 By Pepper Parr
April 23, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
We are beginning to hear from the trustees on the values they bring to their task as trustees
We have heard from Amy Collard who said
 HDSB trustee Any Collard. She represents the Bateman school. “You have requested that trustees determine a ranking for our decision-making priorities for the PAR. For me, this is a bit like asking us to determine if the mind, the heart or the soul are the most important parts of a person. All of these parts are necessary, and if one part is lacking the person does not function well. In addition, there are many other parts that may not be considered vital, but that increase a person’s quality of life.
“I will be looking for a solution that provides all of the students in Burlington with equitable access to the programming that they need to be successful in their chosen pathway, while honouring their ties to their communities and being mindful that we must be fiscally responsible.
“As you know, this is a difficult proposition. I will be listening to the students and their families, as well as reviewing all of the data that has been compiled, and trying to find a way to balance all of the perspectives. I remain hopeful that the Director will present a recommendation that trustees – and the Burlington community – will be able to support.
Donna Danielli, Milton trustee said she was “not comfortable ranking one value higher than another at this point and I will attempt to explain why.
 Cold winter night outside the Board of Education offices – Central and Pearson protesters were out on the street. “A number of years ago, there was concern amongst wine makers. There was a reviewer of wines who was well renowned and whose reviews were considered the epitome of wine reviews. Many bottles of wine were sold according to his recommendations.
“The difficulty came when the wine makers began to change their wines to reflect attributes he found favourable in wines. They stopped creating the wines they had always individually crafted and instead made wines they knew he would give a good review to.
 Milton school board trustee Donna Danielli “My concern with providing a rating system with which I will view the PAR recommendation is twofold – I am concerned that whatever aspect I give the most weight to will be the one that delegations will focus on. I won’t hear the true spirit of what I need to hear on the delegation nights but rather one tailored to meet what people may think I want to hear.
“The other concern is that there is no magical formula to share – I will be reading the report, re-reading all of my PAR materials, re-reading all of the emails and letters sent this far and listening diligently to the delegations. I feel that to try to list my values and how they will weigh my vote would be to do a disservice to those who are waiting to delegate the board.
“It is my intention to listen to every one of those delegations whole heartedly and take their feedback as part of my overall decision.”
Then the waters got muddied. A trustee appears to have asked the Director of Education how she should respond to the Gazette’s request.
 Director of Education Stuart Miller at a Robotics competition briefing. In the email trail that came our way Stuart Miller, the Director of Education said: “First I saw it was Kelly’s e-mail. I’ll try to connect today with Kelly.
“My initial thoughts are to quote the mandate of the Min of Ed – Trustees primary focus is student achievement and fiscal responsibility. But I’ll chat with Kelly.”
Halton Hills Trustee, Jeanne Gray got into the conversation with: “Kelly – thanks for connecting to Stuart on our behalf. I will not be responding to Pepper Parr’s this request at this time.”
 HDSB Chair Kelly Amos. On Tue, Apr 18, 2017 at 9:19 AM, Kelly Amos Trustee Wards 5 & 6 <amosk@hdsb.ca> wrote:
“I am sure we all received this email. As the PAR process is not over until the vote, I believe we should exercise caution about responding to this email. I speak to Stuart about this will try craft something to respond to this on behalf of all trustees.”
This all started when the Gazette wrote each trustee:
“A number of months ago the Gazette asked each of you to rank the values that are a part of the decision making process for you.
Chair Amos told us that the trustees were not going to involve themselves in the PARC process and, with one exception, there were no responses.
The PARC process has ended and that committee no longer meets.”
The Gazette didn’t feel that that asking the trustees to rank the three values was involving yourselves in the PARC process – but that is moot at this point.
The public has a right to know something about the values that drive a trustee.
Would you rank the following:
Fiscal prudence
Community – by which we mean the role a high school plays in a community
Academic offering
Please rank these three – you may have other values – add those as addendum if you wish.
Leah Reynolds, Burlington trustee for Wards 1 and 2 said:
 Burlington Wards 1 and 2 school board trustee Leah Reynolds. The driving force behind entering public office is my passion for education as evidenced by my long-serving school volunteerism through reading club, breakfast club, chairing school councils, participating in community discussion of elementary school closing and helping lead numerous school capital fundraising enhancements and initiatives. These experiences equipped me with the skills to navigate the school board and I realized that I could be helpful to parents and community.
I also understood that there were population challenges and should a Program Accommodation Review (PAR) be held, I wanted to be a part of the conversation because schools are the heart of the community.
Reynolds pointed out that “this is a full time job, serving parents and families days, evenings and often weekends, one that trustees gladly take on in service to students and their education.”
Trustees attend far more meetings than city Councillors do.
Reynolds said her “top priority and philosophy is focused squarely on what is in the best interests of students.” She did make clear that “schools are the heart of the community”.
Her decision matrix, said Reynolds will consider more than the three factors the Gazette set out. Her considerations include the 13 factors identified by the PAR policy which are:
I. Range of mandatory program
2. Range of optional program
3. Viability of Program – number of students required to offer and maintain program in an educationally sound and fiscally responsible way
4. Physical and environmental state of existing schools
5 Proximity to other schools (non-bus distances, natural boundaries, walking routes)
6 Accommodation of students in permanent school facilities and minimal use of portable classrooms
7. Balance of overall enrollment in each school in the area to maximize student access to programs, resources and extra-curricular opportunities and avoid over and underutilization of buildings.
8. Expansion and placement of new ministry or board programs.
9. Stable, long-term boundaries to avoid frequent boundary changes
10 Cost effectiveness of transportation
11 Fiscal responsibilities
12 Existing and potential community uses and facility partnerships
13. Goals and focus of the current multi-year plan
“There may be additional factors that bubble up as a result of the PAR committee’s discussions. But the lens through which all these factors will be viewed is what is best for students at our schools.”
Every person added Reynolds “has an opportunity right now to make their voice heard to help shape the options that emerge for trustee consideration in the spring.”
What parents expect is an open look at a significant issue. The public want and need to be aware of what the trustees think – not what someone who is accountable to them thinks they should be saying.
 Director of Education Stuart Miller during a web cast Q&A It is not appropriate for the Director of Education to direct the thinking of the trustees nor is it appropriate for the Chair to say she will “will try craft something to respond to this on behalf of all trustees.”
Has the Director of Education given the trustees what they need to be able to vote? Looks that way.
This is a very disturbing chain of email correspondence. The public has a right to know why their elected trustees would behave like this. One might ask also ask the Director of Education what he thought he was doing.
By Pepper Parr
April 23, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Few will differ with the Director of Education on the decision that lets Central high school remain open.
This will be third time that Central has overcome a decision to close the oldest school in the city.
The evidence the school parents brought forward was evidence that was already there – the Board staff either didn’t see it or didn’t want to see it.
 Meed Ward went to Queen’s Park – as a lifelong Liberal she nevertheless stood beside the Progressive Conservative leader to make her point. The words on that T shirt would serve her well in the 2018 municipal election. Some have suggested that Ward 2 city Councillor Marianne Meed Ward choosing to accept the parent request that she sit on the PARC was what made the difference. Meed Ward wasn’t all that effective – a better way of putting that is to say that she has been much more effective at city hall than she was during the PARC process.
Did Meed Ward save Central? Certainly not. She has had to put up with a lot of undeserved political heat for the decision she made. This isn’t the first time she has had to put up with the small mindedness of her city council colleagues. She has prevailed.
The Central parents put out a statement earlier today saying:
“We strongly support a no school closure option and are disappointed that any schools have been named; we feel for the Bateman and Pearson communities as well as the Hayden FI community as we know first hand what it feels like to sit in this position.
 The Central parents held a silent auction – raised $14,000 and had a war chest to dip into. “We do acknowledge that the Board is in a position where the Ministry leaves little choice but to close schools in order to maximize funding. We feel that the director and staff have done their best to ensure that the new recommendation considers the best interests of students in all of Burlington. Maintaining schools in every community will benefit the greatest number of students by providing maximum opportunity to allow students to walk, bike and participate in extra- curricular activities as well as keep busing to a minimum which is also fiscally and environmentally responsible.
“From day one we have stressed that impacting the least number of students negatively should be a primary focus and feel that this option does reflect that goal. We also stressed the impact on the students in grade 7 and 8 who are currently housed at Burlington Central and who were not being considered as part of the process.
“We took effort and care to prove that Central was not the problem beyond a shadow of a doubt. The new recommendation outlines all the reasons that Burlington Central should never have been named in the first place. We will continue to delegate and push forward to remind the trustees of this until the final vote on June 7th.
“We want to thank all of the Central Strong Community for the support and commitment over the past few months, with a special thanks to our PARC representatives as this was no easy task. This has been an emotional roller coaster and we wouldn’t have had this success without the help of each and every one of you.”
Meed Ward herself was not available for comment
The Director’s report chose to say that the overflow into Nelson made it necessary to keep Central open. A specious argument if there ever was one.
Closing central would have left such a huge hole between Aldershot and Nelson that would require hundreds of students to be bussed at a cost that was estimated to come in at $400,000 a year forever.
 The strongest argument Central had was this map. The picture was worth more than one thousand words. While city council wasn’t prepared to take a position on the evidence that was on the table Meed Ward was. The political blow back on that Meed Ward choice will continue for a while but longer term the public will see that she not only was capable of walking into turbulent political water she actually did just that. Not something the current Mayor is inclined to do.
On this occasion Meed Ward didn’t just “talk the talk” – she “walked the talk”. The city is the better for that choice.
The closure of Robert Bateman High School and the associated redirection of the English program students to Nelson High School, as well as the relocation of the Regional Essential, LEAP and CPP programs, will result in a substantial increase in enrollments at Nelson High School. In order to provide some accommodation relief at Nelson High School, a review of the existing boundaries was undertaken to determine if there were any opportunities to redirect some areas out of the Nelson High School catchment area.
The existing Tecumseh Public School Grade 8 cohort is split between two high schools: those students residing east of Guelph Line attend Nelson High School, while those west of Guelph Line attend Burlington Central High School. In order to ensure the Tecumseh Public School Grade 8 cohort would remain together, the entire Tecumseh Public School catchment area is designated to be redirected and included within the Burlington Central High School catchment area. Unifying the cohort would provide accommodation relief to Nelson High School, and enhance Burlington Central High School enrollments by providing additional students to that school’s population.
In order to ensure an appropriate transition, grand parenting will occur. This will result in the redirection of all Tecumseh Public School students entering the Grade 9 English program in September 2018 to Burlington Central High School, including those east of Guelph Line. As of September 2018, Grade 10, 11, and 12 English students currently attending Nelson High School from the Tecumseh Public School catchment area will be grand parented to remain at Nelson High School until they graduate.
Now – what does the Board of Education do with the Central facilities? The school was neglected for so long that its condition was terrible. The students put up with a lot. It was a little like a slum landlord letting a property deteriorate to the point where it had to be demolished.
 Could an indoor swimming pool be placed on this site? Could the high school be designated as an historical site? Can Central be brought back to the condition it should have been put in 15 years ago. The set up on the property at the corner of Brant and Baldwin includes everything from junior kindergarten to grade 12. The addition of the International Baccalaureate will make the school complex just that much more complete.
The facilities need to be upgraded to the level that exists at Hayden. The property to the west of the school – now a playing field owned by the city, is just the kind of location for an indoor swimming pool where there is a more than dense enough population to ensure very heavy use.
While the decision was the right one – the question Lisa Bull, a Bateman parent asks – is still very relevant.
“I am extremely curious about his (Miller’s) change from recommending Central (and Pearson) for closure in his first recommendation to Bateman (and Pearson) in today’s report. I question the influence of a sitting City council member on the PAR Committee and want to better understand the role this played in Director Miller’s change of heart.”
 Was it the power of prayer that brought about the change in the Director of Educations final recommendation? Lynn Crosby at a PARC meeting. What was it that brought about the change in the minds of the Board staff and the Director of Education (it certainly wasn’t a change of heart) that resulted in the decision to keep Central open?
That is a question the trustee’s will have to determine when they confer with the Director; it might well be an issue that the Bateman parents delegate on as well. The matter is in their hands.
The Central parents are breathing a huge sigh of relief however this is not the time for them to rest on their oars. The building is in poor shape – it needs the treatment the old Laura Secord property on Lakeshore Road got (now the Paletta Mansion) that brought it back to what it was intended to look like.
Is the high school a heritage site? Should it be one? The parents might want to go after that designation as they work towards that point in time where the school is never threatened with closure again.
Part 1 of a series on the recommendation to close two Burlington high schools.
Part 2 of a series on the recommendation to close two Burlington high schools.
Part 3 of a series on the recommendation to close two Burlington high schools.
By Pepper Parr
April 22, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Part 3 of a series on the recommendation to close two Burlington high schools.
Rationale: Closing Robert Bateman High School
Friday was a very tough day for the parents of students at Robert Bateman high school. The Director of Education has recommended to the trustees that the school be closed effective September 2019
Some background:
In 2004, Lord Elgin High School was consolidated with General Brock High School forming a new school named Robert Bateman High School in the original Lord Elgin facility.
 Bateman principal Mark Duley ringing a fire siren during a cooking contest with fire department staff. The consolidation, in part, was undertaken to address declining enrollment in both schools at the time. There were also significant facility enhancements made to the newly consolidated Robert Bateman High School. The enrollment in the Robert Bateman catchment area has continued to decline. As a result of declining enrollment in the catchment area, the school offers and houses many regional programs including International Baccalaureate, Regional Essential program, LEAP, and the Community Pathways Program.
 Bateman student population by year and by grade. These regional programs have improved the diversity and inclusive nature of the school, but there are still great challenges with low enrollment in the catchment area that impacts regular English programming. This is projected to continue. The school is currently at 59% utilization, below the 65% Board criteria, and is projected to decline to 50% by 2026.
 Burlington fire fighter explaining the fine points on ingredients to be used during a cook-off contest at the school. Currently there are 283 students in the English program within the catchment area of Robert Bateman High School. There are an additional 51 students in the International Baccalaureate Program and 36 students in Essential and Special Education programs within the catchment area.
The total number of students in the English program (including 87 students in regional programs) is
370. This is the lowest enrollment number within a Burlington high school’s catchment area.
This utilization factor includes the regional programs, as Robert Bateman High School is the site for students from the entire city of Burlington. The students in north Burlington attending some of these regional programs are being bussed to the south.
M.M. Robinson High School and Robert Bateman High School are similar facilities and both are experiencing low utilization rates and this is projected to continue.
 The utilization for both Robinson and Bateman were falling off – putting the two schools together seemed to be a solution. The right one? In addition, students currently residing north of the QEW/Hwy 403 in Burlington are bussed to Robert Bateman High School to attend regional programs there. The creation of a regional Essential Program at M.M. Robinson High School will allow students to attend a school in closer proximity to their homes and also provide the added benefit of continuity of program with the existing CPP program at the school.
Clustering regional programs into one school site disadvantages students as they must travel greater distances to meet their program needs and interests. The students in Burlington would be better served by establishing a school site in both the north and the south that provide similar regional programs. Students would have the same opportunities and be closer to their homes. It also enhances the diversity and inclusiveness in more than one site in Burlington.
Regional programs have been moved successfully each year, from school to school. Our history has proven these programs are transferable and our transition approaches have proven effective in support of students.
Although Robert Bateman High School has had facility enhancements to accommodate regional programs, the declining enrollment in the catchment area and in these programs is problematic.
The two criteria which triggered the PAR are based on students and program:
1. The school or group of schools has/have experienced or will experience declining enrolment where on-the-ground (OTG) capacity utilization rate is below 65%.
AND
2. Reorganization involving the school or group of schools could enhance program delivery and learning opportunities.
Nelson High School is 1.9 kilometres from Robert Bateman High School and has an enrolment within its current catchment area of more than 1,000 students. This number, although fluctuating slightly, is projected to remain above 1,000 through 2026. The utilization rate in the same time period ranges from 75% to 87%.
 Nelson’s utilization numbers become possible if Bateman students move in. Was this the only resolution to the problem?
The close proximity of Robert Bateman High School and Nelson High School within walking distance of each other, posed a challenge in determining the most advantageous site in which to house regional programs. The combined catchment areas of the two schools (excluding regional programs) is within the on-the-ground (OTG) capacity of either Nelson or Robert Bateman High Schools.
The parameters used for the PAR, however, are related to utilization and enhancement of program.
Recommending a closure of Nelson High School would result in the relocation of more than 1,000 students in the foreseeable future. Facility enhancements and purpose-built facilities can be accommodated at Nelson High School. The regional programs of south Burlington can be housed in Nelson High School. This does not require the relocation of more than 1,000 students or a recommended closure of a school with a catchment area of up to 84% utilization. Subsequently, it allows the Halton District School Board to have vibrant regional programs in the northwest and the southeast of Burlington.
If the recommended option is approved, it will also result in the relocation of the International Baccalaureate (IB) program to Burlington Central High School. Like other regional programs, the International Baccalaureate program can be relocated to another school.
There are requirements for its site relocation as defined by the IB International governing body which will be strictly adhered to.
Presently there are 174 students in the International Baccalaureate track (Grade 9 and 10 pre-IB and Grade 11 and 12 IB) at Robert Bateman High School. By contrast, White Oaks Secondary School in Oakville has 507 students in its pre-IB and IB program. The IB program has been housed at Robert Bateman High School since January 2001 and the enrollment has fluctuated and has presented a challenge. Moving the IB program to Burlington Central High School may enhance uptake of this program as it is in a more central location.
Finally, consolidating Robert Bateman High School and Nelson High School will allow program enhancement for students currently in both schools, offering them now, and in the future, greater equity of opportunity as a result of the broader range of courses and programs. With a greater number of staff and students, there will be more opportunities for co-curricular activities.
 Fireman and students whoop it up when the winners of a cooking contest are announced. Implications of Closing Robert Bateman high school.
Closure of Robert Bateman High School, and the resulting movement of the English program to Nelson High School
Program Changes that will take place should Robert Bateman High School be closed:
• September 2019, the International Baccalaureate (IB) program will move to Burlington Central High School.
• September 2019, a second Essential Program site will be established in Burlington; Nelson High School will serve students residing south of the QEW/Hwy 403, while students residing north of the QEW/Hwy 403 will attend M.M. Robinson High School.
• September 2019, two sites for the Community Pathways Program (CPP) will continue to be offered; students residing south of the QEW/Hwy 403 will attend Nelson High School, and students residing north of the QEW/Hwy 403 will attend M.M. Robinson High School.
• September 2019, the LEAP program will be offered in two locations; students residing south of the QEW/Hwy 403 will attend Nelson High School, while students residing north of the QEW/Hwy 403 will attend M.M. Robinson High School.
 Bateman high school students staged a protest when they were told that there wouldn’t be a football team that year. Spunky bunch. Student Movement with the closure of Robert Bateman High School:
• September 2018, English Program students entering Grade 9 will attend Nelson High School.
• September 2019, English Program students entering Grades 11 and 12 will move to Nelson High School.
• September 2018, Grade 9 students entering the International Baccalaureate Program (pre-IB) will attend Burlington Central High School.
• September 2019, students entering into Grades 11 and 12 (IB program) will move to Burlington Central High School.
•
• September 2018, Essential Program students entering Grade 9 and residing south of the QEW/Hwy 403 will attend Nelson High School.
•
• September 2018, Essential Program students entering Grade 9 and residing north of the QEW/Hwy 403 will attend M.M Robinson High School
•
• September 2019, Essential/Workplace Program students entering Grades 11 and 12 currently attending Robert Bateman High School will move to Nelson High School.
•
• September 2018, all Community Pathways Program students (Grades 9 to 12) attending Robert Bateman will continue at Robert Bateman High School.
•
• September 2019, Community Pathways Program students attending Robert Bateman HS will move to Nelson High School.
•
• September 2019, LEAP students residing north of the QEW/Hwy 403 will attend M.M. Robinson High School.
•
• September 2019, LEAP students residing south of the QEW/Hwy 403 will attend Nelson High School.
•
• September 2018, students entering into Grade 9 in the Gifted program who reside south of the QEW/Hwy 403 will attend Nelson High School, while students residing north of the QEW/Hwy 403 and entering Grade 9 will attend M.M. Robinson High School.
•
• September 2018, students in existing Grades 10 to 12 Secondary Gifted Placement at Nelson High School will be grandparented at Nelson High School until graduation.
•
• September 2018, Grade 8 students from Pineland Public School will move together to Nelson High School as a cohort (English and French Immersion)
Other Considerations:
• Facility enhancements or additions to address program needs at Nelson High School re: Community Pathways Program (CPP) and technological education programs
• Aldershot High School will be explored as a magnet or themed school
• IB training and certification for administrators and staff at Burlington Central High School as mandated by the IB governing body.
 The parent turn out at the public meeting during which Board staff were on hand to explain what the Program Accommodation Review (PAR) was all about drew less than five parents. There is no nice way to explain this closure. When the original recommendation to close Central and Pearson high schools Bateman and Nelson seemed to take the position that they were safe – they would not be closed.
But as the PARC process rolled out and the Central parents mobilized themselves and asked a lot of questions closing Central no longer seemed like such a good idea.
Lisa Bull, one of the two Bateman PARC members did all she could to get the Board to think about innovative ideas – she wasn’t wrong, but it was a little too late in the game to get the Board to look at things differently.
This experience is probably one of the most disappointing in Bull’s professional career – the woman holds a Master’s degree in Education.
Does Bateman have a case they can take to the trustees? So far they have not managed to bring forward any solid evidence. There are students that are very vulnerable and any change is going to disrupt their lives.
The task for the Bateman parents at this point is to ensure that their student population is not harmed by a closing and a move.
There are some really fine programs at that school – they will be missed. The cooking programs should not be lost in the shuffle – and some way has to be found to ensure that the swimming pool is not lost to the community.
The Bateman parents have a lot of work to do to ensure that they are well taken care of during what is a very difficult time.
Lisa Bull said she was “devastated and shocked by Director Miller’s recommendations. I am also extremely curious about his change from recommending Central (and Pearson) for closure in his first recommendation to Bateman (and Pearson) in today’s report. I question the influence of a sitting City council member on the PAR Committee and want to better understand the role this played in Director Miller’s change of heart. Most importantly I will continue to work closely with the Robert Bateman community on creating impactful delegations for the Board of Trustees.”
“There are far too many vulnerable students who would be impacted by the closure of our school so we will not stop fighting.”
Part 1 of a series on the recommendation to close two Burlington high schools.
Part 2 of a series on the recommendation to close two Burlington high schools.
 By Staff
April 22, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Despite years of awareness campaigns illustrating why driving a vehicle when impaired by drugs or alcohol is dangerous, impaired driving remains the top criminal cause of death in Canada. The Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) has joined with MADD Canada in the effort to stop impaired driving and to support victims of this violent crime.
 They want YOU to make the right call – 911 – when you see an impaired driver on the roads. The legalization of marijuana is going to add to the numbers that get behind the wheel impaired. The Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) is committed to getting impaired drivers off our roads in Halton Region and is partnering with MADD Canada to launch Campaign 911 in Halton Region. Campaign 911 is a Canada-wide campaign to encourage and empower the Canadian public to report suspected impaired driving by calling 911. By calling 911 and reporting suspected impaired drivers to police, all Canadians can play a role in reducing impaired driving crashes, deaths and injuries.
“Impaired driving is the #1 criminal cause of death in Canada, yet Halton motorists are still making the choice to operate a motor vehicle while impaired by alcohol or drugs,” said Deputy Chief Nishan Duraiappah, Halton Regional Police Service. “The Halton Regional Police Service is imploring citizens to take action by calling 911 and reporting suspected impaired drivers to police. We want to mobilize the community to share the responsibility for keeping Halton safe. By making the right call, members of the public are keeping our roads, and our communities, safe.”
265 Halton motorists were criminally charged for driving while impaired by alcohol or drugs in 2016. Impaired motorists place all Halton residents at risk. If you observe a vehicle being operated in any manner that places you or anyone else in danger, make the call to 911 for an immediate police response.
Community safety is not the responsibility of the Halton Regional Police Service alone but also Halton Region, local business and community. Community safety cannot be improved by working in isolation. By working together we can achieve community safety and stop impaired drivers.
By Pepper Parr
April 22, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Part 2 of a series on the Board recommendation to close two high schools in Burlington
Closing Pearson; Rationale
Lester B. Pearson High School has been experiencing a decline in enrolment for several years and that is projected to continue to 2026 and beyond.
There are parents at Pearson who have an easy explanation for the decline – one of which was limiting the number of feeder schools to 1.5 and another having students from Kilbride who used to attend Pearson get sent to Hayden which is running at 150% of it capacity.
 Pearson is a small high school – it didn’t have much in the way of resources to fight back. A parent group meeting to listen to what their trustee had to tell them. Pearson is the smallest of the high schools in the system. It is situated on a lovely piece of property; has three gymnasiums, one of which was paid for by the parents in the community. It also houses a nursery that has been in operation for more than 40 years.
Lester B. Pearson High School is also the only school in the Halton District School Board that provides Extended French at the secondary school level. The students in this program begin extended French in Grade 7.
The result of this low enrollment is a diminished ability for the school to provide the same breadth and range of programs for the students as other schools in Halton. In order to take specific or desired courses, many students have resorted to online offerings.
This situation will be exacerbated as it is expected the number of students attending Lester B. Pearson High School will decrease by an additional 70 students by 2025.
Another issue occurring as a result of low enrollment is the impact on the students’ pathways.
At present, the numbers reflecting Lester B. Pearson High School students’ pathway choices are as follows:
Unfortunately the low number of students and staff has prevented the school from providing the same breadth of programming offered in other Halton District School Board schools. This is most evident given the low number of students in applied programming and subsequently the college pathway, resulting in these students having fewer options or little flexibility in selecting courses they can take.
 Kim’s family chose to move into the Pearson high school community because they wanted to send their children to a small high school. when Pearson was built it involved the community that paid for an additional gymnasium. Schools are required to provide a pathway to graduation for all students. This means the school will have some smaller classes (for example, 11 students in Grade 9 Applied), and in order to be compliant with staffing formulas and provincial mandates, will have some larger classes to offset the smaller numbers. Consequently, not only is the range of course selection not available to students but there is also a greater disparity between class sizes.
Again this is likely to be exacerbated as the projections indicate a continued decline in enrollment.
Lester B. Pearson High School is 1.9 kilometres from M.M. Robinson High School. Students who currently attend Lester B. Pearson High School are within the walking distance to M.M. Robinson High School. A closure of Lester B. Pearson High School will not result in an increase in bussing costs for the Halton District School Board.
At present there is a nursery school located in Lester B. Pearson High School. This is a long- standing relationship between the City of Burlington and the Board, and since the mid-1970s has become part of the fabric of the Lester B. Pearson High School community.
If the recommendation to close Lester B. Pearson High School is approved, the Halton District School Board will engage with the appropriate municipal partners to investigate available options for a continued relationship with the Halton District School Board.
Lester B. Pearson High School has served its students and community very well for the past 40 years; however, its enrollment has been in decline for some time. It is currently less than 65% of capacity, and by 2025 it is expected to decline to 55%.
Based on the two identified criteria for a program and accommodation review (PAR):
1. The school or group of schools has/have experienced or will experience declining enrollment where on-the-ground (OTG) capacity utilization rate is below 65%.
AND
2. Reorganization involving the school or group of schools could enhance program delivery and learning opportunities.
 Lester B. Pearson High School meets the criteria for a PAR, and subsequently is recommended for closure.
Implications of Recommendation
Closure of Lester B. Pearson High School, and the resulting movement of the English program to M.M. Robinson High School
Program Changes: With the closure of Lester B. Pearson High School:
• the Extended French Program will move to M.M. Robinson High School.
Changes to program offerings at M.M. Robinson High School include:
• September 2018, the Regional Re-engagement Program (REP) will move from M.M. Robinson High School to Burlington Central High School.
• NOTE: the second Community Pathways Program (CPP) will continue at M.M. Robinson High School.
Student Movement:
With the closure of Lester B. Pearson High School:
• September 2018, English program students will move to M.M. Robinson High School.
• September 2018, Extended French program students will move to M.M. Robinson High School.
• September 2018, Grade 8 students from C.H. Norton Public School will move together to M.M. Robinson High School as a cohort (English and French Immersion)
Other Considerations:
• Facility enhancements or additions to address program needs at M.M. Robinson High School re: Community Pathways.
Rory Nisan spent his high school career at Pearson. He isn’t the biggest guy you will meet- small in staure but he made it to the Pearson Rugby team and knows that he wouldn’t have had that kind o an opportunity at a larger high school.
 Two former Pearson alumni trading phone numbers. Nisan believes there is a case – a strong case for smaller high schools where students can find themselves and not get lost in the hectic life of a bigger high school.
Many of the parents at Pearson felt the die was cast when their school was named on the original recommendation – theirs was a small parent group – they didn’t have the resources that the bigger high schools had.
Can they make a case for being kept open? Everyone you listen to will say Burlington’s growth is north of the QEW; Hayden is way beyond it capacity. The Evergreen community (at Tremaine and Dundas) yet to get started is going to have students that will need a high school. The Link2 at Sutton and Dundas is going house some families.
The Alton 2 project on the west side of Walkers Line will have their children be bused to M.M. Robinson when Hayden high school is yards away.
No one knows if the Adi Development is going to get the approval it wants from the Ontario Municipal Board – the city turned that one down – but don’t expect the Adi people to give up. That project will add to the Alton community student population.
Pearson has a case.
One observant Pearson parent wondered why the closing date for their school was June of 2018 – they wanted a chance to vote for whoever the trustee was going to be in the October 2018 municipal election.
Closing Lester B. Pearson high school may be just a little short sighted – but that isn’t the first time this Board has been short sighted.
Part 1 of a series on the recommendation to close two high schools in Burlington
By Pepper Parr
April 22, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The blow back begins.
With a recommendation from the Director of Education on which schools Board staff believe should be closed now on the table and in the hands of the trustees the snarky remarks begin.
 Meed Ward at a PARC meeting. She certainly wasn’t the most vociferous member of the PARC. There was always concern over ward 2 city Councillor Marianne Meed Ward sitting on the Program Accommodation Review Committee – some felt she had a conflict of interest. Her council colleagues didn’t support the position she took.
Meed Ward has a son at the school – she therefore qualified to represent the school and if the parents wanted her to represent them – then why can they not have the person they want.
One comment: (We are not identifying the people who made comments)
“Really! So you are telling me that Marianne Meed Ward’s political pull had nothing to do with it? It was a conflict of interest of Marianne being allowed to sit on the PARC. Unfortunately, no one on the Board had enough guts to say so. Because there was a quite of few people that questioned her being on the PARC.”
This commentator clearly doesn’t understand what influence a member of city Councillor has – little too nothing in this school board matter.
Another commentator asked:
I question the influence of a sitting City council member on the PAR Committee and want to better understand the role this played in Director Miller’s change of heart.
The Gazette doesn’t think Meed Ward got any closer to Miller’s ear than anyone else.
The Central people put up a very strong case; they brought to the attention of the Board information the Board did not have and they raised a lot of questions that no one else was raising.
If Meed Ward brought anything to the PAR it was her optimism and the courage of her convictions. Perfect she isn’t but she did have the courage to venture into what she had to know were going to be troubled waters.
A third comment:
It’s unbelievable, although the Central gang had Meed Ward on their side which was patently unfair.
 Attendance at the first public meeting at which the Board of Education went into the community to explain the process. Bateman parents just didn’t show up. The Bateman parents do face a very difficult situation. The decision they need to make is – can they convince the trustees to make a different decision – and if they can’t – what can they do to make the best of a disappointing situation. Blaming someone else is not going to make anyone’s situation any different.
Parents also need to do something about that paltry $500 being offered for a goodbye school party.
 By Pepper Parr
April 22nd, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Stuart Miller, Halton District School Board Director of Education sent a 40 page report to the trustees he report to and included 18 appendices with it.
It is a document that is not going to keep everyone happy.
The basic recommendation is to:
 Close: Robert Bateman High School to be closed June 2019 and students re-directed to Nelson High School and M.M. Robinson High School.
The International Baccalaureate Program to transfer from Robert Bateman High School to Burlington Central High School, effective September 2019.
 Close: Lester B. Pearson High School to be closed June 2018 and the students re-directed to M.M. Robinson High School commencing September 2018.
French Immersion program to be moved from Dr. Frank J. Hayden Secondary School as of September 2018, beginning with the Grade 9 program.
Students from the “Evergreen” community (currently undeveloped) will be directed to M.M. Robinson High School.
There’s a one-page exec summary, 40-ish pages to the report and 18 appendices of varying length. It comes in at well over 200 pages.
The Gazette is going to break the report out into sections and report on each.
Bateman closing rationale
Pearson closing rationale
The selling of Board of Education property
The financial implications.
The bigger picture
We start with Miller’s conclusion:
The Burlington secondary Program and Accommodation Review (PAR) has been a challenging situation for both the Halton District School Board and the communities they serve. It has been especially difficult as all of the schools impacted in this process have served their communities and students well for many, many years.
 Director of Education, Stuart Miller. However as challenging as the process has been, and the resultant perception of its outcome, Burlington’s low enrolment in secondary schools and their projected continued decline has created challenges for the Halton District School Board in providing the same equity of opportunity for these students relative to others in the Board. The students who attend Halton District School Board secondary schools in Burlington deserve the same opportunities, both in range of courses/program offerings and in co/extra-curriculars as those in other areas of the Board.
As a consequence, the Halton District School Board of Trustees approval to initiate a PAR process was based on the two criteria of the policy that are directly related to student opportunities.
School closures in any community are a great challenge for school boards around the province. The Burlington Secondary Program and Accommodation Review is no exception and has without question resulted in many Burlington families feeling anxious and concerned with respect to their community schools and their own children who attend them. It has been especially difficult for the students who currently attend these schools as much was unknown.
However, school closures also present opportunities. The recommendations in this report will create two composite schools, one in the northwest and one in the southeast that house a variety of regional programs, and serve a wider range of students. These recommendations will allow some students in regional programs to be closer to their home, and spend less time on a bus.
Additionally, the recommendations will provide more funds, through both proceeds of disposition and reduced operational costs, to allow for facility upgrades to the remaining schools. They will allow for a geographic balance in the City of Burlington.
The recommendations will also allow for a greater number of students in most programs, but in particular the mandatory Ontario English curriculum, which will also allow for greater breadth and range of course selections. They also allow for a more flexible timetable supporting student choice. The recommendations allow for a greater number of co-curriculars and extra-curriculars, again allowing for greater student choice.
There is still an issue with the low enrolment at Aldershot High School. This will continue to be an issue, and the Halton District School Board is committed to supporting these students as it does with all others.
The location of Aldershot High School made it much more challenging to address the declining enrolment; however as with other municipalities within the Halton District School Board, the recommendation is to support one school in Burlington with low enrolment. Moreover, the school will be explored as a magnet or thematic school, which may potentially increase enrolments in the future.
The specific recommendations in this report will continue to support community schools, allow the majority of students to walk to school, will enhance program offerings, reduce course conflicts, enhance co/extra-curriculars, and most importantly continue to provide high quality instruction and support of Burlington’s secondary school students. The recommendations contained within this report are intended to improve and enhance the equity of opportunity for all Burlington secondary school students. This will allow the five remaining Burlington secondary schools to thrive as dynamic, engaging learning environments for decades to come.
 Miller engaged students throughout the public process. The students likely to have the greatest concern with respect to this report are those presently at the schools recommended to close, and who will be transitioning to a new school.
It is incumbent upon the Halton District School Board to ensure and support a smooth transition of these students. This is paramount. Funds will be made available to support both the transition and integration of these students into their new school.
For students yet to attend Robert Bateman High School and Lester B. Pearson High School, their home school will be either Nelson High School, M.M. Robinson High School or Burlington Central High School. Prior experience would indicate these students will see these schools as their home school.
There is still much work to do, not the least of which is the transition and integration of the students. This process will be tasked to a diverse committee under the supervision of a superintendent.
There is no question this has been a challenging process for the entire community of Burlington secondary students and their families. However the Halton District School Board was facing, and indeed had faced a challenge in providing equity for those very same students for the foreseeable future.
The choice was to allow a situation that deprived secondary students in Burlington the same opportunities as other students in the Halton District School Board, or to address this inequity and make a recommendation to enhance these students’ secondary school experience.
The primary focus of the Halton District School Board’s secondary schools is to prepare students for what comes after (post-secondary, career, pathways) they leave our schools. It is essential the Halton District School Board prepare our students with a broad range of pathways and program opportunities.
In the Halton District School Board’s Multi-Year Plan, the vision is “Every student will explore and enhance their potential, passions, and strengths to thrive as contributing global citizens”. The intent and spirit of this report and recommendations is to fulfill that vision for every student attending Burlington secondary schools now, and for the years ahead.
 By Staff
April 21st, 2107
BURLINGTON, ON
It was still daylight.
On April 17th at approximately 7:15 PM a female victim was walking to her car in the parking lot of Mapleview Mall in Burlington when she was accosted by another female who indicated she had a gun and demanded the victim turn over her car keys.
 Car jacking in broad daylight. The victim refused to turn over her keys at which time a male accomplice confronted the victim and demanded the keys. During this confrontation, the victim flagged down a pickup truck with a cap that was travelling through the parking lot and asked the male driver to call police. The male and female suspects then fled on foot but were located and arrested a short distance away by police.
Tanya Lyn SHEPHERD (32 yrs) and James NEFF (35 yrs) both of Hamilton were charged with robbery and released on a Promise to Appear in Milton Court on May 17th 2017.
Police would like to speak to the driver of the pickup truck that was flagged down by the victim.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Phil Vandenbeukel of the Burlington Criminal Investigations Bureau at 905-825-4747 Ext. 2343 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800 222 8477 (TIPS), or through the internet at www.haltoncrimestoppers.com, or by texting “Tip201” with your message to 274637 (crimes).
 By Pepper Parr
April 21st, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The following is a portion of the report of the Director of Education to the Halton District School Board trustees:
Robert Bateman High School to be closed June 2019 and students re-directed to Nelson High School and M.M. Robinson High School.
The International Baccalaureate Program to transfer from Robert Bateman High School to Burlington Central High School, effective September 2019.
Lester B. Pearson High School to be closed June 2018 and the students re-directed to M.M.
Robinson High School commencing September 2018.
French Immersion program to be moved from Dr. Frank J. Hayden Secondary School as of
September 2018, beginning with the Grade 9 program.
Students from the “Evergreen” community (currently undeveloped) will be directed to M.M.
Robinson High School.
Aldershot High School will be explored as a site for a magnet program or themed school.
 By Pepper Parr
April 21st, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The room was full. It was a rainy night but under 100 people showed up for an information session on their vision for the downtown part of the city. The focus was on mobility hubs.
The Gazette will do a more in-depth report – this is a first look at the kind of questions that were asked and the answers given
There were some surprises.
 A participant using the hand held device to record their answer to the question being asked. There were 12 questions asked. The question was put up on a screen – the people in the room had been given hand held clickers that they could use to indicate their choice.
We report on two of the questions in this early look at what was an important event. There will be a follow up meeting in June for the people in Ward 2.
The intention is to hold similar session for each of the four mobility hubs that city has identified.
This is city building at its best. How it will roll out is going to be interesting to watch.
 These answers are going to surprise the Bfast people and give Burlington Transit a lot to think about. There were a number of developers in the room along with just about everyone that mattered from the Planning department. On the political side – Councillors Taylor and Meed Ward were in the room along with the Mayor who opened the session. More to follow.
 So much for the argument that we need more people downtown to make the core the vibrant place everyone appears to want it to become.
 By Staff
April 20th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Burlington isn’t the only city with school closing issues.
Parents in the Niagara Region have their concerns and have arranged for a bus load of people to attend the Queen’s Park school closure rally taking place April 26th.
If you would like to join that group there appears to be some space on their bus. They’re willing to stop in Burlington, possibly at the Holiday Inn, and it would save people a lot of hassle.
 Rally will take place on the steps of Queen’s Park – join others that feel the same way you do. They are hoping to get some people from Burlington to join them and reached out to Denise Davy who passed the request along to the Gazette – and we are passing it along to you.
The Niagara people are willing to stop in Burlington, possibly at the Holiday Inn and pick up anyone who wants to take part.
The rally is being organized by the Ontario Association Against School Closures and will be held on Wednesday, April 26th from noon until 2 p.m. on the front lawn at Queen’s Park.
The bus will come through Burlington around 10.30 or 11. Location is still to be decided as the details are being firmed up.
For more information and to book a (free) seat, contact Nicole at: nj.scime@gmail.com or call 905-730-9959.
If you decide to take the trip – let us know – we’d like to talk to you when you get back.
There is more information on the rally on the Ontario Association Against School Closures Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/oaasc/
 By Staff
April 19th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
City hall is asking residents to vote online and help select the movies that will be featured this summer during Movies under the Stars. Running every Thursday night between July 6 and Aug. 17, Movies under the Stars will present a new film each week in a different City of Burlington park.
 Decent crowd – better than a drive in movie. Residents can vote online on Twitter @BurlEvents or through the City of Burlington’s website at www.burlington.ca/movies.
An online poll for each park hosting a Movies under the Stars event will be posted every week and open for seven days.
Voters can choose from three movies titles.
This year, in honour of Canada 150, the city has chosen a selection of movies that have a link to Canada. They want your help choosing this summer’s movie lineup by voting online over the next few weeks.”
All movies at Movies under the Stars events are shown on a 7.62 by 4.27 metre (25 by 14 foot) outdoor screen.
Movies under the Stars is presented by Tim Hortons.
Follow Burlington Events on Twitter @BurlEvents
By Staff
April 19th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
 Conservation Halton advises that a low pressure system is currently moving across the Province and is expected to produce rainfall amounts ranging between 25 mm to 30 mm with the potential for localized thunderstorms resulting in higher amounts. Rain is expected to continue this afternoon and into this evening but will move out of our jurisdiction by Friday morning.
Flooding is not anticipated, however the forecasted precipitation in conjunction with saturated ground conditions may result in higher than normal water levels and flows in local streams.
 Water levels in watershed creeks will rise significantly during the next few days. Flooding is not expected. Caution around the edges of creeks – especially with children. Conservation Halton is asking all residents and children to stay away from all watercourses and structures such as bridges, culverts and dams. Elevated water levels, fast flowing water, and slippery conditions along stream banks continue to make these locations extremely dangerous. Please alert children in your care of these imminent dangers.
This Watershed Conditions Statement – Water Safety will be in effect through Friday April 21, 2017. Conservation Halton will continue to monitor stream and weather conditions and will provide updates as required.
 By Tom Muir
April 20th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
This Friday, the Director of Education Stuart Miller will release a report setting out what he thinks the School Board trustees should do in the matter of closing high schools in Burlington.
It is a messy matter,
Many want to know why a new high school was built in the north end of the city when it was pretty clear that there were going to be a lot of empty seats in the immediate to near future.
Tom Muir, a retired federal government researcher, has done some excellent research – poking away at all the darker corners of the educational bureaucracy to find out why the decisions that were made were actually made.
It turned out to be a marathon task that ate up more than three months of Muir’s time.
Muir can be abrasive, he can be abrupt but he can’t be ignored. He sets out for us a Timeline Marathon which the Gazette is publishing in three parts due to its length.
If you want to know why parents are facing what every politician is now calling a very disruptive situation – read on – and think about who you elect as your school board trustees in 2018.
Part 1 of a four part series:
 Tom Muir I have been trying to get this information and more for more than three months.
– January 15: Submission to Director, PARC, Trustees, City Council. Ask for information and answers to questions. Burlington Gazette runs submission in 6 parts.
– January 18: Director Miller sends me email. Wants to “chat”, not email, or respond in writing.
– January 24: I reply, agree to call, but request follow-up response from Miller in writing to submission and points covered in our call.
– January 24: Miller reply – writes, “no problem Tom”, to my email agreeing to call and requesting written response. Says he shared my submission with staff, confirmed by copy. No consequent contact from said staff.
– February 8: Telcon with Miller. He says he doesn’t want to open up Hayden planning trail for several political sensitivity reasons he states,- says Hayden was a mistake and responsible for the mess, but he wasn’t involved. I asked again for written information on several issues, including paper trail on Hayden, and other matters he raised – he is responsible, is Director, and is in charge.
– February 15: Still no response from Miller to either January 15 submission, or telephone conference call requests.
– February 15: Another submission to Miller, PARC, Trustees, staff, City Council. I request several of the same and similar things again, including the Hayden planning and decision-making paper trail. Gazette publishes this submission.
– February 15 to March 2: No response from Miller, staff, Board, Trustees (except one who said she read it) or PARC.
– March 2: Submitted Freedom of Information (FOI): Due to complete non-response from Director or HDSB.
– March 15: No response from HDSB, so inquire and submit FOI clarification on my own in anticipation. G Gortmaker replies with thanks so they don’t have to ask me for a clarification, but they had not notified me. This makes me wonder why they did not ask me for one, as G Gortmaker response indicates they needed one. I am notified that they can take 30 days. Clarification accepted.
In similar circumstances, my FOI request to the Ministry was identical in text, but they asked for a clarification in one day, and we settled it in two days. The response to this FOI request took a different turn, however, and as of April 16 I still have not received it, for reasons I will describe below.
– April 1 to 6: HDSB FOI response mailed to my house, but I am away as they were informed. I wonder where it is – I thought it would come as email, like all the other correspondence – so I follow-up with inquiry. G Gortmaker scans and sends by email promptly – I receive April 6.
– April 9: I submit a clarification and correction email to G Gortmaker concerning the accuracy of several documents provided in the FOI response, including the HDSB decision letter discussing the documents.
I submit these are not outside the scope of the FOI request as they are directly pertinent to the FOI response documents and do not ask for anything beyond the scope of records responsive to my FOI, but are in fact directly related to the exact records comprising the HDSB response.
– April 10: G Gortmaker replies to my email as follows – “As I relay the responsive records in an FOI search, and provide data as provided to me, I will refer your specific questions to those who are more versed in this matter (and provided me with the data). May I pass along your email to the appropriate staff so we may thoroughly respond to your questions?”
I subsequently reply, “yes”. G Gortmaker then provides staff with copies of my concerns and some relevant documents from the FOI response.
– April 11: Lucy Veerman emails me as follows –
Gail Gortmaker has forwarded your email requesting clarification on several points noted in her email. I would be pleased to respond to your questions. I feel that it may easier to review these via telephone, so please feel free to call me at your convenience. I can be reached at 905-335-3665 ext 2217.
– April 11: I reply –
I am away and will not be back for another week, so a phone call is not on. In any case, this has all been done in writing, and everything relevant is in writing, so I want you to respond in writing.
I also don’t want us to have a misunderstanding from something not written, but only spoken.
I need this done asap as I need it in a timely manner.
Gortmaker understands this.
– April 13: Lucy does not reply and I am concerned with yet another refusal by the Board to engage me in writing for a relevant response to serious questions, and the clock is ticking away on the PARC process and here we have the 4 day Easter Weekend threatening to consume another week.
So in my upset, I sent the following message expressing my frustration with this continuation of what is a 3 month marathon of enduring the continued non-response of the Board to my questions and requests for information – and now to essential and needed clarifications and corrections of your asserted “interpretations” about what the FOI documents you provided actually say in writing, as I outline in my April 9 email.
Lucy,
I have not heard from you on this matter, and this coming weekend is a 4 day Easter weekend with closed offices.
I need your explanations NOW, not in another week that further delay will entail. You know the time sensitivity of this information, so please show some respect to that reality and provide explanations of the inconsistencies I noted.
Please provide that information by email today.
Thank you,
-April 13: To this message, I get the Gortmaker reply below that basically refuses any further written engagement about their FOI response, and continues the marathon timeline, bringing me back to the stone-wall of the Board.
Unfortunately for me, you seem to be able to do and can say anything you want as I can’t directly control Board actions.
This further illustrates the tricky nature of the FOI process.
Part 2 will be published later today; parts 3 and 4 will be published Friday.
By Staff
April 20th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
REVISED
A close to Classic example of the left hand not talking to the right hand.
The city announced earlier today their hosting of six tree-planting events across the city in April and May.
 BurlingtonGreen is the strongest advocacy group in the city. They have put Burlington on the may environmentally. Burlington Green is holding their annual Clean Up Green Up event when tens of thousands of Burlington residents take to the roads and ravines and clean up the city on the same day as the first of the six tree planting events.
Planting trees is a great initiative – but why would the city kick off this event on the same day that Burlington Green is doing its Clean Up Green Up.
The tree planting events will be held on:
Saturday, April 22, 2017
- Sherwood Forest Park, 5270 Fairview St.
Saturday, April 29, 2017
- Kerns Park, 1801 Kerns Rd.
Saturday, May 6, 2017
- Paletta Lakefront Park, 4280 Lakeshore Rd.
Saturday, May 13, 2017
- Ireland Park, 2315 Headon Rd.
Saturday, May 27, 2017
- Thorpe Park, 1140 Stephenson Dr.
Saturday, June 3, 2017 – Brant Hills Park, 2300 Duncaster Dr.
In their media release the city invites residents to be a part of adding to the urban forest through these free events by planting a total of 2,400 saplings.
All events begin at 10:30 a.m. with the exception of the planting event on May 6 at Paletta Lakefront Park, which begins at 9 a.m. No pre-registration is required but attendees are asked to register upon arrival at the event.
This event is great for families.
• Saplings are in one-gallon pots that can be easily carried to planting spots
• No experience is needed. City arborists and planting experts will show attendees what to do.
What to wear/bring:
• Check the weather and dress for the conditions. We will be outside and will plant rain or shine.
• Wear sturdy footwear – no sandals or flip-flops, please.
• Bring your own work/gardening gloves.
• Bring your own snacks and beverages, and plenty of water, especially if it’s hot.
• Bring your own shovel, if possible.
• Consider going green to the planting; walk, bike, carpool or use public transit.
• Bring your volunteer hour form if you’re a high school student looking for volunteer hours.
Burlington Green tells its side of the story:
I just saw your latest posting and wanted to let you know that not only is BurlingtonGreen fully aware of the City’s great community tree planting events taking place this Spring but we have been actively promoting them and will be participating as well, including having a few of our volunteers joining in the fun at Sherwood Park this Saturday. We are very happy they are hosting a tree planting event this Saturday and the City kindly consulted with us before including the April 22nd opportunity in their line up of event dates. It will be wonderful to have people both cleaning up our communities while others plant some trees. Those planting trees will be wrapped up around noon with plenty of time to head over to our Eco-Fair Celebration to have some fun there too.
Hope to see everyone on Saturday. Bring some sunshine please
 By Pepper Parr
April 20th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
A number of months ago we asked the Halton District School Board trustees to rank the values they would bring to the decision they will have to make on June 7thy – do they vote to close any of the high schools in Burlington – Nelson, Bateman, Pearson and Central have been named for possible closure in June of 2018
 The original recommendation to the trustees was Option 19 – to close both Central and Pearson. In the first round of selections by the PARC members many held to that option. When Nelson and Bateman were put on the table the numbers changed.  Not closing any of the schools was not the favoured option (#7) amongst the PARC members. Not closing any of the high schools was also listed as an option and came out as the preferred option for the majority of the members of the Program Accommodation Review.
The Gazette wanted to let its readers know what values the trustees would bring to the table.
Our first request to the trustees didn’t result in very much other than Board Chair Kelly Amos saying the trustees did not want to attempt to influence that PARC in any way. Fair enough – but the PARC has now been dissolved. We again asked: Could the people who elected the trustees know where those trustees stand on the following:
Fiscal prudence
Academic offerings
Community
One isn’t better than another – the intention was to get some understanding as to what the values were of each trustee so that when people delegate they can put forward arguments that would resonate with the trustees.
This time, to date, there was a response from Ward 5 school board trustee Amy Collard. She said:
School Board trustee Amy Collard You have requested that trustees determine a ranking for our decision-making priorities for the PAR. For me, this is a bit like asking us to determine if the mind, the heart or the soul are the most important parts of a person. All of these parts are necessary, and if one part is lacking the person does not function well. In addition, there are many other parts that may not be considered vital, but that increase a person’s quality of life.
I will be looking for a solution that provides all of the students in Burlington with equitable access to the programming that they need to be successful in their chosen pathway, while honouring their ties to their communities and being mindful that we must be fiscally responsible.
As you know, this is a difficult proposition. I will be listening to the students and their families, as well as reviewing all of the data that has been compiled, and trying to find a way to balance all of the perspectives. I remain hopeful that the Director will present a recommendation that trustees – and the Burlington community – will be able to support.
As a safe political statement it doesn’t get much better than that.
 Ward 5 city council member Paul Sharman. Collard is said to have political aspirations and an interest in taking a run for the ward 5 seat on city council. With comments like this she will be a welcome replacement for the blunt, brusque statements current council member for the ward Paul Sharman makes.
Director of Education Stuart Miller will release his recommendation to the trustees on Friday at 6:00 pm. The Gazette will analyze the report and look for feedback from key people in each school’s parent group and report to our readers.
By Staff
April 20th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The company that will build the new courthouse where provincial offences will be heard has been announced. The Court House will serve the residents of Burlington, the Town of Oakville, the Town of Milton and the Town of Halton Hills.
The new courthouse will be built at 4085 Palladium Way in Burlington Alton Village, under Design-Build and Leaseback agreement with a 30 year lease. It will serve the people of Burlington, Halton Hills, Milton and Oakville. Construction will begin this spring with a January 2019 completion.
 New provincial offences Court House to be located on the edge of the Alton Village Community is scheduled to open in January of 2019.  Site plan for the provincial offences Court House to be built in the Alton Village Community. Scheduled to be ready for occupation in January 2019 The structure will be designed and built by Gross Capital Inc., constructed by Buttcon Ltd. and leased to Halton Court Services.
Once complete, the new courthouse will administer provincial offences court services for all of Halton Region. Provincial offences court services deal strictly with non-criminal provincial offences charges issued in Halton. These non-criminal charges include:
• Highway Traffic Act offences, such as speeding, driving without insurance or failing to stop at a red light
• Municipal bylaw offences, such as excessive noise, animal control or garbage disposal
• Offences under provincial legislation such as the Environmental Protection Act, the Occupational Health and Safety Act, the Dog Owners’ Liability Act or the Trespass to Property Act.
As a division of the City of Burlington’s Legal Department, Halton Court Services administers Provincial Offences Act court services on behalf of the municipal partnership within the Halton area through two locations: one in Burlington and one in Milton. These two existing courts for provincial offences will relocate to 4085 Palladium Way once the new courthouse is built.
The Milton and Burlington court service locations are 16,000 square feet (1,486 square metres) combined. The new facility, at 34,000 square feet (3,159 square metres), will meet today’s needs more effectively and will help Halton Court Services plan 30 years into the future.
Justice is a very profitable business for the municipal sector. Financial results for the end of the third quarter of 2016 were:
• Gross revenues of $6,909,402 (81.0% of budget)
• Overall expenditures of $3,283,653 (72.9% of budget)
• Year-to-date net revenue of $3,625,749 (90.0% of budget)
That $3 million gets shared by the municipalities in the Region
Given the continuing growth in population, a moderate increase of 1,000 charges (71,000) is projected for 2017. Gross revenue for Halton Court Services in 2017 is budgeted at $8.82 million as compared to $8.53 million during 2016.
Included in the report was mention of “red light” cameras – they produce offence notices that pull in an excess of $300 for those who chose to run that red light at two in the morning.
The new courthouse is designed by the Ventin Group Ltd. to capture the changing and evolving landscape of Halton Region in the design. The natural environment is echoed in the design through the selection of landscape materials.
• The north half of the building is a stone wall, reflecting the strong and secure Niagara Escarpment.
• The south half is a glass wall, symbolic of transparency—a virtue and goal for the justice system. The glass wall is lined with a series of wooden pillars representing the natural woodlands of Halton Region.
• The glass walls facing east and west are treated with wavy, coloured glazing to represent the character and motion of the local creeks.
• The thin, white roof canopy captures a thin blanket of snow overhanging to the south to provide sun shading for the glass—appropriate for a Canadian institution.
The new courthouse will be a dignified building, timeless in design, welcoming to the public and comfortable for all staff using the facility.
Building the new, consolidated Ontario Court of Justice – Halton Provincial Offences Office courthouse is a long-term commitment to meet the demand of provincial offences and help improve access to justice.”
 By Staff
April 19th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Halton Regional Police will continue to run two traffic initiatives across the City of Burlington throughout 2017.
The most common contributing factors to traffic accidents are inattentiveness, distracted driving (cell phone use), failing to yield, driving too fast for road conditions, following too closely and disobeying traffic light signals.
 Halton Regional Police Chief Stephen Tanner talks with Sgt Davies, the man who heads up the accident reconstruction unit. The Police continue to encourage residents to report traffic complaints by going to the Halton Regional Police Website and submitting the required information on-line.
Operation RISC (Reducing Intersection Safety Concerns) has been in effect since 2015 by officers from 30 Division, in order to maximize police visibility and increase the public’s perception of safety while driving.
Collisions at intersections have a high risk potential of serious injuries or even death, making intersection safety a priority for the Halton Regional Police.
The Police have also continued the Residential Traffic/Stop Sign/Speeding (RTSS) Initiative in order to deliver a clear message to drivers that our residential roads are not raceways. This traffic safety initiative was designed to increase compliance of stop signs. Police have utilized education and enforcement strategies throughout 2017 in order to reduce the speeds of vehicles travelling on residential roadways and to promote safer driving habits.
One tactic is to park a police cruiser close to the side of a road – there seems to be this automatic interaction between the foot on the gas pedal and they eye seeing a police cruiser – the eye apparently forces the foot to apply less pressure to the gas pedal.
During the first 3 months of 2017, officers in Burlington conducted 6,495 traffic stops, issued 4,576 Provincial Offences Notices and handed out more than 1,000 warnings to drivers. Halton Police spent a total of 3,628 hours dedicated to these two initiatives throughout Burlington.
As a result of this initiative; during the first three months of 2017, property damage motor vehicle collisions were down 9% and personal injury motor vehicle collisions were down 2% from 2016.
Police will continue to focus their efforts at locations that pose a higher risk to the public based on past collision analytic data. “Our officers will continue to educate drivers about their behaviour behind the wheel. Road Safety is everyone’s responsibility. We all need to do our part behind the wheel to ensure our roadways are safe for everyone” said Sgt. Jared McLeod, District Response Unit.
Police will continue to focus on drivers who are driving impaired, distracted and aggressive behind the wheel in order to protect and ensure the safety of all residents.
These measures and others are part of the Service’s broader Community First policing philosophy that focuses on incorporating the four pillars of (community) safety and well-being into service priorities: Emergency Response, Risk Intervention, Prevention, and Social Development.
If any citizen would like to report a traffic concern they can do so by visiting our website and submitting an online traffic complaint.
By Staff
April 19th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
It is another one of those opportunities where ward 2 council member Marianne Meed Ward invited people to a meeting where they could roll up their sleeves and put some of their ideas on paper.
 Mayor, on the left talks to citizens about plans for downtown development during a Downtown Destinations event put on by ward 2 Councillor Marianne Meed Ward. The meeting – this Thursday at the Lions Club – at 6:30 is a continuation of the Destination Downtown series of meetings that began in 2015
At that time the city was working on a re-write and update of the Official Plan. Since that time the decision was made to scrap the Official Plan we had and start all over again.
The DRAFT of the new plan has been released and will be going through a series of public meetings.
There is an opportunity for the Planning department to explain what an Official Plan does and does not do.
Burlington has this huge fear of a development application coming in – finding that it isn’t all that keen on what was put in front of them but worried silly that the developer will appeal a city decision to the Ontario Municipal Board.
 Robert Molinaro explaining the plans for a development in ward 2 during a Downtown Destination event. The good news at that level is the province is currently reviewing the OMB and its role.
Early signs are that the public might see a vastly different OMB role – one that would limit what developers can do.
The problem with that is one ends up with a municipality that gets the NIMBY (Not in my back yard) infection and nothing gets built.
Finding a balance is the challenge.
Members of Council are beginning to voice their views and concerns – so far they have been talking about the issues within their wards – the Plan is a city wide document. Are we seeing early signs if NIMBY?
 By Pepper Parr
April 19th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Will the evening be remembered as one of the historical moment in the cultural life of the city of Burlington – or will it be just another non-profit organization that seemed like a good idea at the time?
Only time will tell but the Arts and Cultural Council of Burlington (ACCOB) was launched in the lobby of the Performing Arts Centre on April 18th, 2017.
 The formative Board of the Arts and Cultural Council of Burlington, ACCOB: Left to right: Kim Verrall, Teresa Seaton, Robert Mayor, Rob Missen, Ancilla Ho Young, Donna Grandin, and Tim Park at the microphone. There was a city council meeting that evening and just about every member of Council was in the lobby of the PAC up to watch the momentous occasion. There were enough of them in the lobby to form a quorum – they could have gathered in a corner and conducted the city’s business on the spot.
There weren’t just members of city council in the room. A local youth choir sang and a lovely young girl from an Orchard community school played her violin flawlessly – giving the audience a rendition of a Vivaldi Concerto. Yoanna Jang was a delight to listen to.
 ACCOB vice chair, Ancilla Ho Young Getting an Arts Council set up is an organizational matter. They now have to determine what their mandate is and how they want to execute on that mandate.
This all started back in 2013 when Trevor Copp stood before city council and said he wanted to be able to work in his home town and not have to toodle along the QEW to earn a living.
The irony of the evening was that Copp could not be on hand – he was out of town doing a show.
There were a number of arts community stalwarts – Teresa Seaton, Tim Park, Rob Missen
Mayor Goldring and former Mayor Walter Mulkewich were on hand – Goldring might have been thinking through how much ACCOB was going to want in the way of funding.
The important point is that the organization has moved beyond an idea – now it is up to them to lobby the city; seek funding and advocate for the Arts.
Will they mount programs of their own?
Will they find people within the city that will support the arts in general?
Will they hold the well-funded Performing Arts Centre the Art Gallery of Burlington and the Museums to account?
Burlington doesn’t have an arts or cultural profile even though the city has produced and been home to some very significant talent. The late Gordy Tapp lived here; the Spoons came out of this city, Walk Off the Earth has roots in the city. Robert Bateman worked from Burlington for some time.
 Trevor Copp, the Burlington actor who mobilized the arts into a Collective makes a point on leadership while Executive Director of the Burlington Museum’s operation listens. There are countless others. What Burlington has not been able to do – yet – is pull the history and the story of Burlington into focus and draw people to the city.
Burlington has relied on the Sound of Music and Ribfest to draw the multitudes – both are looking a little warn and have not managed to achieve a refresh and create a new life for themselves.
In the past Burlington has been a place where things happened. There is a spot along the waterfront, in Spencer Smith Park that is referred to as “pebble beach”. It is a collection of large stones – but, as Councillor Jack Dennison will tell you – if you look closely you might see some of the old pilings that once held up the Brant Inn – which in its day was a jumping spot – the place to be.
Many of the black musicians would take the train to Burlington and play in a place where they could eat, sleep and work in the same building and not be treated as second class citizens.
The city has not managed to build on that illustrious and colourful past.
ACCOB has its work cut out for it – the good news is that there are some very good people on that board – they could make it happen.
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