 By Pepper Parr
April 15th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
A crowd that filled the city council chamber, spilled out into the foyer and had people sitting in the room adjacent, wanted to know what happened to the visions that were expressed at the public meeting four years earlier where hundreds poured over large drawings of what existed at the Lakeshore Village Plaza and what could be done to the site.
Everyone knew the plaza needed an upgrade desperately but what the developer had proposed was offensive to many.
 City staff were on hand to help residents develop the vision they had for their community. They wanted to know what happened to all the ideas that were expressed at the 2015 public meeting when residents talked about what could be developed and the amenities that might be available. People were excited and at the time the city was quite prepared to be an active player in the development.
More than a dozen staff members took part in the visioning exercise. There was a lot of enthusiasm. The then Mayor met with the developer – who turned out not to be the developer – just a representative for the developer.
An architect was on hand, a planner who once worked for Oakville and now represented the interests of the property owner was on hand to listen. It was an interesting start with a lot of potential.
There were some early stage drawings that showed great potential.
Then things went quiet for a while during the lead up to the municipal election that put everything on hold.
Prior to the election there was huge concern over the changes that were being proposed for the downtown area of the city. The east end of the city sort of got forgotten.
The Planning department got swamped with the number of development applications and the focus shifted to the downtown core.
Approval of one high rise tower opposite city hall and then the approval by the Ontario Municipal Board of a second 24 storey building resulted in the election of a new Mayor and five new members of a seven member city council.
Prior to the October election, in July of 2018, the public got to see what the developer wanted to do with the Lakeshore Village Plaza – they were stunned.
 Lucy Belvedere on the left with ward 5 candidate Mary Alice St. James. “Accepting this proposal” said Lucy Belvedere, ” will permit many undesirable taller buildings and allow the unbelievable and incompatible 900 residential units, in addition to the expansive 14,655 square metres for commercial use. It is ludicrous, over-crowded and completely unsuited to its surrounding neighbourhood.
 Ward 5 Councillor Paul Sharman had a fight on his hands to hold his seat in the 2018 election. For the residents a development of this size, scale and scope was just not on. The Council member would have lost his seat had the vote not been split amongst two women who individually were strong contenders but collectively they let the incumbent hold the seat.
The public had been led to believe that Joe Elmaleh was the owner of the property. He is the authorized agent for the owner, Joseph Popack, an American with a rough edged reputation based on his Crown Heights rental apartments that has him listed as #7 on the list of top 10 worst landlords in the Crown Heights area of Brooklyn, New York where he owns over 3000 apartments.
 Former Mayor Rick Goldring, architect Cynthia Zahoruk and property manager Joe Elmaleh in discussion at the 2015 visioning event for the east end of the city. In city documents prior to 2018, the owner is shown consistently as United Burlington Portfolio Inc. Then the name Glanelm Property Management begins to appear giving the impression that Joe Elmaleh is the owner.
During the Statutory Public meeting on the development Elmaleh was referred to as the developer.
Popack is the owner of the property, Elmaleh is the agent for the owner. There are some very good public relations reason for creating the confusion.
 The plaza site as it is today – desolate and close to empty. The Statutory meeting is a required event under the Planning Act during which the city planners explain what they have been given and the public gets to say what they think.
The members of council, the Mayor and the residents don’t like what they saw.
 The four towers along Lakeshore Road would hide everything behind them. During the questions and comments part of the meeting staff didn’t have very much to say, other than that there were a number of other city departments involved – Parks and Recreation and Transportation.
The meeting was not an occasion when decisions were going to be made. It was a Receive and File event – the report and public reaction are part of the record.
There wasn’t the feeling that anyone on the staff side had a firm grip on what was taking place or that a something even remotely like what had been presented would ever see the light of day.
That feeling used to exist within the hearts and minds of those who live in the downtown core learned the hard way that keeping their elected representatives fully accountable is not a part time job.
Frank Toews made the point when he told city council during the Statutory meeting that they were the “gate keepers” in place to prevent projects like this from getting beyond the talking point.
 By Staff
April 14th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
Conservation Halton advises that a Texas Low Pressure System is forecasted to bring between 30 and 40mm of mixed precipitation to our area beginning early Sunday morning, continuing during the day and overnight into Monday morning, with additional showers possible on most days this upcoming week.
 The forecasted precipitation will result in increased water levels and flows within our rivers and streams over the next several days. The combination of slippery and unstable banks and cold water temperatures will create hazardous conditions close to any river, stream or other water bodies.
Widespread flooding is not anticipated. Our reservoirs are still in range of our seasonal holding levels and have storage capacity available. However, fast flowing water and flooding of low lying areas and natural floodplains may be expected. Municipalities, emergency services and individual landowners in flood-prone areas should be on alert.
Conservation Halton is asking all residents and children to keep a safe distance from all watercourses and structures such as bridges, culverts and dams. Elevated water levels, fast flowing water, and slippery conditions along stream banks continue to make these locations extremely dangerous. Please alert children in your care of these imminent dangers.
Conservation Halton will continue to monitor stream flow and weather conditions and will issue further messages as necessary. This Flood Outlook Statement will be in effect through Tuesday April 16th, 2019.
 By Nitish Bissonauth
April 13th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
A pedestrian bridge that has stood the test of time is set to be replaced by a new, fully accessible structure that will improve connectivity over the rail corridor and provide room underneath for future electrified GO service.
Some pedestrian arteries lead straight into a community’s heart.
Maybe it’s a familiar path to a school or a well-used shortcut to an area mall.
If you’ve lived near Drury Lane, minutes from the downtown core of Burlington, there’s a good chance you’ve used the pedestrian bridge that spans over the train tracks. It’s been around since 1972 and over the decades, its unique structure has made it impossible to miss.
With its zig-zagged ramps that lead up to the long, green bridge enclosed with fencing, it’s one of the few pedestrian railroad bridges still standing.
 The old bridge with its zig zag ramps going from level to level will be replaced . A contract for the new bridge is expected to be awarded later this year with an anticipated completion by 2023. Now the expanse is getting ready for a new crossing – a needed replacement to bridge into the future.
The bridge is shown, with its large green metal zig-zag stairs and small pathway over the rails.
The iconic and well known Drury Lane Bridge, used by the community for decades.
The current structure is used by the local community not only to get to the Burlington GO station, but as a crucial link to services. In the area there’s a local school, a community centre, a seniors centre and a library.
 Paul Fitzgerald used the bridge as a youth – couldn’t have gotten around the way he did without the bridge. ”I have been using the bridge since I was a young kid – like since the summer of 1977,” recalls Paul Fitzgerald.
He’s lived in the area for most of his life and for him, the bridge did more than connect the north end of Drury Lane and the south end of Orpha Street; it connected him to his life. He used it to access the bridge to visit friends in Glenwood School Drive, which is the community on the other side of Drury Lane.
“I used to go over there to play street hockey, ride my bike with friends and even throw the football around,” he recalls.
Fitzgerald, who still uses the bridge to get to key businesses, says it was a huge part of his childhood and teenage years. Without it, he wouldn’t have made the friends or the memories he has today.
Paul Fitzgerald is seen in a selfie. The bridge is just over his shoulder.
Standing in front of the Drury Lane pedestrian bridge, Paul Fitzgerald has a deep connection to the structure behind him which has played a pivotal role in his life.
“If the bridge was not there, it would take me, or anyone for that matter, a long time to get to Glenwood School Drive and back,” he explains. “I would never cross at the train tracks – that’s a no-no.”
In fact, the community was once landlocked. In 2012, the deteriorating and rusting metal meant the bridge was deemed unsafe to use. It was closed and trips from Drury Lane to Orpha Street took 40 minutes as opposed to the normal few minutes on foot.
As a result, the bridge became a flashpoint for community activism.
City Council debated on removing the bridge rather than paying for the cost to extend its lifespan. Thanks to a petition, along with the support of local councillors, the bridge received some interim repairs to the tune of $380,000.
“The community is attached to it simply because it’s part of Burlington’s past,” says Fitzgerald, who owns a public relations firm. “We have rich history, but if we want a rich future then we have to embrace some change.”
That change will now come in the form of a new bridge, replacing the old one as part of the Lakeshore West GO Expansion project. Both the City of Burlington and Metrolinx will share the cost for a much needed upgrade that will increase the vertical clearance underneath to electrify tracks and make the bridge accessible.
n artist rendering shows a high, white bridge over tracks as a GO train runs underneath. In the concept, the crossover has glass to look out of.
A draft concept design of what the new pedestrian bridge could look like.
 Will they paint the new walking bridge the old green or will it be a dismal grey. “The work is required because the bridge is nearing its life expectancy,” explains Brent Madore, a project coordinator with Metrolinx.
The bridge needs to be compliant with the latest requirements of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) and to accommodate for future electrification of the corridor and the possibility of a fourth mainline track.
According to Madore, the current minimum clearance from the top of the rail to the underside of the bridge is 6.82 m. The goal is to raise that to 7.4 m for the new bridge.
Along with being more accessible and taller, the bridge will also have a much nicer design; the sides and the walls of the bridge span will likely be transparent to allow pedestrians to see the rail corridor and any trains passing through.
“To be honest, the bridge is old and it’s time to focus on the future and safety for residents” admits Fitzgerald.
He believes the new bridge will complement the area which has been revitalized. The GO Station just underwent a renovation and expansion and there are new shopping plazas and condos in the area.
“A new bridge is needed for safety and a new structure will match the theme of innovation Burlington is now experiencing,” says Fitzgerald.
“I look forward to seeing the development of a new bridge on Drury Lane. The time has come – so let’s build it!”
The contract for the project is set to be awarded later this year with an anticipated completion by 2023.
Nitish Bissonauth is a media specialist with Metrolinx
By Staff
April 12th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
The GO won’t be quite as go go this weekend – and for three additional weekends.
Trains on the Lakeshore West GO line will be reduced to hourly service this weekend, Metrolinx says, due to necessary track replacement work at Exhibition GO Station.
 Hourly service will begin late on Friday, April 12 starting with the 9:43 p.m. train departing from Union GO. The first hourly train from Aldershot GO leaves at 9:01 p.m., Metrolinx said.
The reduced service will run through the weekend until the end of Sunday’s schedule.
Slowdowns in and around Exhibition GO Station, in both directions, are expected to cause delays of up to 10 minutes.
The service changes and potential delays should be taken into consideration when making travel plans, especially for residents heading to and from the Toronto Raptors game on Saturday evening.
This is the first of four weekends — spread out from April to June — that will see the Lakeshore West line reduce its train service to hourly from half-hourly.
By Pepper Parr
April 12th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
Several hours after publishing a story on what the city needed to do as it began the process of hiring a new city manager the Gazette received a note from the Mayor’s office advising us that there would be a media release – soon.
An hour or so after that notice the city did issue a media release announcing that a firm of head hunters had been engaged to find a new city manager – the target was to have the job filled by sometime in July.
The announcement said: “The recruitment process for the new City Manager of the City of Burlington is well underway. The City has hired the firm of Legacy Partners to assist with the recruitment. Resumes are being accepted until April 16 and interviews will take place the end of April and beginning of May. It is expected that a new City Manager will be in place in July 2019.”
Those are very ambitious dates – one hopes that the advertisement for the position has already been running for a period of time. The closing date for applications is just over two and a half days away.
 From the Escarpment …  … to Lake Ontario. The announcement also said: “The City Manager is the administrative head of our city of 185,000 highly-engaged citizens and one that offers a unique balance between the rural and urban, situated between the western shores of the Niagara Escarpment and Lake Ontario.”
“The City Manager position reports to the Mayor and Councillors. This role provides strategic vision, leadership and guidance on the general management of the corporation as well as participates in the overall direction of the municipality.
“Council is responsible for making the final selection for this position and has been actively involved with developing the criteria for this integral leadership role.”
If you want to read the details released by the recruiting firm CLICK HERE.
 Mayor Marianne Meed Ward Mayor Marianne Meed Ward set out what she wants to see: “The City Manager we are looking for is a strategic thinker who will work closely with Council to move the City’s objectives forward and champion innovative ideas. We have a great community that wants to be engaged and it continues to be important that residents have a voice in shaping city decisions with open government. Our new City Manager must be someone who is committed to inspiring all of our staff to deliver the best customer service to our community and contribute to an environment of respect and collaboration at all levels. In addition, they must be a highly-qualified individual who will be dedicated to continually making Burlington the best it can be.”
Laura Boyd, Director of Human Resources said: “The Human Resource Department is pleased to be working in partnership with Legacy Partners on this extensive and nationwide search. We are looking for candidates that will meet the key competencies for this role and a person with a passion and commitment for serving our community.”
Related opinion column:
Finding the new city manager.
 By Andrew Drummond
April 12, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
 Ontario Finance Minister Vic Fedeli presents the 2019 budget as Premier Doug Ford looks on at the legislature in Toronto on Thursday, April 11, 2019. Yesterday, the Ford government presented the first budget of its mandate. There are many cuts in the Conservative budget, and many services will be reduced or made ineffective. Health care and education in particular will be severely impacted as the budget commits to lower than inflation increases in health and education spending across the term. However, perhaps as a result of the protests already seen across Ontario, the Ford government held back on tax breaks for corporations.
The corporate tax changes announced use government incentives to encourage investment rather than a flat cut of rates.
TRANSIT
The biggest ticket item in the budget is the one that Ford personally unveiled yesterday, a $10.9 billion investment in Toronto’s transit system. While it is encouraging to see the government address capital transit projects, there are many concerns regarding how it intends to implement those changes. The government plans to add two stops to the Scarborough Subway extension, which will have the effect of replanning the route of the line. In essence, this change will cost the city of Toronto $200 million or more as the efforts to plan and appropriate land to this point need to be ripped up and restarted.
Beyond those big transit announcements though, there was no additional transit funding provided for much of the rest of the province. Nothing to help Burlington buy new buses or plan new routes, nothing to improve regional transportation in the western GTA (or anywhere else). The Conservative budget in terms of transit was entirely focused on Toronto and building underground.
 The Conservatives had no problem with letting the deficit rise – even after whacking the Liberals for doing the same thing. Spend – spend – spend. FISCAL ACCOUNTABILITY AND TAXES
In an unexpected move, the budget does not set Ontario on a course to balance its budget within its first term. The budget foresees spending reductions and economic improvement that bring the budget back to balance by 2024. In fact, the 2019 budget includes $4.9 MORE spending than the 2018 budget from his predecessors.
In what Minister Fedeli described as the “Goldilocks Plan” the government is trying to make cuts that are not too deep to allow Ontario to adjust without it going “too fast”.
In another surprise move, the Conservatives did not follow through on their election promise of a corporate tax cut of 1%. Instead, the government proposed a new tax incentive for businesses that make capital investments in Ontario. While there is certainly an argument against any sort of corporate welfare while cutting government services, the fact that the government changed course to require some investment to offset any tax cut is a welcome tweak on their plans.
 There is a positive move on child care financial support. CHILD CARE
Another new service that the budget includes is a rebate to families for their spending on childcare.
To fit the Conservative ethos of personal choice, the rebate is not tied to using any particular kind of childcare, but allows the family to spend money in any manner and apply for a rebate against it. The rebate is also not specific to region, so despite the incredibly high costs of childcare in some regions relative to others, everyone in Ontario will get the same rebate. It will also do very little for those with the lowest income since people can only get a refund if they had the funds to spend initially.
SENIORS’ DENTAL CARE
In an effort to provide some support to low income seniors, the Conservative budget also includes a $90 million investment in seniors’ dental care, which works out to almost $30 per senior in the province. The reason they can invest so little is the incredibly low income that a senior needs to have in order to qualify for the benefit. A single senior needs to have an income less than $19,300 to qualify for the program. Given that the poverty rate in Halton is $22,133, many seniors below the poverty line are still too “rich” to qualify for the new dental program.
THE DEEPEST CUTS (SOME WITHOUT DETAILS)
From the government summary tables, the long-term targets of cuts becomes apparent. The Ministry of Children’s and Social Services will go from a budget in 2019 of $17 billion to a 2022 budget of $16.0 billion. That is a $1 billion reduction beyond inflation. This budget supports the Children’s Aid Society, ODSP, Autism Family Supports, Shelters for Abused Women, etc. Every one of these services is already stretched to the limit with the meager funding available today, but Ford intends it to be cut by $1 billion over the next 3 years with no explanation as to where.
 Shelters for women are not being provided – the need is very real. This location is seen as very high end. The government previously cut $4 million in announced funding to women’s shelters (despite finding $10 million in new funding Horse Racing), and from the numbers in this budget, that was only the beginning of pain for disadvantaged groups. As has been documented before, in Halton groups like Halton Women’s Place have increasingly relied on private donations to raise the necessary revenue to provide services. As these cuts take hold, this reliance will only get worse.
 Few will be able to make use of Legal Aid. Another ministry that will see drastic cutbacks is the Ministry of Justice. They are going to see a 6% cut in funding over the next 3 years (again, before factoring inflation). One of the primary sources of this cut will be Legal Aid.
Legal Aid will see a $164 million cut (29% of its total budget) over the next 2 years. This is the service providing legal assistance to people in Ontario who make less than $17,731 per year and could otherwise not afford legal representation. Because of the announced cuts, Legal Aid CEO David Field said, “We’re going to have to consider ways to streamline and offer more services online.” The poorest among us will now lose the ability to meet with a lawyer in person, and will have to rely on getting legal advice online.
 E-learning Online Education is not for everyone. The other two Ministries that are concerning in the lack of clarity about how cutbacks will be achieved are the two biggest. Health and Education. Health spending will be capped to increase at levels lower than inflation every year through 2024. The means a real dollar cut to spending every single year that is currently planned. In Education, the yearly increases are so small that in some cases they are just a rounding error (2020 funding $29.8 billion, 2021 funding $29.8 billion) with no accounting for inflation. The government already announced some of the plans to achieve these cuts with forcing students to take 13% of classes online. However, this represents a real spending cut in education for every year of the Ford fiscal plan.
In a nutshell, that is what this budget represents.
In order to give a corporate tax incentive and to protect the wealthiest in Ontario from a tax increase, the Conservative budget is going to force students away from teachers to take classes online. It is going to cut health care spending. It is going to remove legal services from poor Ontarians. It is going to cut services for vulnerable children. It is going to cut services for Ontarians on disability. Those are the priorities of this government.
You have to wonder if those are the priorities of Ontario’s people.
 Andrew Drummond was the NDP candidate for Burlington in the last provincial election. His intention is to do the same thing in the next provincial election.
 By Pepper Parr
April 12th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
UPDATE: The Gazette asked the Mayor for some comment yesterday – her media specialist got back to us two hours after the story was first published with: The City of Burlington will be releasing information to the media regarding the city manager recruitment shortly.
When the city announced just before Christmas that Tim Commisso would serve as the Interim City Manager for a six month period while the search for a new city manager was found, determining just what the city needed in the way of a new city manager should have become one of the top three priorities.
The Gazette learned from a reliable source in the municipal sector that the Commisso contract had provision for an additional three months.
We are now into the fourth month of that interim position. A number of weeks ago the Gazette noticed that the title Commisso was using changed from Interim to Acting. Shortly after it reverted to interim.
Word the Gazette is picking up is that there is a movement among some members of Council to make that short term job into a long term job.
A number of Councillors see Commisso as their ”mentor”; someone they can take their troubles and concerns to.
When Roman Martiuk was city manager he would frequently use the phrase: “I serve at the will of council”; a phrase that the five new members of council might want to get comfortable with.
It is no secret that Marianne Meed Ward did not have a good working relationship with former city manager James Ridge. The first thing she did once she was sworn in was to call a Council meeting and dismiss Ridge; he left city hall the same day.
Shortly after Commisso was hired to serve as an interim city manager.
 Deputy city manager Mary Lou Tanner The city does have a Deputy City Manager – there was little doubt in the minds of those who pay attention to what happens at city hall that Mary Lou Tanner would not be given the keys to the city manager’s office.
There are people in this city working diligently to have her removed from the position she holds.
There was concern in the minds of many that this council did not have the experience or depth in business to hire someone for a job that managed a staff of about 1000 and a budget of $123 million on the operating side.
The only member of council with any real experience in hiring at a corporate level is Paul Sharman. That experience didn’t include hiring someone for the top job.
The others have never run anything with more than three people.
 Ward 5 Councillor Paul Sharman Determining just what is needed in the way of a corporate leader is not a simple matter. The municipal sector is a relatively small community – a couple of hundred people lead the major municipalities – that in essence is the talent pool that can be drawn from.
We know what the majority of the members of city council voted for.
We have some idea as to what their values are but we don’t yet know what they individually and collectively want in the way of a city manager.
Will there be a council workshop that will allow delegations at which this council sets out what they want in the way of a city manager and what they want that person to do?
If this mayor, Marianne Meed Ward, and this council are full supporters of an open and fully engaged municipal government then let the process of choosing the next city manager be open and the public fully engaged.
Once the want has been fully explored publicly, members of council will have heard what the public wants and the public will know what the members of council think they need in the way of a city manager to run the administrative side of the city – then the process of hiring a human resources recruiting firm can begin.
Because all this is public, you can be certain the Gazette will publish everything that is said. Anyone interested in the job will know what they are walking into and just how big the opportunity is.
We believe there are municipal administrators that want to run a city that is open for business and ready to listen to the wishes of the people who pay the taxes.
Search firms are usually engaged to beat the bushes and see who is looking and who might be interviewed. Any city manager worth the title keeps in touch with at least one head hunter to see what there is in the way of opportunities out there.
 Former Hamilton city manager Chris Murray found a new home in Toronto; we do not know yet where James Ridge is going to land. Hamilton had a great city manager in Chris Murray. When Toronto needed a new city manager they hired him and Hamilton did what Mayor Meed Ward would love to do – hire a female city manager. Meed Ward will be quick to remind us that she wants the best person available for the job – but if that person happens to female … well.
The change in city manager in Hamilton brought to the surface staff people in Hamilton city hall who were bucking for promotion. There might be someone worth looking at in the list of people who didn’t make the grade.
Determining who should be the next city manager is a critically important task for Burlington. Filling that part of their mandate is not going to be easy but these are, for the most part, people of good will. They can be taught the fundamentals of hiring people, as long as they are not led by people who have their own agendas.
Burlington’s Director of Human Resources does not appear to have anything in the way of a professional designation.
When the Gazette asked if there was a designation we were asked why we wanted to know. We responded that that was not a fair question. Our contact followed up with:
The recognized professional association for Human Resources Professionals in Ontario is the HRPA. The requirements are listed on their website. There are three levels of certification: CHRP (i.e. Certified Human Resources Professional; Certified Human Resources Leader; Certified Human Resources Executive).
The full answer we had every right to expect from the city was either a yes or a no, and if a yes – where does the designation come from?
Kwab Ako-Adjei, Senior Manager, Government Relations & Strategic Communications asked us: “And what is the context that you’re looking for this info?”
Ako-Adjei works out of the City Manager’s Office. They are keeping a tight grip on the information we requested.
We have concluded that the Director of Human Resources does not have a designation and the city doesn’t want that information to be public.
 This team is what the public wanted – now they have to hire the best person they can find to run city hall. That isn’t a job any of them are qualified to do. The team that sits around the council table now does not have the experience or the competence to hire for the position of city manager. This is not a reflection on their skills, it is a comment on the experience they bring to the table and the resources available to them.
The first step should be for this council is to determine individually what they want to see in the way of a city manager. They need to be led through a disciplined approach to determining what they want and why.
 The intention was to bring Tim Commisso in until council had a chance in prepare and interview for their choice for a city manager. They should stick to that intention. What this council should not be doing is deciding they like the guy in place and will choose him as their city manager. Council has a responsibility to do their job and ensure that the job is advertised and that diligent efforts are made to ensure that the best person available is hired.
Will there be a council workshop that allow delegations at which this council sets out what they want in the way of a city manager and what they want that person to do?
When the city finds that person he or she can build the team that will make Burlington a truly great place to live.
The provincial government may decide that there should be just one level of government and rename Halton – but they aren’t going to rename Burlington and they aren’t going to change the values of the people of Burlington.
There is a lot of work to get done – and not a lot of time.
 Tim Commisso, Burlington’s Interim city manager. Tim Commisso was brought in to serve in an interim capacity for a six-month period. Let’s not find ourselves asking him to stay longer keeping him from a well-earned retirement.
Salt with Pepper are the views, opinions and observations of the Gazette publisher.
 By Staff
April 11, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
As part of an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Program, the City of Burlington will be using a low-flying helicopter to apply a bio-pesticide over four wooded areas to control gypsy moth populations which causes significant defoliation and potential long-term impact to the City’s urban forest.
Gypsy moth undergoes four developmental life stages: these are the egg, larva (caterpillar), pupa, and adult. Gypsy moth females lay between 500 to 1,000 eggs in sheltered areas such as underneath the bark of trees. The eggs are covered with a dense mass of tan or buff-colored hairs. The egg mass is approximately 1.5 inches long and 0.75 inches wide. The eggs are the overwintering stage of the insect. Eggs are attached to trees, houses, or any outdoor objects. The eggs hatch in spring (April) into caterpillars.
 Rob Peachey, on the left, Manager Parks and Open Spaces for the city, talks through some solutions to managing the very large weekend crowds in Lowville Park. The areas include:
• Forestvale/Kerncliff Park
• LaSalle Park
• Lowville Park
• Mountainside Park
The exact date of the spraying is expected to be during the third and fourth weeks of May in the early morning. Weather conditions as well as insect development will determine the exact date.
Spray dates will be posted on the City’s Twitter and Facebook accounts @CityBurlington and online at burlington.ca/gypsymoth at least 48-hours before the spraying.
Residents can also use the website to enter their address to see where the spraying will occur in relation to their home or work.
  The City’s contractor will be applying a Class 11 biopesticide, Foray 48B, REGISTRATION NO. 24977 PEST CONTROL PRODUCTS ACT, with active ingredient Bacillus thuringiensis ‘kurstaki’.
Application of the pesticide with be completed between 5 and 7:30 a.m.
About the Biological Pesticide
Bacillus thuringiensis ‘kurstaki’ (Btk) is a soil-borne bacterium that is applied to the leaves of affected trees while caterpillars are in their early stages of development. Once ingested, the bacterium disrupts the caterpillars’ digestive system with cessation of eating within 24-48 hours. Within days, caterpillars that have ingested Btk will succumb to its effects.
Btk does not have any negative effects to humans, birds or bees. Btk will affect other caterpillar species (known as non-target species). Due to its low residual nature and the narrow spray window due to larval development, the non-target impact is expected to be low.
Individuals who have concerns should take reasonable precautions to avoid exposure during a spray program in the same way they would avoid pollen or other airborne materials during days when air quality advisories are issued. Residents can also reduce exposure by staying indoors with windows and doors shut during the spray period if spraying is taking place in their area, although this is not required by health officials.
About Gypsy Moth
European Gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar, is a non-native invasive pest that was introduced in the late 19th century. It was first discovered in Ontario in the 1960’s and has been a major defoliator of deciduous and coniferous trees across Southern Ontario.
Integrated Pest Management
As part of Burlington’s Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program, Forestry staff assess sites annually across the city and conduct egg mass surveys to determine areas that have exceeded an action threshold, whereby natural processes can no longer maintain pest population levels on their own. Although healthy trees can generally withstand defoliation several years in a row, trees which are already in distress from problems such as acute drought, compacted soils, diseases or other pests, may decline and die. Generally, healthy trees which are defoliated in spring, will leaf out again by mid-summer.
Gypsy moth populations tend to be cyclical, with peaks every 8-12 years, followed by dramatic population decline of the pest.
The City of Burlington conducted a similar program in 2008.
For questions or concerns, please contact Brianna Thornborrow, Supervisor of Forest Planning and Health at brianna.thornborrow@burlington.ca or 905-333-6166, ext. 6145.
Steve Robinson, Manager of Urban Forestry explained that: “We need to take action to reduce the gypsy moth population in order to maintain the health of our valuable urban forest. Currently, populations are expected to be too high for their natural predators to keep them in check. By applying a biological pesticide with a measured approach, we will be able to reduce pest populations to manageable levels. Protecting our urban forests is a priority for the City as it greatly impacts our health, homes and recreation.”
 By Staff
April 10th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
On Friday, April 12, Timber Lane will be closed for crane activity between Pinedale Avenue and the driveway that provides access to Appleby Mall. The closure will be in place from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Local access will be maintained and through traffic will be detoured along New Street and Pinedale Avenue.
 By Staff
April 11th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
Halton District School Board students captured the highest number of awards in the 59th annual Bay Area Science and Engineering Fair (BASEF) in Hamilton from March 29 – April 2.
More than 450 students took part in the ArcelorMittal Dofasco-sponsored BASEF at Mohawk College, where more than $300,000 worth of prizes were awarded to celebrate young science and engineering enthusiasts.
Burlington public school board students didn’t do all that well when compared to other schools. Oakville students cleaned up and a number of students from Trinity Christian School did very well. The gender split was also very good. For a look at all the winners CLICK HERE.
 Hailey Israel, St. Mary’s Elementary School.  Connor Beaupre and Phillip Kim  Levi Fox, Trinity Christian School.  Beatrice Faber, Trinity Christian School. Within the HDSB, 15 schools participated with students creating 160 projects and capturing 147 prizes while competing against six other school boards and independent schools.
The Best-In-Fair award was won by Sabrina Mogus, Grade 9 student at White Oaks SS for her project, ‘Need some TLC? Tigernut Liquid Coagulant: An undiscovered biocoagulant for water turbidity reduction’. Mogus is also the recipient of the Best High School Project award. Arielle Ainabe, Grade 12 student at Garth Webb SS, came in third place for her project, ‘Tardigrade Mech: Using Boron Nitride Nanotubes for Space Radiation Protection’.
Mogus and Ainabe are also among the four high school students chosen to compete at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, taking place mid-May in Phoenix, Arizona.
W.H. Morden PS in Oakville earned the Top Elementary School award.
Qualifying for the Canada Wide Science Fair, taking place mid-May in Fredericton, New Brunswick are:
• Jeffrey Klinck, Grade 8 student at W.H. Morden PS – ‘Using B.C.I. and A.I. for Emotion Detection for Mental Health Applications’
• Monica Mahut, Grade 11 student at M.M. Robinson HS – ‘Elevator to Everywhere’
• Evan Shvetsov, Grade 8 student at Maple Grove PS – ‘How Neurolinguistic Programming in Media Affects Consumers’
• Lily Smales, Grade 8 student at W.H. Morden PS – ‘Convolutional Neural Network to Detect Eyes with Early Stages of Visual Impairment’
• Mohammed Torkmani and Raphael Xu, Grade 8 students at Maple Grove PS – ‘Plastic Delicacies’
 By Staff
April 10th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
Burlington has awarded funding support through the Burlington Arts and Culture Fund (BACF) grant program.
Approved by Council in 2017, the Burlington Arts and Culture Fund provides grants to local artists, multicultural groups, and arts and culture organizations to foster creativity and enrich how Burlington residents experience and engage with arts and culture.
The BACF received 25 grant applications between Jan. 7 and Feb. 8, 2019. The applications were reviewed by a jury of peers and city staff. Decisions were based on artistic merit, program merit and strategic initiative, citywide and community impact, and economic impact. This year’s grant program was able to support 16 arts and cultural projects across Burlington.
The grants amounts ranged from $2000 (lowest) to $8,000 (highest).
Total amount available for this year BACF was $75,000.
The BACF aims to nurture the capacity of the arts and culture sector in Burlington, while fostering creativity, encouraging social cohesion, enhancing quality of life, and stimulating cultural and economic development through direct investment. The program recognizes and supports diverse identities, perspectives, languages, cultures and artistic practices.
Burlington Arts and Culture Fund Approved Projects for 2019/2020
Project Name: Authors in Your Neighbourhood
Applicant: Sylvia McNicoll
Authors in Your Neighbourhood want students to have a positive interaction with local writers to foster the love of reading and writing. The project will provide two elementary schools in each of Burlington’s six wards with a free presentation between May 2019 and March 2020. Each school will be provided with an autographed set of the books that either Jennifer Maruno or Sylvia McNicoll will be speaking on. Following a discussion on the origins, characters and setting of the stories, the students will be inspired to read the work and it will be available for them to read. Approximately 1,200 students will learn more about the author’s writing process, as well as cover design, editing and other publishing processes that will increase the depth of their reading enjoyment. Over 40 teachers, librarian-techs, and other teaching assistants will learn pointers on inspiring proficient writing. New to Authors in Your Neighbourhood is the inclusion of high schools in the project.
Project Name: Birds Adapted Juried Exhibition
Applicant: Teresa Seaton
Birds Adapted for Flight or Fancy is a regional exhibition for both two and three-dimensional works of fine art and craft. The exhibition will run at Teresa Seaton Studio and Gallery from August to October 2019. A call for this exhibition will be sent out via Akimbo, various social media outlets, and through a direct email campaign. Prizes will be awarded for first place, second place and people’s choice. Teresa along with the award-winning artists will offer learning opportunities for both artists and the public through a series of artist talks. By basing the theme on birds and their influence or inspiration, the exhibition also challenges the traditional curatorial practice of separating fine art and craft. By opening the call to all media, the exhibition promotes a conversation to the general artistic community to look beyond the historical stereotypes of curatorial practices.
Project Name: Bringing Music to the Community
Applicant: Burlington Welsh Ladies Chorus
The Burlington Welsh Ladies Chorus (BWLC) aims to foster creativity, stimulate culture and encourage social cohesion by involving the community in learning songs and singing in different languages without songbooks (as in the Welsh tradition) to entertain the public. To succeed in their vision of creating an atmosphere of collaboration, BWLC looks forward to connecting with other musical groups to promote cultural diversity. The chorus is unique to the area in terms of its composition and delivery and aims to encourage women in Burlington to join the troupe in learning the aesthetics of singing and how to sing in a different language. The main goal of the chorus is to provide entertainment in the community, for the community. Retirement and nursing homes present a wonderful opportunity to entertain Burlington residents demonstrating the power of music therapy. The BWLC will provide free concerts in various retirement and nursing homes throughout Burlington during their 2019/2020 performing season.
Project Name: Burlington Fine Arts Association Annual Juried Show – The Artist’s Mark
Applicant: Burlington Fine Arts Association
 Members of the Fine Arts Guild in a portrait class. The Burlington Fine Arts Association (BFAA) is a high achieving artists’ collective of approximately 170 local artists and is the largest of the seven guilds under the umbrella of Arts Burlington. This project will mark the second annual juried show at the Burlington Centre, a continued effort in building a relationship between the BFAA and the Burlington Centre. The exhibition brings original art out of the gallery and into a more accessible community venue and consumer space. The Artist’s Mark will take place from Jan. 17 to 26, 2020. In this second iteration of the juried show, the call will be open to all BFAA members as well as senior youth from Dr. Frank J. Hayden Secondary School who elect to participate as part of their art programs curriculum. Throughout the exhibition, participating BFAA and student artists will interact with visitors to the mall by being on site, giving live demonstrations, and talking about their work and process.
Project Name: Educational Diorama Exhibit
Applicant: Friends of Freeman Station
 The historic diorama depicting life in the village of Freeman in the early 1900’s will be one of the most exciting destinations in the city when it is completed. Friends of Freeman Station was formed in 2011 as a non-profit community group. The mission of the group is to locate, restore, and preserve the historic Freeman Train Station for the enjoyment of current and future generations. With the lower level of the Burlington Junction Station almost complete, a dedicated team of Friends of Freeman Station volunteers including local artists and craftsman have begun assembling a unique model railway and historic diorama depicting life in the village of Freeman in the early 1900’s. The exhibit will showcase a beautifully crafted 1/24 scale model of the Burlington Junction Station. Lighting and audio-visual effects will be used to tell individual interactive scenario stories and educational modules will be developed to include historic, economic, scientific, culturally significant, and technological topics. The project will see the creation of a permanent exhibit open to the public that educates residents and visitors, with a special focus on grade school student groups.
Project Name: Emerging Artist Showcase Series
Applicant: Rotary Club of Burlington Lakeshore
The Emerging Artist Showcase Series is designed to foster the continued development of Burlington’s music scene and aims to further add to the impressive list of Canadian bands from Burlington that have become an international success. The showcase aims to grant three rising artists with the opportunity to launch their career on a professional-level platform. The Emerging Artist Series offers exposure to new and diverse audiences, networking and connection opportunities, artist relations, hospitality, stage management experience and knowledge to support the career development of the city’s emerging artists. The project fosters the career development of three of Burlington’s up and coming musicians, providing them with the opportunity to receive a total of six hours of featured space, professional-level airtime.
Project Name: Entertainment for Seniors
Applicant: KooGle Theatre Company
KooGle Theatre Company will perform Broadway classics and songs from the golden age of movie musicals for retirement homes and senior centres in the Burlington community between April 2019 and March 2020. Co-Artistic Directors Leslie and Christopher Gray will collaborate with fellow members of Burlington’s artistic community (performers/technicians) in order to reach out and make an artistic difference in the lives of Burlington’s senior community. The project provides an opportunity for community outreach and the company aims to perform and sing numbers from movie musicals and Broadway classics from the Brant Inn era, while utilizing the visits at these various residences to communicate about their Brant Inn project and capture memories from the residents. Entertainment for Seniors allows KooGle Theatre Company to reach out to Burlington’s senior community and provide nostalgic entertainment that will be bring happiness, joy and healing.
Project Name: The Gospel According to St. Nick.
Applicant: Burlington New Millennium Orchestra
The Burlington New Millennium Orchestra presents the Gospel According to St. Nick, a family-centric Christmas season concert with a gospel beat vibe. Audience participation will occur in the sing-along portion and St. Nick will make a special appearance. The concert will feature programming suitable for all age groups.The programming includes 35 professional musicians from the Burlington area, various performing artists from the Greater Hamilton Area and from the local business community. Christmas is a major celebration in the Christian calendar but by including secular and religious music and St. Nick, the concert is a fun, family event for all ages and backgrounds. The mission of the Burlington New Millennium Orchestra (BNMO) is to present unique high caliber concerts to the residents of Burlington featuring gifted performing artists from the local, national and international arts communities. BNMO will foster collaborations with other local arts groups and engage younger audiences through selective outreach programming.
Project Name: A Green I.D.E.A.
Applicant: A Green I.D.E.A Collective (Alison Dunford, Joan Urquhart and Yanting Zhao)
A Green I.D.E.A. is an arts-based collective of three artist-educators that partner with local organizations to collect waste materials and show children, educators, and families how to repurpose them in artful ways. A Green I.D.E.A. will partner with local businesses to collect high quality nontoxic surplus materials and high quality nontoxic defective materials to reduce the waste materials in Burlington by repurposing these materials into artworks. A Green I.D.E.A. will offer public workshops that showcase how to use these surplus materials for arts-based projects to children and families in Burlington. By saving these materials from being deposited in local landfills the project aligns with the City of Burlington’s strategic direction of Building a Healthy and Green City. The project will offer a series of educational workshops on how to use solid waste materials that have been donated from local companies to create innovative and artistic projects as a fun way to educate residents on how to rethink the notion of waste and how to reuse discarded materials in artful ways.
Project Name: Halton Freedom Celebration Festival
Applicant: Halton Black History Awareness Society
The Halton Freedom Celebration Festival is a free outdoor music festival that will take place in Spencer Smith Park on Aug. 3, 2019 from noon to 11 p.m. The celebration includes musical and dance acts, youth and children’s events, artistic, musical and historical forums, an extensive marketplace of cultural cuisine, community and cultural association partners, genealogists, historians, authors and cultural contributors. The festival offers multicultural music, food, crafts, and art for a diverse audience. 2019 enhancements include youth and children’s activity centres and adding more diversity to the program including Cuban Jazz fusion led by two female Juno Award nominees.The Halton Black History Awareness Society is a passionate group of multiculturals, dedicated to implementing cultural education into the public and institutional mindset towards appreciating the values of inclusivity, equality, and self-development.
Project Name: Lunar Year Culture Celebration
Applicant: Redleaf Cultural Integration
The Lunar Year Culture Celebration is an event that celebrates the starting of a new lunar year, the most important festival in Asian countries. This cultural event, led by Redleaf Cultural Integration, lasts approximately four hours and includes a cultural show/display, and multicultural music and dance performances. To promote and foster multiculturalism, the celebration will include art and performances from various ethnic groups in order to showcase their culture to the community. Redleaf Cultural Integration (RCI) is a non-profit cultural organization that works together with people of diverse cultures, backgrounds and ages to enhance the quality of life in Burlington. RCI creates opportunities to develop meaningful relationships, provides community social events, and promotes healthy lifestyles with a focus on newcomers to Canada and Burlington specifically.
Project Name: One Burlington Celebrating Faith and Culture
Applicant: One Burlington
The One Burlington Celebrating Faith and Culture Festival is an annual celebration of Burlington’s local faith and cultural communities. It is a free and open event that encourages dialogue and the building of bridges through the sharing of cultural foods, activities for children, stage presentations and performances, and information booths where traditions can be explained by local Muslim, Sikh, Bahai, Hindu, Jewish, Christian and other various community leaders in a relaxed, casual, family-oriented environment that stimulates understanding, respect and appreciation of the unity in the diversity of our neighbours. The celebration is unique to Burlington and the sharing of cultural and ethnic foods is a popular component of the interfaith and multicultural celebration. The process of sharing cultural foods, art, music and dance performances facilitates a dialogue and builds relationships between individuals and communities within our inclusive city.
Project Name: PROSPECTS an Evening of Dance and Discussion
Applicant: Lisa Emmons
 Lisa Emmons and those who dance with her do some of the most progressive dance in the area. Not to be missed. PROSPECTS: An Evening of Dance and Discussion is a series of three dance performances that take place at the Burlington Student Theatre. The performances are a mixed program of five pieces of choreography by five different choreographers around the same theme (social justice, identity, relationships and connection). All of the choreographers discuss their work and process in a post-performance discussion where the audience is invited to provide feedback. This allows the choreographers to learn from the audience and the audience to learn more about the art of dance. Providing an inclusive environment to showcase work where the choreographers are mentored and encouraged to engage directly with the audience allows for growth by understanding what each audience experiences. In addition, the audience will have an opportunity to develop their understanding and appreciation of dance as an art form.
Project Name: Shawn Brush Country Jamboree
Applicant: Shawn Brush
Every October musician and Burlington native Shawn Brush, the Krooked Cowboy, organizes a local event that brings together some the industry’s finest musicians. Shawn is a singer songwriter that combines technical musicianship with impactful songwriting. The Shawn Brush Country Jamboree will feature performances by: Shawn Brush, Sarah Beatti, The Pistoletts, Chopped Liver, Barton Cats, Hayley Verrall, Caroline Wiles, and Judi Rideout and the X-Husbands. Shawn’s mission is to bring country music talent to veterans and residents living with mobility challenges. This year’s event will take place on Oct. 14 at the Burlington branch of the Royal Canadian Legion and will provide a day of family fun, food, and country music from local and regional performers. Expect music, laughter and dancing at this celebration of country music! “With guitar in hand, solo or backed by some of the industry’s finest musicians, the Krooked Cowboy is an artist that shines. He has appeared in national media and performed both in studio and live on stage. With a powerful presence, he is a must see.”
Project Name: Southern Ontario Lyric Opera Special Gala Event
Applicant: Southern Ontario Lyric Opera
Southern Ontario Lyric Opera (SOLO) is a young vibrant opera company founded in 2015 by Artistic Director and Conductor, Sabatino Vacca. SOLO’s dual vision is to provide high-caliber, affordable and accessible operas, while maintaining a strong commitment to the community through outreach efforts. SOLO reciprocates through many avenues of community outreach including: gratis concerts and presentations at seniors’ residences, informative talks and presentations at local libraries and to interested groups, and participation in a variety of community events. SOLO’s Special Gala Concert, featuring world-renowned Soprano (and Burlington native) Adrianne Pieczonka and renowned Canadian Baritone, Gregory Dahl joined and supported by the SOLO Chorus and Orchestra will take place on June 8, 2019. SOLO is especially keen to educate children and to foster an affinity with the excitement and fascination of this often-overlooked art form. The opera involves children and youth in their casts and chorus and invites local schools and youth groups to their dress rehearsal performances.
Project Name: Symphony on the Bay Youth and Seniors’ Outreach
Applicant: Symphony on the Bay
 Funding the Symphony on the Bay outreach program will allow more people to hear a really very good orchestra. Symphony on the Bay (SOTB) produces interesting, exciting orchestral and small ensemble performances that engage and inspire large and diverse audiences. Through concerts, community educational programs, and other community activities, SOTB delivers music programs for youth and seniors and promotes the health benefits of music to all residents while providing community musicians an opportunity to perform and develop their talent. This project supports Symphony on the Bay’s youth and seniors’ outreach initiatives. Youth outreach consists of a young artists competition featuring young artists from the region in solo performances with orchestra. The project also consists of youth arts groups collaboration which features performances by local community youth groups at all four concerts in the symphony’s season. SOTB’s seniors’ outreach involves small ensembles of volunteer orchestra members performing for seniors’ groups in the community. Performance locations include the Burlington Seniors Centre, seniors’ residences and wellness centres, the Art Gallery of Burlington, and the Burlington Public Library.
Heather MacDonald, Director of City Building said she wanted to “thank all of the individuals who applied for the Burlington Arts and Culture Fund. We are looking forward to seeing the funded programs come alive and add even more culture and vibrancy to our already amazing city.”
Our understanding was that Deputy City Manager Mary Lou Tanner handled the cultural file.
By Staff
April 10th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
Tourism Burlington released their 2019/2020 edition of “The Official Tourism Burlington Visitor Guide” today. They printed 50,000 copies.
 This year’s guide cover was taken by Michael Lyons, a local photographer. Al Pettman of Just a Click Photography, William Tam and Robert Todd of Todd Images have contributing work inside the Guide.
The Visitor Guide will be distributed throughout Burlington and across Ontario to encourage visitors to come to the Burlington area. The annual visitor guide features Burlington attractions, things to see and do, dining experiences, accommodations, shopping and family activities.
It also includes an extensive events listing and detailed Burlington maps. Special features on What’s New in #BurlON, Culinary Experiences and Adventure Awaits. New this year a Sweet Treats section. The new guide has also been uploaded to the Tourism Burlington website for paper-less viewing.
Copies of the official visitor guide are available at Ontario Travel Centres throughout the province and locally at key attractions, recreation facilities, libraries, golf courses, hotels and motels and included in welcome packages for events and conferences.
Pick up copies of the Burlington Visitor Guide by stopping at the Tourism Burlington Visitor Information Centre at 414 Locust Street in Downtown Burlington which is open 7 days a week.
By Pepper Parr
April 10th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
The Council chamber was packed.
They were sitting in the foyer and in the room next door to the council chamber.
They were there to express their concern with a development proposal that stunned most people when it was made public.
 The council chamber was filled – the foyer outside the chamber had people watching the proceedings on monitors and the room next to council had people watching. Largest meeting Burlington council has seen in close to a decade. The re-development of the Lakeshore Village Plaza in the east end of the city has a long history. The city has been involved with the developer since 2014.
What started out in November of 2015 with a visioning exercise where people were enthused, excited and optimistic turned into really sour feelings when the drawings of what was proposed by the developer.
The meeting last night was the required Statutory Public meeting at which the Planning department sets out what they have been given by the developer.
There were 14 registered delegations and another ten that were walk-ups.
The Gazette will report on those in depth.
Council listened carefully, asked good questions and were very aware that they were facing a public that was not happy.
 Lucy Belvedere gave a strong, detailed delegation on what was wrong with the development and where the public had not been properly engaged. Frank Towes, a resident of Admiral’s Walk, across the road from the proposed development made the point very well when he said to Council: We elected you last fall to be the gatekeepers – keep developments like this outside the gates.
By Joey Edwardh
April 9th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
On March 13, quietly, almost silently, local democracy in Ontario receded further into history. The Ontario government’s Special Advisers on Regional Government in Ontario announced an open consultation on their deliberations to review governance, decision-making and service delivery in eight two-tiered regional governments along with Simcoe County. They will report to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing by the summer.
The “open consultation” amounts to six weeks via an online survey and submission of briefs within that period as well. This is strikingly limited in scope and time frame for a governance review impacting 5.4 million Ontarians living in 82 municipal jurisdictions across the province.
It has been 50 years since the regional government system in Ontario was put in place. It is worth noting that it was done with careful and deliberate action over a 10-year period from 1965 to 1975. The Regional Government of Hamilton-Wentworth was one of the last created in 1974. Sure, at that time there was much political and community resistance to the merging of many towns and cities into larger municipalities within a regional structure. But, the process allowed for the time, energy and accessibility for all voices to be expressed, even if not everyone was satisfied with the outcome.
When all the smaller municipalities in Hamilton-Wentworth were amalgamated into the City of Hamilton in 2001, there was resistance from the smaller suburban communities to the loss of their local governments.
Even the provincially imposed and highly controversial amalgamations in Hamilton and Toronto were announced by the Harris Government more than a year before being implemented, a time frame that allowed local councils in Metro Toronto to conduct the polling of their own residents via plebiscites (76 per cent opposed) and community mobilization through Citizens for Local Democracy.
We have seen, however, today’s provincial government acting unilaterally and undemocratically with its interference in the 2018 municipal election in Toronto by cutting the ward system by half in midcampaign. Other policy initiatives in health and education are also getting short shrift when it comes to public input.
Clearly, this regional government review is only giving lip service to public consultation. All reports indicate that the special advisers themselves, Michael Fenn and Ken Seiling, are highly respected, knowledgeable and experienced in regional government. And, they have been holding private meetings for several months for input from selected municipal officials and “stakeholders,” read the business community. The offer of a mere six weeks for input from the general public via an online survey that assumes familiarity with what each of the existing two tiers of regional government actually do will be an exercise in futility.
If this were a serious government initiative with an honest wish for public input and ideas on how to structure effective and efficient local democracy, it would give the special advisers terms of reference that would allow them to hold open public consultations in all the affected communities over a reasonable period of time, at least through this calendar year, before issuing a report. Instead, it is clear that the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing is just looking to check the “public consultation” box on his path to imposing predetermined plans for creating larger single-tier municipalities, regardless of the implications for local voice in decision-making.
Finally, another opportunity is missed in this review. Restructuring for better governance and decision-making should be more than just about the number of elected officials and how they are organized into smaller or larger municipal bodies. Local democracy should also be about how community members can actively participate in the democratic process beyond just elections in ways that are recognized and seriously considered by elected representatives in their decision-making. The narrow scope of the current review precludes that discussion and denies a chance for civic engagement and affirmation of core democratic values and principles.
There is little hope that the special advisers will produce any recommendations that will deter the government from doing what it intends to do anyway. It will be up to citizens and community groups to organize and build political support for the kind of local democracy they want.
 Joey Edwardh is the Executive Director of Community Development Halton.
By Staff
April 9th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
Mayor Meed Ward released the following report earlier today:
 The first of four targeted focus group sessions took place Monday (April 8) afternoon as the Mayor’s Red Tape Red Carpet Task Force initiative continues. Monday’s session was open to small business owners in Burlington and, since space permitted, took place in the Mayor’s Boardroom at City Hall from 2-3:30 p.m.
Attendees represented a range of industries including retail (clothing and food), marketing and consulting, and safety training businesses. Joelle Goddard-Cooling attended as owner of Joelle’s and Jeff’s Guy Shop, as well as an active member of the Burlington Downtown Business Association. Maria N. Thornton, owner of Flour Child Bakery, and Steven Hewson, owner of La Crème de la Crème Creamery attended, as did Kathryn Davies, Lead Instructor & Safety Consultant from Life’s Emergency Training, Maroun Naser, owner of VideoTube.ca, and Chantelle Misheal, City Program Coordinator of BurlingtonGreen.
Mayor Meed Ward and Ward 1 Councillor Kelvin Galbraith were in attendance, as was Anita Cassidy, Acting Executive Director of the Burlington Economic Development Corporation (BEDC).
These business owners varied from spending 20-plus years running a successful small business here in Burlington, to those who are just celebrating their one-year anniversary. Many of them indicated the reason they chose Burlington as the place for their business was a combination of living here and calling it home, loving the people and culture around them, and the great amenities we have like the lakefront and all our festivals and events.
 First of a series of meetings the Mayor held on the issue of red tape. Similar to what was discussed at the broader town hall on March 28, the group shared stories of the origins of their businesses, why they chose to locate in Burlington, and what challenges they have faced over the years in growing their business here. The smaller group session, with many having similarities in size and scale, were able to focus their conversations on issues that are more common to small businesses in our City, and build on one another’s comments and learnings.
Some of the highlights of the discussion included the following:
• Access to qualified young labour. Factors that play a significant role in that challenge are a) the high price of living in Burlington and b) the difficulty in commuting here by anything other than a personal automobile, which many don’t have. Trying to recruit skilled employees from surrounding trade schools/colleges/universities is difficult when they find out how expensive starter townhomes or condos are here. With the often bus-train-bus experience most would have to partake in should they decide to commute from a neighboring community with potentially more affordable real estate options, the length of time of the commute becomes too prohibitive. Bottom line: more needs to be done to allow young people to live and/or work here, whether it’s through more affordable housing options or better/faster transit options.
 • Red Tape. Many examples were given of challenges before a business could open, and the labyrinth of approvals and expenses that came along the way. Reference was made to needing engineering approvals on storefront signage (a reasonable request to ensure they’re safe and won’t fall on anyone) but there was a lack of understanding of whether the $800 engineering fee was reasonable, or whether more could be done to educate new business owners about alternative options that may be more affordable. Other examples were given about starting down one path of approval, only to be told later in the process that additional items were needed and additional expenses would have to be incurred that they had not budgeted for. Answers given by City Staff were referenced as sometimes being inconsistent with one another, leading to confusion. Overall, many spoke about a lack of support through the process. Those who had been around for 20+ years made reference to having strong and experienced mentors and using their own hard work and ability to pull in experts to advise them on things from accounting to networking and beyond.
Some attendees had no idea if they belonged to their local BIA (or whether they even could), and most did not know about support that could be provided to them through partner organizations like the BEDC. Many wished they could give advice to new businesses setting up shop and better inform them of whether the location they are choosing is appropriate for their business model to help them avoid failure, and whether landlords and real estate agents can better help facilitate that evaluation for likelier long-term success. Bottom line: Can a smarter welcome package be created for those exploring starting a new small business in Burlington – one that outlines all the steps needed before opening, the demographics of different neighborhoods, and clearly directs people to the other resources available to help them get there? Can our staff be well-trained to provide a supportive and welcoming “red carpet” experience when new businesses reach out to start the process?
• Parking. While this is more of an issue for small business owners south of the QEW, such as in Aldershot or Downtown Burlington, it is a known challenge and source of frustration. When discussing Free Parking in December…business owners referenced abuse by people who already have parking passes elsewhere like their condos (but find street parking more convenient), and those who are employees of local businesses and drive to work that month since they can now get free parking. Neither option helps paying customers find additional spots. It was generally felt that there were too many confusing rules around parking in general (paid during the day but not after 6, but free in December, but still no parking anywhere for longer than 3 hours although there are some lots with exceptions to that, etc…). Bottom line: we need to think about the initiatives we are implementing around parking and whether they are supporting the goal they were intended to support.
• Foot Traffic. With many businesses dependent on foot traffic, weather plays a significant role in deterring people from coming across their business unless it is nice outside. There is a history of vacancies in areas due to past landlord decisions that didn’t feel supportive to the surrounding economy, and with new high-rise developments coming, people are worried about more empty storefronts due to potentially high rents. Bottom line: While it was understood the City doesn’t control the weather, or the decisions of landlords, discussion turned to what more we could do to encourage residents from all over town to visit popular events (via shuttle buses, for example) and if we could create more events that take place in varied neighborhoods rather than always downtown.
Next up on the focus group list this week is a session with City Staff and Partner Organizations, so we will have that newsletter out as soon as we can compile the insights and comments.
The Gazette’s take: Not a word, apparently, on the downtown core intensification.
 By Staff
April 8th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
The robins are back and Tyandaga Golf Course is open for business. The City of Burlington’s Tyandaga Golf Course will officially open for the 2019 golf season on Friday, April 12.
Although the course is open, golfers are asked to excuse the mess as work is being completed to improve the cart-path and area between holes 16 and 17. The work is expected to be done by the end of May and should not impact play.
 An aerial view of the Tyandaga golf course. Tyandaga offers memberships, tournaments, clinics, private lessons, men’s and women’s league play, and in-season and off-season rentals. The course combines a perfect mix of urban convenience with rural beauty, natural waterways, contours and mature trees as well as dining and catered private or corporate events. New for this year are student memberships that range from $199.99 to $499.99.
Players wishing to book a tee time can do so online at tyandagagolf.com.
For more information about golfing at Tyandaga, call 905-336-0005 or visit tyandagagolf.com.
Tyandaga Golf Course is an 18-hole course with 4,852 metres of scenic terrain characterized by its natural waterways and broadleaf woods
Spring specials on green fees include $45 to ride in a golf cart and $30 for golfers that are walking
 By Lucy Belvedere
April 8th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
How has the community been engaged in the redevelopment of the Lakeside Village Plaza ?
 Staff with a resident at a Visioning exercise for the Lakeside Village Plaza. in November of 2015 Our first inkling of the redevelopment of the Plaza came at the Community Visioning Workshop held November 24th, 2015. A summary of key fears listed from this event repeatedly included: fear of too much density and height, numerous concerns for intensified traffic congestion and lack of safety, and that it will take too long to redevelop, to name just a few.
We only learned of the actual proposal in the summer of 2018 with open house sessions in the afternoon and evening—July 18th and August 8th. It was appalling because what was presented appeared to totally ignore residents’ fears expressed in 2015.
The July Open House session provided limited information since no formal presentation was made and proved to be disappointing with angry, worried residents milling about trying to get answers, but in truth we were all stunned with what we were facing.
 This is the look of the plaza from Lakeshore Road – if the development is approved. At the August Open House some new charts were created for us. One summarized comments from July and are worth noting here. Under land uses it listed support for revitalization, for new tenants, for a range of housing and rental units. However, the rest on the chart was not as positive and echoed the same fears from the initial workshop with criticizing the proposal’s height and density and generally being overdeveloped. Concerns with traffic impacts, congestion and insufficient parking were listed.
 The Plaza as it stands today. Few shops. Apprehensions about lack of public green spaces with trees, and connection to the parks were recorded. Under design and construction appeared that a better design for seniors be considered and worries about construction and phasing were noted. It’s safe to say that all residents’ first fears were simply stressed once again.
The August Open House also produced a new timeline: that community input would be assessed and a community meeting would be held in January with a statutory meeting held in March. This was encouraging and gave us hope that our voices from the open house events would be heard. Sadly, our hopes evaporated in January when we were unexpectedly notified by the City of the February 12th Statutory Meeting. The proposal remained the same at that time.
Inclement weather cancelled that meeting. Now it is set for Tuesday, April 9th.
Has a revised proposal been presented to Council? If there are any revisions, they are unknown to residents the day before the Statutory Meeting. Our delegations for the Statutory Meeting have been prepared based on the original proposal.
 Residents who took part in the Open Houses last July and August were not impressed with the size and scope of the proposed development, What happened? I quote from page 29 and 30 of the developers proposal under the heading of Public Consultation: “…We anticipate that a local community meeting will be held following the application submission…to present a master plan and engage the community for comments and input…We will summarize all public input through the community engagement process and identify how community input has been addressed with updates and changes…The consultation strategy described herein will ensure that members of the public are given an opportunity to review, understand and comment on the proposal.” Sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? Obviously, that didn’t happen!
It seems that developers’ proposals always sound fantastic on paper, but they don’t put it into practice in reality. Residents have been locked out with this very limited, almost meaningless engagement process. The developer’s planners spent 3 years engaging with the city planning staff, making presentations to Council and convincing all involved at City Hall that it was the most fantastic, enlightened plan for this property. The developer’s planners were so effective in this regard that they were able to shape the new Official Plan policies for the Neighbourhood Centre designation to perfectly suit and allow their proposal amendments. The numerous amendments they request are mind-boggling with many bylaw modifications needed. The proposal mixes policies from the present Official Plan in effect regarding zoning, but presents plans that apply to the Neighbourhood Centre policies in the new Official Plan now under review. It is very confusing. The original proposal for this relatively small site—3.84 hectares represents over-development on steroids!
 Wendy Moraghan will be delegating on Tuesday – she was a candidate for the ward 5 seat in the October election. Where do the neighbourhood residents’ concerns fit into the picture? Why have we not had an official community meeting where we have the opportunity to have the proposal presented and the opportunity to ask questions? How disheartening! What surprise awaits us at the Statutory meeting? Will there be a revised proposal to show that residents input is taken into consideration? We shall see.
Related new stories:
Part one of a two part series on the Lakeside Village Plaza development.
Part two of a two part series on the Lakeside Village Plaza development.
By Pepper Parr
April 6th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
The two pictures below tell the story – the first is what is in place today in the eastern part of the city. A plaza that has been allowed to deteriorate to the point where more than half of the units were empty.
The second is the first version of what the owners of the property showed the public at open houses last August. The people who live in the neighbourhoods are up in arms.
A drab rundown property on Lakeshore Road in the eastern reaches of the city might get a huge makeover if the developer can convince the planners and then city council that their idea is beneficial to everyone.  Massive in scale, overwhelming in scope – but it does go some distance to meeting the intensification targets. The city went to considerable lengths to pull in feed back from the public. Two packed meetings took place at which the public had a chance to look at drawings and ideas put together by the Planning Department.
 The public had hours to go over drawings and talk through ideas with city hall staff. Why is it that the ideas never seem to be reflected in the proposal the developers put forward?  The room was packed – the public interest was there. Few if any of those ideas made it to the plan the developer brought forward in July and August.
A required Statutory Public meeting is to take place on Tuesday evening at city hall.
City staff will present a report to provide background information for the statutory public meeting required under the Planning Act for Official Plan and Zoning By-law amendment applications. The report provides an overview of the proposed applications, an outline of the applicable policies and regulations and a summary of technical and public comments received to date.
There is a chance that the developer will have heard some of what the public had to say and maybe moderate the size and scale.
 Some of the early thinking about development ideas for the site had the city contributing the arena and the parkland on the north to a project that would pull together the area, the plaza and the Burloak Park to the south. The original design put together when the idea of getting something done to the plaza pulled together the park-arena on the north side with the upgraded Burloak Park on the south side. Some of the original design work done then appears below as well.
 Carrie DeMunck Carrie De Munch, a resident in the eastern part of the city who was active in one of the ward 5 election campaigns said: “Lakeside Plaza is a huge concern for all of the east end of Burlington, particularly for our senior friends who reside in the immediate area. The redevelopment of this plaza will impact all of the south of Burlington, and those from southwest Oakville that utilize our corner of Burlington, and also those beyond our western borders who commute along Burlington Lakeshore daily at all hours to get to their workplaces and back.
This development is not part of the area covered by the Interim Control by law that has frozen development in the downtown core.
 By Staff
April 5th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
With good security cameras people suspected of criminal activity can be easily identified. If the person in the photograph is someone you know – the police would like to hear from you.
Detectives from the Halton Regional Police Service 2 District Criminal Investigations Bureau are seeking the identity of a male responsible for multiple daytime break and enter incidents. The entries occurred at apartment building storage areas at multiple locations across the region.
On February 12, 2019 the lone male suspect was observed on security camera entering an apartment building in the city of Burlington, by prying open the front door. Once inside the building, the male stole coins from a coin operated laundry machine.
On February 27, 2019 the same male suspect was observed inside two different apartment buildings in the Town of Oakville, where he also targeted coin operated laundry machine and a storage locker.
On March 1, 2019 the suspect targeted three separate apartment buildings in the Town of Milton, where he again targeted coin operated laundry machines.
 Suspect – Male, olive complexion, 25-35 years of age, slim to medium build, 5’10 – 6’3 with dark hair and dark facial hair.
He was wearing grey coloured pants, a unique black coloured bomber style vest/jacket with a white cursive written logo on the middle back and the word ‘FETL’ over the heart on the front, black shoes with white trim and dark coloured gloves with white writing on the back of the hand.
The suspect was also observed wearing a New York Jets toque during one of the occurrences.
Police are asking the assistance of the public in identifying the male and also looking for assistance in identifying the unique logo ‘FETL’ on the vest/ jacket.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact 2 District, Criminal Investigations Bureau, Detective Omar Nadim 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
April 5th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
Parents can now plan some of their off-season travel plans – the Halton District School Board has released the Professional Activity (PA) days for the 2019-2020 school year. There will be seven of these days for the school year that starts next September.
The list was approved by the Board of Trustees last week and, subject to provincial approval, this is what the schedule will be:
The school year calendar is developed with input from the School Year Calendar Committee consisting of representatives from interested and affected groups, including parents/guardians. The 2019-2020 school year calendar is aligned with the Halton Catholic District School Board calendar, to save resources on school bus transportation, which is shared between the boards.
The calendar outlines the Professional Activity days (P.A.) for staff when schools will be closed to students. Note that two of the P.A. days will take place on Mondays (September 16, 2019 and April 27, 2020).
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