 By Staff
July 5th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
It is one of the days in the year that people take over Brant Street – you get to stroll wherever you want from Caroline south to Locust and eye ball over 150 cars – everything from classics, exotic and iconic vehicles that will be on display.
 There will be a wide selection of electric vehicles on display. This is the 3rd Annual Burlington Downtown Car Show in support of the Burlington Lions Club. It is a celebration of the automobile taking place in downtown Burlington on Saturday July 8, 2017.
 Last year this automotive gem was on display. When: Saturday July 8th, 2017 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Why: The Burlington Downtown Car Show offers a view into the past, present and future of the automobile. This year’s show will include an Electric Vehicle (EV) ride and drive presented by Stoner & Company Family Law Associates, several replica-cinema cars, live music presented by the Leggat Auto Group and a selection of rare and exotic sports cars showcased on the City Hall terrace.
The show has attracted representation from virtually every automotive sector; modern muscle cars, off-road vehicles, tuners, European super cars as well as the classics.
 Can you imagine the motor under that hood? Local merchants support the show with side-walk sales, turning Brant Street into a pedestrian mall full of activity for the whole family.
 By Pepper Parr
July 5th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
It was going to be the war that ended all wars.
It was a war that had a huge impact on Canada as a nation that was just coming into its own.
It was a war that was fought with equipment that is close to laughable today – but the men, and they were mostly men back then, took to the air in the flimsiest of aircraft to fight for the dominance of the sky’s over Europe.
 A ceremonial fly past during the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge. Last April this country celebrated the 100th anniversary of the battle of Vimy Ridge. It is a great story and if it is of any interest to you the link to a video about the 100th anniversary of the battle of Vimy Ridge is at CLICK here. You might want to book mark it for viewing later .
 The RCAF gave the fleet a lift in the C17 Globemaster. Four Nieuport II, 2 Sopwith Pups and one SE5 ready for the journey. Today, Wednesday, a small crew of pilots will be in Burlington with the four aircraft that are part of the Vimy Flight which consists of a team of Canadian military pilots who are retired or active and continue to believe that our Nation was born out of the teamwork and the sacrifice that our brave soldiers and airmen endured during the Great War.
Today, with over 230,000 of combined flying experience, the ten hand-picked pilots understand the tremendous risk and courage required to fly these fragile craft.
 These aircraft kept the sky over France during the battle for Vimy Ridge fee of German aircraft. They were part of the 100th anniversary of the battle where they performed a ceremonial fly past. The dramatic re-enactment of the 1936 fly over ceremony at the historic Vimy Memorial is being re-enacted across the country. The Vimy Flight team of pilots and support personnel will share the stories of the early military aviators in a way that has never been seen before. Passion, courage and adventure drives the team to provide Canadians the much needed message that it is our humbling privilege to honour those that sacrificed so much in order for us to enjoy the freedom that we enjoy today.
 Meet the men behind the machines L->R: Larry Ricker, Paul O’Reilly, Will McEwan, Dale Erhart, Dave Wilson, Peter Thornton, Rod Ermen, Gord Cooper, Al French. Missing from photo: Allan Snowie VIMY FLIGHT is a team of dedicated volunteer pilots and ground support that had the honour of performing a commemorative bi-plane fly-past over the Vimy Ridge Memorial in Vimy France this April 9, 2017. That team is taking that fly past on a cross country tour that will be in Burlington today and for much of the balance of this week.
The Vimy Flight is in Burlington from July 4th to the 7th.
The aircraft arrived in Burlington yesterday July 4th.
 On Wednesday, July 5 from 4:00pm – Dusk – there will be an Open House – BBQ at the Burlington Executive Air Park.
On Thursday, July 6 from 11:00am – 7:00pm – Local Flying / Static Display/
The aircraft leave Burlington 11:00 AM on July 7
The entrance to the Air Park is on Bell School Line.
 By Pepper Parr
July 4th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The changes the city is talking about with their Go Bold plan – not something that is going to happen tomorrow but rather a long long term plan for the growth of the city – runs up against the day to day reality of the commercial world.
Property values are increasing. What made sense for a lot on Brant Street 25 years ago doesn’t make that much sense today. Owners see an opportunity to cash out and they are doing just that. Land prices preclude opening up a retail shop on land that has been purchased at today’s prices.
 Thousands of Burlington homes were decorated and furnished by Elizabeth Interior. What happens to the property next? What would the Go Bold thinking at city hall want to do with such a property? Elizabeth Interiors, on the corner of James and Brant, is now all but empty. They decamped and are now on Fairview; still some inventory in the Brant Street location along with a smashed window on the James Street side. One doesn’t often see any vandalism on Brant Street.
 Doors closed and the last of the inventory being readied for moving. How many homes in this city has the place furnished? What is to become of the property that is one of the biggest in the downtown core? It isn’t going to be a restaurant location and it is very unlikely that the property will be something in the six story range favoured by the ward Councillor.
 Double plate glass meant that entry wasn’t made into the building. This type of vandalism is rarely seen in the city. One developer active in the city explains that putting a building on that location with just six to eight stories means the developer is going to have to create large units with very hefty prices – in the million dollar range – and people who live in that type of unit tend not to add very much to the life and vibrancy of a city.
Something will be done with the property – no one has much to say at this point.
 By Pepper Parr
July 4th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
How did some people decorate their home to celebrate Canada 150?
 The residents of this building were, for the most part, showing their colours. There is a building in the downtown core, on the corner of Pearl and Pine with a bit of a view to Lakeshore Road.
If you look up a laneway from Lakeshore Road one could see the large Canadian flags hung from the balconies – it will be interesting to see what the residents do next year when the word gets out that we will be around to see if every balcony is draped with a Canadian flag.
The Gazette was out doing its check up on various construction projects in the city.
The Bridgewater project has now poked its head above the street grade – soon the public will get a sense as to the impact the two buildings are going to have on the way we see that part of Lakeshore Road and how much of the lake you are going to be able to see.
The city currently has three projects under construction south of the QEW with a number of others that are ready to get taken to city hall for approval.
The city that people experience today will be significantly different within five years. all were approved before the city released its Grow Bold plans which are currently being reviewed by citizen groups.
 The opening from the Lakeshore Road into the public area that will be between the hotel on the west and the 22 story condominium on the east will be about where the crane tower is shown in this picture.  Architects rendering what what the Bridgewater project is going to look like when it is completed in 2019. The project will consist of a condominium on the right, a hotel on the left and a smaller condominium south of the hotel. There will be some surprises when people realize just how small the opening to the lake actually is – progress.
 By Staff
July 4th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The Bank of Montreal appears to be the Canadian bank of choice for the identity thieves. The most recent goes as like this:
The biggest clue is the sender of the email – not even a mention of a bank in the email address the notice came from.
When you see stuff like that click delete.
And know as well that your bank will not use email to send you this kind of notice.
For some reason BMO, ScotiaBank and TD seem to be the choices for the identity thieves that have us on their target lists.
 By Staff
July 1st, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Gazette readers have been clamoring for someone to start up a Class Action law suit against the Upper Middle Road dentist who was shut down by the Halton Region health authorities for using medical equipment that was said not to have been properly cleaned or sterilized.
A Toronto based law firm of Flaherty McCarthy LLP announced today that they have commenced a Class Proceeding against Dr. Vivek (Vick) Handa and Upper Middle Dental seeking $10 million in damages on behalf of their patients.
The allegations against the defendants, said the lawyers in their media release. have not yet been proven in Court, but there remains a very real and substantial risk of immediate and irreparable harm to Class Members if they do not take steps to contact their physician to discuss testing for hepatitis B, hepatitis C and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
 Upper Middle dental was closed by Regional Health officials but allowed to open several days later. “Patients trust their dentists to use properly cleaned and sterilized tools. Upper Middle Dental and Dr. Handa have completely breached their trust. As a result, these patients and their family members face the prospect of having infectious diseases, and must undergo lengthy and invasive testing,” says Sean A. Brown of Flaherty McCarthy LLP.”
“We intend to seek the assistance of the Court so that the defendants will compensate these patients and their family members for this egregious breach.”
For more information, contact: Candace Mak; Flaherty McCarthy LLP. Candace is at cmak@fmlaw.ca and is anxiously awaiting your email.
What is a little surprising is that none of the larger Burlington or Hamilton legal firms took this on.
 By Pepper Parr
July 1st, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Steve Atkinson, the Lester B. Pearson high school parent, who has worked tirelessly to keep the school open thinks there just might be an opportunity to put the decision to close the schools on hold.
Earlier in the week Minister of Education Mitzie Hunter announced that there will be an overhaul of the process school boards use to review schools for potential closure.
 Has Minister of Education and Premier Kathleen Wynne given Burlington high school parents the opening they need to put a hold on school closings? While the process is under review, school boards will not begin any new reviews, with the exception of those reviews which would support joint-use projects between school boards or for student safety.
In a comment made in the Gazette earlier today Atkinson said: “Now that we have been proven correct in our assertion that the PAR was flawed, by no less than Mitzie Hunter and Premier Wynne with their decision to immediately pause Ontario school closures, I wonder if this administrative review can be used as a “decision pending” designation for Pearson & Bateman as opposed to “on the chopping block”?
“I am certain our MPP can now provide input AND valuable assistance on this provincial decision and will contact her immediately.”
Atkinson and parents at Bateman high school are in the process of preparing a request for an Administrative Review of the decision the Halton District School Board June 7th, to close both Bateman high school and Lester B. Pearson.
It’s a long shot but certainly one well worth taking.
Related article
High school parents seeking an Administrative Review of Board’s school closing decision.
By Pepper Parr
July 1st, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Forget the politics for the moment.
It is really remarkable that a 30 year old woman sits as a member of cabinet in the federal government. And that she represents Burlington which has a strong, deep conservative history is also remarkable.
Karina Gould walks the streets of our city, is one of the most approachable people you will ever meet with a level of sincerity that rings true.
 Politicians don’t rank all that high in the public mind – this one is different.
Admittedly she has served just the one term in office so far and many people would be hard pressed to tell you what she has done for the city. Her hands were part of the push that got major funding for the Joseph Brant Museum.
CBC did a short piece on three very young politicians that included Gould – worth watching. The link to the piece is set out below.
The three are part of the setting of the agenda for the next 50 years. CLICK for the news clip
https://watch.cbc.ca/the-national/-/the-national-for-june-30–2017/44b8224-00c9890cd9b
 By Staff
June 30th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Canada Day event organizers have arranged for Burlington Transit shuttle service with three pick-up points:
Haber Recreation Centre,
Mainway Recreation Centre
and the north side of Burlington GO Station.
The buses will begin at noon and run until the fireworks end.
This is great for the people in Alton – parking will be impossible downtown – take the bus – there should be plenty o parking at the Haber Centre – schools are closed.
For specific departure times and more event information, please visit the Canada Day event website.
Burlington Transit is also operating a regular Saturday service schedule on July 1, which includes late night routes 50, 51, and 52.
By Pepper Parr
June 30th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
If you looked out over the Lake from Lakeshore Road at Brant you could see them off in the distance – they seemed lined up with a lot of space between them.
They looked like ship under sail.
And indeed they were – a collection of Tall ships had rendezvoused in Burlington Bay and lined up to enter the canal and proceed into Hamilton Harbour.
 They were there in the thousands – on both side of th canal THE place to see the majestic ships was at the canal – each eased into the opening and headed towards the lie bridge which was up for more than an hour.
 They were almost close enough to touch as they slid by – those with big Canadian flags got a round of applause. The crowds were huge – it was as if the fleet had come home and the families of the sailors were on the dock ready to greet them.
It was standing room only on either side of the canal.
 People parked wherever there was a patch of grass It wasn’t all festivities and celebration. A Beachway resident summed up the feeling many had when the saw a parking control officer walking from car to car doing a brisk business
 His job was like spearing fish in a barrel – a shameful cash grab on the part of either the city or the Conservation Authority. This resident known for her very pointed use of the English language wrote in and said:
“What a shit show this city is…parking enforcement officer immediately giving out parking tickets near lift bridge area. People are furious.”
 By Staff
June 30th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The picture that tells the city’s story today?
Those tall ships sailing through the canal on their way into Hamilton Harbour where they will be on display for Canada Day.
Thousands gathered on both sides of the canal to watch these majestic ship slide by. Those with massive Canadian flags drew rounds of applause.
By Staff
June 29th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
While the Board of Education staff get on with the process of closing Lester B. Pearson in 2018 and Bateman high school in 2020 parents from both schools have taken a “not so fast” approach and are seeking an Administrative review of the process that was used to make the decision.
 Steve Armstrong, the lead from Pearson high school on the request for the Administrative reviews reports that they are “well along the path on getting our documentation together for submission.”
“On the signature front we have greatly exceeded our minimum required. We have two piles going one for the official qualifying signatures, and a second for those such as students who wanted to show support, but don’t count against the required number. We’re going to send both as a show of support.
 Bateman students and parents protesting. Armstrong reports that “Its been everyone’s interpretation of the procedure that each school slated for closure needs to request an Admin Review so team Bateman is also well along. We are conversing with them to make sure that were appropriate there is overlap, and in some areas there will be individual school issues
 Pearson high school parents asking for a review of the decision the Board of Education made to close the school. “Yesterday’s announcement putting future PARs on hold was interesting, but it remains to be seen if it has any impact on us….assuming for now it doesn’t so we’ll keep pushing.”
And push they will.
Expect more on this in the months ahead.
By Staff
June 29th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The House of Commons rose for the summer last week. It is out to the BBQ circuit for most of them.
 Oakville Burlington North MP Pam Damoff lets it rip in the House of Commons. When Pam Damoff the Member of Parliament for Oakville Burlington North, meets with her constituents during the summer, they might want to know a bit more about what she has done on their behalf.
One of the things she did was give a very short but rip snorting speech about decorum in the House of Commons.
Click to her what she had to say – You go girl!
Damoff will be reading from Motorcycles and Sweetgrass, a novel by Drew Hayden Taylor that weaves a story of magic, the bonds of family and a mysterious stranger that appears one day in a sleepy Anishnawbe community. July 12 from 7:00 – 8:30pm at Tansley Woods Library in Burlington.
By Staff
June 28th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
It will be exciting!
Eleven magnificent Tall Ships will gather on Lake Ontario near the entrance to the Burlington Bay Canal on Friday, June 30 beginning at 2:00 p.m. with all ships docking at Pier 8 at 4:00 p.m.
In order to get to that canal – you gotta sail past the Burlington Pier, the most expensive chunk of concrete in the province – but we digress.
 Where you park and where the ships are. Burlingtonians can watch the ship sail towards the canal
Prominent vantage points to watch the parade of ships on the Burlington side of the Skyway are|:
Burlington Canal
LaSalle and Bayshore Parks in Burlington.
And of course from the Pier and from a number of vantage points in the Beachway.
 The Empire Sandy Access to vantage points will be affected by the closure of Eastport Drive at the Burlington Canal Lift Bridge from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. to enable the ships to enter Hamilton Harbour.
With the ships in Hamilton, tied up at Pier 8 the Parade of Sail launches the Rendez-Vous 2017 Tall Ships Regatta at Pier 8, Discovery Drive, on July 1.
This will be a rare opportunity – and the only place in the GTHA – to witness the spectacle of 11 Tall Ships touring Hamilton’s beautiful Waterfront.
• Free deck tours are offered from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (first come, first served – no guarantee of access past 5 p.m.)
• Ticketed Harbour Cruises available for purchase online at www.hamilton.ca/tallships. See website for cruise times and pricing, including the evening fireworks cruise that boards at 9:00 p.m.
 The Pathfinder • Family-friendly and nautical-themed activities
• Music on the Waterfront Stage featuring great musicians from Hamilton’s thriving music scene
• Numerous food vendors
• The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum’s Avro Lancaster will conduct multiple fly-overs of the Waterfront between 11:00 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. on July 1st.
This event is organized by the City of Hamilton in association with Le Rendez-Vous Naval de Quebec, Sail Training International, the Hamilton Port Authority and the Hamilton Waterfront Trust.
 The Niagara More than 40 Tall Ships will be sailing Canadian waters to honour the 150th anniversary of the Canadian Confederation in 2017, with stops in Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes
It is a Hamilton event – but they do have to sail past Burlington to get to Hamilton Harbour.
By Staff
June 28th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The Halton District School Board announces that the graduation rate of Halton students continues to exceed that of the provincial average.
In 2016, 90.7 per cent of Halton District School Board students graduated within five years of starting Grade 9, exceeding the Ontario average of 86.5 per cent.
The Board’s four-year graduation rate for students in 2016 (Grade 9 students enrolled in the 2012-13 school year) is 83.3 per cent compared to the Ontario average of 79.6 per cent.
 The Robert Bateman High school graduation class of 2017 “The progress represented in the graduation rate indicator, both provincially and locally, is reflective of the efforts and leadership of many people including our students, staff, and families,” said Julie Hunt Gibbons, Superintendent of Education (Secondary Programs) for the Halton District School Board. “We will continue to support all students through our various Student Success initiatives so our graduation rate continues to trend upward.”
“The Halton District School Board provides innovative Specialist High Skills Majors, dual credit options, apprenticeships and cooperative education opportunities that help students customize their high school experience,” said Julie Hunt Gibbons, Superintendent of Education (Secondary Programs) for the Board.
No mention that there will be fewer high schools for these students to graduate from starting next year when Lester B. Pearson sees its last student accept a diploma.
 By Staff
June 26. 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The following media release was received from the Save Bateman Committee four days after it was released on June 17th.
Members of the ‘Save Bateman’ Committee have filed a complaint against Burlington Ward One and Two school trustee Leah Reynolds regarding her unprofessional conduct during a school board meeting and are demanding her immediate suspension until the issue is resolved.
Trustee Reynolds’ conduct at the June 7th meeting was not in accordance with the Halton District School Board trustee’s code of conduct, specifically point #5 relating to Integrity and Dignity of Office and Civil Behaviour.
 Meed Ward working on her IPad during a school board meeting. The incident occurred at the board’s head office on 2050 Guelph Line in Burlington during a critical meeting that was to decide the fate of two high schools. Several members in the audience watched as Ward Two City Councillor Marianne Meed Ward used her iPad to text instructions to Trustee Reynolds on how to block a motion that was introduced to save the closure of Bateman High School.
The motion was put forward by Ward Five trustee Amy Collard who represents the area where Bateman is located. The texting began between Reynolds and Meed Ward soon after the meeting began and continued for almost one hour. It was noticed by those in attendance and (later) by members of the public watching the online live stream.
The Gazette adds that: Meed Ward has since said she did send Trustee Reynolds text messages but that the messages related to procedural matters only and that when the procedural matter was resolved she no longer sent messages to Reynolds. The procedural issue took up about an hour of the meeting that ran to well past midnight.
 City Councillor Marianne Meed Ward and Leah Reynolds at a nomination meeting. Trustee Reynolds, who had campaigned on a platform of ‘no school closures’ fumbled to read words on her laptop while putting forward reasons why Collard’s motion should be struck down. It is critical to note that Meed Ward helped Reynolds in her election campaign and that Meed Ward served as a committee member on the school closure (PAR) committee, an involvement which received much criticism.
A parent took a photo of Meed Ward’s iPad screen that clearly showed she was instructing Reynolds. In one line, Meed Ward wrote; “DON’T VOTE IN FAVOR” and in another, “Do not uphold the Chair’s ruling.”
The same parent emailed chair trustee Kelly Amos to alert her to the incident and also talked to the parliamentarian who was present. Trustee Amos’ response was that trustees get lots of emails from their constituents so it was not deemed to be a concern.
Members of Save Bateman are demanding a full investigation into the incident because they believe that Meed Ward’s actions in which she appears to be directing Reynolds, unduly influenced the outcome of the vote.
‘Save Bateman’ members are also demanding an investigation into whether Meed Ward attempted to direct and/or influence the vote of other HDSB school trustees.
 Lisa Bull said she was shocked when she read the message she is believed to have read and photographed on Marianne Meed Ward’s iPad.  Denise Davy, a former journalist has delegated at city council to urge the city to involve itself in the school closing debate. Davy has been instrumental in getting the Bateman high school story news coverage at CHCH television. Bateman parents have filed complaints with the HDSB as well as through the Ontario Ombudsman, the City of Burlington, The Ontario Public School Boards’ Association, he Canadian School Boards Association and the Association of Municipalities of Ontario.
This group of concerned parents believes this to be an issue of integrity and honesty and argue that both Reynolds and Meed Ward failed to behave in accordance with what is expected from elected officials – particularly during such a significant process focused on closing schools.
Throughout the process, Meed Ward also used her Ward Two e-newsletter to communicate about the PAR process and reported unvalidated information/data that many believe influenced the decision to close Bateman.
 Leah Reynolds talking to Central high school students at a public meeting. This formed the backdrop of the June 7th incident and further escalated the public’s concerns around Meed Ward’s involvement in the closure process.
Reynolds had campaigned on a platform of ‘no school closures’ yet voted for the closure of two schools.
 By Pepper Parr
June 26th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Everyone is blaming the eleven trustees for the decision they made to close two of Burlington’s seven high schools.
 The trustees needed a clear signal from the parents – they didn’t get one. All they did was their job. The signals they got from parents were pure self-interest. Central fought like crazy to get their name off the close list. They did that by organizing and putting facts on the table.
Lester B. Pearson put very solid facts on the table – they had the best of the arguments to not lose their school.
 The Board staff did everything they could to tell parents that changes were in the wind. The Bateman parents at first paid no attention whatsoever about the school closing issue – they saw themselves as safe and did nothing.
When they realized they weren’t safe at all – that they were at serious risk they had to scramble to get their story out. It was a very solid story – few people outside Bateman knew how successful a school Bateman really is. The closing of that school is going to be very disruptive for families that have had more than their share of disruption.
The trustees were faced with a situation where the Board made a recommendation, then changed that recommendation and then proceeded to hold several meetings that left few parents happy with the way things were going.
 It was too little too late – Bateman parents who deserved better treatment got caught up in a turf war they didn’t see coming. Many of the students at the school will suffer because of their individual circumstances. It didn’t need to happen this way. What was clear during the Program Accommodation Review (PAR) process was that no one really wanted to see a school closed. It took a bit of time for the PAR committee to coalesce as a group and when they did it was evident that they had within them the capacity to come up with some innovative ideas. They needed more time.
One Gazette commentator pointed out that the city spent more time on deciding what to do with the Freeman Station than the school board allowed for the parents to have a meaningful input on the school closing decision.
When city hall made the wrong decision citizens moved in and got it right – on our sesquicentennial next Saturday you will be able to tour a really well preserved Freeman train station that served this city well. Citizens inevitably make the right decision – they just need some leadership.
The PAR committee learned, much to their surprise, that what they understood innovation to mean was not what the parents meant. What we saw was the size of the divide between a protected part of the economy (school board staff) and the private sector that has to earn its bread every day.
 Option # 7 don’t close any of the high schools.  Option 19 – the Staff recommendation,  What turned out not to be possible for the PAR committee to do was to settle on just the one recommendation and that was to not close any schools and to change some of the school boundaries.
It was there for them to choose – #7.
But instead the different communities chose to protect their own turf and do whatever they could to save their school.
Imagine – just imagine if the PAR had settled on the one option – # 7 and then said to the trustees – don’t you dare close any schools until this issue has been thoroughly reviewed and the community agrees on what is best for the whole community.
 Delegations argued their individual school case and in doing so lost an opportunity to put a collective case in front of the trustees and direct them to listen to the parents. And imagine if every one of the 50+ delegations had said the same thing – don’t you dare close any of these schools. Direct the staff to do a better job of coming up with a better solution.
Had the PAR committee and the delegations done what they could have done – do you think the trustees would have voted the way they did?
And had the community pulled together the way they could have we would not have the rancour and really bad feelings between the parents at one school feeling as aggrieved as they have a right to feel.
The matter of those 1800 empty seats is a concern – the world is not going to come to an end if many of those seats remain empty for a while. The 1800 number isn’t apparently the real number – it is somewhat less but it is an issue that needs serious attention.
The trustees had little choice – they didn’t fail – the parents failed. What the trustees got was a set of very mixed messages – close theirs but don’t close mine. Some argue that the Board of Education set things up so just this would happen. I don’t believe they did – but if they did – did we have to follow that direction?
All you had to do was say No! Every one of you – just say No! That didn’t happen and the trustees went to the safest corner they could find – the wishes of the staff. One Burlington trustee who campaigned on no school closures went along with her colleagues and voted to let Bateman high school close.
The upside, and it is small, is that trustees get chosen again in just over a year and maybe someone will find a way to get something on the agenda that takes a second look at the decision made June 7th, 2017.
The properties are not going to be sold to developers for years – if they are sold at all. Right now the plan is to close them and that is a decision we have to live with because we let it happen.
Those who buy into the belief that Burlington is the best mid-sized city in the country are probably the same people who claim downtown Burlington is vibrant.
We are really better people than this.
Work together, work for each other and make the place the city that has more than a wonderful waterfront and a magnificent escarpment going for it.
By Pepper Parr
June 26th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
This article was revised. In the original version we said Marianne Meed Ward sent just the one message to trustee Reynolds during the school board meeting. Meed Ward advised us that she sent several messages all of which were related to procedural matters.
Ward 2 city Councillor Marianne Meed Ward admits that she did send ward 1 and 2 school board trustee Leah Reynolds messages electronically advising her not to vote on a motion that was before the board.
 “Don’t vote … Let it go” said parent Marianne Meed Ward to school trustee Leah Reynolds. The message was seen as private and was an acceptable practice? Meed Ward adds that the messages she sent – there were several had to do with a complex procedural situation that the Board of Education debated for an hour.
Meed Ward’s view appears to be that a comment or advice on a procedural matter is acceptable.
The Chair of the Board of Education Kelly Amos said that trustees get messages from people in the public gallery all the time.
Meed Ward maintains the message was private and that it is being misrepresented and that false allegations are being made about her motives.
Meed Ward asks people to look at the facts and not come to a conclusion without all the facts.
The difficulty with this is that the facts are complex, confusing and that there are several sets of facts.
 Chair Kelly Amos and vice chair Kim Graves trying to figure out just what the rules require when there are two different motions on the floor. The issue before the board was which motion was going to be heard first. A Parliamentarian who was brought in by Board staff took the position that two motions could be on the floor at the same time.
The Boards lawyer saw it differently and said the Board could debate just the one motion at a time.
In matters like this – the Chair rules and Kelly Amos went along with the opinion given her by the Parliamentarian.
 People in the public gallery at the June 7th Board of Education meting – this shot is of a mostly Central high school people For the Bateman parents it was all about a trustee who voted for the closure of their school getting advice from a member of city council who was also one of the parent representatives from Central, a high school that was originally recommended for closure.
It is not a pretty picture and it certainly smells. It was a complex issue and feelings were running very high. They were just as high at Central high school when they were recommended for closure.
When the closure recommendation was changed to closing Bateman rather than Central – attitudes changed in minutes and everyone began behaving badly.
One has to take Meed Ward at her word. She says she sent messages that to a procedural matter. If there is evidence to the contrary that should be brought forward.
Meed Ward told the Gazette that what she did was the right thing to do and added that it has been a very tough situation.
 Meed Ward sitting as a parent representative at the PAR meetings. Asked if she regrets accepting the role of being a member of the Program Accommodation Review (PAR) Meed Ward said she had no regrets.
What she does regret is the lack of respect for differing opinions. “I have empathy for the parents at Bateman” said Meed Ward. The decision to close a school has real impact on a community and it is hard for people to accept changes like this, she added.
What bothers Meed Ward most is the disregard and damage being done to civil discourse. The public drops out of public debate when the respect for the views of each other are disregarded, she said. People don’t want to become involved when there is so much misrepresentation and distortion of the facts.
What is bothering people who are not directly involved in the school closings is the acceptance of a practice that has people in the public gallery sending electronic message to trustees with advice and direction – even if it relates to just a procedural matter.
What also bothers some is why the parents who had the evidence showing a person sending a message to a trustee waited more than two weeks before releasing the information they had.
 Is what is on that computer screen public or private? A further concern is the matter of what is private and what is public: When a city Councillor attends a public Board of Education meeting and is seen sending a message electronically to a trustee – is the sending of that message private or is it in the public interest for that message to be made public?
Trustee Leah Reynolds was asked to make herself available for an interview. So far there has not been a response.
The Board of Education has begun the transition process and appointed Superintendent Terry Blackwell to oversee the process.
The Board announced that it will hire architects who will do the design work on Nelson high school for the transfer of the Bateman students to that location in 2020.
By Staff
June 25th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Burlington just loves being on lists where the city is named the best of this or the best of that.
 Canadian Automobile Association recognizes a Burlington street. An observant ready recently came across a mention the city got from the CAA – the Canadian Automobile Association.
 Another public mention for Burlington – joins our being the BEST small Canadian city to live in We are number 3 on the CAA’s 2017 Worst Roads list.
The CAA has New Street as the recipient of that distinguished mention.
If you drive that road today there is a nice new layer of asphalt with bright white lane markings. A worst designation can’t be about the quality of the surface – must be about the lane markings or the reconfiguration of the traffic lanes.
 White blotches of paint show where the bike lane lines are to be located. New Street will have one lane in each direction, a turning lane between the two traffic lanes and a bicycle lane on either side of the road.
The bike lanes are the issue. City hall just hasn’t been able to get a grip on a problem that is perhaps not clearly understood.
The city’s transportation department is trying to deliver on a city council objective – do a pilot study and see what happens when the traffic lane configuration is changed and bike lanes are added to each side of the road.
The cycling community wants bike lanes, which they argue, will be heavily used once there is a network of bike lanes that allow a person to actually get somewhere.
The car drivers want their traffic lanes back – something about a God given right Burlingtonians have to roads to drive their cars on.
Those who like driving a bike and would use it as a mode of transportation providing there are barriers that protect the cyclists from the cars or the buses and trucks.
New Street has become a thorn in the side of the Mayor – he seems to be the lightning rod for the issue.
Poor man gets button-holed by voters when he is at the Y exercising – they want him to do something about the road.
In the world of politics skill at managing issues is vital – and having departments that can put together plans to manage the way an initiative is rolled out is critical. Both communications and transportation get a thumbs down on this one. One wonders where the communications people in the Mayor’s office are on this one.
Everyone seems to be adrift.
The pilot study that was supposed to start last fall got derailed. It is set to begin in the very near future. Let’s see what the data looks like when it becomes available.
Can’t wait for those eager citizens to claim that the data was rigged to give the city the results it wants.
There is some doubt that the people at city hall really know what they want – on this project at least.
 By Staff
June 23rd, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Movies under the Stars returns on Thursday, July 6, featuring free outdoor movie screenings at 9 p.m. every Thursday until Aug. 17.
The films in the family movie series were chosen by residents through a weekly online poll earlier this spring.
The selected movies and their locations are:
Date Location Movie
Thursday, July 6 Nelson Park Stuart Little
Thursday, July 13 LaSalle Park Finding Dory
Thursday, July 20 Central Park Bandshell La La Land
Thursday, July 27 Emerson Park The Good Dinosaur
Thursday, Aug. 3 Lowville Park Shrek
Thursday, Aug. 10 Ireland Park Mighty Ducks
Thursday, Aug. 17 Spencer Smith Park Lilo and Stitch
 Good clean family fun. Each movie will begin at 9 p.m. and will be shown on a large, inflatable screen.
Healthy Kids Community Challenge will be at each event with fun activities and information on healthy snack choices for kids.
Viewers are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs and blankets.
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