By Pepper Parr

June 29th, 2020

BURLINGTON, ON’

The Gazette web site, we call it our press room, is undergoing a security upgrade. The content has been hacked into several times and someone is playing with the comments section. Thus, unfortunately, the comments section will not be available until security is solid enough to prevent people from removing what you want to say.

The weather was great.

Loads of people out.

Too many cars with drivers who felt that had to let us know just how much noise their mufflers could make.

The patios weren’t as full as we thought they would be.

Spencer Smith Park was busy but not crowded when we were there and the lines on the Naval Promenade kept people far enough apart.

It’s what summer at the beach is all about – except that this is not a normal summer.

Perhaps we have more people in Burlington for whom English is not their first language?

That small Beach created at the foot of the Pier attracted kids that were enjoying making castles in the sane – despite the sign clearly saying the Beach was closed.

That Beach by the way was not planned. While the Pier was being built the currents pulled sand into that spot on the waterfront. That sand by the way drifted all the way from the Scarborough Bluffs.

Walking around downtown was quite nice. The traffic cones that were put up to create walking space for pedestrians did the job.

It made for tight traffic at times – but the public was given the space they needed.

The walkway on the street was great for pedestrians. The traffic cones were rather ratty and tattered looking.

The cones that were set out on Brant Street were a little “ratty: looking. The barrier set up on John Street and Lakeshore had really nice clean look to them

Those traffic cones on Brant were an embarrassment.

The ward Councillor and the head honcho at the Downtown Business Association might want to look at the traffic cones in front of Wendell Clark’s and see if they can’t find something a little more attractive. Brant is the prime street in the city.

These barriers leave a nice clean, rather smart look to the streetscape. Unfortunately, other than the ice cream shop – no one was getting much in the way of traffic.

The patio at The Pump is on the sidewalk – last year the patio was on the street. This set up is much better.

David Barker, an astute observer of what goes on downtown took issue with the way traffic was being managed, particularly at Brant and Lakeshore Road.

He explains:
“If you are driving West along Lakeshore Road and you wish to turn right, north, up Brant Street, and your traffic signal is green, you are unlikely to be able to make a right turn due to pedestrians crossing east/west and west/east across Brant Street. Say, the light then turns red against you but you wish to take advantage of “right on red”, you’re likely unable to be able to do so because pedestrians are now crossing Lakeshore Road in front of you, north/south and vice versa.

“Now consider should you be driving south on Brant Street and you wish to turn either east or west on to Lakeshore Road. When the light is green in your favour you are probably unlikely to be able to do so. That is because pedestrians likely will be crossing Lakeshore Road both on the east side and west side of Brant Street. Southbound traffic on Brant street is more often than not backed up beyond Elgin Street.

“So as you can see the situation is one where both vehicular traffic and pedestrians are vying for the same space on the road at the same time. That combination is not a good mix. Really pedestrians and vehicles should be separated.

“Would it not make more sense to:
(1) have the traffic going east and west along Lakeshore Road have it’s time to move when both south bound traffic on Brant Street and pedestrians are halted.
(2) Then halt pedestrians and traffic on Lakeshore (both directions) allowing traffic south bound on Brant Street to be able to turn East or West without obstacle.
(3) then have all vehicular traffic halted so pedestrians may cross Lakeshore Road and Brant Street in any which direction they like, even diagonally across the intersection if they wish.
(4) Then the cycle starts over.

“This plan allows for pedestrians and vehicles to move freely without obstruction and more importantly safely without frustration.

:The unregulated, unmarked crosswalk at Lakeshore Road and Locust Street adds to the chaos and confusion. It should be regulated and be in step with the traffic signals at both Lakeshore Road and Brant Street and Lakeshore Road and Burlington Street.

“With the great summer weather attracting people, who are already eager to get out after lockdown, to the downtown and Spencer Smith Park there will be more cars back on the road (with reduced lanes) and more pedestrians looking wander around and take advantage of the patios and Spencer Smith Park therefore crossing this intersection.”

City Council’s objective was to ensure that the space on the streets was made available to pedestrians – shared with the vehicles.

It’s not as smooth as people would’ve liked it – but it is a first step.  Many people want all of Brant closed to vehicles from Caroline south – the merchants are dead opposed to that idea.  In many cities closing a road to vehicles improves the pace of business.  The is a great opportunity to give it a try.

One of the sadder signs was the number of former retail locations now store fronts with For Rent signs in the windows.

By George Keburia

June 25th, 2020

BURLINGTON, ON

Casinos across Northern Ontario are hoping to be able to re-open soon amid COVID-19 uncertainty

The coronavirus pandemic has affected the entire world as the number of infections globally has now exceeded a whopping nine million bar.

With over 400 thousand deaths related to the novel coronavirus infection, the vast majority of nations are trying to keep their citizens safe by implementing and maintaining social distancing rules. In these unprecedented times, everyone is held accountable for not putting the national safety at risk. The recent case of Dominic Cummings in the United Kingdom was a great example of how the societies have shifted and become more cautious amid the pandemic.

Besides individual responsibility, the same kind of cautiousness extends to business. Both people and governments try to have a specifically tailored and well-researched approach when it comes to re-opening businesses and their future operations. The Canadian government was one of the first globally to introduce a nation-wide lockdown, resulting in thousands of businesses simply coming to a complete standstill. Many of them had to halt operations while others also were put in a position of having to cancel ambitious projects and future plans.

Border to the United States closed – with no clear re-opening date in place.

All of Canada’s industries and businesses came under extreme pressure as the government decided to close its border with the United States. The Americans are the biggest Canadian economic partner with over 85% of exports going to the United States. Under such circumstances, not only exporting businesses but also local companies were impacted negatively. Countless Canadian businesses used to benefit from Americans visiting them over the weekend.

The gambling business in a tricky position

With the mid-march decision of the Canadian government and the prime minister Trudeau, all entertainment businesses were closed indefinitely. These changes naturally affected gambling venues across the nation. They had to cease operations immediately without a chance to evaluate the situation and come up with a solution in a timely manner. Many of the businesses managed to go online within the few days of the new regulations but others had to work and invest heavily in order to survive the turmoil.

In general, the online gambling sector has been on a steep rise throughout the past decade. The representatives of Playamo Canada say, that the incomes from the business across the nation have also been growing.   For firms that were always focused on online gambling, the new regulations were a positive change. They now have a chance to attract customers that can no longer visit brick-and-mortar venues in Canada.

But what happens with those who were dependent on visitors for the majority of their incomes? Canada, particularly Northern Ontario, is home to a high number of luxurious casinos and resorts that have been completely shut for almost the past three months. Their bookings and were canceled while loyal customers have no option but to visit online gambling platforms run by other operators.

Gateway Casinos forced to halt its construction in North Bay

Among many of Canada’s famous gambling operators, Gateway Casinos and Entertainment is truly a shining star. The customers’ favorite company provides high-quality luxury venues to its loyal customers across the entire country. It has popular venues located in Sudbury and Sault St. Marie.

North Bay Casino construction site.

However the pandemic meant operations of Gateway-owned casinos had to be closed.  Those crucial venues for the company remain closed to the public. The representatives of Gateway say, that the timing of the pandemic could not have been worse. Their new major project in North Bay, a casino resort that already has a green light for construction, had to be stopped. There is simply not enough certainty in the industry to continue the construction of a major venue. The costs of the construction are absolutely tremendous and the company can not afford it unless the already-existing venues are back up and running.

Therefore, ‘Gateway casinos and entertainment’ is now focusing on opening up its Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie venues to the public. The cash inflow from those venues is unlikely to result in the construction of the new North Bay venue. However, operational casinos would ensure the safety of jobs, as well as more security for the business. The latter is of utmost importance since, without any certain and specific timeframe on the process of opening casinos, Gateway’s future plans remain halted.

How can casinos open going forward?

The thrill of the win

The chief of Gateway’s Sudbury venue, Richard Paquin commented on the company’s future plans: “We haven’t spoken to anybody about that because it’s too early in the process,” However, the Ontario’s government has recently announced its plans to gradually re-open entertainment businesses that could potentially include casinos. Gateway also had a brief communication with the government regarding the issues but no specific answers were given from the authorities.

However, what we know today for sure is that sooner or later, the casino business will start coming back. The question is in what form will it operate? What sacrifices will operators have to make? The expectation is that the opening of venues will be discussed individually.

Every space comes with its own specifications and needs to be rearranged considering those factors. One thing is apparent: the most affected part of the casino business will be the venues’ capacity. Fewer people will be allowed per room with fewer people sitting around tables. This could mean significantly lower incomes for businesses, but with social distancing remaining the only known and effective tool against the spread of the virus, the venues will have to adjust.