 By Pepper Parr
January 9th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
Does the Halton District School Board have a Plan B should the Ministry of Education tell them to do the Program Administrative Review (PAR) all over again because they didn’t get it quite right the first time?
If the Ministry of Education does decide there were flaws and errors in the way the PAR was done by the Halton Board and believes it has to be re-done – it isn’t likely to be done in the very near future. The Ministry has all but admitted that the process they created was flawed and they put a hold on any new PAR’s being done.
If the process does get revised it will take many months for the bureaucrats to figure out what was wrong and then make the changes. The process of involving public groups has already begun.
 Could there be a do-over of the PAR exercise. Pearson and Bateman parents hope so – Central high school parents are happy with the outcome. Assuming the Halton Board is told to re-do the PAR – that would mean going through the process all over again. The Ministry does not tell the Board to close a school. The elected school board are the people who make that decision.
What does the Halton Board do in the meantime?
 George Ward, a Pearson high school supporter thinks the Director of Education to have a Plan B. George Ward, a parent going door to door to convince parents to fight back said he has been told by the Director of Education, Stuart Miller that there was no Plan B – they were moving forward on the assumption that they would not be required to re-do the PAR. Good luck on that one Mr. Miller.
If there were a Plan B – what would it look like?
Right now the plan the HDSB has is to close two of the city’s seven high schools – Bateman and Pearson. Bateman will close its doors in June of 2020 and Pearson is to graduate a class in June of 2018 and then close the doors.
The Board has begun preliminary construction planning for Nelson high school which is to take in much of the existing Bateman program.
There are some very strong reasons for not closing either school.
Bateman offers a program that isn’t available anywhere else in the Region. It is unique and serves a demographic that needs special help and consideration. Many, perhaps most, people were just not aware of the program. The parents with disadvantaged and dearly loved children tended not to talk about program at their school.
 Despite the sign – the Bateman high school parents didn’t see their school at risk of being closed. They weren’t aware that their school was at risk despite the many warnings that were coming out of the school board administration.
Senior staff at the school board admit that communicating with the community is not one of their strong points.
 Playground at the nursery co-op attached to Lester B.Pearson high school. Pearson high school is a school that was “purpose built”; it was intended to be a small high school with a community component built into it. The Nursery, a best practices model, is supported financially by the city. Losing this school would be a terrible loss – to close it because the makeup of the feeder elementary schools were reconfigured is just poor management. The trustees have to bear the responsibility for that happening – they failed to give the Director the policy he needed to run things differently.
To be fair to Stuart Miller, the current Director of Education, has had to work with was on his plate – the big mistakes were made by his predecessors.
The trustees don’t bring all that much to the table in the way of communicating for their constituents. The members of the Halton District School Board have difficulty with seeing the bigger picture and giving the Director of Education policy that he can work within.
There is a bit of a silver lining – the trustees now have a new chair and vice chair. Andrea Grebenc of Burlington, the new chair and Tracy Ehl Harrison, the vice chair have an opportunity to change the quality of the decision making and to do the job trustees are elected to do.
Out of chaos and disappointment it is possible for creative leadership to come up with solutions that not only solve an existing problem but create a path for a new direction.
In February of 2017 the Board of Education staff brought the trustees up to date on where things were with the need for an administrative office that would meet current needs. The Singleton building on Guelph Line has to either be replaced or undergo a major upgrade. There are nowhere near enough meetings rooms – staff borrow an office that isn’t being used for a meeting.
 School board property – not enough space and a building that needs an upgrade. There is no lunch room. When staff decide to have a lunch they clear off a number of desks and lay the food out on the surface.
There is so much traffic in the building that the stairwell gets crowded and people have to turn sideways when passing another person.
The space is not adequately air conditioned.
The Ministry of Education will not fund a new administrative structure.
Within all this there is an opportunity for this Board of Education to come up with an idea that breaks new ground, meets both an administrative need, satisfies the demands and hope of a community that wants to keep its high school and retains a very valuable nursery operation.
How does the Board of Education do all that?
 They are just concepts – but they drawings suggest there is some thinking taking place. Sell the property on Guelph Line – the Board can do that because it is not a school. Build a new administrative office on the Lester B. Pearson site that would include the high school and the nursery and make all of it an integrated centre similar to the exceptionally popular and well run Alton complex.
Halton would have a complex of buildings that reflects the direction education is beginning to go in.
The complex in Alton combined a high school with a library and a state of the art recreation centre. Pay it a visit sometime – it is packed most evenings. The library is almost a mini community centre.
Halton ranks amongst the best with the grades the students get. It is a wealthy community that knows how to take care of those less fortunate.
 Director of Education with the newly elected chair of the Halton District School Board. But – what has the Board done in the last five years that is memorable? They opened Hayden high school which is the most popular in the city – all the students want to attend. It has far to many portables. Grouping several services in the one location works – the Board has an opportunity to do that again – redevelop the Lester B.Pearson site in a radical way.
Trite as the phrase can be – there is an opportunity for the trustees to think outside the box. Andrea Grebenc and Tracy Ehl Harrison, the Chair and the Vice chair, have an opportunity to create a school board that leads in the truest sense of that word.
Related news stories:
The Board of Education has been talking about a new administrative structure.
Salt with Pepper is the Gazette publishers’ opinion column
By Pepper Parr
January 4th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
In the not too distant future Burlingtonians will learn what the provincially appointed Administration Review facilitator Margaret Wilson has to say about the Program Accommodation Review process that was used to close two of Burlington’s seven high schools.
How did this city get to this messy place?
The Gazette believes a large part of the reason was Marianne Meed Ward’s failure to lead.
How did a natural leader fail to lead when it really mattered?
 Meed Ward is a very astute politician – she chooses and issue and sticks with it asking people not just to vote for her but to trust her telling people: “I can do something about that”. I have watched Marianne Meed Ward develop as a politician since 2010. I sat in on a few of her early 2010 election campaign meetings. I was given an opportunity to be part of the team that was going to run her election.
 Marianne Meed Ward delegating as a citizen – before she had been elected to city Council. I have watched Meed Ward appear before council as a citizen delegate; she was tireless, deliberate, focused and consistent.
When she was elected I watched her begin the process of bringing city council around to a better way of operating. Her colleagues did not make it easy.
During the period of time after a car accident that resulted in a concussion that Meed Ward was not fully aware of, I watched her struggle through a city council meeting and then drove her home – it wasn’t that she couldn’t walk – she knew she shouldn’t.
That same evening all the members of city council were being entertained for a holiday event at the home of a Council member whose application for a property severance had been denied by the Committee of adjustment. The decision was appealed to the OMB at considerable cost to the city.
Meed Ward said she had not been invited to the event.
 Councillor Meed Ward has always wanted what council does to be on the record. She makes her colleagues stand up and be counted – and they don’t like it one bit. I vividly recall watching Meed Ward put her colleagues through five recorded votes at a city Council meeting. The Councillor closest to her philosophically, John Taylor, sat there rolling his eyeballs. Meed Ward wasn’t budging one inch; she wanted those Councillors to be on the record.
I watched Meed Ward mature as a politician. She has been described by some as divisive – and to some degree she was – but not to the majority of the people in her ward. They believed she could walk on water.
Meed Ward held frequent ward meetings. I recall one during which she blurted out that she “loved her job” and she did.
During her first few months in office she got a call from a constituent about some garbage on the street – Meed Ward drove out with her van and picked up the garbage.
During her first six months as a city Councillor the City Clerk had to point out to her that she had used up her postage budget. She used up much of her coffee and donuts budget well before the end of the fiscal year. Her job was to send out information and meet with people, which she did.
 Ward 2 Councillor Meed Ward has had her eye on the job of Mayor from the day she filed her first set of nominations papers. The public should get a chance to decide if she is what the city needs next October. She told her colleagues that that they should be paying for their parking – and that city staff should pay for their parking as well. Council didn’t agree with her – that didn’t faze Meed Ward – she said she was going to remit to the city the value of the free parking she was getting.
During the first election in 2010 Meed Ward had made it clear that she wanted at some point to be the Mayor.
She decided in 2014 that her children needed her at home and so she ran again in ward 2 and was handily re-elected.
With the 2018 municipal election in October expect to see Meed Ward running against the current Mayor.
The Gazette doesn’t agree with everything Meed Ward does but she is much, much closer to what a politician people in Burlington want to see representing them.
 Ward 2 city Councillor and Central high school parent Marianne Meed Ward at a school board PARC meeting. Which gets me to the point of all this: Where were those leadership skills when it came to Meed Ward’s service as a member of the Program Accommodation Review Committee (PARC)?
That group of fourteen people was desperate for some leadership. Meed Ward could have given the group a strong sense of what needed to be done.
What went wrong?
 PARC members deliberating with options on the walls The members of the PARC certainly knew who she was. There was some concern expressed over a member of city council taking part in a Board of Education matter.
The Gazette didn’t have a problem with Mead Ward taking on the assignment. The Central high school parents asked her to represent them and given that she had a child attending the school she qualified.
We believed that Meed Ward knew the difference between the two roles she was playing. She was doing what the Mayor should have done. Mayor Goldring took the weasel position of sending his city manager to the PARC – James Ridge displayed a significant lack of knowledge when he said the school board should not sell any school property. Once a property is declared surplus the Boards of Education are required to sell property.
It was pretty clear by the second formal PARC meeting that they were stumbling. While the Board of Education Superintendent who was tasked with running the PARC had a lot of rules that he imposed those 14 people were bound by any of them. They had no input in the creation of the rules and began to realize that they were being manipulated.
To this day I don’t understand why someone: Steve Cussens , Steve Armstrong, Lisa Bull or Cheryl De Lugt – anyone, didn’t invite everyone over for a BBQ and have a frank and open discussion. The opportunity was there – they didn’t take it.
 PARC members ranking the various school closing options that were put in front of them. Without the leadership that was needed the best the 14 PARC representatives could do was protect the school they were representing.
The chance to take the high road was missed. They ended up hurling invectives at each other. The Bateman people panicked when they saw their school as marked for closure and claimed the Central parents had thrown them under the bus.
Whatever opportunity there was for a consensus was lost; the people power Meed Ward talks about wasn’t seen at any of the PARC meetings.
There is a phrase that Meed Ward uses when she talks about why she got into public service: “What inspired me to seek public office in the first place – “I can do something about that!” And she certainly does something as a city Councillor.
She just didn’t follow that direction as a PARC member.
There was from the very beginning an option that would have solved the immediate problem; options was #7 – do nothing, don’t close any of the high schools. The option wasn’t worded all that well and had a bit of a battle to remain on the list.
Some PARC members thought such an option voided the whole purpose of the PAR process while others felt very strongly that the public had the right to voice an opinion on whether or not they wanted any of their high schools closed.
Mead Ward chose not to take that option and run with it using her formidable skills to rally the other 13 people to that position.
The PARC could have, indeed the Gazette believes they should have, arrived at a consensus – option # 7 was there for them.
 PARC member Marianne Meed Ward directing school board trustee Leah Reynolds on how to vote during some of the procedural issues. The best Meed Ward was able to do in terms of leadership came after the PARC had been disbanded was to send a text message to a trustee with directions on how to vote, while the trustees were deliberating before the final vote to close two high schools.
 A parent took a photo of Meed Ward’s iPad screen during a school board meeting that clearly showed she was instructing Reynolds. In one line, Meed Ward wrote; “DON’T VOTE IN FAVOR” and in another, “Do not uphold the Chair’s ruling.” It was not Meed Ward’s finest hour. Many people expected better.
Salt with Pepper are the opinions of the publisher of the Burlington Gazette.
Related content:
If there was ever a time when real leadership was needed the above this was it; the PARC infighting was getting dirty.
Meed Ward had to decide how she wanted to position herself once the Director of Education released the final report.
 By Rory Nisan
January 2nd, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
“May you live in interesting times” — an English expression commonly attributed as a Chinese curse, and an appropriate characterization of the situation in Burlington at the beginning of 2018.
 Without a doubt, 2017 was a year of some turmoil in our community. Two of our schools are on the chopping block and the campaign of the Halton District School Board to close schools come hell or high water has without a doubt been a source of civil conflict in our community.
And more recently, Burlingtonians have contended with drastic proposed changes to the city’s official plan, causing outrage among many (and satisfaction for others) as Burlington feels the effects of development agendas.
For those who are engaged on these issues, we enter 2018 with some trepidation. Will the approval of 421 Brant street stand? Will more proposals for sky scrapers at the bottom of Brant street come forward?
Will the 5-2 vote on the Brant street building be mirrored by a 5-2 vote in favour of the new Official Plan?
 Margaret Wilson listening to a delegation during the Accommodation Review of the HDSB decision to close two high schools. Similarly, what will Margaret Wilson’s Accommodation Review of the HDSB Trustees’ decision to close Pearson and Bateman high schools contain?
As easy as it would be to be fearful for the future, I see many reasons to be optimistic. We are busy people: families, commuters and active retirees, among others. We could be forgiven for not always having our fingers on the pulse of local politics. After all, Burlington is one of the best cities in which to live in Canada.
I am truly impressed at how many stood up for what we believe in this year. I have been most active with the Save Pearson team and many of us were not engaged between elections prior to this issue coming forward.
That has all changed.
Now, moms and dads, alumni and grandparents are working together towards common aims. There are bonds forming, political and social, that will carry us into 2018.
We are seeing Burlingtonians coming together across cultural lines as well. Burlington is changing fast — it has never been as diverse. We could either become more inclusive, or more exclusive — neutrality is tantamount to giving permission for xenophobia to creep into our society. After the Mosque attack on 29 January 2017 in Quebec, we organized a vigil for the victims at city hall. The hundreds of people who attended and signed the condolence book were proof that Burlingtonians want and will take action towards a more inclusive city.
After that, we wanted a more happy occasion to celebrate inclusion and diversity, and so with the support of a dozen faith groups we pulled together the first-ever One Burlington Festival. We celebrated our different cultures and faiths with food, music, dancing and games on 22 August. I am excited to help make it an annual event with another One Burlington Festival in August 2018.
Finally, membership on the City of Burlington’s Mundialization Committee has afforded me the chance to meet several younger Burlington residents. I was never anywhere near as engaged as they are in their high schools years. It has been gratifying to mentor some of the younger members of UN Subcommittee in particular. They are truly impressive and now, at 35 years old, I am finally understanding why it is often said that youth are the future. I aspire to be as focused and determined to be an agent of change as these students.
 The next 12 months promise plenty of excitement. First, in June we will have a provincial election, which will bring fevered campaigning through the spring. Then, Burlington will hold its municipal election on 22 October along with the rest of Ontario. This one looks like it’s going to be interesting, with multiple competitive candidates for the Mayorship, and a strong probability that city council will not be fully re-elected as it was in 2014.
What I will look for in 2018 is how Burlingtonians will build on the actions taken this year to fight for the city we want, with the schools we want, the downtown we want, and the roads and transportation we want, all coming together to build a city fit for purpose in 2020. I am hoping that a 2020 vision emerges through citizens’ engagement and that the upcoming elections unify Burlington rather than divide us, and put us on a path towards the kind of city we deserve.
Of course, it is not enough to hope from the comforts of the couch. It is critical to take action to be a part of the change that one wants to see, and that is what I will do.
Will you?
 Rory Nisan is a long-time Burlington resident and Lester B. Pearson High School alumnus. He has been an active member of the Save Pearson community organization.
 By Pepper Parr
December 26th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Let us not rush back into the real world quite yet.
Christmas was festive, fun, and family – the day after has become a holiday with a quaint tradition that is celebrated in the Commonwealth countries that reflects the class tradition of the times.
The first mention of Boxing Day as a tradition is believed to be in 1830. It was the day that the Upper classes gave a “box” to people like post-men, errand-boys, and servants of various kinds.
It was a present, a gratuity given at Christmas to people who had provided a service. In Great Britain the custom for tradesmen to collect “Christmas boxes” of money or presents on the first weekday after Christmas as thanks for good service throughout the year. The tradition goes back as far as December 1663.
 It was a different time, a different era when class differences defined everything. The Boxing Day tradition came out of that era. The tradition was linked to an older British tradition – servants of the wealthy were allowed the next day to visit their families. The employers would give each servant a box to take home containing gifts, bonuses, and sometimes leftover food.
In South Africa as recently as the 1980s, milkmen and garbage collectors, who normally had little if any interaction with those they served, were accustomed to knock on their doors asking for a “Christmas box”, being a small cash donation, in the week or so before and after Christmas.
The European tradition, which has long included giving money and other gifts to those who were needy and in service positions, has been dated to the Middle Ages, but the exact origin is unknown. It is believed to be in reference to the Alms Box placed in areas of worship to collect donations to the poor.
Boxing Day became a secular holiday that is traditionally celebrated on 26 December, the day after Christmas Day. 26 December is also St. Stephen’s Day, a religious holiday.
In the UK, Boxing Day is a bank holiday
In Scotland, Boxing Day has been specified as an additional bank holiday since 1974In Ireland – when the island as a whole was part of the United Kingdom – the Bank Holidays Act 1871 established the feast day of St. Stephen as a non-movable public holiday on 26 December. Following partition in 1920, Northern Ireland reverted to the British name, Boxing Day.
In Australia, Boxing Day is a federal public holiday. The Australian state of South Australia instead observes a public holiday known as Proclamation Day on the first weekday after Christmas Day or the Christmas Day holiday.
In New Zealand, Boxing Day is a statutory holiday; penalty rates and lieu time are provided to employees who work on Boxing Day.
In Canada, Boxing Day is a federal statutory holiday. Government offices, banks and post offices/delivery are closed. In some Canadian provinces, Boxing Day is a statutory holiday that is always celebrated on 26 December. In Canadian provinces where Boxing Day was a statutory holiday, and it falls on a Saturday or Sunday, compensation days are given in the following week.
In the United States, 26 December is not observed as “Boxing Day”.
The tradition has become a massive sales push that has people lining up outside large chain store operations as early as 5 am waiting for huge discounts, usually on electronic items that are positioned as loss leaders to attract customers.
 Boxing day at the Eaton Centre – packed. The CTV television network reports that in 2010 Boxing Day sales totaled $1.8 billion. The tradition has become a shopping holiday that has become Boxing Week
Many retailers open very early (typically 5 am or even earlier) and offer door buster deals and loss leaders to draw people to their stores. It is not uncommon for long queues to form early in the morning of 26 December, hours before the opening of shops holding the big sales, especially at big-box consumer electronics retailers.
In recent years, retailers have expanded deals to “Boxing Week”. While Boxing Day is 26 December, many retailers will run the sales for several days before or after 26 December, often up to New Year’s Eve. Notably, in the recession of late 2008, a record number of retailers were holding early promotions due to a weak economy. Canada’s Boxing Day has often been compared with the American Super Saturday (the Saturday before Christmas) and Black Friday.
From 2009 onward Black Friday deals become more prominent among Canadian retailers to discourage shoppers from crossing the border to the USA when the Canadian and USA dollars was close to parity, and this has lessened the appeal of Boxing Day in Canada somewhat as it was overtaken by Black Friday in terms of sales in 2013.
Boxing Day is not and has never been a shopping holiday in the USA.
In some parts of Canada, particularly in Atlantic Canada and parts of Northern Ontario, most retailers are prohibited from opening on Boxing Day, either by provincial law or by municipal bylaw, or instead by informal agreement among major retailers to provide a day of relaxation following Christmas Day.
A tradition that came out of a social class based society has evolved into a week-long shopping spree.
It isn’t just about shopping; sports events have become major Boxing Day events.
 Major European leagues may enjoy a winter break when players can put their feet up over the festive period. But it’s all go in the Premier and Football Leagues. And that means plenty of action for armchair soccer fans. In the United Kingdom, it is traditional for both top-tier football leagues in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and the lower ones, as well as the rugby leagues, to hold a full programme of football and rugby union matches on Boxing Day.
Originally, matches on Boxing Day were played against local rivals to avoid teams and their fans having to travel a long distance to an away game on the day after Christmas Day.
This is probably much more than you wanted to know about the holiday we celebrate today.
 By Staff
December 23rd, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Five-year old Damian De Freitas and his family joined Burlington Fire Chief Lazenby and the firefighters at Headquarters for a behind-the-scenes tour of the Fire Department. This wasn’t a quickie tour – Damien was the winner of Family Fire Escape Plan Contest which made an Honourary Fire Chief.
 Damian De Freitas seems to like the Fire Chief’s office – and the hat fits. “Damian was so excited when he found out he won the home escape plan contest. The Burlington Fire Department was so wonderful. Our family really enjoyed the tour, information and gifts we received—all with a personal touch. ”
The City of Burlington Fire Department recently hosted Chief-for-a-Day family fire escape plan winner, Damian De Freitas, at Fire Headquarters.
The Burlington Fire Department held a contest for all Burlington students to create and submit a fire escape plan to help children learn the importance of family escape planning. The fire escape plan from five-year-old De Freitas was randomly selected from the entries received in October for Fire Prevention Week.
De Freitas was given his own set of firefighter bunker gear. He and his mother Katelyn, father Kevin and sister Claire were invited to tour Burlington Fire Headquarters at Station No. 1 with Fire Chief Dave Lazenby.
The station tour included:
 Damien being shown the ropes by several of the fire fighters. • The fire training classroom
• Chief Lazenby’s office
• The Burlington Fire Department boardroom
• Simulation Command Post training room and truck
• Halton Emergency Services dispatch
• Burlington fire trucks, equipment and tools
• Pizza lunch with the Station 1 fire crew.
Lazenby had explained to the participants in the contest that a fire can double in size. That is why having a home fire escape plan is one of the most important things you can do for your family. Draw a map of your home with all members of your household. Be sure to include every level and room as well as stairways and hallways. Practice your plan twice a year, once at night and once during the day using different ways out.
 Honourary Fire Chief shares lunch with the fire fighters while his parents look on. Damien’s Mom, Katelyn De Freitas, said “He was so excited when he found out he won the home escape plan contest, he will be sleeping in his Fire suit tonight
 By Staff
December 23rd, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
It’s a day Jamie Leslie isn’t likely to forget.
She was at Kelso/Glen Eden with her Dad, Dave day on Friday when she was declared the one millionth visitor in 2017 to a Conservation Halton location.
The visits number includes those who have enjoyed recreational programs and services at Crawford Lake, Hilton Falls, Kelso / Glen Eden, Mount Nemo, Mountsberg, Rattlesnake Point and Robert Edmondson.
The Conservation people have been working towards that millionth visitor number for some time. Chief Administrative Officer Hassaan Basit and Director of Parks and Recreation Gene Matthews made the target number a must for the year.
 Georgetown resident Jayme Leslie was the one millionth visit to a Conservation Halton location. Jayme, a Georgetown resident, received a gift package which will give her and her family the opportunity to keep enjoying our parks in 2018 and beyond. The package included a Glen Eden Season pass for 2018-19, a Halton Parks Membership for one year, merchandise and maple syrup from Mountsberg.
Basit, who is intense, but not the kind of guy that goes over the top with his comments. On this occasion however he got excited and said: “As we approach the end of the year it is fantastic to be able to celebrate a milestone like one million visits and we would like to thank everyone who came to enjoy our beautiful conservation areas.”
Visitation at Conservation Halton’s conservation areas has grown steadily over the past few years. In 2013, visits went over the 800,000 level, and last year almost reached 1,000,000. During that time period, the number of visits to Hilton Falls, Mount Nemo and Rattlesnake Point has more than doubled as people are enjoying the scenic views from those parks which are each along the iconic Niagara Escarpment and other activities like hiking, mountain biking and rock climbing.
 By Staff
December 22nd, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Not the best time of year to ask people to find a couple of minutes to respond to a city survey. Things are so busy that the supermarket in my part of town is going to be open until 11 pm tonight.
Nonetheless – know this: The City will be replacing 14 playgrounds over the next two years and is encouraging families who use the specific parks to complete a survey to say which kinds of playground features would be most wanted.
Beginning Dec. 28, 2017, city staff will be at nearby recreation centres asking for input.
The online survey is HERE and will be available until January, 31, 2018.
 Location of the 14 parks that will be upgraded in 2018 Playgrounds to be replaced in the next two years are:
1. Brada Woods Park, 5196 Brada Cr.
2. Breckon Park, 4471 Spruce Ave.
3. Brittany Park, 1370 Headon Rd.
4. Champlain Park, 2101 Mountain Grove Ave.
5. Cumberland Park, 562 Cumberland Ave.
6. DesJardines Park, 1811 Imperial Way
7. LaSalle Park, 50 North Shore Blvd.
8. Maple Community Park, 750 Maple Ave.
9. Maplehurst Public School, 481 Plains Rd. E.
10. Optimist Park, 2131 Prospect St.
11. Sheraton Park, 594 Sheraton Rd.
12. Spencer Smith Park, 1400 Lakeshore Rd.
13. Sycamore Park, 3157 Centennial Dr.
14. Tansley Woods Park, 4100 Kilmer Dr.
Chris Glenn, director of Parks and Recreation explains that: “The survey results will be used to create plans for the parks that will be specific to that park. Talk to your kids about what kinds of play structures they like. Ask them if they prefer straight or curving slides, monkey bars, poles, swings and other fun, interactive equipment.”
The survey questionnaire runs 17 pages – we will run it again in the New Year when you have more time for this kind of thing.
 By Staff
December 22nd, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The Halton District School Board is hosting several Pathways Planning Information Evenings in January 2018 that will allow parents and Grades 7-12 students to explore program opportunities high schools offer in Halton.
 Today’s student. The Board offers more than 80 programs designed to meet individual needs and help students succeed after high school, whether they are pursuing a pathway toward apprenticeship, college, community, university or the workplace.
Information nights help students to be better prepared for a rapidly changing world while receiving a relevant and engaging education.
All are welcome to attend and registration is not required. The meetings will be held at the following locations from 6-8 p.m.:
• Thursday, January 11, 2018: Georgetown District High School, 70 Guelph Street, Georgetown
• Tuesday, January 16, 2018: White Oaks Secondary School, North Campus, 1055 McCraney Street East, Oakville
• Thursday, January 18, 2018: Craig Kielburger Secondary School, 1151 Ferguson Drive, Milton
• Tuesday, January 23, 2018: M.M. Robinson High School, 2425 Upper Middle Road, Burlington
These programs include the Specialist High Skills Major programs, Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Programs, Specialty School to Career programs, the Employability Skills Certificate program, Dual Credit college programs, Grade 8-9 Transition programs, and more.
Agenda for each night:
6-6:30 p.m. – Pathways displays staff by Pathways Program teachers
6:30-7:15 p.m. – Pathways presentation (Programs and planning for post-secondary)
7:15-8 p.m. – Teacher displays and elementary transition to high school workshop
To learn more, visit www.haltonpathways.ca.
By Staff
December 17th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
At the end of the week thousands of students will be out of school and home for the holidays – returning to their classes on January 8th.
Another calendar year behind them and time to think about, talk about and plan for the balance of the school year.
 The Gazette visit to Tom Thomson took place when there was a Region wide event that was piped into every school. All the students gathered in the gym for the event.
It may well be a year during which the Board of Education closes a school – that decision will become crystal clear in 2018. Lester B. Pearson high school parents are still going door to door drumming up support for a community initiative to somehow keep that school open.
Households with children in school have an attachment to the school there children go to that starts early in the morning and runs through to well into the late afternoon.
 The food is fresh and there is plenty of it. At Tom Thomson elementary school the program for students begin at breakfast where there are two programs for students; one run by the YMCA that involves caring for the students and the other a walk in for any student that wants to meet with friends and didn’t catch breakfast at home.
The program is put on by a volunteer group of parents. Some of the students come from households where the family income doesn’t quite cover all the costs – others are students who want to meet with their chums and do what elementary students do these day.
A Regional Police liaison officer spends time at both Tom Thomson and Brant Hills – alternating between the two; parents from the community work as volunteers getting the food ready and serving the students.
 Dania Thurman serving fresh fruit to a student at Tom Thomson elementary school. Dania Thurman, a parent very active in the campaign to keep Central high school open, is one of the parents that shows up a couple of days a week and spends some time with the 60+ students who show up before she has to scoot off to her full time job.
 They gather in corners and sit wherever they can – having breakfast and getting caught up with friends. The students troop into the gym, dropping their knapsacks on the floor and heading for the group of friends they meet up with – cell phones in hand.
The program takes place every day of the week – they have been doing this at Tom Thomson for the past six years.
They feed between 60 to 70 students with the grub coming from Food for Thought a Region wide program that works with elementary and high schools to ensure that every student has access to a proper breakfast.
The Food for Thought history isn’t uncommon; a grassroots group of people who identify a problem and come together to form a solution. In this case, one of the strongest groups you can have behind your cause are the parents that get the job done.
These Parents noticed that not every child at school had food in their lunch box or that many kids had food that didn’t contain enough nutrients to fuel their minds and bodies for learning.
In 1997, the parents came together and formed an advisory committee to oversee the first 6 official Student Nutrition Programs in Halton. Fast forward to 2007, just ten years later, and HFFT became an incorporated, registered, charity with its own Board of Directors and 63 programs.
As of September 2017, HFFT has partner programs in 130 schools across Halton and feeds more than 27,000 students a week. We have over 2,100 volunteers (including 930 students) and dozens of community partners who all work together to feed students in their communities.
 The students that show up get more than half an hour to play in the school gymnasium. These two are waiting for a game to get started.  Some skip, others play a team sport.
By Staff
December 15th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Two Burlington schools will have additional space used as new child care rooms.
 Brant Hills – will have 48 new childcare spaces. Brant Hills Public School, will have two new pre-school rooms, allowing for 48 new childcare spaces.
Frontenac Public School, who will benefit from one new toddler room and one new pre-school room, allowing for 39 new childcare spaces.
The additions to the two schools are part of a program that results in 45,000 new licensed child care spaces in schools, communities and other public spaces across the province.
The province is investing $1,799,888 in Burlington for these new child care projects that will benefit local families.
The media release from the office of Minister McMahon was sent at 5:33 pm – too late in the day for any follow up.
By Staff
December 11th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Whitby-Oshawa MPP Lorne Coe (PC) will read a petition signed by more than 1000 Burlington community members into the record of the Ontario Legislature calling for the Liberal government to reverse the closure decisions for all schools where those decisions were made after September 1, 2016.
 Bateman parents and students make their views known. In a media release a Bateman high school parent group said: “In June of this year, Minister of Education Mitzie Hunter announced a province-wide Moratorium on school closures, stating that the Pupil Accommodation Review (PAR) process used to close schools was flawed and should be overhauled.
“Following this PAR process, the Halton District School Board voted to close Burlington’s Robert Bateman and Lester B. Pearson High Schools (June 7th) just 22 days before Hunter’s announcement. Parents from both schools have argued that a decision made under this flawed process must be overturned.
“Save Bateman Committee member Jennifer Beleck spearheaded the collection of petition signatures as part of a provincial movement led by the Ontario Alliance Against School Closures.
 Showing the school colours as part of a protest against the Board of Education to close a high school that meets the needs of disadvantaged students. Beleck says that in the conversations that she has had with parents, retirees, business owners and others from across Burlington while gathering the names, the overall response has been one of frustration. “Everyone I spoke with said how angry they are with the large number of schools which have been slated for closure under the Liberal government” said Beleck. Records suggest that over 500 schools have been closed under the Liberals prior to them announcing the moratorium.
A similar petition from the group working to stop the closure of Burlington’s Lester B. Pearson High School was read at Queen’s Park on October 25, 2017.
With the over 1000 signatures, the Save Bateman petition is one of the largest to be read on school closures to date.
By Staff
December 10th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
If you were a child sitting on the curb along Guelph Line or New Street when Santa visited you could have had you letter to Santa Claus listing the gifts you wanted. Canada Post employees were collecting the letters – that has to ensure delivery.
The parents at Lester B. Pearson and Robert Bateman high schools have asked the Gazette if we would deliver their Christmas wish to Margaret Wilson, the facilitator who was brought in by the Minister of Education to determine if the Board of Education followed the PAR process properly.
There were a number of parents at both schools who think the Board sort of blew it and they want to let Mrs. Wilson know what they are looking for either in their stocking or under their tree.
 Margaret Wilson is in the process of writing her report on whether or not the Halton District School Board followed the PAR process properly. Some parents are hoping Santa might influence her thinking.
By Staff
December 10th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
On Monday classrooms through Halton will celebrate and acknowledge the role educational assistants have on student success and well-being.
 Teachers will teach and explain a subject – the educational assistant is on hand to help students practice what they have learned. The Halton District School Board employs more than 1,100 permanent and supply educational assistants. Guided by the values set out in the Board’s Multi-Year Plan 2016-2020, educational assistants support students with evidence-based instructional strategies, resources and interventions differentiated to each individual student’s strengths and needs.
Halton District School Board Director of Education Stuart Miller explained that the “role of educational assistants is pivotal to the success of many of our students and we are grateful for their continuous support to our students, staff, parents and the system at large.”
 By Staff
December 8th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Terra Madre Day is Slow Food’s annual day to promote the diversity of food traditions!
Children age 7-10 are invited to join us for this free workshop to work on a United Nations Nutrition Badge.
 Learn about food safety, food planning, seasonal fruits and veggies. International students will share traditional vegetable dishes from their countries. Families are invited to join at the end of the workshop to celebrate their child’s success and try some of the international dishes.
For ages 7-10 years
Student Theatre Centre, 2131 Prospect Street
Sunday Dec 10, 1-4pm
Register for free
By Pepper Parr
December 6th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The old order changeth – a new Chair and vice chair of the Halton District School Board were elected this evening.
Chair Andrea Grebenc talking over a concern with Director of Education Stuart Miller during a board meeting. Andrea Grebenc, a Burlington trustees replaces Kelly Amos who has served the board for … and Tracey Ehl Harrison, an Oakville trustee, replaces Kim Graves, a Milton trustee as the vice chair.
 Vice chair Tracey Ehl Harrison, an Oakville trustee. Ehl Harrison is a registered professional planner, a certified professional facilitator and a PhD candidate whose career has focused on environmental planning and education, communication and community engagement.
Grebenc is a lecturer and instructor at McMaster University, and an e-learning consultant and programmer.
She is a graduate of Lester B. Pearson high school which she voted to close in June of 2018.
Amos has served as a trustee for more than ten years
The all female Board of Education has gone through a very tough year. On a number of occasions it was evident that Chair Amos was having difficulty with the agenda.
The Board decision to accept the staff recommendation to close two of Burlington’s seven high schools was taken to the Ministry where a request was made for an Administrative Review of the process used by the Board.
The Administrative Review facilitator, Margaret Wilson is expected to have her report in the hands of the Ministry before the end of the year.
The Ministry will release the report at a later date.
The Ministry can direct the Board of Education to hold a second PAR – Program Administrative Review which would mean creating another PARC – Program Accommodation Review Committee. A PARC is made up of two parent representatives from each high school – one selected by the school board the other by the Parent Council of the school.
The Central high school parent council decision to have ward 2 city city Councillor Marianne Meed Ward represent the parents was a controversial choice. One wonders if the parents would make that choice again.
 By Pepper Parr
December 4th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
In an earlier version of this story, we incorrectly said that Tom Muir had aligned himself with the Bateman parents. He was very sympathetic with the Bateman situation but worked with the Pearson parents
Margaret Wilson, the Reviewer brought in by the Ministry of Education to do formal review the Halton District School Board (HDSB) decision to close two of the city’s seven high schools has said she expects to have her report in the hands of the Ministry well before Christmas.
She is perhaps on her second draft of the document.
 Margaret Wilson Being the professional she is Mrs. Wilson did not tip her hand during her conversations with media.
She is reported to have said to one of the participants during the second evening of public delegations that she “would recommend a second PAR (Program Accommodation Review) if she had very good reasons.”
The HDSB PAR review will be the 13th that Wilson has done – she is an experienced hand at this game. Wilson noted that the only time she recommended that a PAR be done a second time was when she did one at the HDSB – and at that time she recommended to the Ministry that a second PAR was advisable.
Many of the Pearson and Bateman parents are hoping that she does the same thing again.
All Wilson can do is make a recommendation. It is the Minister of Education who can order the Director of Education to hold a PAR. It is not clear if the school board trustees can choose not to proceed.
 Halton Board of Education voting to close two of the city’s sven high schools. The trustees voted on June 7th to close the schools. Parents from both Bateman high school and Pearson high school appealed to the Ministry of Education for a review of the process the HDSB went through in making that decision.
The Board held a PAR – a Program Accommodation Review and created a PAR committee consisting of two parents from every high school in the city. That committee was scheduled to meet on five occasions – and met on seven occasions when the Director of Education felt the additional time the PARC people wanted was justified.
The PARC was never able to arrive at a consensus. The structure of the PAR was such that the two high schools had to fight within the PARC to keep their school open.
 PARC members placing small paper dots beside their preferences when the committee was eliminating some of the options. Central high school was exceptionally well organized – they held a fund raising event that put $14,000 into their war chest and then did a tremendous amount of research that pointed to some serious flaws in the board of education staff position.
What turned the tide for Central was their research that showed it was going to cost $400,000 a year basically forever to bus students from the Central community to other high schools in the city. Somehow the Board of Education staff failed to figure that out on their own.
With that information in had the Director of Education revised his recommendation to have Bateman closed instead of Central high school. That put the fat in the fire and had the Bateman parents howling – claiming that the Central parents had thrown them under the bus.
 Central high school parents demonstrating outside the school board administrative offices. The result was that parents were now fighting to save their school – rather than looking at the serious flaws in the process and convincing the Board to take an approach where everyone could work together to find a solution that worked for everyone.
The Bateman parents were asleep at the switch. They should have seen that their school was at risk but they did nothing in the way of organizing until they had to and by then it was too late.
The Bateman community that is leading the Administrative Review request has difficulty sharing information. There were reported differences of opinion within the group and they were not able to work with the Pearson parents on a combined approach.
 Denise Davy, c0-chair of the Bateman high school parent group,standing talks to the representative from the auto body industry at an Administrative Review meeting Bateman had a great story to tell – few people in the city knew of how strong a program there was at that high school for students who faced personal challenges coping with traditional school programs.
It didn’t help that few of the trustees visited all the high schools to see first-hand what was being done at Bateman.
What was, by contrast, really interesting was that Wilson visited every high school and made a point of visiting the two model shops that were operational at Bateman.
The most significant flaw in the PAR process was the way the Board trustees handled their vote. On June 7th – their meeting went until well past mid-night while they heard the last of the delegations.
The PAR rules call for a period of ten days between the last of the delegations and the vote. That didn’t happen.
To make the situation just that much worse – the province, realizing that the PAR process was a mess, ordered a moratorium on all PARS on June 28th. Using the 10 day rule the Halton situation would not have been saved even if the Board had followed their own rules. There for the sake of 11 days went two high schools.
Will the nursery at Pearson high school be lost to the community when the high school closes? Pearson, a smaller high school that had been stripped of most of the elementary feeder schools was basically starved to death by board boundary reviews.
They needed more time to get themselves organized but never did have the mass that Bateman and Central were able to pull together.
Their argument was that there is a place for a smaller high school in Burlington and that they needed the feeder schools put back in place.
The Director of Education is of the view that a high school enrollment should bet at the 1000 + level.
A piece of corollary damage is the impact on the exceptional nursery that has been run at the school since it opened.
Should Mrs. Wilson decide not to recommend a second PAR be held the city will have to adjust to that reality?
Part of the solution is to elect better trustees and get a Chair in place who understands what the job is and then how to do it.
Burlington has also to come to terms with the fact that it has just 4 of the 11 votes – its trustees need to reach out and develop coalitions with the trustees from Milton, Oakville and Halton Hills.
The decision to close the Robert Bateman high school was more a blow to those parents who had their children in special needs classes.
 Tom Muir – an inveterate delegator. Tom Muir, an Aldershot resident who doesn’t have children aligned himself with the Pearson contingent and worked with them as they prepared their request for an Administrative Review.
Muir is of the view that “closing Bateman is a disaster for these needy kids and their parents. It will be life-altering. It can’t just be “moved” and “transitioned”. Nelson he added is no place for Bateman kids.
“It is clear that closing any school will stress many students, overcrowd others. MMR will be over capacity by 2020 and will need trailers. Hayden remains pig stuffed and will be for the foreseeable future, with 12 now, and maybe 18 trailers, in future.”
Muir believes there is sufficient material grounds to recommend a voiding of the 2017 PAR, and to replace it with another PAR or suitable process.
By Staff
November 25th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
An entire Grade 9 class spent the day handing out kindness cards in Burlington, spreading smiles throughout their school and neighbourhood.
You had to see it to believe it and to pick up on the delighted comments that come across on the video.
Look carefully at the students in the high school handing out the cards to their fellow students.
And look carefully at the school – it is scheduled to be closed in June of 2018.
The Halton District School Board voted to shut down two high schools – Pearson is one of them.
The parents have asked for and were given the opportunity for an Administrative Review to take place. That review is ongoing and a report will be made to the Minister of Education on whether or not the process used by the board was in accordance with Board policies.
Margaret Wilson, the independent Reviewer brought in to look at all the documents and to listen to the parents cannot order that the School Board change its decision – but she can say if the process met all the provincial requirements.
If the process was flawed the Ministry could order that the School Board revisit the Program Accommodation Review (PAC) and maybe hold that PAC a second time.
The video of the students is a delight; click on the link.
By Staff
November 26, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Tony Brecknock, a parent with children who graduated from Pearson high school, the school he once attended came out of the gate swinging at the Administrative Review meeting held to hear the views of parents on a school board vote that closed the high school. He didn’t choose to thank the chair for allowing him to speak – he went straight to his main point.
“The HDSB policy clearly states that “There must be no fewer than ten (10) business days between the public delegations and the final decision of the Board of Trustees” , this simply did not happen on June 7, 2017.
 Tony Brecknock, male figure in the centre, attended the PARC meetings and delegated the evening the vote to close the schools was taken “I was notified of my delegation on June 6th, the day before I was expected to present and it was received and presented on the same day of the vote, June 7th, which means there was a failure of the board’s own policy, namely to provide the Trustees with the sufficient time needed to fully process any and all information before voting.
“This lack of due process, negatively and directly impacted the final decision to close two schools in Burlington.
“My delegation was to be a strictly timed, one shot presentation – I had submitted over 13 pages full of data – so I made sure to include the documents as attachments in my submission, of which a receipt was confirmed by the Board – at noon on the day of the vote.
“There is simply no way that all of my information was clearly ingested.
 It became painfully clear that Chair Amos, on the left and the vice chair, Kim Graves did not know how to manage the confusing flow of motions that were before the meeting. “On the night of the vote it was also apparent there was a lack of understanding of how to proceed.
“It seemed that the possibility of not being done, prior to a summer break, pressured decisions to be made ad hoc – not because of clear judicial thinking, but because of the clock ticking,
“During the meeting, the Trustees constantly bounced back and forth amongst specialists in the room, trying desperately to decipher the rules of engagement that they should have studied in advance.
“From that chaos, random recess’ started to happen – one of which was conducted, strategically prior to the final vote.
“The meeting should have been stopped right there, with everyone regrouping.
 The vote was taken to close two of the city’s seven high schools so late in the evening (after midnight) that the electronic vote software had shut down. The trustees voted by a show of hands. “This decision was made during the very late evening hours, after listening to an overabundance of information – it was a vote made under mental, emotional and physical duress, that in the end was pushed through.
“The prudent course of action would have been to wait 10 business days, as policy dictates, to allow for a period of reflection before a final vote.
“It needs to be mandated at a higher level, that the Boards are fulfilling their due diligence. They need to ensure they are delivering the best educational experience to ALL students.
“A Provincial moratorium on school closures, was put into effect, just two weeks after the vote for a reason – the realization of a flawed process.
“Had the Board adhered to their own policy, this vote would have been deferred to a time of better and calm understanding.
“This committee and by extension the Board, needs to take this review and adhere to the many key components within their own guidelines.
“They need to listen to those that continue to express dissatisfaction with the result, and re-vote to pause the closures – until they have fixed the process.”
By Pepper Parr
November 25th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
It was dramatic!
Diane Miller, a parent with children in both Lester B. Pearson (LBP) high school and the Robert Bateman high school stood before Margaret Miller, the provincially appointed Reviewer to conduct a review of the process the Halton District School Board used to decide to close two of the seven high schools in Burlington.
“I was going to use my three minutes to stand in complete silence” she said.
“Why you might ask given the importance of our time with you and this Accommodation Review?
 Diane Miller, a Lester B. Pearson high school parent, reading her delegation to provincially appointed Reviewer Margaret Wilson. “Because I wanted my silence to represent how much weight, importance, and consideration that I felt my correspondence to the HDSB, Trustees, Local MPP, Ministry of Education & Premier meant. No matter what came out of my mouth or via email, I felt it wasn’t heard or listened to.
“No matter how much research, how many logical facts, how many ideas either myself or our LBP group or Bateman group presented, they were discarded. The five minute delegation, which I spent hours on, was discounted and forgotten by the time the next person came up to speak. I might as well have said nothing at all. That is how I felt.
“Today I am hoping you will hear me and that this terrible flawed decision, based on a flawed process, will result in a call for this decision to be revisited.
“Communication by definition is an of exchange of ideas. It is a means of connection between people.
“During the Program Accommodation Review Committee (PARC) review process there was no direct communication between the PARC representatives and the school trustees. The information was filtered or directed to/from the HDSB. While the trustees could attend PARC meetings or public meetings there was no discussion or Q & A with them.
“The public is unaware if there was ever a time when the trustees met to discuss the ideas presented other than at the public HDSB meetings. Trustees seemed to be discouraged from engagement.
“How is this meaningful?
“As delegates we were given five minutes to rush through our presentations. If the trustees had questions then one had the ability to expand on their topic. If not, that was all. No feedback. Nothing.
“The trustees indicated they read through 700 emails (so someone – HDSB? perhaps) was keeping track of that number. Good to know as only two or three trustees ever responded to my correspondence and then only one or two provided more than the automated, I have received your message response.
 During the first public meeting in December 2016 parents were asked to answer questions put up on a screen using hand held clickers. The school board was gathering data – the parents thought they were at a meeting where they could ask questions. “During the first public meeting in December, which most participants seemed to think was a Q & A meeting, the discussion, led by the consultant, appeared to be one way. The audience was given clickers, very slanted questions were put up on a screen and the audience was instructed to click on one of the answers.
“Any questions were met with either silence or that the information was being collected. It was highly frustrating. The process got off to a very bad start.
“It was difficult to get information about the PAR / PARC process to the general public who were not online.
“The information on the HDSB took a bit of searching for some to get updates. It wasn’t until the second PARC meeting in January (2017) that the LBP PARC representatives contact information went up on the LBP website. Principals were under the impression that meeting space and other resources were to be made available. In fact, when I called to ask if a student council meeting, where our trustee would be attending, would allow for Q & A, the principal said she did not know and for me to contact the trustee.
“Community members, at their own cost, and during their own time distributed literature, held meetings, and tried to get information to the students that someone was fighting for their school and for them. It was difficult. The HDSB had all the contact information; the resources to disseminate their information. It was a tilted playing field.
“Is this what the board determines is “communication”?
“Community members were not the only ones who were led to believe that their input would be of value. Students also had that impression.
“In December, before the 1st PARC meeting, a student survey was sent out. The PARC members had no input into the questionnaire. The results of this survey were shared with parents, with the PARC members.
“However, while it is an appendix in Mr. Miller’s report, the contents do not appear to have shaped the decisions made. For example, LBP students marked the fact that teachers knew them; they were there to help them by a large percentage. They were known.
“That is important and impacts learning. It impacts social interactions and mental wellness. LBP is a smaller school. Yet at a HDSB meeting, when asked if he had considered a smaller school within the HDSB parameters moving forward (and I paraphrase here) Mr. Miller said, “no he had not considered a smaller school”. Students were told there would be interaction, yet none seemed to appear during the execution of the PARC phase.
 Survey stations were set up at one of the public meetings. “Question – Why do a survey if you are going to ignore the data? Especially by the group that you say you are most interested in – the students.
“Teachers who have first hand knowledge into the learning behaviours of their students and interact with them the most had no seat at the PARC table. A survey to capture teacher input was done but with seeming reluctance by the HDSB. The information was given to the trustees but not to PARC members. The rationale was that much would have to be redacted as there would be personal identifying factors. Yet, even redacted, it was not made available to the public. One wonders if the responses did not fit the HDSB narrative.
“The PARC members met seven times yet it was just at the end they felt a positive discussion on innovative ideas was happening. The public, some of whom felt this was a done deal, was left wondering with a variety of both rumours and facts, as to what was going on.
“In a city that is growing why were two schools being targeted for closure? Given that LBP was on 12 of the proposals for closure is it any wonder that the population felt targeted. One still wonders if this process was done in good faith. Why do I ask that?
“a) Our school population, along with Bateman was left to starve of students with the reduction in the number of feeder schools
b) During the PARC a boundary review of a new build happened without LBP (the closer school) even being considered
c) Rumours abound that LBP is to be the home of the HDSB Administrative buildings – I have yet to hear an out and out denial of this rumour. If true, one wants to know when this decision was made. If made prior to the PAR/PARC review or during the review then this process was not entered into in good faith.
e) Bateman is a one of a kind school – yet was put on last minute as a closure and is slated to cost $12 M to replicate at Nelson (everyone knows this figure will balloon)
 The PARC consisted of two representatives from the seven high schools; a trustee representative and a city of Burlington representative. The debated issues on one side of a room while the public sat on the other side. There wasn’t any “PARC was going to be an island. Only selected participants were going to be allowed onto the island. Communications were to be minimal if non-existent at best. The HDSB wanted to meet the “minimum” requirements to say they went through the process.
 “On June 7th, delegations were heard, prepared speeches were read, a vote was held. Two schools were to close. Tell me did those delegations mean anything at all? Especially given the prepared statements that were read that night of why trustees were voting in favour of closure. Did the 10 day between delegations and a vote violation mean anything to the HDSB or the trustees?
“Communication is actively listening, speaking, considering, answering and responding. It is two way. This did not happen.
“The end result. The closing of two schools in a growing community. Schools that are overpopulated; schools that will be thrown into overcapacity with the two school closures.
“A flawed process resulted in flawed decisions.
“Revisit this decision.”
Margaret Wilson listened carefully – took copious notes and at the end of the evening, after listening to everyone who wanted to speak she said the the audience: “I have heard what you had to say.”
By Pepper Parr
November 24th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The process of being heard for parents who have students at Lester B. Pearson high school and the Robert Bateman high school began last night at the Gary Allen high school on New Street.
Margaret Wilson, the provincially appointed Facilitator who was tasked with meeting with all the parties involved and preparing a report for the Ministry of Education on whether or not the Board Program Accommodation Review (PAR) policies were followed, set up a series of public meetings at which parents could delegate. The large room certainly wasn’t filled but the comments made were what parents needed to say – and last night they were heard.
The process put in place allowed for three delegations from each school. The speakers had a set amount of time to speak – but Wilson found she was able and prepared to extend those time slot to let people finish their delegation.
 George Ward being interviewed by Cogeco TV George Ward, one of the Pearson high school delegations, was direct – at times almost pugnacious in his comments.
Ward argued that delegations at the Halton District School Board (HDSB) were in some cases refused, that the Board would send email notifications late in the evening on the night before the delegation day, requesting a 250 word description of the delegation. Ward charged that this was done to “deflect” delegations.
“There is no Board policy requirement for a 250 word outline to be presented prior to delegation” said Ward who added that “in spite of providing the last minute 250 word outline I was still refused to delegate on two occasions May 17th and June 7th.”
There were, said Ward 65 delegations presented over four evenings – 95% of the delegations indicated that it was totally inappropriate to close two Burlington high schools.
Ward pointed out that Board policy states: The Director’s Final Report will include a community consultation section that would include:
• Feedback from the public delegation will be compiled and included
• The Director will present the Final Report, including the compiled feedback from the public delegations
He added that the Director’s Final Report on community feedback is only 5 lines on page 20 and includes only delegation dates with an incorrect number of delegations reported.
Ward took exception to the statement in the HDSB response to the Pearson Administrative Review request that said: “One local Burlington Councillor provided feedback on the closure of Robert Bateman …”. In fact there were four submissions from city Councillors expressing concern with the closing of Burlington high schools.
Ward maintained that the records are incorrect and do not comply with the Board’s policies.
 It was a tough meeting and the Chair, Kelly Amos didn’t always have have it under control. Ward pointed out that at the June 7th meeting, at which the trustees voted to accept the recommendation from Stuart Miller, HDSB Director of Education, the Board Chair, Kelly Amos, failed to competently manage the sequence of voting motions and amendments. Despite having both the Board’s legal counsel and a Parliamentarian in the room Amos was still unable to competently conduct the sequence in orderly fashion and as a result lost control of the meeting.”
Ward said that at that point in the meeting, the Director of Education, said to Amos: “Perhaps I may be of assistance” then proceeded to filibuster on the recommendations in his Final Report, then called upon Board Superintendents who continued to delegate.
“After this extended acquiescing of control and inappropriate delegations of over an hour, a recess was called where the Director, Superintendents and Trustees save one, went into a segregated closed door meeting. Upon their return a vote was held which resulted in the Trustees voting to close two Burlington High Schools” said Ward.
“Thus we have incompetent meeting control with an inappropriate hour long school board last minute delegation that is non-compliant to the Board’s “No fewer than ten (10) business day Policy between delegations and the final decision of the Board of Trustees.”
Ward didn’t detail the “No fewer than ten business days” concern that many had. The PAR policy required to HDSB to hear delegations and then allow a period of ten days to elapse before a vote was taken.
The HDSB was hearing delegations as late as 11:00 pm, taking breaks during which trustees, some Superintendents and the Director of Education met for close to an hour and then returning to vote on the recommendation.
The ten day period during which trustees could think about all the delegations, review what they had heard during a process that started six month earlier and reflect was lost.
The vote took place after midnight of a meeting that started at 7:00 pm.
Many felt the fix was in – that the trustees had no intention of doing their jobs – but had decided they were going to go with the recommendation that came from the Director of Education.
For the first time parents from schools that were scheduled to be closed had an opportunity to say what they felt in a public meeting.
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