 By Pepper Parr
May 16, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
The Friends of Freeman station have to be nominated next year for one of the Burlington’s Best awards. This is without a doubt one of the best community organizations in the city. They fought hard to overcome serious inertia on the part of city hall and city council to save the Freeman Station.
 Sitting on some “cribbing” with a sign badly in need of several coats of paint, the Freeman Station gets ready for its big move. The city at one point had a very significant federal government grant to move and refurbish the station but couldn’t agree on where it should be located.
At one point the city ran an advertisement asking if anyone wanted the thing – to the best of our knowledge no one responded.
The late Jane Irwin fought hard to find a way to keep the structure that was in very sad shape sitting on cribbings beside the fire station on Fairview.
A city engineer actually told a Standing Committee that it couldn’t be save. That didn’t deter a group of die-hards who were not prepared to let the station get reduced to kindling.
 They had every reason to be smiling. Councillors Meed Ward and Lancaster pose with five members of the Friends of Freeman Station after the Council meeting that approved the entering into of a Joint Venture that would have the Friends moving the station and taking on the task of renovating the building. Councillors Marianne Meed Ward and Blair Lancaster who don’t agree on very much most of the time did come together and champion the Friends of Freeman Station. Now whenever there is a photo op the rest of council can’t line up fast enough to get their picture taken. Wait until the day the Station is officially opened – they will all be there with their best smiles painted on their faces.
But I digress – the Friends are going to be at Tansley Woods Community Centre, 1996 Itabashi Way, on Wednesday, June 1st – 9:30 – 4:00 to tell anyone who wants to listen about the station.
“Nostalgia… and fun!
— will be the order of the day when the Friends of Freeman Station travelling model railway exhibit is displayed at the Tansley Woods Community Centre in conjunction with the City of Burlington’s Parks and Recreation Department kickoff of Seniors’ Month — Wednesday, June 1st from 9:30 AM to 4 PM.
Nostalgia… “I remember travelling by train from the Burlington Junction Station…” Young-at-heart Burlington seniors recall fondly their experiences, as we re-create the era of steam power. You’ll see a model steam locomotive and passenger train, arriving and departing from a model of the the Burlington Junction Station just as it happened in the early Twentieth century. A beautifully crafted 1/24 scale model of the Station will be part of the display.
Fun! “Look, Grandma! It’s Thomas the Tank Engine!” Bring your grandchildren to see a rare demonstration of Thomas and friends Percy, Annie, Clarabell, Troublesome Truck #1, and Troublesome Truck #2 running on our scale model railway.
 Bob Chambers points to a detail of the Freeman Station model he built in his kitchen in a short 41/2 months. The model will be on display at the Tansley Woods Community Centre. Tansley Woods Community Centre
We’ll be there… to share the amazing story of the relocation and restoration of Burlington’s 1906 Grand Trunk Railway Station, slated for completion in 2017. There, on the Lower Level, we’ll be constructing a historic model railway diorama depicting early Twentieth-century life in the hamlet of Freeman, now a part of Burlington.
This is one of the organizations that deserve whatever you can manage in the way of donations. Every dollar they get does into the refurbishing that are a a 100% volunteer organization –no one is paid – they rely entirely on private and corporate donations to fund the costs of restoring the Burlington Junction Station under an agreement with the City of Burlington.
They are superb at scrounging as well
 By Staff
May 16th, 2106
BURLINGTON, ON
We expect to use the picture frequently – it is a disturbing picture because if reflects an attitude towards the environment and the damage it is doing to the planet we live on.
 The crude decal is located inches above the exhaust pipe. Young people tend to flout conventional standards – but this standard is what is wrecking the weather system we have.
When we took the photograph the driver was parked in from of a shop with the engine idling while he chatted with the women in the car with him.
It was a nice car – there appears to be something about yellow in this city – see the link below.
One wonders what the parents think about the statement the young man chose to put on his “muscle car”
Related article.
What’s with yellow and this city?
 By Pepper Parr
May 15th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
There were few gifts in the weather this weekend.
Our Member of Parliament Karina Gould was scheduled to throw out the ceremonial pitch at a Burlington Bandits game – cancelled due to rain.
Hayley Marie Remple gave her Masters Class to flute players and then left town to begin her tour of western Canada. They are in for a treat.
 Monument marking the 3582nd kilometer of the Terry Fox Marathon of Hope Run that took place 35 years ago. The plaque noting that the historical Brant Inn used to be located a dozen yards or so to the south sits to the left of the monument.
There was an event that took place on a knoll on the north side of spencer smith Park where some history got cemented into place – not something Burlington has been all that good at doing.
A group of citizens thought it would be fitting for there to be a monument commemorating the day Terry Fox passed through Burlington on his Marathon of Hope 35 years ago.
The group that made this happen has chosen to be quiet – their concern was that the creation of the monument not take anything away from the annual Terry Fox run.
 The Brant Inn was located close to the edge of the lake – immediately south o the plaque – the Terry Fox monument sits on a bit of a knoll just west of the pond where small model motor boats will soon be scooting around. The monument is a very handsome structure.
It was originally going to be located closer to the intersection of |Lakeshore Road and Maple – some one came up with the idea of a more prominent location – right up beside the plaque that notes the existence of the Brant Inn – once a hot spot for American musicians who came to Burlington by train where they could play, sleep and eat in the same location.
 The plaque tells the story. It was the place to be in those days. Nothing like it in the city today. Pity The Brant Inn plaque is 15 to 20 yards from the site of the famous Inn. With the Fox monument steps away from the plaque – Burlington now has a spot where some significant history is commemorated. The Joseph Brant Museum is but a football field length to the west.
It will be interesting to see how the Tourism people feature the existence of the Fox monument in their literature and web site.
 Make a point of getting out to see it – it is both handsome and significant.
Good things can happen in Burlington.
 By Ray Rivers
May 13, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Even deep ecologists, the folks who’ll tell you that fire is a natural part of a sustainable forest, cannot defend what has been happening at Fort McMurray, Alberta. The ‘Beast’, Fort McMurray’s runaway fire is not a controlled burn by any measure. This has been called the worst environmental disaster in Canadian history.
 The fire, named the Beast bu he men and women who had to fight it day after day, moved into communities an wiped out everything in its path. The Beast has gobbled up over 200,000 hectares of woodland so far. That is more acreage than foresters harvest in B.C.annually. And it is twice as much as gets taken down each year in Ontario, generating 13 billion dollars in revenues, including some five billion dollars in forest products exports for our province. Also, Ontario’s treasury gets $100 million in royalty payments, and of course there are all those spin off benefits.
Firefighters managed to save an estimated eighty to ninety percent of the building stock in the Fort McMurray, though some suburbs were virtually destroyed. And the entire city and surrounding communities, as many as 100,000 residents, had to be evacuated. In a show of national unity all Canadians and many of their provincial governments came forward contributing fire-fighters and money to help with the consequences and aftermath of this event.
Canada is no stranger to forest fires. As a country which has the world’s second largest land mass, much of it sparsely populated, we typically lose over 600,000 hectares to fire every year. But the fire season has barely started this year and the Beast has already claimed a third of that with the fire still burning. The exceptionally hot and dry spring, and possibly a careless human, are the likely causes. But authorities worry that Edmonton, also experiencing exceptionally dry conditions, may be next.
Is climate change to blame? This is exactly the kind of event that climatologists have been predicting. And that would make this the second time in only a couple years, that Alberta has been hit with a major climate related event – recall that monster flood in Calgary a couple years ago. But few people are saying that in public. Well, Elizabeth May, the Green Party leader, is but then she’ll never be PM so she can say what is truly on her mind. Our new climate-change-fighting PM was reluctant to make the linkage, though he doesn’t really need to – it’s obvious.
Of course nobody wants to be accused of blaming the victims, including the oil sands operators who have had to suspend operations. Our hearts go out for the people who’ve lost their homes and possession, and have spent the last several days living in community centres, or with family somewhere else. And the truth is that leaping to shut down oil sands operations, in recognition of the reality before us, would hardly reverse the climate change we are experiencing in the short run anyway.
 The Leap Manifesto should at last be read – Rivers has created a link to the document at the bottom of his column. You may have heard about the Leap Manifesto, something which nearly tore the heart out of the recent NDP national convention in Edmonton. Avi Lewis, son of former Ontario NDP leader Stephen Lewis presented it in the faint hope of obtaining an endorsement by that party. Its non-partisan sticker notwithstanding, the document was produced to influence last year’s federal election and presumably energy policy in Alberta, though even Mr. Mulcair seemed to have mis-interpreted it and Alberta’s Premier was deadly opposed.
Lewis and his wife; journalist, author and social activist Naomi Klein, initiated this project as an afterthought to her book “This Changes Everything” and his documentary of the same name. A number of aboriginal leaders, other social and environmental activists, and wannabes assembled to write the Manifesto which reads, as one would expect, like something written by a committee.
Still Leap has morphed into something of a movement with over 40,000 signatures of support in its call to leap beyond business as usual this leap year, including the call for a guaranteed annual income for all Canadians. And as one of its primary targets, it has raised the hackles of the oil industry by its not so veiled call for shutting down the oil sands and any more pipeline construction.
Fort McMurray, Alberta’s oldest European settlement dating back to 1788, started out as a lonely fur trading establishment. Today it is known as the city that services Canada’s oil sands industry and Canada’s most valued export industry, despite the collapse of oil prices last year. The city will rebuild and recover, the forests surrounding it will regrow and things will go back to normal, for a while anyway.
But the message of the Leap Manifesto is right about how and where we ultimately need to get our energy. Forty years ago we didn’t speak of climate change or global warming. Fossil fuels seemed like the future, energy independence seemed critical and Canada was running out of oil.
Alberta with the help of the federal government, then led by Mr. Trudeau’s father, supported the oil sands mega-project. But given what we know today, It may well take another Trudeau to help Albertans move away from producing the dirtiest oil on the planet.
Ray Rivers writes weekly on both federal and provincial politics, applying his more than 25 years as a federal bureaucrat to his thinking. Rivers was a candidate for provincial office in Burlington where he ran as a Liberal against Cam Jackson in 1995, the year Mike Harris and the Common Sense Revolution swept the province. Rivers is no longer active with any political party.
Background links:
The Beast – Fire Damage – Climate Change – Oil Exports – Forest Facts –
Canada’s Forests – Carbon in Forests – Still Burning – Leap – This Changes Everything –
Mulcair on Leap –
 By Pepper Parr
May 12, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Governments are there to provide the services we need – one of which is to keep us healthy.
One of the ways we keep healthy is to immunize ourselves against diseases.
Some of the diseases we used to protect ourselves against have been eradicated because of the immunization programs. However, there are people who, usually through misinformation choose not to have their children vaccinated
The province is about to make it harder for people to not have themselves and their children vaccinated. If passed, and the government has a majority, it will become more difficult for parents to obtain exemptions for the now mandatory school vaccines and improve how these vaccines are reported.
The amendments to the Immunization of School Pupils Act would require parents and guardians who are considering not immunizing their children for non-medical reasons to participate in an education session delivered by their local public health unit. Parents or guardians would have to complete this session before obtaining a vaccine exemption.
 The Immunization of School Pupils Act would also be amended to require health care providers to report any vaccines they administer to children and youth—and that are needed to attend school in Ontario—to their local public health unit directly.
Currently, parents are responsible for reporting their children’s immunization records, or “yellow card,” to their own local public health unit. This change, if passed, would make it easier for parents and reduce unnecessary suspensions due to out-of-date immunization records.
Strengthening the exemption and reporting requirements for school vaccines is part of Immunization 2020—Ontario’s five year strategy to improve its publicly-funded immunization program.
Perhaps strengthening the curriculum in high schools so that students understand the fundamentals of immunization and do not grow to become adults and not fully realize how we take care of ourselves from serious diseases.
 By Staff
May 12, 2106
BURLINGTON,ON
They are calling it road safety week – week – May 17-23, 2016. It is going to be a national campaign aimed at making Canada’s roads the safest in the world.
There were 1923 deaths due to accidents on roads in Canada in2013
 Multiple deaths on our highways – one in Ontario that killed every child in a family. The campaign is a police initiative designed to remind people that an essential part of the police enforcement role is to save lives and reduce injuries on our roadways. Educating the public about safe driving practices is a priority. The focus will be on behaviours that put drivers, passengers and other road users most at risk.
Referred to as the ‘Big 4 Killers’:
impaired operation by alcohol or drug,
seat belt use
all aspects related to aggressive
and distracted driving.
Police agencies across the country are collaborating on this initiative and asking you to choose safe behaviours while travelling on our roadways, whether you are a driver or a passenger. We need to work together to ensure that Canada’s roadways are the safest in the world.
 There is just no excuse for this kind of behaviour – the penalties are to light. Impound th car and arrest the driver. During the first five months of 2016, eight motorists or passengers have died on Regional roadways along with seven others sustaining life altering injuries. These collisions result in extremely tragic circumstances which highlight the fact that preventable driving behaviors cause of too many collisions. Driving behavior impacts the safety of our community, can result in tragic outcomes and serious repercussions.
- In 2013, the number of motor vehicle fatalities was 1,923; down 7.4% from 2012 (2,076).
- The downward trend for serious injuries continued, dropping to 10,315 in 2013; down 7.2% from 2012 (11,116).
- The rate of the number of fatalities per 100,000 population was 5 in 2013, down from 6.0 in 2012.
- 2013 marked the first time that the fatality rate per 10,000 registered vehicles (of 0.83) was below 9.
 The Halton Regional Police Service enforces all matters of road safety 24 hours per day, 7 days a week. In support of Canada Road Safety Week, the Halton Police will adapt a heightened level of presence on our roadways, looking for impaired and distracted motorists, along with those who choose to speed or not wear a seatbelt.
Motorists found in contravention may be subject to arrest & charges, including licence suspensions, vehicle seizures and costly fines.
 If you observe a vehicle being operated in a manner which places you, or anyone else in danger, please call 911 for an immediate police response. Halton residents are also encouraged to report any criminal activity to Crime Stoppers at 1 800 222-8477 (TIPS) or through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.com or by texting “Tip201” with your message to 274637 (crimes).
 By Staff
May 11th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Our colleagues at CATCH (Citizens at City Hall) published a piece on a meeting where the provincial Minister of the Environment and Climate Change spoke of the impact climate change is having on us – Now. Burlington understands what he is talking about – he drives the point even further than the August 2014 flood did,
Ontario’s minister of the environment and climate change had some blunt advice when he spoke at the climate resilient cities conference in Hamilton recently. Glenn Murray offered detailed evidence that climate change already threatens our food and water security and it’s going to get much worse.
While he declared that “there’s nothing that Hamilton lacks to be the kick-ass city in Canada”, the former mayor of Winnipeg made clear that “fundamental transformation” in our urban form is required including intensification and no more suburban sprawl.
“I want to take you to the context of where I think we as a group of leaders have to understand and what the dynamics are,” he began. “And I will just offer the proposition that the two biggest crises that we face on the adaptation and resilience side are food security and water security.”
 Glen Murray – Minister of the Environment and Climate Change He pointed to a Toronto storm three years ago that dumped a month’s rain in one hour and tore out 80 metres of GO train track “that cost us $600 million which could basically pay for half of [Hamilton’s] LRT.” And he cited “false springs” that wiped out the local apple crop in 2012. He also explained the link of many extreme weather events to the melting arctic ice cap and its effect on the polar vortex.
“The jet stream has slowed down by about 20 percent which means that the periods which are wet last longer, the periods which are dry last longer and that causes us to have so many droughts as we saw in the prairies, fires, invasions of species – the beetles that are destroying our forests,” Minister Murray explained. “And then we have moisture levels on the prairies that we haven’t seen since the last ice age – and if we didn’t have the modern irrigation we have now we probably would be courting if not in the dust bowl, and for the first time Calgary and Regina had air quality warnings because of the level of smoke from fires on the prairies.”
 The cost of repairing GO train tracks when Toronto experienced flooding would have paid for half of the LRT coming to Hamilton. He spoke a week before a tinder dry forest and 32C temperatures helped fuel the catastrophic fire in Fort McMurray despite its near sub-arctic location at the same latitude as the northern tip of Ontario and lower Hudson’s Bay.
Murray reminded his audience that last year’s “disruptive spring” experiences included four to five metres of snow “on the streets of Halifax and St John’s” in the last week of April and asked what that would have done in Hamilton. “No one had much of a garden in Atlantic Canada last year. That was also the summer that we had fires on the Prairies the soft fruit crop blossomed in January in BC and died.”
Focusing particularly on food security, the Minister argued that the jet stream destabilization has “had some very bad impacts on our ability to produce food” and warned that “if you want to destabilize a government, all you have to do as a society is just have a food or water shortage for any period of time.”
As an example, he pointed to the extreme drought in the Middle East in 2006-2011 where there was “an 80 percent food crop loss in northern Syria and the fertile crescent about 1.6 million people lost their farms and became the underclass in Damascas, which was according to the Pentagon a swift threat multiplier in the destabilization of the region and the on-going war and then the insertion of terrorism.” Murray noted that “ISIS is hanging onto the three largest irrigation dams … so they’re obviously sophisticated in assessing the power of control of water.”
 Fields of California broccoli – 95% of ours comes from here. Bringing this closer to home, the Minister detailed the development of the California drought where “80 percent of water use is for agriculture” and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has found the description of extreme drought no longer adequate and has introduced “exceptional drought” into its terminology.
“You see the blood red stain in the middle of California ,” he said pointing to one of his slides. “That’s a piece of real estate that’s very important to your life and to my life because we import $4 billion worth of food as a northern community.”
California, he explained, provides “95 percent of all US broccoli, 92 percent of strawberries, 91% of grapes, 90 percent of tomatoes, 84 percent of all lettuce” and similar percentages to Ontario. While noting that almost all of this is grown in that blood red stained area, Murray warned he “could keep going with all the other things your mother told you to eat lots of when you were growing up.”
A particular “perversity” in the California situation is that nut and pistachio growers are “have now bought surplus drilling equipment from Alberta” and are “going down 2000 feet into the aquifers of California leading to collapse, whereas the vegetable farmers can only afford equipment that goes down about 200 feet.”
 Burlington resident weren’t comfortable with a five storey project in the downtown core – developer cut it back to four. This is an absurdity,” Murray declared. Murray also explained that the climate change we’re already seeing is certain to get significantly worse because carbon dioxide stays in the atmosphere for 40 to 250 years.
“So looking back right now we are experiencing the full force of carbon dioxide levels from 1916, in the middle of the First World War, and we’re just now experiencing the initial impacts of carbon dioxide from 1976 when I graduated from high school.”
He underlined that “sobering” thought by noting that “the rapid explosion of the suburbs in the fifties – the great low density carbon intensive neighbourhoods – all the weight of all of that activity and change in urban form has not yet impacted.”
 Burlington Hydro loaned electric BMW’s to city council members top record their driving habits – when will the wave of buying electric cars hit us? Murray connected this to the province’s commitment to rapid transit by inviting the audience to look at the Yonge subway line in Toronto from the vantage point of the top of the CN tower. “You can clearly see where it is because at every subway stop there are spikes of large commercial and residential buildings all the way up to York,” he said.
He compared that to the Bloor line where city councillors and their residents fight intensification. “There’s a fight over a four-storey building in Etobicoke – they’re fighting it because it’s ‘too intense’. This is the absurdity,” Murray declared.
He didn’t suggest this might happen along Hamilton’s LRT line, but the link was obvious, and he underlined it by the results of a mapping study of taxes versus density that confirmed “all the neighbourhoods who use a lot of infrastructure for a very small tax base are well dispersed suburbs, big box formula subdivisions, and Hamilton.”
He ended with advice to individual Hamiltonians: “Drive less, get an electric vehicle, congratulations on getting a rapid transit line in Hamilton and please use it. Or walk, it’s a beautiful city to walk in.”
 By Staff
May 10th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Hayley Marie Remple is on the road – last concert tour before I get hitched” was the way she put the trip that is going to bring her to Burlington for a two concert program and a Master Class for flute players.
 Hailey Marie mixes narrative with visual presentation and the smooth sound of her flute as she tells the story of the composers who basically shaped much of the classical music we have today.
A graduate of both McGill and Yale – she has played on the stage of Carnegie Hall on two occasions – no small feat. Speaking of feet – she apparently plays barefoot.
This artist is on a five province tour – returns to Winnipeg for her nuptials.
Hayley Marie is a romantic who sees music as a way to tell a story – the sound if of course critical – but this isn’t a lady who stands up – plays and then sits down.
She talks and will tell you far more than you ever thought you wanted to know about some of the great composers.
May 12th at the Performing Arts Centre. 7:30 pm
This artist will play the work of Debussy, Ravel, Saint Saens,Faure, Wido rand Satie who were composing during the period Hayley Marie focuses on.
She has researched both the time frame she has chosen to focus on and the lives of the composers and tells the people who follow her all kinds of delightful gossip that she calls her Two Minute Talks
A Hayley Marie Remple Two Minute Talk
Previous articles:
An Evening in Paris
Someone is going to go to Paris
By Pepper Parr
May 10th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Well – it is official – with more people than is usually required to get a car out of a ditch, the $500,000 parking meter system went into use officially on Monday.
 Looks like half of the Transportation department + a good portion of the city’s communications team was needed to launch the new parking meters. It took three different Requests for Proposals to get this project to the finish line. Luigi Lato , Chief Operating Officer, Precise ParkLink said he was honoured to attend the ribbon cutting ceremony, expressing that he is “overjoyed with the city’s excitement to introduce Precise ParkLink’s Pay-By-Plate parking technology. The residents will enjoy the upgraded parking system which brings Burlington on par with other global cities that use the Parkeon Pay-By-Plate parking meters and TelePark Pay-By-Cell option”.
So much for that!
The system is being paid for with funds that were in a reserve fund that is the levy the city places on commercial establishments in the downtown core. Ward 2 Councillor Marianne Meed Ward explained that the taxpayers were not the people paying for the system.
The difference for regular parking is – making sure you remember the license number of the car you are parking.
You can use cash or credit card. You will also be able to use your cell phone to pay for your parking. Referred to as TelePark, it is a service that you have to register for – something you do one line. W will explain this in more detail in a follow up article.
During the launch ceremonies IT staff did say there were some hiccup getting the back end of the system to work – it has to interact with the credit card organizations on a network that has the highest possible security.
 Expect to see people with PAYBYPL8 walking the downtown core looking for perplexed citizens wanting to pay for their parking. They are Parking Ambassadors – there to help! The city will go into a full court press media mode explaining how the system works and will have people on the street – they are being called “Parking Ambassadors” walking around the downtown core to answer questions.
An additional feature is the ability of commercial operations to pay for the parking of their customers should they choose to do so. The take up on that opportunity doesn’t look all that promising at this point but as Mary Shepherd explained “these things take time for people to understand and then implement.”
 Ward 2 Councillor Marianne Meed Ward handling the cash part of the old parking meter with Downtown Business Association president Brian Dean. He is the one who is going to have to herd his members into taking on the feature that will let his members pay for client parking. Good luck Brian. The public hasn’t been jumping for joy. Michael Jones points out that these machines are in Hamilton and are not very user friendly – also if you have leftover time on your ticket you can’t share that with anyone. He adds: “ say goodbye to the great feeling of pulling up and seeing 20 minutes left on the previous parker’s meter …felt like winning a mini lottery”.
Some of the posts that held the old parking meters are being re-purposed and will become bicycle racks.
By Staff
May 9th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Halton District School Board’s annual Inside and Out Conference will take place on Tuesday, May 17, 2016 at Country Heritage Park, 8560 Tremaine Rd., Milton.
Registration will begin at 9:30 a.m., with the conference concluding at 2 p.m.
 The Regional police have been very supportive and proactive in the way they work with the LGBT community. It’s the rest of the community that has to get onside. The conference, titled, Inside and Out – What Are Your Colours? is in partnership with the Canadian Centre for Gender and Sexual Diversity and the Positive Space Network of Halton. These organizations work to eliminate bullying, homophobia, transphobia, and other forms of discrimination in schools and youth communities.
The goal of the all-day conference is to provide a forum for students and staff, through various workshops, to discuss how they can make their schools more welcoming and inclusive for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and two spirit individuals.
The conference will also celebrate equity and diversity in the Halton District School Board. It is being organized by the Safe and Inclusive Schools Team and staff and students at Acton High School and McKenzie-Smith Bennett Public School, including their Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) groups.
The conference will open with guest speaker MPP Cheri DiNovo, who is an activist for the LGBTQ community, particularly transgender people. The conference will close with a slam poetry performance by Jenna Tenn-Yuk. There will also be a reading by Nik Kaur-Singh and closing comments by Sam Lambert, both former Halton District School Board students and LGBTQ+ rights advocates.
A number of community agencies will be attending the conference including Halton Public Health, SAVIS, Positive Space Network, Youth Action Committee, EGALE Canada and New Directions Ministries.
The meeting is open to anyone wishing to attend
By Pepper Parr
May 5, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
She was born and bred in Lowville – the strongest part of her support network is the five girlfriends she worked with at Emmas – at times she moves from place to place with an armed escort.
 Lindsay Hawkin talking to a couple that wanted to know about the gifts of chickens and goats to refugees. Lindsay Hawkin works for World Vision – she is a project manager – responsible for the delivery of programs to refugees in some of the most dangerous places in the world.
Lindsay, who works and lives among Syrian Refugees was home for as short break and talking to people at the Lowville United Church about her experiences while living in refugee camps as a worker.
Lindsay has been “in the field” for the past seven years, mostly with World Vision but at times with other organizations.
The work that gives her the most satisfaction is when she is working with children and woman. She takes great satisfaction from a clinic that was opened and staffed by women that had a psychological counselling service for women who were victims of sexual abuse – something that is prevalent in the countries she works in.
Lindsay has a degree in political science and a Master’s degree in International Relations. For a period of time she worked for the Canadian government at the embassy in Washington.
She has a strong grasp of both the world wide refugee picture and a solid understanding of what happens day to day in refugee camps with populations of 22,000 plus people.
For much of the time she lives in a shipping container – made of plastic. The containers cost between $2000 and $3000 and are air conditioned.
 Members of the Lowville and Nelson United Churches listen to Lindsay Hawkin as tells of her work in Middle Eastern refugee camps. Lindsay told the small group she was talking to that at the end of December 250,000 people had been killed in Syria, 4.8 million people had to flee the country and 13.5 million people needed some form of humanitarian assistance.
In a country where kidnapping is rampant – three of her staff were taken – and recovered. The hospitals her people work in were bombed
She told the small audience – made up mostly of people from the Lowville and Nelson United churches who were involved with the sponsorship of refugees – that the risk factor may appear high – but if we are careful – we are safe.
Non governmental organizations (NGO’s) strive to create relationships with the people they serve. We are never armed, we do not take sides – our job is to help people who need help. To look for ways to add something to the lives they lives.
“I know why I am here” said Lindsay “to make a difference.”
 Zaatari Refugee Camp – Jordan Working in the Middle East is a personal choice, she said. “I don’t always know why I make the choices I do but I am comfortable with the decisions I make.” “My work in the Middle East started with a travel bug – I just wanted to see more of the world” – she now works in some of the most dangerous places.
Burn out, depression and PTSD are part of the work that Lindsay does. Some people turn to alcohol or drugs to handle the difficulty they are having. But that is a “rabbit hole” and there is nothing there for you down that hole. “I have been fortunate in that I have strong relationships that support me in the work I do. My five girl friends are a life line – even though I don’t see them very often,
We are called the visibles by the people we serve. That is because we are white and to them we are visible.
The delight Lindsay takes in the work she does comes through in the stories she tells. “We were in Mogadishu on an ocean beach and I wanted to go swimming. One of the woman told me she had never gone swimming so we both waded into the water – her full clothed because women in the Middle East do not expose their bodies. I held her hands and pulled her through the water while she laughed and laughed.
There isn’t much for these people to laugh about added Lindsay
Lindsay met the man she is now married to in Afghanistan. He is a Brit, works as a contract bomb disposal technician. “He is pretty dreamy” she said.
Asked what does she does the moment she is back in Canada. I ask my brother who often picks me up at the airport to buy me a hamburger.
By Staff
May 3rd
BURLINGTON, ON
We all love food, so why are we throwing nearly half of it in the trash?
The Burlington Green people invite you to watch food lovers Jen & Grant take on quite a challenge.
 This couple vowed to quit grocery shopping and to survive solely on foods that would otherwise be thrown away fir six months.
The film takes a glimpse into our standards for food production, and where this system is failing, leaving millions of pounds of food in the landfill, and half the world malnourished.
When: May 5, 2016, 7:00 – 9:00 pm ( doors open at 6:30 pm)
Where: Burlington Public Library (Central Branch), 2331 New Street
Admission: $5/person
*Complimentary refreshments courtesy of Goodness Me!
This event is part of the 2016 Eco-Film Festival presented by BurlingtonGreen, the Burlington Public Library and Halton Green Screens.
Future films on the program:
This Changes Everything
June 2, 2016 (join us for our AGM beforehand!)
Directed by Avi Lewis, and inspired by Naomi Klein’s international non-fiction bestseller This Changes Everything, the film presents seven powerful portraits of communities on the front lines, from Montana’s Powder River Basin to the Alberta Tar Sands, from the coast of South India to Beijing and beyond.
Interwoven with these stories of struggle is Klein’s narration, connecting the carbon in the air with the economic system that put it there. Throughout the film, Klein builds to her most controversial and exciting idea: that we can seize the existential crisis of climate change to transform our failed economic system into something radically better.
Flight of the butterflies
September 22, 2016
This film is about the remarkable Monarch butterfly migration, the most incredible migration on Earth, and the determined scientist who spent 40 years trying to discover exactly where the butterflies mysteriously disappeared when they flew south for winter.
The True Cost
November 24, 2016
This eye-opening documentary examines how the developed world’s desire for cheap, stylish clothes has led to the widespread abuse of the Third World sweatshop labourers who make them, the degradation of local environments, the waste produced, and what the fashion industry can do to change the situation.
By Staff
May 2, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
The Halton District School Board will be recognizing Children’s Mental Health Week, May 2-8, 2016 with a range of activities offered at schools throughout Halton. These events will focus on mental health promotion and promote an awareness and understanding of the importance of wellbeing and practical mental health coping strategies.
Activities include:
• Munn’s Public School in Oakville will focus on the positive effects of being physically active. The school will host a Yoga day on May 3 and a Jump Rope for Heart event on May 6.
• Burlington Central School will host ‘Compliment Days’ and hand out apples to students as they enter the school in the morning to encourage healthy eating.
• Bruce Trail Public School in Milton students will post positive sticky notes or ‘thought bubbles’ throughout the school to encourage each other.
• Forest Trail Public School in Oakville will be hosting a ‘We Care Wednesday Appreciation Day’ in which students and staff members will express appreciation to one another.
• Stewarttown Public School in Acton will be incorporating a ‘May the Force Be with You’ theme including ‘Yoda Yoga’ and a ‘Jolly Jabba Walk’.
 Clara Hughes – Olympic medal winner and spokesperson for mental health. The week will culminate with the 3rd annual Halton Run for Youth Mental Health on May 7. It’s a collaborative effort between Halton District School Board, Halton Catholic District School Board and CameronHelps. More than 400 people have registered to participate. The event aims to unite students, families and staff to show their support for youth mental health and break the stigma.
“We are pleased to recognize Children’s Mental Health Week as part of our continued commitment to promoting the positive mental health and well-being of our students,” said Mark Zonneveld, Board Superintendent of Education (Student Services). “This is an important initiative as schools have a significant role to play in building skills and sharing knowledge to help promote wellness.”
By Staff
May 2, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
The Summer Live & Play Guide is one line and available in print now.
Registration for the recreation, fitness, sports and culture programs listed in the guide opens on Saturday, May 14 for adults 19+. Registration for all other programs is open now.
“We wait all year long for our great summer weather and now is the time to get out and play,” said Chris Glenn, director of parks and recreation. “The city and its partners have something for everyone with programs and events ranging from swimming lessons and splash pads to camps, concerts in the park, bocce ball and so much more, all offered at multiple locations around Burlington.”
 Mountainside Recreation Centre is featured on the cover of the summer guide. Recently renovated, this facility features a 50-meter outdoor pool with a one metre diving board, a double loop waterslide, shade structures, and a splash park, set to open on June 18. The park area of Mountainside features two playgrounds, a skateboard park, a basketball court and nature trails. A virtual tour of Mountainside Recreation Centre and park is available online.
The Summer Live & Play Guide is the City of Burlington’s guide to recreation, sport and culture programs and events offered throughout the city. The online Live & Play Guide allows residents to view available activities and register for programs directly. The online guide is mobile-friendly and allows pages to be easily searched and shared through email and social media. To receive future copies of the online guide by email, subscribe to the Live & Play e-newsletter at www.burlington.ca/enews.
Hard copies of the guide, printed on recyclable paper identified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) logo, are available at City Hall, 426 Brant St., Burlington Public Library branches or any city recreation centre.
For details on how to register for summer programs and events, see page three in the guide or visit www.burlington.ca/play.
The Nelson pool will not be among the locations available for the summer program.
Nelson pool status.
 By Staff
May 2, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Halton District School Board announces a new award program launched this week by Trustees to recognize and honour “unsung heros”.
The Inspire Awards are designed to acknowledge the contributions and effort of ‘unsung heroes’ including staff, students, school volunteers, parents and community members. Anyone can be nominated for an Inspire Award and nominations can be made by anyone from any organization. The Inspire Awards launch today (May 2, 2016), as part of Education Week in Ontario, held May 2-6.
Through the Inspire Awards, Trustees aim to recognize all voices as a way to celebrate recipients who support staff and students through caring and innovative ways. Nominees can be honoured for their work in a number of areas including achieving diversity and equity, promoting 21st Century learning, encouraging environmental protection action, and supporting student achievement, among other themes. Specifically, this award will be given to an individual or group, formally or informally associated with the Halton District School Board, who has through their actions fulfilled the following criteria in an exemplary way:
• demonstrated caring, initiative, innovation, creativity;
• inspired others; and
• supported students and contributed to their achievement.
 Board Chair Kelly Amos. “We are thrilled to introduce the Inspire Awards to recognize those who go above and beyond to support our students,” says Board Chair Kelly Amos. “The definition of inspire is to excite, encourage or fill someone with the urge or ability to do something positive. In keeping with the Board’s multi-year plan, Trustees felt it was important to encourage and recognize the many unsung heroes who either work or volunteer in many capacities to support student achievement and learning in the Halton District School Board.”
Inspire Award nominations will be reviewed by a committee of Trustees. Each nomination will be evaluated on its own merit. The award recipient can choose to accept the honour during a Board of Trustees meeting or by any other way of their choosing.
Nomination forms, general information and Frequently Asked Questions can be found on the Halton District School Board website, www.hdsb.ca, under the ‘Boardroom and Trustees’ tab on the homepage.
By Staff
May 1, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Dan Noonan of Argosy Securities took a bold step to strengthen and support a healthy community through a $100,000 contribution to the Burlington Community Foundation (BCF) that has established a new Mental Wellness Endowment Fund.
Colleen Mulholland, President and CEO, Burlington Community Foundation said: “As part of our mental wellness leadership work, we are thrilled to establish this new fund so we can focus on mental wellness through our granting program, now and in the future”. She added that Dan has demonstrated his commitment to the health of our community in numerous ways and this latest gift will provide an on-going legacy for many years to come.”
 Dan Noonan,third from the left, an Investment Advisor, Argosy Securities is joined by Burlington Community Foundation board members Catherine Brady, Phil Reddon; President and CEO Colleen Mulholland; Leighan Basadur, John Rockx. BCF is committed to supporting the community and focusing efforts on areas that are most in need. Data from BCF’s Vital Signs Reports over the last few years confirm that mental health issues are growing. And to add to BCF’s findings, recent research by CivicAction estimates that over 1.5 million people in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area’s (GTHA) labour force have experienced a mental health issue. That’s 1 in 2 people. Further, over the next 10 years, current mental health issues in the GTHA labour force could result in almost $17 billion in lost productivity.
Noonan said: “I believe that by supporting the strategic mental wellness efforts of BCF, our community will be strengthened for many years to come.” He added that the team at BCF is doing important work and hope this gift inspires others to get involved.”
The purpose of the Mental Wellness Endowment Fund is to improve mental health and wellness in our communities by supporting valuable mental health programs and services. With only 1 in 3 Ontario adults getting access to much needed programs and services, and sadly, only 1 in 6 of our children and youth getting access, BCF believes this fund will enable vitally needed support at the local level.
“We know that access to much needed mental health services can be a life-threatening issue facing many family members, children, neighbours and colleagues,” says Mulholland. “This generous gift to start a legacy of supporting mental wellness in our community is much needed and appreciated.”
The Burlington Community Foundation was established in 1999 as a centre for philanthropy. The Community Foundation collaborates with donors to build endowments, give grants and connect leadership to address our community’s most pressing needs. The Foundation is a 360 degree grantor, with over 78 endowment funds and $10 million in endowed assets. It has distributed $3.2 million in grants since its inception.
By Staff
April 30th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Some days it feels like there might be some snow coming our way. It is certainly confusing – is it spring or isn’t it. This confusion isn’t something that just happened – it is something we have let happen with the way we have treated this planet.
Our behaviour is changing – slowly.
The Regional government has set up programs that allow us to change the way we handle waste. They are committed to diverting waste from the landfill sites and working towards becoming more sustainable than we have been.
 Composting – best way to get a garden to really produce – and it is free. As part of this commitment the Region will once again offer its popular spring waste events. The Region offers these services to help divert waste from Halton’s landfill by making it easy for residents to properly dispose of waste, helping Halton become a more sustainable place to live.
“Regional Council is committed to protecting and enhancing our rich, natural environment by continuing to work with residents to increase the Region’s waste diversion rate,” said Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr. “Our spring events not only provide residents with an opportunity to properly dispose of waste, but gives residents an opportunity to give back to the community.”
This year’s spring waste events include:
Spring Compost Giveaway
Residents can stop by the Halton Waste Management Site (HWMS), located at 5400 Regional Road 25 in Milton, to pick up high-quality compost free of charge. Residents are reminded to bring their own bags or containers (maximum seven garbage bags or equivalent per household) and a shovel in order to bag their compost.
If you ever wondered how that compost is prepared – take a peek at the short video – the Region has done some useful educational work. Click here for that video.
Hours of operation are:
Monday, May 9 – Saturday, May 14; 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 15, 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Last year’s Compost Giveaway events, 4,400 residents picked up approximately 2,000 tonnes of compost. Residents also donated $9,784 and close to 4,500 kilograms of food to local food banks as part of the event.
Special Waste Drop-off
To make the recycling of household hazardous waste and electronic waste more convenient for residents, Halton Region hosts several Special Waste Drop-off Days through the year, free of charge. The first event for 2016 will take place on Saturday, April 30 at Robert C. Austin Operations Centre in Georgetown from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Residents are invited to drop off acceptable items, including pesticides, paint, motor oil, antifreeze, propane tanks, computers, stereos, TVs and DVD players. This event is for Halton residents only. No commercial waste will be accepted. For more information and a complete list of acceptable and unacceptable hazardous items, visit halton.ca/dropoff.
If you need more information visit halton.ca/waste or dial 311.
By Pepper Parr
April 29th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
A young musician who got hooked on history from her music teacher in high school is going to take to the stage of the Performing Arts Centre May 12th and put on a performance that is a combination of her playing her flute and film clips about the composers who wrote the music she plays.
The film clips are not going to be dry or dusty history explains Hayley Marie. The music during the period of time she is focused on – 1870 – 1910 was boisterous, ribald and vibrant and has been with us for more than 100 years. Titled “An Evening in Paris” the performance entertains and informs – you will see classical music a lot differently when you walk out of The Centre.
 The classical music we know today came out of that period when Debussy, Ravel, Saint Saens,Faure, Wido rand Satie were both writing and performing.
France had taken a terrible beating during the Franco Prusian War during which there was a 135 siege of Paris forcing people to eat horsemeat. France was prostrate on the world stage.
It was out of that terrible defeat that France rose politically, economically but most importantly culturally.
The world saw the first of the Impressionists –Renoir and Monet were painting during this period. And the music just flowed.
Hayley Marie ties together both the music and the story behind the men who wrote the music. It is fascinating – gossip at its very best. She has a fierce interest in preserving the human side of classical music fired by a desire to show how these musical giants interacted with the society they were a part of – it wasn’t’ always a pretty picture.
 Hayley Marie Remple Concert goers in the Paris that Hayley Marie Remple talks about was not polite society. Applause was loud, displeasure resulted in booing and throwing fruit at a performer. Patrons were known to jump up on their seats and shout. Fisticuffs were not unusual – Passions of people who were fully informed about the music they were listening to rose quickly – and everyone had an opinion.
The composers were real people with real problems, some had significant addictions and some had personal lives that would rival anything you read about Mick Jagger or Elvis Presley.
Hayley Marie, a Governor General Award winner and three time performer at Carnegie Hall walks on to a stage to present a performance that is part of a month long five province tour.
Remple has performed in southern California, Connecticut, Montreal and Winnipeg. In 2009, she completed her first concert tour of Germany and France.
A century after the deaths of these towering composers scholars are still studying their work and music The France she is going to reflect built the Eiffel Tower and created the statue of Liberty that was given as a gift to Americans.
May 12th – 7:30 pm
Performing Arts Centre
Tickets $35
Box office
By Staff
April 27, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
There are parents that believe bribing your child to do something is easier than direction and discipline.
The city may be listening to these people.
Burlington and Healthy Kids Community Challenge have partnered with Metrolinx to encourage local teachers and students to register their schools for Bike to School Week, taking place from May 30 to June 6.
 There wasn’t enough room for all the bikes at this school. “We know from Halton Region’s Active Transportation and Health report that close to 40 per cent of Halton residents aged 12 and older were largely inactive during their leisure time over a one-year period between 2013 and 2014,” said Mayor Rick Goldring. “We want to help change that figure, and cycling is a great way to get active and improve our health while seeing Burlington from a different perspective on two wheels.”
The province came to the realization that there were too many kids focused on either their cell phone or their tablet and the waist measurement were beginning to climb.
They came up with a program that funnelled money into communities to get kids off their duffs and get more exercise
Burlington is a city that has traffic jams in front of some schools and reported fisticuffs at others over the stopping of cars that were dropping kids of at schools.
In Burlington the delivery of the Healthy Kids program got passed along to Community Development Halton which has done a remarkable job of getting into communities, especially those with a lot of financially disadvantaged children, and creating after school and evening events.
 Brant Street where the Regional Police use bicycles on a regular basis as part of the way they do their work. Are there any other civic employees using bicycles? The model has been taken up by a number of other communications – even though city council had some difficulty fully buying into it.
The Healthy Kids Challenge is tying into the Bike to School Week event. Schools that register for Bike to School Week by May 6 will be entered into a draw for a chance to win one of 20 bike racks, provided by Healthy Kids Community Challenge Burlington and the city, for their school.
In addition, schools that sign up to participate before the close of registration on June 1 will be entered into a draw to win a Can-Bike rodeo for their school in the 2016-17 school year.
By Pepper Parr
April 26, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
The city’s Sustainable Development Advisory committee is getting out into the community and showing citizens what sustainability is like at the ground level.
The advisory committee often gets bogged down in writing reports and commenting on projects the city has sent them for review.
They produce an impressive annual report which unfortunately didn’t get much attention after it was submitted – copies are sent to the library and that’s about all the coverage the document gets.
The SDC, acronym for the Sustainable Development Committee are getting out into the community and sponsoring a Jane’s Walk through Spencer Smith park and the Beachway early in May – the 8th
 The Spencer Smith Park we know today – pictures of what it used to look like are in the background articles. The story of how the city recovered land along the edge of the lake and created one of the more impressive parks in the province – giving people wonderful access to the lake is one of Burlington’s crown jewels.
 Spencer Smith Few know who Spencer Smith was and what he means to the city. Mark Gillies, one of the Gazette’s from time to time contributors, did an excellent profile of Spencer Smith – there is a link to that profile below.
It will be interesting to hear what the Jane’s Walk guide has to say about the way the waterfront was developed to what it is today.
The walk will move into the Beachway – a part of the city with a rich, colourful and controversial history. It was never a “tony” part of town – it had a railway line running through it and at one point it had its own small newspaper.
It was once a robust community with hundreds of homes that were on leased land that the city eventually took ownership of – the leases were brought to an end and the homes got to meet a wrecking ball.
 Beachway homes – they never want to leave – will they eventually be forced out? There are still some 25+ homes in the Beachway – occupied by people who have been there for generations and want to remain in the community. Other residents are hanging in looking for a better offer from the Region which has a mandate to buy every property on what they call a willing buyer – willing seller basis.
While this war of attrition goes on between the region and the residents the Region’s planners are working up plans for a massive series of parks that will – if it ever comes to pass – will be the envy of communities across the province.
 The remake of the Beachway community is massive in both concept and scale – it will be decades in the making and what the planners are thinking today might be quite different than the end result. The pier is a pimple when compared to the park plans. Most people in Burlington have no idea what the Region has planned for them – after the first announcement when the early thinking was made public, the Region went to ground – not a word from them in the recent past.
Will the Jane’s Walk shed any light on what is being done? Not likely.
Jane’s Walks were created to remember Jane Jacobs, an American who moved to Toronto in the xxx and became part of a group of activists who wanted to see better development in that city with more citizen input.
Hopefully the SDC will be true to her principles.
  Jacob’s, who would have turned 100 years old this year, upended the fields of city planning and architecture with her 1961 book, The Death and Life of Great American Cities. She was described as the most influential urban thinker of all time. Jacobs once said: “Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody”?
The walk will begin at 1 pm – gather at the Compass in the park.
Background:
Spencer Smith – Part 1 by Mark Gillies
Spencer Smith – Part 2 by Mark Gillies
The struggle over the Beachway homes
The plans to turn the Beachway into a park.
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