 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON. May 26, 2013. It was a sod turning that didn’t see as much as a blade of grass get anywhere near a shovel.
The event was held so that people from Ashland, the Burlington corporation that came forward and offered to lease a patch of their property for a buck a year to the Freeman people, could be officially recognized. That generous offer was what saved the station.
So there was going to be a sod turning event. Then – well the problems crept in. It just wasn’t possible to get the equipment the Freeman Station people wanted on site to clear away some brush and prepare the spot the station is going to be moved to in time for the Thursday morning event which had a kind of soft country get together about it.
It was to be a photo-op, but not one of those that really didn’t have much of a purpose, other than getting someone’s picture in the paper.
 Jane McKenna, MPP for Burlington; John Mello, a Friend of Freeman Station; Joe Cerilli Maintenance and Engineering Team Leader Ashland Canada; John Naughton: Director, NA Operations Ashland, Director, Global Process Technology & Quality; Ward 6 Councillor Blair Lancaster; Scott Thomson, Plant Manager Ashland Canada; Mayor Rick Goldring; Brian Aasgaard; James Smith, president Friends of Freeman Station; Ward 2 Councillor Marianne Meed Ward The Ashland people and the two city council members who fought to keep the saving of the Freeman station from a wrecking ball had to be in the picture – they were. The Mayor was there as well and he is supposed to be at these functions but, truth be told the city was not able to come up with a solution for the station under his leadership and Goldring was one of those prepared to see it lost.
 The shovels can be used to dig out the foundation for the Freeman Station; they certainly weren’t used for a sod turning event. Burlington’s MPP, Jane McKenna was there – goodness knows why, other than to have her picture taken. Our MP Mike Wallace wasn’t there – which was unfortunate. Wallace has a passion for history and comes through every time there is a project with an historical angle. He got federal Stimulus funding for the project and when the city got to the point where they couldn’t find a way to spend that funding Wallace juggled things and got the city permission to spend the money on another project. Kudos to Mike for this one.
Councillors Meed Ward and Lancaster were where they were supposed to be – front and centre because it was their combined tireless efforts that the event last Thursday even took place.
Getting the pictures taken with the station jacked up on steel beams ready for transfer to the new site just yards away was a happy occasion but there was a tinge of regret – one of the people who worked tirelessly on the project was not with her peers. Jane Irwin had passed away earlier in the year and the community was to gather later in the day at the Performing Arts Centre to celebrate her life’s work and have a chance to meet her three children and tell Jane stories to each other.
They filled the Community Studio in the afternoon and listened to music, heard the friends speak of the Jane they knew; the stalwart, short woman who just could not be stopped. She just never quit until the day her heart gave out.
Her husband Richard spoke of “the love of my life” and told the audience of more than 225 people of the experiences and frustrations that were Jane’s life. Few knew that she once worked as a proof reader for a medical publication; there wasn’t a person in the room who didn’t smile knowingly, to use Richard’s word, how “persnickety” she was about language.
Jane completed her doctorate at Cambridge University where the writings of George Elliott were her focus. One of the bigger disappointments in her life was that she did not get the opportunity to do some substantial academic work. She did teach at Trent University. Burlington was the beneficiary of a sharp mind, a strong voice and the courage of her convictions. At her very last public presentation Jane took city council to task for not providing adequate facilities for people who needed to be able to sit while they delegated to their local government. That is just who she was.
Jane is part of the community memory now.
 By Walter Byj
BURLINGTON, ON May 20, 2013. The official opening was a bust – snow in May – but the second Sunday opening of the Centro Farmers Market took place on a cool, sunny morning. Located on the small compact private parking lot at the rear of Centro Garden, the market slowly came to life as the 10 vendors set up shop and customers strolled in.
This is the second year for this market. The first worked through all the problems that something new runs up against. Last year closed with one of the most adventurous “restaurant” events in this city. They got rained out last year – hopefully Barry Imber, Impresario of this event, will pull together another Chef’s ShootOut.
 The place is meant to be social, a place where you take the time to sit and talk with people and look over the organically gown produce that follows the seasons. When Russell Gibbs shows up with his honey – it will be gone in a couple of hours – always sells out. Kathy, who was a customer last year when the market was open on Friday’s, was back eager to patronize the local vendors who grow organic. This is one of our goals said Barry Imber, who along with his wife Leslie, is the driving force behind this market. A downtown Burlington resident, Imber wanted not only a market that stressed locally grown organic food, but also a location that would become a gathering place that brought people into the core. Imber stressed that “this market is based on a voluntary spirit where the vendors do not have to pay for their booths and where no public money is required. Being a relatively small market allowed both vendors and customers to create friendships among themselves and who looked forward to reacquainting on a regular basis.”
Nearby Andrea was slowly sipping her coffee, just purchased from the Tamp Coffee Company that had set up a small booth. A first time visitor, she was drawn by the fact that this market offered locally grown organic food and was enjoying the atmosphere and vowed to become a regular customer.
 Best espresso in town – great way to start a Sunday morning at the Centro Farmer’s Market Tamp, by the way brews one of the best Espresso’s you will ever find in this city. And when Russell Gibbs shows up with his limited supply of honey – get to the market early – he always sells out.
I approached the vendor from Baba Link Farms, Pat Kozowyk, who mentioned that her booth offerings would change week to week as the various fruits and vegetables came to fruition. A certified organic farmer, she promised that her small 10 acre farm would supply a large variety of offerings over the summer. Nearby, chef Damian Wills of Farm to Table Meats, was offering frozen organic meats such as chicken, beef, pork and bison. Damian has established a relationship with a number of farmers in the Waterloo area and represents their product s at the market.
Vandenbroek Farms, The Wandering Locavore , Terra Teas and Days of Harvest were other vendors selling their unique product.
I left at around 10:30 am when there was a steady turnover. Many seemed to be from the immediate area, others arrived from other parts of Burlington. Shoppers such as Darlene emphasized that the organic aspects of the produce was her main draw. But I noticed that there is a bit more than that. This was a social, friendly meeting place. People were taking their time. It is the kind of place where the kids are welcome.
Will this atmosphere continue throughout the summer? That remains to be seen; I for one will pop down later on in the year to observe if and how this market continues to develop.
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON May 15, 2013. John Mello is the kind of guy who stands around a lot. He is usually thinking five or six steps ahead of the people he is involved with. He’s a railroad guy – didn’t actually work on a railroad – he just likes trains. Not the model railway trains guys build in the basements and then wear a funny hat and walk around with an oil can in their hands. Mello talks about BIG trains, preferably steam engines.
 Sitting on some “cribbing” with a sign badly in need of several coats of paint, the Freeman Station gets ready for its big move. That ability to talk about big trains comes from his 44 years of experience in the railway business where he started as a “train order operator”. Long before cell phones – back in the days when it was a telegraph operator sending messages in Morse code engineers would be given their instructions written out on small pieces of paper called flimsies that were attached to a hoop and passed up to the engineer as the train slowed down. Mello goes back “that far” – lots of history in the man.
 The Freeman Five – with John Mellow in the center listening to city council make a decision. This isn’t a group Council was going to say no to easily. Mello is one of the group that is refurbishing the Freeman Station. It has been a long haul, a very long haul and they are nowhere near where they want to be but there are glimmers of hope and small, even if faltering steps, taken that move the ball up the field.
While there are pounds of paper, documents, permits and who knows what else, Mello leaves all that messy stuff – and it is messy, to others. He has his eye on the bigger picture.
The next step is to get the station off the really shaky set of blocks it is sitting on and onto sturdy steel beams so that it can be at least moved to its new site – which is less than 100 yards away.
The structure sits on what they call “cribbing” – been there since 2005 and Mello says” it’s still pretty solid”. Mello explains with the ease of a truck driver who can move one of those eighteen wheelers through downtown traffic just how it is all going to happen.
 This beam, one of four that will be used, is being shoved under the station. Once it is in place it will be jacked up and take the weight of the station – 100 tons. Then dolly wheels will be attached to the beams and it will be slowly moved from where it has sat since 2005 and to its new home – 100 yards away. There it will be refurbished and restored and then it will be ready for transfer where it truly belongs – on Lakeshore Road next to the old railway line. In the fullness of time all that will happen. The steel beams are being slid underneath the building where they are levelled and shifted to make sure they are right underneath beams in the building that can carry the weight of the building. Then the beams are jacked up high enough for the person overseeing the restoration of the building can get underneath and do some of the work that has to be done before the building is actually moved.
When everything is ready for the actual move a couple of sets of “dolly’s” – wheels that are together are attached to the beams and the building gets rolled forward and through the fire station parking lot on Fairview and then back into its resting place on the Ashland property where the serious restoration work will begin.
“They’re going to drive forward from over there” said Mello pointing to the station and then “pull the truck right up to the curb here and slowly back it in and then lower it to the ground” explains Mello.
And he knows exactly where that here is going to be. “The end of the station will be here” he says as he point to a spot in an open field with hydro towers and a patch of sumac trees that will have to come out. The trees are very young – easily replaced with something more substantial. The other end of the station will be close to that tree over there” he adds.
 John Mello points out where one end of the Freeman Station will rest. The other end will be at about where the tall tree is in the background. Sod turning will take place May 23rd. “A roadway will come in through here and curve around to the front of the building where there will be parking for a couple of cars”, adds Mello.
When will all this happen? In the fullness of time is the best Mello can say – he’s not the type to be rushed.
He does hope that the public turns out to watch the actual move. The structure weighs 100 tons – “they made them good in those days” explains Mello. “They had wood we don’t have today.
Mello is looking over the horizon at the bigger picture. The lot of land the Friends of Freeman have is quite large – there will be quite a bit of landscaping to be done and that too will be done in the fullness of time. Maybe there is some railway track and a couple of engines in the station’s future? Maybe an original steam engine and a diesel as well. Mello worked for GO transit for a number of years and he’s the kind of guy who makes friends he can call on.
Fundraising, an ongoing task for the Friends, is currently focused on selling the equivalent of railway ties that will hold imaginary track. One railway tie moves the station six inches. They’ve sold a couple of hundred of the things so far. For $20 you can move the station six inches.
Sod turning on the site is to take place May 23rd, in the forenoon. All the people who managed to put up or secure funds for the moving and refurbishing the station will be out along with the politicians. It’s not much more than a photo-op – all part of the process when you work with city hall.
 It was Councillors Blair Lancaster, on the right and Marianne Meed Ward that kept the Freeman station idea alive while citizens like Freeman Station president James Smith, second from left and John Mellow in the middle, pulled together a citizens group that will restore and refurbish the structure. That Thursday will be a very full day for the friends of Freeman Station – in the afternoon they gather to celebrate the life of Jane Irwin, one of the biggest advocates for saving the station. The sod turning ceremony, a real high for the people who got the station to this point, which is a long way from the day the city ran an advertisement asking if anyone wanted to take the thing off our hands. There were no takers.
 Train order operators used hoops like this to pass messages to trains as they passed slowly through a station. John Mello was one of the people who wrote out the instructions on what were then called “flimsies”. “We used carbon paper in those days – does anyone even know what that stuff is today” wonders Mello. Councillors Marianne Meed Ward and Blair Lancaster were the two members of council who were not prepared to let the station fade from the pages of the city’s history. They kept the issue before council while citizens formed a group and got themselves organized.
When the day is done on the 23rd people will return to their homes with fond memories of Jane Irwin and the knowledge that turning the sod for new Freeman station home was a good thing to get done.
John Mello will slip down to the basement of his Burlington home and look through his railway memorabilia collection and let his mind slip back to when he reached up to engineers with that hoop holding the instructions telling them where they were to go and what they would face in terms of oncoming rail traffic. That’s the way they did it in those days.
 By Staff
BURLINGTON, ON. May 13, 2013 What might turn out to be a sunny Sunday afternoon is also a chance to spend a bit of time soaking up the sounds of what “bookmeister” Ian Elliott, over at the Different Drummer calls, “ marvelous, captivating music of many eras in a sublime performance”.
 Frances Cohen, Paul Burnip and Shiori Kobayashi of Grenadilla Winds
Grenadilla Winds–the brilliant, nationally renowned clarinettists Frances Cohen, Shiori Kobayashi and Paul Burnip–render their generous program in exquisite style, Sunday, May 26 3pm, at a Different Drummer Books, 513 Locust Street
GRENADILLA WINDS present THE VIRTUOSIC CLARINET
Refreshments, and a chance to meet the performers, are offered right after the performance. Tickets are $15, $10 for students.
To reserve seats, please contact us at (905) 639 0925 or diffdrum@mac.com.
 By Staff
BURLINGTON, ON May 3, 2013 INCITE, A Single Moms Support Group, a non-profit organization, based out of Burlington, that raises up single moms and their children in our community by offering support, encouragement, guidance, direction and opportunities for empowerment.
Mother’s Day is quite a bit different when there is just the one parent in the house which leaves the Mother’s Day thinking in the hands of the kids.
INCITE is holding an event on Sunday May 12 at the Burlington Baptist Church, 2225 New St, Downtown Burlington from 12:30-4 pm. Tickets are $10 and includes lunch, bevies, dessert, pampering for the Moms, children make a Mother’s Day gift, a family photo, live music, silent auction, vendors, 50/50 draw, door prizes and more!
Pass this one around to those you think might be interested.
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON. May 3, 2013 We are not hearing very much from the folks over at the Burlington Performing Arts Centre. They advertised for people interested in serving on the Board – the closing date for that was March 15th. The Board has not said how many seats they need to fill.
We have heard of at least one very qualified individual who has served the city with distinction in the past. Our understanding is that the initial interview has yet to take place but when it does the applicant intends to interview the Board as much as be interviewed for a Board seat.
 In the world of show business they are called “dark night” – those occasions when there is nothing going on in the building. The Performing Arts Centre has too many of these. Sometime later this month the Brenda Heatherington, the Executive Director who has given notice to her Board that she will leave her position in July, will announce the fall line-up – which we understand is pretty strong.
No word from the Board on how they intend to search for her replacement. There is some buzz in the community that it should be someone from within the community, which could be a mistake.
The position to be filled needs considerable clarification before it is advertised.  Does BPAC want an artistic director? Does it want an administrator who has a sense of what the community wants in the way of entertainment? Doe it want someone who puts on the type of programming that is profitable or does it want someone who is going to grow the appetite and interest level of the community for performing arts?
Burlington has next to no experience in growing the appetite for performing arts. Heatherington brought a strong reputation for being able to build an audience but “appears” to have lacked the business acumen the Board felt was needed. Finding someone who can develop audiences and find the kind of entertaining talent to do that and get them to this city at a reasonable cost and then also have the business smarts to keep the revenue line where everyone would like it to be is no small task. There are very few of those available in this country. Should we find one – that person will probably be able to walk on water as well.
There are some tough days ahead for the Performing Arts Centre as it builds a board of directors that can make the decisions that have to be made and learn more about public responsibility and transparency.
Getting a beefed up Board in place is the first critical step and then creating a search team to find the new Executive Director follows. In the meantime someone has to run the place on a day-to-day basis. We are going to see another whopper of a deficit next year.
Burlingtonians can be understanding and tolerant but they insist on being informed. Hopefully there will be at least one champion on the revitalized board that will insist on telling the people paying for the place what is going on.
Your city council has two of its members on the Board. Mayor Goldring and Councillor Craven have been close to mute when it comes to informing the other council members in public as to what is going on. They are failing to do their jobs .
 By Staff
BURLINGTON, ON. May 2, 2013. Mother’s Day – weekend after this one. Time together is a great gift. Crawford Lake is hosting two special events on Mother’s Day weekend.
Pajama Night – On Saturday, May 11 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. little ones are invited to bring mom to a pajama party in the longhouse! This will be a memorable evening featuring storytelling in the reconstructed 15th century Iroquoian Village, a guided night creature hike and cozy gathering around the campfire with a tasty snack. Wear your cosiest pajamas and kids can give mom a real gift by heading straight to bed when they get home.
 Could there be a nicer way to spend the day with Mom? Wildflower Walk for Mom – On Sunday, May 12 from 1 to 3 p.m. take mom on a guided hike through the spectacular spring woodlands at Crawford Lake Conservation Area. Leaves are just starting to bud on the trees and the spring wildflowers are taking advantage of the sun. Trout lilies, bloodroot, may apple and many more spring flowers are in the midst of their ever so brief annual appearance. One of our experienced guides will help you and mom discover the beauty of these spring ephemerals and then take you back to the park for some well-deserved tea and scones.
Pajama Night and Wildflower Walk for Mom are both pre-registered events. REGISTER HERE
Tickets cost is $15/adult and $10/child (ages 5 to 14 years) or seniors (ages 65 years and over), applicable taxes extra.
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON. May 1, 2013. Burlington is holding the second “neighbourhood character” study, which is part of the Official Plan Review. The first study was done with the people of Indian Point where there are some differences as to what can and what shouldn’t be permitted in terms of lot severances and the kind of housing that can be built on a piece of property.
The ‘what kind of housing’ gets built is one of the reasons these “neighbourhood character” studies are done. People who live in a neighbourhood chose to live there and take offence to anyone who wants to come in and build a house that they feel is “inappropriate.
Who gets to decide what’s appropriate? The person who owns the property, the neighbours, the planning department?
 Roseland is made up of large two and a half storey homes on great lots that were built before the depression.
 The community also has large and small bungalows that were built after the depression and on into the 40’s. Who decides what a neighbourhood’ s character actually is? The people who live there or course – but you know that within the residents there will be differences in view point.
A few days before Roseland goes through its own ‘character” study the Roseland Community Organization held an event and did a SWOT exercise and looked at the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to their community,
Each of the 40 some odd people at the meeting wrote down their thoughts under each term on Post-It notes and put them up on a board where everyone could read them. They are set out below for you to review and think about how your community would rank and be reflected under a SWOT analysis.
These are the results, unfiltered.
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Strengths
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Weaknesses
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Trees
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Trees – age
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Neighbours who care
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Continued development on Rossmore north
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Trees and landscaping
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Homes being built are too homogenous
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Tall trees
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New houses look like a subdivision
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Safe streets where kids can play
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New houses
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Quiet street
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Neigbours do not know each other as before
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Proximity to Lake
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Roseland Club different
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Trees
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House flipping
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Family culture
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Overly large house on lots
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Traditional architecture
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Power outages
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Grand property sizes
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Old hydro poles
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Lots of green spaces
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Loss of old trees
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Roseland Community Organization
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Old trees that are weak or sick causing damage
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Mature trees
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Not enough support from community
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Open spaces
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Water table, flooding
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Beauty due to variation in styles, character, trees, lot sizes and boulevards
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Aging trees
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Friendly
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Some apathy to selected lots and absentee landlords
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Not gated – open visitors, walkers, bike riders
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Too attractive to developers
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Friendly neighbours
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Starting a feeding frenzy for developers to move through an area – their activities pushing neighbours out, allowing more homes too big
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Safety
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Unclear development guidelines
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A good investment for a home owner
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No or little pre consultation
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Trees
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Decaying trees
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Large lots with setbacks allow large tree
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No guidelines to Committee of Adjustment – have too much leeway to interpret the by-laws
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A forest in the City with a neigbourhood in the woods
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Weakness in the City in terms of protection of ambience
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A real neighbourhood – a sense of community, a history as a community
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No protection trees on private property
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RCO
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New homes totally out of scale, devoid of design to fit neigbourhood
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Neighbours
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Street lighting
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Overall Ambience, especially trees
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RCA membership too low
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Spaciousness of lots and space between the houses
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Construction madness – it goes on and on in some areas – weak or no enforcement, the developers skirt the law on the street blockage
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Varied architecture
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Inappropriate severing
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Role of Roseland in history of Burlington as a prestige neighbourood
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Traffic as motorists avoid Lakeshore traffic
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A place for visitors from far and wide to walk, walk their dog, to drive and ride through
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Existing by-laws too weak or not enforced
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Keystone properties that set the character of the area
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Garages in front lawns – suburban style
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Diversity and scale of architecture – houses fit their lots
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Developers put enormous homes on small lots , so that smaller neighbourhood homes are dwarfed
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Neighbourliness
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Too many developers interested, killing the goose that lays the golden egg
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Good Neighbours
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The culture in this seems to be to roll over, giving them variances they want
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Roseland Club
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Intensification mandates
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Parks
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Existing by-laws
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Great place to raise a family
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Pass through traffic
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Wide boulevard streets
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Roseland park
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Sense of community
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Excellent lot to dwelling proportions
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Attractive homes of character
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Lot width and space between houses
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Places for kids to play safely
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Wonderful people and neighbours
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Unique home designs – not a subdivision
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Trees
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Roseland Park
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Wide streets
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Opportunities
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Threats
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Community events
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The stakes are so high, it is worth it for a developer and his consultants to always try, and to go to the OMB – relentless
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Acknowledge the history of Roseland development from 1925
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Due to large lots, the threat of severance always hangs there
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More control of development
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Roseland being stereo-typed and not listened too
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Stronger protection in the Official Plan
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Uncontrolled development, severances
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Better and stronger direction to the Committee of Adjustment
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Over-development
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Careful selection of Committee of Adjustment members to be sensitive to communities
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Lot severances
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Replace aging infrastructure
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Infill
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A tree maintenance and plating project – a public private venture
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Old hydro poles
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Clarity on appropriate development
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Uncontrolled development
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Need by-laws to protect lot sizes, to make by-laws hold, and not be undercut
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Desire or market demand to over build- greed
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Replanting
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City planning – intensification
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RCO provides an opportunity to maintain the unique quality of the neighbourhood
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Developers profiting from the ambience of the neigbourhood they are destroying
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Think of ways to bring everyone together again – use the Club
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Only planting dwarf trees as replacements
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Ability to be vocal on problems – the community has much capacity to react
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Having water table changed with super size basement
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We need to use political clout, stay organized
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Monster homes, gorilla additions
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Increase commitment to maintain qualities of Roseland
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Insensitive infill
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Tree maintenance
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Loss of neighbourhood loyalty
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Official plan study
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Over-sized Homes on rebuild lots
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Tree by-law
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Loss of character homes
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Push City to pass tree by-law
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New builds that lack elegance, imagination and variation
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Keep “variances” minor
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 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON. May 1, 2013. Ward 4 Councillor Jack Dennison arrived, uninvited, to the semi-Annual meeting of the Roseland Community Organization last Thursday. He was not a member.
Dennison applied for membership one half hour after the Press Release was sent to media; he had made no effort to join the organization before that time. RCO has been around for a year now. The group was organized to appeal a Committee of Adjustment decision to the Ontario Municipal Board.
 Dennison’s behaviour at a Roseland Community meeting – to which he was not invited was seen as “aggressive”. “Dennison’s membership application was declined for reasons that should be apparent”, said a member of the RCO`s Board.
That same member said Dennison was there to hand out flyers to our Members. I needed to ask him to remove himself from his position beside the sign in table at the door. “His efforts”, added the Board member, “did not have the desired result.”
This Board member said: “I came early anticipating he would show up and he did not disappoint. About twenty minutes prior to the start of the meeting, I saw Mr. Dennison and his girlfriend walking through the parking lot toward the door. I was unaware that they had actually followed me in until I went to bring out a chair for the sign in table. I did ask him to leave and he excused himself to the main lobby of the Church. His girlfriend did remain behind sitting in a chair about 15 feet from our meeting door. Our meeting was 15 minutes late as he was engaging members at the door with his literature.”
“His attendance was considered to be aggressive. It is always desirable to have personal boundaries and be respectful. I did not interfere (as I drove by) with his street canvassing on this issue. His attendance did not have the result he was looking for. You can well imagine the response from Members.”
“It is clearly his last term or he would not be acting in defiance of a neighbourhood who has supported him in the past. I look forward to the overdue, delayed Roseland Study and trust that there is no mechanism other than his being a resident, to shape future planning policy for Roseland.”
“Official Plan reviews are rare events and the requested Roseland study is a first. The neighbourhood does not deserve to have to deal with any legacy effects from his own attitude toward severance.”
Roseland will be the location for the second neighbourhood character study that takes place at the Roseland Park Country Club, 3079 Princess Blvd.E – event starts at 6:30 – and you don’t have to be a member to attend this event.
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON. April 30th, 2013. The Organic Farmer’s Market will open for the first time this season on May 11th and operate on Sunday’s from 9 to 12ish.
Traffic last year was decent but many people found the Friday a difficult day; people who worked weren’t able to stroll over and enjoy the setting.
 Last season tables were laden with fresh vegetables, organically grown Expect to see an even wider selection this season. Barry Imber, the energy behind this project said “ the hope is that the hood will stroll over in the mornings and take their time to enjoy the people and the various things that local farmers have to offer.
“We will also have a few new vendors in addition to possibly a breakfast vendor and Tamp Coffee doing his specialty pour over coffee for the crowd. We’ll have the picnic benches out and will encourage everyone to chill out and take their time.
 The Chef’s Shootout last year. A light rain didn’t stop the event – the food was delicious. Burlington Tourism is looking for ways they can get behind the project. While the market is hosted in a commercial location, in the parking lot behind Centro’s on John Street, the net result is a place for community and Imber hopes it is cherished and embraced as well as promoted to make it stronger.
The closing event last year was a great idea – A Shootout between two Chef’s from Spencer’s on the Waterfront – took place even though it was raining. The Chef’s did a great job and the 40 or so people stood there with their umbrellas enjoying the food.
Wet but fun. Hopefully Imber will hold at least one of these Shootouts this year.
The market is set up behind Centro’s on John Street. Downtowners can just stroll on over and nosh.
 By Staff
BURLINGTON, ON. April 29, 2013. If you’ve a creative bent to you or your children are good with a set of crayons – there are two opportunities to get you name in lights and be known for being creative.
The city of Burlington wants to celebrate National Public Works Week and the Region wants to promote tourism in the Region. Both give you an opportunity to express yourself artistically.
The city wants you if you are a resident 18 years of age or younger to put your artistic talents to use as part of an art contest. Participants are being asked to create a piece of art that celebrates this year’s theme: Because of Public Works…
 The city is looking for people under the age of 18 who want to show what Public Work’s is all about. If they know and can draw – send in your best effort. Scott Stewart, general manager of development and infrastructure, who couldn’t draw a straight line with a ruler explains that the public works departments play an important role in the building and shaping of our communities”. He should know – he oversees those departments. “Recognizing public works week through the art contest and other activities helps us share with the community the important role public works functions play in running a city. Events like this also give us an opportunity to showcase the various career choices available to our youth in public works.” It also softens up the image of the department when they fall behind on road repairs.
Entries for this contest will be accepted up to May 10, 2013. A panel of local judges will select winners based on the relevancy to this years’ theme: Because of Public Works…, composition and creativity. Winners will be selected from three age categories: six to nine years, 10 to 13 years and 14 to 18 years of age.
Artwork will be displayed at City Hall during Public Works Week, May 19 to 25, 2013. The winners from each category will be recognized at the City of Burlington’s National Public Works Week Touch-a-Truck event on Saturday, May 25, 2013, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
That event will be held at the city’s road and parks maintenance facility on Harvester Road. Children of all ages will have the unique opportunity to get up close and even sit in the driver’s seat of many of the city’s vehicles including a fire truck, snow plow and a hybrid aerial truck.
Contest rules and an application form are here: or call 905-335-7600 ext. 7770.
The Region is focusing on tourism with their contest. They have decided that Spring starts here! And they want you to “Spring into action” with your camera and tell the Region’s story as you see it.
This contest is open to both residents and visitors – and there is a cash incentive – a chance to win a $100 Mapleview Mall gift card.
Share your favourite local spring activities in a new “Spring into Action” photo contest. Submit a photo during the month of May with your favourite spring outdoor activity or location for a chance to win a $100 Mapleview Mall gift card.
Regional chair Gary Carr calls Halton a true four season community and he wants people to share photographs of things they have done in the Region.
 There might be hundreds of people submitting picture for the Regions Spring photo contest. If there is just the one – you could win the $100 Gift Card. Send then your best shot. The communications people plan to use the pictures that get sent in as part of their social media platforms: Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest to share submissions. All photographs will be judged by Halton Tourism staff on the basis of originality and seasonality.
Other prizes include copies of Halton Hikes and a Family Day Pass to Conservation Halton Parks.
Learn more about the contest, which runs May 1 to 31, here: or dial 311, or, if you can handle ten digits give them a call at 905-825-6000, toll-free 1-866-442-5866 or TTY 905-827-9833. These people are doing everything they can to make it easy for you to reach them.
 By Ray Z. Rivers
Ray Rivers will write weekly on both federal and provincial politics, applying his more than 25 years as a federal bureaucrat after which he decided to write and has become a political animator.
BURLINGTON, ON. April 29, 2013. ‘Root-causes’ you say? Justin Trudeau dared to utter that phrase in his interview with Peter Mansbridge, shortly after the Boston Marathon bombings. Trudeau was “committing sociology”, the Prime Minster accused, as if that was one of the unforgivable crimes the PM had included in the government’s new ‘safe-streets’ legislation.
 Afghan women being taught some of the basics through funding provided by the Canadian International Development Agency – getting at the root causes of political violence. National Post right-wing columnist Barbara Kay had earlier taken her aim and fired a volley at the young leader – showing his ‘inner sophomore’, she accused. She went on to draw a comparison to his father, when as PM he brought out the army to quell the FLQ hostage crisis of 1970. True enough he activated the War Measures Act, but Pierre also dealt with some of the “root-causes” – the disenchantment and estrangement of Quebecers’ from their rightful role in the federation. Lest we forget, he introduced official bilingualism, regional economic development, and the inter-provincial equalization program.
Of course Kay and Harper are playing politics, aren’t they? Everybody knows that for every effect there is a cause…and a root-cause. I mean why else is Canada providing social and economic aid to Afghanistan, except to remove the kind of ‘root-causes’ that contributed to 9/11, right? Under Stephen Harper, Canada, proudly, has become one of the world’s top donors of economic development and educational assistance in Afghanistan, raising the levels of education, ensuring greater food security, and regional development of that nation, one of the world’s poorest.
In 2011, Canada assisted over 1600 schools graduate almost 50,000 students, 85% of them girls. And we helped Afghan small and medium businesses create over 20,000 new jobs, injecting $325 million in the national economy. These are very impressive stats for a government that doesn’t believe in ‘committing sociology’ and in considering and reducing ‘root-causes’.
Comments from a casual observer.
BURLINGTON, ON April 27, 2013 A real sign of spring is kids selling lemonade and one of our readers spotted this trio out at Elizabeth Gardens where they raised $20 while he was there.
 Spring has sprung! The grass has riz, these Kids have gone into the Lemonade Biz! The three in were doing a pretty good business Saturday selling chocolate chip cookies and lemonade. By 2:30 in the afternoon they had made better than twenty bucks, and I had to wait my turn. Don’t know if they’re looking to audition for dragon’s den or not, but I’m sure they’ll be back soon.
As will our reader. Does this mean Spring is truly here?
 By John Mellow
BURLINGTON, ON April 22, 2013. On Friday April 19th, a crew headed up by Jeremy McCulloch from our building mover contractor, Laurie McCulloch Building Movers, delivered the steel beams necessary to move our 1906 former Grand Trunk Railway Burlington Junction/Freeman Station.
 Two of the four steel beams that will be placed underneath the Freeman Station are laid out ready to be moved into position. The structure is going to be moved less than 200 yards – directly behind the man in the orange vest and to the right on a concrete pad where it will sit while restoration work is done. Two long 66 foot steel I-beams capable of transporting the building for the move arrived on site. These were placed beside the station ready to be placed under the building very soon, subject to co-ordination with the Burlington Fire Department as some staff vehicles will need to be temporarily parked elsewhere during this process.
This is the first real action taken toward the eventual move which is expected to occur in a few weeks’ time. Building of the foundation and restoration of the station will begin once at the new location on the property of Ashland Water Technologies on the east side of the BFD headquarters.
 Blocks will be used with the steel beams to transfer the weight of the structure onto the truck where it will get moved less than 200 yards. The following pictures show the steel arriving on the truck, the blocking being unloaded by tow truck driver Brian, the next two are of the steel being unloaded, and finally the two pieces sitting in position ready to be moved under the building.
Our thanks go to Jeremy, Terry, Brian and the remainder of the crew, for their efforts on a cold windy and sometimes rainy day. They were done and gone in one hour. Well done!
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON. April 17, 2013 Teresa Seaton has been working with stained glass for more than 10 years. “I have been moving my studio around my house since 2001, starting in the furnace room to the spare room in the basement to the basement itself. Gobbling up more and more space from the family. When I began to threaten a move upstairs to the great room the family said I had to go”
 A Re-Opening – interesting way of putting it – new location for Seaton, a move next door for Edy Roy – either way – delights for the eye at both. And go she did – all the way out to a spot steps away from Royal Botanical Gardens where the room is bright and there is a sunset to die for. Seaton works late – just to be able to watch that sunset.
“I had been eyeing a space in front of the RBG for over two years. Luckily I just happened to be able to squirm my way in there thanks to both Matt and Kyle of Edy Roy and the acceptance of Jerry the owner of the property.
 This is a 20 ft x 6 ft. work table; weighed a ton – made out of solid wood. Set up where the view is superb, the sunsets are great – Seaton may never go home So here we go! Seaton was off. “One of my biggest expenses was my work benches. Thanks to Joseph Bauman and his team my dream has come true. I have waited 10 years for this.”
The official studio hours are Thursday through Sunday 11-7, but you’ll find Seaton there most days. If the SUV is out front she is in the shop. Feel free to drop in.
While the move is a huge and very welcome change for Teresa Seaton, it just might be the beginning of a small artist colony in the west end. Seaton’s operation is right beside Edy Roy where some of the best glass work being done in this country is on display.
 When it comes to glass art – it doesn’t get much better than this. Work like this is sold in New York, Milan and Paris. Burlington is fortunate to have an artist of this calibre in the city. Kyle Books – some of her best. Having the two beside each other (and having Easterbrook just down the street) makes this an irresistible reason to Go West.
 Matt Robertson tends to be playful with his glass. Light, exceptionally well executed, his work will catch the eye of many. The “official opening of the two studios when they will show off all kinds of glass is Thursday April 25th.
Expect to see more from Seaton – she has been commissioned by the city to do the awards that will be given to the city’s BEST at the Civic Awards later this year. Novel work.
 By Pepper Parr.
BURLINGTON, ON. April 17, 2013 Starting today, the city’s E-Government program will be launching the first of several new online services. For the first time, the city’s parks and recreation department’s Live & Play Guide is available online, allowing people to view program information and directly register for recreation programs of their choice at any time, day or night, from the comfort of their homes.
Wow! Is this as good as it sounds?
“Posting the very popular Live & Play Guide on the city’s web page is an important step for the City of Burlington’s E-Government program,” said Mayor Rick Goldring. “The people of Burlington have told us online service is an important option, and we are listening.” That’s good – having a Mayor that listens is good.
 Two pages of the electronic version of Live and Play, the city’s magazine on all its recreational programs. Convenient once you get the hang of the thing. Was there a real savings? We did save some trees. The on-line version of Live and Play will allow people to search, bookmark and tag favorite pages. The content is to be Mobile-friendly, which means you can book something from your smart phone while travelling on the GO train. That’s very good.
You can set things up so that you get information via email and social media sites. City hall has in the past been a little reluctant with social media. There was the sense a year back that staff couldn’t be trusted to send out sensible messages. That appears to be shifting.
In the media release the city says” “People are now busier than ever. The introduction of the online guide and its features will give residents user-friendly recreation information, whether at home or on the go,” said Chris Glenn, director of parks and recreation. “The online guide will provide easy access for residents to register for a variety of programs.”
 What you used to get in your mailbox is now on-line. Really slick, fun to use but allow yourself some time to get the hang of the thing. The city’s E-Government strategy will be delivered through 10 projects put in place over three years. Over the next couple of months, the city will launch epost in conjunction with Canada Post for property tax billing and tee time bookings for Tyandaga Golf Course.
Brent Stanbury, E-Government program manager, who built the first web site for the city before he went to work for the federal government, came back to Burlington to take us from the entry-level web site to something much more sophisticated and, it might be added, a lot harder to create.
There wasn’t enough space within the IT department at city hall to house the team.
Now – about the site. It is slick but it is going to take some getting used to. There are all kinds of tabs on the sides and it will take you some time to get used to it. When you move from page to page there is a sound effect that is all but identical to flipping the pages of a magazine.
Is it too complex? Many will have problems with it – but it appears to be all there – you just have to get used to getting around the thing. Best approach: put your ten year old in front of it and let them tell you how it works.
 Navigational Tool – takes a bit to get used to them but they work very well. It does work. There is an event on the Seniors’ Centre page that kind of interested me: a day trip to Toronto to take a Tall Ship Cruise. I clicked on the spot I thought I should have clicked on and that brought me to a page that had all the information – and told me that I had to come back June 1, to register. I didn’t figure out how to get the program to remind me to come back June 1 – just put that into my Outlook calendar and that will remind me.
It looks as if the thing is going to work well.
Did notice though that the publication doesn’t appear to be on the city’s web site and the media release didn’t tell you where to go to get to it. There was a link in the media release – but few people get that document.
So – if you want to get to the Live and Play CLICK HERE.
Make a point of bookmarking that page when it comes up on your screen – you will want to go back to it.
That website address suggest Live and Play, in its electronic edition, is on some other website and that the city is paying a fee to keep the thing there. Is that fee less than the cost of printing the magazine and having it distributed? The media release makes no mention of any cost – but there are no free lunches.
At first blush this looks like a superb effort – now some time and effort has to be made to help people learn how to use it – or am I just showing my age? Hope not.
We will be back to tell you more about this one.
 By Walter Byj
BURLINGTON, ON April 16, 2013 Over the past number of years, the PBS station in Buffalo ,WNED, has run a series called Our Town, highlighting communities in northwest New York and southern Ontario. These hour-long broadcasts were the result of volunteers putting on film the way they saw their city.
 WNED producer Lynne Bader previews the Burlington production for the videographers who took part. Bader on the left with Joe Veitch in the centre. Our Burlington’s reporter Walter Byj was one of the participants. The project started September 5th and 6th last year at the Central Library when a number of volunteers from Burlington met with senior producer Lynne Bader of WNED TV. After discussing various program ideas and receiving tips for video shooting, each individual was given two weeks in which to submit their unique story with at least 55 minutes of raw data.
On September 21st and 22nd, the volunteers submitted their recordings and gave a quick on camera interview about their topic.
The project is now finished and I was able to view the finished product on Tuesday night; the tone of the stories reflects Burlington. With the short window we had to film some of the major Burlington events were not covered. However, the overall show does reflect well on Burlington.
Golf was covered in some detail – I did a segment on the golf courses in Burlington – waiting now for Hollywood to call me.
It all goes on air Tuesday April 23rd at 9:00 pm on WNED TV channel 31 on the Cogeco dial.
 By Staff
BURLINGTON, ON April 11, 2013 The weekend of April 20th BurlingtonGreen hopes to have 10,000 people out on the streets, the ravines and the vacant lots picking up trash that has accumulated or been left on the ground by irresponsible people.
They call the event their CleanUp, GreenUp and this year they have added a new, interesting twist that gives the GreenUp part of the event real oomph. BurlingtonGreen, in partnership with the City of Burlington and Conservation Halton will be hosting a Green Up event at Beachway Park thanks to the Great Lakes Guardian Community Fund.
 Part of the team that is going to be out on the Beachway planting shrubs and native plants Saturday April 20th. Up to 100 people can sign up to participate in this rewarding stewardship event to improve the coastal environment of Lake Ontario’s shoreline by picking up litter, removing invasive species and planting native grasses, shrubs and trees. Those interested in participating are asked to register.
Why Green-up? The removal of invasive species is important because they compromise the ecological balance of the region and put native species that exist in the area at risk. According to the Ministry of Natural Resources, invasive species move into ecosystems and take over, killing some native species. They disrupt food webs, degrade habitat, introduce parasites and disease and lead to species at risk. Globally, only habitat loss is a bigger threat to biodiversity.
Advantages of planting native trees, shrubs and grasses will help to restore the area by providing food and habitat for native wildlife, protecting water quality by controlling soil erosion and they add beauty to the landscape while preserving our natural heritage.
 It is locations like this at Beachway Park where the vegetation is sparse and the sands constantly shift that shrubs and flora native to the sands will be planted Saturday April 20th. Beachway Park is a special place, sometimes referred to as the jewel of the city. It is a popular spot for walking, beach activities and special events. The beach itself is part of a formation called a Baymouth Bar, which is a pure sand feature, formed through natural processes of erosion and deposition.
The Beachway community is currently the focus of a study being done by the Region along with Conservation Halton to determine what kind of a community people want in that part of the city. It’s clear what BurlingtonGreen wants – a place that is as natural as it can be with flora that works with the land mass.
If you have what it takes to bend over and plant shrubs – put your name down for this one – and let the family know that you will be in the tub for an hour or so after you’ve done your shift.
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON. April 10, 2013 It was 33 years ago this Friday that a young man dipped his foot into the Atlantic Ocean and starting off on his remarkable Marathon of Hope.
A short 143 days and 5,373 kilometres (3,339 mi), after wetting that one good foot we lost Terry Fox but today have one of the greatest examples of what hope and the human spirit can achieve.
 Terry Fox, dipping the one foot he had into the Atlantic ocean. He died 143 days later and taught us what hope could achieve. The annual Terry Fox Run, first held in 1981, has grown to involve millions of participants in over 60 countries and is now the world’s largest one-day fundraiser for cancer research; over C$500 million has been raised in his name.
 Can’t say much more than that – can we? Burlington holds its annual Terry Fox run where hundreds of people show up. Fine event.
The Terry Fox organization that raises funds for a cancer cure is encouraging all Canadians to mark April 12th with a Terry Fox inspired activity – go for a walk with your family, help someone out, share your feelings about Terry on social media.
Let them know what you did by posting a story and/or a picture on the Terry Fox Facebook page on Friday.
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