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July 6th, 2017 BURLINGTON, ON
Saturday, July 8, 2017 – 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Brant Street, between Caroline Street and Lakeshore Road • Ontario Street and Elgin Street between Locust Street and Brant Street • James Street between John Street and Brant Street. 
July 5th, 2017 BURLINGTON, ON
Does your day start with the sound of an alarm clock? Or perhaps it is the kids making more noise than they should and you aren’t quite sure what they are up to so you need to slip out of bed. Coffee or tea follows.  Good morning sun! There are people in this city who have a habit of slipping out the door very early and watching the sun rise and determining what kind of a day they are going to have. Only in Burlington – the sun rise is part of what makes the city the place that it is. And it is not a magazine circulation promotion tell us that we are the best city or very close to it in the province and then the whole of Canada. That sunrise told the photographer what kind of a city she lives in.
July 5th, 2017 BURLINGTON, ON
It is one of the days in the year that people take over Brant Street – you get to stroll wherever you want from Caroline south to Locust and eye ball over 150 cars – everything from classics, exotic and iconic vehicles that will be on display.  There will be a wide selection of electric vehicles on display. This is the 3rd Annual Burlington Downtown Car Show in support of the Burlington Lions Club. It is a celebration of the automobile taking place in downtown Burlington on Saturday July 8, 2017.  Last year this automotive gem was on display. When: Saturday July 8th, 2017 10:00 am – 4:00 pm Why: The Burlington Downtown Car Show offers a view into the past, present and future of the automobile. This year’s show will include an Electric Vehicle (EV) ride and drive presented by Stoner & Company Family Law Associates, several replica-cinema cars, live music presented by the Leggat Auto Group and a selection of rare and exotic sports cars showcased on the City Hall terrace. The show has attracted representation from virtually every automotive sector; modern muscle cars, off-road vehicles, tuners, European super cars as well as the classics.  Can you imagine the motor under that hood? Local merchants support the show with side-walk sales, turning Brant Street into a pedestrian mall full of activity for the whole family.
July 4th, 2017 BURLINGTON, ON
Some of the bounce has gone out of Brant Street. The Cellis Osteria has closed – there just wasn’t enough business to justify keeping the restaurant open was the explanation management gave.  Staying alive in a tough restaurant market in the downtown core doesn’t square with the comments from the Downtown Business Association that the area is”vibrant”. The restaurant underwent a re-branding and a menu upgrade a while back – didn’t seem to make enough of a difference. The site at the corner of Brant and James is the proposed location for a 28 storey tower that is currently in the hands of the city’s planning department.  This proposed 28 storey tower – yet to be approved by the city – could be the beginning of a long over due boost to Brant Street. Public reaction to the proposed tower was more than decent when it was first shown to the public and the statutory public meeting didn’t raise any major issues – other than changes the building will make to traffic and a concern over the number of parking spaces. There has been some discussion about the structure overshadowing the “iconic” city hall. Hard to see or even understand anything that is iconic about city hall – other than that it is where it is. It is inefficient and the object of a study on just how well it serves the city’s administrative needs. That report is in a filing cabinet and isn’t likely to be made public for some time.
June 30th, 2017 BURLINGTON, ON
Canada Day event organizers have arranged for Burlington Transit shuttle service with three pick-up points: Haber Recreation Centre, Mainway Recreation Centre and the north side of Burlington GO Station. The buses will begin at noon and run until the fireworks end. This is great for the people in Alton – parking will be impossible downtown – take the bus – there should be plenty o parking at the Haber Centre – schools are closed. For specific departure times and more event information, please visit the Canada Day event website. Burlington Transit is also operating a regular Saturday service schedule on July 1, which includes late night routes 50, 51, and 52.
June 30th, 2017 BURLINGTON, ON
If you looked out over the Lake from Lakeshore Road at Brant you could see them off in the distance – they seemed lined up with a lot of space between them. They looked like ship under sail. And indeed they were – a collection of Tall ships had rendezvoused in Burlington Bay and lined up to enter the canal and proceed into Hamilton Harbour.  They were there in the thousands – on both side of th canal THE place to see the majestic ships was at the canal – each eased into the opening and headed towards the lie bridge which was up for more than an hour.  They were almost close enough to touch as they slid by – those with big Canadian flags got a round of applause. The crowds were huge – it was as if the fleet had come home and the families of the sailors were on the dock ready to greet them. It was standing room only on either side of the canal.  People parked wherever there was a patch of grass It wasn’t all festivities and celebration. A Beachway resident summed up the feeling many had when the saw a parking control officer walking from car to car doing a brisk business  His job was like spearing fish in a barrel – a shameful cash grab on the part of either the city or the Conservation Authority. This resident known for her very pointed use of the English language wrote in and said: “What a shit show this city is…parking enforcement officer immediately giving out parking tickets near lift bridge area. People are furious.”
June 30th, 2017 BURLINGTON, ON
The picture that tells the city’s story today? Those tall ships sailing through the canal on their way into Hamilton Harbour where they will be on display for Canada Day. Thousands gathered on both sides of the canal to watch these majestic ship slide by. Those with massive Canadian flags drew rounds of applause.
June 28th, 2017 BURLINGTON, ON
It will be exciting! Eleven magnificent Tall Ships will gather on Lake Ontario near the entrance to the Burlington Bay Canal on Friday, June 30 beginning at 2:00 p.m. with all ships docking at Pier 8 at 4:00 p.m. In order to get to that canal – you gotta sail past the Burlington Pier, the most expensive chunk of concrete in the province – but we digress.  Where you park and where the ships are. Burlingtonians can watch the ship sail towards the canal Prominent vantage points to watch the parade of ships on the Burlington side of the Skyway are|: Burlington Canal And of course from the Pier and from a number of vantage points in the Beachway.  The Empire Sandy Access to vantage points will be affected by the closure of Eastport Drive at the Burlington Canal Lift Bridge from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. to enable the ships to enter Hamilton Harbour. With the ships in Hamilton, tied up at Pier 8 the Parade of Sail launches the Rendez-Vous 2017 Tall Ships Regatta at Pier 8, Discovery Drive, on July 1. This will be a rare opportunity – and the only place in the GTHA – to witness the spectacle of 11 Tall Ships touring Hamilton’s beautiful Waterfront. • Free deck tours are offered from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (first come, first served – no guarantee of access past 5 p.m.) • Ticketed Harbour Cruises available for purchase online at www.hamilton.ca/tallships. See website for cruise times and pricing, including the evening fireworks cruise that boards at 9:00 p.m.  The Pathfinder • Family-friendly and nautical-themed activities • Music on the Waterfront Stage featuring great musicians from Hamilton’s thriving music scene • Numerous food vendors • The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum’s Avro Lancaster will conduct multiple fly-overs of the Waterfront between 11:00 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. on July 1st. This event is organized by the City of Hamilton in association with Le Rendez-Vous Naval de Quebec, Sail Training International, the Hamilton Port Authority and the Hamilton Waterfront Trust.  The Niagara More than 40 Tall Ships will be sailing Canadian waters to honour the 150th anniversary of the Canadian Confederation in 2017, with stops in Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes It is a Hamilton event – but they do have to sail past Burlington to get to Hamilton Harbour.
June 28th, 2017 BURLINGTON, ON
We didn’t see this one coming. A date in Hamilton is said to be the most expensive you will encounter – even higher than Toronto. The research for this dubious WORD was done by EliteSingles, a national organization in the relationship business.
The full study is on their web site – including a rundown of date night costs in 10 of Canada’s biggest cities, and a global dating comparison that shows the cost of dating in 25 cities around the world. They have highlighted the price differences in two interactive, shareable maps that you can find on our site. If the love of your life is in Hamilton – be ready to spend more than your Canadian Tire money. Given that just about everything in Burlington costs more than in Hamilton – especially when it come to gasoline prices – Oakville might be an option. The full scoop is HERE
June 27, 2017 BURLINGTON, ON
Joanna Roselli from Assumption Catholic High School has been awarded the 2017 Burlington Art in Action Group scholarship.  Joanna Roselli accepting the award with Rocco Di Ianni – Principal of Assumption Catholic Secondary School. Darlene Throop – Chair of the Art in Action Scholarship Committee and Gina Giannotti –Guidance Counsellor, Assumption Catholic Secondary School on the far right. For the last seven years the Burlington Art in Action Group, with the assistance of their sponsors, have been able to offer an Arts Scholarship to a graduating Burlington high school student continuing post-secondary education in an arts focused program. There were four talented applicants representing four high schools from both Boards of Education. The four member jury reviewed the applications and were very impressed with the variety and quality of art presented. The winner this year of the $1000.00 scholarship is also given free admission to participate in the Burlington Studio Tour which takes place on the first weekend of November and be a part of a show at the Art Gallery of Burlington Joanna will attend Ryerson University in the fall to study and be part of a four year program studying the business side of the arts. The Art in Action show preview will take place in October The Studio Tour takes place November 4th and 5th – 10:00 am to 5:00 PM. Put it in your calendar – it is one of those annual not to be missed events.
June 23rd, 2017 BURLINGTON, ON Movies under the Stars returns on Thursday, July 6, featuring free outdoor movie screenings at 9 p.m. every Thursday until Aug. 17. The films in the family movie series were chosen by residents through a weekly online poll earlier this spring. The selected movies and their locations are: Date Location Movie  Good clean family fun. Each movie will begin at 9 p.m. and will be shown on a large, inflatable screen. Healthy Kids Community Challenge will be at each event with fun activities and information on healthy snack choices for kids. Viewers are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs and blankets.
June 23rd, 2017 BURLINGTON, ON
It’s tough to eke out a win when you are up against the team that has yet to lose a baseball game this season.
The win left the Baycats at 14-0 and vying for a fourth straight title. For the Herd, Canice Ejoh doubled and had two RBI. Resse O’Farrell singled three times and had an RBI and scored a run. Nolan Pettipiece had the other RBI. Ben Braun (0-1) took the loss, giving up seven runs on nine hits in four innings with three walks and four strikeouts. Future games: Sunday, June 25 Standings
June 21, 2017 BURLINGTON, ON
This is good news – timely as well. The Nelson pool and splash pad are targeted to reopen on Saturday, July 15 The Recreational swims will be held daily between 10:30 a.m. and 8 p.m. Lap time swims can be found at: www.burlington.ca/  Bigger and better – but no sponsorship. In 2015 the city announced that “with two severe winter seasons back-to-back, the steel tank at Nelson Pool has seen an accelerated rate of deterioration,” said Chris Glenn, director of parks and recreation. “Ensuring public safety is our top priority, and thus the need to keep Nelson Pool closed.” Getting the pool re-built generated some vociferous debate when Ward 4 Councillor Jack Dennison wanted to hand the job off to the private sector and have a new pool in for the following summer City manager James Ridge suggested a plan like that was not very prudent and that 2017 was the more likely with 2018 a possible opening date as well. When the announcement on the made on the size of the pool and when it was most likely to open the city also released a report on possible sponsorship for the pool. During a discussion on fund raising for the Nelson pool reference was made to the consultant’s analysis which estimated value for a Facility Naming Sponsor could range between $300,000 to $350,000. It is also recommended that the payment terms could be as follows: • $30,000 – $35,000* annually for an agreement term of 8 to 10 years There doesn’t appear to have been a taker for this deal. Look for the photo ops when the pool opens. We recall watching Mike Wallace get himself soaked at the opening of a splash pad in Ward 3 – he was the Member of Parliament at the time. Perhaps all seven members of city council will take a leap into the water.
June 18, 2017 BURLINGTON, ON
Getting outhit didn’t stop the London Majors from outscoring the Burlington Herd. Despite Burlington’s 13-9 advantage in the hit column, the Majors made the most of their contact with an 8-3 road win Saturday afternoon. Chris McQueen went 2-for-5 with two RBI and two runs, while Cleveland Brownlee and LeJon Baker each doubled and drove in a pair of runs. Humberto Ruiz picked up a pair of hits and had an RBI and a run, and Brett Sabourin singled twice and scored once. Byron Reichstein walked three times and scored twice. Cory Hammond (3-0) went six innings and allowed two runs on 10 hits with a walk and three strikeouts. Jesse Anderson (0-1) took the loss, giving up eight runs on five hits in 3.1 innings with seven walks and four strikeouts. London improved to 12-0, and Burlington fell to 4-9. Future games: Tuesday, June 20 Standings
June 17, 2017 BURLINGTON, ON
Another Sound of Music weekend. While the event continually gets awards for being one of the best festivals in the province for the people of Burlington it is their weekend event. They flow into Spencer Smith Park in a steady stream of people – every shape, size, and gender. The Gazette positioned a photographer at the base of the Pier and watched people flow into the park. This is Burlington and this is what we look like.  It has always been this way – the boys looks – the girls ignore them.
 Night settles in – there is a 10 pm curfew for the bands.  The Pier gets visitors – a parachute glider attracts attention.  The evening was about listening to the music
 The girls are checking things out.  Many make it a family event.  He is just loving life
 Mom and her team.  You know who he likes.
 She is just really happy to be where she is!
June 17th, 2017 BURLINGTON, ON
It has to be the most impressive effort this city has seen, made by a bunch of people who just did not know how to take no for an answer. The Freeman railway station – that was really just a small spur on the railway line that went through Burlington – took on a life of its own when those “concerned citizens” fought hard to keep the station alive.  They still need donations and volunteers are always welcome – the big day will be July 1st. When your city council couldn’t find a home for the station, they did their best to try and sell it – even if it was just for kindling. No takers.  The Freeman station got moved around a number of times while the city figured out what it wanted to do with the thing. When city council failed to come up with a solution citizens helped by Councillors Meed Ward and Lancaster found a solution. A group was formed and they managed to find some support on city council – Councillors Meed Ward and Lancaster – joined forces to hold off the willingness of the rest of city council to see the thing meet a swift death – and end the ongoing embarrassment. The tearing up of the rail line on what is now a magnificent pathway along the edge of the lake was the end of old time rail transportation. Now GO trains, Via Rail and freight trains snake through the city but they don’t have the colour and the character that those old railway station waiting rooms had.  They had every reason to be smiling. Councillors Meed Ward and Lancaster pose with five members of the Friends of Freeman Station after the Council meeting that approved the entering into of a Joint Venture that would have the Friends moving the station and taking on the task of renovating the building. July 1 – the Freeman Station will get its Official Opening – the Mayor will cut the ceremonial ribbon. It should be Meed Ward and Lancaster doing that job – they earned it.  These are some of the group that pushed their city council to working with them to save the Freeman Junction railway station. The group that runs the Friends of Freeman station have this thing about the role of the Mayor – he didn’t do all that much to keep it alive in the early days. He did, to his credit, work to get them some of the funding they desperately needed to do all the work that was needed. The story of the hundreds of hours those guys put in – and it was mostly a male effort, should not go unrecorded.  Hardly a weekend went by during the last year and a half without at least some people working on the renovation of th station. With the official opening day close close at hand there is a drive to get as much done as possible. The Regions Heritage Services group has climbed aboard the effort and will be mounting a small exhibition in the space referred to as the Baggage Room. Sarah Rolko who works for Halton Heritage Services as an assistant curator said the Friends of Freeman approached the Regional Heritage people initially for fundraising, collections management and exhibition development in April 2016.  The station was taken off the blocks it was sitting on for a number of years and settled into their new home beside the Fire Station on Fairview. “The reconstruction process then got very busy and we were unable to reconnect with them until January 2017”, she said “We were able to start up conversations again after meeting in January 2017 at the “Making Heritage Happen Conference” hosted by Region. From there, we made a plan to develop an exhibit for the July 1st opening.  Sitting on some “cribbing” with a sign badly in need of several coats of paint, the Freeman Station gets ready for its big move. The exhibit focuses on the hard work of the Friends of Freeman and other involved members of the community so far as well as the importance of the station within the community in the past, especially the major role the railway played in developing the city of Burlington. The existence of the Freeman Station just might be the biggest thing Burlington has to celebrate and make note of as the County celebrates its first 150 years as a country.
June 14th, 2017 BURLINGTON, ON
Every once in a while a local governing authority does something that is just plain welcome.
So they park on the side of the road and the parking police drive by and issue parking tickets. That has changed there is now a parking lot.  The lot will accommodate about 25 cars. It is located at the corner of Walkers Line and #2 Side road and is part of Mt Nemo Conservation Area. The lot will accommodate approximately 25 cars. There will be parking fees. These fees will be consistent with the rest of the parks at $6.75/adult and $5/child. The road realignment and parking lot construction is to be completed by the end of July. The parking lot is currently open on weekends. Fees will not be required until later this year or early 2018.
June 14, 2017 BURLINGTON, ON
They were very attractive – close to beautiful and graceful – not words that are normally used to describe males – but they certainly applied to the eleven Arabian stallions that were running around a field on a magnificent farm in the Escarpment.  Megan Morris is drawing the horses towards her with a bucket o grain in her hands. Two of the horses were more interested in what the photographer was doing. The horses were part of a herd of 65 horses that are part of the Cavalia Odysseo that will be performing in Mississauga under a massive tent for a 12 day run.  Once the horses knew there was grain for them they clustered around to shove their noses into the bucket. This was a rest and recreation occasion for the animals that get fed eight times a day – five meals of hay and three of grain. The animals were very curious when we walked into the field to take some pictures – we wanted to see how they handled things when they were being fed grain so Megan Morris, one of the grooms fetched a bucket of oats – the horses gathered around her very very quickly. These are exceptionally well trained animals that have careers that are as short as a year and can last as long as six years – then it is full time retirement for them.  Megan is in the middle of the herd on a site that is about as majestic as it gets in the Escarpment, They live for up to twenty years – when there performance days are over they are adopted by people, often their trainers. Laure Warda, the communication lead, explained the adoption procedure – the rules are pretty rigid  The brown spots disappear as the horse ages. They will leave the fields in the Escarpment on Thursday and get trucked into Mississauga where they will perform under a huge tent. The riders and the horses have a relationship that is based on the needs, preferences and emotions of the animals. A performance will last no longer than 15 minutes – but that 15 minutes is the result of hundreds of hours of training. The shows begin June 21st and run through to July 16th. Tickets can be ordered online
June 12, 2017 BURLINGTON, ON
If you are using the GO train service to get to the Sound of Music Festival there is a shuttle service the organizers have arranged from the Burlington GO Station (access from the North side off Queensway Drive) to the Downtown John Street Transit Terminal.  The crowds will descend on Lakeshore Road and steam into Spencer Smith Park – Thursday is the official beginning of the annual music blowout! The fare of $3 per person for the round trip Shuttle ride helps to keep this convenient program sustainable. Children under 5 years are free. Shuttles operate on a continuous loop as follows: Thursday, June 15: 6 p.m. to Midnight Extended service is also available on Routes 3 North and South (to Burlington GO Station) and eastbound Route 10 buses at 11 and 11:30 p.m. on Friday, June 16 and Saturday, June 17, 2017. For more information on travelling to the festival please refer to Burlington’s Sound of Music website.
June 12, 2017 BURLINGTON, ON
Last week Burlington MPP Eleanor held her now annual Tea for the city’s seniors. The day happened to also be close to her first anniversary as a Member of the Wynne Cabinet and a member of the Treasury Board. We wanted to hear what McMahon had to say about the move from being a back bencher to becoming a member of Cabinet and then appointed to Treasury Board – which is the group that looks at where the money is going to come from and how it is going to be spent.  McMahon with Bill Reid Sr of the year 2016 McMahon explained that as a member of Treasury Board she is in a position where she is at times on one side the Treasury Board table asking questions and on other occasions on the opposite side answering questions. She has to explain and justify the plans her Ministry has and get them past the Treasury Board – and that isn’t always easy. McMahon is the Minister of Culture, Tourism and Sports for the province. At the federal level each of those three is a separate department. She has a Deputy Minister that reports to her and three Assistant Deputy Ministers that report to her deputy – the job is as close as one is going to get to heading up three ministries. And these aren’t little ministries. McMahon will tell you that culture contributes as much to the provincial gross domestic product as construction – which was a bit of a surprise to this reporter.  The Art Gallery of Burlington for funding for a van that lets them take art out into the community. Culture is a big deal that pulls the Minister into the soon to begin renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) – content and intellectual property are now big drivers of an economy. And keeping an economy healthy is the biggest part of the job for every Cabinet member. McMahon will let you know every chance she gets that Ontario is going to have a balanced budget. While relatively new to provincial politics – her 2014 election win was her first venture as a politician. She was personally recruited by Premier Kathleen Wynne; the fluently bilingual Minister has worked in the private sector with Petro Canada, the Ontario Medical Association, the Chamber of Commerce and the United Way. It was her United Way experience and contacts that made it possible for her to pick up the phone and convince them to let the 2014 flood relief program to use their web site platform to begin collecting donations. When McMahon first stepped into the provincial legislature we asked her: “What’s it like?” How did you feel when you first walked in the Legislature and took your seat”? “There are 13 million people in Ontario” explained McMahon. “And just 107 in the Legislature – that fact just overwhelmed me. I am one of those 107 and the 13 million expect me to make good decisions for them.” While it seems like a long time ago – the 2014 flood was a baptism by fire for McMahon. She had to convince the province to get on board with a matching dollar program and that was not a simple task. The province initially said no – which had McMahon working the telephones to get that decision changed. The city raised $905,000 which the province matched on a 2 for 1 basis creating a fund of $2,715,000 that was distributed to people whose homes had been flooded.  Seniors get top billing with McMahon. It isn’t all drudgery and work – McMahon stood up in the legislature recently and said the province needed to have some fun – the rubber duck was coming to Ontario. A lot of her colleagues on the opposition side of the legislature hammered her for spending tax dollars foolishly – McMahon explained that the rubber duck was going to visit communities that asked to be destinations. “They got it” said McMahon who added that thousands of people will show up to do selfies with the 161 foot tall rubber duck. The Ontario 150 Tour in celebration of Canada’s 150th anniversary features a summer of entertainment in waterfront cities and towns. It launches on Canada Day weekend in Toronto and then travels to Owen Sound, Sault Ste. Marie, Midland, Amherstburg and finishes in Brockville on August 13th. McMahon couldn’t say if the duck was coming to Burlington – each destination works out its own arrangement with the festival organizers. What a draw that duck would be as it slid by the Pier and moved on into Hamilton harbour. That wasn’t something the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport was going to get into. She is now in early election mode – pounding the pavement with the provincial Liberal organization getting the word out on the job she has been doing.  McMahon moved her office out of a dreary high rise and into a new building with much better exposure. As she works the election trail there will be some explaining to do – the sale of part of Hydro One has a lot of people upset – they don’t think Crown Jewels should be sold. The huge sums of money being put into infrastructure are a plus and the eventual electrification of the GO train service along with 15 minute service are welcome. A government heading into its 15th year of leading the province raises some eyebrows. McMahon sees it all a little differently – she saw her win in 2014 as putting a Liberal in the Legislature to represent Burlington for the first time in 70 years.
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