 By Pepper Parr
April 8th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
The Gazette had an opportunity to do an extensive interview with ward 4 Council member Shawna Stolte. The is the first of a series that cover the interview.
A section of this interview was not correct. Changes have been made to the paragraph starting with: “The day after we were sworn in…”
The fist step into the world of municipal politics for Shawna Stolte came about when she learned that the East Plains Road United Church was having problems and approached the city with an offer to sell them the property for $1.
In exchange for the helping to redevelop the property into a smaller sanctuary space, larger community space for brownies and guides and daycare and add some affordable housing for seniors.
The city said no, thank you. That’s not the business we are in and gave up the opportunity.
 Shawna Stolte at one of her first council meetings – looking a little lost and confused. Rory Nisan, who won in ward 3 doesn’t look any more confident. “That was the first time that I thought okay, wait a second” said Stolte. ” We are missing huge opportunities here. And what the heck’s going on down there at the city hall? So I started to pay more attention to what was going on and started to get engaged in that conversation about there being city councillors who had been on council for a long time.
“I believe that you get in, you learn the job, you do some good work, and if you have that time clock ticking, you know that you’ve got the pressure to get stuff done.
“You don’t assume that you’ve got an extended period of time to wander along. I think if there’s no term limit, you start to think – yeah, if it takes five years for this to happen, it takes five years, whereas if you have term limits, you’re married to much more of a head space that you need to get this work done in a timely manner and move on and then let somebody else have a turn.
“Also, the opportunity for succession planning is lost if there is the assumption that this will be your final term going in.
Getting into the game:
“I had lunch with Marianne, she was the ward 2 Councillor then and told her I was thinking of running. I said: “give me every reason why I shouldn’t do this; try and talk me out of doing this. By the end of that dinner, I was convinced I was running
“She didn’t convince me – I just became convinced I could do a better job than the person I was planning to run against. I began thinking about what my mandate would be and did some delegations on the private tree bylaw.
“I spent time with city councillors in other jurisdictions and asked them some really down to earth questions. I had become part of the converted and believed that fresh voices and fresh perspectives might be really helpful for the City of Burlington.
The campaign:
“I’m not sure I actually ever felt that I was in over my head during the campaign, because I went into it knowing going up against a 24 year incumbent that I had about a 10% chance of winning and that’s actually a comfortable place to sit because I could run my campaign naturally and just go for it without worrying about whether I was going to win.
 Ward 4 incumbent Jack Denison, on his way to an election defeat. “I wasn’t at all sure I could win – but there was a day in the middle of August – I remember coming home and saying to my husband that I felt the tide turning. I had done just enough door knocking and was hearing from enough supportive constituents to realize that I actually could win.
“I don’t think Jack ever knew he was gonna lose. I know he thought that he was in trouble when I started to hear people say ‘we’re seeing Jack campaigning harder than he’s ever campaigned before’. That felt good because it made me realize that he knew there was some competition this time. But I don’t think he ever thought he could lose.
“He referred to me as the non issue
“When he refused to take part in the ECOB debate at Nelson high school but then showed up late Jack knew t he was in trouble.
Now you’re elected:
I pick my jaw up off the floor and felt a little sick with that imposter syndrome which clung to me during the first year in office.
I don’t remember a lot of the first year; the learning curve was so incredibly steep. It was probably the most intense learning I have ever done in my career.
 They were a newly elected city council – five newcomers and two with eight years experience. “You really don’t know what the hell you’re doing. You haven’t had a chance to read the procedural manual.
The day after the new council was sworn in 2018, they met in a closed session. The Gazette was not aware that Council was meeting.
The public was aware that Marianne Meed Ward did not want James Ridge as her city manager. Ridge knew that she didn’t want him and told the security guard that if Meed Ward won he was “toast”
Sure enough – when the new council came out of the closed session a statement was issued announcing that Ridge was history.
Stolte wasn’t prepared to talk about what was said during that Closed session of council – she did talk about how she felt being part of such a major decision such as this one.
“None of us had any experience doing this. We had to trust the two returning council members (Meed Ward and Sharman) I think it was very helpful during the first year to have councillors who were kind of on opposite sides of the political spectrum.”
Getting settled in –
“Biggest surprise in the first six months ?
“I mistakenly thought and assumed that council would be having team meetings, sorting out some of the work we were gonna be doing. So finding out about quorum, which makes complete utter democratic sense, but the challenges of not being able to have those collaborative conversations about the issues was a challenge
 A lot of listening in the first 18 months “Understanding why and completely agreeing with why we cannot do that was probably what instructed me first and foremost. How are we supposed to get work done? Like, really? I’m trying to wrap my head around how the work of counsel gets done.
“The early move to more Workshops helped in a big, big way. It has helped in that overcame some of the problems I was having but in a limited way, not as much as you’d like to think. Partly because the workshops are so scripted. We don’t get the opportunity to have that more organic conversation about things.
“The biggest surprise on the positive side ? I didn’t know that we were going to make any positive or negative decisions. I found myself saying: Wow. So I can do this
“The beauty and democracy of the flip side of being able to help effect change on such a big level. We were making decisions on issues that were a lot bigger than I was expecting to, you know, interim control by law; those huge issues and just knowing that I was in this position of representing residents of the city and helping to effect changes in a positive way.
“There’s a point where it just hits you – you’re like, wow, this is incredible, an incredible honour. That’s how you feel when you’re representing people. It does feel like an honour. I think I would like to think that most elected officials with integrity would realize that and respect that it is an honour to be positioned to be making decisions on behalf of others.”
Part 2 will follow
 By Staff
April 7th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
The Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) 3 District Criminal Investigations Bureau is investigating a robbery that took place at the Burlington Mall (located at 777 Guelph Line).
On April 6, 2022, at approximately 8:00 pm, three suspects entered the Rogers Wireless retail location inside the Burlington Mall and demanded cell phones while one suspect displayed a Conducted Energy Weapon (commonly referred to as a Taser).
 This is ugly – these men were prepared to hurt people. The suspects loaded garbage bags with approximately $200, 000 worth of phones and fled in a waiting vehicle driven by a fourth suspect.
The vehicle is a 2019 white Kia Sedona with Ontario licence plate CJWL 247. The vehicle was reported stolen out of York region.
No physical injuries to employees were reported to police.
Suspect 1: Male, black, with a slim build. He was wearing a black pullover hooded sweater with vertical white panel with the word “Reckless” embroidered on it. Also wearing a black baseball hat and white shoes.
Suspect 2: Male, black, with a slim build. He was wearing a black full zip hooded sweater with black track pants and white sunning shoes.
Suspect 3: Male, black, with a medium build. He was wearing a grey full zip hooded sweater with black pants and black high-top sneakers.
Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to contact the 3 District Criminal Investigations Bureau at 905-825-4777 ext. 2316.
Tips can also be submitted anonymously 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.
Media Inquiries:
 By Pepper Parr
April 6th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
Another one of those picture being worth 1000 words story.
City Council met in the Council Chamber today for the first time in two years.
 Every member of Council – except Councillor Nisan, was there along with the City Manager and the City Clerk
Some city staff were also in the Chamber.
 By Staff
April 5th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
The City of Burlington’s Love My Neighbourhood grant program is back.
 The city is prepared to fund people that organize events for their neighbours. Residents or community groups can now apply for up to $500 to create a community event that promotes connections, strengthens relationships and builds support systems for neighbourhoods.
Community members can plan a one-time or weekly event. The events must be free and inclusive to the entire community within the specified area.
The Love My Neighbourhood program will also work with the applicants for road closure permits, park permits, indoor facility rentals and insurance.
To apply for a grant and to learn about what is eligible for funding, go to burlington.ca/neighbourhood. Applications are open now.
 Chris Glenn, Director of Recreation, Community and Culture Chris Glenn, Director of Recreation, Community and Culture points out that as we recover from the pandemic “we need to build our sense of community and connections with our neighbours. This program is designed to help remove some barriers and build stronger connections among neighbours and communities by putting people together and having fun.”
Links and Resources
www.burlington.ca/neighbourhood
 By Staff
April 5th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
Joseph Brant Hospital’s COVID-19 outbreak has been declared over in the Labour & Delivery area of Unit 2 North 600.
 The outbreak was declared on March 25, 2022. In total, three healthcare workers contracted COVID-19. All appropriate actions were taken to ensure the safety of our patients, staff and physicians.
We thank our staff whose expertise and teamwork brought this outbreak to a close, and all our patients and their Essential Care Partners for their patience and understanding. Our thoughts are with those whose wellbeing may have been impacted during this outbreak.
Joseph Brant Hospital remains vigilant in following the Infection Prevention and Control safety measures in place to protect our patients, our staff and our physicians during the COVID-19 pandemic.
 By Staff
April 5th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
Burlington resident Mozelle Cole wrote the Prime Minister.
She wanted to talk to him about the $150,000 pension and the $206,000 expense account that is paid to former Governor General Julie Payette.
Ms Cole thought that was wrong.
 Prime Minister Justin Trudeau follows Governor General Julie Payette who will read the Speech from the Throne He follows her. She wrote:
I understand that Canada pays retired governor generals a hefty retirement pension ($150,000), and a post-retirement annual expense account of $206,000. Is this information correct?
If so, I don’t feel we, the tax payers, should be paying anyone not in employment an expense account.
Thank you, Mozelle Cole, > Burlington.
Ms Cole got a response: It read:
On behalf of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, I would like to thank you for writing regarding the former Governor General, The Right Honourable Julie Payette.
As you may know, there are laws that entitle former governors general to an annuity, as well as an expense account for office and travel expenditures. This program is administered entirely by the Office of the Secretary to the Governor General.
Thank you once again for writing.
Sincerely, Jean-Luc Marion. Senior Manager, Prime Minister’s Correspondence Office of the Prime Minister
Ms Cole replied:
On behalf of my entire family and friends, I would like to thank you for taking the time to respond.
You are correct, I do know there are laws in place (which is why I wrote). I do not agree with the laws in place. What is my next step? Maybe you could forward this on to someone who can guide me. I feel taxpayers have a right to tweak the archaic laws in place.
Thank you, Mozelle Cole, Burlington, ON
 Astronaut Julie Payette Ms Cole will now probably get a Christmas card from the Prime Minister and his office will have alerted MP Karina Gould about the letter.
Julie Payette, a former member of the Canadian Space program who flew into Space. Sometime later she was appointed the Governor General of Canada. That didn’t work out very well – Ms Payette resigned as the Governor General before the end of her five year appointment.
By Pepper Parr
April 4th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
A report that was going to need a couple of months to be completed by the consultant the city had hired was given a big push and – on Tuesday Council will be asked to receive the report and endorse the recommendation from The Planning Partnership
The Appendix A part of the 245 page document is where the meat on the bone is set out. We will publish that as a seperate article.
The 400 page addendum to the Standing Committee will be debated on Tuesday. – virtually
 The white dotted line is the study area. The elephant in the room is the waterfront hotel site. What gets put on that property impact everything else. Receive the “Waterfront Hotel Planning Study Planning Justification Report” dated March 23, 2022, prepared by The Planning Partnership Limited, E
Endorse in principle the Waterfront Hotel Planning Study, the recommended Preferred Concept Plan, site-specific draft Official Plan policies, directions for a future Zoning By- law amendment and site-specific Urban Design Guidelines as detailed in Appendix “A” to community planning department report PL-28-22; and
Consider the Waterfront Hotel Planning Study findings in Council’s consideration of the site-specific development applications for 2020 Lakeshore Road.
The consultants are saying – no more public engagement – we have heard all we need to hear – let’s just get on with it – or words to that effect.
 The Mayor and Councillor Lisa Kearns bought into the Plan B objectives and became champions for it.  The Plan B people put a lot of pressure on the ward Councillor Lisa Kearns and the Mayor – those two bought into what Plan B was advocating, championed that point of view and ipso facto ( an inevitable result) a report comes popping out.
The city needed to close this poorly handled stage of downtown development.
What is particularly concerning is that the continued failures on the part of the Planning department took place when we had a Mayor who was going to bring some order to the way developments were handled.
One paragraph in the report, as dismal as it is, reflects what has been going on. It reads: Subsequently, the Waterfront Hotel Planning Study was placed on hold due to other various priorities in the Community Planning Department such as the new Official Plan process.
The decision came from the City Manager and Council went along with it. No one asked what the down side risk was. We now know what that risk is.
One Councillor who didn’t want to be quoted said to me during a conversation: “What Vision” – this city doesn’t have a vision.
 The PIER went trough its trial and tribulations. The city ended up with a tower that did nothing other than add to the price. It was supposed to house a wind turbine that would pay for the electricity used. The building of The Pier went through a similar tortuous process. In that situation the city paid for The Pier twice and went through one of the biggest collection of insurance law suits this city has ever seen.
The purpose of the study was to provide a land use and urban design framework to inform site-specific policies to guide a future redevelopment of the Subject Site.
 The quaint small village feel is hard to experience as you walk by the six level podium that has been proposed. The problem with that approach was that the city took so long to get the study completed that the owner of the Waterfront Hotel got tired of waiting and filed a development application that will plunk two 40+ towers at the bottom of Brant Street and crowd the sidewalk of Lakeshore with the kind of structure you find on Bloor Street in Toronto.
The time line the city was faced with was a treacherous path. When the Community Planning, Regulation and Mobility Committee iinformed Council on January 11, 2022, that the anticipated timeline to complete the study was 16-17 weeks a wave of indigestion must have hit the tummies of every member of council. They came back with a Staff Direction:
 They did it virtually – made sure that the Waterfront Study was going to be completed in time. Out went the 16 – 18 week. They had a couple of weeks to deliver. Direct the Director of Community Planning to complete the Waterfront Hotel Study within the statutory time frame of processing the pending application related to the Waterfront Hotel (2020 Lakeshore Road) so as to inform the review of any development proposal on this site in accordance with the policies of the Official Plan.
The time frame was this: The developer had the right to appeal to the Ontario Land Tribunal for a decision because the city did not respond within the allotted 120days – in order to avoid such an appeal the city had to complete their review of the application before April 17th.
The city Planning department “refusal” report is to be heard at Council on the 12th.
An overview of the Study findings is summarized below:
 This is the concept the consultants working on the Waterfront Hotel Study are putting forward based on the work they have been doing since 2017. The question is – Is this the best the city can do? And does it comply with the vision. The recommended preferred concept (2022):
has regard for matters of Provincial Interest, policy and legislation and has been designed with consideration for the intent of the applicable Regional and Local Municipal policies and guidelines;
reflects overall alignment with City’s in-force Official Plan (1997), the new Official Plan (2020), ROPA 48 and emerging context within the Study Area;
delivers a vibrant mix of uses that will reinforce and support the continuing evolution of the Downtown;
provides for a compact built form that is transit supportive, provides for a range of housing, supports intensification and provides for a range of uses
enhances the streetscape along Lakeshore Road unified with a common language of materials and design elements;
provides for public view corridors down Brant and John Streets to Lake Ontario;
provides for on-site parkland dedication to enhance public access to Spencer Smith Park and build upon an important landmark through high quality open space;
Proposed urban design guidelines will provide site-specific guidance related to the conditions and context of the site to implement the Vision and Principles established through the consultation process and subsequently endorsed in principle by Council in early 2018;
An Official Plan Amendment (OPA) to the in-force OP is required to implement the findings of this Study, and include site specific directions related to matters such as massing and scale, transportation and public open spaces; and,
A Zoning By-law Amendment (ZBA) will be required to implement the OPA. The Study recommends that a rezoning process take place in the future to consider the Preferred Concept (2022) and would also be supported by detailed technical studies.
The following sections of this report summarizes the recommended preferred concept and implementation tools.
The recommended preferred concept is based on the inputs and work completed in 2017 and 2018, feedback on the emerging preferred concept (2022) and consideration for the relevant policy drivers and changes since the Study paused in mid-2018. Section 6.0 of the Planning Justification Report (see Appendix “A”) provides a comprehensive overview of the preferred concept plan.
Highlights of the Recommended Preferred Concept/ Highlights of the preferred concept include:
Land Use / Built Form
• Building heights: 21 storeys for the west tower and 22 storeys for the east tower
• John Street public view corridor with a minimum width of 18 metres
• Stepping down of built form toward Lake Ontario
• 3-storey podium/street wall along Lakeshore Road
• Active at-grade uses like commercial, retail and restaurants
• Focus on a strong pedestrian relationship to the streets and public spaces
Public Realm
• Enhance Brant Street as a gateway to the Downtown, the Waterfront and the Waterfront Trail
• Enhance the entrance to Spencer Smith Park and the Brant Street public view corridor
• Additional public parkland identified on the west and south sides of the Subject Site:
o West side: 0.13 ha
o South side: 0.05 ha
o Total: 0.18 ha
• Provide a John Street public view corridor and inclusion of a privately-owned public space (POPS)
• Maintain existing trees along Lakeshore Road
Mobility and Access
• Remove existing vehicular access at the foot of Brant Street
• Site access for parking and loading from Elizabeth Street
• Active Transportation route along Lakeshore Road, including a painted buffered bike lane as identified in the City’s Cycling Master Plan
• No surface parking on site
Future Zoning By-law Amendment
A Zoning By-law Amendment (ZBA) will be required to implement the OPA. The Study recommends that a rezoning process take place in the future to consider the Preferred Concept. Furthermore, the Study provides that:
“A future rezoning process, supported by technical studies and further evaluation, would allow for flexibility to achieve an interesting built form that would better respond to the landmark nature of this site. This ZBA process would take place in the future and would advance additional engagement through the statutory public process. It would allow for the principles of this Study to be further advanced and explored through meaningful active engagement with the public and stakeholders of this project. Furthermore, a rezoning in the future would allow for community benefits to be leveraged through Section 37.” (or in accordance with alternative benefit charges).
Site-Specific Urban Design Guidelines
The Study recommends site-specific urban design guidelines that will apply to the development of the Subject Site.
 When the two towers are in place the pressure to allow higher intensification on this part of Brant that is a two walk away in distance will be tremendous. The two towers remake the downtown – which is fine – if that it what you want. The intent of the site-specific urban design guidelines is to augment and enhance the City existing urban design documents by providing site-specific guidance related to the conditions and context of the site. They will work together with the guidance provided in the City’s design documents to implement the Vision and Principles established through the Study’s consultation process phase and subsequently endorsed in principle by Council in June 2018.
The site-specific urban design guidelines are provided in Section 6.3 of the Study (Appendix “A”).
The recommended site-specific urban design guidelines provide guidance with regards to:
• Built Form (Building Placement; Building Height, Massing and Transition; Tower Separation; Podium Height; and Setbacks / Stepbacks);
• Access and Mobility; and
• Public Realm (John Street View Corridor; Spencer Smith Park; Lakeshore Road; and Elizabeth Street).
Staff Position on The Study’s Recommendations
Staff are supportive of the recommendations as outlined in the Study
Delivers a vibrant mix of uses that will reinforce and support the continuing evolution of the Downtown;
• Has regard for matters of Provincial, Regional and Local Municipal policies and guidelines;
• Includes tall mixed-use buildings with commercial uses at grade, and residential and/or hotel uses which address many Provincial, Regional objectives and aligns with the overall directions established by ROPA 48;
• Achieves the City’s vision as articulated in the in-force OP (1997) and considers the policy direction of the new OP (2020);
• Provides residents and jobs and public open spaces in this central location that will further support the creation of a complete community; and,
• Creates a special place by balancing significant new redevelopment with public amenities and accessible open spaces.
It is staff’s opinion the completion of the Study has been fulfilled with the delivery of The Planning Partnership’s Planning Justification Report.
 By Staff
April 4th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
 Plains Road at Waterdown Road The public art program is once again opening submissions for its annual Local Artist Program. The program commissions local artists to create a variety of small to medium scale artworks throughout the community. The City is inviting local artists to submit their design ideas that will be installed on traffic control signal boxes throughout the city later this year. Six artists will be commissioned to create a unique design that will be used to produce the utility box vinyl wraps.
This is a design only commission as the City of Burlington will be responsible for the fabrication and installation of the vinyl wraps. Burlington artists may create a new artwork concept for this project or reformat an existing artwork. Successful artists will be required to submit a high-resolution digital file of their artwork concept (assistance is available upon request).
Applicants must be a resident of Burlington, Ont.
For deadlines and more information on how to get application help and/or apply, please visit www.burlington.ca/publicart.
Timeline:
| Deadline |
Activity |
| April 4 to 29 |
Application assistance available upon request |
| May 13 |
Application deadline |
| By June 3 |
Successful artists selected; enter into a contract with the City of Burlington. |
| June through July |
Project development: Artists work with Public Art staff to refine designs, finalize artwork concept and create digital artwork file. |
| August |
Installation and online project launch (date TBD) |
 Regal Road Bridge
Artwork Locations
| Location |
Nearby Landmarks |
| New Street & Shoreacres Road |
Nelson Recreation Centre |
| New Street & Appleby Line |
Appleby Square |
| Lakeshore Road |
Joseph Brant Hospital (parking garage entrance) |
| Prospect Street & Pearson Street |
Tom Thomson Public School |
| Upper Middle Road & Cavendish Drive |
Near Kingsbridge Court |
| Walkers Line & Thomas Alton Boulevard |
Alton Village |
 By Staff
April 1st, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
Trouble in paradise.
Those $10,00 Rainbow crosswalks are not faring very well.
Take a look.
 Drury Lane  Plains Road Wonder if there is a warranty on the work. Wonder too if we can get our money back.
 By Staff
April 1st, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
Investigators from the Halton Regional Police Service – 1 District Criminal Investigations Bureau and Toronto Police Major Crime were involved in a month long multi-jurisdictional investigation dubbed “Project Raptor” resulting in the recovery of 20 stolen vehicles worth over $1.5 million. Four suspects were arrested as a result of their involvement in this organized auto theft ring.
 Tools of the trade for high end car thieves. It is alleged the suspects would gain entry to the vehicle through force allowing them access to the vehicle’s ‘On Board Diagnostic Port’ (OBD). From there, the suspects utilized key programming devices to program a new key fob. The thefts occurred across Halton, Peel and Toronto.
The vehicles targeted were newer model Jeeps and Ford F-150s. It is believed that these vehicles were slated to be loaded into shipping containers to export them overseas to Middle Eastern countries.
On March 29, 2022 investigators arrested four persons involved in this auto theft ring and subsequently executed two residential search warrants. Investigators seized several key fobs and electronic devices used to access the on-board diagnostics (see attached photo).
The following persons were arrested and charged:
Bawa Singh, (22) of Brampton has been charged with:
- Theft of Motor Vehicle (10 counts)
- Mischief Under $5000 (4 counts)
- Breach of Recognizance (9 counts)
- Possession of Auto Master Key
- Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Over $5000
Nitin Gagneja, (21) of Brampton has been charged with:
- Theft of Motor Vehicle (10 counts)
- Possession of Break and Enter Tools (2 counts)
- Mischief Under $5000 (4 counts)
- Possession of Auto Master Key (3 counts)
- Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Over $5000
Abu-Bakar Sheikh, (22) of Brampton has been charged with:
- Theft of Motor Vehicle (9 counts)
- Mischief Under $5000 (4 counts)
- Breach of Recognizance (9 counts)
- Possession of Auto Master Key
Attiq Ur Rehman, (22) of Mississauga has been charged with:
- Theft of Motor Vehicle (4 counts)
- Mischief Under $5000 (2 counts)
- Breach of Recognizance (4 counts)
- Possession of Auto Master Key
All accused were held in custody pending a bail hearing.
Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to contact Detective Phil Vandenbeukel of the 1 District Criminal Investigations Bureau at 905-825-4747 ext. 3407.
 Tips can also be submitted anonymously 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.
Police would like to remind residents of the following tips to help protect against these types of thefts:
- Park your vehicle in a locked/secure garage, if possible.
- Lock the onboard diagnostic port using a simple device (that can be purchased online) that blocks access to where thieves reprogram the vehicle’s key fob
- Use a steering wheel locking device to deter theft
- Invest in an aftermarket global positioning system (GPS) tracker as it may assist in recovery of the vehicle if it is stolen
- When not in use, place vehicle key fob inside a radio frequency shielding bag/pouch to block cell signals
- Consider purchasing a quality video surveillance system and ensure your cameras are properly placed and functioning for 24-hour use
By Staff
April 1st, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
It’s their story and they are sticking to it.
The government is not going to impose any restriction as COVID cases surge
 “It takes a worried worried man …” The province is sticking to its reopening agenda despite hospitalizations increasing by 27 per cent in the last week and wastewater analysis pegging new daily cases at around 30,000.
What else is there to say?
The province is going to wait this one out – and hope that nothing breaks wide open in the next two months.
If the numbers do soar – this provincial government is toast.
 By Pepper Parr
April 1st, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
It’s official, sort of – she is running in May to keep her seat as the ward 2 council member.
 Kearns works her ward – she know most of the hospitality sector and is out meeting with them and hoisting a few as well Lisa Kearns said: “It all depends on how many people tell me they want me to represent them.
Which is what she claims happened when she threw her hat into the ring in 2018.
Lisa Kearns did indeed seem to come out of nowhere.
She was part, a small part of the group that created ECOB and showed her smarts when she walked into the Rotary room at the Art Gallery and totally upset the Reverse Town Hal meeting then Mayor Rick Goldring was holding.
She went on to declare as a candidate and used the base she had created with her ECOB (Engaged Citizens of Burlington) work.
 Promote, promote, promote. Every opportunity for a photo op is taken. Does it make a difference – she thinks so. Kearns has an incredible brain; she grasps the complex quickly and can handle details like no other member of this city council.
She has a strong understanding of the big picture and frequently surprises the two senior members of Council – Mayor Meed and and Councillor Paul Sharman – who have two terms of experience
Her depth and experience in the private sector served her very well when budgets were debated.
Sounds great – but then there is that skittishness. The Provincial Liberal Association asked Kearns if she would seek the nomination of the party for the June election.
She said yes. Then Marian Manaa, a young Muslim women filed nomination papers and within days the Halton District School Board chair Andrea Grebenc filed her nomination papers.
That looked as if there was going to be a very healthy race for the party nomination. But before things could get rolling Kearns had a telephone call with Grebenc and decided that she, Grebenc, was the better choice and Kearns withdrew.
 Will there be as many candidates running for the seat in October – probably not. One for certain. All within ten days Startling to say the least and the expected stability was in question.
Kearns is the first council member to hold ward meetings that were both virtual and live. She holds walking tours of her ward and was the first council member to create a registry that sets out who she meets with.
Aggressive, progressive – but there is that skittishness.
 By Pepper Parr
March 31st, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
There is a consulting group that operates under the name of The Planning Partnership.
Thy were hired by the city to take part in the study of the Waterfront Hotel site that everyone knew was going to be developed at some point.
The city began this work in 2015 when staffer Jodi Wellings was tasked with putting together some of the early thinking.
At that time the plan was to have whatever was built om the site face west and give a view of the Naval Promenade.
Among the decisions that came out of the early part of the study was the agreement that there would be a detailed study that the develop would par for but that the city would control.
The Waterfront Study got put on hold in 2018 because the Interim Control Bylaw that had been imposed and the issues related to the re-writing of the new Official Plan – call it the Meed Ward version for clarity – were taking up most of the capacity at city hall. The deep thinking planners appear to have concluded that they had all kinds of time and that the developer would wait until the study was completed..
That decision has resulted in the developer deciding to proceed on his own with a development application that stunned a lot of people when it was first released.
The city should have seen that coming. Darko Vranich is a very strategic thinker – he saw an opportunity and went for it.
The Planning Partnership released their final report (240 pages plus) and offered their Preferred Concept that will get xxx
While holding the many public engagement events all kinds of ideas came to the surface and were set out in different reports.
Set out below are some of the drawings that reflected what kind of thinking was being done.
Then there was a couple of truly brutal designs.
Another that looked something like the stretch of building built on the south side of the Gardner Expressway in Toronto almost obliterating any view of the lake
Are their options for the city to get out of a situation they created by not staying on top of a critical file ? There was a point where the city did not have a planner assigned to the file.
We have an interesting month ahead of us.
Related news stories:
The man behind the development plans
Plan B has made a difference – have they gone far enough>
By Pepper Parr
March 31st, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
All kinds of activity on the waterfront.
The Waterfront Hotel Planning Study released their Preferred Concept for the site.
The city Planning department has announced that they are not approving the application that was submitted to the city.
Their report will be covered in a separate article.
Right now we want to show you want that Waterfront Study concept looks like.
 In this concept the city did manage to get a 20 metre strip of land to add to Spencer Smith Park.
 The structures as rendered are pretty brutal looking.
By Staff
March 31st, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
The Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) has made an arrest in relation to two attempted robberies that occurred in Burlington.
 On March 30, 2022, at approximately 9:30 am, a female suspect attended the drive-thru of the Wendy’s located at 2387 Fairview Street in Burlington. The suspect demanded cash from an employee and indicated she had a gun. No gun was observed. The suspect drove away from the scene without receiving any funds.
At approximately 10:00 am the same day, the suspect attended Spry Convenience located at 2164 Mountain Grove Avenue in Burlington. She approached an employee inside the store and demanded cash. The suspect again indicated she had a gun, although no gun was observed. The suspect left the store a short time later without receiving any funds.
In both incidents, the suspect was observed to be driving a 2022 Dodge Ram pickup truck which had been reported stolen from Hamilton earlier in the day.
No physical injuries were sustained as a result of either attempted robbery.
As a result of the investigation, officers were able to identify the suspect. She was arrested in Toronto shortly after 1:00 pm. The stolen vehicle was also recovered in Toronto.
Sophia Voortman (19) of Hamilton has been charged with:
- Robbery (2 counts)
- Possession of Property Obtained by Crime
- Theft Under $5000
- Fail to Comply with Release Order (2 counts)
Voortman has been held in custody pending a bail hearing.
Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to contact the 3 District Criminal Investigations Bureau at 905-825-4777 ext. 2316.
Tips can also be submitted anonymously 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
March 31st, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
The Halton District School Board is inviting students, parents/guardians and staff to participate in the online engagement survey Have Your Say from March 28 to April 21, 2022. Topics for feedback include learning and instruction, safety and well-being and school environment.
The survey is open from March 28 to April 21, 2022 and can be found HERE.
The information gathered from the Have Your Say survey will help the Board continue to create a positive environment, inform School Improvement and Well-Being Plans and allow parents/guardians and students to have a voice in creating a supportive community in HDSB schools. The survey will provide the Board with feedback regarding the goals and targets in the HDSB’s Multi-Year Plan 2020-2024. The Board will share a summary of the information collected with stakeholders in Fall 2022.
 Curtis Ennis, Director of Education for the Halton District School Board. “As partners in education, your input is valued and appreciated,” says Curtis Ennis, Director of Education for the Halton District School Board. ”The Board is committed to fostering an inclusive environment and building relationships to continually improve the educational experience for all students. Engaging students, parents/guardians and staff is critical to student success, which is why we’re inviting you to complete this online survey. With your feedback, we can help guide meaningful change to improve student learning, well-being and success.”
The Have Your Say surveys will take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete. The surveys are confidential, with individual responses grouped together for analysis. For parents/guardians, the survey is available in seven additional languages: Arabic, French, Hindi, Punjabi, Simplified Chinese, Spanish and Urdu. Respondents will select their preferred language when they begin the survey.
Additional information, including Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), can be found at haveyoursay.hdsb.ca or by emailing haveyoursay@hdsb.ca.
By Pepper Parr
March 30th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
The pandemic certainly cut into meeting with people.
It wasn’t until I was part way through an interview with Ward 1 Councillor Kelvin Galbraith that he mentioned he is never in city hall unless he is chair of the Standing Committee. Other than that he works from home. The suggestion was that he might be able to sublet the space he has at city hall.
 Ward 1 Councillor Kelvin Galbraith during a Standing Committee meeting. While Galbraith isn’t in the office all that much he is certainly busy enough with the development activity in his ward – which he now refers to as Ward 1 and not Aldershot – the Tyandaga people don’t like that name and the Maple people would rather be part of ward 2 – so for Galbraith – using the description ward 1 makes life a little less contentious.
I started out by asking Galbraith why he ran for office and how much of what he said he would do has actually been done. I followed that up by asking if he is running got another term. He is.
He ran for office because he wasn’t happy with the kind of development that was taking place in the community. He wanted to see more variation in the commercial space that was going to be in the ground floor of the developments popping up on Plains Road.
 It took Galbraith some time to find a place in the community to meet with constituents. The Peach Cafe is where he is most comfortable. He wanted space that had the duct work needed for restaurants in place and he wanted to see a larger variety of commercial operations. The ward doesn’t have the supermarket choices he thinks the community needs.
The changes coming to Plains Road in the summer are significant and mark a distinct change that Galbraith thinks will get people out with their bikes.
The disappointing part of getting people on bikes is that Galbraith drives a gas guzzling pickup back and forth to city hall. Optics on that one aren’t good.
 Mayor Meed Ward and ward 1 Councillor Kelvin Galbraith are the co-chairs of the Red Tape Red Carpet Task Force. There was a point during this first term where Galbraith appeared to be almost joined at the hip to Mayor Meed Ward; some felt that he should be a little more independent. Galbraith points out that he has voted differently than the Mayor on a lot of the motions. When Mayor Meed Ward drafted Galbraith the the Red Tape Red Carpet Task Task Force she said she needed someone who understood what the commercial and development people were having problems with.
Kelvin is often uncomfortable with the pace at which business gets done at Council meetings. He is a much more get on with it kind of guy – talking just so he can hear himself isn’t his style.
Galbraith made the point that many people think all the development is taking place in ward 2 – in the downtown core. He passed along a list of the development applications taking place in his ward and suggests he might have at least as many.
Pending Applications
Amendment Applications
Applications in Other Stages of Development
1085 Clearview Ave.
1157-1171 North Shore Blvd
1371975 Ontario Inc. (Markay Homes) – 1167 Bellview Cres.
Adi Development Group – 101 Masonry Crt
Aldershot Properties Inc. – 35 Plains Rd
Fellowship Canadian Reformed Church – 1350 Waterdown Rd
Markay Homes – 1159 Bellview Crescent
National Homes (Brant) Inc. – 2100 Brant St
Urban Solutions – 539 King Forest Court
Where Galbraith differs from ward 2 Councillor Lisa Kearns is the way he interacts with his constituents. He hasn’t held a meeting for the past two years – saying that Covid19 didn’t make meetings possible. Kearns found a way to hold both live meetings that were also virtual. It worked quite well.
 Kelvin Galbraith talks to constituents in a coffee shop. He has yet to hold a community wide meeting that is live. In terms of his retail politicking – Galbraith has some distance to go. He is approachable – but you have to approach him. He is not a glad handler.
His focus is business and he is very much in tune with the development community pointing to several developments where he believes he solved a lot pf problems that were created by community involvement.
 National Homes Development on Brant – sold out in weeks. The 2100 Brant National Homes development that is now underway was a mess. Getting it through the various community development and Statutory meeting stages was a challenge.
Galbraith now finds that the problems are with the city engineering department and other departments.
What surprised Galbraith was that National Homes, the 2100 Brant developers, tore down the sales office that was set up on the site. All the homes were sold in a two week period – which points to just how significant the demand for housing is in the city. Galbraith can’t get them approved and at the shovels in the ground fast enough.
Part two: What Galbraith wants to achieve in a second term if he is returned to office. Coming soon
By Pepper Parr
March 30th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
You will not get much in the way of an argument from anyone on making buying a home easier.
Today, the Ontario government introduced legislation that, if passed, will support a plan to crack down on speculators who are driving up the cost of housing, protect home buyers from predatory development practices, and create more housing options for homeowners and renters by accelerating development timelines to get more homes built faster.
The More Homes for Everyone Act outlines the next suite of concrete actions the province is taking to address Ontario’s housing crisis. This plan, built on recommendations from the Housing Affordability Task Force and the first-ever Provincial-Municipal Housing Summit, will deliver both near-term solutions and long-term commitments to provide more attainable housing options for Ontario families.
It didn’t take long for the West End Home Builders Association to put out a statement. Here is what they had to say.
The Provincial Housing Affordability Task Force hit the nail on the head – we need to build more homes. More homes on the market in Hamilton and across Ontario will give everyone a fair shot at becoming a homeowner and building a future. For the last several years we have not been building enough homes to keep up with demand. This is exactly why bold provincial intervention is critically required: to reduce red tape and bureaucratic inefficiencies while incentivizing municipalities to speed up the housing approvals process.
A development that eventually got through the application process found that it didn’t have to set up a sales office – they were sold out in two weeks. Now they are stumped and stymied by the city engineering department. The West End Home Builders’ Association (WE HBA) is supportive of the wide range of policies proposed in the More Homes for Everyone Plan and encourages all political parties to support a quick passage of legislation prior to the Writ being dropped for the provincial election. We need action now.
 Mike Collins-Williams, CEO of the West End Home Builders’ Association. “The West End Home Builders’ Association is supportive of the measures proposed by the provincial government to speed up the planning process through the More Homes for Everyone Plan to address Southern Ontario’s growing housing crisis. Building from the Housing Affordability Task Force report, this new legislation proposes efficient, targeted policies that recognize the need to get all kinds of new housing built faster in communities across the province,” says Mike Collins-Williams, CEO of the West End Home Builders’ Association.
WE HBA notes that the provincial government regards the Housing Affordability Task Force Report as Ontario’s long-term housing road map. Our members support the immediate measures in the proposed More Homes for Everyone Plan to encourage more timely municipal decision making and to streamline approval processes. The government has indicated that there will be additional measures implemented over the long-term through the establishment of a Housing Supply Working Group and future Housing Supply Action Plans.
The housing crisis is a complex issue that requires a long-term strategy and commitment from all levels of government and industry to work together as partners, to build the necessary supply of housing for a rapidly growing population.
Housing is a complex business as is the process that puts in place the regulations that set out the costs of completing a development application.
Recently Burlington city Council had to defer the determination of what planning application rates would be put in place. BILD (Building Industry and Land Development Association) and WE HBA took months of back and forth meetings and questioning the consultant that had prepared the report that set out what the rates would be.
In the end there was no appreciable difference between the end result and what was proposed in the first place.
The city manager mentioned during one of the meetings that the work the consultants were doing at the extra meeting was above and beyond what they had been hired to do – and that the city was going to have to get a retainer in place for the additional hours
That phrase – if the shoe fits – wear it; would seem appropriate right about now.
By Staff
March 28th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
A number of Council members have been unhappy and somewhat disturbed over the way information was kept from the public by having the debate take place in a CLOSED session of Council.
When a CLOSED session of Council was about to take place – a notice would be read out saying what they (Council) needed to go into CLOSED for and then the web cast went dark displaying just GET THE VISUAL. When Council came out of a CLOSED session they would report that Council has agreed to do what was agreed upon in the CLOSED meeting.
Once council member complained publicly that “we can’t even tell the public the address of the property that was being discussed. The struggle to determine what could and should be released was between Council and Nancy Shea Nicol, the City Solicitor.
Last week for the first time we saw a situation where Council talked about going into CLOSED but decided not to. The City Solicitor said she would provide a report on what the issue was with all the details.
Some context:
The site was zoned MXT and as such the development application being made complied with the zoning by law and would go directly to site plan approval, Development Application proceeds straight to site plan.
In contrast when a zoning bylaw amendment is requested the proponent will go through community meetings, a Statutory Public meeting and receive a planning recommendation report for council to vote on.
None of these steps are required for applications that are in compliance with the regulations of the bylaw, as is the case with these lands.
What Councillor Kearns was able to do was undelegate the application which meant site plan approval would be determined by Council and not staff.
The developer chose to take their application to the Ontario Land Tribunal. While waiting for a hearing date the city and the developer were able to come to terms on the differences and entered into a Settlement Agreement which will now be heard by the Ontario Land Tribunal on GET THE DATE.
There is a bigger question: When the city learned that intensification was going to be focused on what were originally called mobility hubs – later changed to MTSA Major Transit Service Areas – why didn’t the Planning department look at the zoning status of all the lands around the MTSA and do what needed to be done to change the zoning.
The following is what the City Solicitor released.
On April 4, 2020 the Community Planning Department acknowledged that a site plan application had been received by Brookfield Properties, Inter Rent REIT and CLV Group Inc. (the “Applicant”) for Site Plan Approval for 2269, 2243 Fairview Street & 864 Drury Lane (the “Site”) to support the development of the Site with seven (7) residential towers on top of four (4) mixed-use podiums, with overall tower heights ranging between 29 and 37 storeys. However, the Site was located within an area that was the subject of an Interim Control By-law and related study, resulting in a development ‘freeze’ on lands within the study area.
The Official Plan Amendment (“OPA 119”) and Zoning By-law Amendment (“ZBA 2020.418”) that resulted from the recommendations of the ICBL study were appealed, including by the Applicant, in February 2020. These appeals to ZBA 2020.418 had the effect of continuing the development ‘freeze’ on the Site, and resulted in no decision being made on the site plan.
On August 11, 2021, the Applicant appealed the site plan application to the Ontario Lands Tribunal based upon non-decision of the City within the required time period set out by the Planning Act.
On December 17, 2021 the Applicant submitted a Settlement Offer to the City for consideration. The Applicant is seeking a settlement of its appeals of OPA 119, ZBA 2020.418 and its site plan application. The Settlement Offer proposes a resolution of the appeals in which the Applicant would withdraw its appeal of OPA 119 and the City and the Applicant would seek approval from the Ontario Land Tribunal (“OLT”) for site-specific amendments to ZBA 2020.418 to permit the development contemplated in phase 1 of a phased site plan. These site-specific amendments would add to the regulations contained within ZBA 2020.418 to regulate the development proposed in phase 1 of the site plan, as described below. The City and Applicant would also seek an Order from the OLT removing the Site from the ongoing development ‘freeze’ that applies to this area. The Settlement Offer proposes to resolve the site plan appeal by the City and the Applicant seeking approval from the OLT for site plan contemplating development of phase 1 of a multi-tower residential development on the Site. Future phases of the development of the Site would require Site Plan Approval from the City. Additionally, the Settlement Offer contemplates the City and the Applicant agreeing to certain parameters that would not only apply to Phase 1 of the development set out in detail in the Settlement Offer, but also to the future development of phase 2 that would be subject to a future site plan approval process by the City. Key parameters of the proposed site plan appeal settlement include:
Phases 1 and 2 will each contain two towers of 33 and 37 stories (Phase 1) and 33 and 35 stories (Phase 2) in height;
The four towers proposed in Phases 1 and 2 will all be purpose-built rental buildings, with 100% of units in the buildings being in rental tenure;
Phase 1 will provide a total of 38 three (3) bedroom residential rental units, including 25 three (3) bedroom rental units contained within the two towers;
When the Applicant seeks site plan approval for Phase 2, the towers will include at least 25 three (3) bedroom residential rental units;
Provide a minimum 30m separation between proposed towers;
The tower floor plates of the four towers in Phases 1 and 2 will have tower floor plates of up to 890 square metres;
The Applicant will dedicate 1.71ha of parkland, in addition to providing cash-in-lieu of parkland in the amount of approximately $13 million. Additionally, the Applicant will provide a privately-owned publicly accessible space (‘POPS’), maintained in perpetuity at its expense, of 0.25ha located immediately adjacent to the dedicated parkland located along Fairview Street to function as one cohesive park that may be further expanded should lands to the west of the Site re-develop in the future.
Phases 1 and 2 of the Site Plan (containing two levels of underground parking will address groundwater through a private permanent pumping stormwater management system discharged into the City’s storm sewer system at regulated volumes and quality, with ongoing stormwater management system maintenance requirements registered on the title of the rental buildings. Future phase(s) of development on the Site will have separate underground facilities and stormwater management for those phases will be reviewed by the City in future applications for site plan approval.
The Applicant will make a Municipal Consent application to bring permanent buried hydro to the entire site (Phases 1, 2 and 3). Should the applicant wish to install additional temporary overhead hydro, those drawings and details will be included with the Municipal Consent application, along with required fees and securities.
 Height of the site relative to other major developments in the city GET THE GRAPHIC OF THE SITE
Site Description and Surrounding Land Uses
The subject site has an area of 3.4 ha, and approximately 224 m of frontage along Fairview, and 143 m of frontage along Drury Lane. Access to the site is currently provided via both Drury Lane and Fairview Street. A vacant garden centre, brewery, auto repair shop, dance studio and furniture store are currently located on the Subject Lands. It is the intent that the existing buildings and structures be demolished prior to the site being redeveloped.
Surrounding the subject site are the following uses:
North: The Lakeshore West GO rail line is located adjacent to the Subject Lands directly to the north. A low-rise residential neighbourhood occupies the lands north of the rail line. An overpass pedestrian bridge at the north terminus of Drury Lane provides access over the rail line to the residential community to the north.
South: Fairview Street, low rise institutional and medical building consisting of the Halton Catholic District School Board and a medical clinic.
East: Drury Lane, and a number of low-rise service commercial and retail uses are located east of the Subject Lands, including an automotive repair and home store.
West: A car dealership is located adjacent to the Subject Lands directly west, followed by a creek and the Burlington GO Station. The Paradigm Condominium development, (5 tower and 24 storey residential condominium development) is located immediately west of the Burlington GO Station.
The Site Plan Application:
The Site Plan application that is the subject of the appeal includes 4 buildings with a total of 7 towers ranging in height from 29 to 37 storeys. The comprehensive development plan will provide 2,515 residential units of mixed type and tenure; 3,703 square metres of retail/ commercial space; there will be shared amenity space between all buildings in a variety of forms, including indoor, rooftop and outdoor elevated amenity area; all proposed parking to be located within a combination of a 4-storey above-ground parking structure abutting the northern lot line or within 5 levels of underground parking abutting the southern property line. Each building is proposed as follows:
Building A will consist of a six storey podium and a 33 storey tower with 338 residential units.
Building B will consist of a five storey podium and two towers with 651 residential units. Tower B1 will be 29 storeys and tower B2 will be 34 storeys. Ten (10) Townhouse style units are incorporated into the podium fronting onto Fairview Street.
Building C will consist of a four storey podium and two towers with 774 residential rental units. Tower C1 will be 33 storeys and tower C2 will be 37 storeys.
Building D will consist of a four storey podium and two towers with 752 residential rental units. Tower D1 will be 33 storeys and tower C2 will be 35 storeys.
Vehicular access to the proposed development will be provided primarily through an internal driveway through the site from Fairview Street to Drury Lane, similar to the driveway that presently exists on the Subject Lands. The parking structure will be accessed via Drury Lane and the internal east-west driveway, which will function as a private street. Access to the underground parking will also be provided through the internal driveway. A minimal amount of layby parking is proposed at grade. Parking is proposed as 1-5 levels of underground parking and 4 levels of parking in a structure at the rear of the site. In terms of parking rates, there are 2761 spaces for 2515 units (including visitor), 154 spaces for commercial and 34 spaces for maintenance. The total parking rate is 1.16 spaces per unit.
The Site Plan in the Proposed Settlement
The Proposed Settlement contemplates a phased approach to the development of the Site, with site plan approval for phase 1 by the OLT, and subsequent phases of the development of the site to occur through future applications for site plan approval by the City. Phase 1 will consist of a four-storey podium and two towers with 774 residential rental units. Tower C1 will be 33 storeys and tower C2 will be 37 storeys. Phase 1 also includes the internal (private) east-west road and a public park. The OLT’s approval of the Site Plan for phase 1 of the development would include conditions of Site Plan Approval that would apply to Phase 1, which consists of buildings C1 and C2 on the Site Plan. As noted above, the parameters of the settlement (such as height and floor plate size) would apply to Phase 2 (Buildings D1 and D2 on the proposed plan); however, a new Site Plan Application to the City would be required to be approved by the City, subject to conditions. Phase 3 on the Site Plan, which includes Buildings A and B to the south fronting onto Fairview Street remains independent from the settlement and will require separate review and subject to that review, may or may not be approved by the City in its current form.
By Pepper Parr
March 28th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
Stephen Del Duca finally got a chance to land a solid punch on Premier Doug Ford.
 Provincial Liberal leader Stephen Del Duca In congratulating the federal Liberals on the signing of a child care funding agreement Del Duca said: “… I am disappointed that Premier Ford, who, knowing how difficult a time young families are having making ends meet, knowing that federal child care money was on offer that could change their lives, deliberately chose to make them wait, and wait, and wait for help.
“The thing is, the only time child care has been a priority for Doug Ford was when he cut it in his first two years in power.
“Remember this headline – it’s from the Toronto Star – May 2, 2019:
Doug Ford’s cuts put over 6,000 subsidized daycare spaces at risk
“Ontario is cutting a total of $80 million from licensed child care across the province, including the $50-million fund to help offset costs for licensed child-care providers
“Today, Doug Ford brags about a financial agreement he could and should have gotten 6 months ago. His failure has cost families thousands. And while every other province got agreements early, many still opted to make their payments retroactive to the beginning of this year, because they knew it was needed.
“Ontario was last to sign and Ontario parents will be the last to benefit from the federal funding.
“Ontario Liberals are the only ones pledging that if we form government, we will make sure Ontario families do not pay the price for Doug Ford’s delays. We are the only ones who will make payments retroactive to January 1st – an average of $2,750 per child – and the only party pledging $10 per day for before and after school care by this September.
 “I don’t trust Doug Ford to implement this agreement. I say that not out of partisanship, but based on both his past cuts, and his negotiating priorities.
“From Day 1, Doug Ford has wanted as few strings attached to this federal funding as possible. Ask yourself why and who that benefits. Again, just yesterday they were bragging about how they reduced some of those funding requirements.
“We all saw Doug Ford try to profit off federal COVID funds. Let’s not let him do the same with child care.”
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