We were advised by the Office of the Mayor this afternoon that “The vehicle the Mayor uses is an electric plug-in. Our apologies for any embarrassment we might have caused her Worship.
The climate has dominated the 2020 budget deliberations. Trying to get electric buses as soon as possible, pushing a private tree by law onto the books, setting aside funds to work on the Climate Action Plan, buying level two charging stations that would be set up at community centres.
If you get to the Locust Street parking garage early enough you can park your electric car and charge it at the same time. But get there early – they get taken up quickly.
Getting people out of their cars and onto buses by making it free for those under twelve, putting together a deal with the school boards that will have high school students riding a bus to school. During the summer there was a program that had seniors using transit free during the off peak hours.
Progress – Mayor Meed Ward would like to make transit free for everyone and if the buses they ride were all electric she would be ecstatic.
But there is a fly in this ointment; none one of the city councilors drives an electric vehicle.
Burlington Hydro leased an electric BMW and made it available to members of the 2014-18 city council and covered the cost of a charging station outside city hall to introduce the elected to electric vehicles. Nothing happened.
One reported that he drives his boys to school in his pickup truck and admitted that he found himself following the school bus in his pick-up truck explaining that the school bus didn’t come close enough to his home to make it convenient.
That is not exactly walking the talk.
The Mayor is provided a car as part of her benefit package – to the best of our knowledge it is not an electric car. (See correction at the top of this story) To her credit to the Mayor walks to city hall when she doesn’t have to travel – which isn’t very often.
Trustees of the Halton District School Board (HDSB) encourage the Burlington community to add their voices to ask the City of Burlington to support free municipal transit for high school students. The City is currently in budget talks, which includes a process of prioritizing such initiatives.
High school students might get an upgrade to the traditional orange school bus to a nice new electric bus. Not this year – but soon if the four boards and the city can work out an understanding.
Halton District School Board Trustees will be delegating Burlington City Council on Monday, Dec. 16, 2019 in favour of continuing talks to develop a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for all Burlington high school students to ride municipal transit free of charge beginning September 2020.
HDSB Chair Andrea Grebenc.
HDSB vice chair Tracey Ehl Harrison
Earlier in the year the HDSB re-elected Andrea Grebenc as chair and Tracy Ehil Harris as vice chair – this is the third term for each woman.
This item will be on the Council agenda on Monday, Dec. 16 at 6:30 p.m. at Burlington City Hall.
Currently, school boards pay for student municipal transit passes for specific high school students who commute to specialized programs offered at schools other than their home school. One of the possible Halton District School Board commitments under the MOU could be to maintain the current level of financial contribution to help offset the costs to the City.
The school board trustees are asking people to consider attending the December 16 meeting to support the Trustee delegation, delegating yourself or sending in a letter of support.
The city has allocated $42,500 to cover the cost and is looking to the other school boards to chip in.
Burlington City Council is trying hard to get electric buses into the fleet, add to the size of the fleet and install EV chargers for the buses – they come in at $1 million each.
There is a new women’s accelerator program called Beyond Boundaries that is being run by HalTech
The program will offer:
• Skills development in financial acumen, technology expertise, and scaling up • Targeted connections through networking events and strategic introductions. • Mentorship, advisory support and peer learning circles. • Exploration of new markets and global opportunities.
The Government of Canada is advancing women’s economic empowerment with the first ever Women Entrepreneurship Strategy (WES), a $2-billion investment that seeks to double the number of women-owned businesses by 2025. Doubling the number of women owned businesses requires a strong ecosystem of support, expertise and connections.
As part of WES, Haltech Regional Innovation Centre and the Halton Region Global Business Centre are pleased to introduce an accelerator program designed to unleash the power and potential of women entrepreneurs. Created with the unique challenges and opportunities faced by the diversity of women who start and run businesses.
The first cohort of the program will start in early 2020.
At the moment, the secondary school unions and the Ontario government are at loggerheads over whether 4, 2 or 0 online classes should be offered. Having experienced both traditional and e-learning firsthand I can attest to the fact that in both cases some courses are delivered better than others.
Take your courses when you want – where you want and if you didn’t get it the first time yo can replay the class.
In my experience there is room for improvement on both fronts and not every subject is a candidate for e-learning. One of the criticisms I have heard about e-learning involves access to tutors, something I found to be both a problem and an opportunity. On one hand not having instant access to a tutor can be frustrating, on the other hand, from personal experience, it can make you dig deeper for the solution. In education, as in life, some of the things that stick with us the most are the things we had to work the hardest to achieve. Easy and instant access to resources is not always the answer and is not always the best form of education.
Say or think what you want about online learning, it has been here a while and it is here to stay, and, it’s growing in leaps and bounds. For many people it is a game changer as it may be the only way they can earn those last few credits or a credential that they otherwise would not be able to earn. For some it is a matter of cost or a way to balance raising a family while earning a living.
According to the “Ontario Learn” website, in 1995 seven colleges put their heads together and started to offer online courses, today 24 Ontario colleges offer high quality online education. The original seven realized that by pooling resources, they could extend their reach by offering online courses and programs to students who would not otherwise have access to them.
“Athabasca University” (AU) is a Canadian Open University specializing in online distance education and is one of four comprehensive academic and research universities in Alberta. Founded in 1970, it was the first Canadian university to specialize in distance education. Athabasca offers online undergraduate and graduate programs and courses. AU serves over 38,000 students (over 7,900 full-load equivalents) and offers over 900 courses in more than 50 undergraduate and graduate programs in a range of arts, science and professional disciplines.
If you haven’t heard of a MOOC, you aren’t alone. MOOCS or Massive Open Online Courses have unlimited participation and open access via the web. EDx is just one online MOOC platform that has about 14 million learners and is the second largest MOOC provider in the world. The global MOOC market size was estimated to be $4 billion in 2018.
When I wanted to brush up on my knowledge of social media marketing, I turned to EDx and promptly found 10 offerings. One course from Boston University not only met my needs but allowed me, should I so desire, to earn a credit towards a Micro Masters. The course starts in April of 2020 and currently has 69,871 registrants.
So why all the fuss and push back here in Ontario? Online learning is anything but new. Online learning may also be the only choice for some people who have different learning styles or disabilities. My granddaughter is in grade 10 so I sought her opinion on the topic. Her response; she prefers having a teacher in front of her. Good enough. Online learning is not for everyone. Some students like my granddaughter prefer a live teacher, some may learn better, as I did, with online learning.
The current generation of high school students are prodigious users of online technology. So why not offer them online learning as part of our high school curriculum? Failing to offer online learning in this day and age is a missed opportunity.
Athabasca University has been around since 1970 and Ontario Learn since 1995, and 2020 is just around the corner, so let’s get on with it, but do it right, and by that I mean involving the right stakeholders be it parents, students, teachers and the government in the process.
There is but one pool of taxpayer money, some of that pool is dedicated to education, some of that pool goes towards paying for infrastructure, some for books and supplies, some for school repairs and maintenance, and some to teachers and other staff.
There are strengths and weaknesses to online education. It does cost the governments less.
We have one of the best and most expensive education systems in the world. In order to continue to be the best we must find a way to make online learning part of that system and we can either lead the way, or we can sit back and suffer the consequence of lagging as did Research in Motion (RIM) aka Blackberry.
At the moment online education is geared to post-secondary learning. I see two pathways for primary and secondary student e-learning. One has the government and other stakeholders working hand in hand to figure out how to make e-learning part of Ontario’s education future.
The other path is market based where the government with the help of e-learning experts such as EDx create a series K to 12 courses that are optional for those who would benefit the most. In the end this approach will only work if there is value to members of the target market, “the student”.
Joseph A. Gaetan has a BGS degree in applied studies, earned through studies at The University of Waterloo and Athabasca University. He also earned a Province of Ontario Engineering Technology Certificate through Fanshawe College, and for 8 years worked at earning a trade becoming a Journeyman Machinist. He also studied French at the Centre Linguistique du Collège de Jonquière and Italian at Mohawk College. In addition, he has taken online courses through the EDx platform taking courses from Harvard, The University of Queensland, Wellesley and Delft Wageningen, he is currently working at learning 6 languages through Duolingo. His work career includes being a Machinist, a CNC programmer, a business owner, a consultant and the Director of Organizational Development for a Fortune 100 company. All of this thanks to life-long learning.
In a media release the Halton Regional Police Service said: “Incidents of intimate partner violence threaten the very sense of safety and well-being that defines our region.
“Last year, our officers responded to more than 3,300 intimate partner domestic violence calls. We also know that intimate partner violence is overwhelmingly under-reported. Statistics Canada estimates that more than 80 per cent of these incidents go unreported.
“Starting this week, the Halton Regional Police Service will periodically publish media releases that capture a de-identified incident of intimate partner violence in the community. No names. No residence details. We will, however, disclose the nature of the incident and what charges were laid as a result of an investigation. Each media release will also include key messaging that:
Intimate partner violence damages the very fabric of the society we live in.
i) reinforces that no one has the right to abuse another person;
ii) encourages victims and witnesses to contact the Halton Regional Police Service; and
iii) provides a comprehensive list of community resources for those affected.
“Our goals with this new approach to community-facing messaging are two-fold:
i) create an opportunity to connect others who are at-risk, or who may already be victims of intimate partner violence, with the resources and support they need and deserve; and
ii) heighten the awareness of the general public regarding how pervasive this violence is in our community.
“Intimate partner violence reaches across socio-economic, cultural, racial and class distinctions. It is a community problem that requires community engagement to address,” says Deputy Chief Jeff Hill. “It is impossible to fix what you can’t see, so we are broadening the conversation to clearly signal that this insidious violence is not solely an issue of concern to victims. If you see something, say something.”
Diane Beaulieu, Executive Director of Halton Women’s Place
Diane Beaulieu, Executive Director of Halton Women’s Place applauds the Police Service for taking this bold step saying “An increase in public awareness will help de-stigmatize the issue of gender-based violence, and particularly violence against women. Every person in the community is entitled to feel safe in their home.”
“Given the prevalence of intimate partner violence in the region, it is imperative that all stakeholders shed light on this issue. In collaboration with our community partners, through ongoing education and shared information, the Halton Regional Police Service hopes to further prevent and reduce future victimization.”
Students were arriving at the Mattamy Velodrome in Milton Friday by the busload from every public high school in the Region.
They were there to look at some of the educational opportunities available to them once they have completed high school.
1500 students from public high schools throughout the Region took part in an opportunity to see what their educational futures might look like.
A total of 1500 students were expected to go through two hour sessions looking at the offerings at community colleges and opportunities in both the public and the private sectors.
The exhibits filled the oval of the velodrome, which from time to time, had cyclists speeding around on the track.
The Halton Pathways: A Future that Fits program is designed to give students as many opportunities as possible to decide what they want to do in the way of work once they have completed their education.
Burlington’s Nelson High School pitching their SHSM program.
Several of the Community Colleges were on hand with representatives who could talk about various programs, at least one university was represented. The Regional Police had equipment on the site.
Part of the Pathways program is the Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM).
SHSM programs allow students to specialize their education around their chosen field of interest. Each SHSM program includes a bundle of 8-10 Grade 11 and 12 courses related to that area of interest.
Grade 11 and 12 students choose a major sector area such as:
Superintendent Julie Hunt Gibbons.
Business, construction, arts and culture, energy, environment, information and communications technology, justice, community safety and emergency services, health and wellness, horticulture and landscaping, social justice, sports, transportation, manufacturing, hospitality and tourism.
The opportunity to specialize will result in notations on their report cards that often leads to a job as soon as they graduate because they have marketable skills.
Julie Hunt Gibbons, Superintendent of Education responsible for Secondary curriculum and school program, Student success and pathways destinations, Elementary schools: Brookdale, Eastview, Gladys Speers, Oakwood, Pine Grove, WH Morden and TA Blakelock High School.
We seldom think about a fire in a high rise – when we do, I think most of us shudder and say – this doesn’t effect me – I live in a house or a four story apartment building.
However, fires do take place in high rise buildings and Burlington appears to be in the process of putting up as many of them as possible.
Halton Region Paramedic Services Operations Superintendent Michael Mitchell plans next steps.
The Region, which is responsible for the Emergency Measure Operation Centre, held an Emergency Evacuation exercise on November 22 with the city to assess the Region’s plans.
The scenario focused on a fictional fire in a Burlington high-rise building, which required residents to leave their units and take shelter at the Region’s Emergency Evacuation Centre located at Haber Community Centre.
“This exercise was another step forward in our ongoing work to help protect individuals and families during emergencies,” said Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr. “Testing our response allows us to improve the way we deliver essential services and supports to residents. Our strong partnership with the Local Municipalities, first responders and community organizations ensures we are ready for emergencies in Halton.”
Halton Region Children Services Supervisor, Stephanie Houghton, acting as the Haber Evacuation Centre Commander, briefs Canadian Red Cross volunteers.
The exercise, “High-rise to Haber”, tested specific response processes, including how the Region and City would communicate with residents, partners and staff at the evacuation centre. Participants assessed their joint response to identify strengths, challenges and areas for improvement.
The following participants supported the emergency exercise:
• City of Burlington Recreation Services Department • Canadian Red Cross • St. John’s Ambulance Burlington • The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) • Halton Region Paramedic Services • Halton Regional Police Service
In addition to exercise “High-rise to Haber”, which was the largest scenario planned for 2019, the Region also participated in 12 smaller exercises and drills earlier this year. Emergency preparedness is a shared responsibility that involves residents, businesses, all levels of government and the community.
The Halton District School Board has announced it is hosting its second annual experiential learning event, Halton Pathways: A Future that Fits, for approximately 1,500 Grade 10 students, on Friday, November 29 at the Mattamy National Cycling Centre (Velodrome) in Milton.
The daylong event will feature an opportunity for students to explore high school Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) programs and to meet the teachers and employers related to each SHSM sector.
The event will include more than 45 local businesses, providing a full day of hands-on interactive activities for students.
Colleges and universities will attend and provide displays related to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), Police Foundations, Trades and Technology, the Environment, Energy, and Arts and Culture. Activities will include a robotics display, healthcare medical simulation mannequin, construction and DIY projects, sound, lighting and equipment, a virtual reality trainer, fire trucks and fire extinguishers, cupcake decorating, welding simulations, therapy dogs and a fingerprinting session.
“This event will give our students the opportunity to explore many different businesses and learn about programs, like the Specialist High Skills Major and the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program, that allows them to engage in specialized programming and real-work experience in high school,” says Veronica Kleinsmith, Specialist High Schools Major Resource Teacher for the Halton District School Board.
The HDSB currently offers 60 Specialist High Skills Major programs and 15 Concentrated Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Programs with approximately 1,500 Grade 11 and 12 students enrolled in more than a dozen different sectors such as Business, Arts and Culture, Transportation, Construction, Justice, Community Safety and Emergency Services.
For more information on A Future that Fits, CLICK HERE
The Halton District School Board does make a point of holding an event to celebrate the history and the story of a school when it is to be formally closed.
The parents and students did everything they could – they had a convincing argument but they were up against an iconic high school a couple of km away.
For the people in the community and the parents who fought to hard to keep the school open – it will not be a joyous event. They fought then and think now that the closing of the school was a mistake.
They were right then and they are right now.
But – time moves on.
The Robert Bateman High School’s Integration Committee is seeking subcommittee members and volunteers to form two subcommittees to help commemorate the school, in preparation for the school’s closing in June 2020.
Interested students, staff, parents/guardians, alumni and community members are invited to complete an Expression of Interest Form by Friday, Dec. 6, 2019.
The subcommittees will be formed prior to the first meeting on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2020 at 7 p.m. at Robert Bateman High School.
The Artifacts and Memorabilia Subcommittee is being created to assist in the identification, gathering and cataloguing of the school’s artifacts and the development of a plan to honour and display memorabilia. Members of the Closing Celebrations and Activities Subcommittee will assist in the planning of closing celebrations and activities.
The Boards data told the tale.
Hopefully one of the banners that was used during the many demonstrations will be included.
“The Integration Committee looks forward to working with members of the Robert Bateman community to celebrate and honour the history of this school,” says Robert Eatough, Superintendent of Education for the Halton District School Board.
Ward school board trustee Amy Collard, livid at the time over the decision the Board was getting ready to make on the closing of Robert Bateman High school stares down the Director of Education.
There is no decision yet as to what will happen to the school. The ward trustee, Amy Collard has some ideas; she can be very persuasive and the Mayor of Burlington appears to be prepared to do everything she can to keep the property available for use by the community.
The fear that the site will be converted into land for a condo development is not on the table now and never will be.
This is one of those events that has three different organizations behind the wheel as it were.
The Library is sponsoring it – you will need your library card to register.
The Art Gallery is the venue for the event – they have the space.
And A Different Drummer is in there should you want to buy the book.
The event is an opportunity to hear an “ever-droll playwright, novelist, and social commentator discuss his life, career and the concerns at the heart of his artfully wry and poignant new work of fiction, Chasing Painted Horses.
The star of this show is Drew Hayden Taylor who is “one of the dangerous writers who knows the potential of humour, and how far it can reach into a society, how deep it can cut, how quickly it can heal.”
He’s an award-winning playwright, novelist, journalist, scriptwriter and artistic director of Canada’s premier Native theatre company—and a very funny man. BPL is thrilled to welcome back Drew Hayden Taylor to share his latest novel, Chasing Painted Horses.
Admission is free–please register at this link or by contacting us at 905 639 0925 or diffdrum@mac.com.
If you don’t have a library card give the Drummer a call – they can register you. Seating is limited – there are a reported less than 30 left.
Each year the Halton District School Board holds a meeting to which community organizations and members of the public are invited to discuss potential planning and partnership opportunities.
Partnership opportunities in existing schools and co-build opportunities in proposed new schools, as well as a new Board Administrative Centre, will be discussed at the J.W. Singleton Education Centre, 2050 Guelph Line, Burlington on December 11th at 7:00 pm
Potential partners are requested to bring relevant planning information such as population projections, growth plans, community needs, land use and greenspace/park requirements to the meeting.
The big one on this list is the critical need for a new administrative building on the Upper Middle Road – Guelph Line site. The existing structure is bursting at the seams. Much of the senior staff has to located at the Gary Allan High School on New Street which results in hours of wasted time in travel between the two locations.
A number of the trustees were hoping that any new administrative building would be located closer to the center of the Region; that probably won’t happen because the Board currently owns the land on which the administrative building is located where there is a lot of space for a new building.
The Board owns the land right up to the NW intersection of Upper Middle and Guelph line.
There is some background information, policy and the procedures the Boards are required to follow.
The Halton District School Board (HDSB) is asking students, families, staff and the community to share views and identify areas of focus for the Board’s next Multi-Year Plan 2020-2024.
Opportunities to provide input include community roundtable discussions, focus group sessions, and online surveys, available from Nov. 4 to Dec. 2, 2019.
The Multi-Year Plan (MYP) is the roadmap that informs the Board’s decisions and allocation of resources, while guiding collective actions for ongoing improvement over the next four years. It sets the direction to ensure the Board’s efforts support all students, staff and families across the HDSB.
All parents/guardians, staff, students and community members are invited to complete a survey to assess the Board’s current MYP and provide input on areas of priority in the next MYP. The surveys are open from Nov. 4 – Dec. 2, 2019.
All parents/guardians, staff, students and community members are invited to discuss and provide face-to-face input on the development of the Board’s next MYP at two community roundtable discussions held in the north and south areas of Halton.
Two separate identical sessions will be held from 7 – 9 p.m. on the following dates:
• Monday, Nov. 18: Milton Staff Learning Centre (215 Ontario St S, Milton) – Register here
• Thursday, Nov. 21: Garth Webb Secondary School (2820 West Oak Trails Blvd, Oakville) –
Register here
Director of Education Stuart Miller
“The Multi-Year Plan is strengthened by the experience and input of students, staff, families and community members,” says Stuart Miller, Director of Education for the Halton District School Board. “Your voice is critical to getting the plan right and setting the direction for the HDSB. We look forward to your participation in helping to shape the next four years in the Halton District School Board.”
Consultations will take place until December 2, 2019. The feedback and insights received from stakeholders through the online surveys, community roundtable discussions and other forums will inform the development of the new MYP over the next three to four months. The MYP 2020-2024 will take effect in September 2020.
High school information nights are scheduled during the month of November to provide an opportunity for students, parents and guardians to learn about Grade 9 programs, services for students and diploma requirements.
Each high school in the Halton District School Board will host an information evening. Families should attend the information night at the school designated for their community.
Dates and locations for each information night are set out below:
Aldershot High School November 28, 2019 at 6:30 p.m.
Burlington Central High School November 14, 2019 at 6:30 p.m.
Dr. Frank J. Hayden Secondary School November 14, 2019 – from 6:00 pm – 9:00 p.m.
M.M. Robinson High School November 14, 2019 from 7:00 p.m to 8:30 p.m., (includes a French Program info session)
Nelson High School November 20, 2019, from 7:00 – 8:30 p.m
The memorial was put in place after WWI when the citizens of Burlington wanted to do something to remember the fallen. It was paid for by citizens and then turned over to the city to maintain.
The bronze plaque on the front was put in place to commemorate those lost in WW II – beneath that plaque are the following words:
“To teach that he who serves is lost, To bear in silence, though our hearts may bleed, To spend ourselves, and never count the cost, For others greater need.”
It was the best decision that came out of the PAR (Program Accommodation Review) of 2017 – an event that shut down two of the city’s seven high schools.
There were some issues at the time about the amount of unused space at the Aldershot High School, which was threatened with closure.
A trustee who failed to get re-elected came up with the idea and staff got a grip on it and created what came to be known as i STEM – Innovation, Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics program that takes a project approach to learning that requires students to solve problems with the subjects they are learning.
Superintendent Terri Blackwell with Director of Education Stuart Miller the night parents showed up to learn more about the iSTEM program.
The program started in September with a grade 9 class that has students from across the Region.
The response to the creation of the STEM program surpassed the Board’s most optimistic projections.
There will be a presentation on November 12th at the high school – the public will get a chance to see how well the program is working.
The grade 9 students will move on to grade 10 – when they graduate there will be a full high school program.
Available to students in Halton and beyond, I-STEM (Innovation – Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) enables students to develop innovation skills related to engineering design and design thinking, entrepreneurial thinking skills and global competencies. Students will have enhanced learning opportunities through community and post-secondary partnerships.
“I-STEM has been designed to prepare students for future trends in the workforce and help students solve complex economic, social and environmental problems,” says Terri Blackwell, Superintendent of Education for the HDSB. “We are fortunate to work with an extensive group of advisors on program development, opportunities and learning.”
Superintendent Terri Blackwell
“I-STEM has been designed to prepare students for future trends in the workforce and help students solve complex economic, social and environmental problems,” says Terri Blackwell, Superintendent of Education for the HDSB. “We are fortunate to work with an extensive group of advisors on program development, opportunities and learning.”
“We look forward to sharing with families and the community what current I-STEM students and faculty are accomplishing in the program’s inaugural year, as well as showcase the new and innovative learning spaces.”
I-STEM Open House, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019, 7 – 8:30 p.m. Aldershot School (50 Fairwood Place W, Burlington) A presentation will be held in the auditorium at 7 p.m. and repeated at 7:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. Overflow parking is available at LaSalle Park.
BURLINGTON, ON
Parents/guardians are invited to attend a free evening presentation on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019 aimed at addressing the importance of looking after themselves as caregivers in order to look after their loved ones.
The presentation by Michele Sparling is titled “Putting ‘Self’ in Caregiving – How Looking After you Helps You Look After Them”.
Who is taking care of the care-giver?
In this session, parents/guardians and caregivers will hear why self-care is an important part of the regimen of care, what it is, what it is not, and one family’s story of finding room to breathe and reset, in order to be there for their loved ones.
Presented by Community & Parent Partners for Kids (C.A.P.P. for Kids), the event runs from 7 – 8:30 p.m. at Gary Allan High School/New Street Education Centre (3250 New St., Burlington). There will be community displays from 6:45 – 7 p.m.
Michele Sparling is a Partner at Innovative HR and has 30 years of in depth experience as a results-oriented senior human resources professional. She has a Bachelor of Business Administration, and a Master of Industrial Relations. She is trained in mediation, facilitation, ASIST, Mental Health First Aid, and as a SocioPsychological Health and Safety Advisor. Michele and her family have lived in the Oakville community for 23 years.
C.A.P.P. for Kids is a partnership between Halton Region, Halton District School Board, Halton Catholic District School Board, Reach Out Centre for Kids (ROCK), Our Kids Network, Halton Regional Police Service, Ontario Early Years, Burlington Public Library, City of Burlington, and the Halton Multicultural Council.
For more information about this event, email capp4kids@gmail.com.
Carol Bishop-Gwyn, is a journalist, broadcaster and historian of the arts who has written an enthralling chronicle of the eventful lives, the indelible works, and the colourful relationship of artists Mary and Christopher Pratt.
An early screen print – Boat in Sand, 1961 is in the National Gallery’s collection.
Ross King explains the book this way: “Christopher Pratt has left a truly indelible mark on the Canadian art canvas. Bishop-Gwyn’s remarkable double portrait of Canada’s first couple of painting explores the lives of Mary and Christopher Pratt with the insight and sympathy of a friend and insider, and the wide lens and forensic scrutiny of an historian.
“Along the way we learn of the passions, tragedies and rivalries behind two extraordinary bodies of work.”
In Art and Rivalry, Carol Bishop-Gwyn delves into the the lives of Christopher and Mary Pratt, Canada’s most renowned contemporary artists. Their once supportive relationship ended in scandal, divorce, and a furious competition for dominance in Canadian Art. Their never-before-told story offers insight into the role of art and artists in our society.
The Provincial flag of Newfoundland and Labrador, was designed by Pratt and adopted in 1980.
Admission is free–please register at this link or by contacting us at (905) 639 0925 or diffdrum@mac.com.
This is the Escarpment where there are farms that thrive. Enough to make farming viable ? No one really knows.
Burlington has a large rural area that makes up close to half of the city’s geographic area – much of it is excellent land that could support profitable and sustainable agriculture. Much of it is owned by developers who rent it out on terms that are not all that beneficial for farmers.
Despite those limitations there are a number of very productive farms that can make use of some of the innovative technologies to make farming better, smarter, and more efficient.
When used in the right way, it can also help drive transformational change across the food value chain to address the most challenging agriculture and food problems facing our planet. At least that is the promise from most of today’s ag-tech companies.
The biggest risk is that this promise, is just that, a promise. Technology today is not moving the needle far enough to meet farmers’ expectations and address the biggest challenges our planet is facing now and in the future. Challenges such as climate change, population growth and changing consumer demands.
Tractors like this were used across Canada. There was once a huge debate on whether or not rubber tires could replace those steel wheels. This machine was driven by steam fired by a wooden furnace.
Innovation in agriculture has helped farmers and growers throughout time, from horse-drawn tilling machines to automated tractors. The rate of this innovation over the last 10-20 years has exploded, and the number of agribusiness start-ups has followed suit.
Globally, investments in the agribusiness and food sectors have tripled since 2004. Agriculture technology has become a global phenomenon, with start-ups growing by over 80 percent each year since 2012.
In Canada, farm income has risen each year since 2003, except for a brief downturn in 2018. In a recent study by RBC in Canada, the study found that the sector could contribute up to $51 billion to the economy by 2030, through boosting technology investments, building new skills and addressing labor shortages.
The real question is not necessarily how we can get more and better technologies into the hands of farmers. Instead we should ask ourselves how we can better aggregate these technologies across farms at scale, combine disparate data sets and drive insights to improve key metrics such as yield, and to improve crop planning and variety, including growing conditions such as soil quality.
However, Innovation is also a double edged sword
Every day farmers are bombarded by offers of new technological advances and innovative solutions. These include everything from farm management systems to soil sensors and innovative farm machinery.
This ongoing innovation is increasing the complexity of purchasing decisions and farmers are often wondering whether the value is really there. Not to mention, many of these technologies are often too expensive, especially for farmers who own small to medium sized farms. In addition, many farmers find they do not get the full value from these technologies as they often only utilize a small portion of the functionality that the solution is capable of.
For example, in a recent research paper in the journal for Agriculture Systems, it mentions that data collected by farm technologies is heavily under-utilized, and there are significant challenges with data quality and availability, as well as a lack of integration between technologies.
A recent comment by a farmer who uses an automated self-drive tractor says, “It hasn’t really improved productivity on the farm, and it hasn’t allowed me to relax because I still have to keep an eye on it. It’s a lot harder than we think to apply technology to farming in a way that truly helps farmers. That’s the challenge.”
Large companies are squeezing margins and farmers are feeling the pinch. The food value chain has become a fragmented set of silos with different players all wanting a piece of the pie. And farmers are the ones who are suffering. Without an economically sustainable farm, many of the global challenges we face today will never be addressed.
How do we then overcome this problem? How can we utilize technology to move the needle further and do farmers bear responsibility for driving this change? What role do other organizations play such as cooperatives, food manufacturers, governments and trading companies?
Innovation paired with foresight can yield world-changing results
The world faces a challenge in providing enough food to feed its growing population. The current rate of agricultural productivity is not sufficient to feed a predicted population of 9.1 billion people by 2050.
To solve this and other future challenges, agriculture needs orchestrated innovation. When used in the right areas and for the right purposes, innovation can move the needle significantly to address these fundamental macro-challenges.
The problem facing the farm community is getting their product onto these shelves in a sustainable, profitable way. The farm and the supermarket operate in separate silos.
Traditionally, the food value chain has resembled a relatively linear model, from research (e.g. seed and varieties) and production to harvest, process, packaging, distribution, and sales. The value chain is made of companies who play specific parts within the system but often not across its entirety.
Often, these companies don’t share information and compartmentalize expertise and knowledge along the value chain. This lack of collaboration limits their insight.
When innovators’ focus narrows, the technology they invent might end up hurting farmers and consumers or only help a select few, rather than helping achieve a greater good. Innovative foresight to leverage technology and apply it in the right areas to drive value is critically important.
A three-pronged road to innovation grounded in data, collaboration, and sustainability.
How can agricultural innovation ensure that new technology minimizes the risks and maximizes the benefits?
The answer lies in three fundamental areas:
1. Connecting disparate data sets across the value chain to drive greater insights—such as digital farming platforms.
2. Creating ecosystems of organizational partners to share data and best practices and to work together on uncovering exponential rates of productivity and farming yield using ecosystem-driven business models.
3. Designing business models that drive value back into the farm, while at the same time being sustainable and economically viable—with a focus on farmers and growers.
Who can address the macro-challenges we face globally and what are digital farming platforms?
What types of ecosystems do we need and how can we develop a more vertical-integrated value chain?
And who is going to get it all started?
Daniel St. George is a Senior Managing Consultant, Digital Strategy in the Agribusiness Sector.
From October 22-25 from 1-5 pm each day, The Hobbyist will be performing on site maintenance, collecting and documenting trash in the area, and conducting a short survey with participants.
The city invests a considerable amount of money in public art and throughout each year contests are held that allow artists to pitch their ideas for what is referred to as “installation” art; something that is not permanent and is often work that can be interacted with.
The city announced seven installation art locations that were to be launched along with Culture Days which took place late in September.
A communications glitch got in the way of our publishing and promoting these events. The Senior Manager Strategic Communications prevented us from talking to the Manager of Cultural Services for some clarification. The answers the Senior Manager Strategic Communications gave us were not clear and we didn’t have the time to do the back and forth that was required to get clear answers.
Cobalt Connects, the Hamilton based organization that manages the selection of artist’s process, made what appears now available and we share it with you.
With information that is clear we can now share with you what the city made possible.
These installations were available on September 27 and will be on display until October 27, 2019. There are seven Temporary Art Installations
These artists transformed spaces across Burlington with temporary public art installations. By placing art in unexpected spaces such as parks and community centres, the Public Art Lab brings contemporary art to new audiences. All installations are free of charge! The Public Art Lab is produced by the City of Burlington’s public art program.
The art is pretty well distributed throughout the city – except for Aldershot – they got stiffed.
There are two installation in Spencer Smith Park. Arianna Richardson (AKA The Hobbyist), holds a Garbage Party that is a Mixed Media Sculpture + Performance
Now that is a garbage can!
Garbage Party is an interactive project that invites visitors to engage with a 10ft long, handmade waste receptacle as its physical form would suggest: as a fully functioning garbage bin with a wide variety of collection categories.
This installation prompts the public to consider their own relationships with waste and recycling, presenting a playful and absurd site in which to engage in conversations about our consumer society and the impact of the waste it generates.
From October 22-25 from 1-5pm each day, The Hobbyist will be performing on site maintenance, collecting and documenting trash in the area, and conducting a short survey with participants.
Arianna Richardson is a sculptor, performance artist, and mother from Treaty Seven territory (Lethbridge, AB). Richardson most often works under the pseudonym, The Hobbyist, employing hobby-craft techniques to work through an investigation of ubiquitous consumption, gendered labour, waste, excess, and spectacle.
No need to do any tax accounting for your on-line wins
We won’t be exaggerating if we state that taxes are every Canadian’s worst nightmare! And when it comes to online gambling, an immediate question asked by every player is – are they required to pay taxes on their winnings at such platforms?
Well, the good news is that you don’t need to pay any taxes on such winnings if you are only a recreational player and a Canadian resident.
So, I could sign up to www.casino.com to play the desert treasure slot, win a huge sum and get to take the entire win home, without paying anything to the exchequer.
Why casino players aren’t required to pay any taxes.
Canadian government can’t tax any gambling activity because it doesn’t serve as a regular source of income, and doesn’t originate from property, employment or any other regular earning means. Gambling also isn’t considered a type of business and majority of Canadians don’t live off their gambling winnings. In the eyes of the law, taxing such events will not be fair. Here’s more on the peculiarities of gambling in Canada.
Are Canadians required to pay any taxes on gambling winnings?
No, there is no need for Canadians to pay any taxes on winnings from gambling activities like lotteries, sports betting, horse racing, online casinos etc. however, you must declare any interest earned on these winnings in the T5 form. Any such interest is taxable in nature and you could be fined if you are caught not paying taxes on it.
Are professional Canadian gamblers required to pay taxes?
Anyone who gambles full-time, whether off-line or online, and makes a living from the activity, must pay taxes on their winnings. Hence, professional blackjack players, poker players or anyone who calls themselves a professional gambler, will be perceived as a running a freelance business, the income from which is taxable in Canada.
However, there’s a catch. The Canada Revenue Agency has been very slow in assessing and auditing people whose primary source of income is gambling. Why this is so is because these people are essentially operating the business and the profits earned from the business are taxable.
No calculations to be done.
But the same business can lead to major losses, reducing overall income. If the Canadian revenue agency starts taxing these professional players in a forceful manner, it could have a very bad domino effect throughout Canada.
This doesn’t mean that if you are a professional gambler, you should avoid paying any taxes. It’s only information that you should be aware of.
Gambling wins in Vegas or US as a Canadian citizen
Anyone who visits Las Vegas or United States to gamble and comes back with the winnings, must pay close to half of their winnings exceeding US$ 1200 as taxes to the government. If you thought you could just avoid declaring any such income, well, think again! When you walk up to cash out your winnings at the booth, 30% is deducted as tax at source there and then!
By Pepper Parr
