By Staff
May 25, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Air Park hearing moved back from late May to November 2015 – why so long?
The Air Park has raised a constitutional issue.
More detail to follow
|
||||||||
|
May 25, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON On Friday May 22, 2015 between 6:00am and 6:00pm, officers from the three regional District Response Teams collectively worked together to target the Big 4 driving behaviours that are responsible for placing road users at most risk, namely; impaired driving Officers focused their efforts along the Dundas Street commuter route in the City of Burlington and the Town of Oakville.
Officers also provided several warnings and cautions regarding driving behavior. Halton Regional Police would like to remind motorists that holding a cell phone when driving a motor vehicle is likely to become the leading cause of traffic fatalities by 2016. As such our Service remains committed to targeting motorists who commit this offence and doing all that is possible to ensure a safe commute. The next Regional Safe Commute initiative will take place in the Towns of Milton and Halton Hills. Anyone can report a traffic or driving concern by visiting our website and making a ROAD WATCH complaint. ROAD WATCH is a community driven program encouraging anonymous reporting of incidents involving dangerous and/or aggressive driving. This program is an opportunity to bring an aggressive driver to our attention. Be the extra eyes and ears and learn more here:
May 25, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON Two of the unions the city works with held strike votes which gave their union leaders the go ahead to meet with the city and attempt to resolve the local issues.  Transit workers and the city’s outside workers have told their union leaders they are prepared to strike for a better deal. The city Roads and Parks Maintenance union voted by 97% in favour of a strike last week and Burlington Transit Local 2723 voted in favour of strike action Sunday by 96%. Getting a strike vote from the union membership does not mean there is going to be a strike – what it does mean is that the union negotiators have a mandate to begin negotiations. The next step is for a conciliator to be brought in and determine if the issues can be settled. Meeting with the conciliator can last half a day or many days. At some point the Conciliator has to produce a report – at times the conciliator is unable to produce a report and the situation is in what is referred to as a “no board report”. A union has to wait for a minimum of 30 days after a no board report is issued before they can call a strike. It is a situation that does have to be watched’ 96 and 97 per cent mandates are not to be trifled with.
May 24, 2014 BURLINGTON, ON
 Don Graves painting of Grindstone Creek decorates the walls of the constituency office of Eleanor McMahon. When Don learned that MPP Eleanor McMahon was officially opening her new constituency office he felt some original Canadian art would be needed to decorate the walls. And he just happened to have what he felt was perfect for an office. So – Don’s painting was unveiled on Friday at the office opening without the artist being on hand to take a well-deserved bow. Graves doesn’t know if our MPP is purchasing the painting or if it is just going to hang on the wall for a period of time and be returned.  Sign goes up on the office of Burlington’s MPP The new digs for the MPP are several steps up from what she had on Brant Street. The washroom in the new location is bigger than the office McMahon had previously. There is a small boardroom with all the office space walls done in glass.
May 23, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON How does a community choose between its heritage and the need to intensify and at the same time treat the owners of property in the downtown core with the respect they deserve and ensure that their rights as property owners are protected? Burlington has lost a lot of it heritage properties. The city seems to have a problem with wanting to keep buildings that reflect the character of the city as it went through its various development phases. It was the citizens and two members of city council (both first term members) that saved the Freeman station from becoming kindling for a fire place. The city has a deep rich history as the “garden of Canada” that many people are unaware of and something that is never celebrated. Burlington city councils’ have always had difficulty with fighting to save properties that have heritage value.  View of the old Ghent farmhouse from Brant Street at the corner of Ghent Street. There is a property on Brant Street that has very significant historical value that is part of a small land assembly. The property is currently on the municipal registry of historically significant properties and has been given an A rating. The owner of the property wrote the planning department advising they wished to have their property removed from the registry. Sixty days after such a request the city has to either seek to have the property designated as historical under the Planning Act or issue a demolition permit if one is requested. The question becomes – is this property significant enough to be designated?  A wider view of the former Ghent Farmhouse and its neighbours today. A Staff report put on the May 11th Development and Infrastructure agenda but pulled when the issue it was related to was withdrawn by the owners of property at 795 Brant. The Planning and Building Department received a written request to remove the property from the Municipal Heritage Register to allow the demolition of the farmhouse. If the city does not take a position within the 60 day period, a demolition permit must be granted. Council must make a decision as to whether to designate the property pursuant to the Ontario Heritage Act in order to protect it from demolition or to remove the property from the Municipal Register to allow its demolition.  A rear view of the former Ghent farmhouse – numerous additions have changed the look of the building – have those additions made the structure any less significant historically? With the request to have the building taken of the municipal register withdrawn the matter is moot – but this issue will be back before Council in the not too distant future. This request is being made to facilitate redevelopment of the subject property in conjunction with 789 Brant Street. The Staff Direction set out in the report that was withdrawn makes it clear where the Planning department wants to go – that may not be where city council wants to go – and it is the elected officials who make the final decision.  The developer assembling the property and representing the owner is reported to have lined up at least four council votes. Which of these four are onside for the destruction of the house? People acting for the property owner are believed to have lined up the four votes on council they need to vote against the Staff recommendation. Staff asked that the city “State an intention to designate the house and property at 795 Brant Street, Burlington, pursuant to the Ontario Heritage Act. “Authorize the City Clerk to present the Designation By-law to Council to designate the property at 795 Brant Street, Burlington, pursuant to Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act if there are no objections to the statement of intention to designate in accordance with Section the Act and “Authorize the City Clerk to take necessary action in the event that there are any objections in accordance with the Ontario Heritage Act. The property has always been seen as historically significant. It was given an “A” grade when it was evaluated by Heritage Burlington in 1995, and later re-evaluated with the same “A” grade in 2003.  Maple Lodge was built in 1854 by the Bent brothers, Jabez a brick maker, George a mason, and James a carpenter. George Ghent and his family lived for many years at Maple Lodge. The non-designated 161 year old historic home is in jeopardy of potential demolition, due mostly in part to the intensification policy of the Ontario Government. Maple Lodge is located at 795 Brant Street on the south east corner. This is how the home looked in 1902. Today, it is a commercial property. Additionally, in 2014, Heritage Burlington retained a consultant to conduct a review of all formerly graded “A” properties on the Municipal Register to determine if they still belong on the Municipal Register. The recent review of the subject property by the consultant provided a grade of 82/100 (based on Heritage Burlington’s newly created “Evaluation Criteria”), and it was recommended it remain on the Municipal Heritage Register. Currently, the property is within the boundary of “Downtown Growth Area” in the Official Plan; and zoned as “MXG” – “Mixed-Use Corridor Zone”. The Planning department maintains that the “Maple Lodge” or “William Ghent House” or “Bray-Ghent Farmhouse” is a good example of an early vernacular style farmhouse; and is associated with the early farming in Burlington. “The house is significant as it provides the evidence of Burlington’s past. In addition, it has other important contextual, historical / associative, and physical/design values.” One of the first families to settle in Brant’s Block was the Ghent Family. They had originally come to North America from Wales, settling in Maryland, then moving to North Carolina. As sympathizers with the British during the American Revolution, they were severely persecuted.  The Reverend David Ghent was a brother to George Ghent and another son of Thomas Ghent and Elizabeth Davis. Rev. Ghent was instrumental in aiding William Lyon Mackenzie’s escape to the United States. Historically that was a very significant event. If this were the United states the house would have been saved years ago. Thomas Ghent came to Canada with his wife’s family, the Davises, and was one of the early settlers in Saltfree Township. In true pioneering spirit, he purchased land from Joseph Brant in 1804, and became one of the founding families at Wellington Square. For 150 years, members of the Ghent family farmed continuously in Burlington. The two-storey brick farmhouse was built in 1854 by Jabez Bent, who is also believed to have constructed the wall around the Union Burying Grounds and the Calvary Baptist Church (1446 Ontario Street). Bent sold the house and its farm to Frederick Bray in 1859, and in 1896, the property was bought by William Ghent, who was the fifth generation descendant of Thomas Ghent. In 1909, Ghent divided the farm, including Ghent Avenue, into parcel lots. This house and its lot were bought by Edward Harmon and his sons in 1909. The house was a residence for the Alphonse Brooks family from 1935 to 1975, when it was converted to commercial use. The Planning department describes the house as the last farmhouse in the area and is a landmark along Brant Street. The house is on its original location; and is a familiar structure in the context of the neighbourhood and downtown. The house is now surrounded by mix of land uses, such as, residential, commercial and mixed-use developments, and various architectural designed buildings. “The “William Ghent Farmhouse” is a two-storey solid brick structure with end gable roof, and features symetrical three-bay façade and rear additions. “The multiple rear additions were likely added over the years as the family grew. The rear and side additions feature gable roofs. The central door at the front façade has a detailed wood surround. Other architectural elements of the house include brick chimneys at the two ends of the gable roof of the original house; wide overhanging eaves and paired brackets under the eaves of the original house; and wooden window frames on the ground floor front façade and on both floors of the north-east side façade highlighted by wooden voussoirs.” “There have been minor changes to the heritage attributes but the original character is retained. Visible changes to the building include painting of the brick façade, asphalt roof shingles, commercial signs, and windows and shutters have been replaced by aluminium framed single-hung one over one windows. “Additional chimneys and skylights have been added. The rear yard of the property has been entirely paved to accommodate parking spaces and a driveway for commercial use, with the exception of shrub and coniferous trees to the side yards and lawn immediately in front of the house. These are not minor changes by any stretch of one’s imagination. The planners argue that “architecturally, the front façade and north-east side of the “William Ghent Farmhouse” is the most significant. From a historical or associative perspective, the property satisfies the criteria for designation. Staff is of the opinion that the house is historically tied to its surroundings as the development around it (including Ghent Street) was part of the original farm. “Staff does acknowledge that the house has been converted from its original purpose as a residence to commercial use. Nevertheless, they are of the the opinion that despite the alterations to the building and site, the property has retained much of its original character and fabric. “The demolition of this unique style farmhouse would mean a significant loss of the property’s historic and cultural heritage values. Each heritage property that is lost incrementally undermines the city’s ability to understand and celebrate its past through tangible physical resources.  Lower Rant Street with two of the downtown core’s most historically significant structures. Would these two buildings ever be asked to meet with a wrecking ball? Burlington’s Official Plan contains a number of policies related to the conservation of cultural heritage resources calling for the city to protect, improve and manage its cultural heritage resources in a manner that furthers the heritage objectives of this Plan and sets an example of leadership for the community in the conservation of cultural heritage resources. Cultural heritage conservation planning shall be an integral part of the land use planning process in the City of Burlington. There are apparently other options. Staff suggests there is a third option which is to enter into discussion with the property owner and recommend that the request for demolition be withdrawn until such time as a comprehensive review of options including the demolition, conservation and incorporation or partial conservation of the house be explored. City staff recommended that the property not be removed from the Municipal Register to facilitate demolition and that Council state its intention to designate the property. With the withdrawal of the request to be removed the municipal registry those suggested discussions can now take place. If the property were to be designated it would be eligible to apply to the Community Heritage Fund for eligible restoration project. This would cover up to 25% of eligible project costs to a maximum of $15,000. Burlington’s Heritage Property Tax Rebate program could also be available to the owners of the property. Currently, the program is only for residential uses in accordance with the recommendation of Heritage Burlington in its 2012 report, A New Approach to Conserving Burlington’s Heritage, a commercial component will be explored for the 2016 tax year.  An opinion on what to do with the property will be sought from the Heritage Advisory committee. Chair Jim Clemens will have much to think about with this one. There apparently isn’t going to be a formal public consultation, however, both Heritage Burlington and staff visited the property and it is on the |Heritage Advisory committee’s agenda. Should Council eventually accept staff’s recommendation to state its intention to designate 795 Brant Street, the Ontario Heritage Act requires that notice of the intention be given to the City Clerk, and that notice be served on the owner of the property; the Ontario Heritage Trust; and published in a newspaper having general circulation in the City. What does all this mean to the people who own the property and want to sell it and take their profit and move on? What does this mean top the developer who is assembling the property and planning a project that will fall well within the Official Plan and the applicable zoning bylaw? How does a community choose between its heritage and the need to intensify and at the same time treat the owners of property in the downtown core with the respect they deserve and ensure their rights as property owners are protected? Background: The history of the Ghent family and their significance to the development of Burlington.
May 23, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON  Burlington, and especially the village of Freeman was a very busy place at the turn of the 20th century. Market gardeners used the Grand Trunk Railway to ship their fruit and vegetables out of the area, bound for destinations across Canada and around the world. Market gardeners would line up alongside the tracks at the very busy Burlington Junction train station in Freeman waiting their turn to load their produce on to the boxcars. Today, the historic Freeman train station has been relocated to Fairview Street and is undergoing restoration. Our local farmers were referred to as market gardeners. Most major varieties of fruit and vegetables were grown locally. This agricultural base provided great wealth to the local economy. So, how did Burlington evolve into this status of providing food for the tables of families right around the world? The answer goes back to this historic date in time, December 16, 1773. On this day, a civil act of disobedience changed the course of history, an event that affected the world right to this day. What happened has become known as the Boston Tea Party, where Samuel Adams and the Sons of Liberty boarded three ships in the Boston Harbor and threw 342 chests of tea overboard, in protest to British rule and taxation. This resulted in the passage of the punitive Coercive Acts in 1774 and pushed the two sides closer to war. This was the catalyst for the American Revolutionary War which saw approximately one third of the 13 colonies population remain loyal to Britain and the monarchy. During and after the war, Loyalists were seriously harassed, forcing many to leave their homes. Some went to Africa, and founded Sierra Leone, others went to the Bahamas, some families went back to England, while many relocated to Upper and Lower Canada. They were known as United Empire Loyalists.  This single act of protest escalated into the American Revolutionary War in I775. Citizens of the 13 colonies were divided between independence or choosing loyalty to Britain. Many loyalists left for Upper and Lower Canada to start over. Burlington and the surrounding areas were major destinations for some of these United Empire Loyalists. So how does this have anything to do with Burlington? Actually, it has everything to do with how Burlington emerged into the city that we enjoy today. Let’s start with William Alexander Davis who was born in 1741 in Baltimore, Maryland. He married Hannah Phillipse and they owned a plantation in Franklin, Orange, North Carolina. William Davis became quite wealthy and was a loyal British subject. Their neighbours on another plantation were the Gant family. During the Revolutionary War, General Cornwallis and 2,000 British soldiers marched into North Carolina. The General set up headquarters on the Gant plantation, and the soldiers were sheltered and fed at the Davis plantation. To compensate the Davis family, General Cornwallis issued a “Due Bill” for 10,000 pounds. Among the British soldiers that stayed with the Davis family was a young man by the name of John Graves Simcoe, a soldier with the Queen’s Rangers. A lasting friendship began, which was to have a huge influence on William Davis several years down the road after the war terminated in 1783. Over the next several years, the Davis family could not properly re-establish their plantation due to continued harassment by the rebels, and the punishing tax system that was enacted on Loyalists. They decided to leave for Upper Canada, where John Graves Simcoe was now the Lieutenant Governor.  John Graves Simcoe was born in 1752 and died in 1806. He served as Lieutenant Governor from 1791 to 1796. Simcoe was a personal friend of William Alexander Davis, and was instrumental in relocating the Davis and Ghent families to the Stoney Creek area of Upper Canada. The family walked and drove several wagons the entire 800 mile distance from North Carolina to Upper Canada. Included in the entourage were William & Hannah’s seven children. Their one daughter Elizabeth had already married Thomas Ghent, and he also made the trip. (The Ghent name was originally Gant, and it may have been Thomas who initiated the spelling change). Their trip ended at the Genesee River in Rochester where they stayed over the winter, and in the spring Governor Simcoe upon hearing of their plight, sent a gunboat to pick up the family and their belongings. They were relocated in the Stoney Creek area where Albion Falls eventually became the sight for William Davis’ two mills. The area became known as Albion Mills. This land was the compensation for the Due Bill..  Battlefield House Museum in Stoney Creek was the homestead of James Gage and his family. James married Mary Jane Davis, a daughter of William Alexander Davis. In 1804, Thomas Ghent purchased 200 acres of land from the estate of Joseph Brant, who had been awarded the land as compensation for Brant’s support of the British during the Revolutionary War. The land was called “Brant’s Block”, the area that is now mainly downtown Burlington. Asahel Davis, one of the sons of William Davis and brother-in-law to Thomas Ghent also decided to purchase land from Joseph Brant’s estate.  Asahel Davis was a son of William Alexander Davis and the older brother to Mary Jane Davis who married James Gage. And now, we get to the place in our local history where we can see the humble beginnings for “the Garden of Canada”. The Davis and Ghent families had wisely brought fruit seeds from their North Carolina plantations and planted them in the Stoney Creek area where their original farms were located. The young plants were later transferred to the Thomas Ghent and Asahel Davis farms in Brant’s Block. This would officially start Burlington on its way to becoming the focal point for “the Garden of Canada”.
Asahel Davis built a couple of homes, and one still stands to this day, but the original house cannot really be seen. The home is called Woodland Terrace, and is located on Plains Road at the QEW. The house was rebuilt in 1883 and became much larger. It was altered by Burlington’s leading house builder of the day, George Blair, for Charles Gilbert Davis, a grandson son of Asashel Davis, and brother to Hannah Augusta Davis.  Woodland Terrace is a beautiful large historic building on Plains Road located on the eastern side of the QEW. It is still there. Local home builder George Blair added to the original home of Asahel Davis in 1884 for Charles Gilbert Davis, a prominent local market gardener and owner of the house.  Charles Gilbert Davis was a son of Gilbert Davis. Gilbert was a son of William Alexander Davis. Charles Gilbert Davis was a very successful market gardener on Plains Road. He took his grandfather Asahel Davis’ house and had George Blair build around it to create Woodland Terrace. It was Asahel Davis who donated a corner of his property for the creation of the Union Burying Ground, which is located on Plains Road right in front of the Fortinos and Ikea stores. William Alexander Davis died at the age of 92 in 1834 and is buried in this cemetery.  The Union Burying is an historic treasure and has been designated as a United Empire Loyalist cemetery. The property was on a corner of the original Asahel Davis market garden farm. It is located on Plains Road, in front of Fortinos and Ikea. Many of Burlington’s earliest settlers are either buried here or at St. Luke’s Cemetery. Asahel Davis had a sister Mary who married James Gage. James was responsible for setting up Wellington Square, formerly known as Brant’s Block. James Street in downtown Burlington is named after him. Asahel Davis had a son named Gilbert Davis. One of Gilbert’s daughters was named Hannah Augusta Davis. She married Thaddeus Ghent, the son of George Ghent. One of their children was Frederick Davis Ghent, who became the second Mayor of Burlington in 1917. The Reverend David Ghent was a brother to George Ghent and another son of Thomas Ghent and Elizabeth Davis. Rev. Ghent was instrumental in aiding William Lyon Mackenzie’s escape to the United States. Thomas Ghent died in 1824, and his wife Elizabeth Davis died in 1841. Both are buried in the Union Burying Ground. As a matter of local interest, Thomas Ghent had one son named David Ghent, a man of the cloth, who was responsible for hiding William Lyon Mackenzie during the 1837 rebellion. Although Thomas Ghent’s house has not survived, one of his other children, named George, also a prominent local market gardener; bought a house on Brant Street that was called Maple “Maple Lodge”. The home was built in 1854, and credit for the construction of the house goes to Jabez Bent who was a brick maker by trade. It’s probably more accurate to say it was the Bent family of brothers who were responsible for building this house. Jabez had a brother George, who was a mason, and another brother James Cushie Bent who was a carpenter. George most likely was responsible for the foundation, James built the framing, and Jabez manufactured and installed the bricks. As a side note, Jabez is also credited locally with building the stone wall around the Union Burying Ground around 1884. It was probably his brother George who did the work, since Jabez and his family had already moved away in the late.  George Ghent, a son of Thomas Ghent and Elizabeth Davis was born in 1806 in Brant’s Block. One of his sons was Thaddeus Ghent, and his grandson was Frederick Davis Ghent, son of Thaddeus Ghent. Fred Ghent was the second mayor of Burlington. George and his second wife Anna Bray lived at Maple Lodge on Brant Street. George’s first wife was Catherine Bates, and she died in 1844. George was a prosperous market gardener. He died in 1883 and was buried in the Union Burying Ground. What’s so significant about the George Ghent house? It symbolizes the entire span of over 220 years as to how Burlington evolved into market gardening and “the Garden of Canada”, an industry that was created from the ravages of the American Revolution, propelling Burlington into world prominence and locally, new found wealth. The George Ghent house should be a national historical monument. Unfortunately, in 1975 this treasured landmark, was unwisely converted into a commercial property. Mayor George Harrington and his council approved the decision at that time, despite objections from concerned citizens. The beautiful handmade red brick exterior was covered over with an unsightly dull grey paint. The backyard became a parking lot. Much of the historical architecture internally has been removed or changed. But down deep, underneath it all, the core structure is still with us, after 161 years. This building is a very, very significant part of Burlington’s colourful past. We are so lucky to have it with us. Would you like to see this historic structure for yourself? The house just recently has become potentially vulnerable, and its survival could be in jeopardy very soon. It doesn’t have an Ontario Heritage Act designation to save it from demolition, and it should have. This beautiful historical property can face demolition without any legal problems. There is nothing in place to protect it. Heritage Burlington, a citizen’s advisory committee under the chairmanship of James Clemens, has not attempted to designate this house historical. They boast that Heritage Burlington’s mandate is to preserve and conserve our cultural heritage, yet some of their decisions are totally opposite to their own mandate. Heritage Burlington reports to Burlington’s City Council. From some of their controversial past recommendations, Heritage Burlington appears more concerned to see how many true historical properties can be removed from the Heritage Registry, rather than adding them to the list. I see this as their way to clear obstacles created by heritage buildings that appear to be standing in the way of new construction by developers. Even one of the Heritage Burlington committee members actually is a developer, owns a company that specializes in demolishing old and historical buildings and replacing them with “monster” homes. It’s unbelievable, but true. Does anyone see a conflict of interest here? Another member of this committee (but does not have a vote) is Councillor Marianne Meed Ward who represents the City of Burlington. For residents living in Burlington, you have most likely driven by this historic treasure countless times, and never gave it a second thought. You should go see it now at 795 Brant Street, located on the southeast corner of Brant and Prospect Streets, before developers attempt to knock it down; probably with the blessing of your City Councillors. Maple Lodge was built in 1854 by the Bent brothers, Jabez a brick maker, George a mason, and James a carpenter. George Ghent and his family lived for many years at Maple Lodge. The non-designated 161 year old historic home is in jeopardy of potential demolition, due mostly in part to the intensification policy of the Ontario Government. Maple Lodge is located at 795 Brant Street on the south east corner. This is how the home looked in 1902. Today, it is a commercial property. The Brant and Ghent Street corners are up for proposed re-development; the George Ghent house is also clearly in play with a developer assembling the land and getting ready to ask the city for a demolition permit. This is the kind of damage caused by proposed intensification when it impacts your community. You can lose important parts of your local heritage, oh so very quickly. Once they are gone, they are gone forever! On May 27, 2015 at the Performing Arts Centre, there will be the second of four public meetings on what the pubic is prepared to accept in the way of downtown development. There will be an opportunity to talk about plans for the Brant and Ghent corners, plus the Lakeshore area of Burlington. You should make plans to attend. Now is your chance to be heard, and express yourself. Let them know that you don’t want your local heritage continually threatened like this. It is that important. Before you know it, we could all be living in the permanent shadows of hi-rise buildings, unless we speak up now. Mark Gillies is a lifelong resident of Burlington, who grew up in Aldershot and developed as a local historian, researcher, master genealogist and writer who has a passionate interest and extensive knowledge of the many early pioneer families.
May 21, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON The first of four public Workshops on what people want the downtown core to look like was a success – a notable success. “Destination Downtown – a conversation about our future” invited ward 2 constituents to consider this question: What if developers, businesses and residents could work together to build our downtown – finding common ground instead of fighting?  You can almost feel the thinking taking place as theses residents discuss the information on the developments maps they were given The answer was some 125 people that included developers, residents and an impressive number of planning staff who took part in two hours of animated discussion. Councillor Marianne Meed Ward had caught the sense of many downtown residents who wanted to be involved in the growth of their community and not be unempowered dupes who leave everything to the politicians and hope they get it right. The Gazette asked Meed Ward what she had learned from the first experience and where was she going to go with the second Workshop which takes place at the Performing Arts Centre, May 27; at 7 pm “I hope that we succeed in building on what we learned at the first Workshop” said Meed Ward who will be putting all the comments – and there were hundreds of them, on her web site. Meed Ward added that the people in her ward care passionately about what happens in their community and they felt it was great to be able to participate and sit beside a developer and ask why they built what they built. Meed Ward added that there was a willingness on the part of the residents to understand that there will be changes – they just want to be involved in determining what those changes are going to do to the city they live in Meed Ward said it was clear that those taking part in the Workshop wanted good design and that they wanted the city’s heritage protected. Part of the purpose was to allow developers and residents to meet each other and for the residents to get beyond the stereotype that developers are interested in profit and nothing more than profit. Meed Ward didn’t add that there are still developers who take that approach – they weren’t in the room that evening.  Residents and planner exchanged ideas and opinions during an active two hour public meeting on downtown core development. The event was focused on ward 2 – Mayor Goldring was in the room and sat in on several of the groups that were poring over large drawings of where development was taking place – the drawing were quite a jolt for some – there are a lot of projects in various stages of development. The second Workshop is going to focus on two separate developments – situations where there isn’t a site plan – no clear idea what will be built. Property has been assembled – the developers are now thinking through what they want to do and measuring that against what they think the market wants. The Molinaro’s have assembled several parcels of land on Brant at Ghent – where there happens to be quite a bit of development that is in various stages of progress  A farmhouse once occupied by members of the Ghent family is part of a land assembly – the house has heritage value. Which comes first – a farmhouse that has been altered significantly and sits on property that is under utilized or the potential to put up a structure with the potential for eight storey? The property known as the Ghent farmhouse appears to be in play; significant expansion of Brant Square Plaza has already been put before the public – site plan approval for that development which will add four storeys to the two storey structure on the south end to Olga is expected by the end of the year.  Robert Molinaro explains the data on a map of downtown developments to Workshop participants. When the Molinaros’ took their Brock street development that is now becoming occupied – Burlington MPP Eleanor McMahon has moved in and will hold a formal opening later this month – the 27th, they tended to buck the views of the people who took part in the public meeting. That project was eventually approved with significant height and density changes. The Molinaro’s learned however that it is wiser to work with a community and bring as many people as possible into the tent. When the large Fairview property next to the GO station was acquired and plans for a five tower development was proposed the first thing the Molinaro’s did was meet with the ward councillor and get the public involved. It worked for them and the number of developers who showed up at the Workshop suggests that the Meed Ward approach may become the direction that becomes the norm for this city. Another project that will be looked at closely is at Lakeshore and Burlington. The developers apparently want to hear what the residents think – there are no commitments that they will leave the Workshop promising to do what the residents want – that’s not quite the way residential development takes place. While the event took place in ward 2 and was about ward 2 – the concept that Meed Ward is fashioning is applicable in every ward in the city. It could work in Aldershot, and in the east end of the city where Councillor Sharman reigns and ward 6 as well.  A Downtown core map setting out where development is currently taking place or planned. One would hope that the other members of council would have wanted to at least look in on what Meed Ward was trying to do and see if it might work in their wards. Unfortunately the divide between the kind of thinking that moves Meed Ward forward and the approaches much of the rest of council take don’t suggest smooth sailing for project that the public wants input on. If Meed Ward came up with the idea – the rest of Council won’t go near it – with the exception of Councillor Taylor and to a lesser degree Councillor Dennison. Councillor Lancaster is focused on winning the federal nomination for the new Oakville North Burlington riding – her constituents shouldn’t expect to see much of her locally. If she wins the nomination and goes on to win federal seat the city will have to hold a by-election to replace her. There are people in ward 6 who are lining up to file their nomination papers. Meed Ward appears to have tapped into a public desire to take part and to be involved. The only cautionary note is that the largest property owner in the city and the developer who took his project to the OMB were not in the room.
May 21, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON After a lengthy investigation by the Halton Police Regional Fraud Unit, a St. Catharines man has been arrested and charged for his involvement in defrauding thirteen local condominium corporations of 4.1 million dollars between March 2009 and September 2014. Brett Mackenzie LEAHEY, 45 yrs, acted as the owner/operator of Integrated Condominium Management (ICM), a property management firm responsible for servicing and managing the finances of ten condominium corporations in the City of Burlington and three in the City of Hamilton. Among several of the allegations, Mr. Leahey forged property maintenance invoices and contracts, fraudulently charged the condominiums for work not completed and re-distributed assets from the corporations to his business accounts for personal use. “Our investigation would indicate that Mr. Leahey clearly took advantage of the position entrusted to him by these corporations for his own personal gain,” stated Detective Constable Derek Wilson of the Halton Police Regional Fraud Unit. Leahey will appear for a bail hearing at Milton Provincial Court on Thursday May 21st, in relation to the following charges: • Defraud the Public The condominiums involved were not named in the police report.
May 21, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON The Burlington Community Foundation (BCF) announced today that Gary W. DeGroote has been named the 2015 Philanthropist of the Year. He will be honoured at BCF’s annual Masquerade Ball on October 24th, 2015, at the Burlington Convention Centre.  Gary W. DeGroote, Community foundation philanthropist of the year “Gary DeGroote epitomizes what it means to be a sustainable philanthropist and we are honoured to work so closely with a man who has made such an incredible impact on Burlington and the wider community,” says Colleen Mulholland, President and CEO, Burlington Community Foundation. “Gary is a true leader who not only supports our foundation but also consistently demonstrates a passionate, caring and generous commitment to the arts, youth and recreation.” The Philanthropist of the Year award presented by Great-West Life, London Life and Canada Life offers the chance to publicly honour and thank a noted philanthropist for their positive impact on Burlington and surrounding communities. Gary and his family have a long history of sharing their time, talent and treasures. Gary’s leadership in many endeavours will be forever noted in Burlington’s history. A passionate supporter of the arts, his Titanium Benefactor Gift helped to kick start the fundraising campaign for the renowned Burlington Performing Arts Centre. His contributions are too numerous to list as Gary and his family continue to donate countless hours of leadership and significant funding to the arts, culture, recreation, youth and education sectors in Burlington. “It is a true honour to receive this award” says Gary DeGroote. “I hope this award encourages others to give to our community in their own way. Gestures of kindness and gifts of time and resources are what keep our communities strong and vibrant. I am very proud to support Burlington and all of the fabulous organizations that work each and every day to help make life better for others.” DeGroote came up through the ranks of the company his Dad formed and later sold. In a Bloomberg report for 2007 Michael DeGroote was reported to have a net worth of $1.23 billion, up 6% from the previous year.  Gary DeGroote co-chaired the fund raising committee that raised much of the $28 million it cost to construct the Performing Arts Centre DeGroote was generous to his community and plunked down $5 million to kick start the fund raising for the Performing Arts Centre. Businessman Gary DeGroote seems to be following in the footsteps of his father, Michael — the former Laidlaw Inc. CEO turned philanthropist — with a $5-million pledge in November 2006 toward Burlington, Performing Arts Centre. He’ll still have a long way to go, though, before he tops his dad’s record-breaking $105-million donation in 2003 to Hamilton’s McMaster University, which named the DeGroote School of Business after him. DeGroote co-chaired the fundraising committee for the $28-million Centre that was brought in on time and on budget.
May 20, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON There is a scene in the movie ET where the lost alien says “Home” – he just wanted to go home. That’s the reason Brian McCurdy tendered his resignation earlier this week to the Board of the Performing Arts Centre. McCurdy’s wife remained in Kingston when McCurdy took on the job – he commuted on weekends but it go to be more than he wanted to continue doing – he will leave his office in October. He said he has enjoyed his time in Burlington but now he wants to retire and spend more time with his wife in Kingston.  Retiring Executive Director leaves the Burlington Performing Arts Centre in better shape than he got it it. He will be missed. McCurdy seemed prepared to stay on a little longer if that is what was needed to find and break in whoever is hired to replace him – but he will not celebrate Christmas in this city. McCurdy has offered to serve as a talent scout for the Hiring committee the board will establish. He seems to be leaving on the best of terms In his almost two years as the Executive Director of the Performing Arts Centre he has improved the program and gotten most of the past financial difficulties behind him. He is proud of the three local production groups that are now making significant use of the facilities. The Todering Biped, the Koogle Theatre and Nortsur productions have each mounted performances. Some were better than others – but at least community groups are using the space. “It takes time” said McCurdy “to build an audience for new artistic endeavours. It took time for the public to get used to the size of the subsidy the BPAC needs and will probably always need. The Performing Arts Centre now has a solid reputation and draws audiences from Toronto – they advertise regularly in the Globe and Mail Asked which performance was he most proud of bringing to Burlington: the Pat Metheny Unity Group. If the Board has the good sense to involve McCurdy in the hiring process we will be well served. The disturbing part of all this is that we had first class talent at BPAC – now we have to go looking all over again. Home – that summed it up
May 20, 2014 BURLINGTON, ON First time authors are usually given some room from reviewers. That initial title is looked at for possible potential – maybe this is an author that has more than one story to tell.  Janet Turpin Meyers, local author launches her first title at the end of the month. Janet Turpin Meyers published “Nightswimming” in 2013 – it was a good read; there was promise and it turned out to be a book that you would both recommend to people and give as a gift to your more discerning friends. Then book two arrives and it is picked up with both interest and some wondering – what has she had to say this time? “The Last Year of Confusion” is not “Nightswimming” her first title – it wasn’t supposed to be but for those who so enjoyed Meyers’ first novel there was the hope that this second book would be as pleasurable. There aren’t as many things to identify with in this second title, at least not for this reader. I was able to identify with many of the “Nightswimming” characters and as I read through that title there was a sense of dread when I began to realize how it was going to end. No sense of dread with Last Year of Confusion and fewer characters that I identified with – which doesn’t for a moment take away from the book. When you find yourself with a cast of characters that includes Jesus, John Lennon, Ghandi and Elvis impersonators you know this is going to be different. There are actually two Elvis’s – but I don’t want to give the story away. When the lead characters have names that are not exactly memorable and bring their own baggage and history to the table – it takes a little adjusting.
Add in the Easter Island moai and a character who both counts his blessings and write them up in scribblers he has scrounged and while writing up Blessing # 13,890 easily refers to Blessing # 232 A Time Portal and a “blue suede shoe” plus the television crew from a reality TV show – and you’ve begun to get a sense of where Meyers is going to take you. This second title is a different read – worth the time if only because it gives you a chance to follow a growing author who is clearly going to be writing for some time. While not yet recognized there are more books coming from Janet Turpin Meyers. A reception celebrating the launch of The Last Year of Confusion will be held at Cedar Springs on Sunday May 24th
May 20, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON The notice that the Burlington Performing Arts Centre (BPAC) s looking for a new Executive Director was brought to our attention by an observant reader. The position of Executive Director is open  Brian McCurdy improved the quality of the performances brought to Burlington and made a huge dent in the losses that were being incurred. His position as Executive Director of the Burlington Performing Arts Centre is being advertised as open. The release doesn’t say if Brian McCurdy resigned or if he was asked to leave or if he is suffering from poor health and has to slow down. The event to announce the fall line-up is scheduled for later this month – will McCurdy be on hand? Did he resign, was he asked to move on? Nothing in the way of information. McCurdy has done a fabulous job of getting the BPAC out of the financial slump it was in – the place was bleeding deficits and costing the public very close to $1 million in subsidy He made big improvements in involving community groups – BPAC was a healthier place because of McCurdy. McCurdy took over at BPAC in August of 2013 Losing Brian McCurdy is not good news for Burlington. Anyone interested in the job has to get their application in no later than Friday, June 26th in confidence to: bpacjobs@burlington.ca More when there is more to tell
May 19, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON Ron Foxcroft is seldom, if ever, at a loss for words.  Queen Elizabeth II, in her capacity as Colonel-in-Chief of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada, receives Honourary Colonel Ron Foxcroft at Buckingham Palace Foxcroft and his wife Along with Colonel’s Kennedy and Hatfield of the Argyle’s and their wives were presented to the Queen at Buckingham Palace earlier today. Foxcroft filed the following with us moments ago: “Arrived at 11:30 for 12:0 meeting. “Changing of the guards were in progress but an audience with the Queen takes presidency. “We were whisked in to a private area of the palace. We were taken to her private apartment and briefed in the Empire room by two Equeerys and the lady in waiting. “We were buzzed in to her apartment at 12:08. “She was radiant in a blue floral dress and beautiful. She held out her hand we all three shook hands She offered condolences to the regiment and the Cirillo family. She said she is proud of her regiment “She wanted an explanation of the poppy gift that was on an easel beside her. She said it will be hung permanently in Buckingham Palace. “She talked Argyll business and I presented her with two Argyll logo whistles. She put her lips on one but did not blow it. “After 30 minutes she buzzed for our wives. They greeted her. She took us to the window and proudly pulled back the drapes and said enjoy my beautiful little garden. “We have a small party tomorrow for a few people. I asked how many. “She said 8,000. I said you do a marvellous job cutting the lawn. She laughed and said that is my John Deere lawn mower as she pointed to the machine. She said if I blow this Fox 40 will it scare the Canada Geese off my lawn. “She said it is better than using a gun and laughed. “She says I never wake a baby. “The pictures that were taken are protected by copyright and will be mailed with a contract for us to sign “We left at 1 pm.” Ron Foxcroft will be telling this story for the next five years. Bet on that.
May 19, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON After numerous meetings the city finally has a draft of a Code of conduct that will have close to the force of law and which if seriously violated could result in the suspension of a member of |Council.  Ward 2 Councillor Marianne Meed Ward takes the position that she has the right and the responsibility to involve herself in any issue in any ward. Her belief is not shared by all members of Council. The most contentious issue during the discussions is whether or not a member of council can involves themselves in issues outside their wards. Ward 2 Councilor Marianne Meed Ward has taken the position that she is responsible for ward 2 issues but can involve herself in matters that are city wide and has done so in the past. Ward 1 Councilor Rick Craven feels that ward 1 is his turf and no one should intrude on his territory. Councilor Dennison felt that as a courtesy a council member should at last inform fellow members of Council when they are involving themselves in an issue in a ward that is not their own. The document is not what you would call an easy read. The Gazette will publish the version of the Code of Conduct that gets passed by Council on the 25th. The portion of the draft code was revised at the Standing Committee with the removal of the part that had to do with how and when a council member can involve themselves in matters outside their ward. That section read: General Integrity • Members of Council are committed to performing their functions with integrity, accountability and transparency.  Ward 1 Councillor Rick Craven takes the view that he is responsible for the concerns and issues in his ward and that other council members should basically mind their own business. He lost that argument. Deleting it from the code passed on a 4-3 vote. In 2006 the Municipal Act was amended to provide municipalities with enhanced accountability powers including the ability to establish a Code of Conduct and appoint an Integrity Commissioner to administer the Code of Conduct. Burlington’s city council began work on a Code in December 2013 as part of their governance review. Currently, there is a Code of Practice that was adopted in 1996. The Code of Conduct would replace this policy. Any failure to comply with the code of conduct can have serious and significant consequences. “Members of Council shall adhere to the provisions of the Code of Conduct. The Municipal Act, 2001 authorizes Council, where it has received a report by its Integrity Commissioner that, in his or her opinion, there has been a violation of the Code of Conduct, may impose either of the following penalties: • A reprimand; It would be tough to get re-elected were a council member to be suspended for any period of time. There have been four workshops held with Council to draft the code that was presented. At the January workshop, Council received an update from the City Solicitor on Bill 8: Public Sector and MPP Accountability and Transparency Act, 2014. Bill 8 significantly expands the role of the provincially-appointed Ombudsman in the affairs of municipalities. This includes oversight over the investigations conducted in accordance with the Code of Conduct. In some cases, municipalities may forgo the appointment of an Integrity Commissioner and leave the oversight to the Ombudsman. It is staff’s view that despite the oversight from the provincial Ombudsman, it would still be prudent to hire an Integrity Commissioner at the local level. At this point the regulations on Bill 8 have not been released. Those regulations will likely include details on procedures for investigation and any related costs to the municipality. Following approval of the Code of Conduct, staff will retain an Integrity Commissioner on a fee for service basis. The plan is to share an Integrity Commissioner on a fee for service basis with the Town of Milton. The Town of Oakville already has an Integrity Commissioner in place. The expectation is that the cost will come in at about $20,000 a year – which of course depends on how many complaints get sent to the Commissioner and how well our Council members behave.  Ward 5 Councillor Paul Sharman has in the past come perilously close to crossing some of the lines set out in the Code of Conduct. One section of the Code of Conduct spells out very clearly that: • Maliciously, falsely or otherwise inappropriately injure the professional or ethical reputation, or the prospects or practice of staff; That requirement has not always been fully met in the past. Free tickets to events have been a problem in the past – the rules were never very clear. They will be clear when the Code of Conduct is passed by city council. “Members of Council are expected to represent the public and the interests of the municipality and to do so with both impartiality and objectivity. The acceptance of a gift, benefit or hospitality can imply favouritism, bias or influence on the part of the Member. At times, the acceptance of a gift, benefit or hospitality occurs as part of the social protocol or community events linked to the duties of an elected official and their role in representing the municipality. “Members of Council shall not accept gifts that would appear to be in gratitude for influence or to induce influence. For these purposes, a gift, benefit or hospitality provided with the Member’s knowledge to a family member or to a Member’s staff, that is connected directly or indirectly to the performance of the Member’s duties is deemed to be a gift to that Member. Members of Council are not precluded from accepting: (a) compensation authorized by law; (f) food and beverages consumed at banquets, receptions or similar events, if: 1. attendance serves a legitimate business purpose; (g) communication to the offices of a member, including subscriptions to newspapers and periodicals;  Some ward 6 residents felt their Council member, Blair Lancaster was just a little too close to the owners of the Air Park. In the case of exceptions claimed under categories b, d, e, f, g, h where the value of the gift or benefit exceeds $25, or if the total value received from any one source during the course of a calendar year exceeds $25, the Members shall within 30 days of receipt of the gift or reaching the annual limit, list the gift or benefit on a Councilor Information Statement in the prescribed form and file it with the City Clerk. This information will be posted on the website with Councilors expenses. Members are permitted to receive up to two tickets to a dinner or a fundraising event, as long as the Member is attending only one such event as a gift from the same individual or corporation within any calendar year. Fundraising, Community Events and Donations are also clarified in the code. This Code recognizes that as community leaders, Members of Council may lend their support to and encourage, community donations to registered charitable organizations and not for profit groups. Monies raised through fundraising efforts shall go directly to the groups or volunteers and chapters acting as local organizers of the group. This Code recognizes the important work of Members of Council in supporting charitable causes and the need for transparency in Members involvement. This Code sets the following additional guiding principles for Members of Council (a) Members of Council should not directly or indirectly manage or control any monies received relating to a charitable, not for profit or community-based organization’s fundraising in their capacity as a member of Council. Once passed the Code gives the public a process to complain. Complaint of a Violation of this Code Any individual that has reasonable grounds to believe that a Member has breached this Code, may file a complaint with the City Clerk. The Integrity Commissioner shall be responsible for investigating such complaints and if the parties are in agreement, the complaint may be resolved by way of mediation. If either party does not participate in the mediation process, if the complaint is not resolved through this process, or the matter is not appropriate for referral to mediation, the Integrity Commissioner shall assume responsibility for investigating the complaint in accordance with the procedures established by Council. In the case of a complaint of discrimination or harassment, the complainant may file a complaint directly to the Human Resources Department under the City of Burlington Respect in the Workplace Policy. The complainant will also be advised of his or her right to advance an application to the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal. The procedure for filing a complaint includes an informal or a formal complaint The formal procedure is as follows: Any individual who has identified or witnessed behaviour or activity by a member that appears to be in contravention of the Code may address their concerns through the formal complaint process set out below. 1. All formal complaints must be made using the Complaints Form prepared by the City Clerk and/or Integrity Commissioner and shall be dated and signed by the Complainant.  Councillor Jack Dennison felt it was just common decency to advise a fellow council member that he was talking to people about a project in their ward. The existence of an Integrity Commissioner gives the public some recourse to behavior they feel is wrong or unbecoming a member of a city council. However the authors of the code were aware of the possibility that someone might want to exploit the process in an election year. They covered off that possibility. By the end of the month of May your seven members of Council will have to adhere to a Code of Conduct that allows for the suspension of a member of r up to 90 days of they stray from the rules. The Integrity Commissioner shall not make any report to Council or any other person after the last Council meeting in June in any year in which a regular municipal election is to be held. Any reports would proceed to the first Council meeting after the Inaugural meeting of the new Council. Any guesses as to how long it will take for someone in the city to file a complaint with the Integrity Commissioner and who the complaint will be against? The Gazette will publish the code of Conduct in its entirety once it has been passed by Council.
May 19, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON Mark Visser, a Burlington resident since 1967, feels a technicality has left him high and dry – which was not his experience when the city was drenched with more than 190 mm of rain last August 4th. Visser sold his house in June, 2014 and put his belongings in a storage locker until he bought a new home. The storage locker he rented was flooded August 4th. Here is the story he tells: Submitted original claim for $6,374.00 to replace personal property (essential and non-essential) lost in the Burlington Flood April 7: Request for compensation denied April 13, 2015: Re-submitted new claim of $3,302.75 for essential lost property only (dining room set, bedroom furniture and mattresses) April 30, 2015: Received word that I would receive only $770.00 Visser believes the final settlement should be $3,302.75 and not $770.00 There was a total of 310 claims submitted of which 42 were denied. Visser points out that $ 2.97 million dollars was raised for flood relief by citizens, corporate dnations and funds from the provincial government. He maintains “there certainly is no shortage of funds to honour my claim of #3,302.75 to replace lost essentials.” MAY 20, 2014 AUGUST 4. 2014 AUGUST 11, 2014 AUGUST 18, 2014 AUGUST 22. 2014 SEPTEMBER 3. 2014 NOVEMBER 7(?), 2014 NOVEMBER 8, 2014 NOVEMBER 17, 2014 NOVEMBER 18, 2014 NOVEMBER 24, 2014 DECEMBER 1 EARLY DECEMBER, 2014 APRIL 7, 2015 APRIL 13, 2015 APRIL 30, 2015 APRIL 30 or MAY 1 Received copy of ODRAP guidelines (one page) from Colleen Mulholland, President and CEO, Burlington Flood Disaster Relief Committee. MAY 12, 2015. (My last email send to the Burlington Flood Relief Committee) This weekend I had some time to reflect on was has transpired over the last weeks, reread the correspondence and went online to do some research. I would like to register the following: 1 – April 7, 2015 letter stated: “Contents held in storage are not eligible under the guidelines” I did access the ODRAP website and made a copy (11 pages). I researched the site and there is NO mention of contents held in storage. And by the way, they are called guidelines, not rules carved in stone which means there is room for decisions made and based on common sense and compassion. 2- April 30. Letter stated that after reassessment of my claim it was determined that I would be compensated for the amount of $770.00. This letter mentioned also that the amount claimed was $6,374.00. This amount was to cover all items lost included non-essential items. 3- When I received my first cheque for the amount of $385.00 I expected a note telling me that a second and final cheque for the amount of $2917.75 would be issued at the end of April, 2015. Visser says: “I’m convinced that the availability of money to settle claims submitted by flood victims is not an issue. The amount raised and number of claims received tells me that there is more than enough to compensate flood victims. “I think that many Burlingtonian’s would be upset to know that I received $770.00 (not even enough to buy a new mattress) compensation for the loss of $3,302.75 in essentials. “Given the fact that the Committee’s decisions were based on the ODRAP guidelines I know that you, at the local level, did everything you could do to help me. I will not trouble you again and with little time left I have decided to go public to tell my side of the story. Colleen Mulholland headed up the local Disaster Relief Committee. She is out of the city but has said she will review the correspondence from Mark Visser and comment when she returns.
May 19, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON He was up early, got himself cleaned up and into his uniform and headed off to meet the Queen.  Ron Foxcroft outside his hotel in London preparing to drive to Buckingham Palace to meet the Queen. Ron Foxcroft, Burlington’s most famous high school dropout, packed a bunch of his Fox40 whistles, which had been worked into a presentation he was giving the Queen and, along with his wife Marie, headed for Buckingham Palace.  Cpl Nathan Cirillo 1989 -2014 Foxcroft is in London with Colonel Kennedy and Colonel Hatfield of the Argyll’s. The three are there representing the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Princess Louise’s), the Canadian Army Reserve infantry battalion with a storied past, a proud present, and a bright future. The battalion lost one of its own when Nathan Cirillo who was shot to death while standing sentry duty at the National War Memorial in Ottawa on October 22nd, 2014. Home for the Argyl’s is the Major John Weir Foote VC Armouries, Hamilton, Ontario where they have been since raised in 1903. The Regiment fought with distinction in Canada’s major 20th Century wars, earning 34 Battle Honours. Since the 1990s, over 130 Argyll’s served overseas on Canadian military operations, including Cyprus, Bosnia and other parts of the former Republic of Yugoslavia, Sudan, and Afghanistan. In 2013, the Regiment received its 35th Battle Honour, Afghanistan, in recognition of its contribution to that campaign. The Queen is the Colonel-in-Chief of the Argyles. Ron Foxcroft is the Honorary Colonel of the regiment.  A presentation piece made out of Fox 40 whistles and shaped as a Canadian poppy will become part of the collection of gifts given to the Queen. Foxcroft arrived in London a few days ago and went through the process of being told how to address the Queen by Commander Andrew Canale, who is Equerry to the Queen.  Text on the plaque that Foxcroft will present to the queen on behalf of the regiment. When you meet the Queen Foxcroft was told, you address her as Your Majesty. After that call her Mam. Colonel Kennedy and Colonel Hatfield were told to be relaxed and discuss Argyll Business. Later in the meeting the Queen will then buzz and our wives come in and meet the Queen. Foxcroft said the meeting is expected to last about 90 minutes. They expect to talk at length about the murder of Corporal Cirillo and the impact that event had on the battalion. The question everyone is asking is: Will Foxcroft get the Queen to blow one of his whistles.
May 18, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON It used to be that Lakeshore Road was the place to be if you wanted to enjoy an outdoor patio. Joe Dogs was further up Brant Street and there were a few places that had a couple of tables – but there was nothing that had any style or pizzaz.  The Test Kitchen had to pay full freight for the two parking space the Pop Up Patio took up. 21 tables in that space – it’s hoot and a fun place to be. Alex Mickalow opened his Test Kitchen on Brant Street and offered a lunch that included a glass of beer or wine for $10 – the place became THE place to be seen. There was a buzz to the place with a menu that was different for this city. Finally something that said one can do better than just a burger and beer. Alex decided he could ratchet his operation up a notch and talked to people at city hall to see what they thought of what were being called Pop Up Patios.  It’s not the Brant Street you are used to seeing – expect to see servers scooting back and forth across the street. It took a lot of talking – and city hall wasn’t exactly reasonable with the deal the Test Kitchen got but it did get approved much to the delight of the Burlington Downtown Business Association and Jodie Wellings, Special Business Area Coordinator responsible for making the Downtown Core Commitment real. She unfortunately wasn’t in town for the opening. The patio is now constructed and open – there are 21 tables in the space that used to hold two parked cars – tight but friendly.  The Test Kitchen Pop Up Patio on Brant Street is open – and appears to work. Your menu is on an iPad which allows for instant menu upgrades and is kind of cool to use. Staff is great – they are kept busy. City Council took to the idea and hoped there would be more applications for this type of operation. They seemed prepared to let Brant Street become one row of restaurant after restaurant – with room for other innovative commercial ideas. The street could eventually become car free – with just bicycles and people strolling along. Does it have to be Brant Street? John Street has significant potential – the Organic Farmer’s market is now into its third year. The Brant Street Test kitchen has proven that something upbeat, different and with some hip style to it will work. Mickalow knows he is on to something and is in the process of opening up a second Test Kitchen on Appleby Line. Getting a table at Brant Street – make a reservation. (289) 245-1999
May 18, 2015 Burlington, ON We are at that time of year when the outdoor art shows begin to take place. Burlington managed to miss out on a show that was proposed and would have taken place on the Old Lakeshore Road part of town but that got tied up in red tape and some faux pas on the part of the organizer – for some reason that sort of thing seems to happen to Burlington a little too often. We lost the opportunity to host the pre-Olympic cycling trials a few years ago – even though the parks and recreation people did everything they could to make it happen. The policing costs were a killer and an organizer who didn’t have the depth or all that much in the way of organizational talent blew that opportunity.  Several of the well known smaller breweries will be part of the 2015 Burlington Beer Festival Burlington’s Beer Festival, now in its second summer season is branching out and adding the arts to its event. Wayne Brown, brought the Magic Moments to Burlington in 2013 and that was a success artistically if not financially. Last year Brown hosted both a winter and a summer Beer Fest that went quite well. This year he is gearing up for his third Beer Fest event and is going up market and adding an art element to the three day occasion. Brown traveled to Calgary and took in the large Beer Fest held in that city. He found it had a Hooters tinge to it and that wasn’t what he wanted. Adding some of the arts to the event appealed to Brown and he met recently with the seven Guilds at the Art Gallery of Burlington who have agreed to take part.  The smaller craft breweries bring character and their own interpretation of what a good beer should taste like. A pleasant way to spend a summer afternoon learning what you like and don’t like.  Wonder what this beer will taste like? Returning this year is a beer brand from Thailand which gives the event a bit of an International flavour. Beer Fests in Canada trend to focus on the local craft breweries – which is good for local business and helps them continue to make something more than just a dent in the Beer Store monopoly that exists in Ontario. That is changing but it has a long way to go before we can buy almost every craft beer made in the province. The 2015 Summer Festival takes place from Friday the 17th through to Sunday the 19th of July: Hours are: Friday 4-11 pm; Saturday noon-11 pm and Sunday noon to 8 pm.
May 15, 2105 BURLINGTON, ON It was a smart move, it brought to the public forum a concern that is very real and was done in a way that the concerns came from the people who had them and not from the people who thought they had a solution. Ward 2 Councillor Marianne Meed Ward held a public meeting, the first of four, to learn from people and developers what they wanted. Her focus was the downtown core but the approach could be applied to any ward in the city.  It was a full active room with citizens and planners exchanging views – citizen participation at its very best. The city needs more of this kind of meeting. “What if…developers, businesses and residents could work together to build our downtown – finding common ground instead of fighting? asked Meed Ward.
Many Burlingtonians don’t understand why an Official Plan can be changed – they want the Plan cast in stone. Burlington’s Director of Planning explains again and again that there isn’t an Official Plan in existence that can foresee all the ideas and opportunities that innovative developers can come up with. About 125 people showed up for the Workshop including the following developers. A few who said they would attend didn’t show up. It was an impressive list. Robert Molinaro, The Molinaro Group – attended  Nick Carnacelli, the developer of the Bentley getting closer to the point of putting a shovel in the ground makes a point at the Workshop  Maurice Desrochers and Dr. Michael Shie look as if they are putting together a deal – it was more an exchange of views. Note that Paletta International, the largest landowner in the city, didn’t plan on attending and didn’t have anyone in the room. The Reimer’s were not in the room nor was there anyone from Hopewell, the people who own the land on the North Service Road that IKEA had hoped to build on. The first event ran for a full two hours and if the conversations at the different tables are any indication – there were a lot of opinions floating around. Before the participants got down to what Meed Ward called the “table work” Andrea Smith, Manager of Policy and Research for Burlington set out the policy framework within which development in the downtown core takes place. The working premise for the evening was: How we got here Meed Ward set the current situation which she defined as the city wanting to keep the existing farm land- which is basically everything north of Dundas Highway 407. She said cutting back on the infrastructure that has to be built will reduce taxes but to do that the city needs to get better use out of the infrastructure it already has in place Meed Ward talks of a more walkable city with much more mixed use – which is an attempt to do something other than repeat the urban sprawl that is expensive to maintain and doesn’t do much for really healthy communities. There are always personal agendas when politicians meet with the public. Meed Ward was letting the city see the kind of leadership she would provide were she to get to wear the Chain of Office that Mayors’ wear.  Andrea smith, Manager Police and Research and the planner shepherding the Official Plan review Andrea Smith, Manager of Policy and Research – the person heading up the review of the existing Official Plan, put a graphic up on the screen that showed where development is currently taking place. Few had seen this document before.
 There is a lot more development approved in Burlington than most people realize. There are three big project at different stages of development: Paradigm, Bridgewater and the Bentley – all approved and at different stages of development. While there are few construction cranes on the Burlington horizon now these three project will keep the construction trades busy for the next five years. Does the market have the capacity to absorb the number of units that will be built? The developers have those number in closely guarded reports – what do the planners know about what market demand for accommodation in the city? During a Committee of the Whole meeting recently, Director of Planning Bruce Krushelnicki pointed out that the city doesn’t have any demographic talent at city hall – without it he suggested there is some flying in the dark being done. The three projects that are in various stages of development cater to radically different markets. The people who buy into the Paradigm are not the same people who will be buying into Bridgewater.  Matt Jaecklein, Mayrose-Tycon Group listens quietly to a city planner. Jaecklein was a patient developer who first got approval for what is now the Bridgewater development back in 1985. As for the hotel that will be part of the Bridgewater development on the south side of Lakeshore – well that was going to be open for the Pan AM Games which kick off in the middle of June. Planner Smith then put up a graphic of the parking lots the city owns – they want to unlock the value of that land and get buildings up. Where will cars park? The city is hoping there will be fewer cars in a future Burlington. Does it make economic sense to put up large structures and dig down for parking spaces?
 The city has parking lots throughout the downtown core. They will do more for the city’s finances if there were buildings on the land rather than cars. Getting to the point where something can be gotten to the point where there are shovels in the ground is WHAT Is it possible to grow the residential community in the downtown core and create the jobs in the community that people can walk to or use public transit as the prime mode of transportation? Planner Smith set out the provincial and regional policy initiatives that Burlington has to comply with and just where the city has wiggle room and where it can do very little. There are also individual property rights that have to be respected – look at the battle taking place in the Beachway to get a sense of how those situations make for complex problems and then there are infrastructure realities that have to be dealt with. There are pipelines that run underground through the city that limit what can be done with some properties – the pipeline that runs alongside the Performing Arts Centre and cross two of the city owned parking lots – can’t dig too close to those pipes. City Council approved what is called an Urban Growth Centre – this was where the growth was going to take place and the rules for that growth were established.  The Urban growth center is where city council, through its official plan has determined where the city’s commercial development will take place  The Planners created precincts which are boundaries that define parts of the city and then applied zoning for each precinct. All these issues have to get dealt with within the boundaries the Official Plan has created. In the last Official Plan review the city created a number of what they called “precincts” and applied very specific zoning to those parts of the city to protect what was already in place and to allow for any ideas that a developer might come along with.  Tom Muir, tends to focus more on Aldershot issues – seldom fails to have an opinion on how the city can grow itself in a reasonable manner and still retain its core values. As the graphics shows there are a number of precincts – names given to different parts of the city with zoning attached to each, Burlington has two residential precincts on either side of Brant Street; the St. Luke’s precinct on the west and the Emerald precinct on the east. The residents of each fight just as fiercely as those in Roseland to ensure that their neighbourhood does not undergo radical change. The idea of a 28 storey tower on the edge of a residential neighbourhood that has some commercial and professional space in the area has some people frothing at the mouth and also feeling helpless now that the development has gone to the Ontario Municipal Board because the city faield to do anything in the 180 day window they had to respond to the application. Quite why city council didn’t get a chance to pronounce on the application is another story. The Wellington precinct south of the downtown core has a number of high rise buildings stuffed into the neighbourhood. When they were approved the thinking was that the residents would spend and there would be decent commercial development – maybe even a super market.  Robert Molinaro explains a point to people participating in the Workshop. The Molinaro’s built several of the condominium high rise buildings along Lakeshore Road and are now developing along Maple Avenue. The residents in those towers saw life differently – they head south in the winter. The Old Lakeshore precinct is a bit of a mess and a major lost opportunity for the city. It has three sub-sections within the precinct that isn’t much more than a couple of blocks in size. Two groups were formed and asked to think along the lines of a number of themes:  This is the Burlington we have. what do we want t do with what we have – and who gets to make that decision anyway? The conversation was at times electric and the room at the Lions Hall certainly had a real buzz to it most of the evening. Too early to tell what came out of the event. All we know at this point is that there will be another; don’t miss the next one. The second meeting will take place at the Performing Arts Centre on May 27th where Meed Ward hopes to apply the principles in place to two specific sites: Brant/Ghent The third community Workshop will take place June 10, 2015, at the Burlington Lion’s Club Hall where Meed Ward hopes she will be able to present areas where there is a consensus and possible draft recommendations.
May 13, 2015 BURLINGTON,ON North America will celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Terry Fox Marathon of Hope on July 13, 2015. Terry Fox visited Burlington during that first event.  The Terry Fox Run to Cure Cancer has been a Burlington event from the beginning 35 years ago. Last year the organizers of the event set up a booth in the Car Free Sunday in Alton. The city has been approached by the Burlington Terry Fox organization requesting a plaque or monument be installed along the waterfront, on the border between Wards 1 and 2, to mark the 35th anniversary. Terry Fox ran along Spencer Smith Park during his cross Canada run, and the annual race takes place in Spencer Smith/Beachway Parks. Direct the Manager of Arts and Culture to consult with the Burlington Terry Fox Foundation in the design of a monument to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the Terry Fox Run with funding provided by the Terry Fox Foundation for implementation; Direct the Executive Director of Capital Works to consult with Halton Region on a location of the monument in alignment with the Beach Master Plan; and Direct the City Clerk to write a letter of support for the project to the Burlington Terry Fox Foundation.  The tension between Councillors Meed Ward and Craven is close to measurable at times. It will be interesting to see how they manage to cooperate at the unveiling of the plaque the city is considering. , It will be interesting to see how the Councillors for wards 1 and 2 manage to co=operate on this event. They are not known for the conviviality of their relationship. The plaque itself is a wonderful idea – Burlington has been a consistent supporter of the Terry Fox Marathon of Hope since its earliest days.
|
 |
|||||||
|
Copyright © 2026 Burlington Gazette – Local News, Politics, Community - All Rights Reserved Powered by WordPress & Atahualpa |
||||||||
Add in the aboriginal police officer with Bigcanoe as a surname and some difficulty fully comprehending the police policies and procedures and this reader settled into what was going to be a different read.
