 By Pepper Parr
May 15th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Caroline Simpson was the person responsible for making sure the Regional Chair’s Annual Golf Tournament went smoothly. She was looking for items that could be put into the silent auction and approached the Art Gallery of Burlington where she crossed paths with Mary Mazur, the EA to the CEO.
They talked and Simpson came away with a piece of art for the golf tournament silent auction and also knowing a lot about an event the AGB was sponsoring at the Performing Arts Centre. Simpson felt good about the new contact she had made and delighted to be able to get to a concert she might not normally have gone to – an evening of music played on a flute.
 Gordon Burwood points out the location of the hotel that Caroline Simpson, on the left, will stay at during her week in Paris – a prize she won at a raffle during the Evening in Paris event sponsored by the Art Gallery of Burlington at the Performing Arts Centre. Karen Burwood looks on. Oh joy – one might say – but this evening was not just a concert – it was an art history lesson, it was an opportunity to not only hear the music, which Simpson, really didn’t’ know much about, but to learn about the context and the times the music was composed.
She didn’t know that the Impressionist art movement came out of the same period and that the Statue of Liberty and the Eiffel tower were created during the same time frame as well and that the Paris Opera House came out of the same time period.
What she did know at the end of the performance was that she has heard a superb flutist perform – and that she was going to Paris
Simpson is a Laurier University “poly-sci” graduate with three kids at home and a demanding job.
Part of the “Evening in Paris” event put on by the Art Gallery in Burlington at the Performing Arts Centre was a draw for two tickets for a week in Paris. The prize was donated by DH Tours – tickets were $2 each.
 Serene Martin on the left, Ondrea Crockett on the right – Caroline Simpson in the middle. Simpson had bought 40 tickets, she said she “had a sense I was going to win. “I wasn’t totally surprised” she said “but it did take a minute for my winning to sink in.”
“I knew the range of the tickets I had bought – the winning ticket was the last one in the range – 0597. I think my friends, Serene Martin and Ondrea Crockett were more excited than I was.”
The prize included $500 of spending money.
As of Saturday afternoon Simpson had not told her children. “I was thinking about who I would take with me – my daughter who is turning 16 – if I take her what do I do for my 13 year old? I have thought about taking my Mom – that would be nice.”
But right now explained Simpson “I can’t spend any time thinking about when I go to Paris or who goes with me – I have a golf tournament to get done.”
Simpson is the enhancement programs coordinator at the Willow Foundation – an arm’s length agency of the Region of Halton that raises funds for the for the seniors living in the three village retirement residences run by the region. The Foundation, a non-profit, registered charitable organization, was established in 2002. Governed by a volunteer board of directors, funds are raised to further enhance the lives of seniors and disabled adults in the Halton Region’s three long-term care homes: Creek Way Village in Burlington and Post Inn Village in Oakville and the Allendale Village in Milton where there are about 575 residents
 Regional Chair Gary Carr a community event. The golf tournament, known as the Regional Chair’s Annual Golf Tournament, is taking place Thursday – the 18th at the Crosswinds Golf and Country Club. Simpson is beavering away at all those last minute details – that seem to be never end. Event registration, if you’re interested: https://birdeasepro.com/thewillowfoundation
“The Chair is a big supporter of the Willow Foundation. It is nice to work for an organization where there is strong leadership.
Simpson thinks about sitting at a café in Paris and reading some of the books she doesn’t have time to read these days. “It will be different – won’t it” she suggests.
 By Pepper Parr
May 15th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
There were few gifts in the weather this weekend.
Our Member of Parliament Karina Gould was scheduled to throw out the ceremonial pitch at a Burlington Bandits game – cancelled due to rain.
Hayley Marie Remple gave her Masters Class to flute players and then left town to begin her tour of western Canada. They are in for a treat.
 Monument marking the 3582nd kilometer of the Terry Fox Marathon of Hope Run that took place 35 years ago. The plaque noting that the historical Brant Inn used to be located a dozen yards or so to the south sits to the left of the monument.
There was an event that took place on a knoll on the north side of spencer smith Park where some history got cemented into place – not something Burlington has been all that good at doing.
A group of citizens thought it would be fitting for there to be a monument commemorating the day Terry Fox passed through Burlington on his Marathon of Hope 35 years ago.
The group that made this happen has chosen to be quiet – their concern was that the creation of the monument not take anything away from the annual Terry Fox run.
 The Brant Inn was located close to the edge of the lake – immediately south o the plaque – the Terry Fox monument sits on a bit of a knoll just west of the pond where small model motor boats will soon be scooting around. The monument is a very handsome structure.
It was originally going to be located closer to the intersection of |Lakeshore Road and Maple – some one came up with the idea of a more prominent location – right up beside the plaque that notes the existence of the Brant Inn – once a hot spot for American musicians who came to Burlington by train where they could play, sleep and eat in the same location.
 The plaque tells the story. It was the place to be in those days. Nothing like it in the city today. Pity The Brant Inn plaque is 15 to 20 yards from the site of the famous Inn. With the Fox monument steps away from the plaque – Burlington now has a spot where some significant history is commemorated. The Joseph Brant Museum is but a football field length to the west.
It will be interesting to see how the Tourism people feature the existence of the Fox monument in their literature and web site.
 Make a point of getting out to see it – it is both handsome and significant.
Good things can happen in Burlington.
By Pepper Parr
May 15th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Our thanks to Kim Verrall and Louise Marie Vien for this collection of pictures.
Who knew there were that many people involved in ACCOB – the Arts and Collective of Burlington. They gathered on Sunday for a “family portrait” – the final image is in the hands of the photographer – it is to be posted to the ACCOB Facebook page – where everyone can tag the names.
An impressive gathering – we were told the Mayor had asked to attend – not sure if he made an appearance.
With the family portrait in place – city council now knows the arts community is real – and that it needs support – which does not appear to be forth coming.
ACCOB has a number of committees that are either sub-committees or affiliated with them – that have been meeting with various people at city hall – including the city manager – word is that there hasn’t been all that much traction and that Cultural Days in September is going to have to get by on $2500.
Feelings are quite high with one member of a group declaring that the city manager has lied to them.
Any hope for an Arts Council seems dim at best.
For today – the Family Room at the Performing Arts Centre was love, peace and kindness. The Gazette was unable to attend – Sunday of us is a day of worship and thanksgiving.
We wonder if those people with instruments broke out and if Tomy Bewick did a slam.
We will pick up what actually happened when we talk to people during the week.
In the meantime some on the spot pictures.
 By Staff
May 14th, 2106
BURLINGTON, ON
Hayley Marie Remple plays the flute – at time she attackes the instrument and on other occasions you can almost feel her straining to find the air she needs to finish the bars of music she wants you to hear.
Remple was on the stage of the Performing Arts Centre doing a benefit concert for the art Gallery of Burlington. Don Graves, a noted Burlington landscape artist with a life of music as his frame and a noted book reviewer as well describes what the audience saw and felt this way:
 “A group of clever, inspired French composers: Debussy, Ravel, Saint-Saens, Faure, Widor and Satie. The time is 1870 to 1910. Add a gala young woman who mergers with her instrument, the flute, to weave an Evening in Paris, full of masterful playing, displaying that technique is something an artist should know but not show, a musician that spins history with multi-media storytelling and some of the finest flute playing I’ve heard in Burlington…ever.
“What brings this evening at the PBAC to a special moment in time is Haley Marie’s exquisite bringing together of music, history, coloratura playing and dynamic story telling.
Not a silo in sight. Music, painting, history, the era of impressionistic music in Paris and unveiled in an informal, warm and technically sparkling visual concert that earned her a well-deserved standing ovation.
 “Is this where the concert hall may be headed? Did the Art Gallery of Burlington and the Burlington Performance Art Centre launch something that speaks to the future of an evening listening to music, listening to a story and watching a screen that unfolds the place, the atmosphere and its time? Yes, it happened in Burlington and this young flutist raised our sights, our visions and our joy.
One of the unfortunate aspects of single night performance is – we can’t say to you – “Ya gotta see this performance” – because she is gone – off to complete her five province tour.
Graves describes the performance well – he catches mixture of visual, verbal and the sounds from the flute well. He is a man with a good eye and a strong appreciation for music – he nailed this one.
He might have added that during the performance Remple has words pop up on the screen that explain the complexity of the music – nothing too deep – things like “I have to breath really hard for this part”
What the public saw and heard was a Carnegie Hall class artist who performs superbly and adds comments with words on the screen that add to the quality of the performance.
There are times when Remple comes close to attacking her flute – the finger work is superb.
She will do a Master Class for flute students Saturday afternoon.
Might she return – it was a performance worth recommending to friends.
 By Staff
May 13th, 2106
BURLINGTON, ON
It took just over a month – but the police, with the help they got from the public, were able to identify and then arrest Rafael MAIA (29yrs of Mississauga) He has been charged with Possession of Property Obtained by Crime, Theft Under, Drive Disqualified, five charges.
Investigators credit the public for their assistance.
On March 23rd at approximately 3:00am a garage was accessed while the homeowners were asleep in their residence. Two vehicles were stolen. The cameras on the 407 eastbound from Burlington identified one of the two cars stolen. . One was recovered in Toronto on March 24th.
The second car, a 2006 grey Infiniti G35 was used in a gas drive off in Toronto in the early morning hours on March 30th.
Photos of the driver were made available.
 By Ray Rivers
May 13, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Even deep ecologists, the folks who’ll tell you that fire is a natural part of a sustainable forest, cannot defend what has been happening at Fort McMurray, Alberta. The ‘Beast’, Fort McMurray’s runaway fire is not a controlled burn by any measure. This has been called the worst environmental disaster in Canadian history.
 The fire, named the Beast bu he men and women who had to fight it day after day, moved into communities an wiped out everything in its path. The Beast has gobbled up over 200,000 hectares of woodland so far. That is more acreage than foresters harvest in B.C.annually. And it is twice as much as gets taken down each year in Ontario, generating 13 billion dollars in revenues, including some five billion dollars in forest products exports for our province. Also, Ontario’s treasury gets $100 million in royalty payments, and of course there are all those spin off benefits.
Firefighters managed to save an estimated eighty to ninety percent of the building stock in the Fort McMurray, though some suburbs were virtually destroyed. And the entire city and surrounding communities, as many as 100,000 residents, had to be evacuated. In a show of national unity all Canadians and many of their provincial governments came forward contributing fire-fighters and money to help with the consequences and aftermath of this event.
Canada is no stranger to forest fires. As a country which has the world’s second largest land mass, much of it sparsely populated, we typically lose over 600,000 hectares to fire every year. But the fire season has barely started this year and the Beast has already claimed a third of that with the fire still burning. The exceptionally hot and dry spring, and possibly a careless human, are the likely causes. But authorities worry that Edmonton, also experiencing exceptionally dry conditions, may be next.
Is climate change to blame? This is exactly the kind of event that climatologists have been predicting. And that would make this the second time in only a couple years, that Alberta has been hit with a major climate related event – recall that monster flood in Calgary a couple years ago. But few people are saying that in public. Well, Elizabeth May, the Green Party leader, is but then she’ll never be PM so she can say what is truly on her mind. Our new climate-change-fighting PM was reluctant to make the linkage, though he doesn’t really need to – it’s obvious.
Of course nobody wants to be accused of blaming the victims, including the oil sands operators who have had to suspend operations. Our hearts go out for the people who’ve lost their homes and possession, and have spent the last several days living in community centres, or with family somewhere else. And the truth is that leaping to shut down oil sands operations, in recognition of the reality before us, would hardly reverse the climate change we are experiencing in the short run anyway.
 The Leap Manifesto should at last be read – Rivers has created a link to the document at the bottom of his column. You may have heard about the Leap Manifesto, something which nearly tore the heart out of the recent NDP national convention in Edmonton. Avi Lewis, son of former Ontario NDP leader Stephen Lewis presented it in the faint hope of obtaining an endorsement by that party. Its non-partisan sticker notwithstanding, the document was produced to influence last year’s federal election and presumably energy policy in Alberta, though even Mr. Mulcair seemed to have mis-interpreted it and Alberta’s Premier was deadly opposed.
Lewis and his wife; journalist, author and social activist Naomi Klein, initiated this project as an afterthought to her book “This Changes Everything” and his documentary of the same name. A number of aboriginal leaders, other social and environmental activists, and wannabes assembled to write the Manifesto which reads, as one would expect, like something written by a committee.
Still Leap has morphed into something of a movement with over 40,000 signatures of support in its call to leap beyond business as usual this leap year, including the call for a guaranteed annual income for all Canadians. And as one of its primary targets, it has raised the hackles of the oil industry by its not so veiled call for shutting down the oil sands and any more pipeline construction.
Fort McMurray, Alberta’s oldest European settlement dating back to 1788, started out as a lonely fur trading establishment. Today it is known as the city that services Canada’s oil sands industry and Canada’s most valued export industry, despite the collapse of oil prices last year. The city will rebuild and recover, the forests surrounding it will regrow and things will go back to normal, for a while anyway.
But the message of the Leap Manifesto is right about how and where we ultimately need to get our energy. Forty years ago we didn’t speak of climate change or global warming. Fossil fuels seemed like the future, energy independence seemed critical and Canada was running out of oil.
Alberta with the help of the federal government, then led by Mr. Trudeau’s father, supported the oil sands mega-project. But given what we know today, It may well take another Trudeau to help Albertans move away from producing the dirtiest oil on the planet.
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 where he ran as a Liberal against Cam Jackson in 1995, the year Mike Harris and the Common Sense Revolution swept the province. Rivers is no longer active with any political party.
Background links:
The Beast – Fire Damage – Climate Change – Oil Exports – Forest Facts –
Canada’s Forests – Carbon in Forests – Still Burning – Leap – This Changes Everything –
Mulcair on Leap –
By Staff
May 13, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
On May 12th 2016, the Halton Regional Police, Burlington Street Crime Unit (SCU), concluded a drug trafficking investigation that resulted in three arrests and the execution of Controlled Drugs and Substances Act search warrant at a Burlington hotel.
Seized as a result of the Investigation:
• 142.2 grams of Heroin (6 separate bags)
• 2 grams of Shatter (marihuana oil)
• 2 grams of marihuana
• 3 crack cocaine rocks
• $4615 Canadian Currency
The drugs have an estimated street value of $36,000
The following persons have been charged;
Stephen Mark O’SULLIVAN (39 years) currently of no fixed address (held for a bail hearing)
• Possession for the Purpose – Heroin
• Possession for the Purpose – Cocaine
• Possession of controlled substance -Marihuana (under 30 grams)
• Possession of controlled substance – Hashish
• Breach Probation
• Breach Recognizance (two counts)
Stephen Mark O’SULLIVAN (63 years) currently of no fixed address (released on Promise to Appear in Milton Court on June 1st 2016)
• Breach Recognizance
Thanh Van TRAN (37 years) of Hamilton (released on Promise to Appear in Milton Court on June 14th 2016)
• Trafficking- Cocaine
Investigators remind the public to utilize Crime Stoppers to report any illegal drug, gun or gang activity at 1-800-222-TIPS(8477), through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.com or by texting “Tip201” with your message to 274637(crimes)
 By Pepper Parr
May 12, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
There are five things the Joseph Brant Hospital administration want you to know about the re-build/re-development taking place on Lakeshore Road.
1. Construction Highlights – Starting on Friday, May 13, 2016 the EllisDon team will begin to disassemble one of two crane towers on our main construction site. The disassembly of the crane is a significant construction milestone as it means that most of the large mechanical and electrical equipment has been delivered and installed. Moving forward, the building materials and equipment will be transported either using the existing crane or the man and material hoist on the side of the tower.
The building envelope continues to go up on Levels 5, 6 and 7. By early June, the building will be weather-tight and electrical and mechanical work will begin on the inside. Roof work is taking place on multiple levels of the new tower and will be complete by early fall. Inside the tower, brick walls are being constructed and duct work is happening in the penthouse (Levels 8 and 9) which will house generators, electrical equipment and air handling units. On the Main Level, dry wall is going up and on each level, structural steel framing of the rooms continues.
 Contractor expect the new building to be “weather tight” by the end of June. 2. Technologically driven – New hospital technology will change the way we deliver care. Some of the technologies will include; a new nurse call bell system that incorporates handheld devices; a real time locating system that easily locates staff and patients; and new telemetry and patient monitoring that connects medical devices to critical alarms. Our electronic documentation project, which has been deferred until after the move into our new tower, will enable staff to document a patient’s chart electronically and make clinical decisions at the point-of-care.
3. Programs Moving into the New Tower – Some of our biggest programs will be moving to our new patient tower in the fall of 2017 including our Emergency Department, Operating Rooms, Medical/Surgical Inpatient Units, Intensive Care Unit and Oncology.
 Early architectural renderings slightly different than what is being built. It is going to be a fine looking building. 4. Current Moves and Renovations – In preparation of the renovations happening in our existing hospital there are a series of temporary moves taking place across the hospital which will continue throughout the project. The renovation of our new Maternal Child Unit on 2 East and the construction of a new link corridor on our main level will begin at the end of May 2016. The link will connect the existing hospital to the new hospital. Upon completion of the hospital project there will be links on each level, tying the existing to the new.
5. A New Entrance – The new main entrance will face Lakeshore Road, changing the address of the hospital. Our new entrance connects the hospital to the beauty of Lake Ontario and the Waterfront Trail and will serve as a single point of entry for many of our departments, including the Emergency Department (Main Level), Surgical Services (Level 2), and the Intensive Care Unit (Level 4). The current hospital entrance will be the new entrance to our Ambulatory Care Clinics.
 By Pepper Parr
May 12, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Staffers at city hall are there to carry on the business of government – they are there to do the things that council has decided are best for the city.
That Council, which you elected, hired a city manager who directs the bureaucracy – who – and this is something they tend to forget – are there to send the money that you the tax payer give them.
They are there to do your will – and that of course is where it gets a little tricky.
Whose will? There are many “wills”. There are those who want bicycle lanes everywhere; there are those who want to see less money spent on buses because they feel no on uses the things.
There are those who want calming bumps on street and there are those who want the speed limits lifted.
This is where the politicians have to sense what the public wants and then actually lead rather than react to three people who show up at council meetings to complain.
 LaSalle Park Marina – boats getting put back into the water.  Water that is shared by the Trumpeter swans. One of the more interesting conflicts is what the environmentalists and the boating people are going through at LaSalle Park. The environmentalists want to ensure that the trumpeter swans have a safe place to live – the boating people wants a safe place for their craft.
Both have legitimate arguments – and both have rights – finding a balance that will work for both is proving difficult for this council – it remains to be seen how this one gets worked out.
Spencer Smith Park is one of the city’s gems. It is used by thousands and taken care of by staff who have a real challenge on their hands.
The park is going to be extended west towards the canal that separates us from Hamilton. There was a lot of controversy over the decision to create a park that was a huge upgrade from what is in place now.
 Ingrid Vanderbrug – a city landscape planner During a Jane’s Walk put on by the Sustainable Development Committee last weekend we learned a lot more than city hall was telling people.
The Gazebo which is a significant part of the park – might be seeing the end of its life – the city has plans for something that is accessible and will allow for significantly different uses – there wasn’t any public discussion that we were aware of.
With the technology available today it is so easy to get opinions – the city spent hundreds of thousands on the software that allows them to get a response on any question in a matter of days – add that to the soundings the members of council have and it doesn’t take long to get a sense of what people want – and it is their city – it is their park.
 The plan is to grow some vegetation behind the benches which we hope planners will have some wood on top of the concrete – creating a comfortable place to rest. During that same walk we learned that the patch of land in Spencer Smith Park where the original Brant Inn used to be located is going to get an upgrade which will be one of the first steps in the creating of the several parks that will appear in the Beachway
The landscaping people in the planning department have realized that there aren’t many places in that stretch of the park to sit in shade.
A set of benches are going to be put in with a trellis to shade the area and plants that will stop the geese from coming into the park from the water.
 A very attractive monument marking a point in the Terry Fox Marathon of Hope run 35 years ago will be unveiled in Spencer Smith Park this weekend. The benches will give a very clear line of sight to the Terry Fox marker/monument that will be unveiled this weekend.
Preparing the existing Beachway community for the major changes coming to that part of town are slowly coming about.
The sand dunes in the Beachway are significant and sensitive parts of the ecology of the Beachway. Seedlings are being planed and invasive plans being pulled out – all under the guidance of the Regional planners who are designing and will implement the plans. The city will operate the park once it is completed.
Earlier this week the city began the task of raising Lakeshore Road where it curves around the Joseph Brant Museum and leads to the new entrance to the hospital expansion that is under construction.
 This home is in a location that just doesn’t fit with the plans that have been created for a much different Beachway community. Do plans ever get changed – and if they were changed how would this home be integrated into the existing plans? Don’t expect the couple that live in this home to go quietly into the night with a big cheque in their pockets. Would you?  The owner of this home is putting on insulation – perhaps with a federal or provincial grant, which would be ironic. This owner doesn’t look like a willing seller. All this takes place while the delicate back and forth of property purchases takes place. The Region has what they refer to as a willing seller/willing buyer policy that has them buying the 25+ homes in the Beachway from any seller who wants to part ways with what they own.
 Why would a home like this be torn down? For a park? The implication here is that every property owner will eventually sell. Wait for the really nasty fights when the last three or four hold outs meet wit the power of local government.
By Staff
May 11, 2016
BURLINGTON. ON
Twenty of the city’s best were nominated and seven of those were named as the best we have at the annual Burlington’s Best Awards ceremony on May 11, 2016.
Six of the 20 came from ward 6.
“All nominees have shown passion, dedication and caring for their fellow residents and their city,” said Mayor Rick Goldring. “They have a ripple effect of kindness and compassion that is inspiring. I applaud the Burlington’s Best Awards Committee for managing the difficult task of picking only one winner in each category.”
The Burlington’s Best categories include:
• Heritage Award
• Community Service Award
• Environmental Award
• Arts Person of the Year
• Junior Citizen of the Year
• Senior Person of the Year
• Citizen of the Year
Heritage Award
This award is sponsored by Heritage Burlington, a City of Burlington citizen advisory committee comprised of 14 volunteers with a mandate to provide advice to City Council on issues related to the conservation of Burlington’s cultural heritage.
The award goes to an individual who has demonstrated a long-term commitment to the preservation of Burlington’s heritage, and has volunteered his or her time to support the preservation of Burlington’s heritage.
Winner: Winifred Stewart
Stewart has been a leader and supporter of heritage and culture in Burlington for more than 40 years. At Joseph Brant Museum, she has documented collection pieces, provided tours to young and old and has worked tirelessly to ensure future generations will continue to learn about the early settlement and development of Burlington and the important relationship with First Nations through Joseph Brant, Thayendanegea.
Stewart was a member of the Friends of Ireland House and spent hundreds of hours raising awareness and funds to ensure it became a museum for the citizens of Burlington. Her dedication and commitment to preserving, documenting and presenting Burlington’s heritage is a strong testament to her sense of community.
Community Service Award
This award is sponsored by COGECO, a diversified communications company that strives to meet the communication needs of consumers and advertisers through cable distribution and radio broadcasting. Cogeco Cable is the second largest cable telecommunications company in Ontario and Québec in terms of basic cable service customers.
The Community Service Award is given to an individual or group whose volunteer activity has contributed to the betterment of the Burlington community.
Winner: Janice Martin
Martin is a compassionate person, with a natural ability to make people feel safe and appreciated, who makes things happen in her community. She spearheaded a single moms’ group at Tansley United Church, which has empowered many single moms, allowing them to form positive and nurturing connections.
Martin helped to set up an after-school program called Chill Zone; a seniors program. She volunteers twice a month at the North Burlington Community Dinners and oversees the Food for Life program at the Tansley distribution location. Martin finds a way to meet needs either directly, by partnering with other community organizations or by sourcing funds and volunteers and then applying her impressive organization skills to make things come together.
Environmental Award
This award is sponsored by Walker Environmental Group, a leading waste management company that develops solutions for environmental challenges—solutions that are socially, economically and environmentally sustainable—including aerobic composting, alternative energy production and environmental project management. The company’s diverse range of services provides sustainable solutions that reduce waste, improve energy efficiency and enhance the environment.
The Environmental Award is given to an individual or group that improved and/or protects Burlington’s environment.
Winner: Ken Woodruff
 Ken Woodruff Woodruff has tirelessly volunteered his time, energy and expertise for the past decade. He believes in the importance of giving of oneself to create a better, healthier Burlington for others to enjoy.
His hard work and dedication to environmental initiatives in Burlington, including protecting the rural environment and valuable green space, has touched many lives. Woodruff has pushed for environmentally sustainable policy and decision-making and has led the BurlingtonGreen team to grow as an effective, impactful organization through various programs, services and advocacy campaigns.
Woodruff’s passion and determined efforts to protect the health of the environment have made Burlington a better city for all of us to enjoy, now and in the future.
Arts Person of the Year
THE K.W. IRMISCH AWARD
The Arts Person of the Year Award was donated to the City of Burlington by the Irmisch family to recognize the importance of the arts in the community and to recognize all of the volunteers who work so hard to showcase the amazing talent and culture of Burlington.
The award is given to an individual who has contributed to the arts in Burlington as an artist, patron or advocate, including, but not limited to, visual arts, media arts, musical arts, performing arts and literary arts.
Winner: Dan Murray
 Dan Murrray Murray is a co-organizer of the Burlington Slam Project and has grown from a participating local poet into an international competitor and local artistic mentor.
In his co-organizer capacity, he has hosted nearly half of 2015’s monthly poetry shows, co-facilitated several free writing workshops with HYWire (Halton Youth Writers) at Burlington Public Library and has served in the official coaching role for Burlington’s 2015 International Slam Team.
Murray has become a top ranked Canadian spoken word artist who has successfully branched out into a musical career and continues to lend his time to help other writers. His contributions to this community as an organizer, artist and emerging mentor have had a tremendous impact on all who know him.
Junior Citizen of the Year
Youthfest was founded in 2002, and avidly promotes the importance of youth in our community, develops youth responsibility and action in the community and connects youth to meaningful volunteer opportunities and available supportive service. The winner will receive a $500 bursary, courtesy of the Bank of Montreal, which has been a leading and supportive partner since the inception of Youthfest.
The Junior Citizen of the Year Award is given to a high school student, 18 years of age or younger, who has made a significant contribution to the Burlington community.
Winner: Chris Choi
Chris is a natural leader, bringing dedication and passion to his various community volunteer roles. He has made a significant contribution at Burlington Public Library by assisting with the Teen/Senior Tech Meet-Up program where teens help seniors with computer skills.
Choi is recognized as a leader on the library’s Central Branch Teen Advisory Board and is a Youth Representative on the Library’s Advocacy Committee promoting lifelong literacy. Chris helped shape the development of 3 Things for Burlington, supported by Community Development Halton and Burlington Public Library, which promotes random acts of kindness by teens to create a positive impact on the citizens of Burlington.
Senior Person of the Year
This award is sponsored by the Williamsburg, an award-winning residence for seniors located in Burlington’s uptown core. Visionary in its design and progressive in the lifestyle offered, the Williamsburg is a community of vibrant, engaging and friendly residents.
The Senior Person of the Year Award is given to a Burlington resident aged 55 years or older who has advocated on behalf of seniors and/or made a significant contribution to the Burlington community.
Winner: Bob Pring
 Bob Pring Pring’s volunteer community contributions are many and include the Art Gallery of Burlington, working with youth in hockey, developing skills across the generations in lawn bowling and helping those less fortunate through local social service agencies.
Pring recently initiated a project to make handcrafted canes for Burlington’s veterans and recruited members of the Sculptors and Woodcarvers Guild to help carve them. He knows the power of the arts can improve the lives of children in both school and life and has actively engaged and instructed children in woodcarving demonstrations for many years.
Citizen of the Year Award
This award is courtesy of the Rotary Club of Burlington-Lakeshore and the Rotary Club of Burlington North.
The world’s first service club, the Rotary Club of Chicago, was formed on Feb. 23, 1905. Since then, the club has grown to include 1.2 million Rotarians belonging to more than 32,000 Rotary clubs in more than 200 countries. Service above self is Rotary’s guiding principle.
The Citizen of the Year Award is given to a person whose volunteer activity has made a significant and sustained contribution to the vibrancy and wellbeing of the Burlington community.
Winner: Brenda Hunter
 Brenda Hunter Hunter’s leadership and dedication to the healthcare needs of Burlington through her work with the Joseph Brant Hospital Foundation is inspiring.
She is a true champion of the hospital’s “Our New Era Campaign” which has raised more than $48 million and she successfully led the “One room at a Time Campaign” which raised $400,000 in support of the refurbishment of the Palliative Care Unit. Hunter is an example of leadership and volunteerism and her many contributions have transformed our community.
Burlington’s Best Awards are managed by a citizen’s committee established in 1965 with the mandate of recognizing Burlington residents who bring honour to the city and make a difference in their community.
Links:
Nominees for the 2016 Burlington Best Awards
 By Staff
May 11, 2012
BURLINGTON, ON
 On Saturday, April 30, Halton Region hosted its 16th Annual Scout Tree Planting event at the Halton Waste Management Site (HWMS) in Milton.
Hosted in partnership with Conservation Halton and local scouts from across Halton, over 150 scouts and volunteers participated in the event and planted 250 trees in celebration of Earth Day and Arbour Day.
“Protecting and enhancing the natural environment is a priority for Halton Region,” said Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr. “We are committed to working with our community partners to reduce our carbon footprint. Events like the Annual Scout Tree Planting contribute to the long-term sustainability of our community and give young Halton residents a chance to make a difference in Halton’s future.”
 From left to right: Halton Regional Chair, Gary Carr, Scout Deputy Area Commissioner, Bob Collison and Conservation Halton Board Chair, John Vice. Chair Carr was joined by Conservation Halton Board Chair, John Vice and General Manager Hassaan Basit. Town of Milton and Regional Councillor and Conservation Halton Chair, Colin Best, along with Scout Deputy Area Commissioner, Bob Collison, were also on hand to show their support. The short opening ceremony recognized Conservation Halton’s dedication to protecting and restoring the local environment and the hard work and community spirit demonstrated by Halton’s local Scouts. After planting the trees, participants enjoyed a celebratory barbeque lunch.
 From left to right: Halton Beavers – Cameron Reid, age 8 and Jacob Reid, age 6. “The Annual Scout Tree Planting is a great example of what Conservation Halton values, three organizations coming together in partnership to do good work which will benefit the community now and for years to come,” said Conservation Halton Chair John Vice. “We get particularly excited when young people get a hands-on outdoor experience like planting a tree. Thank you to the scouts and their parents for planting trees at the Halton Waste Management Site.”
By Staff
May 11th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
The Halton Regional Police Service has created a web dedicated to information on drugs appearing on the streets of the Region.
AddictionaryHalton.com is a new online resource, provided by the Halton Police Drug, Gun & Gang Unit, aimed at helping to educate parents, guardians and Halton’s youth about the dangers of drug, substance abuse and criminal activity connected to illicit drugs.
In this resource you will find a listing of street drugs that have been found in Halton, current drug trends, community resources to help with addiction and video stories about drugs and the recovery process.
Visit AddictionaryHalton.com’s blog to learn about recent drug seizures made by Drug, Gun & Gang Unit. The blog will also post warnings to the public regarding dangerous drugs circulating in the community along with merging drug trends.
Anyone wanting more information about street drugs, addiction and recovery options, please visit: www.addictionaryhalton.com or follow us on Twitter at: @HRPSRID.
If you live in and around the Halton Region then this site is for you.
 When marijuana is made legal – what will that do to the police statistics? Marihuana continues to be the main controlled substance seized by the Halton Regional Police. Cocaine is once again the second most common drug seized in Halton. There has been an increased in prescription drugs, including opioids and benzodiazapines. Crystal methamphetamine seizures are a concern as the Halton Police Drug Unit continues to see an increase throughout the region.
By Pepper Parr
May 11th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
We hear the news
We see the pictures of the devastation with street after street not much more than a pile of ashes.
We wonder what it must have been like as those people drove down that highway with flames licking the side of the road and flaming embers landing on the road in front of their vehicles.
More than 2000 homes – gone.
 Fire approaches a street that has been evacuated. Burlington has a large swath of rural land were the bush is thick. How would this city handle a serious forest fire?
We asked Fire Chief Tony Bavota what the protocol was and where did he turn to should his crews be unable to handle a blaze.
“I have ten trucks that are on standby day and night and if I need to I can ramp up to 18 in a very short period of time.
“How short Chief” we asked – “I’m talking hours” he replied.
There are also reciprocal agreements between all the municipalities in the Region. We can be in touch with one another in minutes.
When it became evident how bad the situation was in Calgary the Ontario Fire Marshal was in touch with the Fire Marshall in Alberta to offer assistance.
 Devastation left once fire has passed through a community. It is much the same in the Region of Halton – when we have a serious situation the Regional Fire Coordinator makes the call. Burlington’s Bavoda is the co-ordinator at this point in time.
He drives around with what amounts to a small communications station in the trunk of hi vehicle and can set up a command station almost anywhere.
There is back up all the way up the bureaucratic food chain explained Bavota with the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) there to help.
If we needed aircraft to drop water – we work with the MNR people who know where the flight people are.
In Burlington there are bylaws that determine where fires can be lit. The Chief can cancel any permit given to someone to do a local fire burn.
The Chief has direct contacts with all the people that matter – he is either aware personally of a situation or has people who keep him informed as to how dry it is in the forested part of the city. What the water situation is in the creeks.
 Fire chief Tony Bavota handing out cards with direct line telephone numbers and ensuring that people got the help they needed. Bavota said he wasn’t going to worry about lines of authority – if they need help – Bavota did everything he could to get it to them during the ice storm. “All the fire burning permits go through the fire department and one of our inspectors goes out to the location to advise the person who wants to do a controlled burn and tells them what they have to have on hand”, said Bavota
The Fire Chief can override any permit that has been given out “I’ve done that in the past” he said.
So far this year there have been a few grass fires – nothing serious but when we get those kinds of calls we need to move quickly – winds shift and you’d be amazed at how fast a flame will race across an open space and suddenly light up a stand of trees.
As we saw from the Alberta situation – fires take on a life of their own – and they become very difficult to stop. Fire marshals in Alberta are still investigating the source of the blaze
By Staff
May 11th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Our colleagues at CATCH (Citizens at City Hall) published a piece on a meeting where the provincial Minister of the Environment and Climate Change spoke of the impact climate change is having on us – Now. Burlington understands what he is talking about – he drives the point even further than the August 2014 flood did,
Ontario’s minister of the environment and climate change had some blunt advice when he spoke at the climate resilient cities conference in Hamilton recently. Glenn Murray offered detailed evidence that climate change already threatens our food and water security and it’s going to get much worse.
While he declared that “there’s nothing that Hamilton lacks to be the kick-ass city in Canada”, the former mayor of Winnipeg made clear that “fundamental transformation” in our urban form is required including intensification and no more suburban sprawl.
“I want to take you to the context of where I think we as a group of leaders have to understand and what the dynamics are,” he began. “And I will just offer the proposition that the two biggest crises that we face on the adaptation and resilience side are food security and water security.”
 Glen Murray – Minister of the Environment and Climate Change He pointed to a Toronto storm three years ago that dumped a month’s rain in one hour and tore out 80 metres of GO train track “that cost us $600 million which could basically pay for half of [Hamilton’s] LRT.” And he cited “false springs” that wiped out the local apple crop in 2012. He also explained the link of many extreme weather events to the melting arctic ice cap and its effect on the polar vortex.
“The jet stream has slowed down by about 20 percent which means that the periods which are wet last longer, the periods which are dry last longer and that causes us to have so many droughts as we saw in the prairies, fires, invasions of species – the beetles that are destroying our forests,” Minister Murray explained. “And then we have moisture levels on the prairies that we haven’t seen since the last ice age – and if we didn’t have the modern irrigation we have now we probably would be courting if not in the dust bowl, and for the first time Calgary and Regina had air quality warnings because of the level of smoke from fires on the prairies.”
 The cost of repairing GO train tracks when Toronto experienced flooding would have paid for half of the LRT coming to Hamilton. He spoke a week before a tinder dry forest and 32C temperatures helped fuel the catastrophic fire in Fort McMurray despite its near sub-arctic location at the same latitude as the northern tip of Ontario and lower Hudson’s Bay.
Murray reminded his audience that last year’s “disruptive spring” experiences included four to five metres of snow “on the streets of Halifax and St John’s” in the last week of April and asked what that would have done in Hamilton. “No one had much of a garden in Atlantic Canada last year. That was also the summer that we had fires on the Prairies the soft fruit crop blossomed in January in BC and died.”
Focusing particularly on food security, the Minister argued that the jet stream destabilization has “had some very bad impacts on our ability to produce food” and warned that “if you want to destabilize a government, all you have to do as a society is just have a food or water shortage for any period of time.”
As an example, he pointed to the extreme drought in the Middle East in 2006-2011 where there was “an 80 percent food crop loss in northern Syria and the fertile crescent about 1.6 million people lost their farms and became the underclass in Damascas, which was according to the Pentagon a swift threat multiplier in the destabilization of the region and the on-going war and then the insertion of terrorism.” Murray noted that “ISIS is hanging onto the three largest irrigation dams … so they’re obviously sophisticated in assessing the power of control of water.”
 Fields of California broccoli – 95% of ours comes from here. Bringing this closer to home, the Minister detailed the development of the California drought where “80 percent of water use is for agriculture” and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has found the description of extreme drought no longer adequate and has introduced “exceptional drought” into its terminology.
“You see the blood red stain in the middle of California ,” he said pointing to one of his slides. “That’s a piece of real estate that’s very important to your life and to my life because we import $4 billion worth of food as a northern community.”
California, he explained, provides “95 percent of all US broccoli, 92 percent of strawberries, 91% of grapes, 90 percent of tomatoes, 84 percent of all lettuce” and similar percentages to Ontario. While noting that almost all of this is grown in that blood red stained area, Murray warned he “could keep going with all the other things your mother told you to eat lots of when you were growing up.”
A particular “perversity” in the California situation is that nut and pistachio growers are “have now bought surplus drilling equipment from Alberta” and are “going down 2000 feet into the aquifers of California leading to collapse, whereas the vegetable farmers can only afford equipment that goes down about 200 feet.”
 Burlington resident weren’t comfortable with a five storey project in the downtown core – developer cut it back to four. This is an absurdity,” Murray declared. Murray also explained that the climate change we’re already seeing is certain to get significantly worse because carbon dioxide stays in the atmosphere for 40 to 250 years.
“So looking back right now we are experiencing the full force of carbon dioxide levels from 1916, in the middle of the First World War, and we’re just now experiencing the initial impacts of carbon dioxide from 1976 when I graduated from high school.”
He underlined that “sobering” thought by noting that “the rapid explosion of the suburbs in the fifties – the great low density carbon intensive neighbourhoods – all the weight of all of that activity and change in urban form has not yet impacted.”
 Burlington Hydro loaned electric BMW’s to city council members top record their driving habits – when will the wave of buying electric cars hit us? Murray connected this to the province’s commitment to rapid transit by inviting the audience to look at the Yonge subway line in Toronto from the vantage point of the top of the CN tower. “You can clearly see where it is because at every subway stop there are spikes of large commercial and residential buildings all the way up to York,” he said.
He compared that to the Bloor line where city councillors and their residents fight intensification. “There’s a fight over a four-storey building in Etobicoke – they’re fighting it because it’s ‘too intense’. This is the absurdity,” Murray declared.
He didn’t suggest this might happen along Hamilton’s LRT line, but the link was obvious, and he underlined it by the results of a mapping study of taxes versus density that confirmed “all the neighbourhoods who use a lot of infrastructure for a very small tax base are well dispersed suburbs, big box formula subdivisions, and Hamilton.”
He ended with advice to individual Hamiltonians: “Drive less, get an electric vehicle, congratulations on getting a rapid transit line in Hamilton and please use it. Or walk, it’s a beautiful city to walk in.”
 By Staff
May 10th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Hayley Marie Remple is on the road – last concert tour before I get hitched” was the way she put the trip that is going to bring her to Burlington for a two concert program and a Master Class for flute players.
 Hailey Marie mixes narrative with visual presentation and the smooth sound of her flute as she tells the story of the composers who basically shaped much of the classical music we have today.
A graduate of both McGill and Yale – she has played on the stage of Carnegie Hall on two occasions – no small feat. Speaking of feet – she apparently plays barefoot.
This artist is on a five province tour – returns to Winnipeg for her nuptials.
Hayley Marie is a romantic who sees music as a way to tell a story – the sound if of course critical – but this isn’t a lady who stands up – plays and then sits down.
She talks and will tell you far more than you ever thought you wanted to know about some of the great composers.
May 12th at the Performing Arts Centre. 7:30 pm
This artist will play the work of Debussy, Ravel, Saint Saens,Faure, Wido rand Satie who were composing during the period Hayley Marie focuses on.
She has researched both the time frame she has chosen to focus on and the lives of the composers and tells the people who follow her all kinds of delightful gossip that she calls her Two Minute Talks
A Hayley Marie Remple Two Minute Talk
Previous articles:
An Evening in Paris
Someone is going to go to Paris
 By Staff
May 10th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
It’s your money they are going to spend – and your safety that motivates what the police do each and every day.
The Halton Regional Police Service, in partnership with the Halton Regional Police Services Board, has embarked upon a process to develop a new Business Plan to replace the existing document, which expires at the end of 2016.
The Board and the Chief of Police are seeking input from a range of stakeholders and would like to extend an invitation to the citizens and business owners of Halton to participate in public meetings during the upcoming weeks. The details of the four meetings are as follows:
Milton: Tuesday May 24th (7.00 – 9.00pm)
Milton Town Hall, Milton Room – 150 Mary Street
Oakville: Wednesday May 25th (7.00 – 9.00pm)
Oakville Town Hall, Oakville/Trafalgar Room – 1225 Trafalgar Road
Halton Hills: Wednesday June 8th (7.00 – 9.00pm)
Mold-Masters SportsPlex – Gordon Alcott Heritage Hall – 221 Guelph Street, Georgetown
Burlington: Tuesday June 14th (7.00 – 9.00pm)
Burlington Seniors Centre– Multipurpose Room – 2285 New Street
Members of the public are invited to attend any of the above meetings to hear about the Halton Regional Police Service and the development of a new Business Plan. A facilitated discussion will be conducted with the goal of identifying issues and themes that should be addressed within the new Plan.
Additional information can be found on the Halton Regional Police Service Website at https://www.haltonpolice.ca/2017_CBP/index.php.
People wishing to attend the public meetings are invited to RSVP Mr. Keith Moore, Senior Planner, at keith.moore@haltonpolice.ca
By Pepper Parr
May 10th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
The changing face of the city.
 This will become the face of the Joseph Brant hospital when it opens in 2017. The Joseph Brant Hospital is beginning to look real – the ground has been broken for the Bridgwater development on Lakeshore Road where trucks are in and out in a matter of minutes as the excavation work gets done.
 The five tower Paradigm on Fairview street is on time – units will be occupied in towers A, B and C 2018. The Paradigm project on Fairview next to the GO station is quickly rising. It won’t be much longer until the public can see the slabs being poured as they get to the 5th and 6th floor levels.
It will be a different city come 2018
The public can get a better sense of what the Bridgewater is going to look like as the caissons are put in place and the excavation work progresses – the foot print and the structures relationship to the street is becoming clearer.
For the sidewalk superintendent – here is how things are coming along:
 One can get s sense as to how the Bridgewater is going to relate to the street. The concrete barrier to the right is where the sidewalk will be – the pylons are where the edge of the building will rise out of the ground.  The eastern edge of the Bridgewater project – where the 22 storey condominium will be located – can be seen where the construction worker in the background is standing. Old Lakeshore Road is to the left.  Excavation involves a fleet of trucks taking earth out of the site.
By Pepper Parr
May 10th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Well – it is official – with more people than is usually required to get a car out of a ditch, the $500,000 parking meter system went into use officially on Monday.
 Looks like half of the Transportation department + a good portion of the city’s communications team was needed to launch the new parking meters. It took three different Requests for Proposals to get this project to the finish line. Luigi Lato , Chief Operating Officer, Precise ParkLink said he was honoured to attend the ribbon cutting ceremony, expressing that he is “overjoyed with the city’s excitement to introduce Precise ParkLink’s Pay-By-Plate parking technology. The residents will enjoy the upgraded parking system which brings Burlington on par with other global cities that use the Parkeon Pay-By-Plate parking meters and TelePark Pay-By-Cell option”.
So much for that!
The system is being paid for with funds that were in a reserve fund that is the levy the city places on commercial establishments in the downtown core. Ward 2 Councillor Marianne Meed Ward explained that the taxpayers were not the people paying for the system.
The difference for regular parking is – making sure you remember the license number of the car you are parking.
You can use cash or credit card. You will also be able to use your cell phone to pay for your parking. Referred to as TelePark, it is a service that you have to register for – something you do one line. W will explain this in more detail in a follow up article.
During the launch ceremonies IT staff did say there were some hiccup getting the back end of the system to work – it has to interact with the credit card organizations on a network that has the highest possible security.
 Expect to see people with PAYBYPL8 walking the downtown core looking for perplexed citizens wanting to pay for their parking. They are Parking Ambassadors – there to help! The city will go into a full court press media mode explaining how the system works and will have people on the street – they are being called “Parking Ambassadors” walking around the downtown core to answer questions.
An additional feature is the ability of commercial operations to pay for the parking of their customers should they choose to do so. The take up on that opportunity doesn’t look all that promising at this point but as Mary Shepherd explained “these things take time for people to understand and then implement.”
 Ward 2 Councillor Marianne Meed Ward handling the cash part of the old parking meter with Downtown Business Association president Brian Dean. He is the one who is going to have to herd his members into taking on the feature that will let his members pay for client parking. Good luck Brian. The public hasn’t been jumping for joy. Michael Jones points out that these machines are in Hamilton and are not very user friendly – also if you have leftover time on your ticket you can’t share that with anyone. He adds: “ say goodbye to the great feeling of pulling up and seeing 20 minutes left on the previous parker’s meter …felt like winning a mini lottery”.
Some of the posts that held the old parking meters are being re-purposed and will become bicycle racks.
By Staff
May 9th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Halton District School Board’s annual Inside and Out Conference will take place on Tuesday, May 17, 2016 at Country Heritage Park, 8560 Tremaine Rd., Milton.
Registration will begin at 9:30 a.m., with the conference concluding at 2 p.m.
 The Regional police have been very supportive and proactive in the way they work with the LGBT community. It’s the rest of the community that has to get onside. The conference, titled, Inside and Out – What Are Your Colours? is in partnership with the Canadian Centre for Gender and Sexual Diversity and the Positive Space Network of Halton. These organizations work to eliminate bullying, homophobia, transphobia, and other forms of discrimination in schools and youth communities.
The goal of the all-day conference is to provide a forum for students and staff, through various workshops, to discuss how they can make their schools more welcoming and inclusive for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and two spirit individuals.
The conference will also celebrate equity and diversity in the Halton District School Board. It is being organized by the Safe and Inclusive Schools Team and staff and students at Acton High School and McKenzie-Smith Bennett Public School, including their Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) groups.
The conference will open with guest speaker MPP Cheri DiNovo, who is an activist for the LGBTQ community, particularly transgender people. The conference will close with a slam poetry performance by Jenna Tenn-Yuk. There will also be a reading by Nik Kaur-Singh and closing comments by Sam Lambert, both former Halton District School Board students and LGBTQ+ rights advocates.
A number of community agencies will be attending the conference including Halton Public Health, SAVIS, Positive Space Network, Youth Action Committee, EGALE Canada and New Directions Ministries.
The meeting is open to anyone wishing to attend
By Pepper Parr
May 9th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
How does a guy with a small operation in the financial services field manage to write a cheque for $100,000 to a charity?
The story about how Dan Noonan does tax return work for his clients is an interesting look at how an innovative approach to providing a needed service can benefit a large number of people.
 That is a cheque for $100,000 that Dan Noonan sent to the Burlington Community Foundation -it was the result of his win-win-win formula. Dan is a financial advisor who works with what he calls the Mom and Pop part of the market. He is a strong believer in the premise that you cannot sell financial products to people unless you fully understand their incomes which means looking at their tax returns. The closest look you get at a tax return is when you prepare the document.
Noonan used preparing tax returns free as a way to draw in new clients – there was on small hitch to that – the client was expected to make a donation to a local charity.
For the first few years the donations were made to the Breast Cancer Support Services but as the amount of money collected began to grow Noonan needed to find a better way to distribute those donations.
Noonan was completing more than 2000 tax returns a year and at a donation level of around $50 there was a significant amount of money being raised.
He began to work with the Burlington Community Foundation where a special fund was created and dedicated for use in the mental health field where support and awareness have become critical. We live in a society where one out of every five people has a mental health issue.
Noonan is pretty blunt with is comments on saving for retirement. It is almost impossible to replicate the returns of government pension plans or those run for the benefit of civil servants. The pension group that manages the pensions of municipal employees and the one that manages teacher pension plans have both mass and longer terms working in their favour.
Individuals don’t have access to organizations of that size. Close to half his client base, which gets built out of those who take advantage of his tax return offering, are retired.
Managing their finances and their income stream can be stressful he said. “We are in a low interest rate driven economy – and those interest very very low rates are low – not something that works for pension plans. They are driving the housing market with property values gaining more than 15% year over year – which he adds isn’t sustainable.
Noonan looks for investment opportunities that will grow what a client has and/or offer a dividend that is decent.
His office walls are covered with large sheets of paper setting out the different returns available – he scours the market for those opportunities and advises clients what he feels is best for them. His current favourites include Fairfax and National Bank.
There are a number of situations he adds where the fees that are paid to the financial adviser amount to more than the return – “you are looking at dead money” he said.
Noonan has strong views on the new provincial pension plan. “Business should not be expected to shoulder the cost of an employee’s pension. People have to learn to plan for their own futures and put 10% of their income into a pension fund and then invest for the long term.
 3rd from left, Dan Noonan, Investment Advisor, Argosy Securities; joined by Burlington Community Foundation board members Catherine Brady, Phil Reddon; President and CEO Colleen Mulholland; Leighan Basadur, John Rockx. Photo credit: Dave Gruggen Photography. We don’t have that kind of a culture in this country yet. Instead we lay this cost on employers who want to invest their profit in growing their business.
Noonan believes that the CEO’s job is to allocate the capital they have – that strong belief comes out of more than 15 years as a financial advisor and another 20 years in the financial services business where he worked for some of the largest financial management companies in the country.
There is the belief in this country that “someone is going to look after me” – that someone turns out to be the government.
At heart Dan Noonan is the kind of person who looks for opportunities that benefits everyone. His objective doesn’t seem to be to add to just his wealth – although he does do well.
He is direct and there isn’t a lot of nonsense to him. He sees his job as helping people invest the funds they have as wisely as possible and being able to go home at the end of the day knowing people are better off.
What he calls his win-win-win proposition where people get a very good deal on having their tax returns done, Noonan has a source of new clients and the community gets a significant sum of money to use to help those who need help.
“I place a full page advertisement in the newspaper to inform the community about the service. Noonan has been fortunate – the idea works – so much so that others are beginning to take the same approach.
 The walls of Noonan’s office are covered in opportunities that he thinks work for his client base. Given the amount that Noonan is now raising he needed to partner with an organization that had depth and experience in distributing funds to organizations that will put them to good use.
The Burlington Community Foundation manages millions in funds that been placed in their hands. They were the organization the city turned to when they needed someone to step in and manage the collection of donations and then the distribution of those donations to people whose homes had been badly damaged by the August 2014 flood.
They worked with Noonan to create a fund that would focus on mental health needs in the community. Burlington is a leader in recognizing this need within its population and creating an endowment that would both grow the funds and handle their distribution by accepting applications from groups and organizations that work in the mental health field.
It turns out to be another of those win win win situations that bring a smile to Dan Noonan’s face.
Notice too that there isn’t any government involvement in this.
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