|
|||||||||||||||||
|
December 30th, 2021 BURLINGTON, ON
The province reported a positivity rate of 27% yesterday. That’s the percentage of people who test positive for the virus of those overall who have been tested. So, as more and more people are being tested, the focus is shifting to the positivity rate — how many of those tested are actually infected. This is something we are doing to ourselves.
December 30th, 2021 BURLINGTON, ON
Many folks, including some Liberals, criticized the Trudeau government for choosing to call an election in the midst of the pandemic this past year. Under Canada’s fixed term election law, when in a minority situation, the party in power can either call an election at their convenience or wait for the opposition to bring them down at their’s. Even Mr. Harper, who had introduced the election law, had opted for that provision.  Candidates in the 2021 federal election The polls had been indicating a Liberal majority, but that didn’t happen. Still after all the ruckus about this having been ‘an unnecessary election’, the Trudeau government wouldn’t dare do it again. And neither would the opposition now. That should give the Liberals four more years in power, if all parties act responsibly. Brian Mulroney’s government had been the first to alert the nation to global warming. Jean Chretien signed onto the first international agreement committing Canada to emission reduction limits. But the Trudeau government is the first to implement policies and programs to seriously address climate change. The government has announced caps on oil and gas emissions and is regulating Canada’s electricity grid to be net zero carbon by 2035. Subsidies to the fossil fuel industries, which have persisted in the billions through the early Trudeau years, are set to finally be ended.  Regulations to ban the single use of plastic by the end of 2022 A significant tree planting program is being launched. Regulations to ban the single use of plastic by the end of 2022 are in process, and plastic has been named a toxic substance under Canada’s Environmental Protection Act. All new sales of gasoline powered car and trucks will be banned as of 2035. Grants for the purchase of electric vehicles will continue and have actually been expanded to allow for more models. And the Trudeau government has been investing in ‘green infrastructure’, such as public transit. But perhaps most significantly, the PM is borrowing a page from former PM Mulroney and demanding each of his ministers to assume responsibility for the environment. Ministerial mandate letters dictate all hands on deck since climate change affects so much in our society/economy. The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a lot of the wind out of government plans to do much else. Despite some hesitation and missteps early in the pandemic the federal government finally got it mostly right on border security; vaccination availability, vaccine mandates and passports. Despite having no vaccine manufacturing capability, Canada is now one of the most vaccinated nations on earth. Canada now manufactures its own personal protection equipment (PPE), even though some is still imported. The military and Red Cross have gone in to help when provincial governments in at least half of Canadian provinces were no longer capable of handling COVID on their own. And though public health policy, lockdowns and business restrictions are managed at the provincial level, it is the federal support programs which provide a crutch and blanket for those displaced by COVID. So when provincial jurisdictions like Alberta, and even Ontario, ignore the advice of their medical professionals, potentially allowing another surge, more cost just gets added to the federal deficit and debt. And, as we know, the federal spending bill, our deficits and debt burden, is huge and growing.  First Nations communities are expected to transition to self-government and move away from the Indian Act. Another priority, Canada has embarked on an historic path to resolve its almost incoherent relationship with our indigenous population. The tragedy of native residential schools has highlighted the injustice of our past relationship with our indigenous population, going back to well before confederation. The new Crown-Indigenous minister, Marc Miller, has been tasked with resolving long standing land claims and supporting First Nations communities as they transition to self-government and move away from the Indian Act. It’s all an ambitious agenda, especially for a minority government having to rely on enough opposition support to keep the momentum going. That likely explains why Mr. Trudeau wanted so badly to win a majority. Still, it is a credit to all of our political leaders that there has been so much multipartite support to help Canadians hurt by the pandemic public health policies. The Conservatives have more recently dropped their support for the CERB (Canada Emergency Response Benefit) which provides income support for unemployed workers directly. They do, however, support the more expensive wage subsidies, despite these periodically ending up as bonus payments for executives and as corporate dividend payments. Mr. Trudeau has rejected calls for a universal basic income program in lieu of the current patchwork of low income financial supports, something the NDP has been advocating would be more efficient and less costly than CERB. Tory opposition to CERB is rooted in complaints by some business entities that CERB impacts labour’s work ethic. CERB had been scheduled to wrap up before the end of 2021 but support funding will be extended, thanks to the arrival of Omicron.  Is this the last oil-gas pipeline to be laid? There is also disagreement between the two major parties on the future of the oil and gas sector, even though the handwriting is on the wall. The fossil fuel era is over but oil and gas revenue has been a big part of Canada’s GDP, even though it has been massively subsidized by governments at all levels for over half a century. And, after all, fossil fuels, including oil and gas, are most responsible for global climate change. Canada made the list of the top top ten climate disasters of 2021. Not only did these disasters cost in the billions, both privately and publicly, but they destroyed forests, farms and even whole towns like Lytton BC. We know these kinds of destructive events will not be a one time event as the temperature of the planet continues to warm. Apparently some folks were so upset that Trudeau called the election last fall that they voted for one of the other parties. But I have yet to hear about people being so upset that they didn’t even show up to vote. In fact voting in last fall’s election was significantly higher than that in two of the previous four elections, despite the challenges of the pandemic. It’s past time to get over the election. 2022 is a new year and the federal government is kicking it off with a tough agenda and three priorities. The pandemic, global warming and indigenous reconciliation. Let’s get on with it.
Background links: Top Ten Climate Disasters –Banning Plastics –Crown-Indigenous Minister Mandate –Tory Support for CERB –
December 31st, 2021 BURLINGTON, ON https://www.casinosformoney.com/ca/real-money/ Canada is a known location that many tourists wish to visit and explore. From its beautiful nature on the borders of British Columbia to the bustling city life that is offered there. Casino lovers always rejoice heading their way over there, and it is believed that over 25 million tourists from around the world visit Canada and make a visit to the gambling locations that it has to offer. Meaning, yes, it is a spot to check out, if you love the gambling scene! The revenue alone from casino gambling within Canada has surpassed $500 million dollars and counting, due to the fact that there are first and foremost many casinos, but that the legislation around online gambling have also become more accessible and simpler than ever. If you’re interested in some real money gaming, Canada would certainly be the location to do it. So, what are the best casinos in Canada that can liven up your spirits, you ask? Make sure to keep on reading to find out more! Casino Niagara, Ontario With over 13,00 slot machines inside the casino, in addition to multiple casino tables for classical casino games, you can guarantee that a day within the Casino Niagara, is not one that will end quickly. In fact, it will most likely take hours of game time, for you to even realise that you have completed what there is to offer there. The adventure of the Casino Niagara is desired by many gamblers all over the world, making it a must for any tourist who wishes to immerse themselves within the city of Niagara. Casino De Montreal, Quebec
Casino Rama Resort, Ontario In total there are 8 unique restaurants on site that cater to different cuisines, which makes it perfect for guests staying for a number of nights within the hotel. Who wants to stick to one cuisine, 7 days in a row? St. Eugene Golf and Casino Resort, British Columbia If you want to soak in the perfect views on your stay here, make sure to book the advantageous benefits of what a balcony view apartment can offer you. While on the pricier side, it still is beautiful and can most definitely make you feel right at home.
December 29th, 2021 BURLINGTON, ON The worst of the pandemic was over, for the time being, or so we thought – July was a month of a cultural boom for Burlington. A dark cloud hung over Canada Day as the national zeitgeist remained contemplative over Canadian identity and its relationship to residential schools and a broader problematic history with Indigenous peoples. Nevertheless, Burlington pressed onwards. The Sound of Music put on a virtual show featuring some of our top local talent. It wasn’t the same as spending a weekend at a rapturous, muddy Spencer Smith Park enjoying the spectacle but the event was a solid effort to entertain Burlington in a safe, socially distanced way.  The Mayor and a city Councillor were featured in an online reading rendition of Dangerous Liaisons. By the end of the previous month, online entertainment in Burlington consisted of City Staff and the Mayor starring in productions of Dangerous Liaisons and The Odd Couple. This reporter is sure they did a fine job but is equally as sure they were happy to see the professional entertainers back. The Sound of Music featured Indigenous speakers but as a Gazette contributor pointed out they didn’t showcase any Indigenous artists, a missed opportunity, all things considered.  Citizens Group continues with a long drawn out protest over plans for an enlargement of the Nelson quarry. Education-based events came out of the Performing Arts Centre, which hosted a mid-July Musical Theatre Week. The Burlington Public Library added items to their lending program to encourage outdoor fun, including bikes, games, and hobby items (such as bird watching kits and archery sets). The library was a great source of entertainment throughout the pandemic, seeing a 103% increase in eCheckouts of books (they also expanded their collection) after closing their doors. Brant Museum re-opened featuring a space exhibit. Elsewhere, the community was beginning to be able to organize again, a bedrock of a functional democracy. CORE Burlington (Conserving our Rural Ecosystems) hosted their first event since the start of the pandemic to oppose Nelson Aggregate’s Mount Nemo quarry expansion application. The City of Burlington invested $25,200 into the 2021 Neighbourhood Community Matching Fund recipients. The community investment went towards three community projects, focused on enhancing infrastructure amenities within parks, gardens, and buildings on public lands or on lands that are accessible to the public. The winners were Grow for Change Urban Farm Community Therapeutic Programs, The Orchard Community Garden Project, and Community Garden in Roseland. City Council prepared to break for the summer but still had their share of business. They began work on the 2022 budget, more on this in the final quarter – an early figure included a city tax increase of 5.57%.
On July 12th the City had to pony up $165,000 to get parking sensors in downtown Burlington that were accurate, this was a fix to a problem in the completion of a project allotted $525,000 in 2017. Gazette readers wondered if we needed sensors tabulating the number of cars in a parking lot and expressed frustration over the growing costs. The City of Burlington announced the appointment of Maciej Jurczyk as the City Auditor starting August 16, who, arriving at a tumultuous financial time, would surely have his work cut out for him.  The Rainbow Crosswalks were a story that destined to have a long run. Expect them to be an election issue at the end of the year we are going into. Elsewhere, the Gazette continued to follow the rainbow crosswalks story, aside from the vote on location (right in front of the Halton Catholic School Board office), another story was brewing. The Gazette reported belief from observers that Marianne Meed Ward threw three of her council colleagues under the bus when they voted against the Mayor to have six additional rainbow crosswalks done as soon as possible, rather than the more fiscally prudent approach of adding one each year. The Mayor wanted to again raid reserve funds to pay for the additional six – Kearns, Stolte, and Sharman had no problem with the crosswalks – just not all at the same time. The Mayor tweeted out thanks to her councillors other than Kearns, Stolte, and Sharman, which some took as a suggestion they didn’t support the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, which was not the case. As for regional growth plans, big problems for the city were on the horizon. That sentence is quite literal as big developments in downtown Burlington, begun under the former Major Transit Station Area and Urban Growth Center designations, looked impossible to stop. The Gazette congratulated the Mayor and Council on their achievement in shifting these designations to keep high-rises out of downtown Burlington but some of them were poised to be grandfathered in while the City’s Official Plan stalled. After all the fights, including some successful ones the City waged with the Region, downtown Burlington was fated to be forever changed. The City won but lost. Halton Regional Police Services announced their use of the Brave App, designed to connect people at risk of overdose with the help they need: an ally they can talk to, a human supporter to help them stay safe, and digital monitoring technology to help them when they’re in danger. The app connects them with a community of overdose responders, and/or professional emergency first responders. The use of the app was in response to what they called an overdose crisis in the community.  Local wheelchair basket player Melanie Hawtin joined the Canadian Team representing Canada at the Tokyo 2021 Paralympics. On July 20th , a local wheelchair basket player, Melanie Hawtin, was announced to join the Canadian Team representing Canada at the Tokyo 2021 Paralympics. Rumblings of a federal election call began early in August. In preparation, the Green Party announced their candidate, a young man named Christian Cullis, on August 10th. On August 12th the Gazette began investigating rumours of a Burlington People’s Party candidate, who was revealed to be Michael Bator shortly thereafter. On August 15th the Gazette reported on some conveniently timed Burlington investment announcements by MP and Cabinet Minister Karina Gould who used the Rock Garden in Hamilton to announce that the federal government had come up with $579, 000 from the Great Lakes Action Plan V – Great Lakes Sustainability Fund for the RBG’s Wetland Rehabilitation Program and the City of Burlington’s Grindstone Creek Erosion Control Planning. The RBG would be receiving $425,000 for their program, while the City will be receiving $154,000. Ahead of the election call Gazette field reporters surveyed Burlingtonians about their feelings on the election, most felt it was unnecessary, irresponsible, even a dereliction of duty by the federal government in some cases. Others shrugged it off, believing whoever was in power would make a similar gambit if they liked their chances to re-election. Nevertheless, the election was called on August 15th, that it was called at all would remain a defining election issue. The Gazette began profiling the players, starting with every major party candidate in Burlington and spoke to those candidates who were interested. In August the Gazette profiled Gould, who championed the $10 a day child care program as the cause dearest to her (upon re-election she would be named Minister of Families, Children, and Social Development). NDP candidate, Nick Page, and the Green Party’s Cullis, shared similar visions of a more equitable society and saw emerging from the pandemic as the opportune moment to consider some foundational changes. Page and Cullis were so closely aligned that when the NDP candidate pitched proportional representation his pitch was that the Green Party would have a bigger voice in influencing climate change. It was an example that had our editor run a piece with the question “huh?” in the headline. The Gazette’s fruitless efforts to speak to Conservative candidate, Emily Brown, were well documented. They had to be after the first piece on Brown sent readers into a tizzy.  Emily Brown, federal Conservative candidate for Burlington is ranked as a sharp shooter – missed the bulls-eye during the election. Brown neglected to engage with the media herself so the Gazette dug into what information was available, at the heart of her platform was protecting gun owner’s rights. It was an issue Brown was extremely passionate about, she is an accomplished shooter and held several positions within local shooting groups. For whatever reason Brown supporters didn’t like this, a self-identified, core tenant of her campaign being highlighted, they objected greatly to any Brown article without any factual objections.  NDP sign defaced during the federal election. Early in the campaign, Oakville/North Burlington NDP candidate Lenaee Dupuis had a lawn sign vandalized with the words “No Commies” spray-painted on it, which would prove to set a regrettable tone for the campaign. The race was afoot and would continue into September. With City Hall off for the summer municipal affairs in Burlington went mostly quiet, but regional development disputes continued to pile up. Mayor Meed Ward had thus far succeeded – there are new Urban Growth Centre boundaries in place and once the Official Plan gets completely approved – it was in the hands of the Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs –all it had to do was get through the 40 some odd organizations appealing – to become the law of the land. But business at Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) moves glacially. The 40+ people and organizations appealing the adopted but not in force Official Plan wanted to see time frames and firm commitments from the City of Burlington and Region of Halton in order to bring the appeals to a conclusion. Instead, proceedings got kicked further down the road when the city and region failed to provide a consolidated list of issues by the assigned deadline. The future of development in Burlington hung in the balance and it seemed like the OLT met every couple of months just to schedule their next meeting and break for lunch. In other city news, staff would be required to be vaccinated. On August 24th an application was made for a holiday market on the Elgin promenade, with no word on who made the application, this story would develop as the year went on.  The walkway at Crawford Lake was a popular destination once people were able to get out. For most of Burlington not too deeply entrenched in the mire of politicking, August was another promising month. Hassaan Basit, President, and CEO of Conservation Halton said that from January until August, their parks saw around 850,000 visitors, which is a 30 to 40 percent increase from last year. People were getting out in droves, more people were being vaccinated, more businesses were open, the comparatively rosy COVID-19 outlook in July continued in August, as opposed to the taking one step forward and two back we’d grown accustomed to. The Gift of Giving Back operated an event different from what it was best known for. From its inaugural 2007 event up until 2019 the Gift of Giving Back would pack gymnasiums full of food bins with the help of community sports teams and students. COVID-19 put a halt to their traditional food collection method in 2020, but they still found ways to contribute. The Royal Botanical Gardens hosted an Enchanted Garden Tour, a full kilometer long, leading through the Rock Gardens and hosting six different stations for kids to learn about this year’s theme, the monarch butterfly. Kids clad in fairy wings as colourful as the monarch butterflies themselves were giddy on the tour. Burlington Artscape showed off local artists who lent their time to create paintings on leaf canvases sold in support of the Joseph Brant Hospital Foundation.  Respecting the social distancing rules was easier said than done at the August outdoor patio jazz event at the Performing Arts Centre The Performing Art Center put on sold-out jazz shows on patios, not a computer screen, patios sat with real live people in the flesh. Live shows were put on by Bling International at the pier. The live music events were in recognition and celebration of Black, African, Caribbean, Canadian appreciation month. The federal election dominated much of September. The Gazette interviewed candidates across Burlington’s three constituencies and by the time ballots were cast most major party candidates had participated. Emerging issues among all candidates included COVID-19 recovery and vaccine passports, housing, cost of living, climate change, reconciliation with Indigenous communities, and that the election itself was taking place at all. Environmental debates took place, which Conservative candidates in Burlington and Oakville/North Burlington opted to avoid causing latecomer Oakville/North Burlington Green Party candidate, Bruno Sousa, to slam their absences as “infuriating.” As election night approached, Gazette reporters took to the streets to get a sense of the biggest issues on the public’s mind, there was much overlap with the candidates there. The majority of those surveyed still didn’t want an election to take place, but it had shrunk to a slight majority with nearly half of respondents split between being in favour of the election happening or not counting it among their priorities issue-wise. The Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights arrived in Burlington just before the election. In a note to their members, they said they were there so “voters can learn the truth about the Liberal party. The mainstream media will never give voters an honest overview of a future under more Liberal government.” It’s the kind of fringe language that might’ve done more harm than good but at this juncture, this kind of discourse had been a reality of the campaign.  Burlington MP Karina Gould wearing her campaign colours campaigned harder than she had ever campaigned before – and won – again. Same with van Koeverden, v and Pam Damoff. It was a clean sweep for the Liberals in the Burlington, Oakville and Milton ridings.
What lingered was the hostility of it all. Several candidates called the campaign the nastiest they’d seen. The Gazette editor posted a similar reflection regarding bitterness in the election comment sections when the dust settled. During this same month, Burlington’s Community Leaders had to release a statement speaking out against harmful messages, harassment, and misinformation targeted against our medical and healthcare professionals. It is behaviour as deplorable as it is misguided, front line workers do not make policy, and reflected the hostility that defined an ugly election season. In less vitriolic election coverage news, three-quarters of a million students took part in a mock election, 5,478 schools across Canada participated and votes were cast in all 338 federal ridings. A good step in getting students acclimatized to the voting process.  If actually built – these two towers would be at what the developer called “ground zero” for Burlington. Towers were to be 35 and 30 storeys. On September 8th a virtual Pre-Application meeting took place for two towers: a 30 storey and a 24 story on Lakeshore Road between Brant and Elizabeth Street. During the presentation, given by people representing the developer, David Faletta attempted to convince viewers that the old Urban Growth Centre boundary would apply. The City approved the Holiday Market proposal to run between December 9th and 12th with little in the way of public input and mixed reaction from downtown retailers. What’s more, they seemed to have signed off on the market as an annual event. Creeping towards normalcy, Ward 2 Councillor Lisa Kearns held her first in-person ward meeting since the beginning of the pandemic – eight people attended. An additional 35 took part virtually. September saw quintessential Burlington events like the Terry Fox Run at Spencer Smith Park. Team Casey’s Terry Fox Event followed suit, in honour of the late Casey Cosgrove, a man described as remarkable and an inspiring community champion, who too suffered from cancer. They played a baseball game wearing t-shirts with the following quote: “This disease will not take away my disability and wish to inspire,” Casey, 2017.
On September 30th Burlington hosted the Every Child Matters Truth and Reconciliation Day gathering at Spencer Smith Park. Organized by Amber Ruthart, a local Indigenous music studio owner, the event was informative, moving, and a celebration of Indigenous culture with song and dance. “I hope that education continues and is not just a trend. Also, we hope to be doing more indigenous awareness social events in the future here in Burlington,” said Ruthart. Speaking to the Gazette, Ruthart reiterated the need for reconciliation to be a constant consideration and not a trend. Event organizer Ruthart, said her native name translated into “loud voice,” her message was loud and clear.
December 28th, 2021 BURLINGTON, ON
We first saw Dania Thurman in action when the community rallied around Central High school that was threatened with closure when the Halton district School Board made the decision to close two of the city’s seven public high schools.  Dania Thurman Central was on the chopping block. Thurman who describes herself as a Powerhouse Program Manager with a passion for children’s health and community engagement and as a seasoned business professional with 10+ years of client development and community engagement experience in diverse sectors. She has been recognized for demonstrating a natural aptitude for public relations, as well as for partnership management and program coordination with a verifiable history of contributing directly to company growth and expansion throughout her career.
She follows Gayle Kabbash who has moved on to be the director of Food4Kids Ontario. Thurman said ” Gayle has made Food4kids Halton what it is today and really should be recognized for the tremendous work she has done. I am just the newbie coming in to carry on her work.” Thurman’s work included bridging communications and aligned objectives with educators and administrators throughout the planning and development of student nutrition programs which meant analyzing barriers and issues impacting student nutrition distribution in collaboration with staff and partners. Thurman earned a diploma in Musical Theatre from Sheridan College and a Certificate in Non-profit and Voluntary Sector Management from Ryerson University. Her volunteer experience includes serving on the Board of Directors of the Compassion Society of Halton and the YWCA Hamilton.  Food being prepared for a breakfast program at a Burlington elementary school. Food4kids Ontario oversees the development of new and emerging Food4Kids programs within Ontario, provides resource and support to existing Food4Kids programs in Ontario and develops and executes accountabilities for partner agencies that includes program implementation and best practices, financial management, metrics and evidence-based outcome as well as community outreach and engagement. Food4Kids Ontario was incorporated and commenced operations on September 28, 2016, under the Ontario Business Corporations Act as a not-for-profit organization and is a Canadian registered charity under the Income Tax Act. The organization has a healthy balance sheet with revenue of $831,438; expenses of $652,286. The organization provides significant resources to assist partner agencies in the implementation of Food4Kids locations in other geographic locations. In the fewest words possible: Food4kids feed children. Related news stories:
December 28th, 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. Well into the year and things were not looking any better. Doug Ford’s April 1st announcement that the province would be entering yet another lockdown was no April Fool’s joke. In the throes of rising COVID-19 case counts, the promise of spring, inspired by vaccination distributions and loosening restrictions, was snatched away.  City manager Tim Commisso, heads up the Emergency Control Group that makes changes in service delivery and spending during a pandemic while at the same time keeping council fully informed. On April 8th, the Gazette patted the City on the back for the job they’d done managing Burlington during the pandemic, writing “What is visible is how Staff have upped their game to meet demands that change by the day – at times by the hour.” Not everyone felt that way: by April 13th City Manager Tim Commisso had to ask the public to be kind and considerate to City staff doing their jobs and doing their best to serve the community. President and CEO of Joseph Brant Hospital, Eric Vandewall, asked for public support in staying safe in a piece published in the Gazette on April 15th, the hospital was at 94% capacity, all non-urgent procedures had been postponed, Vandewall implored the public to follow guidelines. For Burlington school boards it was back to online learning on April 12th. Ontario gave authority to police to ticket folks who left their home without a good reason and restricted outdoor activities, neither of these was well received: both exacerbated stress on Burlington and Region staff. Amid the backlash, the Halton Regional Police Service released a statement on April 17th explaining they would not be pulling people over at random. On April 20th City Council had a Halton meeting, wrestling with the province’s controversial mandates and not finding much they could do. “We need your help,” said the Mayor, “to be patient; we are all tired, frustrated, and worried.” On April 22nd Municipal leaders in the Region of Halton called for sick pay for workers and a tightening definition of what is essential. A year into the pandemic COVID-19 gloom continued to dominate the April news cycle, but by the month’s end Halton residents aged 50+ who couldn’t work from home had been approved to book their vaccination in early May. Earlier in the month, the Gazette brought the exact lack of public engagement in budget building under scrutiny following an influx of cash poured into the city on April 9th, the federal government dropped $1.9 million while the province added its $1.6 million and the city will contribute $1.3 million for a total of $4.8 million all to be used to revitalize Civic Square including a grand entrance on the ground floor. There was very little in the way of public input. In early April Halton Region asked residents to share feedback on how and where they wanted to see the community grow over the next thirty years. The Province’s Growth Plan required that Halton plan to accommodate 1.1 million people and 500,000 jobs by the year 2051. Halton Region currently had a population of 595,000.  Burlington was going to grow up and not out and much of the growth was going to be clustered around the GO stations. Plans for a seven tower development are going forward. . Meanwhile on April 6th City Council outlined their growth plans that included a seven-tower development next to Burlington Go Station that would have a planned 2500 residents. The zoning for the property did not have a height limit. One way or another the development was poised to happen Councillor Kearns expressed excitement for it. By month’s end, Regional Police Chief Stephen Tanner became the longest-serving Chief in the country.  The beginnings of an urban farm. Land was loaned to a group that grew produce donated to the Food Bank. Elsewhere Burlington traditions continued to take different shapes due to the pandemic, Burlington Mundialization Committee coordinated a virtual celebration of spring, including a live photo stream of the Japanese cherry blossoms in Spencer Smith Park. The virtual Sakura Festival commemorated Burlington’s 32-year twin-city friendship with Itabashi, Japan. On May 1st, the Gazette reported a Town Hall: Lisa Kearns for Burlington: virtual event where the Ward 2 Councillor set out to tell Burlington why she should be the Liberal candidate in the next provincial election. The Gazette suggested Kearns was in the process of scaring off anyone else who would seek the nomination and throughout the month that looked to be the case. There were even reports Kearns was grooming a colleague to succeed her Ward 2 position. By May 23rd there were reports of another candidate, days later on May 27th that candidate was revealed as Mariam Manaa, a young woman who cut her teeth working for Burlington MP Karina Gould and Oakville/North Burlington MP Pam Damoff. Days later Andrea Grebenc, the Chair of the Halton District School Board, announced she too would seek the provincial Liberal nomination. For a short period of time the race looked crowded, but Kearns promptly withdraw on the 28th. Kearns and Grebenc put out a joint statement singing one another’s praises. Gazette commenters wondered where Mariam Manaa fit into all of this, and why neither Kearns nor Grebenc mentioned her, in due time it proved to be an excellent question.  Three women went after the nomination for the provincial seat. Lisa Kearns above, Mariam Manaa to the right and Andrea Grebenc below sought the Liberal nomination.
In a May 8th meeting, Ward 6 Councillor Angelo Bentivegna announced he didn’t want to be part of a tax and spend council. This followed a report on looking at different operating models for the Tyandaga Golf course, the model was tax-funded. Councillor Bentivegna argued that the spending would normally be part of the creation of a budget and setting the tax rate was instead being debated without input from the finance department. Bentivegna was the lone vote against the golf course funding, despite his colleagues’ assurances the golf course spending wouldn’t be reflected in taxes this year or the next, his point was at some point the public would be asked to pay for this. Meanwhile, the community remained frustrated under pandemic conditions but there were some positive signs, by May 7th 42% of Halton residents had their first vaccination. Ontario announced that outdoor recreational amenities could reopen if COVID measures are in place, beginning Saturday, May 22 at 12:01 a.m.  The story on the opening of the Farmers Market was more about social distancing than what was going to be offered for sale. In May the Gazette photographed outdoor fun in the sun, children smiling brightly chasing an ice cream truck’s familiar jingle, families headed for the beach with towels and snacks, properly distanced lines to grab a hot dog at Easterbrooks, and couples listening to gentle breaking waves, rhythmic and soothing against the shore. The Farmers Market opened for the season on May 18th to a small but eager crowd. Of course, there was bad news: City Council went into a Closed Session on May 5th and cancelled their Park Ambassador program. The reports were that this was the result of a city employee harassed or injured by unhappy citizens. City staff member, Amber Rushton, alluded to civil unrest and anti-government movements while discussing the incident. It was truly a disturbing situation, and it seemed any efforts to police outdoor COVID safety protocols had been abandoned.  Chicken Little is expected to make appearances in the June provincial election While all of Burlington continued to navigate their way through the endless pandemic MP Jane McKenna trivialized COVID-19. In a bizarre and tone-deaf comment, McKenna labelled members of the oppositions as “chicken littles” over COVID-19, accusing them of exaggerating the pandemic’s seriousness. However, it offered the Gazette the opportunity for a rare moment of levity amid pandemic news. The Gazette published McKenna’s comments alongside a rubber chicken on life support. That chicken was named “The Dirty Plucker” by Gazette readers. “June is the Month of Play,” was the first message of the month from Mayor Marianne Meed Ward’s desk, after 14 months of on-and-off lockdown Burlingtonians could be forgiven for thinking they misread the release. Burlington ran a Get Outside and Play Challenge all month where participants learned more about Burlington while completing activities. On June 2nd Burlington came out of a stay-at-home order that had been in place since April. Ontario re-opened on July 11th, ahead of the re-opening the Gazette was asking the important questions, “Does this mean that one minute after midnight – between the end of Thursday and the beginning of Friday that I can be outside with my ten best friends quaffing an ale?” School boards began discussing outdoor graduation ceremonies. An expectation was established that students would return to classrooms in September. There were outdoor gatherings exceeding limits and parties that broke the rules that Mayor Meed Ward responded to. But the good was outweighing the bad in terms of progress in the COVID fight.  THIS is what a bottle and can drive is all about. Amidst the sunnier circumstances, Burlington’s generosity was in fine form for charitable events in June. The Joseph Brant Hospital Foundation partnered with local businesses to raise funds for a hospital that the community needed to lean on more than ever before. The Neal Family bottle drive for the Food Bank and Compassion society had another strong outing. Julie Neal spoke to the Gazette about her role establishing the popular bottle drive, just three years after moving to Burlington, “Who am I? I’m just a nobody loving the community I now live in.” For the Food Bank, their gardens began to sprout, on June 1st there was lettuce, sage, and rhubarb to harvest along with the garlic greens and garlic heads that were planted last season. Aldershot’s Skyway Diner ran a food item collection for the bank all month, finding a way to help others despite being in the hard-hit hospitality industry. Burlington Green announced their city-wide Burlington clean-up was back on for its 11th year on June 17th. On June 25th St Matthews Anglican Church won a business excellence award for their work in the not-for-profit sector for the work they do for the community, including hosting a weekly drive-through food-drive throughout the pandemic. In June the community battle to keep the current Robert Bateman High school functioning at some level was won. At their June 2nd meeting, Halton District School Board trustees approved a plan to relocate Gary Allan Learning Centre to Robert Bateman High School. Elsewhere the City of Burlington Council wanted more rainbow crosswalks, plus benches and banners, to show support for LGBTQIA+2S Community. The Catholic District School Board voted not to permit the flying of the rainbow flag at Catholic schools. As for the locations of Burlington’s new rainbow crosswalks: The people voted to locate one right outside the Catholic Board offices.  Ryerson Public School was to get a new name. Despite a more positive news month for Burlington, national and provincial news weighed heavily on all. The discoveries of mass graves at residential schools were felt throughout the country. For Burlington’s part the Halton District School Board voted to rename Ryerson Public School and the city voted to rename the adjacent park – both had originally been named after Egerton Ryerson for his contributions to the Ontario education system.
“I love you. You’re probably thinking you don’t even know me. But if people can hate for no reason I can love!” On June 28th, the underestimated Mariam Manaa, a young Muslim woman, won the Provincial Liberal nomination. Related news story:
December 27th, 2021 BURLINGTON, ON
There have been some monumental screw ups in setting up locations where people can get COVID19 vaccinations. Thousands are reported to have lined up at locations where GOVAXX buses were located only to find that the demand far exceeded the supply. The province has set up three clinics for Halton Region. You must make an appointment. Lindsay Di Tomasso, Acting Manager, Corporate Communications Halton Region, said yesterday. We learned late this afternoon (Sunday) that the Province will no longer be accepting walk-ins at their GOVAXX bus stops and must be booked through the provincial booking system or contact centre. The Province this posted to social media late yesterday and are planning to send out a news release on this today (Monday).
There are three clinics planned in Halton over the coming days that are impacted: Burlington Centre – may be fully booked, appointments limited. Monday, December 27 Oakville Place Shopping Centre – book appointments starting 8 a.m. December 27 through Provincial booking system. Tuesday, December 28 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Milton Mall book appointments starting 8 a.m. December 27 through Provincial booking system Tuesday, December 28 Book today at ontario.ca/bookvaccine or by calling 1-833-943-3900. Many public officials have posted notices to promote walkins at these clinics and and expect many residents were likely planning to attend these. Unfortunately we are hearing from the province that the Burlington clinic for tomorrow is now fully booked. We have updated the booking page with this information and will be retweeting the Province’s post. We can expect some frustrated residents who show up early Monday morning.
December 26th, 2021 BURLINGTON, ON Part 3 of a 3 part feature on bringing the Commonwealth Games to the area. Antonio Gomez Palacio was part of a delegation to a city Standing committee where the plans for bringing the 2030 Commonwealth Games were set out for public discussion. Previously Louis Frapporti and Paul Paletta who is now President of Penta properties, owners of the land much of the Games activity would take place on, delegated. Links to their participation are set out below.
Thank you very much, Lou, (Louis Frapporti – Chair of Games Bid committee) and thanks to everybody. We come into this very much from the perspective and the true belief that there is a tremendous opportunity through everything that we do to meaningfully improve the well being of community. And as Lou described, this sense of greater purpose is what aligns the initiative that brings us all together, but ultimately is the guiding post that we’re using as we continue to move forward.
In a way that truly and meaningfully improves the well being of communities. The Conference Board through the Commonwealth Games will continue to be involved and refine and nuance with city input and from your own staff and your own community. The indicators that we will be using so that we can continue to bring evidence into the entire planning and design process. And of course, City of Burlington already has a tremendous amount of really good thinking that we’re keenly aware of and we want to make sure is brought forward in everything that we’re doing. Your newly minted Official Plan and the work that is being done around major transit station areas and many of the initiatives the city are bringing forward and many of the priorities that you’re bringing forward. So through the Commonwealth Games, we’re currently in the process of starting to identify and elicit interest in all of the different opportunities that may exist for specific sites, then use interventions, programming, all these kinds of things, which is where the very excitingly opportunities exist. There’s an enormous amount here to unpack and we have no hope of having you fully understand the opportunity on a call of this length. So we’d be delighted to make ourselves available for independent or other discussions with you to explain further what it is that we have in mind. But the one point I would make is as you’re trying to understand what this means, is that we’re talking about a specific development site as part of a Commonwealth Games. In the very early stages of our work it was made very clear to us that bids had failed principally for a couple of reasons. One, there was really insufficient private sector support. And number two, you had a small group of bid proponents or enthusiasts who created a bid without really consulting with the broader community and simply asked the broader community to accept or support their bid. What we felt in consultation with the Commonwealth Games Foundation (CGF) was that a way to differentiate the bid is not to start with what the bid people want, but to identify with communities that would be impacted by the bid want, and then to make that the bid and the way to do that and activate that necessarily depends on private sector, land owners, private sector developers and other organizations to step up, And there are three catalyst projects of which the King Road site would be one. The other is the downtown Hamilton redevelopment project and the third is a large redevelopment project in the city of Brampton.  Highway 403 was mistakenly labelled Highway 401. So the question then becomes what is it we would wish to have here at present. The CGF has not finalized its sports program and very helpfully, they’ve indicated to us that they have considerable flexibility around the sports that are included. We had initially thought that Burlington would be the site and home of lawn bowling in the initial bid relating to 2030. We’ve since moved profoundly beyond simply having lawn bowling in the city of Burlington to explore with you a variety of different opportunities that relate to sports and recreation, infrastructure and facilities. Both discussions have already involved partnerships with post secondary institutions around the site. We’ve discussed and are having consultations with leading advanced manufacturing innovators who might be interested in being a part of this catalyst project. Of course, as Paul alluded to, we’re very focused on integrating innovative, thoughtful level affordable housing initiatives into the site and beyond as part of the accommodation programming for the games. But in creating housing inventory, that would be available as of 2030, and very notably creating really an internationally significant and thoughtful blending of the natural heritage in the region, to the development, recreation and sport. assets that we hope to create  Burlington as an International Centre for Gymnastics Excellence? Among the opportunities open to us are discussions that I’m currently having with respect to a number of sport organizations, track and field in athletics is searching for new Canadian national home. And as Canada is interested in international home, there were a variety of organizations that would be very interested in gymnastics, for example, in creating a centre of excellence for facilities in the city of Burlington, both projects would absolutely require the support of the private sector in the support of senior levels of government, and should any of those projects be of interest to the city of Burlington, being potentially located in the King Road site or otherwise? We’d be delighted to advance those conversations on your behalf with you with those sport organizations and senior levels of government as an element of the big but at all events. We’re not prescribing that you do anything in the city of Burlington we’re looking to commence a process that we call the framework in that exploring what might make most sense for the citizens in the community. One of the most exciting opportunities that we have that we’ve been working on now with with Paul and others for the better part of a year and a half, is in partnership with academic institutions creating a new and innovative ecosystem in the digital economy centered on gaming, and all elements of gaming, graphic design, coding and programming.  eSports is well entrenched amongst students – many parents have yet ti hear about it – including Burlington’s Mayor And rather than creating a facility around the gaming, creating an ecosystem that collides all of the capacities, experiential learning, technical skills, training and private sector partners, as part of the development project at King road in the coming months. Having engaged Deloitte and their national gaming practice consultancy practice, to provide us with modeling around this. We really look forward to carrying on that conversation with you and what might you say. Does eSports have anything to do with the Commonwealth Games? The Commonwealth Games has announced its desire to integrate eSports and gaming into the Commonwealth Games as an element of those games as all of the major gaming properties are doing. And we’ve decided to embrace this given what it means from a skills training and economic perspective as a key element of our work here around the 2030 bid. And we see Burlington potentially as incredibly significant place that combine young people skills training experiential learning and economic investment in digital media or digital gaming as a potential element of this development.
Related news stories: Burlington learns about plans for bringing Commonwealth Games to Hamilton/Burlington. Paul Paletta now President of Penta Properties
December 26th, 2021 BURLINGTON, ON
Trying for a quieter day, Two stories – both development related, for Burlington is in full development mode. With 40+ development applications either with, or on their way to, the Planning department and about the same number of appeals of the adopted but not yet legal Official Plan before the Ontario Land Tribunal – the year ahead is going to be 10 months of arm wrestling before there is a municipal election – and who knows who the winners will be at that level. Ward 2 Councillor Lisa Kearns sent out a piece she put up on her Facebook page with a link to the Plan B Facebook page. The Councillor feels restricted on just how supportive she can be about what the Plan B people would like to see done with the Waterfront Hotel site that is the object of a development proposal for a two tower development that will set a new height level for the downtown core – a 35 and a 30 storey tower. Named 2020 Lakeshore, the site is owned by Vrancor the owners of Solid Gold, an adult entertainment location in Aldershot, and the former Ascot Motel to the immediate east of the Bridgewater development. The development application submitted to the Planning Department has been described as incomplete.  The downtown core of the city would undergo a radical change if these two towers were built. Burlington as people know it today would disappear. What Kearns has managed to do is give the Plan B some much needed exposure. If what they have in mind is to gain any traction they need a lot more in the way of public support for something radically different than the two towers to be built.  How hard can a ward Councillor fight to prevent a development. They are limited in what they can say about a development that has not yet been presented to Council In her Facebook page Kearns writes: Are you passionate about Burlington’s Waterfront? Can you lend your expertise & energy to a community group? Here’s an opportunity to join a local growing movement to Add Your Voice To Help Save Burlington’s Heritage Waterfront. Check out PLAN B. Waterfront Hotel Redevelopment
Related news stories: Why Plan B is critical to saving what Burlington is Citizens wanted input at the beginning – not after the planners have made their decision. There are options and opportunities to be creative and serve the citizens and not the vested interests.
December 23rd, 2021 BURLINGTON, ON
There is no precedent for the GO Expansion program – it is a highly complex undertaking unlike anything before in Canada. The largest and most complicated element of the program is the GO Expansion On-Corridor Works package, a single innovative, fully integrated contract to run more and better service. The winning team will design, build, operate, and maintain the new infrastructure and trains for 25 years, a massive, multibillion-dollar undertaking. What does it take to completely overhaul a transit system, move people out of cars, and onto transit? The people at GO Transit look at what the future could look like while looking over their shoulder at recent progress on the lines. Pundits agree that frequent, convenient service is the top driver for ridership growth. Build it, and they will come, to steal a line from Field of Dreams. GO Expansion aims to do exactly that – to provide a regional transit system so convenient, that the additional four million residents that will move to the region by 2041, will find taking the train a lot more convenient than driving a car. It’s hard to contemplate what it may mean to GO Transit customers to see trains pulling into stations every 15 minutes or less, in either direction. The closest comparison is Toronto’s TTC subway system, where riders simply walk to the station, with no need to check the train schedule. GO Transit – the commuter transit service – will be gone, transformed to the equivalent of a surface subway system for travel all day, every day, for any kind of trip.  GO Expansion includes adding over 200 km of new track, electrifying over 600 km of track, a new electric train fleet will combine to become the largest transit project in North America. (Metrolinx graphic) The GO Expansion On-Corridor Works package — known as ‘OnCorr’ to those in the industry— is the central piece that builds on all the other parts of GO Expansion to make that vision a reality. The successful proponent team will be responsible for delivering 15 minute or better, all-day service on our core lines. That means a train turning up every 15 minutes or less in each direction at every station between Union and Burlington on the Lakeshore West line, Union and Bramalea on the Kitchener line, Union and Bradford on the Barrie line, Union and Unionville on the Stouffville line, and Union and Oshawa on Lakeshore East. To operate those service levels, safely and reliably, the successful proponent team will need to design and build the right improvements to GO’s infrastructure. This includes implementing overhead electrification, upgrading train control systems, and expanding tracks and structures along the corridors to allow for 6,000 weekly train trips. These infrastructure improvements will complement the billions of dollars of GO Expansion Early Works projects already underway or complete, as well as planned work renovating existing stations, building new stations and extending the GO rail network to places like Bowmanville in the future. The contract is in a multi-year procurement process, and the bids closed on Nov. 30.  An artist’s rendering of an electric GO train, subject to change. (Metrolinx image) They will be all electric, quieter, much easier on the environment Two proponent teams, EnTransit and ONxpress Transportation Partners, have submitted their proposals. Each team brings together international firms with extensive experience building and running frequent electric regional rail networks outside North America with local partners. EnTransit TSO ONxpress Transportation Partners Benefits of GO Expansion: GO Expansion will provide a major new travel choice to customers and significantly increase transit ridership, cut trip times, and help manage congestion across the GTHA Time savings (faster, more frequent, and reliable transit options throughout the region) Congestion management (similar transit services throughout the world have been shown to slow the growth of road congestion) Easier movement of people and goods to address estimated yearly congestion costs of up to $11 billion What’s Next? Over the next several months, Infrastructure Ontario and Metrolinx will evaluate the proposals. Metrolinx and Infrastructure Ontario will announce the winning team in Spring 2022, and there will be a 24-month development phase after the contract is awarded, where Metrolinx and the successful proponent will work collaboratively on design, early investigations, schedule optimization, and key initial construction work. Construction is expected to start in late 2022 or early 2023, subject to the successful proponent’s construction schedule.
December 23rd, 2021 BURLINGTON, ON
Enhanced safety measures in response to Omicron also include visiting restrictions To protect the health and safety of its patients and healthcare workers amid rising numbers of COVID-19 cases in the province, Joseph Brant Hospital will be implementing new vaccination requirements and limits on essential care providers (ECPs) and visitors. Effective Thursday, December 23, all essential care partners (ECPs) and visitors must show proof of full vaccination (i.e. vaccine receipt or enhanced vaccine certificate with a QR code) or a documented medical exemption, as well as government-issued ID.  Joseph Brant Hospital will be implementing new vaccination requirements and limits on essential care providers (ECPs) and visitors. In addition, limits will be placed on the number of ECPs and visitors entering the hospital each day. Patients staying in the hospital may designate a maximum of two (2) ECPs or visitors; only one is permitted in the hospital at any time. ECPs and visitors are prohibited from eating or drinking in patient rooms and must wear hospital-issued masks at all times, as well as practice physical distancing and hand hygiene. For more information about ECP/visitor restrictions in other areas of the hospital, including the Emergency Department and Labour and Delivery, please go to our website. These changes are in response to a surge in community transmission of the Omicron variant. Many hospitals in the Hamilton-Niagara-Haldimand-Brant-Burlington Region and the Greater Toronto Area have taken similar measures to protect their patients and healthcare workers from potential COVID-19 transmission and outbreaks that could impact hospital operations and care. “These are difficult decisions, but we are taking necessary precautions to help keep everyone safe in the face of this new threat,” said Eric Vandewall, President and CEO. “We know this is a stressful time for everyone, including our staff and physicians who have worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic. They recognize and value the important role that families, loved ones and caregivers play in supporting our patients. We will get through this together, with your patience and kindness.”
December 22, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON
It is the kind of document that Burlington Ward 5 Councillor Paul Sharman has in the past said he “lusts after” It is data heavy On December 21, Halton released results of the Halton COVID-19 Business Recovery Survey administered in November. The survey collected approximately 700 responses from Halton business owners on how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected operations and workplaces, and supports that businesses may need as they move toward reopening and recovery. The results indicated that the pandemic has had significant impacts on business revenues, financial liquidity, and has led to rising debt loads. Halton business owners identified supply chain disruptions, employee shortages and continuing economic uncertainty as the biggest challenges facing business recovery. The data speaks for itself. The disappointing aspect is that the really large employers appear to have taken a pass at the opportunity to respond.
December 22, 2021 BURLINGTON, ON
Pictures are worth a thousand words – or so the saying goes. The pictures tell us that the Covid19 variant is here amongst us – now! The tools to protect ourselves are available. We will know early in the New Year how well we did during the holidays  We have seen those rising numbers before. They will be back again if we do not take care of ourselves.
 The 1320 number has not been seen in the Region for some time. The numbers for the Region are above.  The 370 active cases is likely to grow. The numbers for Burlington are above.
December 22, 2021 BURLINGTON, ON
 This is what an online casino gambling bonus looks like The casino bonuses world is, without a doubt, a vast one. You can run into new and lucrative bonuses daily, making the online casino gambling world quite competitive. Online casinos have to constantly come up with new ideas and bonuses to stay in the game. For example, the casino bonuses in Canada can offer you some great deals that will be pretty compelling and hard to say “no” to. This significant choice of casino bonuses is one of the leading reasons why more and more Canadians are opting for online casinos rather than going to physical ones. Of course, it’s not all just about the bonuses. Online casino gambling can offer you easy accessibility, excellent comfort as you can play from your couch or on the go, and a chance to play for free. Newbies should always choose free slots at first before they set on to play for real cash. Now, let’s take a close look at why casino bonuses are so appealing and how to choose the best ones. How to choose the best casino bonus?Some casino bonuses are staggering, but experienced players still don’t consider them the best bonuses available. Why is this so? The reason is quite simple; that online casino lacks some other qualities, such as safety measures, SSL protection, or end-to-end encryption for your transactions.  Determine the reputation of your online casino. There’s another reason for the most lucrative bonuses not being the best ones. Usually, you can take a tremendous welcome bonus but only use it on some games, not your favorite ones. Therefore, some of the best ways to tell good bonuses from bad ones are to determine the reputation of your online casino. An online casino is reputable if it has an issued license. You can check whether your casino has a license or not on their website. Another way to check whether the casino is reputable is by looking for the safety measures they use. If there’s ID verification, end-to-end encryption, SSL protection, and two-step verification available, you can rest assured that the online casino is worthy of your time. In line with this, the bonuses will also be trustworthy. Final thoughtsWe hope we have helped you understand why more and more Canadians are opting for online casinos and why casino bonuses are extremely popular among them. Also, we hope that you can now tell a good online casino from a bad one. Have fun in your next gambling experience, and good luck!
December 21st, 2021 BURLINGTON, ON
Those who are actually working within City Hall will limp out of the building on the 24th and return on Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2022. – hoping that things will be much different and much better. Given the Covid infection numbers we are seeing (more than 3000 plus on Friday) the year we are going into could turn out to be very hard for a lot of people. Here is what’s open and closed at the City of Burlington Over the upcoming holiday season, City of Burlington administrative services will be closed between Friday, Dec. 24, 2021 and Monday, Jan. 3, 2022, re-opening on Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2022. For more information about which City services and facilities are available over the holidays, please see the summary below or visit burlington.ca. *Important information regarding COVID-19: The information provided below is accurate as of Dec. 15, 2021. In the event of any changes made by the Province of Ontario to current COVID-19 public health measures, please visit burlington.ca/coronavirus for potential impacts to City services and programs. Residents can stay informed about City news at www.burlington.ca/coronavirus and our social media channels: @cityburlington on Twitter, @cityburlington on Instagram and facebook.com/cityburlington
My life-long friend Patti Stren, author of several children’s books, is handing out hugs. Something you might want to consider.
December 20th, 2021 BURLINGTON, ON
The rate at which the Omnicron variant of the Covid19 virus is tearing through the province (3784 new infections yesterday) has put pressure on everything and everyone.  Food donations arrive daily but the demand is bigger than the supply. Cash on hand makes it possible to purchase needed food items. The Burlington Food Bank soldiers on with their service that provides fresh food to families that need help on the three week rotation they use. With the holidays upon us the Food Bank has had to do what can only be called an extreme pivot. Robin Bailey, Executive Director of the Food Bank said earlier today that they are able to meet the growing demand with enough in the way of food donations coming in and enough money in the bank to be able to purchase what isn’t donated. “We have found that we need to purchase more these days and inflated prices aren’t helping. We are fortunate in that we have a number of corporate supporters that work with us on an almost daily basis.”  Robin Bailey, Executive Director of the Burlington Food Bank is before the cameras almost daily – thanking people for the food and cash donations Longer term, adds Bailey “it is difficult to project where we will be this time next year. We thought we were on our way out of the pandemic and edging towards a more normal environment. The numbers on the need side are getting a little worse but the support from the community is holding up and the really wonderful part of all this is that the volunteer staff are continuing to show up every day. “We are going to be closed for the week between the holidays (December 27th to December 31st) but we will be open the afternoon of Christmas Eve to ensure that everyone who needs food is taken care of. When we decided that we had to be open I hoped that some of the staff would be able to stay the extra few hours” said Bailey who added that the “volunteers were asking me this morning if the Christmas Eve hours were still on.” Indeed it is still on. The Burlington Food Bank will be open until 2:00 pm the afternoon of Christmas Eve.
December 20th, 2021 BURLINGTON, ON
COVID and climate change, not the federal deficit, is driving up prices in this country. Public health measures have led to global supply chain blockages and workplace interruptions. And 2021 has been the absolutely worst year for disastrous climate events, including forest fires, flooding and drought. Prairie grain harvests, for example, are reported to be 30-50% lower this year, which also impacts meat prices.  Conservative finance critic Pierre Poilievre in the House of Commons So it’s unfortunate that Conservative finance critic Pierre Poilievre is peddling misinformation. He blames the high deficit and debt levels for the country’s current 4.7% increase in the price of an average basket of goods. He argues that it is because government debt has resulted in too much money being printed and circulated in the economy. But that is not what is happening. To complicate his argument, Poilievre is demanding federal tax cuts, including the revenue neutral carbon tax, which will….put more money in people’s hands and further increase the deficit. Poilievre is entitled to his opinion but no reputable economists support his thesis. Canada is actually doing better than most OECD nations when it comes to inflation and with an inflation rate a whole third lower than we’re seeing south of the border. Canada’s inflation has been hovering around 4.7% for the last couple of months, though nobody is discounting that it might climb a little higher before it declines again. In any case,Ha good chunk of Canada’s economy is inflation proofed – our pensions, income tax deductions, etc. which have been indexed to the consumer price index (CPI). And our health and education programs are all publicly funded. So it’s mostly food and other consumables, some of which are waiting to unload at the ports or sitting in a barge adrift in Vancouver Harbour.  The Covid19 virus and the variant Omicron along with Climate Change are the structural changes we are going through right now.
Some level of inflation is not unhealthy in a growing economy and/or one experiencing some measure of structural change. And structural changes is what we are going through right now, thanks to COVID and climate change. The federal government has a number of tools to slow down inflation should it get out of hand. These include tax increases, reducing government spending and transfers, import and export restrictions and controlling the interest rate. The Finance Minister just renewed the Bank of Canada’s mandate, which includes exercising monetary policy to raise interest rates and attempt to bring inflation down to 2% or less. However, given the still shaky economic situation with an ongoing pandemic, nobody should expect the Bank to jack up rates, particularly for the current bout of price increases which reflect an economy very much in transition.  Higher interest rates will also raise the cost of the government borrowing to finance our debt and deficit. That will lead to increased deficits and possibly eliminate funding for other government programs. In the end higher rates suppress economy activity by reducing consumer demand. That will lead to higher unemployment which no government ever wants. Raising interest rates would push Canada’s international exchange rate up as foreign investors up their Canadian investments to get the higher rates here. That would prompt exchange rate increases and impact Canada’s international competitiveness as our exports become relatively more expensive and imports relatively cheaper. This is the situation Brian Mulroney found himself in the late 80’s as he attempted to quell inflation with monetary policy. We ended up with higher unemployment, deterioration in our terms of trade and creating the greatest accumulation of federal debt in Canada’s history – that is until the pandemic hit us. Over-reacting to Canada’s modest inflation rate can be fraught with these potential complications. The Minister of Finance and Bank of Canada are betting that the supply chain blockages will be resolved and the price pressure will lessen. But given where we are with the pandemic rebounding energetically, and climate change throwing curve balls around every corner, nobody is in a hurry to raise interest rates or cut taxes. That is possibly except for Pierrre Poilievre who has no idea what he’s talking about.
Background links: Pierre Poilievre – National Debt – Crop Failures – Food Prices – Inflation – Fiscal Update – Actual Fiscal Update – Home Prices –
December 20th, 2021 BURLINGTON, ON  A very modern look for a fine piece of leather-craft. Available only at the art gallery in Burlington. You are at the point where the bulk of your Seasonal shopping is done. But – there is one person you don’t think you have just the right gift for. And – you’ve never been to the AGB Shop. The arts may not be quite your thing but they offer numerous choices that are unique and tend to delight the person getting the gift. There is a purse that caught our eye when we were taking the pictures a month or so ago. Hours for the Art Shop are: Tuesday to Friday: Noon to 5:00 pm Saturday: 10:00 am to 5:00 pm Masks are required. While the Art Shop has quite a bit of room should there be too many people and social distancing is not possible, management will look for ways to schedule people.  Wine poured from a glass slipper into beautifully decorated wine glasses. You won’t find this kind of stem ware anywhere else in the city.  Skilfully crafted, one of a kind – at the Art Gallery Shop  See anything you like? Art Gallery members can rent pieces they like and if they really like what has been hanging on their walls they can buy the piece. A number of Burlington corporations rent art work for their offices. You might want to think about buying a membership for someone and then introducing then to the rentals. Theo Roma is the person to talk to at the Gallery about this idea
December 18th, 2021 BURLINGTON, ON
The Province has announced that Ontario, including Halton Region and the City of Burlington, will be applying additional public health and workplace safety measures, including capacity and social gathering limits, beginning Sunday, Dec. 19 at 12:01 a.m. These measures will help curb transmission and continue to safeguard Ontario’s hospital and ICU capacity as the province continues to rapidly accelerate its booster dose rollout. Changes to recreation facilities capacities  50% less starting Sunday Rental and program participants must come to the facility dressed and ready for their activity and leave the facility promptly following the activity. As a result of the capacity restriction, change room and dressing room space is also limited to 50 per cent and may not be available. All requirements for proof of vaccination, screening, masking and physical distancing remain in place. Rental organizations who wish to cancel their rental bookings at this time can do so without penalty by emailing rentals@burlington.ca. Registered participants of recreation programs affected by reduced capacity limits will be contacted directly by City staff. Individuals who wish to withdraw from a course or program will receive a full refund. They can contact customer service at liveandplay@burlington.ca or 905-335-7738 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday to Friday and 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on weekends. For more information and holiday hours, please visit burlington.ca/servicehours.
December 17th, 2021 BURLINGTON, ON
Giving Tuesday for 2021 went well – better than the year before. The idea of creating a day in the year when the focus was on giving came out of the 42nd Street YMCA in New York City in 2012 and just grew. Kristen Curry, Chair, Halton Gives explains how the idea works in Canada, in each of the provinces and then how in Ontario, where there are 42 local groups, work with not for profit organizations, to help them reach out to local groups and guide them as they do their own very local fund raising This year Halton residents, businesses, community groups, charities and non-profit organizations came together to celebrate GivingTuesday on November 30th, and demonstrate their generosity on this global day of giving! Over 70 Halton organizations partnered with Halton Gives and took part in GivingTuesday this year. Here are some of the local highlights: 200 families from Immigrant Services and Childcare Programs will receive $100 gift cards to use for a holiday meal and/or warm clothing for winter 7 cribs were filled with items for families in need (diapers, formula, cereal, etc.) Funds were raised for Child and Family Services to alleviate the cost of programming for families of children with developmental disabilities  The Oakville Rangers – took some time off the ice to raise funds to purchase gift cards for people in need. $1,500 was raised in grocery gift cards plus 2 boxes full of food items, with the help of a local youth hockey team Oakville Rangers Donors were thanked on social media with a reach of 1,000 Funds were raised to purchase 100 Reindeer Chocolate Packages to be delivered to clients $4,700 was raised to support students experiencing food insecurity 4 guide dogs were fully funded and named through a contest (Alfonso, Jaz, Magic and Neka) Over $7,500 was raised to provide in-need clients and families with a hand up over the holiday season  Food4Kids volunteer Gayle Cruikshank with Linsday Batstone from Two Sevens Capital. Curry explained the impact the pandemic has increased the need for human connections, acts of kindness and positivism. The demand for support programs and services across in Halton . It also has Thank you to everyone who participated in GivingTuesday this year. Whether you donated your time, money, talent, or voice for a cause – your actions made a difference!” said Kristen Curry, Chair of Halton Gives. Halton Gives is a civic movement participating in the global GivingTuesday initiative. Our goal is to engage the Halton community in supporting (and celebrating!) the work of the amazing charities and non-profits that support the Halton region. GivingTuesday is a movement to celebrate giving of all kinds, celebrated on the Tuesday after Black Friday and Cyber Monday; in 2021 the date was November 30th. The movement was launched in Canada in 2013 by GIV3 and CanadaHelps.org The idea was originally founded in the US in 2012 by 92nd Street Y in partnership with the UN Foundation. Giving Tuesday will be on November 29th in 2022
|
 |
||||||||||||||||
|
Copyright © 2026 Burlington Gazette – Local News, Politics, Community - All Rights Reserved Powered by WordPress & Atahualpa |
|||||||||||||||||
By Pepper Parr
By Ray Rivers
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
By Staff
Casino Niagara is probably one of the best casinos within all of Ontario. Built in 1996, the location is set in the centre of the Niagara Falls, making it a very beautiful and slightly utopian location. The high-rise building of the casino towers over most buildings in the area, and the illumination of the neon lights, makes the casino seem futuristic from afar.
There are over one hundred casino table games to play and discover, ranging for various playing levels and betting levels. If you are more of a high roller, you will certainly find your fair share of that within the casino. Additionally, there are many slot machines dotted around the premises and not all in one location, which makes a casino trip here a pretty adventurous one too! Do not forget to pop into the restaurant of the casino, which is classified as 5-stars, and exceptionally delicious for those who are both foodies and gambling enthusiasts!
By Ryan O’Dowd: Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
On July 6th Laura Boyd, Executive Director of Human Resources, gave a presentation to staff on the problems the City is facing to attract needed staff, and to keep the staff they had. Despite heading into summer break the City remained in a declared State of Emergency which put the day-to-day running of the city in the hands of the Emergency Control Group (ECG). As a result, Council gave the city manager delegated authority to spend $250,000 without referring to the council before getting the cheque signed in case of an urgent matter, he just had to tell them how many times he spent $250,000.
The ballots were cast, Gould, van Koeverden, and Damoff retained their seats in the Burlington ridings. Nationally the country ended up with a Liberal minority government.
Rib-Fest returned with a drive-thru BBQ event at Burlington Centre, a Food Truck festival took place at Spencer Smith Park, the month was full of activities.
By Staff
This month, Ms Thurman was appointed Executive Director of Food4kids. She brings three years experience as Community Development Manager with Halton Food for Thought where the focus was on strengthening relationships with all stakeholder groups, including volunteers, staff, school administrators, and elected officials.
By Ryan Dowd: Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
As for day-to-day City Council happenings in May, spending fell under scrutiny. Ward 5 Councillor Paul Sharman wanted to shake up the way the city budget was prepared with a tighter unvarnished look at just what the departments are doing.
On a Friday afternoon the Muslim community held their Call to Prayer in Spencer Smith Park. The Gazette published a handmade sign held up by a Muslim woman that spoke to the editor’s heart, it read:
By Pepper Parr
By Pepper Parr
In doing this, we’ve also partnered with the Conference Board of Canada and building on a foundation of research that they’ve been doing for many, many years that culminated in 2018 on the publication of the community well-being framework, but has continued to be a huge part of the research, and has developed a series of evidence based indicators around how we can design and plan communities and environments and parks.
So to conclude, we see the games is focused on sustainable development, wellness and well being as providing all of us with an opportunity to collaborate on attacking some of the biggest challenges of our time and doing it on the world stage, giving the city of Burlington an opportunity to be seen by over 70 countries a billion and a half people and not just in 2030, but in the years leading up to it as the centre of activity around the delivery of something that’s internationally innovative in its approach to combining private sector development, a variety of new and different stakeholders to the return of the games 100 years after their birth.
By Pepper Parr
PLAN B is a group of engaged Burlington volunteers solely focused on ensuring that any redevelopment of the Waterfront Hotel enhances the Brant Street gateway to Lake Ontario and extends Spencer Smith Park. She includes a 
By Staff
While the Animal Shelter at 2424 Industrial St. remains closed to the public due to COVID-19, all animal services continue to be offered.
Free parking is available downtown, on the street, in municipal lots and in the parking garage on weekends and holidays, including Dec. 25, 26 and Jan. 1, 2022.
As we prepare to leave 2021 we look back to see what we lost – what we do now and what will carry us through – each other.
By Ray Rivers
And then there is housing. Housing prices have been rising for a while now. And while low interest rates, allowing more people to qualify for mortgages, are partly responsible, the real culprit is the extremely high rate of immigration. Canada’s immigration target is 400,000 new entrants a year, over 100,000 of those looking for housing in the GTA.
By Staff