 By Pepper Parr
July 2, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Maybe I slept in a little longer than I should have this morning, after a long, fun filled Canada Day. Whatever, I wasn’t functioning all that well when putting together the pice on the newest Performing Arts Centre Community Initiative.
 Performing Arts Centre comes out with an interesting Community Initiative. You’ll have to hustle to meet that deadline. By the way the Performing Arts people are doing a better job than the city is so far in the community initiative field – but that’s another story.
We got some information on a new idea the Centre was doing and were putting the story together when we came across a part that wasn’t clear to us. Several back and forths via email (have you noticed that you never get the full answer to the question the first time?) and what was not clear was now clear and we published the piece.
The error in the headline was glaring – we got a polite email asking that we fix it – we did.
Got another call saying it wasn’t fixed – it was. I had changed the date.
Then I was told it wasn’t the date that was wrong – it was both the month and the date in the headline that was wrong.
With two corrections – both tweeted – we realized that anyone following the story would be completely confused.
So – here it is again.
The Performing Arts Centre has a really neat community initiative for growing artists called the Lobby Showcase.
The full story is HERE.
And Costin and Stefanie and Hils – I finally got it right – my apologies.
 By Staff
July 2, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
The Burlington Performing Arts Centre has created a new feature: the Lobby Showcase. Auditions are being held on September 19 and 20, from 10 am to 5 pm, for the Centre’s Lobby Showcase Project which will take place during the professional presenting season that starts in September/October 2015.
This is part of the Performing Arts Centre Community Engagement initiative that is intended to find new amateur talent in Burlington and surrounding areas to showcase local artists or acts that are in the process of developing their material and need some experience before a live audience.
 These performances will take place on a particular night to introduce these artists to our patrons and a wider audience.
The groups selected will perform in the theatre’s Family Room, that really grand space that a performer can do almost anything with. In the past there have been some superb events put on in that space.
The artists chosen for the Lobby Showcase will perform in the lobby before the main event starts.
 Room enough for the Burlington Teen Tour Band to perform – what do you have in the way of an entertainment event for this space? The intention is to assist local artists or groups on their way to becoming better known in the community. The hope is that some will eventually become professional.
There is no remuneration for the Lobby Showcases but artists will get an opportunity to market their brand at that time, while reaching a new audience. The artists may also be added to the City of Burlington’s Artists database, with their permission.
The selected performers will get one of eight available Lobby Showcase spots available throughout the 2015-2016 Presenting Season and they, as well as others selected, may also get a chance to be featured in the Culture Days celebrations, September 25 to 27, 2015.
 The Performing Arts Centre Community initiative is opening up some space for local amateur talent that will take place in the theatre lobby before a main production takes place. Their hope is that these events might be an early step towards an event that will get them to the Main Stage. We are looking for singer/songwriters, dancers, singers (pop, jazz, blues, folk, classical), bands or combos, instrumentalists and soloists (classical, jazz, etc.), performance art, and comedy; show us what you have.
Please submit your idea by email to: BPACAuditions@burlington.ca
Include a couple of photos, a short bio and some background information and a short description of the act or performer, include any links to YouTube videos, if you have them; don’t forget your contact information.
Dateline for submissions is July 24, 2015.
There are a limited number of spots available; only the acts or artists selected will be contacted with an audition date and time.
 By Justin Lethbridge
June 30, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Right up until the last hit of the game, it looked like the Burlington Bandits were going to steal a game from their rivals in Hamilton.
 Those stands weren’t exactly full were they? Hamilton took the baseball game in a close one – 2-1 for the other guys. It was two errors committed by Burlington that allowed Hamilton to bring in two runs in the bottom of the ninth for their seventh win of the season.
The game got off to quick start as Burlington’s Shaun Cooper caught a fortuitous bounce in the top of the first, when the ball hit his helmet as he rounded third and allowed him to score.
That was the games sole hit until into the third inning in what was a pitching showcase. Hamilton’s Tim Black pitched all nine innings, giving up only three hits and one run while Burlington’s Dylan Perego threw all but three pitches through nine innings giving up three hits and two runs.
The win keeps the Cardinals in sixth place with as they prepare to greet the London Majors at home.
The Bandits are now mired in a four game losing streak as they head to Guelph for a battle between the bottom two teams in the league.
 By Pepper Parr
June 30th, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
The Burlington Community Foundation got a call on the 5th of August from the Mayor – saying “the city needs your help. We want you to form a Flood Disaster Relief Committee (DRC).” Collen Mulholland, president of the Community Foundation had no idea what the Mayor was talking about but she was fully aware of the serious situation several thousand Burlingtonians were facing with flooded basements. The Mayor was one of that several thousand people.
 Community groups, corporations, individuals – they came forward in the hundreds with money that allowed the city to collect just under $1 million in 100 days and get that matched on a 2 for 1 basis from the province. Mulholland literally put her shoulder to the wheel and pulled together a group that would do what needed to be done.
At some point in the not too distant future the Gazette will tell the full story but today we can tell you that all 272 approved claims totalling $2.7 million have been finalized. Claimants can expect final financial assistance payment to be delivered in the next few weeks.
It was a challenge getting the paper work through an office that was run by less than four people – the |Community Foundation had to being in a van full of part timers to handle the phone calls and the paper work.
Data had to be collected for the insurance adjuster who gave the right nod and the claim got sent to the committee that made sure all the information needed was in the reports and the claim was a fair claim
Many people didn’t understand that the ODRAP (Ontario |Disaster Relief Assistance Program) program was to help cover the cost of replacing necessary furniture and fixtures. The high definition TV was not necessary but the furnace and washer dryer were.
 Ron Foxcroft telling his story – there wasn’t a bank that he didn’t succeed in squeezing significant dollars out of – well there was one. “The entire flood relief experience has demonstrated what a strong, giving and resilient city Burlington is,” said Ron Foxcroft, Chair, BCF Flood Disaster Relief Committee. “I would like to thank the flood victims for their patience, the volunteers for their tireless efforts, the financial donors for their generous gifts, and the Ontario government for its disaster relief financial support.”
After 10 months of dedicated work the DRC has officially completed its mandate. During that time the Committee has reviewed, assessed and processed 310 claims and spent numerous hours providing support and guidance to flood victims. Thirty eight of the claims were denied.
Flood victims continue to share their heartfelt thanks and gratitude to all those who helped in the flood relief efforts. “On behalf of my family, I would like to thank the Burlington Community Foundation Flood Disaster Relief Committee. We will now be able repair our home’s flood damage and once again enjoy it with our children and grandchildren as we have done since 1973. ‘Thank You’ again, and please know that we are incredibly grateful,” said one family whose claim was processed
 Catch basins couldn’t handle the volume and got plugged frequently. Unfortunately with many other regions in the world experiencing severe weather there will often be reminders of last year’s historic rainfall. “Whenever we experience a severe rain storm in this city many of us will think back to August 4th and the devastating weather that changed the lives of many,” said Colleen Mulholland, President and CEO, Burlington Community Foundation. “We hope to also remember the goodness that prevailed in this City. It has been a remarkable experience working with so many devoted Burlingtonians throughout this process.”
The Community is working with the city on a celebration date for early September,
What no one has made clear yet is the “hold back” of 10% that the province has put in place on ODRAP monies. It was described as “risk management” – we will pursue that one a little further.
We understand that the province holds back 10% of the money they provided – the province put up $2 for every dollars the people of Burlington raised.
The fact is the province didn’t put up $2 – they kept 20 cents and gave the Disaster Relief Fund $1.80
Bunch of pikers
By Staff
June 30th, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
What does $50 million worth of red tape look like?
If you’ve ever had to fill informs for any government agency – city hall for that matter – you know what I’m talking about.
In a self-serving media release the province announces that it has streamlined services to help businesses succeed and grow and that this has led to $50 million in savings and 2.4 million saved hours for businesses across the province in the last four years.
 Business people and citizens drown in red tape while the bureaucrats keep making more of it. They have forms you need to order forms The idea is to reduce unnecessary regulatory and administrative processes that cost businesses time and money. The report features 28 initiatives across government that are modernizing services and making it easier for businesses to succeed, including:
• Creating a new online system for processing payments for the Ministry of Health and Long-term Care’s Assistive Devices Program — reducing wait times for payments and saving registered vendors $16.7 million and an estimated 500,000 hours over four years.
• A new, convenient online compliance check tool available to businesses with a good track record, as an alternative to full inspections under the Employment Standards Act,- saving these businesses an estimated $725,000 and 36,500 hours over two years.
• Streamlining regulations and processes with the Ministry of Transportation’s simplified testing requirements for senior commercial drivers to renew their licences — saving drivers $1.87 million and an estimated 57,000 hours over a year.
 This could be the logo that could be printed on T-shirts that bureaucrats could wear – that way we would know who they are. Ontario has set a target of reducing burdens to save business $100 million by the end of 2017. With $50 million of savings so far, our province is halfway to reaching its target. This is part of our government’s broader strategy, aimed at reducing unnecessary burdens to businesses across Ontario. Since 2008, our government has eliminated more than one in six regulatory requirements – or 80,000 regulatory burdens, leading to more efficient, streamlined processes.
And if you believe all this – there is a nice parcel of land in Florida I would love to sell you.
What I want to know is – how many civil servants did the counting of all those hours that were saved?
 By Staff
June 30th, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
With the shooting death of an 18 year old in London Ontario over a cell phone – the theft of cell phones take on a heightened interest.
On Monday June 29th 2015 two street robberies occurred 2½ hours apart in southeast Burlington where cell phones were taken forcefully from their owners.
At approximately 7:15 PM, two youths were walking north on Burloak Drive, south of Spruce Avenue when they were confronted by a male who demanded a cell phone be turned over of they would be shot. The suspect was given a cell phone and fled the area on foot.
 Cell phones are now seen as choice items for thieves – be careful At approximately 9:45 PM, another youth was walking south on Hampton Heath Road near Lakeshore Road when a black vehicle with three males stopped alongside the youth. Two of the males got out of the vehicle and asked to use the youths’ cell phone. After being told no, the two males began to forcefully search the youth’s pockets, taking an I-Phone, returned to the vehicle and fled the area.
In the first incident, the suspect is described as a black male in his early 20’s, 6’0 tall, medium build, corn row style hair wearing a black hoodie and long cream coloured pants.
In the second incident, the suspects are all described as black males 18-20 years of age wearing dark clothing.
Anyone who may have witnessed these incidents or have information that will assist investigators in identifying these suspects are asked to contact the Burlington Criminal Investigations Bureau at 905-825-4747 Ext. 2315 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).
-30-
By Pepper Parr
June 30, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
 Ward 4 Councillor Jack Dennison Jack Dennison had his hearing before the Ontario Municipal Board earlier this week where he is appealing a decision of the Committee of Adjustment that turned down his request to sever his property on Lakeshore Road,
The Gazette was not able to attend the two day hearing but has interviewed a number of people who did attend.
 A designated home, bought under a power of sale on a lot which owner Councillor Jack Dennison wants to have severed into two lots. The Committee of adjustment said no – an appeal was made to the Ontario Municipal Board – a decision is expected in a few months. “There were body blows given by both sides” said one well informed observer. Did Dennison have a case we asked?
“Yes Dennison had a case – did he make it is a different question and did the OMB Commissioner buy the Dennison argument.” Our informant wasn’t prepared to say, however he did say that Dennison as the appellant was the first to speak and his people took up the best part of the two day hearing. “They took all the oxygen out of the room” was the way the proceedings were described.
By the time the city got to make its argument things were getting a little rushed and people didn’t have the opportunity to be as fulsome as they may have wanted to be.
The OMB Commissioner who heard the appeal said that he had never experienced a hearing on this kind of issue that ran for two solid days. The hearing was the result of an appeal Councillor Dennison made against a Committee of Adjustment decision not to allow the request for a severance of the Lakeshore Road property.
 The committee of Adjustment that voted 3-2 to deny Councillor Jack Dennison the severance he wanted for his Lakeshore Road property. That hearing was a long contentious one that did not produce a unanimous decision.
One person we interviewed suggested that the cost of the hearing will run at close to $200,000 – assume a little less than half that a cost the city will have to cover and we are looking at costs that amount to more than the city pays Dennison to serve as a Council member for a full year.
Heritage took a hit said our commentator, the character of the community was a significant part of the city’s case and while some thought that case was well made others didn’t see it quite the same way.
The city’s planning department is in the final stages of completing a “character study” of the community – many had hoped that study would have been completed and available as evidence at the hearing.
It is difficult to find very many people in the community who will speak openly in support of the severance Dennison sought. The community was so upset that at one point they denied his application for membership in a community association. However, in the 2014 election Jack Dennison won his seat again by a more than respectable majority – the voters did speak. In a few months to Ontario Municipal Board will speak and the development direction for the Roseland community will be set to some degree
Background articles:
Width of the proposed lot becomes public.
Property with a complex financial history
Committee of Adjustment meeting
 Show times for Cine Starz at Upper Canada Place
460 Brant Street Burlington On.
SHOWTIMES July 2 to 9 , 2015
ME AND EARL AND THE DYING PG
Fri to Thur 11:20 1:40 3:40 5:40 7:35 9:30
WATER DIVINER 14A
Fri to Thur 1:20 3:25 5:30 7:35 9:40
PITCH PERFECT2 PG
Fri to Thur 11:15 3:25 5:20 7:40 9:45
TOMORROWLAND PG
Fri to Thur 11:20 1:00 3:00 5:20 7:20
MAD MAX FURY ROAD 18A
Fri to Thur 7:25 9:35
ENTOURAGE 18A
Fri to Thur 11:25 9:40
HOME G
Fri to Thur 11:15 1:20 3:30 5:30
WOMAN IN GOLD PG
Fri to Thur 11:20 1:20 3:20
FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD PG
Fri to Thur 1:20 5:15 7:25 9:35
By Staff
June 29, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
The city and two of its unions have reached a tentative agreement which will, if ratified by the union membership, maintain the no strike in 20 years record.
The Outside Workers and Arena/Outdoor Pool Operators (CUPE Local 44) and Burlington Transit workers. CUPE 2723 were in a strike position
CUPE 44 will hold a ratification meeting on July 2, which was its tentative strike date. If the union fails to ratify the vote, the union has promised the city 72 hours notice before calling a strike.
That union had not yet begin to make up any picket signs.
The public will have to wait until the details of the tentative agreement are known before the size of the wallop to the wallet is known.
By Staff
June 29, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
 Hundreds of tree saplings were planted in the Beachway just a few weeks ago – details on the damage are not yet in. BurlingtonGreen spent the best part of a day a few weeks ago planting hundreds of trees in the sand dunes in the Beachway – that work may have come to naught as a result of the wind and rain experienced over the weekend.
Residents in the Beachway report that during Saturday’s windstorm, the beach strip was completely underwater – “all the sand was underwater”.
Two boats were washed off their davits; one smashed to pieces on the seawall and the other appears to have just sunk intact.
These were believed to be an 18ft Seadoo jet boat and a (approx) 26 ft. fishing boat located between Brant and Guelph Line.
 By Staff
June 28, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
We talk about the jewels that make this city what it is – that Escarpment to the north of the city and that glistening lake that is there for us to watch and appreciate every day.
Those two magnificent geographic features were given to us- our task now is to enjoy that gift and serve as good stewards and ensure that what we have our grandchildren’s grandchildren will also be able to enjoy.
There are people who pay more attention to the environment that most of us – for them it is a passion and they spend countless hours just helping take care of what we have.
 Turtle clan longhouse at Crawford Lake. The Conservation Authority, formed after Hurricane Hazel did some very serious flooding in 1954 when more than 90 people in Toronto lost their lives as a result of the flooding. .
There are a number of Conservation Authorities across the problem – Conservation Halton looks after what we have. They are both a regulatory agency that comments on all development that relates to the lake and the creeks and the land on the Escarpment and the operators of a number of recreational and entertainment locations including Crawford Lake.
They play a critical role that is seldom seen and rarely appreciated. Each year they hold an awards night to recognize those who have done more – made an effort and made a difference. They held their 33rd annual Conservation Halton Awards on Tuesday at the Milton Centre for the Arts. The awards are presented to people and organizations that make outstanding contributions to conservation in the Halton watershed, which includes Halton, Peel, Hamilton and Puslinch.
Every person, group, or school, in the various awards categories (except for the Parks Volunteer Award) are nominated from the community. The 2015 award recipients are as follows:
Citizen:Bethlehem Sahlu; Citizen (Youth) Simone Mantel, Aldershot District High School; Community Toronto Bruce Trail Club; Education (Group or School) Trailhead – Bronte Creek Project; Education (Individual) Nick Bertrand and Kerry Sagar, Halton District School Board; Media / Blogger, Tourism Burlington; Parks Volunteer Kirsten Phillip, Mountsberg Raptor Centre and Chuck Sweet, Kelso / Glen Eden; Stewardship Andrew and Marites Lee, Milton Field and Stream Rescue Team; Ralph Sherwood Honour Roll Keith Bird, Oakville
More than 150 guests and dignitaries attended the awards ceremony. In addition to the award recipients, Watershed Stewards in the Halton Watershed Stewardship Program were recognized, as well as local schools and childcare centres that participated in the Stream of Dreams education program.
2015 Conservation Halton Awards Recipients
Bethlehem Sahlu – Citizen
Bethlehem Sahlu has led three local food initiatives in Oakville. She is the coordinator of two community gardens, Share Land Share Life Community Garden (which is on privately owned land, Owner Mr. Armin Gottschling) and Clear View Community Garden. She also led a Green Your Mind Green Your Plate Presentation Series.
Share Land Share Life Community Garden and Clear View Community Garden were started as joint initiatives between Conservation Halton and FutureWatch EDEP as part of the Natural Connections Program aimed at connecting new and diverse communities in Halton to their natural surroundings, promoting food sustainability, healthy eating and Community engagement. (ODEC) Oakville’s Diverse Environmental Club Program is also a partner on Clear View.
Green Your Mind Green Your Plate is an interactive presentation with the objective to give people who are new in the area an overview of the local food market, to emphasize the importance of eating healthy and locally, and introduce them to the basic concepts of food sustainability. Bethlehem enjoys sharing her passion and knowledge about food sustainability and she believes Environmental Education is the key to success in all the community initiative she has been involved in. Bethlehem has inspired people that change is possible and it starts from the community we live in!
 Simone Mantel – an Aldershot residnent Simone Mantel of Aldershot High School in Burlington – Citizen (Youth)
Simone has been a true Environmental Champion for Aldershot School and the City of Burlington. She has been actively involved in her four years as a high school student, serving as President of the Aldershot School Environment Club and is a Graduate of the ECO Studies Program. Simone organized a community environmental film screening to raise funds for a school habitat restoration project. She also participated and planned invasive species removals at Aldershot School and Royal Botanical Gardens, and also organized school clean-up events for Earth Day.
Simone is involved in the community as well. She is an active member of Burlington Green, and worked to save trumpeter swan habitat at LaSalle Park Marina. She is a Burlington Transit Youth Ambassador for Aldershot School and organized several transportation-related campaigns. She also facilitated the ECO Rangers Environmental Leadership Program at RBG (grade 6 and 7 students).
Due to Simone’s dedication and commitment to the environment, Aldershot school and community, as well as the City of Burlington, have seen significant improvements in the awareness of environmental issues and improvement and protection of natural areas.
Toronto Bruce Trail Club – Community
Members of the Toronto Bruce Trail Club undertook the cleanup of downed trees and branches following the ice storm in December 2013 to reopen the Bruce Trail for hikers. Their clean-up efforts on the Main Bruce Trail in Halton Region involved more than 150 volunteers, who contributed over 600 hours and the cleanup was so extensive it took two years to fully complete.
The Toronto Bruce Trail Club encompasses the northern section of the Bruce Trail in Conservation Halton’s Watershed, this includes Crawford Lake, Hilton Falls, Kelso and Rattlesnake Point Conservation Areas.
Toronto Bruce Trail Club work parties cleared approximately 70% of the Main Trail from January to June 2014. The Bruce Trail and Conservation Halton has been extremely fortunate to have so many dedicated and interested volunteers show up so many times to get cold and dirty, and work very hard to clean up and maintain the trail for others to enjoy.
Trailhead – Bronte Creek Project – Education (Group or School)
Trailhead is a one semester environmental leadership program for 20 grade 10 students. The Trailhead class is made up of students selected from all Halton public and Catholic schools who have applied to be part of this unique and often transformative program.
Students spend every day at Sidrabene, which is located in a rural area, for the five-month high school semester. These facilities allow BCP students to have a mix of outdoor activities and indoor classroom lessons. Trailhead students teach grade 4 elementary students a one-day program called Novice Earthkeepers, where they practice and teach environmental stewardship. For the past three years, Trailhead students have participated at the Halton Forest Festival for Conservation Halton teaching grade 6 and 7 students about the importance of our local forests and the plants and animals that live within them.
Trailhead students explore current environmental issues and human impact, and discover their own relationship with nature. Hands-on learning is at the core of the program, allowing students to experience the curriculum while also learning about different career paths. The semester also involves an Adventure Trip canoeing in Algonquin Park. The program truly is a one of a kind experience for students, led by passionate and knowledgeable staff.
 Nick Bertrand and Kelly Sager of the Halton District School Board couldn’t keep away from their cell phones as they tweeted their award to everyone they knew Nick Bertrand and Kerry Sagar from HDSB – Education (Individual)
Kerry Sagar is an Instructional Program Leader with the School Programs Department at Halton District School Board. She has been involved in Environmental and Sustainability initiatives throughout her career with a special emphasis on Social Justice, Equity and Inclusion, and First Nations, Métis, and Inuit perspectives.
Kerry has been instrumental in developing invaluable resources, as well as developing and presenting countless professional learning experiences to elementary and secondary HDSB teachers, administrators, and superintendents. Her longstanding work with environmental leadership teams at the board level has included the development of inquiry-based learning projects which are directly connected to care and protection of the environment, and include a deeper understanding of the underlying social and equity issues.
Nick Bertrand is also an Instructional Program Leader with the School Programs Department at the Halton District School Board. After a teaching career at White Oaks Secondary School, He joined the School Programs Department three years ago.
Nick has had phenomenal success in working directly to support the Ontario EcoSchools program with secondary schools. Nick Co-chairs the system level Eco Team, HELP (Halton Eco Leadership Partners), and the multiple community partner Outdoor Experiential Education Advisory Team. One of his major accomplishments has been the successful implementation of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Education at both the elementary and secondary level; his connections with local First Nations and other community partners has enabled him to provide powerful support to schools in integrating First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Education, Environmental Education, and Outdoor Experiential Education.
 Linda Cvetanovic, blogger extraordinaire with Tourism Burlington was recognized Tourism Burlington – Media / Blogger
Tourism Burlington consistently supports Conservation Halton’s recreational, educational, and environmental initiatives on their online account. They furiously share tweets about events at Halton Parks, like Maple Town or Endangered Species Weekend. By doing so, Tourism Burlington captivates the online community in regard to outdoor education and our environmental efforts. Not only does Tourism Burlington engage with Conservation Halton, but they also collaborate with other groups to promote and educate others about nature in Burlington. With over 8,000 followers on Twitter, Tourism Burlington is an industry leader in Tourism for online media.
Tourism Burlington tweets and retweets Conservation Halton’s content whether it is a blog about a baby barn owl, or a Facebook link about Endangered Species Weekend at Mountsberg.
Kirsten Phillip, Mountsberg Raptor Centre – Parks Volunteer
Kirsten volunteers at the Mountsberg Raptor Centre every Friday. She is always pleasant and excited to be at Mountsberg and is a joy for the staff to work with. She happily does whatever task is asked of her and has become a master at cleaning the flight cages. Staff don’t quite know how she does it, but Kirsten gets the Turkey Vulture flight cleaner than anyone – even the staff.
When asked to do a spring cleaning on a Wildlife Walkway pen, she remarked at the end of the day that it was her most fun day yet of volunteering! Kirsten has gone above and beyond the duties of a regular volunteer.
On her own time and with her own resources, she developed two matching card games to be used by visitors at the park and these games will be incorporated into the summer Raptor Camp activities this year. She has also started to join Mountsberg staff on offsite presentations and is a great representative of Conservation Halton both offsite and at the park. All of the Raptor Centre staff looks forward to Fridays, when they get to share their day with Kirsten.
Chuck Sweet – Parks Volunteer
During the winter months Chuck is a volunteer patroller at Glen Eden and during the summer months Chuck is a volunteer trail ambassador at Kelso.
Chuck performs at least 140 hours of volunteering per winter helping injured skiers and snowboarders. He is an inspiration to many of our volunteer patrollers through his attendance, commitment, and dedication.
Chuck is an exceptional communicator as a trail ambassador in regards to safety and offering direction. Chuck was seriously injured while on duty as a ski patroller during the 2013-14 season. He returned this season and fulfilled his responsibilities well beyond our expectations. His peers nominated Chuck as Patroller of the year at the end of the 2014-15 season.
Andrew and Marites Lee – Stewardship
Andrew and Marites were two stand-out participants of Conservation Halton’s 2014 Healthy Neighbourshed homeowner workshop program. At each week’s session, they were eager to learn and were inspired and motivated to implement a low impact landscaping project on their property.
Not only did they add to the community of the workshop series by asking questions and discussing topics with fellow participants, they took the projects they learned about home. Andrew and Marites completely revamped their backyard to incorporate low impact development principles. These include: a permeable walkway, native plants and a rain barrel.
Their efforts and enthusiasm are not only helping divert our watershed’s urban run-off, they are acting as environmental stewards to their children and their community by showing what can be done on a homeowner’s property can be both beautiful and environmentally friendly. Andrew and Marites have also demonstrated that even if you live in a suburban subdivision, you still can have a positive impact on your local environment.
 David Hulsman of the Field and Stream Rescue  Jeff Stock – Field and Stream Rescuer Field and Stream Rescue Team – Stewardship
The Field and Stream Rescue Team is a not for profit group that works in Hamilton and Halton. They are 100 per cent volunteer based with a board of eight members and a project planning team of about the same. Their mission is to “Revitalize urban areas by restoring and rehabilitating watercourses, forests and natural areas through community education and hands on activities.”
They accomplish their mission by leading 15 to 20 volunteer workdays per year. Workdays include a variety of projects types such as invasive plant management, garbage cleanups and tree, shrub and wildflower plantings.
A niche that they have filled in Conservation Halton’s area is to clean up the nearly impossible. They rig up a system of pullies and cart garbage out of deep forested ravines that has likely been there for fifty plus years. One of their greatest achievements of late was a two day cleanup of an old dumping site in Bronte Creek Provincial Park. Tires, fridge, freezer and more were hauled out of the Bronte Creek floodplain and up a 150 foot ravine.
Keith Bird – Ralph Sherwood Honour Roll Award
Keith Bird recently served as Vice Chair of Conservation Halton and was a member of the Conservation Halton Foundation Board from 2011 to 2015. Keith served 37 years on the Conservation Halton Board, serving since 1974, except for two years when he was on the Conservation Halton Foundation Board.
During Keith’s time, the Foundation completed the Mountsberg Shrike Project breeding facility, the Deer Clan longhouse which was constructed at Crawford Lake Conservation Area, and the Foundation provided ongoing support for the Halton Children’s Water Festival and the Halton Forest Festival.
During Keith’s yeas on the Conservation Halton board there were a number of improvements at the conservation areas highlighted by the opening of the Crawford Lake Iroquoian Village and the building of the Kelly New Pavilion at Mountsberg. In addition there have been upgrades at Glen Eden to the chairlifts and snowmaking and a new pedestrian bridge built over the railway tracks to accommodate the growing demand. Another park improvement during Keith’s time was the opening of the Brock Harris Lookout at Mount Nemo.
 Proudly displayed on the gate of rural homes – some in urban areas as well. Halton Watershed Stewardship (HWSP) Program Award Recipients
The Halton Watershed Stewardship Program award recipients are members of a group of more than 310 landowners voluntarily protecting over 12,800 acres of land, which includes over 7,800 acres of natural land, and over 160 kilometres of stream. It is important to remember that by simply enjoying these natural heritage features as they are, and conserving them for future generations, Watershed Stewards are making a significant contribution to the health of the environment, which leads to a healthy society.
Each year Watershed Stewardship Technicians assist landowners who are looking for advice and recommendations regarding activities they can undertake to restore woodlands, wetlands, meadows, and streams. The following landowners were recognized at this year’s award as Watershed Stewards:
• Alba DiCenso and Brian Hutchison in the Bronte Creek Watershed
• The City of Hamilton for Courtcliffe Park in the Bronte Creek Watershed
• Wayne Terryberry, who is the first recipient of the new Cootes to Escarpment EcoPark System dedicated Stewardship award
 These Streams of Dreams are hand painted by students and affixed to school yard fences – a graphic and fun way to teach young students about the environment. Stream of Dreams 2015
The mission of the Stream of Dreams Program is to educate communities about their watersheds, rivers and streams, while dazzling them with the charm of community art. Since its launch in 2006, Conservation Halton staff has delivered the program to 32,422 participants at 83 schools, as well as many community events, installing these magnificent murals across the watershed.
The teachers and parent volunteers at the participating Stream of Dreams schools put countless hours of work into each project to prepare their fish to be painted by the children and then install their murals on a fence at the school. Conservation Halton staff deliver the program with the message of protecting the fish and other wildlife who live in our community streams. The following schools participated over the past year:
• Balaclava, Freelton
• Bruce T. Lindley, Burlington
• Glenburnie, Oakville
• Hawthorne Village, Milton
• Our Lady of Fatima, Milton
• Palermo, Oakville
• Pilgrim Wood, Oakville
• Pine Grove, Oakville
• P.L. Robertson, Milton
• St. Mildred’s Lightbourn, Oakville
By Pepper Parr
June 29th, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Vince Fiorito teaches and instructs people in the arcane science of information technology. He knows all about Virtual Private Networks; how to set them up and how to keep them both running and safe from the cyber bandits.
He has been around information technology since its inception and while he hasn’t invented anything or become ridiculously rich he is content with what he is able to earn.
 The Halton Hamilton Watershed Protection group and Conservation Authority issues these placards – they are prized possessions in the rural part of the region. The passion for Fiorito is the environment – and here he has become an absolute bulldog. Fiorito will see a lush green lawn and know that it was treated with some chemical that is polluting the creeks and streams that run through Burlington and into the lake – our water supply. That makes the hair on the back of his neck bristle.
When Fiorito and his wife went looking for a home in Burlington he knew that he wanted a ravine property; it was his wife who found what they were looking for. His back yard is a slope that is landscaped with stones – not as much as a blade of grass to cut but a clear view directly into the flow of Sheldon Creek that runs from the watershed in the Escarpment through the city and into Lake Ontario.
 This hunk of metal has obviously been in the creek since before the development surrounding the creek was constructed. A farmer or the developer that bought the farmland just left it; does the city not inspect the land at all during the construction phase. Getting it out is going to be a challenge. Sheldon Creek is Vince Fiorito country – he has a sign into his back yard that declares he is the Friend of Sheldon Creek. His reputation has spread throughout the city. During one of his Inspire speeches Mayor Goldring was taking questions from the audience – Vince was on his feet and asking the Mayor what his position was on the cleaning of the creeks. Goldring recognized the name and said “you’re the guy that cleans the Sheldon Creek” – not bad in terms of recognition.
Fiorito has walked every foot of the creek from Upper Middle Road to the Lake – during the summer he expects to trace the path of the creek from Upper Middle Road to its headwaters in the Escarpment
During a delegation before a city Standing Committee Fiorito upbraided council for not keeping the creeks cleaner – pointing out that they were city property.
Councillor Craven took exception to that comment and said it wasn’t city property but the property of people whose property who bordered on the flood plain. Staff corrected the Council member – it was for the most part city property they said; the decent thing to do would have been for Craven to apologize to Fiorito and listen to what the man had to say but that isn’t the currency Craven deals in.
Fiorito can recite chapter and verse on how many tonnes of garbage have been removed from Sheldon Creek and had the photographic evidence to back up his point.
 Not toxic but not the kind of thing you want adventurous boys coming across when they play in the creeks. When Fiorito came across the two 40 gallon barrels and the cans of chemicals in Sheldon Creek his first instinct was to inform the Ontario Ministry of the Environment. Easier said than done. There was no phone number; there was a form he could complete and did.
Fiorito didn’t understand why he couldn’t send a GPS marker to the Ministry so they would know exactly where to look.
 The back up here is due to a fallen tree – there is no one culling the forestry – the result is small damn that get created and catch everything flowing through the creek. There is more work to be done on the Sheldon Creek and while Fiorito gets quite cranked up about the environmental mess and isn’t the least bit shy about warning neighbours about the potential harm – the truth is Sheldon Creek is a mess and it is city property and while it will cost a pretty penny to clean it up from top to bottom there is the potential for flooding and the backing up of the spring runs offs – and there might be some junk in there that could be dangerous.
Burlington has 10 creeks that flow through the city and into the lake. They are for the most part abandoned with no one paying much in the way of attention to them. The city got a very rude awakening when the August 4th flood hit the city last summer. The practice before the flood was not to do all that much to the creeks; the natural approach, just leave everything that falls into the creek bed wherever it falls, was both cheaper and though to be environmentally sound.
That 191 mm of rain in a single day resulted in water roaring down those creeks and that harmless tree stump became a battering ram that lifted large pieces of concrete on New Street.
 It was a backed up creek that brought the flood water over this bridge Creeks got plugged and water began flowing into the streets and basements were flooded – the wonder is that some lawyer in town didn’t see the potential for a class action law suit and go after the city for tens of thousands in claims arguing that the city was negligent – which it has been.
Last week Conservation Halton held its annual awards night in Milton where it recognized those who had made significant contributions to the preservation of the environment
After the flooding brought on by Hurricane Hazel in 1954 that resulted in more than 90 deaths, flood control in Ontario and Canada as a whole became a more important issue.
Fiorito has nothing but positive words for the work BurlingtonGreen does each year when it spends the best part of a Saturday organizing thousands of people to help clean up the trash in the city – but makes this observation:
We have thousands of people helping clean up but we appear to have thousands who are littering our creeks – hundreds of vehicle tires have been pulled out the creek and they didn’t just fall of a passing car.
 Vince Firoito thinks there might be some scrap metal revenue in the creeks – is is salvageable? Part of his mission is to clean the creeks and keep them clean. Fiorito has a mission: he is the Friend of Sheldon Creek – now wants every creek in the city to have a friend and people who will serve as stewards of the creeks to oversee their environmental health.
In the fullness of time Fiorito hopes that the stewards of the city’s creeks will begin to have some influence on the city’s elected council and encourage them to put some resources into rehabilitating the creeks.
In some city’s the ravines are quiet laces for people to walk and just enjoy being outside. Burlington has been spoiled – most people are just vaguely aware that there are all those creeks running through the city. Vince Fiorito is setting out to change that perception.
 By James Smith
June 28, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Can a tool change the world?
What about a tool to change Burlington?
Marshal McLuhan said, “We shape the tool, then the tool shapes us”. Don’t agree? If you’re reading this, an online newspaper, the very action of reading stuff online has, in fact, transformed you.
This is a piece about how choices of designers’ tools have shaped not only the practice of design, but more importantly how the results may shape our city.
Burlington’s had its share of great plans but executing these plans may be why Burlington is a place where NIMBY is king and why Burlington as a city has never lived up to its potential. Perhaps with a better set of tools, designers can help citizens and politicians awaken Burlington to its potential.
As a designer, I’ve a fascination how the tools of the trade have changed the approach to our work and how these changes have modified our designs. Technological change is often at the heart of transformation; think of it this way: before movies, no movie stars, before Video Games, no 3D animators. Similarly, in architectural design, before Computer Aided Design and Drafting (CADD or CAD) the architect’s world was a very different place than it is today. A place where changes to a project, even in conceptual design were difficult to implement due in part because a huge commitment of resources was required to produce a building project’s design as everything was drawn by hand.
 How much “cut and paste” was there to this design? Citizens who saw early drawings complained that there wasn’t much creativity to the project. Not very livable was another comment. Why should we care? The development industry may be the impetus behind any building project, but the work of the urban planners, architects and other designers’ shape these projects. The city and its residents live with the results of their work. When tools allow a design firm to simply Copy and Paste a developer’s requests, a resulting project perhaps technically sound, is likely more of a commodity than handsome design. The city is poorer for this kind of design.
Intensification, for example, gets a bad reputation if produced as the result of a Copy and Paste process rather than employing more innovative design. As a city we need to demand better from our development community and the designers engaged. But good design takes time; and time is money so to better manage the process effectively, perhaps design firms need better tools.
Twenty-five years ago, most architects, engineers, interior designers, landscape architects, and urban planners’ tool sets had not changed a great deal in a hundred years. Paper, pencils, ink and blueprints were still the stock-in-trade for most professionals. In part because the design of anything is very labour intensive with much proprietary information; plans tend to be closely guarded secrets between client and design firm. Even when these plans are for projects to be executed on behalf of the public. The process now is generally better, but improvements to the process need to be made.
 Before electronic digital design tools were available everything was drawn by hand – and changes were minimal which meant less creativity. Change may be coming if some of the architects and urban planners I spoke to recently have anything to say about the issue. I joined about 300 designers from many disciplines from around the world to talk shop about the tool they use to change their part of the world at the Vectorworks Design Summit in Philadelphia. (https://www.vectorworks.net/design-summit) Noted Landscape Architect and urban planner Adrian McGregor (https://is.gd/S6Dq0h ) of Sidney Australia claimed “Cities are the greatest cultural achievement of human kind”.
A pretty bold statement, especially when we look at the kind of car-centric city and region we live in. McGregor went on to qualify his statement by saying in executing city design and construction “… we’ve forgotten what was important to the foundations of cities”. Could this be due, in part to the technology used by designers? I would argue yes.
Vectorworks CAD software users are an interesting, and eclectic group of professional designers from a number of disciplines. Half a million very loyal users and 30 years later founder and Chairman Mr. Richard Diehl told me at lunch the other day, part of his inspiration in developing CAD software came in a university class. A professor wrote a formula on the blackboard and said to the class “you can make money and found a company with this algorithm”. Rich quickly wrote down that algorithm! Thirty years ago CAD on a Mac was a breakthrough; at the time CAD systems took up entire rooms and were only available to NASA, Boeing, GM or SNC/Lavalin. Products like Vectorworks (then called MiniCAD) and AutoCad have transformed the design industry as firms could produce and store documents required for building anything, in a mechanized way, even in very small practices. This had profound implications for design companies, as armies of people at drafting boards were no longer required to complete a project.
The Vectorworks CEO Sean Flaherty demands his company focus on a desire “to change the design process”. Vectorworks according to Flaherty has “never fit neatly into a slot” and he told me candidly the “why of the company” is rooted in asking, “what are the needs of designers” who use this tool. Somewhat refreshing to hear a CEO not hammer on some marketers’ tag line or so called mission statement. Mr. Flaherty seems genuinely committed not just to his company, but to the needs of the design community and wants Vectorworks to assist the Design community in addressing many challenges we face as a society.
 The software available to day can be used to create images of project sites that give the public a view of what is planned and ideally give them an opportunity to comment. Mr. Flaherty’s passion seemed evident when he said “.. we are currently teaching our kids that architecture is now a luxury good” and that this is “a trend I fear for the whole built world”. In an effort to move away from this trend of making design just for the 1% Flaherty, who thinks, “design really matters” wants to ensure “Vectorworks goal is usability and simplicity”.
Usability and simplicity are goals everyone wants but achieving it’s a difficult process. Sean Flaherty told me his company’s approach is “not to focus on technology but on the users goals” and that “moving data around is not the problem”. ” Telling the customer: You’re doing it wrong! ” is something his engineers need to avoid, and rather the user needs to be “an active participant” where the process of evolving software “needs to be a conversation, not to limit a designer’s choices, but rather you (the user) should be able to choose your own tool and mix and match to get desired result”.
 Realistic renderings of proposed building developments lets a public see what a building is going to look like. In the old days of pencil and paper world, designers used many tools to achieve their desired effect, and the tension to be told to do something one way tends to irk a creative mind. Many CAD software products limit user’s choices on how to produce construction documents. Sean Flaherty suggests with Vectorworks a “multi discipline approach” to architectural design “could change the way architecture is practiced”.
While there are dozens of pieces of CAD software in the world and designers have been using them for years now. If Vectorworks, as a tool, has at its core an interface and a structure more collaborative this may open the door to a more collaborative city building process. Time will tell.
 The software available today allows designers to provide a very large scale view of the expected result. It also allows all the contractors involved in the construction to interact with the various levels of the software. What is about to have the most transformative change to CAD, and in turn to city building is something called Building Information Modeling, or BIM. Much of this conference was devoted to the future of BIM, how it works, and how to collaborate with other disciplines using Vectorworks.
So what is BIM? Dr. Biplab Sakar, chief technology officer of Nemetschek Vectorworks told me “BIM is not a piece of software or a thing, but a process”. This process allows all experts who contribute drawings and specification to a building project to share these components back and forth. Most significantly BIM also allows for each component to be shared as a 3D object.
 Building Information Management allows designers to drill down to a specific part a part of a large building – the pipes that will carry water and electrical conduit and steam for heating for example to be looked at closely when they want that level of detail. Think of BIM as the rules of a giant LEGO set on a computer where each consultant sends the Architect his or her pieces of LEGO. BIM would be the rules allowing all pieces conform to so regardless of shape size colour or use the parts will work with other pieces of LEGO. BIM allows pipes, beams, shafts, walls doors or windows from, whatever software, to be shared.
 Had Building Information Management software been used on the construction of the pier would we have had a different, less expensive pier? In a BIM model a building is constructed as a 3D model on a computer so potential conflicts are resolved in planning stages rather than on a construction site. One has to wonder if Vectorworks and BIM might have ensured the Burlington Pier might have been built in less time, with fewer mistakes and in a more cost effective manner.
BIM has potential not just for building science, but also for large development projects to improve community engagement at the start of a project, and further improve communication of the designer’s intention of a project with the community.
The tools we use can and usually does determine a large part of the quality of the project that is being built.
By Staff
June 27, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
 Gateway to the Millcroft community where average resale price was just under$1 million A few interesting observations – 15 of the 197 May sales in Burlington were over a million dollars as compared to 6 sales over a million same period last year.
Average days on market for those 6 sales was 64 days. Average days on market for the 15 sales this year was 22. Equally as interesting, there were only 3 sales under $400,000.
Hot spots in May were in the Orchard as usual, Roseland – particularly in the transitioning areas, Headon Forest – strong sales but slightly longer days on market. Homes in this neighborhood are a little more difficult to evaluate. If they are fully renovated, they are selling for very similar prices to homes in the Orchard.
 The attraction being that you get a 50×100 foot lot as opposed to 36×85 in the Orchard. Average price paid for a house in Millcroft in May was $991,700 – sold in under 20 days and for 99% of the asking price!
 By Staff
June 26, 2015
BURLINGTON,ON
For the second year the citizens of Burlington will have an opportunity to sign a Book of Best wishes to Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge who will turn two on July 22nd this year.
 The cover of the 2014 Book of Best Wishes sent to Prince George to commemorate his first birthday.. Citizens will be able to sign the second birthday Book of |Best Wishes outside the Brant Museum on Canada Day The Burlington Gazette has sponsored this initiative. Last year beautifully leather bound book was shipped to the Governor General at Rideau Hall who sent it along to Kensington Palace.
The Book of Best wishes will be set out at several locations around the city – and will be on display outside the Brant Museum where people can sign the book and take away a commemorative book mark.
 A commemorative book mark will be given to all those who sign the Book of Best Wishes. Our eager promotional team will be on the grounds wearing their Burlington Gazette T-shirts and directing people to the museum where the Book of Best Wishes will be available for signing from 10 am to 4 pm on Canada.
The Book of Best Wishes was bound in a deep burgundy leather with green trip.
The 2015 edition will be bound in red leather with blue trim.
By Staff
June 26, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
The return of Canada’s Largest Ribfest on Labour Day Weekend at Burlington’s Spencer Smith Park will be one day longer than in past years – they are adding a “Throw Back Thursday”.
 Ribfest Burlington – said to be the biggest in the province will run for an additional day in September This event, is the oldest Rotary run Ribfest in Canada and this marks the 20th anniversary. To celebrate the Rotary Club of Burlington Lakeshore is starting the event a day earlier
2015 will mark the 20th anniversary of an event that now draws 150,000 people to the city over the Labour Day weekend – the 2015 Festival will run from Thursday the 3rd of September to Monmday the 7th.
It all takes places in Spencer smith Park where award-winning Ribbers from all over North America show off their succulent skills and compete for titles such as “Best Sauce” and “Best Ribs”.
 Part of Premier Kathleen Wynne”s on -the-job training as she learns to flip a rack of ribs at Ribfest. The Rotary Club of Burlington Lakeshore which as to date raised $3 million for local and international charities and community programs, is celebrating the event with throw back music and pricing on beer and ribs.
Thursday, September 3rd to Monday, September 7th, 2015
Time: 5:30pm – 11pm on Thursday, September 3rd,
11am – 11pm on Friday, September 4th to Sunday, September 6th, and 11am – 8pm on Monday, September 7th
 By Pepper
June 26, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Some people in each community listen carefully, ask probing questions and trust their member of Council to keep them up to date on what is happening in their community and to protect the best the community has.
Every member of a city council has their own unique style; something that defines who they are and the way they see their job.
In Burlington there are a number of different political styles. Councillor Marianne Meed Ward was once out on Christmas Day picking up garbage when a resident called her t complain.
During the flood last August Ward 4 Councillor Jack Dennison walked into hundreds of basements to personally see the damage done.
Ward 5 Councillor Paul Sharman put his heart on his sleeve when her spoke to a group of Rotarians during the Rubfest launch and pleaded for help for the people in his community.
Ward 3 Councillor John Taylor doesn’t hold meetings for his constituents – they are more like family get togethers – he has been in office that long.
 Blair Lancaster – almost holding court with her constituents at a corn roast. Blair Lancaster in ward 6 tends to have two different public styles; one that gets used for those south of Dundas and another that gets used when she is politicking north of Dundas; there is nothing duplicitous ion this approach – she is dealing with two different mind sets and adjust her message to meet her understanding of each community.
Ward 1 Councillor Rick Craven, who gave up talking to the Gazette when we wrote something about him he didn’t like, held a community meeting.
Last Wednesday evening Councillor Craven held a community meeting to talk about the 324 townhouse project on Masonry Court being developed by the ADI Group. It wasn’t a particularly unpopular project – the meeting didn’t cheer when the presentation was over – they just thought the developer could do something that was more “livable” and “imaginative”. “Not very creative” was the most stinging comment. He was speaking to an audience of about 40 people who were for the most part involved in their community and wanted to know more.
Councillor told them that the population of Aldershot had grown by just 4000 people in the last 15 years and that without more in the way of growth the chances of there ever seeing a grocery store in the west end of the community were very slim.
 Rick Craven: Best committee chair the city has; not big on the warm fuzzy stuff through. Needs a hug badly.  Ward 1 Councillor Rick Craven – seems to have forgotten everything he knew about the ADI project on Martha at Lakeshore Road. The meeting was just like most community meetings in Aldershot; people listened and asked questions and for the most part got fair answers.
Until ..
Until one woman asked the speaker from the ADI Group to tell her a little about the company – she’d never heard of them before.
The company representative told their story – sort of. He skirted totally the situation with the 28 storey application that ADI had made to the city for an application at the corner of Martha and Lakeshore Road which the city and planning department was completely against – including Councillor Craven.
 The ADI Group’s 28 storey development proposal on the downtown core was not mentioned at a meeting about their Masonry Court development. The rules that govern development applications are such that if the planning department doesn’t do something with an application the developer can take their case to the Ontario Municipal Board. Burlington city council didn’t get to vote formally on the project within that 180 day window.
On the 181st day ADI had taken their case to the OMB.
The project is one that the city feels is a mistake from a development point of view and has been consistently vocal about.
But not a word about this issue from Councillor Craven when a constituent asked to know more about the company.
Councillor Craven had an obligation to tell his constituents that there was a problem with a major ADI development application and they were playing a very sharp game – albeit within the rules of the game.
Craven’s behavior gives a whole new definition to politicians being in bed with developers.
Background links:
Aldershot community meeting Wednesday June 23rd, 2015
Full profile on ward 1 Councillor.
Councillor chooses not to represent his constituents; property expropriated.
By Staff
June 24, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
WHAT: The Naked Craft Network is an international research project that brings together the best of contemporary Canadian and Scottish craft. and the general public to discuss the themes explored throughout the Naked Craft Project, and to look forward to the future of craft.
 Saturday – 10 to 4 – Naked Artists take over the AGB. WHEN and WHERE: Saturday, June 27, 2015 from 10am – 5pm at the Art Gallery of Burlington
The word Naked certainly caught my attention. Tell me more.
Speakers
 Denis Longchamps – curator at the AGB will be speaking at the symposium • Dr. Sandra Alfoldy, Professor of Craft History at Nova Scotia College of Art & Design (NSCAD) University and Associate Curator of Fine Craft at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia
• Dr. Denis Longchamps, Chief Curator, Art Gallery of Burlington
• Aaron Nelson, Associate Director, Medalta Museum
• Emma Quin, CEO, Craft Canada
• Dr. Heather Read, Postdoctoral Fellow, Ryerson University
• Dr. Susan Surette, Postdoctoral Fellow, NSCAD University
• Arno Verhoeven, Lecturer, University of Edinburgh School of Design and Sr. Tutor at the Edinburgh College of Art
Artists
• Jeanette Sendler (Scotland) – Hat maker, costume design and fibre artist, Sendler’s interest in costume design developed into performance art featuring large-‐scale installations, rendered in knit/felt on paper.
• Beth Legg (Scotland) -‐ An artist from the Highlands of Scotland, her practice is concerned with landscape, memory and the language of materials. Her work as a precious metalsmith has been included in numerous international publications.
• Aaron Nelson (Canada) – In addition to an active studio practice, Aaron is the Associate Director at Medalta in Medicine Hat, Alberta. This position has allowed him to develop relationships with a regional, national and international community of makers, and thus contextualize the diversity of contemporary approaches to ceramic practice.
• Other Artists: Sarah Alford, Jennifer Cantwell, Caroline Dear, Amanda McCavour, Kevin Andrew Morris, Clint Neufeld and Kari Woo
 A John Willard quilt part of a recent show at the Art Gallery of Burlington
Naked Craft Symposium Event Schedule
AM
9:00 to 10:00: Registration and complimentary continental breakfast 10:00 to 10:10 Welcoming remarks
Robert Steven, CEO and President of the Art Gallery of Burlington 10:10 to 11:00 North and Identity panel
Presenter and moderator: Heather Read
Participants: Kari Woo, Amanda McCavour, Beth Legg and Kevin Andrew Morris 11:00 to 11:20 Pause
11:20 to 12:10 Tradition and Craft panel
Presenter and moderator: Susan Surette
Participants: Sarah Alford, Jennifer Cantwell, Caroline Dear, Jeanette Sendler and Clint Neufeld
PM
12:10 to 1:00 Complimentary buffet lunch
Naked Craft in Discussion
*Speakers & Artists available for interviews 1:00 to 1:20 New Positions, Denis Longchamps
1:20 to 1:40 Tooling up, Aaron Nelson
1:40 to 2:00 DIY (Do-‐It-‐Yourself), Sandra Alfoldy
2:00 to 2:30 Moderated discussion
Moderators: Heather Read and Susan Surette
2:30 to 2:50 Pause
3:00 to 4:00 Keynote: Making MAKING Matter, Aaron Nelson 4:00 to 4:15 Question period
4:15 to 4:30 Closing remarks, Emma Quin, CEO Craft Ontario 5:00 to 7:00 Official opening of Naked Craft
Curators: Sandra Alfoldy, Denis Longchamps, Juliette MacDonald, Emma Quin, Arno Verhoeven
Up to this point I still didn’t know much about what was taking place over at the Art Gallery – needed to do a little research to bring myself up to speed as it were on what the artists are up to these days.
Naked Craft is designed to be playful in how it engages a public audience; at a time in popular culture when the words “handcrafted” and “artisanal” are the “it” words of marketing houses, attention must be redirected back to craft itself. Craft is a sexy word, and Naked Craft intends to show the viewer just how sexy craft itself can be. Naked Craft examines craft practice through the four main themes: New Positions; Down and Dirty: politics and materials; DIY; and Tooling up: new technologies and economies.
Naked Craft looks to contribute towards a better understanding of continuity and change within the discipline. It is evident that despite the cultural diversity and obstacles that influence craft making in Canada, in Scotland, and around the world, there are many similarities and shared values that influence the craft sector. In Canada we’re putting forth a concerted effort toward public outreach and new ways of presenting craft to audiences as diverse as the communities of craft makers whom we support. With an increase in the awareness of contemporary craft and an understanding of its value, comes the potential of increased sales, consumption, recognition and promotion for both makers and their objects. As such, both the individuals creating craft as well as those consuming it are rewarded with culturally enriching experiences, which support the local economy and encourage a focus on high-quality craft objects that are lasting and well made.
Naked Craft has spanned almost four years of research in two countries and includes two workshop/residencies, three symposiums, a touring exhibition and a publication. The NCN is interested in broadly developing a better understanding of the relationships between the identities that are inherently attributed to geopolitical regions of practice, and the reciprocal role that the material production of craft plays in building, maintaining and disseminating these identities in a global arena of commerce and culture in the future.
Oh – so they aren’t running around the grounds stark naked – nope they are just doing craft stuff with a newer, sexier name.
 By Guida Feliz
June 25, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Get The Word Out!!
The 100 Women Who Care Burlington welcomes women of all ages to become a member. They came together Wednesday evening to once again to select a charitable organization to support.
The room at the Burlington Golf and Country Club was filled with members and three excited and hopeful recipients. I spoke with Marion Goard, one of the co-founders. She was enthusiastic and passionate about the success of the organization.
The other co-founders are Megan Healey, Laurel Hubber, Wendy Saunders and Tara Stanford. This extraordinary organization began in 2012 and are now over 80 member strong. They bring together women who truly care about the Burlington community.
 It was evident there was passion, commitment and dedication from the members. The members were so pleased to be able to support local charities in the Burlington Community. 100 Women Who Care Burlington meets four times a year and each member donates $100 to the winning recipient nominated by a member.
The recipient introduces their charity and shares their goals. The members listen to each recipient. They then vote for one of the three charities and once the winner is chosen; each member writes a cheque for $100.00. It is a very simple process with successful results.
Catherine Pegg and Jacqueline Holmes of the Alzheimer Society of Burlington were recipients at the last meeting. They talked to the woman who donated so generously about how the group will use the donation to help them launch the Music for Memory Program that will be run by Jacqueline Holmes.
The winning recipient at the Wednesday meeting was Catherine Thomson of Community Living Burlington. She was so happy to be receiving the donation for her charity.
If you have a charity ‘close to your heart’ then I suggest becoming a member of 100 Women Who Care Burlington – ‘they will welcome you with open arms.’ Raising money for your charity has never been so liberating and effortless. There are so many causes and charities in the Burlington community who benefit from the support of these caring women.
At the end of the meeting Marion thanked everyone for attending . She also spoke highly of the members and the dedicated support they continuously give to the Burlington community. The group would like to reach the 100 member level on which the name is based; help by telling your girlfriends, sisters, nieces, aunts, mothers and grandmothers to join today.
It is a truly “Magical” feeling to know exactly which charity your donations are supporting. To learn more about 100 Women Who Care Burlington check out their website
By Pepper Parr
June 25th 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
They are different in Aldershot – a little rougher at the edges; less pretence to these people. They can be pretty outspoken and they don’t shirk from asking direct questions.
 This is where the ADI Development Masonry Court is going to be located – bounded by the GO station lines, Waterdown Road, Masonry Court and the GO station parking lot. About 40 people from the community met at the West Aldershot United church to learn more about the ADI Group development on Masonry road where a 324 housing units project is in the negotiation stage with the city planning department.
There are to be 200 stacked townhouses’ 64 standard town houses and 60 back-to-back townhouses. No basements but parking underneath the structures.
There was not going to be any commercial space in the townhouse part of the project – which they are calling phase 1. The property is zoned for mixed use, residential, commercial and recreational.
The ADI approach appears to be as much residential as they can get – there is a demand for housing across the GTA that cannot be met – Burlington offers a safe, pleasant community to live in and the GO train is almost at your door step – it can whisk you into Toronto in well under an hour. What more could you ask for?
Ward 1 Councillor Rick Craven took the audience through an overview of the project and explained the role it would play in the larger development of west Aldershot.
 The longer term growth plans for Burlington are hinged on the mobility hub concept – Aldershot is the first to see real development in a planned hub location. Planners admit the project is a little ahead of their thinking. Burlington has created a concept they call mobility hubs – places where different forms of traffic meet up – with either GO train stations or Burlington transit stations forming the centre of each.
While just in the planning – thinking it through stage – the plan is for the Aldershot GO station, the Burlington GO station, the Appleby GO station and the John Street bus terminal to be designated as mobility hubs.
The plan, the hope is perhaps more correct, is that the city can attract corporations that want to build office space that is close to a GO station which will include apartments or condo units and retail on the lower levels.
The thinkers at city hall refer frequently to “start ups” and incubators where those high tech, high paying jobs come to life and there is a complete community where people can live, work and play. The thinking is that there could be sport facilities built right into the project.
Burlington is not there yet – the city has not managed to find developers who will go that distance with them.
The conversation on this type of growth is, at this point, one way: the planners and the politicians are talking to the public – they’ve not yet begun to engage them and looked for their ideas and thoughts on development.
If what the Gazette heard at the West Plains United Church Wednesday night reflect the people of Aldershot – they would be well advised to listen to these people – there was a lot of wisdom in that room.
The planner on the file Kyle Plas took the audience through the basics – he too explained the larger picture.
 The townhouse project, on the right, which is phase 1 of the Masonry Court project didn’t do much for community residents who listened to what the developers planner had to say about the project. Phase 2 is on the left – and is about five years into the future. The audience learned that the property which is south 0f 403 and immediately east of Waterdown Road has been empty for about then years; that there are no heritage issues with the property and that there was no need for an Environmental Assessment – although one resident later asked if anything was going to be done about the air quality, the result of stone and asphalt crushing from the King Paving operation on the immediate west side of Waterdown Road.
The property, which the ADI Group is believed to have purchased from Paletta International, is divided into two parcels – the one closest to the GO station is where the residential housing will be built. There will be a road running in between the two parcels.
The second parcel which will front on Waterdown road will be developed with apartment buildings that were described as being six storey’s high. Defined as the second stage of the project – it is about five years into the future.
The development will have 105 residences per hectare – the rules allow between 51 and 185 units per hectare – “so we are not maxed out” said the ADI planner.
Ruth Victor, the planner speaking for the ADI group, gave their side of the story. She was pretty direct – the project meets all the rules and except for some minor concerns – this thing was a go.
There would be pathways from the townhouses to the GO station.
 This is not a pretty picture – Aldershot residents wanted to see something a little more imaginative and livable. There was space tucked in where the stacked townhouses are going to be located for what the ADI planner called amenities – she didn’t say much more than that.
Roz Minaji with the city planning department made comments which suggested ADI was going to have to come up with quite a bit more than some space for amenities. The city is going to want some dedicated park space.
ADI is apparently looking for a reduction in the parking requirement – the thinking being that the people who choose to live in the community will not need cars – they will use the GO train to get to work. One member of the audience pointed out that with no grocery store in the community – it is impossible to live there without a car of some sort.
This is not a rental housing development – these homes are being sold. The audience wanted some sense of the price range and, try as they might, they were not able to get any sort of number from the ADI representatives. “You must have some idea” piped in one woman in the audience. If the ADI representatives had any idea – they weren’t sharing it with the audience.
 The developers rendering and layout for the stacked townhouses – no one in the audience who listened to the presentation was impressed with what they were shown. The audience asked if ADI would comment on the kinds of people they hoped to attract and maybe something about their income ranges – were these going to be very expensive high end units with all the whistles and bells or were these going to be quick and dirty profit grabs? The ADI people didn’t say.
They did say that the projects they have built are quality buildings. They have only completed one project – the second project has not started construction yet – there may be some minor OMB issues related to the paying of services access.
To their credit the completed project Mod’rn on Guelph Line is a very nice looking, compact four storey condo. The Gazette is in the process of arranging a tour of the completed site that is reported to be 90% sold.
 The ADI Group has done some excellent design work. Here their Link project, which has yet to start construction is shown. Edgy and progressive and new for Burlington – it is an example of interesting design in a fabulous location.  The Mod’rn on Guelph Line that is now complete except for some landscaping – exceptional design – some of the best done in Burlington. Shows they can do it – if they want to. The Masonry Court design comes nowhere near this quality level. The Mod’rn is superb design – they have won well deserved awards for this project which had very few incidents during the construction.
Their second project – The Link on Dundas at Sutton on the west side of the city along the edge of Bronte Creek, has the potential to be a fine project. The design is a little edgy – certainly not what Burlington is used to seeing, but for people who want something different and imaginative The Link will be just fine – the location is superb and there are good schools in the area with all the hopping one could possibly want minutes away.
There is a third project – planned for the intersection of Martha and Lakeshore Road that didn’t get as much as a mention. In a related article we report on the ADI projects.
Ruth Victor, the ADI planner, didn’t show pictures of the quality construction they have done or the quality design – she sold her client short
Victor’s approach seemed to be that ADI was working well within the rules – and that they are doing – and so the project should go forward – even if you don’t think all that much about our design. Was that just Victor’s personal style or was she reflecting the ADI viewpoint?
The people in the audience wanted to see something more livable. “It’s not terribly creative” was the comment a woman pretty close to it not already retired. They wanted to see more variety, we want something that is more liveable; the park is way too small.
“You have been far too coy with your answers to our price questions” commented another woman. “I think you should show more respect for the people you are speaking to” she added.
“How is this project going to embrace the community” asked another person.
The project is moving forward – one hopes the planning department heard the concerns of the community and that they are reflected when the discussions resume with ADI.
There is much more to this development.
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