 By Pepper Parr
August 20th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
Directors of Education from school boards across the province met in Toronto last week to look into their crystal balls and try to determine just what might be in their future.
Spending cuts loomed large in the conversations which was followed closely by the realization that they would not be getting any salary increases this year.
The Directors experienced a seven year wage freeze that was lifted last year and then dropped back into place less than a month ago. They will learn to live on $200,000+
The concern over just how teachers are going to work with a sex education curriculum that is both dated and out of tune with the times is a concern.
 Facts don’t seem to impact the province’s decision to use an older curriculum. The Board’s still don’t have clear directions from the province and many teachers are concerned that the directions they get will clash with what they see as their responsibility to prepare students for the society they are going into.
Consent is a different word today than it was when the curriculum that is to be used was first written. That the difference even exists is a shame on all of us.
 HDSB Director of Education Stuart Miller Stuart Miller the Director of Education for the Halton District School Board said that school boards have been down this path before when the Harris government cut spending on both schools and hospitals. With more pressure coming from the seniors sector than the parents – we can expect more to be cut from education when the cuts come – and they will come.
Miller will be meeting with all his school principals in the week ahead giving them a sense of what lies ahead.
The Mathematics curriculum is under review – the fear is that the Premier will insist that an older approach to teaching math will be brought back. The current government is not seen as all that friendly with advances in education.
Also in the line-up of problems is the number of collective bargaining issues that come up in February and March of next year. The government might see this as an easy place to reduce spending – so what if there are strikes – they tend not to last very long and the savings would be significant.
 MMR principal Clair Proteau checking out the design changes being made to her school. At a more purely local school level – there are concerns about the number of students who are moving with the French Immersion program when it is taken out of Hayden High School and transferred to MM Robinson. Some of the feeder school are very much on side – 100% of the students will move with the program; at another school the number is close to zero prepared to make the move.
The situation was described as a “messaging” problem.
The really good news is that the transfer of Pearson high school students looks as if it will run very smoothly. A lot of work and effort had been put into making the transfer as seamless as possible for the students who will have to change their hoodies.
 In Burlington Director Miller has a pressing problem coming his way with the accommodation that houses the Administrative Staff. The building on Guelph Line is not AODA compliant and has to meet the standard by 2025.
Upgrading old buildings is often more expensive than starting from scratch. The Board has land immediately to the south of the existing building that will meet the need – but the current crop of trustees weren’t all that keen on keeping the Administrative building in Burlington. Four of the eleven trustees are Burlington residents; four are from Oakville; two from Milton and one from Halton Hills.
The Milton people do have a bit of a drive, especially in the winter when Board meetings end well after 10 pm. Also the number of trustees from Milton is expected to climb due to their population growth.
The education beat is going to be active.
 By Pepper Parr
August 20th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
The election that will decide who the Mayor of Burlington will be for the 2018 – 2021 term of office is attracting a lot of attention. The high profile offices usually get a lot of attention when an incumbent just might be getting the boot.
Burlingtonians have two very different choices if they decide that current Mayor Rick Goldring has done his bit. Ward 2 city Councillor Marianne Meed Ward has her hat in the ring and former city Councillor and Member of Parliament Mike Wallace are candidates for Mayor. Aldershot resident Greg Woodruff has also announced his candidacy.
While those top spots are important – the critical level of municipal government for households with children is our school board which is Regional in nature.
The Board that is seeking re-election is the Board that voted to close two of the city’s seven high schools when it was not crystal clear that those schools had to be closed.
 The school closings are what the Board administration wanted. The Director of Education changed his position once he had compelling data from Central high school parents. It isn’t clear why the Board staff did not spot what Central parents discovered.
Because of the doubt the Board trustees did have the option of voting to not close any of the high schools at the time and to wait for a few years to see just what high school enrollment was going to be.
The very significant intensification Burlington is going through makes it clear that we are going to see more people living in Burlington. Some of those people will be families and some of those families will have children and some of those children will be high school students.
In the process of closing Robert Bateman and the Lester B. Pearson High schools the trustees did two things that have done almost irreparable harm to the community. Bateman had a Community Pathways Program that provided an essential educational program for students that deserve as much opportunity as any other student.
Moving the program to Nelson is filled with problems.
Few, other than the parents who had children in the program, knew about the vital role CPP played in the lives of disadvantaged students.
 On the several student events that the Gazette covered at the school we didn’t hear a word about CPP; but as the PAR process rolled out it became clear that the program was essential for a group of families.
 When the decision to close Bateman was announced those parents erupted as well they should have. Had they made their case earlier in the process a different outcome might have been possible.
The Central high school parents did their homework and pointed out how expensive (never mind how disruptive to student life) it was going to be to bus their students. The Board looked at the numbers Central provided and agreed and took Central off the close list.
They then put Bateman on the list; their response was to claim the Central parents had “thrown them under the bus”.
The closing of Bateman has been pushed back two years.
 Ward 5 Halton District School Board trustee Any Collard With nominations closed – parents now know who has come forward to serve at the Board of Education level. There are a couple of bright spots. The acclamation of Amy Collard in ward 5 assures the public that there will be at least one strong voice coming from Burlington.
 Parent Diane Miller delegating to Administrative Review Facilitator Margaret Wilson. The entry of Diane Miller for the ward 3 seat is good news. Ms Miller made a very strong delegation to Margaret Wilson, the Facilitator appointed by the province to carry out an Administrative Review of the process used by the Halton District school Board to arrive at it’s decision to close two of the city’s seven high schools: Lester B.Pearson and Robert Bateman. Ms Wilson found for the Board of Education saying there was nothing fundamentally wrong with the process that was used.
Her public report said: “Based on my review and consultations, I conclude that, while there were violations of the Board PAR Policy, they were such that they had no material effect on either the deliberations of the PARC or on the final decisions of the Board.”
One wonders what the Board administration would have to do to draw a different response from the Facilitator.
 Jason Bartlett, who is running for the Ward 1 and 2 seat is an active participant of the Special Education parents group and can be expected to advocate for the parents with children that have special needs. Those children need all the advocacy they can get
One can only wish that those parents had been more active during that period of time when the decision to close Bateman was made.
One hopes that the debate for the school board trustees can hear sound arguments and strong positions from the trustees and do away with that “we were thrown under the bus” claim by Bateman parents.
There is the potential to elect trustees that can do the job they are elected to do.
This is the time for voters to look over the candidates and ensure that the direction the school board takes is sound and meets the needs of the children that will be heading back to school in a couple of weeks.
Salt with Pepper are the opinions, reflections, observations and musings of the Gazette publisher
 By Pepper Parr
August 18th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
A reader has asked where the Freeman House is located. At 906 Brant Street on the west side just before the grade separation..
The symbolism is brilliant – Meed Ward announces the opening of her campaign office on the site of the Freeman family home. Her first motion as a city Councilor was to do everything possible to save the station.
 She brought petition after petition to city council before she first ran for election. The Gazette watched Marianne Meed Ward when she was an active community member in ward 2 focused at that time on Save our Waterfront. That organization proved to be the base from which she launched her 2010 campaign for the ward 2 seat handily beating Peter Thoem.
Two terms of office later and Meed Ward is reaching out for the brass ring – something she had her eyes on before the was really a candidate.
During the 2010 election one of the concerns Cam Jackson had when he was running for a second term as Mayor was that Meed Ward would be gunning for him when he went after a third term
Unfortunately for Jackson, he didn’t get a second term, but Meed Ward did and she wants her third term on city council to be as Mayor leading a city she feels has been poorly led.
 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. Of the four candidates running for Mayor Meed Ward has the strongest natural media skills. She is like a moth to a flame when the TV kleg lights come on. She has a quick answer for every question and she makes extensive use of social media. She is pretty good on the drama side as well.
All three serious candidates for the office of Mayor are setting up campaign offices. Rick Goldring opened his early in the week, Mike Wallace opened his today and Meed Ward will open hers on or about the 8th of September.
 The Freeman family home had its name given to Burlington – the local railway station; a fitting site for the campaign office of woman who saved the station. Where?
In the building that was once the home of the Freeman family; a name that got attached to a local railway junction. Saving what is known as Freeman Station (it was originally Burlington Junction) was a long struggle for the people of the city that cared about their history and their heritage.
The first city council motion Meed Ward brought forward as a member of a new city council was to make one last effort to save the station. The city had already decided to demolish the building.
 Sitting on some “cribbing” with a sign badly in need of several coats of paint, the Freeman Station gets ready for its big move. The motion was put forward by Meed Ward and Councillor Lancaster. They didn’t work together on motions all that often after that first burst of collaboration
Why the Freeman location ?
The motion to have the city do everything it could to save the Freeman Station was the very first motion Meed Ward put forward as a city Councillor.
The structure was described as something that would fall over if anyone tried to move it. The city couldn’t sell it for fire wood. Every location that was considered as a new home was shot down. There was one disappointing session of council where ward 5 Councillor Paul Sharman explained to delegators that if a location wasn’t found then they would have to give up on the idea of saving the building
Making motions is what government is all about. You make changes by making motions and working to get your colleagues on council to support your motion.
Meed Ward is using that very first motion and the Freeman family household as the launching pad for her campaign.
The symbolism couldn’t be more graphic.
There were two motion passed that January 31st evening in 2011. The second was to look into evaluating night club regulations downtown. Ms Lancaster didn’t join Meed Ward on that one.
End
 By Pepper Parr
August 18th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
That first ride to school on a school bus can be a big adventure or an experience that has a child close to terrified of being on their own.
The organization that manages the school bus service that services both the Halton District School Board and the Halton Catholic District School Board has organized a First Rider Program to be held on Saturday, August 25, 2018
The First Rider Program” (previously referred to as School Bus Orientation Day) will begin at 9:00 a.m.
 Safely getting on and off of the bus and proper behaviour on a school bus are part of the First Rider program. Parents of all first time riders are encouraged to bring their children to the free sessions, which will feature a classroom presentation on school bus safety, including Off We Go! a special video on school bus safety and a demonstration on a school bus.
School bus company safety officers and bus drivers will talk to the children and their parents about safely getting on and off of the bus, proper behaviour on a school bus, crossing the street to get to a waiting bus and overall school bus safety.
In addition, a handout will be provided to all young riders with tips on school bus safety. Both HSTS and the school bus operators hope this program will help students and their parents feel more comfortable riding a school bus before the first day of school.
The hour long sessions begin at 9 a.m. on August 25, 2018 at the following five locations throughout Halton.
To register students parents must contact the host bus company at the phone number listed below:
For Burlington the presentation takes place at Corpus Chris Catholic Secondary School 905-333-4047 (Attridge Transportation)
 By Ray Rivers
August 17th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
“Saudi Arabia remains a critical financial support base for al-Qaida, the Taliban, LeT and other terrorist groups… Donors in Saudi Arabia constitute the most significant source of funding to Sunni terrorist groups worldwide.” (Hillary Clinton)
Word is out that Elon Musk has an offer he can’t refuse from the Saudis, to help him take back Tesla from all those critical public share holders. The question is why. Is it possible that Allah had bestowed an enormous endowment of battery quality lithium in the Arabian desert, as well as all that petroleum.
 Elon Musk One suspects Saudi King Salman must be up to something fishy. Otherwise why would a nation whose economy virtually runs on oil be buying into an electric car company? Perhaps the kingdom, sees Tesla as a threat to the gas guzzlers and is planning to buy it up only to shut it down – sort of like what US Steel did to Stelco. But why spend good cash buying a money losing car company. Odds are good it’ll go bankrupt all on its own.
If they can be taken at their word, this foray in buying an auto company may be just the start. They’ll still have ready cash available in their two-plus trillion heritage fund – enough to buy other perennial money losing auto companies like Chrysler. Or perhaps there is a deeper method behind this seeming madness.
 Cockpit of a Tesla electic car How much simpler life would be for the misogynous state if the new Saudi Teslas could be engineered somehow so that only males could operate them. After all Elon Musk is a genius. Tesla pioneered autonomous drive as well as battery power. How difficult could it be to differentiate between males and females, and everything in between? Wouldn’t that bring a whole new slant to the term intelligent drive?
What then would be the point of those female protesters demanding equal rights to drive when they are not gender-capable of doing so anyway? Women in Saudi Arabia have finally and grudgingly been given the right to drive, provided they are accompanied by a male and/or have submitted an acceptable flight plan to a male relative or guardian. Hardly what we’d call freedom, but then that is Arabia.
 Protesters demanding the release of Raif Bedawi; his wife is now a Canadian citizen Human rights are subservient to male rights in this backward sexist monarchy and all rights are subservient to the wishes of the royal family. Back almost a decade ago Saudi authorities apprehended an independent humanitarian blogger, Raif Bedawi, for having the gumption to write on the internet about something we call freedom of speech.
For that heinous act he was sentenced to 10 years in prison and 1000 lashes to be administered at the rate of 50 a week.
The Harper government and its foreign minister Baird roundly criticized the Saudis back then, trying to influence them through diplomacy and even twitter. But since then Bedawi’s wife has managed to flee to Canada and become a citizen. So when Chrystia Freeland, Canada’s foreign minister, out of desperation and as duty to a Canadian citizen, tweeted to the Saudi government that they should immediately release Mrs. Bedawi’s husband and the other imprisoned peaceful protesters, all hell broke loose and the rest is modern history.
The Saudi will accept nothing less than an apology for calling them out for exactly what they are. But Trudeau is not going to apologize for speaking out on women’s human rights, even if the Conservative opposition members, who have apparently forgotten what they did as government, are now making sounds like they think he should. After all he is the feminist PM of Canada.
And Canada is not going to play tit-for-tat trade. Our $15 billion contract to export armoured cars is wrong on several counts but $15 billion is a lot of money and jobs, and besides if we cancelled, General Dynamics would just transfer production from their Ontario plant to someplace else. Morality has never been an insurmountable issue when it comes to selling weapons for the Americans, Brits or French either.
 The Crown Prince wants Canada to apologize for the tweet Chrystia Freeland sent. It is embarrassing that over the thirty years since Trudeau the elder promised a national energy policy, we’re still importing oil from Arabia.
Perhaps once the jurisdictional matter with B.C. is resolved we will move forward on the Energy-East pipeline. Or we could start making more electric cars – like Tesla is doing.
And then there are some 800 Saudi medical students who’ve been told by their homeland to pack up and go home. Sure we’ll lose the money they bring with them, but that is about the best news ever for young Canadian medical graduates still waiting for a resident position.
Most concerting in this unfortunate tussle though was the image released by a group of Saudi whacko nationalists portraying an Air Canada plane heading for collision with our CN tower. There was a retraction and apology, but nobody thinks threatening another nation with the kind of terror we saw on 9/11 is at all funny. And, of course, 15 of the 19 9/11 hijackers were Saudi nationalists, as indeed was bin Laden
 We manufacture them in London, Ontario ship them to Saudi Arabia So this little tempest over a tweet will become a game of ‘who blinks first’. Or like a game of road chicken, American Graffiti style, except the Saudi’s are racing at us with their new Tesla and Canada is driving one of those General Dynamics tanks. And our foreign minister, a woman, is doing the driving.
Background links:
Saudi Arabia – Tesla Sale – Saudi Driving Ban –
Women Protesters– Freeland Tweet – Saudi Medics – Saudi 9-11 pic –
Ray Rivers writes regularly on both federal and provincial politics, applying his more than 25 years as a federal bureaucrat to his thinking. Rivers was once a candidate for provincial office in Burlington. He was the founder of the Burlington citizen committee on sustainability at a time when climate warming was a hotly debated subject. Tweet @rayzrivers
 By Pepper Parr
August 16th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
Trevor Copp’s interpretation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth is not the way we heard the play in high school.
It is however a production well worth watching.
 Summer outdoor theatre at its best. There are some exceptionally good performances.
 Lady Macbeth arguing with Macbeth Alma Sarai did a wonderful job as Lady Macbeth – the depth of her “out out” scene and the way in which she carried Macbeth off the stage in her arms was pure poetry and a demonstration of physical strength as well. DeSousa-Coelho who played Macbeth is not a man of small stature.
Copp has a core of experienced cast members that have ben a part of the RBG program for the past three years. My personal preference would have been to see Mika Hannigan as Macbeth – however Shawn DeSouza-Coelho did good work dealing with the mental emotional torment Macbeth was going through.
Kaylyn Valdez-Scott as was very good as Lady Macduff; she was a bright light to keep an eye on.
One could bank on the Banquo performance given by Jesse Horvath.
 Macbeth dispatches Duncan Zach Parsons played Macduff and Malcolm very well.
Claudia Spadafora did a nice Ross – what we’ve not experienced with her before was the quality of her singing voice. It was a pleasant surprise .
The murderers reminded one of the way the Sûreté du Québec, that province’s provincial police service, has behaved in the past. It was sometimes hard to tell the difference in Quebec between the criminals and the police.
The choreography was the typical Copps work – he understands movement; the scene in which the murderers formed a chain of people stabbing one of their victims was brilliant.
Copp had a merry band of murders on stage who were very comfortable thrusting knives into almost anyone at hand or putting pistols to the heads of those they had to deal with and pulling the trigger. I lost count of just how many people were “offed” on that outdoor stage.
This second performance of the three week run went well; it was humid.
Outdoor theatre means coping with the weather – which is now climate in a constant state of change.
 Some of the murderers having a drink after work. The closing scene before intermission and the and the opening scene in the second half had everyone on the stage and involved in an operating room that was part Abu Ghraib and what we used to do at summer camp skits. Electric drills, tools that defied ones imagination were all part of a gruesome scene.
Hannigan dryly commented to Lady Macbeth that he was unable to help Macbeth: “he is beyond my practice”; this after he had taken every tool imaginable to “fix” Macbeth.
For those who make room for Shakespeare in their entertainment choices it is the language the draws us back again and again.
“Resolve thyself” … “filty witness” … the “bell that invites me” … “almost at odds with the morning”. There were people in the audience mouthing the words being said on the stage. “Let us make medicine of our revenge.”
 Reading a script during an intermission. One patron said after the performance that “it took me a bit to get into it but I soon found myself feeling very emotional.
During the intermission one couple, using a flashlight to read a script they had were debating the wording and thoroughly enjoying themselves.
The play runs again on Friday and then Monday to Friday the week of the 20th and the week of the 27th.
There are no performances on Saturday or Sunday.
By Pepper Parr
August 16th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
Policing is much more than officers handing out Highway Traffic Act tickets.
There is a homicide unit
There is a fraud unit
There is a Mobile Command that the Gazette did a feature story on.
There is a K9 unit
There is a unit that handles sexual assaults.
And there is a Marine Unit that works out of Bronte Harbour in Oakville.
 The Outer Harbour at the bottom of Bronte Road in Oakville – HQ for the HRPS Marine Unit. Their area of jurisdiction is from the border with the Region of Peel, basically at Winston Churchill and out into the Lake up to the International boundary then west to the canal.
The Halton Marine unit works very tightly with the Hamilton marine unit – Halton has the larger of the two fleets.
The Halton boats are run by a team of six people – 5 male and a single female. “Women haven’t sought out the opportunity to serve in the marine unit” said Csanyi.
The Gazette met with Sergeant Paul Csanyi and PC Jeff Thurston at the office they share with a community patrol unit.
 Sgt Paul Csanyi at the helm of Marine 2 – a screen with a depth measurement sits in front of him on the right with a screen that lets him zoom in and out of a map. Csanyi is an 11 year veteran with the Marine unit and has been a police officer for 28 years. Thurston has been with the unit for five years.
They oversee the operation of a three boat fleet that includes a 40 foot boat, a 26 foot boat and a 17 foot boat. Oddly, the boats don’t have names: just Marine 1, 2 and 3 or as Sgt Csanyi puts it – “the big guy, the fast one and the little guy.”
There is a 4th boat called Marine 4 that is an inflatable dingy which is used for inland waters/ponds)
 Marine 1 – the biggest boat in the fleet has better handling than Marine 2 the boat this is used most often The Halton Regional Police Service Marine unit is in place to enforce federal Department of Transport regulations.
“We have an area we are responsible and we do our patrols – we come under the direction of Canadian Coast Guard for Search and Rescue only.
All the regulations that apply to using a boat on the water are federal.”
The two bigger boats have sonar that tells then what is beneath the boat; we were 24 feet above the bottom during our run.
A second screen in front of the person at the wheel is a map of the area they are working that can be expanded and contracted. They have all the technical whistles and bells they need. Radar is also part of what they have to work with.
Marine 2 is very open – not much getting out of the weather on that boat. The command deck is partially enclosed.
The boats are on the water right up until freeze up.
Each boat has life boat of its own that opens automatically when it hits the water.
The work of the Marine Unit amounts to making sure people have the safety gear and that they have a license to use a boat and that the boat is registered.
During our tour Marine 2, the 26 footer, came up on a man on a paddle board who didn’t have a fanny pack. Constable Thurston went forward to explain what the regulations were while Sgt Csanyi took the wheel.
 Sgt Csanyi at the wheel while Constable Thurston cautions a paddler who was on the water without all the safety equipment required. The man was on the water paddling away; his daughter was in Oakville at a hockey school.
No ticket (saved the paddler $125) just an explanation on what the rules were.
The boats have very powerful engines – twin Volvo engines on Marine 1 and dual 250hp Evinrude outboards on Marine 2.
Each boat has a communications system that put them in direct contact with the Halton Communications people who can reach almost anyone anywhere in the world. They are also tied into the communications at the Oakville detachment and they are part of a VHF frequency that the boats use to communicate when they are on the water.
 Twin 250 hp Evinrude engines can move Marine 2 at a 40 knots clip – that is fast for travel over water. The white box at the bottom of the picture, partially visible is the life raft for the boat. And of course they have their cell phones with them.
Whenever a member of the Marine unit boards a boat they have a large bag with everything they need including wet suits if they have to go into the water.
“Should we come across a boat that is on fire our job is to ensure that anyone on the boat is helped. We are not there to put out the fire.”
“There was an occasion when we were involved in helping to raise a boat that had sunk; we were able to suck out some of the water to get the boat up and then get flotation devices underneath so the boat could be taken into a harbour.”
 Marine 2 – the work horse of the fleet can be out on the water in minutes should there be an emergency. The biggest problem for the Marine unit is weather: when the waves get to the six foot level it is heavy boating. Few people know how to handle that kind of weather; it takes an experience boat user to make way in heavy weather.
“A lot of our calls involve racing to aid a boater who is in over their head and are having difficulty handling a boat. We have had to tow boats in the past. We put a line out or we can pull them in alongside our boat and get them back to a harbour” explained Csanyi.
Related news story:
Mobile Command Unit
By Pepper Parr
August 16th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
She, along with two of her peers, have given the Halton District School Board bragging rights.
Dasha Metropolitansky served as a student trustee on the Halton District School Board where her performances were better than several of the publicly elected trustees.
Three students in Board of Education schools earned perfect scores in their International Baccalaureate (IB) programme.
Dasha Metropolitansky, Brian Guo and Hanson Liu achieved rare perfect scores in their International Baccalaureate (IB) programme. All three are students at White Oaks Secondary School in Oakville.
 Brian Guo, Dasha Metropolitanskyand Hanson Liu got perfect scores on IBL tests. The IB programme is an internationally recognized, two-year diploma, which provides a challenging curriculum for highly motivated students. It offers additional academic rigor in languages, mathematics, humanities and sciences and emphasizes personal development for students. It is offered at 5,000 schools around the world, including three in the Halton District School Board: Georgetown District High School, Robert Bateman High School and White Oaks Secondary School.
The IBL program is scheduled to transfer to Central high school when Robert Bateman high school closes. The date for that closing keeps getting extended.
According to the IB organization, only 13 students in the ‘Americas’ region achieved a perfect score (45 points), and three are students from the same school in the Halton District School Board.
“I owe my peers, teachers and White Oaks administration so much for providing me with excellent resources and counsel, without which my accomplishment would not have been possible,” Guo says. “I am honoured to have received a 45, but I am most appreciative of the IB for its formative impact on me as a learner and as a global citizen.”
“Aside from feeling extremely grateful, I am very proud that the three of us can represent White Oaks,” Lui says. “I hope this showcases the quality of the HDSB staff and resources that paved the road to our
achievement, and encourages more students to pursue this wonderful educational opportunity.”
“I’m extremely proud that I’m one of only 13 students in North and South America who achieved a perfect score in such a demanding program,” Metropolitansky says. “The fact that approximately a quarter of North and South America’s perfect scores came from the Halton District School Board is extraordinary and a testament to the quality of our schools.”
“The Halton District School Board is very proud of the scores Brian, Dasha and Hanson achieved in the IB programme,” says David Boag, Associate Director of the Halton District School Board. “For many of our students, the IB program is a great complement to the high level of education they already receive in our Board. We wish Brian, Dasha and Hanson the best of good luck, as we are confident they will achieve much success in their future endeavours.”
This fall, Guo is pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Duke University; Lui is studying Health Sciences at McMaster University; and Metropolitansky is attending Harvard University.
 By Staff
August 16th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
Police in Burlington are investigating an early morning armed robbery at Domino’s Pizza located at 495 Walkers Line.
 Suspect left the pizza shop on foot after taking the cash – he appears to have known when the cash count was going to take place. On August 16th 2018 shortly after midnight, a lone male suspect entered the business armed with a handgun and confronted two employees, one of which was in the process of counting money.
The suspect demanded cash and then removed an undisclosed amount from the till tray that was being counted before fleeing the business on foot.
The suspect is described as a white male, 25-30 years old, 5’7″ to 5’9″ tall wearing a blue and white bandana covering his face with a red baseball cap, maroon hoody, light colour jeans andblack running shoes. He was armed with a black revolver handgun. (See included photo)
Anyone with information regarding this robbery is asked to contact Detective Steve Siomra Burlington Criminal Investigation Bureau – Robbery Team 905-825-4747 ext. 2343
Tips can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers “See something? Hear something? Know something? Contact Crime Stoppers” at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS)or through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.ca.
By Pepper Parr
August 16th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
If you thought the municipal election was going to be quiet until Labour Day – think again.
Each of the candidates for Mayor has been lining up their teams, opening their campaign offices if they decided to have one.
Ward 2 Councillor Marianne Meed Ward who wants an upgrade and decided to run for Mayor this election has come out swinging with a xx on Facebook that was waiting for you on your Facebook page.
She is punching hard.
The swing is directly at the current Mayor. She tells you where she thinks he has gone wrong and what she is going to do about the mistakes that were made.
Numerous references are made to how Oakville got it right and where Burlington got it wrong.
Meed Ward has always seen herself as one of the few politicians in Burlington who knows how to make social media work.
The last line of her Facebook message is an invitation to go to her web site and learn even more about what she can do for you.
Her base will love it.
Is Rick Goldring the person Meed Ward has to beat?
By Staff
August 14th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
And what’s wrong with this “deal”?
The spelling – but it’s such an enticing offer and Air Canada is such a strong brand name.
No problems with this one – right?
 Check the spelling – a national organization would never make that kind of misttake. When you click on that promotion code you real problems will have just begin.
If it is a gift horse – look it in the mouth.
The thieves promoting this scam will do very well.
 By Roland Tanner
August 14th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
The residents of Ward 2 are now left hoping that one development they don’t want wins out over another they want even less.
 President of Reserve Properties chats up the Mayor at a public meeting reviewing the development. Reserve Properties, the development company behind the proposed 409 Brant Street development, has filed an appeal to the Local Planning Appeals Tribunal (LPAT, formerly the OMB) seeking 24 storeys instead of the 17 storeys Council voted for at their last meeting.
The appeal comes as no surprise. Reserve Properties has repeatedly stated, initially in a response to a question I made on May 1st at the public meeting at the Lions’ Club, their justification for 24 stories is based primarily on the fact the neighbouring development was given 24 stories by vote of Council in the Fall of 2017. They made clear at Council that they did not believe 17 storeys was an ‘optimized’ intensification of the property, based on an argument derived from a single sentence in the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (GPGGH).
All Council’s attempts at appeasement of developers, in the hope for some moderation and respect for the City’s new (but not yet in force) Official Plan have come to naught.
 The city approved this development …  The proponents of the development on the right want the same height as the development on the left – which the city has already approved. It isn’t quite that simple. The developers are doing their job. While we can certainly wish for a more respectful dialogue between developers and the community, which would take into account the community’s desires, they are under no obligation to respect the residents of Ward 2. They are within their rights to appeal. It is supposed to be Council’s job, above all others, to defend and represent the interests of residents, but over the last decade they appear to have largely abrogated that responsibility.
The question is now how the newly formed LPAT interprets whether the City is meeting the provincial objectives for intensification under the GPGGH. If it can be successfully argued by the City that 17 storeys meets the objectives of the GPGGH, then the 17 storeys will be upheld.
 Red square is the location of the approved project – the black one is the development that has been taken to LTAP on appeal. Residents must now wait to see which of the two wildly unpopular options will be supported by LPAT. In one way the developer’s arguments are correct – the practical difference between a 17 storey tower and a 24 storey tower is not that great. They’re both too big for the site, and run calamitously counter to the clearly expressed desires of residents for development on Brant Street. There is no ‘good’ result to be had for citizens at LPAT with this appeal, just an official judgement on ‘bad’ or ‘worse’.
This crisis in the ability of the City to defend its own zoning downtown is a creation of the City, not the province. This development and the subsequent appeal would not be happening in downtown Oakville. The City chose to designate downtown for intensification, and the City chose to designate downtown as a Transit Hub, placing twice the number of intensification areas in Ward 2 of any other ward, and more than the whole of North Burlington.
 Those thin red dotted lines represent different bus routes that will transfer passengers at the downtown terminal. This despite the fact that transit connections in downtown are far from adequate. We are now faced with being unable to control intensification because of the lack of care that was taken to protect downtown zoning within the Official Plan and zoning since the Places to Grow Act. Blaming the Province, the OMB or the LPAT is a smokescreen to hide the calamitous decisions that have been made with regard to downtown at City Hall, and the too-late, likely ineffective, attempts under the new OP to control development by re-zoning downtown in an attempt to appease developers into being more moderate in their demands.
The next Council, even if composed of Councillors far more sympathetic to moderation downtown than the current one, will be faced with a difficult struggle to undo the decisions that have been made.
The battle is just beginning for growth done right in Burlington.
 Roland Tanner is an historian by profession and a candidate for the ward 2 city council seat. He was a member of the group that produced the Shape Burlington report; a document that council endorsed unanimously then forgot that it existed.
Related news story:
Why the Carriage Gate development opposite city hall was approved.
By Staff
August 14th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
Halton Police have arrested a male after receiving a complaint of a suspicious person canvassing door to door for money while falsely representing himself as a member of a local place of worship in the Headon Forest area.
After an extensive search and the assistance of local residents, Mohammed ISMAIL (25 yrs of age from Hamilton) was arrested and charged with the following offences;
Fraud Under $5000,
False Pretenses Under $5000 and
Trespassing at Night.
Mr. ISMAIL is believed to have obtained funds from numerous citizens in the Headon Forest area.
Anyone with information relating to this incident is encouraged to contact the Halton Regional Police Service Criminal Investigations Bureau at 905-825-4747 extension 2316.
Tips can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers “See Something? Hear Something? Know Something? Contact Crime Stoppers” at 1-800-222-8477 or through the internet at www.haltoncrimestoppers.ca
 By Pepper Parr
August 14th, 2018.
BURLINGTON, ON
Weather clouds the first night of Macbeth at the RBG Rock Garden. Opening moved to Tuesday.
Weather was always going to be an issue – it was after all outdoor theatre.
The early crowds were good – and they kept coming in through the wrought iron gates even as people were opening up their umbrellas and stage people were beginning to cover electrical elements with plastic.
 Umbrellas were brought out by the hardy theatre goers but the rain Gods didn’t bless them  Director, stage manager and RBG staffer gather to discuss the weather options. Trevor Copp, director of the Macbeth performance that was to hold its opening night of a three week run at the RBG Rock Garden, discussed what the options were and decided at 7:25 pm that they would wait an additional 20 minutes before deciding what to do.
A few people, very few left.
The rest hung in until 7:40 when Copp took to the stage and said that the weather formations on the RBG weather channels were not optimistic – Opening Night was being cancelled and ticket holders would be given tickets for another evening.
The cast and the stage crews began the take down – there was going to be another day.
 This couple were quite content to wait it out. For those who walked to their cars across the road there was this wonderful rainbow beginning to arc its way across the evening sky.
An omen for the rest of the three week run.
Tickets are available at: WWW.RBG/shakespeare
Related news stories:
Cast in rehearsal.
Lady Macbeth doing out out.
 By Pepper Parr
August 13th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
We got a call from a reader asking why the Burlington Police detachment wasn’t open full time.
We were advised this morning that the Halton District Police Service put in a policy that became effective September 1st, 2017 to limit the hours of operation in Milton and Burlington to the following:
3 District Burlington (30 Division)
3800 Constable Henshaw Blvd. Burlington, ON
Operating hours 8:00am -10:00pm
1 District Milton (12 Division)
490 Childs Drive Milton, ON
Operating hours 8:00am -10:00pm
1 District Georgetown (11 Division)
217 Guelph Street Georgetown, ON
Operating hours 8:00am -7:00pm
20 Division in Oakville will remain open to the public 24 hours a day.
The Community Rooms will not be available to the public once the station has closed for the evening.
A public intercom will be located at the front door of the respective stations. This intercom will provide immediate contact with our police communications. This feature will be available during off- hours.
hours of operation will be in place seven days a week:
The police sub-station on Brant Street was closed on April 30th, 2017. The public was made aware of the change a few days before the bureau closed. The police reported that in 2016, only six reports were generated from visitors; the vast majority stopped to ask for directions or to turn in found property.
 The decrease in attendance, police said, “can be largely attributed to advances in technology which have changed the way members of the public interact with the Service. Key among these is social media like Twitter and Facebook which enable users to obtain information and advice on a range of police-related matters.”
“In Halton, other advances include the introduction of online crime reporting, mobile apps Text to 9-1-1. All – in addition to traditional 9-1-1 for emergencies and crimes in progress or 905-825-4777 for non-emergencies – make it possible for people to receive 24 hour a day, seven day a week police support without having to attend a police station.”
The idea of a police officer on a beat is a thing of the past.
 The Police Services Board oversees the service and approves the budget. There are representatives from each municipality as well as a provincial appointee. Police services are not cheap. The “gross” budget number are:
2018 = $150,070,809
2017 = $144,940,030
2016 = $139,714,700
There is a brand new police headquarters for the Region sitting on a rise overlooking the QEW that is yards away from the current police operations building that is now more than a year late in opening.
 A little late in opening – communications has to be fully operational before the rest of the force moves in. The $65-million, 235,000 square foot facility was approved in January 2015.
The new structure, located on the same regional property at 1151 Bronte Rd., broke ground in October of that year. It was to be completed in late August or early September of 2017
The new headquarters is considerably larger than the existing 86,000-square-foot headquarters facility.
No comment from the police when the Gazette asks: why the delay?”
By Pepper Parr
August 11, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
This one doesn’t come as a surprise.
Reserve Properties is appealing City Council’s approval of an 18 storey building opposite City Hall. The site encompasses the entire block from Brant and James to John St., including Kelly’s Bake Shoppe, two restaurants, a jeweller, and a former furniture store.
 The two historical properties, what is now Kelly’s Bake Shoppe on the left and the jewelers on the right were to be part of the final development. Last November, council approved a 24 storey tower on the opposite corner of Brant and James.
The appeal seeks similar consideration.
Mayoralty candidate Marianne Meed Ward said in her newsletter that the 24 storey building is double the allowed heights on one of the assembled lots (12 storeys, due to an earlier Ontario Municipal Board decision), three to four times the allowed amount on the balance of the assembled lots (four to eight storeys) and even higher than the 17 storeys proposed in the new Official Plan (which isn’t yet approved by Halton Region, therefore not in force and effect).
The 17 storey building is two to four times the existing Official Plan (four to eight storeys), and matches the new (unapproved) Official Plan permissions here added Meed Ward.
The applicant had a pre-consultation with staff about the project in December as the new Official Plan for the downtown was being discussed over a series of public committee and council meetings. The application was filed in January. The new Official Plan was adopted 6-1 in April
Meed Ward maintains that “City council opened the door for this appeal when it approved the 24 storey building across the street. It is not surprising that the developer is seeking the same treatment for the other side of the street.”
 Revenue Properties took the council decision to the Land Planning Appeal Tribunal Meed Ward, who did not vote for either tower, she said she would have supported projects in keeping with the existing Official Plan for low to mid-rise here, which is appropriate and accommodates growth while being respectful of the character and infrastructure downtown.
Reserve Properties begins a process that starts with a meeting to determine if the appeal Reserve Properties wants to make has merit.
Meed Ward argues that the height and density of both towers are excessive for Brant Street and that there is a reduction of overall commercial space by almost 70%
The towers will fundamentally alter the small-town feel and historic, low to mid rise character of this stretch of Brant Street.
 The Delta Hotel will give the city some first class convention space that could radically change the way the city is seen by the small corporate convention community. Add the Performing Arts Centre to the portfolio and the city has a good offering. Now to put a team in place that could work with the Delta Hotel organization.. We don’t have that in place today. The argument as to how the city is to grow and how much of the small town feel that exists in some parts of the core has been going on since 1985 when the land the Bridgewater development is being built on now was first assembled. That development was at one point to be 30 storeys high and was on the edge of the lake.
 The city took the OMB decision to an Administrative review Panel With the north east corner of Brant already approved for 23 storeys the accepting of height in the downtown core is just a continuing exercise.
The ADI Group development on the corner of Martha and Lakeshore was approved by the OMB. That decision has been taken to an Administrative Review Panel – it has yet to be heard.
Just how much height is going to be permitted in the downtown core has become an election issue – come October residents get to choose what direction they want to see their city take.
By Staff
August 11th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
 A portion of the Multi Use trail that will run from Ontario Street north to Grahams Lane. It should eventually tie into the Elgin Promenade. A 4 metre wide Multi-Use Trail that will run from Ontario Street to Grahams Lane will have an asphalt paving base.
There will be benches, trash receptacles and vehicle access bollards where the path meets roadways, to prevent unauthorized vehicles from accessing the trail. There will be a dashed centre line down the middle, which is the industry standard to help manage traffic on the trail, by delineating the direction of travel.
Construction will require approximately 3-4 months.
The city will be sending a notification letter to residents within 120 meters of the site in the next couple of weeks.
 By Staff
August 10th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
The registration and facility booking system will be temporarily down from the evening of Aug. 9 until the morning of Aug. 15.
During the downtime staff are happy to continue serving at any of our Customer Service counters at a facility near you.
By Staff
August 10th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
Halton Regional Police are investigating a series of theft from autos that have occurred throughout the City of Burlington overnight between the 8th and 9th of August 2018.
 Police received ten reports regarding vehicles being broken into by unknown culprit(s) who gained entry by breaking a window. Once inside the vehicle, the unknown culprit(s) rummaged through the vehicles and proceeded to steal wallets, electronics, personal identification and money.
Theft from autos continues to be a concern in Burlington and police would like to remind the public to ensure their vehicles are locked and avoid leaving valuables inside and/or in plain view.
Police also encourage citizens to report any suspicious persons.
Streets targeted were:
• Headon Forest Drive
• Syscon Road
• Cleaver Avenue
• Falconcrest Drive
Police are reminding the public of the following prevention tips:
• Ensure your unattended vehicle(s) are kept locked/secure
• Never leave personal identification or valuables in your vehicle
• Park in a well-lit and attended areas whenever possible
• Never leave spare keys in your vehicle
• If you have to leave valuables in your vehicle, lock them in your trunk. Don’t tempt thieves by leaving packages or purses in plain view or on the seat.
• Remove garage door openers, GPS navigation and cell phone devices & power cords from view when not in your vehicle
• REPORT SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY TO POLICE IMMEDIATELY
Community safety is a shared responsibility. If you see suspicious activity in your neighbourhood, please report it immediately.
By Staff
August 10th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
The cheque was in the mail – and it is a big one.
 Oakville Burlington North MP Pam Damof on the left with Burlington MP Karina Gould talk with Director of Burlington Transit Director Sue Connors at the transit depot The two women who represent Burlington in the House of Commons, Pam Damoff who is the Member for Oakville North Burlington and Karina Gould who represents Burlington and sits in Cabinet as the Minister of Democratic Institutions announced yesterday that $5,598,729 was being given to Burlington.
The funds are Burlington’s share of the federal Gas Tax Fund (GTF) which are to go to covering part of the cost of local infrastructure.
The annual funding through the indexed federal Gas Tax Fund for municipal infrastructure like public transit, water and wastewater, local roads, sports and recreation facilities and tourism infrastructure.
The federal Gas Tax Fund will pay for new public transit shelters and buses; it is part of flexible, predictable funding to address some of the biggest priorities.
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