 By Pepper Parr
December 12, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
Donna Zaffino has been a Gazette reader for some time. She is a frequent commenter and can be, how shall I put this, direct at times. We love her for that.
When we did the piece a few days ago on the contest the Burlington Downtown Business Association was holding for the best dressed window Zaffino agreed with the position we took and said she would make a point of looking at the windows to see how the retailers did this year.
 Zaffino thought the use of Christmas tree branches was attractive and innovative – very much in the season.  Zaffino thought this was one of the best windows this year.  Son of a Peach, a pizza locale took over their part of Pine Street with traditional lights and Christmas wreaths  Dickens really upped their game this year. At night the decorating they did along with their neighbour makes that part of Elizabeth Street look quite festive.  This pathetic store front is that of the city’s Tourism office. Have you ever seen two more limp Christmas wreaths in your life. Sure make you want to visit this city.
The look and feel of a street are probably more important than the products that are on sale in the stores. People are impacted by what they see and that impact determines what they do. If a street is bright and cheerful people feel bright and cheerful.
If a street is decorated during a festive season people pick up the spirit if that season.
Here is Zaffino`s report: “I walked around downtown taking photos of the business that are participating in the contest.
I was not terribly impressed with any of the displays, especially any of the clothiers.
There were a few around that aren’t in the contest that may have been better.
I am not sure if Different Drummer is participating or not. Both nights I didn’t see anything. Maybe I show up after Ian turns off the display. I tried on Tuesday around 6:30 and again tonight.
There are only three windows that stood out for me and have stayed in my imagination. They are Mirella’s, The Olive Oil Dispensary and Anise Apothecary.
1) Mirella’s for the creativity of using cedar boughs as flared skirts on their mannequins.
2) The Olive Dispensary for the vibrant colours and of course the classic little train set.
3) Anise Apothecary for simplicity and the soft blues and white. Nature helped it along today by covering their little evergreens under the window in snow.
I think Wardel’s Insurance was nice but I can’t remember what it looked like nor what the theme was. I recall that it was bright and stood out from a street view.
 The Works decided to focus on just their window this year. Last year the wrapped the store like a Christmas gift box. Given their position on Brant – a stronger message was better  Rayhoon used a nicely decorated Christmas tree they brought in and electric lights to give both their restaurant and Village Square a solid holiday feeling.  Given the position this retailer commands on Brant Street a little more imagination would have made a big difference.  Both the city and the Hospital Foundation did such poor job of creating a sense of season with their store fronts. I wasn’t able to photograph three businesses. Black Pearl, Omega and Deeth and Co. I won’t be able to get them until Saturday.
I’d like to take pictures of places that weren’t on the contest list who did some really nice work. Look for more from me later in the week.
Thanks for the assignment it was fun.
Related articles:
2013: Retailers forget that it is Christmas
BDBA works to make store fronts more festive.
 By Pepper Parr
December 11, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
One of the things the internet does is give those with something they want to say a much bigger megaphone.
Hydro costs have been a bugbear for Ontarians for some time – one of the Harris government’s gifts to us.
The natives are still biting back – another petition. The organizers of this one ask:
 Hydro in Ontario has been broken for some time. It is essential that it be fixed – the solution is not yet clear, “If you have a billing complaint with hydro one, please make sure you file a complaint with the Ombudsman as he begins his investigation into Hydro One. Click here to file your complaint.
“And if you haven’t yet, please make sure you share your concerns about Ontario’s broken hydro system directly with the Premier, the Minister of Energy, the Ontario Energy Board and Hydro One.
The problem with the petition is its source. Randy Hillier was part of the government that created the problem we have today. Is the petition part of his drive to at some point lead the Progressive Conservative party in Ontario? His views and solutions to some of the provinces problems would take Ontario back to where Mike Harris put us and to where Tim Hudak wanted to keep us.
The province is going through a profound change; the core of its economic engine is threatened and in some cases fractured. General Motors is moving its assembly lines to Mexico.
The province faces a huge demographic shift; we are now a much more demographically diversified people and we have a growing seniors’ population that we have to care for at considerable cost.
Adjusting to these changes is going to take political leadership that looks forward and not backwards. Randy Hillier is as backward looking as you can get.
The petition has merit – the guy behind it; questionable.
A Petition to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:
Whereas, the cost of electricity in Ontario continues to escalate;
And Whereas, other charges associated with electricity, such as delivery, regulatory, global adjustment and debt retirement charges make electricity increasingly unaffordable;
And Whereas, these costs have imposed a significant hardship on ratepayers and driven industry and jobs out of Ontario;
We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as follows:
That the Premier and the Minister of Energy reduce the waste and duplication in Ontario’s electricity sector and other necessary steps to lower the cost of electricity so that Ontario’s electricity prices are competitive with other jurisdictions.
Sign here:
 Ray Rivers
December 11, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
The provincial Auditor General (AG) is an essential part of a system of good government. Being independent and reporting directly to the Legislative Assembly, the auditor “conducts value-for-money and financial audits of the provincial government”. The 2014 report targeted a number of areas including infrastructure, child care and energy (smart meters).
 The office of the AG is not inexpensive, chewing up over $15 million dollars annually and employing about a dozen people each year. This year’s report weighed in at 600 pages, more than twice the size of the New Testament. And though the language is simpler than what we find in the Bible, there is so much redundancy and superfluous description interspersed among all the pretty graphics, that it is might also be as good a remedy for insomnia as some find in the pews of their church.
I have been involved in audit processes at both federal and provincial levels over the years. For the most part the auditors work closely with government officials, and in many cases simply regurgitate what they were told by officials – making for few surprises for the officials. That seems to be the case when this year’s report examined the processes for building infrastructure; 74 building projects were considered.
The AG noted that the “tangible costs (such as construction, financing, legal services, engineering services and project management services) were estimated to be nearly $8 billion higher than… if the projects were contracted out and managed by the public sector.” That waste of money seems logical given the complications and extra rewards required for private sector involvement.
But Infrastructure Ontario officials justified this additional expense arguing that “the risks of having the projects not being delivered on time and on budget were about five times higher if the public sector directly managed these projects.” They estimated this risk at $18.6 billion making the, so-called, alternate financing partnership a no-brainer for them. But are they really serious – five times?
Me thinks that something is rotten in the state of the Ontario public service. Not much wonder the recent billion-dollar gas plant relocation fiasco was handled so casually. Why isn’t the management at Infrastructure Ontario saying WTF, or better still doing something to change that statistic (five times the risk)?
 The technology was going to let the consumer make choices. Following the Harris/Eves government screw-up of the energy file (de-regulation and privatization), politicians jumped onto the smart meter bandwagon as a panacea for spiraling electricity costs. The AG attacks the decision-making process and much of her criticism centres on a cost-benefit feasibility study performed, after-the-fact. Imaginary numbers (guesstimates) lie at the heart of her criticism.
 They were going to change the way we used electricity. In addition, she fairly critiques the lack of oversight on implementation, accountability and general management, particularly for the Hydro One empire. That smart meters may be an essential piece of infrastructure in a transition towards more efficient energy delivery and providing greater control of one’s hydro bill to the consumer is not really something the AG considers, nor perhaps should.
And sometimes the AG isn’t very insightful or even helpful, as when she concluded that there was a “need to provide ministry and agency staff with training to help them do their work more consistently and effectively” for the Child Care, Parole Board, Nominee, and Residential Services for People with Development Disabilities programs. Isn’t that just good counsel for all employees, regardless of program?
 The provincial government used some very creative accounting to approve a loan to complete a building in downtown Toronto that was far from fully rented. The AG also followed up on whether the government had paid attention to previous recommendations and whether the culprits had cleaned up their acts as a result. Of the 77 recommendations, requiring 170 actions, from the 2012 report, she noted that 81% of had been “either fully implemented or are in the process.”
Impressed with this statistic, one might question whether the AG shouldn’t be brought in earlier – to help program managers’ better design and implement their responsibilities. But that would, of course, shift her role to being both the prosecution and the defence, and immerse her office in a huge conflict of interest.
As the report notes, the mandate for the AG is fairly broad but it is limited to the activities within government ministries and agencies. So it is at some risk to her office that the AG ventures into criticizing general public policy, as she does when slamming provincial deficit and debt levels. “Ultimately, the question of how much debt the province should carry and the strategies the government could use to pay it down is one of government policy,” she notes.
So why does she even mention it? It is not like this provincial government is unaware that we have an emerging debt problem in Ontario. Since her interference is not for informative purposes, what is she doing? The good office of the AG compromises its credibility and authority once it decides to shed its independence and go political, as she has clearly done.
If Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk wants to attack public policies instead of doing what she is being paid for – to evaluate programs – she should join a political party. In fact there is an opening right now for leader of the Progressive Conservatives.
 Ray Rivers writes weekly on both federal and provincial politics, applying his more than 25 years as a federal bureaucrat to his thinking. Rivers was a candidate for provincial office in Burlington where he ran against Cam Jackson in 1995, the year Mike Harris and the Common Sense Revolution swept the province.
Background links:
AG on Debt AG on Private Partnerships
AG on Smart Meters AG Report
 By Pepper Parr
December 11, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON
In 2013 the Burlington Age-Friendly Seniors Council created an audit that identified the strengths, gaps and barriers for Burlington being a truly Age-Friendly City. One of the recommendations from the audit was the overwhelming need for seniors to be able to access information in ways that they needed it.
Everything from health services, recreation, nutrition, transportation, volunteer opportunities, tax information and much more. The issues were identified by seniors and caregivers in Burlington and throughout Halton.
What seniors consistently had difficulty with was being put on hold or told to press 1 for more information or 2 for something else. They wanted to be able to talk to someone – have a face to face encounter – and get the information and help they needed.
 Heather Thompson, on the far right with the first class of Senior Ambassador Connectors were celebrated earlier this week. Paul Benson and Glenna Cranston are in wheelchairs in the front row, Heather Thompson, Manager of Corporate and Community Engagement at Community Development Halton thought the Burlington Age-Friendly Council could do something to improve the way information was given to seniors and family members, empowering them to make informed decisions. The need had been clearly identified; Thompson and her team had to find a way to meet it. They discovered a program called Senior Connectors at the Seniors Come Share Society in British Columbia.
They had a program that was delivering a service reaching seniors in a significant way.
 Paul Benson is a Senior Ambassador Connector because he has something to say and he wanted to learn so that he could help others. That was all Volunteer Halton needed to established the Senior Ambassador Program, where senior volunteers promote and talk to other seniors about the benefits of volunteering as people age, keeping them active, engaged and connected to their communities while making a difference. The Senior Ambassador Program consists of an Advisory Committee made up of members from each of four municipalities in Halton; Halton Hills, Milton, Oakville and Burlington.
Thompson and her colleagues met on Tuesday to celebrate the accomplishments of 10 volunteers who have completed the education and training component for the Senior Ambassador Connector Program. Volunteer Halton, a program of Community Development Halton, has been the lead on this initiative, with the Burlington Age-Friendly Seniors Council as a collaborative partner, working together to improve communication, information and resources for seniors and their families.
A grant from the Ontario Seniors Secretariat covered the start-up costs.
 Glenna Cranston hasn’t let her wheelchair get in the way of being a volunteer who helps other seniors dig out the information they need to live full lives. Acclaim Health, formerly known as VON, Victorian Order of Nurses, the Alzheimer’s Society, Burlington Public Library, Chartwell Retirement Residence, Community Care Access Centre – HNBH, ESAC – Region of Halton, Halton Geriatric Mental Health Outreach Program, Halton Regional Police Service – Salt, Seniors Help Line, Links2Care and Service Canada were among the organizations that came together to make this happen.
The training included: Mental health and aging, risk factors and where to go for help; Services available to seniors in Halton – housing, long-term care, supports to be able to live at home, volunteer visiting, support for caregivers, bereavement support, day programs for seniors with Alzheimer’s; Elder Abuse; Dementia and the importance of brain health; Eligibility for CPP, Old Age Security; Personal boundaries and volunteer opportunities
Monthly education sessions, case studies, and a continual update on new information will get done in 2015
Joan Gallagher-Bell, Ross Bell, Tracy Angus, Karen Phelps, Florence Riehl, Ellie Tyndall, Glenna Cranston and Carole Ward were part of the first set of Senior Ambassador Connectors.
 By Staff
December 11, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
Short notice!
1st Annual Christmas Collage Ice Show.
Mercedes-Benz is presenting a one hour, choreographed on ice performance showcasing local youth talent. The choreography encompasses 7 ice sports; figure skating, synchronized skating, speed skating, ringette, hockey, sledge hockey and curling. Free Hot Chocolate! Free Public Skate after the show! Free Giveaway for the first 200 families! Make this event your family’s new Christmas Tradition!
 It will be choreographed on ice performances showcasing local youth talent on the pond tonight. Friday, December 12, 7 – 8 p.m. at the Rotary Centennial Pond (skating rink) in Spencer’s at the Waterfront, 1400 Lakeshore Road
General Admission: FREE – donations to Jumpstart at the event are appreciated!
VIP Balcony: Adults:$30.00, Children (under 12) $15.00, Family Pack (2 adults and up to 4 children) $75.00 (seating, blankets provided, overhead heating)
A portion of the proceeds generated by the event will be donated to Canadian Tire’s Jumpstart Charity.
 By Pepper Parr
December 11, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
School is out – the kids are now yours – all day – every day until we are into the New Year. For those that are still amazed at the wonder of everything and still have imaginations that are intact – the Jack and the Beanstalk performances later this month might interest you.
A colourful cast of characters will sing and dance their way to the top of the beanstalk in a brand new imagining of the classic tale. With performances on December 23, 24, 27, 28, 29, this traditional British pantomime makes for the perfect family activity or holiday gift. Tickets start at $24 for children and $29 for adults.
 The exceptional cast and crew includes local Burlington and Hamilton natives such as the witches played by Lynne Scott, lead singer of ska band Skaface, Pamela Farrauto whose TV appearances include The Ron James Show and Murdoch Mysteries, and Janine Heaven who in addition to being a talented stage actress is also a licensed Officiant.
The audience may remember Marisa Ship and Stephanie Lynn-Russell who played Princess Lotus Flower and Aladdin in 2012’s Aladdin, and who will this year be turning their attentions to the roles of Jack and Georgina Goose respectively.
The show is directed by award winning playwright, director and actress Francesca Brugnano who describes the experience as a “thrill to be directing an unmitigated eruption of talent in this clever and hilarious pantomime.”
This zany brand of family friendly fun is being shared with families most in need of festive cheer by providing tickets through various charities such as BigBrothers BigSisters, United Way and Halton Women’s Place.
“It’s all about giving back to the communities we live and work in,”. “At this time of year” said Rikki Wright, writer of the show, “everyone should have something to look forward to, not just the privileged few.”
You can help by buying a giggle seat, which will be donated on your behalf to a family in need. The producers of the show will also match that seat with one more of their own so you can be responsible for putting smiles on two faces. For more information about the Gift of Giggles program and to purchase Giggle Seats, visit www.pantomime.ca/giggles.
Tickets to Jack and the Beanstalk can be purchased online, by phone (905) 681-6000, or in person at the Box Office located at 440 Locust Street in Burlington.
By Pepper Parr
December 10, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
The province is moving forward with some pretty big infrastructure projects.
That new Union Pearson Express, a dedicated express train that will provide fast, reliable service between Canada’s two busiest transportation hubs, Union Station in downtown Toronto, and the Toronto Pearson International Airport is to be launched in the Spring.
 The terminal at Union Station for the UP express to Pearson airport. Get ready for a major hit to the pocket book – yours – when the prices are made public. This may well come in at about the $35 price range.
The GTAA – that’s the Greater Toronto Airport Authority – will get $2 for every person that uses the service. They want you to pay them to get on their property to take a plane that they rent space to. Talk about a win-win or should that be Wynne-Wynne?
Construction is now almost complete on the Union Pearson Express station at Terminal 1.
Train service is on track to start next spring, in time to serve visitors to the 2015 Pan Am and Parapan Am Games.
Eighteen new trains will run between Union Station and Toronto Pearson in just 25 minutes, every 15 minutes. Making it easier to get from the airport to the heart of Toronto’s downtown will help relieve gridlock, attract more visitors and build up the economy.
Improving transit and transportation is part of the government’s economic plan for Ontario. The four-part plan is building Ontario up by investing in people’s talents and skills, building new public infrastructure like roads and transit, creating a dynamic, supportive environment where business thrives, and building a secure retirement savings plan.
• In its first year alone, the Union Pearson Express (UP Express) is expected to take 1.2 million car trips off the road.
• The construction of the UP Express is creating and supporting more than 1,200 jobs.
• Toronto Pearson and Union Station are expected to serve 190 million travellers a year by 2031 – almost double the current annual traffic.
• Metrolinx has proposed an adult one-way fare between Union Station and Toronto Pearson of $19 with a PRESTO card or $27.50 without a PRESTO card, with discounts for seniors, students, families, children, qualified airport employees and people who board at the Bloor or Weston stations.
• Metrolinx’s Board of Directors will vote on the fares tomorrow.
• PRESTO is an electronic fare payment system available across 10 transit agencies in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, and Ottawa. It uses smart-card technology that stores funds in a secure account, replacing the need for tickets, tokens, passes or cash.
Getting to the airport from Burlington – what will it take in terms of time and what will it cost – and will it be worth it?
We will arrange for a test trip and a tour of the facilities and let you know if it is worth it – might be better to flip the oldest male heir $50 to drive you to the airport and hope he doesn’t trash the vehicle while you are away.
By Pepper Parr
December 10, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
The public funds raised for the August 4th flood victims is just shy of $900,000. With at least one more significant donation coming in the fund will top the $900,000 number.
Using the matching formula – two from the province for every one we raise – the Burlington Community Foundation will have $2.7 million to distribute to flood victims.
There are now 115 claims being evaluated and “they are coming in at the rate of 10+ a day” said Colleen Mulholland, the women driving the program with the help of an extended team of insurance people and fund raisers.
 Mulholland expects there will be something in excess of 200 claims in the office by the close date of December 15th.
There are many in the city who don’t understand why victims are waiting to get their claims forms in. For a claim to be considered it MUST be at the Burlington Community Foundation office by the close of business December 15th.
 Household basements and major highways were severally flooded during the August 4th storm. That is also the date on which donations that are to be matched by the province close.
On that date, the 15th of December, the Claims Committee will know how much money they have to distribute. They expect to send out cheques to those whose applications that have been completed and approved by the Claims Committee.
By the end of January Mulholland expects all of the funds to have been distributed and the operation can be wound up.
 By Pepper Parr
December 8, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
Your password has been entered incorrectly three times.
The message was concerning. Was the bank telling me that someone tried to get into my account electronically? It looked that way.
A message regarding “Password Disabled” has been sent to your account inbox
Secure. Click here To Enter Scotia on Line to avoid Access lock.
The moment you click on that link – you may as well have given them your wallet.
How would you know that? Look at the address the email came from. The word scotia is before the @. The words after the @ tell you that the domain name is not that of the bank.
 If the bank wants to communicate with you they will telephone or when there is a problem with your card the banking machine will keep the card and instruct you to go to a branch where they will issue another card.
On occasion you may get an email advising you that your withdrawal limit has been set at $1 – yes one dollar. They instruct you to go to a branch and get the problem resolved. It is very awkward when that $1 message shows up late Saturday evening – but it is better than having someone suck all your money out of the account.
By Pepper Parr
December 9, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON
Hundreds of lines of news stories get written about pipe lines and the movement of oil across the country.
The National Energy Board sets the rules, the pipeline companies look for ways to make those rules less expensive to meet, the municipalities the pipelines run through worry about what an oil spill will mean to them and the average Joe wonders what it is all going to mean to them and look at the price of gas as they fill the tank.
 Route of the 40 year old pipeline that is going to have its flow reversed and used to carry toxic oil instead of natural gas. Why are oil prices so low now – what’s different? Something to do with supply and demand – so why do we need pipe lines to move oil when we already have enough?
It’s complex, confusing – but we know that if something goes wrong – we are going to have to pick up the tab.
Enbridge, the people who have a 40 year old pipeline that runs across the top of Burlington assures us that shutoff valves are not necessary to protect the creeks. The continuing conflict over more costly conditions being imposed on Line 9 by the National Energy Board is just one example of the push for greater municipal and provincial say about pipeline proposals including a massive cross-country project that would carry nearly four times more bitumen to export markets (video).
TransCanada’s Energy East proposal would convert a natural gas pipeline and extend it to carry 1.1 million barrels a day from the Alberta tar sands across northern and eastern Ontario to new tanker ports on the St Lawrence River and in New Brunswick. Like the two stalled pipeline routes across British Columbia, Energy East is facing a wall of opposition that now includes conditions imposed by Canada’s two largest provinces, and an environmental report that has now forced at least the temporary abandonment of the St Lawrence tanker terminal.
Where can we go to get an explanation we can understand.
 Toxic oil was running through the streets of Mayflower Arkansas in a pipeline most people didn’t even know was in place. Burlington groups want to make sure something like this doesn’t happen here. The Council of Canadians has created a video – Energy East 101 – kind of neat and loaded with information that can be verified. Click on this link – give it a listen. It is worth the time.
We know that climate change is already here; understanding how we can best adapt to it is where we need the help.
By Pepper Parr
December 9, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON
The City of Burlington is asking Burlington’s property owners, business owners and renters to complete an anonymous online survey to tell the city what services matter most.
“We have identified all of the services the city provides and have refocused our budgeting to show citizens the investments we are making into each service,” said Joan Ford, the city’s director of finance.
“We are looking to the community for input on the importance and value of services.”
 Starting in 2015, the city is using a new system to budget and has 24 public services and 13 internal services to help provide efficient, effective services to the community. Those services include road and sidewalk maintenance, fire protection and transit.
“The City of Burlington must make thoughtful choices among competing priorities to deliver good service for good value,” said Mayor Rick Goldring. “Using our Insight Burlington online community panel, and an anonymous survey connected to that panel, we hope to hear more about the services people in Burlington value.”
The Insight Burlington survey will take from 10 to 15 minutes to complete.
It is available from now until December 19 at www.burlington.ca/whatmatters.
By Pepper Parr
December 8, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
Ontario’s Trillium Foundation (OTF) has bailed out Burlington Green to the tune of $375,000 over a five year term.
 Burlington has led the effort to involve youth in environmental responsibility. The group is about to plant a couple of hundred trees. BurlingtonGreen, a volunteer driven organization striving to make Burlington a healthier more environmentally responsible city, has achieved numerous goals. The OTF grant will support current programming and provide funding to introduce two innovative community-based environmental initiatives.
The grant will fund approximately 50 per cent of the costs to provide a wide range of important environmental programs, services and events.
“Investing in effective, solution focused organizations like BurlingtonGreen is an investment in our collective future. Since their inception in 2007, the agency has engaged thousands of youth, citizens and groups in environmental learning while providing an array of rewarding and impactful volunteer opportunities that have benefited the health of the local environment,” said Eleanor McMahon, MPP for Burlington.
BurlingtonGreen’s Board President Paul Haskins commented on how vital the funding support is in strengthening the agency’s capacity to plan more effectively and strategically for a more sustainable future.
“It has become an increasing challenge for our agency to keep up with the wide range of demands that come our way as pressures on the environment continue to escalate and the implications of climate change become more evident at the local level,” said Haskins.
 BurlingtonGreen Executive Director Amy Schnur with the bike that was donated by the Mountain Equipment Co-op as art of the drive to increase votes for the Call of the Wild $100,000 contest. Grant funds will be used to support the delivery of children and youth programming, to co-ordinate the biennial Youth Eco-Summit and Eco-Awards Celebration, continue their innovative Grow to Give food donation service, to continue to conduct the popular city-wide Clean Up event and habitat restoration project work.
New initiatives include collaborations to create a Burlington focused eco-footprint calculator to help citizens, schools, community groups, and businesses understand their current impacts on the environment, highlighting opportunities to realize positive measurable change as well as efforts to establish a Green Building Demonstration Project.
Burlington took a huge environmental hit in August when rain storms flooded parts of the city and significantly damaged hundreds of homes. Everyone involved in policy in this city now uses the phrase “not if but when” the next environmental disaster strikes but we don’t seem to get much beyond that phrase.
BurlingtonGreen has done a brilliant job of attracting environmental stars to the city and developing a sense of environmental responsibility in the hearts and minds of high school students. Is there a place, an opportunity for BurlingtonGreen to begin the conversation within the community as to how we might protect ourselves and prepare ourselves for that next disaster?
 Amy Schnur, current executive director of BurlingtonGreen now has an opportunity to go further with the development of policy proposal and provide some much needed intellectual leadership. Picking up the waste and planting new trees are a major part of being more environmentally responsible and BurlingtonGreen does this well. Now that they have funding in place for the next five years, something very few non-profit organizations are fortunate enough to get; the community can rightfully ask them to step up their game and provide some policy leadership – because it isn`t going to come from city hall, the region or the Conservation Authority.
By Staff
December 8, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
It took a while – but a source sent us the location of the People Choice vote for the best float in the Santa Claus parade.
 He`s making a list – checking it twice. Turns out it was city hall making that list. It`s lengthy and you had better remember the name of the float because there are few hints.
The site is really a data mining effort on the part of the city. Sobeys put up a miserable $50 to collect names, addresses and email addresses. You know what they are going to do with that data.
It was a nice idea, poorly executed and turned out to be more in the interests of the city than the citizens.
Find out for yourself at
By Pepper Parr
December 8, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON
The Santa Claus parade did take place; the streets were well lined and there were no incidents.
Viewers were supposed to be able to vote for the People`s Choice – choosing the float they thought was the best in the 49th annual parade.
All they had to do was go to the city web site and cast their vote.
Christmas Parade
cms.burlington.ca/AssetFactory.aspx?did=29585
File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat
Dec 2, 2013 … Guelph Line to Brant St. and Caroline St. NEW! 2013 People’s Choice Award. Vote for your favourite float at www.burlington.ca/parade.
 Date was wrong and there was no place to actually vote. Problem was the city web site didn`t have any place for people to vote. There was no place to enter your choice.
At another location on the city web site there was a large graphic showing the parade route – but the date of the parade taking place was wrong. Now the Gazette knows all about typographical errors – but we don`t have the resources city hall has.
There were a couple of parade sponsors – corporations who got behind the idea of a People`s Choice – hope they get their money back.
Good idea with strong community support – but the Grinch`s at city hall wouldn’t let it happen. Coal in their Christmas Stockings.
Breaking news:
Location to vote for the People`s Choice in the Santa Parade:
By Staff
December 8, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
The Hamilton- Burlington Society of Architects (HBSA) has announced the recipients of the 2014 Architectural Awards of Excellence.
The award winners were honoured during the HBSA Celebrate 2014 Gala on November 27 at the Hamilton Art Gallery, where they raised $9,000 for the United Way.
Biannually, the HBSA recognizes the exceptional work of architects from Hamilton, Burlington, and Milton across a range of categories of projects built in Ontario. The jury panel this year consisted of:
• Tania Bortolotto (Bortolotto Design Architect, Toronto)
• Alex Lukachko (Building Science Consulting, Waterloo)
• Michael McClelland (ERA Architects, Toronto)
• Michael Leckman (Diamond Schmitt Architects, Toronto)
• Kathy Renwald (Freelance Journalist, Hamilton)
The jurors were extremely impressed with the quality of the submissions from HBSA members.
Awards were given in a number of categories.
Architecture creates the texture of a community. Well-designed buildings make public and private space work – and when space works for people we are all better off.
Smart design, clever design – design that reflects a communities past and its aspirations for the future is what architects strive for when they design a building. Along with making the most efficient use of space an architect needs to give a building a feel, a sense of belonging where it is being built.
With imagination and the intelligent use of space and construction materials the public ends up with a building that just works for them; and in doing so they make the community a better place for all of us.
The recipients of the HBSA this time were
Heritage or Adaptive Re-Use
Award of Excellence
95 King Street East Studios and Lofts, Thier + Curran Architects www.
 95 King Street East Studios and Lofts, Thier + Curran Architects “Even viewed from across the square (Gore Park), this building, with its innovative social program is distinctive and inviting … the historic character of the upper floors is maintained while the contemporary-industrial treatment of the ground floor stands out and anchors it in the urban realm”
 Carnegie Gallery Revitalization, Perkins + Will Heritage or Adaptive Re-Use
Award of Merit
Carnegie Gallery Revitalization, Perkins + Will ca.perkinswill.com
“The simple moves are well-done and well-tuned to the existing building … the new entrance, the new gallery, and the accessible areas in the glazed space are a modern addition with a nice bridge between old and new.”
Renovation Mixed Use/Commercial
Award of Excellence
118 James Street North, Thier + Curran Architects www.tcarch.ca
 “This building is a surprise. The interior space is dramatic, the connection to heritage vocabulary is really strong, and the experience at the street level is very successful … the building echoes the street’s urban signature.”
New Institutional, Award of Merit . Waterloo North Hydro Head Office and Fleet Service Centre, McCallum Sather Architects
“A remarkable amount of sustainable thinking in what could have been just another drive-by building on a service road … the right proportion of windows, solar shading, and great placement.”
Renovation Mixed Use/Commercial
Award of Merit
Phoenix Pub and Restaurant, McMaster University, McCallum Sather Architects / MSA
 Phoenix Pub and Restaurant, McMaster University, McCallum Sather Architects “The execution is so clear [that] it seems simple – but it’s very complex.”
Renovation Institutional
Award of Excellence
McMaster Institute for Music and the Mind, McCallum Sather Architects / MSA www.msarch.ca
 “A creative response to an intriguing program … the addition on top of an existing building [is] aesthetically pleasing and done in a way that successfully rebrands the building.”
Renovation Institutional
Award of Merit
Ancaster Senior Achievement Centre, Thier + Curran Architects www.tcarch.ca
 “Well-crafted, welcoming, with careful attention to detail … handsome interior spaces filled with light.”
New Residential
Award of Merit
Burlington Avenue House, Cynthia Zahoruk Architect
 Burlington Avenue House, Cynthia Zahoruk Architect “A joyful play on Arts and Crafts … very appealing and sensitive to context, and to the client’s needs.”
New Institutional
Award of Merit
Waterloo North Hydro Head Office and Fleet Service Centre, McCallum Sather Architects
“A remarkable amount of sustainable thinking in what could have been just another drive-by building on a service road … the right proportion of windows, solar shading, and great placement.”
 By Staff
December 6, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
An observant citizen wrote to say: “For the second time in the past few weeks Burlington Fire is attending to a problem in the electrical/control (?) room under the pier. They’ve been there for over an hour so far tonight.
Sure hope it’s under warranty!
 The public gets some value from their $20 million pier as they watch Tall Ships prepare to sail into Burlington Bay. From the people that worked on version one of the pier: “I believe it’s a tail light policy. You have warranty until you can’t see Grahams tail lights.”
Graham was the company that completed the pier.
Are we looking at a lemon here?
 By Staff
December 5, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON
Well – we have heard this one before – the plans to build a high-speed rail line that will connect Windsor, London, Kitchener-Waterloo, and Toronto. It will improve travel options, reduce travel time and – oh yes – create jobs by getting people moving. Everything the government does
The start of an integrated environmental assessment (EA) marks the next phase of the project, which includes identifying the most appropriate route, examining state-of-the-art transportation technology options and an environmental evaluation.
The EA will be guided by consultations in early 2015 with municipal and business groups, as well as with First Nation and Métis communities.
 Shape of things to come? High-speed rail service connecting Windsor, London, Kitchener-Waterloo, and Toronto is part of the government’s long-term transit and infrastructure plan, Moving Ontario Forward. This plan will make nearly $29 billion available over the next 10 years for investments in priority infrastructure projects across the province, including public transit, roads, bridges and highways.
The Mayor of London, Matt Brown thinks it’s a great idea. “This is fantastic news for London. High-speed rail will benefit many vital economic sectors in London. We look forward to working with the province on this initiative.”
Let’s make a note on this initiative – see if it gets much beyond the Environmental Assessment stage.
 By Staff
December 5, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON
Sunday – starts at 2:00 pm and winds its way down Guelph Line – starting at Prospect and ending up at city hall – the Ho, Ho, Ho man himself. Santa will be at the end of the parade waving away.
 NEW! Vote online for your favorite float. The 2014 People’s Choice Award voting will begin on December 7, 2014. (Link to vote on line wasn’t available at time of publication – when it is available we will pass it along,)
 Mayor Goldring always shows up; this time he was collecting for the Old Timer’s Hockey Team Last year the People’s Choice Award Winner was Keller Williams Edge Realty.
Hosted by the City of Burlington, the 49th annual Christmas Parade features entries including bands, colourful floats, clowns and mascots; paid for out of the float fees the city charges.
Kids will line streets; many of the same community groups will be in the parade. Some of the residents on streets that butt into New Street park vehicles at the intersection and have hot chocolate – we saw a hibachi lat year,
 The hustle and bustle of the malls can never dull the real message – it is always the same. That’s the way it is supposed to be.
 By Pepper Parr
December 5, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
Shelley Raymond had a problem – both her parents were at that point in their lives when they needed a level of care she had not had to provide in the past.
Her Mother’s Alzheimer’s was advanced and her Father’s dementia while stable, made life demanding for her.
Where do they live when they can no longer care for themselves? There is nothing comfortable about the choices people like Shelley Raymond have to make.
 Seniors will represent more than 25% of the population of Burlington in the not too distant future. More than 14% of Canada’s population is over 65 and that number is going to grow – the Baby Boomers are moving into retirement.
Long term care is one option. According the Ms Raymond, a senior today has a 7% chance of getting a long term care bed,
 Will Burlington be properly prepared for the growth in the seniors population? Staying home, alone is the choice many make – but it doesn’t work. The isolation leads to depression; memory loss creates all kinds of problems – medication isn’t taken; repairs on the house just don’t get done; there are challenges with food preparation and falling down stairs or tripping over objects is very common.
Many, including Shelley Raymond believe the province faces a long term care crisis.
Seniors need some level of support for daily living activities – cooking, cleaning, shopping, transportation and medication reminders. Most seniors want to remain independent as long as possible; many try to remain independent and do themselves considerable harm both emotionally and financially.
 A vital and pressing problem for a lot of families in Burlington. Finding the level of care parents need is just one part of the problem – being able to pay for that care is the second part. The over-riding question is – how long will the money last?
What’s available in terms of care? Long term care facilities: $78 a day – $2400 a month for a private room; $56 a day for basic care – $1707 a month.
 Depressing and scary – is this the best the province is going to be able to do? Retirement homes come in at $3500 a month and can run up to $8000 a month with advanced services. These are now growth businesses. The Pearl at Pine is preparing to open seen, the six floor residence on Upper Middle Road next to the Tansley Woods community centre has been open for more than a year and Aldershot has a new retirement community.
The other options are staying in your home or moving in with family.
For those who choose to stay in their homes there is an additional issue and that is home care offered by the province’s Community Care Access Centre (CCAC). There are limits to the number of people they can handle – the number of senior’s that will need care is not as limited. There is a crunch coming.
There are literally tens of thousands of seniors facing this problem – and they are beginning to realize that the government is not going to solve their problem for them. People are coming up with good ideas – that’s what Shelly Raymond had to do when her parents needed care.
Remember that television program The Golden Girls – they are on the way back. Sharing accommodation was an entertaining idea – Shelley Raymond took it a couple of steps further and developed the idea of what she calls “co-housing”.
 Top house was renovated to become a cohouse. Bottom was purpose built to be a cohouse. She created an organization called Solterra that works with people who want to be part of a co-housing property. She looks for properties that can be used, works with architects to build the homes, markets them and then works with owners to get them set up with the services they want and need. Much more information on their web site. Tell Shelly you read about her in the Burlington Gazette.
People share the ownership of a building. Each resident has their own private space and share common space – kitchens, living room and perhaps gardens.
 Floor plan for a six unit cohouse. Typical “co-houses” have four to six owners. Each owner has title to their portion of the house which can be sold on the open market. They share the taxes, the heating and electricity, maintenance.
 The kitchen area of a cohouse in Brechin Ontario There is also the potential to share household services as well – which many of the cohousing operations do. Someone comes in and does the cleaning; some have a person who comes in and does the cooking and meal preparation. There are various levels of service that are possible. The owners decide what they want and can afford.
Most of the units have small walk outs to a private yard in some cases or a common area in others. Parking, transportation – and what about pets.
The basic rule is usually no pets but the owners of the units are the “board of directors” and they can make any decision they like. “One cohousing operation voted to try a pet for a short period of time” explained Raymond. Sally, the dog is now the star of that house and has put in twenty pounds.
The biggest part of co-housing is the “co” part – decisions are made in common and people fashion the kind of community they want.
 Owners bring their own furniture and set up their home the way they want. How does one know that cohousing will work for them? Most of the cohousing organizations have a three month trial period. You move in – you pay “rent” and try it out. If you find that the people are your kind of people and the level of service is what you need – then you can buy your share of the house.
What are the advantages of cohousing? Financially they are incredible. Heating, electricity, taxes, maintenance are all shared by the people living in the home. And those people are not residents – they are the owners. The difference is that they share the ownership of the property. The house is not a nursing home – it belongs to the people who live in it.
They are purchasing a percentage interest in a home, freehold that is individually saleable on the open market, registered on title as Tenants in Common. It is a private residence in which you maintain your privacy and control
The Burlington Community Foundation recently published their third Vital Signs report in which they said “There will be greater emphasis on shifting care to the community and supporting aging in place. Home Care and Community Support Service agencies will support more elderly people with complex and often inter-related health and social care needs to remain in or return to their homes, especially after a hospitalization.
The report suggested Coordinated Care as an approach that will bring together patients, teams of health professionals including specialists, community partners, to ensure not only a positive health outcome but also a quality of life outcome for patients.
If current trends persist, there will continue to be a shortage of long-term care beds and this will result in more seniors staying in their homes out of necessity rather than personal choice and need. The hope is that substantially more spaces in long-term care homes will be created so that waiting lists and wait durations get smaller rather than larger.
 The layout, scope and size of a cohouse is limited only by the imagination of the developers ad the people who want to live in these homes. Neighbourhood planning and building design will take into account the accessibility needs of seniors both in terms of mobility and to reduce the isolation of seniors. This will continue as part of the movement to develop age-friendly communities; something we have not heard very much from the Planning Department.
 This is what cohousing is all about. It is one of the more imaginative and financially viable ideas to come along in some time. And that is exactly where Shelly Raymond is going with her Solterra concept.
When she spoke recently in Burlington there were a number of women in the room who met with her after and asked – “How can we do this now?”
By Pepper Parr
December 4, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON
For those parents that use day care – the decisions that have to be made are both emotional and financial.
For many – the cost of day care is close to prohibitive – and then there is the quality of the day care.
News reports of children in day care actually dying – and it does happen – frighten parents. For those with limited incomes the choices are not all that good.
 The joy of watching a child figuring something out – in a safe environment. The province of Ontario has introduced legislation that will provide over sight for unlicensed day care.
The legislation will strengthen oversight of the province’s unlicensed child care sector and increase access to licensed child care options for families. In addition, it will allow the province to immediately shut down a child care provider when a child’s safety is at risk.
The Child Care Modernization Act also:
Gives the province the authority to issue administrative penalties of up to $100,000 per infraction by a child care provider.
Increases the maximum penalty for illegal offences under the act from $2,000 to $250,000.
Increases the number of children a licensed home-based child care provider can care for from five to six.
Clarifies what programs and activities are exempt from licensing requirements, including care provided by relatives, babysitters, nannies and camps that provide programs for school-age children.
Requires all private schools that care for more than five children under the age of four to be licensed as a child care centre.
Amends the Education Act to ensure school boards offer before- and after-school programs for 6 to12 year-olds where there is sufficient demand.
 Activities that keep them busy and learning at the same time. Is this the first step to getting into poker games? The legislation builds on steps that Ontario has already taken to improve oversight of child care. This includes the creation of a dedicated enforcement team to investigate complaints against unlicensed providers, as well as an online searchable registry – paired with a toll-free number – to inquire about unlicensed child care violations.
It is another layer of government that will have to be paid for by the government. There was a time when there was pressure to create a Canada wide day care service with subsidies. The province has a service that started out costing $5 per day per child. Ontario has never flirted with that kind of an idea.
Ontario has 5,069 licensed child care centres in the province with a total capacity of 317,868 spaces; 166,429 of those spaces are in publicly funded schools.
 Keeping them safe and ensuring that they can be outside getting fresh air and exercise is the objective. Keeping the costs bearable is the challenge. Starting in 2014-15, the government is investing an additional $33.6 million, over three years, to support the ongoing operation and modernization of the child care system –protecting the gains made through the previously announced investment of $346 million over four years.
Additional information:
Four steps to finding the right child care
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