 By Staff
October 12th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Policing the commercial traffic on our highways is vital. There was a time when we had wheels flying off trucks that were unsafe because they weren’t properly maintained.
 The Regional Police have a fully equipped vehicle with all kinds of inspection equipment. with the 401, the 403, the 407 and the QEW cutting through Halton region commercial vehicle inspection is a big job. Police officers and inspectors from seven services, the Ministry of Transportation and the Ministry of Finance/ Environment recently completed a two-day commercial vehicle (CMV) enforcement blitz held at the Mohawk Raceway in Milton on October 4-5.
Results of the showed some encouraging signs for road safety. The data shows a record number of vehicles being inspected and an increase in compliance over 2016.
The two day blitz this year yielded the following results:
• Total commercial motor vehicles inspected: 477
• Total commercial motor vehicles taken out of service: 156 (33% failure rate)
• Total charges laid: 331
• Sets of plates seized by police: 24
2016 Results:
• Total commercial motor vehicles inspected: 470
• Total commercial motor vehicles taken out of service: 179 (38% failure rate)
• Total charges laid: 476
• Sets of plates seized by police: 35
Top six charges laid by police in 2017:
• Fail to complete daily inspection (58 charges)
• Improper brake (24 charges)
• Failure to complete annual inspection (22 charges)
• Insecure load (21 charges)
• Fail to have permit (19 charges)
• Overweight vehicle (14 charges)
 Halton police officer checks the tires on a truck during a blitz. “The results of the 2017 Halton commercial motor vehicle blitz reveal that there is still a lot of work to be done to ensure commercial motor vehicles are safe. The rules of the road apply equally to all motor vehicle operators and ensuring a mechanically fit, safely loaded and secure vehicle remains the law. As always, safer trucks equate to safer roads.” said Sgt. Ryan Snow, Traffic Services Unit.
 By Staff
October 12, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Ward 4 Councillor Jack Dennison asked: “How fortunate we are to live in a city which provides Leaf Collection?”
And then he hands out a “thank you” to city staff for “the tremendous efforts” of the city’s Roads & Parks Maintenance (RPM) team who coordinate and carry out this service. Based on last year’s collection schedule RPM staff revised this year’s Leaf Collection as follows:
 Specific dates have not yet been determined. The RPM are going to be more cautious this year. Collection will start the week of Nov. 6, 2017, with the last collection scheduled for the week of Dec. 11, 2017. A reminder that after the last pick updates, there will be no further collection from the city. For more details including guidelines to ensure a smooth-running pick-up, visit Leaf Collection.
 Leaf pick zone boundaries. Last year the people with trees on their property were very upset – with very few good words for city staff.
It was brutal. One south Burlington resident said:
“Who is responsible for this lack of proper planning/scheduling? I do understand that scheduling must be done in advance but surely City Hall has access to the same long-term weather reports as I do?
“And I assume city staff responsible are capable of looking outside to see how much of the leaf fall has occurred? None of this has happened with the consequent poor results. What is the City going to do to rectify this?”
Related article:
 By Staff
October 10th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
It was a short public meeting – lasted a few minutes.
City solicitor Nancy Shea Nicol serving as Acting City Manager with Finance and Capital Works people around the horseshoe went into a Closed session of Committee of the Whole while they discussed three separate items each related to the acquisition or proposed acquisition of property.
 Councillor Meed Ward chaired the Closed session of a Committee of the Whole They don’t tell you any more than that.
Ward 2 Councillor Meed Ward chaired the meeting
Might have to do with the property the Joseph Brant Museum sits on – that is a messy file that involves the Hospital which has title to the land but the federal government has a major say in what the hospital can do with the land.
The city wants the land so they can get on with the total rebuild of the museum,
This is pure speculation on our part.
It is unusual for Burlington to have property acquisition matters on the agenda.
The public should learn more when the recommendations from the Committee of the Whole get to Council later in the month.
 City plans to break ground for the construction of a much larger Joseph Brant Museum. The city has announced a ground breaking ceremony for the museum expansion on Friday.
By Staff
October 10th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The Burlington Fire Department is recognizing Fire Prevention Week from Oct. 8 to 14, 2017 with a contest for residents who connect with them through social media.
Residents are asked to look for Fire Prevention Week transit shelter ads around Burlington, take a photo clearly showing the safety message– selfie optional – and tag @BurlingtonFire on Twitter or @BurlingtonFireDept on Facebook to be entered into a draw to win a Fire Prevention Week gift pack.
The contest runs from Oct. 2 to 29, 2017.
Fire Prevention week is a province-wide initiative held each year in October. This year’s theme of Fire
Prevention Week is “Every Second Counts: Plan 2 Ways Out!”
In a fire, you may have just seconds to safely escape your home. Be prepared in advance with these simple steps for home fire escape planning:
 Fire and smoke move faster than you can. Plan and practice fire escape exercises. Consider the needs of everyone in your home
Identify anyone who needs help to get out of the home safely, such as small children or older adults.
Make sure that you have working smoke alarms on every storey of the home and outside all sleeping areas
Make sure everyone in the home knows the sound of the smoke alarm.
Identify all possible exits (doors and windows) and make sure they work
Know two ways out of all areas, if possible.
Everyone must know what to do when the smoke alarm sounds
Name someone to take care of those who need help.
Identify a safe meeting place outside.
Call the fire department from outside the home – from a neighbour’s home or a cell phone.
Practice your home fire escape plan at least twice a year
Have everyone take part.
Make changes to your plan if necessary.
Burlington Fire Chief Dave Lazenby tells people that “Fire and smoke move faster than you. There’s no time to figure out how to escape your home after a fire starts. Practice an escape plan before there’s a fire so you can get out safely.”
 By Staff
October 10th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Ward 4 Councillor Jack Dennison wants you to know that the New Street Road Diet Pilot is not about the number of bicycles that are on the road – it is about making New Street safer, more accessible and calmer without significantly increasing travel times.
 New Street with lanes for cyclists on each side – under construction. Dennison said he has been advised “that the report with staff’s recommendation will be presented on Monday, November 27, 2017 at a Committee of the Whole meeting.”
The report will be made public on Friday, November 17, 2017. We will get the details to you.
 What we used to have on the left – what we have now as a pilot on the right. In between – more public engagement that this council every expected. Anyone interested in speaking to this item at the meeting, please be sure to register.
By Pepper Parr
October 10th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The Mayor tried this once before – it didn’t work out all that well. But he is game to try it again.
 Mayor with Mark Carr preparing for a live call in Cogeco broadcast from city. Sometime during his first term of office the Mayor teamed up with Mark Carr and Cogeco and set up a call in show that was done live from the city Council Chamber. There were very very few calls.
This time the Mayor is going to talk to his constituents about the budget priorities in an online Town Hall.
In the past the city has held public meetings to talk about the budget – the Mayor is now saying that “We’re making changes to our budget engagement strategy based on last year’s survey results which told us residents didn’t want to come to a public information centre and would prefer a more convenient way of being informed and asking questions.”
The photographs taken of previous public budget meetings show a room filled with people. There was one exception – in 2015 – a snow storm kept people away.
 A rapt audience listened to an overview of the 2014 budget. .  Lot of people showed up for the 2011 budget review meeting.  The 2015 budget review meeting didn’t draw very many people – there was a snow storm – however the arena right next door was packed. The Telephone Town Hall on the 2018 Proposed Budget will take place on Wednesday, October 18th, between 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. for residents, businesses and community partners.
Participants will learn about and discuss the proposed 2018 budget priorities with Mayor Rick Goldring and senior city staff.
Residents, businesses and community partners will be randomly selected to participate by telephone invitation from the Mayor. Anyone who does not receive a telephone invitation can call 1-800-537-6616 at 7:30 p.m. on October 18th and listen in to the conversation.
The purpose of the Telephone Town Hall is to discuss the proposed 2018 budget priorities with the Mayor and senior city staff.
In this live, call-in session, residents, organizations and business owners can ask questions about the upcoming budget. There will be an emphasis on:
• Resident satisfaction with value for service
• Increased funding for transit
• Support for city infrastructure renewal funding
There is no mention of any documentation or overview of what the 2018 budget is going to contain which makes it a little difficult for people to comment. It does give those who get invited to take part to rant publicly – which makes one wonder just who is going to get invited. The selection of participants is said to be random – random from what – a list of voters or those who donated to the Mayor’s election campaign or those on his Christmas card list?
The discussion will start shortly after 7:30 pm – those who want to listen in can call in a minute or two early; anyone who is late will be able to join anytime. The system can handle up to 20,000 participants.
 Joan Ford, the city’s Director of Finance knows where every dollar comes from and where every dollar gets spent. Joan Ford, Director of Finance adds that: “The budgets are being drafted right now. The feedback we receive from the Town Hall will be put into a report and presented to City Council for their consideration. All questions received during the Town Hall, regardless of whether they were discussed live will be posted online with answers a few days after the event.”
 By Staff
October 10th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Hidden Valley Road, from Hidden Valley Park to the north end of the street, will be closed for paving on
Thursday, Oct. 12, 2017: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Only emergency services will have access.
For more information, call Marc Daffre
905-335-7600, ext. 7640
By Pepper Parr
October 10th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
It was promoted as the “Official Opening” of the Joseph Brant Hospital; the television cameras were on hand with more guest chairs than one usually sees set out for this kind of event.
The Premier wasn’t on hand to turn over a cheque – the hospital has gotten all it is likely to get from the provincial government for some time.
 Premier doing one of those Photo Ops – while checking in on a patient. The Premier was there to do a tour of the new digs and to have one of those photo op conversations with a patient.
This was the first occasion we had to tour the new building – and it is very smart looking. A lot of effort went into making it look and feel like a nice place to be if you aren’t well.
People comment favourably over the view – most seeing the lake as the best side. Once you’ve seen a stretch of water what else is there to see other than a sunrise.
The view from the escarpment side are very very nice.
The corridors are wide, the colour scheme is soft, welcoming.
The rooms are large, really large.
 Hospital president and CEO Eric Vandewall and MP Ted McMeekin It is certainly a huge, huge improvement over what people had to put up with. Eric Vandewall has every reason to be proud of what he has done. Vandewall is quick to credit the team he had working with him – the job wouldn’t have been done as well as it was done without Vandewall’s leadership.
The Hospital Foundation now needs to round up a couple more million to complete the raising of the $60 million they were tasked with.
The next step for the hospital is to make itself a Centre of Excellence and show that this hospital is a lot different than what the public had to put up with.
 The Premier seemed to be a little off her mettle this morning.  She didn’t sparkle. She seemed tired. The Premier seemed to be a little off her mettle this morning. She didn’t sparkle. She seemed tired.
Ted McMeekin, her Loyal Servant and Subject was on hand to greet her when she walked in the new entrance.
He was joined by Kevin Flynn, Minister of Labour, Eleanor McMahon, Burlington MPP and Minister of Tourism Culture and Sport along with Eric Vandewall, President and CEO of the Hospital and Chair of the Hospital Board Kathryn Osborne.
The Premier was in Burlington to tour the hospital and comment on the end of another busy construction season, celebrating significant progress on many hospital, school, transit, road and bridge projects across the province.
For this she came to Burlington?
By Staff
October 10th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The City will be doing some upgrades to its IT systems.
As a result, phones and most online services, including registrations, will be unavailable Saturday, October 14, 2017 from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m.
The upgrade will provide benefits as it will enable the delivery of increased internet and processing speeds and network capacity, which supports our continued goal of technology modernization.
 Information technology services getting an upgrade. During the upgrade, many services will be unavailable including:
• Online registrations, including parks and recreation
• Parking exemptions
• Business licence renewal
• Marriage licences
• Dog licences
• Tax payments
• Online reporting
• Burlington Transit phones and Trip Planner
• GIS/Mapping
• Phone and voicemail
Please consider using the city’s systems at alternative times.
We apologize for the inconvenience while this necessary work is being done.
By Neil Sullivan
October 10th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
When we think of Niagara, we imagine an area that thrives almost by default. Aside from Toronto, it’s probably the biggest attraction in close proximity to Burlington, and it’s known the world over as a sort of natural wonder. This fall, however, there have been some troubling reports indicating that the area is experiencing some potentially serious financial woes.
 The water isn’t as clean as many people think it is. For the most part, these woes appear to be due to a dispute between the State of New York and the Seneca Nation of Indians. For some time now these two entities have essentially had an agreement in place to share revenue from the casinos in and around Niagara, which actually account for a great deal of Niagara’s budget. However, the dispute has resulted in disruption of incoming casino revenue for the city. Because of a hitch in the extension of the revenue sharing agreement, the Seneca have declared that they owe the State of New York no further payments – which, if they stick to it, will be a fairly devastating position.
New York is also in a fairly poor position to exert any sort of pressure on the casinos themselves. For one thing, the Seneca Nation is its own entity and appears to have every right to operate the venues independently. Additionally, however, if casinos did close or receive pressure, New York would risk losing gamers over the border. As we know, Canada has its own legal casino venues not too far from the area. And online casinos have become more popular as well, with iGaming sites and software providers partnering to create the most cutting edge games for those who would rather play online. In short, there are alternatives to the Seneca casinos just on the Canadian side of the Falls.
These are the core issues giving Niagara trouble, though it should be mentioned that tourism, too, could be in a precarious position. Naturally the Falls are the main draw to the area, and will always attract tourists regardless of what’s going on with the casinos. However, if there’s anything that can make the Falls less appealing as a destination, it’s probably the overflowing wastewater that’s been plaguing them of late. Just recently reports surfaced of a 15 million gallon discharge of “untreated sewage and stormwater” flowing out at the base of the American Falls, and it wasn’t the first time this season that something like this has happened. Naturally the Falls have a way of cleaning themselves up, at least to the naked eye – but think about how much 15 million gallons really is. The mere thought of that much sewage would give any traveller pause regarding whether or not to visit the area.
Fortunately, these issues shouldn’t have big enough economic consequences to directly affect Burlington, and they may even be limited largely to the U.S. side of the Falls. But it’s still a fairly significant issue for the greater area if these problems cause a significant crisis for Niagara.
 By George Ward
October 7th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Many residents in Burlington are still questioning why we are closing two schools in the growing City of Burlington. The Halton District school Board has presented its perspective and justification for the closures, it still doesn’t make sense.
 Hayden High school, Burlington’s newest built as part of a complex that includes a Recreational Centre and a public library with a skate park across the street. The school is well over its intended capacity and currently has 12 portables. To begin, closing both Pearson and Bateman high school does not alleviate the overcrowding at Hayden (overcrowded with over 1,650 pupils and growing, necessitating the use of 12 portable classrooms and a desire to add 6 more in the future).
Secondly, it does not alleviate the growing pressures on our busing system and in fact contributes to the growing problem and safety concerns. Closing our schools makes absolutely no sense, is unwarranted, unjustified, and simply put is very short-sighted.
The board seems to have lost sight of the fact that schools are public assets and that taxpayers have invested their money in these schools and communities. If one was to look at these school closures in Burlington solely from a financial perspective you would realize that closing Pearson and Bateman will result in a substantially higher costs.
Closing two schools save approximately $2 million, however, some of these operating costs, such as the pool and day care, added busing, and other new ongoing costs to take care of the closed schools are not accounted for. In addition, the costs of capital equipment and facilities to transition specialty programs to Nelson was put at $12 million, but there is concern that this will be much higher. While a no school closure would result in the expense range of approximately $250,000 in operating costs. How is that being fiscally responsible?
 Some of the data that was presented during the PARC meetings was out of date and conflicted with other data put forward. Many had difficulty figuring out just what the full story was. Superintendent of Facilities Gerry Cullen was challenged at times to give a satisfactory explanation. Throughout the Program Accommodation Review (PAR) process, it became clear early on of the lack of transparency when it came to information sharing from the board. From information and data changing periodically to the extensive and lengthy data provided, it became a challenge to gain insight into the facts that led to the decision to close our schools.
With more questions than answers, one might start to wonder: What is the real motivation behind the HDSB wanting to close these schools?
Perhaps when we go back through Board Minutes to understand why the board needs to move forward on school closures in Burlington.
Below is an excerpt from HDSB meeting minutes of February 2017:
The Halton District School Board Administration is experiencing significant growth pressures due to growth in student population and the increasing complexity of its work. As a result, the Board’s existing office facilities have become woefully inadequate. This is not a question of quantity of space, but rather of quality of space.
 It is only a concept but it gives you some idea as to how far along the thinking is within the Boar of Education Administration. Our analysis of how to meet the Board’s current and future needs presents an opportunity to provide the staff of the HDSB with a 21st century work environment: a new 95,000 sq. ft. facility to accommodate 350 staff within a single building, designed according to the guiding principles identified herein.
The sale of the existing J.W. Singleton site would make this project possible and in turn, create a facility that reflects the Board’s values, resulting in the delivery of the highest quality education for the Board’s students.
Budget Estimate: 95,375 sq. ft. x $310/sq. ft. = $29.6M
This estimate is based on the HWDSB (Hamilton-Wentworth) precedent and it is for project costs only. Land costs are not included, as they will depend on the site selection. Space for growth (10,000 sq. ft.. included) is based on HDSB projections, and can be adjusted should projections increase.
Costs:
• 1 move required
• Unknowns could impact the costs include site issues such as geo-technical, soil, zoning,
Benefits:
• Only 1 move – no temporary accommodations required, and minimized disturbance to staff.
• Because this would be a purpose-built environment, it is the option that would best meet the Board’s needs outlined in this report without compromise.
• Other sites no longer in use could be used to raise funds.
It is clearly stated in the minutes that it is NOT a situation of need for additional space but rather a desire for better quality of space. According to the board, a better facility for their staff would in turn provide better education. How does having a nicer work space for HDSB board staff contribute to a better quality of education for our students?
 Demonstrations didn’t make a bit of difference. The trustees, who are the people who made the decision, didn’t hear the parents.  Bateman high school parents chose to give their school a public hug. Shouldn’t priority be that our students have the “best quality learning environment”. Where students can walk or ride their bikes to school instead of sitting on the floor of an overcrowded bus. Where students are able to learn in an environment that is quiet, calm, and not overcrowded, where classes are not held in hallways, where students are not learning in portables, where there is sufficient heating, air conditioning, and/or proper ventilation systems?
The planning for a new Administration office for the Board Staff are moving along: The following comes from a report prepared by a firm of architects. The options before the Board were set out as follows:
Do Nothing,’ but maintain the existing facilities, for an estimated cost of $20M over the next 25 years, with no improvement to the actual offices in terms of functionality or design .
Complete a Renovation- Addition to one of the existing buildings, which would yield a compromised facility with increased disruption, for a similar cost to the final option .
Build a new facility, estimated at
$29 .6M (not including land) is the option that would best meet the Board’s needs as outlined in our guiding principals .
In order to obtain true value and create the desired synergies enabling Board staff to work at their best, we strongly recommend the Board proceed with constructing a new Administrative office facility .
Because of existing legislative requirements, selling the J .W . Singleton property appears to be the best way to generate sufficient dollars to fund this project . This would in turn allow for a new administrative facility to be centrally located in the Milton/Oakville area, where the Region’s growth is projected in the next 25-50 years .
The next phases of this Study will explore potential partnerships that could yield community benefits as well as capital and operating savings . Once specific sites are identified, concept plans, cost estimates and implementation strategies will be completed .
It appears that the need to accommodate 350 board staff takes precedence over the 76 elementary schools, and 17 secondary schools that serves over 50,000 students, excluding those in adult, alternative, and Community Education program within our school system.
Despite the fact the Minister of Education announced a moratorium on the Program Accommodation Review process and the fact that the HDSB is now subject to an Administrative Review, the HDSB continues to move forward on their plan to close two Burlington high schools, despite the fact the process that led to the decision has been publicly deemed to be flawed.
So, the question still remains.
Why is the HDSB really closing schools in Burlington?
Related article:
School Board announces it is looking for partners.
 George Ward is a semi- retired quality control auditor who is deeply involved in the community effort to keep the Lester B. Pearson high school open. Both his children and some of their children attended Lester B. Pearson.
 By Ray Rivers
October 6, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
I’ve heard it said that Tom Mulcair would have won the last federal election if only he’d shaved his beard. But I guess the NDP rank and file missed that barb, since they have just chosen a new leader with an even more impressive facial mane.
 Singh organized his community and brought in far more new members than any other leadership candidate. Now to see what he has in the way policy ideas. Jagmeet Singh won the federal NDP leadership on the first ballot. And of course he did! He had signed up over a third of the NDP membership and most of the others didn’t even bother to vote. Who can blame them? Of all of their previous leaders only Layton gave the membership hope of winning the top prize. And after the last election they are back to where they started.
 The Minister of Defence wears a turban – not as colourful but something we have accepted in most parts of the country. So the old NDP was ripe for a change, needed to do and be something different. And no candidate less represented the good old losing days than the 38 year old lawyer and MPP from Brampton. There was a buzz about this articulate young snappy dresser, even with that colourful turban he dons, which unfortunately reminds one of the TV cartoon character Marge Simpson.
He had the numbers and ran a winning campaign, at least within the confines of the NDP. The old guard in the party either gave up or went along for the ride, tired and hopeless, after the unexpected whopping they experienced at the polls last time around. And with a new leader and so many new members, almost a tripling of the membership, this is truly a ‘New’ Democratic Party.
Yet despite all the buzz about this new whiz kid they’ve chosen to follow, he hardly seems ready for the job of PM. For one thing he is reluctant to sit in the House of Commons, at least until the next federal election in 2019. That would make him a bit of a ‘pig-in-a-poke’ come the time to cast our ballots. You’d think Singh, himself a master of martial arts, would be itching to step into the ring, to flex his muscles and to take on the current knock-out champ?
 Jagmeet Singh is colourfull both in dress and character and very intense. Perhaps the real reason is that his policy envelope is nearly empty when it comes to anything but social policy – immigration and racial equality in particular. Of course that is his background, as a defence lawyer and MPP, where his main claim was pushing the Wynne government to end the practice of police racial carding.
His religion obviously plays a big part in his life given how he dresses and what he fights for. For example, he advocated for Sikh motor cyclists wanting to be exempted from wearing helmets, because they didn’t want to remove their turbans. Was Singh placing his religious preference over public safety?
Sikhs make up less than 2% of Canada’s population though they have proven to be a powerful political force in their own right. How else would one explain how their children are allowed to bring ceremonial daggers to school with them, or how they alone among recruits can override the RCMP dress code? It is a religion of peace, but then aren’t they all?
Some will want to draw comparisons between Singh and Obama, another leader of a major political party, representing a visible minority and campaigning to deliver social equity. A key difference is that with Obama, faith was between him and his maker, but Singh’s is conspicuous. That can be both a strength and a shortcoming.
Already there are concerns about how he will be received by the average voter in Quebec, and whether he will be able to ever win back all those Jack Layton voters who went to Justin. Quebecers generally disapprove of the blatant display of religiosity, be it by Muslim, Hassidic Jew, or even by the more traditional Catholics. And without Quebec how can he ever hope to form the government in Ottawa?
Perhaps that is how it was meant to be. For in the history of Canadian politics the NDP has always been that bridesmaid, not the bride, the king’s advisor but never the king. The social democratic movement’s greatest gift was when the CCF pioneered single payer health care, though they have also left their imprint in many other areas of public policy.
Still wherever the NDP has formed provincial governments, even in Ontario, they aspired towards mostly pragmatic and middle-of-the-road policies, much like the Liberal governments they sometimes replaced. And that is the problem. There is already a progressive Liberal party – why does Canada need two?
Nobody soft-shoed around socialism more than former NDP leader Mulcair, plunking himself in the middle between a rightish Harper and a leftish Trudeau. And he lost big time. Would his party’s showing have been any worse had he just stood up for what his party is supposed to represent?
 Will the turban be something that Canadians take to? Notwithstanding their new leader, the best the NDP can ever expect is to continue to be a third party, hopefully the party of Canada’s social conscience. Their dream of ever becoming the government was thrashed when they scuttled Trudeau’s plan for a preferential ballot, forcing him to entirely pull the plug on electoral reform.
With our first-past-the-post system now secured into the future, there will certainly be opportunities for third parties in the next minority government. And that may come as soon as 2019. But it all will depend on just how well Mr. Singh plays his cards in the great game of Canadian politics.
 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:
NDP Election – More NDP – Sikhs on Bikes – Singh Bio –
Police Carding – Sikhism – Trudeau’s Worst Nightmare –
Singh Interview – Leadership Race – Quebec – Absentee Leader –
 By Staff
October 6th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Community organizations and members of the public are invited to a meeting on Wednesday, November 8, 2017 at 7 p.m., to discuss potential planning and partnership opportunities within Halton District School Board facilities.
Partnership opportunities in existing schools and co-build opportunities in proposed new schools, as well as a new Board Administrative Centre, will be discussed at the J.W. Singleton Education Centre (2050 Guelph Line, Burlington).
 Education Centre – has been described as a development site. The full list of facilities available for community partnerships and the community planning and partnerships policy can be viewed at www.hdsb.ca.
Potential partners are requested to bring relevant planning information such as population projections, growth plans, community needs, land use and greenspace/park requirements to the meeting.
It’s a bit of a step in the right direction.
The HDSB has not been as aggressive in marketing the opportunities that exist in the buildings they have. There are numerous opportunities for the Board of Education to partner with the municipalities.
There is a pressing need for additional facilities for Seniors north of the QEW – this is the time to start those conversations.
There are a number of people who were members of the Burlington PARC who thought there was a sharing of facilities opportunity that would keep Pearson high school open and the Nursery operation at the location.
Hopefully the Board will be more open to some innovative ideas.
 By Staff
October 5th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Most of us read about the Ancaster resident who was arrested for being the mind behind the hack into the Yahoo site.
Karim Baratov, a dual national of Kazakhstan and Canada, was arrested at his home in Ancaster, Ont. by Toronto Police and handed over to the RCMP.
 Fast cars – fast women – those days have come to an end for Karim Baratov He hasn’t seen anything outside a jail cell since.
The size of the computer hack was massive – billions of people had personal data compromised. We will be dealing with the fallout from that hack for decades.
Probably well after Baratov get out of an American prion, assuming he is convicted.\
Governments and police forces around the world are struggling to get at least a bit of a grip on the identity thefts taking place.
Baratov is accused of being paid by two Russian spies to break into the email accounts of targeted individuals, according to an early release from the U.S. Department of Justice.
He and his lawyers put up a fight to prevent him from being extradited to the United States where he was to stand trial.
When it became evident that the extradition was going to take place the Canadian lawyers threw in the towel and off he went to California where the full force of their criminal justice system will be thrown at Baratov who is a dual national of Kazakhstan and Canada.
 The massive compute hack lowered the price shareholders got. Yahoo was in the process of being sold to a large American telecommunications firm (Verizon) who ended up paying a lot less for Yahoo once the hack was made public.
Corporations that get hacked have in the recent past been slow to inform the public. That is beginning to change.
 Karim Baratov with one of the several cars he owned. Yahoo recently released instructions for people who have a Yahoo email account on what to do to protect themselves.
If I had a Yahoo account I would be moving out of that site quick, quick, quick.
If you decide to stay with Yahoo – here is the link to the instructions issued.
By Staff
October 5th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Burlingtonians are being encouraged to reach out and write heartfelt messages for the City of Las Vegas to show support for all those affected by the recent tragedy.
Las Vegas has asked for cards to be sent to the city to help heal the community.
 People running to get out of the line of fire at a country music festival in Las Vegas. Four died with more than 500 seriously injured. Cards can be dropped off at Burlington City Hall until Oct. 13 or mailed directly to Las Vegas City Hall.
Burlington City Hall drop-off:
Location: 426 Brant St., lobby
Hours: Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Las Vegas City Hall mailing address:
#Hearts4Vegas
c/o City Hall
495 S. Main St.
Las Vegas, NV 89101
By Pepper Parr
October 4th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
It is taking a bit longer than anyone expected but the Ministry of Education assures us that there will be an announcement shortly on who has been assigned the task of doing the Administrative Review of the PAR process that resulted in the decision to close two of the city’s seven high schools.
 Is there any life left for this high school? “The Ministry is currently in the process of finalizing the details regarding selecting a facilitator to undertake an Administrative Review for the Pupil Accommodation Review which included Lester B. Pearson High School and Robert Bateman High School.
“Once finalized, the ministry will notify the Halton District School Board, lead petitioners and the broader public.”
The parent groups at each high school feel there is a lot riding on whatever the appointed facilitator concludes after looking at all the documents.
 HDSB Director of Education Stuart Miller with students during a public meeting. Bate parent group member Denise Davy stands to Miller’s left. Halton District school Board Director of Education Stuart Miller told the Gazette recently that “these reviews tend to be paper heavy”.
There are those in the community who feel that the delay in appointing someone is a part of the process to keep the issue out of the public eye until the June 7, 2108 provincial election is out of the way – that’s ten months off.
The Board staff had hoped that this would all be done quickly so they could get on with the job of getting one school upgraded so they could take in the students. Many of the Bateman students are due to move to an upgraded Nelson high school in 2020.
Lester B. Pearson is scheduled to have their last high school graduation in June of 2018; in 2019 they are supposed to become M.M. Robinson students.
 One wonders if the PARC that was created to serve as the communications channel from parents to the Board will have anything to say once the Administrative Review is completed.
Most parent groups felt the PAR failed the community – which is part of why they requested the Administrative Review.
The school board staff just want to get on with the job of transitioning students to their new schools – the parent groups have taken the position that this isn’t over yet.
 By Staff
October 4th, 2017
MILTON, ON
This isn’t a Burlington story but it is both important and of major concern to every parent out there.
The Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) has identified the suspects who damaged vehicles at 23 houses in a Milton neighbourhood on Saturday, September 30 at approximately 2:30pm. The damage was caused by children under the age of 12 and is estimated to exceed $10,000.
The Criminal Code of Canada prohibits children under the age of 12 from being prosecuted for criminal activities. Police have alternate mechanisms and programs to ensure these offenders are held accountable.
 Criminal offences by young children are not common, but are investigated with the same tenacity as any other offence. The HRPS has been actively communicating with all parties involved and is confident an appropriate outcome can be reached in the absence of criminal charges.
The HRPS takes pride in its role facilitating services and support for the victims of crime and the children responsible for this unique circumstance. Those responsible have been offered counseling with their parents, and the victims will be provided with paths to restitution.
The HRPS encourages communities and residents to report all crime as soon as possible. Immediately reporting incidents allows police to respond more quickly, which is a key factor in ensuring thorough and successful investigations. Emergency calls should be directed to 9-1-1 and non-emergency calls to 905-825-4747.
Tips can be forwarded to Crime Stoppers; “See Something, Hear Something, Say Something” at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), through the web at www.crimestoppers.ca or by texting “Tip201” with your message to 274637 (crimes).
By Pepper Parr
October 3rd, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
We often get news items from our friends across the bay and we explain that the Burlington Gazette is about Burlington. We add that if an atomic bomb were to fall on Hamilton – that would not be news – but the tidal wave that would come across the bay would be Burlington news.
A bit of an exaggeration but it makes the point.
There are of course exceptions – and the news that Hamilton has tossed its hat into the ring to attract Amazon’s second headquarter office to their city would be bigger than a bomb being dropped.
Wherever the Amazon people put their office it is reported that it will include 50,000 jobs and that kind of growth would certainly impact Burlington.
 Hamilton Mayor Fred Eisenberger reaches out to Amazon inviting them to check out his city when looking for a second headquarters operation Has Hamilton got a hope in hades of attraction what is being referred to as Amazon HQ2? Who knows? The suggestion has been made that Amazon wants to locate the second corporate headquarters outside the United States. No rocket science in the thinking behind that reason.
In a unanimous Council vote, the City is sending a clear message to the Seattle-based technology giant that we have the people, the infrastructure, the talent and the resolve to deliver results. HQ2 involves the creation of 50,000 jobs in the next ten to fifteen years and $5 billion in capital expenditures.
“This represents a significant opportunity that our team is focused on pursuing. The economic and creative transformation of our city aligns perfectly with Amazon’s expansion plans. We know we are going to be competing with cities from across North America and we are confident in the value, excitement and energy Hamilton brings to what we believe will be a winning proposal,” said Mayor Eisenberger.
“When reviewing Amazon’s request for proposal, the City looked closely, both at the attributes of the type of city they were seeking as well as the technical and land requirements. Considering a number of these key elements, the City sees its strength on a multitude of fronts as a solid match for Amazon’s requirements and business drivers.
 James Street crawl: They’ve never seen anything like this in Seattle, location of the Amazon head office. The economic development opportunity is deemed a game changer and a solid way to show that Hamilton is investing in the city for future generations.
The city has shared the message they sent to Amazon. Bold indeed. Good luck to them. Here is what Mayor Eisenberger had to say:
By Pepper Parr
October 3rd, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
A number of years ago when city hall was working its way through the mess related to the building of The Pier, a former General Manager, who is no longer with the city, said that from time to time there is a project that just doesn’t go right, and added, “the pier is one of those projects”.
The plans to create a totally different Joseph Brant Museum than the one we currently have, which is a bit of an embarrassment, might be turning into one of those projects that just doesn’t go right.
The new museum idea has been in the works for more than a decade.
 The Joseph Brant Museum as it looks today. There were all kinds of problems raising the money that was needed. There was a bit of a shortfall (just a million dollars) and the city went out on a limb saying it would pony up the funding shortfall and look to the province to get the money back.
Most of this council just wanted to get the project moving.
Once the city has put their money on the table I don’t we should expect the province to come along with a cheque but that is an issue that will get worked over later.
The Capital Projects people at city hall told city council that if the project was to get started – they needed the city to commit. The city committed and the tenders went out.
And darn – the best tender came in at just shy of half a million over the budget.
Things were indeed going wrong.
 The current replica of the original structure would be raised and re-oriented with increased exhibition space created underneath. The lowest bid for construction of the Joseph Brant Museum expansion was $8.9 million from Aquicon Construction Co. Ltd.
The total project cost had been estimated at $10.4 million in November 2016; that got revised up to $10.965 million in September 2017, and revised upward again last week to $11.437 million after construction tenders came in.
The city was prepared to put up $2.1 million – that share has risen to $3.978 million which doesn’t include additional operating and capital costs.
Funding for the project is now:
Federal Cultural Spaces Grant: $ 4.479 million
Provincial Trillium Grant: $ 500,000
Joseph Brant Museum Foundation: $ 2.479 million
City of Burlington: $ 3.978 million (up from $2.1 million)
TOTAL: $11.437 million
Building the expansion isn’t the only thing that has seen cost increases.
The cost of operating the museum once it has been re-built is looking at a shortfall that is projected to be $208,000 – for the hiring of three additional staff. That staff will run a program about which basically nothing is known.
There is mention of two travelling exhibits each year will provide revenue. A staff report is suggesting that the financial problems be worked out in the 2018 budget with a combination of one-time funding of $87,000 spread over two years, and an increase to the base budget grant of $150,000, followed by 2% annual increases thereafter.
Consistently increasing capital and operating costs are not the only issue. There is a really messy land ownership matter that has yet to be resolved.
Details on that are far too complex for this article. Just who owns the land (at this point in time the hospital does) but they can’t just sell the property. The federal government has their hands in this one.
 In this portrait Joseph Brant is seen wearing the gorget given to him by King George III. That gorget is the most important piece in the collection at the Joseph Brant Museum. The original owner was Joseph Brant himself who was given the land for his service to the Crown.
How the city thinks it can get the land as city property is an amazing story – wait for that one.
Is the rebuild of the Joseph Brant Museum a doomed project? If the project were a hospital patient the doctor would be suggesting it might be time to get your affairs in order.
City council hasn’t heard the last of this one.
An election issue perhaps? The Museum, the New Street Road Diet, the 2018 budget that is going to be painful, the cost of getting the transit system the city is going to need if we are going to get people out of their cars are all major issues. How many members of the current city council are going to be re-elected in October of 2018 – just a year away?
Five of the seven members of Council wanted to see the project proceed. Meed Ward and Dennison dissented.
By Pepper Parr
October 2, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The Burlington that many people want to stay just the same as it was thirty years ago have just a few days to enjoy an ice cream cone at Easterbrook’s on New Street.
Word from staff at the location is that the property has been sold.
 Easterbrook’s as it is today.
Someone will be getting bold and asking the city to give them height and density the city needs.
Times they are a changing indeed.
 This is what the city planners think the Guelph Line – New Street plaza COULD look like.  This is what the Guelph Line – New Street plaza looks like today. The Guelph Line New Street location isn’t part of one of the mobility hubs but the planners have high hopes and great expectations that something van be done with the plaza on the east side of Guelph Line – adding residential to the mix of that commercial site.
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