|
||||||||
|
April 17, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON The SPRING POPUP; work of contemporary artists and makers from within a 50km radius. Pick up an original piece of art from an emerging local artist or buy some funky handmade one-of-a-kind things.
SpringPop Hours: 
April 16, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON It was a sign of the way she would run the city if she ever gets to wear the chain of office. Marianne Meed Ward, Councillor for ward 2 was presiding over a community meeting related to a projected that needed nothing more than an application for a Building Permit and the required fee to begin construction of the significant remake of Burlington Square Plaza a the corner of Brant and Ghent.  It was a standing room only crowd = albeit – it was a small room – to get a first look at the plans for a significant upgrade to the Burlington square Plaza at Brant and Ghent. Meed Ward is not a fan of developers who come to Council looking for significant increases to height and density and changes to zoning and the Official Plan. So when Cherishome Living talked to her about putting up a four storey add on to the property they own Meed Ward was delighted – these were her kind of guys. There was no need for a public meeting but when there is a change being made to the neighbourhood – Meed Ward wants big input from as many people as she can reach. Wednesday evening the room they booked was a standing room only situation; which Meed War apologized for and explained that they reserved space for those who registered and then some. She should do so well at the polls in 2018 There were no real issues with the project – just a lot of common sense questions for the property owner.  Architect’s rendering of the new four storey upgrade to the south end of the project. This is the view from the corner of Brant and Olga. There is nothing wrong with the design – Cherishome has found that the large swaths of retail space in the building just weren’t getting rented and they knew there was a demand for residential rental space. Jeff Usher, the Cherishome VP for development took the audience through a straightforward presentation. Decent looking buildings – he described the façade of the building as having a Frank Lloyd Wright look to it – that was a bit of a stretch. The land however is being put to much better use. One of the things the upgrade could do is create a solid anchor for the new north end of the Burlington Downtown Business Association boundary. The design will still have the nice wide setback from the street that is about as good as it gets for an outdoor patio. The seven retail units were to be 1200 sq. ft. which should do it for a restaurant. There will be 253 parking spaces – the rules call for just 240. The 146 rental units, which will be registered as condominiums, will consist of 844 sq. ft. two bedroom units and 621 sq. ft. one bedroom units. Amenities will be located on the roof of the parking space. There will be a community garden at the back of the building  Everything on the right side will be demolished – the design emphasis will be on the street. Usher told the Gazette in an earlier interview that he had met with the people at the Region and talked about including a number of “affordable” units in the complex. Mention was made of some problems tenants were having that were Landlord Tenant related – Meed Ward explained that these are not municipal issues and provided information tenants could use to follow up on. Usher hopes to get site plan approval from the city by the end of the year; demolition will get done next Spring – the hope is to have the project ready for 2018
April 17, 2015 BURLINGTON,ON Burlington has gone from being the best mid-sized city in Canada to one of the top 10 “Small American Cities of the Future” for Business Friendliness. You know what this means – for the next several months you will hear this touted by every member of Council with the Mayor becoming the biggest booster.  Prime Minister checks out the product at Ecysynthetix, one of the high tech manufacturers in the city. CEO John van Leeuwen is on the left. MP Mike Wallace is on the far right. On Monday, fDi Magazine announced the winners of this award: For the Business Friendliness category, Burlington was evaluated using criteria such as the number of companies in the advanced manufacturing and technology sectors, the number of days needed to start a business, ease of doing business, economic freedom, credit rating and annual jobs creation. Data was collected from more than 400 regions throughout North America and compared using the categories of Economic Potential, Business Friendliness, Human Capital, Cost Effectiveness and Connectivity. “Burlington is well positioned as an economic centre with its prime location in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area,” said Burlington Mayor Rick Goldring. “We also have a talent pool of approximately two million people to draw from within a 45-minute commute. Those factors, combined with the recent redevelopment of the Burlington Economic Development Corporation, add up to a bright future for economic development in our city.”  Dave McPhail looks over a data collection device that Memmex created to change the way data is collected on a shop floor and placed in the hands of management in real time. “Burlington Economic Development Corporation is committed to bringing real value to our business community. Support for relocation and expansion is critical as is our active and connected business culture,” said Frank McKeown, Executive Director of the Burlington Economic Development Corporation. “Burlington is already recognized as one of the best places to live and raise a family in Canada and we will continue to work to make Burlington one of the very best places to do business. Hopefully this recognition is the first of many.” Windsor, Waterloo and Cambridge were also named in the top 10 “Small American Cities of the Future.” Reflecting the strong business sectors in the province, a number of other Ontario communities also received recognition in other categories. fDi Intelligence is a dedicated unit of The Financial Times that provides industry leading insight and analysis on foreign direct investment. The winners of the “American Cities of the Future” were published in fDi Magazine as part of the “Locations of the Future” series, which is presented by fDi Magazine to showcase the most promising locations for foreign direct investment. This is all really good stuff – but we have to stop talking about it and actually doing it.  Thordon Bearings Inc., operates a state-of-the-art polymer processing plant as well as in-house design, CAD and New Product Development facilities in Burlington, Ontario, Canada. There are some exceptionally good ideas coming out of the Economic development Corporation and the work they are doing with McMaster University and the Fraunhofer Institute that is working closely with both the university and the city. More on that next week when the Gazette publishes an exclusive feature on the economic development potential – think in terms of 20,000 additional jobs – yes, that is the number that was used. Stay tuned
April 17, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON The Halton District School Board was in a longer than usual Closed Session – close to an hour this time. No sword on what they talked about – the sense I got was that they may have been talking about a possible high school strike for Halton. Once the doors opened the meeting moved briskly through a number of issues. The school calendar for the 2015/2016 was approved unanimously.  Are there too many high schools in the eastern side of the city? The board then passed a motion that has the Halton Student Transportation Services hiring consultants to undertake a bell time analysis for both secondary and elementary students in an effort to find efficiencies and cost savings. Bell time is the buzz word for when schools start their day. This program is awaiting the Catholic board approval on the same motion next week. The parameters and cost of the study would then be determined. A motion to have time set aside for recognition of excellent achievement within the Halton board, student or staff, was forwarded to the next meeting pending further clarification. The Long Term Accommodation Plan was then presented by Domenico Renzella, Senior Manager of Planning and Lucy Veerman, Superintendent of Business Services. The LTAP, references what the board is going to need in terms of facilities based on enrollment projections. The enrollment projections from 2015 to 2024 and the identifying of new capital project initiatives for the Board from 2016/17 to 2019/2020 were part of the report which the Gazette will cover in more detail soon. The key takeaway was the explosion of enrolment and new schools in the Milton area and northeast Oakville with the corresponding decline in enrolment in Burlington and parts of Oakville. This could lead to potential school consolidations in the near future. The trustees were advised that there would be public consultation. The Halton Student Transportation Services annual report for the fiscal year of 2013/14, said there were a total of 448 routes which covered 34,058 daily kilometres and transported 29,268 students for the Halton board and the Catholic board combined. The Halton board transported 18,834 students at a cost of slightly more than $19 million. Mark Zonneveld, Superintendent of Education (Student Services), presented the Gifted Screening Interim Report which outlined the procedures of identifying, nominating and then accepting students into the gifted program within Halton. Of the students that are initially identified as gifted, only 35% enter the program after further testing. Over the past five years, the number of students identified as gifted by grade four has risen to 4.3% For the 2013/14 year, 61 students were placed in the Gifted Programme in East Halton, 29 in the West and 30 in the North The meeting concluded with Stuart Miller, Associate Director of Education, giving a Program Viability update. Over the past years, the French Immersion program has impacted somewhat negatively on the English program and the Program Viability Committee was formed to study this matter. The committee has met three times to date and is reviewing the situation within the Halton area along with studying how other boards are affected along with potential solutions. The committee will meet again on April 20th, hopefully a more detailed report will be available to the next board meeting. The public is not invited to take part in these meetings,
April 16, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON The Halton Regional Police Service, Drug, Gun and Gang Unit executed five (5) Controlled Drugs and Substances Act search warrants throughout Burlington (4 locations) and Hamilton (1 location). One of the warrants executed was at the Venus Tanning Salon situated at 1035 Brant Street, Burlington. The search warrants were a result of a four month investigation into suspected cocaine traffickers in the City of Burlington. Police have arrested five (5) individuals for drug related offences and seized the following evidence: 100 grams of cocaine • Scales • Packaging materials $13,000.00 Canadian Currency • 5 grams of cannabis marihuana 500 ml of GHB 14 grams of MDMA 5 grams of methamphetamine An Anabolic Steroid Production Lab A GHB Production Lab Large quantity of anabolic steroids Police have charged the following individuals: Jovan MASIREVIC (26 years of age) of Burlington is charged with: Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking – Cocaine • Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking – Methamphetamine Andrew TEIXEIRA (27 years of age) of Burlington is charged with: • Possession of Cannabis Marihuana • Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking – Cocaine • Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking – Methamphetamine Sukhvinder SINGH (44 years of age) of Hamilton is charged with: • Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking – MDMA • Production of a Controlled Substance- Anabolic Steroid • Production of a Controlled Substance- GHB • Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking – Anabolic Steroid • Possession of a Controlled Substance- Cannabis Marihuana • Possession of a Controlled Substance- Oxycodone Breach of Recognizance Possession of a Controlled Substance- Methamphetamine Possession of a Controlled Substance- Amphetamine Laura SZOKE (27 years of age) of Hamilton is charged with: • Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking – MDMA Production of a Controlled Substance- Anabolic Steroid • Production of a Controlled Substance- GHB • Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking – Anabolic Steroid • Possession of a Controlled Substance- Cannabis Marihuana • Possession of a Controlled Substance- Oxycodone • Breach of Recognizance • Possession of a Controlled Substance- Methamphetamine • Possession of a Controlled Substance- Amphetamine Brian SLAGTER (44 years of age) Burlington is charged with: • Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking – Cocaine SINGH, SZOKE and MASIREVIC were held for a bail hearing and will appear in Milton Court on April 16th 2015. TEIXEIRA and SLAGTER will appear in Milton Court on June 2nd 2015.
April 16, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON Would the world continue to turn without volunteers? There are a lot of people in the Burlington whose lives are better because of the many volunteers – and the lives of those volunteers are richer because of the work they do. At about this time last year Community Development Halton created an award in the name of former Burlington Mayor Walter Mulkewich to recognize the work volunteers do. Ann Coburn’s Director of Volunteer Halton, in handing out the awards made these comments: This rippled through us at Community Development Halton that we created an award to celebrate those amazing and dedicated people who come together to take collective action and generate solutions to common problems in their community.  Walter Mulkewich, taking in a political speech on a sunny summer afternoon. This award honours a citizen of Burlington, a citizen of Halton, Walter Mulkewich, who has worked and is working tirelessly to influence evolution and advancement in sectors such as the environment, economic development, social development, mental health, and the arts and culture. Walter epitomizes the characteristics of leadership: honesty, integrity, courage, and inclusion. He is a man graced by the passion for fairness, for social justice, and for human well-being. In 2015, the committee is honouring, T.E.A.C.H., with the Mulkewich award. T.E.A.C.H. is an organization whose foundation has been built on the effort and inspiration of community volunteers. T.E.A.C.H. is guided by the “Recovery Philosophy”, which affirms that all people experiencing challenges have inherent strengths, and that they can – and will – get better.  Joseph Kiss, Rolling Horse Community Cycle. Joseph provides free bicycle repair and basic bike mechanics for children and adults in neighbourhoods across Burlington. Having an organization such as T.E.A.C.H. has allowed individuals and their families to start a dialogue in the community surrounding mental health and addictions. T.E.A.C.H. assists us to better understand mental health and additions so that we can be supportive and inclusive. T.E.A.C.H. partners and collaborates with numerous social and health agencies building their collective capacity to support the growing needs of our citizens suffering from mental health and addictions. For example, T.E.A.C.H. works with our local hospitals, P.O.S.S.E. (Peer Outreach Support Services & Education) , Halton A.D.A.P.T. (Alcohol Drug and Gambling Assessment Prevention and Treatment), Summit Housing, S.T.R.I.D.E. (Supported Training & Rehabilitation in Diverse Environments) and the Region of Halton, to name a few.  Yvonne Kato is a holistic therapy volunteer at Breast Cancer Support Services, offering Reiki to members. Breast Cancer Support Services provides a variety of healing modalities to women living cancer, to help them ease the stress and side effects of treatment. While much of the audience was made up of Volunteers taking part in the Breakfast event, Joey Edwardh, was not just speaking to the converted when she said: “The theme this year for National Volunteer Week is the ripple effect of volunteerism. A volunteer action is like a stone thrown in a lake: its effect has a direct impact. At the same time, like ripples, volunteer efforts reach out far and wide to improve communities.. Quoting Christine Mason Miller, Edwardh said: “When we focus our energy towards constructing a passionate meaningful life, we are tossing a pebble into the world creating a beautiful ripple of inspiration. When one person follows a dream , tries something new, or takes a daring leap, everyone feels that energy and before too long they are making their own daring leaps and inspiring yet another circle. “  Cavan Cook, John Howard Society, Burlington & Area. Cavan is a Mentor for Youth At Risk Development (YARD) program. He provides individual support to a young person focused on setting up and achieving positive goals. She added: Like a pebble thrown into the water, volunteer action creates many ripples of inspiration and encouragement . Volunteers reach out beyond themselves to engage in kindness and caring for others. They are special people, with busy lives, who make time for others. They see and respect the dignity of their fellow men and women. In a thousand different ways they lighten the load for those who are burdened by illness, troubles or disadvantage. Volunteerism has always been with us, we call it neighbours helping neighbours, supporting one another when affected by disaster, concerned citizens see a need in their community, form groups of like-minded individuals to address the need and create change. Our Governor General, his Excellency The Right Honourable David Johnston, said the third pillar of Canada will be encouraging philanthropy and volunteerism. He went on to say that “Canadians have a long history of coming together and helping one another. Service to country shaped us, service to family and community sustains us, and this tradition of service will carry us forward into the future” The Ripple Effect! Throughout history we can trace back to organizations that were formed to address areas of injustice and the social needs of society. In Canada, organizations emerged in direct response to a need in community all of which involved Volunteers as founders, supporters and front line workers.  Burlington Mayor Rick Goldring on the left with John Searles and Linda McKay who is with the Burlington Public Library. Linda McKay is a dedicated Visiting Library Service Volunteer at the Burlington Public Library. She delivers books to several customers, who are unable to travel to the library themselves, and they think the world of Linda. One such as example , as it happened in our neighbouring community of Hamilton. In the 1950’s a group of mothers desperate to find a cure for polio, which was an epidemic at that time, formed the Marching Mothers and went door to door in their neighourhoods, collecting dimes for research. The Marching Mothers were instrumental in supporting the research of Dr. Jonas Salk, whose polio vaccine was released in 1955, putting an end to the epidemic. The Marching Mothers movement today is known as the March of Dimes. This is only one example of an organization that made a significant difference in the lives of Canadians and exemplifies the Ripple effect of how the action of a few can and do change the lives of many.  The Seniors Ambassador Connector Program was pilot project in Burlington and the ripple effect is that it is now expanding to Halton Hills. Shown here are the Burlington Ambassadors. The Seniors Ambassador Connector Program was pilot project in Burlington and the ripple effect is that it is now expanding to Halton Hills. These professionals dedicate long hours organizing, preparing and supporting the work of volunteers and volunteers themselves. Today we recognize and celebrate the wonderful volunteers who come from all walks of life, different experiences and from all ages to create the ripple effect that changes lives and communities! Edwardh chose to leave her audience with a pungent thought to ponder. Noah’s Ark was built by volunteers That sort of sums it up – doesn’t it?
April 16th, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON We don’t get it right all the time – and when we get it wrong we let you know as soon as we can. Last week we published comments on the resignation of Bruce Zvaniga. Bruce; the Director of Transportation had sent out a note announcing his decision to leave Burlington. There was no referenced as to where he was going – and he was leaving on relatively short notice. It was the weekend – we couldn’t reach Bruce. We talked to two sources – both were surprised. We ran with the story on the Monday. Where we erred, and we have apologized to Bruce, was in not calling him on the Monday for comment. At the end of the week we ran the story Bruce sent us a note. It follows: The material on this blog of yours reminds me of the old adage, “Don’t believe everything you hear, don’t believe everything you read and only believe half of what you see.” I’m deeply disappointed that you didn’t have the journalistic integrity to even speak to me about this article. Your speculation is wrong.  Bruce Zvaniga – heading for Halifax – they’ll love him I arranged to apologize to Bruce and had a good conversation with him and learned that when he resigned he wasn’t certain as to where he was going to go. He explained that he was at that point in his life where he wanted some adventure. The kids were grown up and he and his wife wanted to do something different. There was a private sector opportunity Bruce was exploring as well as an opportunity in the same field with another municipality. Bruce was not able to say which municipality. Later in the day he sent me a copy of the media release announcing his new job and his new home. Halifax release With a career in transportation services spanning 30 years, and experience leading transformational change, Bruce will play a critical role in delivering on the municipality’s renewed commitment to better connect roles to results. As part of the recent realignment of key operations business units, Transportation & Public Works now has more business accountability for the movement of people and goods and asset stewardship of all roadway infrastructure and traffic control. Bruce has led many innovative transportation projects and initiatives in Ontario, most recently as the Director of Transportation Services Department for the City of Burlington. While working for the City of Toronto, he held various leadership roles including Acting Director of the Traffic Management Centre and Manager of Urban Traffic Control Systems. A graduate of the University of Waterloo, Bruce holds a degree in Civil Engineering, specializing in transportation engineering. He is a fellow of the Institute of Transportation Engineers and has served on the boards of the Intelligent Transportation Systems Canada (Vice Chairman) and the Transportation Research Board. We’re looking forward to welcoming Bruce to the team in the coming weeks and working with him to continue moving the dial on two primary goals: providing better recommendations to Council and delivering better outcomes for residents of Halifax. During my “apology” discussion with Bruce he quickly moved on to what was getting done in Burlington and assured me that we are close to having some high tech parking meters of the city. Bruce was a delight to work with – he seldom avoided answering a question and he knew how to pull my chain when it needed pulling.
April 16, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON He was young, proud and a little edgy.  Ryan Sgro, owner of three McDonald’s franchises in Burlington is always inches away from his cell phone I was meeting with Ryan Sgro, owner of three McDonald’s franchises – between Ryan and Ralph Sgro, his Dad, they have 10 McDonald’s franchises in Burlington and Waterdown It was McDonald’s National Hiring Day and Ryan was talking to me and keeping an eye on the shop at the same time. His eyes would dart back and forth from me to the counter where people placed their orders. Ryan came out of Western University and went right into the family business. He and his sister are both franchise owners. Ryan gets the word family into almost everything he says. Franchise managers talk of being with Sgro’s for ten, fifteen and twenty years. “We hold a Family Day once a year – everyone gets their meal at half price and we take them on tours of everything; the kitchen, the storage room – the kids get to know all about the place where their parents work. “We hand out two $500 scholarships every year” says Ryan and adds – “we might do more.”  For thousands of high school students in Burlington – McDonald’s is their first part time job. “We used to donate to Ronald McDonald House but moved the $250,000 donation to the Joseph Brant Hospital where their donation is spread out over five years. The national hiring target for McDonald’s was 6,500 – 2,700 of them in Ontario. Four people were hired in Burlington. Ryan Sgro does point out that they have a rosters of 101 people at their busiest location – Upper Middle Road and Guelph Line, with staff counts in the high 80’s in other locations. “For us three things are important: how well our student employees are doing in school; how good their extracurricular life is and then McDonald’s” said Ryan.  Getting through that first interview is always awkward. A McDonalds manager takes a high school student through the process. “We want to be the first work experience students have because we know we are providing a fun place to work where people work very hard and gain a strong work ethic.” While the National Hiring program might be necessary in some communities – we don’t have a problem getting students to work with us. Our flexible scheduling works for the students. Ryan Sgro is quick to add however that he could put at least for managers to work tomorrow.
April 15, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON Members of the Burlington Criminal Investigations Bureau – Robbery Team have concluded their investigation into a robbery that was reported to have taken place at the East Way Bake Shop located at 4047 New Street in Burlington. They have determined the robbery did NOT occur. The employee who reported the incident, Jennifer ELLIOTT (38 yrs.) of Burlington, has since been arrested and charged with public mischief and theft under $5000. She was released from custody and will appear in Milton Court on May 5th 2015. The male depicted in a previous release is no longer considered a suspect. The Halton Regional Police reported that on Monday March 23rd 2015 at approximately 5:35 PM, a lone male suspect armed with a black handgun, entered the East Way Bake Shop located at 4047 New Street in Burlington. That just didn’t happen.
April 15, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON It is always awkward to watch a community bicker and squabble over interests that are different. Residents in the Market, St. Paul and Green Street part of the city, south of Lakeshore Road, are tossing around parts of bylaws that were passed by city council and not giving the full context. Truths are being stretched a little more than any truth should be stretched.  Getting the kind of Window on the Lake Staff recommended actually built is proving to be easier said than done. The interests of a few are being put before the interests of the wider community – and in the process part of the vision many people thought was bedrock for Burlington is getting eaten away at the edges. When city council decided to not go along with the staff recommendation to not sell land on the edge of the lake between Market and St. Paul Streets – they instead opted for significant upgrades to the Windows on the Lake that were at the end of each street.  No city signage on this piece of city owned property. Plans are in place to make a proper Window on the Lake at this location. There are people who aren’t all that keen on having Windows on the Lake – even though they say they do want them – just not as prominent as the drawings prepared by city staff suggest. Janice Connell, who has done a remarkable job of advocating for the sale of the land refers to a motion passed by the city: Our concern at the public meeting is the discrepancy between the wording of Council’s approved motion and what was actually presented and discussed. Council invested considerable time (including visiting the properties) researching this issue and they were clear in their motion …”minimalistic manner (bench and signage) at St Paul and Market St.” and the “enhancement of Port Nelson Park with available funds.” In the presentation, Staff was asked about the motion including “enhancing Port Nelson Park with available funds.” Staff replied that this was not part of the motion. This statement differs from the wording in the motion. Over the past few years we have had ongoing concerns over misrepresentation of the facts regarding the Water St parcel as presented to the public. This has caused dissension and hard feelings amongst residents. We attended the public meeting hoping it would be an opportunity to connect with our neighbours in a positive setting. Needless to say the meeting caused further dissension amongst many residents. Local parks should bring residents together. When less than truthful statements are given to the public it causes further dissension amongst residents. And unlike the simple correction of a misspelled name, it is not easy to correct the negative relationships amongst neighbours or the reputation of residents. Brian Rose, an area resident, reminds people what was in the Staff report that had the three options. They chose option 3 on a 6-1 vote.  A concept drawing for the St. Paul Window on the Lake that city staff presented to residents at a public meeting. Option Three – Dispose of Water Street Parcel and develop Windows-to-the-Lake. This option would involve: • Proceeds from sale of property could finance a portion of the Windows to-the- The fact is that the people on St. Paul Street have been encroaching on city property and deliberately blocking public access to the lake. Planners, parks and recreation people and the office of the city solicitor are preparing a team that will look into the encroachments that have been taking place throughout the city; none of their work will impact the mess we are looking at on the old Water Street road allowance. In the meantime a survey is being planned to get the views of those who live in the immediate area. Is this the way people behave in Canada’s best mid-sized city?
April 15, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON Dave Conrath is no slouch. He has served as the Dean of a Faculty at Stanford University; he also served as the dean of a Faculty at the University of Waterloo.  It went for more than half a million dollars – gives new meaning to the words: “location, location, location”. Conrath has very strong views on what he thinks the city and the city and the Region are doing to the people who live on the Beachway. “This is spurious action” on the part of the Region” he said. To refer to a plan that has been sitting around for more than forty years and drag it out and treat it as a policy that has to be followed now is just plain wrong, he added. “These people need to lawyer up” and get the help they need to ensure they are treated fairly. Conrath lives in one of the lakeshore condos – is a big fan of the downtown core. During our interview with Conrath, Brian Dean, president of the Burlington Downtown Business Association happened along and joined us for a few minutes. Conrath began to talk about just what it is to live downtown. Dean was so impressed that he asked for a testimonial.  A close up view of the 30 homes that the Region wants to demolish to develop the park. The residents in the Beachway are discouraged, dispirited and depressed. They don’t feel they are listened to; they turn in a petition with more than 3000 signatures of people who walk through the Beachway on the old railway bed who want to see the homes remain – the petition gets the “receive and file” treatment at a council meeting. They are told again and again that they will not be expropriated – that if their property changes hands it will be on a willing buyer/willing seller basis. There is only one buyer – the Region and except for a few who see the chance to get a great price for their homes – there are few sellers.  This is the park the region has designed – views are mixed on whether or not this is the best way to develop the Beachway. This plan calls for the removal of all the homes. A couple of hundred people have seen the plan. The Region has to either expropriate these people or move on says Conrath. They can’t continue to diminish these people this way, he added Expect to see some professionals coming forward to advise the Beachway community.
April 13, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON On April 12th 2015 at approximately 9:53 PM, Halton Regional Police and the Burlington Fire Department responded to a fire inside Kay Motors Inc. at 1227 Plains Rd. E. in Burlington. The fire was quickly extinguished and contained to a rear office. The business was closed that the time and investigation at the scene pointed towards arson. The extent of the damages appears minor, the value of which is not yet known. Police are looking to identify a male seen lingering around the business several hours prior to the fire. This male is described as being 6 feet tall, average build, wearing blue jeans, a red shirt and a suit like jacket with an orange bandana covering his face and head. The male was seen leaving the area in a white vehicle similar to a Lincoln Town car or a Crown Victoria. Anyone who may have witnessed this male or has information that would assist investigators in identifying him are encouraged to contact Detective Constable Dave Ardrey – Burlington Criminal Investigations Bureau – Commercial Crime Team at 905-825-4747 Ext. 2306 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), or through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.com, or by texting “Tip201” with your message to 274637 (crimes).
April 13, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON There are some differences about what is meant by minimal – those differences appear to have feathers ruffled. With the city having sold its parcels of land to the three property owners who abut what has been public land, the concern now moves to just what the Windows on the Lake will look like. A public meeting in March didn’t go all that well.  Janice Connell after delegating to city council committee – She thinks she just might have nailed it! Janice Connell apparently made life difficult for a city staffer – so much so that a complaint has worked its way up to the office of the city manager. Connell was the sole delegator for the three property owners who wanted to buy the portion of the old Water Street allowance that was at the edge of the lake. She was very effective; she did her homework but seemed to need to tangle with ward 2 Councillor Meed Ward.  Windows to the Lake were designed for three streets: Market, St. Paul and Green. The intention at the public meeting in March was to have feedback from the public and then a Staff Report that would go to the Community and Corporate Services Standing Committee on June 16 and then along to Council on June 22nd for approval.  Market Street has the most direct line of sight to the Lake – but at this point is the hardest to realize is public space. The design shown will make it very clear that this is public property – which is what has those living on the street upset. No mention was made of any signage. Once approved, staff would prepare construction drawings, send the work out for tender after which construction will begin. Somehow – we don’t think it is going to be quite that easy.  St Paul Street has the longest stretch of public property which at this point has obstacles in place that make it pretty clear it is private property – which it isn’t. The design allows the public to get deep into the lot and appreciate one of the finest views in the city. When the decision was made to sell the land Council agreed that there would be Windows to the Lake at the foot of Market and St. Paul streets – Green Street has been added. Councillor Dennison was quite vocal at the time when he described what he meant by minimal – a bench and a can for garbage was what he appeared to have in mind. Staff obviously didn’t get the message – their designs go quite a bit further – however they don’t appear to include any lighting. The Burlington Waterfront Committee, a collection of citizens with representation from every ward have been tracking the discussion and comment on just what will be built on the road allowances that reach to the waters edge of Lake Ontario. The group is what is left of the Waterfront Advisory Committee that originally brought up the problems surrounding the Windows on the Lake. Rob Peachey, currently a manager in the Capital works department attended that meeting in 2012 and commented then that this wasn’t his “favourite file” The people who have private access to the lake aren’t at all keen on sharing it. In an earlier article on that March meeting, which the Gazette did not attend, we reported that “The owners of property in the streets that lead to the windows are wondering just how much pedestrian traffic there will be and will people be sitting close to the edge of the lake at all hours of the day and how much noise will there be? Discussions amongst the people who live on Market and St. Paul have taken place and they apparently now want to know just how minimalist are these windows on the lake going to be. Will it be just a bench and a waste container? Welso reported that: “Some people are getting the sense that there is a push to get rid of the windows all together or to make them so inaccessible that no one will want to go near the things. In that article we mispelled Janice Connell’s name and corrected that error. In a response to us about the correction we made Ms Connell adds: The mis-spelling of my name is not the only information that is incorrect. The truth is we support the Windows-t0-the Lake at St.Paul and Market Street and have done so since our very first discussion with Ward 2 Councillor Meed Ward. in July 2012. At this meeting, one of the three owners offered to engage landscapers to clean up the area at end of Market St., enhance it as a Window-to-the -Lake for the public and maintain it at his expense. The public was never informed of this offer. Our concern at the public meeting is the discrepancy between the wording of Council’s approved motion and what was actually presented and discussed. Council invested considerable time (including visiting the properties) researching this issue and they were clear in their motion …”minimalistic manner (bench and signage) at St Paul and Market St.”and the “enhancement of Port Nelson Park with available funds.” In the presentation, Staff was asked about the motion including “enhancing Port Nelson Park with available funds.” Staff replied that this was not part of the motion. This statement differs from the wording in the motion.  You wouldn’t know it – but this is public property and anyone can walk out to the end and look over the lake. City will now put signage indicating that the land is public. A portion of a driveway is apparently going to be taken – was that portion on public property? Other residents had different concerns…locals from Green St. area were upset as they had no prior notification of the proposed Windows -to- the -Lake at the end of Green St. (Green St. Windows was not part of the approved motion.). There was heated discussions amongst residents as to what the “Windows- to -the- Lake” should consist of…bike racks, bench under trees in the sun, bench under trees in the afternoon shade, lighting, fences, garbage bins, walkways and shrub plantings . One of the proposals for St. Paul included removing a portion of an elderly residents driveway. Some of the dissension could have been alleviated if a copy of the approved motion had been available at the presentation for the public to refer to. The wording of the approved motion is …”develop Windows-to-the-Lake at St Paul and Market St in a minimalistic manner(benches and signage).” Over the past few years we have had ongoing concerns over misrepresentation of the facts regarding the Water St parcel as presented to the public. This has caused dissension and hard feelings amongst residents. We attended the public meeting hoping it would be an opportunity to connect with our neighbours in a positive setting. Needless to say the meeting caused further dissension amongst many residents. As you were not at the meeting, the information in your article is second hand information and is not accurate as it relates to information in the approved motion. Also the information given to you by your informed observer about the three property owners is not truthful. The property owners support the approved motion as to the development of the two Windows to the Lake. We have not and will not “try to get council to change their mind.” Local parks should bring residents together. When less than truthful statements are given to the public it causes further dissension amongst residents. And unlike the simple correction of a misspelled name, it is not easy to correct the negative relationships amongst neighbours or the reputation of residents. In reporting on the March meeting the Gazette spoke independently to four people who were at the meeting.
April 13, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON The Region is picking them off one by one – in this most recent case they got two at the same time.  Willow Street in the Beachway. Regional Staff was authorized to conclude the acquisition of lands municipally known as 115 Willow Street and 109 Willow Street in the City of Burlington for what was described as Regional purposes. The properties are part of the assembly of all the lands within the Beachway. This will come as a shock to many Burlington tax payers is the cost which is to come out of the capital project budget for Burlington Waterfront – Land Acquisition. The numbers in the report are far from clear – it asks that the funding be increased by $640,000 from $624,250 to $1,264,250 and that this additional funding required be financed from the Green Fund Reserve. Burlington’s ward 2 Councillor Marianne Meed Ward asked that the vote at the full be recorded and the results are as follows: Yeas: Carr, Adams, Bonnette, Burton, Craven, Duddeck, Elgar, Fogal, Gittings, Goldring, Knoll, Krantz, Lancaster, O’Meara, Sharman, Somerville (16). Nays: Best, Cluett, Dennison, Meed Ward, Taylor (5). The voted to approve the acquisition and the funding carried. The report was so deeply buried in the Regional minutes that one had to be a hound dog to find them – then numbers appear to say that the price paid for the two homes was $1,264,250 Regional staff were not available for clarification These two structures are not much more than old summer cottages at the end of a lane way that abuts the QEW.
April 13, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON
Nomination applications must be submitted on or before Friday, May 8th, 2015. The nomination form can be downloaded from The Centre’s website  Hall of Fame’s 2nd inductee, Rainer Noack The Burlington Performing Arts Centre recognizes that the individual and group artists are paramount and fundamental to cultural development. These individuals and groups contribute to Burlington’s reputation as a city with a strong and sustained commitment toward the development of cultural excellence.  Gordie Tapp was onsite almost every day during the construction of the Pier. He chats with Project Manager Craig Stevens. Tapp was the first inductee into the Performing Arts Center Hall of Famwe At the 2014 Cabaret, the Hall of Fame’s 2nd inductee, Rainer Noack, Founder and Program Director of Burlington Student Theatre, was recognized for providing training, camps and arts opportunities for children and youth in the Burlington area since 1978. The Hall of Fame’s 1st inductee, was Burlington’s own, Gordie Tapp.
April 13, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON When Brian Dean, president of the Burlington Downtown Business Association asked the city to expand his boundaries local merchants in the expanded territory didn’t exactly line up to fill out membership forms. On the contrary – a couple wrote letter and one delegated at city council saying they didn’t like the idea at all.  View of the Plaza, looking north, as it stands today – the front will be opened up considerably.  Councillor Meed Ward can see a stunning outdoor patio on this stretch of the property that will undergo a significant upgrade – all within the existing zoning. This view looks south. Then Jeff Usher came along and announced that Burlington Square Plaza (BSP) was so keen on the idea that they were going to expand the Plaza and add a four storey structure to the south end and make major changes to the retail level in the core structure. In doing so – Cherishome Living, the company that owns the apartment tower, might well create a new anchor for the expanded BDBA territory. There isn’t an awful lot to choose from when a person wanting to get out for a meal or a chance to sit out on a patio and just enjoy the city. Usher sees a significant opportunity for a restaurant to set up a sizable plaza area outside the new addition.  This structure which faces Brant and runs south to Olga will be demolished and become the four storey commercial residential part of the upgrade to the Plaza property. Ward 2 Councillor Marianne Meed Ward was all a flutter over the development because it was going to build within the applicable zoning and not ask city council for additional height.
Meed Ward will be holding a public meeting on the 15th to tell everyone about it and show off the architects rendering. Cherishome Living was formerly McArthur Properties. The rental agent for the Burlington Square apartments will changed – the firm being brought in has more experience with commercial and residential  The space to the right will be demolished and become part of the new four storey structure that will have rental on the top four floors and retail on the lower level The commercial side of the Plaza has not done as well as hoped – much of the ground floor space is vacant. Burlington MPP Eleanor McMahon has space on the lower level but has decided to mover her office to a location with more exposure.
April 13, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON More than 400 of the city’s business community gathered at the Convention Center last week for the annual Chamber of Commerce business gala that brought together business, government and industry leaders from all over the area to join in celebrating the business community’s achievements.  Back Row (L toR): Bernie Meuller, Gerry Smallegange Front Row (L to R): Tom Flannery, Juliet Aurora, Colleen Mulholland, Dave McSporran, Fred Bennink The Chamber presents a number of business excellence awards in a variety of categories. In 2002, awards from the Burlington Economic Development Corporation were added to the Gala. In 2003, the Tourism Burlington Award was added and Mayor Rick Goldring presents his Community Service Awards at the Gala. To be eligible for a Business Excellence Award, a company must be a member of the Burlington Chamber of Commerce or be located in the City of Burlington. More than 50 nominations were recieved for the 2014 awards.
A new evaluation criterion that was used for all companies beginning with the 2009 awards was environmental practices. Service (Large) Winner: Burlington Hydro Electric Inc. The Task Force was impressed with Burlington Hydro’s commitment to customer service and the fact that its responsiveness to customers’ needs has been an important factor in other companies locating in Burlington. Service (Small) Winner: AIS Solutions Inc. The Task Force was impressed with the fact that AIS Solutions has been asked by Intuit Canada to help improve future versions and to share their knowledge throughout Canada and the US. Manufacturer Winner: Zip Signs The Task Force was impressed with Zip Signs’ ability to provide quality, innovative, turnkey solutions anywhere in Canada while maintaining a family-focused business that cares about its employees. Retail / Wholesale Winner: Christy’s Gourmet Gifts The Task Force was impressed with how this small, family business recognized a niche market and, with quality, innovative products, has become an international success. Young Entrepreneur Winner: Dave McSporran, Bottled Media The Task Force was impressed with how Dave has developed a childhood passion and a desire to tell his clients’ stories as they have never been told before, into a solid, stable business. Not-for-Profit Winner: Burlington Community Foundation The Task Force was impressed with the broad impact the Foundation has had and its ability to respond rapidly to our community’s needs, such as it did this past year following the August flood. Heritage Award Winner: Dodsworth & Brown Funeral Home Dodsworth & Brown’s is awarded this year’s Heritage Award because of their long history of doing business in Burlington, a remarkable 50 years. They have served the residents of Burlington with class, understanding and professionalism Mayor’s Sustainable Green Business Award Burlington Mall, RioCan Management Inc. The Mayor’s Sustainable Green Business Award was announced prior to the Gala. BEDC Business Export Award Cogent Power Inc. The BEDC Business Export Award was announced prior to the Gala. Tourism Burlington Ambassador Award Burlington Teen Tour Band  Burlington Chamber of Commerce President Keith Hoey, who does a pretty good job as a stand up comic, is also quite a promoter. The Burlington Chamber of Commerce, formed in 1947 will hold its Annual General Meeting at the Holiday Inn Burlington Hotel, 3063 south Service Rd. TIME: 4:45 Registration Begins The Chamber is the voice of business in Burlington and advocates at the local, regional, provincial and federal level on behalf of over 1,000 companies representing 30,000 employees.
April 12, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON Two world class marathoner’s who ran in the 2014 Chilly Half Marathon last February just might be on their way to the 2016 Rio Olympics.  Reid Coolsaet crossing the finish line at the Chilly Half Marathon in Burlington. Reid Coolsaet and Krista DuChene both headed to the Netherlands in search of what they hoped would be an Olympic qualifying time, as well as a shot a Canadian record. The two appear to have qualified for Olympic berths at Rotterdam today. Both took part in Burlington’s Chilly Half Marathon last March.  Krista DuChene being carried after finishing a race on Montreal just over a year ago with a broken femur. One year ago, DuChene, the Mother of two children, broke her femur running a half-marathon in Montreal. On Sunday in Rotterdam, she flirted with the Canadian record, and finished with her second fastest ever marathon time in 2:29:37.
Coolsaet also came to the Rotterdam course in the hunt for the Canadian record (2:10:09). He ended up with a strong seventh place finish in a tough field, finishing in 2:11:23. In previous years, the Canadian Olympic standard for the men’s marathon has been 2:11:29. Is Burlington’s Chilly Half about to become the accepted training ground for Olympic level runners?
April 10, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON It took several days for the city to get on top of the damage being done by some fuel that was poured into a catch basin on Spruce Street between Shoreacres Road and Goodram Drive.
City crews responded to the spill on Friday, April 3 after being notified by local residents. “City staff and the Ministry of the Environment have been on site every day and used absorbent pads and booms to soak up the fuel in the water,” said Scott Stewart, general manager of development and infrastructure at the City of Burlington. “The source of the spill is suspected to be a catch basin on Spruce Avenue where the substance was dumped. The toxic fuel then traveled to Shoreacres Creek and downstream towards Lake Ontario.” The heavy rains rose the water levels in the creek destroying one of the books that had been put in place. The city has not yet said what was dumped in a catch basin nor have they any idea who did the dumping or how much was poured into the catch basin. “It is completely unacceptable that the irresponsible actions of one or more individuals have caused such terrible injury to animal life and to the natural environment,” said Stewart. “Paletta Lakefront Park is a popular spot where residents go to enjoy the waterfront and trails and wildlife lives. The deliberate disposal of hazardous pollutants has negatively impacted the community’s ability to enjoy and thrive in this space.”  A prefab bridge being installed at Shoreacres Creek. With heavy spring rains the volume of water flowing into the lake is significantly higher. Residents with information related to this event can call the Ministry of Environment’s Spills Action Centre at 1-800-268-6060. More information about reporting spills to the Ministry of Environment is available at https://www.ontario.ca/environment-and-energy/report-spill. The Ministry of Environment’s Investigations and Enforcement Branch division is responsible for investigating alleged environmental infractions. Prosecutions can result in fines, court orders and probation or jail terms. Hazardous Waste Disposal
April 10, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON Ward 3 Councillor John Taylor responded very strongly to some information that had been circulated during the Easter weekend by unknown person(s) regarding the Mount Nemo Heritage Conservation Landscape District.  Ward 3 Councillor John Taylor responds to an anonymous document he feels is both incorrect and misleading.
“I have received, but never before responded, to unsigned correspondence for obvious reasons. In this case, however, I will respond to the allegations (as will City staff) due to the importance of this topic to rural residents. “The City is conducting the Mount Nemo Heritage Conservation District Study in accordance with Part V of the Ontario Heritage Act. The study scope includes a broad review of a variety of elements that contribute to the landscape character, including but not limited to, the natural environment.  The area covers basically all of the western half of the Escarpment. “At this stage of the study staff and the consultants are reviewing the needs and justification for an Heritage Conservation District as well as alternative planning tools that may achieve similar conservation objectives through other means. The consultants final study report along with draft staff recommendations will be presented to rural residents before a decision is made by City Council on whether or how to proceed further. Timing is uncertain but there will be at least a month separation between the two meetings and neither of the meetings will be held in July or August. The document that was circulated: What Can a Heritage Designation do? Myth: It will stop the quarry from expanding. Myth:This is not a ‘real’ heritage designation. It only affects the natural environment. Ask yourself these questions: The seven members of City Council will be voting on this initiative soon and they do not live in this area -not even John Taylor. It is important that you voice your opinion NOW on this matter and send them an email or a letter. Please see below for contact information. Proposed heritage area: From Dundas Street up to Britannia Road and from Milborough Line over to Walkers Line. And they are considering expanding these boundaries? Taylor responds to each issue raised in the anonymous document:  This quarry is close to being shut down – they have taken out just about all the aggregate they can. An application to expand the quarry was denied. Many feel that there will never be another quarry on Mt. Nemo. The question now is – what do we do with that big hole in the ground?
Heritage Property Tax Rebate Program Please also note that the tax rebate program does not apply to heritage districts registered under Part V of the Ontario Heritage Act as would be the case for any Mount Nemo Heritage Landscape District. There are no current plans to introduce the rebate program to heritage districts.  Those people who live in rural Burlington are passionate about the quality of life they live – that’s why they chose a rural setting. They do not make any kind of change easy. Property Values Private Property Controls If the City proceeds with the development of an HCD Plan, the focus for policy and guidelines would be on the effect of proposed development on the cultural heritage landscape as defined through the HCD Study process, focusing on elements such as vegetation, building setbacks, height and massing. The purpose of this study is not to explore the specific stylistic elements of individual buildings (i.e. colour, window patterns, etc.). An HCD designation can require a heritage permit for major exterior repairs or additions, alterations to the landscape and tree removals, but does not affect building interiors or general maintenance. What ultimately requires a heritage permit is determined through the HCD Study/Plan process. Protection from Unwanted Development, Quarry Expansion & Provincial Highways This would be achieved by a Heritage Conservation Plan that contains policies and guidelines sympathetic to the defined character of the landscape. In conclusion I feel that we must complete the study as planned and then make an informed decision on whether to proceed to a plan, take a different direction, or abandon the issue.
|
||||||||
|
Copyright © 2024 Burlington Gazette – Local News, Politics, Community - All Rights Reserved Powered by WordPress & Atahualpa |
||||||||
SPRINGPOP 
The Burlington Performing Arts Centre is accepting nominations for the third inductee of its Hall of Fame. Established in 2013, The Burlington Performing Arts Centre’s Hall of Fame recognizes people who have made significant contributions to the performing arts in Burlington. Recipients of this award demonstrate the diversity of artistic accomplishment that comprises the rich cultural tapestry of the City of Burlington. The Hall of Fame award will be presented to the inductee at the 2015-2016 Season Launch event held at The Centre on Thursday, May 28.
