys into the concept of walk-ability and that want that as a big part of the lives they live.
Stuart Miller, the Director of Education attended – he is battling a virus and really should be at home recovering – but he was in the room doing what he does very well – trying to get his message across with all the passion and energy that makes the man who he is.
 Director of Education Stuart Miller listens – he truly wants to hear and to be understood as well. He doesn’t appear to be hearing what the parents he serves are asking for.
As the evening wound down staff wanted to know how many people came to the meeting leaving the impression that the number of people who showed up was the sign that the meeting was a success.
How did the parents feel when they left the building? They certainly weren’t happy campers. There seems to be a divide between the thinking going on within the Board offices and what the public wants. Parents want the trustees they elected to stand up for them and the bulk of the trustees that were elected do not appear to be up to the job.
As voters, parents are already talking about the revenge they will take in October of 2018 when municipal elections take place.
 The battle is for an educational system that prepares this young lady for what at best is an uncertain future. The week will wind down with everyone heading into a Spring Break – will there be some reflection and the kind of thinking that pulls people together during that break or will positions harden and get rigid?
The social health of the city is what is at stake – it isn’t at all certain that the thinking coming out of the boardroom senior school board staff meet in is going to change very much.
The people being paid good salaries and fat benefits do not appear to be acting as civil servants – they have taken a position they believe in and are going to stick with it.
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