 By Staff
October 3, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
While the new normal has a few iffy spots to it – the closing of two sections of the Joseph Brant Hospital where Covid19 outbreaks were declared – the Region is slowly finding its way to whatever normal is going to be as we head into that time of year where we spend more time indoors.
Conservation Halton decided it was possible for the Halton Children’s Water Festival to return to Kelso Conservation Area and welcome back over 800 students this year for an in-person program focused on protecting water in our community.
This is the fifteenth year for the festival which has educated over 50,000 elementary school students with the support of over 6,000 high school students over the years.
 The objective was to step though each of the tires and keep whatever was in the bucket – in the bucket. “Today, I’ve learned about water and the correct bins the garbage goes in,” said James, a Grade 5 student from St. Anne Elementary School, Burlington. “Right now, we’re playing a game and it’s really fun!”
The festival offered the Grade 5 students curriculum-linked environmental education programming, over three days, that gave students the opportunity to learn about water and society, water conservation and protection, water health and safety and water science and technology. Fun, themed learning activity centres such as Waterfront Quest, Garbage Juice, What’s That?, the Great pH Challenge and Beneficial Bugs allowed for hands-on learning outdoors where students could enjoy the views of Kelso Reservoir on one side and the Niagara Escarpment on the other.
“The water festival gives our students the opportunity to be stewards of the earth by investigating and participating in real-life, hands-on activities that are designed and lead with the Ontario Science and Technology expectations,” said Clare Slaven, Grade 5 teacher, St. Timothy’s Catholic Elementary School, Burlington. “It is a wonderful fun-filled day where we can show what we value and celebrate in Halton and the environment.”
 The grade 5 students were kept busy – learning how their environment works and the role water plays in everything they do. A virtual Water Festival Program will continue again this year. Since launching in April 2022 more than 1,600 students have participated in the online field trips.
The Halton Children’s Water Festival is presented by Conservation Halton and Halton Region in partnership with Halton District School Board, Halton Catholic District School Board and Conservation Halton Foundation, with the support of the Town of Oakville, Geo Morphix, City of Burlington and the Town of Halton Hills.
Conservation Halton is the community based environmental agency that protects, restores, and manages the natural resources in its watershed. The organization has staff that includes ecologists, land use planners, engineers, foresters and educators, along with a network of volunteers, who are guided by a Board of Directors comprised of municipally elected and appointed citizens. Conservation Halton is recognized for its stewardship of creeks, forests and Niagara Escarpment lands through science-based programs and services. Learn more at conservationhalton.ca.
 By Staff
September 26th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
The 16th annual Halton Children’s Water Festival takes place at Kelso Conversation Area in Milton from Tuesday, September 27 to Thursday, September 29.
The festival is fully booked, after a two-year hiatus from the in-person events due to the pandemic. This year, the event offers a scaled down festival for grade five students with virtual offerings available to grade two students.
 The Beach is just one part of the Kelso operation. When: Wednesday, September 28, 2022
• 10 a.m. Remarks from Hassan Basit, CAO, Conservation Halton and Kiyoshi Oka, Director of Water and Wastewater Systems Services, Halton Region
• 11 a.m. Guided tour of the Halton Children’s Water Festival
Where: Kelso Conservation Area, by Boat Rentals 5234 Kelso Road, Milton, ON L9T 2X7
Parking is located at the Boat Rental Lot. Assistance is available to get up the hill from the parking lot to the event area.
What: The annual Halton Children’s Water Festival was first held in 2006 and has educated more than 50,000 students between grades two and five about the importance of water through fun, outdoor educational activities.
The festival is co-hosted by Conservation Halton and Halton Region, in partnership with the Halton District School Board, the Halton Catholic District School Board, the City of Burlington, the Town of Halton Hills and the Town of Oakville.
 By Staff
September 12th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
Burlington Public Library (BPL) is extending its hours. This change takes effect Monday September 12th.
Since 2018, BPL has been able to extend its open hours by nearly 20 per cent.
Some branches, including New Appleby and Aldershot, have seen a 60 per cent increase in open hours since 2018.
 Hours have increased – readership as well? Where and When You Can Visit Starting September 12
Central and Tansley Woods
Monday to Thursday: 9am to 9pm
Friday to Sunday: 9am to 5pm
New Appleby, Aldershot, Brant Hills, Alton
Monday to Thursday: 9am to 9pm
Friday & Saturday: 9am to 5pm
Sunday: Noon to 5pm
Kilbride
Tuesday & Thursday: 5pm to 8pm
Saturday: 9am to 2pm
 Burlington Librarian CEO, Lita Barrie. This change happened because of feedback from our customers. “After receiving customer feedback about a need for increased branch access, included this goal in our 2016-2020 Strategic Plan,” says CEO, Lita Barrie. “We have been gradually increasing service hours since then. Our 2020 and 2022 customer surveys reaffirmed this direction.”
These moderate increases to service hours have not increased the library’s staffing budget, but they have made the library accessible to more people with diverse needs and schedules, and expanded access to BPL’s collection, programs, and spaces.
Customer Feedback and Data Driven Decisions
“We have had great feedback so far about our expanded hours,” adds Barrie. “We are keeping a close eye on our community’s needs by analyzing usage data.”
Weeknight usage from Monday to Thursday significantly increased this spring—192 per cent—during the library’s closing hour from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Borrowing also went up during this period.
This data helped BPL decide how to adjust its open hours to best serve the community.
Library users also told BPL they would like 24/7 access to WiFi so they could use the internet outside branches or in their vehicles during closed hours. This change will also take effect September 12th.
Library Use is the Best Feedback
The library is always looking for feedback. You can share your opinion simply by using your local branch. “We monitor activity at all our locations to help guide decisions about many things, including open hours,” says Barrie. When you visit the library, you are helping us understand trends and needs in our community.
 By Bradley Elston
September 20, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
Learn the main idea and concept of a Virtual data room. What is it and what purposes such software is used for?
Virtual Data Room: A Comprehensive Guide for Beginners
All sorts of file storage facilities are commonly used to store documents: a personal computer or various systems like Google Drive. As long as files are locked away from prying eyes, they are quite secure. But how to protect them if you need to give access to a limited number of people you don’t know well? For example, confidential documents in various transactions, some financial reports, or documents related to tax or audit audits.
There are many similar examples when it is important to provide access to the documents, on the one hand, and to make sure they are not leaked or the person who leaked them will be found, on the other hand.
VDRs (virtual data rooms) are used for secure data exchange. They allow delimiting rights and access to the documents inside the system, creating a clear structure and organizing easy exchange and work with files both inside the organization (synchronization with AD/LDAP) and during interaction with contractors.
The data room offers a standard set of tools, such as viewing documents, downloading, sending for printing, sharing, etc. Protection of files inside VDRs is provided by differentiation of user rights, control of document lifetime, and logging of events. But the question is how to be sure that the information will not leak into the public domain, and how to identify the culprit in case of leakage.
Check the virtual data room review to get more information about this software.
 The existence of clouds has made it possible for data to be accessed by almost anyone anywhere. With a Virtual Data Room that data is secure – rock solid secure. What is VDR?
A virtual data room is a tool, usually set up for a specific time and purpose, that gives authorized users access to a secure database of documents, according to their permit rights.
Why is It Important to Use?
Initially, virtual data rooms were created as an alternative to physical data rooms in due diligence procedures during mergers and acquisitions. Before the era of broadband Internet access, the familiarization of possible parties to a transaction with documents was as follows:
● The seller would allocate or lease one or more rooms into which folders of paper documents would be taken down, and write down the rent or lost profits from the misuse of the rooms as an expense item.
● A schedule of room visits and paperwork for potential buyers (beaders) was drawn up, which, if their number was substantial, greatly increased the transaction time.
● If the beaders were from another city or country, their representatives went on business trips to world cultural centers and to industrial regions, wasting time on the road and money on higher travel expenses.
But the virtual data room solves the problem of time, cost, and convenience of accessing documents.
Currently, virtual data room services accompany the activities of companies in other areas, from providing information to partners of investment funds to obtaining certificates for medicines, that is, everywhere where it is necessary to provide convenient access to confidential information for a certain circle of people who may be thousands of kilometers away from each other.
How Can a Virtual Data Room Protect the Data?
A virtual dataroom can be used in almost any situation where a company needs to provide simultaneous access to confidential information to several people:
● Analyzing corporate records;
● Creation of document archive;
● Audit;
● Preparation of an initial public offering (IPO);
● Help with mergers and acquisitions;
● Searching and providing information for investors.
The technology works in the following way: any interaction with a document (opening, downloading, sending for printing, sending by mail attachment, etc.) provides the user with a personal labelled copy. The copy is visually indistinguishable from the original, the markings are not visible to the naked eye, and can only be recognized using a forensic tool. In addition to the invisible marking the document is assigned the following attributes: employee ID, time, date, IP, location, etc.
If there is a leakage, the compromised document is loaded into the system and its labelling is compared with the original document available in the system for analysis. As a result, the system identifies the most similar copy and its owner. Thus, allowing you to find the potential culprit of the leak.
Such a solution can be used for critical business events: mergers and acquisitions, audits, and IPO preparation handling the personal information of public persons, as well as for intellectual property protection.
 The name “the cloud” actually describes a room full of servers that hold data and make it available via the internet. While a person is working in the VDR, a system is recording every copy of the document. In case even a small fragment of text of any document stored in such an electronic data room is compromised, the owner can conduct an examination and unambiguously discover the name of the person who published it without consent. Such marking is absolutely invisible to users and nothing changes in their usual processes.
 Market projections for VDR services is very positive. Whether or not to tell employees or counterparties working in such a VDR about the presence of invisible marking is the right of the owner of the virtual room. On the one hand, this can immediately become a preventive psychological measure to protect documents. On the other hand, if the task is to identify an already existing insider, it is possible not to report about the technology.
Conclusion
A virtual room is a space where documents are sorted into folders, and all participants have a certain level of access rights. They can download files, and upload and share them only with permission. This format of use allows organizing convenient collaboration within different business processes.
VDR can save your company time and effort. When it comes to business effectiveness, every feature helps. The use of the dataroom software allows convenient managing of important corporate information and team collaboration. Also, it is more secure than usual file-sharing systems. So VDR is a smart solution for your business.
 By Staff
August 27th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
Councillor Paul Sharman of Ward 5 is reported to be running a public education session on hazing techniques on Sunday, August 28
The event will begin at 9 a.m. at Pineland School on Meadowhill Road; Burlington
Animal Control staff will also be in attendance.
Councillor Sharman commented that “The city is committed to eliminate animals that attack people and draw blood. My best wishes to the people who were bitten for a speedy recovery.”
 By Staff
August 26th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
The Gazette published a report yesterday on recommendations a citizens committee gave to Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward and City Manager Tim Commisso.
Within the report were a number of recommendations that we think were important enough to be made public. They are set out below; they amount to a consultants report that didn’t cost the city a dime.
 Those recommendations are set out below
1. Conduct an impact analysis by neighbourhoods to identify various controls that should be implemented to safeguard residents, children and pets from coyote attacks.
BOCM has identified several “hot spot” neighbourhoods in both Oakville and Burlington which have shown an unusually high number of coyote sightings and incidents. These neighbourhoods are as follows:
- Samuel Curtis Estates in West Oakville;
- Wilmot Creek Park in West Oakville/East Burlington;
- Lakeshore Woods in West Oakville;
- Sheldon Creek Trail system bordering Samuel Curtis Estates & Lakeshore Woods in West Oakville;
- Shell Park in West Oakville;
- South Shel Park & Beach Trails in West Oakville;
- Burloak Waterfront Park in West Oakville/East Burlington;
- Mohawk Gardens/St. Patrick’s R.C. School in East Burlington;
- Bromley Park in East Burlington;
- Sherwood Forest Park in East Burlington;
- Pineland Public School in East Burlington;
- Paletta Estates in Burlington;
- Nelson Park in Burlington (including Shoreacres Road);
- John Tuck Public School in
Many of these areas are adjacent to woodlots. The proximity of playgrounds to woodlots which is where coyotes den is particularly problematic. Many young children play in these areas, and the potential for interactions between coyotes and young people is extremely high. In all of West Oakville there are no coyote warning signs whatsoever.
 SIGN AT ENTRANCE TO SHELDON CREEK TRAIL, THE SITE OF SEVERAL COYOTE ATTACKS. THIS IS A HEAVILY UTILIZED TRAIL AND CHILDREN’S PLAYGROUND IMMEDIATELY NEXT TO TRAIL ENTRANCE. COYOTES KNOWN TO USE THIS ENTRANCE TO LEAVE THE TRAIL SYSTEM AS THEY MAKE THEIR WAY TO THE LAKE VIA WILMOT ROAD AND STEVENSON ROAD. 2. Improve both the quantity and quality of signage relating to coyotes, and ensure it offers meaningful information on what to do in the event of sightings.
There are absolutely no coyote warning signs in Bronte and West Oakville, and the level of coyote signage currently in use in Burlington is vague and offers little in the way of useful information. BOCM believes that much more comprehensive and detailed signage is required that includes the following:
- Warning signs on the prevalence of coyotes;
- Encourage park visitors to call 911 in cases of emergencies or attacks;
- Clear prohibitions aimed at discouraging the feeding wildlife;
- Specific directions on what to do if a coyote stalks someone;
- Advice on how to properly haze
Suffice to say that a picture of a coyote may provide a warning but it offers no viable information as to what to do when one is sighted or attacks. Oakville/Burlington need to follow the lead of Mississauga and install billboards, or at the least temporary mobile signs warning people of coyotes in hotspots and what to do.
Appendix A includes a cross-section of different pictures taken recently throughout Oakville and Burlington that clearly demonstrates either the lack of proper signage or a lack of relevant information.
3. Current municipal by-laws should be amended to permit the laying of charges and assessment of fines for persons who feed coyotes.
Current direction from civic officials places an onus upon residents not to feed wildlife. Unfortunately, this advice is not reinforced with appropriate fines that act as a significant deterrent.
It is our understanding that the City of Burlington By-Law 083-2015 enacted September 28th,2015 provides for a fine of $100 for any resident found feeding wildlife. In the case of the Town of Oakville we examined By-Law 2018-006 and were unable to find any fine for feeding wildlife. The fine in the City of Toronto is $365.
BOCM maintains that a $500 fine should be imposed upon any resident or person who is identified feeding wildlife. We believe that a similar fine should be assessed in cases where residents carelessly discard food waste and scraps that become a food source for coyotes, raccoons, etc.
4. Provide appropriate coyote management education in schools and parks that border creeks.
We believe that more prescriptive and defined education messages should be used to communicate the potential threat caused by coyotes. We believe that By- Law Officers should be routinely tasked with visiting schools in “hot spot” neighbourhoods to educate teachers, students and administrators about the threats posed by coyotes.
As coyotes are no longer afraid of us hazing must be taught to residents and children. Furthermore, flyers must be sent to every household in high density coyote areas instructing what to do, how to haze, and what to carry as a deterrent.
5. Change municipal by-laws to permit residents to increase fence heights in order to deter coyotes from entering residents’ properties.
Our review indicates that in the City of Burlington the maximum fence height is 2 metres. In the case of the Town of Oakville there is a similar provision, although in certain circumstances it can extend to 2.2 metres.
BOCM believes the current height restriction on fences is inadequate to protect residents from coyotes entering the backyards. We have several reports where residents’ pets in fenced backyards have been attacked by coyotes that have scaled wooden and wire fences.
We believe that in cases where properties are adjacent to “hot spot” areas an exception should be made, and that fence heights should be changed to 3 metres. This would provide a strong deterrent to coyotes from entering properties adjacent to parks while providing protection to homeowners whose pets are in enclosed areas.
6. Permit residents’ whose properties back onto wooded areas to place an awning structure at the top of their fence to prevent coyote jumps.
As was noted in point #5 above, coyotes have the ability to scale fences up to nine feet high. We believe residents whose properties are adjacent to “hot spot” locations should have the ability to erect awnings at the top of their fences to prevent coyote jumps.
7. Request more frequent and nightly bylaw officer visits to wooded areas known to have coyote dens.
BOCM maintains that Animal Control By-Law Officers have a low visibility and profile in the community. We believe that greater efforts should be made to provide nightly patrols in “hot spot” areas where coyotes pose a significant hazard and risk. Increased visibility will reinforce public safety and demonstrate concern for the needs of residents. In particular, better training for animal control and bylaw officers on how to be more empathetic and understanding when dealing with distraught pet owners reporting attacks and killing of their pets would be helpful.
As well, it is important to clearly articulate to residents who to contact in the event of an attack, kill or sighting. Residents are currently confused.
Several schools in Oakville and Burlington have woods that are adjacent to known coyote dens. Below are pictures taken at St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic School on Kenwood Drive, and Pineland Public School on Meadowhill Drive. In these photographs you can clearly see that playgrounds and soccer fields are within close proximity to wooded areas and ravines.
8. Scientifically measure the size of the coyote population in West Oakville, Bronte and Burlington.
Much has been made about the fact that the coyote population is threatened by urbanization. While this may be true, at no time has scientific data been adduced to confirm the actual size of the coyote population in this area.
Until the 1800’s coyotes lived only in the southern prairies of North America, and the southern United States to Mexico. By the late 1800’s they expanded west to the Pacific Ocean, and by the 1900s they had advanced to the Maritimes, the eastern seaboard in the United States, and north to Alaska. Their rapid population growth is a testament to their hardiness and adaptability.
BOCM believes that making unsubstantiated claims that a species is at risk without corroborating evidence to substantiate it is both misleading and untrue. The natural predator of coyotes are humans, but if there are controls on hunting and trapping then the species reproduces unimpeded. Empirically, the number of sightings and interactions with coyotes would infer that the coyote population has migrated south towards the Lake Ontario shoreline and along adjacent creeks. This would suggest that a larger number of them are living in a confined area and in closer proximity to residents.
We believe that a scientific count of the coyote population would be helpful in identifying dens and imposing reasonable controls that would restrict the number of negative interactions with residents and their pets. Recently, attempts have been made in the City of Chicago using radio tracking to determine the size of the coyote population. Estimates suggest that the population in that City is somewhere between 2,000 to 4,000 animals.
BOCM believes that similar activities should be undertaken by bylaw officers using radio control technology. Scientific evidence, not assumptions, are needed in order to develop proactive evidence-based solutions to the coyote population.
9. Institute a program of coyote contraception to limit the size of the coyote population.
Once an assessment has been made of the size of the coyote population BOCM believes that measures should be instituted to control the size of this species.
It should be noted that in addition to the obvious threat presented by bites and attacks coyotes are also known carriers of parasites including mange and, in some instances, rabies. Sarcoptic mange is highly contagious to both dogs and humans, and there are cases where it can be passed from human to human. Rabies is a deadly virus that spreads from the saliva of infected animals. Treatment involves a series of painful shots that eliminate the infection.
Wildlife contraception is not new. It has been applied successfully in various jurisdictions in the United States to control wildlife including deer:
10. Initiate a program of aggressive hazing to instill fear in coyotes.
The concept of aversive conditioning has been pioneered by Collen Cassady St. Clair at the University of Alberta who has been working with the Edmonton Coyote Urban Project. This program is based on the concept of teaching wild animals to mistrust humans and fear people in order to lessen interactions that may result in adverse close contacts or attacks. Certain areas of that City, particularly playgrounds, are considered “no-go” zones, and coyotes seen in these areas are aggressively hazed. One approach that is being utilized involves deploying service dogs to find coyotes, then shooting them with chalk balls fired from paintball guns. Residents are also encouraged to haze coyotes by throwing tennis balls at them.
Because coyotes are no longer afraid of people, we need to teach residents aversive conditioning, and providing this information both on the website and in flyers distributed to households.
- Institute a program of regular pesticide spraying of rats and other vermin consumed by Coyotes in our trail areas and known den areas.
If the food sources for coyotes disappears, so will the coyotes. They will move to other more food abundant areas.
This will become increasingly necessary as urban development to the north of Burlington and Oakville proceeds quickly over the next few years. We will need to have plans in place well in advance to control and manage the coyote population. We all know that the coyotes will move south from Milton and Halton Hills to south Oakville and Burlington so they can be close to Lake Ontario where there is an abundance of shoreline and trail system wildlife.
 SUMMARY
BOCM maintains that previous coyote management efforts by civic officials have been both inadequate and a substantive public policy failure. Too much onus has been placed on local residents to manage this problem through appeals to refrain from feeding wildlife. While BOCM supports this measure in principle, it is our contention that this measure alone is inadequate. We strongly contend that the time has come for much more proactive control initiatives.
Related news story:
Report om controlling coyote problem gets the brush off from city hall
 By Allan Harrington
August 26th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
It was a pretty good crowd for opening night.
 Takes place at the Burlington Centre – shows on Friday, Saturday and Sunday The Big Top tent was more than 90% full.
I wondered how the long line of people snaking around outside would fit inside to see the show on time – but they did.
For the most part every seat is a good seat – even at the back row because a lot of the show is in the air.
We won’t go into the individual acts – except to say the Chicago Boyz brought a lot of energy with them – all the way from the Windy City. These guys were good.
Show times:
August 26 4:00 pm & 7:30 pm
August 27 12:00 pm & 4:00 pm & 7:30 pm
August 28 1:00 pm and 5:00 pm
 Every seat is a good seat – the back rows let you really appreciate the aerial acts The cannon that blasted a man into the air was different – and very real.
The “oohs and aahs” from the crowd were genuine and there were a lot of them.
There were no animal acts.
Great event for the kids – parents as well. Several of the acts involved parents who were pulled into the ring to take part.
For people of all ages who like a fun night out – you can’t go wrong with the circus.
Tickets – decently priced. More info HERE
 Hot dogs, pop corn and cotton candy – all part of the circus experience
By Staff
August 24th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
Ward 4 Councillor Shawna Stolte sent the following to her constituents:
The City of Burlington, with the expertise of a Certified Wildlife Control Professional, have eliminated the coyote identified by its victims in recent unprovoked attacks on humans in south central Burlington.
A third recent unprovoked coyote attack on a human was reported to the City yesterday evening. Animal Services staff played a key role in tracking the coyote identified as being responsible for all three attacks.
 The Councillor misnamed the location – it isn’t a lookout – it is one of the many windows on the lake that adjacent property owners used to discourage the public from using. Great place to just while away some time During the evening, an 18-year-old girl was lying in the grass at the municipal lookout at the end of Market Street, south of Lakeshore Road, when she felt a tug on her hair. She turned to see a coyote which then bit and scratched her leg as she stood up. The girl was taken for medical attention and was released.
The two other recent attacks were also unprovoked but during the day.
The first unprovoked attack was on a female adult on the Centennial Multiuse Trail at Seneca Avenue in the morning. The coyote jumped and bit her from behind.
The second unprovoked attack was on a 2 ½ year-old toddler seated on a deck in his fenced backyard less than two kilometres east of the first attack.
There was no food, small animals or any other activity to attract the coyote. The toddler was also bitten on the back of the neck. Both victims were treated at Joseph Brant Hospital and released.
The attacks are uncharacteristic of coyotes and are the first reported attacks on humans in Burlington.
 Centennial Trail at Seneca Avenue Municipalities are responsible for taking appropriate actions to manage resident encounters with coyotes and take appropriate action on municipal property. On the rare occasion that a coyote attacks a person, the City has a Council approved protocol in place that is currently being followed to prioritize and deal with the one coyote in question.
Anyone who sees a coyote is encouraged to let the City know by submitting an online report or calling 905-335-3030. Reporting coyote sightings, or potential problems related to overgrown building sites, garbage or someone intentionally or accidentally feeding a coyote, helps the City monitor the location and activity of coyotes in the community.
The coyote problem has taken on a new dimension; while the behaviour of this particular coyote is uncharacteristic – it is at the same time very serious.
There is some serious work to be done – hopefully City Manager Tim Commisso will pull together all the people who are involved in public safety and animal control and push the edge of that envelope to determine if there is something we are not doing that we should be doing and if there is new information that has not yet reached our people.
The incident involving a 2 ½ year-old toddler seated on a deck in his fenced backyard is more than a red flag.
By Pepper Parr
August 23rd, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
School boards used to be the first step that people who were concerned about the political health of their community took.
Now, there are times when trustees are acclaimed. This time around there are no acclamations for the Burlington trustee seats which is healthy.
What confuses many people are the number of school boards we have. There are the public and the Catholic Boards which everyone with children understand.
The Conseil scolaire Viamonde and the Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir are probably new to most people. They are both French language based.
The Conseil scolaire Viamonde is a public-secular French first language school board, and manages elementary and secondary schools in the Ontario Peninsula and the Greater Golden Horseshoe. The school board operates 41 elementary schools and 15 secondary schools within that area.
Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir is a Roman Catholic French first language public-separate school board that manages elementary and secondary schools in the Greater Golden Horseshoe. The school board operates 46 elementary schools, 11 secondary schools, and two combined institutions within that area.
Both Board trustees for Burlington were acclaimed
Here are the candidates standing for seats as trustees in Burlington
Halton District School Board Trustee – Wards 1 and 2
Matthew Diodati
Sebastian Dumitrescu-Georgescu
Omar Kayed
Halton District School Board Trustee – Wards 3 and 6
Nathaniel Arfin
Chris Goff
Stephen Green
Alison Hodd
Anna Sophia Jodhi
Dan Smith
Xin Yi Zhang
Halton District School Board Trustee – Ward 4
Roxanne Anderson
Michael Beauchemin
Varun Bhardwaj
Michael Duhacek
Margo Shuttleworth
Halton District School Board Trustee – Ward 5
David Biagioni
Amy Collard
Halton Catholic District School Board Trustee –
Wards 1 and 2
Vincent Enzo Iantomasi
Kirsten Kelly
Halton Catholic District School Board Trustee –
Wards 3 and 6
David Cherry
Trish Nicholls-Powell
Halton Catholic District School Board Trustee – Wards 4 and 5
Brenda Agnew
Rick Giuliani
Conseil scolaire Viamonde
Pierre Gregory (acclaimed)
Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir
Dominique Janssens (acclaimed)
By Staff
August 23rd, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
 Applefest Fall Fair at Ireland House Museum
When: Saturday, October 1, 2022, 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
Where: Ireland House Museum
Cost: $10/adult, $8/child (3 – 12 years), under 2 are free
Celebrate the changing of the seasons at Ireland House Museum’s Applefest Fall Fair. The day will feature main stage entertainment, vendors, Museum tours, farm animals, historic demonstrations and a mini local food market. Treat yourself to a serving of our signature house-baked apple crisp!
Capacity is limited, please pre-register for the event and note your selected arrival time. Reservations are available on the hour. Walk-in guests will be accommodated space permitting.
New this year! Treat yourself to a serving of our signature house-baked apple crisp.
Registration link:
 By Staff
August 11th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
The Halton District School Board is pleased to announce that Pardeep Nagra has been appointed to the role of Human Rights & Equity Advisor. Nagra will join the senior administrative team on Aug. 11, 2022.
 Pardeep Nagra appointed to the role of Human Rights & Equity Advisor for the Halton district School Board. Nagra will advise the Board on human rights-related strategic policy issues and provide direction on matters of equity, inclusion and human rights obligations. The role of the Human Rights & Equity Advisor is to build and maintain a culture of respect for human rights and supporting the resolution of human rights complaints.
With decades of experience in human rights, diversity, equity and inclusion, Nagra brings critical expertise in these areas to an educational environment. Nagra is the Executive Director of the Sikh Heritage Museum of Canada and serves on the Board of Directors for the Canadian Museum of Human Rights.
His most recent role has been as Manager of Employment Equity at the Toronto District School Board. Nagra is also a motivational and public speaker and former Canadian boxer who has visited HDSB schools to speak with students and staff on numerous occasions. He is the recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012).
“I am most excited to connect with students, staff, parents/guardians and the community of Halton,” says Nagra. “I encourage you to reach out to me and invite me to your classroom, school, department, community organization or event. I am here to serve you.”
“The Board is committed to providing an inclusive environment for all students and staff that models a culture of equity and respect,” says Curtis Ennis, Director of Education for the Halton District School Board. “We look forward to working with Pardeep to proactively support HDSB students and staff and address human rights issues”.
This appointment fills the vacancy of the Board’s former Human Rights & Equity Advisor Jewel Amoah.
 By Staff
August 8th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
 We all know how hot it is – and we might be running out of places we can visit where it is cool.
Apply COOL to the All Guilds annual exhibition that celebrates the guilds who make, learn, share, and teach at the Art Gallery of Burlington
There is the Burlington Fine Arts Association,
 Some work done by a member of the Burlington Sculptors and Carvers, Burlington Handweavers and Spinners Guild,
Latow Photographers Guild,
Burlington Potters Guild,
Burlington Hooking Craft Guild,
Burlington Sculptors and Carvers,
and the Digital Arts Guild of Burlington.
AGB Hours
Tuesday & Wednesday 10 AM – 9 PM
Thursday – Saturday 10 AM – 5 PM
Sunday & Monday CLOSED
 By Margo Shuttleworth
July 29th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
As the deadline draws near for people to submit their names to run in the upcoming municipal election, there is a notable absence of names being put forward to run for School Board Trustee. At first glance, this can be seen as a vote of confidence from the community that we are doing things right at the board table. However, with several Trustees in Burlington and Oakville not seeking re-election, it has left places at the table to be filled.
 Dr. Margo Shuttleworth, Chair Halton District School Board The role of a trustee is not an easy one. There is a large time commitment involved in juggling work commitments, however, it is extremely rewarding. We have done many great things over the past four years during my term which, as a board, we are all proud of:
We launched and are responding to our Reimagine Forward initiative
We created a Multi-Year and are working hard to fulfil our goals and commitments with a focus on students’ learning and achievement, mental health and well-being, equity and inclusion, indigenous perspectives and environmental leadership
We have work hard to represent those traditionally underrepresented groups
We have asked hard question but have always ensured we are kind and respectful
(and probably most importantly) we have worked collaboratively as a team to support students, families and staff
These great achievements are some of the amazing pieces of being a trustee. We all came to the table for different reasons, and that diversity of opinion is something that makes our board so great.
Please consider what your reasons may be. Look at it from a positive lens, what you can add, how you can contribute and how you can serve your community. Reach out to your Trustees to get information as to what is involved. I know the Trustees who are seeking different paths in this upcoming election are happy to chat and would welcome the opportunity for some new and diverse voices to be at our table. We want our students to see themselves within the people who represent them. It is disappointing that we have not seen more interest in the trustee role, but I hope that people will reach out to either myself or your local trustee, find out what is involved and consider the opportunity.
Dr Margo A Shuttleworth is the Chair of the Halton District School Board and the Trustee for ward 4. She can be reached at Shuttlewortm@hdsb.ca
905 691 4508
Twitter: @margoshuttle
Facebook: Margo Shuttleworth Burlington Ward 4 Trustee
Instagram: Margo4Trustee
By Staff
July 25th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
This is not something you will want to tell the kids about as they enjoy the summer weather – the Minister of Education has promised that back to school will be on time in September and everything will be operational.
 Band practice – after a two year hiatus! In announcing the Plan to Catch Up Minister Stephen Lecee said: “ After two years of pandemic disruptions, Ontario today launched its Plan to Catch Up for the 2022-23 school year. The plan, which is supported by the government’s historic investments in education, starts with students back in classrooms, on time, with the full school experience including extracurriculars like clubs, band and field trips.”
The focus is on “ensuring students receive the best stable learning experience possible, and that starts with them being in class, on time, with all of the experiences students deserve,” said Stephen Lecce, Minister of Education, adding. “We have a plan for students to catch up, including the largest tutoring program in Ontario’s history, a modernized skills-focused curriculum to prepare students for the jobs of tomorrow, and enhanced mental health supports.”
The Plan to Catch Up is squarely focused on the priorities of parents and includes five key components:
 Mental health support part of the Plan to Catch Up Getting kids back in classrooms in September, on time, with a full school experience that includes extra-curriculars like clubs, band, and field trips;
New tutoring supports to fill gaps in learning;
Preparing students for the jobs of tomorrow;
Providing more money to build schools and improve education; and
Helping students with historic funding for mental health supports.
The government is going to open the flood gates to pay for key investments including:
More than $26.6 billion in funding for the 2022-23 school year, the highest investment in public education in Ontario’s history.Investing more than $175 million for enhanced tutoring support programs delivered by school boards and community partners, with a focus on reading, writing and math $304 million in time-limited funding to support the hiring of up to 3,000 front line staff, including teachers, early childhood educators, educational assistants, and other education workers.
Investing $14 billion to build state-of-the-art schools and classrooms and renew and repair existing schools, including $2.1 billion for the 2022-23 school year.
Allocating $90 million for mental health initiatives and supports for students, a 420 per cent increase from 2017-18.
Additional funding to support students with exceptionalities through a $93 million increase in funding for the Special Education Grant and over $9 million in funding to support the new de-streamed grade nine program, with an emphasis on supporting students most at risk including students from racialized, Black, immigrant, and Indigenous communities.
 The buses will be back on the road in September “With almost 50,000 children benefiting from Ontario’s tutoring investments every week, and summer learning programs underway province-wide, Ontario’s plan is getting students back on track,” added Minister Lecce. “With an emphasis on getting back to basics, our government is focused on strengthening life and job skills in the classroom, so that students graduate as financially literate, technologically savvy, emotionally intelligent leaders, ready for the jobs of tomorrow.”
Ontario’s public schools have an enrolment of over 1.4 million elementary students and over 650,000 secondary students.
Quick Facts
As of the beginning of April 2022, ministry-funded tutoring programs were underway across the province. From May to June 2022, on average, approximately 49,000 students participated in tutoring programs each week, with an average group size of less than five students to provide tailored and focused support.
With supportive policies and programs delivered by the ministry, school boards and partners, Ontario students have overcome many of the challenges of the pandemic, and graduation rates continue to rise. In 2020-21, 84.2 per cent of the 2016-17 grade nine cohort of students received their high school diploma within four years and 89 per cent of students received their high school diploma within five years.Since August 2020, more than $665 million has been allocated to improve ventilation and filtration in schools as part of the province’s efforts to protect against COVID-19.
These investments have resulted in improvements to existing ventilation systems; deployment of over 100,000 standalone HEPA filter units and other ventilation devices to schools; upgrades to school ventilation infrastructure; and increased transparency through public posting of school board standardized ventilation measure reports.
Up to 9,000 HEPA filter units were deployed to child care centres to provide further protection against COVID-19.
Over the course of the pandemic, child care programs stayed open and served children and their families, including providing emergency child care for front line workers during periods of school closure and remote learning. •
 By Pepper Parr
July 12th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
 For Leah Reynolds it was always about the students After 8 years of public service Leah Reynolds said: “I’m retiring at the end of the school board term.”
“I have decided not to run in the 2022 Municipal Election.
I’m humbled and grateful to have served as a Trustee for the Halton District School Board (HDSB) and represented students and families from the Aldershot and Downtown Burlington Communities (Wards 1 and 2) these last 8 years.
“I want to express my thanks to the constituents who allowed me to represent them at the HDSB board table. My gratitude goes out to all my volunteers and supporters who inspired me and did everything they could to get me elected.
“My decision to step up and get involved was because schools are the heart of our community. As a parent, I advocated and volunteered for well over 20 years, including as a council member and school chair. I volunteered for in-school reading, and nutrition programs. I was active in community projects that included fundraising for playground equipment and auditorium renewals.
“Those early years provided a solid foundation for me to serve eight years as your Trustee. I am proud to deliver on my commitment for improvements to the future of high school programming, with support for skills trades, and a solid plan for school amalgamations that included transitioning and expanded programming for students with special needs.
“While these last few years have been the most challenging, I supported changes always with the lens of student achievement and well-being. Leading through a pandemic, I did my best within the limits of what we were provided. I was so proud to have been part of a system that shifted our collective focus to improving wellness, equity, and inclusion, and increased awareness of Indigeneity and the environment. We did this while encouraging innovative new approaches to how schools can evolve and continuously improve.”
Reynolds represented wards 1 and 2 during a period of time when the high school in her wards was threatened with closure.
 Leah Reynolds with Marianne Meed Ward The two women were always close when they both represented ward 2 residents. Reynolds, who has always been close to then ward 2 city Councillor Marianne Meed Ward, got tangled up in a sticky situation during the tumultuous school board debates.
“We all want our students to see themselves at our board table. It is my hope that candidates from all backgrounds will put their names forward in the next election.
Related news story:
Reynolds accused of being coached during a school board debate
Resident writes Open letter on the coaching issue
By Pepper Parr
July 11th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
Many elected leaders determined to be managers – Elected officials need to concentrate on where they add value.
“Leading: The Real Value of a Mayor and Council” by George Cuff, is back on shelves.
 Council members have a budget that will cover the cost of the book. Municipal management guru George Cuff makes a compelling argument that municipalities today are not nearly as well served as they should be – because their elected leaders have, in many instances, determined they would rather be the managers. As a result, far too much effort and time is being spent on how staff can do a better job in their roles, without recognizing that, in order to do so, elected officials need to concentrate on where they add value.
Leading others is a simple yet profound duty and privilege, writes Cuff, as he digs into questions around leadership and what it requires from those who step forward at the local level.
Coming from someone with a excellent reputation backed by years of municipal level experience and tonnes of consulting assignment – this is a guy Councillors might want to listen to.
The Gazette has blown its gift budget for this year – we would haved like to have been able to buy a copy of the book and have it sent to the seven members of Council.
George Cuff barely got through high school having found sports and girls a distraction from his studies. As a result, he did not go directly to University but began work as an accountant with the Royal Bank and then after a couple of years there, he moved on to an oil and gas company where he continued his frustration as an accounting clerk.
 George B. Cuff – has wisdom to share with municipal Councillors. Cuff set up his own firm of George B. Cuff & Associates Ltd. (1984) and since then has focused on providing advice and counsel to rural and urban governments, provincial departments and agencies and other groups involved in some aspect of governance and public service. His work has become more focused over time on the art of governance and the elements that help organizations become more effective.
Cuff has published over 450 articles as well as ten books on local government. He has three “how to” books (Cuff’s Guide Volumes One and Two as well as his “Executive Policy Governance” which was published in 2014.
By Pepper Parr
July 11th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
Perhaps a book that was overdue just had to be returned.
Whatever it was – car went through the windows of the Alton branch of the Burlington Public Library.
No one was injured and the staff managed to get the building opened this morning with little in the way of service disruption.
 The Alton Recreational Centre has a high, a public library and some of the best recreational space in the city.
The property is owned by the city with the three jurisdictions sharing the use of the space.
An incident like this wasn’t in the operational plans.
“We are very glad to be able to welcome people back into the branch so soon,” says Amanda Freeman, Branch Manager. “This library is busy with families, especially during Summer Reading Club. We are very grateful to all our BPL staff and partner organizations for getting us back into operation so quickly.”
 A small area of the branch is closed off with barriers until the damage can be fixed more permanently.
The remainder of the space is still open for browsing, borrowing, programs, and study.
No one was seriously injured in the collision. It occurred before the branch opened Saturday morning.
Police report that:
A vehicle drove through the glass at the library on July 9 at approximately 9:00 am. I am not aware of any charges or injuries at this time.
The Gazette followed up and got this:
“Unfortunately I cannot confirm any other details. Accident reports are completed by the officer and then sent off to the Ministry so I am not able to view the report. The officer is on their 4 days off currently so I am not able to confirm with them either. From what I see there does not appear to be any evidence to support that it was a deliberate action.”
By Staff
July 7th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
| SUSTAINABLE AND MEANINGFUL EMPLOYMENT FOR EVERYONE.
TRANSFORMING LIVES AND IMPROVING THE WORKFORCE AND ECONOMY.
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 By Lawson Hunter
July 7th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
Lawson Hunter delegated at a Standing Committee earlier today to comment in support of “Climate Resilient Burlington: A Plan for Adopting to Our Warmer, Wetter, and Wilder Weather”. He said:
To my mind, this is one of the best reports I have seen this Council receive this term. I have every confidence that this committee will accept this report. My hope is that you will embrace the messages contained within and set in motion the recommendations with the urgency and the full commitment that they require.
Unfortunately, this report comes at a time when Council is near the end of its term, a ‘near lame duck Council’. Please do what you can to see that this report does not get lost in the transition to a new term and more importantly, that the City implements many, if not all, of the plans of action.
 Lawson Hunter: “we easily forget, especially if it doesn’t affect us directly.” I have delegated to Council on more than one occasion about Mitigating Climate Change. Today, I’m here to say that I’ve turned a corner in my thinking. I still believe in Mitigation but my personal viewpoint is that we need to shift more towards Adaptation.
In 2019, Burlington City Council, along with many other municipalities in Canada, declared a “Climate Emergency”. At the time, the International Panel on Climate Change stated that we had 12 years to ‘mitigate’ climate change. Well, we’ve got 9 years left before we pass the point of no return. Nine years to keep global GHG emissions below 350 parts per million. Sorry to tell you, but we passed 410 ppm a mere four months later. The IPCC (which the report references) told us that we needed to limit average temperature level increases to 1.5 degrees Celsius. We’ve blown past that. We now talk about 2 degrees, or even 3 or 4 degrees by the end of the century.
The dilemma, we face is our brains protect us by pushing those events from the past further and further out of our minds as we tend to focus on our day to day activities. ‘Live in the moment’ our coaches, and trainers, and self-help gurus tell us. Well, we can’t do that anymore. Not when those “climate events” keep coming, more frequently and harder and closer to home.
Sure, Burlington experienced the Ice Storm of 2013 and the Flood of 2014. A year ago, we watched on TV the drought and fire and flood that hit B.C. And in May of this year, less than two months ago, we narrowly missed the Great Canadian Derecho that tore a path of destruction from Windsor to Quebec City. A derecho is when a thunderstorm marries a tornado and creates a hurricane on land.
We, as a global society, recovered from the long list of environmental crises but did we learn anything from them? In her book, “The Devil Never Sleeps: Learning to Live in an Age of Disasters”, Juliette Kayyem says, for the most part we did. She writes, “It isn’t that you can manage a disaster so that no harm will occur, … Essentially, we can learn to fail, more safely.”
My point is, we easily forget, especially if it doesn’t affect us directly. And even if we are affected we, “Pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, start all over again” as the song says. We take pride in Building Back Better. In a word we become ‘Resilient’.
And that brings me to my one, small uneasiness about this report. Words are important. They can spur us into action or they can lull us into complacency.
For example, in this report the word Resilience is used quite often in place of Adaptation. Resilience is described as “the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties”, or “the ability to cope with and recover from setbacks”, or, “to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune”.
 The impact of the 2014 flood on a Burlington basement
Climate Change is neither a difficulty, a setback or a misfortune. It’s a disaster waiting to happen. It’s not a ‘what-if’ scenario. It’s a when-it-will-strike, there will be consequences kind of thing.
The report talks a lot about ‘collaboration’ as if that were a new thing. One has to hope that the City already ‘collaborates’ with entities like Burlington Hydro, Enbridge, the RBG and other stakeholders. I respect that stakeholders were invited to the table, but the collaboration must go further than a dozen or so meetings. It must infuse the landscape. Every organization, every company, every developer, every resident, should ask themselves “Is this the best we can do to respond to a climate change event?” And, “what part can I play after a disaster has impacted my neighbours?” rather than let ‘the City’ clean up the mess.
We are fighting against a system that none of us created. A system of global off-shoring, over consumption, externalities, short-term thinking, a ‘make it-break it-toss it’ society that is leading us over a cliff. Burlington used to be, largely, self-sufficient. Broken global supply chains have shown us that that is not sustainable anymore.
I get it. Your e-mail boxes are over-flowing with residents’ complaints about garbage, about potholes, about not enough ice rinks in the city. But you know what? Those fall into the category of the short-term thinking that got us here.
We, all of us, need to have the courage to say, “Stop it for a moment.” We need to shift our focus to ‘What will the impact of our decisions today, have on future generations?”. I’ve already spoken to Council about thinking, not in 20 years, or 50 years, but using the Indigenous wisdom of ‘seven generations’. In seven generations, 200 years or so, hurricanes, drought, floods, war, famine, will all probably hit Burlington. What will we construct today that will help future generations to Adapt?
We need to commit to the recommendations in this report. We need to set priorities. We need to ensure success by directing enough of the City’s budget now and into the future towards these goals. Let me tell you, it’s going to hurt, but future generations will thank us.
We also need to acknowledge the things that we’ve done wrong, but also what we did right to respond to disasters. We can adapt to a rapidly changing environment. COVID taught us that. Will we heed that lesson?
Biologically speaking, adaptation is “a change or the process of change by which an organism, or species becomes better suited to its environment”. Not us trying to change the environment to suit our needs.
We are heading down the train track and no one’s got their hands on the brake. Here’s an example. And it is in no way a slam against Burlington Hydro. Burlington has experienced 33 power outages since January 1 of this year.
 The 2013 ice storm blocked roads for days My question is – is sixty plus outages acceptable when every house and building could have its own renewable energy source? Is 60 plus outages the new normal that we should expect? Again, I’m not blaming Burlington Hydro – it has to deal with flooding, wind storms, ice build up, drivers knocking down poles, and a few instances of preventative maintenance by the utility. Burlington Hydro is working with a system that was designed in the 1950’s, built in the 60’s and 70’s, and feeding power from a transmission system that was created some 100 years ago. Doomed to fail.
But see, there I go talking about a Mitigation to the climate change problem. It’s difficult to separate the two. We need both courses of Action. I’m here to ask you to take the next 15 or 20 minutes and really concentrate on what this city – not City (with a capital C), but the community of Burlington can do to prepare to ‘fail more safely’ because we will fail when it comes to climate change, it’s almost guaranteed.
I’m not an expert. You’ve got plenty of smart people on staff. You’ve already got a shelf full of reports, and you’ve got partnerships with good organizations with all kinds of environmental experience. What I want to impress upon you is the sense of urgency that I feel.
I don’t want Burlington to just ‘Build Back Better’. We can ‘hope for the best and prepare for the worst’ or we can prepare for the worst and hope that it never comes to that.
Take-aways:
• Don’t be lulled into complacency with aspirations and buzzwords.
• Give all City staff adequate training in first aid and disaster relief.
• Empower employees to assist and support the rest of the community, be it disaster, physical condition, mental health situation, knowing what to do and where to go in an emergency.
• Create more heating and cooling stations, and emergency shelters.
• Make floodplain maps easily accessible and support Conservation Halton’s program and frequency of new maps created.
• Instill a long-term vision in City staff, residents, local employees that we need to work together, support each other, for the common good.
• Work with developers, the largest group of game-changers, to build better, more equitably, and with robust safety features – additional stair egress, adequate fire protection and services.
• Recognize that disaster could happen at any time, in any location, and know how to respond.
• Learn to fail, more safely.
By Staff
June 28th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
 Totally focused
C.H. Norton PS in Burlington will be open for registration during the summer for in-person registration on specific dates
Although schools are closed in July and the first three weeks of August, the Halton District School Board is offering families of elementary students the opportunity to register their child(ren) for school this summer for the start of school in September.
Registering at this time helps the Board prepare for the upcoming school year and provides students more time to become familiar with their new school.
The following elementary schools are open to families to register their Kindergarten – Grade 8 child(ren) in Halton:
• In-person registration for all elementary schools in Oakville is available at Oodenawi Public School (385 Sixteen Mile Dr, Oakville) July 11, 12, 18 and 19 from 8 a.m. – 3 p.m.
• In-person registration for all elementary schools in Milton is available at Viola Desmond Public School (1450 Leger Way, Milton) July 14, 15, 18 and 19 from 8 a.m. – 3 p.m.
• In-person registration for all elementary schools in Burlington is available at C.H. Norton Public School (2120 Cleaver Ave, Burlington) July 11, 12, 18 and 19 from 8 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Families can find their local school by visiting the HDSB’s Find My Local School webpage.
 High school students taking part in a cooking class Secondary students (Grade 9-12) new to the HDSB can register for school when all secondary school offices reopen on Monday, Aug. 22. All HDSB school offices will reopen the week of Aug. 22.
Families are asked to bring the following original documents when registering:
• Proof of age: birth certificate, passport, or baptismal/faith record for your child.
• Proof of address (any two of the following documents): lease or deed, car registration, utility bill, residential telephone bill, moving bill, property tax bill, bank statement, credit card statement, correspondence with a government agency. Note: A driver’s license will not be accepted as documentation for “proof of address”.
• Proof of citizenship: birth certificate, passport, Record of Landing (IMM 1000) or Permanent Resident Card.
• If you are not the parent and your child is under 18 you must provide proof of custody (court order).
For more information, call 905-335-3665, ext. 3324 or Toll free: 1-877-618-3456.
Welcome Newcomer Families
Newcomer families ready to begin the school registration process must complete the Welcome Centre Intake Form for Registration. Families new to Ontario and who speak another language other than English are asked to complete the Where Do I Register My Child? Form to determine where the registration process begins.
The Welcome Centre will follow regular office hours (8 a.m. – 4 p.m., Monday to Friday) for the week of July 4. From July 11 to Aug. 18 inclusive, the operating hours will be 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday to Thursday, with the centre closed on Fridays.
The Welcome Centre is open to visitors and can offer in-person or virtual assessments on an appointment basis. Beginning Aug. 22, 2022, the Welcome Centre will return to regular office hours: Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. To book an appointment, email welcomecentre@hdsb.ca or call 905-335-3665, ext. 3440.
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