 By Brian Playfair
January 7th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
While casino players savour more than one aspect of an online casino, one particularly overlooked part of what they consider important are payment methods. If they’re able to easily use multiple safe methods of payment on an online gaming platform to provide a seamless experience, they’d be one step closer to signing up.
Interac
 Interac is a unique e transfer casino payment method in that it was specifically designed for Canadian players online. It’s user-friendly, and thanks to its double security system, it’s completely safe. It works directly with most Canadian banks to connect a player’s account with the online casino they want to play at. As it not only has its own security system, but also uses the bank’s security system, it’s almost impossible for a cybercriminal to hack into a player’s bank account.
While Interac is an e-wallet, it’s also a part of the Canadian banking system, with the cards specifically issued for it by the respective financial institution. It also falls under the bank’s policies on fees and taxes. As Interac is supported by many national banks, it’s easier to withdraw casino winnings, as players can withdraw their money from their Interac card at an ATM.
PayPal
 One of the most popular e-wallet payment methods is PayPal. The solution is regarded as the best for online gamers as it supports online transactions from numerous countries. It also supports instant transactions and is totally secure and safe.
A PayPal online casino is user-friendly, as almost all online users are used to the PayPal system, and each transaction made is secured and encrypted. An online casino that accepts PayPal is most likely trustworthy, reliable, and can be safely accessed through mobile devices.
Using PayPal to deposit funds into an online casino account is fast and easy. They simply decide on a payment method from the list of deposit options, choose the sum, and click on ‘Deposit’. They’re then taken to their PayPal account, where they’ll complete the secure transaction.
Another benefit of using PayPal is that it supports several different cards and doesn’t ask the player to share their personal data to complete a transaction. They can send money to their online gaming balance in seconds simply by using their email address.
Skrill
 SkrIll bears some similarities with PayPal, as it’s completely safe and easy to use, and it doesn’t share a player’s data with third parties. It takes seconds to add funds to a player’s Skrill account.
Withdrawing funds using Skrill is faster than most other methods. A player’s winnings can be with them in just 48 hours. It also has a mobile app to allow players to make payments on their mobile device if they enjoy playing casino games on their smartphone or tablet.
Furthermore, some online gaming platforms offer players generous bonuses for using payment methods, with Skrill often being among them.
Wrap Up
Yes, online casino players and sports betting fans want to get on with placing their bets, whether that’s playing their favourite slot or betting on the No. 1 tennis player on the 2022 ATP tour. However, with so many payment methods for players to use, it can sometimes be difficult to know which online gaming platform to choose.
One thing’s for sure: depositing and withdrawing at online gaming platforms is easier than ever, regardless of which one they ultimately decide to play at. However, there are certainly some payment methods that are safer than others, such as the three mentioned here. If online gamers combine one of these safer methods with a welcome bonus, such as a matched deposit, they’re on their way to a great introduction and a lot of fun, all while feeling confident their transactions are safe.
 By Staff
January 6th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
Another hurdle.
Lakeshore West GO train customers will need to check their schedules this month as construction on the Hurontario light rail transit (LRT) project will affect some trains trips in January.
Hurontario LRT construction continues to move forward in Mississauga at Port Credit GO Station. The work will affect some Lakeshore West GO train service this month. Metrolinx News has the latest information GO customers.
Let’s start with the most significant service change, happening on Saturday, Jan. 8.
These service changes mean there will be no GO train service between Union Station and Oakville GO throughout the day.
A new signal bridge is installed over the tracks
 Signal platform work will disrupt service on the GO Lakeshore west service. Some service on the Lakeshore West corridor will be impacted by ongoing work.
GO trains will still run hourly between West Harbour GO and Oakville GO and half hourly between Aldershot GO and Oakville GO where buses will be available to take customers between Oakville GO and Union Station Bus Terminal. Customers who use Long Branch, Mimico or Exhibition GO will not have bus or train service and will have to use local transit providers.
Why is this happening? Metrolinx is carrying out important work related to the construction of the Hurontario LRT project near Port Credit GO Station which can only take place when trains are not running.
Weekday service changes in January
There will also be some temporary service changes to Lakeshore West GO train service throughout January.
These changes will take place Jan. 6, 13, 18-21, after 9:30 p.m. on weekdays.
Just like the Jan. 8 disruption, there will be no train service between Union Station and Oakville GO while crews work on building the Hurontario LRT near Port Credit GO.
Replacement buses will be available at Oakville, Clarkson, and Port Credit GO to get customers to the Union Station Bus Terminal and back again, directly from the GO station’s bus loop.
Here’s what you need to know for January 6, 13 and 18-21:
 GO train service will be a little on the hectic side for parts of January – getting signal platforms in place is critical for that day that 15 minute service is available. Westbound:
The 8:45 p.m. Union Station – 10:03 p.m. West Harbour GO train is the last westbound train to make all stops to West Harbour GO
There will be a bus bridge between Union Station Bus Terminal and Oakville GO
Replacement buses will not service Exhibition, Mimico, and Long Branch GO Stations during the service adjustment.
Similar impacts to Lakeshore West GO train service are planned for February and March. Metrolinx will update customers as these impacts to service are finalized.
Oh Joy!
By Staff
January 6th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
Burlington is blessed with a number of not for profit organizations that serve the public very well.
The people working for those organizations don’t earn a lot of money and for many it is a constant struggle.
The provincial level has brought in some changes to the legislation that governs how they are to operate.
Governance issues are always complex and take time to get used to.
Ontario’s Not-for-Profit Corporations Act (ONCA) was proclaimed on October 19, 2021 and nonprofits have three years to update their bylaws and letters patent to comply.
Benjamin Miller is a staff lawyer on the Nonprofit Law Ontario project of Community Legal Education Ontario (CLEO) He is presenting in a webinar on January 20th, If you are part of the not for profit sector this is an event you want to take part in – especially for the Board members.
The webinar will walk through what is new in the ONCA, steps nonprofits need to take to transition to the ONCA, and how Community Legal Education Ontario’s (CLEO) free resources can help you create ONCA compliant bylaws from scratch or adapt your current bylaws.
Ontario’s Not-for-Profit Corporations Act (ONCA) replaced Ontario’s Corporations Act on October 19, 2021. To learn more visit nonprofitlaw.cleo.on.ca
Join us:
Ontario Not-For-Profit Corporations Act (ONCA) Transition Presentation
Thursday, January 20, 2022
9:30 am – 11:00 am
Free event via Zoom
This session is suitable for: Organizations already incorporated under Ontario’s Corporations Act or a special Act.
This session is NOT for:
– Organizations thinking about incorporating
– Organizations incorporated under Canada Not-for-Profit Corporations Act
– Organizations incorporated under Co-operative Corporations Act, or
– Other statutes outside of Canada
Presenter:
Benjamin Miller (he/him) is a staff lawyer on the Nonprofit Law Ontario project of Community Legal Education Ontario (CLEO) where he focuses on nonprofit and charity law and policy. Over the past 4 years at CLEO, Benjamin has answered hundreds of nonprofit law questions and developed an online interactive bylaw builder for the ONCA. Benjamin also works at the Ontario Nonprofit Network and has worked at the Canada Revenue Agency in the past. Benjamin holds a JD/MPP from the University of Toronto and an MA in political theory from the University of Ottawa.
Required: Pre-Session Questionnaire (30 seconds)
Register here: cdhalton.ca/events Registration closing on Tuesday January 18, 2022
 By Staff
January 5th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
 On Tuesday January 4, 2022 at approximately 7:15 PM the Halton Regional Police Service responded to a 66 year old pedestrian who was struck by a motor vehicle on Lakeshore Road near Goodram Road
Paramedics transported the pedestrian to Joseph Brant Hospital for emergency treatment.
Unfortunately the pedestrian succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased by medical staff. The driver remained on scene and is cooperating with the police investigation.
The Collision Reconstruction Unit has taken carriage of the investigation. Any witnesses who have not yet spoken to police are asked to call 905-825-4747 ext: 5065.
By Ray Rivers
January 4th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
Dog Logic – If you don’t see it, then it doesn’t exist. And Ontario’s Premier Ford figures that’ll work for him. If we stop testing, recording and reporting our cases of COVID infection the pandemic will seem… like it’s gone away.
Ontario is in the midst of the largest COVID wave ever and the government is overwhelmed and over its head. Ontario residents got angry last month when the Premier didn’t show up for a briefing on Omicron just as we were entering the Christmas period. Where was he while this new variant was wreaking havoc everywhere and spreading like wildfire is still unknown. But apparently he has a cottage and there is a basement at Queen’s Park where one could hide.
 Is the medium the message? Going to take more than a T shirt to command public trust Nobody blames Ford for the arrival of Omicron, it’s everywhere. But his inaction in the face of this new public crisis is indefensible/inexcusable. Unfortunately it’s a familiar pattern for this premier. He’s been late to act with every wave of COVID – each delay actually exacerbating the problem.
Anybody could have figured out that the viral surge in South Africa, last November, would land on Ontario’s doorstep by December. So what was Ontario’s government waiting for…Christmas? Even the World Health Organization had warned everyone that it was coming. The feds got the message, and Canada banned travellers from seven southern Africa countries as far back as late November.
Mr. Ford referred to the latest variant as spreading like a wildfire. So one would have expected him to have got the water hose out before the flames were already in the living room. But now he acknowledges that it’s too late, and is content to just slow it down. But he’ll use the same tool as always – lockdown restrictions to limit social contact.
 No masks required if they are learning at home – question is – are they learning? He has once again paused in-class education, after a good deal of dithering. Sadly, even as we move into the 3rd calendar year of COVID our schools are still not safe enough to fully resume in-class instruction. And that means there would have been almost certain student-to-student transmission with this highly transmissible variant. So initially the government plan was to hide the statistics – not report cases of infection in schools.
If you don’t see it, then it doesn’t exist. Except parents, teachers and health care professionals were not going to let him get away with that. Rather than suffer a backlash over reporting, Mr. Ford just closed the schools and Ontario is back to remote learning.
And when it comes to transparency, it isn’t just schools. The rules on PCR molecular testing have changed and are now limited only to health professionals and some most vulnerable folks. If you have symptoms and you’re vaccinated, just stay home for 5 days. That is unless you need to show your boss an official positive test result.
The government has suggested people use one of those antigen rapid tests to see if they are positive, as an alternative. But, despite the federal government giving 50 million test kits to Ontario, there are none available. Ontario had been distributing these free rapid test kits in some malls and the odd liquor store – but not apparently anymore. People lined up for hours to get a kit – bearing a close resemblance to characters from the movie ‘Hunger Games’ as they scrambled over one another.
It was pretty much the same sad story when it came to getting a lifesaving booster shot. The province opened up eligibility to non-seniors only after the Omicron wave was on us. People scrambled to make a booking and the booking systems did what they had done before – disappointed or crashed. Even the National Post, a Tory friendly paper couldn’t hold back its disgust.
The government may be right on reporting infection test statistics. What is the point if they are unreliable and unrepresentative? That is a sad admission – so we will be treated to hospital and ICU admissions data from now on instead. Ford’s is not the first government who has wanted to end testing and reporting COVID numbers. Alberta’s Kenny and former US president Trump also tried to trick the public into thinking things were better than they really were by stopping testing.
It’s a new year, but unfortunately it feels even worse that last year, given that we should have learned something from past. The government’s failure to act in a timely fashion is disgraceful. Some experts believe the variant will peak in the next couple weeks and then crash, as it has apparently done in South Africa. But what if it doesn’t? What is Plan B? Dog Logic?
 Ray Rivers, a Gazette Contributing Editor, writes regularly applying his more than 25 years as a federal bureaucrat to his thinking. Rivers was once a candidate for provincial office in Burlington. He was the founder of the Burlington citizen committee on sustainability at a time when climate warming was a hotly debated subject. Ray has a post graduate degree in economics that he earned at the University of Ottawa. Tweet @rayzrivers
Background links:
Ontario Restrictions – Anger at Premier – School Case Reporting –
Stampede for Boosters – Hospital Surge – Rapid Tests –
Other opinions –
 By Pepper Parr
January 4th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
The three things the city wants to focus on in 2022
Fractious council
Losing the football
Waterfront Hotel
With nothing but virtual Council meetings for just about two years now it is difficult to read just what is taking place.
 Councillor Kearns is missing the Standing Committee Clerk and the City Manager are included If you know the players a little you can pick up some of the discord – and there is certainly discord but this council works very hard to ensure that very little of it gets seen by the public.
The hope that many Burlingtonians had, including this reporter and the Gazette, when Marianne Meed Ward bent her head forward as the Chain of Office was placed around her neck is not today what it was that December evening in 2018. The hope hasn’t entirely disappeared but there is discord and differences.
Council is split into two factions: The Mayor who will be supported by Rory Nisan until the day he is no longer in office and Kelvin Galbraith who likes the way the Mayor accepts his – let’s build stuff approach to being a ward Councillor.
One the other side, Ward 2 Councillor Lisa Kearns, Ward 4 Councillor Shawna Stolte and Ward 5 Councillor Paul Sharman are usually on the same page – and it is seldom the same page as the Mayor.
The factions are not cast in stone with Nisan being the exception.
 The swing vote – didn’t see that coming in 2018 The swing vote is ward 6 Councillor Angelo Bentivegna (who’d thought this is how things would work out) who has taken to developing his own view on those matters he understands. And while he is frequently with the Mayor – not as much as he used to be.
Five of the seven members of Council have now been in office for three years and are gearing up for re-election. With one exception the expectation is that all seven will seek re-election. And no – I am not prepared to say who the exception is at this point.
The important things is the the newbies have found most of their footing – they have developed a good working relationships with their constituents; feel comfortable with most of the issues and are tiring of the way the Mayor treats them. Lisa Kearns thought she would like to serve on the Police Services Board and chose to put her name forward. The Mayor did not support Kearns – and the seat went to a Council member from Oakville.
Traditionally members of a Council support each other when they have something they want to do outside of Council. Meed Ward may have had some very good reasons for supporting someone else for the Police Services Board but common courtesy called for her to talk to Kearns and explain her position. Kearns was apparently blind-sided by the Mayor.
 Without a doubt the quickest and the fastest mind on Council; a workhorse as well – does her homework Kearns, by the way, would have been an excellent Police Serve Board member – she does her homework (better than anyone else on Council) she would have kept the Board members on their toes.
 Councillor Stolte looking for some clarity. When Councillor Stolte isn’t asking for additional clarification on a matter she struggles to get around the interference the Mayor pushes in front of her.
If Stolte has an event going on and invites the Mayor – it becomes the Mayor’s event.
The differences in approach and philosophy became glaringly obvious when the Mayor could not find a way to get the tax increase number she felt she needed going into an election in October.
Her thinking had merit – it deserves an explanation and some analysis and in the fullness of time we will get that to you.
Meed Ward had a well thought out position – the other council members just didn’t buy it. This Council came very close to being in a position where they were not able to agree on a budget which would have put the creating of a budget in the hands of staff – which City Manager Tim Commisso advised would “not be a pretty picture”.
There are times when the Mayor bends over backwards to get her colleagues to “collaborate” with her. The city does not have someone serving as Deputy Mayor because the members of Council could not agree on just what the job would entail.
When the Burlington Land Partnership was set up every member of Council wanted to be on it – wasn’t something the city manager wanted so no one sits on the BLP – which by the way is a significant venture that the general public knows very little about.
 Transparency became her middle name – she draped it around her like a flag In 2010 there were three new members on Council. Meed Ward, newly elected had a lot of time in as probably the leading delegate as a citizen knew the ropes. Paul Sharman had a lot of senior executive experience in the private sector and knew his way around process and financial reports. The only really new ember in 2010 was Blair Lancaster. There wasn’t nearly as much learning on the job for the newbies.
And Rick Goldring who had become Mayor had a good feel for what the job was about – which is not the same thing as being able to actually do the job.
 Normally wears a winning smile. Meed Ward is now in a similar situation. She is Mayor but has yet to create the set of skills needed to make it happen. Politics is the art of the possible with grey being the dominant colour – black or white doesn’t work. Meed Ward doesn’t do grey.
Listening intently and being able to read the wind as well as the tea leaves in a cup are vital. It is an art with an understanding of the little bit of science that matters.
What a Councillor is made of should be evident by the end of the third year of the term – and with Meed Ward it is evident but it isn’t all that useful.
 Expensive but well worth the price – great legal counsel solved a problem for the ADI Group – shovels are in the ground and the cranes are hauling concrete. There have been some major wins. The Mayor managed to get rid of the Planner in place when she was elected. She did get the Urban Growth Centre moved north and proved that the a bus terminal that is the size of the average kitchen is not an MTSA – despite what sharp legal counsel was able to convince an OMB hearing that it was. That was a big win for the ADI Group
Meed Ward seems adrift when it comes to solving the football, almost missing in action on the redevelopment plans for the Waterfront Hotel.
She gave Black Lives Matter the coverage it needs and then got totally silly with her drive to put Rainbow Crosswalks in every ward while learning to live with a budget that needed some time in a Weight Watchers class.
In 2018 the Gazette said Meed Ward was the best of the three people running for the job. We expected her to grow into the job – that hasn’t happened and unless she has a horse shoe in her purse that can be put to good use, or knows how to pull a rabbit out of the hat, she is in trouble.
 Rick Goldring seldom wore his chain of Office outside Council Chambers So much so that Rick Goldring is understood to be looking at his chances of once again wearing the Chain of Office.
 Ward 5 Councillor Paul Sharman is usually very direct, tends to want to see data that is verifiable and expects to get his way. Are there other candidates that might want to reach for that brass ring? There are – but they are nowhere near ready to show their hand.
As for the members of Council Meed Ward will have the support of at least two – one of which may not win his seat come October 2020.
The problem with the football and the strange situation with the Waterfront re-development project will follow.
Salt with Pepper is the musings, reflections and opinions of the publisher of the Burlington Gazette, an online newspaper that was formed in 2010 and is a member of the National Newsmedia Council.
By Staff
January 4th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
Support from the leadership at the provincial, regional and municipal levels are going to be given by media release.
The Premier laid down the decision to move back to Stage 2 for a 21 day period.
 Mayor Meed Ward on the porch of her home preparing to do a YouTube broadcast during the early days of the pandemic. Nothing in the way of a message from the Mayor (unless you count the quote at the end of this article) or the Regional Chair. We have a Mayor who will get out on the street to support the front line workers at the hospital but unable to find a way to put together a message on YouTube or work with the City Administration to put something out on the city web site.
Could our Mayor not wear the Chain of Office and sit in the Council Chamber and talk to the public.
In 2018 when she was running as a member of Council she asked people to not just vote for her but to trust her.
Your Worship – the public needs to be able to demonstrate that you have their trust and they will work with you.
Please – work with them.
The impacts on City services as Ontario moves to modified Step Two of the Road map to Re-open are as follows:
The Province of Ontario has announced a return to a modified Step Two of the Road map to Re-open with new public health measures to slow the spread of COVID-19.
The following temporary changes will be in place from Jan. 5 until at least Jan. 27, 2022.
 Recreation Changes
• City of Burlington facilities for indoor sports, recreation and fitness activities will be closed, and the start of all in-person Winter programs will be postponed
• All indoor programming, including recreation courses and drop-ins are cancelled or have transitioned to online. Registered participants and pass holders are being contacted directly, and those who wish to withdraw for a full refund may do so
• Facility rentals at City recreation locations, as well as Halton District School Board and Halton Catholic District School Board are cancelled. Renters are being contacted with details around rental contract adjustments and credits
• Faith-based rentals and renters who provide child care may continue to operate in modified Step 2
• Registered recreational virtual programming will continue, and online registration can be found at burlington.ca/recreation. Options to stay active at home are also available online at burlington.ca/activeathome
There are still opportunities to be active for your physical and mental health, including:
• tobogganing, neighbourhood rinks and parks and open spaces. Please stay off any artificial turf as it can be easily damaged during winter.
 One of the places where people can get outdoors, exercise and maintain social distancing. Registration necessary. • The Burlington Rotary Centennial Pond is open with pre-registration required for outdoor skating. Online registration opens 25-hours in advance of the skate time at burlington.ca/dropinandplay. Please remember to complete COVID-19 screening before arrival for your skate.
• The Play Lending Library has outdoor equipment to borrow. Contactless pick up and drop off is available at Brant Hills Community Centre at 2255 Brant St. and a full listing of equipment is available at burlington.ca/playlending.
Impacts to other city services
Service Burlington
City Hall, located at 426 Brant St., remains open for in-person service by appointment only for commissioning services and marriage licences. Walk-ins are not permitted.
Please visit burlington.ca/commissioning, burlington.ca/marriage or call 905-335-7777 to book your appointment. Residents can also visit burlington.ca/onlineservices to access a variety of City services online.
Service Burlington is available to answer questions by phone during regular business hours, at 905-335-7777 and city@burlington.ca.
Burlington Transit
Burlington Transit will run a COVID-emergency schedule beginning Sunday, Jan. 9, 2022. For schedules and routes, visit burlingtontransit.ca.
Halton Court Services
The Court administration counter services at 4085 Palladium Way will remain open for in-person services from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday. Where possible, members of the public are encouraged to access court administration services online by email at burlingtoncourt@burlington.ca or on the Halton Court website at Halton Court Services.
Parking Services
Parking enforcement requests and parking exemptions may be delayed. Urgent parking enforcement requests posing a safety concern will be given priority.
 Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward For more information on the City’s COVID-19 response, visit burlington.ca/coronavirus.
Mayor Marianne Meed Ward said: “We know how difficult it is to once again face restrictions to slow the spread of Covid-19. These last two years have been so hard and you’ve all made so many sacrifices. Thank you for hanging in and caring for each other. We’ll get through this.
“Our Emergency Control Group has met regularly throughout the holidays to review the impact of recent announcements on City services, so we can respond appropriately to this rapidly changing situation. Our key focus remains delivering the essential services you count on, while keeping staff and residents safe.”
Links and Resources
• Province of Ontario media release: news.ontario.ca/en/release/1001394/ontario-temporarily-moving-to-modified-step-two-of-the-roadmap-to-reopen
COVID-19 Resources
• For information about COVID-19 in Halton Region, including the latest public health guidance and the status of COVID-19 cases, please visit halton.ca/coronavirus
• Community questions and requests regarding City of Burlington services can be directed to Service Burlington by phone at 905-335-7777, by email at city@burlington.ca or online
• Residents can stay informed at burlington.ca/coronavirus as well as on our social media channels: @cityburlington on Twitter and facebook.com/cityburlington
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| By Staff
January 4th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
WE are about to get a first look at what has come out of the meetings that were to determine what the development at the GO stations could look like.
A 250 page report has been released and will be debated at the January 11th Community Planning, Regulation and Mobility Committee Meeting.
Council will consider ‘in-principle’ endorsement of the Recommend Preferred Precinct Plans for Burlington’s Major Transportation Areas.
 The time line that is currently in place Council’s endorsement is a critical check point in the project that will enable staff to move forward to the next stage of the project which involves the creation of area-specific plans and supporting Official Plan Amendments for each of the MTSAs.
The Interim Report prepared by Dillon Consulting provides:
- The project background and context
- The policy and legislative context for MTSAs
- The work underpinning the MTSA ASP Project and the Preliminary Preferred Precinct Plans including key growth assumptions and complete community elements
- A discussion about how public engagement informed the Preliminary Preferred Precinct Plans
- A summary of the technical work required to support the project and a status update on each
- An outline of the changes made to the Preliminary Preferred Precinct Plans resulting in the Recommended Preferred Precinct Plans and the underlying policy directions to support them and the future area specific planning process
- Next steps and conclusions
The staff-prepared Fall 2021 Feedback Report outlines each of the tactics undertaken during October and November to engage with the public around the Preliminary Preferred Precinct Plans and includes the methodologies used, the results of the engagement or feedback received as well as some of the lessons learned.
 The steps that have to be taken to arrive ast an Area Specif Plan. There will be one for each of the GO Station MTSA’s Further changes to the Recommended Preferred Precinct Plans are expected and will be required as a result of technical studies underway, as well as other inputs including Council and stakeholder feedback and further project work.
The very unfortunate part of the process is the severe limitations COVID19 will put on genuine public participation and serious delegation.
The number of delegations that have been heard has been reduced significantly.
 Alison Enns watching a group of participants on a walking tour. Also – the opportunity to read a 250 page report a week before it is debated at council isn’t being fair to the public that is going to live with whatever is decided upon for decades.
The Gazette will read the document and report on its contents and provide some analysis.
This is difficult for staff as well. They have worked very hard on this project; they know how significant the final decision will be and everyone on the team would love to hear some sound community response. |
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 By Pepper Parr
January 4th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
It is one of the more imaginative programs to come out of Parks, Recreation and Culture.
For those who have applied and been given a grant – it has allowed them to put together some really nice community programming.
For those who weren’t even aware – they got to benefit from some imaginative entertainment.
The city is inviting artists to apply for the 2022 Burlington Arts and Culture Fund (BACF), an annual grant program that provides $75,000 of total available funding to local artists, multicultural groups and arts and culture organizations to foster creativity and enrich how Burlington residents experience and engage with arts and culture.
 Fencing was repaired and upgraded at a community ball park with funding. Applications will be accepted until noon on Friday, Feb. 4, 2022 and will fund projects from April 2022 to March 2023. Successful grant applicants will be announced at the beginning of April 2022.
To be eligible for BACF funding, applicants must be located in Burlington and must be:
- An incorporated not-for-profit arts and culture organization or a charitable arts and culture organization;
- An individual artist or arts and cultural collective (defined as three or more individuals) that exhibit high achievement in arts and culture programming;
- A multicultural group that fulfills a significant role in the Burlington community through the arts and culture.
Grants will be evaluated in part by a peer assessment jury for artistic merit and by City staff for program merit and strategic initiative, citywide and community impact and economic impact.
To learn more about this fund, the jury opportunity and the application process join City staff and arts and culture professionals for a virtual information session on:
Date: Monday, Jan. 17, 2022
Time: 7 to 8 p.m.
Location: Microsoft Teams
Applications can be completed and submitted online at burlington.ca/artsandculturefund.
 Angela Paparizo, Manager of Arts and Culture in conversation with ward 5 Councillor Paul Sharman. For more information, contact Angela Paparizo, Manager of Arts and Culture, 905-335-7600, ext. 7352 or email angela.paparizo@burlington.ca. She comments on the program and the impact it has had on the community. “The Arts and Culture Fund grant program has successfully supported many amazing arts and cultural projects across the City since its inception in 2019. The wonderful thing about the projects that evolve through this process is the wide range of benefits to our community.
“We continue to see the program nurture the capacity of the arts and culture sector in Burlington, while fostering creativity, encouraging social cohesion and stimulating cultural and economic advancements. To find out more, I invite anyone who is interested in applying for a grant to attend our virtual information session on Jan. 17. We look forward to hearing from Burlington artists and to receiving their applications.”
By Roland Mercaton
January 4th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
Few Things You Should Know About Online Casinos In Canada
Living in Canada and you’re yet to try playing the various online casino games? Online casinos are completely legal in Canada, however, each casino has its strong points like pros and cons. So before picking out an online casino for your favourite casino games, here are a few things you should know about online casino games in Canada.
Gambling Laws & Regulations
While online casinos are said to be legal in Canada , each province in the country manages and enforces gaming laws and regulations. However, the most important regulation you should note down is that players will only be able to access online casinos that are in their respective provinces.
 In Canada you can only use online sites that are in the province you live in Each province across the country has its local online casinos and uses geofencing to ensure that only users located in the borders will have access to them. This means that an online casino platform in Alberta will not be accessible when you move to Ontario. But still, international gaming sites have been able to penetrate the Canadian market, and they have been able to find their way through the loopholes in the laws.
Product Differences
Most of the various online casinos in Canada offers actions on all major sports like American football, basketball, hockey, golf, soccer and more. However, the difference in these online casinos will be revealed in their library of games like the online slot games, table games, as well as the bonuses, promotions and payment policies.
The library of a specific online casino will hugely depend on the gaming developers that have collaborated with the platform. The Bonuses, promotions, and payment methods will also be unique to each casino. So, it is vital to know what an online casino has to offer before picking it out.
Free Games
Not casino gamers know that online casinos often give their players the option to test casino games without staking any cash. And It is free to sign up and create an account with no initial deposits required.
Doing this will help the gamers, both old and new, understand the basics of certain games before actually wagering their money. If you find the game interesting, you will stake your cash. If you don’t, you can always browse the library for more games.
Reading Terms & Conditions
 For every online casino platform, all payout and deposit policies will vary. It is important you familiarize yourself with the casino’s policies.
The policies you should give extra attention are the banking options, requirements, and bonus policies. You should take the time to read the terms and conditions to understand what process you need to take and how fast withdrawals are, and if there are any fees being charged. If you’re still unclear about this, you should contact the casino through the live chat feature to talk to customer support agents.
New Player Bonuses
 Check out several sign-up bonuses being offered by various online casinos in your province It’s become a normal arrangement for an online casino in Canada to offer new players some form of sign-up incentive. Top online casinos across the world use bonuses and promotions as a marketing strategy to lure in new players to their site and also ensure they remain with their platform as they continue to compete in the online casino industry.
Before picking an online casino platform, you should check out several sign-up bonuses being offered by various online casinos in your province. Most of them will offer deposit match bonuses, free bets or slot play to entice you into playing them. Once you register, you will be given more bonus offers from the casino you signed up with.
 By Staff
January 3rd, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
Once again the folks at the Joseph Brant Hospital roll up their sleeves – take a deep breath and dig in.
Eric Vandewall along with everyone else on that front line have done this before and they will do it again. They face three weeks of a grind that has to be gone through. Keep them in your prayers.
A Message to the Community from Eric Vandewall,
Joseph Brant Hospital President & CEO
January 3, 2022
As we welcome 2022, hospitals are beginning the year in a very different position than we were anticipating just a few short weeks ago. The highly transmissible Omicron variant has spread rapidly through our community and across the world, leading to record-high case counts and unprecedented pressure on our health system.
Joseph Brant Hospital (JBH) has responded quickly to the evolving situation, reinstating emergency planning tables, evaluating and shifting strategies to meet the anticipated challenges ahead in this wave of the pandemic. We will work closely with our regional partners to continue to meet the demands for care within our communities.
 The hospital isn’t under siege but it certainly feels like that to the staff that are able to get to work each day. Omicron is presenting two crucial issues to healthcare: the significant number of people anticipated to need emergency and inpatient care, and the impact to the already existing shortage of health care professionals to provide patient care.
Our hospital, like many across Ontario, is experiencing significant pressures on hospital occupancy and staffing:
• The community transmission of Omicron has impacted our teams: 166 hospital workers are in isolation with COVID-19 symptoms (Jan. 3) and an additional 72 staff are in isolation pending test results. On average, we are seeing 50-70 new workers entering isolation daily.
• Seasonal illnesses are circulating, contributing to an increase in staff sick calls.
• Prior to Omicron, the hospital was already operating with a 9.4% staff shortage.
• There is a 30% increase in the number of people coming to our Emergency Department (ED) for care as compared to December 2020.
• There is an increased number of patients being admitted with complex medical issues.
• There is an increase in patients who are COVID-19 positive. Currently 11 inpatients are being treated for COVID-19, with 4 in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
• There are current 1,121 active COVID-19 cases in Burlington (as of Dec. 31, 2021), with a test positivity rate of 9.3% (as of Dec. 22, 2021)
In response to these challenges, our hospital has enacted measures to ensure that we can continue to provide safe, quality care to our community:
 Eric Vandewall, Joseph Brant Hospital President & CEO • A ramp down of procedural and scheduled surgical care beginning today, January 3, as directed by Ontario Health. This will allow us to redeploy the health human resources in units that need the additional staffing support. We will continue to provide urgent and emergent surgeries, including cancer surgeries.
• Alternative models of staffing care have been implemented cross the organization, to support care delivery during staffing shortages.
• Following the new provincial testing guidelines for healthcare workers, with the timely return to work of asymptomatic staff who have had a COVID-19 exposure. These staff complete daily negative rapid antigen tests (RAT), ensuring work self-isolation and self-isolation at home.
• Continued prioritization of PCR testing for staff and physicians to enable their return to work as quickly and safely as possible, with additional enhancements to the testing process underway.
In addition to these measures, to support our increased Emergency Department volumes and acuity, we are asking for our community’s assistance to ensure those who need our emergency care, can receive it immediately.
• If you have mild COVID-19 symptoms, you do not need to come to the ED. Coming to the ED risks exposing vulnerable people to the virus. Please call your primary care provider or TeleHealth Ontario for advice on managing mild COVID-19 symptoms at home.
• If you are eligible under new provincial testing guidelines, you may book your COVID-19 test at halton.ca. Our ED cannot administer COVID-19 tests upon request.
• If you visit the ED, you will be seen based on the severity of your illness. Patients are seen based on an assessment of individual illness including many community members who arrive by ambulance. As a result of high volumes, this will likely mean longer than normal waiting times for less severe illness.
Our Emergency Department is safe and our nurses and doctors are ready to care for patients for need our help. If you need emergency care, do not hesitate to call 911 or visit your nearest Emergency Department.
These last two years have been incredibly difficult for everyone. The road behind us has been a long one and we are all anxious to the return to our pre-pandemic lives. However, now more than ever, please continue to follow the guidance of medical experts and public health officials. Get vaccinated, as doing so keeps you and your loved ones safe, and brings us one step closer to making our communities safer. Continue to protect yourselves and others by masking, washing your hands, maintaining physical distancing, and limiting the number of people with whom you gather.
As Wave 5 evolves, so will the situation within our hospital. Our teams will continue to provide great care to those who need it most. We echo our community’s gratitude for the sacrifices made by Joseph Brant Hospital’s dedicated staff and physicians.
We thank you for your patience, understanding and continued support.
Our best wishes for a safe and Happy New Year.
 By Staff
January 3rd, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
In response, the province will return to the modified version of Step Two of the Roadmap to Reopen effective Wednesday, January 5, 2022 at 12:01 a.m. for at least 21 days (until January 26, 2022), subject to trends in public health and health system indicators.
These measures include:
• Reducing social gathering limits to five people indoors and 10 people outdoors.
• Limiting capacity at organized public events to five people indoors.
• Requiring businesses and organizations to ensure employees work remotely unless the nature of their work requires them to be on-site.
• Limiting capacity at indoor weddings, funerals, and religious services, rites and ceremonies to 50 per cent capacity of the particular room. Outdoor services are limited to the number of people that can maintain 2 metres of physical distance. Social gatherings associated with these services must adhere to the social gathering limits.
• Retail settings, including shopping malls, permitted at 50 per cent capacity. For shopping malls physical distancing will be required in line-ups, loitering will not be permitted and food courts will be required to close.
• Personal care services permitted at 50 per cent capacity and other restrictions. Saunas, steam rooms, and oxygen bars closed.
• Closing indoor meeting and event spaces with limited exceptions but permitting outdoor spaces to remain open with restrictions.
• Public libraries limited to 50 per cent capacity.
• Closing indoor dining at restaurants, bars and other food or drink establishments. Outdoor dining with restrictions, takeout, drive through and delivery is permitted.
• Restricting the sale of alcohol after 10 p.m. and the consumption of alcohol on-premise in businesses or settings after 11 p.m. with delivery and takeout, grocery/convenience stores and other liquor stores exempted.
• Closing indoor concert venues, theatres, cinemas, rehearsals and recorded performances permitted with restrictions.
• Closing museums, galleries, zoos, science centres, landmarks, historic sites, botanical gardens and similar attractions, amusement parks and waterparks, tour and guide services and fairs, rural exhibitions, and festivals. Outdoor establishments permitted to open with restrictions and with spectator occupancy, where applicable, limited to 50 per cent capacity.
• Closing indoor horse racing tracks, car racing tracks and other similar venues. Outdoor establishments permitted to open with restrictions and with spectator occupancy limited to 50 per cent capacity. Boat tours permitted at 50 per cent capacity.
• Closing indoor sport and recreational fitness facilities including gyms, except for athletes training for the Olympics and Paralympics and select professional and elite amateur sport leagues. Outdoor facilities are permitted to operate but with the number of spectators not to exceed 50 per cent occupancy and other requirements.
• All publicly funded and private schools will move to remote learning starting January 5 until at least January 17, subject to public health trends and operational considerations.
• School buildings would be permitted to open for child care operations, including emergency child care, to provide in-person instruction for students with special education needs who cannot be accommodated remotely and for staff who are unable to deliver quality instruction from home.
• During this period of remote learning, free emergency child care will be provided for school-aged children of health care and other eligible frontline workers
By Pepper Parr
January 2nd, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
Have you noticed what is different this time?
 When the Delta variant was hospitalizing hundreds and scores were dying daily the Prime Minister was before the public almost daily. When the Delta variant of Covid19 was running rampant the Prime Minister stood at a lectern outside the front door of his house, almost every day of the week, reporting on what was happening.
He left the country with the sense that someone had their finger on the pulse of what we were dealing with.
During the Omicron wave the Premier was hard to find. The Omicron variant, while not as devastating in terms of the reaction most people experience, this variant moves from person to person faster than anything seen or experienced before.
Cabinet met on the weekend and we are to expect an announcement – when? No one is able to say.
 Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore The sense over the holiday weekend is that people were on their own. Stay home, hunker down and wear the mask. The Provincial Medical Officer of Health did say this wave could be with us for six to eight weeks and that there was more information coming.
 By Staff
December 31st, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
With a foundation in faith, ONE Burlington (OB) celebrates the diversity of faith and culture in Burlington, Halton and area, by organizing engaging events that recognize the dynamic links between faith, cultural, environmental and service initiatives in our communities. We invite you to share in our upcoming seasonal events for winter 2022.
 In recent winters, our events included World Religion Day, World InterFaith Harmony Week, the Share the Love Food Bank Drive and Black History Month – events endorsed by the InterFaith Council of Halton, the InterFaith Development Education Association, the Halton Multicultural Council and the Hamilton InterFaith Peace Group.
Our next event is World Religion Day (WRD) which is celebrated in January. On Sunday January 16th 2022 our online WRD will bring believers from different world religions together to discuss the future of faith from the perspective of their own. After WRD Simcoe (1pm) and WRD Durham (2pm), WRD Halton / Hamilton begins at 3pm.
 The keynote presentation is by Dr. Brian Carwana from Encounter World Religions Centre, Guelph. Other speakers are Hanadi Al-Masri of the Halton Multicultural Council, Rabbi Jordan Cohen of Temple Anshe Sholom in Hamilton, media personality Reverend Michael Coren of St. Christopher’s Church in Burlington, Sita Jayaraman of the Halton Catholic District School Board, and Ervad Mehbad Dastur of the Ontario Zoroastrian Community Foundation in Oakville.
Participants and attendees must register for our WRD Halton / Hamilton event through this Zoom Registration link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUld-yspj8rE9bArZrJDOpR7kor_nNDP3qF
ONE Burlington events are free and funded in part by the City of Burlington and the Government of Canada. If you don’t want to receive eMail notices about our events, please let us know by entering UnSubscribe in the body and/or Subject line of a Reply eMail. If you’ve requested this before, we apologize and will double check.
Best wishes to you and yours for 2022, from the ONE Burlington Executive and Event Committees
OneBurlington.net FB.com/OneBurlington Instagram.com/OneBurlington Twitter.com/OneBurlington
 By Pepper Parr
January 1st, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
Each year the Pantone Institute selects a colour that sometimes become the fashion colour.
For 2022, Laurie Pressman, vice president of the institute. “When we select the Pantone color of the year, it must be emblematic of what’s taking place at a moment in time. We were looking at a color that seamlessly moves between digital and physical.”
 Will this shade of blue come to represent what 2022 is going to look like? Ultimately, this new shade—and even the act of creating it—is meant to represent what many are hoping for in 2022: a fresh start for a world that knows that old systems and habits can no longer stand up to the challenges of today, let alone the days to come.
 Ultimate Gray was chosen as the colour of the year for 2021. The blue chosen for 2022 is a bit of an improvement. “We’re entering this different time where we’re reimagining our future, trying to rewrite our lives and acknowledging all the unknown before us,” Pressman says. “Looking at the world with different eyes has brought us—and will continue to bring us—new solutions.”
Time will tell.
What colour did Pantone choose for 2021 – and did it reflect the way the year went?
By Pepper Parr
January 1st, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
Sticky bit of news came out the last few weeks of last year. It will probably be the top story between now and the municipal election this October.
 The hotel is set back from the street, does not loom over the road, gives a clear line of site to the Pier On a site referred to by the planner for the developer as Burlington’s Ground Zero, there are plans to demolish the existing Waterfront Hotel and build two towers: one 35 storeys, the other 30 storeys.
What makes it sticky is some of the politics. The city has created a new Official Plan that still has a few steps to go before it is THE Official Plan.
There were changes in where growth was to take place in the plan. More than 40 organizations have filed appeals against different parts of the Official Plan – which is not all that unusual.
 The podium will butt up against the street and have the two towers on top What was unusual is the grandfathering of a development application that city council has said is not complete.
For the average Burlingtonian all this politicking doesn’t get much attention – however the eventual results will have a very significant impact on Spencer Smith Park which is seen as the jewel in the crown that is the city’s waterfront.
A small group of people formed Plan B – which sets out what the downtown lake edge and the core of the city could look like – if only there were real citizen input.
Plan B really wants your help.
They are arguing that it is your city and you deserve the right to have input on decisions made.
On the political side the provincial Minister of Housing announced that the incomplete application to redevelop the Waterfront Hotel site would be grandfathered, that it will come under the old Urban Growth centre.
 From this – the site as it is today…
 ... to this. The planning proposal currently before the city. You may have heard that the application for the Waterfront Hotel redevelopment was submitted to Steve Clark, Ontario Minister Of Municipal Affairs & Housing, on November 10th, effectively eliminating two intensification arguments (MTSA & UGC designations) used by developers trying to justify increasingly high condo developments downtown.
That’s all true… but did you know that the City in a 7-0 unanimous vote of Council supported the Planning Department’s recommendation to deem the application incomplete.
It seemed logical to the PLAN B group that this application should be re-submitted when it was complete.
For those who care about how the downtown core of the city is developed and what happens to Spencer Smith Park the Plan B people ask you to “Stay tuned, because things have just gotten a lot more interesting!”
Follow what they are up to on their Facebook page. Click HERE
Related news stories:
There are other options
 By Pepper Parr
January 1st, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
The Joseph Brant Hospital put the following on their web site:
Hospital visits
This wave of the COVID-19 pandemic has placed Joseph Brant Hospital’s Emergency Department under pressure.
 Joseph Brant Hospital – under pressure. If you have mild COVID-19 symptoms, you do not need to come to the ED. Coming to the ED risks exposing vulnerable people to the virus. Call your primary care provider or TeleHealth Ontario for advice on managing mild COVID-19 symptoms at home.
We understand the challenges involved in obtaining PCR testing, but our ED cannot administer COVID-19 tests upon request. If you are eligible under new provincial guidelines, you may book your COVID-19 test at halton.ca
If you visit the ED, you will be seen based on the severity of your illness. Because of the high volume of patients, many of whom arrive by ambulance, please expect longer than normal waiting times to be seen by a physician.
The JBH Emergency Department is safe and our nurses and doctors are ready to care for those patients who need our help the most. Please help us by saving the ED for emergencies.
Thank you for your patience and understanding.
It’s not the most reassuring statement. A comment from a reader: “Right now my friend we are all on the same ship and at the mercy of the winds because I don’t think there is anyone at the wheel and if there is he or she does not know how to read a compass and they don’t have any charts to guide them.”
The province no longer has access to the raw data – they have stopped counting the new infections and are instead counting the people who have been admitted to hospital and those in an ICU beds.
 Dr. Kieran Moore, Ontario Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore, the Provincial Medical Officer of Health spoke to the public yesterday (Friday) and did his best to assure people that while things were tough everyone is going to have to tough it out while we all deal with a very very contagious virus that does not appear to be as damaging as the Delta version of Covid19.
There will be all kinds of misinformation out there – go to original sources and listen to the details carefully. We have not faced anything like this before..
The medical people are telling us to wear masks, be with people who are fully vaccinated – get fully vaccinated and stay six feet away from people when you can.
Related news stories.
Medical Officer of Health updates public
Current rules on how the pandemic in Ontario is being managed. Who gets what and where do they go
By Staff
December 31st, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
In response to the rapidly spreading and highly transmissible Omicron variant, the Ontario government, in consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health, is updating its COVID-19 testing and isolation guidelines. Key changes include the following:
- Symptomatic testing will be available for high-risk individuals, and individuals who work in high-risk settings.
- Individuals with symptoms consistent with COVID-19 are presumed positive and they should follow isolation and/or self-monitoring guidelines.
- Testing for asymptomatic contacts of cases is generally no longer recommended, except for high-risk contacts/individuals that are part of confirmed or suspected outbreaks in high-risk settings, as recommended by public health.
- Positive rapid antigen tests will no longer require PCR confirmation.
- Based on the latest scientific evidence, individuals with COVID-19 should isolate for five days if they are fully vaccinated or under the age of 12, and if their symptoms are improving for at least 24 hours.
Eligible Groups for PCR Testing
Effective December 31, 2021, PCR testing will only be recommended for individuals if they belong to the following groups:
- Symptomatic people who fall into one of the following groups:
- Hospitalized patients
- Patients in Emergency Departments, at the discretion of the treating clinician
- Patient-facing health care workers
- Staff, residents, essential care providers, and visitors in hospitals and congregate living settings, including long-term care, retirement homes, First Nation elder care lodges, group homes, shelters, hospices, temporary foreign worker settings, and correctional institutions
- Outpatients for whom COVID-19 treatment is being considered
- Underhoused or homeless
- People who are from First Nation, Inuit, and Métis communities and individuals travelling into these communities for work
- Symptomatic elementary and secondary students and education staff who have received a PCR self-collection kit through their school
- People on admission/transfer to or from hospital or congregate living setting
- High-risk contacts and asymptomatic/symptomatic people in the context of confirmed or suspected outbreaks in high-risk settings, including hospitals, long-term care, retirement homes, other congregate living settings and institutions, and other settings as directed by the local public health unit
- Individuals, and one accompanying caregiver, with written prior approval for out-of-country medical services from the General Manager, OHIP
- Asymptomatic testing in hospital, long-term care, retirement homes and other congregate living settings and Institutions as per provincial guidance and/or Directives
If you have symptoms of COVID-19
Individuals who are vaccinated, as well as children under 12 who have symptoms of COVID-19 will be required to isolate for five days following the onset of symptoms. These individuals can end isolation after five days if their symptoms are improving for at least 24 hours, and all public health and safety measures, such as masking and physical distancing, are followed
Individuals who are unvaccinated, partially vaccinated or immunocompromised will be required to isolate for 10 days.
If you are someone who works or lives in a high risk-health care setting (i.e., hospitals, long-term care, retirement homes, congregate living settings) you must notify your employer. Individuals who work or live in these settings should not attend work for 10 days from their symptom onset, or from their date of diagnosis. To ensure sufficient staffing levels, workers in these settings may have the opportunity to return to work early on day seven of their isolation, with a negative PCR test, or two negative rapid antigen tests on day six and seven. Speak with your employer or occupational health and safety department for more information.
All household contacts must also isolate for the same duration as the person with symptoms, regardless of their vaccination status. If you have symptoms of COVID-19, you should also consider informing close contacts beyond your household contacts by providing them with the link to Ontario.ca/exposed. Individuals who are eligible for a lab-based PCR test are encouraged to get tested.
If you have concerns about your symptoms, contact your doctor, health care provider or Telehealth for more information and guidance. If you develop severe symptoms requiring medical attention, such as shortness of breath or chest pain, call 911.
If you do not have symptoms of COVID-19 but are feeling unwell, isolate until symptoms have improved for at least 24 hours.
If you’ve been exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19
If you are fully vaccinated and you have no symptoms, and do not live with the positive case, you are advised to:
- Self-monitor for symptoms for 10 days since you last interacted with the positive case
- Maintain masking, physical distancing and adherence to all other public health measures if leaving home
- Do not visit any high-risk settings or individuals who may be at higher risk of illness (e.g., seniors) for 10 days from your last exposure.
If you are not fully vaccinated, or are immunocompromised, you must isolate immediately for 10 days following your last contact. If you live with the positive case, you must isolate for the length of their isolation period.
Individuals who are eligible for testing are encouraged to get tested.
If you live, work, attend, volunteer, or have been admitted in a high-risk health care setting, you must notify your employer and should not visit the high-risk setting for 10 days since your last exposure or symptom onset, or from your date of diagnosis. To ensure sufficient staffing levels, workers in these settings will have the opportunity to return to work early on day seven of their isolation with a negative PCR test, or two negative rapid antigen tests on day six and seven. If you live in a high-risk setting, you should isolate regardless of vaccination status.
If you have COVID-19 based on a positive test result
If you test positive from a PCR, rapid molecular or a rapid antigen test and you are fully vaccinated or under 12 years of age, you must isolate for five days from the positive test result if you have no symptoms or from symptom onset and until their symptoms are improving for 24 hours (or 48 hours if gastrointestinal symptoms).
If you are partially vaccinated, unvaccinated or immunocompromised, you should self-isolate for 10 days from the onset of symptoms, or from the date of your test (whichever came sooner).
In addition, household contacts of individuals who have tested positive must also self-isolate during this time. Individuals must isolate regardless of their vaccination status.
You should also notify your close contacts. A close contact is anyone you were less than two metres away from for at least 15 minutes, or multiple shorter lengths of time, without personal protective equipment in the 48 hours before your symptoms began or your positive test result, whichever came first.
Appropriate Use of Rapid Antigen Testing
Ontario currently has a limited supply of rapid antigen tests that are being prioritized for health care and highest risk settings. This includes rapid antigen test use for “test-to-work” in which asymptomatic staff in these sectors can return to work when they would otherwise be on isolation at home.
Focusing the use of rapid antigen tests for these sectors will help keep hospitals, long-term care and retirement homes and congregate settings operating as safely as possible. As of December 20, a total of 50 million rapid antigen tests have been deployed across more than 49,000 sites since the beginning of the pandemic, with the vast majority (approximately 41 million) deployed to these priority sectors.
Rapid antigen testing may be used to confirm if a symptomatic individual has COVID-19, with no requirement for a confirmatory PCR or rapid molecular test.
In addition to Ontario directly procuring additional rapid tests where possible, the province is continuing to urge the federal government to make more rapid tests available to provinces as quickly as possible.
How to Access Supports While Isolating
If you require assistance while isolating, visit COVID-19: Support for people. People can also contact their public health unit for many isolation supports including:
- Use of isolation facilities;
- Referral to community supports and agencies;
- Mental health supports;
- Courier and delivery supports for food and necessities;
- Additional resources available to support isolation through the High Priority Communities strategy.
Employers cannot threaten, fire, or penalize an employee in any other way because the employee took or plans on taking job-protected leave due to COVID-19, and doctors notes are not required for employees to use the leave. You can learn more about job-protected leave here.
By Staff
December 31st, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
In a lengthy media release put out by the city administration they said “The number one priority continues to be the health and safety of residents and staff.
The key focus for the City right now is continuity of operations, given rising infections in the community and subsequently among City staff.
To date, there remain few instances of City workplace transmission in City facilities. City staff continue to monitor COVID-19 impacts to ensure robust health and safety procedures are in place in our facilities and are working to ensure essential services are delivered for Burlington residents.
Throughout the holidays, the City’s Emergency Control Group continues to meet to review City service programs and impacts. The City will continue to communicate updates to residents as we all continue to live through this evolving pandemic.
Pandemic response and updates
The City wants to ensure the people of Burlington that the City continues to monitor the COVID-19 impacts and prepare. This is a dynamic situation and City staff are monitoring daily for any federal, provincial, or regional announcements that would impact City operations. Burlington City Council is provided regular briefings and are ready to take action if a City Council meeting should be required over the holidays. Verbal updates on the COVID-19 emergency response will continue to be provided to City Council in the new year at the Environment, Infrastructure and Community Services Committee.
The next COVID-19 emergency response verbal update is planned for Jan. 13, 2022.
City of Burlington Emergency Control Group
The City’s Emergency Control Group has been regularly meeting over the holidays. This group has decision-making responsibility related to time-sensitive and immediate actions to address the emergency at hand, including operations and crisis communications. The Emergency Control group includes the Mayor, City Manager and senior City leadership from all service areas, Burlington Fire leadership, Health and Safety staff and a Burlington Hydro representative. City Council continues to be responsible for overall governance of the City and strategic decisions.
Protecting City staff and our community
Throughout the pandemic, the City has taken proactive steps to reduce the risk of transmission in the workplace. This includes implementing a staff COVID-19 vaccination policy, adjustments to building ventilation, occupancy limits, daily wellness screening, mandatory masks and a variety of personal protection equipment. Respiratory protection (N95 or KN95 respirators) were offered early on in the pandemic to staff that were deemed an elevated risk to protect them and Burlington residents. To address the highly transmissible Omicron variant, the City has taken additional steps, including making medical masks and tight-fitting respirators (N95, KN95, etc.), available to all staff working on-site.
For higher risk settings, the City is using rapid antigen tests to ensure safety and operational continuity. The City continues to conduct case and contact management for the workplace, regularly updating isolation and testing protocols based on evolving Public Health requirements and to mitigate risk. City staff are advised to work from home and not attend the workplace if they are feeling unwell.
For part-time staff, the City has re-introduced up to 10 paid shifts for approved absences related to COVID-19 to help take care of our people.
The City is acutely aware that the infectious rate of the Omicron variant has the ability to impact City delivery of services and continues to monitor carefully to take steps as needed. Even though hospitalizations currently remain lower with the Omicron variant, the need for people to self-isolate if they get Omicron creates an elevated risk for staffing levels and continuity of services. It remains critical for people to continue to follow all health measures to reduce opportunity for spread and get vaccinated. All requirements for proof of vaccination, screening, masking and physical distancing remain in place at City facilities. The City is working to limit service disruptions to essential public safety services for the community.
Outdoor and active at home recreation options
Residents are encouraged to get outside and enjoy the outdoors responsibly, continuing to follow the advice from public health. There are a number of opportunities to remain active such as the Burlington Rotary Centennial Pond, 15 neighbourhood rink locations, six City designated tobogganing areas and walking/biking on trails. Visiting parks and open spaces is another outdoor recreation opportunity. For a list of parks, playgrounds and trails, visit burlington.ca/outdoorplay. Options to stay active at home are also available online at burlington.ca/activeathome.
 Mayor Marianne Meed Ward Mayor Marianne Meed Ward added that: “Your City Council and staff are taking all actions necessary to ensure you continue to receive the services you rely on. We also regularly connect with our partners at the federal, provincial and regional levels to offer our help as needed, and advocate for our community where necessary. We will get through this together as we have so far. Thank you for continuing to do your part, follow health measures, and get vaccinated. We know the last 22 months haven’t been easy for anyone, and you’ve made many sacrifices. Your compassion for each other, your resilience and creativity to find new ways to safely come together, has been a shining light through these difficult days.”
City Manager Tim Commisso
 City Manager Tim Commisso “It is important the City continues to deliver essential services to our community and we want to assure the public we are working to help us all get through this wave as safely as possible. The City’s Emergency Control Group continues to meet regularly throughout the holiday closure and City staff are at work delivering City programs and services and responding to COVID-19. This is a dynamic situation.
Although there remain few instances of City workplace transmission in City facilities, we know 51 per cent of all City staff COVID-19 infections have occurred in the last two weeks since the pandemic began. The Omicron variant is highly infectious and we continue to review plans for business continuity and essential delivery of services for our community.”
 By Ryan O’Dowd: Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
December 30th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
2021 has been a year we are not going to forget quickly. We have learned that major changes are coming but we don’t know yet precisely what they will be. A look back at 2021 might give us a hint – it will certainly remind us of what worked and what didn’t.
Regional and City disputes that dominated the year’s news came began coming to a head in October. Mid month the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) agreed with the lawyers (there were 20+ of them on the call) that the Interim Control By-Law (ICBL) could be lifted except for several properties along Fairview between Brant and Drury Lane.
By this point, the ICBL had frozen developments in several areas for a couple of years. The Gazette reported regularly on the Waterfront Hotel development that held the required public pre-application meeting and revealed their plans for a 35-storey tower and a 30-storey tower that would sit atop a 4-storey podium at the intersection of Brant and Lakeshore Road.
On October 21st another pre-application meeting took place, this one for a development at Brant and Prospect – 789-795 Brant Street. There was no mention of how high the building would go other than noting that the proposed development includes a podium with a height of 7 storeys facing Brant Street. At hearings, city witnesses failed to bring forth compelling evidence of shadow issues from the new developments.
The Gazette criticized Mayor Marianne Meed Ward for becoming relatively mum on waterfront developments in what is described as the football – very much at odds with her vision of the city in the run up to her election.
 They were first described as “mobility hubs” – then described as MTSA Major Transit Service Areas and designated as the location for significant intensification. High rise towers would dominate. That circle at the bottom of the graphic – a space about the size of a kitchen – did not get to keep the MTSA designation – it was just a simple bus terminal.  Mayor Meed Ward listening to residents at a public meeting. As for Meed Ward’s vision of the city, an Engagement Plan was detailed regarding public consultation on Major Transit Station Area (MTSA) meetings. The MTSA is a designation given to the Go stations in the Burlington area, around which developments were planned for the City’s vision of their Official Plan. Key developments around this area are intended to create appropriate intensification and the protection of established neighbourhoods by focusing future population growth. These are decisions that will shape the future of Burlington: public input is paramount.
 Once the site of the Pearle Street Cafe about to become another high rise development making the area a high rise ghetto. By the end of the month, the Ontario Land Tribunal ruled in favour of the developer Carriage Gate Homes for a 29-storey mixed-use condominium development on the northeast corner of Pearl and Lakeshore. Former Mayor Rick Goldring laid the blame at Meed Ward’s feet causing the Gazette to wonder if Goldring was throwing his hat in the ring for his old gig come next year’s municipal election. The issue in all Goldring’s finger-pointing was that the decision he was coming out against was decided based on the MTSA designation of the tiny Brant St. terminal, a hold-over from his time in charge.
Municipally, City Hall had a slew of items on the agenda in October. They continued to debate the upcoming budget, that would carry on until the end of the year. Mayor Meed Ward hosted Ontario’s Big City Mayor (OBCM) caucus meeting on October 14th; the meeting largely centered around demands for more action from the federal and provincial governments to aid municipalities through the pandemic recovery. Meed Ward used the opportunity to talk about the impact of lost revenues and added expenses on taxes. The OBCM meeting took place at the new Burlington hotel, the Pearle Hotel and Spa on the Waterfront. The Pearle’s opening was overshadowed by a chaotic calendar year but will surely become a premier destination in Burlington.
A Burlington Gazette readers’ survey, on which of the five new Councillors had shown the most growth over their term, yielded favourable results for Councillors Rory Nisan, Ward 3, and Kelvin Galbraith, Ward 1, two councillors the Gazette identified as most often backing the mayor.
In early October the City laid out rules for vaccination of staff that broke down into three categories: vaccinated, exemption, and testing. The third option allowed for staff to be regularly tested instead of being vaccinated, in stark contrast to the federal government’s approach that you get vaccinated by a certain day – if you’re not, you’re on unpaid leave. The municipal policy was made much tough later in the year.
 Halton Environmental Network brought Katharine Hayhow to the Region virtually. Weeks later the very effective Executive Director got poached by the Regional government where it is doubtful she will be able to do what she is very effective at. Much of the positive stories to cling onto in 2021 came from the way generous Burlingtonians found new ways to give back despite the pandemic; by October they were offered some regional help. The Halton Region Community Investment Fund opened applications for not-for-profits that enhance the health, safety, and well-being of Halton residents. Virtual activities continued in the community, as the Art Galley ran creative Zoom events for the artists and hobbyists, and the Halton Environmental Network hosted a virtual discussion with United Nations Climate leader, Dr. Katharine Hayhoe.
Other Burlington organizations had moved to in-person offerings. The RBG ran an innovative interactive exhibit on artwork called ‘Seeing the Invisible’, featuring a range of contemporary and modern artwork complemented by AR or Augmented Reality Technology. AR is a technology that can add or augment any viewer’s perception of their environment.
 Pressure from citizens resulted in the refurbishment of was once a water trough. The Heritage Advisory Committee rehabilitated what has been known as the King Edward VII Fountain, a fountain with over 100 years of history in Burlington. The Kind Edward VII Fountain was not the only Heritage Advisory Committee story of the month. A member of the Heritage Advisory Committee received a grant from the Committee. The recipient of the grant did recuse himself from the vote, and received the funds for an appropriate project. Still, questions about a conflict of interest were unavoidable.
 Now it is just a bus terminal – there was a time when the terminal got used to justify a 26 story tower. On Nov. 10, 2021, the City of Burlington received official notification of the boundary adjustment of the City’s Urban Growth Centre (UGC) designation from the Hon. Steve Clark, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. The Minister also confirmed the removal of the Major Transit Station Area (MTSA) designation in the downtown core. If that reads in the context of this year in review, that it was a long time coming, it certainly was. What’s more – for some significant downtown Burlington developments the decision came too late. Seven buildings were grandfathered in based on previous designations.
The Marsden’s still won’t believe the decision is final.
The City suggested the decision sent a clear signal “that the scale and intensity of recent development activity in Burlington’s historic downtown was driven by misuse and reliance on the UGC and MTSA and was not sustainable given on-the-ground realities of physical and social infrastructure.” Ward 2 Councillor Lisa Kearns led a well-attended walking tour through downtown Burlington educating those interested in the grandfathered development sites. The mood presented at the tour around the City fighting the decision wasn’t optimistic, “What I cannot do is completely stop them,” Kearns said. Earlier in the year, the City had essentially celebrated the designations for a new UGC and the removal of the MTSA as done deals, this proved not to be the case.
 The battle to see something much different on the Waterfront Hotel property is being spearheaded by the Plan B people. The Gazette learned an application had been filed for, what the Gazette has been calling, the Two Towers that Darko Vranich wants to put in the space now occupied by the Waterfront Hotel.
The application had been filed on October 26th, it wasn’t available to the public until late November – more questions about transparency had to be asked.
Budget deliberations occupied much of the month at City Hall. The 2022 proposed City tax increase sat at 5.45%. Each member of Council put forward a motion setting out changes they wanted to see to the proposed budget. 2022 will be a municipal election year so Council, Mayor Meed Ward in particular, wanted to get that number down. The public had an opportunity to weigh in and ask questions at a Virtual Budget Townhall to be emceed by the Mayor on November 22, 2021. On November 29th Council went through a budget exercise including a five-year simulation on what the public can expect – the assumption being that there will be no radical changes in the economic environment. The average projected city tax increase over that period came out to 5.17%, a tough pill to swallow.
 Once THE taxi cab company in the city had to close – insurance rates skyrocketed and drivers could not be found for the vehicles. Effective Friday, Nov. 26th, Burlington Taxi closed its service. Scott Wallace gave a very complete outline of just how the business he has run since he was a 19-year-old unraveled. Uber was what Wallace called the first of a thousand cuts, but he was never able to recover from COVID-19. Then there was an issue of insurance, consolidation in the taxi market resulted in skyrocketing rates that went from $5000 a year per car up to $18,000 per year per car. Wallace needed a change in the municipal bylaw – the city said it was unable to make the change within the necessary time frame. Five days later the city made the needed change but by that time Burlington Taxi was out of business and Blue Line in Hamilton took over some of the then available taxi slots in Burlington.
Burlington observed Remembrance Day with a ceremony at the Naval Monument in Spencer Smith Park and another at the Cenotaph by City Hall, in the recently unveiled Veteran’s Square. The event in Veteran’s Square was advertised as a virtual one but the city was unable to keep people away – Brant Street was thronged by crowds, arriving to pay respects. The City encouraged applicants to run outdoor neighbourhood ice rinks through the winter months. Canadian Music Hall of Famer Steven Page put on a show at the Performing arts Centre on November 13th. The BPAC LIVE & LOCAL Music Series returned to the Community Studio Theatre on Sunday, November 14th, featuring local artist Hayley Verrall.
Faced with the void left by Burlington Taxi’s closure on November 30th, City Hall issued temporary licenses on December 7th to drivers who could be on the road by the end of the day. Blue Line of Hamilton was providing the dispatching service.
City Council passed a budget on December 14th including a 4.62% tax increase. Council managed to decrease the size of the budget Staff had presented but by less than 1%. City Council will go into an election year with their second consecutive highest city tax increase under Mayor Meed Ward, it’s a figure the mayor will not be pleased with.
 City managed to announce a tax rate before it was passed by Council. What followed the budget announcement was a peculiar, related story. The City issues City Talk, a print piece that is delivered to Burlington residents, in the December 14th issue of City Talk they announced: “CITY COUNCIL APPROVES 2022 CITY BUDGET: BURLINGTON TAXES REMAIN BELOW AVERAGE IN COMPARISON OF LOCAL MUNICIPALITIES.” So, what’s the problem? City Talk was mailed before the budget was approved!,,
City Council agreed on December 6th to make a formal offer to purchase the Bateman High School property for a reported $50 million. There are all kinds of details that are not known; the HDSB will retain some of the space, Brock University is in talks with the city to rent space, Tech Place is going to need an affordable place to operate and has eyes on the Bateman location, and the library might become a tenant as well.
 Santa appeared throughout the city spread good cheer, gift and Holiday Greetings Throughout December Burlington engaged in a measure of holiday cheer. The Burlington Holiday Market went on as planned showcasing local business owners after its hasty approval process, the city and its organizers hope to make it an annual affair, there were provisions in the arrangement for exactly that. The fire department got plenty of mileage out of their antique firetrucks this December: the antique fire truck filled in for a sleigh to cart Santa around town for a socially distanced Santa Clause parade. A nice substitute but everyone hopes for a return to a traditional Santa Claus Parade next year.
Elsewhere the antiques were on hand, manned by retired firefighters, to add a festive flair to the Join the Joy event supporting Joseph Brant Hospital’s Labour and Delivery Unit. Frosty’s Village program, organized by several mothers to spur donations to the Burlington Food Bank, featured a concert of Christmas carols. The Sound of Music drummed up funds with their Silent (Night) Auction, with guitars, show posters, and albums signed by popular musicians.
 A popular event that was in its 5th year raised funds for the Arts. The Burlington Performing Arts Centre organized the Festival of Trees, an indoor forest of beautifully decorated artificial Christmas trees. The Festival of Trees held a silent auction to bid on the trees, all proceeds support the Burlington Performing Arts Centre. It was the most wonderful time of the year, or so it appeared to be for a moment.
On December 2nd the first case of the lab-confirmed case and two probable cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 were identified in Halton Region. By mid-month, responding to the rising number of Covid19 infections and the rate at which the Omicron variant was replicating, the province once again increased lockdown measures.
COVID-19 cases in Halton remained manageable compared to the province at large with 3128 active cases as of December 29th in the Halton region, a drop in the bucket compared to the 76,992 active cases provincially. Ontario reported a record-breaking 10,436 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday.
Regionally the total case count has reached 22570, in Burlington it is at 5970.
 Mayor Meed Ward shows up at GO-VAXX event to apologize for something she didn’t do. In the face of the rising threat of the Omicron variant Burlingtonians were eager to receive their booster shots and showed up in droves to a GO-VAXX bus parked at Burlington Centre on December 27th only to be turned away. A late change to appointment-based booking rather than walk-ins turned the GO-VAXX scene chaotic, people who lined up for the booster shot had to be turned away.
December is the time of year for celebration, gathering with friends and family, a time for reflection on a year that came and went, and looking forward to the next year. At the end of 2020, all anyone would have wanted was for 2021 to be different, and despite a vaccine and some months of near-normal life we are forced to have the same reflections. This time we hope 2022 will not be a repeat of 2021.
Once more we will enter the new year concerned with safety at the forefront of our minds. Let us hope in a year’s time these concerns have faded.
Have a safe and happy New Year.
First quarter 2021
Second quarter 2021
Third quarter 2021
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