 By Staff
April 18th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
The City of Burlington has a Park Play Experience Fund and is now accepting applications
The Parks Play Experience Fund will provide up to $1,500 to bring people together and encourage our community to get outside and play in City of Burlington parks, trails and open spaces.
 His to discover. The deadline for submissions is Monday, May 27, 2019. The Park Play Experience Fund is a one-year funding program that has been expanded from the Healthy Kids Community Challenge initiative.
The Parks Play Experience Fund will provide up to $1,500 to bring people together and encourage our community to get outside and play in City of Burlington parks, trails and open spaces.
Park Play Experience is designed to:
 Not as easy as it looks – great exercise. • Encourage outdoor play experiences in City parks, trails or open spaces
• Encourage neighbourhoods and community groups to get together and play outdoors
• Create new community connections
• Enhance playability, walkability or connectivity within City neighbourhood parks, trails and open spaces
Ideas for types of Outdoor Play Experiences include:
• Create a walking group on our trails
• Organize a neighbourhood park play day
• Organize a neighbourhood recreation program
• Purchase equipment to be shared among the community that will enhance play
• Introduce new outdoor park play experiences to enhance an existing program and encourage more people to get outside
How the fund works
The Park Play Experience must be:
• Open and inclusive to the entire community
• Within the City of Burlington
• Free or under five dollars ($5)
• Outdoors
• A one-time funding request
• Able to satisfy insurance requirements (listed online at burlington.ca/parkplayfund)
• In compliance with municipal, provincial and federal regulatory standards (i.e. standards for playgrounds, building codes)
 There is a soccer player in there somewhere Each application will be evaluated on the following criteria:
1. The request meets all criteria for funding
2. The overall feasibility of the experience
3. Tangible benefits and outcomes from the experience
4. How many people it will impact in the neighbourhood
5. A realistic budget that clearly outlines how the budget will be spent
6. Ability to complete the experience before Dec. 31, 2019
 Chris Glenn, Director of Parks and Recreation for the city. Chris Glenn, Director of Parks and Recreation has this to say about the program: “Play starts when we are young, but it never really stops. Play is for all ages, cultures and abilities. An outdoor play experience can be anything that encourages participation at any age group or demographic. Passive and or active. Sport, recreational, cultural or educational in nature. Connecting with nature and being outdoors.”
Links and Resources
For more on the rules – CLICK
 By Pepper Parr
April 18th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
There are 150 elementary school teachers with the Halton District School Board who have been told that come September 1st, they don’t have a job.
The “redundancy” notices they received were required under the collective agreement the school board has with the elementary teachers union.
That’s the bad news – and there is more to come.
 Director Miller Stuart Miller, Director of Education for the school board said we will learn next week what we will have to issue in terms of redundancy notices to high school teachers.
In an interview Miller said that some of the elementary teachers might get recalled but at this point we still don’t know what our grant structure from the province is going to be. We usually have that information by now – it might be the end of May before we know what we will have in the way of grant money, what individual schools need in the way of teaching staff and what we will have in the way of retirements.
The provincial decision to increase the number of students in elementary school classes after grade 4 and the need to have bigger high school classes isn’t helping.
Redundancy notices are issued on the basis of seniority which means the newer and usually younger teachers are the first to get let go.
 Teachers reminding the public just what it is they do. Miller did add that the notices have to be issued at this point – “I am hoping that the province sees us as a board with a growing population. We are opening a new school in Oakville.
“I am working with all the secondary school principals to learn what they think their needs are going to be.
“Right now we are dealing with a lot of if’s and maybes.”
While the Halton |Board has a good working relationship with its unions – those unions don’t like what they see coming their way from the province. Think strikes in the educational sector.
Cold comfort for those teachers that got the letters telling them that there is no place for them come September.
By Staff
April 18th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
As most people get ready for a long weekend, hoping that real spring weather will show up, some time might be found to plan for the next set of school holidays.
The Halton District School Board released the calendar for the 2019-2020 school year.
The calendar has to be approved by the Ministry of Education.
Getting a calendar to this point is no small feat. The two major school boards have to get their ducks lined up and then they need to look at what else there is in the way of public holidays.
So far we are not seeing very much in the way of accommodating the Muslim community.
 By Pepper Parr
April 18th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
There is nothing more powerful than a motivated citizen with research skills who takes the time to read lengthy, incredibly boring documents.
 Lucy Belvedere in conversation with ward 5 candidate Mary Alice St. James Lucy Belvedere didn’t like the look of the proposed development for the Lakeshore Village Plaza but she wasn’t prepared to sit idly by and let the developer roll over the residents of the community.
After delivering a zinger of a delegation Belvedere went over the documents that were public and realized she had missed something.
“I don’t know how I missed this! I discovered that in the Official Plan now under review, there is already a designation for the smaller sites of mixed-use properties that can apply to the Lakeshore Village Plaza site.
This designation is called Local Centre Designation and describes Policies for sites that are 1 to 4 hectares.
Belvedere argues that “Lakeshore Village Plaza should be given the designation as a Local Centre since it is under 4 hectares. This would resolve many of the major concerns of height and density and in reality it reflects the Neighbourhood Commercial designation of the existing Official Plan beautifully…allowing intensification without being excessive.”
The controversy over this redevelopment proposal could have been avoided had Lakeshore Plaza been given the correct designation: it is under four ha and should be designated a local designation centre.
“I don’t understand why it was given the Neighbourhood Centre designation that applies to properties that are 4 – 12 Hectares, especially considering the narrow roads that serve this property and the character of this east-end neighbourhood surrounding the site.
Local Centre Designation better suits a Secondary Growth Area Designation allowing reasonable intensification, but not to the extent of a Primary Growth Area.
Belvedere’s finding was sent to everyone that mattered.
During the delegation none of the council members raised the designation that was given, Lola xxx didn’t make any mention either. Did they not fully read the report?
A complete application has been in the hands of the city for some time. Are the east end residents looking at yet another development application that is going to squeeze through because of a timing goof?
 This one at Martha and Lakeshore.  This one opposite city hall. That’s how ADI got away with their Nautique development in the downtown core. The OMB approval of the ADI development gave the Carriage Gate development the loop hole they needed to get a 24 story structure approved opposite city hall.
 Is this what the residents of the east end can expect for the Lakeshore Village Plaza? Will Lucy Belvedere have run the alarm bell soon enough?
 By Staff
April 17th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
This criminal act sets a new level for stupidity.
 On April 16, 2019, at approximately 7:45 pm, the Halton Regional Police Service received a call to attend an address on Walkers Line in Burlington. Information from the caller stated a female had been shot at the residence.
A large emergency response (including police and EMS) was coordinated and attended the address. Investigation found the allegation that a female was shot, to be false.
Zach Gerdes (27) of Burlington, was arrested at the scene and charged with the following:
-Public Mischief
-Convey False Message
It is alleged that the 911 call was made by Gerdes to expedite police response to a separate report in regards to missing property.
Police would like to remind the public that 911 is only to be used in an emergency. It is a criminal offence to make a false 911 call and such hoaxes divert first responders from actual emergencies.
People charged with a criminal offence are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
 By Staff
April 17th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
Ray Rivers is on a short sabbatical, taking some time to think about the significantly different political landscape in Ontario and now Alberta and wonder what impact that will have on the federal elections in October.
 Basílica de Santiago Rivers made mention of a walking trip he had done in Spain where that part of the world is full up with churches – “a testimony to how religion helped keep people in poverty while building monuments to the organization in charge of their lives. Truth is that the meek were never going to inherit the earth – ask Rachel Notley.”
Ray may well have a lot to say about the election in Alberta.
 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
By Pepper Parr
April 17th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
If you haven’t submitted your application for the job of Burlington’s next city manager – you’ve missed out on the chance to pull in close to a quarter of a million each year + a great pension + a pretty easy work schedule.
Applications closed yesterday afternoon.
The Gazette did a story on the process the city was using to hire the next city manager; a number of our readers had comments from those who looked askance at the process the city appears to be using to hire the next city manager.
 It’s a lonely job at times. Interim city manager Tim Commisso The current interim city manager, Tim Commisso who uses the city manager’s office and uses the city manager’s seat at council meetings – made it clear when he was hired that this was a short term assignment.
It didn’t look that way for a bit. Commisso took to using the title Acting City Manager and during the budget deliberations talked in terms of revising the way reserve funds were being looked at and deployed.
When Mayor Marianne Meed Ward did what in the municipal world was unthinkable – raided some of the reserve accounts to ensure that she came in with a budget that was under a 3% increase over the previous year, Commisso said that in future the finance department would group the reserve funds into a “portfolio” of reserves.
Not a bad idea but not something that gets done in a couple of months. Why was Commisso talking about a very significant and strategically important approach to finance when he has just a few months in his short term contract?
When the Gazette first published a piece on the city manager job posting and asking when the public was going to be brought into the picture we got a notice from the Mayor’s office that there would be a media release issued “shortly”.
That shortly turned out to be the same day – the city issued a statement and included a link to the job posting with a Human Resources recruiting operation that was some distance from a first tier operation had posted.
The Gazette got the information on the 12th for a job posting that was to close on the 16th.
There were a number of things about the statements made and the information released that raised more than an eyebrow and prompted some questions:
 Why did it take so long to tell the public what was being done? This Mayor prides herself on being open, transparent and accountable.
When was the job first posted by the head hunters who were given the assignment ?
The whole process that appears to have been used just doesn’t feel all that right.
The Gazette did reach out to the Mayor a day before we wrote the article asking where things were with the hiring of the new city manager – we didn’t get a reply.
Hopefully, whoever the city eventually hires will tighten up the way things get done at 426 Brant Street.
Related news stories.
When was a new city manager going to be hired?
The job posting was to close five days after the public learned about the job,
 By Lawson Hunter
April 16th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
Part 1 of 2 Lawson Hunter approached us a number of weeks ago asking if we might be interested in publishing the experiences he has as he rides the Burlington Transit system. He doesn’t offer any solutions to the problems that exist; all we get are his observations on how transit works for some people. Enjoy and expect some interesting feedback from readers on this one.
Sitting two seats in front of me on the bus a woman was talking, loudly, on her phone. I didn’t recognize the language but it was fascinating none the less. She was speaking non-stop, so that the person on the other end of the conversation couldn’t get a word in edge-wise. And though it might have annoyed a few of my fellow passengers, I revelled in the fact that ‘where else in the world could I experience this cultural phenomenon?’
I enjoyed the fact that this woman, perhaps a recent immigrant, felt comfortable enough amidst strangers to talk so… did I mention – loudly. Was this any different than listening to a bunch of students chatting and giggling with the energy that comes after a day at school? Or two people in the midst of a heated argument?
If you’re a bit of a people-watcher, like I am, sitting on a bus is the place to be.
Old, young, affluent or otherwise, riding on the bus has an equalizing affect. We’re all along for the ride, trusting the expertise of some unnamed driver. The maddening pace of rush hour traffic has no effect on our psyches. Some turn to books, or ever-present cell phones, or keeping a brood of children in line and quiet. Me, I like to witness the exchange between fellow travellers. Taking the bus gives me the chance to experience life up close while watching the city slowly unfold outside the windows.
 Aldershot GO was part of the trip. One day I’ll be on the bus along with, say, Nolan and Lana and their two little children in a double-stroller. They came to Canada from the Congo. They’re travelling from Hamilton to Waterdown via the No. 1 bus. Wait! They’re Hamilton residents but they need a Burlington bus to connect them with downtown services and their home. Almost every day they, and their kids, travel using a Hamilton bus to get to the Aldershot GO station, then Burlington Transit drops them off at King and James, and then they make the return trip. “So much better than our country,” Nolan exclaims. And I got to practice my rusty French for a bit – before we (I) gave up.
At the other end of the city, I noticed a handful of people jumping off an Oakville Transit bus rushing to catch the GO train at Aldershot station – heading for the Blue Jay game vs. Boston. I’ll let you guess how I knew they were Blue Jay fans. Again, wait! It’s easier to go from parts of Oakville into Burlington to catch the train. “The cars are empty,” shouts one fan as she runs past me, “at this time of day. They’ll be full at the Oakville station.” Ahh. So there is some strategy when taking transit.
“I can take more than one bus to get home,” notes Jack who lives not too far from Appleby GO. He works ‘downtown’ (Toronto, but wouldn’t get into specifics). His wife has the family’s one car. Jack sees no need to buy a second car “just to drive six kilometres and then park it all day” or worse drive into Toronto and pay for parking all day.
 Some can’t live without a car – others know they will never need a driver’s license. Sitting next to Jack on the bench waiting for No. 80 is Nick. His job is, “on the other side of the (Appleby) tracks. I just walk under the tunnel to catch the bus”. Nick, who works in IT, doesn’t think he’ll ever own a car. He doesn’t even have a driver’s license.
But not everyone on the bus has the option of owning a car. Students like Liam and Liam, I’m not kidding, take the bus to school every day. Liam (1) complains, ever so slightly, that when he went to Central’s elementary school, the School Board arranged a school bus to pick him up. Each school year, approximately 33,000 students who attend 150 public and Catholic schools across Burlington, Halton Hills, Milton, and Oakville rely on school bus transportation to and from school.
Now that he’s in Secondary School, Liam has to pay to ride the civic bus – albeit the School Board subsidizes students’ fares. Liam (2) notes that his parents pay for his monthly bus pass. Both Liams claim that if they were involved in extracurricular activities, their parents would probably pick them up. “The bus is okay,” said Liam, “but it could be cheaper”. That would be, again, up to the School Board that has a limit on bus travel of greater than 3.2 km between school and home.
 Uber and Lyft are now part of the transit ecology – both are now public corporation’s as well. I caught up with Nancy, who works in downtown Burlington, and takes the No. 3 or 10 bus almost every day due to the fact that she is visually impaired and can’t drive. She mentions that the signage could be larger. “Connections are always a challenge,” Nancy observes. It’s a common complaint for any transit service in North America.
“If I have to go anywhere other than between work and home, I might consider Uber,” says Nancy. She also comments that Burlington Transit seems to be constantly modifying routes or schedules. “They say it’s to make improvements but I think it’s just to make it more convenient for drivers.” When I ask if she is planning to attend any of the public meetings set out to discuss transit issues, Nancy admits that she was unaware that they were actually taking place on the day we met.
I’ve long ago realized that public transit is not about getting about in a speedy manner. Taking the bus is a different lifestyle for sure. It takes longer but don’t we often hear experts tell us to ‘slow down and enjoy the journey’? I can’t do that when I’m concentrating on the other crazy drivers that blast along the roadway as if they were the only person on the road. For me, the bus gives me the time to slow down, maybe read a book, write a story, notice that Spring is finally here, or let me do a bit of people watching.
By Staff
April 16th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
This isn’t a Burlington crime story but it does give us a look at the tools the Regional police have at their disposal.
We hear about the use of DNA evidence on television programs – learning that the Regional police actually do get to use DNA data in the solving of crimes.
 The new Regional Police headquarters has better facilities enabling to do better police work. On February 22, 2019, the Halton Regional police responded to a residence on Sheddon Avenue in Oakville for a report of a stolen vehicle.
Several days later, a member of the public noticed an abandoned vehicle in the same area. Officers responded again and located a vehicle stolen from the City of Brampton. Members of the Forensic Identification Bureau conducted an examination of the second vehicle and seized DNA evidence.
As a result, the Center of Forensic Science later confirmed that the sample belonged to Alex Payne (26) of Toronto. The Halton Regional Police arrested Payne on Sunday, April 14, 2019. Payne was taken to the Oakville station where he was held in custody pending a bail hearing.
The investigation is on-going and members of the public who may have further information pertaining to these crimes are encouraged to contact Detective Omar Nadim of the 2 District Criminal Investigations Bureau, at 905-825-4747 ext. 2278.
CHARGES:
Accused: Alex Payne (26) of Toronto
Charges: Theft of Motor Vehicle & Possession of Property Obtained by Crime
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.
People charged with a criminal offence are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
By Pepper Parr
April 16th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
Whenever Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr stand up to speak he will tell you two things:
The Region is a great place to live and do business and it is the safest place to live as well.
Then he will get into what getting outdoors and enjoying the community you live and work in.
On those subjects Carr is unstoppable.
Here is how he does his song and dance – something he puts his heart and soul into.
 Why location, location, location matters. “Business owners often tell me that Halton is a great place to invest thanks to its prime location, access to an educated workforce and a high quality of life that is second to none.
 What the business community said they did in the last 12 months – and why. “Our annual Business Conditions Survey provides additional insight into how businesses are doing – their outlook for the year ahead, confidence in the local economy and plans for growth. This year’s Business Conditions Report presents the results from our 2018 survey, which confirms that employers and employees continue to benefit from a growing local economy. Here are some highlights:
• Four in five businesses surveyed in 2018 are optimistic about the future and expect economic conditions to remain stable or improve.
• Half of these businesses are anticipating increased profits over the next 12 months.
• Two in five businesses plan to hire additional employees in 2019.
• Three out of five businesses are investing in capital assets and in skills training to increase productivity.
 A strong Regional economy is essential to everyone’s prosperity in Halton. Whether you plan to start up, relocate or expand an existing business, our dedicated Invest Halton team supports local businesses at any stage. Connect with our team and get the latest local economic data and expert advice that can help you do what so many other innovative companies are doing – investing in Halton.
This is pure Gary Carr – and he has the numbers to back up his words.
The Halton Region Economic Development office has administered an annual Business Conditions Survey of local, for-profit businesses across the region since 2013.
Nearly 300 Halton business owners responded to the 2018 Business Conditions Survey. The Municipalities of Burlington, Halton Hills, Milton and Oakville are all represented as well as most major for-profit sectors including manufacturing, construction, professional and business services, science and technology, finance, insurance and real estate, wholesale, distribution & logistics and retail.
If data matters – and it does – the numbers are impressive. Things couldn’t look better – right?
But the province seems to be looking at dismantling the Regional level of government and merging the four municipalities into a single entity.
That is not good news.
By Staff
April 16th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
A lot of the members of the Burlington Fire Department got their start as volunteers.
The department is accepting volunteer applications online from the public from April 15 to May 3, 2019.
 Pump trucks – ready to roll in an instant. All applicants must:
• be 18 years of age or older
• be legally entitled to work in Canada
• pass a health and medical evaluation, and fitness assessment
• have a permanent residence within six minutes travel time to Station No. 5 at 2241 Kilbride St. or reside in Burlington within 20 minutes of Station No. 1 at 1255 Fairview St.
For more information and the online application form, please visit www.burlington.ca/firevol and www.burlington.ca/careers.
The application period opened April 15 and closes at 11:59 p.m. on May 3, 2019.
The Burlington Fire Department consists of both professional and volunteer firefighters. New recruits will be assigned to Fire Headquarters, Station No. 1 or Fire Station No. 5, based on where the applicant lives. The Kilbride station covers the rural areas of Burlington, mostly north of No. 2 Sideroad.
 Fire fighters being trained how to use hoses when extinguishing a car on fire. Deputy Fire Chief Karen Roche, who you will get to know very well if you are accepted as a volunteer, explains what they are looking for:
“We are looking for people who want to join the Burlington Fire Department. Applicants should be passionate about public safety and be interested in a challenging opportunity to serve Burlington as a volunteer firefighter. Being a volunteer firefighter is no ordinary job; the work is varied and challenging but also highly rewarding.”
By Staff
April 16th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
The big news for the city last week was the delegations made at city hall on the proposed development plans for the plaza in the east end of the city that had fallen into disrepair and much in need of an upgrade.
There were 14 registered delegations at the required Statutory Public meeting with an additional 10 walk ons.
Lucy Belvedere set the tone that was heard throughout the evening when she said:
 The proposed development. “The Plaza isn’t in a major commercial area. Lakeshore Rd. isn’t a major road. It has less width than Guelph Line, Fairview St., New St. or Appleby Line. The proposed Official Plan Neighbourhood Centre Policy should be revised to distinguish between the smaller and larger properties given this designation. Halton Region doesn’t support this plaza proposal because this site isn’t in the regionally mapped Intensification area where such a density is generally supported.”
The proposed Neighbourhood Centre Policy applies to sites between 4 to 12 hectares. At 3.84 hectares, this Plaza falls under the minimum size. The new policy permits a reasonable 2 to 6 storey height. However, the floor area ratio established at 2.5:1 is far too much and unwarranted for this smaller site. That same floor area ratio is used in the Uptown Corridor, a Primary Growth Area.
 Lucy Belvedere Further, variance applications can even increase this floor area ratio and allow a height of up to 11 storeys. But, the city has stated that Lakeshore Road, a minor arterial 30 meter road will never be widened. A max of six storeys with a reduced floor area ratio makes more sense. It sufficiently increases the existing OP policy for a Neighbourhood Commercial site under five hectares, with the CN1 zoning which permits 3 storeys, and a lesser floor area ratio. In contrast, Appleby Village is Community Commercial with a CC1 zoning because it is larger in size and has wider roads to serve it.
Accepting this proposal 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.
East-end Lakeshore has only 2 tall residential buildings: one, 19 storeys built in 1978; the other, 12 storeys built in 1983. The rest built since the 80’s have much less height. The average for all 12 buildings is 8 storeys, stretching across 900 metres; these are well spaced and surrounded by green open spaces. This sharply contrasts the claustrophobic concrete jungle created by this proposal. On the Plaza frontage, a mere 165 metres, it proposes 6 buildings, with 4 far exceeding the 6 storey limit.
They are presented as 2 massive structures separated by a dangerously narrow entrance and hide the other 5 buildings in the back. These unacceptable taller buildings, with such extreme density that can’t be justified and don’t enhance the streetscape. On such a small site, the proposed Policy variances are abused by this proposal.
 Dana Anderson, planner for the developer. The developer’s lead planner has successfully pressured and swayed city planners through numerous meetings and delegations to the previous Council to form the Neighbourhood Centre Policy that favours this excessive density and height, absolutely impractical for our neighbourhood. Former Councillor Dennison called it “a Golden Egg in our basket of opportunities”.
Is money and greed to be the primary goal? The proposed policy illustrates the unprecedented influence of the project’s lead planner to shape the proposed Policy to clearly benefit her employer, the developer. It totally ignores residents’ legitimate concerns regarding increased traffic congestion, increased overflow traffic on neighbouring streets, and increased noise levels.
It will result in decreased safety for children and seniors, decreased air quality and decreased sky view. It threatens to jeopardize our present quality of life.
The 5 stage phasing locks us in an endless lengthy construction zone, a nightmare of noise, dirt, dust, and traffic tie-ups, estimated at 7 to 15 years, as I was told at the July Open House. What if the developer abandons these intense, complex plans mid-way and doesn’t complete the project? We could end up with a very unbalanced, unattractive plaza.
The developer is Joseph Popack, who has owned this property since 2001. This American billionaire developer, absentee owner, appears 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. He has allowed Lakeside Plaza to deteriorate to its present inglorious state.
This over-intensification is ultimately meant to maximize his profits and represents his greed. He doesn’t care about our neighbourhood!
Please revise the Neighbourhood Centre Policy to distinguish between larger and smaller sites, to prevent future development proposals from ruining residential neighbourhoods similar to ours.
 Jeremy Skinner Belvedere, a retired school teacher covered all the bases – those who followed her weren’t able to add all that much – except for Jeremy Skinner who has a penchant for getting into the weeds on any task he takes on.
We will report on his delegation later this week.
By Pepper Parr
April 15th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
There never was all that much in the way of a meeting of minds. Today Burlington’s Mayor let Premier Ford know just how disappointed she is with him. In a statement released from her office Mayor Marianne Meed Ward said:
On behalf of the City of Burlington and Burlington City Council, I would like to express my disappointment in some aspects of the 2019 Ontario Budget that was released on April 11 — particularly, the decision to cancel the incremental increases in Provincial gas-tax funding over the next 10 years.
 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. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn In 2017, the Province announced the doubling of the gas tax from the current 2 cents per litre to 4 cents per litre. The funding was projected to increase to 2.5 cents/litre in 2019-2020, 3 cents/litre in 2020-21 and 4 cents/litre in 2021-22.
The City of Burlington currently receives $2.2 million, based on the 2 cents/litre model — over the next decade, and based on the former planned increases, this funding would have amounted to an additional $19.25 million in that 10-year span.
This is money that has been taken out of the pockets of our City and residents — funding that could have been used for essential transit projects, such as buying additional transit vehicles, adding more routes, extending the hours of service, implementing fare strategies and improving accessibility.
 It was a fllod that wasn’t expected. It cost the city a bundle and we now know there is more of this weather coming our way. Where the money is going to come from to pay for future damage is going to come from is now an unknown. We also learned that the Province is planning cuts to the Conservation Authority Flood Forecasting and Natural Hazards Management funding by 50 per cent. This represents balancing the provincial books by downloading costs to municipalities and cutting funding obligations to cities and agencies.
Cuts to flood mitigation and public safety initiatives are the worst places to make cuts and not where they should be done. As a board member of Conservation Halton, I know we continually look for savings wherever possible. The Province needs to contribute their agreed upon share to this important work.
Downloading the aforementioned costs to municipalities increases the likelihood of increased taxes on our residents to maintain the initiatives and services they count on and at a level they should expect.
 Smiles are not going to get anyone anywhere with this Premier. Mayor Marianne Meed Ward meets with Premier at a photo op. As a City, we are particularly disheartened by the fact that these cuts were not publicly disclosed during the official announcement of the Provincial Budget last week.
The displeasure with the Premier could be a little brisker. How about your basically stealing our money – what are you using it for – the new license plates we are going to get to use? Diplomacy, reason and straight up accountability isn’t going to work with this Premier.
By Staff
April 15th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
These are happier days for the BFAST (Burlington for Accessible Sustainable Transit) people. They finally have a Director of Transit services who understands transit and wants to bring about changes.
BFAST has struggled for a number of years just to be heard. They bore the brunt of past Directors of Transit who were just plain incompetent.
A transit staff member said recently that “our Directors tells us every week that a large part of our job is to make this council look good”.
So far they are doing that part of their job quite well – and this city council is providing them the funding they need to create a transit service that people will use.
BFAST announced today that they will be holding their 5th Annual Transit Users’ Forum that will take place on Saturday, May 4 at the Burlington Seniors’ Centre. It will be the fifth annual such gathering sponsored by more than a dozen community organizations in Burlington.
The forum starts at 10:00 a.m.. Doors open at 9:30, and a continental breakfast will be served.
Transit riders will also have a chance to discuss service issues with drivers, who will participate in a panel discussion, and to vote on an annual transit report card.
“Where past forums were dominated by pleas for greater funding, this year’s meeting will focus on sustaining and improving the service. A significant increase in the transit budget, approved by the new City Council, has opened the door to a better transit service in Burlington,” said Doug Brown, chair of Burlington for Accessible, Sustainable Transit (BFAST), the lead organizer of the event.
“We were extremely pleased with the budget increases that transit achieved in this year’s city budget,” said Brown. “City Council’s decision means that Burlington is on the way to providing support for transit that at least meets the average of comparable communities. We are very optimistic about the future of transit in Burlington.”
“Transit is an essential building block for an inclusive and environmentally-friendly city,” Brown said. “Everyone benefits from an improved transit system, including drivers.”
 Sue Connors, Director of Transit This year’s meeting will be co-sponsored by Burlington Transit, which will also provide logistical support for the event.
There was a time when the transit service neglected to provide transit service that would get people to their event.
Can transit fans expect to see the Director of Transit behind the wheel of one of the big buses?
 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.
|
|
