 By Staff
August 31, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
If you see someone with behind the wheel of their car with their cell phone next to their ear – you know the driver of the car has at least $490 he doesn’t need.
On September 1, 2015, the rules of the road will be updated to include tougher penalties for distracted driving, new rules to protect cyclists and measures to ensure the safety of tow truck drivers and children riding school buses.
 This will cost you $450 starting tomorrow – plus three demerit points. Getting Tougher on Distracted Driving
Penalties for distracted driving will include an increased set fine of $490* and three demerit points upon conviction. Novice drivers will receive a minimum 30-day suspension for the first conviction and longer suspensions for subsequent convictions.
If current collision trends continue, fatalities from distracted driving may exceed those from drinking and driving by 2016. Research indicates that a driver who uses a cell phone is four times more likely to be in a crash.
Keeping Cyclists Safe
The “dooring” of cyclists will carry an increased set fine of $365* and three demerit points upon conviction. New rules will also require drivers to leave a one-metre distance where possible when passing cyclists, or they may face the penalty of a $110*set fine and two demerit points. Cyclists who don’t use the required bicycle lights and reflectors face a higher set fine of $110.
 This is called “dooring” – using your rear view mirror before opening the car door prevents that from happening. A bike must have a white front light and a red rear light or reflector if you ride between ½ hour before sunset and ½ hour after sunrise, and white reflective tape on the front forks and red reflective tape on rear forks.
Staying Alert Around Tow Trucks and School Buses
Drivers must now leave a safe passing distance between themselves and tow trucks stopped on the roadside to provide assistance. Failing to slow down and move over for a tow truck can result in a set fine of $490.* School buses will be more recognizable — they will now be the only buses permitted to be chrome yellow.
 By Staff
August 31, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
There is going to be a Town Hall meeting on transit issues on Tuesday September 1st at the Royal Botanical Gardens starting at 6:00 pm through to 7:30 pm.
 The event is being hosted by Burlington MPP Eleanor McMahon and Hon Ted McMeekin, Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs.
Ontario Transportation Minister Steven De Duca is the featured guest.
Not a lot of information in the meeting notice we were sent other than to say they will be speaking about transit issues and answering questions.
 Burlington MPP Eleanor McMahon and Hon Ted McMeekin, Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs are hosting the Transit Town Hall meeting. Transit is a major issue for Burlington as it grapples with the intensification that is to take place and an ever more crowed QEW.
GO transit is a provincial service that is critical to Burlington.
There was no sense that a major announcement is to be made – but there is a federal election and the Premier of the province has gotten behind federal Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau who recently announced a policy that will pump millions into public infrastructure.
The event is for anyone who wants to be at the RBG – the Gazette will report on the meeting.
 By Ray Rivers
August 28, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
It’s messy out there and getting worse. Canada is in a recession, our second one in less than a decade. Oil and resource prices have collapsed and expectations are they’ll stay low for the foreseeable future. And all those jobs in the oil patch are disappearing since the tar sands are uneconomic at today’s oil prices. It’s little wonder that Albertans tossed out its provincial Conservatives and took a gamble on the NDP.
 NDP leader Tom Mulcair asks a question during Question Period in the House of Commons. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Sean Kilpatrick)
Any economist worth his/her salt should have seen this coming. NDP leader Tom Mulcair, who is a lawyer, warned the federal government a couple years ago about this so-called ‘Dutch disease’, a consequence of putting all our economic eggs in one basket – focusing on the high life afforded by oil, only to see your world come crashing down when that market changes, as it did for the Netherlands a few decades ago.
All these so-called free trade deals and federal disinterest in anything but oil have helped gut Canada’s manufacturing sector. Over 300,000 manufacturing jobs have disappeared since 2004. And dropping our corporate income tax rates into the cellar has done nothing for the economy, except make the big oligopolist companies richer, allowing them to dispense even more obscene executive bonuses, and to hoard the rest of the cash. Even the big auto companies have shifted much of their production to our NAFTA partner Mexico, now replacing us as the largest North American car maker.
Over the horizon, the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal promises to wreck our productive dairy and egg industries, handing them on a platter to New Zealand’s milk monopoly and subsidized American farmers. The current federal government is ideologically opposed to marketing boards. It dismantled Canada’s wheat board a few years ago leaving many grain farmers stuck without a way to get their crop to market last year. Thanks to the drought, which has diminished grain yields, that will be less of a problem this year.
 Prime Minister Harper, center, checks out the product at Ecosynthetix. Company CEO John van Leeuwen is on the left; Mike Wallace, Burlington’s MP brought home the bacon The ‘Dutch disease’ has taken the Canadian dollar down by over a quarter, reducing our international standard of living by the same amount. A lower dollar means higher prices for imported goods so expect to see inflation re-emerge after a two-decade holiday – and bet on higher interest rates as the Bank of Canada tries to wrestle with that nasty little problem.
The cupboard is bare. Paul Martin’s budget surpluses have been squandered thanks to the tax cuts given to the wealthiest Canadians and big corporations. Eight straight years of federal deficits and we’ve added $150 billion to the red – not a good place to be when your economy is hitting the skids. And with current interest rates already near zero, government spending and income redistribution will be needed to fix this mess.
So like it or not we are in for more deficits – or a very long period of austerity. That is the choice facing Canadians as we go into this longest election period of recent history. Everybody makes mistakes, even big ones, as the current government did, gambling on the oil sands as Canada’s goose laying golden eggs into perpetuity.
Fortunately there is an election happening, an opportunity for our political leaders to tell us what they are going to do about fixing the economy. Poll-leading Mr. Mulcair’s main plank is to establish a national child day-care program, much like the one his predecessor, Jack Layton, killed by voting against the government in 2005. But unlike that one there is no provincial buy-in for such a program today, so his chances of success are slim.
 Justin Trudeau, talking to one of the party faithful during a visit to Burlington. Mr. Trudeau would reform the tax system slightly to rob the rich and give to the middle class. This would be stimulative since lower income folks spend more of their income on goods and services than the rich do. His announcements also include funding support for developing new technologies and building more much-needed municipal infrastructure.
Mr. Harper has offered a tax credit for membership in service clubs, but mostly is standing proud on his record. Some would say, given that record, he should be running away from, rather than showcasing his leadership of the Canada’s economy. In fact one on-line comment on the CBC website called it “The Worst Economic Record Since the Great Depression”.
 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:
Harper’s Economy Dutch Disease Election
Deficits Deficit Debate More Dollar Infrastructure Plans
 By Staff
August 27, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
In the summer of 2013 the Art Gallery of Burlington proudly launched the John Willard Fibre Arts Residency to celebrate the remarkable life of John Willard.
 Willard took quilting in a different direction – he was bold, at times outrageous and left a collection to guide others. Not one to follow the rules of tradition, Willard turned the craft of quilting into a truly remarkable art form. With scissors, needles, thread and fabrics Willard created his own one of a kind quilt designs whether inspired by traditional patterns that he had deconstructed or by historical events.
To continue Willard’s legacy as a fibre art teacher, the residency will enable emerging artists to have access to one of the AGB resident fibre studios in order to develop a body of work for their first solo exhibition in the RBC Community Gallery.
 Karen Cummings has a strong style of her own – she looks like an admirable choice to follow in some of the Willard footsteps Cambridge’s Karen Cummings has been named the first recipient of the John Willard Fibre Arts Residency for Emerging Artists. She describes her current work as abstract collage for which she uses fabric and fibre. Cummings sees her eclectic collection as an opportunity for personal expression, based on the classical techniques of machine and hand stitching. Her work at times can be careful, contrasted to the frenzied moments of fast machine-stitched along with the arranging and rearranging of fabric, thus creating endless possibilities of diverse surfaces. Between the harsh difference of the rate of speed at which Cummings works and techniques used, Cummings hopes to convey her message.
During the residency, Cummings will engage with the public to share her passion for textile art. This opportunity to share her work gives her a chance to talk about some of the processes she has come to use and to expand her fibre art language. Cummings shares “…that feedback from visitors is valuable and hopefully AGB visitors will ‘see’ and understand a little about the complexities of this medium”.
Cummings’s will begin her residency in September and expect to spend a few days each week at the gallery
The Art Gallery of Burlington is located at 1333 Lakeshore Rd, Burlington, ON L7S 1A9
Gallery Hours:
Monday: 9:00 am – 6:00 pm
Tuesday – Thursday: 9:00 am – 10:00 pm Friday – Saturday: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm Sunday: 12 noon – 5:00 pm
By Pepper Parr
August 27, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
 A former Burlington MPP, George Kerr swam in the Bay to prove is was not totally polluted. And yes there was once a car that could serve as a boat as well. There was a time – maybe 30 years ago when the local MPP had to take a swim in Burlington Bay – Hamilton Harbour to convince people it was not that polluted. That was the best the government could do at the time.
It is different now – the government realizes that they cannot do all that much by themselves but if they involve the public they can be a part of making real and significant change.
Ontario created the Great Lakes Guardian Community Fund grant to help community groups protect, restore and enhance the Great Lakes.
Now in its fourth year, the fund provides a grant of up to $25,000 to not-for-profit organizations, schools, First Nations and Métis communities and other local groups for projects that have a direct environmental benefit to the Great Lakes. Past projects and activities supported by the fund have included:
• Planting trees
• Creating rain gardens
• Restoring wetland habitat
• Controlling invasive species
• Cleaning up beaches or shorelines
• Naturalizing stream banks and shorelines.
Applications will be accepted until October 23, 2015.
To qualify, your project must have a direct environmental benefit and support at least 1 of the 3 goals.
 When Burlington Green gets the opportunity their members turn out in droves to plant seedlings and save as much as they can of the fragile ecosystem in parts of the Beachway Park. Goal 1: protect water quality for human and ecological health
Examples to meet this goal include: strengthening riverbanks to reduce erosion students restoring wetlands to manage stormwater runoff building fences to keep livestock out of waterways helping property owners maintain septic systems.
Goal 2: improve wetlands, beaches and coastal areas. Examples to meet this goal include:
youth planting native grasses to restore sand dunes, rehabilitating coastal wetlands by restoring fish habitats, organizing community events to clean-up shorelines, restoring wetlands using traditional ecological knowledge.
Goal 3: protect habitats and species. Examples to meet this goal include:
Students planting trees to provided shaded habitats along shorelines, creating habitats for wetland wildlife, restoring traditional harvesting areas by planting native species, creating fish spawning beds
This year’s fund will award $1.5 million in total for eligible projects.
 Once seedlings are planted they need care and attention and sometimes water. Since 2012, $4.5 million has been awarded to 221 community-based projects in Great Lakes watershed areas, including the St. Lawrence River Basin and the Ottawa River; more than 11,000 volunteers have helped plant 85,125 trees, release 2,133 fish, create or enhance 643 kilometres of trail and collect 586 bags of garbage.
Ontario’s Great Lakes Basin is home to 40 per cent of Canada’s economic activity and 95 per cent of Ontario’s agricultural land.
If you want more information about the Great Lakes Guardian Community Fund and want to look over the application form CLICK HERE – that will get you to the government web site
By Staff
August 27, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Operation Decoy – it’s going to hit Burlington it is a Regional Police traffic safety initiative that utilizes education and enforcement strategies to reduce the speeds of vehicles travelling along roadways in Burlington.
Operation Decoy will create an awareness of a high profile police presence in an area through obvious visual cues. The targeted result is the reduction of speeds and the promotion of safer driving habits.
 With the police office clearly visible – people were still pulled over for speeding. The project will consist of four phases.
1) Speed Sentry equipment will be placed by officers in an identified area to capture traffic volume and speed data for a period of time. The Speed Sentry will display vehicle speed and the posted speed limit. This would be deemed an “education” period for drivers.
2) Placement of a marked police vehicle at the identified location to provide drivers with a highly visible deterrent from speeding as they will not be able to determine if police officers are present or not. The Speed Sentry equipment will remain in place collecting data from this period of the project.
3) Physical police presence at the location with speed enforcement equipment. Vehicles detected speeding will be stopped and issued a Provincial Offences Notice.
4) Remove marked police vehicle from the area leaving only the Speed Sentry to collect data for this portion of the project. Data will be analyzed and if appropriate the area will be revisited within a short period of time to reinforce the speed limits. Areas will be periodically checked for compliance and a repeat of the enforcement will be conducted if deemed necessary.
 Signs are pretty clear. Police still nabbed a number of speeders during an All Hands on Deck which had the Chief of Police out writing up tickets. The two officers shown here were kept busy. Operation Decoy is upping the game with a more detailed program – obviously the police feel more presence is needed. In order to increase safety it is necessary for the public to recognize that speeding is unacceptable and can have catastrophic repercussions. As a result, police are hoping this campaign will remind drivers that as their speeds increase so does the risk of a collision.
Road Watch:
The Halton Regional Police Service is committed to combating dangerous and aggressive driving behaviours that put all road users at risk.
If any citizen would like to report a traffic concern they can do so by visiting our website and making a Road Watch complaint.
ROAD WATCH is a community driven program encouraging anonymous reporting of incidents involving dangerous and/or aggressive driving. This program is an opportunity to bring an aggressive driver to our attention.
Be the extra eyes and ears and learn more here: https://www.haltonpolice.ca/PRC/Pages/ROADWATCH.aspx
By Staff
August 27, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
For those in the Shadeland Avenue and Forest Glen Avenue area:
 Let’s put a little flavour into the community – Ciao baby! Traffic flow is going to be restricted to local traffic through to October 2015, for minor reconstruction work.
How does minor reconstruction take more than a month?
Tom Georgiadis at 905-335-7600, ext. 7806 has some of the answers
 By Staff
August 25, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
An interesting piece of news drifted in over the news wire. The Burlington Economic Development Corporation wants to be one of the top five cities in Canada for start-ups and innovation.
Now there is something that is bold, direct and the results of the effort are measureable.
The Burlington Economic Development Corporation (BEDC) has entered into a partnership with Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) to support Ontario start-ups through their career accelerator, FreshInsights Consulting.
That seems like several layers of bureaucracy but Frank McKeown, BEDC’s Executive Director explains that the partnership is rooted in OCE’s SmartStart Seed Fund, a program that offers young entrepreneurs in Ontario the opportunity to access seed funding and skills training to grow their companies. In addition to the grant, successful SmartStart applicants are awarded $5,000 to spend on training or consulting services.
 Mayor Rick Goldring The BEDC will be involved in that training – which they will deliver through FreshInsights Consulting, a corporation formed by the city – the early thinking apparently came out of the office of the Mayor – and has been housed within BEDC.
The $5000 grant emerging entrepreneurs will be given will get spent with FreshInsights – meaning that organization has some revenue –that gives that win-win-win phrase a whole new dimension, doesn’t it?
Most people know there are clusters of young people out there with what on the surface look like great ideas. Most of them need a good dose of number crunching to determine if the ideas have some sustainability to them.
As one of OCE’s official training partners, FreshInsights Consulting has become one of the most sought after training partners. During the most recent application approval process, more than ten SmartStart companies opted to spend their grant dollars on consulting services with FreshInsights – that ten worked out to 40% of the applications – not bad when seen in terms of market share.
FreshInsights will be working through the balance of 2015 to provide these start-ups with market research and business plan development.
 “The opportunity to work with more start-ups through SmartStart is a fantastic opportunity for FreshInsights,” said Claire Morrison, Program Director at FreshInsights Consulting. “We are working with such a diverse range of companies, including retail, food and beverage, software and technology industries. Not only does the partnership allow us to support even more recent graduates through our unique consulting model, we also get to support so many talented entrepreneurs who are choosing to grow their business in Ontario.”
What no one is saying is that by being involved in these emerging corporations Burlington is in a position to help them make the city home – we get first dibs at these young people.
McKeown added that, “The partnership between OCE and the BEDC operated career accelerator, FreshInsights, is only going to help Burlington get closer to achieving its goal of becoming one of the top five cities in Canada for startups and innovation. It is a step in the right direction for creating an innovation space that fosters collaboration, mentorship, and business growth right here in Burlington.”
 Frank McKeown, former Chief of Staff to Mayor Rick Goldring and now the Executive Director of the BEDC has taken on the direction of an interesting training program. Developed under the BEDC in 2011, FreshInsights Consulting was established as a way to retain top talent working in Burlington, while providing professional, cost-effective consulting services in market research, strategic marketing, and business planning to local companies. The program has seen more than 25 recent graduates through the program, and they plan to continue expanding their client base across Southern Ontario.
Learn more about FreshInsights Consulting at www.freshinsightsconsulting.ca and BEDC at www.bedc.ca. You can also follow them on Twitter @FreshInsigtsCo and @BurlingtonEcDev.
This is a good news story – let’s see where they are in a year.
 By Pepper Parr
August 24, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
City council has decided that the completion of the Official Plan Review (OPR) will not get done until the Strategic Plan has been completed – the rub with that decision is that at the rate the Strategic Plan is going it may not be seen until sometime in 2016.
Council has some critical issues it must make decisions on – the budget has to get done, there are some key hiring decisions to be made and the significant seven that lead the city have to decide if they are going to manage to get along any better now that they have all had a vacation. Don’t bet on the latter.
The Committee of the Whole, which is the Standing Committee that is shepherding the Strategic Plan to its completion, isn’t going to meet until sometime in the middle of October – and the amount of data that the consultants hired to help with the creation of the plan are going to dump on the table could choke a horse.
The amount of research is staggering. We will get into that in a paragraph or two – what is disturbing is that when Council approved the research assignment the man charged with the responsibility of bringing jobs to the city wasn’t in the room.
 Frank McKeown, on the left explains a concept to Councillor Paul Sharman during the creation of the Strategic Plan in 2011. Frank McKeown, executive director of the Burlington Economic Development Corporation, (EDC) didn’t learn of the meeting date until a few days before it was to take place and he didn’t have a copy of the agenda – he had no idea how much research work the city had asked for. A lot of what was being asked for had already been done by McKeon and his organization.
McKeown intends to eventually scrub the data he has collected and post it on the EDC web site for anyone to see and use. Any self-respecting economic development department would do that. Quite why Burlington has hired someone to ask all these questions boggles the mind a bit – don’t we already have that information?
The left pocket clearly wasn’t talking to the right pocket – odd because everyone at city hall knows who McKeown is and have a high regard for the quality of his thinking and the manner in which he closes files and gets things done.
McKeown was the Mayor’s Chief of Staff for two years. He threw in that towel when he found that city hall wasn’t the kind of place where a lot of real work got done. Not because of the people doing the work – it was a leadership issue for McKeown – there wasn’t all that much of it.
There are several who are asking if all this work being done to put a Strategic Plan in place makes any sense. Ward 1 Councillor Rick Craven thinks that what was created in 2011 is just fine – he’d go with that – but his view apparently isn’t shared by the rest of council.
 Councillors Meed Ward and Taylor tend to ask a lot of questions and are open to making the process more open. Taylor once threatened to walk out of Council and talk publicly about a report the majority of Council wanted to keep confidential. Councillor Meed Ward finds herself asking if the Strategic Plan needs just a refresh or does the city need a full reboot on what they created in 2011.
The ward two councilor was in an auto accident and was not able to take part in a number of standing committee meetings – including two that were critical – the first look at the draft of a Master Transportation Plan and the meeting at which the KPMG Strategic Plan assignment was threshed out and agreed upon.
The auto accident resulted in some serious concussion damage from which Meed Ward says she is recovering nicely and expects to be in fine form when Council resumes its work in September.
The research assignment sets out five major hypothesis: one labelled Economic, then 2 – Land Use Planning and the Built Environment, 3 – Demographics, Growth and Health, 4 – City Operations, Governance and Powers and 5 – Culture
A Primary hypothesis is examined along with several subsidiary hypothesis and the question the researchers would focus on. There were some pretty heavy duty questions asked.
Two concerns jump out: why is this level of work being done at this stage – should have been done at least six months ago – and when you look at the questions one is moved to ask: Don’t we already know the answers to these questions.
The KPMG approach argues that 1 – Trade-offs shape strategy, 2 – Strategy involves choosing among incompatible alternatives, each of which is attractive, 3 – Failure to choose puts the organization in a situation of becoming “stuck in the middle” and 4 – Straddling problems stymie the success of a clear strategy.
 The city hired consultants to take a deep (which means expensive) look into five areas: The economy; Land Use Planning and the |Built environment, demographics and Growth, City operations, governance and Powers and Culture. The KPMG approach to problem solving includes:
1. Focus analysis around key hypotheses
2. Triangulate around difficult problems to identify the right strategic levers
3. Keep analytical priorities aligned with key hypotheses
4. Manage precision of analysis to account for economies of effort.
Here is the Economic: Principal Hypothesis: The City of Burlington can transform its economy.
Q: What are the principal economic trends of the City of Burlington?
Q: What are the principal economic trends in the region?
Q: What are the relative economic attributes of the City of Burlington?
Q: What are the key policy levers that can be deployed and the materiality of their effect on economic outcomes?
Subsidiary Hypothesis: The City of Burlington can repatriate jobs and careers to within the City boundaries.
Q: What is the geography of employment for residents of the city?
Q: What is the current labor force composition of the city?
Q: What are the policy levers that can change the location of careers and jobs in the context of the regional economy?
Subsidiary Hypothesis: The City of Burlington can create more good paying jobs for Burlington youth
Q: What are the policy levers that can promote jobs and careers that keep younger residents in the City of Burlington?
Q: What is the current employment profile of ‘youth’ in the City of Burlington?
Q: What is the job trajectory for GTA youth over the short, medium and long-term?
 It was about 15 months ago that rural Burlington began the discussion about what it wanted to be. Some things were clear – others not as clear. The early draft of a vision got put on a huge board and for the most part the community liked the look of what they had said to each other. Will this kind of data find its way into the hands of the consultants helping the city work up its Strategic Plan. Subsidiary Hypothesis: The City of Burlington can promote and integrate the rural economy within its boundaries.
Q: What are the current characteristics of the rural economy?
Q: What is the likely trajectory of the rural economy in this region in the short, medium and long-term.
Q: What are the key regional institutions that could play a role in developing the City’s regional rural economy?
Q: What are the key policy levers the can affect the rural economy?
Subsidiary Hypothesis: The City of Burlington can help create an “innovation economy”
Q: How have other municipal jurisdictions created the conditions for an innovation based economy?
Q: What are the key characteristics of an innovation based economy?
Q: What are the policy levers that Burlington can deploy to create such an economy?
Principle hypothesis: City Operations, Governance and Powers:
The City of Burlington can reform is governance, operations and increase its powers to better implement its strategic vision,
Q: What are the key areas where the City of Burlington does not have the appropriate discretion to implement policies?
Q: How does, and in which areas does provincial policy constrain the City of Burlington?
Q: How does relationship with neighboring municipalities enhance or constrain the City’s ability to deliver services for its population?
Subsidiary Hypothesis: The City can deliver services in a more efficient and effective manner.
Q: What are the current challenges of service delivery?
Q: What are the different models that could be used to administer the city and deliver services more effectively?
 A rapt audience listened to an overview of a city budget. What they did was listen to what the city had already decided to do. Is there a better way to involve the public. Subsidiary Hypothesis: The City can incorporate its citizen’s into decision making and program delivery in a more effective manner.
Q: How have other jurisdictions incorporated citizens better into government decision making and policy delivery?
Subsidiary hypothesis: The city can increase its financial capacity to deliver services invest in infrastructure or cut taxes
Q: How much of the City of Burlington’s spending is discretionary in the short, medium and long-term?
Q: What is the revenue mix of the City over the short, medium and long-term?
Q: What are the current revenue levers?
Q: Are there innovative ways to fund, finance and deliver services being deployed in other jurisdictions that could be used by the City?
Subsidiary Hypothesis: The City can find innovative ways to fund, finance and deliver infrastructure.
Q: What are the infrastructure challenge that are not matched with the correct infrastructure financing, funding, delivery and maintenance tools?
Q: What are the key infrastructure needs that are not being addressed in the short, medium and long-term?
Q: The current provincial planning regime is impeding economic growth in the province?
Q: Value can be unlocked from municipal assets to fund strategic priorities?
 A lot of research has been done on how to make culture a more vital part of the community. Research not withstanding there are still some really stupid cultural decisions being made. Principal Hypothesis: Culture – The City of Burlington can develop cultural institutions and attractions that enhance the quality of life of its citizens.
Q: What are the current cultural institutions and their level of popularity?
Q: What are the current and nascent cultural endowments of the City?
Q: What are the mechanisms through which the City can support and grow an impactful cultural community?
There are three other areas that were to be given the KPMG research treatment. McKeown will be meeting with that crew in February – expect to see some changes.
McKeown should have been in the room for that June meeting. Who slipped up on telling him about the meeting?
 By Pepper Parr
August 24th, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
When the Arts and Cultural Collective of Burlington was created it was unique and became the place to go to if you wanted to know what was happening in the arts community which had become of age in this city. Their Facebook page became a source of information that pulled the community together – and it worked
 The Arts Collective had a presence – they were making a difference – now their Facebook page is being used to sell high end sun glasses and Point of Sale equipment for restaurants. It was refreshing – they kept the membership limited – at one point you had to be referred by an existing member to get on the list. They were effective – they convinced the city to take another look at how artists were going to be treated with their contributions to the new web site – the city wanted to use picture – not pay for them and not even give a photo credit. That got changed.
The Cultural Action Plan that was researched by Jeremy Freiburger and his team over at the Cobalt Connection was a strong starting point. The Arts Collective liked what they saw but they wanted more involvement in the detail part of the cultural plans and also in the roll out in whatever was decided upon. They also wanted the final Culture Plan to include an Arts Council that would make grants available to artists.
A couple of months ago they began talking about how many members they had – and the size of the list became more important that the quality of the content.
 The younger, feistier set knew what they needed – they had done their homework – their challenge was to find their voice and make it hard. It was a moderated information source – which meant that messages that weren’t appropriate did not get posted. The person doing the moderation must have been asleep at the switch the past couple of months – there have been advertisements for high end sun glasses and then something for travel and now someone wants to sell a Point of Sale cash register system. “Perfect for any restaurant or retail business, …” using the Collective site as the advertising vehicle
This isn’t what the Collective was created to do. When it got off the ground a couple of years ago there was all kinds of really positive energy and they came up with very good ideas. They took possession of the agenda and pushed city hall to add resources to the cultural file.
They wanted to see culture moved out of the jock mentality many people saw dominating the Parks and Recreation department and they wanted to see more dollars put into the cultural field.
The province then got into the Cultural business with the promotion of Culture Week that was a decently done during its first year.
 Civic square buzzed during Culture week last year – with the increased involvement on the part of the cultural manager Angela Paparizo we may see even more activity. There are apparently all kinds of plans for Culture Week this year but there hasn’t been much coming out of city hall yet – the individual artists are promoting the events they have taking place – there is a Ping Pong and Poetry event that will take place at the new HiVe now located on Guelph Line. Local artist Margaret Lindsay Halton is running that event.
The organizational structure of the Arts Collective has always been a little undefined – personalities and ego began to take up too much space and the purpose began to get lost.
There is still time for the Arts Collective to recover – but they don’t take too much time doing it. They could and should play an important role.
There is still some very good energy within the citizen side of the arts. The Guilds at the Art Gallery of Burlington are becoming more active – management over there is expecting the guilds to be more visible and they are living up to the expectation.
 Retiring Executive Director of the Performing Arts Centre Brian McCurdy stabilized the Centre – losing him is going to hurt for awhile. A new leader will need some time to get a sense as to how the Centre and the city work. In this photograph McCurdy is briefing the Mayor on parts of his thinking The No Vacancy people will be putting on their third event in September – this time on Old Lakeshore Road basically outside Emma’s. September 17th from 7 pm to midnight.
Last year they recorded 3500 + visitors. This year the event will be called SuperNova and they think they will double last year’s attendance. They have put on the event for two years with nowhere near the funding available to Culture Week and have in the past produced much stronger more vital programs. This year, for the first time they got some funding from the city – courtesy of Councillor Marianne Meed Ward who advocated for the small grant they got.
One of the hurdles that few people see coming is the wallop the Gazette thinks the taxpayers are going to face when the real costs of the flood are going to have on the 2016 budget. Reports that have been given to Council point out a number of close to pressing amounts that are going to have to be spent real soon.
It is going to amount to millions with an expected new line on the tax bill for the management of storm water.
The cultural file just might take a hit – more money is going to have to go into infrastructure; council has been told that transit needs a lot more attention, especially when looked at through an intensification lens and the city is still salting away money to pay for our share of the hospital redevelopment.
Some tough work ahead of this Council – which is going to be difficult because all the members of this Council don’t sing from the same page in the hymnal.
By Staff
August 21, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Mark Carr got word that the program he moderates on Cogeco Cable “The Issue” was good to go for the fall.
 Cogeco’s The Issue panel: Mark Carr, host on the left with Casey Cosgrove, a guest, then former Mayor Walter Mulkewich and then Brian Heagle First show for this season of The Issue is Tuesday September 15th 8pm LIVE.
The show is interactive – twitter them at # The Issue.
The Issue is broadcast on channel 23 and channel 700 for high definition.
Carr monitors the twitter feed and bounces comments tweeted in with the panel made up of former Burlington Mayor Walter Mulkewich, lawyer and former Burlington council candidate Brian Heagle, and Deb Tymstra who has reported for Cogeco on a number of issues.
The intention is to have a guest on the panel as well. The publisher of the Gazette has been asked to take part in the panel from time to time.
Those watching the program can tweet comments and see how the panel responds.
You can agree or disagree with the panel of community/political experts live” said Carr “ and then watch to see how they respond to what you had to say.”
 By Pepper Parr
August 20, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Part two of a two part feature on how the Conservation Authority explains The Flood.
There are no streamflow gauges located along Roseland Creek, Tuck Creek, Shoreacres Creek, and Appleby Creek. Flow rates for the event were estimated by comparing high water marks that resulted from the storm event with other data.
Crews from Conservation Halton conducted field investigations during the week following the storm. They identified locations of high water marks and debris lines at the upstream and downstream sides of culvert and bridge crossings, through parks and other public lands, and on private properties where permission had been provided.
 The 407 became a catch basin for the water cascading down from the Escarpment creeks. The rainfall totals are higher in the sections of the watersheds upstream of the QEW than rainfall totals downstream of the QEW. This generated a trend of decreasing flow rates relative to return period flows where considerable storage and flow attenuation was available within creek and valley areas upstream of road and railway crossings.
Runoff rates generated by the storm are a function of both total rainfall, and rainfall intensities. Generally, average watershed rainfall totals are higher than 100 year values used in the computer simulation models, and less than the Regional (Hurricane Hazel)
August 4th, 2014 rainfall intensities, for short durations, are approximately equal to the 100 year event.
Generally, estimated flow rates are less than the computer simulated and higher than or equal to the 100 year simulated values.
The areas of most significant impacts associated with riverine/flood plain flooding are located in portions of the City of Burlington that were developed prior to the application of Provincial and Conservation Authority flood plain planning policies. Areas in which these policies were applied as part of the development process experienced significantly less erosion and flood damages demonstrating their effectiveness.
 Tuck Creek days after the rain had stopped. The Hager-Rambo Diversion Channel afforded a significant level of protection during the event for those portions of the City below the channel, south of Fairview Street and east of QEW Niagara to Drury Lane. Conservation Halton staff received reports that the diversion channel was flowing near capacity. Staff also received reports of the Upper East Rambo Creek spilling along the CNR (Halton) tracks from the East Rambo Pond (north of the QEW/403) and flooding several properties along Plains Road.
 The Conservation Authority says:
An investigation should be conducted in partnership with the City of Burlington to determine what mitigation measures can be implemented to reduce future riverine flood damages along Tuck Creek upstream and downstream of New Street.
An investigation should be conducted in partnership with the City of Burlington to determine the extent of runoff diverted from Shoreacres Creek into Tuck Creek at Highway 407 during the August 4th, 2014 storm event. Also, the investigation should determine what mitigation measures could be constructed to prevent or reduce any future spills from Shoreacres Creek into Tuck Creek in this location.
An assessment should be conducted in partnership with the Regional Municipality of Halton and the City of Burlington to inventory the number and location of telemetered rainfall and streamflow gauges within their respective networks to identify potential gaps.
Expansions to the networks should be undertaken in a collaborative and coordinated manner to facilitate data sharing and enhance flood forecasting and emergency response capabilities within the City of Burlington. These improvements will help to better equip all agencies to respond to similar events in the future as more frequent short intense storms are expected as a result of a changing climate.
Consideration should be given to updating the watershed studies for Roseland, Tuck, Shoreacres, Appleby and Sheldon Creeks in an effort to explore opportunities to reduce storm runoff rates and volumes.
To the absolute amazement of the Conservation people was the fact that the storm, which was in fact three separate storms, came in from the northj west and hovered over three different creeks from approximately 1:15 pm to about 9:00 pm.
The two closest water depth collectors were to the east and the west of the storm – the data from those two devices normally tell the environmental staff at Conservation Halton what is going on but there wasn’t any significant rainfall outside the narrow SIZE band of the storm.
From a data point of view – there was nothing abnormal – which wasn’t the way people south of the 407 who were experiencing the storm saw things.
The data from the collectors basically said – there was no rainfall here.
Part one of a two part feature on how the Conservation Authority explains The Flood
By Pepper Parr
August 20, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Part one of a two part feature on how the Conservation Authority explains The Flood.
All most people have are memories of the flood we had more than a year ago. Any claims that were made for financial support under the Ontario Disaster Relief Assistance Program (ODRAP) have been paid – although no one has yet been able to say just why the provincial government held back 10% of the money it put up for what they called “risk mitigation”.
MPP Eleanor McMahon has made it a practice to continue to call on some of the people who were badly flooded to see how they are doing. The province has announced major changes to ODRAP that will be ready sometime in 2016.
The only thing ahead is the celebration of the $5,000 + donours and the placing of a plaque, that will take place September 15th at the Performing Arts Centre where a documentary done by Cogeco will be screened.
Reports on what actually happened have been prepared and while they are public – they haven’t been given all that much attention. Those reports have costs buried in them – the flood is going to cost taxpayers millions.
City hall seems to have forgotten that there is a public out there that does want to be informed.
 The rain clouds settled over Tuck Creek and remained there for seven and a half hours flooding the basements of more than 3500 homes in the eastern side of the city. The centre of the August 4th, storm occurred just downstream of Highway 407 along Tuck Creek. The rainfall that occurred at the storm centre was approximately 190 mm, and is similar in total to the Regional Storm. That Regional storm is a benchmark used for comparative purposes – the public knows it as Hurricane Hazel which took place in 1954
The Halton Conservation Authority released its report in which they set out what happened based on the data that was available; they also provided a number of recommendations.
The Conservation Authority is responsible for what they call the riverines and how the water moves through them.
Their report sets out the bigger picture and some of the reasons why the flood did the damage it did –– they make it very clear that global warming is something very real and something we have to accept as part of how we plan for adverse weather.
Heavy rain fell on Burlington during the afternoon and evening of August 4th, 2014. The storm extended from roughly Mountsberg Road in the north to Lake Ontario in the south, Burloak Drive in the east, and Brant Street in the west. A band of thunderstorms continued to develop and intensify during the day over the area.
The eastern part of Burlington was about to be engulfed by a storm that would cause havoc, significant financial loss and change for decades the lives of some families.
The part of the city that was deluged with rain came from a storm aligned in a northwest to southeast direction. The area was elliptically shaped with a length of approximately 25 km and a width of approximately 9 km. The area of the storm was approximately 200 square km.
The storm was centred over the middle and upper portions of Roseland Creek, and Tuck Creek just east of Highway 407.
Its intensity is seen in the videos taken that day. Dundas looking north on Guelph Line, and Palmer Drive.
The watercourses most impacted were Tuck Creek, Shoreacres Creek, and Appleby Creek.
An additional feature of the storm was that it hovered in place from about 1:30 pm through till just before 9:00 pm. There were actually three storms separated by short periods of time; never more than 45 minutes. The significant runoff in a short period of time, basically a flash flood, hit homes, businesses and parks. The flow of water overtopped watercourse crossings, closed roads, and flooded motor vehicles.
Homes were flooded by runoff that entered the buildings through the sanitary/storm sewer system, and from runoff that overflowed watercourse banks.
Incorrectly installed downspouts added to the problem.
Reports were released by both Conservation Halton and the city of Burlington. The Conservation report deals solely with runoff that overflowed watercourse banks (riverine flooding).
The Region of Halton and the City of Burlington have the task of assessing flood damages from storm and sanitary sewer systems which they did through separate studies.
It is the city report that sets out the extent of the damage to property and homes and sets out where changes need to be made – including the need to remove some homes that are now at risk.
An additional financial result for the people of Burlington is going to be a Storm Water Management tax that is going to hit the malls with those large parking lots quite heavily. Think in terms of at least a 4% tax increase each year for perhaps two years.
 More than a handful of weather elements combined to create a very small in area storm that flooded thousands of basements. Approximately 6000 properties were flooded within the City; roughly 3500 of which reported basement flooding.
On August 4, 2014 the atmosphere over south central Ontario in the afternoon was very moist and unsettled making it favourable for storm development.
People were out and about enjoying the holiday. Joseph Brant day was being celebrated at LaSalle Park, which turned out to be well outside the part of the city that got drenched. There were strong winds but not much more than that.
The winds aloft were generally light and from the west, meaning that if storms were to form, they would drift slowly from west to east allowing notable amounts of rain to fall on the areas they passed over. The general light wind pattern also made it a day where a lake breeze circulation could set up and, by early afternoon, the surface winds began to blow inland from Lake Ontario. As the afternoon progressed, these factors came together to generate shower and thunderstorm activity. The lake breeze circulation combined with outflow winds from other nearby storms resulted in a series of storms over the Burlington area.
There was a repeated development of storm cells to the west of Burlington which the weak winds aloft caused to drift continually over the eastern part of the city. When the storm arrived it just hung in the one rather narrow area and didn’t move.
The Conservation Authority measures storm activity using data from approximately 34 rainfall gauges and two radar stations.
The gauges are owned and operated by various agencies.
The Region of Halton had 11 gauges
Conservation Halton had 7 gauges
Burlington had 1 gauge at the Mainway arena
There were only three gauges close to the storm centre. Due to the narrow width of the storm cell, most of the rainfall gauges within the Burlington area didn’t catch any of the rainfall.
Radar data was used to refine the rainfall distribution across Burlington. NexRAD radar data was obtained for the Buffalo station through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Radar data was also obtained from the King City (Environment Canada) station.
A storm that did very significant damage to property on the eastern side of the city was so small in area that it slipped through the gauges that were in place to record and report on the rainfall. The only people who were aware of the storm and its intensity were the people in the middle of it.
Water began to accumulate along the side of the escarpment and worked its way into the creeks and came cascading into the city using creeks that could not handle the volume which meant water was pushed over the creek banks, flooding into streets and lawns that could not absorb all the water in such a short period of time.
This video was taken at Eaglesfield Drive south of Dundas . This footage taken at UpperMiddle Road – Headon – Centennial is almost entertaining; they both show just how much water there was on the streets.
Rain from the roofs of housing poured through downspouts – with thousands of them draining into the waste water system that was not built to handle that kind of volume.
The rainfall that started at approximately 1:30 pm and ended by 9:00 pm was measured at approximately 196 mm – it all came down in a seven and a half hour time frame.
 The bars show the time that the three main storms hovered over the city and their intensity. The line is the measurement of the rain that fell in the Mainway arena tipping bucket. The data collected revealed that there were in fact three separate storms – all three hovered over the same areas and each had its own intensity.
It was the accumulation of the three storms that the creeks and the water run off could not handle.
The closest rain gauge to the centre of the storm that recorded the distribution of rainfall was located at the Mainway Arena. The maximum rainfall recorded at the Mainway gauge was approximately 124 mm.
The device at Mainway was a “tipping bucket” design – something that when it is full tips over and empties. “The rain was coming down so heavily that the bucket filled very quickly and would tip over and empty – making it difficult to get really solid data.
 This chart compares the rainfall during hurricane Hazel with the August 2014 storm that Burlington experienced. Conservation has a benchmark they call a Regional storm (Hurricane Hazel which hit Etobicoke in 1954) that is used for comparative purposes.
Average rainfall for each watershed was:
Roseland Creek 120mm
Tuck Creek 150 mm
Shoreacres Creek 140 mm
Appleby Creek 130 mm
Sheldon Creek 100 mm
That rainfall tore through the creeks which is some cases had a lot of vegetation and tree limbs that should have been cleared out regularly.
The Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) reported that the preliminary estimate for insured damage caused by heavy rains and flooding in Burlington was just over $90 million.
Insurance did not cover the cost of all damages. Some owners received full coverage while others were only partially covered or not covered at all. Approximately 6,000 properties were reported to have experienced flooding, some caused by overland flow roughly 3,500 from basement flooding (storm water or sanitary sewer backup).
The Conservation Authority was focused on damages as a result of floodwaters overtopping the banks of watercourses. Specifically, the Conservation observed and/or reported riverine (creek-based) flood damages for each watercourse. This list does not include flooding associated with storm water (from roadways, ditches, etc.) or sanitary sewer backup as these flood impacts are being assessed by others.
Roseland Creek: Two (2) commercial buildings flooded; approximately two watercourse crossings overtopped; QEW closed; and Watercourse scour and erosion.
Tuck Creek: Approximately 65 residences flooded; One commercial building flooded; approximately 13 watercourse crossings overtopped; Highway 407 ETR closed;
Natural gas main broken upstream of Upper Middle Road; Sidewalk collapse on south side of New Street;
Rural ditch erosion repairs; driveway culvert repairs/replacements at washout locations; landscaping damages – parks, high schools; and Watercourse scour and erosion.
The data available places the centre of the storm downstream of Highway 407 along Tuck Creek. The rainfall that occurred at the storm centre was approximately 190 mm, and is similar in total to the Regional Storm.
Estimated flow rates upstream of Upper Middle Road are slightly greater than the Regional Storm while flow rates downstream are roughly equal to the 100 year simulated event. Flow rates decreased substantially downstream of Upper Middle Road. This is likely due to the availability of flood storage within the wider and more defined natural valley features along the upper portions of Tuck Creek.
Shoreacres Creek: Approximately 2 residences flooded; One industrial building flooded; approximately 5 watercourse crossings overtopped; Rural ditch erosion repairs; driveway culvert repairs/replacements at washout locations; QEW closed; pumping Station flooded; underpass flooded; and Watercourse scour and erosion.
The flow rates within the Shoreacres Creek watershed were estimated to range between a 50 year design event and the Regional Storm (Hurricane Hazel). There is a good possibility that runoff was diverted (spilled) into Tuck Creek from Shoreacres Creek along the north side of Highway 407.
Estimated flow rates increase in a downstream direction and are approximately equal to or slightly above simulated 100 year values for the lower two thirds of the watershed.
Appleby Creek: Approximately 3 watercourse crossings overtopped; Underpass flooded; trails and pedestrian crossings flooded; and Watercourse scour and erosion.
On the west tributary of Appleby Creek, estimated flow rates are approximately equal to the Regional Storm values. On the east tributary estimated flow rates are approximately equal to the 10 year storm simulated flow rates. Estimated flow rates downstream of the QEW are roughly equal to the 50 year storm simulated flow rates.
Several debris jams were identified during field investigations after the storm. These occurred in the following locations:
Section of Tuck Creek between New Street and Regal Road
Private bridge upstream of Shoreacres Road along Shoreacres Creek
Section of Shoreacres Creek downstream of Heritage Road
 As the water roared through the creeks it pushed everything in front of it – including vegetation and tree limbs which did much of the damage to pedestrian bridges. While the debris jams were not the cause of flooding in these highlighted areas (given the significant flows within creek systems during the storm), their impacts may have contributed to localised flood levels on adjacent properties.
Given the unprecedented nature of the storm event and the significant flows generated, a substantial amount of woody debris and creek substrate was mobilized during the storm. This was particularly pronounced in the older portions of Burlington in which the creek widths were narrowed by historic development and flood plain/overbank areas were not readily accessible to flood flows.
This configuration caused flood depths in the creeks to be higher and erosive forces to be more damaging.
Part two of a two part feature on how the Conservation Authority explains The Flood
 By Staff
August 20, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
It took a while but the Halton Regional Police determined that a 40-year old Burlington man is to be charged with a number of offences following a serious collision in Burlington on Saturday August 1st 2015.
 The male was operating an electrically-powered bicycle on Fairview Street, close to the Burlington Mall, when his vehicle was in collision with an SUV that was turning into the parking lot outside the Canadian Tire store.
The male sustained serious injuries in the collision, which was witnessed by a number of passers-by. As a result of the subsequent investigation by the Halton Regional Police Collision Reconstruction Unit, Edward LEE of Burlington has been charged with
Driving while Disqualified, contrary to the Criminal Code, along with Careless Driving, Red Light-Fail to Stop, and Failing to Wear a Proper Helmet on a Motorcycle, all contrary to the Highway Traffic Act.
Halton Regional Police wish to remind all users of power-assisted bicycles that it is their responsibility to ensure that their vehicle, and the manner in which it is used, conforms with all legal requirements
By Pepper Parr
August 19, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Youth from across the Burlington have been invited by the 3 Things for Burlington team to hear what the Federal Election Candidates have to say about issues related to young people and to learn how a federal election works.
There will be an interactive discussion designed to ensure the politicians hear the voice of youth and understand that youth issues are important.
The event takes place Monday, 31 August 2015 from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM at the Burlington Public Library – Central Branch Centennial Hall.
The event is being put on by 3 Things for Burlington, a youth led initiative that wants to inspire others, initiate change, and impact our community.
Free tickets can be had by clicking on the link to the left
 Their core activity is to encourage everyone in the city to take part in three kind acts each day and share your story with the group. These young people believe Burlingtonians will feel more connected to their community and to others.
When two members of the group, Bryan Giron and Chris Choi, delegated before city council they got a very enthusiastic response – didn’t see any kind act in the days that followed – maybe the concept doesn’t apply to elected officials.
Randi Minaker is the project lead with a group of teens that sit on a Steering Committee who plan all of the events, and discuss how they could better spread the word about the project.
These teens encourage every citizen in the City of Burlington, no matter age or ability, to take part in 3 random acts of kindness. Once people complete a kind act we ask that they either check out our website, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram to share their story with us.
By sharing your story with us we believe that it will inspire others to take part in this initiative. After all, 3 Things for Burlington is all about inspiring others, initiating change, and impacting community.
3 Things for Burlington has been around since early 2015, their official launch party was in July. A youth committee came up with the idea for the election related event and they were able to get funding for the project through the Laidlaw Foundation.
 Some of Burlington’s youth will be taking part in an event where candidates for federal office will be speaking directly to youth and there issues. The 3 Things for Burlington Steering Committee decided that they wanted to host a Federal Candidate Discussion for youth as one of their 3 Things. They noted that young people tend not to vote when they come of age because they are not educated enough on what their candidates stand for.
At this event, which all candidates from all parties have been invited, youth will be educated on the political platforms of our candidates, and have the opportunity to ask any questions. They will be learning about issues that directly impact youth, and how an election works.
This event is politically neutral, none of our team is a part of any political party; they have made sure that all candidates were invited.
The format will have each candidate addressing the people who show up followed by time for questions as well. They will also have a welcome package with information about the upcoming election, how it works, and other important info.
Minaker helped the teens set up the event. She works for Community Development Halton.
 By Jim Riley
August 20, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Kyle Tonkens uses approaches of both Performance Art and Installation Art in his most recent artwork, entitled “The Funeral Procession of the Beloved Departed”.
Performance Art is a non-traditional art form that uses two or more arts: these could be acting, painting, poetry, dance, music, etc. My own perspective focuses on the visual impact of the performance.
 Family and friends were invited to the funeral of the Dearly departed Henrietta Markham. Performance Art often uses symbolism and concepts that are difficult for some to comprehend without supplementary information. It can be like trying to read a foreign language without translation notes.
 The funeral cortege proceeded along John Street on its way to the Art Gallery of Burlington. “The Funeral Procession for the Beloved Departed” started on John Street, Burlington. People gathered in celebration of a person’s life, and participants were encouraged to recall their own loved ones. Tonkens referred to the procession being for all our beloved departed, but referred specifically to a woman named Henrietta Markham, and quoted her poetry. Henrietta was Tonkens’ grandmother. During a recent interview, Tonkens disclosed that he used Henrietta’s “voice” in presenting his own poetry. This is in accord with his belief that all things in life and death are interconnected – which is a key concept of the exhibition.
In the middle of the John Street room there was a mound of what the artist had previously referred to as “hand-bound wood rosebuds constructed of gathered sticks and bound together by jute twine and wire”. The rosebuds are painted in solid bright colours creating a colourful mound. Some guests were given neon-coloured rosebuds, or a painted parasol, to carry in the cortege.
Aaron Zukewich played music on his soulful saxophone in the room, and during the procession.
They bore the funerary mound down John Street and along Lakeshore Road to the Art Gallery of Burlington. Once at the RBC Community Gallery, the mound was gently placed with five other mounds on the floor. Those who had carried painted rosebuds and parasols from John Street placed them on one of the six funeral mounds.
Some of the mounds had darker painted rosebuds or natural wood, symbolizing those separated from us some time ago. The contrast between the brightly coloured rosebuds and the earth-toned rosebuds gave the impression of after-life energy that was still within the mound and had not yet departed.
 The mandala-like, neon-coloured wall paintings are partly mirrored by the lines on the parasols. The artist refers to the painted walls as incorporating “the flower of life pattern”. This resembles Hindu mandala symbols — geometric and very spiritual. The three mandala-like, neon-coloured wall paintings are partly mirrored by the lines on the parasols. Umbrellas with a similar appearance are suspended from the ceiling: they represent the spirits, after release from life, connected to the mounds.
The Performance Art drew a crowd of participants. Tonkens did not venture too deep into the non-traditional inter-art practices of performance art. It was intriguing how he straddled non-traditional and traditional art and their approaches to the subject. Conceptually, Tonkens is exploring complex issues that might not easily be communicated to many of those present. The cortege was somewhat like a New Orleans funeral procession, but the music played was more solemn and mournful. It felt ritualistic, in a metaphysical way.
At the AGB, the artist continued his performance by greeting and thanking the participants as one might at a funeral. Tonkens’ belief is that we should be truly grateful. What makes Tonkens’ performance differ from other memorial services is that he gave some of the audience members a gift of a small, square acrylic painting, signed by Henrietta Markham, but done in his style.
Tonkens’ giving of gifts has a sacred aspect. His use of this concept dates back to his 2013 “The Spirit of Death Watching…” performance during his No Vacancy installation. This gift-giving is reminiscent of northwest indigenous potlatch ceremonies. The purposes are similar, in emphasizing the grateful acknowledgement of major life changes such as birth, marriage and death. Tonkens’ ritualistic gift-giving emerges as the strongest element of his performance art practice.
Installation art is sculpture, but the audience is inside the artwork rather than observing from outside. The entire space of the room defines the sculpture’s boundaries. The placement of objects or people within the room is significant to the 3D composition of the work. Each person entering the gallery becomes another part of the sculpture as they walk through the installation of materials, light and colours – not intended to be explored passively from the outside edge, but actively from within.
How successful has Tonkens been with his installation?
 The parasols were carried from John Street and placed on one of the six funeral mounds at the AGB Tonkens’ suspended painted parasols with curved lines are symbiotic with the wall paintings. The suspended umbrellas integrate successfully the visually awkward ceiling fan into the installation. They break up the aerial space, adding unity to the entire experience. The installation might have been stronger if the ceiling parasols and mounds had been varied more within the room. Changing the scale and location of some of the mounds might have had more visual impact for the viewers, and easier access for closer examination of the mounds.
The RBG Community Gallery’s physical limitation makes it a challenge for installation art. It is a former café, and there are too many windows, plus a drop-tile ceiling and fans.
This installation might have been more successful if the artist had closed the blinds and used a more dramatic lighting technique on the mounds and wall paintings. The existing lighting does not adequately support the concepts. However, it might be argued that these options were beyond the artist’s control. I suspect that the AGB is working on improving this new community space, but labours under budgetary limitations and physical restrictions such as concrete walls.
The quality of art presented in the new AGB Community gallery has varied in the past from very professional works to child art, focusing on thematic community-based exhibitions. Kyle Tonkens is evolving as an emerging professional. I look forward to seeing his future presentations, as he is unique among the members of Burlington’s arts community.
Kyle Tonkens most recent performance art installation is on view at the Art Gallery of Burlington until September 13, 2015.
 Jim Riley is a Burlington-based video artist, independent curator and arts writer.
By Staff
August 19, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
What do the aboriginal people have to teach us? Is there something in their teachings that can be applied to the world we live in today?\
The Conservation Halton Crawford Lake Conservation Area will be holding a series of workshops led by Anishinaabe artist, musician, activist and educator, Eddy Robinson.
 Inside the Deer Clan Longhouse – this is not the kind of dwelling the aboriginal tribes lived in. The event will take place in the Deer Clan Longhouse, a stunning modern space located within a reconstructed 15th century Iroquoian Village.
The three workshops are on: how traditional ways can be practiced in an urban world; the importance of the teachings of the drum and song in building strength and community for Anishinaabe people.
Choose from three workshop themes; Anishinaabe Drum Teachings, Anishinaabe Songs, or Urban Indigenous Ways of Knowing, or join us for all three.
These workshops offer the opportunity spend an evening learning about our collective history while joining in on music and traditions that enrich the soul.
“Through stories and song, Eddy works towards a day when the power of knowledge, inclusiveness and sharing of First Nations cultures helps our nation and all its’ people become connected and stronger.”
~ Wab Kinew (Canadian hip hop musician, broadcaster, and university administrator)
Saturday, August 22
• Anishinaabe Drum Teachings, 4 to 6 p.m.
• Urban Indigenous Ways of Knowing, 7 to 9 p.m.
Saturday, August 29
• Anishinaabe Songs, 4 to 6 p.m.
• Urban Indigenous Ways of Knowing, 7 to 9 p.m.
Workshops tickets are $25 per person (+HST). For more information or to register visit www.conservationhalton.ca/events.
Eddy Robinson is Anishinabe (Ojibway/Cree) and a member of the Crane Clan, a leadership clan for the Anishinabek. Born and raised in Toronto, he is a First Nation citizen of the Missanabie Cree First Nation. It was in the city that he found his cultural identity and got in touch with his spirituality through spending time with Traditional Healers and Elders visiting Toronto.
Over the past 20 years, Eddy has worked in Indigenous communities throughout Ontario, striving to improve the quality of life for his people. Eddy has evolved into a noted Anishinaabe artist, musician, activist and educator, and is a member of the National Speakers Bureau.
About Crawford Lake Conservation Area
Crawford Lake is located at the corner of Guelph Line and Conservation Road (formerly Steeles Avenue) 15 km north of the QEW, and 5 km south of the 401 in Milton. The pristine waters of Crawford Lake have drawn people to its shores for hundreds of years. The rare lake, with surrounding boardwalk, is nestled in lush forests atop the stunning Niagara Escarpment where visitors can watch soaring turkey vultures glide through the Nassagaweya Canyon.
 Conservation Halton is the community based environmental agency that protects, restores and manages the natural resources in its watershed. The organization has staff that includes ecologists, land use planners, engineers, foresters and educators, along with a network of volunteers, who are guided by a Board of Directors comprised of municipally elected and appointed citizens. Conservation Halton is recognized for its stewardship of creeks, forests and Niagara Escarpment lands through science based programs and services. You can step back in time and explore the 15th century Iroquoian Village that has been reconstructed on its original site at Crawford Lake. The spirits still sing in the longhouses where tools, animal hides and the smell of smoke let you experience the rich history of Ontario’s First Peoples.
By Staff
August 17, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
An MM Robinson grade 12 student has just completed a three week training program and taken part in a very prestigious rifle contest in Bisley, England.
Aaron Kurd, proudly represented Burlington and his army cadet corps as a part of the Royal Canadian Army Cadet National Rifle Team (RCAC NRT) competing in the Imperial Meeting at Bisley, England. This is the largest shooting festival in the nation, held annually since 1868, that attracts top marksman from all across the globe.
“The training and the potential opportunity to parachute is the reason I joined Army Cadets.” He said, “But shooting turned out to be what I really wanted to do.”
 Aaron Kurd accepting the Gold Highest Possible Score Cross presented by Major Bezanson, Officer Commanding National Rifle Team. As part of the Royal Canadian Army Cadet National Rifle Team, Aaron’s score in this competition counted towards the Highest Possible Score award, an award only given to those who earned perfect scores. Over the past 8 weeks, he scored 10 Highest Possible Score, earning the Gold Highest Possible Score Cross presented by Major Bezanson, Officer Commanding National Rifle Team.
“Being able to represent Canada, and tour around places like Vimy Ridge in France is just exactly why I joined cadets.”
Kurd, a Grade 12 student at M.M. Robinson High School, spent 3 weeks at Bisley, England competing in the Imperial Meeting hosted by the National Rifle Association of the United Kingdom. Upon his return to Ottawa, he also competed in the Ontario Rifle Association (ORA) matches and the National Cadet Full-bore Championship (NCFC).
The cadet program includes international exchanges to England, Wales, and Scotland is a free program designed to develop strong citizenship and leadership qualities for youth between the ages of 12-18. The program also aims to promote physical fitness, and stimulate interest in the activities of the Canadian Armed Forces.
By Staff
August 15th. 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Environment Canada reports that extreme heat and humidity expected to start Sunday, August 16 will result in temperatures that will reach at least 31 degrees Celsius with overnight temperatures above 20 degrees Celsius for two days along with a humidex of 40 or higher is expected for two days.
Even short periods of exposure to these weather conditions can cause serious health problems. This warning is intended to inform the general public and community agencies, to keep residents safe and healthy during the heat and to recommend that precautions are taken when temperatures are high.
 Anyone can be affected by extreme heat-related weather conditions. Those especially at risk include: older adults (over the age of 65), infants and young children, people who work and exercise in the heat, people without adequate housing and those without air conditioning. People who have breathing difficulties, heart problems, kidney problems or take heat-sensitive medications are also especially at risk of preventable heat illness. If you or someone in your care experiences rapid breathing, headache, confusion, weakness or fainting, seek medical attention right away.
You can prevent heat-related illness by staying cool; avoiding strenuous outdoor activities; seeking shade from the sun; spending time in air-conditioned places, such as shopping malls and community centres; and drinking plenty of cool liquids, especially water. Call or visit friends and neighbours who may be at risk and never leave people or pets in your care unattended in a car.
 By Pepper Parr
August 12th, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Being a kid can be fun, if you have the friends you want and really interesting things to do.
For hundreds of young girls in Burlington that fun and those friends are in the dance classes they take.
The city seems to have dozens of dance schools that have these girls burning off energy and keeping very fit.
For some the classes are recreational and for others there is a long term goal and for other it is quite competitive which leads to some travel and for three Burlington girls from two different dance schools the competition takes them to the Canadian National Exhibition’s Talent event that has taken place for the last 29 years.
 Poppy Munro will dance with her friend Olivia at the CNE Talent contest  Olivia Koren will be a contestant at the CNE Talent event Poppy and Olivia practice at Creative Dance and Lauren works out at The Dance Station where Mindy Mosey and her sister Melissa run the program at a school that has been in operation for ten years.
Lauren, a grade 7 student at St. Christopher Elementary School spends about 15 hour a week at The Dance Station where the core of just about every program is ballet. Mandy, who once danced professionally sees ballet as the core for all dance.
Olivia Koren and Poppy Munro, who will be doing a Hip Hop piece at the CNE attend different schools; one is at Tuck and the other at Central.
They are at that point in life where they believe they will be in dance for the rest of their lives.
 Lauren Salt on the parallel bar with her instructor Mandy Mosey Both girls seem remarkably at ease over the upcoming competition – something for which they have been putting in months of practice.
Tomorrow we will tell you more about the actual competition they will be taking part in.
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