 By Pepper Parr
February 10, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
Expect to hear much more about “business cases”, documents that set out what the city wants to do with your money.
The document the bureaucracy provides is pretty straight forward. It sets out what they want to do and how much they expect to spend. Some of the business cases are recommended by the Executive Budget committee while others are not.
 The arts and culture set knew what they wanted – what they weren’t sure of was – is city hall listening to them? The city wants to hire a Manager of Cultural Planning. There is currently a Cultural Planner on staff who worked half time out of the Parks and Recreation department. That position has been made full-time, however the planner is still doing quite a bit of Parks and Recreation work..
The intention is to have a Cultural Manager along with the Cultural Planner who will oversee the implementation of the cultural plan that has been approved by city council. What the public has not seen yet is the specifics of the plan that is to be implemented.
The city will spend something in the order of $120,000 for the manager and associated costs. Back when the Performing Arts Centre was a gleam in the eye of many Burlington had a small arts organization that got renamed Creative Burlington. It was the place that had what information there was on the arts and the people in the art business. They were heavily involved in the Taste of Burlington event but relied on Ontario Trillium funding. When that ran out Creative Burlington appealed to the city for $65,000 to stay alive while they worked on a funding formula to become sustainable. The city turned them down – now the same council is going to consider putting up $100,000 plus, for a full-time person that will be come part of the year to year budget.
 Jeremy Freiburger, 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. About a year after that, the city put out a Request for a Proposal for some research and idea development on culture and the city. Jeremy Freiburger, head of Cobalt Connects brought in his Cultural Directions report that provided the city with all kinds of data based on extensive research and community input. It was some of the best data the city has every had available about culture. Freiburger was able to tell us how much we spend on culture, where we spend it and where there was opportunity for cultural growth in the city.
This at a time when the Performing Arts Centre had opened to mixed reviews and then went into a dive when it went to city council saying they needed twice as much money as originally thought they would need in the way of a subsidy. To its credit the Performing Arts Centre has recovered and while it will always require a subsidy management over there expects that to come in at below $500,000 perhaps as early as 2015
That resulted in the then Executive Director deciding that family was more important and submitting a resignation to the Board. The board itself realized it needed to up its game and recruited some new members –this time adding some much-needed business acumen and one member who at least dabbled in the arts.
 It was real art which the public liked and it was one of a number of elements that brought to the surface a desire for more in the way of cultural life in the city – and brought it from a community few knew all that much about. At about the same time the city took up the generous offer insurance executive Dan Lawrie made to pay for a large part of a sculpture that was to be erected outside the Performing Arts Centre. The Spiral Stella was unveiled on a bright sunny day – the audience oohed and awed and that was it. The thing just stands there with nothing more said or done about it.
This after a delightful piece of public art set up in a just plain dumb location – on a major traffic artery yards away from a railway underpass on Upper Middle Road.
We seemed to be going from one disappointment to another when –  Trevor Copp, who had been named Artist of the year delegated before city council and said he wanted to be able to perform in the community he lived in and didn`t want to always be “on the road”. His delegation was like one of those Chinese fire crackers that go one and on. Copp struck a chord that is still reverberating.
A meeting of arts types was called, there is some difference of opinion as to who actually called the meeting, but it took place with 20 people at the first one, then a second meeting with sixty people and out of that came the Arts and Culture Collective of Burlington with its own Facebook page that you have to be recommended to get in.
Suddenly the arts community had a voice and the bureaucrats had someone they could listen to. Prior to this, all the city had was those who wanted culture and those who didn’t think it was the city’s business to be doing all that much for the artists.
With all this early stage fermentation taking place there was then the No Vacancy art installation at the Waterfront hotel that was as avant guard as it gets and over the top for Burlington. It was a one night stand that was supposed to take place in a motel but got upgraded to the Waterfront hotel where management was scared silly that the vice squad was going to raid the place. The nude stretched out on the hotel room bed was a stunning piece of installation art. The event lasted a couple of hours and was a knockout.
Mixed in with the No Vacancy event was a bit of Slam Poetry – few even knew what Slam Poetry is, but here in Burlington there is a group of poets who perform once a month at the Black Bull on Guelph Line. They work with funding from the Canada Council and no one for the most part knew anything about them.
 A delightful work of art – but you may never see it – sitting as it does in the middle of Upper Middle Road yards away from a railway underpass. Councillor Lancaster argued that the thing wasn’t in her ward. Members of Council seemed thrilled that the city had such a vibrant arts community – one they knew very little about – so much for council members having their ears to the ground.
With all that by way of background – what will city council decide to do in the way of supporting this nascent community? Will they approve the hiring of a full-time Cultural Manager? And what impact will that have on the implementation of the Cultural Action Plan? And just what’s in that Plan anyway? And who is overseeing this cultural initiative?
Getting to this point has not been easy. There was a point at which Freiburger saw his efforts as being “trashed” by senior city hall management that didn’t bring an arts or culture background to their work. Most had come out of a gymnastics culture that many in the arts community felt didn’t understand what it is that makes the arts tick. The differences between bouncing on a trampoline and working the strings of a big Gibson guitar are not comparable other than they both require discipline and practice.
The Freiburger report landed on the desk of General Manager Kim Phillips who had her portfolio drastically cut when city manager Jeff Fielding moved finance, legal and information technology to his desk. Philips was left with Parks and Recreation, the Fire department and oversaw the management of the creation of a Citizen’s Charter – which has yet to be given life. Culture will also report to Phillips
The working relationship between the city manager and general manager Phillips is not the best – perhaps some additional “adjustment” to his senior team when a performance review takes place?
The cultural initiative is sitting in limbo until city council approves the expenditure for the Cultural manager who is expected to work somewhere outside city hall. The Executive Budget Committee (EBC) supports the expenditure which will become an annual expense.
 The cultural community wanted to be in on the ground floor of any decision-making – they made their voices heard – now they wait to see of council will fund culture in a meaningful way. The arts community will be out in force on the 13th when this item will be open for delegations. It is a critical decision for the city – the choice they make will pinch the growth of the arts and culture in the city or give it the room it needs to grow and flourish.
What will this person do? The Business case the city set out has the Cultural manager serving in a leadership role to “develop and maintain networks of cultural contacts including cultural Board and maintain cultural mapping on-line. This leader will use a community development model to develop an external non-profit organization that will be called the Burlington Arts and Cultural Council.”
“The Cultural Manager will be expected to ensure that the city`s cultural services: – festivals and events, public art, Burlington Teen Tour Band and the Burlington Student Theatre are delivered in a customer first service model and are well-managed with appropriate requests for financial and human resource support.”
The expectation appears to be that this manager would become the “service owner” for cultural services in the city.
The Sound of Music has their request in for $48,000 (they asked for basically the same amount last year – didn’t get it) and the EBC has not recommended the request this year but, Heritage Burlington is in for a tonne of money – one chunk with a $103,450 price tag and the other budgeted at $125,000 in 2013. Of that amount there is $97,228 that will be rolled over into 2014.
Next in this look at business cases series – the Burlington Economic Development Corporation and its ask for $275,000 – which has been approved by the Executive Budget Committee comes up for debate. Council has continued to throw money at the EBC hoping some of it will produce results.
Background links:
Arts community smells funding.
No Vacancy event revealed a different Burlington.
 By Pepper Parr
February 7, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
Auctions are both a form of entertainment and a chance to learn more about art, see what you like and decide if you are prepared to pay the price the auctioneer has worked the audience up to.
Friday evening, Nello Romagnoli pulled $80,000 from a room that was packed.
Earlier in the week, an event that usually draws 250 people did manage to get 150 hardy souls to the CIBC Wood Gundy private reception in weather that had the city cancelling all its public events as Burlington buttoned down to weather yet another winter storm.
 Robert Bateman’s Coyote on Mt. Nemo was certainly the draw and for the most part the crowd pleaser but it didn’t pull what it should have pulled in the way of price. The bid came in by telephone – they got a deal. The draw for most was a very recent and much different Bateman than they’d seen in the past. Robert Bateman, who is in his 83rd year, has done a piece that is much closer to his Burlington roots. Titled Coyote at Mt. Nemo, the 30 x 43 cm oil on board resonates instantly with those who have taken the paths to Mr. Nemo.
The rock formations are identifiable not only to the eye but to the heart-strings as well. It is as if one was taken back to an old, familiar, comfortable place and there, almost in the shadows, is a coyote looking at a crevice between two rock formations and deciding if he can make the jump from one side to the other. Between the two sides of the crevice the green branches of trees are visible – that’s our Mt. Nemo.
 Art Centre Executive Director relays a telephone bid for the Bateman. Best he could do was pull in $13,000. A deal at that price. The painting is given a market value of between $15,000 and $19,000 – Executive Director Ian Ross had his phone pressed against his ear as the unknown clients settled at a bid of $13,000. That buyer got a deal.
The Bateman piece was one of 120 pieces of art that are part of the live and silent auction – the 35th put on by the Burlington Art Centre that will be going through a re-branding once the city budget is approved. John Duffy, who has done some impressive work in the past, has taken on the task of freshening the image of the Art Centre.
Auctioneers are at heart psychologists – they bring an ability to read a room as well as read a person and know if they can entice a higher bid. They can spot a bottom feeder a mile away and usually know when a bidder is about to top out.
 Hundreds of people dropped by the Art Centre to take their time and see what was in the catalogue and decide what they liked. Several excellent pieces went for well above the Estimated Market Value – eight items were withdrawn. A good auctioneer will ease a bidder up an additional $100 and the moment he has pulled that from you – he is off to the next person to see if he can entice them to take the price up $50 and if he does he will be back to the first person trying to coax an additional $50. – all the while casting his eyes about the room looking for that furtive hand that flicks its fingers – the sign that there is life and a wallet the auctioneer can get at.
Good auctioneers learn where the laughs are in the room and will choose people, often couples that he can use as foils to advance the bidding. Watching a good auctioneer is a little like watching a play – one in which the bidders are not just the audience but get drawn up on stage to play a small part.
 A Helen Griffiths piece went for less than the Market Value and will hang in the home of Burlington MP Mike Wallace. Good taste in art. So – who bought what? Well Burlington MP mike Wallace was seen walking out with three shrink wrapped pieces , one of which was a Helen Griffiths still life of six coffee cups. Griffiths is a local artist whose work will appreciate in value. Her portrait work is well worth looking for.
Someone asked Mayor Goldring if he was buying, and he replied that he was buying the pier. There was an “encaustic on panel” of the pier by Hamilton artist Ron Eady that went for $1600, but it didn’t look as if the Mayor was the buyer – so perhaps he meant he wanted to purchase the pier itself. Should he somehow manage to do that – well there are $50 million lottery tickets sold – the citizens of the city would be forever grateful, re-elect him for certain and probably name the thing after him to show their eternal gratitude.
 Hillside Homes went for its Market Value – most didn’t make that level. There was one art matron who held up her catalogue displaying her bid number more than once and on each occasion the auctioneer managed to coax an additional hundred dollars or so from her – then dart away to see if he could do the same thing to someone else. On at least two occasions this matron was the top bidder who just wiggled with delight at her purchase. For this woman it was the pleasure of the piece she was buying that moved her.
“Fly Fishing” was struggling at the $200 level when the auctioneer scowled at the audience and informed them that a fishing license costs more than the bid. He managed to get it to $250 and had to settle for that.
 A Life’s Journey by Doug Mays went for a little less than the Estimated Market value – a fine piece of work. Most of the final prices were considerably lower than the Estimated Market Value shown in the catalogue – which may have been deliberate. A total of eight pieces were withdrawn when the bids did not reach the minimum the artist had set. The price a piece is sold for determines the value the market places on a work – for budding artists there is a level they do not want to go below – if that isn’t reached they exercise their right to withdraw a piece.
For some artists, usually people who do not see themselves as full-time professionals will donate a piece to see just what value the market places on their work.
Frank Myers has a capacity to discover old buildings which he photographs – producing often evocative images. He did a tour of parts of Pennsylvania a number of years ago and came back with a very intriguing collection of pictures. His Turtle Rock photograph sold for more than the Estimated Market Value. William Warren, another NAME photographer, didn’t do quite as well with his Peace Lily Quintet
The surprise of the evening was Jodie Hart’s January Sunlight with Five Celementines, which went for more than $1000 over the Estimated Market Value. The buyer of this piece was very excited over her purchase; her friends can expect to be invited over for a private viewing.
 Those who wanted to catch the auctioneer’s eye sat in the front rows, placing heir bid numbers on their seats. Some local corporations buy a row of seats and use the occasion as a Staff appreciation event. One local architectural firm did this; they also bought a few pieces for their corporate collection. The delightful part of this was that one young couple bought their first piece of art. For those that understand how art enriches life – it is a pleasure to see young people buying something they like,
Was it a great auction? Watching an original Bateman go for less than $20,000 is disappointing, but it was a good auction for the Burlington Art Centre. It’s an annual event – something everyone should take in at least once in their life time.
The reception hall buzzed with a very healthy crowd. CIBC Wood Gundy has been the lead sponsor of this event since 1995 – that is more than commendable.
 By Pepper Parr
February 5, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
Sometime before the snow is all gone – you will be able to hear the dulcet tones of the city manager when he speaks at city council meetings.
City manager Jeff Fielding has a very light voice – he tends not to raise that voice but he can should he choose to do so.
But when he is in the Council Chamber he can’t be heard because the microphones are absolutely terrible. Old fashioned megaphones would be better.
Council members struggle with the on/off button on the units in front of them and all too frequently staff members have to pass a microphone to the person beside them to get one that works.
It has been an embarrassment for more than two years and has made Burlington look like some hick town in southern Arkansas.
Those days have come to an end. The city has put a sumo of $30,000 in the capital budget that will cover the cost of new, much more efficient equipment.
From time to time there are inexperienced staff at the Clerk’s desk and they forget to flick the switch that will “light” the microphone used by speakers at the podium.
If the company that is brought in to do the job gets it right they will have microphones that work for shorter people and well as for taller people. We have watched from the media table as short people stand on their toes to reach the microphone.
 Town Crier David Vollick reading the message from Gazette publisher Pepper Parr at Council in December of 2011. Back in December of 2011 I was unable to attend a Council meeting and sent the Town Crier, David Vollick to speak on my behalf Dave read from a script we had prepared together.
It went over well – Council members were laughing in their seats as Vollick read aloud. Here is what he had to say:
Oyez Oyez Oyez
Your Worship Mayor Goldring, gentle lady and gentlemen of the council, members of the public gallery, I appear before you tonight at the request of, and on behalf of, that epitome of Burlington’s political reporting and punditry – Mr. Pepper Parr.
To his despair he finds that he is unable, not only to attend, to but to document, and disseminate the momentous deliberations and decisions of this the penultimate council meeting of the year of our Lord two thousand, ought ,and eleven.
He bids you to persevere in his absence, and to carry on as sagely, judiciously, and with all due prudence, albeit with the caution that he has come to expect of this august body.
Why you may ask has Mr. Parr sent a young stripling in his stead, and an answer you shall receive.
This very night, yea, in not so many hours hence Mr. Parr, in the precinct of Aldershot in that bastion British values in Burlington, will pledge his troth to his beloved Pia. Yes indeed he has chosen to splice his life line, join in nuptial bliss, to become as one, to slip on that golden ring, in short to join the ranks of married men.
So while it is with regret that he cannot be with you tonight; let it be known to one all that he is in the throes of rejoicing, rapture, possibly stupefaction, bliss, and / or terror as befits a gentleman of mature years, as he is about to embark on the good ship “Married Life”
To one and all who inhabit this hall he sends his true best wishes, but don’t despair he will be here as 2012 commences.
 The applause was real enough – but – No audio; a great moment lost. As funny as it was the recorded voice is forever lost – the microphone didn’t work that night.
It will be working properly before the snow is gone. Perhaps we will ask Town Crier Vollick to pronounce on our behalf again. Wonder what we can ask him to say then?
By Ray Rivers
January 30, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
Last week two passengers flying from Toronto to Halifax got carried away and joined the Mile High Club (MHC). On landing the police detained them, and the female ended up getting arrested – which as you can imagine would kind of ruin the moment. Perhaps the most celebrated case of making your own in-flight entertainment was Ralph Fiennes and a very eager-to-please attendant, on route to Bombay from Darwin. Australia. Somebody caught her fixing her skirt as she left the toilet cubicle shortly after Fiennes did.
 Part of the growing up stages? These are the stories of fancy – how many of us secretly wish it were us? And seriously, why would they arrest somebody for doing what comes naturally, providing it was in the confines of a plane’s tiny toilet compartment or discretely in one of those horribly uncomfortable seats. Perhaps the lucky couple should qualify for a medal for having the chutzpah to engage in that kind of near-gymnastic activity, rather than being arrested. Maybe this could be another Olympic event?
Anything to escape from the boredom of listening to those whining jet engines and that annoying intercom. Richard Branson once bragged that he got initiated into the MHC at a very young age – but then what would you expect from a guy who named his airline ‘Virgin’? I once saw an advert for an hour-long MHC private flight for under $500, and our own Justin Bieber reportedly has joined the club, though the HIGH may be just the kind one gets from smoking Rob Ford’s favourite herb.
Then there is the other mile-high club – the one where Canada’s prime minister flies hundreds of business people to foreign lands to expand Canada’s trade opportunities. Jean Chretien first created the Team Canada concept. And last week Stephen Harper flew 200 people to Israel. though I’m not sure why, since we already have a free trade deal with them – one Chretien negotiated back in the 90’s. And our business with that tiny nation will only ever amount to a mere fraction of our total exports.
So what was Harper doing in Israel and why did he bring over so many delegates? The fact is that this excursion wasn’t about trade, it was about politics. Harper apparently believes that if you profess your love enough times you’ll get loved in return. Though, it’s really the votes he wants – enough to give him another ten or so ridings in vote-rich Ontario.
Is it working? The pollsters and pundits will tell you it is, but my friends of Jewish background always seem more insulted than impressed with this kind of deliberate over-the-top pandering. After all, the PM’s love extends shamelessly to any minority group which can return his love at the ballot box. We recall how he performed a masterful grandstand for the Tamil community, refusing to attend an annual commonwealth meeting in Sri Lanka last year.
And there is never a shortage of client groups to love. The recent Ukrainian disturbance, for example, has provided him with a plum opportunity to play up to Canadians of Ukrainian origin. For Mr. Harper and his party all politics is local – and Canada’s foreign policy gets determined by what will win votes back home. That isn’t new and he isn’t the first politician to play politics with international relations, but Harper has turned this kind of pandering into a new art form.
In one of his speeches he talked about Canada’s unquestioning support for Israel as being the right thing to do. But is it? The roadmap to the future for Israel and the Palestinians is either a two-state solution or a one-state solution. Of course a form of occupied single-state is what they have right now. But this situation is unsustainable – a time bomb ticking until violence once again brings chaos and calamity to this part of the middle east.
 Close to 200 people trekked to Israel with the Prime Minister – the public paid for a lot of those airplane seats. And time is also against a two-state solution, which is partly our fault, since Canada’s international posture has helped mitigate against that outcome. John Baird voted against a Palestinian state at the UN and we intervened at the G8 to avoid criticizing Israel’s occupation beyond the 1967 borders. Our recent role in the Middle East has helped enable Israel to flaunt international law, including construction of a barrier through occupied territory, violating UN resolutions and creating new settlements in the occupied territories.
Stephen Harper may claim he is doing the right thing – but his unquestioning support for the status quo in that nation is wrong. While his motives may be genuine, this is not the kind of love that Israel needs. If there is no two-state solution there will be a one-state solution and that will mean the end of the Jewish nation. Israel will not be able to avoid integrating its Palestinian population into an evolved secular democratic state. South Africa, Israel’s one time ally, can provide a working blueprint of how to proceed.
Being a mile above the earth is supposed to provide greater perspective, but our PM was missing the big picture as he and the rest of his 200 mile-high delegates flew in to Israel last week. Just like that couple on the flight to Halifax he is confusing passion for love. What they were doing may have felt like love but it was really just going through a motion.
 Ray Rivers writes weekly on both federal and provincial politics, applying his more than 25 years as a federal bureaucrat to his thinking. Rivers was a candidate for provincial office in Burlington where he ran against Cam Jackson in 1995, the year Mike Harris and the Common Sense Revolution swept the province. He developed the current policy process for the Ontario Liberal Party.
Background links:
Stephen Harper and Israel
A Matter of Principle
Jewish Voters
Harper’s Zeal
Mile High Club
Justin Bieber
Halifax Flight
Two State solution
 By Pepper Parr
January 29, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
“We would like to invite you to join Insight Burlington – an online, interactive community panel that will give participants an opportunity to engage and connect on a variety of issues. You will be invited to share your thoughts, ideas and insights on a variety of issues that are important to you and the City of Burlington”, said the email.
Sounded pretty straightforward.
“To get started please click on the link below and complete the short survey. It should take you no more than 6 minutes” took less.
You can be part of this Insight panel the city is setting up. Click on the link below and answer the questions and you’re in.
 Knowing what people think helps a city provide the services the city can afford. City manager Jeff Fielding had hoped to have several thousand people signed up and ready to answer whatever questions the city wanted to ask. When there is an issue being considered the city wanted to be able to turn this Insight panel – run a couple of questions by them and factor that “public opinion” into their decision.
The city does not own the software that runs the program and all the background technology that makes the service work is owned and operated by the son of one of the best public opinion polling expert this country has. Angus Reid, basically retired now, serves as a thinker for Vision Critical – the name of the service Burlington bought into.
Who you are is none of the city’s business. They will, for example, know you are 55 years of age, live in L7M 1T5, own your home and have a household income of $119,000. The WHO you are by name – the city will never know – all that information stays on the Vision Critical computers which happen to be located in Vancouver.
The Insight panel is something the city manager has control of – members of council don’t get to put their sticky fingers anywhere near it. They may be asked if there are questions they would like to see posed – but the service is in place for the city administration. It is a tool to help them make decisions.
The Insight Burlington panel is open to anyone 16 years of age and older who is a resident, taxpayer or business owner/operator in the City of Burlington. The goal is to create a panel that reflects the community. It is an opportunity to voice your opinions on a variety of topics and issues related to the city and the services it provides.
The service is described as a part of the Engagement Charter – now there’s something we haven’t heard about for some time.
What fascinates the people at city hall is the granularity the service will give them. Suppose you said you never used transit – they could ask you why and focus on people in specific parts of the community based on the postal code that was captured.
If there is an issue related to parents in the northern part of the city – the postal codes allow survey questions to be directed to people they are relevant to.
If you want to join click on the link below and answer the questions. The system will get back to you letting you know that you are one of the chosen – actually you choose yourself.
The system can’t be gamed, you can’t flood it by having all your buddies, people who think the way you do, register. The software was designed to provide the city administration with a balanced view.
The city manager is starting this with a soft launch – they want to see how well it works. Early thinking had them taking a look at transit but that may have changed.
Leah Bisutti, administrative assistant in City Manager’s Office has what is called “ownership” of the service. Bisutti along with four other people at city hall have been trained on how to set up a questionnaire. The intention is to send out questions frequently but keep them short. And for those with Smart phones – you will be able to respond on the GO train.
Bisutti is excited about the project. Burlington is the first city in Ontario to take this approach to community engagement. The question staff ask is: Will it work, will people take us up on this.
If you registered to become part of the panel – you can expect to see the first set of question within three to five days. I’m excited, Leah is excited and the city manager is hoping that the investment pays off – he doesn’t want to have to tell council that he blew $100,000 on an idea.
 Checking in – being heard. If you didn’t get one; accept this invitation from the Gazette. Join Now
Got questions? Bisutti has an electronic help line – pop her a note and ask your questions. insight@burlington.ca
If you are unable to click on the link above, please copy and paste the full URL below into your browser:
www.insightburlington.com
Background:
City reveals public opinion polling plans, not cheap.
City hall recruits public for opinions
 By Staff
January 27, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON
We have a fascination about quilts. Long a household staple in the rural community – it gets cold out there they eventually became an art form with some very traditional patterns.
 Quilt sales and exhibitions draw consistently strong audiences. In southwestern Ontario quilt designs were once painted in the sides of barns. Over time many of those traditional patterns were challenged by new artists . John Willard was one of those who challenged the traditional; a 40 Year Retrospective of his work will take place at the Burlington Art Centre from February 15, 2014 – March 30, 2014. The quilts will be hung in the Lee Chin Family Gallery
Denis Longchamps is curating this exhibit and will lead the Reception & Artist Talk on February : 23, 2-4pm at the BAC
Armed with scissors, needles, threads and fabrics John Willard has been making quilts for 40 years. Not one to follow the rules of tradition, he creates his own designs. Sometimes inspired by traditional patterns he has deconstructed, others by historical events, Willard creates quilts that are beautiful and turn the craft of quilting into an art form.
 Willard working on a quilt. A 40 year retrospective of his work will be shown at the BAC in February. John Willard is a basically self-taught quilt maker. He came to quilt making via set and costume design, photography, display and collecting, and created his first quilt in 1975 after amassing a sizeable collection of antique ones. Although his first quilts were very traditional he soon branched out into his own designs, which have evolved into bravura works of intense colour and complex patterns. He is especially noted for his daring combinations of varying and disparate fabric prints. John’s quilts have been exhibited internationally in Britain, Denmark, Japan, France, Taiwan and the West Indies as well as Canada and the US. His works are in numerous private, corporate and public collections.
 There is a level of precision seen in Willard’s quilts that is not seen in some traditional patterns. This Clair de Lune, done in 2002 was well received. John teaches the art of quilt making, specializing in contemporary design for those who wish to break away from the traditional. He and his works have been featured in many books such as A Fine Line: Studio Crafts in Ontario; Design Through Discovery: An Introduction to Art and Design and magazines including City and Country Home Magazine, Select Homes Magazine, Quilters’ Newsletter Magazine, American Quilter, Embroidery Magazine, Ontario Craft and West of the City Magazine. As a photographer he published a very successful book on Victorian houses, The Gaiety of Gables in 1974.
 January 27, 2014
By James Smith.
BURLINGTON, ON..
This past Friday Burlington lost another giant as my friend and predecessor Les Armstrong passed away at the age of 80. I say predecessor as Les was the first member, and the first president of The Friends of Freeman station.
 Les Armstrong and James Smith. To say Les was the first President sounds so administrative; so matter of fact – it doesn’t really do his work saving the station justice. For me it’s like saying Sir John A was a politician, or Joseph Brant was a farmer. As our first President Les made saving our old Grand Trunk Station possible. Being part of the first board of directors of Friends of Freeman Station with community leaders such as George Curran, the late Jane Irwin and Les Armstrong as our President, made our goal of saving the old Burlington Junction Station at Freeman that much more easy. Not that saving the station has been easy, but with a profile and standing that only comes from having spent many years working for causes in our community,
 Burlington has lost two of its strongest advocates for preserving the history of the city. Jane Irwin, who died last February and Les Armstrong who passed away on Friday. Les’ reputation, skill and influence opened doors and gave The Friends of Freeman Station a certain dignity that we might not have otherwise had. Les earned respect in Burlington not just by his long & deep roots in our town but by working to make this a place to be proud of.
When I joined the board of Friends of Freeman Station, I knew of, and had met Les over the years for several of the projects he was involved in, such as Aldershot Village Vision and the Historical Society. I have to admit, I was more than a little intimidated, Les seemed larger than life with a knowledge and passion for the station. After about two meetings I found Les’ passion for saving the station not only infections but also inspiring. Les had a way of speaking to our board in such a way that we never lost sight of our goal, and encouraged all of us not to give up even when things looked bleak.
Many times after some long meetings Les and I would spend time talking. We’d talk about the station, about his memories and connection to the station in particular and to Burlington in general. We also talked about radio and TV and shared some stories about that industry as he and my late father were contemporaries in South West Ontario many years ago. Les also told me about his father’s hardware store & how much life in Burlington has changes, and how, in some strange ways, it is very much the same place. Les loved the town he was born in and he was happy to share that love with any and all, in an easy-going manner that was really quite disarming.
 He probably sold more of the Freeman T-shirts than any other member. Les Armstrong first President of the Friends of Freeman Station. As many people know, Les was an avid sailor, and he used to end his EMail messages with the line: “Anyone can steer a boat in calm waters”, this simple line is so very true of so many things in life and especially true of my friend Les. I truly believe that Les is docked now in much calmer waters, but we should all take Les’s motto to heart and weather what ever the seas of life may throw at us. Sail on in peace my friend, sail on to calmer waters.
The funeral for Les Armstrong will take place at the Smith Funeral Home on Guelph Line at 1:00 pm.
 By Staff
BURLINGTON, ON.
January 24, 2014
It is winter – we are Canadians – we can handle it – right?
The Lowville Winter Games take place Sunday – 11 to 4 and this year there is going to be snow.
The lineup is solid; the weather is supposed to be good and the Bistro will be open with hot chocolate.
The human gyroscope
The Body Zorbs race track
A pancake-eating contest – provided by the Sunset Grill.
Log-sawing contest
Winter crafts courtesy of Momstown
Photos in the Burlington Events photo booth
Three-time Olympic gold medalist, women’s hockey champion Becky Kellar (noon to 2 p.m.) in the school house
TORONTO 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games: Find out how to get involved in the games, try playing a sports activity and learn about record-holding achievements by athletes
Conservation Halton’s birds of prey exhibit
Bur Bear frisbee golf course
Horse-drawn wagon rides
Skating and tobogganing
 Oliver Hannak,a Niagara College photography student came across this situation and like any good photographer pulled over, got his gear out and started taking pictures.
The hope is the Sunday weather will be sunshine and clear skies as hundreds head up to Lowville Park to enjoy the day. Solid winter fun. Get out and enjoy it and use the occasion to forget the really poopy weather some people have had to cope with.
Drive safely up Guelph Line – keep it between the ditches.
 By Staff
BURLINGTON, ON
January 23, 2014
It sounds really simple. It’s as direct as you’re ever going to get in terms of getting money into the hands of people.
All you have to do is care and can space a part of an evening four times a year and are willing to write a cheque for $100. Who does your money go to – you decide, along with the other women in the room.
Sort of like mainlining a donation.
 The Burlington Chapter of 100 Women Who Care will be holding its first meeting Wednesday January 29, 2014; bringing together women who care about the community, it’s people and causes and who are committed to community service. 100 Women Who Care is a concept that’s been taking root in many communities across North America and now it’s coming to life in Burlington.
The concept is very simple – 100 women (or more), $100 each (or more if you choose), 1 hour meetings 4 times per year. The goal is for 100 Women Who Care Burlington to collectively generate a minimum of $40,000 annually for local charitable initiatives. The impact is very powerful!
Donations from each meeting go directly to local charities. The idea appears to be efficient. The 100 woman meet, choose a charity, write the cheques, chit chat for a bit and go home.
In just over an hour some group that needs help has $10,000 they didn’t have an hour earlier.
Exactly how the group decides what the charity is going to be; does it all have to go to a single charity, are tax receipts generated? That all gets worked out at the meeting. Could be neat – could be very effective.
Meet for an hour.
Jointly select a local charitable initiative.
Each write a $100 cheque to the selected Registered Charity and watch how the group’s commitment turns into a $10,000+ donation.
Do that four times a year and witness how $40,000 improves the lives of our neighbours when placed in the hands of deserving grass-roots agencies working to serve the local community.
This Group Is Perfect For You If: you are committed to helping others in our community but are stretched for time; you want to be part of a powerful group of local women making an immediate, direct and positive effect on the lives of our neighbours; you want 100% of your donations to go directly to local charity;
The people putting this together in Burlington are: Marion Goard; Pat Grant; Megan Teall and Laurel Hubber. Click on their email address below if you’ve any questions.
Laurel Hubber: laurel@laurelhubber.com
Marion Goard: info@100womenwhocareburlington.com
Megan Teall: megan_teall@quadrachemicals.com
Pat Grant: patmgrant53@gmail.com
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON.
January 22, 2014
Doug Leggat is going to take the wheel when the Burlington Community Foundation (BCF) goes native at their annual fund raising event and dances the night away next October 25th – two days before the municipal election – that should be a howl!
 Doug Leggat to serve as Honourary Chair of the 2014 Masquerade Ball. Leggat, who probably sells more cars than anyone else in this city has been named the honourary chair of its Masquerade Ball, taking place on October 25th at the Burlington Convention Centre.
BCF celebrates 15 years of service to Burlington in 2014, during which time they distributed over $2.7 million in grants to a range of community needs.
Colleen Mulholland, President and CEO of the Foundation is delighted and “honoured to have Doug assume this key leadership role”.
Doug Leggat was the first Chair of BCF’s Board of Directors and the 2011 Philanthropist of the Year, so it is very special that he would be our Masquerade Ball’s honourary chair in our fifteenth anniversary year.”
The Foundation is a vital part of the community not only because they make funds available to groups that need the support but for their research and advocacy for the health of the community. In 2012 they issued their first Vital Signs report and followed that up with a second report in 2013.
 They wined and they dined and they had a great time – that was in 2013. The 2014 event will be the flappers of the 20’s along with a Speakeasy. The Masquerade Ball highlight is the honouring of the Philanthropist of the Year. Nomination forms will be on the BCF website on February 3rd, and the announcement of the honouree will take place in April. Along with Doug Leggat, past Philanthropists of the Year include Diana and Murray Hogarth, Kevin Brady and Don Smith.
 This year’s Masquerade Ball will continue with the allure of a masked gala, and will showcase the Roaring Twenties, a glorious decade of flappers, art deco, high fashion and the speakeasy.
Established in 1999 as a centre for philanthropy, Burlington Community Foundation collaborates with donors to build endowments, address vital community needs and support areas of personal philanthropic interest. To attend Masquerade Ball as a Proud Supporter or by purchasing a table or tickets, contact Sandra Baker, sbaker@burlingtonfoundation.org, 905 639 0744 x 223.
Background links:
2013 was a blast.
Hogarth celebrated at 2013 Ball.
Philanthropy about more than writing cheques.
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON.
January 21, 2014
Good authors, good books and a good interviewer can make for a pleasant evening. Burlingtonians got some of each last night at the Central Library where Susan Delacourt talked with former Liberal MP Paddy Torsney about her book – Shopping for Votes.
Torsney, who has shopped for the odd vote herself, sat with Delacourt and tossed questions to the author of four books who has been covering the federal political scene for more than 25 years.
 The keeners – those that take notes like crazy and often ask a lot of questions. She stunned this listener when she said Question Period in the House of Commons wasn’t worth listening to – this at a time when the public is seeing some of the very best opposition questioning of the Prime Minister day after day in a relentless onslaught that has kept the hottest political topic in front of the public for more than six months. No mean feat in this world of 24 hour news cycles.
 Delacourt’s fourth title appears to have struck a chord in those who question the way politics is done in Canada. Delacourt is however on to something significant when she talks of the way politics has changed from a discussion about vision and direction to one where the political parties treat voters the way a toothpaste company treats its customers and merchandises product to them.
Delacourt believes Canadians’ relationship with their politicians changed with the consumer boom of the 1950s. The explosion in consumerism resulted in advertising becoming the leading source of information — even in politics.
 Frank McKeown, former Chief of Staff to Mayor Rick Goldring asked about how politicians can handle complex issues when voters tend not to be informed and don’t have the background needed to arrive at decisions. But as she argues in her new book, Shopping for Votes, consumers have wants, while citizens have needs — and that creates a clash between short-term and long-term policies in the bid for votes.
Delacourt told her audience that she has found when she speaks to people about politics and elections she is asked: “Is this all there is to politics?” It’s not much different than going to the mall she said and then added that her very first visit to a mall was here in Burlington.
The Milton native said she found that “government is done to you instead of being you” and that governing today has followed a consumer approach. We started with Henry Ford telling us we could have any colour of car we liked as long as it was black. He made the cars and we went to him to buy them.
That shifted Delacourt pointed out when corporation used advertising to tell people what they had and hoped that you bought it. We are now at the point said Delacourt where political parties research and poll the public to find out what they want and then make it for them.
 A healthy, just under 100 audience, took in the event on one of the colder evenings the city has experienced. An older crowd – the kind that tend to vote. Was there a future first lady for the city in the audience? Delacourt won a Canadian Journalism Fellowship at Massey College where she happened upon a course in “material culture”. It was essentially about our relationship to stuff, and it raised a lot of good questions about consumerism. “I was taking the course” she said “at the same time as the 2008 election was under way, and I suddenly realized that the politics friendliest to consumers (Conservatives) was the winning formula.
Delacourt explained to her audience that the Conservative government doesn’t like data in government but they love it in politics and are relentless in digging out small pockets of support and exploiting each to the fullest. She gave the example of the snow mobile community for which the party bought a magazine mailing list and began targeting individual households, first with research polling and then with literature supporting ideas that had come out from the research. Delacourt explained that the Conservatives were miles ahead of the Liberals on this type of engagement with the public. She added that the New Democrats are pretty good at target polling as well – they focus on consumer interest matters.
 Book signings are a part of the game for authors. Delacourt, surprisingly tended to write fairly long notes in each book – not just a signature dashed off. Delacourt brings 25 years of political reporting to her explanation that the public does no always understand that politics and government is not the same thing.
Many people want the government to operate as a business, to bring market discipline to the operation of government services – which is an interesting approach except that the public are not consumers or employees when it comes to government – and you can’t lay off voters when times are tough and revenue targets are not being met.
What the just short of 100 people at the event heard was a journalist who has been at the game for more than 25 years and has followed the current Prime Minister from the day he began to serve as an elected politician. As an experienced observer she brings a critical eye to what she sees and is quite direct with her observations.
 Book sales are what it is really all about. The event, a joint effort by the Public Library and A Different Drummer Books, was part of a series of events. You can almost feel her ire rise when she talks of the “robo-calling” that took place in Guelph where it was a clear case of voter suppression. “We don’t know who the master mind in that situation was” she said, “ but we certainly know who the players were” and then added that that situation is not done with yet. Elections Canada have been all over what was done.
According to Delacourt people do not get their information from news anymore – they get their information from advertising where the message is totally controlled. Andy Frame, a Tory since the beginning of time told the audience that he had listened to Justin Trudeau at an event in Oakville and he was convinced the young man was going to be the “next Prime Minister of the country”. That perked up Torsney’s ear and brought some comment from Delacourt who said it is too early to tell whether or not Justin is more than a flash in the pan but there is little doubt that there is something going on there.
As people were leaving the library the membership secretary of the Burlington Provincial Liberal Association approached Mr. Frame and asked if he would be interested in purchasing a membership. Money did not exchange hands.
Is there hope asked one member of the audience? There is according to Delacourt. The British are finding that they don’t like being manipulated and the changes that we have seen in the United States where Barak Obama tapped into a deep yearning on the part of the black population to be at the table.
Delacourt explained that in Canada about 60% of the people vote and that 10% of that vote is really the swing vote – people who are not locked into a political party. Every stripe and flavour of politics works at tying down their core vote and then doing whatever they feel they have to do to get more of than 10% than the other guys.
 Paddy Torsney, Delacourt’s “interrogator” during the evening certainly understood what the author was saying when she declared that attack advertising certainly works. Jacket at Joelle’s if you wanted to know. What about those attack ads? Delacourt was asked. “Well the certainly work” she replied. Dionne and Ignatieff will attest to that. And they will continue to work as long as the public gets its information from advertising.
The irony of all this for Delacourt is that at a time when there is more information available than ever before, people have less time to read and there is no one giving the public the analysis and background needed to make sense of all the noise and the clutter.
“Is it depressing” asked an audience member? “No” replied Delacourt, but there didn’t appear to be a lot of confidence or certainty in the response. Many feel Justin may turn out to be a “celebrity” rather than a sound political leader.
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON.
January 17th, 2014
It was to be the focal point in the city for those doing cutting edge computer application work. It was going to be the place where all those geeks that do those marvellous new applications would gather. It was going to be the place where people could spend a couple of hours in an environment that had a bit of a buzz to it as well as a pace where the support needed was at your fingertips.
 If the coffee doesn’t give you a jolt – that wall will. It had a boffo opening night. Everyone that mattered in the city was there along with more than enough in the way of photo ops to satisfy any politician.
The Mayor touts the operation every chance he gets.
 Writing computer code is intense, creative work that the best coders need to get away from. Ping pong table have always been a favourite. Shaun Pennell put in hundreds of hours of work and close to $200,000 in capital costs just to get the doors open.
But it didn’t take off – it didn’t have one of those hockey stick shaped growth curves. It is growing and it will grow and in time it will find its market but it has ben and is a grind.
 A quiet corner where an individual can work alone or collaboratively with a small group. It was a new idea – something different and Burlington doesn`t do different all that well. While there are a number of top-notch, first-rate technology companies in the city, we really aren`t a technology ‘city. It is going to take some time for the HiVE to take off commercially but Pennell knew that going in. What he wanted to create was a place where those people doing that ground breaking work could come out of their basements and meet like-minded people.
Every new idea usually needs some level of support in the early days and Pennell thought the city would be involved in some way. Pennell wasn`t looking for a hand out but he did think the city would be an early subscriber to the service.
 Breakout space where people can relax, read or talk through a concept. The HiVe is a place for people who are perhaps working at home and need a place for meetings that is a little more upscale than their kitchen table. He put together a business model that allowed people to buy what they needed – and do so by becoming a HiVE subscriber. For a couple of hundred a month a person got access to very well dressed out premises where they can work for a couple of hours and store their equipment in a locker or spend the fill day taking potential clients or investors through their work.
 An entrepreneur who did his time in Silicon Valley and came home to help others do what he has done. Pennell also hoped that a number of professionals who live in Burlington but work in Toronto might from time to time use the location as a Burlington office.
There was hope too that the city and the Economic Development Corporation might take out memberships and on those occasions when a client is in town meeting with the city or the economic development people and needed some time and a place to upgrade or revise a proposal they could skip over two blocks and load up a computer and make the changes they wanted to make and zip it back to city hall.
For some reason the city didn’t feel it could play favourites and take out a membership at the HiVe and not with anyone else. There is no one else! While Mayor Goldring uses every chance he gets to talk about the place a little support from the city would help – and the city would get excellent value for its membership.
The city is looking into having the HiVe made a RIC – a Regional Innovation Centre, which would be close to a kiss of death. The words “innovation” and municipal administration don’t exactly fit into the same sentence. Innovation calls for risk – major risk and that is not what anyone wants a municipal administration to be doing.
Leave the entrepreneurs to themselves, don’t shackle them but where you can support them. The province does it, the federal government has large funding operations that do just this.
The city of Burlington had an opportunity to spend a couple of hundred dollars to take out a membership and send people to the location. The professionals that come to the city to do business want places like this – and there are some of them using the place now. Still time – do the right thing and promote the place. It deserves the recognition.
See for yourself – the HiVe is located on Elizabeth – doors away from the Dickens, on the very edge of Village Square.
 Perhaps the smallest film screening room in the province; a plus for those who work with visual material and want to demonstrate a feature to a small group of buyers. The location isn’t just for the nerds or the professionals who need a place to get some work done. Plans are underway for small cultural activities that will use the space on the weekends and in the evenings. Sara C ollaton has organized a unique event that has a trained and accomplished artists working with a limited number of people on the same painting. Well not exactly THE same painting – each aspiring artist will do their version of the same painting with guidance and direction from the visiting artist. This first event is sold out – there will be others that we will tell you about.
Everything is supplied – clothing to keep the paint off those designer jeans, all the paint you are going to need – and if you’re of age – a glass of wine as well.
That’s my kind of entrepreneurship.
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON.
January 20, 2014
There were twelve entrants to the Tottering Biped Film Short Film Festival. They had a SOLD OUT night at the Burlington Art Centre. The best thing to be said about the event is that it was a first for Burlington and that it took place.
The Art Centre put a lot of their resources behind the event providing the space, the printing and the framing of the Award certificates and selling the tickets. They topped all this off with a $50 award to the winners in each of the categories.
 Christopher Giroux chatting with Katie. The venue was small, additional chairs had to be added to the space. Trevor Copp, the dancer who came up with the idea for a short film festival proudly announces that attendance was 110% – a total of 126 seats. Small, but a good start. Copp didn’t do this all by himself – he worked with Christopher Giroux who brought a background in short film to the table
 Angela Paparizo talks with Trevor Copp founder of the Tottering Biped Short Film Festival.we It was evident that more was needed in the way of volunteer support; some serious help on the technical side will be welcome next time out as well.
The winners in the six categories were:
Best Local Film: Wanderlust
Best Screenplay: Tomas Street, Kid’s Town
Best Director(s):Freddy Chavez Olmos, Shervin Shoghian for their film “Shhh”
Best Dark Film: Tasha And Friends
Best Picture: Yeah Rite
People’s Choice: Yeah Rite
Best Performer: Elizabeth Stuart of the film “Promise”
 Michael Penny on the set of Yeah Rite, a short film on Exorcism – sort of. Winner of the Best Film and the People’s Choices Awards. Yeah Rite, was the People`s Choice and the winner of the Burlington Gazette award for the Best Picture.
The Dark Film Award had a special sponsorship. Jim Riley provided money to pay the screening fee for all the films entered.
Judging of the 12 short films, that ranged from 4 minutes to just over 11 minutes, was done by Angela Paparizo and Nathan Fleet, an accomplished award-winning film maker out of Hamilton and Mayor Goldring. Quite why the Mayor was used as a judge is hard to understand. Other than being a nice guy who gets out to the odd movie like the rest of us the Mayor brings zip to the judging of a very specialized film genre.
Paparizo serves as the city hall staff member who manages cultural issues within the Parks and Recreation department at city hall. The only reason to put the Mayor on the judging panel had to be to curry favour with city hall.
The arts have to make it on their own merit – which they have certainly done in the past year. The creation of the Arts and Culture Collective brought the depth and quality of the arts community in Burlington to the surface and to the attention of city council that now has an opportunity to pump some money into the sector.
Burlington built the Performing Arts Centre, to the chagrin of too many people in Burlington. A building alone is not an arts community – it takes artists to bring life to the stages. That`s where people like Trevor Copp and the Collective come in. They will make it happen and in the process upgrade the level of cultural sophistication in the city.
They are however, never going to develop the Mayor`s film appreciation to the point where he can serve as a viable judge.
Background links:
Best Film Teaser
Best film – full video – 6 minutes long.
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON.
January 19, 2014
That #1 BEST mid-sized city in Canada thing the political set can’t stop talking about is in jeopardy. The new flavour of the month is the happiest cities in Canada – and we are in the bottom half of the thing. They determine best by measuring the smiles on people’s faces and according to their approach – we don’t rank all that well. I suppose we should be grateful we are even on the list.
Kingston, the city with more correctional institutions than anywhere else in the country ranked first. How did Saskatoon rank higher than Burlington? They don’t have a pier they will be paying for forever.
I don’t understand why London came ahead of us – we have their former city manager and he’s doing a bang up job for us.
Hamilton beat us!
Here’s the list – you figure it out.
Kingston
Regina
Quebec City
Gatineau
Saskatoon
London
Waterloo-Kitchener
Kelowna
Edmonton
Banff
Hamilton
Surrey
Calgary
Winnipeg
Burlington
Victoria
Halifax
Ottawa
Mont-Tremblant
Niagara Falls
Whistler
Montreal
Toronto
Vancouver
Niagara-on-the-Lake
 This outfit uses the smiles on people faces to determine how happy a city is. So why isn’t Burlington # 1 on that list. Are we that glum? Jetpack, a group in the travel business works from pictures that are put up on Instagram. They measure the size of a smile, the look on people’s faces and even the brightness of the lipstick people wear or the size of a mustache. It’s all good clean fun and, maybe, someone will take their metric as seriously as Burlington took to the #1 mid-sized city.
Want to know more – try their website.
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON.
January 14th, 2014
More than one hundred works of art and fine craft by Canadian artists will be up for auction at the Burlington Art Centre on February 7. The event is a fundraiser for the Art Centre that gives anyone with a ticket an opportunity to be the highest bidder on original artwork and take home a new treasure.
 The Burlington Art Centre wants you to imagine what an original piece of art would look like in your home. A total of 600 artists were invited to submit recent works for the auction, including internationally acclaimed wildlife artists Robert Bateman – who has agreed to put up an original work – and Chris Bacon, noted Japanese dollmaker Komiko Koyanagi, Hamilton ceramist Reid Flock. Juried artwork from both emerging and well-established artists adds further depth to the exceptional selection. There is something for everyone on this special evening.
Auctioneer Nello Romagnoli brings a light and entertaining touch to the auction welcoming bids from both novice and experienced art buyers and collectors.
Live and silent auction previews will take place at the BAC, 1333 Lakeshore Road, on February 5 and 6, 11 am – 9 pm, February 7, 11 am – 5pm. The previews are free and open to everyone interested in deciding in advance the artworks they want to bid on during the auction.
 Every art collector starts somewhere. They tend to grow! New this year is a Free Pre-Auction `How to Start a Collection` Seminars led by Denis Longchamps, Director of Programs and Jonathan Smith, Permanent Collection Curator. They take place Wednesday January 29th: 7 p.m. and Thursday February 6th: 11 a.m. and 7 p.m.
The actual auction is a ticketed event: BAC Member $35. Non-Member $40 and $45 at the door. Advanced bids and telephone bidding are welcome, but must be arranged ahead of time by calling 905-632-7796, ext. 302.
Previews: Wednesday, Feb. 5, 11:00 am – 9:00pm, Thursday, Feb. 6, 11am – 9:00 pm Friday, Feb 7, 11 am – 5pm There is no charge for the Auction previews
Friday, February 7th Doors Open 6 pm. Catered Reception through to 8:00 pm. Silent Auction closes at 8 :00pm. Live Auction starts at 8:30 pm
Your ticket includes:
• Opportunity to attend a free How to Start a Collection seminar
• Fete of Local Food and Wine Tasting Reception
• Entry to the Art Auction and Previews
• Full-colour Catalogue
• Bid Number
Visit the BAC website for additional details or call 905-632-7796 x326
If all your questions have not been answered pop a note along to Kim Varian.
variank@thebac.ca
 The Burlington Art Centre has celebrated its 35th Anniversary. Formed by groups of artists who are now resident at the Art Centre as Guilds the operation is now part of the city of Burlington’s cultural offering. The Centre is open seven days a week and has an Art Etc shop that has an amazing variety of arts and crafts items on sale. The Art Centre has one of the largest collections of ceramics in North America and is sought out by ceramic artists frequently.
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON.
January 13th, 2014
Is art collecting just for those with bags of money? If it’s for the rest of us – where do you start? How do you find out how to start?
The Burlington Art Centre (BAC) holds an annual Art Auction where some pretty impressive names appear on the list of items being auctioned. This year Robert Bateman is doing a piece especially for the Auction. He is a little out of my league but at what point does one include a Bateman – even if it is just a print in their collection?
This year the BAC is putting on two Pre-Auction Seminars on How to Start a Collection.
 Don Graves, a Burlington artist in the process of selling a piece of his art to a young woman who was on the Art in Action Tour and wanted to begin her personal art collection. She bought the painting. One will be led by Denis Longchamps, Director of Programs who will tell you about the first piece of art he bought, which he still has. Denis will also tell you that while he is no longer all that fond about the piece, he kept it because it was the first piece he bought.
Jonathan Smith, Permanent Collection Curator will talk about collecting ceramics. Not nearly enough people know about the very impressive collection of ceramics Burlington has; one of the very best in North America and considered the best in its field.
The Seminars take place on Wednesday January 29th: 7 p.m. and Thursday February 6th: at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m.
For those who attend this event you will have the pleasure of hearing both Smith and Longchamps who will each speak for 15 to 20 minutes on their individual areas of expertise and then open things up for questions and answers.
In the world of art there is no such things as a dumb question. So don’t feel you have to know a lot to attend – this event is for those who don’t know all that much and want to know more. And you are not likely to find two people more than capable of telling you how to get started.
To register call the Burlington Art Centre ; 905-332- 7796 Ext 326 Leave a call back number – they may want to talk to you.
 By Staff
BURLINGTON, ON
January 11, 2014
If the idea of short, short films – some not much longer than a television commercial, appeals to you Burlington’s first ever Short Film Festival might interest you.
The list of films, there are 12 of them being screened in a two sessions schedule on the same evening.
The evening, Friday January 17th , begins with a 6:00 pm reception at the Burlington Art Centre.
Session 1 is made up of six films which run from as short as 4 minutes to 16 minutes.
The line up is:
Promise – 8 minutes: Longing to be reunited with her dead husband a grieving widow visits his grave for one last goodbye when a phone call changes her life. Directed by Collin Chan & Johnny Chocolate
Wanderlust – 4.5 minutes: A young boy searches near and far for his purpose. Directed by Mike Martins
 Vanessa Crosbie Ramsay will present her 11 minute short film on the a day in a record store.
Allusion – 11 minutes: So many out-of-the-way things had happened lately that Alice had begun to think that things indeed were really impossible. “Allusion” is the story of a day in the life of a girl who works in a record store and the odd people who visit during the day. Directed by: Vanessa Crosbie Ramsay
New Domain – 11 minutes: A commentary on Generation Y relationships online. Directed by Andre Rehal
Wade’s World – 16 minutes: Wade faces the long awaited trials and tribulations of being an imaginary friend when his best friend, 29 year old Dan, falls in love. It ain’t easy being imaginary. – Directed by Matthew Yipchuck
Kids Town (Episode 5) – 12 minutes: 12-year-old Brian Russell is the new kid in town, again. As he navigates another set of unwritten rules of the school yard Brian finds himself tangled in the strings of small town politics when he clashes heads with the Mayor’s son, the local press owners youngest, and the Librarian’s pretty daughter. A family series as much for adults as their children, KID’S TOWN is about young love, friendship, small town civics, power struggles and the universal need to figure out one’s place in the world. – Directed by Mikelle Virey
The organizers scheduled the program to allow for break; a chance to mingle with people, meet some of the directors and decide which films should be award winners.
Session 2 opens with Tasha and Friends – 15 minutes: Local children’s show host, Tasha, decides to shut the show down. Her puppet co-stars, however, want to shut her down…permanently. Directed by Greg Kovacs
 Alfredo Salvatore Arcilesi director of For Clearer Skies. For Clearer Skies – 7 minutes: A man struggles to decide whether or not to pursue survival as his race nears extinction. Directed by Alfredo Salvatore Arcilesi
One More For the Road 17 minutes: A married couple go on a road trip to rekindle their marriage, leading to disastrous results. Directed by Navin Ramaswaran
4 – 11 minutes: Four alternative versions of one young man deal with various conflicts in their everyday life – all involve confronting someone about something that has been taken from him. Directed by Mike Chantaj, Sydney Cowper, RJ Kemp and Cameron Veitch
Yeah Rite – 6 minutes: An atheist and a blind priest perform their first exorcism. – Directed by Michael Penney
Shhh – 12 minutes: Shhh is a fantasy/horror short tale about a young boy, Guillermo, who uses his imagination to overcome his bully: a hair-eating monster. Tired of being scared, Guillermo eventually takes matters into his own hands. It’s only then that we realize the monster might not be as fictitious as one may have thought. Directed by Freddy Chavez Olmos, Shervin Shoghian
 The Burlington Short Film Festival plans to pay the directors for their participation. The Short Film festival organizers have committed to having every film producer getting paid and will announce the awards at the end of the program – then it is a short walk along Lakeshore to SB Prime (on Elgin across from the Queen’s Head) for the after performance party. A media release from Tottering Biped, part of the organizing group, said: “In a move that is a departure from major international Festivals such as TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) where no fees are allocated to the films, the Tottering Biped Film Festival will be compensating Artists for their work.
Will the organizers of the event come up with a party that compares with what takes place at Cannes or Toronto’s TIFF? One never knows. A year ago even the idea of a film festival in Burlington would have been resulted in polite snickers but Burlington is changing and we are seeing a much different cultural community that wants to be recognized and at the table where cultural policy is determined.
A great party might be just the thing to make an impression.
Tickets, which include the pre-screening reception and after party, are available either in person at the Burlington Art Centre (905) 632-7796 or via paypal
 By Staff
BURLINGTON, ON
January 8, 2014
The Ontario Archives has purchased two more pieces of artwork from the Burlington Art Centre Art Sales and Rental collection.
 Claudette Losier’s “Night Vision” has been purchased by the province as part of its permanent collection. The work purchased this time was by Marc L. Gagnon and Claudette Losier. Ms Losier recently won a prestigious award.
 Marc L. Gagnon did “Horizons” which is also now part of the provinces permanent collection. This is the second occasion for such a purchase. The Ontario Archives has built a state of the art facility to temporarily house the artworks before they begin their journey to municipal offices throughout Ontario.
The artists are paid 55% of the selling price, BAC gets 45%. Net revenue goes to the BAC, to help support programs and services.
The deadline for this event has been moved to February 15th 
By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON.
January 8th, 2014
While it is one of the tightest deadlines we have ever seen, a week to pull together pictures of your work, write a statement setting out what you do and add a resume as well – BUT the event is certainly worthwhile.
The Burlington Art Centre (BAC) , the Region’s Newcomer Strategy and the Multicultural Council have combined their efforts to create an event that will focus on the contribution newcomers to Burlington can make to the arts and culture of the city.
If you know anyone who is new to the community and the surrounding region – let them know about this event. As newcomers – they probably won’t know much about local media. Perhaps they are your new neighbours. Clue them in
Great idea – the execution is just poorly done.
 Having gotten that off our chests – here is the event: An International Art & Craft Festival that will take place on Saturday September 6, 2014 to Sunday September 7, 2014 at the Burlington Arts Centre.
It has been planned as a weekend of arts, crafts and multicultural performances. The BAC would like to invite musicians, dancers and performers who are newcomers to the region to submit a proposal to take part in the festival. Each performer or group will be allotted 10-20 minutes to perform a show based on their own culture of origin.
Performers should submit the following as part of their proposal:
A list of 2-5 links to videos of your performances posted online.
A copy of your resume including a list of your performance experiences.
A one page performer’s statement describing your performance and how it represents your culture of origin.
All submissions will be reviewed by a jury for selection.
The deadline for submitting proposals is January 15, 2014. Proposals are to be emailed to: Denis Longchamps, Director of Programs longchampsd@thebac.ca He can be reached at (905) 632-7796 ext. 303.
Along with performers the Festival wants to hear from artists and craft makers who are newcomers to the region. Submit a proposal to take part in the festival. The theme for the Arts and Crafts part of the Festival is Sharing.
Get your material into the same people.
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON.
January 8, 2014
Brian McCurdy has a big job ahead of him for 2014 – and that is dispelling a bunch of myths that have grown up around the Performing Arts Centre.
The public talks about the budget problems, they talk about the acts that come to the city with little understanding or appreciation for how the entertainment business operates. Burlington is a small market that is not high on the list of prime venues for the groups that put together a tour across the province or the country. The Copps Coliseum fits into that category – Burlington has to fit in with a bigger picture.
 The first myth he wants to dispel is that non-profit groups are not using the Performing Arts Centre. “We have had more than 165 non-profit groups use the space. Their use doesn’t appear on the Centre’s web site so people don’t see the activity and other than the people involved and attending – most people don’t know what takes place.
The Centre wasn’t telling its story and if you don’t blow your own horn – no one gets to hear your music.
The Centre recently held a Poetry Slam which was certainly new to this city. Later this month there will be a short film festival. Unfortunately with just 12 days before the event no one has learned what the film offerings are going to be.
 You could probably get space at the Performing Arts Centre on a Monday or a Tuesday evening – other than that the place is pretty heavily booked. Turning a profit? Not yet – it wasn’t supposed to. McCurdy, who brought years of experience with him to Burlington when he drove up the 401 from Kingston, has a sense of the dynamics he has to work with and has settled into his new gig.
He has a consultant working up some data that will get shaped into a Strategic Plan. Brian Arnott, a cultural consultant who was in town doing some work for the Burlington Arts Centre (BAC), stayed a little longer and did a number of one-on-one interviews with people to get a sense as to what the community wanted and didn’t want and what the issues were when it came to the Performing Arts Centre and culture and the city.
McCurdy arrived in Burlington at a point in time when the cultural community began to show itself. One of the first inklings that they even existed was when Trevor Copp delegated to city council and said he resented having to drive into Toronto to practice his craft and make a living. He wanted to see a change.
At about the same time the city was getting the early draft of the Cultural Discussion report Jeremy Freiburger had put together.
 Angela Papariza, started work with the city as a Parks and Recreation Planner bur has been shifted to a Cultural Planner; part of the city’s plan to create more cultural presence at city hall. Trevor Copp, on the right, shook up city hall when he told council he wanted to be able to ply his trade in Burlington and went on to be part of creating the Arts and Culture Collective that lobbys at city hall. Copp was not prepared to stop with a delegation to council. He, along with others, called a meeting and invited every arts person they could think of – 20+ people showed up. That resulted in a second meeting that brought 125 people to a meeting and Burlington’s Arts and Culture Collective was born and the city began to hear from a focused voice.
As the city moved from the report Freiburger had prepared into the creation of a Cultural Action Plan the Collective improved its organization and pushed to get a seat at the table where the decisions were being made.
The city is now working up a Cultural Action implementation plan that will be part of the 2014 budget deliberations and there is now representation from the artists.
McCurdy has three small white boards on his office wall that set out what’s coming to town and there aren’t a lot of open spaces. You can book a Monday or a Tuesday but there isn’t much more than that available stretching into 2015 – which is the point where McCurdy thinks he might be able to get by on a little less than the more than THE $500,000 subsidy that comes from the taxpayers.
 Brian McCurdy is kind of pleased with the bookings he has for the Centre. What the public is seeing under McCurdy’s had is much more community use of the space. Last week the first ever Ontario wide Poetry Slam took place at the Performing Arts Centre. Except for a very small, select group of people, Burlingtonians didn’t even know what A Poetry Slam was.
Next week a free dance workshop will take place at the Centre. Nova Bhattacharya will use lecture and demonstration to take participants on a journey through dance from the classical Indian style and demonstrate how it has evolved into contemporary dance with a South Asian sensibility.
Later the same day she will be offering a 90 minute master class to those interested in learning the basics of bharatanatyam. That’s another cultural phrase that hasn’t exactly rung in the ears of the city’s cultural community.
 The basics of bharatanatyam will be taught at the Performing Arts Centre. The dance class is part of the Performing Arts Centre’s outreach is funded by an Ontario Arts Council grant and delivered by the KooGle Theatre Company.
The Performing Arts Centre went through a bit of a bumpy start. The Theatre Burlington Board which provides oversight of the Centre beefed up its membership and added some needed talent; they actually have a working musician on the board – in the past that board has been made up of people with a financial background. The Board along with some senior staff have taken part in two retreats where they looked at everything.
The Centre did part ways with the first Executive Director and brought in Brian McCurdy. If the funding plans that are being worked over at city hall actually get through city council, 2014 could prove to be an interesting year for culture in this city.
However, Brian McCurdy is not depending on the city to keep his growth plans alive. He intends to develop a membership program that will be part fund-raiser and part developing the depth of the cultural community in the city. Membership will include priority seating, a pre-purchase program and opportunities to meet some of the performing artists in a social setting.
McCurdy has some thoughts on corporate sponsorship as well. His management style is quiet, he develops relationships over time so don’t expect much in the way of flash from this guy. Do expect significant solid ideas and plans he actually delivers on.
Background:
BPAC board gets beefed up.
It was certainly a different program: Ten Rooms.
Artists showing at the Seaton Gallery
|
|
