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October 3, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON
September had some wonderful fall days – then suddenly it was gone and the winds were a little more brisk and had a trace of a chill in them as well. Leslie Bullock – snapped a picture of the high winds late Saturday afternoon and shared it with friends – and we are sharing it with you. What does the Farmer’s Almanac have to say – because that water looks cold. 
October 2, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON How did you use the city’s swimming pools this summer? Many people didn’t get to use the Nelson pool at all – but that is a different story isn’t it? The City is asking Burlington residents to complete a survey to tell the city how they use city pools during the summer.
A survey is available online. Pool users can access the survey until Sunday, Oct. 4, 2015. The input from the pool survey will be used to help City Council make decisions about the future direction of outdoor pools in Burlington. The results will be outlined in a report to council this fall. For more information on Burlington pools, visit www.burlington.ca/swimming.
October 1, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON It was supposed to be a big surprise – and for many it was. The unveiling of Showtime, a Walt Rickli, sculpture that Dan Lawrie purchased and then donated to the Art Gallery of Burlington along with a cheque for $100,000 was a wonderful surprise.  Showtime A grateful chair of the Art Gallery Foundation Anne Swarbrick announced that the court yard of the Gallery will forever after be known as the Dan Lawrie Family Courtyard. Almost every name you could think of in the art community took part in the event. The Showtime sculpture barely made it into the Gallery – Rickli brought in a small crane to lower the one tonne piece of polished stone onto its base which sits in a reflecting pool in the Courtyard. His challenge proved to be the doors of the Art Gallery – “there wasn’t enough room to slip a piece of silk in between the doors and the sculpture” he said.  Dan Lawrie donated the sculpture and $100,000 to the Art Gallery of Burlington. Dan Lawrie was rightfully lauded by the audience, many recalled the tag line he used while building his insurance business – which is now ranked as one of the top five in North America. “The man who knows” was called out by many in the audience – proving that advertising does work. We learned that Lawrie is an amateur artist in his own right and has a showing in the lobby of his building. He did point out that everyone wasn’t invited over after the unveiling to look at his art. Lawrie has funded some sculpture at the Royal Botanical Gardens and was the man who put up a very significant sum to pay for the creation and installation of the Spiral Stella that stands beside the entrance to the Performing Arts Centre.  Gallery Foundation chair Anne Swarbrick, Mayor Rick Goldring, Gallery Executive Director Robert Steven, artist Walt Rickli and philanthropist Dan Lawrie stand before Showtime Photographed in the evening with bright spot lights doesn’t do show time justice. The piece is large with all kinds of angles making it very complex. A child might say it looks like a fat guppy with all kinds of things sticking out – and that would be an acceptable description – until you have a chance to stand before the piece of art and try to fully understand its complexity. This is not a trivial work – it is complex, nuanced and deserves more than one viewing. I expect there are people who will travel to Burlington to look at this piece of art. Generations are going to be thankful that Dan Lawrie paid to have it placed where it is.
September 30th, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON Detours will be in effect for Routes 3, 4 and 10 from approximately 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. due to several road closures in downtown Burlington. Route 4 will not be able to access Teen Tour Way (into the Central Library and Senior’s Centre bus stop location) and will need to use Drury Lane instead. The remaining detours are as follows: Route 3 North: Route 3 South: Route 10 West: Route 10 East:
September 30th, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON As the city moves into October United Way volunteers in Burlington and Greater Hamilton will be hosting events to kick-off their annual fundraising activities for United Way and help raise awareness of the needs in our community. The initiative highlights the importance of pulling together to create lasting change.  Kick-off at Specs on Pearl in Burlington at 9am on Thursday The event will kick-off at Specs on Pearl in Burlington at 9am on Thursday and will include attendees from surrounding businesses, a few words from Hamilton Mayor Fred Eisenberger, Deputy Mayor Rick Craven and United Way Campaign Chair and President of JanKelley Marketing Chantel Broten. United Way GenNext members will host closing festivities beginning at 6pm at Stonewalls Restaurant in Hamilton. Proceeds from the closing event will support LGBTQ and newcomer youth initiatives in Burlington & Greater Hamilton.  At past United Way campaigns the city really put their backs into the program. Here, former city general manager Kim Phillips helped pull a water truck down Brant Street. “United Way Day is really about encouraging individuals and organizations to get involved and help create possibility for residents of Burlington & Greater Hamilton. One in 3 people in our community will access services supported by United Way in their lifetime. This could be a friend, family member, or neighbour. We all know someone who has been helped by United Way” said Broten. United Way kicked-off the annual fundraising campaign earlier with a breakfast event at the Royal Botanical Gardens. The campaign will be championed by Hamilton Chair Paul Johnson, Director of Corporate Initiatives for the City of Hamilton and Burlington Chair Chantel Broten, President JanKelley and long-time Burlington resident. Together, they will highlight the unique needs of Burlington & Greater Hamilton and encourage collective community action. “The need in our community is great and we could not begin to meet that need without the support of volunteers like those participating in United Way Day. This year, the ultimate goal of United Way of Burlington and Greater Hamilton is to impact over 164,000 lives, because we know our community isn’t great, until it is great for everyone” said CEO Jeff Vallentin.
September 30, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON If you enjoy fast paced, high scoring baseball games in October, the End of Season Fastpitch Tournament is for you and your family. Come on out for the action and support a local charity.  Everything about Fast Pitch is fast – did the runner make it to the bag? Sixteen teams from across Southern Ontario will meet this weekend at Sherwood Forest Park. Starting Friday evening, all day Saturday with Sunday championships games. Fastpitch is much quicker paced than baseball, with 7 inning games games lasting about 1.5 hours, faster in-field play and more big hits! There will be a Bavarian beer garden serving BBQ’ed hotdogs and burgers. Fifty-fifty draws will be held with a portion of proceeds going local charities. This event is put on the Burlington Intermediate Men’s Fastball League (www.BIMFL.weebly.com) and the Hamilton Rosedale Fastpitch League.
September 30, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON We used to refer to the group that have organized themselves as an Art Collective – ACCOB – which stands for the Arts and Culture Collective of Burlington as an “emerging” group. That day has passed – they are now trying very hard to gain a foothold and to have an impact on the way arts and culture policy and spending are done in Burlington. So far they aren’t getting the traction they need and feel they deserve.  Art Gallery of Burlington – costs the city close to a million to run – is there value for money? Of course there is – but without artists would we need it?  The Performing Arts Centre has had an immense impact on the artistic growth of the city – and the arts community is now able to make great use of the space. They are dealing with a city hall that is close to patronizing to the individual artists and at the same time spends million on buildings and the subsidizing of an Art Gallery, a Performing Arts Centre and a Museum Board. The artists feel they should form an Arts Council and be at the table with the same clout, financial benefit and influences the other organizations.  Jeremy Frieburger, author of a report that provided direction for the city’s cultural plan based on reams of data he had gathered. Now the city has to determine how it wants ti implement its Cultural Action Plan. The city has a Cultural Action Plan and a committee that is involved in overseeing the roll out of that plan. One would like to think that having artists sitting on that implementation committee would be a positive sign – and indication that the artists are finally getting the influence they feel they deserve. Afraid not – there is trouble in paradise.  The Art in Action Studio Tour is a ten year success. The event is free to the public and there isn’t a dime of public money in the project. Teresa Seaton, who is a significant part of the driving force behind the Art in Action group that holds an annual art tour that is very successful – they have been putting on the event for more than ten years and are financially successful enough to be able to award a scholarship each year, thinks an Arts Council is needed. Seaton is also a commercially successful Stained Glass artist with a studio in the west end of the city. On the Collective Facebook page she made some comments … well let’s let Seaton speak for herself: “Interesting meeting today as a delegate from the External Body Committee to CAPIC -The Cultural Action Plan Implementation Committee. Seems we are still defending the need for an Arts and Culture Council to the city. One of the questions that came up was: What would an Arts and Culture Council do for us, the arts and culture community, in Burlington. As far as I can tell one of the first things an Arts Council would do with funding it hopefully gets is to ask the community what can an Arts Council do for you? And because it seems we are a long way from getting any funding for an Arts Council I thought I might throw up the question here on face book. My personal suggestions…” An Arts and Culture Council could; 1. Lobby the city to implement, or increase, the already existing public art fee on new developments. I believe the existing recommendation is 1%. I have trouble finding this information.  Teresa Seaton – stained Glass artist “Don’t get me wrong; the City of Burlington has come a long way in the last few years. I see the institutions working together more. There seems to be more community involvement in these institutions. But let’s not let this momentum stop.” CAPIC: the Cultural Action Plan Implementation Committee consists of: Scott Stewart, General Manager for the city Andrea Battista, involved with Symphony on the Bay Six of the eight people on the committee are bureaucrats – there is no balance here. The meeting Seaton attended and delegated at also had two other city hall staff and a ward Councillor. Seaton is quite right when she talks about how far the artists have come – they have risen, literally, and said “we are here and we want to be heard”. And city council, a bit surprised at the artistic energy they didn’t know existed, put money into hiring a consultant who put together a cultural action plan that the city adopted – sort of, and the created a committee to implement that plan. And that is sort of where things are stuck. The artists don’t fully comprehend that politicians and bureaucrats do not give away power – they accumulate power and they are for the most part loathe to share that power. The only way the people (in this case the artists) wrestle power from the bureaucrats is to threaten the power base they have.  Joe Lamb, on the left, negotiated a deal for the seniors – he didn’t get the kitchen sink because he didn’t ask for it – but he got everything else he wanted. Then city manager Jeff Fielding was told to keep the seniors happy and he did. There is a lesson for the arts community here. A classic example of this was when the seniors began to complain about what they were not getting from the city. They, the seniors, were not happy with the people city hall had sent over to administrate their Centre and they were quick to get on the phone and let the Council members know they were not happy. The new city manager at the time was sent over to meet and negotiate with the seniors who got everything they had asked for and more. Jeff Fielding, the city manager at the time, was told to meet with the seniors and keep them happy. Canadians learned yesterday that Canada now has more people over 65 than we have under 14 – the power has shifted to the seniors and they are going to get what they want o they will vote the politicians out of office. What kind of clout do the artists have? They are creative people with the ability to give the city character, colour, reputation and a reason to visit the place. Imagine what would happen if the Sound of Music decided they would not put on their event for a year. You can only imagine the hair pulling that would take place at city hall. Seaton is right on another level as well; the artists have to begin working like an orchestra and all play from the same sheet music. The squabbling that goes on between the different artists and the different groups is not pretty. They are admittedly high strung people – they go without to be artists but at some point they have to create a united front and use the strength that comes from unity to make their case. City council has consistently said the arts are important – and they do pump a lot into the institutions we have. The artists want a real seat at the table – they are going to have to require the politicians to walk their talk. It will not be easy – but it can be done – look at what the seniors achieved.
September 29, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON The Parks and Recreation department has decided to re-launch of the neighbourhood rink program for winter 2015/16. The positive impacts from a community rink on private property in the Mountainside Area and two consecutive cold winters was enough to bring back the outdoor rink program.  Parks and recreation department thinks a total of 17 neighbourhood rinks could be created – all people have to do is apply. Eleven parks have a flat area that is in close proximity to a city water supply and are able to support a neighbourhood rink. Some parks can fit more than one rink, for up to 17 outdoor rinks. The following parks can take an outdoor rink: Brant Hills Park, Bridgeview Park, Central Park, Ireland Park, Lowville Park, Mountainside Park, Nelson Park, Orchard Park, Sheldon Park, Sherwood Park, and Tansley Woods Park, Other parks may be considered on an individual basis if residents are willing to provide their own water supply, and the park has a suitable flat area. Residents interested in having a rink need to gather at least six other neighbours and complete an online application form that will be available at burlington.ca/skating. Staff will review submissions, award rinks, and provide an information package to successful applicants on how best to make and maintain ice.  There are parents out there that take great pleasure in going out late at night after the kids are in bed and flooding the neighbourhood rink. Staff will put up boards, supply hoses and provide an orientation session for the residents. Staff will also conduct an initial rink inspection. The neighbourhood group will perform the initial and subsequent floods, shovel the snow, and manage issues among themselves as much as possible. Help get the word out! Please share the messaging about the program with the residents. Staff will supply communication pieces that members of Council can insert into their ward communications. Encourage residents to get out and get active this winter! Key dates:
Upper Canada Place, Burlington, ON Showtimes Week of Friday, October 02, 2015 through Thursday, October 08, 2015 The Perfect Guy (14A) No Escape (14A) The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (PG) Straight Outta Compton (18A) Ricki and the Flash (PG) Shaun the Sheep () Pixels (PG) Ant-Man (PG) Mr. Holmes (PG) Inside Out (G) Built NOT Bought ()
September 27, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON For just one week (October 18th to 24th) during Ontario Public Library Week, you can pay outstanding fines with food. We accept *unexpired* canned and dry food items. All food collected goes to Burlington Food Share to help local community members in need. So, clear up your fines and help others at the same time. One food item = $1 in fines, 2 items = $2 in fines, up to $10/card.  Use food to pay your library fine. Nice policy – but if you don’t play the game the way they want you to – they get nasty and send your fine odd to a collection agency. The Library will send your account to a collection agency and adds a $15 administration fee when: • you have items overdue 60 days with an outstanding balance of $35 (formerly $50) or more, or, I have an overdue fine – but the notice from the library doesn’t tell anyone how to find out what you owe them. Do I take in several jars of peanut butter and a couple of bags of rice? Don’t even know what I owe them
September 25, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON Burlington is about to enjoy a small part of the Brian McCurdy legacy – his decision to make space for local groups that have significant artistic merit and reflect one of the original purposes for the building of a Performing Arts centre in the city is what got the Form Contemporary Dance Theatre (FCDT) into the Studio Theatre for a three day dance program that knows where the edge of the envelope is and heads straight for it.  The FORM Contemporary Dance Theatre company in rehearsal for the two day – three performance of Blue on October 9th and 10th at the Performing Arts Centre. (FCDT) is presenting their Reflective/Vulnerable which makes strong use of physically raw movements. The Reflective/Vulnerable performance guides, pushes and pulls audiences through emotional extremes.  Developing the form and feel of a dance production takes time and practice. The Form Contemporary Dance Theatre will be at the Performing Arts Centre October 9th and 10th Reflective/Vulnerable is a mixed program featuring an interactive video installation from guest artists from The Burlington Wholeshebang and several other works of choreography each exploring different worlds of everyday experiences. Some of these worlds are filled with joyful and quirky movement; others examine the wandering rambling thoughts of our mind; and still others offer an intense exploration of control, power, and the individuals who challenge and overthrow.  A member of the Form Contemporary Dance Theatre in rehearsal. The company will perform in Burlington in October. Reflective/Vulnerable offers audiences a variety of movement styles, themes, and emotions. With the support of ArtHouse and Michelle Hopkins Dance Studio we are thrilled to provide children from the Halton region professional dance experience as part of Reflective/Vulnerable. We are very excited for you to experience all that Reflective/Vulnerable has to offer. FCDT sets out to create art that is inviting for audiences, art that combines extremes in its emotional content and art that is informed by human experiences. We aim to create works of art that have a raw and vulnerable essence. Mateo Galindo Torres, artistic advisor explains: “Nothing should be absolute or immobile; everything needs to be challenged to allow for growth and evolution.” The performances take place in the Studio Theatre: OCT 9th 7:30pm (pre-show talk 7:00pm) Tickets are available at The Centre Box office 905-681-6000 or online at www.burlingtonpac.ca.  The Form Contemporary Dance Theatre does excerpts from the Nutcracker Suite each year with a Cambridge orchestra. The company is very strong on costume – something very evident in these photographs. Top ticket price $20 Form CDT is a Hamilton/Burlington based company founded in February 2014. Within Burlington and Hamilton they have been part of Flounder Festival, Burlington Culture Days, Hamilton Fringe Festival 14/15 and have collaborated with the The Hamilton Conservatory for the Arts, Burlington Student Theatre and Art House. They have participated in Series 808 (Take Two) in Toronto, FRESH BLOOD in Toronto, Dance Matters in Toronto, and 2014’s Hemispheric Encuentro: Manifest in Montreal. Most recently Form CDT has been commissioned by UNU-INWEH to choreograph and perform at their 20th Anniversary Celebrations in the Fall of 2016. Form CDT is very active in dance and movement education and to facilitate this passion we founded a sister company called Transform CDT.
September 24, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON Sunday is the last of the three day cultural spree in the city. The Burlington event is part of a nation-wide celebration of the arts. The event coincides with Doors Open, another annual activity which opens up a number of the City’s heritage sites to the public. Sunday 27th Music Lessons for all Ages Celebrating Burlington through Photos Breathe with Planet Earth (outdoors meditation on live music) Location: Burlington City Hall, Civic Square, 426 brant St., Burlington, Ont. Applefest Fall Fair  Ireland House, a part of the Museums Burlington operation, is the only example of a farming property that is publicly view-able in the city south of Dundas, It is an excellent example of its period. Worth as visit Location: Ireland House Museum, 2168 Guelph Line, Burlington, Ont. KooGle Theatre Company Dance event Creative Hub Guild Demonstrations Stained Glass Demonstration – Copper Foiling Method  Teresa Seaton, centre, discusses where her cultural hot spots are with Donna Grandin – both are participants in the city’s Culture Days.in the city are located. Location: 654 Spring Gardens Rd., Burlington, Ont. Art in Action Demonstration Celebrate Burlington And All Was Bright: Multimedia Performance Art Installation As part of Culture Days 2015, Robertson will perform his latest installation, entitled “Hope”, at the Burlington Performing Arts Centre. The performance piece is inspired by the unsteady balance of the natural environment and industry. Twin City Celebration Peacock Feather Drawing and Donna Grandin Art Display at BPAC Be a Conductor for the Moment Anyone from age six and up is invited to submit their name to the below email.  Trevor Copp will be performing during the Burlington Resounds part of Culture Day on Sunday. Burlington Resounds: Culture Days Grand Finale  Hayley Verrall sang O’Canada during the inauguration of the current city council – did a splendid job. Look for her on Sunday – worth the effort. Artists to Include: The only act Missens missed was Mayor Goldring at the keyboard and MP Mike Wallace dancing with a broom trying to convince an audience he was Gene Kelly. BURLINGTON RESOUNDS BRINGS CULTURE DAYS 2015 TO A RESOUNDING CONCLUSION AT THE BURLINGTON PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE At 4:30 pm some fifteen of the City’s finest performers and performing arts organizations will take over the Main Theatre (see list attached). These include a number of the City’s leading professionals, such as musician Stuart Laughton, pianist Renee Barabash, singers Charlene Santoni and Jason Hales, singer-songwriter Andy Griffiths, conductor-composer Charles Cozens and violinist Janet Horn, as well as a number of up and coming performers such as Hayley Verrall and members of Burlington Student Theatre. Participating organizations include the legendary Burlington Teen Tour Band, KooGle Theatre, Form Contemporary Dance Theatre and Tottering Biped Theatre. The Grand Finale will also feature a massed choir of local community and church singers, as well as the new Lowville Festival Choir, under the direction of Wayne Strongman. Named Burlington Resonds will mark the conclusion of three days of cultural celebration.
September 26, 2015 BURLINGTON, on Culture Days has become a model opportunity for citizens, businesses, and all levels of government to collectively help lead the development of Canada through the development of the arts and cultural life of our communities. Volunteers lead and contribute to the success of Culture Days at every level. It is a grassroots, collaborative movement that works. There is a national advisory board, a national board of directors with some very powerful and effective people sitting around the table. There are then Tasks Forces within each province. The national objective is create opportunities for people to explore, discover and participate in arts and culture in every community across the country. In 2014, the fifth annual Culture Days event took place in more than 850 Canadian cities and towns, with attendance topping 1.6 million Canadians. Last year, more than 1650 activities were presented across Ontario. The purpose is to hold events that will feature free, hands-on, interactive activities that invite the public to participate “behind the scenes”—and to discover the world of artists, creators, historians, architects, curators, and designers at work in their community. For the next three days you get to see what Burlington has to offer in the cultural world. Saturday 26th Time: Class 1 – 8 to 8:45 a.m., Class 2 – 9 to 9:45 a.m. Location: Burlington City Hall, Civic Square, 426 Brant St., Burlington, Ont. Organizer: AnyBodysYoga, anybodysyoga@gmail.com, www.anybodysyoga.ca, 905-869-0255 Music Lessons for all Ages Location: Burlington Music Centre, 2311 New St., in Central Park, Burlington, Ont.  Sit in with the Burlington Teen Tour Band during Cultural Days Burlington Junior Redcoats Marching Band Celebrating Burlington through Photos Music and Meditation by the Lake – Celebrate Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi Day Doors Open Burlington Site list: Joseph Brant Museum: 1240 Northshore Blvd. E, Burlington, Ont. Organizer: Doors Open Burlington, hello@doorsopenburlington.com, www.doburlington.com, 905-332-9888  The Different Drummer Book Store – well worth a visit  St Lukes Anglican church – one of the riches pieces of Burlington’s history.
Etsy: Made in Canada Marketplace Celtic Music Performance Location: City Hall, Civic Square, 426 Brant St., Burlington, Ont. Burlington Student Theatre Presents: Burlywood  An example of the work Donna Grandin does. Collaborative Acrylic Painting and Art Display in Civic Square Photo-Acrylics by Beth Bennett B Town Sound Record in Studio and Sing on Stage
 See the Art Gallery through practiced eyes. Free Gallery Discovery Tours Guild Demonstrations Time: 1 to 4 p.m.  Teresa Seaton, a stained glass artist has been a prime mover behind the annual Art in Action tour – she will be doing workshops as part of Culture Days. Stained Glass Demonstration – Copper Foiling Method DIY BookArts: Hardcover heartBEATZ Celtic Fiddle Music: In Canada and Abroad  Margaret Lindsay Holton – a Hamilton based artist who works in several mediums has put together an innovate program that marries poetry to ping pong. Ping Pong and Poetry – with Margaret Lindsay Holton
September 23, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON
Friday the 25th Culture Days has become a model opportunity for citizens, businesses, and all levels of government to collectively help lead the development of Canada through the development of the arts and cultural life of our communities. Volunteers lead and contribute to the success of Culture Days at every level. There is a national advisory board, a national board of directors with some very powerful and effective people sitting around the table. There are then Tasks Forces within each province. The national objective is create opportunities for people to explore, discover and participate in arts and culture in every community across the country. In 2014, the fifth annual Culture Days event took place in more than 850 Canadian cities and towns, with attendance topping 1.6 million Canadians. Last year, more than 1650 activities were presented across Ontario. The purpose is to hold events that will feature free, hands-on, interactive activities that invite the public to participate “behind the scenes”—and to discover the world of artists, creators, historians, architects, curators, and designers at work in their community. As a grassroots, collaborative movement, Culture Days relies on your participation. For the next three days you get to see what Burlington has to offer in the cultural world. Celebrating Burlington through Photos
 stained glass artist Teresa Seaton – will give a workshop on stained glass Stained Glass Demonstration – Copper Foiling Method B Town Sound Record in Studio and Sing on Stage Time: 6 to 8 p.m. Location: 919 Fraser Dr., units 9 and 10, Burlington, Ont. Organizer: B Town Sound, Robyn Pauhl, robyn@btownsound.ca, www.btownsound.ca, 905-308-0026
Cine Starz Upper Canada Place SHOWTIMES September 25 to October 01, 2015 SHAUN THE SHEEP MOVIE G MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. PG NO ESCAPE 14A PIXELS PG RICKI AND THE FLASH PG TRAINWRECK 18A JURASSIC WORLD PG SOUTHPAW 14A INSIDE OUT G
September 22, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON This is a different way of promoting fire safety. Fire official’s report that the #1 cause of home fires is unattended cooking.
 Mayor Goldring brings a bit of an edge to the cooking competition to take place at Robert Bateman – he flips ribs pretty well – let’s see what he flips at the high school. Spreading the fire safety message is being tied to the Top Chef Competition at Robert Bateman High School. Four teams, each with one Burlington firefighter and two Robert Bateman High School culinary students, will compete to create a fiery dish from a mystery box of ingredients. Contestants can earn points or be penalized by answering cooking safety trivia. Other features of the event include interactive stations with information on smoke and CO alarms, the 911 call system, career options in the fire service, a firefighter crash course and technology demos as well as Burlington Fire Department truck display. This sounds like a neat event; it isn’t open to the public – the Gazette will tell you all about it
September 22, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON While photographing the sample suites of the Bridgewater development I asked Jeff Paikin to stretch out on one of the couches, put his feet up on the table and act as if he owned the place. “Actually, I do own the place” he responded. And indeed during the construction stages he own all three structures. The hope is that at some point in the future the hotel building will be sold. Marriott will be the tenant. Eventually all the units in the two condominiums will be sold and Paikin will move on to something else; quite where one goes after building the landmark structure in a city he cares about is anyone’s guess. Paikin is smart enough to stay out of politics  An architectural rendering of the Bridgewater site lit up at night. will they be able to see this from Niagara Falls. President and co-founder of New Horizon, Jeff Paikin, was born and raised in Hamilton. He attended Mount Allison University, and joined the family firm: Ennis Paikin Steel when he left university. A couple of successful bids for reinforcing steel to be used in high-rise condo construction, office towers, and the SkyDome got Paikin to thinking about the idea of complete design and construction. In 1993 that dream became a reality and New Horizon Development Group was born but only after the right partner was found. Joe Giacomodonato was working with Paikin on a townhome development on Headon Road in Burlington. They soon realized they shared a vision – “build it right and they will come”. They united their complementary skills for the long term. Paikin handles land acquisition, product development, marketing and financing of new projects – as well as the coordination of the company’s community involvement. Giacomodonato, vice President and co-founder, builds the projects, bringing his inexhaustible energy and uncompromising eye for detail to every aspect of his role at New Horizon. Bridgewater is going to use every skill the team has – it will probably be the premiere condominium residence in the area. Let’s take a look inside: We don’t know what the lobby of the 22 storey building is going to look like – at this point what is known is the layout of the various units and what the sight lines are going to be.  Jeff Paikin stretches out in the living room of the model Bridgewater suite. He is in the final stages of selling the units – past the 65% point. The living room is spacious – made for entertaining. One has to wonder what impact this project is going to have on the furniture and fixtures retailers in the city.
 When Jeff Paikin was taking us through the Master bedroom we commented that strong black coffee, fresh bagels with cream cheese and smoked salmon were made for this room he commented that we now knew what the Bridgewater was all about. The model suite that is laid out has two bedrooms; a master bedroom and a guest bedroom. The spaciousness and the views are what strikes a viewer. There is nothing pinched about the units. The living room can accommodate 18 to 20 people comfortably.  Balconies that wrap around the building and are wide enough to set a table out on. Paikin, who never stop selling the units, explained in his most earnest manner that the design of the balconies was very deliberate – they wrap around the corner of the unit and they are quite wide. Once could have breakfast on those balconies. The model suite is set out to show the space at its best but changes can be made to the design and at those prices buyers can ask for changes. The model we looked at didn’t have what I would have chosen for a kitchen and I think I would have upgraded the bathroom considerably.  The kitchen area in this model has all kinds of little nooks and crannies – and loads of natural light. What the model suite does is give the interior decorators an idea of what can be done – and you can bet close to your bottom dollar that some of the best decorators in the GTA will be doing work on many of the units – there are 24 in the small tower and 126 in the larger tower.  We can only begin to imagine the impact this project is going to have on the city over all and the downtown core specifically. IBI Page and Steele were the architect’s on the project.
September 21, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON Is it a portent of things to come?  Burlington’s version of NASCAR crowds – waiting for the Amazing Bed Races races to begin Was the surprise second place finish by Liberal candidate Karina Gould’s team a sign that these people have done their home and their ground work and the Amazing Bed Race is not the only surprise in store for the city? Or did second place in the race mean second place in the polls on October 18th? Word is that the pushers were all fireman – that would do it.  The strollers are given the once over before the little ones take them out on the race course – they do move along the street at quite a clip. The sixth Annual Amazing Bed Race to raise funds for the Joseph Brant hospital redevelopment and expansion had everything going for it – including some grudge matches between the auto dealers in town. For the past two years it has been Mazda and Acura duking it out with Team Acura coming out on top. With a federal election taking place it was natural to see beds from the candidates – the Greens didn’t make it – but their candidate, Vince Fiorito, had just been “officially” nominated two days prior. The NDP wasn’t in the race and it doesn’t look as if they are a factor on the election in Burlington either. To the surprise of many – Liberal candidate Karina Gould and her team came in second – Acura took the top spot – again.  Mike Wallace leading his team onto the Amazing Bed Race course. Was the Liberal second place finish a sign, an indicator that Burlington might end up with a Liberal at the provincial legislature and in Ottawa? Mike Wallace was looking particularly fit and his wife was on the sidelines cheering him on. Wallace told the Gazette that he has completed nine of the ten marathons he wanted to run across the country – one in each province. The Nunavik marathon might have to be dog sled run. There were 14 entries, $20,000 was raised. Prior to the Sunday race – $400,000 has been raised by the Amazing Bed Race for the redevelopment and expansion of the Joseph Brant Hospital. Longos once again provided bottled water, fresh fruit and power bars.  Eleanor McMahon, Burlington’s MPP has been working on women’s issue lately and decided that her Amazing Bed would celebrate and recognize that time during WW II when women were a major part of the work force Rosie the Riveter – otherwise known and the bed from the office of the provincial member of parliament.  The Amazing Bed Race is put on by the North Burlington Rotary Club The event was put on by the North Burlington Rotary Club – besides the actual race there was a kids Stroller event and a Best decorated Bed as well. Were there fewer financial institutions taking part this year?
September 21, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON The people of Burlington did it for the 35th time – the Annual Terry Fox run for a cancer cure. This time it could well have been called the Team Casey get together.  The fast runners had finished the course – those who chose a more leisurely pace brought up the rear. Casey Cosgrove who has battled cancer for a number of years and has become something of a poster boy for the people at the Princess Margaret hospital where his treatment program takes place chose a spot yards away from where the Terry Fox marker is going to be placed greeting friends (and there were a lot of them) and having his picture taken.  Another Team Casey  A Team Casey – there were about eight of them. There seemed to be as many Team Casey T-shirts being worn as there were Terry Fox –shirts. The weather was perfect Don Carmichael reports that there were 900 + participants, 44 teams – way up from last year. 110 volunteers. More than $ 67,000 raised on the day with donations still pouring in. It’s not too late to donate. We want to reach $100,000.  Many walkers were alone with their thoughts – a card with the name of a person they wanted to remember affixed to their sweater The Run is a day out for many people – a time to chip in and do their bit – many people make this an annual family event. Brian Heagle was out there with his family, including his Mother – she seemed to do just fine. One participant had completed his walk and was about to head home and said to the child with him – “why don’t we walk out on the pier”. We asked: “You’ve never been out on the pier” “Nope” he replied – “I always felt it cost too much and I didn’t want to go out on the thing.” Resentment persists doesn’t it?  The location of the Terry Fox market that will be erected later this year  KM 3582 – a point at which Terry Fox paused as he left Burlington and head to Hamilton on an epic journey he was not able to complete. And so does the annual run. Later this year a marker will be set in concrete at one of the points Terry Fox stopped at as he ran through Burlington 35 years ago.
September 21, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON Part 1 of a 2 part feature. The day any one of the Bridgewater developments is opened – you may not see much of Jeff Paikin – he will be quietly walking from location to location polishing a door knob, picking up a piece of scrap paper or chatting up one of his neighbours. Paikin is not only the builder of the three structure project – he is also the owner of one of the condominium units The project has been in the works since at least 1985. Paikin wasn’t the designer, the vision wasn’t his but a series of circumstances dropped the project into his lap and he is like a kid with a new toy.
The Gazette was taken on a tour of the sales office – parts of which are a built to scale of several of the rooms that will be located between the 9th and the 16th floor. In the middle of the sales office is a very large model of the project which gives a great view of what the buildings will look like and how they will impact the city. And they are going to impact the city. Let’s start from the outside and work our way in – the sales office will be used for a Christmas party being given for the people who have purchased units – this will be a very high end – someone who is being asked to pay more than $3 million for the top floor of the 22 storey condominium – those are big bucks – and you don’t serve those people peanuts and cheap beer.
Days later – the shovels go into the ground. Expect it to be the photo op of the century for Burlington.  Elizabeth Street as it is today – it will be re-graded but still steep. The entrance to all the parking and lower access to each building will be at the bottom of this grade. There won’t be much seen by the public for a couple of months once the cameras and the television people leave the site. The project is going to have four floors of underground parking including a level that vehicles will come into at grade – but that grade will be at the bottom of Elizabeth Street. You can just imagine what kind of a photo op the putting of shovels into the ground is going to be. If the Mayor does a selfie – we hope it is better than the one he did on the bus several months ago. While the Bridgewater is being constructed, just a three minute drive to the west the Joseph Brant Hospital expansion and re-development will be going on. Burlington actually has cranes on the skyline these days. The Waterfront hotel is in the process of going through a design exercise that may see the existing hotel torn down and a much higher structure going up (more than 28 floors?) along with two smaller structures that will be located south of the current foot print. The decision as to what can be done south of the current hotel sits in the hands of the Conservation Authority. The design exercise has the city ordering up two designs and the owner of the property putting forward his own preferred design.  The view from the steps of the Bridgewater sales centre has two cranes on the horizon lifting buckets of concrete as the redevelopment and expansion of the Joseph Brant Hospital progresses. The Waterfront hotel in the foreground is in a redesign stage. Those three projects, the hospital, the Waterfront Hotel and Bridgewater will result in a downtown core that most people in this city are not aware of and many may not be ready for – but they are coming. We step inside the sales centre – this is a “by appointment only” operation, you realize you are in what amounts to a two bedroom unit that is lavishly decorated by Brian Gluckstein. Everything is real not a piece of plastic in sight. In part two of this feature we take you through the layout of the rooms and the design features – expect to see this location in one of the higher end design magazines. When we last met with Jeff Paikin he had five sales situations in the pipeline – three of those came through and last week he booked $3.1 million in sales. Very nice. The first thing you see at the sales centre is a large model of the project – “that cost $40,000” claims Paikin. It could have – it is big enough. When the sales centre gets taken apart the model gets tossed – the Gazette has some ideas for that. Stay tuned. The grade from the street level to the walkway at the edge of the lake is steep – quite steep and must have been a challenge to the landscapers.
What the public has not seen is the layout and design of the court yard outside the rear of the hotel and between the two condominiums – one on the east – 22 storeys and one on the west – 7 storey’s. Set out below are several views of the model. There is a reasonably sized reflecting pool in the courtyard area. Paikin said it was something the city wanted – he didn’t seem to have much enthusiasm for the thing. It isn’t clear yet how much of the court yard space is going to be fully public and how much will be allocated to the hotel for what will be a lovely outdoor cafe – if such a things is included in the court yard. The hotel, which was originally going to be a Delta Hotel got upgraded to a Marriott when the two operations were merged some time ago. If the stairs at the south end prove to be too daunting there is a lovely winding path down the eastern side of the 22 storey condominium. At one point there was talk of some of the lower level condominium units opening out onto that walkway.
The winding path down the east side of the Bridgewater development may prove the easier to navigate. The walkway is in place now – it was part of a property exchange with the city that included the promenade at the south end that continues on into Spencer Smith Park and eventually into the Beachway Park. People will be able to have a breakfast in the fresh air overlooking the lake and then walk right through to the canal on the western border of the city. We just might be getting close to what Hamilton has in their waterfront. Some sculpture will be needed at some point.to the Contrary to rumours being floated around, Jeff Paikin did not buy half of the top floor of the 22 storey condominium; he has a unit in the 7 storey condominium on the west side of the site.
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