 By Staff
November 19, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Later today the first of several hundred people will arrive at the Art Gallery of Burlington, select a soup bowl and enjoy soups from some of the best kitchen in the city.
One of the recipes comes from the kitchen of the Pearl and Pine Retirement Residents where Chef Daniel oversees the meals prepared for the resident.
The private dining room looks better than most restaurants in this city.
 Chef Daniel Obeng, a Ghanaian by birth was raised in a tougher part of Toronto but overcame that background and is now the Executive Chef at the Pearl and Pine said that beets are one of his favourite vegetables “I just love the colour and the different things you can do with a beet.
 Chef Obeng trained at the renowned George Brown Culinary school in Toronto as well as studying at the Humber and the Stratford schools.
The soup will be one of dozens that will be served at the Art Gallery during the fund raising event which runs from the 19th to the 22nd. Not to be missed
Roasted beet Volute
Ingredients: Makes about 4 servings
1 cup diced peeled beets
2cloves minced garlic
2 cups chicken broth
2 stalk celery, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 1/2 cup 35% cream
1 bay leaf
½ teaspoon dried thyme
4 Tablespoon EVOO (divided)
S/P to taste
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
The Smoke seeds:
1cup pumpkin seeds
1 puck Hickory flavored bisquettes
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Place beets into a baking dish, and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil; season with salt and black pepper.
Roast in the preheated oven until tender, about 1 hour; allow to cool. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat, and stir in the celery, onion, and garlic.
Cook, stirring often, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Mix in the cooked vegetables, chicken broth, thyme, and bay leaf, bring to a boil, and reduce heat.
Simmer until the celery is very tender, about 45 minutes. Remove from heat, and discard the bay leaf. Puree the mixture in the pot with an immersion blender until its smooth; stir in the cream and lemon juice. Season the soup and pass through a fine chinois and serve, garnish with smoke pumpkin seeds
Add the remainder oil to the seeds, season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Smoke for 1 hour.
What is this soup recipe all about – learn more.
By Staff
November 18, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Matt Dusk has forged a career in music that has resulted in four critically-acclaimed studio albums. He will be singing many of those songs when he returns to the stage of the Performing Arts Centre November 27th – one night only.
Dusk was last in Burlington November of 2012; they loved him then.
 Matt Dusk – when he does My Funny Valentine – give the hand of the person with you a nice little squeeze. His latest CD release, My Funny Valentine: The Chet Baker Songbook, is backed up by an eighty piece orchestra and numerous special guests including: Grammy award-winner Arturo Sandoval, Juno award-winner Guido Basso, Juno award-nominee Emilie-Claire Barlow, and Straight-No-Chaser alumn Ryan Ahlwardt. Together they pay homage to one of the most popular musicians of the twentieth century, Chet Baker.
Dusk will be in Burlington Friday November 27 – he won’t have the 80 piece orchestra but he will be holding the microphone and crooning to the delight of those who know his work.
There was only the one Frank Sinatra – but this young man nevertheless has a fine voice and the memories will surface as you listen
 Matt Dusk – working the microphone. “When I was growing up, I listened to what normal kids listened to: pop music. But in our house, my parents had the radio tuned to the classical station, however, at night they played jazz,” recalls the former choir boy. “And that’s how I discovered jazz; specifically Chet Baker. I remember saving my allowance, then heading to the record store where I’d rummage through the bins looking for his music. I eventually got a trumpet, learned how to play, but I quickly learned that should left to the professionals! When I made this record, I wanted to go back to my roots and pay homage to the artists who influenced me, one of them being Chet Baker.”
Tickets to Matt Dusk at The Burlington Performing Arts Centre November 27 at 8:00pm can be purchased online (www.burlingtonpac.ca) or by phone 905-681-6000 or in person at the Box Office located at 440 Locust Street.
 By Staff
November 18th, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
 There is a reason for the smile on this guy’s face – he is ahead fifty big ones. There is a reason for the smile on this guy’s face – he is ahead fifty big ones.
Jordan Cairns, a Burlington resident was the winner of the Lay’s Do Us a Flavour contest.
Earlier this year, Lay’s asked Canadians to submit regional flavour ideas for the next great potato chip. Jordan was named one of four flavour finalists in August after making the contest’s shortlist. Cairn’s He used Atlantic Canada’s reputation for potato cultivation as his inspiration – one of his fondest memories growing up was enjoying freshly baked, rich and cheesy scalloped potatoes at family occasions.
Cairn’s came up with the idea for P.E.I. Scalloped Potatoes. The flavour was selected after a two-month consumer voting period.
Cairn’s won the $50,000 plus 1% of his flavour’s future sales.
The Lay’s Canada Do Us a Flavour contest has received more than 2.7 million flavour ideas from fans across the country since 2013. Jordan intends to plan an epic trip across Canada with his winnings.
 Ciné-Starz Upper Canada Place, Burlington, ON
Burlington, ON L7R 4B6
Week of Friday, November 20, 2015 through Thursday, November 26, 2015
Burnt (14A)
Fri – Thu: 1:10, 3:10, 5:10, 7:10, 9:10
Our Brand Is Crisis (14A)
Fri – Thu: 1:00, 5:25, 7:30, 9:30
Crimson Peak (14A)
Fri – Thu: 9:35 PM
Goosebumps ()
Fri – Thu: 1:00, 3:00, 5:00, 7:00, 9:00
Pan (PG)
Fri – Thu: 1:00, 3:10, 5:15
Sicario (14A)
Fri – Thu: 1:00, 5:00, 7:15, 9:30
Everest (PG)
Fri – Thu: 3:00, 7:20, 9:30
Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (PG)
Fri – Thu: 3:00, 7:00
Minions (G)
Fri – Thu: 1:10, 3:15, 5:15
 By Staff
November 17th, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Taken from the largest collection of contemporary Canadian ceramics in the world, Still Life – Landscape from the Permanent Collection will run November 27, 2015 to January 31, 2016.
 Harlan House, Iris vase – 1989 Co-curated by the AGB’s Chief Curator Dr. Denis Longchamps and Permanent Collection Curator Jonathan Smith, who recently celebrated 25 years with the AGB.
Still life and landscape, while they are considered to be classic subject matter for painting, are a rich source of inspiration in the clay community. From decorative motifs to sculptural installations, this exhibition looks at a rarely examined area of inspiration and their relationship to each other.
Join AGB curators Denis Longchamps and Jonathan Smith on Sunday November 29 at 2:30pm for their free Curators’ Talk on the exhibition.
By Pepper Parr
November 17th, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Chairing the board of a non-profit organization when your full time job is to enhance the profitability of your client’s – calls for a splitting of ones mind-set that not everyone can pull off.
Ilene Elkaim, who currently serves as the Chair of Burlington’s Performing Arts Centre in her spare time runs a Canadian retail services business that focuses on putting time and/or money back into the hands of small to mid-sized retailers. The focus is on systematizing or automating administration, operations during the rest of her week.
 Ilene Elkaim, chair of the Performing Arts Centre Elkaim followed Rick Burgess and Brian Pearson as chair of an organization that experienced a bit of a rocky start but under its third Executive Director is doing quite well.
Elkaim headed up the selection committee that recently hired Suzanne Haines to run the place on a day to day basis.
Burlington was very fortunate when it hired McCurdy to run the organization several years ago. He was a very fortunate choice; while with the Centre he righted a ship that was listing badly.
After the first Executive director vacated the job McCurdy put a program in place that was just what the city needed.
Suzanne Haines now needs to build on the solid base she was given; she has Elkaim at her side to advise.
The centre is run by a corporation – The Theatre Board that sets out the strategic direction and what it wants to achieve.
 From left to right: The centre board chair Ilene Elkaim, former Centre Executive director Brenda Heatherington, immediate past Executive director Brian McCurdy and newly appointed Executive director Suzanne Haines So who is this Elkaim lady that works in the background ensuring that the vision is firmly fixed?
The theatre and the stage floor have a magic of their own and they draw people either to the seats in the theatre or the stage itself.
Ilene Elkaim is one of those people who was drawn to the stage – her first performance was as a snow flake – she thinks she was probably in kindergarten.
Originally a Montrealer she was educated at one of Quebec’s CEGEPS and then went on to McGill University where she earned a degree in Commerce and arrived in Burlington in 1995.
Her most recent performance was in a production at the West Plains Road United church. Drama is a hobby and Elkaim has a strong enough sense of self to not take her hobby too seriously – for her it is fun.
The task at the Centre is to insure that the place thrives and that it meets the needs and aspirations of the public and at the same time grows a stronger appreciation for the performing arts.
 The day the Burlington Teen Tour Band marched through the sliding doors – the Centre belonged to the people. The BTTB finally had a home “The objective is to engage people” said Elkaim and “that means listening to what they have to say.” The measure of their success is seen in the sale of tickets but that is just part of the job. Earning enough to cover all the costs is not something that happens in the cultural world – the Centre is probably always going to need financial support from the city. The city owns the building.
Theatre operations come in two flavours – there are presenting theatres which means they books different acts or rent the space to artistic groups.
Then there are production theatres that create act and shows that are put on the stage.
Burlington is a presentation theatre – it doesn’t do or create any new theatre productions. These things can easily cost a million dollars to mount and unless a show goes on the road that kind of money is never recovered. It is also a hugely risky undertaking and city council is never going to let that kind of event take place.
 James Burchill, one of the better social media practitioners in the city use the Performing Arts centre for his events. Another pillar in the makeup of the Centre is making the space available to local and community groups.
The Performing Arts Centre needed a little time to plug into the community and arrive at an understanding with different groups on costs and who pays for what.
The Performing Arts Centre has costs and- expenses that have to be met even if there isn’t a single person in a seat.
With two spaces for theatre – the Community theatre (200 seats) and the Main stage (700 seats) the Centre can meet very different needs.
The magnificent open space – the Family Room – makes the Centre quite unique. There are occasions when the two theatres are being used and the audiences from each mingle in the Family room during an intermission – enjoying a drink at the impressive bar – and then return to the theatre they were sitting in.
There is always quite a buzz when the two audiences mingle – not an experience one can have in many places.
Rental of the space is always a challenge – the Family Room can be turned into a stunning space – it was almost awesome on the opening night several years ago.
McCurdy was very successful in pulling in grant money that allowed him to create programs for young people which Elkaim believes is the foundation that the board is mandated to build.
 The Centre took a soft opening approach that let the city get used to the place. when the “official” opening took place they pulled out all the stops and the place looked great. “Everyone can remember the first time they attended a theatre production” said Elkaim. “If we can do that kind of thing often enough we will create the audience of the future.
During the week, often in the afternoons, it is not unusual to see half a dozen school buses parked on Elgin Street outside the theatre where they delivered students who take part in an event.
“The biggest challenge we face” said Elkaim “is to really engage the community” She adds that engaging a community means bringing them into the tent and making them a part of the process that sets out the direction the Centre takes.
It is all about selling tickets – but it is also about scheduling events that reflect what people want to see and at the same time introducing new ideas and forms of entertainment that have not been part of the cultural community in Burlington.
 Denise Walker, a fund raiser for the centre was the first person to take to the stage and speak to an audience that had paid for a ticket. It has been a number of years since Denise Walker stood on the stage and opened the very first performance – when Royal Wood entertained.
I attended that event and remember both a fine performance and the two ladies that are best described as part of the “silver haired set: who walked out of the theatre rather briskly mumbling about a performance they clearly didn’t enjoy. They would have preferred to hear Guy Lombardo.
That same space saw the Blue Jeans festival fill the house that watched talent that ranged from The Spoons to Gordy Tapp and a young man who has probably learned that ballet was not going to be his art form.
The audience loved the event – it got to see, and learn, that the Mayor missed too many piano lessons and that while former MP Mike Wallace who is a very fine dancer he does a better job dancing with his wife than he did dancing with a broom in a Gene Kelly impersonation.
The applause for almost everything that was on the stage was welcoming – the community was enjoying and celebrating its performing arts centre.
The board of the Centre has its challenges but after the three year run under the direction of Brian McCurdy the place is on a sound footing – they want to keep it that way and grow both the audience and the artistic tastes of the city and introduce the younger demographic to theatre and all the magic that takes place on a stage.
One thing that the public will not see is Board chair Ilene Elkaim performing as a snow flake.
 By Staff
November 13th, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Ralph + Lina is a rough and tumble romance following the struggles of two Italian lovers, in the face of war, immigration and old age.
The award winning creative team made up of real life husband and wife Dan Watson and Christina Serra, along with director/co-writer Michele Smith, has created a production that critics have called “an enduring romance that resonates through generations.”
 Based on a true story, the play follows the lives of Serra’s grandparents, Peterborough residents Raffaele and Carolina, and their voyage from Italy to Canada after World War II.
With four Dora Mavor Moore Nominations – (not to be sneezed at) that included Outstanding Production, New Play, Ensemble and Female Performance, this acrobatic comedy has proven an instant favourite with audiences everywhere.
The Burlington Performing Arts Centre presents Ralph + Lina, November 25-29. Patrons are invited to enjoy post-show chats following each performance.
“This show means so much to me personally” says Co-Writer and Performer Dan Watson. “It’s a story about love and family, about roots. It means so much to me to be able to bring it to Huntsville where I have roots and to share it with all of my friends and family here.”
“The play is a unique opportunity for youth and seniors to experience an important part of Canadian History together,” adds Watson. “We’ve had so many people see the show, and come back a second time with their family. And always the same thing: we have a story just like this in our family.”
Tickets to Ralph + Lina at The Burlington Performing Arts Centre November 25-29 can be purchased online www.burlingtonpac.ca, by phone 905-681-6000 or in person at the Box Office located at 440 Locust Street.
By Staff
November 12, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
It is one of the really good news stories and the credit goes to a dedicated band of people who just would not give up.
 The renovation/rebuild of the Freeman Station is well underway. The sign on the front of the building stresses that help is needed to complete this task. History is being polished here. It took years to win the battle but the Freeman Station is sitting on a firm foundation alongside the fire department headquarters on Plains Road where it quietly and effectively undergoes what is almost a rebuilt.
 There was a city engineer who once said the building was not worth saving, at the time the city couldn’t sell it for kindling. What was once a sorry looking building sitting on wooden blocks is getting to the point where it will be presentable and open to the public. Not this year and maybe not next – but the direction the Freeman Station is going in is clear.
Additional help is always needed.
 The public art on the south side of the Freeman Station isn’t going to keep everyone happy. Perhaps it is not complete? The city decided recently that there would be public art in each of the wards – for ward 2 the Freeman Station was chosen – the art is in place and the structure has a decent coat of paint making it look pretty sharp from the road as one drives by.
When the official opening day comes one hopes that it is the ward Councillor Marianne Meed Ward and her colleague ward 6 Councillor Blair Lancaster who lead the ribbon cutting. They were the two who took on the task of finding a way to keep the station while the rest of Council sat on their hands.
By Pepper Parr
November 11, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
The crowds are larger – they have been growing each year for the past three years. Is it because there are no WW I veterans left and we are losing those who survived WW II each month?
 During the service we sang, we prayed we listened to the Last Post and we heard the Reveille and our heads lifted to the sky as we watched the Lancaster bombers do a fly past.
 Is it because the world is a much more dangerous place and we are becoming very aware of how precious the democracy and freedom we have is?
 MPP Eleanor McMahon and MP Karina Gould Those who gather at the cenotaph each year bring their own thoughts, memories and dreams that were dashed with them. We go with the words “Lest we forget” on our lips – might we ask – was it all necessary? The It was John Lennon who got it right when he sang:– “All we are saying is give Peace a chance”
 Reviewing stand veteran A friend passed me a comment a number of years ago which went like this:
War will become obsolete when it is socially unacceptable.
It really is up to us.
 By Staff
November 14, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
The Irish Rovers are rolling into town celebrating 50 Years of music with a tourthat will have them at the Performing Arts Centre on November 20th.
If you’re a fan – you won’t want to miss this concert – it is going to be a mix of hits, rollicking jigs and reels, plus hilarious stories from their years on the road.
 The Irish Rovers kicking up a storm on stage – will be in Burlington November 20th. They usually sell out The Irish Rovers were founded in Toronto but first became known on American television in the 60s. As guests on The Tonight Show, The Smothers Brothers Show, Mike Douglas Show, The Virginian, The Dating Game (George Millar actually won the date), they gained experience before hosting their first of three television series “The Irish Rovers Show” in the 70’s.
At that time, fans enjoyed their early hits like Black Velvet Band, The Unicorn, Whisky on a Sunday and Wasn’t That A Party.
Now with a career spanning 50 years they’re not retiring, but are slowing down the touring – ironically at a time when they’re getting some of the best reviews of their career:
“Sold out in Tallahassee – All the years of touring and playing haven’t eroded the band’s ferocious chops. Those musicians are so tight. They’re virtuosos!” – Tallahassee Democrat
“Sold out in Orange County – When the band was jamming through traditional Irish sets you could close your eyes and imagine yourself at a ceili in a pub on the shamrock shore with a pint and a rocking-tight house band of the lads.” – Orange County Register
“Sold out in San Luis – Impossible to sit still as they play song after merry song off the pages of Ireland’s historic songbook. What an unforgettable experience! The Irish Rovers excite even the most discerning audience member into having a rip-roaring good time.” – Foundation for the Performing Arts
 They aren’t as young – but the lilt is still in their voices – and they are very funny guys. Tickets to The Irish Rovers at The Burlington Performing Arts Centre on November 20 at 8:00pm can be purchased online www.burlingtonpac.ca, by phone 905-681-6000 or in person at the Box Office located at 440 Locust Street.
Ciné-Starz Upper Canada Place, Burlington, ON
Burlington, ON L7R 4B6
Week of Friday, November 13, 2015 through Thursday, November 19, 2015
The Last Witch Hunter (14A)
Fri – Thu: 5:15, 7:40, 9:40
Crimson Peak (14A)
Fri – Thu: 3:15, 7:25, 9:40
Pan (PG)
Fri – Thu: 1:00, 3:15, 5:20
Sicario (14A)
Fri – Thu: 1:00, 3:10, 5:20, 7:30, 9:40
Everest (PG)
Fri – Thu: 1:00, 3:25, 7:25, 9:40
Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (PG)
Fri – Thu: 1:00, 5:00, 7:15, 9:40
War Room ()
Fri – Thu: 1:00, 3:00, 5:25, 7:25, 9:40
Minions (G)
Fri – Thu: 1:10, 3:10, 5:40
 By Vince Fiorito
November 9, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Alien invaders surround us. They can be found along roadsides. They are common in lakes and rivers. Eventually they will completely over run all natural areas and green spaces.
The alien invaders aren’t people. They are plants, insects, fish, birds, animals and all the non-native species which never existed in a place until they were deliberately or accidentally introduced by people. While some of these alien species are benign, far too many have become invasive and destructive.
Invasive species are a global menace with significant, far-reaching environmental and socio-economic consequences including loss of agricultural productivity and damage to renewable natural resource industries (forestry). Invasive species have caused entire ecosystems to become dysfunctional.
 Emerald Ash Bore – This little creature is costing us a fortune – and we are not at all certain we are going to win the battle to stop the infestation.  The Zebra Mussel completely changes a fresh water ecosystem. Hundreds of alien species are currently present in Ontario. Some of the more well know alien invaders include the Zebra Mussel (completely changes a fresh water ecosystem), Emerald Ash Borer (kills native Ash trees) Dutch Elm Disease (nearly wiped out the American Elm) Sea Lampreys (decimated the Great Lakes Trout fishery) and Starlings (crowd out native bird species and cause millions of dollars in agriculture losses each year).
 Lovely to look at – as invasive as all get out – Purple loosestrife Scientists are fighting back against invasive species, with some successes. Purple Loosestrife (destroyed wetlands) is now controlled by an introduced beetle at the cost of millions of dollars in research. Their decision to release the loosestrife eating beetle was gutsy, considering that a similar effort in Australia to eradicate the invasive Cane Beetle by introducing the Cane Toad was an ecological disaster. While the Cane Toad did eat the Cane beetle, it also ate everything else it could swallow.
Since the Cane Toad had no natural predators in Australia it soon became one of Australia’s most dominant species. The Cane Toad has caused many of Australia’s native insects to become so rare, they no longer contribute in a significant way to the local ecology, with ripple effects on many of Australia’s native plants and animals which have since become rare and threatened with extinction.
The least expensive solutions to the invasive species problems are to prevent problems in the first place and reacting quickly, aggressively and decisively to the first sign of a new invasive species problem.
On November 3rd, 2015, Ontario became the first jurisdiction in Canada to enact a tough law which will reduce the invasive species threat. As per the new Ontario Invasive Species Act, no person shall,
bring a member of a prohibited invasive species into Ontario or cause it to be brought into Ontario;
deposit or release a member of a prohibited invasive species or cause it to be deposited or released;
possess or transport a member of a prohibited invasive species;
propagate a member of a prohibited invasive species;
buy, sell, lease or trade or offer to buy, sell, lease or trade a member of a prohibited invasive species.
bring a member of a restricted invasive species into a provincial park or conservation reserve or cause it to be brought into a provincial park or conservationreserve;
or
deposit or release a member of a restricted invasive species in Ontario or cause it to be deposited or released in Ontario.
First time offenses can result in a $250,000 fine and/or a year of imprisonment. A second offense could cost $500,000. If that sounds excessive, consider that first time corporate offenders could face a $1,000,000 fine with subsequent offenses resulting in fines as great as $2,000,000.
Even though this law’s punitive sanctions don’t fully offset the damages which can result from invasions species, they should sufficient to deter deliberately destructive behavior.
 Snow-On-The-Mountain (aka Goutweed) is a robust ground cover that will eventually become Ontario’s most dominant forest plant. Ontario’s new Invasive Species law will affect many local nurseries and gardeners. Several common ornamental plants which have been sold in local nurseries for decades are known invasive species problems. Snow-On-The-Mountain (aka Goutweed) is a robust ground cover that will eventually become Ontario’s most dominant forest plant. Goutweed will displace most of Ontario’s native forest species, including Trilliums which are our provincial flower. Goutweed is a likely early candidate for the invasive species list.
Another problematic invasive ornamental plant is Mountain Fleece (aka Japanese Knotweed). The roots of this tenacious alien species can destroy driveways and cause structural to buidings. Once established, Japanese Knotweed is nearly impossible to permanently eradicate. Eventually this plant will replace most native plant species growing along Ontario’s shorelines.
Both Goutweed and Japanese Knotweed have escaped cultivation locally. They are commonly found throughout Burlington’s green spaces along with invasive Himalayan Balsam, Garlic Mustard, Phragmites and Buckthorn.
These invasive species are not just serious ecological problems here in Ontario; they are also serious global ecological problems which affect natural areas near London England, Sapporo Japan, Christchurch New Zealand, Pretoria South Africa and every other ecosystem on the earth which shares similar climate and conditions as Burlington. Deliberately cultivating this species in the UK is illegal and can result in substantial fines.
 Japanese knotweed – seen all over the place in Burlington. Fiorito believes that once established, Japanese Knotweed is nearly impossible to permanently eradicate. The mere presence of Japanese Knotweed in a neighborhood lowers everyone’s property values. British Real Estate law now requires home sellers declare the presence of Japanese Knotweed on their property. If this plant is subsequently discovered on that property, then the buyer can sue the seller for eradication costs.
In Burlington, Japanese Knotweed is available at many local nurseries. Many local gardeners have unwittingly created problems that will be expensive to fix, when Japanese Knotweed is inevitably put on the invasive species list.
The easiest way that gardeners can avoid creating invasive species problem around their homes is to choose plant species which are native to the local ecosystem. Each spring the Royal Botanical Gardens holds an annual native plant sale. Most nurseries now have a native plant section. Several local nurseries and landscape designers have become native plant specialists. This new invasive species law will help forward looking local businesses grow and prosper.
We can no longer ignore the destructive consequences of invasive alien species anymore. Failure to consider the ecological consequences of introducing an invasive alien species will become expensive in the not so distant future. This new law will help change attitudes leading Ontarians to becoming better stewards of the natural systems which rejuvenate our soils and clean our air and water. Ontario’s new invasive species law represents real change and will help protect Ontario from the growing international invasive species threat.
 Vince Fiorito is the steward of Sheldon Creek; a designation given him by Conservation Halton. He was recently a candidate for the Green Party and is an extremely knowledgeable person when it comes to what we are doing to our environment. Don’t get him going.
 By Staff
November 9, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Things get done by a city government when orders are sent out.
City Council is being asked to:
Authorize the Executive Director of Capital Works to support the implementation of the Burlington Beach Regional Waterfront Park Master Plan under the leadership of the Region of Halton.
The report put before the Standing Committee this week is to:
confirm staff commitment to assist the Region of Halton with the implementation of the Burlington Beach Regional Waterfront Park Master Plan (Master Plan) in accordance with directions approved by Regional Council
provide information related to the Region of Halton’s application for Canada 150 funding
provide a summary of findings to date for options to relocate/ bury the hydro lines
The fight to maintain the community of some 30 homes in the Beachway park wasn’t won but it wasn’t lost either – things are sort of at a standoff with the Regional government saying they will wait until a property owner is ready to sell and they will then negotiate a price and the deal will be closed. It’s a sort of grind them down over time – and so far it’s working.
 Region has applied for federal funding to get started on the Beachway Park aIn the meantime plans for a park that the public first got a glimpse of last June are well underway,
The Master Plan project is being led by the Region of Halton, in partnership with the City of Burlington and Conservation Halton. The three agencies worked closely together to develop the Master Plan that was approved at Regional Council on May 27, 2015.
 There was a willing seller for this house – and the one next door to it as well – they are being bought up one by one. The long-term implementation of the Master Plan is based on acquisition of all properties on a willing-seller/ willing -buyer basis, as approved at Regional Council on May 27, 2015. The Master Plan provides a guide for the implementation of improvements to this exceptional waterfront resource. This requires continued commitment by city staff to work with the Region of Halton to:
prepare detailed design and phasing plans
obtain approvals
administer contracts for construction
The federal government created the Canada 150 Fund as part of the celebration of the country’s 150th birthday in 2017. Canadian municipal governments and their institutions have been invited to apply for funding of various projects.
The Region of Halton applied for federal funding through the Canada 150 Infrastructure Fund for implementation of the approved Master Plan. Applications for the following stages of development of the Burlington Beach Regional Waterfront Park were submitted:
rehabilitation and expansion of the “Living Shoreline” in Beachway Park
renovation of the Waterfront Trail (promenade) in Spencer Smith Park
rehabilitation of the “Strand” in Beachway Park
Subject to funding, the tentative schedule is to issue a Request for Proposal for consulting services to prepare the detailed design this year; and to complete the construction in 2017/ 2018 to meet the deadline stipulated by the funding.
 Illustration on where the hydro line could go if it were to the west of the QEW These works will be coordinated with other related works required at Spencer Smith Park including improvements to drainage at the promenade and repairs to the parapet wall. The city will contribute to funding of infrastructure renewal items and to support staff fees, subject to approval of the 2016 Capital Budget and 2017 – 2025 Forecast.
 Illustration of where the hydro wires could go if they were to the east of the QEW Hydro Lines Relocation
Back in June 2013 Hydro One undertook a preliminary investigation to review options and determine high level costs for the relocation and/ or burial of the hydro lines located in Beachway Park. Three options were out forward
Option 1- Relocate structures/ lines westward to the east side of the QEW
build new structures #18 to 26 including 5 new lattice towers and 4 new steel pole structures
remove existing structures #18 to 26
estimated high level cost $8 – 9 million
Option 2- Relocate structures/ lines westward to the west side of the QEW
build new structures #18 to 26 including 6 new lattice towers and 4 new steel pole structures
requires two QEW crossings
remove existing structures #18 to 26
estimated high level cost $9 – 10 million
Option 3- Relocate structures/ lines underground to the west side of the beach, east of Lakeshore Road
keep towers #17 and #27 and bury the sections in between
remove existing structures #18 – 26
estimated high level cost $32 – 36 million
 Illustration of where the hydro wires would go if they were buried – best solution and of course the priciest one. The Region of Halton has determined that approximately $12 million is required to relocate the hydro lines. Staff from the region and the city have met to review the high level options. The Region of Halton will lead further study required to determine a preferred option for more detailed assessment.
Financial Matters:
The region has applied for funding toward implementation of the Master Plan through the Canada 150 Infrastructure Fund, with matching funding to be provided by the region.
Further funding to continue implementation of the Master Plan is currently under consideration by the region and subject to approval of the region’s budget, anticipated to be approved in December 2015.
The city has budgeted funds for infrastructure renewal improvements to Spencer Smith Park which will be included with the project and yearly funding for staff fees to support continued commitment to this project, subject to approval of the 2016 Capital Budget and 2017 – 2025 Forecast.
Current budget impacts, related to ongoing requirements to maintain/ operate the park as the park improvements are implemented will be brought forward as part of the current budget process.
The next step is to learn just what the city might get from the federal Canada 150 funding opportunity.
Our former MP Mike Wallace will have had a firm understanding as to just what was possible – Karina Gould, the newly elected MP will have to be reading late into the night to learn how the program works and develop the relationships that will be needed to get whatever is possible for Burlington.
By Pepper Parr
November 9, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
As a city that hosts three of the top 100 Festival and Events in Ontario city hall wants to improve the way these events are managed.
The Sound of Music and RibFest come close to taking over the city and Canada Day gives everyone to celebrate who we are as a country. The city has been recognized for the excellence of these three events
Festival and events of all sizes take place which leads to connectedness and civic pride. The City directly delivers a small number of events with the majority of events being delivered by the community for the community.
 Ribfest Burlington – said to be the biggest in the province. The City supports festival and event’s organizers because they activate the community, achieving two of the three strategic goals; Vibrant Neighbourhoods and Prosperity. In addition, Festival and Events have been identified as a cultural resource in the City’s Cultural Action Plan 2013 and key to the activations of the Downtown Core Commitments.
The current event process is complex as it touches various departments within the corporation and the Region of Halton. To address these complexities, a staff team was formed, represented by various departments in the organization. In the fall of 2014, the team conducted a Business Process Management Review (BPM) of the Eventing Management Process.
The purpose of the process review was to:
1. Determine and implement process efficiencies
2. Reduce duplication of work
3. Streamline sub processes as necessary in each service area and across the organization
4. Increase role clarity for the staff and event organizer, including internal corporate events like facility openings
5. Increase event organizers satisfaction
The top action item identified through the BPM process was to develop a corporate strategy for event management inclusive of the service perspective of sport, recreation & culture.
The strategy will:
• Provide linkages to existing Service Business Plans
• Set a vision for events in Burlington by determining why we allow events to be hosted in the City and what is the City trying to achieve through event hosting, strategically seeking certain types of events
• Guide the development of a new events process; providing criteria and a process for considering new events and/or eliminating duplicate or less desired events
• Outline the approval requirements and risk assessment process
• Define different event types
• Outline the guiding principles for funding support from the City
A Staff Direction issued earlier in the year directed the
Director of Parks and Recreation to work with the Sound of Music event organizers to develop a policy that addresses city funding allocations and alignment within the strategic plan, in order to inform future budget considerations.
 When the Sound of Music is good – it is very very good. The Sound of Music has wanted the city to increase its grant and align it with the grants it gets from the federal government and the province. There was a point at which Sound of Music did not want to open their accounting records but still wanted an increase in their grant – that got worked out.
The implementation of the Results Based Accountability (RBA) Business Process Management (BPM)and Service Based Budgeting (SBB) that are now standard procedures for the administration has resulted in better managed programs. With specific staff members now responsible for the effective delivery of programs the move to taking a more strategic look at what will be done in the future was a logical next step.
What does the city want to do with the festivals it funds? Are these the right events for the city or have they passed their best before date? Everyone wants to use Spencer Smith Park – is the space being used in such a way that the city and its citizens benefit or are their organizations that use the space with little real benefit to the city and the brand it is in the process of creating?
The development of an event strategy will help guide the community and staff on what the corporation is trying to achieve through events. This visioning exercise is becoming progressively more important as there is increased interest in hosting events in the Downtown Core and in particular at Spencer Smith Park.
Spencer Smith Park has reached its capacity for hosting events. Currently there is a historical approach on what events are hosted in the park. Just because an event has taken place for a number of years does that mean it should continue?
 At some point, perhaps in the distant future, there will be a different park to the west of Spencer Smith – it might even have some private homes in it – this might be a good time to talk about the kind of events hat should take place in what will be called the Beachway Park In addition some business and residents have suggested expressed that the downtown roads have also reached their capacity for event hosting and that there is a need for balance.
There is a desire to expand eventing outside of the downtown core. Currently there is limited infrastructure to support this interest. If expanding eventing is the key outcome of the strategy, it is anticipated there will need to be an investment from the City to make this feasible.
The city has had some difficulty getting events that are focused on Spencer Smith to work their way up Brant Street and into some of the streets to the east that have something of a commercial base.
To initiate the input /engagement phase for the development of an overall Events Strategy, it was decided to use a Committee of the Whole format to allow for dialogue in more of a workshop format on the vision for eventing in Burlington. Pamela Hubbard has been retained to guide committee through a focused conversation on events.
Following Committee’s input facilitated sessions will be conducted with:
• Festival and Events Organizers
• Businesses
• Residents
• Staff
Representation from downtown and city wide will be sought.
Using the information gathered from facilitated sessions, and baseline data gathered through the BPM process, a team comprised of staff from various departments in the corporation will review the feedback and build a vision for events in Burlington.
 Culture is getting more play in the city; it is getting m,ore attention in the draft of the Strategic Plan. How can the Culture Days events get tied into the Festivals and Events more tightly – and can the Performing Arts Centre and the Art Gallery be brought in as well? The team will also outline an action plan to achieve that vision. This draft strategy will be presented to Committee in 2016 for support and endorsement helping to guide the community on eventing in the future.
Included on the staff team is the Downtown Coordinator and the service owner for Culture to ensure that there is interconnection between Core Commitments and the Cultural Action Plan.
Festival and Events bring energy, smiles and enjoyment for residents and visitors and are a large part of the way the city is seen by the rest of the world. Are we satisfied with the image we are projecting?
The development of an event strategy will help guide the community and staff on what the corporation is trying to achieve through events. This visioning exercise is a very good opportunity for the public to make a comment.
A little more notice would have been useful – and holding the discussion in the evening would have let ordinary people take part in the meeting.
A good hard look at what we do with the magnificent waterfront property we have is just good corporate governance – open it up and let some of the ideas the citizens have make it to the table.
The route we are talking allows the vested interests to lead the parade. Not in the long term best interests of the city.
You may not have time to get to the meeting – Councilor Jack Dennison is the chair – he is pretty good at listening to people and is always open to new ideas – send him a note if you have comments.
By Ed Keenleyside
November 9, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
The city recently installed attractive and informative identification plaques on many of our public art displays. A brief explanation is provided so that the public will know who the artist was or how and why the piece of art came to be.
There is a plaque beside the Spiral Stella outside the Performing Arts Centre and another tucked in behind the clock on Brant Street outside city hall.
 Ed Keenleyside points to three significant errors in the plaque the city put up explaining the background of the war memorial just north of city hall. The City is to be congratulated for this effort… but when there are errors on any of those plaques, it is embarrassing.
The errors on the plaque beside the Cenotaph Memorial is embarrassing. Within the handful of sentences describing this important monument, are the following mistakes:
1. There are 38 World War I casualties listed on the memorial, not 39.
2. The 38 fatalities listed are soldiers from the Great War (or World War I ), not from the Second World War.
3. There are 44 local service people listed from the Second World War, not 43.
In addition to the embarrassing errors on the plaque, I wonder why the Korean War Veterans are recognized at the base of the Cenotaph but the Afghanistan War Veterans are not recognized.
 Ed Keenleyside can’t understand why the plaque that explains the history of the war memorial he is standing beside has so many errors on it. I am currently researching the names of the 82 casualties etched on the Cenotaph with plans to publish an informative book, which will put faces and personalities to those who died so many years ago.
I have information on all but one name and that person, J. W. Williamson, is among the 44 World War II fatalities. If anyone can identify this person I would be most grateful. Please contact me at ekeenleyside@cogeco.ca if you can help.
 By Staff
November 6, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Additional background information has been added to this piece after it was first published.
Cogeco Cable Community TV does a regular program live from their studio on Syscon Road where Mark Carr hosts The Issue and brings in guests to talk about specific issues.
 Pepper Parr, publisher of the Burlington Gazette The Issue invited the publisher of the Gazette, Pepper Parr to take part in a panel discussion about the problems the city of Burlington is having getting a Code of Conduct for its Council members in place.
 Che Marville, NDP candidate in Oakville during the last federal election. Che Marville, the New Democratic candidate for Oakville during the last election and CEO of Marville Media plus the founder of multiple social enterprises including the Children’s Media Museum. Rachel Halliwell, a Cogeco volunteer last year and now a student studying sports broadcasting completed the panel.
Mark Carr, moderator, was once a city of Burlington council member – at a time when a motion from then Council member Mike Wallace to reduce the size of Council from the then 17 members to the current seven.
Then Mayor Walter Mulkewich preferred a nine member Council and put forward a motion to that effect – it was defeated and the motion for a seven member council passed by a vote of 9 for and 8 against. Which is why we currently have a seven member city council.
Mulkewich points out in his response to the first version of this story that the Region of Halton had at the time reduced its size by four Councillors from 25 to 21 by taking away two from Burlington and two from Halton Hills which meant Burlington had to reduce its Regional Councillors by two and this became the trigger for the Council size issue in Burlington.
There is a longer story to this, to the saga of the debate at both the Region and City, and the reasons I voted as I did at that time. Now that Milton has dramatically grown as has Oakville, and therefore the Regional representation issue needs to be revisited – how will the Region deal with representation in this term or will it – and will there be ramifications for Burlington?
Is Burlington’s seven member Council more effective? Debatable and Carr made his views known.
Carr, who is well versed on public issues, gets into the debate and discussion as much as he can – few softball questions from him.
Che Marville can also get quite scrappy
One of the best comments was made by 18 year-old Halliwell who suggested city council take part in events that called for them to work as a team “seems to me” she said “that they need some team building opportunities.”
Halliwell voted in her first election this year
 The Issue moderator Mark Carr – Live on Cogeco Cable television The program was broadcast live Tuesday, and will be re-broadcast on the following dates on Channel 23 and HD 700
Fri, Nov 6, 2015 @ 2:00pm
Sat, Nov 7, 2015 @ 10:00am
Sun, Nov 8, 2015 @ 1:00pm
Sun, Nov 8, 2015 @ 9:30pm
Tue, Nov 10, 2015 @ 2:00pm
It got lively.
By Pepper Parr
November 6, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
The radio forecast 21 degrees – did we reach that level?
Wonderful weather – the hospitality people are just loving it – especially those with patios.
 Mark Cole, part of the Joe Dogs management team takes advantage of the great weather to have lunch on the patio. Its been a great couple of months for Joe Dogs. Mark Cole of Joe Dogs – the people who sell us beer when our work day is done, report that they had a “fabulous baseball season and are really liking the way the weather has held.”
“It doesn’t get better than this” Mark added as he sat in the sun working his cell phone and tapping numbers into a spreadsheet on his tablet.
What has the phenomenal sports season done for the hospitality people? Exceptional – so much so that when Liberal Pam Damoff won the Oakville North Burlington seat they planned on a victory party and booked space at the Tin Cup on Upper Middle Road. There was a baseball game on that night – all they got was a little space in a corner – most people are reported to have watched the ball game.
Many of the hospitality destinations are partnering with the Art Gallery of Burlington for their annual Soup Bowl fund raising event.
 Each Soup Bowl luncheon attendee gets to choose the bowl they want to slurp from and then get to take the bowl home with them. This event has sold out in the past. The Gazette has asked those making the soup if they would share their recipes – several have stepped forward. The event runs from the 19th to the 22nd of November. Tickets here.
Watch for the recipes.
By Pepper Parr
November 5, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
I was supposed to get together with a friend but he cancelled –“Can’t make it – when we learned that Platters were going to be in town we couldn’t order our tickets fast enough.
“They were part of what I was raised on: he added – “you don’t get chances like this to take a trip down memory lane. I can see me and the misses getting out for a drink after the show and reminiscing. You should join us?”
The show, which is in town for the one day – Friday – tomorrow – and there are still some decent seats available. I notice the box seats don’t seem to be sold – wonder why? Will look into that.
 Meanwhile – the show. The audience will hear both the Platter and the Ink Spots – both were category breaking for their time.
For those of you who lived your lives then – you know what I’m talking about. If you’ve never heard of them – Google the guys and listen to a few tunes on You Tube – you are in for a treat.
The Platters was an American vocal group; one of the most successful groups of the early rock and roll era. Their distinctive sound was a bridge between the pre-rock Tin Pan Alley tradition and the burgeoning new genre. The group had 40 charting singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart between 1955 and 1967, including four no. 1 hits.
The Platters were one of the first African American groups to be accepted as a major chart group and were, for a period of time, the most successful vocal group in the world.
They were part of that ground breaking, ground shaking era when the segregationist views were being taken apart.
 The Ink Spots gained international fame in the 1930s and 1940s. They preceeded the Platters and had a unique musical style that was more rhythm and blues and the subgenre doo-wop. The Ink Spots were widely accepted in both the white and black communities, largely due to the ballad style introduced to the group by lead singer Bill Kenny.
The Ink Spots disbanded in 1954; since then there have been well over 100 vocal groups calling themselves “The Ink Spots” without any right to the name; they have claimed to be “2nd generation” or “3rd generation” Ink Spots.
If there is a good thing going – someone was bound to take up the brand.
In the visuals of the Ink Spot – especially in the album covers the men are portrayed as railway porters because that was the way American then saw what they then called Negros – time have changed and today they are called African Americans in a country led by a black president.
Neither the Platters nor the Ink Spots ever thought such a thing could ever happen.
Seat selection is at: Click here
By Staff
November 4, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Not quite the number that was hoped for (305,000 LBS) but a fabulous number nevertheless.
 Some of the 295,000 lbs plus food collected in a two day period – ready for the trucks and the fork lifts And there are bits and pieces that will arrive on Thursday that will take that total of 295,671.77 lbs up a notch or two.
The efforts of the various teams went like this:
In 1st Place: Minor Atom AA with 22,132.7 lbs!
2nd Place Team: Minor Atom A with 18,889.04 lbs!
3rd Place Team: Tyke 1 (AAA) with 17,127.88 lbs!
4th Place Team: Tyke 2 (AA) with 16,998.5 lbs!
5th Place Team: Novice A with 14,503 lbs!
295,671.77 lbs. of food to be distributed to organizations across the community.
Final numbers announced tomorrow.
 Citizens in the making – learning how to give back to the community. One final step in what is truly a magnificent effort – and that is to instill in the minds of the thousands of young people who were on the floor of the gymnasium lugging bags and boxes of food from the weighing scale to the sorting tables and then to the bins that will be used to transport the food to warehouses from which it will be distributed – that this is what community is all about.
We are so very fortunate to live in a city that is safe, healthy, prosperous and when called upon exceptionally generous.
This is not something to be taken lightly. Those young people are tomorrow’s leaders – help them understand how big an event they were part of and why it is important for them to carry that tradition forward.
By Pepper Parr
November 4, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
They came trooping through the door – lugging boxes and bags of food that would be weighed, tagged and then distributed to one of the close to 100 bins that were set out on the floor of the gymnasium of Nelson High School where the Giving Back project, celebrating its tenth year was taking place.
 Judie Kavanaugh updates the tally of food as it gets carried into the Nelson gymnasium and weighed At 11:30 last night Judie Kavanagh told us that they had 164,908.93 lbs of food and added the comment that it was “not a bad start” – more than half way to the target – expect them to reach and pass the target.
 The food comes into the high school gymnasium in boxes and bags. All the planning and preparing done at endless committee meetings came to a head as food kept arriving and young people were scooting back and forth with boxes and bags.
Jean Longfield, a recipient of the Burlington’s Best Citizen of the Year award, and John Tate roamed the room answering questions, doing interviews and guiding people who were not quite sure what to do next.
 The scale sits on the floor where it is weighed and recorded. Tate stood in the background greeting people and congratulating those who came through the door with cartons of food.
Parents who normally pack the kids into the vans and take them to hockey games were now sitting at tables tabulating the totals those same children were bringing into the gymnasium.
 Hockey players take packages from the sorting tables to the bins. It is a significant logistical challenge – the Gazette will report on where all that food goes and how the team that makes it happen debriefs and plans for the next year.
 Jean Longfield during a CHCH interview – with John Tate in the background keeping an eye on things. Last year, The Gift of Giving Back collected more than 278,000 lbs of food and this year, hopes to exceed that amount and collect more than 305,000 lbs.
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Chef Daniel Obeng, a Ghanaian by birth was raised in a tougher part of Toronto but overcame that background and is now the Executive Chef at the Pearl and Pine said that beets are one of his favourite vegetables “I just love the colour and the different things you can do with a beet.
Chef Obeng trained at the renowned George Brown Culinary school in Toronto as well as studying at the Humber and the Stratford schools.
