 By Staff
March 2, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
There are a lot of unhappy people who are commenting on how poorly they feel the Halton District School Board is handling the flow of information on the recommendation that was given to the Program Accommodation Review Committee (PARC) to close Central and Pearson high schools.
 Parents scan details and specifics on each of the six school closing options that the PARC is currently considering for the report they will give the Director of Education. The PARC is made up of two parents from each of the seven high schools. Their job is to give the Director of Education a recommendation. The Director of Education does not have to accept or adhere to the recommendation.
The Director then writes his report to the trustees and those trustees make the final decision.
The first public meeting to look at specifics and details was held earlier this week with a very large turnout.
The second public meeting is to take place next Tuesday, March 7th at the New Street Educational centre.
 Robert Bateman high school is going to get a group hug on Saturday. This Saturday the parents at Bateman high school are going to gather and collectively give their school a “hug”.
Bateman is a pretty big school – it is going to take a large crowd of people to circle that building on Saturday.
The group hug takes place at 1:00 pm.
One Gazette reader wrote in and said “your story about the Mayor’s response show how heated it’s gotten and also how poorly the board is handling it all.”
The PARC has now whittled down the 30 options that it was given to six. Under these different options Central, Pearson, Bateman and Nelson could be closed.
There is an option that says – don’t close any of the schools – but change the school boundaries so that the existing high school population is spread more evenly between the high schools.
 Halton District School Board trustees – there are 11 of them; four representing Burlington – all the trustees will vote on school closings Whatever the school board trustees decide, and it is those trustees that are going to make the final decision on May 17th, the concerns should be addressed to the final decision makers – these are the people you elected to oversee the operation of the school in the Halton Region.
There are 11 trustees, four from Burlington that will decide what the board should do.
When the process of determining how to manage the problem of 1800+ empty classroom seats in the high school was put before the public there was very little public interest.
 There were less than ten people at the first “information session” given by the school board staff at Bateman high school. One of them was the school principal. At the first information meeting, there was one held at every high school, there were just five people at the event held at Bateman.
The school board had large banners nailed to the front of six of the high schools to alert parents to the situation.
The focus is currently on the work the PARC is doing. That will shift to the report the Director of Education, Stuart Miller has to write and present to the trustees on March 29th.
The critical dates are set out below.
Public Meeting #2 (South Burlington schools)
March 7, 2017 at 7:00 pm
New date New Street Education Centre
3250 New Street
PARC Working Meeting #5
March 23, 2017 at 7:00 pm J.W. Singleton Education Centre
2050 Guelph Line
Director’s Report (with compiled feedback) to Committee of the Whole March 29, 2017 at 7:00 pm J.W. Singleton Education Centre
2050 Guelph Line
Public Delegation Night
April 18, 2017 at 6:00 pm J.W. Singleton Education Centre
2050 Guelph Line
Final Report to Board of Trustees for decision May 17, 2017 at 7:00 pm J.W. Singleton Education Centre
2050 Guelph Line
 Protesters have stood outside the Board of Education offices on Guelph Line any time there is a PARC meeting. 
By Pepper Parr
March 1, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
As a city we are going to do ourselves in unless we do better than we are doing.
With the Halton District School Board going through the difficult process of deciding which, if any, high schools to close, the mayor has declared that he “represent the interests of all the people of Burlington. As such, I will not choose to promote one school over another during this review process.”
In a statement published on his blog yesterday, the Mayor said:
“In a perfect world with unlimited financial resources, we would not have to see any schools closed in Burlington.
“Every school in Burlington matters to its neighbourhood, its students and their families, its staff and its alumni.”
“As Mayor, I represent the interests of all the people of Burlington. As such, I will not choose to promote one school over another during this review process. This is a decision of the Halton District School Board, and because of that, it is important that Burlington City Council not use its influence to favour specific schools.
Burlington City Council purposely chose City Manager James Ridge to serve as an objective representative of the City of Burlington on the Halton District School Board’s Program and Accommodation Review Committee.”
That is not how Mr. Ridge got chosen to represent the city on the Program Accommodation Review Committee (PARC). At a city council meeting the Mayor read out an email he had received from a resident asking that he, the Mayor, sit on the PARC.
 Burlington city manager, on the right with Scott Podrebarac on the left at a PARC meeting. The Mayor said at that meeting that Mr. Ridge had volunteered to sit on the PARC. There was no debate or discussion. The Mayor just made the statement and that was it.
One resident wrote the Gazette and said of the Mayor: “What he doesn’t understand is most residents get that he can’t favour one school over another. But they also don’t expect him to stay on the sidelines. They expect him to speak up on the importance of community schools, and how the city’s strategic plan calls for walkable, complete communities.
“They expect him to represent the public’s interest and encourage the school board to elevate their perspective beyond operating cost reductions.
“The school board has created a process that is pitting one neighbourhood against another. It’s disappointing but not surprising the mayor has declared what he is NOT prepared to do. What resident’s want to do know, is what he WILL do.
 Mayor Rick Goldring at a city council meeting. “If he understood his role and had the fortitude, he would not duck responsibility; rather he would use his office to assist the effort to find the best possible outcome for Burlington, and serve in whatever way he can to bring neighbourhoods together.
“He chose the easy way out.”
 By Staff
March 1, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
 Paddy Torsney, former Member of the House of Commons, has been hosting the breakfasts for more than 20 years She has been doing it for 21 years – holding a breakfast to encourage young woman that they can and should play a major role in the society they live in.
There are leaders in Burlington today who got to where they are today because they took part in one of those breakfasts.
This Friday, at the Holiday Inn, Paddy Torsney will introduce Senator Kim Pate as the guest speaker.
Tickets, $17, are available only at A Different Drummer – move quickly this event should sell out.
Before she was appointed a Senator Kim Pate was with the Elizabeth Fry Society, an organization that advocated for women who had gotten caught up in the criminal justice system.
Senator Pate’s curriculum vita sets out all the work she has done and the recognition she has been given. What it doesn’t do is get to the character of the woman. She is fearless and has worked tirelessly to bring about badly needed changes in the lives of women who have experienced marginalization, discrimination and oppression.
Senator Pate is a tough cookie when she has to be. There are a lot of men in senior positions in the justice system who skirt the Senator.
Pate was appointed to the Senate in 2016. First and foremost, she is the mother of Michael and Madison, as well as a nationally renowned advocate who has spent the last 35 years working in and around the legal and penal systems of Canada.
 His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, congratulating Kim Pate after her investiture to the Order of Canada. Photo Credit: MCpl Vincent Carbonneau. Senator Pate graduated from Dalhousie Law School in 1984 with honours in the Clinical Law Programme and has completed post graduate work in the area of forensic mental health. She was the Executive Director of the Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies (CAEFS) from January 1992 until her appointment to the Senate,
Prior to her work with CAEFS, she worked with youth and men in a number of capacities with the local John Howard Society in Calgary, as well as the national office. She has developed and taught Prison Law, Human Rights and Social Justice and Defending Battered Women on Trial courses at the Faculties of Law at the University of Ottawa, Dalhousie University and the University of Saskatchewan. She also occupied the Sallows Chair in Human Rights at the University of Saskatchewan College of Law in 2014 and 2015.
The Senator is widely credited as the driving force behind the Inquiry into Certain Events at the Prison for Women in Kingston, headed by Justice Louise Arbour. During the Inquiry, she supported women as they aired their experiences and was a critical resource and witness in the Inquiry itself. She also persuaded the Attorney General and Minister of Justice to initiate the Self-Defence Review and appoint the Honourable Madam Justice Lynn Ratushny to review the convictions and sentences of women jailed for using lethal force to defend themselves and/or their children against abusive men.
 Kim Pate outside the doors to the Senate. Pate is a member of the Order of Canada, a recipient of the Governor General’s Award in Commemoration of the Persons Case, the Canadian Bar Associations’s Bertha Wilson Touchstone Award, and five honourary doctorates (Law Society of Upper Canada, University of Ottawa, Carleton University, St. Thomas University and Wilfred Laurier University) and numerous other awards.
This is not an event to be missed.
 By Staff
March 1, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS), is one of 80 law enforcement agencies and public and private sector organizations nationwide, hat will be involved in Fraud Prevention Month 2017. The hashtag is #FPM2017.
Each year, thousands of Canadians of all ages and backgrounds become victims of fraud. Fraud victims not only suffer direct financial loss but may endure the stressful process of reversing its damaging effects such as identity theft and negative credit/credit history.
The Gazette reports on some very sad situations where a senior has lost tens of thousands of dollars in some cases to people who have preyed on them
Halton Regional Police Staff Sergeant Chris Lawson of the Regional Fraud Unit points out that” “The reality is fraud is a moving target – no sooner does word spread about one scam then it’s on to another. While the specifics surrounding a scam may differ, they are all rooted in deceit. The key is to know what to look for.”
Now in its 13th year, the aim of Fraud Prevention Month is to educate Canadians about fraud and on how best to protect themselves from it through the 3Rs: Recognition, Rejection, and Reporting. The central theme for 2017 is ‘Don’t buy into fraud.’
To accomplish this, agencies including the HRPS will carry out a number of activities and initiatives specific to their jurisdiction. In Halton, these will include:
• Weekly ‘Fraud of the Week’ press releases detailing current/popular schemes
• Increased promotion of fraud-related arrests to members of the press and through social media (Twitter (@HaltonPolice and District accounts) and Facebook)
• Live Fraud Q&A on Twitter (@HaltonPolice) on Friday, March 17 from 11:00 a.m. – noon
• Fraud information sessions for seniors offered at retirement homes throughout Halton
More information about fraud, including a number of useful links and resources, is available at www.haltonpolice.ca/about/specializedunits/fraud.php or by following the hash tag #FPM2017 on Twitter through @HaltonPolice.
 By Staff
March 1, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The Lights are out at Ireland Park
Due to an electrical safety issue, all lights are out in Ireland Park.
Park users are advised that lights in the park are not functioning and this outage affects all areas of the park until further notice.
 By Pepper Parr
March 1, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
It was hard to get a real fix on the size of the crowd – but it was a crowd of people who wanted to know more about what the Halton District School Board meant when they talked about possibly closing two of the city’s seven high schools.
 It was a large fully engaged crowd – who will wonder for the next while if they are getting all their questions answered. The Board has had a PARC in place for more than three months. This group of 14 people – two from each high school – had been tasked with coming up with a recommendation on which, if any, of the high schools should be closed.
The issue was that Burlington has 1800 + empty high school seats which it does not expect to fill for some time.
The problem is compounded by the fact that the city’s newest high school is filled to overcapacity and that other high schools might need portable units.
The problem is to some degree one of changes in the boundaries that were created that determined which high school a student would have to attend.
When the PARC process started in December the focus was on the recommendation that Central and Pearson high school be closed.
 Large posters with maps showing possible high school boundaries were set up for public viewing. During the PARC process there were recommendations that Bateman and Nelson high schools be closed – and that brought a lot more people into the discussion which resulted in the very high turnout Tuesday evening.
People were engaged and asking a lot of questions. The data that was put in front of them was not as clear as it could have been.
Tuesday evening the public saw people from Nelson and Bateman wearing their school sweaters; one parent paraded around wearing a graduation cap.
The discussion and explanations at the six different information stations was directed by senior board staff who touted the board line.
The members of the PARC were present and many of the trustees attended as well.
 Which high school will these two attend? Director of Education Stuart Miller was not at the meeting. He is away for a short period of time on personal matters. The last thing that can be said is he is ducking the issue. He is in this up to his eyebrows and he knows how serious a problem his board faces.
There are decisions that were made six to seven years ago that created the problem he faces; he however has to deal with the reality that today there are 1800 empty seats and the province will not give the Halton Board the funding it needs to keep them empty. Miller points out frequently that the Halton Board is pretty close to the bottom of the list on the amount of funding per capita that it gets from the province.
 Three city Councillors in this picture – two others were floating around as well. Many people wanted to see city council involved in this process; just as many felt it was a school board matter and none of th city’s business. And up until now city council members said very little. That has changed. Every member of council could be seen walking around chatting people up; the exceptions were the Mayor and ward 1 Councillor Rick Craven.
School board trustees for Burlington have been almost glued to this process; the other seven were seldom seen. Last night there were four or five from other communities.
 Scott Podrebarac, chair of the Program Accommodation Review Committee explaining some detail to a parent. There were no introductory remarks. People just walked in, were given a four page flyer that explained what the information on the walls was all about and people were left to walk around and ask questions.
Part of what is taking place is each high school arguing why they should not be closed – there was no higher level look at what Burlington will look like should some high schools be closed.
Burlington is in a state of transition. The city’s population is ageing and the cost of housing is mushrooming.
There will be a lot of discussions taking place in thousands of households across the city in the weeks ahead.
 Ward 1 Councillor Marianne Meed Ward, on the left, is also the PARC representative for the Central high school parents, listens while a Board o Education staffer explains some of the information on the posters. The second public meeting, with an agenda that is identical to what took place Tuesday evening at Hayden high school will be held at the New Street Education Centre on Tuesday March 7th.
If there were 400 people at Hayden last night look for an even higher turn out next week
By Staff
March 1, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The Chilly Half Marathon will alter three transit routes on Sunday.
Routes 3, 10 and 20 will have detours during the marathon that will be taking place in downtown Burlington closing Lakeshore Road from Maple Avenue to Burloak Drive causing detours on Routes 3, 10 and 20 as follows:
Route 3 – between the Downtown Terminal to Guelph Line and New Street, will detour using James and New Streets
Route 10 – between Maple Avenue and the Downtown Terminal, will detour using Ontario Street, Locust Street and Caroline Street
Route 20 – between Appleby Line and Spruce Avenue to Burloak Drive and Winston, will detour using Spruce Avenue, Hampton Heath, Stratton Road, and Winston Road
Delays can be expected on these routes in the affected areas. Please plan ahead and use tripplanner.burlington.ca to access up-to-date schedule information in real-time.
 By Staff
February 28th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
 Conservation Halton advises that Environment Canada is forecasting rainfall beginning tonight and continuing into early Wednesday. General rainfall amounts of 15 to 25 millimeters are likely, though isolated spots may see higher amounts, especially in areas that receive thunderstorms.
Flooding is not anticipated, however the forecasted precipitation in conjunction with saturated ground conditions will result in higher than normal water levels and flows in local streams.
Conservation Halton is asking all residents and children to stay away from all watercourses and structures such as bridges, culverts and dams. Elevated water levels, fast flowing water, and slippery conditions along stream banks continue to make these locations extremely dangerous. Please alert children in your care of these imminent dangers.
This Watershed Conditions Statement – Water Safety will be in effect through Friday March 3, 2017. Conservation Halton will continue to monitor stream and weather conditions and will provide updates as required.
By Staff
February 28th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The Halton Regional Police Service Regional Fraud Bureau report that earlier today they arrested two men on charges of Fraud over $5000, money laundering, and attempt to obstruct justice.
 These charges are in relation to funds donated to the head office of the OPFFA (Ontario Professional Firefighters Association) in Burlington, on behalf of families of firefighters injured or killed in the line of duty.
Between May 12, 2011 and February 26, 2014 Warren Paul ATKINSON, 52, of Newmarket, and Colin Stuart GRIEVE, 58, of Stoney Creek, conducted advocacy work to assist families of retired and deceased fire fighters from all over Ontario in applying for WSIB benefits.
The OPFFA received a complaint which caused them to conduct an internal investigation into donations. The investigation revealed several large donations to the OPFFA that were never received, all linked to ATKINSON and GRIEVE. The OPFFA contacted Halton Regional Police. The ensuing investigation resulted in the charges being laid.
Both men are due to appear in Ontario Provincial Court Milton, ON, March, 29th, 2017 at 9:00 a.m. to answer to the charges.
Anyone who may have any information pertaining to this investigation is asked to contact the Halton Regional Fraud Unit at 905-465-8965 , Crime Stoppers “See something, Hear something, Say something” at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.ca or by texting “Tip 201” with your message to 274637 (crimes).
By Staff
February 28th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
For those of you north of the QEW – tonight is the night to get a close up look at the six options that are now being considered by the PARC that is in place to give the Halton District School Board Director of Education a recommendation on which, if any of the high schools should be closed.
 Two representatives from each of the seven high schools in the city meeting to recommend an option to the Director of Education. PARC is the Program Accommodation Review Committee that has two representatives each from the six high schools that have now met on four occasions to look at data the board has provided them and make a recommendation.
Details of each of the six options will be set out on different “information” stations” with school board staff on hand to answer questions.
The event takes place at the Hayden high school on Tim Dobbie Drive. The event begins at 7:00 pm. The Board of Education is not making a presentation to an audience – there is no start time. People will be able to move from “information station” to “information station” and look at the maps and accompanying information and ask questions of senior board staff.
The event will be repeated on March 7th at the New Street Education Centre on New Street.
The following are the meetings to take place before a decision date:
| |
|
|
| Public Meeting #2 (South Burlington schools) |
March 7, 2017 at 7:00 pm
|
New Street Education Centre
3250 New Street |
| PARC Working Meeting #5 |
March 23, 2017 at 7:00 pm |
J.W. Singleton Education Centre
2050 Guelph Line |
| Director’s Report (with compiled feedback) to Committee of the Whole |
March 29, 2017 at 7:00 pm |
J.W. Singleton Education Centre
2050 Guelph Line |
| Public Delegation Night |
April 18, 2017 at 6:00 pm |
J.W. Singleton Education Centre
2050 Guelph Line |
| Final Report to Board of Trustees for decision |
May 17, 2017 at 7:00 pm |
J.W. Singleton Education Centre
2050 Guelph Line |
 Parents from both Central and Pearson high schools have been demonstrating before school board meetings. Burlington Central High school parents have been demonstrating pretty consistently since this process began back in October. They would like to see more involvement from city hall even though the final decision will be made by the school board trustees in May.
 By Staff
February 28th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
There was an extensive look at the way the Tim Hortons operation has changed now that there is new foreign ownership in place.
The tag line on the magazine cover said: “Since taking over the iconic chain in 2014, its new Brazilian owner, 3G Capital, has purged head office, slashed costs and squeezed suppliers. Shareholders are happy, but is 3G tearing the heart out of Timmy’s?”
 A lot of people are getting screwed over as a result of the cost cutting at Tim Hortons. will the Sound of Music take a hit at the sponsorship level? Senior management at the head office in Oakville was close to decimated. The corporate mantra is cost cutting – and they took to that like ducks to water.
A lot of good people in Burlington had to find new jobs.
What hasn’t worked its way to the top of the pile is what is the cost cutting is going to do, if anything, to the sponsorship money Tim Hortons has poured into Burlington in the past.
They were major sponsors of Sound of Music – will that continue?
Stay tuned.
 By Staff
February 27, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
 Ward 1 and 2 School Board trustee Leah Reynolds. Ward 1 and 2 School Board trustee Leah Reynolds tells her constituents that she expects the board ratify changes to the Delegation By-law to make it easier for the public to submit a request to speak on an issue that is important to them in front of the elected board of trustees. Some of the proposed improvements are:
* The public will now have the ability to review the meeting agenda and board reports prior to submitting a delegation request.
* The deadline to submit a Delegation Request Form is extended up to two business days (at noon) prior to the board meeting.
* Prepared written transcripts are no longer required. This allows presenters the freedom to express themselves without adhering strictly to written materials that previously required Chair review.
* Each delegation will be allowed an additional five minutes for trustee questions and comments to allow for further clarification.
* Delegations can be made at Trustee Committee of the Whole Meetings. These meetings are open to the public, less formal with more opportunity for a question and answer dialogue rather than speeches and statements typically made at board meetings.
A positive change that will have an impact on the Public Delegation Night that has been set aside to hear delegations on the proposed high school closing scheduled for April 18, 2017 at 6:00 pm at the J.W. Singleton Education Centre, 2050 Guelph Line
By Staff
February 27, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Parents throughout Burlington will have gotten a survey asking them what they think of the six options that are before the Program Accommodation Review Committee.
It is a reasonably fair and balanced survey at first glance.
There is one small problem and that is the detail behind each option is viewed in a separate screen and the type is so small it really cannot be read.
The Board would like your feedback on the remaining six options through the online survey. Click here to get to the survey.
The survey is available Monday February 27 – Monday March 13 (until 4:30 pm).
The order in which Options appear in the online survey is random.
All responses will be anonymous.
The survey can only be completed by using a desktop or laptop computer. It cannot be completed on a tablet or mobile device.
A public meeting is scheduled for North Burlington schools on Tuesday, February 28, 2017 at Dr. Frank J. Hayden Secondary School. The meeting for South Burlington schools is scheduled for Tuesday, March 7, 2017.
We urge you to attend the public meeting – it doesn’t have a start time – you can drop in at any time and get more detail on any one of the six options. There will be Board of Education staff members on hand to answer questions.
For those who aren’t going to be able to get to either of the two public meetings set out below are details on each of the options. The details were released at one of the PARC meeting.
The six options are as follows:
Option 23d ‐ Robert Bateman HS, Lester B Pearson HS closes, Dr. Frank J Hayden SS program change
No change to Aldershot HS boundary
Burlington Central HS catchment expands to include Tecumseh PS catchment
IB program added to Burlington Central HS from Robert Bateman
Nelson HS boundary expands east. SC‐SPED & Essential programming redirected to Nelson HS from Robert Bateman
MM Robinson HS ENG catchment expands to include Lester B Pearson HS
Frank J Hayden SS FI program redirected to M.M. Robinson HS. No change to the English catchment.
Option 19b – Burlington Central HS, Lester B Pearson closes HS, Dr Frank J Hayden SS & Robert Bateman HS program change
Aldershot HS catchment expands east to Brant St, ESL program relocated to Aldershot HS from Burlington Central HS. 10 rooms available from the Aldershot elementary facility to accommodate additional
Nelson HS expands west to Brant
Robert Bateman HS catchment include John William Boich PS catchment south of Upper Middle Rd, and the entire Frontenac PS catchment
FI program added to Robert Bateman HS with same boundaries as the English program
MM Robinson HS English boundary expands to include Lester B Pearson HS. FI boundary include Dr. Frank J Hayden SS with the exception of John William Boich PS catchment south of Upper Middle
Frank J Hayden becomes English only school, with a reduced English catchment area
Option 4b – Robert Bateman HS closes
No change to Aldershot HS
Burlington Central HS expands to include the entire Tecumseh PS
Nelson HS expands east to include Robert Bateman HS. Nelson HS receives the SC‐SPED and Essential programming from Robert Bateman
MM Robinson HS catchment expands to include Kilbride PS catchment
Lester B Pearson HS catchment expands to include Florence Meares PS catchment. IB program and Gifted Secondary Placement added to Lester B. Pearson HS from Robert Bateman HS and Nelson HS
Frank J Hayden SS English catchment area is reduced.
Option 7b – No changes to schools south of the QEW
Frank J Hayden SS Boundary change
Lester B Pearson HS catchment expands to include Kilbride PS catchment area, John William Boich PS catchment area south of Upper Middle Road, and Alexander’s PS catchment
Frank J Hayden HS catchment reduced.
Option 28d – Burlington Central HS and Lester B Pearson HS closes, Program change for Dr Frank J Hayden SS
Aldershot HS catchment area expands easterly to railway tracks, ESL program added to Aldershot from Burlington Central
Nelson HS catchment area expands west to the railway
Robert Bateman HS catchment area expands to include John William Boich PS catchment area and Frontenac PS catchment
MM Robinson HS catchment area expands to include Lester B Pearson HS catchment area.
FI is removed from Dr. Frank J Hayden SS and redirected to MM Robinson HS
CH Norton PS area that is currently directed to Lester B Pearson HS, to be redirected to Dr Frank J Hayden
Option 3b – Nelson HS closes, Dr Frank J Hayden SS and Burlington Central HS have a program change
Aldershot FI expands to include Burlington Central HS FI catchment
Burlington Central HS English catchment area expands to Walkers Line
Robert Bateman HS expands west to Walkers
FI program added to Robert Bateman HS
Lester B Pearson HS catchment area expands to include John William Boich PS catchment area and Kilbride PS catchment area. The Secondary Gifted placement added to Lester B Pearson HS from Nelson
Frank J Hayden SS FI program redirected to M.M. Robinson HS.
Frank J Hayden HS catchment reduced.
By Staff
February 27th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Mayor Rick Goldring welcomed the Hon. Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, to the Art Gallery of Burlington (AGB) last Friday for a roundtable discussion on seniors’ housing needs in Burlington.
Goldring hosted a roundtable on senior’s issues with the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario. Elizabeth Dowdeswell wanted to learn more about issues, ideas and initiatives of importance to the people of Burlington.
 Mayor Rick Goldring with the Hon. Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario Over the next 20 years, the percentage of seniors within Burlington is expected to grow to about one in every four residents and the number of seniors over the age of 80 is expected to more than double.
Following the roundtable discussion, that involved 15 people, the Mayor Goldring announced a one-year task force to address the issue of seniors’ housing in Burlington.
The city is committed to collaborating with residents and stakeholders The Roundtable included representatives from Joseph Brant Hospital, the Burlington Seniors’ Advisory Committee; Halton Region’s social services, planning and health senior managers; Habitat for Humanity; private developers; seniors’ housing specialists; and City of Burlington senior managers.
Each of the 15 representatives was asked to consider and comment on the following two questions:
1. What are the current housing opportunities for seniors who want, or need, to find a new home in Burlington?
2. As the number of seniors continues to increase in our city, where should we place our focus in providing new housing opportunities to allow seniors to continue living in Burlington?
The Mayor’s Task Force is a one year initiative starting in May 2017 and will be led by the Office of the Mayor.
Members of the Task Force will be announced in April. They will report back sometime in April of 2018.
The next municipal election is in October of 2018.
By Staff
February 27, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Does the city know something the rest of us don’t know?
Is winter really over?
Meteorologists and climatologists in the northern hemisphere generally consider December, January and February as the winter months – Wednesday is March 1st – so it must be true.
 To make it real the city has officially closed the Rotary Pond skating rink at Discovery Landing.
Mild temperatures have brought the outdoor skating season to a close for the 2016-17 season.
Over the next few weeks, City of Burlington staff will begin preparing for the spring when the 10,000 square-foot (929 square-metre) feature transforms into a reflective pond.
Chris Glenn, Director of Parks and Recreation explains: “After a very successful season of outdoor skating, the city made the decision to close the rink at Discovery Landing for this winter. The record-breaking, mild temperatures we’ve experienced this month have made it challenging to maintain skating conditions that are safe and enjoyable. More than 14,500 skaters enjoyed some winter fun this season at the outdoor rink overlooking Spencer Smith Park and Lake Ontario. Thank you to everyone who donated skates to the city’s new skate lending program at Rotary Centennial Pond.”
There were 150 pairs of skates donated skates to the skate lending program; they were borrowed through the skate lending program on 1,200 occasions
The public was able to skate on the pond for 64 days in the 2016-17 season.
And that is more information than you really needed to know – skate loan program was a nice feature though; kudos for whoever came up with that idea.
By Pepper Parr
February 27th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Central Strong got a bit of a surprise when they learned that city Council was not going to meet on Monday, evening, which was when they had planned on marching into city hall to voice their complaints about the way the city was handling the meetings over the possible closing of two of the seven high schools in the city.
 Central strong is the group that represents the parents at Central high school who do not want to see their high school closed.
The city has a schedule for regular Standing Committee meetings and then meetings of the city council. The Standing Committee is siting in the afternoon but not in the evening.
 Central Strong might like to think that city council decided not to meet because they were afraid of a demonstration in the Council Chamber- the reality was that there apparently wasn’t enough in the way of matters that needed attention so the meeting was cancelled.
There was an occasion several months ago when citizen delegated before city council to keep the ten minute time allocation they had or delegations.
Council appears to have found a way around the problem of those pesky delegations – just don’t bother to meet at all.
By Pepper Parr
February 26th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Is there anything to the rumour that Ward 1 Councillor Rick Craven does not plan to run for office in 2018?
One Gazette reader popped us a note saying he got the information from two sources.
Another contact, a friend of Craven’s, is not getting his telephone calls returned.
 Rick Craven: Best committee chair the city has; not big on the warm fuzzy stuff through. Another media advised us that they were not on the council members “friendly media” list.
The Gazette hasn’t been able to get a word out of Craven for more than a year. He took offence to the story we did on his asking for city hall security to walk him to his car; at that time he was apparently worried that he would be physically harmed by Beachway residents when the debate on clearing out all the homes in that community was taking place.
 Rick Craven knows his Ward, understands what his constituents need and they appear to think he’s great. Is there a life beyond city hall for Craven? There was a point when as publisher of the Gazette I would have lengthy lunches with the council member. We once went on a long drive through Craven’s ward during which he pointed out what made the ward the community it is.
In the past we have described Craven as the most effective Standing Committee chair the city has. He kept people focused. He is still a very good committee chair.
He can be very hard on people who are delegating before city council and was one of the council member who actively promoted getting the delegation time allocation reduced to five minutes.
Brittle he is.
 Councillor Meed Ward sit looking a little glum before she responds to Councillor Craven’s personal attack and asks that he stick to the issue and stop belittling residents, delegations and her as a council member. There is no love lost between these two. He has an acidic relationship with ward 2 councillor Marianne Meed Ward; a woman he once beat when she ran against him in the 2006 election. Meed Ward, who lived in Tyendaga community at the time, moved into ward 2 where she beat Peter Thoem for the Council seat.
There is a nasty police based complaint out there somewhere that we don’t believe has been resolved.
Craven has served the city as a city council member for more than 16 years and has served on the Police Services Board for some time.
Craven studied Communication Arts at Mohawk College and graduated from McMaster University. His previous work experience included five years as a news reporter and two decades as a manager with Ontario’s Workplace Safety and Insurance Board.
 Ward 1 Councillor Rick Craven with Ward 2 Councillor Marianne Meed Ward and Liberal candidate in the 2010 provincial election Karmel Sakran doing a media event outside city hall. He identifies himself as a Liberal and took a long look at running for office in the 2010 provincial election. He would have been running against Jane McKenna and could probably have beaten her.
Craven was at one point a radio announcer. He is a graduate of McMaster University. At a meeting of the Conservation Authority Craven, while the public was waiting outside the meeting room during a CLOSED session, Craven said that he was giving some thought to running for Mayor.
We will have to wait until at least May of 2018 before we know what Councillor Craven plans to do.
By Staff
February 26th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Central Strong, that Merry Band of “die hards” that are fighting the good fight to keep their school open, have another task that they need help with.
 They are going to walk to city hall and perhaps march into the council chamber. They want you to meet at Burlington Central at 5:15 pm tomorrow, Monday, February 27th. They will be walking along Brant St to raise awareness and bring attention to their cause and will end at City Hall where they will greet City Councillors and Mayor prior to the city council meeting.
They want everyone to bring their Save Central signs or the signs that reflect your thoughts on what City Council should be doing.
Part 2 of this initiative is some canvassing of downtown streets, so that they can gather data on what they know to be the changing demographics of the core.
They have seen numerous infill developments all around the core of the city and believe they are seeing a lot of housing turn over with many new families moving in when empty-nesters and retired homeowners move out (some of them moving to the new downtown condos).
However, maintains Central Strong, the Halton District School Board doesn’t seem to have heard of this phenomenon.
The Board is about to do an on-line survey of parents relating to the options on the table at the Program Accommodation Review. Central Strong makes reference to a comment made by Kirk Perris that this is a “non-scientific survey”. That isn’t completely true.
Those parents responding to the survey sent to them by the board will produce results that are “scientific” in that the only people who can respond to the survey sent to the household will be people from that household.
There will be a second survey, identical to the one being sent to the households, that anyone can respond to – that version of the survey will not be scientific – anyone from Pakistan will be able to respond was the way Kirk Perris put it.
The Gazette expects to have the link to the public survey late Monday afternoon and will publish that as soon as it is received.
Households will get their link directly from the board.
The door to door survey work the Central Strong people want to do might reveal data that has not been known up until now. And getting all the data possible is well worth the effort.
Central Strong is asking that “as many of you as possible to pick a street, perhaps your own street or another nearby street, and do a simple checklist for us and send it in to us. If we can get a good number of streets done, that would be great.”
 The first public meeting on the closing of Burlington high schools didn’t go all that well. Specifically, include:
Street Name
Number of Homes Canvassed
How many homes have changed from seniors/retirees to families with children in last year, 3 years, 5 years.
How many have been family homes for more than 5 years
How many are empty nesters/retirees
Of the empty nesters/retirees, how many plan on selling within 1-5 years; 5-10 years
You might know the answers for some of the homes on your street without needing to ask.
It would also be helpful if some people could canvass an apartment or condo building floor or two so that we can see how many children are living there now and extrapolate that to the number in the total building.
Central Strong wants to be able to show that the downtown core is expanding as we know it is, that the development coming to the core will bring families and children, but also that the houses that are here are turning over to more and more families.
Important Dates
Public Meeting #2 (North Burlington schools) February 28, 2017 at 7:00 pm at Dr. Frank J. Hayden Secondary School, 3040 Tim Dobbie Drive
Public Meeting #2 (South Burlington schools) March 7, 2017 at 7:00 pm at New Street Education Centre, 3250 New Street
PARC Working Meeting #4 March 23, 2017 at 7:00 pm. J.W. Singleton Education Centre, 2050 Guelph Line
Members of the PARC will be given the data from the surveys taking place between February 27th and March 13th
Director’s Report (with compiled feedback) to Committee of the Whole March 29, 2017 at 7:00 pm at J.W. Singleton Education Centre, 2050 Guelph Line
Public Delegation Night April 18, 2017 at 6:00 pm at J.W. Singleton Education Centre, 2050 Guelph Line
Final Report to Board of Trustees for decision May 17, 2017 at 7:00 pm at J.W. Singleton Education Centre, 2050 Guelph Line.
This is where the buck is going to stop. The 11 elected trustees will make the final decision. Will they prove to be independent or will the people that elected them see a decision to go with the staff recommendation.
 By Staff
February 24, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
After a couple of bench clearing events during the 2016 season the Intercounty Baseball League decided to clean things up a little and put three new rules in place.
The IBL is helping the clubs appeal to the family crowd and a bunch of emotionally charged baseball ball players roaring out onto the ball field doesn’t fit with the family sports event.
 Kitchener and Brantford teams clear their benches for one of he few brawls in the league last year. The new rules Rules of Operation, passed in January 2017set out suspensions for three classes of players.
a) The player identified as first to leave the dugout or bullpen to engage in or start an altercation is automatically suspended five games.
b) The manager of the team identified as first to leave the dugout or the bullpen is automatically suspended three games.
c) A position player, who leaves his position, to engage in an altercation, is automatically suspended one game. This also applies to batters and or players in the batter’s box.
IBL Commissioner John Kastner said “It is the job of the umpiring crew to determine who is first to leave the bench.
As is the case with all brawls, the crew will meet and determine what transpired.
The IBL does not have a provision to challenge umpiring decisions over this or any other decision.
By Pepper Parr
February 23rd, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
REVISED
With the Program Accommodation Review Committee (PARC) having gone through a long and very arduous process that some of them are not suited to they can now rest on their oars for a few weeks and see what the public has to say about the six options they have decided should be looked at seriously.
The vast majority of the members of the PAR committee are doing superb work.
 The 14 members of the Program Accommodation Review Committee are all volunteers who have put in some long hours and exchanged thousands of emails to get to the point where there are six options for the public to review. The disappointing aspect of the PARC process is that we now have parents from different schools battling with other parents to ensure that their school does not get closed. The process that Burlington has had to follow almost guaranteed this outcome – the PARC members find themselves between a rock and an even harder place – they have not had an opportunity to frame the debate and discussion and have not had the benefit of adequate an accurate information.
 The PAR committee members are fully immersed in the process. For several this is going to be a very dis-satisfying experience. They deserved better treatment. These people volunteered – put in hundreds of hours and their work is not finished yet. There are some very talented people on the PAR committee and for the most part the ideas they have put forward are commendable.
They had hoped to have some input on the on-line survey that is going to be done – no such luck. One PARC member expressed some concern with the survey that is being put together. The one done December 8th was described by Kirk Perris, the man who put it together as “not one of his better efforts”. That wasn’t an understatement.
The public meeting plan explained to the PARC members was for an event that is to be as interactive as these things can be.
There are two parts to the public engagement: an online survey and public meetings where people can look at the details and ask questions. There will be one public meeting in the north end of the city and a second, with identical content in the south of the city.
 Kirk Perris, the IPSOS Reid facilitator hired by the board is designing the public meting content and the on-line surveys. He and PARC chair Scott Podrebarac are guiding the process. Perris intends to set up information stations for each of the six options. Board staff will be on hand to explain the details of each option. PARC members will be on hand as well to give their take on how they got to where they are.
The on-line survey will be opened on the 27th of February. It will be sent out to all parents and there will be an on-line version for anyone else who wants to participate.
The first public meeting in the north end of the city is on the 28th – at Hayden high school, the second is on March 7th at the Gary Allan educational centre on New Street. Both start at 7:00 pm
The survey goes off-line on the 131th of March. There will be print versions of the survey available.
It would be advisable for anyone responding to the survey to wait until they have had a chance to attend one of the public meetings.
Perris talked in terms of questions that would be open ended as well as questions that would be closed ended.
He described the meetings as an exercise in public engagement – there are a lot of smart people who are looking very carefully and closely at the process so far and they do not feel engaged.
One PARC member wanted to know how the data collected is going to be used: “is this a popularity contest or are you going after data that is quantitative or qualitative? Why are we doing this?
 Burlington trustees Andrea Grebenc, on the left and Leah Reynolds have attended all the PARC meeting. Trustees Papin and Collard’s antecedence has been more sporadic. There are some serious concerns in the minds of those people who are following this issue as well as members of the PARC.
The trustees who will make the final decision are sitting on the side lines – observing. One cannot envy them for what is coming their way.
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