“The governments of Alberta and Canada are close to getting it right on tackling carbon emissions…” Janet Annesley, senior vice-president, Husky Energy
Canada’s environment minister, Catherine McKenna, was back in her home town. She took time from a busy schedule of meetings, including Hamilton’s mayor and the steel industry, to shake hands and meet with some supporters at Hamilton’s Innovation Centre.
Environment Minister, Catherine McKenna,
She expressed confidence that the court challenges over federal carbon pricing by Saskatchewan, last month, and Ontario, next month, will be settled in favour of the federal government. The other Conservative-led provinces of Manitoba and New Brunswick are also backing Ontario’s fight against the federal program.
Alberta’s Jason Kenny has promised to join them and to kill his province’s existing carbon tax should he win the upcoming provincial election there, expected to be announced soon. But Kenny is out of touch. Eliminating the carbon tax would put him markedly at odds with his province’s biggest industry.
Canada’s big oil got floor time at CERAWeek, a conference in Houston sometimes dubbed the Super Bowl of the world’s energy sector. And when they got to the podium they congratulated the Alberta and federal governments on their adoption of carbon taxation. Addressing 4000 delegates from over 70 countries, Janet Annesley and other senior executives were unambiguous.
International investors, even in the oil industry, favour a carbon tax. So what is it that our own Doug Ford, Alberta’s Kenny and the federal Conservative leader Andrew Scheer don’t get? Are they just stuck in the past? Or are they just playing partisanship, hoping for one of those wedge issues?
Sadly that is the flavour of opposition politics today, especially by the Conservative camp. Just look at the socially destructive vitriol being discharged over the so-called SNC Lavalin affair. There is no Lavalin affair. The company is going to trial. And even if the attorney general (AG) had decided to instruct the prosecutor to elect a remediation agreement, it would still have been a legal outcome. Please follow the link below titled ‘Hypocrisy’.
Counting angels on the head of a pin gets tiresome eventually. As we move towards that October federal election date there are real issues which deserve discussion. For example, 2018 wrapped up with an economic rate of growth three times as high as when Trudeau first came into office. Unemployment is at its lowest level in an entire generation.
Manufacturing, despite the walloping US steel and aluminum tariffs, is again leading our growth. Consumer confidence is high again, in part thanks to the tax cuts for middle class Canadians and despite threats about carbon pricing by Ontario’s premier. But there is an expectation that the boom may be nearing an end and our growth rate will be declining. What corrective policies should we now be expecting, and what does that mean for deficits ad our rising national debt?
Ontario and Quebec have been the biggest beneficiaries from the Liberals stimulating our economy, but even Alberta has come back somewhat. Still Alberta is landlocked and its failure to productively engage with its provincial partners, primarily in BC and Quebec, are mitigating against its desire to move more oil to overseas markets. What can be done to further assist that province?
Oil futures will never be as bright as they had been in oil’s history. And the oil industry gets that. They know that the federal approval for, and its ultimate acquisition of, the Trans Mountain pipeline was in recognition of Alberta embracing carbon taxation. That policy enabled Canada to sign onto the international Paris climate agreement.
We’re in this together – climate change knows no regional nor national boundaries. Once considered an enemy, Alberta’s NDP premier has shown herself to be a good friend to the oil producing sector. And her carbon tax helps unite rather than divide. That is as true within the province as it should be within the country.
As the Husky oil executives put it at the Houston conference, “The nice thing about the current policy is that it is deemed equivalent from the federal government,” “We would like to see policy that is recognized nationally, and ideally at the international level, in order to support our trade diversification and pipeline goals.”
Ray Rivers writes weekly on both federal and provincial politics, applying his more than 25 years as a federal bureaucrat to his thinking. Rivers was a candidate for provincial office in Burlington where he ran against Cam Jackson in 1995, the year Mike Harris and the Common Sense Revolution swept the province. He developed the current policy process for the Ontario Liberal Party.
Province of Ontario requesting input from Burlington residents and businesses to assist with review of regional government system
The Region is made up of four municipalities; they might get merged into a single city.
There is a potential change in the air that could impact Burlington significantly.
The province is doing a review of how some of the municipalities are organized. Burlington, along with Oakville, Milton and Halton Hills is part of the Region of Halton.
The province is thinking about changing that kind of organization and perhaps doing away with the Regional level of government.
The regional review is examining Ontario’s eight regional governments (Durham, Halton, Muskoka District, Niagara, Oxford County, Peel, Waterloo, York), Simcoe County and their lower-tier municipalities. In total, 82 municipalities are included in the review.
The Province of Ontario is asking Burlington residents and businesses to provide their input on how to improve governance, decision-making and service delivery for regional governments and the municipalities that are members of regional governments. Burlington is a local municipality within the regional government of Halton.
The public consultation is part of a review of regional governments announced by the Province of Ontario on Jan. 15, 2019. The review, led by two appointed Special Advisors, Michael Fenn and Ken Seiling, is focused on ensuring regional governments are working efficiently and effectively. Once the review is completed, the Special Advisors will provide recommendations to improve governance, decision-making and service delivery.
The public is invited to share their views on the regional government system in two ways:
Send written submissions by email to regionalreview@ontario.ca or by mail to Local Government Policy Branch, Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, 777 Bay St, 13th floor, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 2E5
All feedback is due by April 23, 2019.
There is little doubt on where Mayor Meed Ward stands on this issue.
“The City of Burlington is always happy to look for efficiencies within our government system but amalgamating our municipalities into a City of Halton is a non-starter.
Mayor Meed Ward.
“Burlington is already an efficient council: the smallest of Halton Region at seven members, and the smallest of any Ontario municipality of our size. The Region is also efficient and effective; we enjoy being the safest region in Canada, a Triple A credit rating, high satisfaction on our services, and tax increases at or below the rate of inflation, with a number of years of no increases.
“Similar to the one passed at Regional Council, Burlington City Council passed a resolution – unanimously – to protect Burlington’s identity and two-tiered municipal government system. With Council being unanimous once again in its stance and passing of this resolution, it sends a strong message as to where Burlington is on this matter.”
The municipalities can protest as much as they like, Premier Doug Ford had no problem changing the makeup of Toronto city council – he forced changes on that city in the middle of an election.
It is now evident that once Ford makes up his mind he bulldozes – and that may well mean that the Region of Halton will be a thing of the past in the not too distant future.
The immediate impact will be a significant pay cut for the members of Council. For the six Burlington council members that will amount to very close to half of their income.
There will also be some disruption in the delivery of services: Policing is a Regional matter, Education is a Regional matter – does that mean that fire services will become Regional; will Transit become Regional?
Social services are managed at the Regional level.
Affordable housing is managed at the Regional level.
Should the province decide to eliminate the Regional level of government it will take years to complete any reorganization and the cost of governing will rise.
Now that transit is something the city is prepared to spend money on (they approved the purchase of three new buses) the transit people want to know what you think should be done in terms of frequency of service, peak service hours, key travel destinations and transit connections in the GTHA.
“As Burlington’s population grows, moving around the city should be easy and convenient, including on Burlington Transit”, according to the transit people.
Bfast has consistently provided reliable data setting out where the problems are.
A series of drop in sessions are being held by the Transit service for you to learn more about the future vision for Burlington Transit and for you to share your input on what the future is going to hold.
The Drop In sessions will take place on the following dates and at the following locations: Monday, March 18 – 3 to 6 p.m. City Hall 426 Brant St.
Wednesday, March 20 – 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Central Arena, 519 Drury Ln
Thursday, March 21 – 6 to 9 p.m. Tansley Woods, 1996 Itabashi Way
The people in Aldershot, Alton and the east end of the city are going to have to truck themselves into the middle of the city to take part.
Hopefully, the Drop in Sessions will be more of a listening exercise than a one way flow of information from them to us.
This is also an occasion for Bfast to put together a well-researched paper on what the city needs and where it is needed.
There are changes in the air – make sure the changes reflect what you need – take part.
Director of Transit Sue Connors
Burlington currently has a Director of Transit who brought a strong past with her – she changed the way Brampton put its buses to use – that city once had a terrible transit service. When Sue Connor left it was one of the best in the province.
She listens and genuinely wants a transit that works for people who use buses. Let he know what you think.
In a statement released yesterday Mayor Marianne Meed Ward said: “On December 3rd of 2018, Burlington’s new city council and myself were officially sworn into office.
Victory.
Today marks our 100th day serving the community of Burlington in our new roles. I still wake up smiling every morning, grateful for the opportunity to be Mayor of this amazing city.
I want to take a moment today to share with you some of the accomplishments this council has achieved thus far and remind you of where we are headed together.
As a council, we have already made a big impact on our commitments to our constituents:
• We removed the use of the new, unapproved, Official Plan of 2018 and went back to reviewing the last approved version to ensure we are aligned with Regional expectations as well as the vision our citizens have for our city.
• We approved an Interim Control Bylaw to temporarily pause development downtown and around the Burlington GO station until we can better define the land use we want to see and the policies that will support it. We will ensure the growth and development being approved in Burlington works for all our residents, businesses, and communities.
• We rallied with neighboring cities and publicly reaffirmed our commitment to protecting the Greenbelt when it was threatened by new provincial legislation. As a result, we saw that legislation modified to again protect this vital area of land and its role in our environment, health, and rural economy.
• We listened to the voices in our communities and, in a 5:2 vote, agreed to allow retail cannabis stores in Burlington.
• We led town halls and public feedback collection on our budget process and then delivered the lowest tax increase in eight years, near the rate of inflation at 2.99% for the city portion, and 2% once blended with Halton Region and education taxes.
There are countless events and fundraisers we have shared in with the community as we:
• celebrated the holidays and Festival of Lights along our downtown waterfront
• helped kick off Black History Month and Heritage Month, both in February
• rang in the Year of the Pig for Chinese New Year with the Read Leaf Cultural Integration group
• joined the fun and braved the weather at the Coldest Night of the Year charity walk
• raised money and ate like royalty at the Gift of Giving Back Top Chef competition
• had a circus-themed great time at the Halton Women’s Place Big Top gala
• held a flag-raising for Special Olympics Week
• cheered on the Chilly Half Marathon
• celebrated phenomenal women at numerous events around International Women’s Day
We also took pause to remember the lives of some of the community leaders and contributors we lost, from Pasquale Paletta and Donald Green to Ron Joyce and Bob Brechin.
As Mayor, I am proud to have:
• launched a Key to the City program and helped celebrate the talented life of local musician Mike Taylor of Walk Off the Earth with thousands of fellow fans braving a cold January night in Civic Square
• shared my first State of the City address with a full house at the Burlington Convention Centre on January 30th and outlined our council’s priorities and vision for the next four years
• met with mayors from across Ontario to discuss shared issues and ways to collaborate
• launched the Mayor’s Red Tape Red Carpet Task Force to help remove obstacles to business growth and relocation here in Burlington
For a more comprehensive and detailed list of what we have delivered for our city, visit the “Top 30 Accomplishments in the First 100 Days” post on my blog at mariannemeedward.ca
I want to thank our Interim City Manager as well as each Councillor, five of whom are new to the job, for uniquely delivering for our constituents and continuing to bring the needs of each Ward to the table:
Kelvin Galbraith, Ward 1: “The first 100 days of being a new Councillor have been a massive learning experience for myself personally but an honour to serve. Our new council is a diverse group and it has been great to work with them. I am proud that we are delivering some new services to the residents in the budget in terms of free transit for seniors, new staff for seniors’ programs and the Joseph Brant Museum. We are looking into a bike sharing program to connect residents with our mobility hubs and the downtown.”
Lisa Kearns, Ward 2: “Residents want to re-connect with their City Hall. I’ve worked to rebuild trust through the launch of the first Ward Business Meeting Registry, so you know who is talking to your Councillor, in line with a code of conduct. This directly supports the transparency, accountability and integrity of the government decision-making process and promotes open dialogue between the many stakeholders that make up our community.”
Rory Nisan, Ward 3: “I believe our primary achievement as a council has been delivering a budget that improves the quality of life of Burlington residents, including delivering the Brant Hills splash pad as well as better public transit, while keeping the tax increase within half a percent of inflation.”
Shawna Stolte, Ward 4: “The tree canopy in Ward 4 is a valuable asset to our city’s health and well- being, and I’m glad we have taken steps to protect it and replenish it with the Roseland Private Tree Bylaw and additional funding for tree planting to help mitigate the losses we’ve seen in recent years from the Emerald Ash Borer.”
Paul Sharman, Ward 5: “I’m happy to see the improvements to Burloak Park maintenance for Ward 5, and the launch of city-wide free transit for those who qualify for the SPLIT transit subsidy program, along with free weekday transit for seniors. It is a pleasure to work with our new members of Council as we all get to know each other.”
Angelo Bentivenga, Ward 6: “In these first 100 days, I’m proud to have launched advisory groups in four distinct Ward 6 neighborhoods (Headon Forest, Millcroft, Alton Village and our Rural area), held a well- attended Ward 6 town hall budget meeting, proposed a staff direction to look at how we streamline budget process in 2020, and provided input to the City in providing better hearing accessibility in Council Chambers.”
Tim Commisso: Coach to five newbies, counselor to the Mayor.
Tim Commisso, Interim City Manager: “Council has been focused on building a strong relationship with staff. This priority was an emphasis during their orientation and out of this developed the Civic”ology” program, which is an informal opportunity for council to meet and work closely with staff in all departments.”
Meed Ward added: “There is still much work to do over the next four years, but your council is off to a great start and it all begins with respect for each other, for residents and for staff. By inviting and welcoming diverse perspectives in a respectful environment, we set the stage for great ideas to emerge to address the challenges we face in our community… together.”
If you were around then – you knew the words. If you remember the words there is a group coming to town March 25th, doing a tribute to the Music of the Man,
Monday, March 25 at the Burlington Performing Arts Centre in Burlington.
Tickets are $47.50 (plus Facility Fee & Service Charges) available at the Box Office; Charge by phone 905-681-6000 or online at www.burlingtonpac.ca.
With hits of The Traveling Wilburys and Everly Brothers
That unmistakable sound – Roy Orbison.
The BIG O was unmistakable with his trademark sunglasses, distinctive, powerful voice, complex compositions and dark emotional ballads. From 1960 to ’64 Roy Orbison landed 22 songs on the Billboard Top 40, including “Only The Lonely”, “Crying”, and “Oh, Pretty Woman”. His impassioned voice coupled with his signature arrangements ensured the charting of the hits “Dream Baby”, “Ooby Dooby”, “Blue Angel”, “Blue Bayou”, “You Got It” and “In Dreams”. Mike Demers delivers a spot-on performance of Orbison’s signature sound.
As a part of THE TRAVELING WILBURYS Orbison brought us “End of the Line”, “Handle with Care” and “You’re Not Alone Anymore”.
A prolific writer, Orbison pitched “Claudette” to The Everly Brothers. The track was a co-number one with the Everlys’ “All I Have to Do is Dream”. Orbison and The Everly Brothers tore the house down on TV’s Shindig performing Roy’s “What’d I Say”.
The Everly Brothers – the chart’s third-biggest duo ever – their influence has been incredible.
The Everly Brothers charted 31 singles on the Hot 100, including 12 top 10 hits. Billboard ranked the pair as the No. 66 biggest act in the Hot 100’s 55-year history. The Everly Brothers are the chart’s third-biggest duo ever and their influence has been incredibly wide-ranging. Because their career predates the Hot 100’s launch, some of their best-known hits aren’t on the list, including “Bye Bye Love”, “Wake Up Little Susie” and “All I Have to Do Is Dream”. THE LONELY delivers their single biggest hit “Cathy’s Clown” in a stellar performance.
THE LONELY delivers a sensitive and dynamic tribute to the one and only Roy Orbison plus the hits of The Traveling Wilburys and The Everly Brothers.
Veteran Mike Demers leads this group of musical journeymen in their mutual and deep appreciation of the timeless music of an era. THE LONELY approaches the music with a humble spirit and sincere desire to recreate the sounds and feel of the original recordings. The band has been selling out shows right from their debut.
“For 4 decades I worked in the music industry. The one constant has been the music of Roy Orbison. When I heard that a Roy Orbison Tribute was coming to town I said, ‘Well this I have to see.’ THE LONELY blew me away”! exclaims David Chesney, Publisher White Rock Sun, Canada’s FIRST Internet Newspaper.
Now that they have had a couple of pay cheques deposited into their accounts the members of city council get ready to file their election campaign financial statement setting out where the money for.
The provincial government changed the rules for the 2018 election – donations from corporations or unions were no longer permitted.
Officers and employees of a company or a union could make personal donations.
Those Third Party Advertisers, who hid behind numbered corporations are also required to file financial statement.
The Ministry of Municipal Affairs sets out what is require in the Candidate Handbook. Word for word from that document.
“It is your responsibility as a candidate to file a complete and accurate financial statement on time.
“The filing deadline is 2 p.m. on the last Friday in March following the election (March 29, 2019).
The source of election campaign funds is as important as the election itself.
“If you have a bookkeeper or accountant complete the financial statement for you, you are still responsible for ensuring that it is complete and accurate and filed on time. Financial statements are not required to have original signatures.
“You should contact your clerk for information about whether you can file your financial statement by a method such as fax or email if you are not able to file your statement in person.
“If you filed a nomination form, you must file a financial statement.
“This includes candidates who withdrew their nomination, candidates who were not certified and did not appear on the ballot, and candidates who were acclaimed.
“If you did not receive any contributions (including contributions from yourself) or incur any expenses, you are only required to fill out the first page of the financial statement and sign it.
“If you received contributions or incurred any expenses you must complete the relevant parts of the financial statement.
“If your campaign contributions (including contributions from yourself) or campaign expenses are greater than $10,000 you must have your financial statement audited and include the auditor’s report when you submit your financial statement to the clerk.”
Let’s see what those financial statements have to say when they are filed.
On March 1, 2019, a male was robbed of his personal property while at a meeting with three other males in the area of Old Oak Park located near Westoak Trail and Westview Terrace in the Town of Oakville.
The victim was assaulted by one of the males, forcefully removed from a vehicle and left at the roadside. The victim and suspect were known to each other.
On March 8, 2019, members of the Oakville Robbery Team located and arrested the male suspect. The suspect was found in possession of approximately 60 grams of cocaine and 3 bottles of codeine (a controlled substance).
Alex VRUCAJ (19) of Burlington has been charged with the following offences:
• Robbery with violence • Possession of a controlled substance (codeine) • Possession for the purposes (cocaine)
VRUCAJ was held for bail.
Anyone with information in regards this incident is asked to contact Detective Constable Peter Galopoulos of the Oakville Criminal Investigations Bureau at 905-825-4747 ext. 2274
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 to be innocent until a Court finds them guilty.
The grass roots group that got trashed by every member of city council that didn’t get re-elected has invited the Mayor to be the inaugural speaker for their “Inform Series” event.
The founding meeting – people showed up with cheques in their hands to get it off the ground.
They first met in a basement condo room to in December of 2017 to form what became the strongest force during the 2018 election.
They names themselves ECoB: Engaged Citizens of Burlington, a take off on the city’s claim that Burlington was a fully engaged city.
The purpose of the “Inform Series” is to inform, explain and discuss the important issues affecting Burlington, development, citizen engagement and local democracy.
Mayor Meed Ward will be speaking about the impact of the Local Planning Appeals Tribunal (LPAT) on the ability of municipalities to defend their Official Plans and implement a democratically based development vision.
The kick-off event will happen this spring (June 13th – the date has yet to be confirmed) in the Community Room at the Burlington Performing Arts Centre. The event will be free to attend, but membership of ECoB or a small donation would be appreciated to defray the costs. As an incorporated not-for-profit organization, your help would be most appreciated.
ECoB intends to be a paid membership organization. Membership is $10 a year.
How did ECoB get to the point where it survived an at times cynical onslaught from then Councillors Dennison and Lancaster? Councillor Sharman was just as cynical – but he managed to get re-elected due to the number of people running against him.
Ward 5 Councillor Paul Sharman chose not to take part in the ward 5 ECoB debate. He did send some of his people to hand out literature.
The 2018 election proved to the citizens that if you want to defeat an incumbent make the race a one on one event, unless your profile is so bad that a field of more than one candidate going after the seat BETTER HERE.
In ward 6 Angelo Bxx had worked diligently to build the profile he needed to take down Lancaster – and even then he won by less than 50 votes.
Penny Hersh and Roland Tanner have worked hard since the election to create an organization that will have groups in each ward – those groups will be independent but able to work with the ECoB core for support, guidance and direction.
There are now teams in each ward; some much healthier and more active than others. While development issues tend to bring people out ECoB wants to ensure that it is not an anti-development group. Expect to see them create a get out the vote drive in in 2022.
The 2018 election bought out much less than 50% of the population – anything less than 65% isn’t really acceptable for a community as wealthy and as educated as Burlington.
ECoB feels it now has a mayor they can work with – however they don’t expect to become the clapping – booster crowd for the Mayor. They have created a forum where voices can be heard – something Burlington didn’t have as far back as 2006.
ECoB fille the Baptist church for one of the ward debates. The city had never experienced anything like that before.
What ECoB has taught the city is that – if you want change you have to get out on the street and create it.
ECoB sponsored debates in every ward in the city. They were able to raise close to $12,000 to pay for the space they needed and hire a videographer who filmed every debate. Those debates can be found in the Gazette archives – they will make interesting viewing when the time comes to elect the next city council in 2022.
During the 2018 election ECoB drew a crowd that filled the Baptist church on New Street. Rick Goldring, running for re-election had his campaign manager inside listening while the Mayor stayed outside. He had chosen not to be “engaged”.
ECoB put on classes for people who were interested in running for office or taking part in a campaign. That level of grassroots involvement was something the city just didn’t have in the past – and it showed at the polls.
Oakville North Burlington MP Pam Damoff launched her third annual Young Women in Leadership (YWIL) program. It will run from May 21-24, 2019, and offers young women in Halton the opportunity to job-shadow in a local business, agency, organization, or government.
Local businesses and organizations, as well as young women and gender non-conforming youth currently in high school, pursuing post-secondary education or just starting out in their careers are invited to participate in this year’s program.
If you would like to mentor a female student for one day during the program week at your place of work, contact Hilary Lawson at pam.damoff.a1@parl.gc.ca or by phone at 613-992-1338.
Youth who wish to participate as a mentee are asked to visit my website at www.mpdamoff.ca and fill out the application form. Both mentors and mentees should indicate their interest by April 19, 2019.
BURLINGTON, ON
The annual closure of King Road to allow for the safe passage of the endangered Jefferson salamanders during their breeding migration will begin on Monday, March 18. King Road will be closed from the base of the Niagara Escarpment to Mountain Brow Road for approximately four weeks.
He isn’t exactly pretty but nevertheless plays an important role in the local environment. Comes in different colours as well.
Burlington has closed the same section of road since 2012 so that the salamanders, which are a nationally and provincially protected endangered species, can do what a species does to stay alive..
About the Jefferson Salamander
In Canada, the Jefferson salamander is found in Southern Ontario in select areas of deciduous forest, mostly along the Niagara Escarpment.
Jefferson salamanders spend the majority of their lives underground. As the weather warms up and the spring rains begin, the salamanders emerge and migrate to breed in temporary ponds formed by run-off, laying their eggs in clumps attached to underwater vegetation. Adults leave the ponds after breeding. By late summer, the larvae lose their gills, become air-breathing and leave the pond to head into the surrounding forests.
The Jefferson salamander, native to the northern part of the city could become a mascot for the city.
Adult salamanders migrate to their breeding ponds during wet rainy nights. They show a strong affinity for the pond in which they hatched and can be very determined to reach it, sometimes requiring them to cross busy roads.
Burlington has yet to find a way to celebrate these creatures that are short and a little slimmy. Maybe the Mayor could declare a Jeffie Day and have the media descend on the city to photograph this amazing event.
Wiarton has their Willie – why not a Jeffie for Burlington?
The dark line at the top indicates the portion of King Road that will be closed.
Hassaan Basit, CAO, Conservation Halton
The bureaucrats tend to take a more prosaic view of this event. Hassaan Basit, CAO, Conservation Halton explains that: “The annual closure of King Road by the City of Burlington reinforces Conservation Halton’s promise to form partnerships, which enable us to better protect our natural environment, in this case an endangered species.
“Our ecologists use monitoring data to recommend the timing and duration of the road closure to maximize its impact on the species while keeping disruption, due to the closure, down to the minimum.
“Our monitoring has shown a measurable positive impact on the Jefferson salamander population due to these once-a-year road closures. I would like to thank the city and community. Their efforts are helping in the recovery of this species.”
Mayor Marianne Meed Ward is “very proud of the efforts to aid in the survival and recovery of this rare species. Since the first full road closure in 2012, there has been no road mortality of Jefferson salamanders observed by Conservation Halton staff during the road closure period.”
This tempest in a tea pot has turned out to be less about SNC and more about the PM and his inadequate management of his Cabinet. What was reported initially as political interference, wasn’t. The matter was really about a breakdown in communications and trust between the former Attorney General (AG) and her boss, the PM. And clearly, other ministers also have issues with his management style.
Not the kind of attention she was looking for.
It is clear that, in his eyes, the former AG was not doing her job diligently. So whatever the excuse, he needed to move her to another position or out of Cabinet entirely. Three and a half years is more than the average time for a Cabinet minister in any case, and clearly too long for Jody Wilson-Raybould (JWR). She apparently thought she had an entitlement – to serve at her own whim and not that of the PM. But perhaps he should have been more frank with her.
Reflective …
Trudeau bears much of the responsibility – it is his Cabinet after all. He began his government by declaring ministers would have more autonomy than had been the case since his father first centralized power and control in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and Privy Council Office (PCO). But even so, his ministers should never have lost sight of who was the boss, under whose pleasure they serve, who appoints and/or shuffles them, and who calls the shots.
On SNC Trudeau wasn’t satisfied that all of the options, and the implications of each, had been exhausted. He was concerned that due diligence hadn’t been done, particularly in the case of the new law concerning remediation agreements (DPA). Nobody should argue that it is inappropriate for the CEO of Canada Inc. to be saying – let’s just make sure.
Affronted?
Clearly JWR took that personally, got annoyed and internalized her resentment at being challenged. There is no non-verbal paper trail that she ever took the professional step of communicating her frustration to her management.
Regarding SNC, they have been charged with bribing Libyan officials $48 million for construction contracts including building a prison. But it was another Canadian company whose bribe to the Gaddafi clan made SNC’s corruption in Libya look like chump change. Petro-Canada paid a whacking billion dollar bribe to get access to offshore oil fields.
The opposition parties claim with outrage that SNC’s money went to buy sexual services for the Gaddafi family. Yet Petro-Canada’s money enabled the Colonel to compensate victims of the terrorist bombing of an airline over Lockerbie Scotland, which he had masterminded. And it is interesting that Montreal based SNC, and not Calgary based Petro-Can, became the priority for corruption investigation and prosecution during those last Harper years.
This story came to life with leaked Cabinet-level information, something which would normally be a criminal offence. The recent Mark Norman prosecution, in progress, is an example of what can happen to those who breach Cabinet secrecy. It is questionable whether the PM or his new AG will ask the prosecutor and RCMP to investigate should they determine the Globe story to also be worth prosecuting.
At the beginning …
Still the most obvious direct or indirect source for that Globe and Mail story, of course, would have to be the former AG herself, particularly given the amount of detailed information. It would be a truly sad turnaround were the corollary for this unfortunate saga to be that the former AG has to face criminal charges herself.
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
Earlier this week city council slapped an Interim Control Bylaw on large portions of the city. The freeze was for a period of one year and became effective the moment the by law was signed.
The rules of the game are such that the city is required to accept every application that is presented. New development applications cannot go beyond the Statutory Meeting phase.
This development, being put forward by the Core Development Group that works out of Toronto has scheduled a meeting at which they will present the development. That meeting will take place at Central High School on March 26th: 6:30 to 8:30. Expect it to draw a large audience.
The developers have said that the Mayor and the ward Councillor have been invited. Wild horses couldn’t keep them away.
Marianne Meed Ward used her opposition to development on the waterfront to get herself into office and hasn’t wavered a bit since she became a resident of ward 2.
Everything within the shaded area has had new developments frozen for a period of one year.
The rendering doesn’t show the full height – there is a reason for that.
The proposal is for a 26-storey mixed use residential development with commercial uses at grade at what is known as 2093-2101 Old Lakeshore Road & 2096-2100 Lakeshore Road.
The heritage building located at 2101 Old Lakeshore Road will be retained as part of the development.
It is this kind of development application that pushed the planners to the point where they felt a development freeze was needed. City Council readily agreed but the agreement wasn’t unanimous.
The Nautique – approved with construction underway.
There are funds in the 2019 budget for some research to look into what can and should be done in the way of development for the land between Lakeshore Road and Old Lakeshore Road; often referred to as the football because of its shape. Land assembly has been quietly taking place in that part of the city.
The proposal for 26 storeys would make the building the same height as the ADI Development Group Nautique which has been approved. The contractors have been drilling to learn just where the water table is – they plan on five floors of underground parking for their project.
The battle to save the waterfront continues.
The Mayor just might decide to pull some of the banners used in her Save the Waterfront days out of storage and rally the troops once again.
Is gambling legal in Canada? The quick answer is yes. However, the activity, regulated by the government, is kept under strict control. If looking to play a hand or few, you can find many options in Canada.
From online casinos to hotel-casino resorts, there is something or the other waiting to be explored.
Before planning a trip or indulging in any casino activity, it is essential to know the full scope of the Canadian gambling laws. For starters, there is not one unified law for the entire country. The regulations for gambling in Canada are made by the ten provinces and three territories individually. So, while technically you can find casinos anywhere in Canada, slight changes in rules exist from one place to another.
The type of gambling available to players also changes from one place to another. Most of the standard options include land-based casinos, racetracks, online casinos, lotteries, and bingo parlours. Similarly, the age requirements for entering a casino and even using other entertainment facilities such as restaurants and movie theatres linked to the casino is 19 in most parts of Canada with a few exceptions where it is 18.
Canada has in the recent past experienced some issues with problem-gambling, and the government has taken this problem seriously by allowing people to register under the self-excused program. While implementing the program has had its fair share of challenges, it is the right step towards keeping gambling as a healthy pastime.
A hand like this puts joy in the heart of a card player.
First Nations tribes also have rights to operate casinos on their land in Canada. This has led to separate regulatory bodies such as the Kahnawake Gaming Commission to actively control the opening of casinos, both on ground and online in their region. The Kahnawake Commission offers Client Provider Authorizations to different types of sites ranging from poker to sports betting in the Mohawk territory. They often take charge of online auditing casinos whenever there is some doubt over the authenticity of their operations as in the case of Absolute Poker in 2003.
Established in 1996, all companies taking licenses from the commission need to have their data centre located within the province and managed by Continent 8 technologies.
The commission has especially been proactive in monitoring online casino activity and in 2009 imposed sanctions and fines on the Ultimate Bet poker websitefor cheating its customers. At present they have licensed around 50 gaming operators, but also are not afraid to reject offers even if it means fighting long court battles.
Illegal gambling still exists in Canada. One of the reasons for this is that in 2010 certain sections related to unlawful gambling were brought under the scope of a “serious offence”. Now, the maximum jail term associated with an illegal gambling offence is five years with a $5000 fine.
The primary change in favour of gambling came about in Canada in 1969 with alterations in the Criminal Code. This has, over the years, led to a considerable collection of funds via regulated lotteries by the provincial governments. Now, players can enjoy various forms of gambling at their leisure and relish both its entertainment and money-making value.
Overall, Canadian gambling laws are a lot more lenient than most countries, and especially the USA. This makes Canada a hot spot with professionals and enthusiasts who love the thrill of playing without having to worry about any legalities surrounding lawful gambling,
On Feb. 7, 2019, Burlington City Council voted to re-examine the policies in Burlington’s Official Plan, adopted in April 2018.
The motion, approved by Council, directs Burlington’s Director of City Building to immediately commence a process to re-examine the policies of the Official Plan adopted April 26, 2018 in their entirety related to matters of height and intensity and conformity with provincial density targets.
Council and staff will discuss the scope of work for further study related to the Official Plan (including Mobility Hubs) at an upcoming Committee of the Whole Council Workshop.
City used this photograph in announcing the Official Plan workshop – most of the development is going to take place on the other side of the city.
Council Workshop Monday, March 18, 2019, 1 – 4 p.m. City Hall, 2nd floor, Council Chambers Burlington, Ontario, L7R 3Z6
This is a lot of advance notice – but if serving the public in an ancillary police services role that is an exciting and essential service you might want to attend one of the open house sessions being put on by the Halton Regional Police Service as they look for new 9-1-1 Communicators at a planned Police Communicator Open House
The Halton Regional Police Service is hosting two upcoming open houses for individuals interested in a career as a 9-1-1 Communicator. These sessions will be both informative and interactive allowing potential applicants to learn of the applicant process, training involved and essential skills needed for success in the role.
An operator managing the flow of data on multiple screens -part of the 9-1-1 communicator workload.
Open House #1
Monday, April 15, 2019
7:30 – 9:00pm
Halton Regional Police Service Headquarters
Community Room
2485 North Service Rd. W., Oakville
[Free parking is available]
Open House #2
Thursday, April 18, 2019
7:30 – 9:00pm
Halton Regional Police Service Headquarters
Community Room
2485 North Service Rd. W., Oakville
[Free parking is available]
A 9-1-1 communicator has an incredible array of equipment to work with – one monitor will have map displays that allow them to zoom in on a street in seconds.
The same content will be presented at both sessions.
Space is extremely limited so register early to ensure your attendance.
Interested registrants are asked to email Steve Van Dyk at steve.vandyk@haltonpolice.ca
The Halton District School Board values input from parents/guardians, members of the community, staff and students concerning the development of the 2019-2020 budget.
Individuals are encouraged to provide input on the budget priorities for the upcoming school year online through a questionnaire on the Halton District School Board’s website at www.hdsb.ca. To access the questionnaire, follow the link from the homepage or directly here. Input must be received by March 19, 2019.
Trustees and Board staff welcome public input on budget matters.
Before providing input, individuals are encouraged to review the Board’s Multi-Year Plan 2016-2020, Special Education Plan and Operational Plan. A key objective of the annual budget process is to align the Halton District School Board’s financial resources with these important documents.
Community members are also able to delegate to the Board of Trustees. Please follow the Delegation By-law posted on the Halton District School Board website (found under the ‘Our Board’ tab).
At a Special meeting of Council, on March 5, 2019, Burlington City Council voted in favour (on a 5-1 vote with Councillor Sharman absent) for a staff report recommending an Interim Control Bylaw (ICBL). The ICBL temporarily restricts the development of lands within a study area for a period of one year, with a possible extension of a second year.
The lands in the study area include the Downtown Urban Growth Centre (UGC) and lands in proximity to the Burlington GO Station.
During the one-year “freeze” on development in the study area, the City will complete a land-use study to:
• Assess the role and function of the downtown bus terminal and the Burlington GO station on Fairview Street as Major Transit Station Areas
• Examine the planning structure, land use mix and intensity for the lands identified in the study area
• Update the Official Plan and Zoning bylaw regulations as needed for the lands identified in the study area.
Northern portion of the lands subject to the Interim Control Bylaw
Southern portion of the lands subject to the Interim Control bylaw.
The recommendation to implement an ICBL was brought forward by City staff in response to two primary concerns:
1. Growth pressures that continue to emerge for the lands in the study area
City staff are aware of multiple pending developments in the application review stage where the proposed intensities are significantly higher than those anticipated by the Official Plan. In addition, there are many other expressions of development interest and land assemblies taking place in the downtown Urban Growth Centre and in proximity to the Burlington GO station where the intensities being considered are substantially larger than what is proposed in the current Official Plan or the 2018 adopted Official Plan which is currently under review.
2. The role and function of the John Street Bus Terminal as a Major Transit Station Area (MTSA)
The John Street Bus Terminal is identified as a MTSA in the Province’s 2017 Growth Plan. Its designation as a MTSA was relied upon by the Ontario Municipal Board in its decision to allow a 26-storey development at 374 Martha St, citing that as a MTSA, the terminal could support intensities well in excess of those contained in the Official Plan. The terminal’s capacity to absorb the transit impacts of significant growth plays a critical role in shaping the mix of land uses and transit development within the downtown UGC.
That’s the official line from the city. It was quite a bit more complex than that.
What isn’t at all clear yet is – where did the initiative for this move come from? Things like this don’t just fall off the back of a truck. Someone at some point a number of months ago came up with the idea of a freeze on development.
Director of City Building Heather MacDonald with Jamie Tellier who served as Acting Director while MacDonald was on a leave of absence. MacDonald did all the heavy lifting during the Standing Committee.
Heather MacDonald, the Director of City Building, the Chief Planner, has been away on a pre-planned leave of absence of about two weeks.
The city retained Gowlings, a top line legal firm to provide them with legal counsel on the decision.
The interim city manager has been in place for a couple of months.
Who did the deep thinking? Who thought through the ramifications? Who took a long look at the possible unintended consequences?
And why did the Mayor ask: “What’s the rush”.
Let’s look at those unintended consequences. For anyone, that includes the owner of a single dwelling who might want to build a deck at the back of their property: nyat – nada – nope. You won’t be able to do that.
You can ask for an exemption – it wasn’t clear during the Standing Committee that you will actually be able to get one.
Amica had its plans for this massive development put on hold for at least a year. There will be some grief for a number of people involved in this development.
Amica, the retirement home operator who have plans for a major development before the city to build a mammoth development on North Shore Blvd at the ramp to the 403, learned that they are within the boundary and that they are not exempt. They have a deal in place with the individual owners of a large co-op, to buy all the units. That sale may not get completed. The delegation from Amica chose to be a little tight lipped when it came to details.
As for the study itself – there are going to be two of them – both running parallel. One – the ‘land study’ which starts tomorrow, if it hasn’t already started, the other is the work leading up to the next version of the Official Plan that the City Building department is working one. One is said to be “informing” the other; a new phrase we are going to hear often.
The Standing Committee heard that there are several “first steps” that will get underway on Wednesday. The terms of reference have to be set out and the possible sole source consultants that will be brought in to do much of the work for the city. This will be a large contract – $100,000 appears to be the starting number.
There are only so many consulting firms that can take on a job of this magnitude – there are a number of firms the city might want to steer clear of – no hint at this point on who might be chosen.
The interim city manager, the deputy city manager and the Director of City Building would be the people who would make the decision – they may have already decided who they want to go with.
No mention was made of any request for a proposal.
Ward 6 Councillor Angelo Bentivegna asked what impact the freeze would have on Committee of Adjustment decisions. That committee won’t be able to make any decisions – a freeze will be in place.
The rules that govern Interim Control Bylaws allow the city to lift the freeze at any time. It also limits the freeze to a one year period with a possible extension of a second year and a possible extension for a third year.
MacDonald said that exemptions could be made but that would have to come before Council. She added that she did not recommend changing the boundaries of the study. Once the word was out everyone appeared to want the boundary changed.
What became clear was that the OMB decision made on the ADI development on Lakeshore at Martha was what prompted the decision to go the Interim Control Bylaw route. The city lost that argument before the OMB, in part because ADI’s lawyers argued that the existence of a Downtown mobility hub allowed for the height they were asking for.
The center of the Downtown Mobility hub.
That hub gets referred to as a terminal isn’t much more than a place where you can buy tickets and keep out of the cold. It has taken on an almost mythical force that a developer turned into a winning argument before the OMB.
The Planning department was blind-sided by the developer and the city is paying a price for the failure to be fully prepared.
That decision sent a signal to the development community that Burlington was more than open for business. The development proposals were coming in at an alarming pace – far more than the City Building department could handle. (They should have stayed with the former department title: Planning department.)
Thus the decision to put a freeze in place.
An oddity that came to the surface was that the city still has to accept development proposals. They still have to hold pre-consult meetings with developers and give them the list of the reports they will have to provide. A development application, even with the freeze in place, can go as far as the Statutory Public Meeting phase – the Planning Act requires that.
There was a concern expressed that the clock will still be ticking and that the city will get dinged by developer and taken to the LPAT (Local Planning Act Tribunal) for not meeting the 210 time frame within which to make a decision on a development application.
Heather MacDonald said that it was the view of the Planning department, supported by a legal opinion, that LPAT would dismiss any such application.
A large part of the pause the city wants to take with the freeze in place is to determine just what the future of the terminal on John Street is. At one point the Transit people wanted to shut it down and move ticket sales into city hall. That idea got squelched.
Bridgewater as seen from the lake.
Ward 2 Councillor Lisa Kerns said she would support the Staff Recommendation because it was clear that the City Building department was overwhelmed and had lost control of the planning process. She said that at one point the Bridgewater development was the city’s legacy project – at 22 stories it is being dwarfed by some of the newer development proposals.
The question as to what happens to the development fees that have been paid wasn’t really answered. Nor was there any clear direction on what happens to those developments that were past the Statutory meeting point. It would appear that they are frozen at whatever point they happen to be at.
The value that has been placed on properties adjacent to large proposed developments has shot sky high. Councillor Kearns said some residents are seeing tax bills that have doubled.
Councillor Galbraith didn’t like the look of the ICBL, voted no – Councillor Bentivegna and the Mayor voted for it.
It all came down to a 5-1 vote for the Staff recommendation with Ward 1 Councillor Kelvin Galbraith voting against and Councillor Sharman absent for the second day in a row.
With the vote at the Standing Committee in place; they adjourned, turned themselves into a city council meeting and voted for the freeze then passed the necessary bylaw. It was a recorded vote with each Councillor having to stand and declare their vote – something new to the five newbies. Meed Ward told Galbraith to get used to being the lone dissenter – she had to do it for years.
Zap – everything was frozen.
Now we watch for the unintended consequences. This is a draconian bylaw that seemed to be necessary. Let’s get it right in as short a time frame as possible.
Will Burlington, this time next year, be “one of Canada’s best and most livable cities, a place where people, nature and business thrive”. Stay tuned.
Nice part is – it’s free – takes place at the Performing Arts Centre on Saturday, April 20, 2019 at 4 PM – 5:15 PM
series of FREE wellness movement workshops facilitated by local artists. These sessions will be fun, relaxing, rejuvenating, and a chance to reboot. This will be a time to delight in the diverse creative approaches and energies of four exceptional local artists.
By Ray Rivers
Ray Rivers writes weekly on both federal and provincial politics, applying his more than 25 years as a federal bureaucrat to his thinking. Rivers was a candidate for provincial office in Burlington where he ran against Cam Jackson in 1995, the year Mike Harris and the Common Sense Revolution swept the province. He developed the current policy process for the Ontario Liberal Party.
This is also an occasion for Bfast to put together a well-researched paper on what the city needs and where it is needed.
The provincial government changed the rules for the 2018 election – donations from corporations or unions were no longer permitted.
The victim was assaulted by one of the males, forcefully removed from a vehicle and left at the roadside. The victim and suspect were known to each other.
The kick-off event will happen this spring (June 13th – the date has yet to be confirmed) in the Community Room at the Burlington Performing Arts Centre. The event will be free to attend, but membership of ECoB or a small donation would be appreciated to defray the costs. As an incorporated not-for-profit organization, your help would be most appreciated.
During the 2018 election ECoB drew a crowd that filled the Baptist church on New Street. Rick Goldring, running for re-election had his campaign manager inside listening while the Mayor stayed outside. He had chosen not to be “engaged”.
Oakville North Burlington MP Pam Damoff launched her third annual Young Women in Leadership (YWIL) program. It will run from May 21-24, 2019, and offers young women in Halton the opportunity to job-shadow in a local business, agency, organization, or government.
It was usually a reason for skipping church – forgot to change the clock and didn’t get up in time.
Before planning a trip or indulging in any casino activity, it is essential to know the full scope of the Canadian 
