 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.
 By Ray Rivers
February 24th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Canada’s Criminal Code prohibits hate propaganda of all kinds. The Canadian Human Rights Act forbids discrimination, including race and religion. All provinces and territories have human rights legislation which mimics the federal act in matters of provincial or territorial concern, as for example, in areas of employment or accommodation. And overriding all of this is the Charter of Rights and Canada’s constitution.
 MP Iqra Khalid introduced a Motion in the House of Commons. So why is Liberal MP Iqra Khalid, so driven to get her motion on Islamophobia passed by the House? And why is she having such a tough time, including receiving death threats? In part the problem lies with the title – ‘Anti-Islamophobia’. Nobody seems to really know what that term, invented only a couple decades ago, even means. A phobia is an irrational fear. Yet, the outcome we are most concerned with is hate, and not fear – anti-Islamic.
Former Liberal MP and respected statesman Irwin Cotler had pushed through an independent motion on anti-semitism under the former Harper government. But then anti-semitism is a pretty well understood matter, we have only to think about the holocaust. And Cotler’s motion was pretty clear about its aims and objectives. So he is not impressed with Khalid’s motion – particularly regarding that term in its title.
There are some folks concerned that this motion is the proverbial camel with its nose in the tent – eventually the rest of its body will follow. The fear is that Sharia law and blasphemy legislation are just around the corner, ready to spring into the law books, once this motion gets passed. The opponents argue that this will legitimize further infringements of our rights to free speech, or worse. That may be a reach, but I’ve heard people being accused of anti-semitic bias for merely protesting against Israel’s settlement policies.
 A little shoving people around on the floor of the House of Commons. There is a lot of silly stuff that goes on in Parliament and politics makes strange bed fellows. MP Michael Chong, who gave up his Cabinet post over Mr. Harper’s Quebec-as-a-nation motion, stands almost alone in his party in support of Khalid’s motion. But then he is running in the Conservative leadership race, so why not rush-in where the other Tories fear to tread.
But it’s not like these motions are ever anything but gratuitous fluff, a pandering by MPs to the demands of some loud voices back home. It is doubtful that Canada’s neo-Nazis immediately ripped the swastikas off their chests once Parliament had passed Mr. Cotler’s motion. And this motion introduced by Ms. Khalid is unlikely to erase the public’s fears about a next jihad coming to a neighbourhood near them, irrational or not.
 Public funeral for some of the Muslims murdered in Quebec. We are all united in the horror we witnessed last December in a Quebec city mosque. Condemnation came from everywhere, MPs, political parties and community leaders across all of Canada. But Ms. Khalid’s motion was actually introduced before that tragic massacre. A motion condemning such an event is always appropriate. But that isn’t Khalid’s motion. Instead, her’s threatens to divide Canadians, something that Mr. Trudeau had hoped to avoid during the course of his sunny ways government.
As we look at what is happening in Europe and south of the border, it is hard not to have doubts and questions about Canada’s policy on refugees and immigration. Canada has generously opened its door to thousands of refugees coming from places where this religion, which most of us don’t really understand, plays a significant role in their daily life. But tolerance in an open society has its limits.
The coming of the Trump presidency and his Muslim travel ban to the USA has poured ice-water into the hearts of all non-Christians and non-citizens there. Those not being deported are fearful that this is just the beginning, and that far more draconian measures are on their way. As a consequence Canada is now seeing the start of the kind of illegal migration across its borders which has plagued its southern neighbour for years, and which ultimately led to the creation of the Donald.
 Police officers helping immigrants cross the border into Canada. Many Canadians are still apprehensive of just how many refugees are to be allowed into this country. The Manitoba crossings are an elephant in the snow fields, and that has forced the opposition parties to take a stand. One of them is chastising Trudeau for not upholding the law and the other demanding he rip up the agreement which identifies the US as a safe nation for refugees.
Ultimately, an unregulated flow of migrants is a problem. It’s the very reason that Angela Merkel will lose her re-election this year as German Chancellor. So Mr. Trudeau needs to pay attention. The public mood is shifting from wanting to helping those in need, to a wariness and the need to seal the borders.
Mr. Trudeau has made consensus among Canadians a touchstone of his policies. He recently tore-up his promise on electoral reform for that very reason – saying it lacked consensus. In that vein, he needs to take a long and hard look at the divisiveness being created by this motion now before the House.
 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:
Anti-Discrimination and Hate – Motion 103 – More Motion – Anti-Islamophobia –
More Anti – Camel in the Tent – US Muslim Ban – Opposition – Support – Border Chaos – Manitoba Crossings –
 By Staff
February 23, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The Spirit of Sport public art project is now at the point where the city wants to know what people think of the ideas that have come from the three short-listed artists. Their work is now on display at Brant Hills Community Centre, Nelson Recreation Centre and Mainway Recreation Centre until Friday, March 3, 2017.
About Spirit of Sport Public Art Project
The Spirit of Sport public art project aims to celebrate Burlington’s long history of sports excellence, on both an amateur and professional level. A series of three small-to-medium-scale, exterior public artworks will be installed Mainway Recreation Centre, Nelson Park and Brant Hills Park. These locations were selected as they represent a broad range of types of sport as well as different levels of play, ranging from children and youth to competitive play.
A community jury has selected artists: Blue Republic, Ken Hall and Tamara Kwapich to move forward to the short-list and develop preliminary design concepts. The information collected from residents will inform the jury’s final decision.
Each artist has developed a proposal for each of the three locations.
Artist: Blue Republic
Title: Stuff of Dreams
Artist’s Description: The goal of our design is to create a highly visible, playful, landmark series of works about inclusiveness, togetherness, play and fearlessness. Our work is addressed to the local community and especially young people. The look comes from graffiti and street art and children’s drawings. Here, ideas are often given a surprising visual creation, not stopped by self-consciousness. Our three projects speak to the act of thinking, or dreaming, about the sports we love. Our heads are ‘full’ of the game, of being outdoors and of playing together.
Artist: Ken Hall
Title: Spirit of Sport
Artist’s Description: The fluttering ribbon is a perfect form for these sculptures, having long been associated with sporting excellence; whether being used to support medals won at competitive events, or as a means of celebrating participation in community activities.
Artist: Tamara Kwapich
Title: Moments Great and Small
Artist’s Description: The mural “Pick up Game on Sunfish Pond,” proposed for Nelson Recreation Centre, speaks to those small moments spent with family and friends—moments that are unorganized, spontaneous and joyful.
“Up and Away,” proposed for Mainway Recreation Centre, pays homage to the community of people who support and lift each other up to reach their goals.
“What Dreams May Come,” proposed for Brant Hills Community Centre, represents the history of sport in Burlington and the heroes that inspire future athletes.
BurlingtonPublicArt.com.
Concept #1
Blue Republic, Stuff of Dreams
 Blue Republic # 1  Blue Republic # 2 – Mainway  Blue Republic # 3 Sport is the most democratic activity in the world. While we all know of the great iconic sports figures found everywhere in the media, the three fields and facilities in Burlington where these art projects will be located are here for all to enjoy.
Whether it’s a father coaching his kids, two girlfriends running together or a group playing wheelchair basketball, the camaraderie and sheer joy that come from improving our skills belongs to everyone. At a time when most of us spend long hours sitting in front of a computer, facilities like these are vital in maintaining life’s balance.
The goal of our design is to create a highly visible, playful, landmark series of works about inclusiveness, togetherness, play and fearlessness. Our work is addressed to the local community and especially young people. The look comes from graffiti, street art and children’s drawings – where an idea is not hindered by self-consciousness.
We chose to position the artwork on buildings, crowning each one at the entrance. This will make the artwork resistant to theft and vandalism. Our three projects speak to the act of thinking, or dreaming, about the sports we love.
Our heads are ‘full’ of the game, of being outdoors and of playing together.
Concept #2
Ken Hall, Spirit of Sport
 Ken Hall # 1 Spirit of Sport – Mainway  Ken Hall Spirit of Sport # 2  Ken Hall – spirit of Sport # 3 To honour this Spirit of Sport, red, ribbon-like sculptures will celebrate active living and inclusive community particip-ation, while engaging and welcoming the public to the recreation centres.
Celebrating the combination of balance, strength and co-ordin-ation required in sports, the red ribbon sculptures are an explora-tion of space and movement.
The red ribbons reflect key components of many activities, such as the flowing rhythm of gym-nastics; the curved, red stitching on a baseball; the goal line in hockey; and the finish line in track and field, among others.
The fluttering ribbon is a perfect form for these sculptures, having long been associated with sporting excellence; whether being used to support medals won at competitive events, or as a means of celebrating particip-ation in community activities, such as awareness walks for issues like breast cancer.
The association with medals is particularly relevant given the City of Burlington’s rich history of sporting innovation, which includes: Dr. Frank Hayden, founder of the International Special Olympics Movement; Melville Marks Robinson, founder of the Common-wealth Games; along with numerous Olympic athletes and coaches, including Melanie Booth (soccer) and Angela Coughlan (swimming).
The rolling ribbon also celebrates a heart-healthy, active lifestyle, calling to mind the visualization of a heartbeat on an EKG machine.
The red colour represents the circulation of oxygenated blood, reminding us that regardless of age, ethnicity or gender, we all benefit from active physical and social participation.
Concept #3
Tamara Kwapich, Moments Great and Small
 Pick up game on a sunfish pond is Kwapich’s proposal for the Nelson recreation centre. Kwapich # 2  “Up and Away,” proposed for Mainway Recreation Centre, pays homage to the community of people who support and lift each other up to reach their goals. Kwapich # 3  “What Dreams May Come,” proposed for Brant Hills Community Centre, represents the history of sport in Burlington and the heroes that inspire future athletes. Kwapich #1 What is the Spirit of Sport? It is the expression of our highest aspirations. It is the moments, both great and small, lived on the fields, ponds, courts, and in the minds of our community. We can participate at any level and feel the exhilaration of winning and the humility of losing a well-played game.
Our emotions rise and fall as parents on the sidelines and as city or nation watching our represent-ative athletes.
In Burlington, we are fortunate to have many opportun-ities to pursue sport as play—non-competitively, competitively and professionally. It is in these moments, big and small, when we use our bodies, minds and our hearts, that we are part of something larger: the universal joy of movement and striving for something better.
It is with profound gratefulness as a Burlington resident, artist and “sport mom” that I propose these three mural projects that represent the Spirit of Sport, from the small moments found in our own backyards to the world stage.
The mural “Pick up game on Sunfish Pond,” proposed for Nelson Recreation Centre, speaks to those small moments spent with family and friends—moments that are unorganized, spontan-eous and joyful.
“Up and Away,” proposed for Mainway Recreation Centre, pays homage to the community of people who support and lift each other up to reach their goals.
“What Dreams May Come,” proposed for Brant Hills Community Centre, represents the history of sport in Burlington and the heroes that inspire future athletes.
Sport is about competition. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Often the effort put forth determines the outcome, but sometimes not. Sport is also about play—the pure joy of physical exertion and the pure beauty of sportsmanship. We are not all Olympic athletes but we can all be, in some way, as great as they are. What we learn in pursuit of the Spirit of Sport strengthens not only our bodies but also our minds and our community.
Share Your Feedback!
Unfortunately, the people at Cobalt Connect facilitating this selection process have done a terrible job of allowing the public to actually make a selection. And the Manager of culture affairs at city hall hasn’t done much better.
If you want to let the city know which piece of public art should be at which location you need to do the following.
Provide you email address, and your postal code.
Then indicate your choice for Mainway,Nelson and Brant Hills.
Something like this should do it (this is just an example)
We have created a number for each piece of art which you can use to indicate your choice – hopefully the people getting your responses will figure out what you are trying to say. They don’t make it easy.
pepper@hwkp.com
L9H 6e6
Nelson – Kwapich # 2
Mainway Kwapich # 3
Brant Hills Hall #3
Send your selection to both Cobalt Connects at
info@cobaltconnects.ca
and city hall at
Angela.paparizo@burlington.ca
 By Staff
February 23th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Lowville Festival and Tansley United Church present Romancing the Song
Three of Canada’s foremost entertainers are coming together for the first time in Romancing the Song, a tribute to the wealth of musical treasures from the Great American Songbook. Lorretta Bailey, James Gordon and David Warrack, all of whom have had lengthy and distinguished careers in concerts and theatres across Canada, will be choosing from the popular songs from musical theatre, films and Tin Pan Alley of the early to mid-20th century.
 David Warrack is one of our country’s finest composers/conductors/performers who travelled extensively with the legendary Maureen Forrester and Michael Burgess. Featured will be songs by the likes of Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Hoagy Carmichael, George Gershwin, Harold Arlen, Richard Rodgers and others.
 Lorretta Bailey is one of Canada’s finest musical theatre performers came to prominence as Eponine in the Toronto production of Les Miserables, Lorretta Bailey is one of Canada’s finest musical theatre performers. She came to prominence as Eponine in the epochal Toronto production of Les Miserables, and went on to perform with all of the major regional theatre companies across Canada. She is a Founding Co-Artistic Director of the Lowville Festival, the “festival of all the arts for the artist in all of us”, which is held annually in and around the historic hamlet of Lowville in north Burlington.
 James Gordon, a native of Guelph, was a founder and long-time member of Tamarack, the acclaimed Canadian folk group.He has released twenty solo albums. James Gordon, a native of Guelph, was a founder and long-time member of Tamarack, the acclaimed Canadian folk group, as well as Guelph’s Hillside Festival. The accomplished singer-songwriter has released twenty solo albums. Many of his songs have been covered by a variety of major Canadian artists. He also has a number of successful musicals to his credit.
Toronto-based David Warrack is one of our country’s finest composers/conductors/performers, equally at home in the classical, musical theatre and jazz worlds. Renowned for his extensive cross-Canada tours with the legendary Maureen Forrester and Michael Burgess, he recently served as Music Director for Some Enchanted Evening, a celebration of 150 years of musical theatre featuring Ben Heppner, Rebecca Caine, Jean Stilwell and Gary Relyea.
Romancing the Song, a musical valentine to the popular songs of the 20th century, is certain to romance its way into your heart.
The event is part entertainment offering and part fund raiser for the Lowville Festival that is entering its third year of operations. The festival takes place in Lowville in July and features a series of events over a weekend. Not to be missed.
Romancing the Song
Tansley United Church, 2111 Walker’s Line, Burlington
Saturday February 25th, 7:30 pm
Tickets available at Different Drummer Books and 905-469-0338
By Staff
February 22, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
At the Burlington Public Library! Central Branch
Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra Composer-in-Residence, Abigail Richardson-Schulte will be giving an informative and engaging talk hosted from the piano.
This musical journey takes us through Germany, Russia and Spain from the Romantic period through to the early 20th century.
Tuesday, February 28 at 2pm
 Monique De Margerie Principal Trumpet Michael Fedyshyn, accompanied by pianist Monique De Margerie will be part of the program.
By Staff
February 21st, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Burlington’s public art program would like people to describe Burlington to a ‘tea’.
Beginning, Feb. 25, 2017, the city is launching an exciting new project designed to learn more about Burlington’s neighbourhoods and its unique culture. Over a six-month period, artist Lisa Hirmer will be conducting research into Burlington’s ‘cultural nodes’.
Cultural nodes are areas within the city where residents can experience and share culture.
 As part of her work, Hirmer will be presenting a series of temporary art installations and performances.
The first event is Burlington Tea! This project will invite participants to warm up while they share their experiences of the city. Residents will be tasked with designing a tea flavour that reflects their experience of their neighbourhood. Participants will then get to enjoy a cup of the tea they designed.
This event is free and you do not need to register in advance! Please join us at the following locations:
Feb. 25, 2017
10 a.m. to noon Haber Recreation Centre and Norton Park
2 to 4 p.m. Brant Hills Community Centre and Park
Feb. 26, 2017
10 a.m. to noon Tansley Woods Community Centre and Park
2 to 4 p.m. Lowville Park
March 1, 2017
11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Civic Square, Burlington City Hall
Lisa Hirmer is an interdisciplinary artist who has created publicly engaged projects across the world and has worked with University of Lethbridge Gallery, Peninsula Arts (U.K.), Flux Factory (USA), Harbourfront Centre (Toronto), Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery, Nuit Blanche (Toronto), CAFKA (Kitchener-Waterloo) and Doris McCarthy Gallery (Toronto) amongst many others.
 Lisa Hirmer is going to work with groups to describe Burlington to a tea! Hirmer is a Guelph-based inter-disciplinary artist whose work combines visual art, design, social practice, performance and art-based forms of critical research. She is the director of DodoLab, an experimental project-based practice focused on exploring and responding to the complicated reality of public opinion. She was selected as the Artiss in Residence for rhe city of Guelph in 2016
She has a master’s degree from the University of Waterloo’s School of Architecture, and her work has been shown across North America, Europe, Australia and the UK. Locally, she has created projects with The Institute for Critical Studies in Improvisation at the University of Guelph, the Musagetes Foundation and the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery.
For Burlington Tea! She is joined by award-winning environmental designer, Glynis Logue.
Angela Paparizo, Manager, Arts and Culture sees this initiative as something that will be “fun, intriguing, artistic and cultural. Tea is a drink that spans across so many cultures. A cup of tea can break down barriers, start conversations or more simply, warms you physically and emotionally.”
By Pepper Parr
February 14th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
We weren’t even a country yet when she died. Her father had made a huge impact on how this countries indigenous community would evolve.
 In this portrait Joseph Brant is seen wearing the gorget given to him by King George III. That gorget is the most important piece in the collection at the Joseph Brant Museum. Her Father, Captain Joseph Brant whose land holdings shaped the Burlington we live in today.
150 years ago today Catherine John, the last surviving child of the renowned war chief and diplomat Joseph Brant died.
They were Mohawks. He was known as Theyendanegea, the leader who negotiated the huge land grant along the banks of the Grand River for his people.
The Globe and Mail was close to poetic in its obituary, as it described Catherine John as “tall, handsome – even in old age – and of a queenly bearing.”
 A gorget, a piece of armour worn at the throat given to Joseph Brant by King George III with the inscription: “A Gift from a friend to Captain Brant”.
He was feted by Kings, had his portrait painted by some of the leading British artists. He donated the land on which St. Luke’s Anglican church was built.
The city will not have issued a media release; the Mayor will not say a word publicly and the Brant Museum, closed since last July will have not said a word.
No wonder Brant was buried in Brantford.
 By Staff
February 14th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Housing prices in Toronto and Vancouver were rising so quickly and dangerously – especially in Vancouver, that the Bank of Canada, the federal government, the province of British Columbia, the city of Vancouver the and the Vancouver Real Estate Board all jumped in and did their best to stabilize the situation in BC where things were worst.
Is that same kind of a real estate bubble about to hit Burlington?
The Beachway is a community that is destined to disappear if the current Region and municipal bylaws stay in place and a massive upscale park gets built in the next 20 years.
 An attractive, well maintained home in the Beachway Two houses on the lot. The Region is now taking phone calls from any of the 25+ homeowners in what is left of that community who want to talk about selling.
One property owner with a lot that has two houses close enough to the lake to be able to smell the water has let the Region know that they are prepared to accept $2.3 million.
 $2.3 million eh! Two houses on a lot that fronts onto Lakeshore Road. They want to be able to live in the house for the next three years and have the right to remove some of the building materials when the house has its day with the backhoe.
Most of the houses the Region has bought to date ate now empty lots.
 Citizens looking at the plans for a Park that will take up all of what used to be a the Beachway community. We will do our best to keep you posted on this one.
By Pepper Parr
February 13, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Everyone needs a place to go; a place where you can congregate with people you like and be accepted for who and what you are.
Some head for the Legion to meet up with friends, others have made the Seniors’ Centre their social headquarters.
A lot of business people belong to a social club; Burlington has four Rotary Clubs.
There are all kinds of places where people gather for the social interaction we all need.
 Friday night community – when Wellington Square United Church hosts 350+ for dinner and socializing. The couple of dozen volunteers make it happen. Wellington Square United Church has a really large group of people who gather on Friday evenings to enjoy a meal and get caught up with their friends.
We talked to Lisa Lunski who runs a program at Wellington Square – we made a mistake.
If you want to talk to Lisa meet with her any time other than Friday evening. She can somehow carry on a conversation with a person and at the same time greet people she knows by name as they pass by.
It’s an amazing skill that she uses effortlessly – As I interviewed Lisa I wondered if I was getting the full story and if I really had her full attention.
When I reviewed my notes – I had most of what I needed. During the 20 minutes or so that we talked she managed to greet 30 to 35 people.
Lunski, runs a household with five children, several of them adopted. She is the Friday Night Community coordinator at Wellington Square United Church.
 Addison Wood, Sierra Campbell (both in Grade 9 and attend Wellington Square), Angelica Alves (Grade 11 at Assumption) Lunski explains that “Every Friday we join together and reconnect with friends. Some folks are there every Friday and when we don’t see them they are missed. Friends hold each other accountable and even take it upon themselves to find out why another was absent. It is always a joy when folks come in our doors who we have not seen in a long time.
 Lisa Lunski with a Friday Night Community guest. “We continue to have new friends come to volunteer each week. We appreciate the patience folks show when taking people under their wing and walking alongside them with kindness and grace.”
People from the Meeting House in Burlington come to prepare, serve and clean up after the meal. A group shows up each week from Eaglesfield Korean Church, with open hearts for serving and clean the dirtiest of dirty dishes each and every week.
 Jeong-soon, Sofia, Heesoon, from Eaglesfield Korean Community Church. Everyone at some point faces a crisis. In December of 2013 the city experienced an ice storm that took power out of hundreds of homes – north Burlington was hardest hit. Farmers needed electricity to pump water for their cattle. Chicken farmers needed generators to keep the electricity going in their buildings.
Hundreds gathered in the fire hall in Kilbride to share information and get the help they needed.
The following year the east of Burlington got hit by what we look back on and call an instant flood. Once again hundreds of homes we damaged; on was moves a bit off its foundation. The creeks in the east end of the city were not able to handle the rush of water; people needed help.
The citizens and corporations of Burlington raised just shy of $1million in less than 100 days.
Some people need help on an occasion where they are overwhelmed- others need help on a more ongoing basis.
The character of a community is seen when the help is there.
 Dozens of bins hold the food collected by Nelson high school students for distribution by different community agencies throughout the year. Each year hockey players from across the city take part in the Gift of Giving Back event that has the players collecting food that gets delivered to the participating high school each year. Last year the drive was centered on M.M. Robinson,
 This November will mark the 12th year the program has been run. It is that food that gets sent to Food Banks where it is distributed to places like Wellington Square where several hundred are fed each Friday night.
The food is good – but it is about far more than filling a stomach.
An “eco” system has developed that has those students from Nelson high school gathering the food –it goes to Burlington Food Bank and Food For Life where it is then distributed to the three churches in Burlington that are feeding large groups of people in a community setting.
Each of the church’s works closely with the places that are holding large stocks of food as well as with the local restaurants that make food available. Pane Fresca send over a large supply of bread each week.
Lunski has the menu worked out by Thursday of each week and uses the meager financial resources she has to fill in with items that have to be purchased. They know where the food bargains are to be found
Lunski was born in Kingston, moved to Montreal until age 10, then moved to Mississauga where she attended Erindale High School
She went to University of Western Ontario for undergrad, York University for Teacher’s college, and then a Master’s degree in education at York that she completed as a part time student while raising young children.
 Making it all come together on time for evening dinner requires checking in with the dozens of volunteers who make the event happen. The career arc for Lunski was to become a principal – that changed when she adopted her last 2 children two girls adopted internationally.
Her first home was in Oakville; 12 years ago she moved to Burlington and joined Wellington Square United Church
As a young child Lunski always had a desire and passion for helping others and doing outreach in her community which included mission trips in Kenya prior to having children and two Mexico mission trips with her boys through her church . Was a part of the outreach committee at Wellington Square, and coordinated our team each month in serving breakfast at Kerr St. Mission in Oakville. Also served occasionally at Wesley Centre in Hamilton.
When asked why she went to Oakville and Hamilton to serve, but wasn’t doing anything in her our own city to help meet needs Lunski began to look within and was given an opportunity to serve whens she was asked to help with a community event that had grown faster than many expected.
 It started out as a small event – 25 people attended the very first dinner – and it grew to involve a wider community. In summer of 2009, a small group of men at Wellington Square were looking to do an outreach initiative in Burlington and tapped into St. Christopher’s where a dinner was being served on Tuesday, but did not offer the meal during the summer. The men filled this spot in the summer by offering a monthly and then bi-monthly, meal alternating between a BBQ and spaghetti dinner to folks in our community.
 Thom and Bob – couple of guys who have known each other since they were 14 – get up at about 2:00 am to do the work their private cleaning business brings in. They learned about th Wellington Square Community Friday from the managers of The Poacher where they spend some of their time. They have been cooking a meal on Friday at Wellington Square for more than five years As the dinner expanded they were looking for someone to help in a number of capacities, and in 2010 Lunski began to coordinate the Friday Night Community Dinner, which changed its name to Friday Night Community, because “we recognized that it is so much more than a dinner, but a community of hope and caring for so many.” Over the last 8 years the dinner grew from an intimate group of 25 to an overflowing 250 friends every Friday.
“When my children were younger I did the role in a volunteer capacity, and two years ago joined the staff of the church and now coordinate the Friday Night Community in a paid capacity.
For many – Friday evening is an opportunity to get out and be with people. Several of the retirement homes in the city bus groups of people who just want to get out and keep in touch with friends
 Community on Friday nights at Wellington Square includes people bussed in from area retirement homes who get a chance to get out and be with their friends. Last Friday – they made it a Valentine celebration. Like the crowd at the Legion who remember their war stories or the seniors that talk about how they are managing their finances and working out transportation plans for a day trip they are planning; it is people coming together to share.
The Rotary types meet to talk about what they will be doing in the months ahead. One of the Rotary Clubs runs the Ribfest event in the city.
 Becki Deware (Burlington Meeting House) with birthday plates. If the volunteers know of a birthday – a special plate of food is made up for them. Rural people will tell you about the quality of life in the country where everyone knows everyone and when there is a problem or something to celebrate they all gather as a community.
That describes Wellington Square on Friday evenings.
It is hard work for Lisa – she has to pull together the food and the fixings for more than 200 people and make sure it all comes together at the right time – and while the volunteers are working in the kitchens she is chatting with people that she likes to see every week.
 Front right: Adele Baker (Shoreacres Bible Chapel), Ginny Swain (Port Nelson United), Nancy Walker (Wellington Square), Jackie Manley (Wellington Square) There is a huge welcome when someone who has not been around for a while walks through the doors.
There is however a bigger picture and some serious questions to be asked. How long can the churches serve as the social hub and a dinner table for several hundred people week after week?
Is this a sustainable model? Is it the most effective way for community to function? Are the costs manageable? Will the volunteers always be there and when do the people who lead these operations get time to pause and think about what they are doing and to refresh themselves?
Are we doing what we are doing the most effective way?
 Volunteers taking a coffee break as they spend the day preparing for the Friday evening community event. No one questions for a second the service that is given – the needs that are being met and the sense of community so many people can tap into is vital to Burlington. The question is – are the churches the only people at the table? Where is the city? Where is the Region?
Is there a better way?
By Staff
February 15th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
For readers of The Book of Negroes, Bound for Canaan, House Girl and The Illegal comes the story of a fifteen-year-old escaped slave named Cecelia Reynolds, who slips away to freedom in Canada while her Kentucky owners holiday at Niagara Falls.
Kaarolyn Smardz Frost will be talking about her book, Steal Away Home, at Central library on Tues., February 21, 7 p.m.
 Kaarolyn Smardz Frost In this compelling work of narrative non-fiction, Governor General’s Award winner Karolyn Smardz Frost brings Cecelia’s story to life. Cecelia was a teenager when she made her dangerous bid for freedom from the United States, across the Niagara River and into Canada. Escape meant that she would never see her mother or brother again. She would be cut off from the young mistress with whom she grew up, but who also owned her as a slave holder owns the body of a slave. This was a time when people could be property, when a beloved father could be separated from his wife while their children were auctioned off to the highest bidder, and the son of a white master and his black housekeeper could become a slave to his own white half-sister and brother-in-law.
Cecelia found a new life in Toronto’s vibrant African American expatriate community. Her rescuer became her husband, a courageous conductor on the Underground Railroad helping other freedom-seekers reach Canada. Widowed, she braved the Fugitive Slave Law to cross back into the United States, where she again found love, and followed her William into the battlefields of the Civil War. Finally, with a wounded husband and young children in tow, she returned to the Kentucky she had known as a child. But her home had changed: hooded Night Riders roamed the countryside with torches and nooses at the ready. When William disappeared, Cecelia relied on the support and affection of her former mistress—the Southern belle who had owned her as a child.
 Only five of the letters between Cecelia and her former mistress, Fanny Thruston Ballard, have survived. They are testament to the great love and the lifelong friendship that existed between these two very different women. Reunited after years apart, the two lived within a few blocks of each other for the rest of Fanny’s life.
Steal Away Home, is the riveting true story of escaped slave Cecilia Reynolds and her lifelong friendship with her former mistress.
By Staff
February 6th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Paper is given life through the works presented in the two Art Gallery of Burlington shows: A Safe Haven: Raphael Vella and Visual Poetry: Contemporary Woodcuts.
As a time honoured medium for artists, paper allows for the expression of thoughts, observations, reflections and statements. Artists Raphael Vella (Malta), Tom Hammick (United Kingdom), Donna Ibing (Burlington, ON) and Naoko Matsubara (Oakville, ON) use this medium to explore a variety of subject matter from contemporary politics to everyday life.
A Safe Haven: Raphael Vella combines his two series of drawings, For the Welfare of All Children alongside ten works from No Place Like HOMeS. For Vella, the role of the artist is not to create an object, but to engage people by sparking discussions and questions. In For the Welfare of All Children, Vella questions society’s supervision of children and the imposed social structures to protect them. For the series No Place Like HOMeS, Vella combines iconic buildings with the ravages of the Syrian War, bringing to the fore the power of war over peace and destruction over construction, while questioning the act of reclaiming such sites.
Visual Poetry: Contemporary Woodcuts looks at the work of Tom Hammick (United Kingdom), Donna Ibing (Burlington, ON) and Naoko Matsubara (Oakville, ON). Each artist works in a different style, though all execute their work on a grand scale producing multiple layers of meaning, creating unique and thought provoking work.
 Raphael Vella Raphael Vella is an artist, educator and curator based in Malta. He obtained a PhD in Fine Arts at the University of the Arts London in 2006, and is currently Senior Lecturer at the University of Malta. He has exhibited his works in important international exhibitions and venues, including the Venice Biennale, Domaine Pommery (Reims, France), Modern Art Oxford in the UK and the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, Poland. For many years, he has also been active as a curator, having directed the Valletta International Visual Art festival (VIVA) in 2014 and 2015, and is currently co-curating the Malta Pavilion at the Venice Biennale of 2017. He has also directed the project ‘Divergent Thinkers’ for emerging artists in Malta since 2011.
 Tom Hammick Tom Hammick is a British artist based in East Sussex and London. He is a Senior Lecturer in Fine Art, Painting and Printmaking at the University of Brighton, and a Visiting Lecturer of Fine Art at University of Ulster, and Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD University). He has work in many major public and corporate collections including the British Museum (Collection of Prints and Drawings), Victoria and Albert Museum, Bibliotheque Nationale de France (Collection of Prints and Drawings), Deutsche Bank, Yale Centre for British Art, and The Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
 Donna Ibing Donna Ibing of Burlington is a graduate of the Ontario College of Art, and is considered one of Ontario’s leading artists in painting and printmaking. Her work has been shown in major cities across Canada including Vancouver, Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto. Ibing’s work can be found in collections across Ontario including the Art Gallery of Hamilton, Robert McLaughlin Gallery, Kitchener/Waterloo Gallery and the Toronto Public Library and Archives.
 Naoko Matsubara Naoko Matsubara graduated from the Kyoto Academy of Fine Arts, and was a Fullbright scholar at the Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh where she received her MFA. Subsequently she studied at the Royal College of Art in London. In 1981 she became a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts, and in 2009 she received an honourary doctorate of Fine Art from Chatham University in Pittsburgh. She continues to create single-sheet woodcuts, paintings and murals from her Oakville studio. Matsubara’s work can be found in private and public collections around the world including the British Museum; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Cincinnati Art Museum; The White House; the National Museums of Modern Art, Tokyo and Kyoto; Staatliche Museum zu Berlin, Germany; Royal Ontario Museum; and Yale University Art Gallery.
The exhibition runs from February 10 to April 2, 2017 Art Gallery of Burlington in the Lee-Chin Family Gallery.
There is a public reception Thursday February 9, 5pm-7pm
By Staff
February 6th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
If skating isn’t your thing – then you might want to try swimming – you get to do both on Family Day – when the Red and White Fun Swim and Public Skate takes place: Monday February 20, 2017
The city has decided to “market” the event and play up the sesquicentennial year we are now in. Show your Canadian pride; wear red and white and pay an admission of just $1.50/person.
 Mayor Rick Goldring with his red and white attire. Will hundreds show up at Appleby to skate and swimming pools with red and white ? Bonus…wear red and white AND show a photo of a Canadian flag posted in your window at home and your admission is FREE!
Don’t have a flag? Download one under “Resources” at burlington.ca/canada150.
They might want to offer an additional bonus for all those who can spell sesquicentennial and also tell you what it means.
They clearly want you to have a Canadian flag in your window. With this kind of hype in February one can only imagine the size of the blow out on Canada Day in July.
Fun Swim:
Angela Coughlan noon to 2 .pm.
Aldershot pool 10 a.m. to noon
Public Skate
Appleby pad 1 noon to 2 p.m.
Appleby pad 2 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
 By Pepper Parr
February 6th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
It was late in the day, slightly overcast and cold. Nevertheless there were two boys and their Dad on the ice; the boys practicing their shot on the empty net.
 The only thing missing from this picture is a goalie in the net. The rink was put up in the Alton community. The rink was set up by residents in the community; there has been tremendous local business support but not enough “labour” support. The few people who take care of the rink spend a lot of nights out there.
It’s a decent 50 x 64 size rink that has suffered some damage to the liner. Folks have been waiting for it to get repaired.
There are no lights the community decided lights would mean kid on the ice late into the evening that might result in a lot of noise.
 That one went where it was supposed to go. A goalie would have made it a lot harder. The Alton rink is a pure community effort – the city created a local rink program that called for residents to look after a rink that the city would set up.
The following communities qualified for a rink because there was water access.
There are now 14 community rinks throughout the city – which is higher than last year.
It’s a program that works – and with decent weather the water actually gets to freeze. There was a point at which some people thought they were going to end up with splash pads.
Ken White and Mike Collins are spending a lot of their time on that rink -and they aren’t skating.
They rented a pump and draw in water from the creek.
“The task has been frustrating since the children have caused some inadvertent holes in the liner allowing water to leak out before it gets fully filled.”
Among the communities that qualified for a community rink are:
• Brant Hills Park (2 rinks possible)
• LaSalle Park
• Sherwood Park
• Bridgeview Park
• Nelson Park
• Tansley Woods Park
• Central Park
• Orchard Park
• Ireland Park
• Sheldon Park
By Staff
February 3rd, 2107
BURLINGTON, ON
Last night, Eleanor McMahon, MPP for Burlington and Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport, presented the Burlington Public Library with the Angus Mowat Award of Excellence at the Ontario Public Library Service Awards in Toronto, Ontario.
The Ontario Public Library Service Awards identify and promote creative public library service ideas. There are two types of awards: The Minister’s Award for Innovation and the Angus Mowat Award of Excellence, which recognizes a commitment to excellence in the delivery of public library services.
 (L-R) Burlington Public Library staff members Amanda Wilk, Shelley Archibald, Minister McMahon, and BPL CEO Maureen Barry at the Ontario Public Library Service Awards. Angus Mowat was a Canadian librarian who initiated and contributed to the continuing improvement of the library systems in Saskatoon and Ontario, from the 1920s through to the 1960s.
He was the Inspector of Public Libraries for the province of Ontario and remained head of the provincial library office – a part of the Ministry of Education – until his retirement in 1960.
Throughout his career he encouraged better quality collections for adults and children, professional staffing and library training, the necessity for improved finances, more efficient management by trustees and librarians, and upgraded or new buildings. He believed strongly that the ‘personal touch’ was essential for library service and that local effort, supplemented by provincial assistance, was the key ingredient in advancing local library development.
One wonders if he ever said hush in his life.
The Burlington Public Library received the Angus Mowat Award in recognition of the library’s community led youth service model, which provides empowering leadership and growth opportunities for teens.
“Libraries, librarians and the staff who run them”, said Minister McMahon, “are at the heart of our communities. I’m proud of the work that these incredible institutions do for everyone across the province, and I’m particularly proud that the Burlington Public Library’s achievements were recognized last night at the Ontario Public Library Service Awards.”
Burlington’s MPP brought one home to a library system that deserved this award
 By Staff
February 3rd, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Mainway Arena will be closed for maintenance between Feb. 14 to 17, 2017.
Plans to accommodate ice users at other city arenas are being made.
Residents with questions about ice rentals at Mainway Arena should call 905-331-7465.
For information about public skating at other locations around the city, please visit www.burlington.ca/play.
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