By Ray Rivers
September 20th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
After the release of an old photo showing our prime minister dressed up for an Arabian Nights gala at the high school where he taught classes back then, there is only one question on everyone’s mind. Who is the real Justin Trudeau? Is he, indeed, the son of our most celebrated PM, Pierre, or is Justin really Aladdin? Not to start any rumours, but how many of us really knew what went on during those days of Trudeau-mania?
If so why didn’t he use his magic carpet to fly off to chum with his daddy’s old buddy, the Aga Khan, instead of relying on Mr. Khan’s hospitality, and thereby ticking off the ethics commissioner? And when it came to governance, why didn’t he just use his magic lamp on Jodi and Jane – to wish them away instead of suffering through that messy Justice Committee hearing business?
It did happen; he did apologize: now let’s see how he bears up during the rest of the campaign.
But seriously, in today’s world, it doesn’t matter why you do, or did what you did, it only matters that you did it. And historical mistakes are still mistakes. Political parties vet candidates for office; investigating what they had done in their past which might damage them and hurt their chances in the voters’ eyes.
Someone with a criminal record, for example, would likely be rejected by most parties, notwithstanding that they’ve already paid the price of their crime to society. Wearing blackface is not a criminal offence and it may not have been intended to mock or insult. But it is still considered incorrect, since its origins are based on racism.
At one time black performers were excluded from performing before non-black crowds. So white performers emulated them, quite often making them an object of ridicule for entertainment. It wasn’t the Ku Klux Klan and it may have been an America a generation or two ago, but the hurt still continues.
Political correctness is important in politics, almost regardless that the intention may not be to mock, hurt or offend. One needs to be sensitive to the feelings of others.
Mr. Trudeau as PM has been a strong advocate of human and civil rights. And that is perhaps why the revelations of these skeletons from his past, innocent as they may have seemed at the time, are still hurtful, indeed shocking to all of us. And it’s true that he set himself up for the repercussions of this latest outcry – the bigger you are the harder you fall.
Mr. Trudeau recently pulled a candidate’s nomination for comments he made which were considered anti-Semitic. He has attacked Mr. Scheer for his party’s links to apparent white supremacists. He has suggested he might intervene in the Quebec law which bans wearing cultural paraphernalia in the broader public service. And he has attacked Maxine Bernier for his position on immigration as racially motivated.
The revelations of at least three situations in his own distant past, where he wore dark makeup in performances, are shocking for a man with that kind of profile and record. He has fallen off his high horse, tumbled off the pedestal upon which he had lifted himself.
Trudeau -facing the music
But he has apologized for his past actions and asked/begged, forgiveness from the Canadian people. He admits that what he did was racist, though he wasn’t aware of its significance when he did it. The media interviewed people on the street and the reaction was fairly muted. Twenty years is a long time ago after all, and who doesn’t have something in their closet that they’d rather not let out?
But Trudeau’s political opponents are making political hay – and that is all fair in the game we’re in, barely a month from the election. We have come to expect a lot of our prime ministers, not only how they run our government but also who they really are. Does the public really believe that their PM is a racist? After all, wasn’t it his father who gave us multiculturalism in the first place?
Ray Rivers writes regularly on both federal and provincial politics, applying his more than 25 years as a federal bureaucrat to his thinking. Rivers was once a candidate for provincial office in Burlington. He was the founder of the Burlington citizen committee on sustainability at a time when climate warming was a hotly debated subject. Ray has a post graduate degree in economics that he earned at the University of Ottawa. Tweet @rayzrivers
Background links:
Brown Face in Vancouver – Origins of Blackface –
By Pepper Parr
September 18th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
ECoB is once again serving the people of Burlington with an innovative approach to keeping people informed on what the different federal election candidates have to say as they strive to get elected or re-elected.
ECoB filled church halls during the municipal election. This time they are going digital.
ECoB, the Engaged Citizens of Burlington who sponsored candidate debates in every ward of the city during the last municipal election. In a number of instances you couldn’t get a seat to hear the candidates,
This time ECoB is going to interview candidates and publish the interview on their Facebook page. They are working with the Gazette who will post the interviews which will allow viewers to watch them at their leisure.
More on this as details and specifics become available.
ECoB does report that the Liberal, NDP and Green Party candidates have agreed to take part. The interviews will take place early in October.
By Staff
September 18th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
Suzanne Vukosavljevic, Manager of Communications for the city sent out a media release saying: “The City of Burlington is not pursing a by-law related to ticketing drivers giving to panhandlers on Burlington streets.
“On September 10, 2019, a staff report on panhandling went to the Planning & Development Committee for discussion. There is no City staff direction related to targeting and ticketing drivers donating money to panhandlers.
“There was an amended motion put forward at that meeting that was not approved by Burlington City Council; that motion was to report back to the Planning and Development Committee by the end of 2019 on the possibility of a by-law that would target drivers donating money to panhandlers at City intersections.
Here is what actually happened at the Standing Committee meeting:
The Mayor just asked the question: Could the police issues a distracted driving ticket to someone who gave a pan handler money while they were in their car.
The idea of perhaps ticketing car drivers for giving pan handlers money, because they would have been “distracted” from their driving, was a question raised by the Mayor when she asked Staff if they had asked the police if they could issue distracted driving offence tickets. Heather MacDonald, Director of City Building said they did not ask that particular question.
Vukosavljevic, added that: “The actions that were approved by Burlington City Council include:
• The City of Burlington will continue to work with the Halton Poverty Roundtable (which is part of United Way) as part of their broader communication to residents about poverty.
• Update the City’s website to provide information on how residents can assist those in need, including donating money.
• The City will share ways to help via social media and the City Talk newsletter.
• The City will prepare communication material for ward-specific newsletters with information for residents about this issue.
• The City will continue to work with the Halton Regional Police to monitor panhandling on the streets of Burlington.
“Burlington City Council shared their concerns on the well-being of all who need help in Burlington, and was clear through its deliberations that the end goal is to get the most support to those who need it, and that donating to active local charitable organizations is important to ensuring the best results from the community.”
One of the concerns was expressed by ward 2 Councillor Lisa Kearns who said that the pan handling was a “racket”. Some of these people are “optimizing or using space for their own purposes”.
Mayor Meed Ward added that she had been at the Guelph Line Fairview intersection earlier and had seen pan handlers at the intersection with drivers handing them money.
The media release from the Communications department appears to be trying to put a bit of a spin on a situation that makes some people uncomfortable. It always works better when you let the facts speak for themselves.
Salt with Pepper is the musings, reflections and opinions of the publisher of the Burlington Gazette, an online newspaper that was formed in 2010 and is a member of the National Newsmedia Council.
By Staff
September 18th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
On Thursday September 19, 2019 at approximately 5:00 am, a lone male culprit entered a 7/11 convenience store located at Guelph Line and Prospect Street in the City of Burlington.
The culprit was hiding his face by pulling his shirt up and was carrying a large metal pipe. The male culprit confronted the store clerk and demanded money. The clerk provided the culprit an amount of money and he then fled the store. The store clerk was not injured in this incident.
At approximately 5:30 am, a homeowner in the area of Dynes Road and Woodward Avenue in the City of Burlington reported to police that an intruder was on their property. The homeowners became aware that a male person was on top of the roof of their bungalow style single family home. A homeowner came outside and confronted the male person who came down from the roof. The male culprit threatened the homeowner and indicated that he had a weapon.
Cst Mitchell with police dog Juno being trained. Another police dog was used to track the culprit to a nearby garage.
The male culprit then ran off from this residence. The homeowner was not injured in this brief interaction.
Halton Regional Police Service canine officers and uniform officers set up a perimeter in the Dynes Road area. A canine track was commenced which lead officers to a townhouse complex nearby on Dynes Road. At 6:20 am, police located the male culprit hiding in a garage in this townhouse complex and he was arrested without incident. The male culprit had broken into the garage at this location.
Police were able to recover an amount of money and the metal pipe believed to have been used in the original robbery incident. There are no further public safety concerns in this incident.
A male person named Shad Atkin , 31 years old from the City of Burlington is charged with the following Criminal Code offences:
1. Robbery
2. Wearing a disguise to commit a criminal offence
3. Uttering a threat to cause death
4. Trespassing at night
5. Breaking and entering
He will appear at the Ontario Court of Justice in the Town of Milton for a bail hearing. Police want to remind the public that the person charged in this incident is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Anyone with information about this robbery incident is asked to contact the Halton Regional Police Service – 3 District Criminal Investigations Bureau at 905.825.4747 extension 2323 or 2315 or 2316.
Tips can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers “See something? Hear something? Know something? Contact Crime Stoppers” at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.ca.
By Staff
September 18th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
Between August 21, 2019 and September 11, 2019, there were numerous incidents of thefts of rims and tires from Go station parking lots along the Lakeshore West corridor. In all of the reported incidents, the rims and tires were taken and the vehicle was left on cement blocks.
On September 18, 2019, members of the Halton Regional Police Service Criminal Investigations Bureau and members of the Tactical Rescue Unit executed a Criminal Code search warrant at the accused residence in the City of Brantford.
Investigators seized a 2004 GMC Yukon utilized by the accused in the commission of these offences.
Police have arrested Kenneth Anderson Davis (29) of Brantford. He has been charged with:
-Theft under $5000 (13 counts)
-Mischief to Property (13 counts)
-Theft of Motor Vehicle (1 count)
-Possession of Property Obtained by Crime (1 count)
-Breach of Probation Order (15 counts)
Davis was held for a bail hearing on September 18, 2019 in Milton.
We thought GO station parking lots were under video surveillance 24/7. Apparently not; makes them very unsafe late at night for people returning to their cars.
Anyone with information regarding these incidents is asked to contact Detective Omar Nadim of the 2 District Criminal Investigations Bureau at 905-825-4747 Ext 2278.
Tips can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers “See Something? Hear Something? Know Something? Contact Crime Stoppers” at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), or through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.ca
By Staff
September 18, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
Burlington’s Tecumseh Public school is going to be part of the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation’s Adopt a School program, running now through to October 6, 2019!
The fundraising initiative connects Indigo Brant with Tecumseh Public School and the surrounding community to help provide support for much-needed additional library resources. With an inadequate library budget of less than $30 per student for the entire year, this local school will now have an opportunity to upgrade its library collection and enrich the lives and education of its students.
The Indigo Love of Reading Foundation believes that the right book at the right moment can change a child’s life forever. And if you are a serious book reader you know how true that statement is.
This year, 182 Canadian high-needs elementary schools across the country have been “adopted” by local Indigo, Chapters and Coles stores in their communities who will fundraise on their behalf.
Supporters can participate by making a donation in-store or through the Adopt a School registry at indigo.ca.
Each school’s unique registry will consist of 50 books for supporters to shop during the campaign. When a book is purchased from a school’s registry, Indigo will double the impact of each customer’s donation by providing an additional copy of that book to the school, enabling even more children and youth to benefit.
Talk to your child’s teacher or ask the people at the bookstore if you find this is something you would like to do.
By Pepper Parr
September 18th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
Myles Rusak, Executive Director of the Sound Music seemed to be telling council that these huge events are no longer the attraction they used to be.
Myles D. Rusak had to wait hours before he got his ten minutes to tell city council meeting as a Standing Committee that he had wonderful news for them: From its humble beginnings in 1979 as a showcase for the Burlington Teen Tour Band to its current iteration as Canada’s Largest Free Music Festival; over the years this Festival has evolved in many new and exciting ways.
Rusak didn’t use the phrase Sound of Music – it would appear it is going to morph into the “Festival”.
Rusak was the last speaker during what had been a very full day – and it would run on into the evening. He got his ten minutes but there were no questions – council was making a hard stop – they wanted to go home for dinner.
These huge events don’t pay the bills. The SoM board wants to re-imagine the event.
Rusak explained that the Sound of Music is a registered Non-Profit Organization that has an obligation to you, our stakeholders, to share with you how we operate, where our funds come from and the overall impact of the Festival on the community.
Moving forward we aim to be a resource for emerging artists, and a year round showcase for local talent.
Under new management (there was no mention of how the SoM unceremoniously dumped the previous Executive Director) we aim to evolve yet again to increase our capacity for supporting Music and the Arts in our community.
Our vision is to not be defined exclusively as a “festival” – moving forward we aim to be a resource for emerging artists, a showcase for local talent and a valued community partner who wants to see Music and Performance in this community thrive in new and exciting ways.
Our commitment to you is a new level of transparency and accountability; an admission that they had not been all that transparent or accountable in the past?
It was at this point that Rusak advised council that he wasn’t in front of them asking for money – but that he would be back.
Rusak apparently didn’t realize that for the most part the 2020 budget has been drafted and except for some serious tweaking there aren’t likely to be any major changes – unless the Mayor decides to continue with her raids on reserve accounts.
But I digress.
If the numbers are what we think they are – the SoM doesn’t make any money on the ticketed events.
Rusak told council: “We know you work hard for your money and you deserve to know how it’s used when you buy a festival ticket, VIP upgrade, merchandise or beverage at the Festival. I do hope this report answers those important questions.”
He trotted out that phrase that covers all past sins – he was going to be “accountable and transparent”.
Rusak had some astounding news:
The Sound of Music pumps $12.7 million into the local economy.
These numbers don’t add up to the $12 million touted.
A quarter of a million people attended – the spending doesn’t appear to be in sync with that figure. The 34% that were non-local – does that mean Hamilton?
Every dollar invested in the Sound of Music returns $160
MORE here
Rusak also had a dour note. The festival market is changing he said and “we have to change or we die”.
And that’s when he explained that the event had to become more than a three day event. Sound of Music had already grown to a couple of additional days when ticketed events took place.
Sound of Music is talking to Cogeco about doing something with the community cable operation. An all year round program.
He talked about putting something together with the Performing Arts Centre. The folks over there have been trying to get the Sound of Music in their building for the past two years. PAC Executive Director Tammy Fox told the Gazette that she will get them in there at some point in the future.
Impressive numbers – what do they mean? No analysis was offered.
The Sound of Music Executive is currently working on a Strategic Plan that Rusak assured the Councillors would be made public. Sound of Music doesn’t have the best of reputations for telling people what they would like to know about the revenue and expense side of their operation.
They tend to tell people what they want people to hear.
Rusak is new to both the organization and to Burlington.
He cuts a fine figure. Time will tell if he actually walks his talk.
Related news stories:
SoM volunteers don’t like what they are hearing.
SoM Board holds emergency meeting
New Executive Director appointed.
By Staff
September 18th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
Halton Region is hosting a job fair to help connect job seekers with more than 90 employers in the local community. The event is being held on Tuesday, September 24 at the Oakville Conference Centre, located at 2515 Wyecroft Road in Oakville, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Region holds Job Fair at Oakville Conference Centre, located at 2515 Wyecroft Road in Oakville
“Halton Region supports job seekers and employers through a variety of valuable services including training, career development and networking events,” said Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr. “We are very fortunate to have a highly skilled talent pool here in Halton, and our job fairs provide a great opportunity for those seeking employment to meet in person with employers from our thriving business community.”
Employers at the September job fair will represent a variety of industry sectors including technology, government, advanced manufacturing, retail, hospitality, and healthcare.
Halton Region will also be accepting resumés and interviewing candidates for roles in its three long-term care homes. Job opportunities at the Burlington, Milton and Oakville homes include cooks, dietary aides, personal support workers, registered nurses, registered practical nurses and schedulers.
Each year, the Region’s Employment Halton staff connect more than 12,000 job seekers with more than 250 local employers by providing services such as training, job placement and access to online job boards.
Employment Halton staff also offer workshops and one-on-one sessions to help job seekers create resumés, prepare for interviews and ultimately find work.
By Staff
September 17th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
Road resurfacing work will be done on Brant Street between QEW and North Service Road
Between Sept. 10 and Oct. 3, Halton Region is resurfacing sections of Brant Street between the QEW and North Service Road. The road resurfacing work will result in QEW/403 ramp lane restrictions and closures between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m.
Lane shifts and restrictions on Brant Street are also in place.
🙂 This could be an exercise to get people ready for the road restrictions that will take place on Brant once the construction of The Gallery, the 23 story condominium going up across the street from city hall, begins.
By Staff
September 17th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
For the most part there are no free lunches at city hall.
There is a fee attached to every service.
Each year the city reviews its schedule of fees and services; deletes some (rarely) and adds new fees when conditions change.
The list is long – we will not post what was agreed upon at Standing Committee because it might get revised when city council meets on the 23rd,.
The Gazette will publish the fee schedule once it has been approved by council on September 23rd.
The Standing Committee did hear a Staff recommendation to:
A proposed 2% indexation of Planning and Engineering fees taking effect January 1st, 2020 will offset the impact of inflation, while ensuring that the fee structure remains fair and reasonable to the development industry. Some exceptions of increased or new fees include:
Revision fee for a Zoning Certificate:
Change this fee to apply to 3rd and subsequent submissions, which better reflects the cost of staff resources to comprehensively re-review an application. The intention is to encourage applicants to conduct a fulsome review of the Zoning By- law prior to making a submission, thereby making submissions which require less revision.
Revision Fee for OPA:
Changing revision fees so that there is no longer a separate category for Major or Minor revisions. This brings the cost of revisions in line with Official Plan Applications, which no longer have Major or Minor application types.
Preconsultation Fee:
A complex Preconsultation Fee has been proposed for all Official Plan Amendments, Zoning By-law Amendments and Subdivisions. These applications currently have a preconsultation process with no associated fee. The new fee reflects the staff resources required to review the materials and provide comprehensive feedback.
Currently when preconsultation meetings do not result in a future development application, staff costs are not accounted for.
A Standard Preconsultation Fee has been proposed for all Site Plan, Variance (except for Sign Variance) and Consent Applications. There is currently a preconsultation process for Site Plan Applications and an informal service-counter preconsultation process for Variance and Consent Applications. The intention of adding a fee to this existing process is to add a formal process for Variance and Consent Applications, to account for staff time, and to provide greater quality control to applications that are received so that they are able to be processed with greater efficiency.
Both types of Preconsultation Fee (complex and standard) will be credited to a future application(s) within 1 year of a Preconsultation Meeting date, thereby rendering the fee cost neutral to formal applications. If an application is deemed to substantially deviate from the Preconsultation proposal a new Preconsultation fee, may be required, at the sole discretion of the Director of City Building. Additional Preconsultations beyond the first will not be credited to a future application.
Building Code Permits and Inspections
The Building Code Act (BCA), 1992 provides municipalities with the authority to collect fees to fully recover the cost of administration and enforcement of the BCA and the Ontario Building Code (OBC). Regulations made under the BCA/OBC outline the details of what can be included as part of the cost including direct and indirect costs, and provisions for a reserve fund. The basic principle for providing building permit and inspection services is: “Fees for Service”.
Rates and fees within the Section 6.11 of the City of Burlington Building Permit By- law 13-2018, are indexed to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) of Ontario as of December 31st and are adjusted annually on February 1st.
It is important to note that the exact amount of prescribed index is to be derived from official figures published by Statistics Canada, a common practice and an industry standard. While the exact CPI amount is not available at the time this report is written, staff will provide this information to Committee as soon as published by Statistics Canada, on or before the Council meeting scheduled for January 2020.
Routine Disclosure allows the public the right of access to information through an informal request rather than a formal request under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA). This process and related fees were implemented in January 2019. It is therefore proposed these fees remain unchanged and no increase is recommended at this time.
Transit
The short-term focus in Transit continues to be system stability and building a foundation for future service changes and growth. In 2019 council provided the following direction to Burlington Transit:
o Provide free transit for adults 65 years of age and older between 9 a.m. and 2:30
p.m. on weekdays starting in June 2019 as a pilot;
o Provide free monthly passes on PRESTO for Burlington residents who qualify for the Subsidized Passes for Low Income Transit (SPLIT) program;
o Burlington Transit will work with Halton Region on ways to improve the Subsidized Passes for Low Income Transit program;
o Burlington Transit will work with school boards to develop a fare strategy for students;
o Burlington Transit will create a working group comprising of one Member of Council, members of the public and Burlington Transit Staff.
Transit staff will be monitoring these changes and strategizing to ensure that they are reasonable and appropriate as well comparable to other municipalities. For the 2020 rates and fees Transit Services will remained unchanged with the exception of:
o Discontinuance of all 10 ticket purchases. (Child, Student, Adult and Senior) effective August 31, 2019
o A 2% increase to Charter Fares to reflect inflationary cost increases.
Traffic Operations existing fees are proposed to increase by 2% to reflect inflationary cost increases.
Parking
Parking rates remain unchanged for 2020, as rates remain competitive.
Roads and Structures – Design and Construction
Tender Fees have generally increased by 4.5% to remain competitive with neighbouring municipalities while covering costs. The permits and curb cuts have increased 5% to help offset the increase in staff time required to deliver this service. The amount of staff time has increased significantly over the years in following up with contractors to complete their work to City standards.
Roadway and Sidewalk Maintenance
Upon completion of a market scan, an increase of 20% in 2020 is proposed for the windrow program to align with industry standards.
With a focus on increasing participation and fostering a sense of belonging for all residents, rates and fees are determined by community needs, customer feedback, participation rates, and market trends. A market analysis is performed each year to determine Burlington’s competitive position while keeping rates affordable to maintain and encourage participation.
Recreation Service
There are a total of 258 rates for programs and memberships for Recreation Services.
Rate increases are as follows:
o 3% average increase for Adults 55+ drop in programs
o 1% average increase for Aquatics recreational programs
o 1% average increase for both indoor and outdoor pool rates
o 1% average increase for Recreation Skate and Shinny Hockey
o 2% average increase for Youth, Teen, Preschool programs
o 2% increase for Tyandaga memberships
o 2% average increase for Gym rentals
o 1% average increase for Room rentals (includes Auditorium, Bandshell & Meeting)
o 6% average increase for Marketing (includes Arena Board, Live & Play and Read-O-Graphs)
New Rates:
o Shinny 10 Pass
o Tournament Application
Discontinued Rates:
o School Break Programs – In a continued effort to streamline rates, this rate was identified as a duplicate and is now combined / connected with other school break program rates.
o Make Time To Play Gymnasium Bookings – This rate discontinued as it is now connected to the Last Minute rate.
o Non-Resident Administration Fee Seniors (Per Program or Membership) – As opposed to having 2 Non-Resident Fees (General Programs and Seniors Programs), the rate has now been combined and called Non-Resident Administration Fee
o User Group Program Insurance Admin Fee – This fee has been discontinued as there has been a change in the fee structure with our current insurance provider.
Youth, Teen and Preschool recreational program rates were restructured to align with business needs and allow for flexibility for the changing market.
Overall, rates were maintained or slightly increased with the average rate increase between 2% and 3% to ensure customer participation and satisfaction.
Organized Sport Service
There are a total of 71 rates for Sport indoor and outdoor space rentals. Rate increases are as follows:
o 1% average increase in arena ice rentals
o 2% average increase for arena floor and storage rentals
o 2% average increase for school board use of city facilities
o 4% average increase for school board
o 2% increase for school board gymnasiums
o 2% increase for artificial turf
o 2% increase for park rentals
o 2% increase for photography and weddings
New Rates:
o Commercial / Non-Resident Arena Ice Rental
o Commercial / Non-Resident Arena Floor Rental
o Tournament Application
Overall, rates were maintained or slightly increased with the average rate increase between 2% and 3% to ensure customer participation and satisfaction.
Parks and Open Space Maintenance
An increase of 2% in 2020 is proposed for the adopt-a-bed program due to increased material and labour costs.
Tree Management
An increase of 2% is proposed for 2020 to cover the cost of staff time to review and process each permit.A new fee for Private tree permits have been added to the service for 2020. The pilot private tree bylaw was initiated in March 2019 and will continue until March 2021.This applies to the Roseland Community only. This fee for 2020 has been set equal to that of a public tree permit to ensure consistency in the process.
Cemetery
For 2020, after conducting a market comparison, Cemetery Service lot fees have been increased by 5.0% to better align with industry and market rates. All other Cemetery Service fees have been increased by 2%. It should be noted that care and maintenance fees for marker installations are prescribed by the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services, therefore do not see annual increases.
Overall, these rate adjustments are reflective of increased operating costs for labor, materials and contracted services.
Environment and Energy
Fees for the Community Garden program remain unchanged for 2020.
Arts & Culture Service
There are a total of 49 rates for Music, Teen Tour Band Student Theater and Festivals & Events.Rate increases are as follows:
o 2% increase for Teen Tour Band fees
o 5% increase for Student Theatre shows
o 4% increase for General Theatre Camp
o 5% increase for Specialized Theatre Camp
o 50% increase for Festivals and Events commercial events for marketplace vendors, activity providers and food vendor
o 3% increase for portable stage rental
o 3% increase for Filming Per Day
o 10% increase for Filming Application Fee New Rates:
o Student Theatre Once Upon A Time
o Special Event Application Process
Discontinued Rates:
o Festivals & Events Tent Rentals
o Filming Not For Profit / Student Rate
Overall, rates were maintained or slightly increased with the average rate increase between 2% and 5% to ensure customer participation and satisfaction. The 50% increase for Festivals and Events entries is proposed to reflect market rates.
Fire Emergency Response and Prevention
The Burlington Fire Department conducted a review of other local fire departments rates and fees for revenue generation and cost recovery. All rates that are showing an increase are comparable with other local fire departments and adjusted to align costs to the service provided. Emergency response costs provided by the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) are current to the last rate provided by the MTO, this rate may change in-year based on updated information provided by the MTO. All full cost recovery line items will be billed back to individuals and companies based on the total costs incurred; this will include personnel, supplies, and retention of any third-party services. All fire department rates and fees are to promote fire safety behavior, mitigate costs incurred due to fire code non-compliance and for any services or activities provided outside the primary areas of responsibility and/or done by on behalf of any other municipality (Municipal Act, 2001).
Animal Control
The Animal Control By-law #60-2005 is being amended to reflect an increase in fees. These fees are being adjusted for inflationary increases to keep fees consistent with City administration and enforcement costs. Some fees have traditionally been adjusted annually for inflation while other fees have been more comprehensively reviewed as to costs and market rates for equivalent service(s). This increase ensures that the fee structure is fair and reasonable, while reflecting the amount of effort in processing applications.
A market analysis has shown that the charges for dog and cat adoption fees are below other municipalities. The proposed increase of 4% will make the City’s adoption fees comparable, while still remaining reasonable.
Surrender fees have been increased to better reflect the costs associated with taking in an animal. Most times the animal is in need of veterinary care and a result they spend additional time at the shelter before they are ready for adoption. The City’s surrender fees have been historically low and the increase in the surrender fees will help offset these costs.
Boarding costs for quarantined animals were also increased – shelter staff have risk for injury in dealing with quarantined animals and this should be reflected in the costs. These boarding costs are substantially lower that private sector boarding fees.
Municipal Law Enforcement and Licensing
The primary reason for inflationary increases is to keep fees consistent with City administration and enforcement costs. Some fees have traditionally been adjusted annually for inflation, other than when fees have been more comprehensively reviewed as to costs and market rates for equivalent service(s).
Fee increases vary by each service type and reflects up to a 2% increase in fees, with some fees being rounded off to the nearest whole dollar.
Corporate Legal
There are no rates or fees increases proposed for 2020 however, the charge for Drainage System Appurtenances Agreements is now specified under “All other Agreements”.
Enabling Services
Financial Management
Finance staff has reviewed fees to ensure that the City’s rates are reasonable, appropriate and comparable to other municipalities. As a result, the fees for Bid Request documents have been increased to a uniform $80 including HST for 2020 the same as tender documents for road construction.
Service Burlington
Clerks annually reviews fees across area municipalities to ensure fees are in line with other municipalities. As a result, there is a proposed rate increase of 2.0% across services. These fees are in line with area municipalities.
Geographic Information and Mapping
Where applicable, existing fees are proposed to increase by 2% to reflect inflation.
Sign Production Service
Increases of 2% are proposed for sign sales in 2020 due to increased material and labour costs.
Corporate
Corporate fees reflect items charged across city services. Fees are centralized to ensure consistency in charging across the organization. There are no proposed fee increases to corporate fees for 2020.
The rationale for charging user fees is that those who clearly benefit from a service should be the ones to pay for it. User fees form one of the most significant portions of revenue earned by the City after property tax revenues. In order to mitigate property tax increases, the City of Burlington has been proactive in ensuring that the services provided by the City reflect a high level of cost recovery to the greatest extent possible while balancing affordability and providing access to services.
By Staff
September 17th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
Town Crier Dave Vollick
Mayor Meed Ward just might be thinking about becoming the Town Crier or getting a costume and sharing the job with Dave Vollick who has been doing a fine job for at least five years.
The Town Crier hollers out vital news.
Knowing whom to talk to at city hall when you have a problem is something vital for the person who needs help.
The Gazette has heard complaint after complaint about the city web site providing little in the way of needed information.
Meed Ward went into full Town Crier mode when she published a list of who does what and provided the email address to get in touch with them.
Why didn’t the city administrators do this – did they have to get prodded by the Mayor who may have given up and just done the job herself?
In a statement that came with the list the Mayor said:
“To keep serving you better, and to help get a resolution to your City-related issue as quickly and efficiently as possible, here is a list of City department emails that you can contact in addition to my office at mayor@burlington.ca.
Also included beneath each email address are some of the issues that department looks after.
Don’t expect to get an instant response should you send an email. It would be nice if city council issued a Direction to the city manager to have a policy that every email will get a response before staff leave city hall at the end of each day.
access&privacy@burlington.ca
Freedom of Information requests. Requests can be made online at: www.burlington.ca/en/services-for-you/Freedom-of-Information-Requests.asp
animalcontrol@burlington.ca
Animal Control – dog bites, barking dogs, enforcement of dogs off leash, dog licensing, cat microchipping
Wildlife – coyotes, raccoons, etc.
building@burlington.ca
Bylaw enforcement (noise, nuisance, lot maintenance, property standards, talls grass/weeds)
Building permits – swimming pools, demolition, signs
Licensing – business, liquor and lottery
Bylaws
capitalworks@burlington.ca
Leash free dog parks
Grading and drainage issues
Stormwater management – bridges
Environmental Assessments
Driveway widenings and curb cuts
Flooding – flood assistance
Road reconstruction
Parks and Open Space Projects – park planning, new splash pads and playgrounds, construction of city buildings
Love My Playground
Community Energy Plan
Construction management issues (parking for tradespersons, haul routes for trucks, cranes, material storage, port-a-potties, noise, signage, etc.)
Environment – climate change, air quality, idling
Utility locates
city@burlington.ca
Inbox for general inquires.
claimsadministrator@burlington.ca
Claims against the city for personal or property damage.
Claims can be submitted online at: https://www.burlington.ca/en/your-city/Submit-a-Claim.asp
committees@burlington.ca
Agendas and Minutes – standing committees of council
Citizen advisory committees
contactbt@burlington.ca
Burlington Transit – Handi-Van, PRESTO, bus shelters
crossingguards@burlington.ca
Crossing guards
eventbookings@burlington.ca
Flag raisings
Festivals and events
feeassistance@burlington.ca
Fee assistance for city recreation programs
firedepartment@burlington.ca
Burlington Fire Department
Fire prevention and education, fire response times, fire routes, burn permits, requests for attendance at special events, smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, emergency preparedness.
liveandplay@burlington.ca
Recreation programs
General inbox for parks & recreation matters.
parking@burlington.ca
Parking – tickets, on-street parking, parking exemptions, enforcement
planning@burlington.ca
Planning and Development – site plans, zoning clearances/enquiries, heritage properties, committee of adjustment, Official Plan. List of current development applications in each city ward.
propertytax@burlington.ca
Taxes – tax assessments, appeals, pre-authorized payments
rentals@burlington.ca
Facility and Park Rentals – city facility bookings
rpf@burlington.ca
Forestry – requests for new city trees, city tree trimming
Road and sidewalk maintenance – potholes, trip hazards
Snow Removal – from sidewalks and streets
Adopt-a-Flowerbed program
Loose Leaf Collection
Litter and Clean ups
– grass cutting and maintenance
– control of Canada Geese population
– wasp nest removal on city property
– garbage containers in parks-trails-sidewalks
– graffiti and vandalism in parks
– light maintenance at parks and city facilities
– maintenance of parks-beach-playgrounds-sports fields-trails-flower beds-creeks-traffic islands-city cemeteries
tourism@burlington.ca Tourism Burlington – visitor information, city pin requests for large groups travelling, city flag requests
traffic@burlington.ca
Traffic Signals and Street Lights
Speeding – traffic calming and road safety
Transportation – planning, traffic operations, bike racks on sidewalks, street signs
By Staff
September 17th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
In a media release from Community Development Halton we learn that:
Changes are happening at CDH! One of those changes will be new leadership as the Executive Director of over 20 years, Dr. Joey Edwardh will be retiring on October 9, 2019.
Retiring Community Development Halton Executive Director Joey Edwardh.
Many people from the Halton community have been inquiring regarding a retirement celebration for Joey. At Joey’s request the Board of Directors and staff will NOT be hosting a retirement celebration in her honour. We respect her wishes and therefore ask the public to please send your best wishes to her directly at Community Development Halton. Joey will be in the office until Wednesday October 9, 2019.
On behalf of the Board of Directors, I extend the very best wishes and gratitude to Joey for her tenure at the helm of CDH. The Board of Directors is proud of the accomplishments and impact under her leadership and the positive contribution she has made to the Halton community. Much of the work has been recognized and has been adopted in communities across the province.
Both CDH and Joey will be making new strides into the future of 2020. On behalf of the CDH Board of Directors, I wish Joey every success as she embraces new challenges on her future journey.
Sincerely, Jan Mowbray-President.
There has to be more to this story. Full disclosure; the publisher of the Gazette is in a relationship with a member of the CDH Board.
By Ray Rivers
September 17th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
Conservative leader Andrew Scheer is promising to slash the lowest of our five income tax brackets from 15% to 13.75%. That would add an estimated $6 billion a year to the annual deficit when fully implemented. Though the change is only at the lowest step rate, it will benefit not just the lower-income class but all the higher-income folks as well, given the progressive nature of our tax system.
Most people really didn’t know who Andrew Scheer is – in the next month they will get their chance to determine if he should be the next Prime Minister.
Mr. Scheer is essentially copying Mr. Trudeau, who cut taxes for the middle class, the second lowest step by 1.5% shortly after becoming PM. Those with lower-incomes spend virtually all of their money, and that new spending helped the country avoid the impending 2015 recession Mr. Harper’s Tories was facilitating with his austerity program.
Except that, unlike Scheer’s plan, Trudeau also raised the marginal tax rate on those earning over $200,000, to 33%, thereby attempting and almost succeeding to achieve revenue neutrality. One needs to ask why Mr. Scheer wouldn’t apply the same formula to his plan, add another step for those earning, say over a million big ones, hitting them with a marginal rate of 40 or even 50 percent – or whatever would allow his tax cut to become revenue neutral?
Canada had 1.3 million millionaires in 2018 and that’s expected to rise to nearly two million people by 2023. Instead, Scheer’s promised new tax cut is just paying taxpayers with their own money, leaving an annual $6 billion of debt as an unwelcome inheritance for their children.
And how wise is it to slash taxes when Canada’s economy is booming with record low unemployment and solid economic growth? Timing is important. There is a danger that new consumer spending might just overheat the economy, raising the risk of inflation and lead to higher interest rates. Is this really the most prudent fiscal policy for today’s economy or just another populist vote-getter?
And for those with the lowest incomes, it amounts to a little over a dollar a day by Mr. Scheer’s own calculations. If Scheer’s goal is to help lower-income Canadians, it would have been more effective to cut the regressive HST by one percentage point, or expand a program like national pharmacare which would reduce the burden of health-related costs for most ordinary Canadians.
dividual tax returnWhen Mr. Harper followed through on a campaign promise to reduce the goods and services tax rate from seven to five percent, the net effect was roughly the same $6 billion in lost revenue as Mr. Scheer’s income tax cutting proposal. But this was not only very popular, but also sound progressive social policy, as it left more loose change in the pockets of those who needed it most.
Scheer is determined to eliminate at least one sales tax, the carbon tax. Unfortunately that would hurt more than help lower-income Canadians, since the annual rebate exceeds what most Canadians pay in carbon taxes. Of course Scheer doesn’t ever mention the carbon rebate, which is nothing short of intellectual dishonesty – a lie by omission is still a lie.
And there is a certain irony in another dishonesty when he attacks Trudeau’s original income tax cuts, the ones he is only partially emulating. Specifically he is using figures from a flawed analysis by the partisan Fraser Institute to argue that middle-income earners are now paying $800 a year more.
Liberals eliminated the transit credit.
In their analysis the Fraser institute netted out other changes to the tax system, such as the transit credit, which was eliminated by the Liberals, but completely ignored the Canada Child Benefit which was responsible for lifting almost 900,000 people out of poverty since 2015. Correcting that deficiency showed that there was now over $2000 more in people’s pockets – not bad for a ‘tax-and-spend Liberal’.
And Scheer is promising to bring back those Harper-era tax credits for using public transit – a 15 per cent credit on weekly and monthly transit passes. That would cost over $200 million a year according to the Parliamentary Budget Office. Analysis of this feature had concluded that this was a very costly measure with most of the benefits going to those who could best afford it anyway.
Still, for a government which has made climate action a priority, encouraging transit ridership, however that is accomplished, is a good idea. Kudos to Mr. Scheer for resurfacing this policy. Changing our behaviour and reliance on the automobile is a problem, not only for traffic congestion, but also related to climate change. And by the way, a tax credit to encourage public transit makes a perfect companion to a today’s electric vehicle rebates and the carbon tax.
It is a hard sell for an opposition party going up against a government that has managed the economy as well as the Trudeau government has over the last four years. So Scheer and the other parties are either going ballistic, like the Greens wanting to kill the TMX pipeline, or becoming desperate and committing to problematic policies, like Scheer’s income tax cuts.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau – making it sound easy.
Many voters have been cultured to believe that the biggest job for any government is to wrestle the annual deficit down to zero. Mr. Trudeau had promised to eliminate it over the course of his first term. And Andrew Scheer had also promised to do so within his first two years. But now all bets are off and none of the major leaders are promising to eliminate the deficit over the next next four year electoral term. That is, unless Maxime Bernier is brought into the discussion from the far right-field of dreams.
And there are no alarm bells ringing, at least not like like the ones Ontario premier Ford rang when he ousted the provincial Liberals by exaggerating the size of the provincial deficit by a factor of two. In fact, the real numbers were relatively closer to former Wynne’s final accounts, and even the Auditor General apparently got it wrong. How does $15 billion really become only a little over seven billion dollars?
Today’s important economic health metric is the debt to GDP ratio. So long as it is declining, the economic levers are moving in the right direction. After all, we owe the vast majority of our public debt only to ourselves, and even the servicing costs just come back to us in interest payments, which are again taxed back to an extent. What is most important is how well we grow the economic pie so that we all get a larger share, are better off and minimize unemployment. Oh, and did I mention the environment and our climate?
The NDP, which promised in the last election that it would religiously balance its budgets, has now decided to be guided by the new metrics, as are the Liberals. And the Green Party is still talking about eventually eliminating the deficit but nobody has seriously talked about the debt since the Chretien and Martin governments were defeated back in 2006.
And of course the deficit can always be reduced or eliminated by increasing taxation, as the Greens or the NDP would do while making the rich pay their fair share, however one defines that. But not by cutting taxes for everyone, including the wealthiest Canadians as Mr. Sheers 1.25% income tax cut would end up doing.
Ray Rivers writes regularly on both federal and provincial politics, applying his more than 25 years as a federal bureaucrat to his thinking. Rivers was once a candidate for provincial office in Burlington. He was the founder of the Burlington citizen committee on sustainability at a time when climate warming was a hotly debated subject. Ray has a post graduate degree in economics that he earned at the University of Ottawa. Tweet @rayzrivers
Background links:
Scheer’s Tax Cut – Middle Class Tax Cut – Ontario Deficit – Transit Tax Credit –
By Staff
September 16th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
Everyone was going to get fed.
A pleasant way to spend the morning after a hearty breakfast – listening to music they enjoyed when they were younger.
Early on Saturday morning the seniors were given a free breakfast, an update on the plans for the fall and winter season and then an hour of entertainment that had people tapping their toes and drumming with their fingers.
Tapping his fingers to songs he probably danced to as a young man.
The music was enough to pull staff out of the kitchen to dance.
The music brought staff out of the kitchen to dance at the back of the hall.
It was a“hearty” breakfast “among friends” event – and everyone had a fine time.
Later in the day, the city set up tents and tables and waited for people to show up and take part in the Food for Feedback event.
Saturday evening the Burlington Caribbean Connection hosted a dinner and a dance and awarded a scholarship to an MM Robinson high school student.
By Pepper Parr
September 16th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
It was a bold venture.
It was something different and based on what we saw it appeared to work.
The city is trying very hard to hear what residents think about what city hall is doing. The came up with an idea – why don’t we feed people and listen to what they have to say?
With a ticket in your hand you got to eat – but you had to talk first.
The called the event Food for Feedback – and added a small twist: you don’t get the food until the city has your thoughts.
The rules were simple enough – tell us what you think and we will feed you.
City hall is reaching out – asking – close to begging people to say what they think. People were so used to not being listened to that they stopped talking. This city council wants to change that and has directed staff to do things differently.
What they did was give each of the tables set out a small box of cards – about the size of a business card. Once you had your chit chat with the people at either the Integrated Mobility table or the Cycling table or the budget table they gave you a card that could be redeemed at one of the four food trucks that were lined up at the curb of Central Park beside the band shell.
There was a table with fire department people, a table for those who wanted to talk about Leash free areas in the city and a table for those interested in where cannabis retail operations were to be located.
Staff did all the heavy lifting.
Ward 4 residents George and Norah talking to ward 2 Councillor Lisa Kearns – and doing a little bit of business while they were downtown.
Tables were set out for some of the members of council – not all took part. The Mayor was expected to do a walk about. There weren’t great “crowds” but there was a healthy turnout and some of the discussions at some of the tables was “animated”. It will be interesting to hear what staff report on the event.
Tables were set out for three of the six council members.
The bureaucrats are trying everything they can think of to get people out and listen to what they have to say.
Burlington has some very significant decisions to make in the year ahead.
While city council is approaching their first anniversary – they have needed some time to get used to the idea of being public figures and begin to understand the complexities of municipal government.
Five of the seven members of council had never held public office. Some are doing very well; others may find that they were not cut out for the job they now have.
Marianne Meed Ward taking the Oath of Office.
Too early to be definitive. What is very evident is that there is a Mayor with an agenda and a mandate and she is going to do whatever it takes to deliver. She has taken an approach to leading that Burlington has not seen in more than 12 years; she is proactive and doesn’t have any problems stepping over jurisdictional lines.
City crest.
Nothing shy about this woman. Mayor Marianne Meed Ward has wanted to be mayor for more than a decade – her route to getting the Chain of Office placed around her neck never wavered. Now the people that elected her get to see just what a committed, driven, passionate politician can do.
There are two words on the city crest: Stand By. Mark them well.
By Staff
September 16th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
The public is waiting for the report written by two former municipal players, one elected the other appointed.
Michael Fenn was once the City Manager for Burlington; he was asked by the Minister of Municipal Affairs to do a review of the Tier 1 governments – what we call Regional governments.
Michael Fenn and Ron Selig listening to delegations during the Provincial Review.
The Minister asked Ron Selig, a municipal politician to join Fenn and to report by the end of July.
That deadline came and went – it was put off until after the federal election and now we learn that it is going to come back to the table sometime in the New Year.
Governments always stage the release of unpalatable information at a time that meets their agenda. Their favourite trick is to release bad news on a Friday afternoon of a long weekend.
One of the issues that came up during the Review process that Fenn and Selig carried out was the idea of merging Burlington, Oakville, Milton and Halton Hills into a top Tier government and calling it the City of Halton. It would take over everything the current Region of Halton does as well as merge what has been done at the municipal level and have it done by what would become a mega-municipality.
And that would be the end of local participation which has been a hall mark of citizen participation on Ontario.
Two groups, one in Burlington and one in Oakville responded to this – and became known as We Love Burlington and We Love Oakville – the Gazette refers to them as The Lovelies. They are asking people to SAY NO TO AMALGAMATION and let the government know that this just isn’t on.
While the Ford government at Queen’s Park has made some truly stupid initiatives they have learned when to back off.
They did so with the attempt Doug Ford made to appoint a family friend as the Commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police; they did so with the huge outcry from parents with autistic children, and then dumped a Minister of Education who was getting parents really riled up over classroom sizes.
So they aren’t deaf – just a little thick between the ears.
The Lovelies had this to say – well worth listening to…
We Love Burlington and our friends at We Love Oakville both believe that the Doug Ford government is intending to merge our cities, along with Milton and Halton Hills, into a mega city of Halton.
Some municipalities in Ontario have called for a referendum by the citizens before any such moves are made. For a government which touts that it is “for the people” and is “listening”, this would seem to be the obvious and most democratic way forward. However, in 2000, the Mike Harris government passed Bill 62, the Direct Democracy through Municipal Referendums Act, which allows the Provincial Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing to prohibit a municipal referendum on a matter which he judges to be in the provincial interest, even if the matter would normally be deemed to be within municipal jurisdiction.
If we don’t speak up now, it will be too late! We have seen examples where the Doug Ford government has backtracked on planned legislation due to a large public outcry. And though it is shocking to most people, it is a fact that municipal governments, the ones that affect us all the most in our day-to-day lives, are essentially powered by the Province. We are often asked “can the Province do this? Do they have the power to take away our local municipal officials and our local voice?” Unfortunately, the answer is yes.
There is limited time left in which to ensure your voices are heard. Please send our letter, it is HERE, it only takes a moment. If you have already sent it, thank you, but please send the link to family members and friends and neighbours.
Merging our municipalities is a real threat and time is running out. Diluting the municipal powers but keeping the names intact has the same result as creating a megacity with one name. Don’t let either one happen!
We’ve said it before, but it’s worth repeating. If it is true that bigger government is better government with greater span of control and improved efficiencies through broadened scope, then why are the majority of municipalities not part of the current review?
The review is looking at 82 municipalities but there are 361 municipalities where the review is not happening (including the town of Brockville, Minister of Municipal Affairs & Housing Steve Clark’s riding, and North Bay, former Finance Minister Vic Fedeli’s riding).
Is the motivation/animus for the review personal and political?
The Greenbelt that surrounds the GTA municipalities has been something developers have always wanted to have access to – governments have kept them out – this government appears to want to open the gates.
Is it driven by cities that border the greenbelt or are considered appealing for massive development? Bill 108 is known as the Developers’ Dream Bill for a reason. Merging cities and towns bordering on the greenbelt, with the resulting reduction of municipal government powers, would surely be another dream come true for the development industry at the expense of the citizens.
Help us spread the word – NO MEGACITY OF HALTON!
There is some excellent academic research that debunks the myth that larger governments save money. Richard Tindal in a well-received paper said: “Many of us in the academic world have debunked the myth about amalgamations saving money for decades. Andrew Sanction, Robert Bish, Harry Kitchen, Wendell Cox, and Michael Keating – among others – have all explained why amalgamations don’t save money.”
That paper can be found HERE.
Related news stories:
Provincial Review hearings take place at Regional office.
Municipal politicians get an update on the Provincial Review.
By Staff
September 14th, 2019
BURLINGTON,ON
The Regional government created a Community Investment Fund that supports a wide range of non-profit health and social service programs and initiatives that enhance the health, safety and well-being of Halton residents.
Approximately $1 million is available for new grants in 2020.
Halton Region administrative offices.
Funding is provided in single and multi-year grants through two categories:
• Category One: one-year of funding up to $30,000 to non-profit, charitable or unincorporated community organizations for short-term, small capital and/or innovative projects.
• Category Two: up to three years of funding to charitable organizations for programs and initiatives.
Applications for HRCIF funding must focus on supporting vulnerable residents in our community. The HRCIF encourages organizations to submit proposals that demonstrate collaborative approaches to address community needs and is aligned with Halton’s overall approach to community safety and well-being planning.
The deadline to apply to both funding categories is November 1, 2019 at 2 p.m.
Community organizations interested in learning more about HRCIF and the application process can attend an information session on September 25 or October 1.
To register for these sessions and for HRCIF guidelines and application forms, visit the HRCIF webpage or call 311.
Web site for the Investment fund is HERE.
By Pepper Parr
September 14th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
A well run municipality has a council that has its ear to the ground and hears what people are saying, what they want and why they want it.
A well run municipality has an administration that has its ear to the council chamber floor where they can hear what the will of council is and where council wants to go.
There are not a lot of municipalities that are that aware – Burlington certainly wasn’t when Capital Works was tearing down a small building on Caroline and John to create more parking space.
Months before any work was being done council was making it clear that they were more environmentally inclined than the 2014-18 council.
The current council had declared a Climate Emergency and they wanted something about what the environmental impact was for every decision they made.
No trees, no shrubs, no sense of design on a street that leads into one of the nicest communities in the city.
At a Council meeting in July Councillor Shawna Stolte asked why the newly opened parking lot at Caroline and John didn’t have anything of note that was environmental.
No trees, no shrubs and not a square foot of permeable surface.
The lot was very small; it would have been a perfect site to do a little experimenting.
The opportunity got away on them.
However all was not lost.
EArlier this week, Council set out a number of Staff Directions:
Direct the Director of Transportation Services to review the newly built parking lot at the corner of John Street and Caroline Street with the goal of developing and implementing design changes providing more greenspace, trees, and a seating area.
Direct the Director of Transportation Services to review the safety of pedestrian movements at the intersection of Caroline Street and John Street.
Direct the Director of Transportation to review the practices of other municipalities on parking lot design, and report back to committee and council with draft green parking lot design guidelines.
Direct the Director of Transportation to consult the City of Toronto’s “Design Guidelines for Greening Surface Parking Lots” as a reference on future parking lot designs, rebuilds or resurfacing in Burlington until Burlington guidelines are approved by Council.
Toronto has parking lot design guidelines that Council wants Burlington to keep in mind.
Other municipalities, notably Toronto, have developed green parking lot design practices to address environmental and urban design criteria that, among other things, “include strategies for reducing the urban heat island effect, improving pedestrian and cycling infrastructure, using energy efficient fixtures and recycled materials, managing storm water run-off on-site, and preserving and enhancing the urban forest.”
Typically, the emphasis in parking lot design is on accommodating vehicle movements, maximizing the number of parking spaces, and ensuring ease of maintenance and servicing. When functional requirements are the only objectives considered in parking lot design, the design outcome is generally undesirable, with poor quality landscaping, unattractive streetscapes and a lack of pedestrian safety, comfort and amenity.”
The new Caroline and John Street parking lot was designed and constructed with the goal of maximizing the number of parking spaces, resulting in little to no area for trees, green space or seating areas.
The hope is that by incorporating further design changes into part of the lot nearest to John Street and the intersection of Caroline/John, the city can enhance the area from an environmental and beautification perspective, adding trees, green space and perhaps a bench. Stolte wants to see the city develop its own green parking lot design standards which will be applied to future city owned parking facilities and where possible private parking lots as well.
At some point this parking lot is going to have to have a permeable surface put in to replace the asphalt that create islands of heat.
The acres of parking space at the Mapleview and Burlington Centre locations are opportunities for significant changes.
When the early renderings for the Skyview Village Plaza were shown to the public there were dozens of trees. They disappeared in later renderings; the architect had it right the first time.
Proposed capital cost estimate of design changes to the existing parking lot is to be determined by staff with funding to be drawn from the downtown parking reserve fund that was originally used to construct the parking lot expansion.
The report came out of the Office of the Mayor and not from a city department. Hopefully the people on the Burlington Leadership Team and the Directors of the numerous departments will hear what is being said.
By Doreen Nicoll
September 14th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
Part 2 of a 2 part story.
I have been contacted by naturalized gardeners from Burlington and experts from across the province of Ontario regarding the disgraceful, anti-environmental behaviour of the City of Burlington and its by-law enforcement officers when it comes to naturalized front yards like Antheia’s and Paul Raun’s.
The garden was determined to be legal but the property owner took a day off work to be sure the bylaw people didn’t pull it all out of the ground.
Author had to fight the bylaw officers and educate them on what the milkweed plant actually does for the environment.
Dave Bour, a member of Burlington Green, copied me on his letter to the Mayor and Councillors. Dave’s letter is indicative of many that I was copied on and is re-printed here:
“I have to say as a long-term resident of Burlington, I’m disappointed to read of the city’s approach to people trying to improve the environment by eliminating their grass and instead planting native plants drawing a collection of beneficial creatures including monarchs, various pollinators, birds and other small animals.
“I applaud those taking the initiative to create sustainable yards that don’t require a ton of chemicals nor water to survive, never mind eliminating the need for gas fuelled trimmers and mowers which are worse than most vehicles on the road.
“Collectively, as a city and individuals, it is time to walk the talk. Some people are going to be upset. The sooner we educate the population on the real impact of climate change, the better the chance we have of mitigating its impact.
“I realize it’s all vogue to make the declarations right now because a lot of cities are doing it but let’s, as a community, really do something about it. Let’s make us the number one place in Canada to live as MacLean’s declared us recently, not just for their ratings, but a truly environmental conscious place to live. We need to change our practices at our city parks regarding maintenance and plant choices, make personal decisions to live greener life styles, and challenge those who would complain of the natural preserves people are starting to grow.
“Let’s stop harassing those trying to do something positive. Every trend has to start somewhere.”
Author and naturalized garden expert, Lorraine Johnson, also contacted Mayor Meed Ward. Full disclosure, Johnson wrote an article in the 2019 winter edition of Ground Magazine about my fight to save the milkweed in my garden in July 2018.
Johnson actually met Mayor Meed Ward this past winter at the World Wildlife Fund/Carolinian Canada symposium on native plants and landscape restoration, at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. Johnson recalls the mayor spoke passionately about the importance of restoring landscapes and species.
Lorraine Johnson’s garden
Johnson realizes, “A lot of people see naturalized gardens as landscapes that are neglected and ‘let go,’ and that neighbours are often concerned about a perceived impact on their own property values. I realize that the issues are complex and will require huge shifts in attitudes and practices.
“But we are at a crossroads, facing multiple environmental crises — climate change, loss of habitats and species– and what we need now more than ever are landscapes of biodiversity and resilience. Yet cities such as Burlington are using vague and contradictory bylaws to enforce dominant but outdated and environmentally harmful aesthetic standards.”
“In at least two Ontario court cases over naturalized gardens, the courts have affirmed gardeners’ constitutional right to naturalized gardens, subject only to safety and health considerations. Just because someone doesn’t like the ‘look’ of these landscapes is not a good enough–or even legal–reason for cities to mandate conformity to a standard that contributes to the environmental mess we’re in.”
Johnson has been involved in these issues for three decades and has been helping to draft policies related to natural gardens, including pollinator gardens, in Toronto. She very kindly offered in her letter to speak further with representatives from the City to, “. . . find a way to enact positive and enabling policies promoting naturalized gardens and to help educate the public about their crucial value and importance.”
Once you read the response issued by the Office of the Mayor, you’ll understand the bewilderment and frustration experienced by Bour, Johnson, myself and the many others who received the same emailed answer:
Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward
“Thank you for your email regarding naturalized lawns in the City. In order for the City to do our part in efforts to protect species and help our environment, the City made changes in 2018 to our Lot Maintenance By-Law to allow for naturalized lawns. Our Lot Maintenance By-Law can be found here.
The By-Law spells out the types of grass, weeds and plants that are permitted as per the Provinces Weed Control Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. W.5, as amended, on properties.
The By-Law defines a naturalized area as: ‘a yard or a portion of a yard containing vegetative growth that does not form part of a natural garden that has been deliberately implemented to produce ground cover, including one or more species of wildflowers, shrubs, perennials, grasses or combinations of them, whether native or non-native, consistent with a managed and natural landscape other than regularly mown grass.’ In addition, the By-Law requires that all property owners remove and destroy all noxious weeds from their property, including within naturalized areas, between May 1 and October 15 each calendar year.
There are numerous examples across the City of naturalized lawns where no enforcement action is taken due to the manner in which the lawns are carefully grown, maintained and cared for and where a buffer strip is maintained. The City’s By-Law defines a “buffer strip” as cutting all grass and ground cover within three (3) feet of any adjoining property line. Similar By-Laws exist across municipalities within Ontario.
The City receives hundreds of complaints every year regarding the issue of tall grass and weeds as well as naturalization of properties. All complaints are investigated and treated the same under the provisions of our Lot Maintenance By-Law which allows the naturalization of properties. We give all property owners the right to clear and maintain their property to the provisions set out in the Lot Maintenance By-Law.
Enforcement only takes place after all avenues are exhausted by our Municipal By-Law Officers with the property owner whose property has not been brought into compliance with our By-Law. When it comes to enforcing By-laws in the City of Burlington, City staff always try to work collaboratively with residents including educating them about our By-Law requirements.
We encourage residents to continue to do their part to help the climate anyway they can including growing and maintaining naturalized lawns that fall within our Lot Maintenance By-law.”
Bour and Johnson expressed disappointment that the response was woefully inadequate and failed to address their concerns. Johnson has not received a reply to her offer of help.
Vince Fiorito, Founder of Friends of Sheldon Creek was named the Steward of Sheldon Creek by the Halton Conservation Authority.
Vince Fiorito, Founder of Friends of Sheldon Creek, was copied on the response from the Mayor’s Office and has since sent this reply to the Mayor and council:
Dear Mayor Marianne Meed Ward and city council
“I appreciate and share your concerns regarding the city of Burlington’s property standards.
“City policy in this area is dated, contributes to climate change, environmental toxification and the biodiversity crisis.
“My understanding is that Lorraine Johnson has offered to help the city of Burlington modernize city policies in this area.
“Ms. Johnson is a successful author and recognized subject matter expert in naturalized gardens with significant experience helping cities modernize their property standards bylaw. I strongly recommend you accept her generous offer to help modernize city policies in this area.
“I am also willing to help the city modernize its property standards bylaws and would consider it an honor to assist Ms. Johnson. I own many of her books, including one of her first, The Ontario Naturalized Gardener, which inspired me to cultivate endangered native species and host plants for endangered butterflies over 25 years ago.
“I also recommend this working group to modernize city property standards bylaw include a representative of the Burlington horticultural society, which is why I cc’d their general inquiry email account.
“I also recommend including city staff who enforce the property standards bylaw in the working group.
“I recommend setting a date before Earth Day, April 22, 2020, as deadline to pass a new modernized property standards bylaw, so that the mayor can make a timely announcement.
“A very talented wise person has made the city a very generous offer. I strongly recommend that you reply to her respectfully and in a way that unites everyone concerned about city property standards. We want the city of Burlington to be a leader in the effort to fight climate change, the biodiversity crisis and environmental toxification.”
It’s clear this issue of naturalized landscaping is far from being settled.
Doreen Nicoll is a Burlington resident who is, if anything, outspoken. She is a feminist, an environmentalist, a free lance writer, teacher and social activist and member of several community organizations working diligently to end poverty, hunger and gendered violence.
Related news stories:
Part 1 of a two part story.
Bylaw officers don’t understand or know very much about natural plants
Burlington bylaw staff don’t take action on a residence abandoned for close to two years.
By Ray Rivers
September 13th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
It was an impressive demonstration of candidates expressing themselves in clear unequivocal terms on the broad range of issues before the public. At least one of the candidates was so eloquent, and spoke with such passion from the heart, it seemed as if it had been beautifully scripted in advance.
That was the debate for candidates wanting to become the next US Democratic president. The CTV/MacLeans Canadian leader’s debate, that same evening, was something else. The consensus of the pundits was that the winner was the only major leader who wasn’t there, Justin Trudeau. He was at an election campaign event in Edmonton, at a riding he is hoping to take away from the NDP incumbent.
Elizabeth May, Andrew Scheer and Jagmeet Singh debate the issues without Prime Minister Trudeau.
It might have been the antiseptic-white hospital setting or the way in which the studio lights con-tinuously featured in the images. And Paul Wells, who moderated, really should stick to his day job as a columnist for MacLeans. Ill at ease in that forum he fumbled with the questions and failed to control the debate as candidates drifted off topic and squabbled among themselves. Then there was the empty podium, which the organizers obviously thought cute, but just stood out like a sore thumb making their event look even more awkward.
The candidates, and Scheer in particular, used the venue to attack the absent PM. But if that was his objective it rang pretty hollow, as he himself came under criticism for falling back on discredited Harper era positions. Still, unsurprisingly all three leaders used the opportunity to gang up on Trudeau when the issue of SNC prosecution came up.
The Globe and Mail is at it again, reporting that former Attorney General, Jodi Wilson-Raybould, now running as an independent, had been interviewed again by the RCMP. Clearly Scheer, raising this matter, was hoping to make it Trudeau’s Hillary Clinton moment? An eleventh hour FBI investigation into Clinton’s personal email account cast sufficient doubt among Democratic voters that they allowed Trump to slip ahead and win the election.
Perhaps because expectations of his performance were low, Jagmeet Singh appeared to do reasonably well. His comments typically cited personal anecdotes of mothers with children in their arms or at their feet fretting over the high costs of prescriptions and the perils of climate change. Or he just fell into making broad generalities about policies, raising the question of his actual knowledge of those issues. But mostly he just resorted to the time-honoured and tiresome language of class struggles – the rich versus the poor.
Elizabeth May just failed to impress, especially as there is such expectation of her soaring to replace the NDP as Canada’s third party. She rode the middle ground in some cases, as for example in holding the line on expanding Canada’s universal health care system. And yet she went extreme in others, such as claiming she’d end the major B.C. LNG export project. She often seemed to be riding the fence between agreeing on many issues with both Scheer or Trudeau, perhaps hoping to draw votes from one and the other.
May kept referencing the danger of exceeding an increase of 1.5 C in global temperature, as if it were something Canada could do on its own. She also harped on about setting tougher targets as if that alone would achieve results.
An interesting exchange occurred when Andrew Scheer picked up on her promise to achieve zero carbon emissions for all households in Canada. Scheer has promised to restart the former Chretien home efficiency program that his party had cancelled shortly after gaining power back in 2006.
While Trudeau was somewhere else, it almost seemed that Scheer would have liked to join him. Ill at ease, he stood between the other two leaders like a block of wood, never breaking a smile. Speaking without passion and in generalities that rivaled the other two leaders, it was hard to imagine him as prime ministerial.
He boasted that he has the best climate action plan, but provided only aspirational detail as to how it would achieve that goal. Scheer’s climate plan has been panned by even the Globe and Mail and attacked by economists as leading to increased rather than reduced emissions. And his constant reference to expansion of resource industries, echoed back to Stephen Harper’s fixation on oil and gas exports and his disregard for the environment.
Though Scheer at one point had indicated he would not be eliminating the federal deficit, he has apparently had a change of heart as he is now promising to do so over an election cycle. Still his promises to balance the budget, cut taxes and continue health and other spending priorities sounds a lot like the impossible dream – the one Doug Ford had also promised in Ontario’s last election.
And Scheer has to be skating on thin ice, virtually accusing Trudeau of illegality in the SNC caper, when even the former attorney general said that was not the case. It is all too reminiscent of Mr. Ford accusing former premier Wynne of corruption. If Mr. Scheer really wanted to distance himself from the troubled Ontario premier he could start by changing the channel on that kind of language which smacks of desperation.
All things considered, this debate was a useful exercise in that it provided a venue for the opposition parties to expose their platforms and address what they would do differently were they to win the top honours. That would have been instructive for the viewers had there been more focus on platform detail. And it would have been useful to see exactly how the Greens and NDP differ as they struggle for 3rd place in Canadian politics.
Jagmeet Singh, a,no show Liberal leader, Andrew Scheer and Elizabeth May.
The Liberals are now in power and despite any promises they make during the campaign will and should be running largely on their record. So Mr. Trudeau’s absence in this side-debate is less critical from that perspective. He will come before the public in the official election commission debate in early October, in addition to a special Quebec TV debate.
The Bloc Quebecois is a Quebec-only party, but Maxime Bernier’s People’s Party is national,
with candidates slated for all ridings in the country. Given that Mr. Trudeau had indicated well in advance that he would be a no-show, it is curious why Mr. Bernier wasn’t invited to fill the empty podium, or even why he wasn’t invited in the first place. It would have been instructive for prospective voters to see what Mr. Bernier, who came within a whisper of becoming Conservative leader would do were he to become PM.
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 against Cam Jackson in 1995, the year Mike Harris and the Common Sense Revolution swept the province. He developed the current policy process for the Ontario Liberal Party.
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