 By Staff
March 21st, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Spring skiing can be really nice. It’s a chance to get an early start on your tan.
Not much left to the season though and for those in Halton, know that – Glen Eden will reopen for one last weekend of skiing and snowboarding for the 2016/17 season from Friday, March 24 until Sunday, March 26.
 One weekend left in the season. A combination of some recent natural snow, the remaining man made snow and some cooler seasonal temperatures mean the skiing and snowboarding season will continue for a few more days.
Glen Eden is closed this week Monday through Thursday, and is reopening Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Lifts will be running from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Lift tickets will be $22 this weekend (rather than $38 for adults and $33 for teens), and all season passes are valid (Super Value, 5×7 and All Access). Glen Eden opened for the 2016-17 season on December 17, 2016.
“We would like to thank all the skiers, snowboarders and lesson participants who visited Glen Eden during the 2016/17 season,” said Gene Matthews, Director, Operations, Conservation Halton. “Glen Eden enjoyed a successful season this past year with visitation returning to typical levels. Our grooming and snowmaking team did a fantastic job with temperatures which were above seasonal, particularly in February.”
The Glen Eden season typically starts before Christmas and Boxing Day and is usually concluded by the end of March Break. Last season, Glen Eden didn’t open until January 8, 2016, the latest start to a season in ten years, and closed on March 12, 2016, the earliest closing in the same time frame. Recognizing the varying winter conditions Southern Ontario receives each year, Glen Eden depends on making its own snow and continuous investments in snowmaking infrastructure
If you want to hit the hills next season there is an Early Bird special for the 2017/18 season on Season Passes and for the first time ever all the Snow School programs. You can register now for the Snow School programs now for next season.
The Early Bird features the best available pricing of the year on all Season Pass and Snow School programs. It closes on April 12, 2017.
 By Pepper Parr
March 20, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
She was born in Burlington, graduated from Lester B. Pearson High School and went on to the University of Guelph where she earned an undergraduate degree in Fine Arts and a second degree in Landscape Architecture..
Tamara Kwapich then realized that unless she learned to drive a cab she wasn’t going to make much in the way of a living and took a course in Computer Aided drafting at Mohawk College, then toiled for a number of years and put oil on canvas while developing her art style.
 Tamara Kwapich She married her high school sweetheart (set her eyes on him when she was 14) and got to know him much better when she was 18.
Upon graduation Tamara and her husband spent eight months in Poland teaching English.
Now an established artist with two grown boys Tamara looks around her and wonders – “what’s next”?
She has been part of the Art In Action tours and was selected as one of six people to do a mural in a specific ward of the city.
Tamara chose Ward 5, the Orchard and, in a light almost whimsical way, she caught what the Orchard once was; acre upon acre of fruit trees that made Burlington the produce capital of the country.
The Orchard mural is on a field house beside Alexander’s public school on Sutton Drive. You can’t miss it.
When one stands back from the mural and glances to the left and the right you can imagine what those fields of fruit trees used to look like.
 The Orchard. If you are in he area pull over and take a close look at the faces down into most of the apples. The community wasn’t called the Orchard because someone liked the name – that is what it once was. The day we took the photographs it was cold, blustery with the few people that were out walking quickly to keep warm. One wonders if the earth did not ask – what did you do with the trees that used to be here?
 The Owl and the Pussy Cat. Kwapich currently has an exhibit of her work on display in the Fireside Room and the Art Gallery of Burlington. The style she used in those painting is considerably different than the orchard mural. Her “The Owl and the Pussy Cat is one the best we have seen.
Big art however seems to have gotten a grip on Kwapich; she has entered the competition for public art on sports facilities in the city. She wants to paint large air balloons and have them floating along the side of the Mainway arena.
Kwapich wants to paint big – “I want more physicality in my work”, she said and dreams of being hoisted up on a lift and so she can paint away at a large picture that will be seen by thousands of people
The big big murals are not the only thing that interest Kwapich – she is thinking about doing paintings of older people, portraits that show the wrinkles and the character in people’s faces.
Kwapich doesn’t have much interest in the photo-shopped look that is sought by people who want to control what an artist creates.
 Boy on a roof near a cherry tree – the boy happens to be one of Tamara Kwapich’s sons Making art in Burlington is not an easy row to hoe. Kwapich is aware of the city’s cultural stagnation and also very aware of how difficult it is to find affordable studio space. Burlington didn’t have very many factories that could be converted into loft for artists and musicians. Imagine what could have been done with the Aylmer canning factory that used to sit at the bottom of Brant Street – what an artist colony that could have become.
The saving grace for the arts community in Burlington is the amount of money the city is prepared to spend on public art.
There are murals, there is a nice piece of sculpture that was unfortunately out in the wrong place but that doesn’t take way from the quality of the art.
 Tamara Kwapich’s submission for the art competition to celebrate what sports has done for the city. There are plans to put murals on the sides or th grounds of sports facilities around the city. The Spiral Stella outside the Performing Arts Centre is a treasure that doesn’t seem to get the public exposure it deserves
 Is the boy the prey? Or is the fox wondering why he is there? And what does the owl have to say about what is taking place? There was a bit of a hope at one point that space would be available in the Beachway Park that is still in the design stage but it looks as if the plan is to ‘Disneyfy’ that part of the city and make it a destination of some sort. Artists done grow in that kind of environment and while there is a segment of every population that will always buy Elvis on velvet – it isn’t what Kwapich sees herself doing in the years ahead.
The city is still groping and trying to find the artist in itself; no clear direction yet.
Kwapich sees artistic growth for herself in those large murals the city is putting real coin on the table to have done – and she kind of likes the idea of doing portraits that are different, something that is more interested in capturing the character rather than the look of the person.
Certainly something well worth trying – is Burlington ready for that level of art?
The Kwapich art is on exhibit at the AGB until the end of the month.
By Staff
March 17th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The Lowville Festival will again be presenting artistic experiences for audiences old and young in north Burlington’s Escarpment country May 26th to May 28th.
This year’s Festival, the third annual, will a couple of stellar headline attractions, including legendary Canadian guitarist Liona Boyd and the celebrated Toronto comedy troupe Second City.
 What are the sounds of the Escarpment? The Lowville Festival defines itself as “a festival of all the arts for the artist in all of us”. The ultimate aim is not only to feature all of the performing, visual and literary arts, but also to provide opportunities for attendees to participate in the creative process. To that end, local singers are again invited to join the Lowville Festival Choir, which will appear in the opening concert. And budding visual artists will have an opportunity to participate in demonstrations in Saturday’s Sights and Sounds in the Escarpment, the Festival’s first collaboration with the Art Gallery of Burlington.
Kudo’s to both Bob Missen and Robert Stephen, president of the AGB, for getting in bed together and making this happen.
For the third annual festival, the trio that puts the program together has changed the festival dates to late May to avoid the torrid heat that they experienced during the past couple of summers, and also to set themselves apart from the huge number of festivals that take place in July.
And the country will be going gaga celebrating Canada’s Sesquicentennial.
 In addition to the two venues on the Guelph Line that the Festival has been utilizing since the it’s inception, Lowville United Church and St. George’s Anglican Parish Hall, Missen is going to erect a large tent in Lowville Park where both Second City and Motus O will perform.
The tent idea hearkens back to the days when the Stratford Festival fist performed under canvas. Bronte creek is a much more natural backdrop than the Avon River in Stratford will ever be.
 The 2017 festival will be launched on Friday May 26th with a concert at St. George’s Hall entitled To Canada with love. Famed Canadian guitarist Liona Boyd, one of the finest guitar players this country has produced will headline a celebration of Canada’s 150th birthday along with her new guitar partner Andrew Dolson. A highlight will be the appearance by the Lowville Festival Choir under the direction of Hamilton-born Wayne Strongman , former conductor of Hamilton’s Bach-Elgar Choir.
Saturday’s daytime activities, Sights and Sounds in the Escarpment, will take place at Lowville United Church, a Victorian jewel located at the south end of the hamlet of Lowville. Attendees will have an opportunity to take in demonstrations from some of Burlington’s finest artists and artisans, and also to make art themselves. During the afternoon they will also be serenaded in the church sanctuary by some of the region’s finest young performers under the direction of acclaimed music director Michael Mulrooney.
The Lowville Festival Tent will play host on Saturday night to Second City. The celebrated sketch/improv company, which gave birth to the legendary SCTV television series, will be presenting what Festival promoter Bob Missen calls “a devilishly satirical show” entitled Canada, the thinking man’s America.
The festival finale will be a presentation of MOTUS O’s production of Alice. A tour de force for the entire family featuring music, dance and theatre, inspired by both Alice in Wonderland and Alice Through the Looking Glass, Alice will also be presented in the Lowville Festival Tent on Sunday afternoon May 28th.
 Bob Missen and Loretta Bailey performing during the inaugural Lowville Festival. The Lowville Festival is the vision of an artistic/management team of three. Two are Burlington performing artists: Lorretta Bailey, a Lowville resident, who has performed in musical theatre productions across Canada, including the original Toronto production of Les Miserables; and Robert Missen, proprietor of the Bobolink Agency, an artist management company that handles some of the bigger names in the Canadian arts field.
Missen was the 2016 inductee into the Burlington Performing Arts Centre Hall of Fame. Barbara Anderson-Huget, former Arts and Culture Manager for the Town of Gravenhurst and Executive Director of CARFAC Ontario, the association of visual artists, rounds out this trio.
Friday, May 26
7:30 pm
St. George’s Parish Hall
To Canada with Love: Celebrating Canada 150, featuring Liona Boyd and the Lowville Festival Choir
Saturday, May 27
1pm to 4pm
Lowville United Church
Free Event!
Sights and Sounds in the Escarpment in collaboration with the Art Gallery of Burlington
Sponsored by: Ontario Trillium Foundation
7:30pm
Lowville Park – Festival Tent
Second City Comedy Troupe
Canada: The Thinking Man’s America
Sunday, May 28
2pm
Lowville Park- Festival Tent
Motus O Dance Theatre’s Alice
Tickets will be available through Snapd after April 15th.
 By Ray Rivers
March 17, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Globe and Mail journalist John Ibbitson sees little daylight between the foreign policies of Justin Trudeau and former Prime Minister Harper. Ibbitson should have an inside track on something like this given his extensive record as a journalist and someone who recently completed a biography on Mr. Harper.
 A Canadian soldier explains the conduct of a patrolling raid to a Ukrainian platoon during small team training at the International Peacekeeping and Security Centre in Starychi, Ukraine. And the proof. Canada hasn’t yet reopened the embassy in Iran, which Harper had closed. The Liberals have extended Harper’s military mission in Ukraine, and like the former government are providing training but no serious defensive hardware. The European and other free trade deals are moving ahead as if Mr. Harper were still in charge. And Harper’s pet Keystone XL has been blessed with the go-ahead by the new US president.
But seriously, Harper would never have supported the recent UN motion condemning Israel’s ongoing settlements on Palestinian territory. Nor would the former PM have been seen signing onto the Paris climate change accord with such determination. Our immigration and refugee policies are at a significant distance from where Harper was taking Canada. And Trudeau has now granted our NAFTA cousins in Mexico visa-free entry.
 Justin Trudeau campaigned on Real Change – the exact definition of what that meant wasn’t clear – what we are getting may not have been what we thought we were being given. Trudeau was the candidate of change, so one should expect to see some daylight between him and the others. He out-flanked the NDP on the left and he turned conventional thinking on its head promising to run deficits, legalize pot, open the nation’s gates to Syrian refugees, do something serious about climate change, reform Canada’s indigenous policy and change the way MP’s get elected.
But some folks are losing their religion, getting anxious, frustrated, disillusioned, or worse. Time has a habit of eroding promises and dreams – like sand on a hillside on a windy day – or the brash and bold promises made on a campaign pulpit on election eve.
And a year later, there are business folk still waiting for that massive deficit-funded stimulus to kick-in. Aboriginal leaders are wondering when they’ll see real change in their lives and their place in Canada. Environmentalists, enthused with the declaration of a nation-wide carbon tax, are licking their wounds after the rash of pipeline announcements, and worrying about how the dinosaur leading the lemmings south of the border, might affect environmental policy in the Great White North.
 Federal Ministers Jane Phillpot; Health and Jody Wilson-Raybould, Justice And then there is that marijuana wannabe crowd. They know that pot is the biggest cash crop in the United States. So they’ve got the business munchies – eager to start making money by selling dope. But Mr. Trudeau has made it clear that legalization is mainly about keeping weed out of the hands of children. So he has smoked the wannabe vendors by sicking the cops on them – telling the police to enforce the law, even though everybody knows the law is slated to change sometime soon.
Well it is slated to change unless that particular promise gets deferred or cancelled. Folks are nervous after the PM dumped his promise on electoral reform into the trash bin of good intentions. We may recall that his father had commissioned a study back in 1969, the Le Dain Commission, which recommended removing criminal penalties for simple possession and allowing the cultivation of marijuana for personal use.
There may not have been broad consensus on pot then. Decriminalization may not have been the highest priority for the government of the late Pierre Trudeau at that time. And perhaps Nixon got in the way with his ‘war on drugs’. Still, decriminalizing Mary Jane would have kept a lot of harmless people out of jail, and would perhaps do more for the economy today than the billions Mr. Trudeau is pumping into infrastructure,
 Marijuana – the new cash crop  Canola – an existing cash crop. which of the two is healthier? Stephen Harper used to argue that the best way to keep narcotics out of the hands of young people was to just do what his government had been doing – throwing people in jail. But nothing could be further from the truth if the experience in US jurisdictions holds up.
Marijuana use among America’s youth has fallen dramatically since states started legalizing the substance. And that would put Trudeau definitely on the right track to meet his objective. And that, Mr. Ibbitson, would be a lot of daylight between him and Mr. Harper – at least on this file.
 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 in 1995. He was the founder of the Burlington citizen committee on sustainability at a time when climate warming was a hotly debated subject. Tweet @rayzrivers
Background links:
John Ibbitson – Trudeau’s Foreign Policy – Enforcing the Law – Electoral Reform –
Indigenous Policy – Cannabis in Colorado – Legalized MJ – Le Dain Commission –
Youth Trends – USA Drug History –
 By Pepper Parr
March 16th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
They want to write a book about us; well not just us – they want to include us in a book to be titled Passion over Pay – which certainly applies to the Burlington Gazette and its publisher.
The people taking on this task did their initial funding through Indigogo – they did better than the Gazette did when they went looking for financial support.
The purpose of the book – which will be in a coffee table format and sold on line – is to tell the story of those people who put their passion over pay for projects that exist for the benefit of others.
They will do interviews and we will make certain that we tell the world that Burlington is the best mid-size city in Canada and that the city sold a chunk of the land along the edge of the lake for a pittance – ending forever the chance to create a Waterfront Trail that would be really complete.
There will be something about the trials and tribulations about publishing in this city and taking on the challenge of drawing an audience away from print to the web site where we are able to publish instantly and do not have much in the way of space limitations.
We will look for a way to tell the really marvellous story about the citizens group that are behind the Terry Fox monument in Spencer Smith Park and tell the story about the park itself as well.
Someone recommend the Gazette as a Passion over Pay possibility and we said sure, why not.
The they, is a couple of buddies from back in college. Ben Firn and Mark Bennett are the driving force behind this initiative;
 Ben Firn and Mark Bennett; one is a New Zealander and the other collects trivia. Which does which? Since College both found homes in the start-up world. They kept in touch and partly because of their shared affinity for part-time projects and side hustles they came up with this idea.
The original press run isn’t going to get them on the New York Times list of Best Sellers unless the Gazette buys a couple of cartons and hands them out to all those bureaucrats we write about – city council for sure – right?
We will keep you posted.
 By Staff
March 14th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The City of Burlington has begun construction on an exciting new project. “The Knot” (or Elgin Promenade) is the name of an urban pathway connecting the downtown to the Centennial Multi-Use Pathway. It might have been called “Shortcut to the Poacher” but that would have been too exciting for Burlington, the town the late Jane Irwin, the city’s best advocate for keeping our heritage once referred to as ‘Borington’ when she delegated to city council.
 The Knot – no idea why that name was chosen – will create a pathway linking the Centennial Trail in the east to streets that will get a bike rider as far west as the canal – basically the city limits. This multi-use pathway will service more than 10,000 people every year and provide public space for a wide range of leisure activities, community events and easy access to shops and restaurants. It will also ensure that public space is preserved and celebrated for years to come.
 Al the property inside those yellow lines once belonged to the city. Ownership of the middle section was shared with an Ontario Ministry. The property was sold for a pittance. The two pieces at either end were turned into Windows on the Lake. Many would have loved to see the same approach taken to some of the most precious land the city once owned – that stretch of property between Market and St. Paul Streets on the south side of Lakeshore Road.
The location of this new pathway is where the city’s transit terminal was once located
The design of the new park will be led by a team of architects – yet to be named – who will work with the city’s Capital Works Department and provide input into the overall design of the pathway with specific attention paid to core place-making elements.
 Preliminary design of the pathway will begin in early April 2017 with construction expected to be complete by March of 2018. This project is on an accelerated timeline due to Federal Canada 150 funding. The selected artist(s) must be available to attend regular meetings in Burlington, Ontario from late April – August 2017.
Deadline for Expressions of Interest is March 31st.
The project has a budget of $20,000
Click HERE to download the Request for Expressions of Interest.
Related news story.
 By Staff
March 14, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The City of Burlington invites artists to submit Expressions of Interest to create a permanent public artwork for a traffic island located at Plains Road (QEW Ramp, West of Plains Road QEW Overpass) in the Aldershot community of Burlington, Ontario.
The deadline for submissions is April 28th, budget for the project is $25,000
 Plains Road – no longer just the highway to Hamilton but now a Main Street in a part of the city with an identity of its own Plains Road has undergone significant revitalization and growth in recent years. The City of Burlington undertook a Functional Design and Implementation Strategy in 2011 for the Plains Road Corridor.
 Ward 1 Councillor Rick Craven, at a stone marker identifying the participants of the Plans Road Village Vision. This process resulted in a number of suggestions including widening bike lanes, beautifying the area, roadway improvements, and increasing the number of pedestrian crossings and islands.
A significant portion of this work has been completed and additional improvements will continue over the next 10 – 20 years, with the goal of transforming Plains Road from a thoroughfare into a main-street corridor.
 Engineering drawing of the location of the public art. Public art will play an important role in this transformation. The median project will add to the street’s public art collection and will be used as a pilot project to consider the integration of future public artworks into additional medians on Plains Road.
 Civic officials and politicians gather around the $100,000 piece of public art on Upper Middle Road. Locating public art is an art in itself. About five years ago the city commissioned a work of art that was interesting enough – but located the work on Upper Middle Road in a median just before a railway underpass. There isn’t much time for drivers to see the art and there is next to nothing in the way of pedestrian traffic.
This competition is open to all professional Canadian artists. An artwork proposal is not requested at this time. Artist applications will be reviewed on the basis of artistic merit, professional qualifications and experience. Short-listed artists will be paid an honorarium of $750 to develop a preliminary design concept.
 Google view of the Plains Road location for public art. Download the Request for Expressions of Interest (pdf)
 By Staff
March 13th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The Burlington Performing Arts Centre is accepting nominations for its 2017 Hall of Fame Inductee.
 Bob Missen, 2016 inductee into the Performing Arts Centre Hall of Fame. Missen joined Gordie Tapp (2013), Rainer Noack (2014), Lawrence Bonanno and Stewart Laughton (2015) Established in 2013, The Burlington Performing Arts Centre’s Hall of Fame recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to the performing arts in Burlington. Recipients of this award demonstrate the diversity of artistic accomplishment that comprises the rich cultural tapestry of the City of Burlington. The Hall of Fame Inductee will be announced at the 2017/2018 Season Launch event held at The Centre on Tuesday, May 17.
Nomination applications must be submitted by noon on Monday, April 10th, 2017. The nomination form can be downloaded from The Centre’s website.
The Burlington Performing Arts Centre recognizes individual and group artists contribution to Burlington’s reputation as a city with a strong, long-term commitment to the development of cultural excellence.
The Centre’s Interim Executive Director, Brian McCurdy notes, “Year after year, we receive so many nominations for individuals who have made an impact through their work within or for the performing arts in our Community. It is a statement about the community as a whole and the overall commitment to Arts & Culture that we receive so many quality nominations.”
McCurdy went on to say, “This is a meaningful way to recognize those who have distinguished themselves by making the performing arts a part of our lives in a significant way.”
Hall of Fame Inductees include Gordie Tapp (2013), Rainer Noack (2014), Lawrence Bonanno (2015) and Stewart Laughton (2015) and Bob Missen (2016)
By Pepper Parr
March 11, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Here is the message I got – thought I would pass it along:
This Saturday night remember to SPRING FORWARD so you’re not late to church!
 The fire department reminds people that this is a time to ensure that you change the batteries in your smoke alarms.
Today everyone understands that the way we record the time of day is, for the most part, done by everyone at the same time. It wasn’t always that way. There was a time when every municipality could set the clocks that way they wanted which played havoc with railway schedule. What was noon in one town was 1 pm in another.
A man named Sanford Fleming advocated for a system of time zones that would be applied to the whole world. Fleming didn’t get what he thought should exists but he was instrumental in bringing about a standardized system.
 Sandford Fleming (in tallest hat) at the ceremony of the “last spike” being driven on the Canadian Pacific Railway. He advocated for the time recording system we use today. Fleming was an incredible Canadian – he designed the first postage stamp and was at the ceremony where the last spike was driven into the tracks of the Canadian Pacific Railway that ran across the country.
 By Staff
March 9th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Why now?
Because they can and to recognize and celebrate Canada 150 and surprise the community with a march, convergence and performance.
The Burlington Teen Tour Band Canada 150 Surprise Performance is going to take place Monday, March 13, at the Burlington Mall.
The Band will march in through different entrances of the Burlington Mall and converge near the food court. They will exit the mall together through the west doors near Cogeco and perform in the mall parking lot at the corner of Fairview Street and Guelph Line to celebrate Canada 150.
Monday, March 13, 2017 at noon.
 The Burlington Teen Tour Band took over the Burlington Performing Arts Centre the day the city turned the building over to the community. Weather is predicted to be cold – but that doesn’t dampen the spirits or the skills of this remarkable Burlington institution.
The band did much the same thing when they took part in the opening of the Performing Arts Centre.
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 By Staff
March 9th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The BSCI, which is the Burlington Seniors Community Inc. has announced a meeting, there first we believe since they were unceremoniously turfed from the Seniors’ Centre a number of months ago.
 The locks on the door to the room they called their board room were reported to have been changed.
The Gazette has been told that the association did manage to take the cash they had in the bank with them – a reported $200,000
Getting a statement from Fred Hendriks, President of the Burlington Seniors Community has been impossible.
The organization is going to hold a meeting to talk about how they are going to move forward.
The meeting is to take place at the Library on Tuesday, March 28th: 10:00 am to noon.
 By Staff
March 9th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The wind kept traffic off the Skyway Bridge until close to 6:00 pm creating traffic jam havoc for those heading west out of the city.
The dramatic removal of a truck trailer from the bridge was part of the late afternoon news feed.
The damage done to the cemetery at St. Luke’s Anglican Church on Elgin Street, the oldest church in the city, is going to require close to a total rebuild of the western side. Two very large trees were brought down by the wind with a large number of tombstones in the cemetery that fronts onto Ontario Street were damaged.
The land which St. Luke’s is built on was given to Joseph Brant, the famous Mohawk leader, for his services to British-Canadian forces during the American Revolution. Brant, who had been an Anglican since the age of twenty, gave the land to his daughter, Elizabeth. She, in turn, donated the land for the construction of a church.
Pictures tell the cemetery story:
 The task of removing the branches is going to prove to be a very delicate one. Many of the tombstones will have to be handled very carefully.  It did not appear that any of the tombstones were broken.  The cemetery is going to look a lot different when the damaged trees are removed.
 By Donna Grandin
March 8th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Where’s our Supercrawl, Burlington?
Yes, we have Sound of Music, but that’s an annual event in a park. The momentum of the annual Supercrawl is sustained by monthly art crawls, and the creative businesses on James St. N and surrounding streets.
 Donna Grandin is a successful local artist active in the annual Art Tour. Where is our local art scene? The pop-up galleries, established commercial art galleries, affordable artists’ studios, and then all the other businesses that develop on the fringes of the “scene”?
In the last five years especially, I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know many of you Arts & Culture people in Burlington, but I’ve also seen us lose talented members of our community as they answered the call of lower cost of living, and a more support for the arts, in Hamilton.
Do we just not have enough people interested in buying local art, in going out to local arts events, in investing in the local arts community?
Apparently, there’s not enough potential for gentrification, our real estate prices are too high, rent is too high.
But I still see empty buildings here and there.
Any thoughts?
By Pepper Parr
March 7th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
 Rivers looks at print media from time to time – he prefers the electronic format for the immediacy it gives him and the ability to link what he writes to solid background material, Our ace columnist Ray Rivers has become a member of the Canadian Association of Journalists, sometimes called the Centre for Investigative Journalism and plans on attending one of Premier Wynn’s media Roundtables being held for regional media to discuss Ontario’s Fair Hydro Plan and how it benefits communities across the province on Wednesday, March 8, 2017.
River cover politics for the Gazette – he’s been doing that for five years now.
Members of the media able to attend in person are asked to arrive at the Premier’s Office at 4:45 p.m. Those unable to attend are invited to call in.
 In his spare time Rivers like to play the guitar and enjoy the Goodness of Guinness. Rivers will be on deck Wednesday afternoon when he and a herd of other media will meet with the Premier as she explains what she plans to do to get her government past the post on the June 2018 provincial election
By Pepper Parr
March 6th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
It is as official as it can get – Trevor Copp will be doing Shakespeare at the RBG ROCK next August. He is looking for a fund-raising intern for his summer “Shakespeare at the Rock” production at the Royal Botanical Gardens (RBG) at the Burlington-Hamilton border.
 Trevor Copp listening to RBG Director Mark Runciman at the opening of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Rock last year. Last summer Copp put on one of the more successful events in the city – 2000 attended last year’s event at the RBG’s new Rock Gardens over eight performances, which has now been extended to a three week run for August 2018.
The fund raising intern will be mentored in the areas of corporate sponsorship and individual giving by one of Canada’s most senior fundraisers whose experience includes leading campaigns for the Grand Theatre in London and the Development Director for the National Ballet of Canada.
 Eight performances of Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream were interrupted by rain one one occasion, a serious traffic accident on the QEW that kept the cast away from the outdoor stage – but it was still the outstanding arts event of last year’s season. And its on again for a three week run next August. Ideal candidates are/intend to obtain full certification in corporate fundraising. This is a paid internship to occur over the course of 2-3 months from June – August with some responsibilities falling outside of these dates as well. If interested, please contact Tottering Biped Theatre’s Artistic Director Trevor Copp at
artisticdirector@totteringbiped.ca
The position involves professional level writing skills, the covering letter will show what your writing chops are like – that letter should have a couple of paragraphs on why you are ideal for the job – include references.
By Pepper Parr
March 6th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
When the Lieutenant Governor of the province , the Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, visited the Art Gallery of Burlington recently, to participate in a round table discussion with a group of 15 seniors on how Burlington meets the challenge of affordable housing she also brought with her an idea that she passed along.
 Lieutenant Governor of the province , the Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell. Dowdeswell shared her idea of a project she has initiated called 150 Stories. In her words: “It is my hope” said Dowdeswell, “ that by actively listening to our stories we can become more aware of and better understand each other and, in turn, create the communities and country of which we can be proud.”
The idea took hold and the volunteers as the AGB are now actively looking for the 150 stories from the people who have made the AGB what it is.
The AGB is a community made up of many individual teams and people. Their strength lies in their ability to connect with others within our own Gallery community so that we can in turn can reach out and continue to grow.
They have decided to follow her Excellency’s inspirational idea and create their own 150 stories – specific to the AGB and are people to consider contributing to the AGB book of 150 stories.
In 150 words, share what it means to be a part of the AGB.
The stories will be collected from now until the AGB Volunteer Appreciation event on April 25th where the stories on display.
Touch base via email with Becky@agb.life. They are going to collect stories until they have reached 150!
Consider submitting images (yourself, or your art) along with your 150 words.
By Staff
March 3rd, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
It was to be built with federal money and there was a deadline – March 15th of this year – so there wasn’t much time for photo ops for the political class.
 The old Gazebo had some character – this view shows the stump of the magnificent willow that was cut down. Down came the old structure – at a time when the public wouldn’t see it happening. Down came those two magnificent willow trees that were nowhere near the level of rot that the arbourists said they were – which was the reason they were taken down – public safety.
 The new Gazebo – looks a bit like the kind of place Mennonites would tie up their horses to keep them out of the sunshine. Not a lot of character to this pretty bland looking feature to one of the best waterfront parks in this country. The new gazebo doesn’t appear to have all that much character – but let’s give them time to finish the job. It had to be made fully accessible.
The waterfront we have today is the result of the hard work and consistent effort by Spencer Smith who was a merchant with a shop on Brant Street yards away from the edge of the lake.
The two will trees were planted by Smith.
Parts of the willow trees were saved and will be cut into planks that will be used to build objects – perhaps a desk that will be used by future Mayors?
There were 200 seedlings taken as well. They are being nursed and will be given away at some point in the future. THAT will be the photo op for the political class.
Who was Spencer Smith
The evolution of the new Gazebo
By Staff
March 2, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
One of the strengths of the Art Gallery of Burlington are the Guilds – they are the bedrock on which the place was built.
There are Guilds for a number of disciplines including, Fibre Arts, Handweavers and Spinners, Hooking Craft, Latow, Photography, Potters, Sculptors and Woodcarvers,
 Crafts are for anyone and everyone. Burlington’s MPP Eleanor McMahon tries her hand at a loom during an AGB event. MP Karina Gould is on the right with AGB president Robert Steven on the left. The Arts Burlington Annual General Meeting is taking place on March 9, 2017 at 7 pm. in the Rotary Room at the Art Gallery of Burlington.
The evening will feature Robert Steven, President and CEO of the Art Gallery of Burlington, as well as annual reports by our guild presidents: Fine Arts, Latow Photographers, Handweavers and Spinners, Fibre Arts, Sculptors and Woodcarvers, Hooking Craft, and Potters
A keynote speech by Ms. Sandy Simmelink, “Art, Time and Tools.”
Light refreshments provided.
 By Staff
February 28th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
There was an extensive look at the way the Tim Hortons operation has changed now that there is new foreign ownership in place.
The tag line on the magazine cover said: “Since taking over the iconic chain in 2014, its new Brazilian owner, 3G Capital, has purged head office, slashed costs and squeezed suppliers. Shareholders are happy, but is 3G tearing the heart out of Timmy’s?”
 A lot of people are getting screwed over as a result of the cost cutting at Tim Hortons. will the Sound of Music take a hit at the sponsorship level? Senior management at the head office in Oakville was close to decimated. The corporate mantra is cost cutting – and they took to that like ducks to water.
A lot of good people in Burlington had to find new jobs.
What hasn’t worked its way to the top of the pile is what is the cost cutting is going to do, if anything, to the sponsorship money Tim Hortons has poured into Burlington in the past.
They were major sponsors of Sound of Music – will that continue?
Stay tuned.
By Staff
February 27, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Does the city know something the rest of us don’t know?
Is winter really over?
Meteorologists and climatologists in the northern hemisphere generally consider December, January and February as the winter months – Wednesday is March 1st – so it must be true.
 To make it real the city has officially closed the Rotary Pond skating rink at Discovery Landing.
Mild temperatures have brought the outdoor skating season to a close for the 2016-17 season.
Over the next few weeks, City of Burlington staff will begin preparing for the spring when the 10,000 square-foot (929 square-metre) feature transforms into a reflective pond.
Chris Glenn, Director of Parks and Recreation explains: “After a very successful season of outdoor skating, the city made the decision to close the rink at Discovery Landing for this winter. The record-breaking, mild temperatures we’ve experienced this month have made it challenging to maintain skating conditions that are safe and enjoyable. More than 14,500 skaters enjoyed some winter fun this season at the outdoor rink overlooking Spencer Smith Park and Lake Ontario. Thank you to everyone who donated skates to the city’s new skate lending program at Rotary Centennial Pond.”
There were 150 pairs of skates donated skates to the skate lending program; they were borrowed through the skate lending program on 1,200 occasions
The public was able to skate on the pond for 64 days in the 2016-17 season.
And that is more information than you really needed to know – skate loan program was a nice feature though; kudos for whoever came up with that idea.
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