 By Pepper Parr
May 7th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
Sometime in April of this year the Director of the Halon District School Board (HDSB) said he got a call from the Director of Education for the Halton Catholic District School Board (HCDSB).
The HCDSB had a problem and she felt there just might be a solution to that problem.
 Assumption High School. When the Assumption school on Upper Middle Road was built (1977) it was to be a Middle School. It became a high school over time. As a high school it was missing a lot of the needs of a high school particularly the labs.
The HCDSB wanted to build a new high school but could not get the funding they needed from the province.
They were able to get funding for a major renovation which in itself created problems. In would take an expected five years to complete renovations with students in the school which wasn’t something the HCDSB was looking forward to.
In 2016 the HDSB began a Program Accommodation Review of its high schools. In June of 2017 the HDSB trustees voted to close two of the seven high schools in the city.
 Parents from every high school in Burlington took part in a Review process. As a committee they were unable to arrive at a consensus as to which schools should be closed. Parents at both Bateman high school and the Lester B. Pearson high school were upset over the decision. They felt the process used by the Board was unfair and that the process set out was not followed. They took advantage of the opportunity to ask for a Review of the process.
The Bateman and Pearson parents could not appeal the actual decision – just the process. The Facilitator of the Review could suggest to the Minister of Education that the PAR process be done a second time.
The province considered the request for a Review and appointed Margaret Wilson to do that Review of the decision the trustees had made.
 Margaret Wilson listening to parents who believed the Program Administration Review was flawed. She turned in her report early in January of this year 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.”
With that decision the HDSB could begin the process of closing two high schools and arranging for the transfer of students to new high schools.
Pearson was to close in June of 2018 and Bateman was to close at the end of the school year in 2019 – which was extended to 2020.
The Director of the HDSB began the process of putting transition programs in place – moving the Pearson high school students to M.M. Robinson and moving the Bateman students to new facilities that would be built at Nelson high school.
The Gazette has been told that it was when the Margaret Wilson report was made public that the HCDSB Director made the call to the Director of the HDSB asking if they could rent the Pearson high school building for a short period of time.
Exactly when that call was made is not yet certain. It would appear that there was a 90 day period during which there were conversations and the arriving at a rental rate had to be determined.
 Halton District School Board Director of Education speaking to parents at Central High School. Stuart Miller, the Director of Education took the request to his Board of Trustees and in a closed session on May 2nd and explained to them the details of the request and what the HDSB was able to do.
A rental agreement was put together, the HCDSB approved it on May 1st and the HDSB approved it on May 2nd.
The decision was released to the public on May 3rd.
Parents and students who were going through the very emotionally difficult process of moving to a new school were not impressed with the decision and began to believe that the plan to close Pearson and let the Catholic school board use the building was always the plan.
That suspicion was fostered by the HDSB making the decision in a private session and then saying very little when the decision was made public.
The facts are that it was not until the Catholic school board knew that Pearson was going to be closed that they approached the HDSB to discuss a short term rental of the Lester B. Pearson building.
The HDSB just reacted to the request to lease the school.
 The Halton District School Board in session They just didn’t involve the public nor prepare the parents for the decision that was going to be contentious.
 By Staff
May 5th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
If the weather holds Conservation Halton could get the 100 community volunteers it needs to help plant 500 native trees and shrubs at Bayview Park on King Road; a part of the city where the Jefferson Salamander crosses the road to mate in the spring.
 The view of th Bay and the Skyway bridge from Bayview Park. The park is in between two of the cell quarries where shale is mined for the manufacturing of brick. It has astounding views of the Bay and the Skyway bridge. It is home to a rifle club; the space where model airplane enthusiasts send the models climbing into the sky and an enclosed dog run.
 At the bottom of the photograph is the location of the now closed city dump. To the right of that is the western cell of the quarry with the brick manufacturing plant below. Then Bayview Park where there is a rifle range, a Dog Run and space for the model airplane people. On the eastern side of King Road there is the Centre cell of the quarry. To the left of the red marker is a forested area where the brick manufacturer wants to begin mining for shale in the eastern cell – that’s where the 900 tress are going o have to be cut down. Registration and check-in for the tree planters will begin at 9 am. Light refreshments will be available – coffee, juice, water and a continental breakfast. Volunteers are reminded to dress according to the weather, wear waterproof boots and bring a shovel.
The Tyandaga people, who live two quarry cells to the east of Bayview Park are delighted to learn that more trees are going to be planted – what they fear is that the 9000 trees around the most easterly quarry will get cut down. In a letter to the Mayor the Tyandaga Coalition people said:
“We are pleased to read that the City of Burlington is partnering with Conservation Halton and CootesToEscarpment in a “Trees for Watershed” Health” tree planting event that is, ironically, just across the road from where Meridian Brick intends to destroy 9,000 trees of the diminishing Carolinian forest.
 Excavation equipment like this will operate yards away from the homes on West Haven Drive once the eastern cell of the three cell quarry begins to be mined for shale. “Why is that we yet again need to request our City’s participation in coming to a resolution on this matter? A request the Tyandaga Environmental Coalition (www.tecburlington.com) has repeatedly brought to your attention since September 2015. We have constantly and consistently asked you and the City to be part of a solution that is to the benefit of ALL but once again you prefer to take the political photo- op rather than make the hard decision to stand by your own statement – “more than ever, sustainability and green initiatives need to be our priorities,”. Your inaction on the Meridian Brick quarry development matter is very concerning.
“What proactive and sustainable measures will you take beyond telling us that this is not a City matter. Surely the fact that, to our knowledge, there have been no official Air Quality measurements by the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MOECC) and the Ministery of Natural Resources and Forestry ( MNRF) is of concern to you and the City, especially when you consider the numerous ‘heavy’ industries that surround the tax- paying residents of the Tyandaga and Aldershot areas, and beyond.
“Without this Air Quality information what guarantee can you assure the residents with respect to their health and well-being?
Now is the time to show us that you will help all who “live, work and play” in our City and live up to your many talks of a greener and healthier Burlington when you said: – “we want to create a sustainable and healthy Burlington for our children, grandchildren and great grandchildren”.
 By Staff
May 4th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
The Museums of Burlington is quite a bit more than the two locations they manage.
Their events program is popular and often full of surprises.
 The traditional Mother’s Day Champagne Tea takes place on May 12!
Guests will receive glass of champagne upon arrival and all moms will receive a flower and sample tea gift.
Once seated at your private table, you can look forward to a selection of premium custom tea blends.
Each table will receive a tray packed with savoury and sweet treats, made-from-scratch scones and homemade jam!
Tickets include free parking and a museum tour.
Select from one of three seating times….stop by the Ireland House Museum, call us at 905.332.9888 or reserve online.
 By Pepper Parr
May 4, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
There is absolutely nothing wrong with leasing out a school that is empty and not being used.
What is wrong is not telling the public what you have done.
The Halton District School Board leased the Lester B. Pearson high school to the Halton Catholic District School Board.
Pearson high school is schedule for closure in June of 2017 due to poor enrollment.
The parents at Pearson high school didn’t agree with that decision and argued vociferously that there school could be kept open if the Board kept the elementary feeder schools in place.
 Pearson high school parents at a Board of Education meeting – they did everything they could to keep their school open. The trustees didn’t see it that way and voted to close the school and have the Pearson students begin attending M.M. Robinson high school in September of 2018.
Merging the two student populations has not been an easy task. How well that merging is going to work will be known in September when the former Pearson students begin showing up at M.M. Robinson in September.
Some of the parents at Pearson have always felt there was some other reason for closing their school. Those suspicions were given some validity when the Board of Education, without any public discussion, met in a closed session to decide to lease the school the Catholic Board.
Some questions:
Who called who?
Did the Public school board call the Catholic school Board or was it the other way around?
When did the discussions about a leasing possibility take place?
The when is critical – and that may be the reason for the HDSB handling this matter in private session.
It is understood that the Catholic school board wants to do some major renovations to one of their high schools – Assumption, and that they wanted to close their school while the work was being done. Nothing wrong with that.
But did the Catholic School Board talk to the Public School Board before the trustees had made a decision to close Pearson?
Did the availability of an opportunity to lease the school have any influence on the decision to close Pearson?
And why is the public learning about this now?
At the May 2nd meeting of the HDSB, vice chair Ehl Harris read into the record two resolutions that were passed in the private session to:
Approve the resolutions from private session respecting property matters.
Ehl Harris moved the motion, Oakville trustee Kelly Amos quickly seconded the motion. There was a bit of confusion whether trustee Papin wanted to be the seconder of the motion (Pearson high school is in her ward)
Board Chair Grebenc said to trustee Papin “You don’t actually want to speak do you?”
 Director of Education Stuart Miller during the vote to approve resolutions made in a closed session of the Board of Education. When it was clear that Papin didn’t want to speak – she just wanted to be the seconder of the motion, the chair then asked if anyone else wanted to speak.
Not a word from anyone.
They voted and that was that – Pearson is leased to the Catholic Board for a year.
Everything was going according to whatever plan was hatched in the private session- this Board of trustees was going to make sure they stayed on script.
Get the resolutions on the record as quickly and as quietly as you can and move on.
There is no surer way to lose the trust of the public than to try to fool or hood wink them; and without public trust there can be no growth and without growth the students who enter those schools lose and cynicism takes over.
Why did Stuart Miller not tell the public how the opportunity to lease a school he no longer needed to another school Board came about?
Burlington has a community that just doesn’t trust it’s school board trustees. And there is, on the surface, very good reason not to trust them.
This story isn’t over.
Related news story.
By Staff
May 4th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
A media release from the Halton District School Board:
“At the May 2, 2018 meeting, trustees of the Halton District School Board passed a motion to temporarily lease Lester B. Pearson High School to the Halton Catholic District School Board (HCDSB) beginning November 1, 2018. This request from the HCDSB serves as temporary accommodation for Assumption Catholic Secondary School students during the school’s upcoming renovation expected to begin in late 2018.
“This temporary lease of the school by the HCDSB will commence on November 1, 2018 to prepare the school for student accommodation during the second semester. The term of the lease will end on August 31, 2019.
“This provides a responsible use of the school facilities until the Halton District School Board determines the future use of the school property according to Ontario Regulation 444/98. The leasing of this school property to another school board is not precedent setting. The Halton District School Board has leased school facilities to other school boards in the past on a temporary basis.
“Lester B. Pearson High School will be closing at the end of June 2018 with students moving to nearby M.M. Robinson High School.”
There was not a word of public debate on this matter during the May 2nd Board of trustees meeting.
The Board meets in closed session for a period of time before each public meeting. They pass motions during those private meetings and debate in private.
What the public got to hear was a motion that approved all the motions about a “property matter”done in the closed session. And then the next day the releases of a media notice.
And that was the extent of what the elected trustees had to say.
At each Board of Education meeting there is a report from the Director of Education – he didn’t say a word either.
 Halton District School Board trustees in session Related editorial material:
An opinion on the approach the Board took.
 By Ray Rivers
May 3rd, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
Although Doug Ford has slipped a tad in the polls he is still very much in majority territory. So what would a Ford government mean for the health of our health system. Ford claims he’ll add 30,000 hospital beds over the next decade – two and half terms in office.
How does anyone come up with a figure like that? I guess if you want people to believe something you make it sound spectacular. I’m not saying he won’t or doesn’t intend to live up to that promise of creating more beds and bed spaces. But does he even know how many beds are in service today?
 The Ontario Hospital Association likes to share a wealth of statistics with its clients. There are 145 hospitals in the province, employing 200,000 people. They do over 350,000 in-patient surgeries and 1.2 million out-patient surgeries and treat 6.3 million emergency patient visits each year. But nobody is saying anything about how many beds are in service. That may be because the number of beds is only one, and not the best measure of how a health care system is performing.
Aren’t doctors telling patients these days that they need to avoid staying in a hospital any longer than absolutely necessary – that the last place you want to be when you’re sick is in a hospital bed if you can avoid it. These places are crawling with infections with scary sounding names like strep and MRSA. There are horror stories of some patients coming home sicker than when they went in.
It’s everywhere yet our healthcare system generally does a good job. Oh sure health care, especially among seniors, is such a common topic that when you ask ten people about the quality of delivery you’ll get eleven different opinions, depending on the day. But a recent Conference Board study of health care systems overall among 30 global jurisdictions places Ontario seventh.
 Perhaps Australia gets help from the lowly (duck billed) platypus, the milk of which research indicates may have properties that protect against infections. Only B.C. which placed third, scored better among Canadian jurisdictions. Ontario scored better than the Canadian average and beat all but four European nations each of which spend considerably more than we do, and Australia. Perhaps Australia gets help from the lowly (duck billed) platypus, the milk of which research indicates may have properties that protect against infections resistant to antibiotics (MSRA).
Moreover, according to the Fraser Institute, Ontario has the lowest hospital wait times in the country, almost a third less than New Brunswick. And yes, those times have increased since 1993, as have all of those in Canada, but so have the demands of an aging population.
 Former Premier of Ontario Mike Harris 1993 was only two years before Mike Harris’ Common Sense Revolution in which Harris promised to leave health care untouched by his cost-cutting surgical knife. But that wasn’t what happened. As he closed hospitals and cut staff, wait times grew to the highest in Canada. It is not an exaggeration to say that some patients were literally dying in the corridors waiting to get into heart surgery, Others had to be transported to the USA for radiotherapy or an MRI, as we recall.
Back then Globe and Mail columnist John Ibbitson went through journalistic perdition trying to get the Harris government to simply tell him the number of operable hospital beds. It turns out that there had been 35,194 acute-care hospital beds in Ontario in 1990.
But a decade later, after only five years into Harris’ revolution, bed numbers had fallen to 21,805, a decline of 38 per cent. “Chronic-care beds declined by 32 per cent over the decade, from 11,436 to 7,787. During that time, Ontario’s population grew by 1.3 million (9 per cent) and its mean age increased by a year and a half, to 36.9 years”.
So it may be a little hard to take Doug Ford seriously with his 30,000 bed promise, while also hearing him promise to bring back Harris-like cuts of overall government spending by six billion dollars. Everybody knows that when it comes to cutting, the most vulnerable area and biggest target is health care. We’ve seen this movie before.
Ontario has the best health care system in Canada given the reviews on overall quality and wait times. But it is also the most efficient in Canada with the lowest per capita cost in the country. It could always be better of course, but it could also be a lot worse.
 Doug Ford – wants to be the next Premier of Ontario Doug Ford may well become our next premier. But before he wins the support of Ontario voters he needs to do more than just pick a number (30,000 beds) out of the air. The truth is that the Liberals have done a good job in restoring and managing the health care system over the last decade and a half. In fact, the full implementation of pharmacare and other provisions presented in the last budget will make it even better.
Ford needs to convince the province’s voters, particularly its senior citizens and parents of young children who are the heaviest users of our health care system, that he can do at least as well. He needs to convince us that he is not going to pull another Mike Harris on us.
 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
Background links:
Ford Leading Polls – Conference Board Report – Frazer Institute Report –
Spending Pre Capita – International Health Costs – Hospital Details –
Ford Promises – Ibbitson –
 By Staff
May 3rd, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
The federal government has a program that funds jobs for students during the summer. Employers apply for a portion of money they pay students they hire for the summer months.
The jobs are then listed and students can look and see if there is anything they are interested in.
The program offers students meaningful summer work experiences with local businesses and organizations, and helps them to facilitate future transitions from school to career.
 Students with MP Pam Damoff talking about Summer job opportunities at Habitat for Humanity Restore Since 2015, the federal government has doubled the number of jobs created through the Canada Summer Jobs program, creating paid work experience for nearly 70,000 students each year. Students who worked at Habitat for Humanity Halton- Mississauga last summer described their experience with Canada Summer Jobs, saying:
“The Canada Summer Jobs program has been such a fulfilling and enriching experience—I am truly fortunate to have enjoyed two successful summers at Habitat for Humanity. I have gained so much valuable and tangible experience from my time here.”
Students aged 15 to 30 who are returning to full time school in the fall can apply for a valuable summer work experience through Canada Summer Jobs.
In making the announcement earlier this week Oakville North Burlington MP Pam Damoff xxx
If you or someone you know is interested in applying you can find the complete list of employers hiring in Oakville North Burlington.
Please feel free to contact Damoff’s at pam.damoff@parl.gc.ca or by phone at 905-847-4043 for more information.
 By Staff
May 3rd, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
As of the close of business at city hall on May 2nd, the following people have filed nomination papers.
The Gazette will provide this report daily and show the latest nominations in red,
 Mayor
Rick Goldring
524 Wicklow Rd., Burlington, L7L 2H8
905-320-3656
Marianne Meed Ward
497 Martha St., Burlington, ON, L7R 2R1
905-335-1899
mariannemeedward.ca
marianne4mayor@gmail.com
Mike Wallace
268 Tuck Dr., Burlington, ON, L7L 2R1
Home phone: 905-639-0185
Fax: 905-634-9822
mikewallaceformayor@gmail.com
www.mikewallaceformayor.ca
Councillor / Regional Councillor Ward 1
Councillor / Regional Councillor Ward 2
Kimberly Calderbank
905-719-6989
kimberly.solutions
David Cherry
1312 Hammond St., Burlington, ON, L7S 2C2
289-795-9203
info@davidcherry.ca
https://davidcherry.ca
Lisa Kearns
416-414-5335
kearns_lisa@hotmail.com
lisakearns.ca
Councillor / Regional Councillor Ward 3
Lisa Cooper
1299 Princeton Cres.
Home phone: 905-331-8469
Mobile phone: 289-259-9880
Fax: 905-331-8469
lisacooper1299@gmail.com
Rory Nisan
905-464-7195
info@rorynisan.ca
rorynisan.ca
Gareth Williams
289-635-8994
gareth@garethward3.ca
https://garethward3.ca
Councillor / Regional Councillor Ward 4
Jack Dennison
3087 Lakeshore Rd., Burlington, ON, L7N 1A3
905-634-7102
Shawna Stolte
shawnastolte@gmail.com
Councillor / Regional Councillor Ward 5
Xin Yi Zhang
electxyz@gmail.com
Councillor / Regional Councillor Ward 6
Angelo Bentivegna
905-973-6923
Angelo.Bentivegna@gmail.com
www.AngeloBentivegnaWard6.ca
Regional Chair
(nominations are filed with the Region of Halton)
Gary Carr
chaircarr@gmail.com
www.garycarr.ca
Halton District School Board Trustee – Wards 1 & 2
Halton District School Board Trustee – Wards 3 & 6
Andrea Grebenc
905-901-2235
contact@trustandrea.com
www.trustandrea.com
Halton District School Board Trustee – Ward 4
Margo Shuttleworth
289-812-0629
shuttleworth.m.a@gmail.com
https://margoward4.wixsite.com/margoshuttleworth
Halton District School Board Trustee – Ward 5
Amy Collard
reelectamycollard@gmail.com
https://sites.google.com/view/reelectamycollard
Halton Catholic District School Board Trustee
Arlene Iantomasi
772 Old York Rd., Burlington, ON, L7P 4X9
905-516-2691
arlo60@sympatico.ca
Maria Lourenco
905-808-5910
Lourenco4trustee@outlook.com
Conseil scolaire Viamonde
(nominations are filed with the City of Hamilton)
Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir
(nominations are filed with the Town of Oakville)
By Pepper Parr
May 2nd, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
The community now knows what it is going to look like and they weren’t all that impressed with what they saw and heard at a neighbourhood meeting last night at the Lions Hall.
The questions were consistently critical with the president of Revenue Properties sitting quietly in a corner watching every movement, gauging the audience very carefully.
 The architects prepared a rendering of there structure and shadowed in how it will relate to the already approved 423 Brant development. Both are on opposite sides of James Street across from city hall. The intention is to angle the corners of the of each building on the Brant James intersection allowing for an opening up to the Civic Square and a more expansive view. done right – it could work. The architect did a decent job of explaining how the building was going to connect relate to the development to the already approved 23 storey on the north side of James and Civic square which was described as an underutilized space.
The design of the buildings will have a portion of one of the corners cut away so that the view from James Street opens up onto Civic Square. There really isn’t all that much traffic going west on James – but architecturally it could add some flair to the streetscape.
Civic Square will be getting a total face lift – mention was made of a community design exercise
Glen Wellings, the developer’s planning consultant, earned his fee – he managed to skirt around the issues that he was uncomfortable with. There was one occasion when Wellings tried to toss a question to one of the Revenue Property executives who waved Welling’s off. Those people tend not to answer directly – that’ what the hired guns are brought in for.
He explained that this first public showing of the development was meant to gather opinions and reactions from the public.
Most of the people in the room understood that – what they were having difficulty with was that their views didn’t seem to get very far beyond their mouths.
It is close to a given that this structure is going to get approved. If their developer doesn’t get that approval this development comes under the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) and not the newly created Land Planning Act Tribunal (LPAT).
The city staffer who served as moderator struggled to keep the microphone in her hand. George Ward, a resident of ward 4 wasn’t able to get it out of her hands.
At one point the Mayor and the ward 2 Councillor began to get into a slinging match over “facts” – Meed Ward arguing that the Mayor didn’t have his facts quite right.
When it began to get a little feisty the staffer cut them both off – not something you see from city hall staff very often.
 Parking both in and out will be from John street. That parking ramp in the middle of the building makes for pretty small retail spaces. The scale of the set back, shown here in the upper left, gives you some idea as to how the building will open up on to Civic Square Parking was a focal point – the development will have .92 parking spaces per unit (a total of 212 parking spots) in a structure that will have 224 units that will be 1, (600 sq. ft.) 2(850 sq. ft. and 3 bedroom with 1200 sq. ft. of space. Current planning rules call for 1.2 parking spaces for each unit. There will be no parking for the commercial spaces
Nothing on pricing.
No mention of park space.
There will be just one level of commercial space – those units will be very small but will ring the building.
No visitor parking.
Good bold design – quite a bit different than anything Burlington has seen in the past.
A major concern for several people was what will happen to Brant Street during construction – especially if the two projects are under construction at the same time.
 It s a bold design that will have retail on all four sides of the building. But much less in the way of retail square footage. This view looks south to the lake with city hall on the right and the Queen’s Head where it has always been and where it is always going to be. The architect suggested that it would take two and a half to three years to complete the building – they are putting in five levels of underground parking.
The entrances to the underground parking will be on John Street for both buildings – the public is looking at some 400 cars that will be entering and leaving the two buildings on a street that will have bus traffic all day.
There won’t be much in the way of vibrancy on Brant Street from about Ontario street south for that five year period – the east side of the street will be hoardings and construction overheads.
Wellings kept dropping in the phrase “a complete community” which he didn’t really define.
The Albert Schneider and the Kelly’s Bake shop locations are being kept as historical sites – what the public will see when the project is completed will be far from what is there today.
The buildings will be taken back to what they looked like in their early renditions when Brant and John Streets were quiet pokey little places where everyone knew everyone and the merchants knew your first name.
Back to the time when Spencer Smith walked the streets of the town and Smith was the Police Chief, when the Gazette was a print publication with an office on Brant Street.
The process going forward is for planning department staff to meet with the developer and compare notes on what he public had to say. The developer will be expected to come back with some changes to deal with the prime concerns.
The phrase Section 37 benefits for the community didn’t get mentioned; expect the developer to say that keeping the two historical structures is what the public will get.
There is a lot of misunderstanding in the minds of the public. The city is required to accept every development that is dropped on their doorstep and if it is a complete development with all the required studies attached they are required to write a report to city council recommending that it be accepted, turned down or have significant changes made. That’s the law – the city has to live within those rules
 The various levels of set back. As the building rises the area gets smaller. How much will there be in the way of changes when this eventually gets to city council? Hard to tell – depends to a large degree on the kind of city council the citizens elect. The site is made up of nine different properties that are .02 of a hectare in area. One woman wanted to know what a hectare looked like – It was a unit of measure she wasn’t familiar with. No one was able to give her a sense as to just how big this development was going to be.
Another downtown resident asked why the building has to be 24 storeys high “why can’t you leave it at 17”. The answer was “it’s the money honey!”
This development will get to a council that may well be quite a bit different than the one in place now. There may be a new Mayor with a perspective a lot different than that of the current planner.
There are at least two declared candidates that see the current city manager as not quite what the city needs.
Things are just a poppin at city hall. Hang on to your hats!
By Pepper Parr
May 2nd, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
It was a very shot electronic exchange of words.
 Marty Staz – Nothing to comment yet The Gazette had heard that Marty Staz was expressing some interest in running for the ward 1 council seat.
There is a group in Aldershot who are close to desperate to find a candidate that can replace four term council member Rick Craven.
There was a potential female candidate who was made one of Burlington’s BEST a few years ago. She was reported to be “seriously thinking about running” but the sense the Gazette gets the sense that her heart is not in it.
Staz, a former printer and now a real estate agent is said to be thinking about running for office. There seems to be a small swell of support for the man.
The Gazette sent Staz a note:
Would you suggest a time today when you and I can have a conversation.
The response:
Regarding?
We replied:
Your plans to run for public office.
His response:
Nothing to comment yet
It isn’t a no – which is more than the Aldershot crowd looking for a Craven replacement had yesterday.
A developing story.
 By Staff
May 2nd, 2018]
BURLINGTON, ON
The money just keeps rolling in.
The province is going to pump $460,000 into the East Plains Co-operative Preschool making it easier for families in Burlington to find high-quality licensed child care; 25 new spaces will be created.
 These new spaces will help to accommodate families taking advantage of the government’s free preschool child care program.
This is part of a series of actions the government is taking to ensure that every child and family has access to a range of high-quality and affordable child care.
This funding is on top of the government’s investment in renovation and addition projects at schools across the province, which will create more than 15,000 new licensed child spaces.
It is the latest step in creating 100,000 more child care spaces for children up to four years old over the next five years.
Since September 2016, Ontario has increased access to licensed child care for a total of 31,000 children aged 0-4.
Beginning in 2020, the government is making licensed preschool child care absolutely free for kids from age 2.5 until they are eligible to start kindergarten.
Building more child care spaces and making child care more affordable will give parents, especially women, more choice about when and if they return to work.
By Pepper Parr
May 2nd, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
Well that didn’t take very long.
After a couple of videos that had Doug Ford, who is running for the office of Premier of Ontario, explaining to unidentified groups what he was prepared to do with Greenbelt lands – the public reaction was close to fierce.
Within a day he back tracked – and that idea was off the table.
 Doug Ford – running for the Office of Premier. Learned to back track on his Greenbelt ideas. He appears to be trainable and needs to be watched.
The Ford comments did flush out of the bushes a couple of the local developers with their view that they looked forward to building affordable housing in the Greenbelt.
The Greenbelt in rural Burlington is not the place where affordable housing is going to be built. Affordable housing has to be close to transit.
Halton Region doesn’t have a coherent affordable housing policy. The city of Burlington isn’t in the affordable housing business – that is a Regional responsibility.
The Region is at least half a decade behind creating the much needed affordable housing policy and working with the four municipalities that make up the Region.
 Regional Council does photo-ops very well. Not doing quite as well with the development of an Affordable Housing policy. A lot of work to be done on this file. Burlington’s current crop of politicians need to press the Region to come up with a policy – taking some ideas to the Region wouldn’t hurt but that isn’t going get done by those in office today.
The city is now into full election mode – citizens want to watch and listen carefully to what those seeking your vote have to say.
By Staff
May 2, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
As of the close of business at city hall on May 1st, the following people have filed nomination papers.
The Gazette will provide this report daily and show the new nominations in red,
 Mayor
Marianne Meed Ward
497 Martha St., Burlington, ON, L7R 2R1
905-335-1899
mariannemeedward.ca
marianne4mayor@gmail.com
Mike Wallace
268 Tuck Dr., Burlington, ON, L7L 2R1
Home phone: 905-639-0185
Fax: 905-634-9822
mikewallaceformayor@gmail.com
www.mikewallaceformayor.ca
Councillor / Regional Councillor Ward 1
Councillor / Regional Councillor Ward 2
Lisa Kearns
416-414-5335
kearns_lisa@hotmail.com
lisakearns.ca
Councillor / Regional Councillor Ward 3
Lisa Cooper
1299 Princeton Cres.
Home phone: 905-331-8469
Mobile phone: 289-259-9880
Fax: 905-331-8469
lisacooper1299@gmail.com
Rory Nisan
905-464-7195
info@rorynisan.ca
rorynisan.ca
Gareth Williams
289-635-8994
gareth@garethward3.ca
https://garethward3.ca
Councillor / Regional Councillor Ward 4
Councillor / Regional Councillor Ward 5
Xiuyi Zhang
electxyz@gmail.com
Councillor / Regional Councillor Ward 6
Angelo Bentivegna
905-973-6923
Angelo.Bentivegna@gmail.com
Regional Chair
(nominations are filed with the Region of Halton)
Gary Carr
chaircarr@gmail.com
www.garycarr.ca
Halton District School Board Trustee – Wards 1 & 2
Halton District School Board Trustee – Wards 3 & 6
Andrea Grebenc
905-901-2235
contact@trustandrea.com
www.trustandrea.com
Halton District School Board Trustee – Ward 4
Margo Shuttleworth
289-812-0629
shuttleworth.m.a@gmail.com
https://margoward4.wixsite.com/margoshuttleworth
Halton District School Board Trustee – Ward 5
Amy Collard
amy@reelectamycollard.com
https://sites.google.com/view/reelectamycollard
Halton Catholic District School Board Trustee
Conseil scolaire Viamonde
(nominations are filed with the City of Hamilton)
Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir
(nominations are filed with the Town of Oakville)
 By Staff
May 1st, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
During February and March 2018, three elderly female victims were shopping at Ikea, Costco and one local Metro grocery store in the City of Burlington.
Each victim was targeted and their wallets were stolen in typical distraction style theft. Their credit cards were then later used at various stores and banks to obtain cash and products.
With assistance from York Regional Police, Halton police were able to identify the three accused for their involvement.
Arrested/Charged are:
Thiberius-Mihai FLOREA (29 yrs) of North York (held for bail and will appear next May 2, 2018)
• Unauthorized use of stolen credit card (two counts)
• Fraud under $5000 (two counts)
• Possession of property obtained by crime (two counts)
Suraj BRATIANU (41 years) of Markham (held for bail and will appear next May 2, 2018)
• Unauthorized use of stolen credit card
• Fraud under $5000
• Possession of property obtained by crime
Costel LAPADAT (34years) of Toronto (released on a promise to appear in Milton Court on May 23, 2018)
• Unauthorized use of stolen credit card
• Fraud under $5000
• Possession of property obtained by crime
Anyone with information regarding these incidents or other purse thefts is asked to contact Detective Constable Derek Gray of the Burlington Criminal Investigations Bureau – Vulnerable Persons and Seniors Liaison Team at 905-825-4747 ext. 2344.
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
Police continue to received reports of such thefts. The persons targeted are typically female senior citizens whose purses and/or wallets were stolen from their shopping carts while the owner was not looking. In some cases multiple offenders work in teams to distract the victim, bump their carts or ask for their assistance in the store or parking lot.
Watch the Crime Stoppers Video of purse thefts (actual footage) at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRxIeFBXyEE
Halton Regional Police are reminding residents to keep a close eye on their purses and wallets.
Prevention Tip: Residents are reminded to only carry the necessary identification such as Driver’s Licence or Health Card, and should try to minimize this potential loss by leaving their SIN card, birth certificate and passports securely at home.
If you become a victim of a purse or wallet theft please contact your financial services providers, cancel you cards and then call the Halton Regional Police to file a report.
By Staff
May 1st, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
At 8:30am this morning, Marianne Meed Ward registered to run to serve as mayor of Burlington in the October 22 municipal election.
“I’m running to bring a citizens voice back to City Hall to face the challenges ahead: over development downtown and across the city; inadequate transit, disappearing trees and green space, spending that doesn’t match your priorities, red tape hampering businesses and agriculture, and much more.
 “Burlington is Everyone’s City, but residents feel your values and vision aren’t reflected in city decisions.
“Together, we can change that. As your mayor, I will put Residents First to create a Better Burlington for citizens, by citizens.
Campaign site
By Pepper Parr
May 1st, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
If you were early enough ad got your appointment with the Clerk’s office to file your nomination papers today – you will have your web site up and be talking to financial supporters and have your first press release out.
Rory Nisan, community organizer and Canadian diplomat, has officially registered with the City of Burlington to become an official candidate for the city council election on October 22, 2018.
 Rory Nisan, on the far right, at the Bfast Transit Forum where he heard just how much money is going to be needed to get to the point where transit can meet the current needs and the expected growth. Nisan now begins to tell his story. Rory moved with his family to Brant Hills in 1989 when Rory was just seven years old.
Nisan’s platform is said to includes a careful and planned response to the city’s growth.
“We need to put our roads first — make them smooth and get the cars moving, while putting more people onto public transit. That is the only responsible way to manage growth in Burlington,” said Nisan.
The young man has yet to fully understand the city’s budget. The transit service is screaming for both capital investments and increases to the operating costs.
 Candidate Nisan makes no mention of intensification in his first campaign media release. The roads and infrastructure needs were so high that the city had to add a special levy that is dedicated to improving roads.
“We don’t want downtown Burlington to look like downtown Toronto, so let’s work together to find common ground to build a Burlington that works for everyone” advised Nisan. That’s the diplomat in him speaking.
Nisan is also concerned with building community, and ensuring Ward 3 residents get value for money.
Nisan added that with Councillor Taylor beginning a well-deserved retirement at the end of his term this year, Ward 3 needs someone with the right skills and experience to hit the ground running.
Campaign site
By Pepper Parr
May 1st, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
There is more – the Doug Ford idea on allowing development to take place in the Greenbelt wasn’t his – it came from some of the best minds in the development industry.
Give a listen.
The development industry – the corporations that have banked land in rural Burlington with the hope that someday – maybe – the rules on development in the Escarpment will change.
Their day appears to have come.
 Can you see where the affordable housing might be built?
By Staff
May 1st, 2018
BURLINGTON. ON
Education Week from May 7-11, 2018
School Boards are the largest employers in the Region – they have a budget of xxx and we rely upon their product to solve our social, economic and environmental problems.
What happens in the schools reverberates around the kitchen table of every household in the city. There is a lot to pay attention to and a lot of questions to be asked.
The province has set the theme for the 2018 “celebration”: Equity in Action.
 Schools are encouraged to share their equity successes and learn from one another. In Halton, the annual week-long recognition includes a wide variety of activities that demonstrate education in action, celebrate inclusivity and student achievement.
The Board is holding its annual Celebration of Student Excellence event at M.M. Robinson High School Thursday, May 10 starting at 7:30 p.m.
One student per school is selected for this honour by their excellence in academics, vocational, athletic, self-improvement, community work, citizenship or student leadership.
 Family math night. Many schools have organized events that focus on student success and highlight the theme of Education Week. They include:
Brant Hills Public School is hosting a Family Math Night on May 9 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Parents/guardians will learn about Manipulatives, Number Talks, Dreambox learning software and other mathematics resources.
 By Staff
May 1st, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
100IN1DAY – looks like a type – actually is it an event being mobilized by the Mayors Millenniums Advisory Committee.
 On Saturday, June 2nd, 2018, 100In1Day is coming to Burlington! The idea is to have 100 interventions take place in the city on June 2nd.
What is an intervention – it can be whatever you want it to be – the idea is to do something that will make the city a better place.
The Millennials are holding a number of meetings where people can toss around some ideas and xxx with other people.
A number of meetings have already taken place – we just got wind of this.
Those meeting dates and locations are:
Tue, May 8 6:00 PM
100in1Day Burlington Workshop #8
Centennial Pool, Burlington
Sun, May 13 10:00 AM
100in1Day Burlington Workshop #9
Brant Hills Community Centre, Burlington
You can participate in a series of community workshops designed to inspire new urban intervention leaders through active, inclusive, and engaging dialogue and activity. People of all ages, backgrounds and locations across the city are invited to attend workshops to develop their 100In1Day interventions – from idea to execution.
Imagine the possibilities for our city if hundreds of people united to participate in small initiatives to spark change. 100in1Day Burlington is part of a growing global movement that is changing how people interact with their cities.
 Interventions are simple, often low-cost community projects or actions that are free, open to anyone, and designed to create positive change, like pop-up parking space parties, plant swaps and seed giveaways, alleyway concerts, community art creation and neighbourhood potlucks. Interventions like these take place all on one day, in a series of city-wide 100in1Day celebrations that demonstrate the collective power of small actions.
 By Staff
May 1st, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
Work by the Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) to rehabilitate the Burlington Skyway Bridge will result in a closure of all Toronto-bound QEW/Skyway Bridge lanes on Saturday, May 5 and Saturday, May 12.
QEW Niagara-bound traffic will not be affected by the construction.
 Toronto bound lanes of the Skyway Bridge to be closed for repairs. Closure Details:
Saturday, May 5, 2018
Beginning at 9 p.m., all Toronto-bound QEW/Skyway Bridge lanes will be closed.
All traffic will be detoured onto Eastport Drive.
This full lane closure will remain in effect until Sunday, May 6, 2018 at 10 a.m. All lanes will reopen by 2 p.m.
Saturday, May 12, 2018
Beginning at 9 p.m., all Toronto-bound QEW/Skyway Bridge lanes will be closed.
All traffic will be detoured onto Eastport Drive.
This full lane closure will remain in effect until Sunday, May 13, 2018 at 10 a.m. All lanes will reopen by 2 p.m.
Traffic Detour:
To help assist the flow of traffic on Eastport Drive during the full lane closures, access to Beach Boulevard from Van Wagners Beach Road and Eastport Drive will be restricted to local traffic only. Police officers will be posted at these locations to assist with traffic control.
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