 By Staff
Burlington, ON December 31, 2013.
Not sure how these two managed to get together – but if ever there was a natural relationship – this had to be it.
The Region issued an Extreme Cold Weather Alert starting Wednesday, January 1 and is expected to last for two days. The alert gets issued when temperatures are expected to fall below -15 degrees Celsius – without wind-chill.
 Give them a call – they ca keep you out of a lot of trouble and ensure the safety of others on the road. One day in September 1984, as Jean Marie DeKonick was driving and listening to a radio show about the serious problems caused by impaired driving he came up with an idea: he’d get his swimming team to offer motorists who had a few drinks to drive them home in their own vehicle.
Today, more than 100 organizations across Canada benefit from the proceeds of the Operation Red Nose campaign. Each year, between $1,200,000 and $1,300,000 are redistributed to non-profit youth organizations and/or amateur sports organizations.
From the very beginning, Operation Red Nose adopted a philosophy that enabled it to gain the trust and respect of the population. The organization does not encourage nor condone those who choose to have a drink. Instead, the message « DON’T DRIVE IF YOU ARE IMPAIRED» is conveyed in a humorous and non-judgemental way. Operation Red Nose’s preventive approach is a wonderful complement to the more repressive measures of the law.
Great idea – if your red nose is the result of the colder weather, bundle up and walk a little faster. If the red nose is the result of more alcohol than the police want you to consume – check into the Red Nose Operation.
They are operational from 9:00 pm to 3:00 am. 905-634-6665
 December 30, 2013
By Staff
BURLINGTON, ON. Has all the wrapping paper been cleaned up and put out for the waste collection people? Are the toys, the ties and the bright socks that are always bought as gifts tucked away? Are the kids out on the hills sliding around on the new boards they got or out on the ice with new skates or just any skates for that matter?
For those sensible enough to stay home and avoid the bargain Boxing Day prices for things you really don’t need, today is a day to realize that you did put on some weight and you survived another season. As long as you’re not in retail or a hydro line worker or a forester you got some time at home with family and friends or making phone calls or perhaps exchanging photographs with distant family and friends via the internet.
There are in Burlington tens of thousands who will remember the days when you had to book the long distance call you wanted to make; some people even dressed up to listen to the Queen’s Christmas message. Those were distant days and different times.
One of the things that is not part of the past – it is still very much with us today – and that is family who do not have enough. There are children who got one or two gifts and a Christmas meal that was adequate but the plates definitely were not heaping.
 From the left: Lisa Hepfner, Leslie Stewart from CHCH and Sunni Genesco of KLite wrapping gifts for Burlington Mall shoppers Each year the United Way holds a Gift Wrapping event at the Burlington Mall where they bring in local celebrities who cheerfully wrap a gift you bought.
Each year, Burlington’s MP, Mike Wallace makes the rounds of the Senior’s homes and has a gift wrapped at the Mall. This year Commie Smith happened to be on hand to adjust hit Christmas tie for him and wrap his package.
Wallace enjoys making the rounds. He tends to take a laugh into each room he walks into – although this year he got a bit of a jolt when one female senior told him he had worn the same time last year.
 Connie Smith adjusts MP Mike Wallace’s Christmas tie at the United Way gift wrap counter at the Burlington Mall. Expect to see Wallace in a newer tie next year – at least one senior told him she had seen it the year before. The Gift Wrapping service is one of many events the United Way holds to draw attention to its annual fund raising drive.
One of the advantages for United Way donors is the tax receipt – but if you want to use that deduction on your 2013 tax return – you’ve got a bit more than a day to send your dollars winging towards the United Way. Through the magic of technology and the internet you can make a donation – a sizable one if you don’t mind – with just a couple of clicks.
Scoot on over to the United Way web site – make your donation and bank that tax receipt – and take some satisfaction know that you are helping fund 130 different programs that 65,000 people in the Burlington Hamilton community reply upon.
That puts a little bit extra in the giving column.
 December 30, 2013
By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON. Gerry Smallegange, Burlington Hydro’s CEO, had dinner with his family Sunday night. The last home in North Burlington saw its lights go on during the day and the wind was normal with the temperature rising. Burlington had put a lid on its 2013 power outage. Now for the cleanup and for the Burlington hydro crews to take a trip up the road to where the people in Halton Hills are still waiting until they can flick on their lights.
 Burlington Hydro CEO Gerry Smallegame and COO Dan Guatto worked all out during the power outage to get light back on – rural Burlington proved to be a real challenge. Smallegange and his COO DanGuatto, were out day and night. The worked with the city’s Emergency Operations Committee and interacted with the various stakeholders in the electrical generation industry that serves Burlington. Burlington doesn’t generate any power; it draws power from various sources and distributes it to homes in the city
Burlington Hydro is a wholly owned subsidiary of the city – you the taxpayer, own them and while you might gripe when you open that electrical bill, when the next one comes in be grateful that you had a fully dedicated team out on the streets and roads of the city fixing the problems. There wasn’t a person on the operations side of Burlington Hydro who was at home Christmas Day. It was all hands on deck and forget the idea of an eight-hour shift.
There is quite a story to tell on how Smallegange and Guatto kept it all together and got the job done. At the second community meeting in Kilbride on Christmas Day, Smallegange was at the front of the room trying to give people detailed answers to the question: When?
He had maps and sheafs of papers in his hands. Eyes bloodshot from a lack of sleep and his voice a little raspy as well, Smallegame’s voice began to rise as he tried to speak over all the other voices. He paused and then said: ”I’m not yelling at you – I’m just trying to project my voice.” It was that kind of day.
Smallegame, a father of three who lives in Burlington may have gotten to see his kids open a present but he sure wasn’t around the house in his slippers playing with the his children and the gifts they had been given.
Running Burlington Hydro is just one of the tasks Smallegame handles; he serves as one of Burlington’s appointments to the Conservation Authority and works closely with the city’s planning department on large projects that call for more than minimal power from the system.
During the awkward times with the MedicaOne project on John Street, Smallegame found himself in the middle of an issue that was not his making. Power was needed some distance from line that ran along Lakeshore – who should pay for getting a large power line from Lakeshore up to Caroline where the development is to be located was not something Hydro expected to be involved in.
What the public saw was an accomplished executive working just a little outside his comfort zone but nevertheless able to be part of a solution that kept everyone – well almost every – happy.
The efficient and effective distribution of power is essential for a city like Burlington that has moved from greenfield development to infill and intensification.
Running the day-to-day part of the operation that keeps the lights on is job enough – learning that there is a major piece of weather is on the way has Smallegame checking the tools he needs for emergencies and then moving a totally different mode.
It has been a mammoth task. Early next week the hydro accountants will begin to figure out the cost of the ice storm –they may not be as quick to tell you about that as they were in getting crews out into the field and cutting trees and re-stringing hydro wires.
 Christmas Day at the Kilbride Fire Station: Scott Stewart, General manager Infrastructure and development for the city takes questions from area residents while Gerry Smallegame and Dan Guatto look on. Fire Chief Tony Bavato looks on. With power restored work crews focus on clean-up. “In the coming days and weeks our staff will focus on the clean-up” was the way Scott Stewart, general manager of development and infrastructure saw things panning out. . “Our crews will be clearing fallen trees and branches and other debris in all parts of the city.”
The Region is lifting the three-bag limit for garbage pick-up, allowing households to place as many as six bags of garbage for collection on their scheduled day until Jan. 31, 2014. Brush debris will also be picked up on the same day as garbage from Jan. 6-31, 2014 in designated urban areas. For rural areas, Halton Region is coordinating additional resources.
Resident can also drop off brush debris at the Halton Waste Management site free of charge.
The city has set up two drop-off stations – one in Lowville Park (6207 Guelph Line) parking lot and the other at Ella Foote Hall (2175 Blessington St.) – where residents who are able to can drop off brush and wood.
The drop-off sites open on Sunday, Dec. 29 and are staffed daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will be either a loader or a backhoe at each location to assist with debris.
The Warming Centre at the Kilbride Fire Station and the Haber Recreation Centre are now closed. The city’s Emergency Operations Committee has also stood down.
There are a lot of branches that have fallen and while most have been moved to the side of the road where they will be picked up – there are situations where branches have to be moved. Email rpm@burlington.ca
We came through it. There were some significant communications glitches that need to be looked at but there were no fatalities. A lot of tired men who spent long hours climbing poles and trimming branches from a box at the end of a boom with the sound of a chain saw roaring in their ears.
Background:
It was a winter wonder land for amateur photographers – a challenge for hydro crews.
 December 28, 2013
By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON. The holiday Season is often used as a time of year to look both back at what you managed to get done and forward to think about what you would like to get done.
Family, finances, career and whatever you have in your bucket list that gets at least some thought and attention.
Think career for a bit – how is yours going? Promotion perhaps? What about a total career change?
 Some of these Council members may not get re-elected. Two already have candidates who have announced they will run against sitting members. Of the seven there is just the one that is rock solid; all the others could be beaten if the right candidate came along. Does public service have any interest for you? Do you see yourself sitting as a member of city council? Think about it. Many people work for corporations that are civic-minded enough to see a person leave the company for an extended period of time and serve the community and the return eight years later in a new capacity.
The larger corporations like the idea of having someone return with a deep understanding as to how local government works. Well just what is local government and what role does a council member play.
Lots of reading is something you would be doing a lot of – and the opportunity to think through real problems that need solutions. Local government needs people with some business experience and a capacity to see the larger picture. Burlington currently has a very significant infrastructure deficit – there are miles of roads that are going to have to be re-built in the not too distant future and we don’t have the money to pay for that work right now.
If your current background is in marketing – see the city’s problem as refurbishing an existing product that is essential but has a tired worn out look. How do you convince your customer base to go along with a price increase?
 We took this …  … and replaced it with this. Was this good planning? Burlington has to grow its population. It may not be something many people in the city want to see happen – but the province has ruled that our population is to increase. Developers see those decisions as an opportunity to buy up older properties that have a single small bungalow on a large piece of land and assemble them into a single property on which they will build housing that will be home for a larger number of people.
 This is what city building is all about. Seven young Burlingtonians made plaster impressions of their hand prints which were then engraved on the marker that tells the story of the pier and its construction. Despite its construction woes and legal problems the pier is a magnificent addition to the city. When this kind of development takes place the decisions a city council makes results in a different look to the city; more congestion if you will. What a council is really doing is “city building” – which when you think about it is pretty exciting stuff.
The planning department works with the developers to come up with the best design and use of land but the final decision is made by city council. You are in that seat making decisions on the kind of city that your children and their children will eventually live in. You are making decisions on where your parents will live when they decide to move out of that big house they no longer need and can’t handle into something that is smaller and more manageable.
If you check the city skyline you will see those tall construction cranes at construction sites – many of which are locations for new retirement homes. They aren’t what they used to be. The baby boomers are approaching retirement and they are going to do that part of their life differently – and why not, they did everything else differently. In Burlington, your city council is wrestling with a couple of retirement residences that make a lot of sense when you look at them carefully – but they represent change which isn’t something we human being handle all that well.
The managing of differences is a large part of being a council member. Politics is all about finding a balance between the various interests and having the strength of character to listen, discern and make decisions that benefit the community at large. Read up on the differences between various groups who live along Lakeshore Road and don’t want their road clogged up with runners for half a day once a year. The city loves the 4000 plus people who come to the city for that day and spend major dollars. Is it too much to ask a group of residents to give a bit so a major event can take place? Some certainly think so. What would you do were you a council member and had that one dropped into your lap?
 It was the biggest event of the year for the city. The Pier finally opened. Most people love the place – but there are still some legal problems. Is the Pier likely to become an election issue? The city is involved in some extensive costly litigation related to the pier. Would you want the public to know how much is being spent on legal fees? Two of the seven members of this current council have come out publicly for telling the public – the others want to wait until the various court cases are over. What would you do? These are not minor matters. As media people we believe that an informed public can make informed decisions. We also believe that it is vital for the democratic process we use to choose our leaders be one that consistently brings in new people. We have two council members who have been in place for more than 20 years each. Of the seven in place now three were newly elected last election. Some people are cut out for public service others are not. Fortunately the public gets to decide on who should stay and who should not be returned.
It’s pretty tough stuff at times – but it is what makes the city you have chosen to live in work the way it works. Poorly run cities depress the value of property and they become places people choose not to live in.
Becoming a Council member means you face a pretty steep learning curve. You are not just a member of city council but you are also a member of the Regional Council. You will work some nights. Better like people.
The money isn’t bad – you will earn something a little over $100,000 and have an assistant to help you do the job. You will have a territory – see it as a sales territory with a quota – you want to keep at least 50% of the customers happy so you can be returned to office. Promise the community you will serve two terms – no more – then stick to the promise.
Is it something you would like to do? Log into the city’s web site, rummage through the various documents and go through the Burlington Gazette archives. The council you will read about needs some new blood and there is nothing more satisfying than truly serving your community.
Thicken up your hide – no room for the thin-skinned in this game. If you want better local government – be part of it. And if you decide to file nomination papers – let us know right away – we want to tell your story.
Background:
No place for the thin skinned.
 December 28, 2013
By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON. Gerry Smallegange probably didn’t sleep all that well Friday night. The weather people are predicting winds of 20 kmh – which in the world Smallegange currently lives in is not good news.
 Gerry Smallegange, center, along with his COO Dan Guatto explaining to Kilbride area residents just where Hydro was in its restoring power to the community project. The temperature hasn’t risen enough for enough of the ice on the trees in north Burlington to melt. If those tree branches start swaying in the wind they could come down on all those hydro lines he has had to re-build.
Smallegange is the chief cheese at Burlington Hydro who, along with his second in command, Dan Guatto, have been at it 24/7 since the first sign of a serious weather problem became evident more than a week ago.
It was close to impossible to keep up with the demand for help. Saturday of last week Smallegange knew that he had thousands of homes in the city without power. Situations like this are not new to the people who supply homes with electricity – it was the sheer volume that came close to crippling the hydro people.
By the end of the Monday, the 23rd, things were beginning to look a little better. Lines were getting put back up in the communities south of the QEW but there were still some stubborn pockets that were taking longer than expected.
While north Burlington wasn’t being ignored by any stretch – the scope and scale of the problem up there was brutal. Smallegange knew that he had a very significant problem on his hands and needed all the help he could get. He also needed a break in the weather – and that wasn’t happening.
The ice that had built upon the hydro wires needed to melt – and the temperatures were staying at a stubborn six to ten degrees below zero.
 Working from his cell phone with an ear piece, Dan Guatto, the senior operations person at Burlington Hydro, is in communication with each of the hydro crews and the eight tree trimming trucks out on the roads of North Burlington during the power outage. The city’s Emergency Coordinating Committee was almost in constant session and doing their best to maintain a constant flow of information to city residents. The difficulty was that with no power radio and television were useless as was the internet and social media.
What worked best was neighbour telling neighbour and in the north – community meetings. The city held its first community meeting in Kilbride where hundreds showed up with questions. The city did its best – but at times that wasn’t good enough.
The lack of information was frustrating for the residents without power and the politicians and bureaucrats who had information. Information, like energy, has to have lines it can flow through – and the available lines weren’t working all that well when it came to keeping people informed.
For those without power – they were in the dark in more ways than one. For reasons that are not yet clear the city’s communications department didn’t seem to have strong working relationships with the radio stations – which meant the people needing the information weren’t getting it from the radio stations – apparently because information wasn’t getting from the city to that media.
The news people have one need – information – and if it is given to them – they get it out. Mayor Goldring expressed considerable frustration over the lack of radio coverage. “This has been a frustration and challenge for us, compounded by the time of year when so many organizations are working with lighter than usual staff compliments., he said in his blog posted on the city’s web site.
 Mayor Rick Goldring explaining to Kilbride area residents what was being done and the time frames the repair crews were working to in their community. Mayor Goldring went on to “ assure you that we did communicate extensively with the local stations that reach the Burlington audience. Burlington is without its own radio station; if we had our own station, it would have helped enormously in pushing communication out to those without power. I will be asking our Communications staff to reach out to area radio stations in order to create better connections during times of emergency.” Better late than never, I suppose.
Many of the outdoor locations that families use during holiday periods are not operational. Of the seven facilities run by the Galton Conservation Authority – just the one, Glen Eden, is open. All the others:Crawford Lake; Mt. Nemo; Mountsberg; Hilton Falls; Rattlesnake Point and Robert Edmondson are closed and are expected to remain closed until early in the New Year.
While it has been tough for Burlingtonians – the rest of Halton has had it hard as well. The situation in Toronto is beyond comprehension and it isn’t much better elsewhere.
Bolton: 368 customers
Guelph: 1,639 customers
Orangeville: 1,774 customers
Toronto Hydro: 32,400 customers (300,000 at peak)
Brampton: 500 customers
Halton Hills Hydro: 900 customers
York Region (Power Stream): 1,000 customers
Durham Region (Veridian): 1,000 customers
Milton Hydro: less than 1,000 customers
The city is now running the Emergency Operations centre out of the Kilbride Fire Station which is also serving as a Warming Centre where people can get drinking water and to use washroom facilities.
The Haber Recreation Centre – 3040 Tim Dobbie Dr., Burlington, is set up as an overnight evacuation centre with warm beds and hot showers.
 A photographers paradise: a major problem for hydro crews when there is ice on those tree branches that become a real problem when the wind rises and the branches begin to sway and snap off – falling onto the hydro lines. Hydro just might be able to report by the end of the day that they have our local problems licked – assuming the winds stay low and the temperature rises. Burlington Hydro crews can them move on into other communities and beginning stringing hydro lines elsewhere.
Burlington has a neat little habit of referring to those occasions where problems have cropped up as opportunities to learn – and learn they will. Mayor Goldring added in his blog that: In the following weeks, we will be conducting a thorough review, debrief and analysis of our response to the ice storm. We have learned a great deal from this experience and much of what we have learned will be incorporated into future emergency operations response. Our communication protocols and the tools we have available are areas that we have realized need particular focus.
He got that part right.
Background:
Mayor leafs through his emergency Measures Manual
 December 16, 2013
By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON. Hydro, the guys that keep the lights on and send you a bill every second month that never gets smaller – unless you are in Florida for the winter, wants to “find some efficiencies” and get more out the company’s assets.
Burlington Hydro has one shareholder – YOU; the company is a wholly owned subsidiary of the city of Burlington and pays the city dividends on a regular basis. There are times when Hydro looks like either a rich uncle the city begs money from or a piggy bank that gets raided frequently.
The City of Burlington and Burlington Hydro Electric Inc., jointly announced the appointment of Archie Bennett as director and chair of the Burlington Hydro Electric Board following the resignation of Charles Keizer.
 Charles Keizer leaves Hydro board to consult for the organization. Keizer, a partner and co-head of Torys’ Infrastructure and Energy Practice, (Torys is a leading Ontario law firm with probably the bluest pedigree in the province) resigned as Burlington Hydro Electric Board Chair to provide legal services to Burlington Electricity Services Inc. and BHEI in partnership with the City of Burlington.
“As lead counsel on a number of generation and transmission projects, Keizer has provided solid strategic advice and has a strong understanding of project development,” said City Manager Jeff Fielding. “On behalf of the city, BESI and Burlington Hydro Electric, Charles will lead the charge in finding efficiencies and cost-saving opportunities that will help benefit ratepayers and taxpayers.”
 Keizer brings considerable depth in hydro transmission and grid operations to his new consulting assignment. It should be interesting to see what he comes up with. Keizer had to resign from the Hydro Board if he was going to provide services for which he will be paid. In the energy business payment for services is very healthy.
In addition to Bennett, a former BHEI board director and chair, the BHEI board also includes Darla Youldon, a former executive at John Deere & Co.; City Manager Jeff Fielding; Phil Nanavati, vice-president at FENGATE Capital Management; Don Dalicandro, CEO of Azertech Inc.; John Maheu, Association of Ontario Road Supervisors; and Burlington Mayor Rick Goldring.
“We’re very pleased that Charles Keizer will put his extensive industry experience into play as he undertakes the task to assess potential service delivery opportunities between the City of Burlington and Burlington Hydro Electric,” said Gerry Smallegange, President and CEO of BHEI. “In the interim, and until further notice, Archie Bennett has agreed to step in as chair of the company, providing his very capable and experienced leadership on the BHEI board.”
Bennett returns to an old stomping ground after retiring in 2007 completing a 45-year career in senior management, engineering and construction including leading the Burlington-based Zeton group of companies since 1989 to become the global leader in its field. He continues to serve on the parent and Dutch subsidiary boards of Zeton, and provides consulting services on management matters.
Bennett has the look of a place holder until Burlington Hydro has a sense as to what Keizer suggests the corporation can ger into to dig out those “efficiencies”.
 Can Hydro be more than an energy transmission company. They should have kept the fibre optic network they once owned. City manager Jeff Fielding has always believed that Hydro can and should play a bigger role in the financial evolution of the city; he has cast a covetous eye on the head office Hydro property on Brant street and wondered aloud if the city could not get more out of that asset.
Burlington is beginning to realize that we have a city manager who while good on the administrative side happens to be very good on the thinking side and has in the short time he has been at city hall managed to completely shake up the way the city puts together its budget and has everyone in every department taking a much closer look at the service they deliver. He is asking them to ask themselves: Is this a service the city should be delivering? This is radical within the municipal sector.
Fielding has permission from city council to explore the idea of “enterprise corporations” that will be like Burlington Hydro, stand alone, wholly owned subsidiaries that have the potential to generate revenue and perhaps even find a cheaper way to deliver services.
 Hydro has been paying the city significant dividends over the years. That spike is the year the fibre optic network was sold. Fielding knows better than anyone, except for Joan Ford who knows every number in every account of the city budget, how desperate the city’s Industrial, Commercial and Institutional (ICI) tax revenue situation is. The Economic Development Corporation has done such a terrible job of both attracting new companies to the city and positioning the city as a place corporations want to locate.
 Jeff Fielding – proving to be a very strong conceptual thinker as well as a decent administrator. The ICI side of the tax revenue stream for 2013 is going to be a negative number when measured against 2012 – and things right now don’t look a lot better for 2015. If the funds don’t come from the ICI side then they have to come from the residential side or spending has to be cut. In an election year? Financially the city is not in a healthy situation even thought our reserves are in very good shape.
Given a five or six snow storms like the one late last week and we just might have to dip into the snow removal reserves.
The Burlington Hydro announcements are good news in that they show some movement. Task now is to see which direction they actually move in. Hydro is one of those fat calves with all kinds of revenue and not a lot in the way of transparency.
 December 15, 2013
By Staff
CATCH (Citizens at City Hall) is a citizens organization in Hamilton that documents Hamilton city council meetings. The organization has a strong environmental bent to it and has watched the Enbridge Line # 9 and the National Energy Board proceedings which are relevant to Burlington because Line #9 runs right through the city just north of Side Road #1. This report is from CATCH – we pass it along because of its relevance.
BURLINGTON, ON. Controversy continues to swirl around both the National Energy Board and Enbridge Inc’s Line 9 proposals that the NEB is expected to rule on in January. Revelations this week include a large Line 9 spill that the company failed to report to the affected municipality and evidence that an association representing Enbridge and other energy corporations virtually dictated federal changes to the NEB that restricted public input into the regulator’s decision-making process. Those changes were among problems cited last month by “Ontario’s voice on public policy” in a remarkably frank discussion of the pluses and minuses – mostly the latter – of the effect of tar sands pipeline proposals on Canada’s largest province.
The Mowat Centre was set up at the University of Toronto five years ago by the Ontario government. Its pipeline review co-authored by founder and director Matthew Mendelsohn points to severe climatic impacts, safety concerns, damage to the manufacturing sector and the minimal economic benefits of oil sands expansion as reasons for the province to demand a different approach by Alberta and the federal government.
 One of the pipeline station control points is located on Walkers Line. Thousands drive by it every month. While noting Ontario’s support for “Alberta’s continued prosperity” and inclination to therefore support pipelines, the Mowat review points to “legitimate concerns regarding environmental safety” that are “real and should be treated as such”. It also contends that “new oil pipeline infrastructure is only needed if expansion in the oil sands is envisioned” which it says is completely undermining efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
“For nearly a decade, Ontario has confronted a federal government that refuses to recognize the contribution that Ontarians are making to reducing emissions while allowing the emissions from the oil sands to continue increasing unabated. So long as the federal government – and the government of Alberta – support a climate change policy that asks Ontarians – and other Canadians – to carry the largest burden and pay the biggest financial cost for reducing emissions, there are good reasons for Ontario to oppose pipeline development that will only exacerbate climate change.”
The review is equally blunt about the direct economic impact of tar sands expansion where “almost all of the economic benefits flow to Alberta” – 94% by some estimates” while Ontario industry pays a steep price in lost exports and jobs.
“There is a wide consensus that developments in Canada’s resource sector, particularly in oil and gas, have contributed to a rapid escalation in Canadian exchange rates, and that these have had a negative impact on the Ontario manufacturing sector.”
The Mowat Centre also believes “unreasonable restrictions on public input” to the NEB “do not serve the interests of Ontarians.” New restrictions imposed by the Harper government last year required individuals and groups concerned about Line 9 to fill out an application form to get permission to even send a letter to the NEB.
Those changes and similar ones introduced to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act “were taken directly from an August 2012 oil industry report” according to an analysis completed by Forest Ethics Advocacy Association.
“The energy industry told the government what to do, and the government did it. It’s as simple as that,” says their chair Clayton Ruby in a media release from the organization. The group’s spokesperson Tzeporah Berman charges that “Enbridge and the industry lobbied aggressively to get these rules put in place because they don’t want Canadians getting in the way of their profits.”
The City of Hamilton was one of 175 organizations and individuals that applied to submit comments to this fall’s NEB hearings on Line 9, and like other Ontario municipalities it particularly pushed Enbridge to provide much more information to local emergency response personnel. Revelations this week at provincial hearings underway in Quebec indicate municipalities have reason to worry about the company’s transparency.
 Few people in Burlington are even aware that one of the most controversial National Energy Board hearings concerns a pipeline that runs through the northern part of our city. The city of Terrebonne has only now learned about a 4000-litre spill from Line 9 that took place within its municipal boundaries more than two years ago. It was reported to federal and provincial authorities but not to the municipality.
“We are of the opinion that a 4,000-litre oil spill, even if it was contained within your facilities, is not an insignificant event,” Terrebonne’s director general, Denis Lévesque, wrote in a letter sent to Enbridge last week. “In our opinion, a spill like that should have been officially reported by Enbridge to our municipal services, all the more at this time when citizens are rightly concerned about ecological risks associated with oil transportation.”
And while Enbridge continues to promise that the Line 9 changes are not to facilitate export of tar sands bitumen, there are more indications to the contrary in Portland, Maine – the ocean export port that Enbridge identified in its 2008 Trailbreaker plan. In the latest developments, the American Petroleum Institute is threatening to sue Portland’s municipal council if it imposes a moratorium on “development proposals involving the loading of unrefined oil sands onto marine tank vessels docking in South Portland.”
The council move responds to a citizens’ ballot initiative that was narrowly defeated in Portland’s elections last month. It sought to block plans by the Portland to Montreal Pipeline Company to bring Canadian bitumen to the port.
Background:
Ontario’s voice on public policy” in a remarkably frank discussion.
The energy industry told the government what to do, and the government did it.
Enbridge donates $7500 to Burlington fire department.
 In an earlier edition of the paper we incorrectly named the PSW’s. Our apologies.
December 14, 2013
By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON. During the several debates at city council last week mention was made frequently of the difficulties Personal Support Workers had in getting to some of their clients in the east end of Lakeshore Road during the Chilly Half Marathon race that takes place in March of each year with some 4000+ runners on the road.
The Personal Support Workers (PSW’s) work to very, very tight schedules. If you have a 10:30 appointment it takes place at 10:30 – there is next to no wiggle room in their schedules. The problems the Personal Support Workers run into were brought up by a number of the delegations that didn’t want the race run on the route it is run on.
 Personal Service Workers strike for decent wages. Turns out that getting to their clients isn’t the only problem the Personal Support Workers have – they want a decent wage as well and have walked of the job effective Friday.
According to their union the 4,500 personal support workers walked off the job yesterday to support their demands for justice and a living wage.
“These workers are tired of being pushed around and taken for granted,” said Sharleen Stewart, president of SEIU Healthcare. “They are paid poverty-level wages of $15 an hour and are expected to pay for gas out-of-pocket when they drive long distances to make home visits.”
 Ontario’s Minister of Health spent a day with a PSW worker to see first hand what they do – so the government knows that the issues are. In the last two years PSW earnings have been reduced by about 7% as a result of a wage freeze combined with inflation and a massive increase in the price of gas.
The Canadian Reed Cross created a new home care agency and merged that operation with Care Partners in 2012.
“We estimate 50 cents of every dollar given to Red Cross ($143 million this year) is skimmed off for bureaucracy, excessive executive pay and profit. Where is the accountability in this system for delivering quality care to seniors and vulnerable clients?”
Last year the CEO of the Red Cross Society was given a 9% pay increase, bringing his salary to $297 thousand, which is 11 times the average salary of a PSW.
A couple of dozen PSW’s were out on the street on one of the coldest days of the year. A hundred or so people in Burlington who needed care on Friday just didn’t get it.
 December 13, 2013
By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON. As part of the mandate of the Human Trafficking and Vice Unit and in partnership with the Canadian Border Services Agency and By-Law Enforcement Officers from Burlington, Oakville and Milton, several Halton businesses were visited on December 11, 2013 and inspected for municipal By-law infractions.
 It’s certainly not show business. The following businesses were found to be in violation of by-laws specific to their industry and as a result received Provincial Offences Notices and/or had the business licence revoked:
Accu Green Health – 774 Brant Street, Burlington – licence revoked
Cara Studio – 4180 Morris Drive, Burlington – Notice of Violation to be served on owner and charges pending
Body & Sole – 550 Ontario Street, Milton – closed operating no valid licence
Mary Gold – 43 Main Street South, Campbellville – Closed operating unlicenced, charge issued
Tai Chi – 2544 Speers Road, Oakville – issued zoning notice for closure, charge issued
Ivy Spa – 119 North Service Road East, Oakville – issued zoning notice for closure, 2 charges issued
The Human Trafficking and Vice Unit is responsible for all human trafficking investigations (both domestic and international – including but not limited to the sex trade, forced labour or domestic servitude), all prostitution investigation (including street prostitution, escort services and disorderly houses – common-bawdy houses), all adult entertainment premises investigations (including commercial massage parlours), all gaming related investigations and all liquor license premises investigations.
Anyone wanting to provide confidential information or tips related to suspected human trafficking is asked to contact 905 825-4747 x8723, via email at HTVICE@haltonpolice.ca or anonymously by calling Crime Stoppers at 1 800 222-TIPS(8477) or through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.com.
If you are a victim of human trafficking, dial 9-1-1 or contact the Chrysalis Anti-Human Trafficking Network for free, confidential telephone trauma counselling and referrals for anyone who has been trafficked or exploited at 1-866-528-7109.
 December 11, 2013
By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON. City Council meetings are a legal requirement. In Burlington when your elected representatives meet as a Council they usually approve the recommendations that were made by the Standing Committees.
Council adjourns every meeting with a reminder as to when Council is scheduled to meet next and the Mayor, who chairs the Council meetings, states that Council can meet at the call of the Mayor. During the regular Council meetings various bylaws get passed. It is the bylaws that give the city the authority to do certain things as set out in the bylaw.
Monday evening Council met and passed six bylaws. A bylaw was passed to authorize the temporary borrowing of funds from the Royal Bank. There was another passed to approve the appointment of municipal law enforcement officers for the city of Burlington. There was also a bylaw to amend the parking bylaw to allow changes to the on-street parking rules and municipal facility parking.
 The view from Lakeshore at Elizabeth street with the hotel on the corner and the seven story condo further south on Elizabeth – closer to the water. Elizabeth will run south of Lakeshore. The 22 story condo is on the eastern side. Slipped in was a bylaw removing the H designation on the biggest development project Burlington has seen for some time – biggest in the sense of the impact it is going to have on the downtown core and the way the citizens of this city see their town.
 The developments is taking place in the very core of the city and has been on the planning boards since 1985 when city council approved the project as a “landmark” that was going to put Burlington on the map. The pier was supposed to do that wasn’t it? The Bridgewater project is a development on the south side of Lakeshore Road the runs from east of Elizabeth, a street that now ends at Lakeshore but will be extended down to the walkway along the lake’s edge.
The project will consist of three structures: A 22 story condominium apartment on the east side of the property, a seven story condominium apartment that will be on the south-west section of the property and an eight story hotel that will be on the northwest corner of the property and will be operated by Delta Hotels.
The H part of a zoning designation is put place to signify that there is a hold on the property until certain undertakings have been completed. In this case there were wind studies to be done and a traffic study to be done. The city wants to know what the wind patterns are going to be like when a 22 storey building goes up close to the edge of the lake.
 This is how the buildings are going to be sited on the property. The opening into the public area from Lakeshore Road between the hotel on the west and the 22 storey condo on the east is just 50 feet wide. The public area does widen once you get into the property. shown on the western side is what they are calling Lakeview Square. The grading is going to be quite steep as indicated by the steps south of the Square.  View from the lake with the smaller condo in the lower left and the 22 storey condo on the upper right and the public spaces in between. There are a lot of stairs shown just above the promenade which is already in place.  The opening off Lakeshore into the public space is just 50 feet wide. The public may have been expecting a wider “window onto the lake” With 150 apartment units in the condo plus 33 other residential units and a hotel with 152 rooms, traffic along Lakeshore and Elizabeth will be different. The entrance to the hotel will be on Elizabeth as will entrance to the underground parking.
The property that is being developed was at one point home to the Riviera Motel. The environmental people needed to know what the condition of the earth was – a certificate was need to certify that it met provincial environmental standards.
 This is what Lakeshore will look like once construction is completed. Elizabeth will be on the right and Pearl which ends at Lakeshore will be on the left. The people currently living in the condominiums on the north side of LAkeshore might end up with less of a view. With the removal of the H designation all the variances that were approved close to a year ago can come into effect. Some of those variances, approved by the Committee of Adjustment, had conditions attached to them. These included the provision of various securities – all part of the paperwork that lays behind a development.
When the conditions are met the draft site plan is submitted and assuming that clears the planning hurdles, and there is no reason to expect there to be any problems a building permit can be issued and work can actually begin – shovels in the ground as the politicians like to say.
Couple of things come to the surface on this process. Council met on Monday and removed that H designation – yet in their remarks neither the Mayor nor the ward 2 council member uttered as much as a word about the project. It was as if it was a ship that was passing quietly in the night.
Whenever there is good news the politicians are real quick top pick up on it and make sure you know about it. Monday’s Council meeting had a nasty brutal streak to it with pointed comments being made by almost everyone. Perhaps the bruises that were left from the meeting were healing.
 If this rendering is accurate the site will have a lot of trees which once they mature should make for a very pleasant part of the city. The objective is going to be to get quality commercial operations on the project – the fear many have expressed is a massive Tim Hortons. Or perhaps there is a problem with the time frames Mayrose-Tyco and Delta have to work within. The intention was to have the hotel open for the PanAm Games scheduled to be held from July 10–26, 2015. Officially these are the XVII Pan American Games or the 17th Pan American Games and while Burlington missed out on the opportunity to actually host any of the events the City View Park will be used as a practice field for some of the soccer teams. The public however will not get to see any of those practices – the PanAm people gave the city a fat cheque that will allow them to take over the grounds. You probably won’t even be able to walk your dog on the grounds.
 City View Park is ready for the Pan Am Games – will hotels rooms be available? The City View Park will be ready – the same cannot be said for the Bridgewater project. Officially the project is not yet approved. Mayrose Tyco and Delta have 18 months to dig the hole in the ground and put up the eight story hotel. Theoretically it can be done – but this project, first approved back in 1985 when it was called Waterfront East and approved when Roly Bird was Mayor and Walter Mulkewich was a member of Council
Was the possibility that the project will not get done in time to be used during the PanAm Games explain why the politicians said nothing before they all scooted away for the holidays?
Background:
Why is waterfront development taking s long?
Bridgewater edges closer to actual construction.
Riviera Motel set ablaze, doesn’t burn down; wreckers will be on site real soon.
 December 8, 2013
By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON. It will be the last time this city council meets this year. Along with the usual reports from the Standing Committees there is an item that was deferred from the last Council so that a delegation can appear to urge the city to re-review the decision to have the Chilly Half Marathon run along a different route.
Nick and Diane Leblovic delegated at the November 13 meeting of the Community Services Committee.
After considerable discussion on November 13th the Standing Committee decided to stick with the staff recommendation which was to continue to have the race run along Lakeshore Road. The Leblovic’s provided extensive written material in the form of a petition, emails and letters. Councillor Meed Ward put forward an amendment to the Staff Direction that would create a committee to “organize discussions between City Staff, VRPro and members of the Lakeshore residents working group to consider changes to the Chilly Half Marathon to, among other things, minimize the negative impact of the race on Lakeshore area residents.”
 It is a hugely popular event. It takes place on a Sunday morning every March – and it is in all probability going to take place in March of 2014 along Lakeshore Road. It was pretty clear at that meeting that city staff saw no need for a meeting with any working group – they had done their homework and advised city council Lakeshore Road was the best route.
The Meed Ward amendment was defeated and at that point the Leblovic’s left the meeting. Discussion on the issue however continued during which time Mayor Goldring mentioned that he and Councilor Dennison had offered to meet with the Leblovic’s but that they were turned down. In their request to have the vote on the Chilly Half Marathon deferred the Leblovic’s said the took exception to “the Mayor’s action in making this statement after we had left the meeting. The Mayor could have raised this issue in questions to me which would have provided me with an opportunity to provide important background and context to his statement.”
The Leblovic’s went on to say “the Mayor failed to disclose significant additional information concerning to an earlier meeting with him and Councillor Dennison and to related discussions and communications which took place during May and June of this year.”
The Leblovic document went on to say that: “ If the Mayor had made his statement when questioning me I would certainly have provided this additional information in my responses which would have provided a clearer and more complete understanding of the positions of the parties and the reasons for the decisions that were taken.”
What one wonders is why this “significant additional information” was not given during their 10 minute delegation.
City staffs were very clear in their recommendation – the Lakeshore Road route was the best location for an event that draws well in excess of 4000 people.
It was evident that more attention needs to be given to handling the individual problems that crop up. Some people have care givers that need to be able to get into their property – surely such situation can be managed.
The Leblovic’s said the “actions of the Committee in having this debate in our absence is not only un-parliamentary, unfair and inappropriate but provides a limited and one-sided picture of the events and circumstances in question.” They asked that the final vote be deferred – and it was. That final vote will take place Monday evening at which time there is no reason at this point to expect anything other than to see the Staff Recommendation approved.
The Chilly Half Marathon dates are known close to a year in advance; it should be possible to organize one’s personal life to accommodate a major sports event. New Street gets shut down for several hours every year for the Santa Claus parade and some people are locked in – admittedly not as many as during the marathon.
A slight change of subject:
 The current council set itself a goal of not more than a 10% tax increase during their four-year term. For 2011, 2012 and 2013 the total tax increase on residential property amounted to 8.65% – this included the hospital levy.
When you add in the 4.66 that is a preliminary projection to that total, citizens are looking at a 13.31% tax increase over the four-year term. That is going to take some explaining as this Council heads into an election year. The preliminary numbers were in a report on “economic drivers” discussed at a Council Standing Committee last week. Council meetings at times appear to be a races to get through the Standing Committee reports. Within those reports are some critically important documents that need both public attention and discussion. There are problems on the not so distant horizon that need attention.
The report from the Committee of the Whole that met on Thursday will get all of two minutes – but tucked inside that document was the suggestion from the city manager that Burlington residents could be facing a 4.66% tax increase in 2014 – which would blow the promised 10% increase for the term of this council right out of the water.
The significant seven are heading into an election year and this is not something they want to talk about – not at this time.
More on that later.
Background:
Lakeshore Road area residents delegate to council for a different route for Chilly Half Marathon.
 December 8, 2013
By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON. It has been a good year for the Joseph Brant Hospital. Not as good a year for old Jo Brant himself – the Pooh-Bahs at the hospital decided to drop the word Memorial from the official name and came up with a spiffy new corporate logo as well. Times change.
 The hospital did a topping off ceremony for the Halton McMaster Family Health Centre (there’s a name screaming for something shorter) and announced how well the fund raising program has been doing. Incredibly well is the best way to describe the $16.5 million that has been raised. The target is $60 million the hospital foundation has been tasked to find.
In the world of fund raising “seven digits” is what you go looking for – it’s sort of like the single malt of the fund raising world – and these are not easily come by. Romancing seven digits calls for a skill set few can bring to the table. Anissa Hilborn, president of Burlington’s Joseph Brant Hospital Foundation has done a remarkable job. The rate of donations is “unheard of”, which is a testament to both the Foundation and the generosity of the community.
Today there is $16.5 million in campaign commitments – achieved in less than two years’ time.
The Molinaro family brought $1 million to the table, the Hogarth clan followed with an additional million. The Sante/Peller family added $500,000. Before any of this happened the Boards and Senior leadership at the hospital put their names down for $23.5 million.
Burlington’s four Rotary Clubs put themselves down for $1 million. Before anyone got out a cheque book however the hospital auxiliary committed to $3.5 million
Ambassador Giving Societies and Circles were launched in January of this year. The Crystal Ball Gala will be held on September 14 of 2014. It is all rolling out rather well.
The public phase of the campaign will be launched when $45 million of the $60 million goal has been reached. All of this is no small achievement and is a significant credit to the Campaign Cabinet made up of 20 community and business leaders.
 The Family Medical Centre will be in the structure under construction on the left – with the parking garage on the right. There will be a passageway from the parking garage right into the hospital. No word yet on the parking prices. With the fund raising well in hand – hospital CEO Eric J. Vandewall talked about the progress and the construction schedule. First piece of good news was that the provincial government put a little more money on the table.
Next: the hospital has settled on three consortiums who are going to bid on the construction of the building which will be an additional story higher than originally planned: seven floors instead of the six in the original thinking – however the building is going to look a lot bigger than just seven floors of space for people to get better in.
 They have a timeline in place – now to keep everyone fully informed. There will be an additional two floors above the actual hospital which will house all the electrical and mechanical equipment making the building look like a nine story structure which will be a couple of hundred yards from the edge of the lake and will dominate the western side of the city.
In the very near future Burlington’s sky line is going to experience a radical change with the Bridgewater condominium/hotel in the middle of town soaring to a height of 22 storeys and the hospital reaching up nine storeys.
 The hospital site will take on a campus like setting with the buildings oriented to the lake. The project is being headed up by Infrastructure Ontario – they work hand in glove with the hospital scoping out just what is needed, where value engineering can be used to get the best for the dollars being spent. It is at this level that Vandewall shines. The work he did in Mississauga prepared him for the Joseph Brant challenge.
What was originally going to be the renovation of an aging hospital that was well past its best before date, and carrying a nasty reputation as well, has morphed into basically a rebuild with a brand new facility set off to the western side.
Vandewall does remarkable work – he is unfortunately not as well served on the communications side. The hospital is filled with great good news stories that don’t get told. Their media relations are terrible.
 Entrance to the hospital will be from either the parking garage which will be on the west side of the hospital connected by a passageway or from the street level entrance that will front onto Lakeshore Road. The new tower will have 172 new beds; there will be a new Emergency department; a new intensive care unit, a renovated Special Care Nursery.
While the focus is on the hospital, contractors have been working away at the Halton McMaster Family Health Care Centre that will attract ten new family practice doctors. Attached to the Health Care Centre will be a three level parking garage with capacity to have an additional two floors of parking added.
The hospital site will take on the look and feel of a campus – it will be a much different site than the collection of services out there now. All the construction work gets done while the care givers and the surgeons continue to go about their daily work.
Background on hospital development:
Paying the CEO
Parking garage – how it got paid for.
Getting the Family Medical Centre
 December 6, 2013
By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON. A very senior source at city hall called it “unseemly”. Some think it might be outright fraud but the people at ADI Developments think it’s just fine.
 Popular prices, great location and innovative design. Tighten up the marketing practices and this could be the project of the year. ADI, relatively new to Burlington as developers, have shown some surprisingly innovative designs that move away from the stilted, safe approach many developers take. Their project on Guelph Line, that is now under construction, was a nice jolt of energy and the project at Sutton and Dundas Road is certainly not what that part of the city has seen in the past.
 Shovels now in the ground for a a smart, exciting development on Guelph Line. Smart design, innovative features and a willingness to comply with the suggestions from the planners got the Adi brothers close to being named the poster boys of the development community.
The two brothers who operate the company, with their Dad back stopping them, saw real potential with Village Square and attempted to find a negotiating point with the Friedman family at which something could be agreed upon. That didn’t work out and Village Square has since been taken off the market. Many wonder if the property was ever really for sale.
Artists Walk has also been closed – Debra Friedman has decided to close the operation that was a venue for local artistic talent.
 The ADI development on the north-east part of the city is certainly different from past projects by other developers and should appeal to a younger market. The issue at city hall with ADI Developments is the sale of units at the LINK project out on Sutton and Dundas. Their application for a zoning change has yet to be approved but the company is believed to be selling units in the development.
What this amounts to is the selling of something the developer does not yet have. The zoning change they have asked for is reasonable and it will set out how many units are going to be permitted in the project.
 The LINK project snuggled right up to Bronte Creek where there should be exceptional views for the units on the east side. Some very innovative design work done with this project. Once that is known the developer can then do a final pricing and roll out a marketing plan. Until the zoning is in place offering a unit for sale, while not illegal, does raise some questions as to just what a buyer is getting.
Developers do have problems in financing a project. Bankers and other sources of cash want some assurance the project is going to work and that the units built will be sold. So they pre-sell. A developer loves to be able to put up one of those “60% sold” sign on a project. It satisfies the bankers and gives buyers a sense of confidence as well.
Selling units in a project that doesn’t have zoning approval is not something planners are uncomfortable with. If something goes wrong the public tends to turn to the city and ask why this was permitted. It leaves a poor impression of the city and, as it was explained to us: “it isn’t the best of practices”.
ADI developments did not respond to a request for comment.
Other ADI development stories:
Guelph Line project breaks ground.
Developer sees potential at Village Square, tries to romance the owners daughter
 December 5, 2013
By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON. Change is an awkward process. We say we are OK with change but we rarely approach it with a full heart – we kind of shuffle along towards it.
 Wise tree planting when development was done originally has given the city a community that has increased in value and given it a character the residents want to maintain. Developers want to cash in on the wise decisions made a long time ago. The people of Roseland are struggling to deal with change. In the years 2012 and 2013, the City and Roseland Community Organization (RCO) have been involved with appeals to the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) opposing development applications that do not conform to the City’s Official Plan. These repetitive applications are draining the resources of both the City and RCO.
Burlington is currently going through a very involved and complex Official Plan Review (OPR), something every city is required to do every five years.
There is a concept in the world of planners that while not new – it is new to Burlington and was introduced to use by Anne McIlroy, a planning consultant who has been involved as a consultant for Burlington for a long time. They are called Character Area Studies – intended to take a deep look at the character of a community and determine why it is as it is and what parts of it can be saved and what parts can be changed.
Councillor Rick Craven had asked that the Indian Point community in ward 1 have a character study done – when the Roseland people learned about the concept they asked to have Roseland included.
 Located on the east side of the city bordering the lake. Roseland is home to many very senior executives – probably the most powerful collection of people in the city. The RCO crowd are now arguing that if there is to be Roseland Character Area Study in order to address shared concerns, and if it is going to take a couple of more years to adopt the revised OP, then it is “appropriate and prudent to adopt an interim control by-law postponing this type of application until the appropriate regulations are in place.”
By “this type of application” the good people of Roseland mean those situations where development is taking place that results in significant change to the character of their community. One resident set out, quite clearly what the issue is:
In the past 5 or 6 years, a number of houses in Roseland have been demolished and replaced by ones of considerably greater size, often through the granting of minor variances. (As an example, the 70 foot lot diagonally behind our property is in the process of having its 1500 square foot bungalow replaced by a 5000 square foot multistory house). I and others in Roseland recognize that today’s homebuyers wish to have more “built space” and less “botanical space”, and are prepared to pay a substantial price for such a property. However the effect of these houses on both the smaller ones around them and the neighbourhood streetscape has become a cause for considerable concern.
About 100 people gathered at the Roseland Community Centre and discussed their concerns. The meeting arrived at a startling conclusion:
- Interim Control By-Law for the Roseland area to immediately halt applications for land severance and accompanying minor variances until both the Roseland Character Area Study being undertaken is completed, and consideration is given to the implementation of related Official Plan amendments;
- Establish additional regulations within this proposed Interim Control By-law to stop the demolition of existing dwellings within Roseland thereby ensuring that future new housing will be built in compliance with the future recommendations evolving from the Roseland Character Area Study.
City planner Bruce Krushelnicki described interim control bylaws as “draconian” – they are a blunt, brutal instrument and they do have limitations. The city can, if it so chooses put in such a bylaw that can last for just one year. The bylaw can be renewed for a second year but after that the bylaw must be lifted and cannot be imposed on that community again. Such a bylaw could be imposed on some other part of the city.
The following is a collection of some of the notes that individuals put on large pieces of poster paper: at the Roseland AGM. Their frustration is evident – their understanding of just how brutal an interim control bylaw is – is not as evident. These things have a tendency to come with a clutch of unintended consequences.
 The community has strength and money written all over it. The list is extensive:
“Freeze all building permits “ON HOLD” to avoid the ongoing levelling of existing homes to make way for new builds until study and plan have been approved…i.e. Rossmore has lost most of its homes
Preamble needed: There should be a preamble to the document, a very brief description of Roseland as a “long-established aggregate of historically diverse homes and a community of residents of all ages and backgrounds.”
Absolutely– We are tired of working so hard just to preserve the neighbourhood we bought into. We have already put much of our own money into protecting ourselves from speculators.
Interim Control By-law is essential to maintain veracity of the neighbourhood. We also need to stop the razing of bungalows to be replaced by large houses that are out of character with Roseland.
I wish this had been done years ago- our house is surrounded by “variances” and it is not what anyone wants.
This is an essential first step which halts the process which most damages the neighbourhood character.
Yes to this freeze and pass an Interim Control By-law.
Renewal and progress are inevitable and valued. No one wants that to stop. We want it to respect the character, streetscape and charm of the entire neighbourhood.
Interim Control By-law: I agree we should freeze severance applications until council completes the Roseland Character Area Study.
Exclude developers from meetings involving our area. Their only stake in our community is short term.
Yes it is essential to have an Interim Control By-Law.
Please define “minor variance”. There seems to be no limit to variance.
Please freeze all minor variances until the Character Area Study is completed!
Redevelopment of Roseland is out of control, particularly in the last few years. Much of this redevelopment, including lot severances, has been by developers, purely for profit, to the detriment of the unique characteristics -> lot widths, trees, architecture of Roseland. Therefore, an interim control by-law is essential before it is too late.
Interim Control By-Law: appropriate and fair to the community.
Agree with freeze or until official plan review is completed.
Given what has transpired around us, this is a good first step, one that is vital to maintain an orderly transition and understanding of proposed changes called for by council.
 Roseland homes have character, there are no cookie cutter homes. It is a community that just simply works and they residents want to keep it that way. I believe this is a necessary first step in the process. –> these severance/minor variance applications threaten to alter the essential nature /character of the neighbourhood
Yes- agree but would like to see even stronger controls, e.g. on reduction of setbacks by 50%
An excellent and necessary step to ensure that any development from today will fit with the eventual new Official Plan.
Developers are using our neighbourhood as their inventory for their business: complete one house; move to the next property; and, keep marching down the street – use the construction processes to disrupt the quality of neighbourhood life, forcing people out. They know the by-laws and use them to their advantage – we want an interim control by-law that will stop this until we get a new Official Plan.
Established communities are assets to all of Burlington and not just their residents. Once lost they cannot be regained.
Burlington’s Official Plan must recognize the reality of Burlington– that it is made up of unique communities which give Burlington its character.
Some areas of our neighbourhood have (almost) reached the tipping point where the developers’ new builds outnumber the older homes and the character has been destroyed. It has to stop.
Recognition of Burlington’s various neighbourhoods and communities essential to maintaining our livable status buildings in established communities needs different rules than fresh communities
Preserve Roseland as an established community and don’t allow changes to our historically diverse characteristics.
I’m very concerned about the excessive amount of time (that) construction vehicles are blocking traffic in Roseland- especially on Rossmore.
Need to set policies on “established” communities in the Official Plan and not just focus on “new” communities -need a definition of what an “established” community is
Maintaining the historical diversity of the neighbourhood is important.
Reinforce the need to different planning approach in different areas in the city.
Perhaps all council members should take a walk or drive through the neighbourhood to understand the uniquely beautiful style of this area.
It would be good for new buyers to be aware of this–before the damage is done. That being said, there has been quite a precedent set already for what NOT to do.
Yes…we in Roseland are unique and we need to preserve our special characteristics! People in Burlington like to park cars here and walk. -> Historically diverse -> charming, character type homes
Yes, enhance why Roseland needs to be recognized as corporate culture specific to Roseland…this community’s specific values –History of our past being successful lived in the present add the point somehow
Consideration has to be given to neighbours who have to endure the noise of the building process that is allowed to start at 7:00 a.m. and even all weekend.
Stop allowing the construction of “super-sized” homes. They don’t add to the character of Roseland.
Roseland should be used as an example of an established community and the benefit of community planning with the City’s Official Plan. Roseland could be used as a model for established community governance.
I want to see Roseland recognized as an established community with specific characteristics including valuing our historic diversity in our homes.
Add “historically diverse” to description of our neighbourhood.
“Growing in Place” is all about established unique communities with their own policies. It’s in the Strategic Plan for this council.
Community is special and historic and should be designated as such. Beware tearing down and rebuilding.”
Every community is unique. People move to a community for a reason – they identify with the feel of the streets, the amenities that are available, transportation in and out of the community – a host of reasons.
When people decide on where they want to live they kind of expect it to remain the way it was when they decided to move in.
Roseland happens to have an eclectic mix of houses that go from a small bungalow sitting next to a large three-story structure that has all kinds of character and sweeping lawns and wonderful gardens. It is more than physical character in Roseland – it is the people and the way the streets are laid out and how neighbours walk across the street to each other. It is a tight-knit group – they can be tough as a society as well. When the formed their community organization they promptly blackballed their member of council because he wanted to sub divide his lot.
These are intelligent people of means, the speak in paragraphs and don’t move their lips when they read.
 The communities tree canopy is superb – the residents want to keep it that way and want to see a tree bylaw as well. They have asked for an interim control bylaw. City council kind of coughed over that ask and gingerly handed it over to the city planner and asked him to come with the upside and downside of imposing such a bylaw.
When this report is delivered to the Standing Committee that hears these things – be prepared for the howls from the developers who are buying up whatever they can and putting bigger houses on whatever they can purchase
 Roseland worked right from the beginning of its development. The depression in the ’30s stopped the growth but the community adapted and now has a mix of large homes with much smaller bungalows tucked in here and there. RCO defines itself as a non-profit corporation established to keep Roseland as the special place we all know it is. Our intent is not to stop change, but rather to shape it. RCO’s mission is to:
- Sustain the character of Roseland by maintaining a vigilant posture to planning and development matters.
- Provide a means for communication among residents within Roseland and with City Hall, and a means for their participation in decisions that affect the livability and quality of our community.
- Take initiatives on projects which enhance the character of Roseland, preserve its heritage, and sustain its greenery.
It will be very interesting to read what the planner comes back with – and even more interesting to see how Roseland decides it wants to evolve.
 December 4, 2013
By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON. Isn’t working out quite the way it was supposed to.
The people who work on making downtown a better place for shoppers worked very hard to have December be a FREE parking month within the downtown core. The belief was that people objected to paying for parking when it was free at the malls – so they made all of December a free parking month in the downtown core.
The city came up with a really smart promotional piece that set a great tone. The city even advanced the free parking plan by a day to tie in with an additional marketing program that was brought to the city by the Yellow Pages people.
So – how is it working so far? Are people coming downtown in droves to shop? They must be – you have to look to find a parking spot – especially at the Brant and Elizabeth street parking lots.
On my way to a Standing Committee meeting at city hall when there are usually dozen of spaces available I had to drive around to the far side to find a space. There were six spaces left in the Elizabeth lot. Great I thought – then I paused – it’s just 9:10 am – no one is downtown shopping yet.
 The plan was to have the parking spaces as free for shoppers – not for the merchants or service providers on Brant Street. I picked up my car at just after 4:00 pm – the lot was still full but I’d walked along Brant and there was not much in the way of street traffic. Then I figured it out – the people who work downtown were using the parking lots – they could stay there all day and not spend a dime. The people from the Buzz barber shop had figured that out and obviously a lot of other people as well.
Brian Dean, General Manager of the Burlington Downtown Business Association (BDBA) figures the people working downtown knew the rule was a two-hour limit on the street so they would park in the lots. Someone needs to have an up close and personal; one-to-one conversation with the people who work downtown. Use the parking garage on Lotus. There were 120 spaces available when I passed the building at 3:20 pm.
For retail and service provider staff to use popular parking lot space for personal reasons is akin to shooting yourself in the foot. A lot of work has been put into making downtown an attractive, welcoming place to shop. Free parking was meant for the people they want to attract.
 December 3, 2013
By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON. The Burlington Executive Airpark is $40,000 lighter than they were a month ago when they agree to pay the legal costs awarded them by Justice Murray.
Burlington was awarded a portion of its legal costs for the application hearing at which Justice John Murray of the Superior Court of Justice, ruled the City of Burlington’s site alteration bylaw applies to the Burlington Executive Airport.
Interesting to note that in remarks made recently city General Manager Scott Stewart he is reported to have said the city has spent something well in excess of $100,000 on this matter to date. Yet all the city is going to be able to recover is $40,000. This clearly is not going to be cheap.
 One of the most majestic court rooms in the country; part of the Osgood Hall complex in downtown Toronto where the Burlington Executive Airpark Inc., appeal will be heard. Two days after Judge Murray’s decision was released the Airpark served notice of an appeal to the decision with the Ontario Court of Appeal. That case will be heard at Osgoode Hall in Toronto and will not make the Court Calendar until sometime in the New Year. The city and the Air Park have to file their documents and then a time has to be found for a hearing. An actual appeal hearing will probably not take place until next fall.
In the meantime the city has taken the view that they have a decision that stands until there is a successful appeal and they want the Airpark to begin adhering to the site alteration bylaw – now.
With landfill dumping brought to a halt, one of the chief concerns for area residents is water quality. No one knows ,with any degree of certainty, where much of the landfill came from and what’s in it. The Terrapex Environmental Ltd report identified petroleum hydrocarbons, antimony, lead, zinc, copper, cadmium, acenaphthylene, benzo(a)anthracene, benzo(a)pyrene, benzo(b)fiuoranthene, fluoranthene, indeno(c)pyrene, and naphthalene which they believed was in the landfill based on documents they were able to inspect. It wasn’t a pretty picture.
The airpark is a 190+ acre site which means significant water runoff. No one has mapped where water actually goes once it seeps into the ground but hundreds of homes are tied into the water table up there and they all draw from wells. Both the city and the residents want to know what’s in the water.
Water is an environmental issue – enter the provincial Ministry of the Environment, who do the testing. Now here is where it gets totally ridiculous – watching different levels of government bicker stupidly over who can have what in the way of data and ground water inspection plans. This is not about bureaucratic turf – this is about the safety of the water people have to drink.
In correspondence between the city and the MOE it was determined that on August 27, 2013, the Airpark provided the ministry with a detailed groundwater monitoring program to assess the ground water quality down gradient of the fill area. MOE provided comments on the plan which were then addressed by the Airpark. The city learned that the plan has been finalized and the ministry is satisfied that the plan will assess whether the fill operations are causing, or may cause, any offsite impacts.
City staff sent a request to Mr. Vince Rossi on September 9, 2013, requesting that the Airpark provide the plan and details for the groundwater investigation to occur at the down-gradient property boundary to assess whether the fill operations on the airpark lands have resulted in offsite impacts. Staff was of the understanding that a monitoring plan was arranged between MOE staff and the Airpark during a meeting at which City staff were not permitted to be present.
The Airpark responded on Sept 9, that due to the litigation matters between the City and the Airpark, the requested plan and details would not be provided. City staff haven’t heard a word from the Airpark since on the issue. So much for winning the court case.
 This culvert manages some of the runoff from airpark property than empties onto the Cousins property on Appleby Line. Everyone wants to know what is in that water. The Airpark and the MOE do have some data, but, you’ll love this – both the Airpark and MOE have taken the position that they are unable to release the details of the proposed groundwater monitoring plan directly to City staff. MOE staff did indicate that records could be obtained through a Freedom of Information Request to the MOE.
On Sept 16, the MOE provided correspondence acknowledging receipt of the FOI request for each of the municipal addresses associated with the airpark lands (5351 Appleby Line, 5296-5342 Bell School Line).
On Sept 19 MOE said no records existed for 5351 Appleby Line. On Oct 8, the MOE did say records were available for 5296-5342 Bell School Line. The response indicated that approximately 219 pages of material could be obtained, for the requested fees, but that these pages would provide only partial access to the information requested. It was indicated that the identity of any complainants would be removed, in order to protect their identity. Further, it was indicated that any third-party related information would require notification to the third-party
 This area is flooded most of the time making the adjacent field useless for farming purposes – more importantly – what’s in that water? To initiate the release of the information, City staff submitted the requested payment on Oct 15. No timetable was given in the MOE’s letter as to when the material would be available. The city then received a communication from the MOE on October 28 indicating that “after a detailed review of the records, it appears that disclosure affects the interests of a third party”.
Do you want to guess who that third party is?
Don’t leave yet – it gets worse.
The city wanted some clarification on the FOI process and procedures. They talked to Mr. Fred Ruiter, who is Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act Reviewer for the MOE. Mr. Ruiter confirmed a number of things, including that there was a mixup with notifying the third party, and that notification was not received until Nov 12. Mr. Ruiter indicated that there would be a 30 day response window from this date of notification, during which the third party could consent or object to the release of the information. Further to this, once a response is received by the MOE, there is a 10 day window for the MOE to decide whether or not to release information. Should the third party object to the release, and the MOE decides to release the information anyway, the third party would have the right to appeal this decision. Mr. Ruiter indicated that in a scenario of appeal, no final decision would likely be made for approximately six to nine months, as this is the typical timeline for the appeal process to proceed.
Don’t you just love it? For this taxpayers carry the cost of paying these people, providing them with close to majestic benefits and sending them off to retirement with a package the rest of us dream of getting. Totally ridiculous.
 Is the water in that pond polluted? City staff are in the process of trying to arrange a meeting with MOE staff in December to discuss these matters. It would appear that the city and the MOE don’t have the smoothest of working relationships.
The city is bending over backwards to get a meeting with Dolly Goyette – MOE Central Region and Alison Rodrigues – MOE Halton.
We will keep you posted.
 December 2, 2013
By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON. The weather worked – you could see your breath when you exhaled. The rain held off but that little flutter of snow that would have made it a ”real” Christmas parade just didn’t appear. Other than that I t was fine 48th annual Christmas parade through the streets of Burlington.
This time there were live animals as well – ok so they were a pair of bedraggled looking ponies – they were there.
 This picture sums up the season. It is about a birth.  Do you know how cold that pavement was? 
 There is a reason for the season – and it isn’t shopping until you drop or your credit card gives up. A Christmas Eve service at the Performing Arts Centre.  What do you call it – a bi-directional vehicle? It was quite the thing to watch the way the cab got steered. The Rocca Sisters cosponsors sign at the head of the parade told of the shift in who is putting up a good chuck of the money – there are still Rotary noses that are out of joint; justifiably so one might add. It will take a bit of time to unravel that mess and perhaps make changes to the parade’s organizational structure.
 Its official when the Town Crier comes marching down the street – Santa follows.  A standard in any parade for kids. Other than that all the “usual suspects” were in place. The city’s Town Crier led the event and the Old Boy himself brought it all to a close.
Lots of hot chocolate consumed after this parade.
 December 2, 2013
By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON. It was her third show in her career as an artist. This time Cheryl Miles- Goldring was exhibiting the work that came out of her trip to Newfoundland last summer. Water, particularly steams and falls, are a challenge for the artist but she clearly caught the sense of the out ports that are bed rock of Newfoundland cultural history. There is something about a clothes line with items flapping in the breeze that has Newfoundland written all over it.
 Everything about Newfoundland somehow gets summed up in a painting of a clothesline flapping in the salt air wind. Miles-Goldring has a tendency to create small triptychs. She has done this in the past to wonderful effect and did it again with her Newfoundland collection.
Earlier in the week we crossed paths with the Mayor and asked how he was going to cover both the Santa Claus parade and be at the exhibit on Sunday – they were being held on opposite sides of the city. “I know where my responsibilities lay” said the Mayor who added that the parade is not something that requires his attendance. Well he got that one wrong – the Mrs. made it clear that the Mayor will be in the parade and he can scoot over to the exhibit when his day job is done.
We saw the Mayor at close to 3:30 in the afternoon trudging along James Street with Burlington Old Timers Hockey League paint can collecting donations within sight of city hall. It was going to be a bit of a dash to get to the Seaton Gallery out by RBG before the exhibit ended.
 The Seaton Fine Arts Gallery has created a space where artists can hang their work during exhibits. Teresa Seaton, head honcho of the gallery does her stained glass work in the gallery as well. The work that Miles – Goldring does is always shown at the Art in Action Studio Tour but is has a greater reach than just art shows and the walls of the people who buy her art.
Miles – Goldring makes small prints of some of her work and has ‘hasty notes’ made up with some of her art on the front.
As you can imagine her art adorns a large portion of the walls in the Mayor’s office as well. There is a tradition in the municipal world for small gifts to be given to visitors who call on the Mayor in some official capacity. Miles-Goldring came up with the idea of giving the Office of the Mayor a selection of framed prints and boxes of hasty notes that he could give as gifts to visitors. She pays for the framing and the printing and keeps meticulous records should anyone even suggest she is being paid for the gifts. The pity is that Miles-Goldring feels she has to keep records at all. If she said she pays for the work done that should be more than enough.
 The Friends Wall featuring the Cheryl Miles-Golding Outport Tour collection. The exhibit at the Seaton Fine Arts Gallery seems to be part of an initiative to make that location the place to exhibit local and visiting artists. The announced closure of the Artists Walk in the Village Square doesn’t leave too many locales for artists. The Village Square by the way is no longer for sale – was it ever really for sale?
What baffles many is the difficulty in booking the Fireside Room at the Burlington Art Centre. We hear far too many artists complaining about that problem. Is it just a scheduling problem?
For Miles Goldring the question is – what will she schedule next?
 November 28, 2013
By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON. The city advanced the FREE PARKING in December by a day to give the downtown merchants a chance to get it on the Black Friday craze.
This year – look for this decal in the windows of stores in the downtown core.
 if you were a member of the BDBA attending the Awards night – you didn’t get to leave without a couple of dozen yellow bags to use as part of the shop the Neighbourhood promotion. Jenn Walker – head of the Marketing Committee hands them out. The merchants in those stores might put your purchase in a small yellow shopping bag. And, if you choose to stroll along Brant Street swinging that bag someone might approach you and pop a small gift item into your bag.
 The downtown merchants have used special shopping bag promotions in the past. Last summer we all got to see BDBA General Manager Brian Dean in shorts that must have been on sale somewhere. It’s part of the Burlington Downtown Business Association’s Shop the Neighbourhood – a promotional tie in with the Yellow Pages people who piloted in Oakville recently. Shop The Neighbourhood is an initiative of Yellow Pages Group (YPG), a company with a century-long legacy of working with Canada’s small businesses, helping them attract customers and contributing to the growth of local economies.
BDBA has done this sort of thing in the past – quite successfully.
This season with free parking for all of December the major push on the part of city hall to get people downtown adding an additional promotional consideration won’t hurt.
 It’s a one day push – the idea is to get people to be downtown and not be ticked off with having to pay parking.
Burlington has let itself get charmed into that free parking at the malls – which isn’t free but rather a cost built into the rent merchants in mall locations pay.
 November 28, 2013
By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON. It has been a banner week for BurlingtonGreen. They held their annual meeting, installed a very strong board and heard a stirring story about how a quarry proposal in Dufferin County was defeated. Later in the week after a very bumpy ride through several Standing Committees they got a sole sourced agreement with the city to continue developing the community garden concept that has done so exceptionally well.
 Gloria Reid, on the right with her husband – a welcome addition to the BurlingtonGreen board. Let’s take this one step at a time: The new board is made up of: Todd Mooney, Gloria Reid, Neil Sentanie, Vanessa Warren, Ken Woodruff, Chuck Bennet, Colin Brock, Susan Fraser and Paul Haskins who will serve as president.
 Vanessa Warren will add to the already impressive delegation skills BurlingtonGreen takes before various levels of government. BurlingtonGreen has become the go to community organization you want to be part of in this city. This year two of the impressively active community leaders joined the board: Vanessa Warren who formed the Rural Burlington Greenbelt Coalition that brought the landfill dumping in north Burlington to a grinding halt when she delegated to Burlington and Regional Council and Gloria Reid who brought some impressive thinking to the creation of a Community Engagement Charter. We wish Ms Reid had stayed with that project and gotten it out of the clutches of the upper reaches of city hall where is will suffocate from the dust on the shelves it sits on.
The BG AGM brought in Donna Tranquada to talk to them about the successful effort to stop the application for a quarry permit in Melacanhom Township which is north of Caledon and south of Collingwood.
 Monte Dennis in conversation with BurlingtonGreen guest speaker Donna Tranquada. Dennis was part of the Pickering airport battle more than 25 years ago. He could tell Tranquada some real horror stories. What was really interesting and odd was that Ms Tranquada made no reference to the PERL success with the Nelson Aggregate fight – that win paved the way for the change in the way the public reacted to any expansion of quarries and their development . The Nelson win was the first time a quarry looking to expand was turned down. The Food and Water First people knew a good thing when they saw it though: they had Sarah Harmer out to their events as well
 Donna Tranquada had a great story to tell. A year to the day of the BG AGM, a group that was formed to protect thousands of acres of farmland from a planned massive quarry operation learned that the company had withdrawn its application to develop a quarry. It took more than a year to beat back the proposal put together by an American, Boston-based hedge fund, that was buying up property in the township.
When that company began buying up farm land they said they wanted to create a large, world-class potato farming operation. Property by property they told farmers what they were doing and got to the point where they had purchased more than 30 farms. “It didn`t take long” Tranquada explained “for word to get out in that rural community that something was going on.” The company, called Highland had been incorporated in Nova Scotia, and had begun using pressure tactics on some of the holdouts – meeting with farmers and putting a cheque for more than $1 million on the table and saying the offer was good for just 24 hours. The community began to get uneasy.
Then came the announcement: Highland had filed an application with the province for the largest quarry in Canadian history on some of the best farmland in Ontario and at the headwaters of five river systems. The mega Quarry would have sprawled across 2,316 acres and would have plunged 200 feet below the water table on a 15,000 acre plateau of Class 1 farmland. The massive open-pit limestone quarry would have put rare agricultural soil and precious water resources at risk in Melancthon Township.
One of the studies showed that the quarry would have to pump out 600 million litres of water a day forever. You had to be in the room when Tranquada used the word forever. She is a bit over 5ft 5 inches and she literally spit out the word.
 You start with a great location for a public gathering. Donna Tranquada`s talk was “meat and potatoes” for the protest movement crowd – it was a crowd like this that stopped the Spadina Expressway in Toronto; that stopped the extension of the Gardiner Expressway in Toronto through the Beach community and parts of Scarborough. The same demographic stopped the first attempt to put in an international airport in Pickering.
When Burlington was threatened with a highway being rammed through the Niagara Escarpment close to 400 people showed up at the Mainway Arena on Walkers Line – and the province eventually backed off. The province will have another go at an Escarpment highway and it will take a different generation to fight that battle.
The Melancthon Township battle used ideas that pulled together the interests of the rural communities with the needs of the urban dwellers – then used food as the bridge between the two.
Chefs from Toronto and other urban centers made soup, thousands of bowls of soup that was both a fund-raiser and the way to connect farmland where food is grown and the stomachs of the people in cities who have to eat. The event became known as SoupStock and it drew crowds in the tens of thousands.
It was a magnificent collection of ideas and dedicated people who showed once again that the public can prevail. Highland had employed one of the biggest public relations companies in North America who knew they were up against a public that was driven and focused – rarely can that kind of energy be beaten.
 That draws great crowds. Tranquada said that on one Saturday there were 40,000 people who dropped into a large park in the east end of Toronto to hear the story about the quarry application. If you believe in an idea and you can get your troops out – you can prevail.
Burlington has a fight on its hands that is critical for the city and relevant to every municipality that has a small airport and problems with landfill sites. While many expect the city of Burlington to prevail through the several levels of appeal that can be expected of the decision that decided the city had the right to have its site bylaw adhered to, the bigger question is – what des the city do with that property once the Court issue is resolved. There are hundreds of tonnes of landfill in the more than 100 + acres of property and a runway that is in the process of being paved.
Tranquada, surprised some people who asked where they could get one of the signs that she had with her. “I just have the three “she explained – “that was all I was able to carry on the subway and the GO train. A high-profile media personality trudging from Toronto to Burlington on the GO train is what they call “waking the talk”.
Tranquada is now part of a group that goes from community to community with the message: “There aren’t a lot of victories these days, but the mood-altering blocking of the monster quarry in Melancthon Township in potato country a year ago was a brilliant model of how to get stuff done. The alliance of urban ecos, farmers, foodies and chefs showed the power of partnering, bridged the messy city-country divide and ultimately triumphed over a Boston-based hedge fund… Plus, it made the point with the mass soup-athons, that protests can be jubilant and very digestible – and that determination and positivity are our best weapons.”
 And those crowds sign a petition – and with public reaction like that – the company wanting to quarry prime farmland withdraws their application. With the farmland in Dufferin County saved, the group, known as Food and Water First, decided to get to the real core issue which was the Aggregate Resource Act – it sets the rules for the extraction of aggregates. Turns out Ontario has the weakest regulatory environment governing resource extraction in Canada, enabling anyone to pillage the very resources Ontario needs to drive parts of its own economy.
The Food and Water First people have taken the position that the aggregate producers require a “social license”, that is the permission of the wider community, to do what they do. That concept will be hard for some of the old-timers in the industry to digest but it is a changing world – Global Warming is real and both food and water will become the most critical elements of our society continue to exist.
There is legislation and policy that govern the activities around resource extraction in Ontario. The Ontario Sand, Stone and Gravel Association (OSSGA) chose to push for keeping things as they are instead of helping to create a document that would lessen rural strife and have them become a responsible corporate partner. OSSGA members will continue to be challenged by communities in which they want to do business and will have to defend their businesses. Instead of doing better and voluntarily recognizing that prime farmland and source water regions should be off-limits, OSSGA has clearly belittled the efforts of thousands of Ontarians who have so reasonably engaged in this policy development process. The public at large will continue to withhold that social license until there is modernized legislation.
Nothing in the Aggregate Resources Act (ARA) review document would prevent another Mega Quarry application tomorrow, destroying forever thousands of acres of our most productive farmland and putting the control of unbelievably vast amounts of Ontario’s fresh water in danger.
Food and Water First wants to see new legislation that recognizes prime farmland as a strategic provincial resource and protect source water regions by eliminating industrial extraction in those regions.
These social activists believe that as an engaged public, both urban and rural, we have had all kinds of assurances from MPPs that the thousands of people had been heard. Now is the time for those MPPs to act, not just speak.
A productive board meeting; the story of a community action that saved precious farmland – and the week wasn’t over. BurlingtonGreen went on to get the city behind their community garden project – but that’s another story.
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