 By Staff
November 19th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
Holiday magic returns Royal Botanical Gardens (RBG) with Holiday Traditions, RBG’s annual seasonal celebration, entertaining visitors from Saturday, November 17th to January 6th.
North Pole adventures at Hendrie Park include Visits with Santa (drop-in, Wednesdays, November 21 to December 19, Fridays November 23 and December 7), and Santa’s Signature Experience (November 17 to December 23), a separately ticketed event including an hour of programming, and a return trip on the RBG Express train experience.
 Escarpment Train Exhibit takes place in the old Tea House at the Rock Garden. At the picturesque David Braley and Nancy Gordon Rock Garden, Winter Lights at the Rock leads visitors through a winter wonderland with thousands of festive lights, Christmas melodies, food and drink around the firepit and the Escarpment Train Exhibit. This unique holiday experience provides a special evening to capture those perfect holiday memories.
Holiday Traditions is also home to three train experiences. In addition to the RBG Express ride-on train, Canada’s largest botanical train show at RBG Centre features numerous Canadian landmarks constructed from over seven tons of cedar slabs, 3,000 pounds of rock and 250 feet of track, and nestled amongst hundreds of live plants.
The Escarpment Train Exhibit at Rock Garden is the newest locomotive attraction, a “G scale” model set that illustrates three eras of locomotion history. The Escarpment Train Exhibit is available as part of general admission on weekends, or as part of Winter Lights at the Rock.
Weekends are filled with seasonal activities, children’s entertainment and local school and adult choirs. Special events include two evenings of Fest of Ales, a unique celebration of craft beer (December 6 and 7), Brunch with Santa (December 8, 9 and 16), and evening entertainment as part of Winter Lights at the Rock. Winter Lights at the Rock is sponsored by Colliers Project Leaders.
Winter Lights at the Rock
Thursdays to Sundays*, November 17 to December 30 (*some date restrictions apply)
6 to 9 p.m.; Rock Garden
Tickets required: rbg.ca/winterlights
Botanical Train Display
November 17 to January 6
10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; RBG Centre
Included in general admission or membership. rbg.ca/trains
 Escarpment Train Exhibit Escarpment Train Exhibit
Weekends, November 17 to December 24
10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Rock Garden
Included in general admission or membership. rbg.ca/trains
Entertainment: Cartoon Bob
Saturday and Sunday
11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; RBG Centre
Included in general admission or membership.
See weekend entertainment schedule at rbg.ca/holiday-entertainment
Storytime
Saturday and Sunday
10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.; RBG Centre
Included in general admission or membership.
See weekend activity schedule at rbg.ca/holiday-activities
 Winter Walks Winter Walks
Saturday and Sunday
11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.; Hendrie Park
Included in general admission or membership.
Train Scavenger Hunts / Activity Book
Daily
10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; RBG Centre
Included in general admission or membership.
 By Staff
November 19th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
The Festival of Trees is going to light up the Family Lobby of the Performing Arts Centre from November 22 through to December 20
The lobby will be lit up with a colourful and festive display of trees that is sure to spark some yuletide enthusiasm in anyone that visits. This is the 2nd Annual joint community fundraising initiative by The Burlington Performing Arts Centre (BPAC) and the Arts & Culture Council of Burlington (ACCOB).
The twenty five – 6-foot, pre-lit artificial Christmas trees are all generously donated by Canadian Tire – Burlington Stores.
Raffle Tickets can be purchased in person in the BPAC Family Lobby: 1 ticket for $2, 3 tickets for $5, 7 tickets for $10
Each Christmas Tree is sponsored and decorated by a local business or organization within the Burlington community. Patrons and visitors to BPAC will have the opportunity to take one of these trees home by purchasing raffle tickets for the Festival of Trees draw.
 An Andy Kim Christmas December 20th.
All trees will be raffled off and winners announced during intermission on Thursday, December 20 at The Andy Kim Christmas show. Proceeds benefit the BPAC/ACCOB Community Studio Theatre Initiative, which provides greater access to BPAC for local community performing arts organizations. The proceeds will be used to cover the base rent of the Community Studio Theatre at the Burlington Performing Arts Centre for 4 days in 2019.
Stop by BPAC to take a stroll through the Festival of Trees and light up your holidays. There will be feature surprise performances and fun activities for the whole family.
The Performing Arts Centre will be open daily from 12pm to 4pm, and prior to evening performances, throughout the Festival, with extended hours based on Lobby activity.
BPAC and the Arts & Culture Council of Burlington extend their sincere appreciation and special thanks to Canadian Tire – Burlington Stores for their generous donation of all of the Christmas Trees in the Festival and to the following community businesses and organizations for their generous sponsorship of the trees: 27th Orchard Scout Troup, A Different Drummer Books, Aldershot Village BIA, Members of the Burlington Network Group, Bodhi Bar, Burlington Beach Rentals, Museums of Burlington, Century 21 Dreams Inc. – Rebecca Keddy, Conservation Halton, Cori Arthurs Floral Design, Harmony Jewellers, Hayley Verrall Music and Artist Leah Verrall, Holland Park Garden Nursery, Joelle’s & Jeff’s Guyshop, Long & McQuade Burlington, Mirella’s Ladies Boutique, Molly Cake, Mrs. B’s Gifthouse, Nancy Brewer Professional Corporation, S. Taylor Jewellery Appraisal & Consultation, Ti Vesto and Tourism Burlington.
The Holiday programming at the Performing Arts Centre includes:
John McDermott Christmas with Special Guests Dala December 2,
 Lightwire Theater: A Very Electric Christmas December 5, Lightwire Theater: A Very Electric Christmas December 5,
National Ballet Theatre of Odessa’s The Nutcracker December 7 & 8,
A Next Generation Leahy Christmas December 13, and
The Andy Kim Christmas December 20.
All BPAC Presents Holiday performances are generously sponsored by Cogeco.
 By Pepper Parr
November 19th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
With Thanksgiving and Halloween behind us the next holiday Season has to be Christmas.
How do you know it is here? Check out the mall parking lots. Or look for the community Christmas trees that are going up.
 It looks as if Aldershot was the first community to erect a ward level Christmas tree. Aldershot appears to be the first ward in the city to put up a tree. Mayor Elect is doing the right thing early in the game – getting out with people in Aldershot, wrapping her arms around the shoulders of the ward election winner and the second place candidate – the job now is to pull the community together and show them how people can work collaboratively and cooperate.
 Mayor Elect Marianne Meed Ward with Kelvin Galbraith, elected to represent ward 1 and Judy Worsley who placed second. Hopefully Worsley will stay in with the Aldershot BIA. Some questions that come to mind?
The new council will be sworn in on Monday December 3rd at 6:30 pm at the Performing Arts Centre. When the event took place in 2014 there was a motivational speaker – Ron Foxcroft did the honours then.
Does the Mayor Elect have any say in who that speaker should be? And if she does who should Marianne Meed Ward choose to address the audience? Who is there out that that has the kind of public profile needed to attract attention and who has a message that will represent what Meed Ward wants her council to stand for and someone who will resonant with the audience.
Ken Greenberg was in Burlington a couple of years ago with a strong message on how municipal governments can build community. He is one the better recognized planners in the country – speaks around the world.
If Jane Jacobs were alive she would have been a natural.
The decisions Meed Ward makes in this first hundred days are vital to both bridge the gaps that exist between those who won and those who lost and at the same time send a message – this is who we are and this is what we want to do.
Deliver that message with strength, humility and a tablespoon of kindness.
Outgoing Mayor Rick Goldring made it clear that if called upon for advice he would be available; Meed Ward would be wise to lunch with him several times during at least her first year in office.
Sometime in the near future she will announce who will staff her office. The person she chooses as Chief of Staff, assuming she retains that position, will be interesting.
Meed Ward set out a part of her agenda when she used a point of privilege at the final meeting of the current municipal government to make it clear that personal attacks were no longer going to be tolerated.
She said:
 It started at the Polish Hall on election night: where it goes – only time will tell. There were a lot of high hopes in that hall. Meed Ward said “it was very unfortunate that a member made comments that were a personal attack. .
“We have seen enough of that.
“We saw it during the election
“We see it around this table
“It is a new day
“This stops here
“It stops tonight
“The new council will have respect for each other.
“Respect for the people and respect for staff”
Meed Ward has let the city know some of what she stands for; she has been applauded for not letting this slide by.
Related news story:
A strong statement was made: This stops now.
 We asked Burlington residents that we know and have communicated with in our seven years of operation what they think the new city council needs to do in its first 100 days.
They get sworn in on December 3rd. There are a lot of people unhappy with transit; with the thinking coming out of the Planning department and worried about 4% tax increases. People voted for a new path to get the city out of the rut many feel it is in.
By Don Fletcher
November 18th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
“What a great initiative!
Asking for engaged citizens’ ideas, prior to the swearing in of our new Council.
While not original, I think the primary objective of the new Council has to be to “fix” our proposed Official Plan.
 By “fix”, I mean to retract from the Halton Region’s inbox our current proposal, and in particular, modify and resubmit a downtown plan (with community support) to be a mid-rise (4-8 storey) community, as opposed to the proposed high-rise ( 14- 25 storey) alternative.
Why?
Because:
1) This is what our Mayor-elect Marianne Meed Ward campaigned on. Trust needs to be restored.
2) The urgency of the submission was self-imposed and the Region will understand, given the “sea change” based on this issue at City Hall.
3) It’s what most engaged citizens want, because they felt that they were being ignored with its’ hasty approval. It became an “election issue”, maybe the central one.
4) It will unquestionably be the “elephant in the room” with all other matters. Deal with it upfront!
5) The developers need certainty with what is permissible in making future investments.
6) LPAT, unlike its’ predecessor OMB, treats the Official Plan as an enforceable criterion (I.e. teeth).
7) The Official Plan has longevity, unlike many of us.
 Planning staff put together charts and posters to advise, educate and inform the public. Okay. So nothing radically new there!
I would like to add a “how” we could do this..
Relationship is the medium for results and accomplishments.
I learned this as an executive of a $5B successful Canadian public corporation.
We have a largely new Council with a current understanding of what the residents want, and a staff that mistakenly thought they did.
I’m not a big fan of the one employee of Council, City Manager construct, with all of its’ implications. It feels as though we, the citizens through their representatives, are having our input constricted through a straw.
I recommend that the new Council convene an offsite (3-day) planning session, with all the functional heads in the administration (including the City Manager) at City Hall, to work through the City’s values, objectives and plans. A derivative benefit of such a meeting would be to begin developing those relationships needed to move the City forward and in a positive direction.
I know of a few very capable facilitators who could help.
What should I be paid for this idea?
A seat at the offsite meeting table. After all, I am a management consultant.”
Don Fletcher is a downtown Burlington resident who has been a city council watcher for some time. Before retirement he was a senior vice president with a public Canadian company in the communications and entertainment field.
 By Staff
November 17th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
The Halton Regional Police Service is investigating a robbery which occurred on New Street on Friday afternoon when a pm, a lone male suspect attended Luxe Jewellery located at 5111 New Street in Burlington.
 The male was armed with a black handgun and confronted the lone employee of the store. The suspect then stole several pieces of jewelry from display cases, before leaving the area on foot.
The suspect is described as a male with a light complexion, approximately 25-35 years of age, 5’10” with an average build and scruffy facial hair. The suspect was wearing red Adidas pants, a dark jacket, black gloves, and white running shoes. The jewellery that was stolen was placed into a black backpack.
Anyone who may have any additional information pertaining to this investigation is asked to contact Detective Constable Dave Griffiths of the Halton Regional Police at 905-825-4747 ext. 2350.
Tips can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers “See Something? Hear Something? Know Something? Contact Crime Stoppers” at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.ca
By Pepper Parr
November 16th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
It was the last meeting of a city council first elected eight years ago.
It took place in make-shift space while a refurbished council chamber was being completed next door. Seen as a “lame duck” municipal government with a mandate that had mere weeks left, it was still fractional, and unable to work as a cohesive whole.
Council meetings traditionally end with members of Council speaking to concerns in their wards. In this instance they all chose to speak of their achievements during the eight years they served the public.
The Strategic Plans, which up until this council was first elected, were traditionally the plan that a Council was set for the four year term.
In 2011 city council decided to create a 25 year Strategic Plan that they expected other councils to follow. New city councils are not obliged to stick to that Plan created in 2011.
The Official Plan got sent off to the Region where it has to be approved to ensure that the city’s OP fits with the Regional OP. The problem with that is most of the newly elected council didn’t buy into the OP that was passed against the objections of the vast majority of the 30 + people who delegated before city council earlier in the year. That story isn’t over yet.
City manager James Ridge was absent; the city staff position, delivered by Deputy City Manager Mary Lou Tanner, was that council and staff had worked very well together.
If one were to define the issues that motivated many of those who elected a new municipal government, the disrespect many people felt the council had for the people who were delegating and the degree to which council relied on Staff reports that. Ward 2 Councillor Marianne Meed Ward and now Mayor Elect consistently pushed staff for answers. The other members of Council, for the most part, accepted the reports. Mayor Goldring did get better at asking questions during his second term.
It was clear to anyone watching the web cast that John Taylor is going to miss being a city Councillor. It had become the focus of his life – he is literally counting the days until he has to give up his parking spot and turn in his security pass – they will probably let him keep the one he has. Expect him to be on the phone on December 3rd, trying to resolve an issue for someone. He said that being a city councillor was the :“Best job I ever had.”
Councillor Lancaster told her colleagues that the event she will remember most is the occasion when she repelled down the side of a 26 story tower.
Ward 4 Councillor Jack Dennison wasn’t quite ready to give up his job or accept the fact that he lost his election.
He had the temerity to say that: “A portion of my traditional support was taken away by the vote Marianne Team and my opponent with non-factual information with the result that the enjoyable honour I have had of serving my constituents and the city is over. I guess I am not too young to retire. See you around.”
It was a stunning, totally ungracious comment made at the last sitting of the current council at city hall.
The Dennison comments were followed by a few words from Councillor Lancaster who said the event she remembers most fondly was the day she repelled down the side of a 26 story building. Not sure where the value to the public was in that event.
Mayor Goldring closed out the comments by talking about what he felt had been achieved during the eight years he was the Chief Magistrate.
Mayor elect Meed Ward began to respond to the Dennison comment when the Mayor pointed out that comments were not debatable. Meed Ward replied that she wanted to make a”point of privilege” which the Mayor didn’t fully understand and turned to the Clerk for direction.
Meed Ward said she could help the Clerk and read out the section of the Procedural by law that states when the integrity, character or reputation of a member is made a “point of privilege” allows the member to draw attention to the remarks and the member has the right to respond.
She then proceeded to make the point that was really what the election was all about.
Meed Ward said “it was very unfortunate that a member made comments that were a personal attack. .
“We have seen enough of that.
“We saw it during the election
“We see it around this table
“It is a new day
“This stops here
“It stops tonight
“The new council will have respect for each other.
“Respect for the people and respect for staff”
It was a blunt direct statement from a woman who had to put up with at times disgraceful behavior on the part of every member of council.
No more.
By Pepper Parr
November 15th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
Some of the newly elected members of city council have taken a holiday, others have buckled down and gotten into what is going on in their wards.
Kelvin Galbraith, the Councillor elect for ward 1 is discovering just how much there is going on in his ward.
The largest housing re-development in the city will be taking place in Aldershot when a British Columbia pension fund begin what is going to be a re-build of the Georgian Court community at Plans Road and King.
 The Georgian Court community is to be re=developed; it is the largest residential development the city has experienced. That isn’t the only project. There are three developments along Plains Road that are before the Ontario Municipal Board – they got there before the LPAT Local Planning Authority Tribunal was in operation. Some of the developers filed appeals before the projects got to city council.
 Kelvin Galbraith likes what he sees on the Adi development site.  Kelvin Galbraith understands that the King Paving site on the west side of Waterdown, right across the Adi site will be developed earlier than many expect. The Adi development just south and a little west of the Aldershot GO station is now underway. It will butt up against Waterdown Road. On the west side of Waterdown, the current King Paving site, is said to be in talks with a buyer for the property. Galbraith thinks there might be a decision on that site much sooner than most people realize.
We walked through the streets at the Waterdown – Plains Road intersection where Galbraith pointed out the commercial operations along Cooke Blvd that had either been sold or were in talks with possible buyers.
Sold Gold, the adult entertainment site, has a development application before the Planning department. Galbraith thinks this is the best place for the long desired supermarket the residents wants. The developer wants to put up two 11 storey buildings which Galbraith say fit with the new Official Plan.
Galbraith, who runs a fitness operation close to the intersection of Plains Road and Waterdown knows that at some point he will find a buyer for the land at his door. And he acknowledges that when that happens he will be in a conflict of interest and has said that he will report any sale of his property (he has owned the building for more than 15 years) to his colleagues and not take part in the debate or discussion.
The property to the north of his building on the west side of Waterdown is now owned by the Emshie interests.
 The sculpture put up at the Waterdown -Plains Road intersection frames the Councillor Elect Kelvin Galbraith. Aldershot currently has much more in the way of local development taking place than ward 2 where much of the concern about the rate of growth is taking place.
Galbraith thinks what is taking place in Aldershot is healthy and he is currently meeting with residents to listen and answer their questions.
The Gazette found Kelvin to be open, as transparent as they get and just a little naïve (that was meant as a compliment – this isn’t a man too full of himself – he is well grounded and confident) on the role he now plays in the way his part of the city is going to grow.
He wants to see more in the way of restaurants. The Tim Hortons and the McDonalds are where people tend to gather – he wants more options.
 Galbraith meets with residents at a local Tim Hortons. During our walk about we met at Tim Hortons and talked about where we would be going. While sitting at the table a couple of residents, who didn’t recognize Galbraith until he was pointed out to them, immediately struck up a conversation. Earlier in the day Kelvin had met with some of the more politically active residents who wanted to get the measure of the man. He met with people at the coffee shop three times that day.
During our conversation Kelvin asked how formal the swearing in that is to take place on December 3rd was. I said a suit and a tie would be expected. Kelvin said he didn’t own a suit. He will be going shopping.
Kelvin is more of a hands on guy – he wears gym clothing – casual, casual is more his style.
He is going to be one to watch. There is a solid practical streak to the man. He understands what a business is and doesn’t shy away from growth.
 Kelvin Galbraith – His DNA is pure Aldershot. His DNA is pure Aldershot – what you see is what you get. No pretenses. He does his homework. He has been working hand in hand with Rick Craven the retiring ward 1 Councillor and with Mayor Elect Marianne Meed Ward. Not at the same time mind you.
We suspect she will find Kelvin to be the kind of Councillor she is going to need during the first year. While the learning curve for all five newcomers is going to be steep we expect Kelvin Galbraith to be more adept than the other on working his way up that curve.
So far, those who have met him, seem pleased with who they elected.
 By Staff
November 15th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
While they are frequently incorrect the weather people are predicting the first significant snowfall of the season.
People are being asked to drive more carefully.
Spencer Smith Park may be reflecting the end of that period of time when the fall weather and the leaves on the ground get covered in snow.
 Seasons aren’t what they used to be – are they?
By Staff
November 15th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
On November 14th 2018 shortly after midnight, police responded to simultaneous alarms from Starbucks and Pita Pit located at 3051 Walkers Line (near Dundas St.) in Burlington.
Upon arrival, officers observed the glass doors to both businesses smashed and confirmed break and enters had occurred and the suspects were no longer present. The investigation revealed that both entries were done at the same time by two separate suspects who targeted cash registers however both left empty handed.
At approximately 12:20 AM, an observant officer located a suspicious male near a closed restaurant in the area of Appleby Line and Dundas Street. The male was arrested and found to be in possession of keys to a GMC Savanna van which was quickly located unoccupied behind another plaza in the area of Appleby Line and Taywood Dr.
After further investigation, it was determined that the van had been recently stolen from a U-Haul business in Brampton and that the man arrested was the same man that broke into Starbucks.
Christopher Michael HANN (35-Yrs) of Brampton was held for bail charged with break & enter, possession of break-in instruments, theft of motor vehicle, possession of property obtained by crime over $5000 and two counts of breaching probation.
The suspect that broke into Pita Pit was not located however he is believed to be involved in a subsequent break and enter. At approximately 12:37 AM, police received a call from a witness who observed a silver or light blue SUV smash into the rear glass doors of Mindy Nail Salon located at 414 Plains Rd. E in Burlington.
Two men were observed entering the business and stole $270 worth of equipment including nail dryers, fingernail fan and files before fleeing the scene in the vehicle.
Suspect #1 (also believed to be involved in the Pita Pit entry) is described as a white male, approximately 6′ tall, medium build, wearing a light coloured zipped hoodie, black pants, white shoes and thin gloves.
Suspect #2 is described as a white male, approximately 6′ tall, medium build, wearing an orange construction safety style shirt with florescent yellow X pattern on the front and back, black pants, dark shoes, toque and thin gloves.
Anyone with information is asked to contact D/Cst. Dave Griffiths of the Burlington Criminal Investigations Bureau at 905-825-4747 Ext. 2350.
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 .
 We have asked Burlington residents that we know and have communicated with in our seven years of operation what they think the new city council needs to do in its first 100 days.
They get sworn in on December 3rd – tell us what you think has to be done in that first 100 days to set a new path and get out of the rut many feel the city is in.
There are a lot of people unhappy with transit; unhappy with the thinking that is coming out of the Planning department and worried about annual tax increases of around 4%
We asked the people we knew, they aren’t all friends of the Gazette, what they thought could be done and should be done.
By Jim Young
November 15th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
The first thing Burlington has to do is to breathe. Everybody just take a deep breath. We have voted to change council in a massive way that has replaced not only most of the Councillors, but hopefully has transformed the viewpoints and attitudes that previously prevailed. We, and they, now need a little time to digest this.
If I have learned only one thing in my years of committee involvement and delegation at City Hall; it is that municipal politics move slowly and when we consider the importance of city actions and decisions that is probably a good thing. So where is the need to rush?
On October 23rd, we awoke to a new mayor, five brand new city and regional Councillors and one returned incumbent. Our new mayor is smart, savvy and brings eight years’ experience on council to her new role. But, with the utmost respect and support for her, she needs time to adjust to her new role which I have no doubt she will accomplish.
Our new Councillors need time to get their feet under the table, understand their new roles and some of the procedures and protocols of the job. Even the returning Councillor Sharman may need time to adjust to a new and very different council in which he may now find his views in the minority.
Individually we may have voted for or against them but they are now our democratically elected City Council and, as such, deserve our backing and support, at least until we get an honest and reasonable opportunity to judge them in action. Let us not rush to criticize or condemn.
City staff also need time to adjust to their new reality too. If our new Councillors hold true to their promises of change, this will create a seismic shift in many of the directions they have been following up until now.
Like a large ship, any city needs time to change course. This is not a time for recriminations or wholesale staff changes. We need an orderly transition to the new citizen/city paradigm we have been promised.
 Regional Councillors displaying the new 2 gallon blue boxes. They have one more meeting as a Regional government before their term of office ends. Perhaps more important than the first 100 days of the new council are the few remaining days of the outgoing council. Until the new Councillors officially take their seats on December 3rd, we are at the mercy of outgoing City Councillors who also double as Regional Councillors. This leaves them with a major say in the Regional Adoption of the New Official Plan which the majority of them favoured but was the main reason so many of them are no longer city Councillors.
We must demand that they accept that the people have spoken finally and emphatically against the adoption of The New Official Plan and conduct themselves accordingly. For them to vote at the Region to adopt the Plan, while perfectly legal, would be morally repugnant and an act of unparalleled vindictiveness on their part.
The outgoing Regional Council should must defer to the clearly voted wishes of the people of Burlington. They have spoken and deserve that the outgoing council take the high road on this matter.
Meantime let us not rush to oppose our new batch of city Councillors or demand immediate answers to long term issues but support them in their transition and give them the opportunity to live up to their promises.
We elected them, let them prove themselves worthy. In order to do that they need and deserve a little breathing room.
By Staff
November 14th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
In the blink of an eye, any impaired driver can ruin lives forever. Horrific and heartbreaking headlines of impaired driving aftermath never seem to end, and it affects us all. Worst of all, it is completely preventable. Crime Stoppers can help.
With the recent legalization of cannabis in Canada, the potential for drug impairment on our roads, trails, and waterways may increase – driving high is no different from driving drunk or driving under the influence of other drugs. Impaired is impaired.
 According to Halton Police, there have been 500 impaired driving arrests in Halton Region so far this year. That number will, unfortunately, only increase as we head into the busy holiday season.
If you suspect an impaired driver on the road, please call 9-1-1 to report it directly and immediately to police.
So how can Crime Stoppers help? If you know of, or suspect, an habitual impaired driver (whether alcohol, cannabis, or other drugs) and wish to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers. So far this year, impaired driving tips to Halton Crime Stoppers have resulted in license suspensions, criminal charges, vehicle impoundments, and several other Highway Traffic Act offences. Those tips directly helped improve the safety of our roads and communities, and they may have prevented the next horrific and heartbreaking headline.
David Wood, director of Halton Crime Stoppers, said this is just one opportunity for the community and Crime Stoppers to drive community safety in Halton.
“Our mission is to reduce crime in Halton Region through community education and engagement in partnership with the public, the police, and the media and by providing citizens the ability to provide information with guaranteed anonymity to deter and solve crime, with rewards offered for tips that lead to an arrest,” Wood said.
“We appreciate the impaired driving tips we receive from the public and are proud that these tips can and do directly translate into effective action by Halton Police to get impaired drivers off our roads”.
Wood said Crime Stoppers is a citizen-run charitable organization that has helped police maintain Halton as one of the safest regions in Canada. “Our board routinely authorizes reward payments for anonymous tips that solve or deter crime,” Wood added. “We want the public to know that Crime Stoppers operates 24 hours a day, 365 days per year, so people in the community can anonymously provide information that police may need to solve and deter crime. Callers are never asked to identify themselves and never have to testify in court because their anonymity is guaranteed.”
Wood said Crime Stoppers is only successful because people make the effort to call the tip line to provide information that can help solve crime and keep our keep our communities safe.
 Detective Constable Jodi Richmond, Coordinator, Crime Stoppers of Halton Tips can be submitted Halton Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or by visiting www.haltoncrimestoppers.ca.
For more information, please contact:
Contact: Detective Constable Jodi Richmond
Coordinator
Crime Stoppers of Halton
By Pepper Parr
November 14th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
There were more than 1000 people wanting to know more.
They filled the auditorium, then they filled the cafeteria and then they asked some people to move to the library where briefings were being given on the iStem program that will be offered to the September 2019 grade 9 class at Aldershot high school.
 This is the crowd in the cafeteria – there were even more people in the auditorium and more in the library. The program was one of the outcomes of the Program Accommodation Review that took place in 2016 that closed two of the city’s seven high schools.
Aldershot was spared in part because the original recommendation was to close Central high school.
In 2016 the debate was about closing schools. The Board of Education was close to desperate in wanting to get some good news out.
The idea of doing something special, something almost radically different got put on the table by a trustee and staff took to the idea.
 Superintendent Terri Blackwell and Director of Education Stuart Miller- delighted with the turn out. Director of Education Stuart Miller handed the task of overseeing the closure of the two high schools, Lester B. Pearson and Bateman high school, to Superintendent Terri Blackwell who ran with it.
She researched, pulled together a rather impressive group of advisers from the academic community and came back with a report that didn’t require a lot of additional funding and was academically sound.
The trustees bought in and Blackwell was in business; creating a new program that said to students: We won’t ask what you want to be…We will ask: What problem do you want to solve?
It was a challenge that brought out, perhaps the largest crowd Aldershot high school has ever seen.
 Students filling in the application forms for the iStem program. People were filling in applications on the spot.
The Board of Education got far more people than they expected. They ran out of brochures and Superintendents who were explaining the course content had voices that began to fail them.
Superintendent Julie Hunt-Gibbons said she didn’t expect to have a voice she would be able to use the next day as she answered detailed questions.
The audience she was talking to had a hunger for something different for their children. Hunt-Gibbons stressed that while Stem – Science, technology, engineering and mathematics were core, English, history and French also mattered.
The program starts with grade 9 students.
 Kerry Sagar, lead instructor for the iStem program at Aldershot high school. Board staff wore white lab coats and actually scurried from place to place in the school. They were pumped, excited about the program that was being offered, and just a little stunned at the number of people who kept streaming through the doors of the school.
Miller told the audience that the world we live in needs innovation and ingenuity and schools needed to teach differently so that students could go out into a world much different than the one their parents took part in.
The iStem program is, in part, a program in which students will learn how to learn.
Learning by rote and memorizing will not be as important; students would learn by doing.
 iStem Curriculum for grades 9 and 10  iStem curriculum for grades 11 and 12 The Board at this point has no idea how many people will actually apply. Their initial enrollment projection was pretty low – they hoped there would be at least one full grade 9 class. If the size of the audience and the questions they asked are any indication – there could be three different grade 9 classes at Aldershot in September of 2019.
The board has said there will be no caps on the size of the program.
There is a lot more to tell about this program.
The iStem program is set to run in the western end of the Region – this will end up being offered in Milton and Oakville.
Miller said the program could become a model for the way students are taught. He could be right.
By Staff
November 14th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
The Halton Regional Police along with other area police services were experiencing a rash of roof-top commercial break and enters into various retail businesses.
Since October 4th 2018, there have been 13 reported entries or attempted entries between Halton, Peel, York, Waterloo and Hamilton.
Investigators from the involved police services have been working closely and sharing information which ultimately led to the identification of three persons responsible for many of these entries.
On November 12th 2018, Halton Regional Police investigators arrested three men and executed three search warrants on homes and a rental car that resulted in the seizure of stolen property, break and enter tools and a large quantity of cash.
The investigation is ongoing to determine if others persons are involved and/or if additional charges are to be laid.
Armend HYSENI (25-yrs) of Hamilton and Flamur HAZIRI (30-yrs) of Kitchener are both charged with six counts of break and enter while Milaim BRANTON (34-yrs) of Hamilton is charged with six counts of break and enter and one count of possession of break-in instruments.
All three men were released on a Promise to Appear with an Undertaking and will appear in Milton Court on December 12th 2018.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Clay Gillis the Burlington Criminal Investigations Bureau – Commercial Crime Team at 905-825-4747 Ext. 2307.
Tips can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers “See Something? Hear Something? Know Something? Contact Crime Stoppers” at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), or through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.ca .
By Staff
November 13th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
City of Burlington wants you to volunteer for a board or committee
Burlington is accepting volunteer applications for some of the city’s committees and boards. Volunteering your time on a committee or board is a great way to make a difference and provide community feedback.
Applications for local boards and committees are available online, at City Hall and city facilities and can be submitted until Friday, Nov. 23, 2018.
For more information about citizen committees or to apply for a volunteer position, contact the Clerks Department at 905-335-7600, ext. 7481 or visit burlington.ca/citizens. New opportunities will be posted in 2019.
 Danielle Manton, Burlington Manager of Election and Committee Services Danielle Manton, Manager of Election and Committee Services said: ““Getting involved with a board or committee is a great way to get involved and provide insight that will go to staff, Mayor and City Councillors.
“You don’t have to be an expert in any of the committee topics; you just need to have an interest in helping your city.”
Several citizens have suggested there might be a better way for citizens to involve themselves in the decisions that get made. Having a seat at the table where the decisions are made is one approach that has been suggested.
A number of people don’t think Advisory Committees have any clout, especially if they are members of Council on the committee who tend to guide and determine the direction a discussion can go.
Burlington isn’t yet at the point where citizens can speak their minds freely without a local Councillor directing the conversation.
The new city council might be different – that remains to be seen.
Application form is available.
 We have asked Burlington residents that we know and have communicated with in our seven years of operation what they think the new city council needs to do in its first 100 days.
They get sworn in on December 3rd – tell us what you think has to be done in that first 100 days to set a new path and get out of the rut many feel the city is in.
There are a lot of people unhappy with transit; unhappy with the thinking that is coming out of the Planning department and worried about annual tax increases of around 4%
We asked the people we knew, they aren’t all friends of the Gazette, what they thought could be done and should be done.
Krista Richards doesn’t see much that she likes at city hall.
By Krista Richards
November 13th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
This election we almost got a full clean sweep of council. That is a huge message for this new council.
 Lori Jivan, Acting coordinator of budget and policy patiently leads people through an explanation of the budget and the workbook the city created. Hitting the ground running is an understatement. The most obvious thing to deal with is the new budget. And more to it, how the City treats the taxpayers and Citizens of Burlington with how they spend our money.
In the past 4 years, City Hall including past council, spent money recklessly on “nice to haves”, 3rd party contractors, and consultants that even a high schooler could see was a waste of money. Meanwhile Mr. and Mrs John Q Taxpayer had City Staffers (NOT ALL OF THEM), ignoring emails, phone calls, lying to residents, and giving favors to their friends. And yet, no transit plan (8 years that has been talked about), infracture is horrible, the OP, etc etc etc. This HAS TO STOP.
The most direct way, to start to right the ship…… control the money! Control departmental spending, 3rd party contractors rebilling for the same job 3 times because they messed up. Stop hiring consultants who are friends of a friend. These few examples of reckless spending, goes hand in hand with the Citizens of Burlington being treated like persons of servitude. There is a great deal of money that could easily be trimmed from the budget with no loss of service. In some respect, services could be increased if someone actually put some effort into their department(s).
 City manager James Ridge City Staff at all levels should be put on notice by this new Council that they are there to serve to Citizens and not the other way around. New Council should be going through old budgets NOW line by line, and not just trust the staffers on what they say. There is a lot of smoke in those lines. While doing so, this will send a clear message for the City Manager and staff to wake up and do their jobs, if not a lot of dead weight, bad attitude paycheck collectors needs to leave. Making room for people honestly get what public service means and want to do it well.
The Citizens of Burlington voted for change. We need fiscal, ethical and moral responsibility at City Hall. If this new council accomplishes this very thing, it wont be easy but they will be well on their way to doing exactly what we elected them to do.
 By Staff
November 13th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
The Burlington Performing Arts Centre (BPAC) presents a unique and moving evening with a Canadian rock legend: Carl Dixon will perform on Thursday, November 22 in the Community Studio Theatre.
Carl will share songs from his incredible career with April Wine, The Guess Who and Coney Hatch along with stories about his time on the road with them and his recovery from a major car accident in 2008.
 Dixon is one of Canada’s stellar rock musicians. His first international record deal came with Coney Hatch in the 1980s. Big tours, radio hits, MTV, and “the big time” all came with that. Carl then went on to perform with some of Canada’s most iconic bands. Two different hitches as lead singer of The Guess Who bookended a four-year stint playing with April Wine.
In 2008 Carl’s life was nearly cut short. He barely survived a shocking head on car accident in Australia while on a break from touring with The Guess Who. Despite over 50 injuries, titanium implants and traumatic brain injury Carl sings and plays with more heart than ever.
His remarkable comeback and adjustment to life post-accident has seen Carl become an inspirational speaker to corporations across Canada and the USA.
In 2016, for two special shows, he attained his post-accident goal of rejoining The Guess Who. He is rightly described as a man of titanium, rock and soul.
He shares his gripping and amusing stories from a life on the road in a unique evening of music, song and stories.
Tickets available at the BPAC Box office
 By Staff
November 13th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
Culturally Burlington is making the rankings.
 Culture Days— a national, non-profit organization celebrating arts and culture has ranked Burlington’s 2018 Culture Days weekend seventh overall and third among cities with a population between 50,000-500,000.
The celebrations feature local creative organizations, venues, professionals and businesses that host free events throughout the weekend for the community. Independent Burlington artists, the Arts and Culture Council of Burlington, the Art Gallery of Burlington, the Burlington Performing Arts Centre, Burlington Public Library, Museums of Burlington and Tourism Burlington were all involved.
 Some 2.5 million attendees took part in thousands of free activities and performances hosted by artists, cultural organizations and municipalities in 800 communities across Canada.
Beefing up local cultural events is a plus – let’s just hope we don’t get carried away with that ranking stuff – it tends to blow up on you – remember when everyone a city hall drank the Kool Aid with that our being the #1 Best City?
Burlington had over 50 cultural activities registered for the Culture Days weekend this year.
 By Pepper Parr
November 12th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
Revised: The Gazette frequently tapes interviews – we should have done that this time. Tammy Fox was very gentle with us when she pointed out that we had mixed up some of the facts. If she handles all the problems she faces the way she handled us – the Performing Arts Centre is in very good hands.
Tammy Fox, the Executive Director of the Performing Arts Centre was born in Lindsay, Ontario, close to a rural community that was certainly small town – went to elementary school in Coburg Ontario.
After graduating from the University of Windsor where she focused her studies on psychology and creative arts she spent the next 12 years in theatre administration and management, first at Port Hope’s Capitol Theatre and later managing Peterborough’s Showplace Performance Centre.
 Tammy Fox – she went to “the dark side” of the theatre world for a period of time. In 2006 she moved to Toronto, taking over the role of Executive Director at ShakespeareWorks, which gave her the opportunity to work with Canadian theatre luminaries RH Thomson and Christopher Newton.
And then Tammy Fox went to what she called “the dark side” of the theatre world.
She formed the Fox Entertainment Agency on her own in 2008. Her husband took it over (after the roster had been reduced dramatically to accommodate his busy schedule as a professional musician) once Tammy joined BPAC in 2017.
Fox Entertainment Agency wqs a full-service interdisciplinary performing arts booking agency which specialized in professional touring theatrical productions, while also representing a select roster of musical artists who are especially suited for soft seat venues.
Her focus at the Agency was to create an artist/audience exchange in which it is recognized that all parties involved are focused on the same goal – to experience and share the wealth of performing arts talent that this country has to offer.
The mission at Fox included
connecting its roster of artists with diverse audiences
supporting and developing the careers of its roster of artists nationally and internationally
obtaining quality performance opportunities for its artists in performing arts centres, festivals and non-traditional venues
managing tours on behalf of its artists, from promoting, booking and routing to post-performance follow-up
fostering and sustaining meaningful long-term relationships with presenters and arts creators
assisting presenters to develop new audiences and enrich the experiences of current audiences.
 Tammy Fox has been on the job for 18 months. If you replaced the word artists with the word audiences in that list you had a woman with a set of skills that were a large part of what the Burlington Performing Arts Centre was looking for when they had to find their fourth Executive Director in a seven year time frame.
Fox was at Ontario Contact, the provincial booking conference, held that year in Peterborough, her old venue Showplace Performance Centre, where she bumped into Brian McCurdy. A combination of nostalgia of being in her former theatre, combined with the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of a man she admired greatly, that drew her to the Performing Arts Centre.
McCurdy, who told her that Burlington was looking for a new Executive Director, had served as the Executive Director for two terms; he was loved and adored but having tasted a bit of retirement, he became partial to making that his full time occupation.
Tammy Fox has been on the job for 18 months. The trick for her was to come up with programming that will draw audiences that more than cover the cost of bringing in the entertainment and have funds left over to encourage the growth of local talent and give them a place to perform.
She is now developing a program that tries to meet the interests of as many people as possible. “You can’t keep everyone happy all the time” she commented during an exclusive interview with the Gazette.
 Performing Arts Centre Executive Director Tammy Fox – an actor at heart. Fox sees her role as being responsible for part of the “cultural diet’ for the city.
The Family Series, Classical Matinees, Holiday programming and the ever-popular Classic Albums Live concerts add protein to the cultural diet.
There are the young audiences that have to be introduced to theatre and grown. The BPAC people have a strong working relationship with the Board of Education that sees a lineup of school buses outside the Elgin street location frequently.
Some of the local productions are superb – as good as you are going to get in Toronto. They usually take place in the Community Studio Theatre and at times draw audiences of less than 50 people. Is the turnout due to the content or poor promotion? Perhaps a bit of both. The work done by Trevor Copp and the Form Community Dance Theatre are drama and dance at its most progressive and moving. The hope is that Tammy Fox won’t give up on this kind of work.
Fox is proud of the “golden ticket” program that assists people with limited means to attend theatre productions.
She is even prouder of the Festival of Trees fundraiser that she developed for ACCOB – Arts and Culture Council of Burlington, to give raise funds to local artists to use the Community Studio Theatre.
BPAC has a stable audience, much of it from the downtown core where people can walk to the theatre.
 Here is the Burlington Teen Tour Band opening up the Performing Arts Centre. The Performing Arts Centre is “home base” to the Burlington Teen Tour Band
The big name headliners are important – Buffy St. Marie and the Bare Naked Ladies do well. Others are a tough sell and at times Fox has to settle for a production that is available and she has a time slot to fill.
Early in her career Fox talks of a lesson she learned. A community group rented a venue for a performance of Oklahoma that did astounding well – they sold out the 650 available seats. That led Fox thinking that the community wanted more of this type of program. What Fox learned was that a community audience isn’t necessarily a theatre audience.
 Later this month Royal Wood returns to Burlington. He was the first performer to take to the stage and eight years later he is back. During that first event there were two older woman who walked out of the performance – they didn’t see Royal Wood as what the Performing Arts Centre was built to present.
When Fox came aboard she had to work with a program that was already in place – some scheduling is done years ahead of time.
In May of 2019 she will present the 2019-2020 program that will be all hers. Her focus is to come up with more ways to engage the community, bring in productions that appeal to the various audiences she needs to serve.
Coming up with programs that appeals to families with several children is a challenge; “I need to come up with something a family can afford” she said – The Nutcracker Suite is part of that offering – but she wants more.
Expect to see more on Truth and Reconciliation.
The biggest part of the job is to shape the program offering that meets the pure entertainment needs and desires of the public and at the same time offer content and experiences that grow the cultural appetites.
 Finding the vision and then creating a mission her Board will live with. This isn’t something that is easily done. It takes time to formulate a vision based on what you ave learned about a community and turn that vision into a mission and convince a Board to support you – hoping that along the way the budget gives you the room to do that.
Where are the gaps in the program?
Is there more the Performing Arts Centre can do to improve that “cultural diet” Fox will tell you that there has to be some broccoli in that diet; some protein as well.
Is a tighter relationship with Sound of Music possible? Peter W. Van Dyk, an insurance executive sits on the BPAC Board. His father is co-executive director of Sound of Music Festival. Fox has been working on that connection and trying to work with them. she hopes that something can happen happen in 2019.
 Ilene Elkaim, vice chair, then chair then vice chair again – the other part of the BPAC Board tag team.  Rick Burgess – Chair – then vice chair and chair again – part of a BPAC Board tag team. A number of people wonder why the Chairmanship of the BPAC Board looks a little like a wrestling tag team with Rick Burgess and Ilene Elkaim taking turns at the head of the Board room table.
The theatre is operated as a separate legal entity; the building is owned by the city and the city has representation on the Board. The organization doesn’t hold annual public meetings – the Art Gallery does – if you look hard enough you will find financial statement. Use https://burlingtonpac.ca/annual-reports/
Could some of the incredibly good work that comes out of the Hamilton Fringe be imported to Burlington ?
Running a “performing theatre” is a challenge; the operation is not a production theatre. The city pumps more than half a million dollars into the Centre and adds a small amount to the ticket price for the capital fund needed to keep the facility modern.
The search for funding sources, looking at what the federal and provincial governments can provide is part of the Executive Director’s job. Provincial funds are likely to be smaller with the Ford government in place.
There was a time when the theatre was dark far too often. Fox reports they “We are only dark for seven days during the Festive Season. It will be even less than that in 2019.
The Festival of Trees which runs from November 23rd to December 20th gets people into the building which has one of the biggest bars in the city.
Fox adds that “We had quite a bit of use last summer. Student Theatre is in the venue for the entire month of July. In August BPAC presents the free Jazz on the Plaza series, and this year Lights Up! Theatre Co sold out a run of Run For Your Wife. Next August we will be extending that with a community theatre festival.
The concerns city council used to have are far less then they were three years ago.
Fox works with what she has to keep most of the people happy. One thing that did stun us was that Fox wasn’t aware of Hamilton’s James Street Crawl.
 Now in its eighth year of operation under four Executive Directors – is the public getting value for the $500,000 plus annual subsidy?
 We have asked Burlington residents that we know and have communicated with in our seven years of operation what they think the new city council needs to do in its first 100 days.
The Councillors gets sworn in on December 3rd – what has to be done in that first 100 days to set a new path and get out of the rut many feel the city is in ?
There are a lot of people unhappy with transit; even unhappy with the thinking that is coming out of the Planning department.
We asked the people we knew, they aren’t all friends of the Gazette, what they thought could be done and should be done.
By Penny Hersh
November 12th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
 The residents voted in a new council with the mandate for change. Will it be what residents expect in what they perceive as a reasonable time frame? That is yet to be determined.
In response to this request and because Engaged Citizens of Burlington – ECoB feels that resident involvement is essential I asked the seniors who attend the current events class I am a part of for their input.
In no particular order this is what was expressed.
– Get control over development.
– Culture change at City Hall – Council needs to direct staff, not the other way around.
– Council needs to stop depending solely on Staff Reports.
– Council needs to work with the Provincial Government – Regarding” Places to Grow” and the demands put on Municipalities to reach the mandated target set out for them.
– Council Meetings should take place throughout the City not only at City Hall. Parking is a problem downtown, and if the meetings take place during the day there is a parking fee.
COMMUNICATION:
– Town Hall Meetings – to explain in “layman’s language” what is happening. Telling people to go to the City’s website is not the answer.
– Newsletters from Councillors that do more than just detail events happening in their wards. High praise for Marianne Meed Ward’s “ A Better Burlington”.
– City needs to hire a Public Relations firm to make Municipal Politics “resident friendly”.
 Together we can make a greater change in the culture at City Hall, and never again have to wait for an election to make our voices heard. The change Burlington needs requires commitment from City Hall and the citizens of Burlington alike, and it needs to start now. Together we can make a greater change in the culture at City Hall, and never again have to wait for an election to make our voices heard.
To be part of this change ECoB is asking residents to participate in the resident ward level committees that are being formed. More information can be found on our website Engagedburlington.ca To sign up email us at info@engagedburlington.ca and make your ward level committee a success.
By Staff
November 12th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
The Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) has a new tool to help identify suspects of retail thefts occurring in the Region. The HRPS is the first service in Ontario to leverage a website dubbed ‘Retail C.O.P.’ (Cameras on Patrol).
Images of suspects in retail thefts are uploaded to the secure site, along with brief suspect descriptions.
 Retail security cameras capture the data – police can analyze and frequently identify suspects. These images are typically gathered from retail store surveillance cameras. Loss prevention officers are then provided access to the website in hopes of helping to identify suspects. Any tips are sent to the HRPS Retail Theft Unit for investigation.
To date, the HRPS has invited and trained more than one hundred loss prevention officers from across Ontario to take part in the program.
This program provides retailers, security, loss prevention and law enforcement agencies opportunities to identify offenders and through education, reduce and prevent organized retail crime, and prosecute identified offenders.
How is it working so far? “Fantastic” said Inspector Bob Gourley, 3 District Operations. “. By tapping into the knowledge and experience of the loss prevention officers on the ground in stores across Halton we are taking advantage of a previously underutilized resource.”
 Security cameras capture some of the thefts – the information is shared with retail security people who can aid the police in arrests. Retail theft costs Canadians $4 billion every year, with costs being passed on to consumers. This year to date, there have been more than one thousand occurrences of retail theft reported to police in Halton.
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