 By Pepper Parr
March 11, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
This is part 1 of a four-part series on the concept of Mobility Hubs; a concept the public has been discussing during two public workshops. We start with the down town hub and follow-up on the Burlington, Appleby and Aldershot GO station hubs.
There are a handful of subjects getting talked about at city council and at public meetings that have the potential for a huge impact on the kind of Burlington that is going to exist in the city’s midterm future – 8 to ten years out.
 The suggestion that the John Street terminal be torn down to save $8000 a year in operating costs moved the discussion on transit and mobility hubs into new territory. We saw the thin edge of those discussions when Burlington Transit suggested closing the John Street terminal to save $8000 a year. That suggestion got turned down – the decision wasn’t unanimous.
The three discussions taking place are:
1: What are we going to do with public transit.
2: An overall Master Transportation Plan
3: The creation of Mobility hubs.
The John Street terminal became a budget issue; the transit people wanted to remove it while the recommendation in the draft Mobility Hub document said – “a strong transit presence was necessary for the downtown mobility hub.” The left hand didn’t seem to be talking to the right hand.
 The Big Move conversation was an important part of the province beginning to tackle the problem of moving people efficiently. The public review of the Mobility Hub concept for Burlington came about when the province, through Metrolinx, created a plan they called The Big Move. The province had come to the realization that better ways had to be found to move people. The congestion on the QEW was beyond being tolerable and traffic within the city was plugging up at major intersections frequently. Solutions were needed. The Big Move got the discussion started provincially now it is taking place in communities across the province. Because Burlington is in the process of reviewing its Official Plan moving people had to become part of that that conversation.
When the public consultation on the mobility hubs is complete a directions document will be sent to the team working up the next version of the city’s Official Plan, which is a document Burlington is required to review and revise every five years.
 The discussion was about four possible mobility hubs – one at each GO station and a fourth downtown. Mobility hubs are urban growth centers and major transit station areas with significant levels of planned transit service with high residential and employment development potential within an approximately 800 metre radius of the rapid transit station.
Hubs are seen as a gateway for visitors to a city. The objective of a hub is to create a seamless integration between modes: walking, cycling, transit and private vehicles with a mix of uses that support a healthy neighbourhood in attractive public spaces.
The need for these studies came about when Metrolinx, an agency of the Government of Ontario was created to improve the coordination and integration of all modes of transportation in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area. The organization’s mission is to champion, develop and implement an integrated transportation system for the region that enhances prosperity, sustainability and quality of life. Metrolinx launched The Big Move, a Regional Transportation Plan to allow people to use public transit to travel easily from Hamilton to Newmarket to Oshawa. It’s the final piece in a three-part approach by the province to prepare the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area for growth and sustained prosperity.
Metrolinx is a part of the provincial plan that includes the Greenbelt, which protects more than 1.8 million acres of environmentally sensitive and agricultural land in the heart of the region, the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, a plan that coordinates population and job growth.
The The Big Move – identified that the province’s transit and transportation problems as regional in nature and across municipal boundaries. The solution required the coordination and integration of transit and transportation systems in order to allow growth to happen and help people and businesses move more easily throughout the region.
In 2009, Metrolinx merged with GO Transit, the regional public transit service. The organization grew further with the addition of two more operating divisions – the Union Pearson Express in 2010 and PRESTO, an electronic fare card that allows riders to transfer seamlessly across multiple transit systems, in 2011.
Burlington is now applying Metrolinx Mobility Hub Guidelines, to identify and address opportunities and constraints of Burlington’s mobility hubs and major transit station areas. The thinking that comes out of the public meetings will inform the integration of mobility hub objectives and policy directions in the Official Plan and, where applicable, inform directions for the City of Burlington’s Core Commitment, Transportation Master Plan, Community Trails Strategy, Community Energy Plan, and others. Ideally, the community will propose Placemaking – streetscapes, branding, programming; Land Use – mix of uses, employment protection, infill; Built Form -height, massing, facades; Open Space and Circulation – transit, cycling facilities, new and improved parks.
The thinking for Burlington was four different mobility hubs: a downtown hub that would appear to center on John Street between John and Pine and then a hub at each of the GO stations: Burlington, Aldershot and Appleby Line.
We start this with a review of the thinking that has been done on the Downtown hub:
 Boundaries set out for the Downtown mobility hub. For each situation the planners set out a mission statement and then provide comment on the opportunities and constraints with each situation; land use within a specific area (800 metres); and the existing built form.
Land Uses as set out in the draft document of a downtown hub would encourage mixed-use (retail, office, residential) infill with transit-supportive infrastructure on vacant and underutilized lots (Lots 4 and 5 subject to additional study).
 This graphic shows some of the constraints as well as the opportunities for a mobility hub in the downtown core. Along John and James Street, new development should reinforce a strong transit presence through attractive waiting areas, ticketing functions and supporting retail.
The idea would be to concentrate the greatest densities in close proximity to the transit station at John Street and along the key transit corridors to protect adjacent residential neighborhood’s and heritage buildings.
At the edge of the Primary Zone, the height, mass and design of buildings should be controlled to provide appropriate transitions to adjacent stable residential neighborhoods, Martha Street and Hurd Avenue.
Maintain and promote a transit presence at the Burlington Transit Terminal. Explore opportunities to redevelop the area as a mixed-use area, with transit – supportive uses at grade (i.e. cafes, plazas, retail, etc.) while retaining part of the site for complimentary transit facilities.
Develop Brant Plaza to ensure new buildings support the mobility hub vision, including pedestrian supportive streets and height limitations to adjacent properties.
The built for the downtown mobility hub would reinforce nodes at Baldwin Street/Victoria Avenue and Brant Street and on Lakeshore Road at the key Downtown intersections.
 Would a downtown mobility hub result in greater density on the east side of Brant Street? Would traffic from the core work itself to the Burlington GO station? Where Tall buildings (> 10-storeys) are provided, typically on Brant Street/Lakeshore Road. they should be designed and massed to protect and frame views of Lake Ontario.
At Brant Plaza, new buildings should create a mid-rise (6 to 10-storey) character along Brant Street that compliments the uses south of Caroline Street. At the rear of the site, height limitations are encouraged to provide a transition to the residential dwellings along Wellington Avenue and Emerald Crescent.
 Would the west side of Brant Street south of the Brant Plaza be kept at a smaller scale? Would this create the kind of traffic that transit needs to justify the amount being spent on bus operations in the city. Does transit even have a future in Burlington? Mid-Rise and Tall buildings should be subject to front and rear-yard angular planes to reduce their perceived mass and minimize shadow and privacy impacts.
The report also asks that more efficient alternatives to surface parking, including above and below-ground structured parking where feasible, and on-street parking.
The Open Space and circulation thinking would Reinforce Brant Street as the primary Downtown main street leading to the waterfront. It should be a ‘complete street’ with equal consideration given to all modes of transportation, including transit, pedestrian, cyclists, and vehicles.
Promote Brant Street as the primary connection between the Burlington GO Mobility Hub and the waterfront. Support this role through streetscape initiatives, active ground floor uses and street-related infill that builds on the continuous pedestrian-supportive main street.
Promote pedestrian-focused street design on Brant Street and John Street to balance the multiple roles of the street as a vibrant place and connector.
Create a linked network of cycling connections to promote active transportation to and throughout the Downtown. New Bicycle Priority Streets are encouraged on local streets to provide continuous connections.
The draft document suggests extending the Centennial Bike Trail to connect to Brant Street as part of the Downtown Core Commitment.
As you read this over and look at the graphics – is this a Burlington you see in your mind’s eye; is this the direction you want to see the development of your city going in?
 Planners work from deep experiences bases but they need the thinking of the general public. While the public meetings on these hubs have come to a close there will be an additional opportunity for comment when the planners take their report to a city council Standing Committee, expected before the summer. There is never enough public input on projects like this in the early stages.
In the past Burlington has not had the kind of news media that provided this kind of background and explanation in context. Traditional print media rarely has the space to provide the illustrations.
The thinking behind the Burlington, Aldershot and Appleby GO stations follows in separate articles.
Background links:
John Street terminal not going anywhere right now.
 By Pepper Parr
March 11, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
James Burchill, a totally shameless self-promoter, has built the Burlington Social Fusion Network to 1500 people and is currently developing an additional nine – read that again, nine social networks elsewhere in the province.
Later this month – March 20th to be exact, Burchill will be holding his third mini-trade mart at the Performing Arts Centre.
Burchill doesn’t charge a dime for any of his events. There is a fee if you want to exhibit at his events – but getting in the door is free, free, free.
He will try to convince you that a typical Chamber or Rotary networking group typically costs about $1 a day or $365 a year. It’s not uncommon for people to join multiple groups so it would be pretty easy to spend $1000 a year on networking memberships.
 Quite a business card isn’t it? James Burchill, the guiding force and the energy behind the Burlington Social Fusion Network is all business. “At the SFN we don’t charge money for membership … and believe me when I get a whiny email from someone about “too many emails” I shake my head and think maybe I should reconsider charging!
He goes on to suggest: “For instance, if I charged each Burlington member just $25 per person per month for membership, I’d be banking MORE THAN HALF A MILLION DOLLARS … A YEAR! And with 9 other chapters growing steadily that would be some serious money.”
“But that’s NOT why I built the network. Charging money changes the dynamic. It stifles growth and makes people treat the experience differently. It would be a short term gain for me but in the long run the network would eventual suffer the fate many “old school” networks are experiencing today. Dwindling memberships, falling revenues, lack of engagement and more. Technology has changed how we connect and network and SFN reflects that.
“So I’m not going to change the SFN model … but please remember this: The Social Fusion Network is not a charity, it operates as a business and therefore needs to cover costs and other expenses. That’s why we license the networks to smart businesses who see the marketing value of the platform and we also offer advertising … which is why occasionally you’ll get more emails.
 It’s all about networking. “Business is about promotion, connection and communication. More is better. Less is not. That’s my opinion and I know not everyone agrees, which is why I said you have choices. However I hope you’ll stay a member because I believe in the model as do thousands of other local businesses.
People do attend. It is not uncommon to see someone pull up in front of the Ivey Bar and Kitchen and wiggle out of a pair of jeans in the front seat of their vehicle, wiggle into a shirt, fluff their hair and walk briskly into a room full of people they can network with – some they know, others they expect to get to know. The SFN events are not a dating pool – this is business. If you’ve not been – give it a try.
 The Social Fusion Network trade show always draws a good crowd. It’s small but it is busy and clients keep returning – so something must be happening. Back to that trade show: 517 people have registered for that Burchill calls his Business Networking and Trade Show.
Burchill has this ability to make everyone he works with feel important – because for him they are important. Graham Frampton, the Performing Arts Centre Operations Manager quickly became a critical part of the team that makes the trade show work.
Watching Burchill work with Frampton, who is his service supplier, is a lesson in customer relationship development – except in this case Burchill is the customer who goes out of his way to make Frampton’s job easy and as a result gets great service. Burchill has lessons for all of us.
 If you want people to be part of your team – make them feel like they are part of your team. James Burchill, on the right, drafted Mayor Goldring, centre and Performing Arts centre Operations manager Graham Frampton as part of his team. It worked very well. Burchill wanted to add some zip to his event and gave the Mayor a call: The Mayor responded, showed up and – well let Burchill tell that story. “Mayor Rick Goldring graciously delivered the opening remarks. I was thrilled when The Mayor publicly acknowledged our networking efforts and what they’ve done for local business. Very gratifying indeed.”
The enthusiasm is all part of what Burchill does. What you see is what you get. “I have to say,” says Burchill, “it’s been a real thrill producing this event. When I started this project it was nothing more than a fleeting idea. It took shape and with some hard work (ok … lots of hard work!) and a little bit of luck, it all worked out in the end.”
March 20th – 5:30 at the Performing Arts Centre. Look for James – he might be wearing a bright orange vest and matching bow tie someone gave him – I can’t believe for a second that he bought it.
 By Staff
March 10, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON
Burlington Community Foundation (BCF) announced today that is has awarded 25 grants to a wide array of charitable organizations serving Burlington. A total of $90,615 in grants was distributed.
These grants are a result of a Call for Applications that was distributed to local charitable partners in October. The Call followed the release of BCF’s Vital Signs® community check-up report on October 1, 2013. This report, which shared many of Burlington’s successes in employment levels, living standards, and public safety, also highlights the sometimes unseen concerns, including residents living in poverty, and challenges facing both youth and seniors, especially regarding mental health. The complete report can be viewed on-line at burlingtonfoundation.org/vital-signs.
 The Community Foundation’s Vital signs report identifies some of the problems Burlington strives to deal with; the Grant program provides funds to resolve some of the problems. “Our 2013 Vital Signs Report reminds us of all we have to be proud of in Burlington, and the many reasons that we call this wonderful city home,” said Colleen Mulholland, President & CEO, Burlington Community Foundation. “At the same time, the report again brings into focus that people, including children and seniors, are living on the boundaries and are truly struggling every day to meet basic needs.”
One of the organizations receiving funding is Acclaim Health, with a grant in support of a Music Care Program for Seniors with Dementia. Melissa Cameron, Acclaim’s Director, Development and Marketing, comments: “Your investment will allow us to engage a music therapist and train our staff, ensuring your grant will have a long-lasting impact on seniors with dementia in our community. We sincerely appreciate your support.”
“I was greeted with wonderful news this morning – a grant confirmation from the Burlington Community Foundation. The ArtHouse application is an indication of the need to provide cost-free arts programs to Burlington families that have little or no discretionary funds to access paid programs. Your support means so much for these wonderful young artists, who could not otherwise participate,” says Don Pangman, Founder and Artistic Director, ArtHouse.
2014-15 Grant Applications will be received in the fall of this year. Charities are encouraged to visit the website at burlingtonfoundation.org/grant-seekers to learn more about the grants process, or they may contact Sandra Baker, Director, Development and Community Engagement at sbaker@burlingtonfoundation.org to learn more.
Organizations and amount of the grant given:
Acclaim Health Music Care Program for Seniors with Dementia 3,000
ArtHouse Weekly after school programs for children in at-risk neighbourhoods, with a focus on arts. 2,000
Bay Area Restoration Council Education and Restoration of Cootes Paradise Marsh 2,500
Bruce Trail Conservancy Cedar Springs Woods Land Management Plan 2,545
Burlington Central FIRST Robotics Program Students work with teachers outside school hours to create a robot suitable for a competition taking place in April 2014. 5,000
Burlington Teen Tour Band Boosters Angel Fund: A pool of funds that provides subsidy for lower-income band members. 2,370
Central West Specialized Developmental Services – Halton Support Services Halton Sibshops: Siblings of children with developmental issues receive support and education in a positive environment. 2,000
Easter Seals Ontario Kids to Camp–Healthy Minds, Happy Kids 2,000
Food for Life and BurlingtonGreen Grow To Give: A collaborative project where volunteers learn and practice gardening life skills and share harvested food with those in need in Burlington. 3,531
Food4Kids Hamilton Halton Niagara Backpacks are filled with healthy food for at-risk, low income children who would have little to no food over the weekend. 4,000
Joseph Brant Hospital Foundation Expansion of the Mental Health Services – Childhood and Adolescent Program 4,000
King’s Road Public School (Halton Learning Foundation) Connecting Kids to Music: Provides a guitar for grade six students to play and perform. 4,000
Nelson Youth Centres Therapeutic Summer Program: 8 week program for children with moderate social and emotional issues. 4,000
Plains Road Village Vision/Aldershot BIA Public Art Project: The group intends to purchase a piece of public art for a busy Aldershot intersection. 1,844
ROCK – Reach Out Centre for Kids Our Community Cares Healthy Living Project: An ongoing after School and summer camp program for at-risk children and youth. 7,000
Rolling Meadows Public School (Halton Learning Foundation) Skateboarding & Re-engagement: A re-engagement tool for grade eight students with severe behaviour issues. 1,565
Royal Botanical Gardens Green Angels Program: A pool of funds made available to schools participating in RBG environmental school programs. 2,500
Sports4You (YMCA) Free, weekly recreation program for 10-12 year olds in the lower-income area of Warwick-Surrey. All children are welcome. 8,800
St. Christopher’s Church Open Doors Outreach Program, Community Kitchen and Meal Network 4,960
STRIDE – Supported Training and Rehabilitation in Diverse Environments Helping Youth Prepare for Employment: Addresses the needs of youth age 16 to 24 who have mental health and addiction issues. 7,500
Support & Housing Halton Growing your Life Skills Workshop: Workshop series promotes independence for people living with mental health challenges. 2,500
The Equestrian Association for the Disabled Trot On! Equestrian activities enhancing mental health outcomes for children and youth with developmental and physical disabilities. 3,000
Tottering Biped Theatre To create a theatre piece that explores themes of isolation and loss among youth in the digital age. 3,500
United Way of Greater Hamilton Burlington and ADAPT Halton Know the DEAL: Provides information and support regarding substance abuse. 4,000
YMCA of Hamilton/Burlington/Brantford Beyond the Bell – Home Library Project: An academic after school program for lower-income children. 2,500
Background links:
Masquerade Ball – Major Community Foundation fund-raiser.
Vital Signs: the city’s social health.
 By Staff
March 10, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
On Saturday March 8th 2014, a salesman working for National Home Services was going door to door in the area of Riverside Drive in Burlington, trying to get residents to switch their hot water tank services.
At about 12:30 pm, the salesman was invited into a residence where he talked to the female homeowner. After some discussion, the homeowner decided not to switch services and the salesman left.
Shortly after, the female homeowner and one of two her children departed the residence to do errands, leaving her 11-year-old daughter alone in the home.
Just after her mother left the residence, the 11-year-old heard someone knocking on the door and as she went to answer it, she noticed the door was opening so she went upstairs to retrieve a phone.
As she returned downstairs, the same salesman approached the 11-year-old child on a landing where he asked if her parents were home, her name and how old she was. After she answered the questions, the salesman placed one hand on the girl’s shoulder and another over her mouth then told her not to scream and he wouldn’t hurt her. When the salesman removed his hand from her mouth, she seized an opportunity to escape and ran unharmed from the home to a neighbour where police were called.
The salesman fled the residence but was quickly arrested by police a short distance away and held for bail.
Arrested:
Daniel WIGHT (19 yrs.) of Birchmount Rd. in Toronto
Charges:
- Break, enter and commit assault
- Forcible confinement
- Uttering threats
Anyone with information on this or any other crime is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1 800 222-8477 (TIPS) or through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.com or by texting “Tip201” with your message to 274637 (crimes).
 By Staff
March 9, 2013
BURLINGTON, ON.
Cute name, conveys the message, and it might meet the needs of busy people with significant parent and child care responsibilities.
Imagine That offers a service that includes back-up care when there is a temporary disruptions in child, adult, or elder care that prevents them from fulfilling work obligations.
The reality of bustling city life: the commute, the traffic, the long work day of meetings and juggling multiple projects, the cell phone calls, emails, texts, and then of course family needs are thrown into the mix. Finding time for everything is a challenge, especially for those who have children, or are in need of adult or elder care.
Imagine That, originally a child care services operation, has expanded to offer back up care for individuals of all ages – children, adults and seniors, under the umbrella of Imagine That Family Care Services.
The services, a first of its kind, means employers can now set up Imagine That Corporate Family Backup Care for their employees.
 Managing that work life balance usually requires involving outsiders – where do you find the people who you can trust – and afford? “Our services offer employers and employees alike with that added piece of mind. Through the support of our professionally trained staff, employees now have the opportunity to utilize back-up care services like no other so that they can meet necessary work commitments.”
Anne Bonfigli, Director Sales & Marketing for Imagine That Family Care Services, explains it this way: our extensive services for family care are about supporting employees while helping keep work absenteeism to a minimum”.
“People out there want to excel in their careers and now have access to a support system that covers employees from all walks of life –from the trades and labour, to professionals, and all the way to Bay Street.”
The family care services are cost-effective and flexible and they are offered round the clock, 365 days per year.
Imagine That Family Care is a division of Bartimaeus Inc. Bartimaeus was founded in 1988. It is a Canadian-owned and operated company, committed to providing the highest quality services to individuals of all ages. The services of Imagine That were first offered in 2001. The expansion into Imagine That Family Care Services is a result of the company’s dedication to the highest quality of services that are safe, engaging, and professional.
Imagine That Family Care provides high quality child care, adult care and elder care to individuals, families and employers in Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area. Their Corporate Family Backup Care service is made available to employees, through their employer, often incorporated into their wellness programs. Their Hotel Family Care service is available to guests staying at premium Toronto hotels, whether they are visiting for leisure or business, and need a quality care for their child or senior who may be travelling with them. The Direct Family Care service is available to family members of all ages. The care providers arrive to an individual’s home, prepared with age-appropriate activities.
 By Emily Ferguson
March 8, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
My name is Emily Ferguson and I am the sole individual behind Line 9 Communities. (This is a blog Ferguson writes about the communities along the path of the Enbridge Pipe Line 9 that runs from Sarnia to Montreal.)
I graduated from McMaster University with Honours BA Geography & Environmental Studies and a minor in Political Science.
 Emily Ferguson mapped every yard of the pipeline so that communities along its path could know just what was beneath the ground. I first heard about Line 9 at a climate conference in Ottawa in 2012. My interest led me to attend information sessions in Hamilton and surrounding area in early 2013. At one meeting in particular, I asked for a Line 9 information package which had been provided to Council. Although there were extra packages after the meeting, an Enbridge official denied my request and asked “Who are you working for”? The Enbridge team then proceeded to ask myself and a fellow community member for our driver’s licenses and said they would mail a package. Something about the encounter just didn’t feel right and we walked away without the information.
 Emily Ferguson – National Energy Board intervener, geographer. That was the turning point. I went home that night with so many questions. Why was I being denied access to information at a public meeting? What were they trying to hide? Why didn’t they want me to know where the pipeline was?
So I took it upon myself to map Line 9. Throughout an unimaginable number of late nights, I compiled satellite images, integrity data and publicly available information to create detailed maps of the 639 km pipeline.
I did it because they said no.
I did it because I felt the need to inform the public.
If Enbridge wasn’t going to adequately consult … who would?
 For Burlington – this is where the pipeline was located. I contacted multiple City Counselors along the line and sat down over coffee with many to discuss the proposal. The lack of information provided to municipalities shocked me. I proceeded to canvass neighbourhoods along the line to poll residents and provide details about open houses and how to get involved.
Line 9 Communities gained instant attraction. Although I blogged about the application, past spills, and changes to federal legislation, viewers wanted one thing … MAPS! Essentially they wanted to know, where is the pipeline and why don’t I know about it?
 Emily Ferguson mapped ever foot of the pipeline from Hamilton to Montreal and learned that the thing ran underground right behind her elementary school – the pipeline had always been a part of her life – She didn’t even know it was there. During the map creation, I found out that Line 9 crosses right through the small community where I grew up. The pipeline is located directly behind my public school playground in Glenburnie, ON, just north of Kingston. It also passes behind Seneca College in Toronto which I attended for three years. I had literally been living beside the line my entire life … and didn’t even know it existed. All of a sudden, things became very personal.
I felt compelled to learn everything I could about the project. My biggest supporter along the way was Eva Simkins – my Grandma. Although diagnosed with cancer in 2009, two weeks of radiation treatments gave us the gift of four extremely memorable years. We traveled, talked politics, did puzzles, celebrated, smiled and laughed. Through it all though, I knew there was that big question in her mind. Why me?
I wondered the same thing.
She held my hand as she peacefully passed away at sunrise on Earth Day of this year … just three days after I applied to be an NEB Intervener.
In my opinion, we accept the status quo far too often. At a Line 9 open house, an Enbridge official told me, “if we say it’s safe, it’s safe”. But I must question the safety of this pipeline. At almost 40 years old and only meeting the engineering standards of 1971, why is the NEB even considering the application? Enbridge has cited over 400 integrity digs (cracks, corrosion, dents) along the line in 2013 alone! They have also acknowledged that their in-line inspection tools do not detect all defects and that their Edmonton control center cannot sense pin hole leaks. With the current application before the Board, Enbridge is proposing to ship Bakken crude and diluted bitumen laced with drag reducing agent (DRA) chemicals – which include known carcinogens such as benzene – through our communities.
I have never had any malicious intent towards Enbridge. As a citizen of Canada and student of environmental politics, I have always been interested in energy issues, climate change, and a sustainable future for our planet. I believe in the strength of communities working together to achieve great things.
My mission through this entire process has been to raise awareness and promote a community discussion. We are living in a critical time. Will we continue to accept the status quo, or will we start asking the tough questions and demand a better future?
Editor’s note: I had an opportunity to interview Emily while she was thinking about applying to be an intervener at the National energy Board hearing. She wasn’t sure what she was going to do then and she needed quite a bit of encouragement to send in her application, which was an experience in itself. But on October 16th, 2013, Emily Ferguson, all 5’ 2” of her stood before one of the most powerful regulators in the country and gave “the best speech of my life”
Background links:
Burlington doesn’t take to the idea of a change in the flow of the Enbridge pipeline
National Energy Board give Enbridge a green light – with 30 conditions.
The Emily Ferguson maps.
 By Pepper Parr
March 7, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
It’s just, jobs, jobs, jobs – nothing else matters. The focus on creating jobs is so tight that Progressive Conservative leader Tim Hudak has decided to move off his “right to work” position, which no one other than the hard headed right wingers who didn’t like the increase in the minimum wage, liked all that much anyway.
The province released data on Friday – Ontario gained 6,100 net jobs in February – full-time employment rose by 5,300 positions last month. Ontario’s job market grew by 95,700 net jobs in 2013 and today’s increase is in addition to the 6,000 net jobs the province gained in January.
 Premier Wynne runs a job training course for Mayor and Ed Eves, president of the Lakeshore Rotary Club The province has recovered all the jobs lost during the global recession and employment is now 2.7 per cent above the pre-recession peak. February’s job gains contributed to an overall increase of 446,100 jobs since the low point of the recession in June 2009. Ontario’s economic recovery continues to outpace the United States and the Great Lakes States since June 2009.
In February alone, Ontario announced investments that will help create 340 new jobs and retain almost 2,300 jobs in the province.
The provincial government claims it is creating 200 manufacturing and R&D jobs by supporting the launch of a new clean energy manufacturing facility in London.
 Cisco is investing heavily in the Toronto area market and expects to invest $100 million over ten years. Toronto has been selected as the location for one of four global Cisco Internet of Everything Innovation Centers, representing an investment of $100 million over 10 years. The province is taking some of the credit for this development.
Ontario has committed over $100 million through Southwestern and Eastern Ontario Development Funds — attracting a total investment of almost $1 billion. This is helping to create and retain more than 24,400 jobs in Ontario communities.
We didn’t see any of that money landing in Burlington
The province has a Youth Jobs Strategy that they claim will help create job opportunities for about 30,000 youth over two years. It has already created internships and job placements for more than 8,200 youth in the province.
 By Pepper Parr
March 7, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
That the National Energy Board (NEB) decided to let Enbridge Pipeline Inc., reverse Line 9, a pipeline that runs right through the top of Burlington, should not have been a surprise. We are talking about oil from Alberta that they want to transport to Montreal and nothing was going to stop that from happening.
That it is some of the dirtiest oil being taken out of the ground was not a concern; that we spend a tremendous amount of energy getting that oil out of the ground was not a concern either.
 Enbridge has an 18 metre easement through the top of the city. A serious break or leak in that line puts toxic bitumen into parts of the city’s water supply. That the pipe line is close to 40 years old and has had numerous problems – well that was a concern and the NEB did put 30 conditions into their decision – which was a first step. Ensuring that Enbridge complies with those conditions is like expecting a drug addict to live up to bail conditions – doesn’t happen.
Enbridge is not a nice company; they tend to bully and they have real clout with the federal government and its regulators and they aren’t shy about using that clout. They aren’t comfortable with the truth and they think their technology can solve every problem that crops up. They fail to realize they are working against nature – not a win situation for them.
Having said all that – that oil is going to flow and it is going to flow through our back yard and we had better ensure that we have the resources in place to handle any break or leak in that line. And we need to hold Enbridge accountable and give up on the idea that they are a responsible corporate entity that will do the right thing. There is far too much evidence saying they won’t and they don’t.
In its media release the city says “it’s encouraging that the National Energy Board has placed conditions on Enbridge Inc. before Enbridge can reverse the flow of its Line 9B pipeline through Burlington and other municipalities.”
That’s a generous interpretation.
 These are the creeks that run from the Escarpment towards Lake Ontario. We all know where they are in the city – we just want them to continue to carry clean water to the lake. “There are 30 conditions Enbridge must meet, including concerns identified by the City of Burlington in July 2013,” said Mayor Rick Goldring who was “cautiously optimistic” and believes “the National Energy Board took the city’s considerations to heart, which is encouraging. The safety of residents and the environment cannot be treated lightly.”
Time is needed to do a closer read of those 30 conditions. While you and I are reading those conditions Enbridge will be reading them and looking for ways to handle them at the least cost.
In its application, Enbridge requested NEB approval to reverse the direction of flow on a 639-kilometre segment of pipeline between North Westover, Ont. and Montreal, Que., as well as approval to increase the overall capacity to 300,000 from 240,000 barrels a day of the Line 9 pipeline from Sarnia to Montreal.
When the city sent a letter the NEB in July 2013 asking that Enbridge’s overall approach should minimize the likelihood of a release and that Enbridge should lead an effective and coordinated response in the event of a release; and that Enbridge should be fully accountable financially and operationally if there is a release.
Why does the city use the word “release” – it will be a leak from an old pipeline that was not properly inspected and not effectively maintained. Time for the city to call a spade a spade and get away from that silky smooth language of the public relations experts.
When there is an oil leak – we want Enbridge to be the first to know and then have them call the first responders in Burlington within in minutes.
 Mayor Rick Goldring: He does a pro-active mode and when he’s confident he puts it to good use. Time to get confident on this one Your Worship. Mayor Goldring got into his pro-active mode and invited Enbridge to provide the community with an overview of the project back in February of 2013. Showing us more of that pro-activity would be healthy for our Mayor
Line 9 runs through Halton Region in an east-west direction north of Highway 407 and south of Lower Base Line Road. In Burlington, the pipeline is located in an 18.3 metre easement north of Number 1 Side Road. There are no municipal approvals or permits required by Enbridge for this project.
“In its decision, the National Energy Board has imposed conditions on Enbridge, including pipeline integrity, focus on emergency response, and continued consultation, all of which are important for Burlington,” said Scott Stewart, general manager of development and infrastructure with the city. “The NEB also refers to Enbridge’s need to have ongoing emergency response planning and consultation with municipalities and first responders. I think there is a level of detail in the NEB decision that we can work with.”
Stewart has taken a course in learning how to whistle as you walk past a graveyard.
The city is reviewing the 141-page decision and will be conferring with its municipal partners to determine the implications. The city will work with the municipal liaison group—which includes Hamilton, Mississauga and Toronto—and Enbridge to address conditions related to coordinated emergency response, pipeline integrity, lifecycle management, watercourse crossing management and post-construction monitoring.
Staff on the Burlington Fire Department receive regular training from Enbridge to be ready to respond should a spill take place.
BurlingtonGreen isn’t quite as positive as the city appears to be. They are “disappointed with the announcement of conditional approval of Enbridge’s Line 9 pipeline proposal.”
 Will this landowner be involved in discussions about what gets done if there is a spill? BurlingtonGreen “remains concerned not knowing if the public will have a chance to review the plans to mitigate risk to the drinking water of millions of people across Ontario and Quebec” and they want to know what will be done to protect the significant environmentally sensitive areas it crosses including the crest of the Niagara Escarpment in Burlington that has several species at risk. How, they ask is Enbridge going to engage local right of way landowners and neighbours, local governments, as well as train first responders. In addition, the position of shut off valves across water courses remains unspecific.
Thousands of citizens have signed petitions asking for full Provincial environmental assessments. Letters have been written to Provincial and Federal Ministers; people participated in public rallies, agencies formed coalitions, media were engaged, and the message was brought door to door in several awareness campaigns to residents in dense urban communities across the GTA and around Lake Ontario communities that did not realize the pipeline literally travels underneath them.
BurlingtonGreen with others brought the issue to the attention of the Burlington Mayor and City Hall in several delegations asking them to become involved to protect Burlington’s Niagara Escarpment and watershed system that feeds to Lake Ontario and Burlington resident’s drinking water, which they indeed did. For that Burlington residents may be grateful to a proactive local government. Unfortunately the National Energy Board is a federal regulator, so this has been another experience of local government hitting the jurisdictional authority wall and having little power to do more than issue statements of concern. That said, significant municipal collaboration did occur as the staff of towns and cities across the GTAH worked together to prepare collectively as interveners for the NEB hearing.
Background links:
Burlington not very interested in Enbridge’s plans for changes to the pipeline.
Enbridge passes a cheque along to the city, was it a sin tax?
Emily Ferguson; a community activist who spoke for the public at the NEB hearings.
 By Staff
March 7, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
A company engaged in garbage removal and hauling, and a supervisor have been found guilty of failing to ensure the safety of a worker who fell off a roof. The company was fined $75,000 and the supervisor has been sentenced to 45 days in jail. A company representative has also been fined $2,000 for obstructing a Ministry of Labour investigation.
The incidence took place in October of 2008, when workers were sent to an address to remove shingles from a one-storey bungalow. One of the workers was tossing loose shingles from the roof toward a bin and stepped back, then slipped. The worker rolled off the roof of the house and landed on a walkway. The injury resulted in permanent paralysis of the lower body. A Ministry of Labour investigation followed the incident.
 No safety harness for these workers. You can get sent to jail for that in Ontario. The injured worker testified to not being trained in the use of fall protection equipment, nor was any such equipment provided in the company-supplied truck used for transportation to and from the job site. As well, the worker indicated that the practice for payment for work was cash and that work was provided on an on-call basis. The worker identified J.R. Contracting Property Services as the employer and Teisha (Tina) Lootawan as the supervisor.
The court determined that the worker was an employee under the definition of the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA), and that J.R. Contracting Property Services was the employer. The court also determined that Lootawan was a supervisor under the OHSA. As such, she failed as a supervisor to ensure that a worker wore protective devices as required by law, and failed as a supervisor to take the reasonable precaution of ensuring that an adequate form of fall protection was provided where a worker is exposed to a fall hazard of more than three metres.
As the Ministry of Labour investigation proceeded, the company was requested to provide documentation that included employment and telephone records. A company representative, Andrew Joshua Haniff – who accepted the call from the Meadowvale Road homeowner requesting the company’s services – attended a meeting on December 23, 2008, but refused to answer any of the inspector’s questions. He was convicted by the court of obstructing an inspector.
The jail sentence and fines were imposed by Justice of the Peace Mary A. Ross Hendriks. The court heard seven days of testimony over 2011 and 2012; judgment was passed April 18, 2013.
The investigation, the court case and the decision point to the responsibility corporations and their senior staff have for the safety of their workers.
 By Staff
March 6, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
The National Energy Board will release its decision in Calgary Thursday on Enbridge’s controversial plan to increase flows in Line 9 that runs between Sarnia and Montreal and across the top of Burlington, to ship bitumen from the Alberta tar sands through the 39-year old pipeline.
The NEB decision is expected to respond to demands from the Ontario government and cities like Hamilton that the proposal be subjected to an independent engineering assessment and that Enbridge be forced to conduct hydrostatic testing.
 The pipeline that Enbridge wants to use to ship bitumen to Montreal runs right through the top of the city. Other issues raised in the hearings conducted last fall included Enbridge’s request for maximum operating pressures 50 percent greater than at any point in the last decade. The company has admitted that nearly a third of Line 9 leaks. There is widespread concern about the difficulties in cleaning up a spill of bitumen and the toxic diluents released when a rupture occurs.
Since the hearings concluded media investigations have revealed multiple spills that Enbridge failed to report to affected municipalities, and hundreds of Line 9 defects that have been found by the company since it filed its application. It’s unclear if these revelations will be considered by the NEB.
 The route of the pipeline is clearly marked. One wonders what the severe weather is going to have when the frozen ground north of Sideroad # 1 begins to thaw and the ground starts to heave.
Hamilton 350, an advocacy group said in a statement that: “It is clear that we must wean our society off fossil fuels. The minimum first step is stop making things worse. When you find yourself in a hole, the first rule is to stop digging. Therefore, at minimum, no increase in the extraction or transportation of fossil fuels should be contemplated.”
Hamilton 350 also questions the fairness of the NEB process that required detailed application forms from anyone wishing to even submit a written comment to the Board. And they suggest that the credibility of the board’s independence is undermined by its failure to require notification to even the city government for flow expansion last year in another pipeline running parallel to Line 9.
Burlington filed a submission expressing its opposition to any changes to the line. Sometime after the letter of opposition the Burlington Fire department accepted a donation from Enbridge for the development of a simulation lab.
Background links:
Burlington opposes any change in direction of pipeline flow.
City opposes change to pipeline flow then its fire department accepts a $7500 donation.
Burlington tells NEB a pipeline leak would be a disaster for the city.
 By Staff
March 6, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
Ian Elliott has this delightful way of getting his message out. He is a soft-spoken man, looks like the bookseller he is. He has learned that just running a bookshop is not going to cover all the bills so he has branched out and now markets in several rather interesting ways.
Whenever there is a major speaker in town A Different Drummer Bookstore can usually be seen with a table off to the side with copies of the speakers books set out neatly.
Elliott set up his own speakers event and now cooperates with several other booksellers and brings in an author to talk about their book. Polite, erudite and well – let’s let Ian Elliott use his own words as he announces Spring 2014 BOOK & AUTHOR SERIES which he describes as an electrifying literary series we’re so delighted to host
Our famously long-running series returns. Nine authors once again visit Burlington to present their new works over three splendid mornings.
Please note: NEW LOCATION: We have a change of venue this season: The Book & Author Series will take place in the sterling setting of the Burlington Golf and Country Club, 422 North Shore Boulevard East in Burlington.
Not sure how the view of that smoky old steel mill gets described as “sterling” but let’s not get picky, I’ll not get a cucumber sandwich if I keep that up.
The dates: April 15; April 29; and May 27.
Series tickets are $55, available starting Saturday, March 15 at 9am at the bookstore.
At each session, we meet at nine for refreshments, and the morning’s presentation starts at 9:30 am. The authors will speak to us, answer questions, and inscribe their books.
Among the illustrious guests appearing this season are Eva Stachniak, Kate Pullinger, Jennifer McMahon, Lynn Thompson, Plum Johnson and Ray Robertson.
And we have many more wonderful literary events in the offing. We’ll bring you all details soon. We are ever proud and happy to be your bookstore!
There you have it.
 By Pepper Parr
March 5, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
The John Street transit terminal will remain in place – for now. On a vote of 5-2 (Sharman, Dennison were prepared to let people stand out in the cold) The city is currently looking at the matter of transit hubs – there are four that are being avidly discussed – with the John Street location seen as one of the more critical locations. The Burlington GO station has more bus routes going through it – 16 as opposed to the 8 that run through the John Street location. The Mayor sees it as a critical part of the downtown core.
 There was a time when a much larger bus terminal existed 25 yards to the left of this small terminal on John Street – it was where people met. There were fewer cars, Burlington didn’t have the wealth then that it has now. We were a smaller city, as much rural as suburban. The times have changed and transit now needs to change as well. The transit people wanted to shut the terminal down because the drivers wouldn’t need the facility and the public would be able to get answers to their questions at the Harvester Road transit office which is open longer than the terminal and has staff available on Sunday. What Spicer kept calling “fare media” when he meant bus tickets, would be available at local retail locations in the downtown core. The Queen’s Head and Coffee Culture are the closest retail locations that are open long hours but Spicer told council that his people had not approached anyone yet.
Were the terminal to be closed, tickets will be available at city hall – but the hours there are limited. What was startling was no mention whatsoever about customer comfort. In this brutally cold weather that has been with us for more than a month the outdoor shelters just don’t cut it. The terminal is a warm place to wait for a bus.
Mayor Rick Goldring said transit had to have a meaningful presence in the downtown core and added that he talks to a lot of people who use the John Street terminal.
The Mayor and Meed Ward were the only two people to talk about the terminal. Meed Ward then moved on to part two of her transit mission: where was transit in the Transportation Master Plan review which has focused a bit on the creation of four mobility hubs. Burlington’s friends and supporters of transit (Bfast) couldn’t see it in the proceedings so far.
 Mobility hubs at the GO stations is close to a no brainer – it is the possible hub in the downtown core that has yet to be thoroughly thought through. Council decided that closing the terminal on John Street to save $8000 a year was not a bright idea. Meed Ward was the chair of the committee reviewing budget submissions which means when she has a question she turns the gavel over to her vice chair Paul Sharman who behaved like an enforcer on a hockey team and appeared to feel his job was to keep the puck away from Meed Ward and if she did get her hands on the thing – then his job was to knock her down. It was particularly deplorable behaviour during which there was precious little respect shown. We have seen this kind of behaviour from Councillor Sharman in the past.
With the gavel in his hands Sharman challenged her right to bring a new matter to the committee meeting. The Clerk ruled that Meed Ward could bring a new matter and given that transit was being discussed and her matter was related to transit she wanted to proceed.
What became clear during the discussion about the John Street terminal is the difficulty the city is having with just what it wants to do, will have to do and can afford in terms of public transit.
The transit advocates maintain that the city had not made it perfectly clear that transit was part of the Master Transportation Plan the city is currently reviewing.
General Manager Scott Stewart put that dog to rest when he made it perfectly clear that transit is a vital part of the transportation thinking.
 Doug Brown, chair of Bfast – Burlington’s friends and supporters of transit, can read a bus schedule better than most bookies can read the Racing Guide. He meets with Susan Lewis a transit user. Doug Brown Bfast chair said he has been asking if transit was being considered within the Transportation Master Plan and hadn’t been given an answer. Last November Brown sent the following questions to everyone he felt was involved. He says he has yet to get an answer. Bfast wants to know:
1) Will the Transportation Master Plan (TMP) develop a comprehensive long-term transit plan, including funding, to guide the growth of a robust transit system?
2) Will the TMP fully analyze and assess all opportunities to minimize road and intersection widenings and the construction of additional parking facilities through investments in transit, active transportation, and Transportation Demand Management?
3) Will the TMP be evaluated against criteria demonstrating that implementation of the TMP will:
a) meet the City’s own planning objectives (ROPA38 requirement to increase local transit to 11% modal split from current 2%);
b) meet the objectives of the City’s Strategic Plan (walkable, liveable, inclusive communities; GHG reduction targets)
c) will be environmentally and economically sustainable by determining all costs and benefits of proposed transportation options
4) Will the TMP look at successful measures in other cities (i.e. Portland, Ottawa, Victoria) to increase transit and active transportation modes.
Meed Ward read these out at the budget meeting. Stewart said he wasn’t aware of the questions; Meed Ward said she would send them to him.
The discussion around what the transit issue really is was instructive. Burlington is expected to increase the transit part of its modal split (that is the number of people who use different forms of transportation) from 2% to 11% by 2031 and that can only happen if transit ridership increases by 10% each year.
Blend into that the fact that transit ridership was lower in 2013 than it was in 2012.
City manager Jeff Fielding points out that our population is only going to grow by 1900 a year for the next ten years and then asks: “Do you really think you are going to get a modal shift from 2% up to 11% in the next 20 years. I can’t see it, I really can’t see it and I’m a big transit supporter. There may be some other approaches we need to look at.”
Councillor Taylor was just as direct. He said we are not going to get new people to take transit. If transit is to grow it will have to come from the existing population – and that is going to mean changing our communities and intensifying. The one way you can change transit said Taylor is to make it more convenient for the users.
 Councillor Sharman was both direct and blunt. Burlington is a great city and a place where wealthy people want to live. Wealthy people have cars. No one moves to Burlington to get around using transit.
Those views sum up the predicament and the challenge that transit faces.
That brought Meed Ward back into the conversation with a question for staff: “Can they tell us with some specificity how transit will be handled within the Transportation Master Plan?” Stewart was able to oblige her. Transit will be part of the Transportation Master Plan discussions but there will not be a transit business case coming out of the TMP.
Stewart undertook to get answers to the Bfast questions; when, asked Meed Ward. Not in March, that’s for sure responded Stewart; probably in April or May.
Transit is due to produce their first report card on how the service is doing in June. Add to that the news that transit is currently working with the providers of a technology that will give the transit managers real-time data on who gets on and off a bus and exactly where this happens; data Burlington Transit says is vital if they are to effectively allocate the resources they have.
As the discussion was coming to a close Sharman, filling in as chair of the meeting, asked Meed Ward if she had a motion. No, she replied and I now want to withdraw the motion I might have had. She had made her point – transit was now very much on the table and a part of an upcoming agenda.
Viewpoints that were not known before were now public.
The city does have a transit advisory committee – problem with that committee is that it can’t manage to meet which increases Stewart’s frustration level.
 Susan Lewis a consistent transit user, she doesn’t drive, was asked to join the Transit Advisory committee and headed downtown in January for a meeting. When she got to city hall she and one other person were the only people in the room; the meeting had been cancelled and not everyone was told.
Mayor Goldring and Councillor Meed Ward want clarity, the transit advocates want a clear policy commitment and better funding. The city manager doesn’t want to provide that money because he doesn’t see value in it and the bulk of this council don’t have a lot of time for transit. They spent more time talking about the removal of snow.
There is one sliver of hope. The city manager is a transit supporter and he would very much like to have some bold ideas to work with. The Bfast people, who can be a bit pedantic at times, do know what moving people around on public transit is all about.
If Stewart does manage to get all the players in the room he just might find that the Bfast people have a lot to offer; he just has to manage the frustration that overcomes him on occasion. He might think in terms of making Bfast the transit advisory committee. It couldn’t be any worse than what he has now – and the transit staff would be well served to listen carefully to these people. More respect for each other would go a long way as well.
The discussion really wasn’t a budget issue; Meed Ward was pushing the rules, but she brought to the table a discussion that has been needed for some time. Councillors Lancaster and Dennison had nothing to say; it will be a long time before you see either of them on a bus.
 Back to those mobility hubs and the John Street terminal. The hubs and hinged to the GO stations which makes sense – the downtown hub was the location that council wasn’t as certain about.
One of the “big picture” tasks the city is working on is opportunities to develop the north end of John Street where the city owns a parking lot that abuts the plaza at the top of John Street.
 Medica One or the Carriage Gate project – pick the name you like best – will go up at the top of John Street and consist of a medical offices building, an above ground garage and an apartment/condo complex. It will bring significant change to the intersection and drive redevelopment of the plaza to the immediate north, A transit hub a couple of blocks to the south then makes a lot of sense. The Carriage Gate group is expected to break ground soon on its medical building, parking garage and apartment/condo tower which will make the Caroline and John Street part of town a busier place.
 Parking lot # 3 at the top of John Street just south of the shopping plaza is being given a very close look for redevelopment. The Carriage Gate development will draw people to the area creating a John Street that could undergo significant development. There might be life in the downtown core yet. Some of the city thinking has the plaza at the top of John Street being given a massive make over and that portion of John Street north of Caroline a cleanup – it looks more like a laneway right now. All this thinking will impact what happens at the south end of John, where just blocks away the Delta Hotel and the Bridgewater condominiums are about to see some real construction activity.
A John Street mobility hub then would be a critical part of any makeover of this part of town which is all very much a project that is in the thinking through the ramifications stage.
The Mayor wants to stay with this one; get in front of it and lead the parade.
 By Pepper Parr
March 5, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON
It looked as if all the Arts and Culture collective was going to get for 2014 was a cultural map – a place where those who felt they were part of culture and art in Burlington could register and say who they are and what they do.
The consensus around the horseshoe during debate at the Standing Committee was “perhaps next year”, which sort of left the cultural action plan in some kind of a limbo.
Someone, somewhere in city hall decided the arts and culture community had to be given something so they trotted out and launched a new, online cultural map to showcase Burlington’s many cultural assets.
Mayor Rick Goldring said the cultural mapping is “ a great platform to forge new relationships and strengthen existing ones among culture makers and consumers in the city.”
 Jeremy Freiburger, on the right and Trevor Copp, second from the left, were two of the forces that got the city to the point where the city manager commits to giving the arts and culture community what they wanted by the middle of the year. The group is looking at Melanie Booth’s Olympic medal which became part of the Spiral Stella. The map (perhaps not the best word to describe the service) is an online tool that shows the full range of cultural activity in the Burlington arts community. Residents and cultural groups can get information and discover resources including: cultural venues, creative cultural industries, creative professionals, cultural heritage and artists.
A very significant amount of money had been poured into culture starting with a strong document from consultant Jeremy Freiburger which had data the city had never seen before. In his Directions document Freiburger provided the kind of data that was needed to determine if there was a true cultural base in the city and some thoughts on the direction the city could take.
The city took the advice Freiburger provide and held a series of public meetings to craft a Cultural Action Plan (CAP) that the city approved. The next step was to implement that Action Plan – and that was the first stumble on the city side – at a Budget Standing Committee council decided not to fund a Cultural Manager – the person who would oversee the implementation of the CAP.
This was a significant setback for the arts and culture people who were now a very visible community. Up until the public meetings that worked up the CAP, no one really knew they existed. Trevor Copp who had been named Arts Person of the Year for 2011 was the visible part of the arts and culture community serving as the spokesperson much of the time.
 The first the city saw of the arts community – that is the artists who do the performing and creating was when Trevor Copp appeared at a Standing Committee meting asking: Can I ply my trade in Burlington or do I have to schlep to Toronto all the time. The Collective, as the arts and culture community became known, was not prepared to give up. When council decided to go from a Standing Committee into full council immediately after the budget recommendation on Tuesday, the short interval didn’t leave much time for the Collective to get its act together. They did have a Cultural Planner who had her ear to the ground and could advise them when to show up – and show up they did with two people delegating at the last-minute.
During those delegations mention was made that Freiburger, in his Directions report, had suggested the Cultural Manager not be put in place immediately which looked like the kiss of death for what the arts community felt was vital.
Then – out of the blue – and I mean, right out of the blue, city manager Jeff Fielding said he would do his very best to find room within the current staff compliment to find room for a Cultural Manager. He didn’t say if he was going to find the person for the job from within the existing staff compliment or if he felt a place would open up.
The city manager had previously advised council that he was going to do a total review of the work force and get a deeper look into what the city has in the way of talent, where there are weaknesses and how to develop what the city needs. There isn’t all that much in the way of bench strength – especially at the senior level. One would be hard pressed to name who the natural successor would be to either of the general managers.
Up until Fielding’s comment there wasn’t a hint that the Cultural Manager would be found and hired in 2014. It was certainly good news for the Collective. Most of the group that had attended Council held a hallway discussion with General Manager Kim Phillips who manages culture, which up until now has been part of the Parks and Recreation department.
Did Phillips even know what Fielding was thinking?
 Angela Papariza was a recreational planner when this picture was taken. Her job was changed to that of a cultural planner and she is now the goto person on the cultural file – at least until a cultural Manager is hired. Is she a candidate for the Cultural Manager position? Papariza talks with Trevor Copp one of the movers and shakers within the arts and cultural community. For the immediate future the arts community has a cultural planner they can work with and a cultural map they can populate.
The Workforce review should be done by the end of June – at that time the Collective will have a better sense as to what they are likely to get.
In the meantime the city manager has to review what he has in the way of a workforce and determine how it can be managed to deliver what the city needs. He has all kinds of tools under development to better measure performance: Service Based Budgeting; Results Based Accountability to name just two – will begin to come on-line as we work ourselves through 2014 and get ready for a significantly new way of doing business come 2015.
At that point the city will have a new council – don’t expect every one of the significant seven to be returned. There are some major surprises coming.
Expect some changes in the structure of the senior management team as well. Culture was a part of the Parks and Recreation department. Once the Cultural manager is in place expect a re-alignment with culture getting a place of its own on the city’s organizational chart. The intermediate and long term challenge is to make the cultural investment to date one that will result in a financially viable, robust business.
During the culture debates nothing was said of the potential for the cultural leaders in the city to form some kind of a committee to look at culture from that 30,000 foot level.
 Ian Ross, chief cheese at the Art Centre offers a supporting hand to Maureen Barry, CEO of the library service during a Budget Bazaar in 2012. Maureen Barry, the CEO of the Library provides a cultural base that is often overlooked. Barry is a solid strategic thinker with a reach into the community that exceeds that of anyone else. More people use the library than any other service in the city. Brian McCurdy, the head of the Performing Arts Centre and Ian Ross over at the Arts Centre have very significant experience with arts and culture. These three, collectively, are in a position to add some heft to the thinking that will get done to make Burlington a cultural force, both in the region and the province. But they have to meet and break bread first as it were.
When there is a Cultural Manager in place that person is going to work with the arts community of which McCurdy, Ross and Barry are the leaders.
There is much to be excited about – but a lot of hard-core work to be done.
Hope prevails.
Background links:
Standing committee took a pass on the cultural manager
Artists and cultural types want to be hard.
Who is Jeremy Freiburger?
 By Staff
March 3, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
The race took place and for once the Chilly Half Marathon lived up to its name – it was cold and that did impact on the number of racers that showed up to run east and then west along Lakeshore Road.
Despite the weather there were 2025 runners on the road; 11 people had to be treated by the medical team and every one of them was blessed by by a priest standing in the middle of the road outside his church.
 There were fewer runners this year – cold weather and lack of opportunity to train for the event kept more than 1000 runners away. The race, which many people don’t realize has been run since 1995 – more than 19 years. It is only in the past four years that the race has been rub on Lakeshore Road and that has divided not only the Lakeshore Road community. A small but very vocal group have opposed the race and in the process generated a lot of dissension within the community with some nasty comments going back and forth on social media.
A number of people have questioned the veracity of information put out by race organizer Kelly Arnott but we’ve not heard from a single person who was inconvenienced and totally locked into the street they lived on.
Arnott reports that there were 13 calls to the special telephone number VRPro provided of which only two wanted help on the race day.
On the race day, Sunday there were 15 calls and every one of the requests for help was accommodated.
VRPro hired additional police officers and an officer was placed at Walkers Line and Lakeshore to handle problems at that location. No one had to wait more than twenty minutes added Arnott who added that one lady wanted the race stopped so she could drive through.
In the past people have questioned some of the factual information VRPro released – this year data was collected revealing:
Gender: Male: 42% 1505 – Female: 58% 2062
Those two numbers added together amount to quite a bit more than the 2025 reported to have run the race. Arnott reports that a lot of people cancelled due to the weather.
Age breakdown: male and female are counted together
0-19: 2% (82) 48% 52%
20-29: 15% (525) 31% 69%
30-39: 24% (864) 36% 64%
40-49: 30% (1075) 43% 57%
50-59: 22% (800) 49% 51%
60-69: 5% (196) 65% 35%
70+: 1% (25) 60% 40%
Who runs in this race; where do they come from and what do they bring to Burlington? The hometown’s given are almost a map of the province.
Toronto 20.63% (736); Burlington 10.46% (373); Oakville 7.15% (255); Mississauga 6.73% (240); Hamilton 3.59% (128); Brampton 2.66% (95); Guelph 2.13% (76); London 1.88% (67); Barrie 1.77% (63); Oshawa 1.57% (56); Whitby 1.57% (56); Milton 1.43% (51); Kitchener 1.40% (50); Ancaster 1.29% (46); Stoney Creek 1.04% (37); Aurora 1.04% (37); Markham 1.01% (36); Etobicoke 1.01% (36); Waterloo 0.98% (35); Brantford 0.98% (35); Ajax 0.98% (35); Pickering 0.95% (34); Newmarket 0.93% (33); St. Catharines 0.84% (30); Richmond Hill 0.84% (30); Georgetown 0.76% (27); Dundas 0.73% (26); Owen
 The gender breakdown of the runners was pretty even.  The Chilli Half Marathon is a major event for runners from across the province. It is followed by the Around the Bay three weeks later. Sound 0.70% (25); Cambridge 0.70% (25); Grimsby 0.67% (24); Waterdown 0.62% (22); Scarborough 0.56% (20); North York 0.50% (18); Woodbridge 0.48% (17); Thornhill 0.42% (15); Maple 0.39% (14); Burlington 0.39% (14); Bolton 0.39% (14); Acton 0.31% (11); Bowmanville 0.31% (11); Welland 0.28% (10); Niagara Falls 0.28% (10); Binbrook 0.25% (9); Caledonia 0.25% (9); Stratford 0.25% (9); St Catharines 0.25% (9); N/A 0.22% (8); Brooklin 0.22% (8); Peterborough 0.22% (8); Toronto 0.20% (7) ; Caledon 0.20% (7); Innisfil 0.20% (7); Ottawa 0.20% (7); Oakville 0.20% (7); Courtice 0.20% (7); Kingston 0.20% (7); Bradford 0.20% (7); Shanty Bay 0.17% (6); Alliston 0.17% (6); Holland Landing 0.14% (5); St. Catharines 0.14% (5); Fonthill 0.14% (5); Vineland 0.14% (5); Bracebridge 0.14% (5); Komoka 0.14% (5); Carlisle 0.14% (5); Chatham 0.14% (5); Thorold 0.14% (5); Ingersoll 0.14% (5); North Bay 0.14% (5); St. George 0.14% (5); Elora 0.14% (5); Vaughan 0.14% (5); Richmond Hill 0.11% (4); Simcoe 0.11% (4); Windsor 0.11% (4); Beamsville 0.11% (4); Stouffville 0.11% (4); Mount Hope 0.11% (4); Parry Sound 0.11% (4); Vaudreuil-Dorion 0.11% (4); Milton 0.11% (4); Orangeville 0.11% (4); Collingwood 0.11% (4); Hamilton 0.11% (4); Niagara On The Lake 0.11% (4); Fenwick 0.08% (3); Campbellville 0.08% (3); Blackstock 0.08% (3); Thunder Bay 0.08% (3); Fergus 0.08% (3); Kitchener 0.08% (3); Waterford 0.08% (3); Woodstock 0.08% (3); Unionville 0.08% (3); Brampton 0.08% (3); Lockport 0.08% (3); Hannon 0.08% (3); Ridgeway 0.08% (3); Sarnia 0.08% (3); Erin 0.08% (3); Newcastle 0.08% (3); Mississauga 0.08% (3); Cedar Valley 0.08% (3); Wasaga Beach 0.08% (3); Rockwood 0.08% (3); Sudbury 0.06% (2); Midland 0.06% (2); Wellandport 0.06% (2); Port Elgin 0.06% (2); Keswick 0.06% (2); Smithville 0.06% (2); RR1 Enniskillen 0.06% (2); Aurora 0.06% (2); Goderich 0.06% (2); St. Thomas 0.06% (2); Midhurst 0.06% (2); Ayr 0.06% (2); Montreal 0.06% (2); Palgrave 0.06% (2); Mount Albert 0.06% (2); Cobourg 0.06% (2); Troy 0.06% (2); Elmira 0.06% (2); Cambridge 0.06% (2); Niagara-on-the-lake 0.06% (2); Denfield 0.06% (2); Millgrove 0.06% (2); Puslinch 0.06% (2); Terra Cotta 0.06% (2); Jordan Station 0.06% (2); Stittsville 0.06% (2); Oxbridge 0.06% (2); Port Colborne 0.06% (2); Cayuga 0.06% (2); Gormley 0.06% (2); Lindsay 0.06% (2); Hampton 0.06% (2); Brantford 0.06% (2); St. Marys 0.06% (2); Pickering 0.06% (2); Mulmur 0.06% (2); Ridgetown 0.06% (2); Petersburg 0.06% (2); Moscow 0.06% (2); Kincardine 0.06% (2); Ashburn 0.06% (2); Bright 0.06% (2); Richmondhill 0.06% (2); Tobermory 0.06% (2); Lion’s Head 0.06% (2); Mount Pleasant 0.06% (2); Branchton 0.06% (2); Tiny 0.06% (2); Paris 0.06% (2); Port Perry 0.06% (2); Amherstview 0.06% (2); Freeburg 0.06% (2); Port Dover 0.06% (2); Concord 0.06% (2); Cookstown 0.06% (2); Hamiltion 0.03% (1); Bulington 0.03% (1); Sherkston 0.03% (1); Saskatoon 0.03% (1); Kingswood Rd 0.03% (1); Oak Like 0.03% (1); Walkerton 0.03% (1); Calgary 0.03% (1); Avenue 0.03% (1); Beeton 0.03% (1); Guelph 0.03% (1); Lasalle Mpr 0.03% (1); West Hill 0.03% (1); East York 0.03% (1); Runway 0.03% (1); Branpton 0.03% (1); Chathen 0.03% (1); Virgil 0.03% (1); Shallowlake 0.03% (1); Brantfird 0.03% (1); Shallow Lake 0.03% (1); Manotick 0.03% (1); Egbert 0.03% (1); Amaranth 0.03% (1); Wainfleet 0.03% (1); Seagrave 0.03% (1); Caledon Village 0.03% (1); Harrow 0.03% (1); Tillsonburg 0.03% (1); Ohsweken 0.03% (1); St Thomas 0.03% (1); West Flambourgh 0.03% (1); Nottawa 0.03% (1); Burlingtion 0.03% (1); Niagara Falla 0.03% (1); Pembroke 0.03% (1); Bramalea 0.03% (1); Winnipeg 0.03% (1); Brown 0.03% (1); Zephyr 0.03% (1); Peterborough 0.03% (1); Fort Erie 0.03% (1); London 0.03% (1); St.clements 0.03% (1); Port Hawkesbury 0.03% (1); Grimsby 0.03% (1); Burlington 0.03% (1); St. Catharines 0.03% (1); Limehouse 0.03% (1); King City 0.03% (1); Chapleau 0.03% (1); Timmins 0.03% (1); Darthmouth 0.03% (1); Chicago 0.03% (1); Fort Saskatchewan 0.03% (1); Sombra 0.03% (1); Pointe-Claire 0.03% (1); Princeton Jct 0.03% (1); Kleinburg 0.03% (1); Orton 0.03% (1); Scotland 0.03% (1); Sault Ste Marie 0.03% (1); Morriston 0.03% (1); Angus 0.03% (1); Winona 0.03% (1); Altona 0.03% (1); Ariss 0.03% (1); Lancaster 0.03% (1); Bolton 0.03% (1); Burlintgon 0.03% (1); Barrie 0.03% (1); Victoria Harbour 0.03% (1); New Dundee 0.03% (1); Toronto 0.03% (1); Peninsula 0.03% (1); Vittoria 0.03% (1); Orillia 0.03% (1); Kilworthy 0.03% (1); Thornton 0.03% (1); Echo Bay 0.03% (1); Missisauga 0.03% (1); Sarsfield 0.03% (1); Oxford Station 0.03% (1); Whitby 0.03% (1); Baden 0.03% (1); Breslau 0.03% (1); Mount Elgin 0.03% (1); Frankford 0.03% (1); Innisfil, On 0.03% (1); Huntsville 0.03% (1); Almonte 0.03% (1); Croton 0.03% (1); Ennismore 0.03% (1); Scarborough (toronto) 0.03% (1); Canfield 0.03% (1); Alberta 0.03% (1); Bright’s Grove 0.03% (1); Catttaraugus 0.03% (1); St.thomas 0.03% (1); Rr2 Barrie 0.03% (1); Lasalle 0.03% (1); Russell Hill Rd 0.03% (1); Woodbrisge 0.03% (1); Toronot 0.03% (1); Burlington, Ontario 0.03% (1); Algonquin Highlands 0.03% (1); Tottenham 0.03% (1); Glen Williams 0.03% (1); Ballinafad 0.03% (1); St-Lazarre 0.03% (1); Nobleton 0.03% (1); Courtland 0.03% (1); Whitney Point 0.03% (1); Burnt River 0.03% (1); Monkton 0.03% (1); Gatineau 0.03% (1); St Catharines 0.03% (1); St. John’s 0.03% (1); Glenburnie 0.03% (1); Street 0.03% (1); Oakville, Ont 0.03% (1); St. Agatha 0.03% (1); Thornbury 0.03% (1); Toroonto 0.03% (1); St Jacobs 0.03% (1); York 0.03% (1); Lakefield 0.03% (1); Wellesley 0.03% (1); Burllington 0.03% (1); Newmarket 0.03% (1); Rr1 Fenwick 0.03% (1); Everett 0.03% (1); Richmond Hill 0.03% (1); St.anns 0.03% (1); Ashton 0.03% (1); Kingsville 0.03% (1); Lynden 0.03% (1); Owen Sound 0.03% (1); East Gwillimbury 0.03% (1); Mannheim 0.03% (1); Ripley 0.03% (1); Suite 1116 0.03% (1); Arthur 0.03% (1); Ridgeville 0.03% (1); Ancaster 0.03% (1); Orchard Park 0.03% (1); North York 0.03% (1); Gores Landing 0.03% (1); Stoneham Road 0.03% (1); Tonawanda 0.03% (1); Whitehorse 0.03% (1); Port Severn 0.03% (1); S.b. Peninsula 0.03% (1); Caledon East, Ontario 0.03% (1);
Caledon East 0.03% (1); Chatsworth 0.03% (1); Saint Catharines 0.03% (1); Shelburne 0.03% (1); Bruce Mines 0.03% (1); Beamsville 0.03% (1); Sault Ste. Marie 0.03% (1); Sault Ste. Marie 0.03% (1); Edmonton 0.03% (1); Bowmanville 0.03% (1); Cornwall 0.03% (1); Alexandria 0.03% (1); Smiths Falls 0.03% (1); Port Severn 0.03% (1); Burford 0.03% (1); Stouffiville 0.03% (1); Stouffville 0.03% (1); Carlisle 0.03% (1); Baltimore 0.03% (1); Suite 513 0.03% (1); Suite 513 0.03% (1)
That is more information than you ever wanted or needed but it makes an important point –the runners come from across the province. Many will pay for accommodation; all will buy some food, most will buy gas to get home and we hope that those from other cities, town and villages remember us well and return for some other event.
Why the apparent duplication? The data came in from forms completed less than 24 hours ago and was taken from early registrations and late comers. Many of the early registrations did not show up – due for the most part to weather but Arnott reports that on average 12% to 15% don’t show up – even when the weather is great.
 It gets crowded on Lakeshore Road Bigger picture: they came from: Ontario 98.85% (3526); New York 0.31% (11); Quebec 0.28% (10); Alberta 0.08% (3); Prince Edward Island 0.06% (2); Nova Scotia 0.06% (2); Nunavut 0.06% (2); Pennsylvania 0.06% (2); Manitoba 0.03% (1); Saskatchewan 0.03% (1); Illinois 0.03% (1); New Jersey 0.03% (1); Newfoundland 0.03% (1); Yukon 0.03% (1); Ohio 0.03% (1) and other, wherever that is ; 0.06% (2)
The Chill Half Marathon, The Sound of Music, the Ribfest and now a Burlington Beer Fest are all a part of Burlington – and don’t forget the Pier – they are all a part of what Burlington has chosen to be. The vast majority like things this way and because Burlington is a civilized city those responsible for these events are required to go out of their way to accommodate those who don’t share the enthusiasm.
Background links:
Residents don’t like the road closures.
City approves list of Festivals and Events: Chilli Half included.
 By Pepper Parr
March 3, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
 There are still a few dollars left to be counted, however, the 2013 United Way campaign announced that the combined total for Hamilton and Burlington was $6.82 million for the 2013 campaign. This was short of the $7 million goal. Burlington however exceeded its goal by 10% raising a record setting $2.25 million. All the money raised in Burlington stays in Burlington.
The goal for 2014 has yet to be set – that will be done around the May/June timeframe, explains Brian Ferguson the chair of the 2014 campaign, who adds “ we are obviously pushing to do more”.
 Newalta and Brian Ferguson, chair of the exceptionally successful 2013 campaign will lead the 2014 campaign. Ferguson pulled together a team of cabinet members two weeks ago for a planning session and fleshed out with four main focus areas for 2014
1. New Business Development: This division will focus on reaching out to workplaces and networking groups in Burlington who have not supported the United Way to run workplace campaigns or special events.
2. Current Business Development: The purpose of this focus area will be to work closely with our current workplace campaigns to encourage them to do more by increasing their payroll deduction participation and sharing their campaign best practices to be shared with other workplaces (new / current).
3. Special Events: The purpose of this focus area will be set focused on special events / programs. We already have a 1st ever United Way Burlington golf tournament planned for June 4th at Crosswinds, we will be the headline charity for the Beerfest. This group will also focus on providing presence at local events, partnering with sports / recreations leagues, and running programs like the Art Easel as Coinboxes.
4. Branding / Awareness: The purpose of this group is pretty self explanatory. We need to do a better job of creating awareness of the important of the United Way in Burlington and branding it accordingly through social media campaigns and media presence. We may have made history in 2013 but there are many more programs and services we can fund in Burlington if we raise more money. A community is not truly great, explains Ferguson, until it is great for EVERYONE!
“We also need to recruit more passionate volunteers to assist in all of these areas. So help spread the word we are looking for good people” asks Ferguson who is lead a fresh group with new ideas and a lot of new energy. A lot of the old timers, people who have doing the UW campaign because it was one of the things you do, are prepared to see the younger set come in. Jamie Edwards who has been part of the United Way as long as he can remember said “they are younger legs and they bring a drive I used to have; I’m happy to let them take over.” Edwards will be around, prepared to make calls but 7:30 campaign meetings are something he might take a pass on.
 Tara Brewer on the right is one of the two co-chairs for the 2014 campaign. The campaign cabinet for 2014 is going to be structurally quite different from what was in place for 2013. “I want to run it like a business where people have responsibilities and are accountable. In the past the UW was quite like a networking club that some people used to pad a resume.
 Scott Robinson will serve as co-vice chair of the 2014 United Way campaign. With the four focal points in place, members of the 2013 team can choose which sector they want to be in. People have been told that if they want to come back – and we hope they do – this is the structure – choose where you want to fit in.
Rebecca and Jamie West will be running the Hamilton team for 2014. Brian Ferguson will continue to lead the Burlington side. He will be supported by Scott Robinson, owner of the Burlington Bandits and Tara Brewer, an MBA graduate who is part of the VMWare human resources team.
 Weeks before the 2013 United Way campaign came to an end Brian Ferguson, standing, urges his team to make it happen this year – and they did – a record $2.25 million. Retiring United Way CEO chairman Len Lifchus, centre, looks on proudly. Ferguson is delighted with the support he gets from Mayor Goldring and is looking forward to some serious involvement from the Economic Development Corporation once it has completed its restructuring. If the BEDC can get some of the drive Ferguson has shown and come in with numbers as good as his – everyone is going to win.
Ferguson had a phenomenal year because he created a team and gave them the leadership they wanted. The personal passion he brought to the job was what rally made the difference. Ferguson fully understands that a community is not truly great until it is great for EVERYONE!
 By Pepper Parr
March 1, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON
He’s a normal, little bit on the shy side boy of 8 (9 in September), in grade three with a Mother who teaches and a Dad who manages a restaurant – and three older sisters.
 Soft brown eyes and a quiet smile: Connor Withers, bird house builder. He’s got soft brown eyes and an artistic streak in him. He doesn’t avoid eye contact but he doesn’t stare. When he does look at you his gaze is very direct and there is a quiet sweet smile.
Connor Withers has a business card with his name and title: he is a Bird house builder with the Bird House Foundation, an organization that uses recycled wood to make birdhouses.
 First corporate customer – Connor Withers delivers the Voortman Cookie Birdhouse to Harry Voortman. The bird houses get sold and the funds donated to the Joseph Brant Hospital Foundation – to date very close to $13,000 has been donated. Connor and his Dad Tim have a target of $25,000 Getting to that target meant going corporate and that has resulted in some very attractive bird house with corporate logo and designs which go for upwards of $200
Connor is the recipient of a 2013 Ontario Junior Citizen of the Year Award and is the poster boy for the Joseph Brant Hospital Foundation.
 Connor does a turn at setting up the power saw – power lines are disconnected during his training. The project started last summer when Connor and his dad collected discarded wood put out for garbage collection along Burlington streets this summer. The pair spent hours together in their workshop turning the refuse into birdhouses. Connor sold the birdhouses on his front lawn at a sale last July, raising $200.
The Withers family, Mom Christa, sisters Sydney, Abigail and Meagan, decided the money should be donated to the Joseph Brant Hospital Foundation. All four children were born at Joseph Brant.
Last week Connor was given Certificate of recognition by Mayor Goldring at a council meeting. The Mayor told Connor that he didn’t have to stay for the rest of the meeting – the family left the council chamber but on the way home Connor said he would have liked to have stayed for a while.
The Birdhouse Foundation has its own Facebook page with 347 followers and a slew of pictures – it’s a sort of family scrapbook.
When it was becoming evident that the “business” had taken off help was needed and wood as well. There are limits on how much scrap wood one can find at the roadside in Burlington.
Turkstra Lumber offered a load of wood which they delivered to Robert Bateman high school where the students taking shop cut the wood to size to be taken back to the Withers garage where the bird houses were assembled.
 Part of the production line – bird houses partially painted. Swiss Line Industries said they could paint a couple of hundred of the houses – just ship them over and we will paint them for you. Paint from the RONA recycle bin was used.
Various organizations donated tools and a large number of corporations asked how they could help. Many bought a bird house, had a corporate design put on it and then off Connor and his Dad would go to deliver the finished product and have pictures taken.
 Connor Withers with his dad Tim who teaches his son how to properly use a drill press. The sports world took part as well – Connor and his dad trucked into Toronto and met just about every one of the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey players.
Connor doesn’t seem at all overwhelmed by the attention but what he has seen says his father is the power of what one person can do. The grade three, French immersion student at Orchard Park elementary school is a thoughtful boy; reflective, whose favourite subjects are art and music.
Christa, who said she manages the household, comments that the project took off so fast. It started with what was basically a yard sale and just took off – getting the point where more people were needed – and sure enough the neighbours showed up and picked up pieces of sandpaper and helped with the assembly.
The project has become a family event which has Tim spending much more time with his son – “the two of us work together on things and when there is something to be thought through Connor and I do that together. It wasn’t quite what I expected but the time we spend together is great”, said Tim.
Both parents are also seeing a young boy who is now much more confident. During the presentation at city hall Connor paused for a moment when the Mayor gave him the certificate of recognition and slowly put his hand out to shake the hand of the Mayor.
 Local bird house builder thinking of extending his product line to bee houses What next? Well Connor has taken an interest in honey bees and can tell you much more than you really wanted to know about the “orchard mason bee” and thinks this is a product line he would like to pursue.
Would you like your own bird house? Slip over to Connors Facebookpage – facebook.com/thebirdhousebuilder
 By Pepper Parr
February 28, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
Council met as a Committee of the Whole and used a workshop format to listen to the people doing the thinking behind the new economic development organization the city manager thinks should be put in place.
It was a fantastic meeting – we heard some of the smartest people this city has seen sitting at the council chamber horse shoe explaining to council how economic development could be improved.
The direction is to create corporations that will be owned by the city and charged with bringing new companies to Burlington. City general manager Scott Stewart and Burlington Economic Development Corporation (BEDC) board member Pat Sugrue led the explanation while lawyer Charles Keizer explained the rather intricate collection of corporations that would be formed. Lest anyone think this was going to be a group of people picking up fat fees it was made very clear that these were going to be very lean organizations with a mandate the improve growth.
 Is the city about to begin a process that brings real economic development to town? Do the parking lots offer economic development opportunities and will there be better relationships with the development sector? Two points came close to jumping off the page. Gerry Smallgange pointed out that BEDC does not have a “deal maker”; has never had a “deal maker” and that the city has to re-think the way it has zoned its employment lands. City manager Jeff Fielding made the point that the Bronte Creek lands are going to have to be mixed developments if there is ever to be any development on those lands. He also pointed to the Navistar property at th corner of Guelph Line and Harvester Road and said there was never going to be another operation similar to what is on the site now.
Fielding said the city needs to begin working with Emshie Development to get something on that property – and at the same time find a way to work with the Ontario Ministry of Transportation to overcome some of the obstacles as to what can be built in and around the major traffic intersections leading onto the QEW.
It was a two-hour meeting during which some startling opportunities were laid out. We knew that changes in the structure and purpose of the BEDC were vital – this was the first the public got to see as to how bold these people seem prepared to be.
Malcolm Gladwell wrote in his seminal book, The Tipping Point, that events build up and can reach a point where a direction can be changed. Burlington just might be approaching a badly needed tipping point.
Burlington is in one of those awkward situations where much of the developable land is in the hands of a few corporations who are just sitting on it. Most would like to see their holdings converted from “employment lands” to places where they can build residential housing.
Burlington doesn’t need any more residential housing – it needs new businesses to move to the city – and that hasn’t been happening. It needs better working relationships with the development sector, it needs better working relationships with the agencies that the city. In time it will become evident that one of the biggest hurdles the IKEA opportunity on the North Service Road could not overcome was the Conservation Authority.
Add to that some of the near toxic “bad blood” that exists between the Paletta corporation and the city. General manager Scott Stewart said the city needs to “get the problems of the past behind us” which is going to call for a different approach on the part of both the city’s planning department and the key people at Paletta.
Some time ago the BEDC chose Pat Paletta as the Entrepreneur of the year and hoped that wold be a first step in the “kiss and make up” process that is necessary. Son Angela Paletta was asked to be the Honorary Chair of the Burlington Community Foundation where he did a superb job and worked the room as well as any politician we’ve seen.
What became very clear during the Committee of the Whole meeting was the need to significantly upgrade the way the BEDC has done business – Pat Sugrue, who ran Fearman’s Pork when it was bought in November 2010 by Sun Capital Partners from Maple Leaf Foods Inc. for $20 million.
Sugre told the meeting that Sun Capital moved very quickly and scooped another off that was on the table because they were able to commit to the deal in seven days and close it within 45 days. Burlington hasn’t see a deal like that in the last century.
Sugre made another important point: municipal people do not, cannot and should not be in the deal making business. It takes people with skills sets that don’t exist in a municipal environment.
There is a lot more on this story – for the moment the time line the city wants to work to on this is very aggressive they want to have it all wrapped up before the BEDC AGM late in May.
They are going to squeeze some public information sessions in there somewhere. The Gazette was the only media in the room for this meeting of Council. We will keep you posted.
 By Pepper Parr
February 26, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
One doesn’t often see exceptional cooperation between a developer and the city’s planning department. A proposal from the Hamilton District Christian Senior Citizens Home Inc. to put up a 148 unit, 6 storey apartment building for seniors on property assembled at 3260-3306 New Street somehow managed to go through two Public meetings – this second one lasted three hours and city council made a wise decision that is going to positively impact the lives of a lot of people. We may well see more proposals like this one.
 The developer came in asking for out – saw that wasn’t going to work and came back with a seven story proposal. That didn’t work either. The massing of the building on a street that just doesn’t have any high buildings was too much for everyone – even the planners. The original proposal was for an 8 storey, 176 unit apartment building which got cut down to 7 storeys when the developer realized that a totally different approach was needed to the look of the building and the impact it was going to have on the neighbourhood.
It was at this point that the developer began to have deep discussions with the planners – how does one get away from that massing with a 7 story structure that is five to six lots wide? Out of those discussions came the 6 storey design with a wide opening between the two.
With a much more satisfactory design that still wasn’t enough to change the minds of most of the people who delegated.
 The six storey version of the project did away with the massive look of the building Graham Tower just plain doesn’t want a 6 storey building next to his house up – it’s too high and not compatible with the existing neighbourhood – and that is true. The planners tried to explain that communities change and that this was an appropriate change for this community.
Ward 2 Councilor Marianne Meed Ward wanted something that was at the four storey range. Ward 1 Councilor Rick Craven pointed out that when a six storey structure was proposed for Plains Road was announced there was exceptionally strong opposition in the Aldershot community. Today, said Craven, everyone says this is the route to go.
When Maranatha first went to council in December 20, 2012 the proposal was for an eight story structure – and it was a pretty brutal looking building. A community meeting in January 8, 2013 at Central Public library attracted 80-100 people.
The developers behind this project currently manage a 3-storey, 63 unit seniors apartment building that backs onto the General Brock lands – some of which is owned by Burlington and the rest by the school boards.
The property at 3260 New Street, to the immediate west of the proposed development, contains an 3-storey, 63 unit seniors apartment building.
It is easy to confuse the two organizations discussed at the meeting. Maranatha Homes is under different ownership than Maranatha Gardens
Maranatha Homes is a not-for-profit Christian aging-in-place community that aims to provide a variety of affordable and interconnected housing options including affordable rental units that will provide a variety of assisted living services and facilities to meet the social, therapeutic, and recreational needs of the residents.
 Cumberland would serve as the common entrance point to the two projects both managed by the same people. The set back from New Street is substantial and the two levels of underground parking means the grounds won’t look like a parking lot. Maranatha Homes was built under Section 27 of the National Housing Act and was administered by Canada Mortgage and Housing (CHMC) until 2001 when the administration of housing was downloaded to municipalities through the Social Housing Reform Act.
CHMC currently holds a mortgage on 3260 New Street, the Homes, with an expiry date of August 1, 2026.
Maranatha Homes, Residence and Seniors Care was approved as a charity on December 27, 2012.
The original plan proposed a stepped building that was 8 storeys on the west side, stepping to 7, 6, 5 and 3 storeys at the east side. The last revision was for a six storey apartment building, containing 9- one bedroom units, 116- one bedroom plus den units and 23- two bedroom units on the assembled lands that will consist of two towers connected from floors 1-3 with a separation at the 4th floor to reduce the impact of the building massing. The existing driveway serving the Maranatha Homes building, south of Cumberland Avenue will serve as the main signalized access to the site.
There will be two levels of underground parking along with surface parking that will be shared by both Maranatha Homes and Gardens visitors.
Proposals like this have to go through all kinds of hoops – there is the Official Plan Amendment and Rezoning applications that are subject to the Provincial Policy Statement (PPS), the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (Places to Grow), the Region of Halton Official Plan (ROP), the City of Burlington Official Plan (OP), and Zoning By-law 2020.
 The issue for Burlington and this city council was – what kind of housing do we want for the seniors in the community who want to “age in place”. Many seniors (there are already more than 100 people who have asked to have their names placed on the waiting list for units in the building) want to move out of a house that requires upkeep they can no longer manage but they want to remain in the community where they are comfortable, where they are active in the community and close to family. The problem was there just wasn’t much in the way of housing for these people.
Burlington currently has 9,000 people over the age of 80 – which represents 4% of the population. That number is projected to triple in 30 years. Burlington has more seniors (as a % of the population) than any other city in the GTA. More than 17% of the current population is over 65.
It doesn’t take much more than a grade 5 math level to figure out where we are going. Knowing that today – we can plan for tomorrow. That point didn’t seem to have any traction in the minds of most of the people who spoke last Monday evening.
The choices seemed to be – learn to live with a larger than normal structure in an established community or begin thinking of other ways to house seniors who want to move out of the single family structures they are currently in and no longer want to maintain. With 148 units available and more than 100 people on the waiting list – the market seems to be saying something.
Mayor Goldring felt the development was a great idea that met the needs of a growing senior’s population. The development is in ward 4 but Jack Dennison, the councilor for the ward, had little to say. Dennison had come up against the residents at the community meetings – he knows when to keep his head down.
Councilor Taylor hardly spoke.
Councilor Sharman saw it as a good project.
These apartments are not going to be cheap: There will be 140 one bedroom and one bedroom with a den that will measure 79-98 m2 and be priced at $2074 a month.
There will be 8 two bedroom units that are between 103 and 130 m2 priced at $3677 a month.
 Question were raised by some concerning adjacent road network capacity was it capable of absorbing the additional traffic generated. The capacity of a typical urban travel lane is 800 vehicles per hour. New Street has two lanes in each direction, therefore the capacity of New Street is 1600 vehicles per hour in each direction.
New Street is serviced by Burlington Transit’s Route 10 with bus stops on both the north and south side of New Street; the New-Maple route provides cross-town connectivity to the downtown bus terminal, Mapleview Mall, Burlington Go Station, Appleby Mall and the Central Park area which includes a large concentration of community services.
The site is located approximately midway between Guelph Line and Walker’s Line where there is a variety of neighbourhood conveniences. The site is also located a short distance by car (1.7 km) or bus to the Central Park area which includes a large concentration of community services geared at different demographics including the Burlington Seniors Centre, the Central Public Library, Burlington Music Centre, the Burlington Curling Club Central Arena and the YMCA.
An apartment building use differs from a retirement home whereby it does not supply meals to occupants in a common kitchen and dining facility and where other communal facilities may be provided. The proposed use will contain apartment units with their own kitchen facilities.
Maranatha Homes property and Maranatha Gardens lands will be under the same management but different ownership.
The people behind this development are not getting and discounts or special deals. They will pay all the fees and charges that every other developer pays as well as be required to provide the city with securities to ensure that the work is completed.
City development charges may be payable, Educational Development Charges are payable; Regional Development Charges and Surcharges are payable
As progressive as the project is – there was and still is – some very vocal local opposition to the project. Graham Tower lives in the home on the east side of the project – and he just plain did not want a large building next door to him and he feels the development will impact very negatively on the value of his property. The developers staged the height of the east side, have plans for trees – Tower wasn’t happy and is not likely to ever be happy.
Anup Ogale, who lives on Pine Cove gave the most detailed delegation. He mentioned a sink hole that would hold the Titanic; an engineer spoke later and explained it was a hole in a drive way and was found to be above ground that had utilities running beneath it.
He added that the building was going to be set on bed rock and if there was any “quicksand” in the area it would not be underneath the structure.
 Both the Maranatha Homes and the Maranatha Gardens back on to the Brock lands – residents managed to convince themselves that something was up for the development of that property. The proposed development faces New Street with a substantial set back from the road. Mr. Ogale had done quite a bit of research; each matter he brought up was answered by the planning staff. What planning staff could not do was fully explain why they would not go for eight storeys or even seven storeys but would accept six. The planner explained that he felt that was an appropriate height for that location – and the area residents just weren’t buying that argument.
A Myers Lane resident, whose name we shall withhold, managed to embarrass both herself and anyone who knows her, with comments during her delegation that were just plain rude and disrespectful. Mayor Goldring mentioned that he drives by the site most days on his way to city hall and he had not found the traffic to be impossible. He signaled the committee chair that he wanted to speak and the resident cut in and told the Mayor to wait – she was speaking.
Asked by the committee chair to respect the process the resident said “you respect us… we voted you people in and we can vote you out.”
 It went downhill from there. The resident pointed to council and said “I see all kinds of attitude here .. it seems as if you have decided and that you know what is best…No you don’t” and with that the delegation walked away from the podium.
She did return to answer a question from Councilor Meed Ward who wanted to find out just what it was the woman was opposed to; with that she returned to the podium and said: “We don’t want the re-zoning”. That was certainly obvious.
The Standing committee voted 6-1 to accept the staff recommendation; Meed Ward, who wanted four storey structures and perhaps a bigger footprint, did not vote the recommendation. This item comes to city council March 17th – the question is will it move on to the Ontario Municipal Board. It shouldn’t.
 By Pepper Parr
February 26, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
It became evident early in the development of the Alton community that it was going to be different. Many who now live in the new community see it as the “new” Burlington where people made it on their own.
Hayden high school opened last September with the library following that by weeks and the Haber Recreation Centre opened shortly after that. All three share the same structure which the city calls the Alton Campus. The Norton skate park across the street from the campus make the place a very active part of town.
A city Standing Committee held the required public meeting to review an application for a zoning by-law amendment submitted by Emery Investments for 4853 Palladium Way. The intention of the developer is to build two five storey towers attached to each other with a two storey atrium.
 Two towers in phase 1 – finished project is projected to result in 1280 professional jobs, The property is at the intersection of Appleby Line and Palladium Way in the Alton community where Urban Design Study and Guidelines for the Alton Central East Community are in place.
It is a two-phase project with phase 1 being the construction of the office towers and phase 2 the construction of three industrial buildings. The 5.2 hectares property is currently vacant.
 The two five-story structures will be joined b a two storey atrium. The developer is seeking approximately 24,964m2 in the office towers and, in Phase 2 to create three industrial buildings, with a combined total of approximately 12,245m2.
The Burlington Economic development Corporation (BEDC) estimates this development will create about 1,280 professional jobs.
Blair Lancaster, the ward councilor determined that a neighbourhood meeting would not be required. Public notice of the statutory public meeting and recommendation report were provided 14 days in advance.
The Standing Community approved the application unanimously; that recommendation goes to city council March 17th.
Once approved the developer appears to want to get shovels into the ground quickly. They will lay down the two levels of underground parking and get the first tower up – they’ve yet to decide when they will put up the second tower. The market for quality space is tight in Burlington – this project might move very quickly.
 The development will be done in two phases. The developers are building the project as a speculative development. It is the first decent office development project the city has seen in some time. While the Economic Development Corporation beavers away at producing reports and working towards whatever shape and purpose it is going to have in the near future – this development came to the city on its own – and it isn’t within any one of the “prosperity nodes” the economists created.
Background Links:
Alton campus opens.
How Alton got started.
 By Pepper Parr
February 21, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
There isn’t going to be a Cultural Manager in Burlington during 2014 – perhaps in 2015, but a Standing Committee just didn’t see a compelling case for hiring a new person for a job that wasn’t as clearly defined as it could have been.
The arts and culture community brought its existence to the surface – the city learned a lot more about who they were, what they are and what they do. Their lobbying efforts blew hot and cold. They certainly pulled the Mayor into their circle – but that wasn’t enough.
Staff, particularly general manager Kim Phillips, who is the lead on culture in the city, didn’t do all that much to support the creation of the position.
Council seemed to feel that a full-time cultural planner was enough for now and would revisit the needs of the cultural community next year.
 What was nascent and budding – has been stunted at the administration level. It is going to be up to the artists to create whatever structure is needed. What the city will see is various initiatives – and there is some very solid work being done by individual artists, but people who are not always the best at administrative stuff aren’t going to be able to market and move the idea that Burlington is a legitimate cultural centre forward very much.
There is some hope but it doesn’t exist at council nor at the senior staff level.
 The unveiling of the Spiral Stella outside the Performing Arts Centre on a bright summer day was thought to be the beginning of a breakthrough point for the arts and cultural community. Hasn’t worked out that way, yet – but art perseveres – their day will come. Discussion on this item that was on the books for $128,000 + a one time set up cost of $8,320 started with Councillor Lancaster saying she was not on for this one – mostly because she didn’t think there was all that much to manage –and on that point she was right. The arts community saw this as a person who would do some ground breaking and seed planting.
Mayor Goldring followed Lancaster saying he would not support the expense – at least not this year. Councillor Sharman said he was where the Mayor is – not at this time.
Councillor Craven wanted to know what the impact would be without a Cultural Manager – he seemed to think that with the cultural planner in place whatever had to be done would get done.
General manager Phillips conceded that the Cultural Action Plan that Council has approved will certainly proceed much slower. She added that there is some cultural mapping being done –people are adding data on who they are and what they do to the web site.
Councillors Taylor and Dennison took a pass – made no comment.
 The city’s cultural planner is all the arts community has at this point. There is some cultural mapping being done – which is useful in itself but won’t do all that much to build the tremendous potential culture has in this city. Angela Papariza will use her well-developed culture background and training to work with people like Trevor Copp – not likely to see much more in 2014. For Councillor Meed Ward – it was also a “not now – re-evaluate later” an odd decision given that much of the cultural activity is in the downtown core which is her bailiwick. Meed Ward could see where this was going.
The question now is – what is the cultural planner going to do? The current occupant of the position certainly has cred within the arts and culture community but Burlington has had good people working the culture file in the past – and they have all moved on.
The hope for many was that with the surprising energy that was seen within the arts and culture community (it was always there – just not seen or appreciated) the time had come to get serious and develop the opportunity.
The Arts and Cultural Collective did as much as they could – and then some. Trevor Copp sent out a last-minute plea to the Collective membership: “Without this position, Arts & Cultural Grants, an outside Arts body, use of space and bylaw reviews in our favour is seriously jeopardized. All our work may go up in smoke. Let them know how you feel please”.
What happens next will depend on the kind of energy and leadership that comes from the general manager handling this file. Don’t get your hopes up.
Background links:
Turns out the art community didn’t get anything from the cookie jar.
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