Sound of Music announces part of the 2019 program - no word yet on a new Executive Director.

News 100 redBy Staff

September 21st, 2018

BURLINGTON, ON

 

Sound of Music Festival has announced the first two headliners for the 40th edition of Canada’s Largest Free Music Festival.

Kicking off the FREE festival on Thursday, June 13, 2019 is Lonestar on the TD Stage. Headlining the OLG Stage on Saturday, June 15, 2019 is the newest member of the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame, Terri Clark.

Sound of music - from stage

A Sound of Music audience.

Lineup announcements will be continuing all year leading up to the 40th anniversary shows, June 8-16, 2019 on Burlington’s Downtown and Waterfront. The shows offer up a huge variety of music for all ages.

Events and activities include Silver Series presented by Schlegel Villages – June 14, Downtown Streetfest presented by Burlington Downtown Business Association – June 14-16 and Family Zone – June 15-16, the Grande Festival Parade on June 15 and more!

“With the 40th edition of the festival, we’re excited to be working on several exciting initiatives that will engage the community and celebrate the history of Canada’s Largest Free Music Festival! We can’t wait to share more.”, says Peter Martin, President.

“We’re thrilled to be announcing earlier than ever, and sharing with our community our own excitement for the 40th anniversary of SOMF! The community has encouraged more local programming and more diversity, and we’re proud to deliver that this year! This is just one announcement of many to come! We’re honoured to be able to celebrate Burlington, music, and community!”, proudly exclaims the Festival’s programming team.”

The Festival is currently recruiting for volunteers. Visit soundofmusic.ca/volunteers for further information if you are interested in applying.

Dave-Miller SoM

David Miller – let go by the Sound of Music board in July – no replacement yet.

The Festival has yet to announce who the new Executive Director is going to be. The Festival Board ended the contract they had with Dave Miller and said the Board would begin a search for the next Executive Director.

The Gazette understands that members of the Board are filling that role while the search takes place. The legislation that governs what non-profit corporations can di does permit a Boar d to fill in on a short term basis. Is two months short term?

This Board of Directors has managed to become mute when it comes to how they govern themselves and the hundreds of people who serve as volunteers seem prepared to let them behave this way.

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Dundas collision results in the death of a St. Catharines resident - police still investigating.

News 100 redBy Staff

September 21st, 2018

BURLINGTON, ON

 

That collision on Dundas near Brant yesterday resulted in a fatality

Two vehicles collided on Dundas Street west of Guelph Line in the City of Burlington. The preliminary investigation has determined that a Toyota Camry was westbound on Dundas Street and a Cadillac ATS was eastbound, when the two vehicles collided in a head-on collision.

The eighty-five year old driver of the Toyota was a St. Catharines resident. He was brought to the hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

The driver of the Cadillac was a sixty-three year old Hamilton man who was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

The cause and circumstances of the collision are still under investigation. At the request of the decedent’s family, his name will not be released. Any witnesses or anyone who was in the area at the time with dashboard camera footage are asked to contact Detective Constable Greg Cormier at 905-825-4747 ext. 5065.

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ECoB not permitted to distribute information provided by city hall at their ward level debates.

News 100 redBy Staff

September 21st, 2018

BURLINGTON, ON

 

Penny Hersh is asking:

Penny Hersh

Penny Hersh, president of ECoB

Is this what the City has come to? A grassroots citizen group is unable to provide residents with voting information?

Hersh asked the City Clerk, Angela Morgan, who is also the Returning Officer for the municipal and Board of Education elections, if she could get copies of the notices the city had on the elections and distribute them to people who attended the debates they are running in every ward of the city.

Here is the response from the city,

“Penny, Danielle (a city staff member involved in the administration of the election) forwarded your request for printed information about voting locations from city hall for distribution at the ECOB organized debates.

“As the Returning Officer for the election, I fully support community organized debates however, my role is to ensure that all events association with the City of Burlington Clerks department are completely impartial.

“I have received numerous complaints and concerns from members of the public about the ECOB, specifically that they are not impartial and the organization is vocally supporting specific candidates.

City Clerk Angela Morgan fails to ensure media alerted to Special Council meeting. Her communications people dropped the ball as well.

City Clerk Angela Morgan is also the Returning Officer for the October 22nd Municipal election.

“Given these concerns, we cannot permit the City of Burlington logo or materials to be distributed at these events. Please ask members of the public to go to our election page (address below) to get all of the information that they need to ensure they are on the list and know where to vote.”

The Gazette wonders what steps the Returning Officer took to determine if there was any truth to the information they were given.

Would the Returning Officer care to share the complaints she was given?

A video of the entire ward 5 debate is available at CLICK HERE.  The city staff running the election would be well served to watch the event and determine for themselves if ECoB is an impartial organization.

There is not a single shred of evidence to even suggest that ECoB has done anything to favour any one candidate.  The bias against ECoB at city hall is both palpable and disturbing.

Angela Morgan has provided the public with the following information.

Are you on the voters’ list?

The voters’ list contains the names, addresses and school support for each eligible voter.
Elected positions include Halton Regional Chair, Mayor and members of City Council for the City of Burlington, trustees for the Halton District School Board and Halton District Catholic School Board and Conseil scolaire Viamonde and Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir.

To see if you are on the voters’ list:
• Go to burlington.ca/election
• Call Burlington City Hall at 905-335-7600, ext. 7481
• Visit Burlington City Hall at 426 Brant St., first floor, Clerks Department, or
• Visit any branch of Burlington Public Library.

Not on the list?
You can apply to the city clerk to add your name to the voters’ list or correct your information. If your name is not on the list or your information is incorrect, you can complete an Application to Amend the Voters’ List form.

Forms are available in the Clerks Department, first floor, Burlington City Hall, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., or at the voting location on voting day. Forms must be completed in person and identification that includes your name and address is required.

Voter Information Notices
Voter Information Notices have been mailed. This notice includes your Voter Identification Number and provides dates, times and locations for voting, including Internet voting.

If you are on the voters’ list for the 2018 Burlington municipal election, you should have received your Voter Information Notice by mail by Oct. 1. If you did not receive your notice, or there are errors on your notice:

• Call the City of Burlington at 905-335-7600, ext. 7481
• Email elections@burlington.ca, or
• Visit Burlington City Hall, 426 Brant St., from Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Ways to vote

Voters have options for how, where and when to vot for the Oct. 22 election.
Online Registration and Voting (Oct. 1 – Oct. 17):
• Anytime
• Have access to the Internet? If yes, vote online from anywhere
• Use your Voter Information Notice (VIN) to register and vote at burlington.ca/election

Advance Voting (Oct. 13 and 17):
• 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
• Oct. 13, Mapleview Shopping Centre-food court, 900 Maple Ave.
• Oct. 17, Mapleview Shopping Centre-food court, 900 Maple Ave.
• Oct. 17, Tansley Woods Community Centre- community rooms 1 and 2, 1996 Itabashi Way

Election Day (Oct. 22):
• 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.
• NEW in 2018 – Vote Anywhere your Ward
• Vote at any of the four locations in your ward.

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New police HQ open to the public Monday.

News 100 blueBy Staff

September 21st, 2018

Police HQ flgs flying

New police HQ commissioning ceremony

BURLINGTON, ON

 

The Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) new headquarters will be open to the public on Monday, September 24, 2018.

The new facility, located at 2485 North Service Road West in Oakville, was officially commissioned on September 13, 2018

The building is on the same site as the HAlton Region Administration offices.

The building includes: “State-of-the-art forensic labs, dedicated and centralized training facilities, a 50-metre 10-lane tactical firing range to accommodate the changing dynamics that are needed for firearms training, and special bays for the examination of vehicles involved in fatal collisions.

 

New headquarters from QEW

View of the south side of the new police HQ

,

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Changes to transit routes 4, 10 and 20 on Sunday September 23rd.

notices100x100By Staff

September 21, 2018

BURLINGTON, ON

 

With the Appleby Line Street Festival and the Amazing Bed Race closing down Appleby Line, but routes get changed.

The following routes will have detours on Sunday, September 23

Route 4, 10 and 20
Detour Area: Appleby Line from New Street to Fairview Street

Detour Dates: Sunday, Sept. 23 from approximately 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

New Street
Fairview Street
Pinedale Avenue east of Timber Lane

Appleby bus route changes

Bus route changes

Detour Routes:
• Route 4 will travel along Longmoor Dr., turn left onto Inverary Rd., right onto Fairview St. and proceed to the Appleby GO station. Route 4 will not service stops on Pinedale Avenue

• Route 10 Eastbound will travel along New St., turn left onto Timber Ln, right onto Pindale Ave, left onto New St., left onto Burloak Dr., left onto Harvester Rd., left onto Appleby Ln and left onto Fairview St. and proceed to the Appleby GO station. Route 10 eastbound will not service stops on Appleby Line

• Route 10 Westbound will leave the Appleby GO station, turn right onto Fairview St., right onto Appleby Line, right onto Harvester Rd., right onto Burloak Dr., right onto New St., and continue its regular route. Route 10 westbound will not service stops on Appleby Line

• Route 20 will leave the Appleby GO station, turn right onto Fairview St., right onto Appleby Line, right onto Harvester Rd., right onto Burloak Dr., right onto New St., left onto Appleby Line, left onto Lakeshore Rd., left onto Burloak Dr. left onto Harvester Rd., left onto Appleby Ln and left onto Fairview St. and proceed to the Appleby GO station. Route 20 will not service stops on Appleby Line

Stops not in service:
• 360 – Appleby ln at New St.
• 376 – 419 Appleby Ln
• 392 – Appleby Ln at Longmoor Dr
• 395 – Appleby Ln a Pinedale Ave
• 397 – Pinedale Ave. at Appleby Ln
• 403 – Pinedale Ave at Timber Ln
• 421 – Pinedale Ave at Appleby Mall
• 435 – Appleby Ln at Sheraton Rd
• 438 – Appleby Ln at Bennet Rd
• 451 – 666 Appleby Ln
• 453 – Appleby Ln at Fairview St

Route 4 detour due to Longmoor Dr. construction.

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The ward 6 debate takes place this evening - Lancaster, the incumbent will not attend.

council 100x100By Pepper Parr

September 20th, 2018

BURLINGTON, ON

The following are the opinions, reflections, observations and musings of Pepper Parr, publisher of the Burlington Gazette.

The second ECoB debate takes place in ward 6 this evening where there are three candidates; the incumbent Blair Lancaster, her strongest opponent in the 2014 race Angelo Bentivegna and Ken White a first time candidate.

The debate is to take place in the theatre in Hayden high school. Event starts at 7:00 pm with the doors opening at 6:30 pm

The event will be moderated by Deb Tymstra a popular Cogeco TV personality who has produced several programs and is a regular interviewer on The Issue.

Unfortunately, Lancaster has announced that she will not attend, because, she claims, the debate’s facilitator, is extremely biased. “While ECOB initially responded positively to my request to change the facilitator, they immediately went on to share information about my private correspondence with the Burlington Gazette—to discredit me and my concerns.   The Gazette then proceeded to write an article citing threats of violence against me. (The article Lancaster is concerned about are attached below.)

Lancaster, a two term member of city council was a member of the Shape Burlington report that was one of the attempt to get city staff and council to be more responsive to citizen concerns.  Lancaster did little to advocate for any real changes.

Considered part of the more reactionary wing of the current council Lancaster has a couple of achievements that need to be remembered. Her decision to work with ward 2 Councillor Marianne Meed Ward (she is now a candidate for the mayoralty) on saving the Freeman Station – they succeeded. The station is close to complete and is expected to be open to the public on a regular basis soon.

Were it not for the efforts of Lancaster and Meed Ward the Freeman station would be kindling burned in a fire place somewhere.

They had every reason to be smiling. Councillors Meed Ward and Lancaster pose with five members of the Friends of Freeman Station after the Council meeting that approved the entering into of a Joint Venture that would have the Friends moving the station and taking on the task of renovating the building.

They had every reason to be smiling. Councillors Meed Ward and Lancaster pose with five members of the Friends of Freeman Station after the Council meeting that approved the entering into of a Joint Venture that would have the Friends moving the station and taking on the task of renovating the building.

Lancaster brought another significant issue before council during the current term. Lancaster realized that the city was losing a couple of the long term care facilities – the Mt. Nemo operation was moving to Hamilton –and there was no land available for new facilities.

With a growing seniors population there is going to be a desperate need at some time in the near future.

Lancaster thought that long term care facilities could be built on land that was zoned as Employment Lands. She argued that the patient staff/resident ratio made these facilities significant employers and as such could be built in the Employment Lands the city has.

She didn’t get the traction the idea deserved.

Councillors Sharman and Lancaster: both part of the Shape Burlington committee who seem to have forgotten what the report was all about - civic engagement

Councillors Sharman and Lancaster: both part of the Shape Burlington committee who seem to have forgotten what the report was all about – civic engagement

She has a tendency to rely on Councillor Sharman, who sits next to her at council, for advice and direction.

She didn’t cover herself in glory on the air park matter. She was far too close to the owner of the Air Park at a time when the city was involved in expensive court proceedings

Lancaster can be scrappy at times and gets dramatic on occasion.

The evening she gave a demonstration on the use of Epi pens was a bit of a flop; the expert in the room politely told Lancaster that she wasn’t demonstrating the use of the pen properly..

Angelo Bentivegna came a close second to Lancaster in the 2014 election. There were 10 candidates in the race then. Lancaster took exception to the debate being sponsored by the Gazette. She has always had difficulty with media – it goes back to her days as a beauty queen.

To her credit she did tell the publisher of the Gazette after the debate that she thought the event was fair to all the candidates.

Bentivegna has done little since the 2014 election. In his campaign literature he said he “will create a ratepayers association in each community of ward 6 (Rural, Alton Village, Millcroft, and Headon Forest) to engage citizens in what’s happening in their area long before the ink dries!”

wevb

Ward 6 candidate Angelo Bentivegna

There isn’t a reason in the world why B couldn’t have formed those association the day after the last election. Saying you are going to involve people and actually doing so are two different things.

The  Bentivegna family worked hard to make a wonderful contribution to the Joseph Brant hospital.

In December 2009, Diane, his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. The tumor and began a regime of chemotherapy and radiation proved to be successful. The family wanted do something special to thank our physicians, nurses, caregivers and the hospital.  They decided to raise funds to purchase  State of the Art Digital Mammography unit with a Biopsy attachment.

The goal to reach was $450,000.00. In 2012 they raised $75,000.00. In 2013 they raised $101,000.00 plus $88,000.00 on a Bobby Orr autographed Bruins color Corvette.

In 2014 they raised the balance to achieve our goal: $450,000. The equipment was purchased,  delivered and installed at Joseph Brant Hospital in 2014.

Bee covers all the bases in his campaign literature – but other than delegating on the signage that was to be permitted by candidates for council seats the Gazette hasn’t seen much of him.

Budget public Angelo Benivenuto and Carol Gottlob

Angelo Bentivegna and Carol Gottlob at a 2015 city budget meeting.

He did appear at a presentation of a city budget one evening during a snow storm when there were more people at the ice pad next door than there were in the room the budget was being explained.

Bentivegna was available for media interviews during his 2014 campaign – he has chosen not to be interviewed by the Gazette this time around. That puts him in the same camp at Lancaster, Sharman and Dennison – not the right side of the political spectrum to be on in this campaign.

In his campaign literature Bentivegna lists his issues.  He includes the schools which has nothing to do with the city, as a former educator one would have thought he would know that.

Taxes: We need to focus on industrial and commercial opportunities to reduce the dependency on raising residential taxes. Taxes over the last two terms have been excessive to say the least…4.3% this past year alone! This council spends our money recklessly. They have demonstrated throughout their term of office that this trend will continue!

Our city is reactive, when it comes to compliance, as to who follows the rules and who doesn’t. Our city leaves a ton of money on the table…would you…I will work to recapture lost revenues!

Traffic: Every day I hear from our residents…Please help us move traffic around our city!Our roads get busier and busier each day, drive any major road north to south or west to east and vice versa. Intensification added to Ward 6 and to our city needs to be planned better! We need to incorporate with help from developers (community benefits..section 37) and resident input, solutions to move traffic flow smarter, easier, and timely…

The Transit System: Put Transit where the cars are!!!! Transit needs to be easy for users…needs to be frequent and reliable…needs to be simple to use, even if you are not a transit user! We need to develop a trust in the system…a trust the allows frequency, on time and reliable service when we need it! Let’s create a workable plan and work with our stakeholders to lure riders.

OP & Development: I am not against development, we need it to become sustainable and to attract people and Jobs to our city…What I am against is ” the “NEW” way we do business in our City. Our Official Plan & our Zoning Bylaws moving forward will not only act as guidelines, but they will now become targets for amendments! There was a time when an ‘amendment” was a change to fill a need that was somewhat minor or insignificant…now amendments are serious “ASKS”…10 stories to 17 stories…is that the “NEW NORMAL”.

Rural: We need to actively revisit our Official Plan to give our farmers and rural residents the tools that create flexibility to effectively manage their lands for the future. Together we can make this a positive economic issue in our City.

Seniors: In the next twenty years our senior population will double. We need to have more places for seniors to interact and stay connected in our City. We need to design all inclusive amenities that allow seniors to stay connected & comfortable with aging.

Our schools: How will our schools stay viable and at capacity in the future. What will happen to the school buildings that may struggle or lay empty. Now is the time to work cooperatively with our province, region, and school boards……City Council as a whole needs to voice a collective opinion. I said this during my last campaign in 2014 and we still need to pay attention to these issues looking forward.

Recreational Facilities: A need to re-examine how we can be more productive in our arenas, parks, gyms and libraries. We are not maximizing potential revenues from our City owned facilities. We have an opportunity to be creative in partnering with the private sector to find ways to increase revenues and reduce overhead.

ken-white-clicker-problem

Ken White delegating at city council.

Ken White is an Alton Village resident. He takes a very tough approach to what he thinks a new council will do.  He is for firing the city manager

Alton skating - two boys + dad

A Do it Yourself community hockey rink that White was instrumental in creating.

White has been active in his community – that involvement had him out late at night flooding a do-it-yourself hockey rink.

White, unfortunately, got himself on the wrong side of the city’s Heritage Advisory committee who found they had to send him a cease and desist letter when he was linking an idea he had for heritage fund raising to the Heritage Advisory web site.  At the time his wife was on the Board of that Advisory committee – hashtag awkward.

Among the issues he wants to promote:

Responsible development:
The future of our fine city is in our hands and right now Burlington is in crisis. The choices we make today will have far-reaching impact and it is critically important that every decision be thoroughly examined, well balanced and sustainable. We want growth, prosperity and advancement, but never at a reckless pace and never at the expense – or exclusive benefit – of any one stakeholder.

“I for one do not want to sit on the sidelines and watch as potentially poor decisions bring on deterioration of the services, lifestyle and values we currently embrace”, Ken explains. “I am committed to be part of the solution, where growth is measured, analyzed for the common good and always well planned.” Today, we are already well ahead of provincially mandated intensification goals. Accelerated high rise development without corresponding infrastructure improvement will be harmful in the long term and we will all pay through skyrocketing taxation.

Responsible development.

Every one of us is responsible for making sure that our voices are heard and our opinions considered.

We also expect prudence, fiscal restraint, transparency and accountability.

It is troubling to see that these expectations are not currently being met by our City. Burlington’s budget increases have averaged almost 4% a year since 2014. The City’s “human resource” cost is now $141,000 per employee. With the new Joseph Brant Museum being built at an incredible cost of $650 per square foot, the existing City Council has demonstrated a total lack of restraint or prudence.

As a financial executive, Ken finds these statistics an assault to the principles of his profession. That’s why he advocates changes that would help the City operate in a manner resembling a responsible, successful business – thereby holding the line on tax increases.

Consider just a few of ideas on his low-cost, high-impact slate:

Improve efficiency by appointing a City Manager who would receive a modest base salary supplemented by a variable compensation for meeting aggressive cost-cutting goals.

Engage an independent body to investigate where the City wastes money and where it performs well. The province’s Auditor General is very effective at keeping both politicians and government employees thinking twice before spending money on White Elephants.

The Joseph Brant Museum is being built at a cost of $650 per square foot. While I support a greatly expanded museum for a City of Burlington’s size the construction costs alone exceed the cost of buying a house in Millcroft at less than $500 per square foot including the land!

The time for accountability is now.

Every proposal for a zoning change, development project or building permit must receive the City’s approval. That stipulation gives City Council enormous influence.

Existing Council has failed to exert that influence to the benefit of our children’s education. Its unparalleled access to School Boards is an indirect lever to ensure responsible planning, yet Council has refused to voice their opinion or speak on behalf of their constituents. Even the City Manager was silent while he sat on the Halton District School Board’s Program Accommodation Review (PAR).

The HDSB has chosen to close two high schools with one just outside Ward 6. Frank Hayden High School in Alton Village has 16 portables while, 3.8 kms away, Lester B Pearson is being closed. School Board Trustees are voting favourably to build a new $23 Million Administration Centre. Councillor Meed Ward took her fight to Queen’s Park and won the right to keep Central High School open. The rest of Burlington Council, including Blair Lancaster, voted to NOT send a letter to the Provincial government to stop the closures of more schools.

Other municipalities in Ontario demand that their School Boards and developers provide a cogent plan with respect to where, how and how many children are going to be schooled when a building or subdivision is approved. Acceptable development demands intelligence.

Burlington needs to step up and take its zoning responsibilities seriously.

Deb Tymstra

Deb Tymstra will moderate the ward 6 debate

Those are the ward 6 candidates – two of them will be debating this evening.

Deb Tymstra will be moderating.

Related articles:

Defending dumb decision

Lancaster announces she won’t show up at the debate.

 

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The full two hour ward 5 candidates debate is now on line.

council 100x100By Staff

September 20th, 2018

BURLINGTON ON

 

If you weren’t able to make it to the ward 5 council member candidates debates last night you can hear every blessed word that was said.

Candidates att table on stage

The four candidates that took part are: from the left Xin Yi Zhang, Daniel Roukema, Wendy Moraghan and Mary Alice St. James. Paul Sharman, the incumbent chose not to attend.

Mark Carr

ECoB debate moderator Mark Carr

Mark Carr moderated.

Here’s the LINK.

It runs close to two hours.

The debate was organized by ECoB – Engaged Citizens of Burlington – an organization you might want to learn more about.

Related article:

Ward 5 ECoB debate – Councillor Sharman chose not to take part.

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Halton public school board students are getting better math test results.

News 100 redBy Staff

September 20th, 2018

BURLINGTON, ON

 

Today the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) released results showing Halton District School Board (HDSB) students perform above the province in Grade 9 Academic and Applied Mathematics, and on the Grade 10 Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT).

Math infographicThe successful completion of the OSSLT is a requirement for graduation. These results are based on assessments completed in the 2017-2018 school year and show that HDSB students are well above the provincial standard (Level 3 & 4, or a B grade or above).

For Grade 9 Math, there are different assessments for students in the academic and applied courses. The Grade 9 Academic Math assessment results decreased by one percentage point to 91% – they remain above the provincial average of 84%.

There were 3,597 students enrolled in the Academic Math course in 2017-2018.

For the 616 students in Grade 9 Applied Math, results increased from 52% to 54% this year. This is nine percentage points above the provincial average of 45%.

The OSSLT results for 2017-2018 were also released today.

The HDSB’s success rate for students writing the test for the first time decreased by two percentage points from last year to 85%. This is similar to the drop in the provincial average from 81% to 79%. The overall results for the OSSLT demonstrate that students in the Halton District School Board continue to have strong literacy skills.

Boag DavidDavid Boag, Associate Director for the Halton District School Board said: “Last year, the Halton District School Board implemented a new Math strategy and this strategy is bearing positive results. We will continue to ensure math and literacy remain core areas of interest and focus as we continue to support all of our students.”

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Dundas at Brant closed while serious collision is investigated.

News 100 redBy Staff

September 20th, 2018

BURLINGTON, ON

 

Police report a serious motor vehicle collision in the area of Brant St. and Dundas St. at approximately 3:30 in the morning.

Initial reports indicate three vehicles were involved.

Two vehicles possibly collided head on. One driver is trapped inside the vehicle. Police, Fire and Ambulance are on scene. Fire is working on extracting the driver while ambulance is treating injuries.

The Collision Reconstruction Unit has been called out to investigate.

Dundas St is completely closed in both directions. It is anticipated this closure will remain for some time.

Updates to follow when available.

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Gazette editorial cartoonist announced - has the Mayor in his sights.

The Gazette has its own editorial cartoonist.

Mike Allen, a Burlington resident who draws, teaches guitar and works in the music equipment business will be providing a visual look at events in the city of Burlington.

Sept 20-18

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Amazing Bed Race will be part of the Appleby Line Street Festival this Sunday.

eventsred 100x100By Staff

September 20, 2018

BURLINGTON, ON

 

As long as all the wheels are on at the Finish Line - 100 yards away - it's legit.

The Amazing Bed Race drew hundreds of observers when it took place on Brant Street. It will take place on Appleby Line this year.

Appleby Line Street Festival and the Amazing Bed Race have joined forces and will be part of what happens on Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018 – 1 to 5 p.m.

Road closures:

• Appleby Line, between New Street and Fairview Street, will be closed to traffic between 11:30 a.m. and 6 p.m.

• Traffic on New Street will be detoured to Walkers Line or Burloak Drive.

Details

Appleby Line was closed to traffic for a street festival that needed a couple of years to find its footing. Adding the Amazing Bed Race which is usually held downtown should make a difference to the number of people who show up.

• Traffic on Fairview Street will be detoured to Walkers Line.
Parking restrictions posted:

• Do not park in restricted areas.

• Parking is available at the Appleby Line GO Station lot.

Resident access:
Emergency Services access will be maintained at all times in the event area.
Supervision:

Road closures will be managed under the supervision of the Halton Regional Police Service.

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The beginning of a change in the way political dialogue takes place began last night at Bateman high school.

News 100 redBy Pepper Parr

September 20th, 2018

BURLINGTON, ON

 

Two things happened in Burlington last night at the Bateman high school. Both are relevant to the direction the city is taking in the way it elected officials will communicate with the people who do the electing.

Despite the significant efforts to derail the debates by  several of the members of council the event organized by a nascent citizen’s organization took place – it was the first of the seven debates that have been organized.

It was well attended, there were no glitches and the candidates gave a very good accounting of themselves.

Resident at Bateman debatte

As residents poured into the room more and more chairs had to be added.

ECoB has proven to be relevant, important and a much needed part of the process where dialogue can take place. It was a significant step forward for the city.

The creation of this organization was done by citizens, It would have been nice if the candidates had acknowledged the part that ECoB played in the event that allowed them to tell their story.

The second event was the view the several hundred people in the room got of the sitting member of city council for the ward.

Sharman team

Paul Sharman campaign workers preparing literature for distribution at a debate he did not participate in because he did not have any confidence in the organization that organized the event.

Paul Sharman chose not to attend or take part in the debate – but he did have people in the room distributing his literature.

In a statement Sharman made available to Mark Carr the event moderator, which he read out, Sharman said:

I apologize for not joining you at this evening’s debate.

Sharman seat at ward 5

The seat ward 5 Councillor Paul Sharman didn’t fill at the community debate.

“Politicians always get to choose who they will or not work with when asked to participate in such an event.

In this case I chose not to because I am only willing to work with a well-established, community organizer, and I was not satisfied with ECOB in that regard. Please check out my website for answers to the questions that ward 5 citizens are asking me. Also, please send me an email with any questions you have.

“Thank you and enjoy your evening.”

Hard to add anything to a statement like that.

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Lisa Bull gives her side of the story on the Steve Cussons opinion piece.

opinionviolet 100x100By Lisa Bull

September 18th, 2018

BURLINGTON, ON

 

Hello All – As the “accused” in the article that is linked below (and another PAR “expert” and Committee member) I thought it only fair that I have a chance to respond. Not that I expect to change any minds that have been made up about what “really” happened but to share my perspective. As most intelligent adults know, there are always multiple sides to every story and there is no such thing as a “true” account. Accounts can only represent the perspective of the person sharing them. So – here’s mine.

PAR banner

Collard and Miller

Ward 5 trustee Amy Collard giving Director of Education Stuart Miller the evil eye.

As anyone who followed the PAR process knows it was wrought with conflict, misinformation and confusion from the start. And, this continued right until the night of the final vote to determine which, if any schools in Burlington would be closed. The tension of the night was palpable – it was clearly felt by the Trustees and all of us who attended in the gallery. I came to the evening hopeful. I knew that our Trustee – Amy Collard – was planning on bringing forward a motion to introduce some alternate solutions to closing Robert Bateman (the full motion is posted on the Save Bateman Facebook site) I – like many of the community members were hopeful that the other Trustees might be willing to give this motion a chance. Ms Collard had shared her planned motion with her colleagues in advance of the meeting so they knew it was coming.

I thought her brave, innovative and courageous for wanting to try AGAIN to look at another option other than closing a school. However, it became clear very quickly that none of the other Trustees were interested in this. Much confusion began to take place as ms Collard tried to introduce her motion. The Chair was incredibly rude to Ms Collard during this process and other Trustees – including Leah Reynolds appeared to be working hard to vote against Ms Collard’s right to be even being able to introduce the motion. All of this can be seen on the video tape of the evening. As I sat with a friend and fellow Bateman parent – in awe of what was going on in front of us – we noticed that Councillor Meed Ward was furiously typing away on her I-Pad in front of us. She was making no attempt to shield her notes and we weren’t standing our our chairs or peering over her shoulder to read.

What she was writing was clear as day and right in front of us. Was she saying “CLOSE BATEMAN?”. Of course not.

But, what she appeared to be doing was providing very directive advice to Ms Reynold on how to stop Amy Collard’s ability to make a motion and then to stop the motion itself. At first, my friend and I couldn’t believe what we were reading.

While the photos posted on social media were a bit blurry, the messages we read Councillor Meed Ward typing were perfectly clear. They included:

Reynolds with Roberts rules

Was trustee Leah Reynolds getting instructions from PARC member and ward 2 Councillor Marianne Meed Ward. The evidence suggest that might have been the case.

” DON’T VOTE IN FAVOR! “(caps on in original) Let it go – done your job”

“Do not support (uphold) the Chair’s ruling to allow the amendment”

“Okay – you have done your job”

I still have the photos and am happy to share if someone wants to invest time in having them enhanced.

Maybe I’ll be proven wrong?

However, from our perspective, it appeared very clear that Councillor Meed Ward was a/ telling Ms Reynolds how to act, vote and speak and b/ that she was attempting to influence the outcome of a critical Board vote.

In my experience as a member of the PAR Committee I’d tried at least once to collaborate on an effort to stop all school closures. I’d tried to bring the whole Committee together to write a letter to the Provincial government as a group and while most all of the other school reps agreed to this, Ms Ward and the other rep from Central waited until the last minute and then decided not to work together with the Committee.

This lead me to believe that Councillor Meed Ward was focused solely on keeping Central open and had no interest in working with others to keep all schools open.

MMW typing

Marianne Meed Ward at her iPad.

I add this only to explain that I had every reason to believe that Ms Meed Ward was working with Ms Reynolds to shut down any attempt to save Bateman from closure.

Was I right in my assessment on the night of the vote? Councillor Meed Ward argues that I was not, She argues that she was merely trying to help Ms Reynold navigate Robert’s Rules. I can tell you that from what I saw, her notes appeared to go far beyond this. I suspect that the full “truth” will never be known.

I made the decision to share this information publically because I was shocked by what I saw. As someone who lives in Ward Two I was already incredibly disappointed in Ms Reynolds decision to go back on her campaign promise of “Close No Schools” and felt that the communication between her and Councillor Meed Ward was unacceptable.

I know that Councillor Meed Ward has a small but strong core of avid supporters who will defend her and her conduct until the end. And, in our democratic society they will soon have their right to show that support by voting for her. I, on the other hand, will show my support for leaders who I believe have demonstrated a commitment and a willingness to support to ALL citizens of Burlington.

Packed - it was that packed

Lisa Bull in the purple scarf – Steve Cussons is to her left – short grey hair at a packed public meeting on the closing of two of the city’s two high schools.

One final thought for you all. I’m currently dealing with a serious health issue. And, while all of the activity around PAR and the election seemed so important and so critical months ago and inspired so much passion, rage and anger I am learning – unfortunately the hard way – that these issues, while are important, are certainly not the most important things in life.

So I leave this discussion by genuinely wishing everyone all the best.

 

 

 

Related opinion piece:

The opinion piece Lisa Bull is responding to.

Meed Ward and Reynolds 2014 election nightEditor’s note:  The Gazette did ask Meed Ward for a copy of all the notes that were sent from her to trustee Leah Reynolds.  There was no response.  We are in the process of getting all the photographs taken and having them enhanced so that what was photographed can be seen by the public.

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The quaintness Burlington longs for will be in the part of Waterdown the city wants to annex.

SwP thumbnail graphicBy Pepper Parr

September 19th, 2018

BURLINGTON. ON

 

There is another way of looking at the idea the Mayor has of annexing parts of Waterdown.

There is a real drive to keep Brant Street the way it was in the 60’s and 70’s; small, quiet, slightly quaint.

The picture got over-developed (pun intended) when the city approved a 24 storey structure opposite city hall. ‘There goes the neighbourhood’ would certainly apply in this situation.

high profile 421

The Burlington the city is going to get …

Waterdown- street 1

The Burlington many had hoped the city would be. We couldn’t keep what we have – so we are going after parts of Waterdown.

In a Scott Radley radio broadcast – the link to that is HERE, made it pretty clear that Mayor Goldring had not really thought this one through.

To not even advise Hamilton Mayor Fred Eisenberger beforehand is an insult and just plain bad politics.
Goldring’s rationale appeared to be that annexing Waterdown would “help alleviate the growth pressure on Burlington” Goldring sees a natural affinity between Burlington and Waterdown and thought that this was an idea to at least consider.

Eisenberger didn’t see it that way. Hamilton has invested more than $50 million in Waterdown and didn’t take kindly to the Mayor of Burlington grabbing the tax revenue and development charges that are generated by developers and tax payers in Waterdown.

Scott Radley

In the Scott Radley radio program, on which the interviews took place, Goldring said that no one at the Ministry of Municipal Affairs thought it was an outrageous idea.

Eisenberger, trying to be polite, thought that he was owed an apology for the way Goldring “completely blind-sided” him.

“This sounds like an idea that Goldring just threw up in the air without thinking it through. I don’t know where this is coming from.” Said Eisenberger.

LaSalle Pacillion

Hamilton just might take the property back when the lease expires.

It probably puts the kibosh on Burlington’s efforts to buy the water lots that are part of the LaSalle Park and owned by Hamilton. They just may have a very nasty surprise for us..

Eisenberger pointed out that he saw Goldring as a huge supporter of intensification and that what Burlington was doing amounted to the tail wagging the dog – he could have added that the dog just might decide to bite.
Hamilton has 165 hectares of land that it is ready to develop; and there are 5000 residential properties currently in various stages of development.

Eisenberger thought that at a minimum there should have been some analysis and research done before putting an idea like this on the table.

Messy messy. To get back to that quaint feeling that many in Burlington want to keep – it seems to be something that is now gone putting the Emerald and St Luke communities at considerable risk.

The quaintness that Burlington wants will be in Waterdown where the streets are a lot more vibrant than anything Burlington has.

Look at the Waterdown street scrapes.

waterdown street plumbing

waterdown 3

 

 

 

 

 

 

Salt with Pepper are the opinions, reflections, observations and musings of the Gazette publisher.

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Send the kids to Spy School on the October 5th PA day.

eventsblue 100x100By Staff

September 19th, 2018

BURLINGTON, ON

 

The next P.A. Day Camp being put on by the Museums of Burlington is on October 5

Spy school theme MuseumsThe theme is a “Spy School”

Space is limited.

Reserve your spot online or call 905.332.9888 and ask to speak with one of our Educators.

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Burlington READS - a library program you won't want to miss

eventspink 100x100By Staff

September 19th, 2018

BURLINGTON, ON

 

Burlington READS is an author & book talk series that runs in the fall and spring. The library features three celebrated and thought-provoking Canadian books and invite local readers to come together to meet the authors and discuss the titles. Presented in partnership with A Different Drummer Books and Art Gallery of Burlington

Meet the Author: Tim Cook, Vimy: The Battle and the Legend – SOLD OUT

We mention this event to give you a sense of the quality of the programs being put on by the library.

Date: Wed September 19
Time: 7-8.30pm
Place: Art Gallery of Burlington, Shoreline Room, 1333 Lakeshore Road

Tim Cook talks about Vimy: The Battle and the Legend, and his 10th and newest book released on Sep 18, The Secret History of Soldiers: How Canadians Survived the Great War.

A bold new telling of the defining battle of the Great War, and how it came to signify and solidify Canada’s national identity. Tim Cook, Canada’s foremost military historian and a Charles Taylor Prize winner, explores why the battle continues to resonate with Canadians a century later. Vimy is a fitting tribute to those who fought the country’s defining battle. It is also a stirring account of Canadian identity and memory, told by a masterful storyteller. (excerpted from www.penguinrandomhouse.com)

Meet the Author: Plum Johnson, They Left Us Everything

Date: Tue October 23
Time: 7-8.30pm
Place: Art Gallery of Burlington, Shoreline Room, 1333 Lakeshore Road

They left us everything COVERAbout the book
After almost twenty years of caring for elderly parents, author Plum Johnson and her three brothers have finally fallen to their middle-aged knees with conflicted feelings of grief and relief. Now they must empty and sell the beloved family home. Plum thought: How tough will that be? I know how to buy garbage bags. But the task turns out to be much harder and more rewarding than she ever imagined. They Left Us Everything is a funny, touching memoir about the importance of preserving family history to make sense of the past, and nurturing family bonds to safeguard the future. (excerpted from www.penguinrandomhouse.com)

Meet the Author: Tom Wilson, Beautiful Scars: Steeltown Secrets, Mohawk Skywalkers, and the Road Home

Date: Sun December 9
Time: 2-4pm
Place: Art Gallery of Burlington, Shoreline Room, 1333 Lakeshore Road

Steeltown book coverAbout the book
Raised in the rough-and-tumble world of Hamilton, for decades Tom Wilson carved out a life for himself in shadows. He built an international music career and became a father, he battled demons and addiction, and he waited, hoping for family secrets and lies to cease and the truth to emerge. It would. And when it did, it would sweep up the St. Lawrence River to the Mohawk reserves of Quebec, on to the heights of the Manhattan skyline. Tom writes with unflinching honesty and extraordinary compassion about his search for the truth. It’s a story about scars, about the ones that hurt us, and the ones that make us who we are.

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Burlington Green to hold a debate for Mayoralty candidates - Schnurr to moderate.

News 100 greenBy Staff

September 119th, 2018

BURLINGTON, ON

 

Burlington Green asks you to mark the date for the Municipal Election All-Candidates Event on October 3, 2018

BG Our VoiceThey will be hosting an All-Candidates Event and Mayoral Candidates Debate in partnership with Nuvo Network ahead of the Municipal Election. The event will be held on Event Wednesday, October 3, 2018 from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm at Nuvo Network, located at 1295 North Service Road, Burlington – at the Intersection of Kerns Road.

BurlingtonGreen Executive Director Amy Schnurr with the bike Mountain Equipment Coop donated to the drive to get votes to win as much of the Jamieson Vitamins Call for the Wild Contest. There was $100,000 to be divided between five organizations.

BurlingtonGreen Executive Director Amy Schnurr will moderate the Burlington Green Mayoralty debate.

The format of the event is a Mayoral Candidates Debate that will be moderated by Amy Schnurr

There will also be an opportunity for the ward candidates to engage and interact with the crowd before the debate Mayoralty debate takes place.

Ward 5 Councillor Paul Sharman, who has said he will not take place in the debate to be held in his ward this evening but that he would take place in the Burlington Green debate.

Problem with that is there is no debate for the ward level candidates – which Councillor Sharman knew.

Burlington Green asks that: “If there is a local environmental issue that concerns you that requires immediate attention, please let us know. Or, if you are someone with an interest in environmental issues who likes to follow local politics, we can use your help and invite you to learn more about our volunteer Advocacy Team.

The Mayoralty debate is part of Burlington Green’s Advocacy initiative. Working under the tag line Our Voice the environmental group sets out subjects they have focused on.

Protect Burlington’s Trees
Plan Effective Transit
Preserve Greenspace
Conserve Natural Habitat
Trumpeter Swans
Save Farmland

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The end of Burlington as you know it - thank Mayor Goldring

SwP thumbnail graphicBy Pepper Parr

September 19th, 2019

BURLINGTON, ON

 

It is called connecting the dots.

Mayor Goldring determines that he is in trouble with his election campaign.

goldring-at-council

What has he done?

Mayor Goldring is Chair of an AMO committee (Association of Municipalities of Ontario)

He gets together with other Mayors, most of whom are east and north of Burlington.

He comes up with the idea of meeting with the Minister of Municipal Affairs asking him to ease up on the Places to Grow legislation which requires municipalities to create more housing and jobs.

The Mayor meets with the Minister of Municipal Affairs and some of his staff who, according to Mayor Goldring, had no objections to his suggestion that Burlington be permitted to annex parts of Waterdown.
Goldring doesn’t say how much of Waterdown he wants to annex.

Goldring doesn’t inform Hamilton Mayor Fred Eisenberger

Fred Eisenberger

Fred Eisenberger – thinks the idea was a flyer crafted on the back of a napkin.

Eisenberger is not impressed. He calls the idea a flyer that was written on the back of a napkin.

While all this local nonsense is going on the Premier of the Province has made it very clear that he wants less local government and is ramming legislation through to get a bill passed that would let him reduce Toronto city council from 47 members to 25.

Holding a session of the Legislature at mid-night would qualify as ramming.

Premier Doug Ford has said he will use a section of the Constitution  to impose his will on municipalities.

Doug Ford finger pointing

What will Doug Ford do with the idea of Burlington annexing part of Waterdown.

The province can order a municipal level of government to do anything he wishes

Watch for what Doug Ford does with the subject that Rick Goldring put on the table.

Doug Ford will order Burlington and Hamilton to merge and become one municipality.

Premier Harris forced the amalgamation of the Toronto suburbs into the mega city that is now Toronto.

The end of Burlington as you know it will have been brought about by Rick Goldring.

Burlington sign

The sign might get an upgrade.

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Wallace and Meed Ward respond to Mayor Goldring's plan to annex parts of Waterdown.

News 100 blueBy Staff

September 18th, 2018

BURLINGTON, ON

 

Earlier in the day the Office of the Mayor released a news media that said the Mayor had taken part in a meeting at Queen’s Park with the Mayor of Aurora to ask that the provincial government take another look at the Place to Grow legislation.  Goldring said that he wanted to see part of Waterdown annexed by Burlington.

Mayoralty candidate Mike Wallace said later in the day that: “An amalgamation debate occurred while I was on council, and at the time, I supported Waterdown becoming part of Burlington.

Waterdown map

Wallace H&S

Mike Wallace – candidate for Mayor

“However, that was a much different time. Now, Waterdown is experiencing much of the same density issues as Burlington, and has dealt with them from a Hamilton perspective. While the idea may still have some merit, Burlington may end up taking on more problems than any boundary expansion may solve. I believe there are more urgent concerns regarding the provincial planning requirements of Burlington – such as congestion and changes to the Places to Grow Act.

“As Mayor, this is where I will focus my political capital with the Ontario government.

Meed WArd at PARC

Ward 2 Councillor Marianne Meed Ward – a candidate for the Office of Mayor.

Marianne Meed Ward sees the idea of annexing Waterdown, which is now a part of Hamilton quite a bit differently and has quite a bit more to say about the idea which was put forward by Mayor Goldring today during a meeting with the provincial Ministry of Municipal Affairs.

“The idea of annexing Waterdown to Burlington is a diversion from the central concern of residents this election, which is over-development of Burlington, due to the decisions by the current mayor and council.

“Before annexing another community, that hasn’t asked for this, we need to clean up our own back yard by amending the Official Plan, advocating reasonable growth not over-development, and respecting residents enough to include them in decision-making before the fact.

“Burlington residents have not been consulted on annexing Waterdown, nor have they asked for this. The people of Waterdown and Hamilton have not been consulted. Burlington city council, Halton Regional council and Hamilton city council have not been consulted. So much for collaboration.

Meed Ward with Mayor Goldring: she is more comfortable with herself as a speaker.

Meed Ward with Mayor Goldring

“Enough of “Hail Mary” ideas cobbled together in a political back room and launched on an unsuspecting public for political gain, upending the democratic process in the middle of an election.

“Residents deserve better from their elected officials.

“Regarding amending the Places to Grow Act, the province has already given Burlington city council the tools to control growth – but this council isn’t using the tools we already have.

“Over development in Burlington is the direct result of decisions by the current mayor and council to go beyond provincial growth requirements and approve developments at 2, 3 or 4 times Official Plan provisions.

“Burlington’s share of growth from the province is 185,000 by 2031; as of the 2016 Census we were at 183,00. We have met or surpassed our growth – 13 years early. And yet, the current mayor and majority of council approved a new Official Plan that takes Burlington well beyond provincial targets, including adding up to 30 more downtown high-rises.

high profile 421

A 24 story structure opposite city hall on the north east corner of James and Brant has been approved.

“I’m the only Councillor who voted against this new plan.

“I’m the only candidate who is committed to amending the Official Plan, which this mayor supported.

“I’m the only candidate committed to working with the province to remove the Urban Growth Centre and Mobility Hub designations from downtown which would have relieved growth pressure. The current mayor did not support those motions, leaving the downtown at risk.

“I’m the only candidate committed to taking only as much growth as Burlington infrastructure will allow, when new growth targets are assigned by Halton Region to 2041.

“We need a strong voice and advocate in the mayor’s office to take action using the tools we already have for reasonable growth, not over development.

That’s why I’m running for mayor of Burlington: to listen to residents before announcing decisions, and take action on their concerns – over development, not annexing neighbouring communities.

We have an unprecedented opportunity for change this election to forge a new direction for Burlington and regain control of growth, with at least three new members of council to be elected (Ward 1 and 3 retiring, my Ward 2 seat open)

The public won’t be fooled by 11th hour declarations and promises, when the current mayor had 12 years to act – 4 as a Councillor and 8 as mayor.

“The time for talk is over. It’s time for action on the issues that matter to Burlington residents.”

Related news story:

Where is the justification:

Mike Wallace website

Meed Ward website

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Police are still still charging drivers with over 80 mgs

Crime 100By Staff

September 18th, 2018

BURLINGTON, ON

 

Are we ever going to learn?

The Regional Police have an ongoing program of focuisg on apprehenading people who drive while they are impaired.

Right now most of the charges are related to alcohol.

With cannabis about to become legal the job the police face is much bigger.

A report on those driving with over 80 mgs is set out below.

Will there ever be a day when no one is apprehended?

police in cruiser

Writing up an offense report and issuing a ticket.

Impaired Driving Offences Within Halton Region

On September 14, 2018 just before 11:00 pm, Halton Police officers initiated a traffic stop near the intersection of Trafalgar Road and Marlborough Court in Oakville. As a result of an investigation, Sundip Patel (36), of Oakville was charged with driving while ability impaired and driving over 80 mgs.

On September 15, 2018 just before 10:00 pm, Halton Police officers responded to a collision in the area of Bridge Road and Third Line in Oakville. As a result of an investigation, Laura Lategan (27), of Oakville was charged with driving while ability impaired and driving over 80 mgs.

On September 15, 2018 shortly after 10:00 pm, Halton Police officers responded to a citizen initiated complaint in the area of Guelph Line and Prospect Street in Burlington. As a result of an investigation, Jamie Sutherland (45), of Burlington was charged with driving while ability impaired and driving over 80 mgs.
On September 17, 2018 shortly after 8:00 pm, Halton Police officers initiated a traffic stop near the intersection of Steeles Avenue and Eighth Line North in Halton Hills. As a result of an investigation, Gary Boulton (63), of Lakeside was charged with driving over 80 mgs.

The Halton Regional Police Service remains committed to road safety through prevention, education and enforcement initiatives.

Members of the public are reminded that driving under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol is a crime in progress and to call 9-1-1 immediately to report a suspected impaired driver.

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