 By Staff
December 8th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Terra Madre Day is Slow Food’s annual day to promote the diversity of food traditions!
Children age 7-10 are invited to join us for this free workshop to work on a United Nations Nutrition Badge.
 Learn about food safety, food planning, seasonal fruits and veggies. International students will share traditional vegetable dishes from their countries. Families are invited to join at the end of the workshop to celebrate their child’s success and try some of the international dishes.
For ages 7-10 years
Student Theatre Centre, 2131 Prospect Street
Sunday Dec 10, 1-4pm
Register for free
 By Pepper Parr
December 8th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Tom Muir was leaving city hall recently, heading to the parking lot and crossed paths with city manager James Ridge.
A conversation ensued. Muir describes his conversation with Ridge as “cordial”
 Tom Muir making a point Muir mentioned the verbal scuffle he had with Councillor Taylor over what Muir thought were points Taylor didn’t want to hear; that the city was using concepts that were not vetted and not approved on the 421 Brant project that was approved by the planning department and then passed by city council under the current Official Plan.
The city is in the process of writing a totally new Official Plan and was pushing very hard to get it done before the end of the year. The public began to push back even harder and the completion date for the new Official Plan, now in draft form is now uncertain.
 James Ridge at his first city council meeting. Muir says that Ridge immediately disagreed and asserted that it was a “negotiation”. Carriage Gate, the developer, had the right to build a 12 storey structure on the property they had assembled.
It has been described as an ugly squat building that used every square foot available. No one liked the look of the building but it was what the developer was allowed to do.
The city apparently came back with the tall building guidelines that call for podiums that were set back nicely from the property line, rose to four storeys and then had a tall skinny building that rose an additional 19 storeys.
The revised proposal Carriage Gate took to the planning department was for 27 storeys – the planners recommended 23 and that was what council bought on a 5-2 vote with the Mayor and Meed Ward dissenting..
Ridge said, according to Muir, that this is what was “negotiated”.
 Tom Muir, a frequent delegator at city hall. Muir said this was arbitrary and gave everyone around that table power they are not supposed to have if Official Plans and zoning bylaws that the public has bought into are to mean anything at all. Why have bylaws and height/density limits if the parties can just negotiate them away was Muir’s argument.
Muir said Ridge didn’t have a real answer, except he called that “good planning”, and added that he and Ridge talked about the economics, and the built form. They chose high and skinnier rather than shorter, squat, not the massing city wanted, and perhaps butt ugly, like the Sims building which Muir adds was his example not Ridge’s.
Muir’s view is this might be central to any OMB appeal case. Is it “good planning” to just ignore the determinative Official Plan and zoning bylaws and public opinion that gets expressed at required meetings that go way out of compliance and are rationalized as “negotiation”, when they appear to be no more than arbitrary decisions.
 James Ridge Burlington city manager. Muir said Ridge maintained that the existing Official Plan was designed to be “a negotiation” framework,
In my view, says Muir, this introduces arbitrary power to rules that are supposed to be complied with so that arbitrary is not in the cards to enable noncompliance. “That’s a door to corruption, like it or not.”
Muir makes an additional point.
What Carnicelli didn’t say in his delegation was that Carriage Gate began assembling property for this project ten years ago and that they at one point took a proposal to the Planning department that met the 12 storey limit many people want.
It was a pretty plain looking building that used every possible foot of the property – not much in the way of a street-scape – but it met the rules.
The developer and the Planning department worked together to come up with the structure that met the tall building guide lines that were new and the developer revised the proposal.
City council decided it was what the city needed and voted for it; with two exceptions, the Mayor and Councillor for the ward.
Now, as a citizen, ask yourself this; would you rather have an 11-storey mass (I believe this is the ugly that Mr. Ridge is referring to) or a 23-storey building, 19 storeys in a slender tower? Consider that the 11-storey building is at the property lines and the tall building is set back (wider sidewalks) and the bulk of the tall building is set back once you pass the podium.
Why are we beating up the developer?
The City has never seen anything like this!
 By Staff
December 8th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Due to the winter weather forecasted, the final scheduled loose-leaf pick-up is being started immediately. Residents in Zone 3 are asked to place their leaves by the curb as soon as possible as trucks will be picking up leaves beginning Dec. 7.
Trucks used for leaf collection are the same used for snowfighter operations (plowing, sanding, salting). If we receive significant snowfall, the leaf collection program will end and equipment will be changed over to allow for snowfighter operations.
 2017 leaf collection map Halton Region’s yard waste collection program has also been extended one week. Residents are asked to have bagged leaves curbside by 7 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 11.
Regional crews will pick up yard waste throughout the week.
 By Staff
December 7th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The Sound of Music Festival wants to add another day to their already existing paid event which is held the weekend before the festival, on Sunday, June 10, 2018 from 1 to 9 p.m. and would like to know if there is community support for the second event.
The short, one-question survey will be open until Dec. 14, 2017.
 Sound of Music wants to add an additional ticketed event day. City wants to know what you think. The festival has had a paid event since 2015 to support performances on the Father’s Day weekend and help ensure a quality festival for years to come.
In 2017, a second event was added to help celebrate Canada 150 which was very well attended.
Sandra Maxwell, supervisor of Festivals and Events explains:
“The Sound of Music Festival organizers have approached the city to ask if they can host another paid ticket event as a way of financially supporting the four-day festival on Father’s Day weekend. We would like to know if there is community support and appetite for this sort of event and encourage all residents and people of surrounding area to provide their input into this short, one-question survey.”
Dave Miller, executive director of the Sound of Music Festival adds that “… the success of last year’s additional day on Sunday, June 11 in honour of Canada 150 and the growing popularity of the ticketed Kick-off Concert, we’re hoping to have the Kick-off event for Sound of Music Festival 2018 running for two days instead of one, making it a full weekend experience.
“Proceeds will support overall costs of the event including stages, security and great musical talent.”
The Sound of Music organization has not made any comment on how much they earned from the additional day nor what they did with the extra income. A bit more transparency would be appreciated.
LINK to the survey.
 By Staff
December 7th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The City of Burlington announces that effective December 21, 2017; Mary Lou Tanner will assume the position of Deputy City Manager. Tanner was the successful candidate after a comprehensive internal competition.
Tanner is currently the Chief Planner and Director of the Department of City Building for the City of Burlington. Tanner has been with the city since November 2015 heading the department responsible for planning, building, by-law and culture.
 Mary Lou Tanner will assume the position of Deputy City Manager. Tanner is a well-recognized and experienced leader in municipal planning and development and is a Past President of the Ontario Professional Planners Institute and a graduate of the Planning School at Queen’s University.
The Deputy City Manager role is a new position at the City of Burlington which will report to City Manager James Ridge.
Key responsibilities of the Deputy City Manager include:
• Serve as the city’s representative for all Agencies, Boards and Commissions; acting in an advisory and liaison capacity for each organization and helping plan and coordinate major capital projects.
• Being responsible for the diversity and inclusivity portfolio; ensuring a strategy is developed, and implemented across the organization for all services and programs;
• Overseeing the Project Management Office, ensuring the priorities of this office are aligned with the Strategic Plan and corporate work plans and work with the Senior Leadership team to identify and establish priorities across the organization.
A transition plan including an acting Director of City Building will be announced in the near future; however in the meantime Tanner will continue to lead the work on the completion of the city’s new Official Plan.
 James Ridge on his first council meeting as city manager. Prior to city manager James Ridge being appointed Burlington had three General Managers. One was shown the door, another retired and a third Scott Stewart took a position as deputy city manager in Guelph. Stewart was a candidate for the city manager position.
Ridge has been running the city with his office being the report to point for all the Directors.
Sometime will be needed to think through just what this small level or re-organization is going to mean to the citizens of the city.
By Pepper Parr
December 6th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The first meeting of the ECoB Engaged Citizens of Burlington ended with a commitment to appeal to the Ontario Municipal Beard to set aside the decision made by city council on a 5-2 to approve a 23 storey structure across Brant from the city hall.
No word yet on the filing of the appeal “imminent” was the latest we had from the ECoB group who are working feverishly to get things in place for the next meeting which is scheduled for Wednesday, December 13th from 7-9 pm- at the Burlington Baptist Church- 2225 New Street- next to Dodsworth & Brown.
While the OMB appeal of the 421 Brant Street project was at the top of the task list – they were up against a ticking clock on this one – the bigger picture is to create an organization that can serve as an umbrella for the numerous community groups in the city that have concerns with the way city hall is handling the issues that are important to them.
There isn’t a complete list yet of just who those groups are. Shoreacres, Bluewater, Roseland, TEC and Plan B are among those that are expected to attend on the 13th.
The ECoB objective is to have an organization that can hold the current city council accountable and able to direct staff to deliver on what the residents want.
 ECOB founding meeting November 25th 2017 Few hesitate to express their concern over the make up of the current city council and their desire to see some changes on the makeup of the current city council in the next municipal; election to take place in October of 2018.
The current council was elected in 2010, re-elected in 2014 – most appear to be in the 2018 race. They Mayor has already held his first photo-op of his campaign.
ECoB expects to make extensive use of social media to get their message out to the public.
They have part of the team that did an astounding social media job for the Central high school parents who fought the recommendation to close their school leading the creation of social media, a web site and a Facebook page.
 Posters distributed by ECoB are about as direct as one can get. The group urged citizens to turn out for the November 30th Standing Committee meeting that was thought by many to be one of the most important Standing Committee meeting at city hall this year.
The meeting was seen as a turning point and sharpen the difference between Councillor Meed Ward who is expected to run for the office of Mayor next October and the current Mayor Rick Goldring who has already declared that he will be running for a third term as Mayor.
The Mayor has stayed pretty close to the positions Meed Ward has taken and on a number of occasions joined her in a vote against a motion.
The tipping point for many was the November 13th council vote to approve a 23 storey tower opposite city hall.
A significant number of very vocal people believe city council is wrong and that the Planner is not in tune with the people who live in the downtown core.
Using the acronym ECoB – Engaged Citizens of Burlington, the group easily raised the first $5000 needed to launch the appeal at their inaugural meeting earlier in the month.
 Councillor Lancaster got to serve as the Acting Mayor for an evening. She kind of liked the chair and invited her Mother to join her for a photo-op. Will we see this on an election poster? Blair Lancaster, Councillor for ward 6 who has supported the residents in her ward over one of the ADI developments that is now at the Ontario Municipal Board, said in her Newsletter that:
“During our most recent rounds of public consultation we heard many comments from residents. While they understand the need for growth they are concerned that:
• Burlington will turn into a big city with big tall buildings.
• Heard from specific residents who border on the growth areas
• Residents found the precinct plans difficult to analyze and understand the impacts.
“As a result of these comments, staff will be meeting with the residents in order to resolve some of their specific concerns and will be working on the communications for the concepts that will be easier to understand.
“Burlington residents should know that the process was visionary, thorough and involved thousands of stakeholders. Lancaster has asked for feedback which she will happily include it in the process for Council consideration.”
By Pepper Parr
December 6th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The old order changeth – a new Chair and vice chair of the Halton District School Board were elected this evening.
 Chair Andrea Grebenc talking over a concern with Director of Education Stuart Miller during a board meeting. Andrea Grebenc, a Burlington trustees replaces Kelly Amos who has served the board for … and Tracey Ehl Harrison, an Oakville trustee, replaces Kim Graves, a Milton trustee as the vice chair.
 Vice chair Tracey Ehl Harrison, an Oakville trustee. Ehl Harrison is a registered professional planner, a certified professional facilitator and a PhD candidate whose career has focused on environmental planning and education, communication and community engagement.
Grebenc is a lecturer and instructor at McMaster University, and an e-learning consultant and programmer.
She is a graduate of Lester B. Pearson high school which she voted to close in June of 2018.
Amos has served as a trustee for more than ten years
The all female Board of Education has gone through a very tough year. On a number of occasions it was evident that Chair Amos was having difficulty with the agenda.
The Board decision to accept the staff recommendation to close two of Burlington’s seven high schools was taken to the Ministry where a request was made for an Administrative Review of the process used by the Board.
The Administrative Review facilitator, Margaret Wilson is expected to have her report in the hands of the Ministry before the end of the year.
The Ministry will release the report at a later date.
The Ministry can direct the Board of Education to hold a second PAR – Program Administrative Review which would mean creating another PARC – Program Accommodation Review Committee. A PARC is made up of two parent representatives from each high school – one selected by the school board the other by the Parent Council of the school.
The Central high school parent council decision to have ward 2 city city Councillor Marianne Meed Ward represent the parents was a controversial choice. One wonders if the parents would make that choice again.
 By Pepper Parr
December 6th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Ray Rivers has been writing a column for the Gazette for five years. Over that time he has developed a following that isn’t shy about taking him to task when they disagree with his opinion. That ability to “talk back” to a columnist is one of the features of this newspaper.
 Ray Rivers It has taken some time for Gazette readers to appreciate that what Rivers writes are his personal opinions.
Each week Ray and I talk about what he has in mind. I don’t tell Ray what he has to write but I am aware of what he is planning on writing about.
There are times when, as publisher, I suggest a particular subject could use some attention. Rivers doesn’t always agree.
He recently did a column on Ontario Leader of the opposition Patrick Brown. I had hoped Rivers would write about affordable housing – Rivers has said he will get to that.
While Ray is a liberal and a Liberal he does have the capacity to see beyond the end of his nose.
We have approached a number of clearly identified Conservatives to write an opinion column for us – having some balance is important. We do have our eye on a young New Democrat to become a columnist.
 Patrick Brown In his piece on Brown he said he felt Brown was getting some traction and that the race for the Premiership of the province was going to be tighter than I said it would be.
My own view is that Brown does not yet have the profile he needs and his past positions are going to haunt him in an election where the Liberals will have the stronger campaign team.
 Kathleen Wynne I have certainly been wrong before but I see Kathleen Wynne winning and then resigning within 18 months. If she loses she is gone.
Then the battle will be between several members of her front bench.
My own view is that it doesn’t matter what Patrick Brown does – he is gone either way.
If he loses there will be a leadership contest. If he wins there will be a member of his government breathing down his neck.
 Catherine Mulroney Caroline Mulroney is running in York (north of Toronto) where she will win.
Then the real campaign begins for the Mulroney’s. Her father, Brian Mulroney, former Prime Minister, has been itching to get back into the political game (did he ever leave?)
To be able to be part of the team that makes Catherine the Premier of Ontario is one that Brian Mulroney won’t be able to stay away from.
So while the Gazette’s leading columnist thinks Brown could take it – there is a bottle of Scotch on the outcome – none of that matters.
Caroline Mulroney is going for the job and she will get it.
Pepper Parr is the publisher of the Burlington Gazette.
 By Staff
December 6th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Expect to see officers engaged in R.I.D.E activity anywhere and anytime during the month of December, as officers across the Province launch the holiday R.I.D.E campaign.
 Regional police doing RIDE checks. Expect to see them all over the place during the month of December. Halton Regional Police Service takes an aggressive approach to impaired driving throughout the year, not only during this holiday season. We work in close partnership with M.A.D.D and our EMS organizations to reduce impaired driving everywhere.
Officers will be deployed in a variety of different vehicles and focused on community events, licensed establishments, in both residential subdivisions and industrial and commercial areas. Compliance checks for those previously charged with impaired driving offences, and subject to ongoing license prohibitions, will also be occurring.
Impaired driving is a Crime in Progress. With the community’s help in reporting possible impaired drivers to police, we can all work together to keep our roads and community safe.
In 2016 Seasonal R.I.D.E statistics:
• 266 roadside tests
• 51 impaired driving arrests
• 54 roadside suspensions
If you see a driver you suspect is impaired, please call 9-1-1. Let’s all play a role in keeping our community and roads safe.
Impaired driving is a CHOICE. Make this a happy and safe holiday season by making the right one.
 By Staff
December 6th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
There is someone out there who wasn’t aware of the number of video security systems installed along Lakeshore Road – particularly in the 5000 block.
 Suspect was captured on video at several homes in the 5000 block of Lakeshore Road. Police in Burlington are investigating a rash of residential break and enters into homes, garages and cars in south east Burlington.
 Video from several security cameras captured good images of the suspect.
 In many instances the suspects do not appear to be aware that they are being filmed. Between 6:30 PM on December 3rd and 6:00 AM on December 4th 2017, a lone male suspect is believed to be responsible for breaking into at least six garages to steal bikes and other miscellaneous items as well as trying the front doors to two residences in the 5000 block of Lakeshore Road. The same suspect is also believed to have broken into numerous unlocked cars in the same area.
The suspect was captured on video at several homes and police are asking for assistance from the public to help identify him.
The suspect is described as a white male, early 20’s, thin build, approximately 5’7″ to 6′ tall, wearing a touque, light checkered winter coat and running shoes
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
• Consider installing CCTV / Surveillance cameras which can capture the crime and aid in suspect identification
• ensure their homes and garages are locked when absent from the home or turning in for the night.
• REPORT SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY TO POLICE IMMEDIATELY
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact Detective Ellie Bale of the Burlington Criminal Investigations Bureau at 905-825-4747 ext. 2312 . Tips can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers “See something, Hear something, Say something” at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.ca, or by texting “Tip201” with your message to 274637 (crimes).
We will watch to see how quickly this suspect is identified.
By Staff
December 6th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The Parks and Recreation department appears to now have a marketing unit.
They are offering rentals at up to 40% Off during the holiday season.
Starting December 1st, through to January 7, 2018, all Ice, Gyms, Pools, Auditoriums and Community Rooms will be on sale. For more information and terms and conditions: visit burlington.ca/rentals.
Some of the $$ off opportunities are:
 By Staff
December 5, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Xiaojing Yan’s design has been chosen as the public artwork that will be installed on a median on Plains Road near the Francis Road intersection.
A community jury made up of residents, local artists and business owners reviewed three proposals along with feedback from 220 residents during the summer. The artwork, Dwelling, is expected to be installed in spring 2018.
 Public art will be set up on the median on Plains Road near the Francis Road intersection. Dwelling has six house shapes in different sizes made of stainless steel. In a media release from the city the art work is described. “A house creates a sense of place, belonging and home. The notion of home relates to places of memory, family history, social comment and environmental issues. It is through relationships and experiences that a house becomes a home.
“The house image has been turned into a greenhouse to honour the Royal Botanical Gardens. This represents health, physical activity and recreation. It also suggests an evolving social metaphor of sustainability and self-sufficiency.”
 Xiaojing Yan is a Chinese Canadian artist who lives and works in Markham, Ont. She earned a MFA for Sculpture from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a BFA from Nanjing Arts Institution in China.
Yan’s work has been exhibited in galleries and museums internationally. Her work has been included in many private and public collections. She is also a recipient of numerous awards and grants, including the 2014 Outstanding Young Alumni award from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, a project grant from the Canada Council for the Arts and the Chalmers Arts Fellowship and Mid-career Grant from Ontario Arts Council.
 Public art installation on Plains Road at Waterdown Road. In 2010, a Xiaojing Yan design was selected for the Burlington Downtown Bike Rack Project. Yan sees her design as part of the evolution of Plains Road from a gravel road to a highway and then to a residential main street.
Dwellings is the second piece of public art to be installed on Plains Road.
 By Staff
December 5th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The new wing of the hospital is open – all we hear are good things.
The last stretch of the $60 million fund raising drive is going well. The city of Burlington had to tax its citizen for $60 million and the hospital Foundation had to raise another $60 million.
The hospital is now focused on doing major renovations on the older portion of the hospital.
Each year the hospital prepares a report on what they did during the year. These are sometimes as dry as toast without any butter – and never contain a critical word or make any mention of where improvements are needed.
This year the hospital created a large graphic – filled with numbers.
 634 volunteers put in 74,380 hours – that’s 117 hours per volunteer. Impressive It certainly tells the story.
You can read the full report HERE
Related new stories:
Door to door campaign.
By Staff
December 5th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
They are calling it OHIP+
You are going to hear a lot about it in January when the province rolls out a program that will make more than 4,400 drug products free for anyone age 24 years or younger.
There not be a program to enroll in – all that is needed is a health card number and an eligible prescription.
 All you will need to participate in the OHIP + program is a valid Health card. Who will be covered?
All babies, children and youth age 24 years and under who have OHIP coverage will be automatically covered by OHIP+
OHIP+ coverage will stop on your 25th birthday, but you may qualify for other financial help with prescription drug costs.
What medications will be covered: The list is extensive and includes:
antibiotics to treat infections
inhalers for asthma
various insulins, oral diabetic medications and diabetes test strips
epinephrine auto-injectors (e.g. EPIPENs®)
drugs to treat arthritis, epilepsy and other chronic conditions
medications to treat mental health conditions (e.g. antidepressants)
attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) drugs
drugs to treat some childhood cancers and other rare conditions
The starting point is a visit to your doctor or nurse practitioner and get a prescription.
Then you take your health card OR health card number to any pharmacy in Ontario.
The pharmacy will fill their prescription at no charge – you don’t pay a dispensing fee, deductible or co-payment.
Trillium Drug Program members.
If your child is age 24 or under and a member of a Trillium Drug Program household, as of January 1, 2018 they will be covered through OHIP+. This means, because you don’t pay out-of-pocket for their medications, no money from those medications will count toward your deductible.
Students going to university/college in another province
 John Hoskins – Minister of Health and Long Term Care will be all over the television news when the OHIP+ program is rolled out. He was a Liberal Party Leadership candidate the lat time around – expect to see him in the race the next time the Liberals go looking for a new leader. If you’re going to university or college in another province, your prescriptions may still be covered by OHIP+ if you:
remain insured by OHIP
have a valid prescription
get your medications from a pharmacy in Ontario
Expect to hear a lot more about this program – there is an provincial election in June and the current government really wants to get re-elected.
 By Staff
December 5th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
A part of Longmeadow Road will be closed on December 6, 2017
Longmeadow Road, between Deerwood Drive and Winding Way, will be closed on Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2017 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for emergency sewer work.
Signs and barricades will be up and through traffic will be detoured on Deerwood Drive. Access to homes where the work is being done will be maintained at all times.
 Be prepared to deal with road barriers on parts of Longmeadow. For more information, contact Florin Patrau at 905-335-7671, ext. 7838
 By Pepper Parr
December 4th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
In an earlier version of this story, we incorrectly said that Tom Muir had aligned himself with the Bateman parents. He was very sympathetic with the Bateman situation but worked with the Pearson parents
Margaret Wilson, the Reviewer brought in by the Ministry of Education to do formal review the Halton District School Board (HDSB) decision to close two of the city’s seven high schools has said she expects to have her report in the hands of the Ministry well before Christmas.
She is perhaps on her second draft of the document.
 Margaret Wilson Being the professional she is Mrs. Wilson did not tip her hand during her conversations with media.
She is reported to have said to one of the participants during the second evening of public delegations that she “would recommend a second PAR (Program Accommodation Review) if she had very good reasons.”
The HDSB PAR review will be the 13th that Wilson has done – she is an experienced hand at this game. Wilson noted that the only time she recommended that a PAR be done a second time was when she did one at the HDSB – and at that time she recommended to the Ministry that a second PAR was advisable.
Many of the Pearson and Bateman parents are hoping that she does the same thing again.
All Wilson can do is make a recommendation. It is the Minister of Education who can order the Director of Education to hold a PAR. It is not clear if the school board trustees can choose not to proceed.
 Halton Board of Education voting to close two of the city’s sven high schools. The trustees voted on June 7th to close the schools. Parents from both Bateman high school and Pearson high school appealed to the Ministry of Education for a review of the process the HDSB went through in making that decision.
The Board held a PAR – a Program Accommodation Review and created a PAR committee consisting of two parents from every high school in the city. That committee was scheduled to meet on five occasions – and met on seven occasions when the Director of Education felt the additional time the PARC people wanted was justified.
The PARC was never able to arrive at a consensus. The structure of the PAR was such that the two high schools had to fight within the PARC to keep their school open.
 PARC members placing small paper dots beside their preferences when the committee was eliminating some of the options. Central high school was exceptionally well organized – they held a fund raising event that put $14,000 into their war chest and then did a tremendous amount of research that pointed to some serious flaws in the board of education staff position.
What turned the tide for Central was their research that showed it was going to cost $400,000 a year basically forever to bus students from the Central community to other high schools in the city. Somehow the Board of Education staff failed to figure that out on their own.
With that information in had the Director of Education revised his recommendation to have Bateman closed instead of Central high school. That put the fat in the fire and had the Bateman parents howling – claiming that the Central parents had thrown them under the bus.
 Central high school parents demonstrating outside the school board administrative offices. The result was that parents were now fighting to save their school – rather than looking at the serious flaws in the process and convincing the Board to take an approach where everyone could work together to find a solution that worked for everyone.
The Bateman parents were asleep at the switch. They should have seen that their school was at risk but they did nothing in the way of organizing until they had to and by then it was too late.
The Bateman community that is leading the Administrative Review request has difficulty sharing information. There were reported differences of opinion within the group and they were not able to work with the Pearson parents on a combined approach.
 Denise Davy, c0-chair of the Bateman high school parent group,standing talks to the representative from the auto body industry at an Administrative Review meeting Bateman had a great story to tell – few people in the city knew of how strong a program there was at that high school for students who faced personal challenges coping with traditional school programs.
It didn’t help that few of the trustees visited all the high schools to see first-hand what was being done at Bateman.
What was, by contrast, really interesting was that Wilson visited every high school and made a point of visiting the two model shops that were operational at Bateman.
The most significant flaw in the PAR process was the way the Board trustees handled their vote. On June 7th – their meeting went until well past mid-night while they heard the last of the delegations.
The PAR rules call for a period of ten days between the last of the delegations and the vote. That didn’t happen.
To make the situation just that much worse – the province, realizing that the PAR process was a mess, ordered a moratorium on all PARS on June 28th. Using the 10 day rule the Halton situation would not have been saved even if the Board had followed their own rules. There for the sake of 11 days went two high schools.
 Will the nursery at Pearson high school be lost to the community when the high school closes? Pearson, a smaller high school that had been stripped of most of the elementary feeder schools was basically starved to death by board boundary reviews.
They needed more time to get themselves organized but never did have the mass that Bateman and Central were able to pull together.
Their argument was that there is a place for a smaller high school in Burlington and that they needed the feeder schools put back in place.
The Director of Education is of the view that a high school enrollment should bet at the 1000 + level.
A piece of corollary damage is the impact on the exceptional nursery that has been run at the school since it opened.
Should Mrs. Wilson decide not to recommend a second PAR be held the city will have to adjust to that reality?
Part of the solution is to elect better trustees and get a Chair in place who understands what the job is and then how to do it.
Burlington has also to come to terms with the fact that it has just 4 of the 11 votes – its trustees need to reach out and develop coalitions with the trustees from Milton, Oakville and Halton Hills.
The decision to close the Robert Bateman high school was more a blow to those parents who had their children in special needs classes.
 Tom Muir – an inveterate delegator. Tom Muir, an Aldershot resident who doesn’t have children aligned himself with the Pearson contingent and worked with them as they prepared their request for an Administrative Review.
Muir is of the view that “closing Bateman is a disaster for these needy kids and their parents. It will be life-altering. It can’t just be “moved” and “transitioned”. Nelson he added is no place for Bateman kids.
“It is clear that closing any school will stress many students, overcrowd others. MMR will be over capacity by 2020 and will need trailers. Hayden remains pig stuffed and will be for the foreseeable future, with 12 now, and maybe 18 trailers, in future.”
Muir believes there is sufficient material grounds to recommend a voiding of the 2017 PAR, and to replace it with another PAR or suitable process.
By Pepper Parr
December 4th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
 It was a meeting where no one got what they wanted – the gap between the Meridian Brick company and the TEC – Tyandaga Environmental Coalition was far too wide.
Meridian Brick was not giving an inch and the residents remained steadfast; they wanted their homes protected from what they were certain was going to be environmental and health damage.
It was a lengthy meeting – more than two and a half hours during which the brick company went through report after report on the progress of various issues – noise, human health, PM and silica monitoring, a species at risk report, an Archaeological study and a Salamander study. Most, but not all, delivered by people who could not have been more boring.
The evening was moderated by a brick company representative who would not let the microphone out if his hands. It was humiliating to those people who stood to speak.
The company continually talks of “ Being a good neighbour” which they say means “doing our part to keep you informed about what’s happening with Aldershot East, the third phase of the Aldershot Quarry.” Drives the residents crazy.
 The red line is the boundary for the third quarry that Meridian Brick wants to prepare for excavation work – which will require the clearing of all the trees. During the meeting the company let it be known that they were very close to doing a clear cut of the wooded area in the eastern part of the property – which is yards away from the homes on West Haven Drive.
The residents pressed for a date – not a word from the company – who are just issuing reports that are mind numbing while city and provincial elected officials stand by muttering but doing nothing.
The MPP, doesn’t seem to be able to get the meeting the TEC people want with the Minister of NAtural Resources and Forestry and the Mayor has yet to realize that he can actually do something.
It was a depressing meeting.
 How do you lesson the noise from a piece of equipment like this?  Expect a lot of noise from this equipment. There was a report on managing the noise – the audience was assured that there was a plan for that as well. How they are going to manage noise from the heavy duty excavation equipment will be interesting.
In one of the presentations the audience was told that two documents govern pits and quarry operations: the license and a site plan.
Many feel that the license issued in 1972 doesn’t reflect the environmental changes that have taken place since 1972.
The requirement for a site plan put this right smack in the middle of the city’s domain. The whole Air Park mess was about the need to file a site plan.
The city hasn’t said a word about whether or not Meridian Brick is in compliance with the site plan requirement. Watch for some push from the environmental lawyer representing the West Haven residents.
Meridian Brick has set out a timeline for the excavation work they plan to do. There was the hint that they were saying to the residents that they didn’t have to worry – a lot of the work was 10, 12, 15 and 20 years out.
Most of the residents will have moved on – this isn’t a young family community.
 West Haven looking toward lake. And while that may be true – the value of any homes that are put on the market is going to be a lot less than the value today. An appraiser report suggests that values decline by between 10% to as high as 40% when a quarry is opened close by. The maps in this story show just how close that quarry is to the high end homes.
Activities in the north corner will not take place until late in the site’s life – approximately 15 to 20 years in the future.
The entire east quarry site will be progressively rehabilitated and reforested as the site is extracted.
Meridian Brick said the complete initial mitigation plan will be completed in the fall of 2017.
An access corridor to the west area of the site and initial tree clearing is to begin in 2017/2018 winter.
In 2019 to 2023 site preparation stripping of stage 1 and continuing rehabilitation of the center quarry.
2023-2033 – Stage 2 preparation and excavation.
2033-2038— Stage 3preparation and excavation.
 Map shows the link between the center quarry that is being worked now and the eastern site that the company wants to begin working in 2018. The Archeological study that was done to determine if there was any land that was used by the aboriginal community. There was some evidence found, enough to call for further study – but not enough to be able to say that there actually was an aboriginal community on the property.
Interesting however is the mention that the report has t6o be sent to the Minister of Tourism and Culture and Sport who happens to be none of the than Burlington’s MPP Eleanor McMahon. The rport read out to the audience says: “This report is submitted to the Minister of Tourism and Culture and Sport as a condition of licensing in accordance with Part VI of the Ontario Heritage Act, RSO1990, c 0.18.
 Minister McMahon has a duty to approve at least one of the reports that Meridian Brick issued. No comment from her office so far. “The report is reviewed to ensure that it complies with the standards and guidelines that are issued by the Minister, and that the archaeological field work and report recommendations ensure the conservation, preservation and protection of the cultural heritage of Ontario. When all matters relating to archaeological sites within the project area of a development proposal have been addressed to the satisfaction of the Ministry of Tourism and Culture and Sport, a letter will be issued by the ministry stating that there are no further concerns with regard to alterations to archaeological sites by the proposed development.”
Is the Minister going to issue such a letter – without meeting with the TEC people?
There are issues that the TEC people can follow up on – but they do so at their expense. So far the city hasn’t lifted a finger in the way of support for the residents.
They are hoeing rough ground over on West Haven Drive.
 By Ray Rivers
December 4th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The Ontario Progressive Conservative party, much like its federal counterpart is regularly supported by less than half the voters. To win an election they must either hope for a strong NDP showing, to take votes away from the Liberals, so they can come up the middle. Or they could broaden their platform to appeal to those marginally committed Liberal voters and the undecided.
 Patrick Brown, leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Opposition party. The latter is exactly what newish PC leader Patrick Brown is doing. Coming out of a policy convention last weekend he tabled an extensive, if verbose, election platform, the ‘People’s Guarantee’ with 147 promises. It is a shopping list of promises that, in keeping with the season, might have been put together by Santa’s elves. Indeed the platform, for the most part, could have been written for the Liberals or NDP and is clearly designed to draw supporters in those parties over to the Tories.
After Harris and Hudak it is hard to imagine that an Ontario conservative could be so progressive. One could accuse Brown of wanting to spend like a drunken sailor, except for the fact that he is a tea-totaler. Though one has to wonder how he ended up with terminology typical of an alcoholic’s anonymous handbook – one hundred and forty seven promises.
Brown would cut taxes for the middle class by 22.5%, reduce electricity rates by another 12%, refund 75% of child care costs and allocate $1.9 billion into mental health care, in addition to introducing another unenforceable law – the “Trust, Accountability and Integrity Act”.
 Patrick Brown – does he have a lot to smile about. And there is more in a platform with spending that would make the current Liberals almost look like conservatives. For example there is $5 billion for new subways, 15,000 new long term care beds and a $500 rebate on buying winter tires. Plus he’d be keeping many Liberal programs such as youth pharma-care, free tuition for the needy, and offering a new seniors’ dental care plan.
That’s a lot of cash he’s promising to throw around and the document contains an itemized accounting of where it is coming from and where it is going. Of course it is an optimistic accounting, but aren’t they all? The Liberals are claiming that Brown is hiding $12 billion in sneaky cuts to healthcare, education and other social programs (page 76 of the ‘People’s Guarantee’). And they might be right but how would one know, since it is so difficult to navigate such a weighty and sprawling document, that few will even bother?
Brown is still very much an unknown commodity in the province. A career politician, he spent years on Stephen Harper’s backbench in Parliament, nursing all the right right-wing sentiments one expects of a good Harperite. But he is campaigning as a changed man – he’s seen the light and it’s called compromise – pandering to the softer side of humanity. He even claims to accept a woman’s right to choose and has embraced the LGBT crowd. And why wouldn’t all of this now be genuine? After all his father had run for the NDP a couple of times.
 Patrick Brown has his work cut out for him – keeping his conservative base happy and making the Progressive Conservative tent big enough for others. Will this be enough to win the pink palace? That will also depend in part on whether the public is ripe for a change of leadership. That is the prescription from the right wing media, though Brown may not exactly be the package they have in mind. And it will also depend on the competing platforms yet to roll out from the Liberals and NDP, and possibly the Greens – and whether they can find enough holes in Brown’s platform to shake his credibility.
Patrick Brown is paying for his income tax cuts with the cash rolling in from a new carbon tax he’ll introduce to replace Ontario’s current cap and trade climate change plan. That means for every dollar working folks will save in income taxes they’ll be using sixty or seventy cents of it just to fill up their cars – not quite the bonanza the income tax cuts seem at first blush.
Carbon taxes are sales taxes, regressive in that they affect those with lower incomes the most. And if they are effective in reducing carbon, the amount of revenue generated will start to fall, rather than rise as predicted. So if the carbon tax doesn’t bring in enough cash to cover everything on his extensive laundry list, expect to see the list get shorter – or watch the deficit and debt grow. There is no free lunch when it comes to balancing the budget.
Brown has taken his cue in economic and environmental policy from the federal government, first by adopting Trudeau’s prescribed carbon tax, and second by cutting the income taxes of those in the relatively lower income classes. This provides both a restraint and a stimulus to economic growth respectively. And that is an appropriate approach given that Ontario’s economy is booming and had outpaced the rest of the country last year – best in the G7.
 Now that he has a platform – the leader of the Opposition now has to get out on the road, get known and sell the book with 147 promises in it. But with unemployment lower than it has been in almost two decades, priming the pump without also applying brakes will only lead to inflation. Good economic policy avoids trying to fix something which isn’t broken. And Ontario and Canada are both doing well economically.
But some folks just like to change horses every once in a while and they’re entitled – this is a democracy. And if we can believe what he says in his ‘People’s Guarantee’, Brown is a different kind of Progressive Conservative – one that Ontario has not seen since the days of Bill Davis. And that would make him more his socialist father’s son and less like the Grinch he used to work for.
 Ray Rivers writes weekly on both federal and provincial politics, applying his more than 25 years as a federal bureaucrat to his thinking. Rivers was a candidate for provincial office in Burlington in 1995. 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:
People’s Guarantee – PC Convention – 147 Promises –
PC Platform – Cutting Taxes – A Red Tory? –
PC Plan to Win – Who is Brown – Brown isn’t Transparent? –
Ontario PC – Tax Plan Falls Short – Ontario Polls –
Ontario Economy – Patrick Brown –
 By Pepper Parr
December 3rd, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Budget time.
City staff presented an Operating budget with a 4.19 % increase over last year – this will be the xx year that tax payers have seen increases in the 4% range.
 The disturbing part of this budget is the prediction going forward for increases that are wll above inflation at a time when the economy is very healthy. The line that is solid yellow is the one that tax ayers need to focus on The proposed net tax levy for the 2018 fiscal year for the Operating budget will amount to $159,855,656. Staff propose that Council approve this amount on January 22, 2018.
Staff did a line-by-line review of the base budget and found $600,000 in savings.
 City manager James Ridge. The strategic review of the Operating Budget is done by a Leadership Team comprised of the City Manager, Director of Finance, Director of Human Resources. The Director of Planning and Building and the City Clerk took part as rotating member.
The following were events that impacted the Operating budget:
The estimated impact from legislative changes to the Employment Standards and Labour Relations Acts (Bill 148) of $1 million results in an additional tax increase
The annualized impact of changes made within the Transit Service to provide operational sustainability of $1.3 million results in an additional tax increase
Impacts from the 2014 arbitrated Fire settlement of $1.2 million results in an additional tax increase
The increase for the dedicated infrastructure levy of $1.9 million results in an additional tax increase
A business case to increase maintenance standards on city sports fields for $320K
 Where the money gets spent These events plus the base budget already in place result in a total tax increase to 4.19%.
The following table provides a breakdown of the city’s tax increase.
 The cost increases put upward pressure on the budget; more money going out. The lower than anticipated assessment growth meant less money coming in. The difference between those two numbers is found in the pockets of the tax payers.
 Former Director of Transit Mike Spicer sitting with city manager James Ridge – the facial expressions tell the story. Spicer resigned several months later. Council learned on September 7, of the “challenges facing the department’s operations”. Those challenges are going to add s approximately $1.3 M to the proposed 2018 budget.
Municipalities are service organizations that rely heavily on human resources to deliver the range and quality of services that residents have come to expect. Human resource costs (including benefits, training, etc.) as a percentage of the City’s gross budget has changed from 50.5% in 2004 to 46.2% proposed for 2018.
Local Boards include the Burlington Public Library, Burlington Museums, Art Gallery of Burlington, Burlington Performing Arts Centre (BPAC), Tourism Burlington and the Burlington Economic Development Corporation (BEDC). For 2018 a base budget increase of 2.0% was provided for local boards, equating to $295,910.
The city continues to make good progress on its infrastructure renewal needs as Council has provided Predictable Infrastructure Investment, in the form of a dedicated incremental infrastructure levy. The proposed budget includes a 1.25% ($1.9 million) levy as recommended in the city’s Asset Management Financing Plan.
A recent review of the Vehicle Depreciation Reserve Fund (VDRF) recommended that the annual contributions to the reserve fund be increased from 3% to 4% per annum to ensure long-term financial sustainability. This increased contribution has an incremental $32,000 ongoing impact to the operating budget.
The city revenues in 2018 will, in part come from the following increases:
• increase in registration fee and rental revenues of $181,000 to reflect increased volume of participants as well as increases to fees
• increase in Building Permit fees of $186,000 to reflect an increase in the costs to administer enforcement of the Building Code (Bill 124)
• increase in Development Application and Approval Processing (DAAP) fees of
$140,000 to reflect an increase in volume and a 2% increase in fees
• increase in parking fines of $215,000 and daily parking revenues of $150,000 to better align with historical revenue trends
• increase in Transit advertising revenues of $170,000 as a result of a new advertising contract.
 The process for putting a city budget together. A tax bill doesn’t always translate into cash in the city coffers. The city budgets annually for tax write-offs based on assessment reductions or property class changes agreed to by MPAC and/or the Assessment Review Board (ARB).
Annual write-offs have traditionally been approximately $1 million. In 2017 write-offs are estimated to total $2 million due to continued processing of longstanding appeals being resolved by the ARB. These write-offs have depleted the allowance account which will require a provision to be made at year-end as part of the retained savings. The budget for write-offs has been increased by $50,000 to $1.175 million.
These growth costs and other inflationary increases have been offset by assessment growth which allows a municipality to finance increased costs without increasing taxes.
Over the past five years Burlington’s weighted assessment growth was:
2013 0.87%
2014 0.58%
2015 0.97%
2016 1.16%
2017 0.15%
Staff continue to believe a portion of this is one-time in nature.
 The first of the five tower Paradigm on Fairview will begin to be occupied in 2018 – adding to the tax roles. There are three major projects under construction that will be at least partially completed in 2018 – with people moving in – tax get levied and assessment growth improves.
The 2017 Approved Budget included $200,000 to implement the first phase of the Enhanced Sportsfield Maintenance Strategy. Included with the 2018 budget is a business case to provide the remaining funding requirements of $320,320 and 3.2 FTE to fully implement this strategy. This business case aligns with the city’s Strategic Direction of a Healthy and Greener City. It will result in improved turf resilience and playability as well as demonstrates environmental leadership and stewardship of our natural assets.
 Services the city provides. The proposed city increase of 4.19%, for urban residential taxpayers translates into a tax increase of $21.03 for each $100,000 of residential assessment.
 By Stephen White
December 3rd, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
I would submit that one of the reasons this Council and Mayor have run amuck over the past seven years is because there are no strong countervailing organizations in place to challenge or question their decisions.
There are a lot of intelligent, thoughtful and resourceful people who delegate regularly, or write to their Councillor, or express feedback, but because they are acting as individuals and not as part of a concerted, united organization they get “blown off”. A case in point is the November 13th Council meeting on the 421 Brant Street development.
 Your city council members: The Significant Seven. Three of the seven were first elected in 2010 – all were re-elected in 2014. Two have been there more than 20 years By contrast, Oakville has 17 Ratepayers’ Associations. They offer a strong, sustained and ongoing mechanism through which local residents can make their voices known and their opinions heard. When they delegate their Council and their Mayor listen. When they push the agenda and demand action they are able to quickly galvanize public support and things happen. Their efforts around saving Glen Abbey Golf Course is a case in point.
 ECoB is a great start, but if it turns into Shape Burlington it will just be gabfest and a waste of time. The time for pleasantries and persuasion is past. I hope part of ECoB’s mandate entails identifying and formally supporting municipal election candidates. Without a strategy in place we’ll have a repeat of 2014 with multiple candidates running in each ward, vote splitting, and incumbents slipping through again.
Stephen White is a Burlington resident who comments frequently in the Gazette.
It is worth noting that the Town of Oakville Clerk reaches out to the community and asks for contact information from each of the known resident and ratepayer groups and ensures they are kept informed of what takes p0olace in Oakville.
Related content:
Shape Burlington
Formation of ECoB
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