 By Staff
April 19th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The matter of the city getting involved in the closing of high schools got itself in front of city council again last night – the outcome as the same. The city is going to sit on its hands.
 Denise Davy Denise Davy, a community advocate delegated to city council and made comments that are worth repeating and sharing.
She said:
Last month, Minister of Education Mitzie Hunter reminded School boards and municipal councils that they are required to work with and consult with each other on the impact of school closures and how they will affect the community.
To quote, Minister Hunter said, “our school boards and municipalities must make every effort to work together to ultimately support positive experiences for our students and the communities they live in.”
In an interview with CBC radio on March 29th, Minister Hunter repeated this statement that municipal leaders and school board leaders should be working together when it comes to making the difficult decisions around closures.
To quote from that interview, Minister Hunter said schools are the heart of a community, “That conversation (between school boards and councils) needs to be happening.”
This did not happen in Burlington and I believe it is a solid reason for city council to ask the province that this process be suspended.
 Central high school Schools are a critical component of our city and we need to know the social and economic impact of what these closures will mean. Some municipalities have written to the province requesting a moratorium of the closure process while others have asked for staff reports to study the impact of those closures.
Sarnia’s city council did an extensive Community Impact Assessment Study that helped determine how the school closures fit in with their strategic plan.
Toronto Council voted unanimously to ask the city manager for an inventory of city interests in schools and also sent a request to the TDSB and province asking to change the school funding formula and review its approach on school closures.
The list of municipalities which have called for a suspension of the process is long so I won’t read all the names but I have printed it out.
What I want to make absolutely clear is that the high noise volume around this issue isn’t just an emotional outpouring because parents don’t want to see their child’s school close. Parents get that there are empty seats, they understand the issue of population decline just as they understand there is only so much money in the education pot.
The emails and calls you’ve been receiving are not about that. It’s about the process.
 Parents at a public meting on high school closures As one of the hundreds of parents who have had a front row seat to this process, I can tell you not only from a procedural viewpoint it is deeply flawed, it has not followed ministry guidelines and worst of all, it has moved at such a breakneck speed that many critical questions have been left unanswered.
The closure of some 600 schools across the province is being called the largest and fastest sweep of school closures in the history of this province. And it’s all happening in communities like ours in a matter of months.
Consider that Bateman and Nelson were only officially added to the possible closure list in early February which means there will have been two and a half months to study all of the pitfalls of closing of the schools.
There have been no in-depth reports or studies detailing the short and long-term impact these closures will have on students or on the city nor has there been any detailed reports on dollar costs.
Case in point is the city pool attached to Bateman. Both Gerry Cullen, the board’s Superintendent of Facility Services and Director Stuart Miller told me in face to face separate interviews that they had no idea what would happen to Centennial pool should Bateman close nor did they know the cost of construction to separate it from the school.
 Centennial swimming pool. Even if the province provided funding for this type of work, the pool would see far fewer people use it because it would no longer be used by students during the day, this is after some $2 million were spent on upgrading it. This is an example of how the closures would impact the city.
Central parents have asked for months about the grade 7 and 8 students who are in the high school and from what I know, they haven’t yet received an answer to that.
I came to this experience as a parent but I also brought a journalist’s perspective where I covered council meetings, OMB hearings, human rights tribunals and seen the inner workings of many processes.
I can tell you without any reservation the PAR has been the most disorganized, irresponsible and unaccountable process I have ever witnessed. Bar none.
We’re not talking about closing a strip plaza here. We’re talking about schools filled with hundreds of students and yet it’s being decided in less than three months.
 The Freeman Station Your council took longer to decide the fate of a heritage train station than a decision which will have far more ramifications.
Lastly, I want to address a concern that was raised about it being too late to step forward and that the motion would likely have no impact. I have to respectfully disagree on both points.
Your vote to support a suspension of this process could be the tipping point and even if it isn’t, it would send a message to tens of thousands of constituents that you understand their concerns.
 By Staff
April 19th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
While you were sleeping the Halton Regional Police Service were attempting to stop a Chev pickup truck at Walkers Line & Mainway.
It was 11:43 pm on April 18th – the driver of the pick-up refused to stop and a pursuit was initiated.
 High speed pursuit reached 140 km per hour – two cruisers collided – officer injured. The chase continued onto the QEW eastbound and was quickly terminated when the suspect driver began to reach speeds in excess of 140 km/h.
Two police cruisers collided during the pursuit and one officer suffered minor injuries and was transported to hospital.
The suspect vehicle was later set on fire in south Burlington and the suspects fled. The Fire Department attended and put the fire out.
The Ontario Provincial Police are investigating the collision on the QEW.
The police believe the three suspects involved stole a 2002 GMC Savannah Van Blue License AVZC492.
When police were pursuing the suspects managed to evade them and later abandoned the truck, set it on fire and fled.
The suspects were last seen headed W/B on the 403 in Hamilton.
Halton Police are continuing the investigation.
 By Staff
April 18th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
 Burlington for Accessible, Sustainable Transit (BFAST) welcomes today’s announcement that Sue Connor, general manager of Brampton Transit, has been appointed as Director of Burlington Transit.
She has impressive credentials and has been involved in some interesting initiatives to improve service and increase ridership in Brampton. Congratulations to both her and the city.
Under Connor’s direction, Brampton Transit introduced Züm, a rapid-transit route that features plush seats, heated shelters and laptop plugins. Last year, it became one of eight Ontario communities to participate in a trial of zero-emission, electric buses. And ridership in Brampton has risen the most of any community in the GTA over the past few years.
 Sue Connor, newly appointed Director of Burlington Transit. Her new approaches will be welcome in Burlington. But her biggest challenge will be to get anything done with a city council that has been extremely hostile to transit. Brampton Transit’s $1.00 senior fares, for example, would hit a brick wall at Burlington’c city council, which recently refused to experiment with free off-peak fares for over-65s. And she’ll have a tough row to hoe in trying to restore the provincial money that council took from transit to “shave and pave” residential streets (a move premised on highly suspect long-term savings).
 Doug Brown of Bfast doesn’t smile that often – a Director of Transit with a proven record brings a grin to his face “There are really big challenges ahead for transit in Burlington,” said BFAST Chair Doug Brown. “I hope the City gives her and Burlington Transit the additional resources needed to improve and grow. (Burlington spends less than one half per capita than the average of GTA municipalities on transit).”
While Brampton’s transit ridership has increased some 15% over the past three years, Burlington’s has plummeted by about the same amount. Ms. Connor will have the challenge of her career to restore Burlington’s transit system.
BFAST also wishes to thank Jeff Black, who brought a breath of fresh air as Burlington Transit’s Acting Director over the past few months. Jeff was open to new ideas and to meeting with transit users. We appreciated his attendance at this year’s Transit Users’ Forum and his commitment to Burlington Transit during his short tenure. We wish him well in future.
 By Staff
April 18th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The Art Gallery of Burlington is excited to present the third annual All Guilds Show (April 22 – May 21, 2017) in conjunction with the Kaleidoscope Exhibit and Sale on the opening weekend.
Each guild has presented their best work related to the Garden theme. This annual exhibition will celebrate the works of members from the guilds:
 – Fibre Arts Guild
– Burlington Fine Arts Association
– Burlington Handweavers and Spinners Guild
– Latow Photographers Guild
– Burlington Potters’ Guild
– Burlington Rug Hooking and Craft Guild
– Burlington Guild of Sculptors and Woodcarvers,
The Kaleidoscope of the Arts Exhibition and Sale takes place on:
Friday April 21 – Friday: 5pm – 7pm
Saturday: 10am – 5pm
Sunday April 23, 2017 12pm – 5pm
In the Art Gallery of Burlington (FREE PARKING)
There will be no shortage of hands-on activities for kids (of all ages):
Wood Carvers & Sculptors Studio – Wood Carving
Fine Arts Studio – Create a Painting
Fine Arts Studio – Art Card Exchange
Pottery Studio – Raku Firing
Weavers & Spinners Textile Studio – Weaving & Spinning
Community Corridor – Fibre Arts
Darkroom – Create a Photograph
Lakeshore Rotary Room – Rug Hooking
 By Staff
April 18th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The city claims it has found the person who is going to clear up the mess over at Burlington Transit.
In a media release the city announced that “After an extensive search and evaluation of highly qualified candidates, the City of Burlington is appointing Sue Connor as the new Director of Burlington Transit.
Let’s hope the right choice has been made – the staff over at Transit have been thirsting for a solid, experienced innovative transit leader. Transit users would dearly like to see some innovation and consistency to the service and city hall will certainly want to see the ridership numbers climb up rather than continue the current slide.
Sue Connors – newly appointed Director of Transit – she will take her fist bus out for a test run May 23rd. Connor began her career in 1976 working for Canada Post, moving quickly through the ranks of the government agency over her 12 year career in a series of managerial posts. In 1988 she made the move to the transit industry working for Mississauga Transit in a number of positions in their Operations department and finally leading that department.
Currently, Connor is the General Manager, Transit for the City of Brampton the ninth largest city in Canada, a position she has held since 2003. Connor is currently the Chair of the Canadian Urban Transit Association and Chair of Canadian Urban Transit Research and Innovation Consortium.
Connor’s first day with Burlington Transit is May 23, 2017.
James Ridge, City Manager says he is “… delighted to have Sue as part of our team. She brings a wealth of information and experience and is coming to us at a critical time as we are in the beginning stages of our Integrated Transit Master Plan which will shape the direction of our public transit for years to come.
Ridge thanked Jeff Black for his interim leadership of the Department. “He has not just been a caretaker leader, but has initiated a range of important work, including the beginnings of the Integrated Master Transit Plan.”
The city wants to keep an eye on Black – if there is going to be a deputy director – he is your man.
 By Pepper Parr
April 17th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
What are the issues facing the eleven members of the Halton District School Board as they review the information that is going to be fed to them by Board staff and the delegations that are made by parents who do not want to see the school their children attend closed?
There are currently about 550 high school students taking a bus to get to school.
Using the different high school closing options the following is the projections that was given to the PAR committee.
Busing increases:
Nelson closes – add 364 students to the busing number
Bateman only add 262 students to the busing number
No schools close add 131 students to the busing number
Central and Pearson close add 602 students to the busing number
Bateman and Pearson close add 286 students to the busing number
Central and Pearson close add 615 students to the busing number
The projection is that more than 1000 students will be riding a school bus if Central high school is closed where a reported 92% of the students walk to school.
The cost of transporting those students is said to amount to $400,000 per year.
The amount of money aside – the real issue for the Board is going to be finding the people to drive those school buses. The Board doesn’t actually have to find the drivers – the company they contract with has to find the drivers – but it all boils down to the same thing – school bus drivers don’t get paid very much
 Early in this academic year there were desperate pleas from the HSTS – Halton Student Transportation Service for people to apply for a part time job driving a school bus.
School bus drivers get between $55 and $75 a day; there are no benefits and they get paid for just the days they drive a bus. A source told the Gazette that school bus drivers are amongst the highest users of Food Bank services in Halton. This is an operation that is ripe for unionization.
The HSTS is a corporation owned by the Halton District School Board and the Halton Catholic District School Board and is operated on a cost recovery basis.
The French Catholic School Board was at one time part of the consortium but they dropped out.
 Director of Education Stuart Miller Stuart Miller, the Director of Education, has said that his Board has no idea how the manpower problem will get resolved in the event that the trustees decide Central high school should be closed. He has not said if there are any contingency plans being developed.
No one, apparently, taken a look at what student life will look like if 1000+ students are riding school buses to get to their classes.
What happens to sports teams?
What about student clubs?
What about their social life – how do they hang around and chill out and learn from each other?
The environmentalists will talk about the tonnes of CO2 the buses will pump into the air and they won’t do much for traffic congestion either.
Will there be two classes of high school students: one social class that uses a school bus and is limited in what they can do extra-curricularly because of the school bus schedule and another class of student that can walk or ride their bikes or have their parents act as chauffeurs?
These are all serious and significant issues – someone should be thinking about what the impact is going to be or will be looking at unintended consequences once we are six or seven months into a new school bus program?
The answers to the questions – or at last some kind of a projection should have been prepared by Board staff so that both the trustees and the parents have some idea of what the consequences are if a lot of high school students have to catch that bus every morning – and every afternoon.
What would a day in the life of a high school student look like if they were attached with close to an umbilical cord to a bright yellow school bus?
 By Pepper Parr
April 18th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The Halton District School Board Program Accommodation Review Committee (PARC) has been wound down and thanked for the superb job they did. The community now waits to see what impact their deliberations will have on the report Director of Education Stuart Miller delivers to the public and the trustees this Friday.
The report is to be published on line by Board Staff at 6:00 pm on Friday. (Hopefully the web site will manage to handle the demand for the report.)
 Halton District School Board PARC committee meeting while public observes the deliberations. It was a committee that required a couple of meetings to find itself – many of the people did not know each other very well or at all.
Many of the people on the PARC had serious concerns with the process that was being used. Central high school parents challenged the Board on the approach it was taking to what was a new process put in place by the provincial government. The high school parents lost that argument.
Add to this the significant concern with the Central high school choice of Marianne Meed Ward as their nominee to the PARC. Being the member of council for ward 2 and agreeing to serve on the PARC did not sit well with many.
 Ward 5 City Councillor |Paul Sharman. Bateman high school is in his ward. He had to be seen going to bat for them. Burlington city council was firm on not getting involved – that was until Bateman high school was listed as a possible school closure – that brought Ward 5 council member Paul Sharman into play. He strode into one of the PARC meetings to observe for he now had political skin in the game.
He then brought a motion to have the city write a letter to the Minister of Education to bring a halt to the PARC that was meeting in Burlington. That vote at city council lost 5-2.
But Sharman had shown that he would go to bat for his people – which was his purpose from the get go.
Meed Ward has always been a feisty member of Council – she was one of the more active delegators to city council before she was elected and she was the member of council who asked more questions than any other member of council once she got herself elected in ward 2.
She would call for recorded votes frequently and on one memorable occasion she had her colleagues on their feet five times for recorded votes. It was at that point that we saw just how much the members of Council could roll their eyeballs.
 Councillor Marianne Meed Ward with the Mayor in Spencer Smith Park. Many hoped the same “in your face” Meed Ward would be seen at the PARC meetings. For the most part that Meed Ward didn’t show up.
She was active, she asked solid questions and was supported by a parents group that did some fine research and supported her with demonstration after demonstration.
But the voice we heard at the PARC meetings wasn’t what many had expected.
Was Meed Ward curtailed at all by the objections to her being one of the Central high school PARC members? Curtail isn’t a word one would normally apply to Meed Ward.
Her colleagues on city council weren’t the least bit pleased – they have never been pleased with the way Meed Ward does politics in this city.
Some felt that if Meed Ward could lead the charge to save Central high school she would be seen as a shoo in for Mayor when the 2018 municipal election takes place.
The woman who has led many charges at city council wasn’t seen that often – if at all – at the PARC meetings. Admittedly she wasn’t in an environment she was familiar with – but then none of the PARC members knew much about the workings of the school board.
During a meeting of Central high school parents Meed Ward reported to them and said that while she was basically an optimistic person – she was concerned about the direction the discussions were going in.
Shortly after that meeting at the Lions Club – an at first subtle shift began to take place within the PARC and the option the Board Staff put forward to close both Central high school and Pearson began to lose to the idea of not closing any of the high schools.
That option was the clear choice of the PARC committee when it was disbanded.
The Director’s report will be released Friday – if the recommendation Director of Education Miller makes to the trustees is to not close any of the high schools the PARC will get much of the credit – Meed Ward will be seen as just another member of that committee.
If Miller, no matter how reluctantly, recommends closing Central, that community will erupt. What role will Meed Ward play in that eruption? It is not going to be pretty. She is no longer a member of the PARC – there is no PARC – it was disbanded.
She will certainly protest as a parent but the clout she had as a PARC member will have evaporated.
There were several members of the PARC that were exceptional in the way they moved the agenda; at times they came close to taking it out of the hands of the PARC Chair, School Board Superintendent Scott Podrebarac.
 What impact would the closing of the downtown high school have on the city? Much bigger than most can even imagine. It will be interesting to see just how Meed Ward handles herself when the report is released on Friday.
Everyone will be reading the report carefully – we do know that it is going to be a lengthy document with every department at the School Board having a significant impact.
Burlington can expect to see two things during the weekend: what kind of a Director of Education is Stuart Miller going to choose to be and how will a candidate for the office of mayor position herself on the most significant decision about the health and long term welfare of the city we have had to face in the last 15 years.
It will be interesting.
By Pepper Parr
April 17th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
It is now down to the eleven trustees – they will determine if any of the high schools in Burlington are to be closed.
The Program Accommodation Review Committee (PARC) that was created did some superb work – the Board Staff were taken aback a bit at how persistent and diligent they were.
 During the first occasion when PARC members were asked to rank their choices # 7 – Don’t close any high school was not all that high on the list. That changed and it now appears to be the option the PARC would prefer.  Option #19 – to Close both Central and Pearson was the Board Staff recommendation and the one that the the PARC members ranked higher than the option to not close any of the high schools. Option # 19 is no longer on the list of options that the PARC left on the table. The option of not closing any of the schools was barely on the table when the PARC process began and at the early look at where the PARC members stood what was known as Option # 7 didn’t rank all that well – but sentiment for that option grew and by the end of the PARC process it was the clear preference, with the trustee serving as an advisor to the PARC asking how not closing any of the schools could be made to happen.
That question could have and should have been put to the Board staff – they are the people well paid to run the educational system for the Region – which is something that can be looked at in the future.
For now – the voters are going to have to coax their trustees to act in the interests of the community and not be taken too far by the preferences of the Board staff.
A number of months ago the Gazette asked the eleven trustees to rank the following in terms of their importance to the individual trustee.
 Board chair Kelly Amos At that time Board Chair Kelly Amos said the trustees did not want to attempt to influence that PARC in any way. Fair enough – but the PARC has now been dissolved. 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.
At a recent parent council meeting at Lester B. Pearson high school a small audience held trustee Papin’s feet to the flames when they asked her to tell them she was going to support their school.
 Burlington’s Ward 4 school board trustee Richelle Papin Papin was in a difficult spot – two of the schools in her ward are amongst the options for closing. Both Pearson and Nelson are in ward 4. That is what they call a “sticky wicket”.
Papin could have very easily said she was for Option # 7 – keep all the schools open and direct staff to find a way to pay for it. The Director of Education has already said this was not a money issue and that the Board did not have to close any of the schools.
Papin didn’t seem to be able to assure the Pearson parents – her response was that she didn’t yet have all the information yet.
 Four of the eleven Halton District School Board trustees sitting in on one of the public meetings. The trustees need to be decisive and represent the interests of their communities using the values they hold as a guide. Is fiscal prudence more important than community? Is the academic offering more important that fiscal prudence? Tough questions – there is no right or wrong answer – it is a question of individual values. The 11 trustees are going to make a critical decision for the city of Burlington – what are they going to base that decision on?
 By Pepper Parr
April 16th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The weather could have been better but that didn’t matter all that much for Stuart Miller, Halton District School Board, Director of Education – the top position in a school board; he was busy thinking through the report that will be made public Friday April 21st on which, if any, high schools in Burlington should be closed.
Millers report to the Board of Trustees last October was that both Central High school and Lester B. Pearson high school need to be closed because the board has 1800 seats that do not have students in them.
When the report was released to the Trustees they had to make a decision, which they did – that was to create a Program Accommodation Review which called for the creation of a committee.
 The 14 members of the PARC and their advisors. That committee was created and met on seven different occasions to look at the facts and serve as a communication channel between the Board and the community.
The flow and quality of the information from the Board of Education became suspect quite early in the game – and it didn’t get any better. The quality of the members of the Program Accommodation Review Committee (PARC) surprised the Board of Education staff. These 14 people (two from each high school) were not going to go quietly into the night. The Board Staff came up with 19 options. That climbed to close to 40 which the PARC people whittled down to five.
They were:
Do not close any of the high school – re-work the existing boundaries to balance the high school students more evenly.
or
Close Robert Bateman in June 2018.
or
Close Nelson in June 2018
or
Close Central and Pearson in June 2018
or
Close Lester B. Pearson in June 2018
There are a lot of provisions and conditions attached to each of these closure options. The Gazette published a detailed list of the options CLICK HERE
 Donna Danielli asked – pleaded – with the PARC members to come up ways to keep all the Burlington high schools open. Donna Danielli, a Milton based Board of Education trustee, sat on the PARC as an advisor. During the last meeting of the PARC she asked, it was really more of a plea, for the PARC members to come up with a way for the Trustees to keep all the schools open.
The process and procedure schedule is as follows:
Wednesday April 26, 2017 – Director’s Final Report will be presented to the Board of Trustees at the Committee of the Whole meeting.
Monday May 8, 2017 (6 pm) – Public Delegation Night.
Thursday May 11 (6 pm) – Public Delegation Night.
Wednesday May 17, 2017 (7 pm) – Board meeting. Final Report to Board of Trustees for “information”.
Wednesday June 7, 2017 (7 pm) – Board meeting. Final Report to Board of Trustees for “decision”.
 The eleven members of the Halton District school Board will decide how many, if any, of the high schools in Burlington are to be closed in 2018 However, anything that happens from this point forward is in the hands of the trustees – they can do whatever they wish. If they don’t like what they are given they can instruct the staff to take the work they have done so far and rework some of the options.
 Chair of the Halton District School Board Kelly Amos Halton unfortunately does not have much in the way of leadership at the trustee level. Eight of the 11 woman on the Board have just over two years’ experience. Kelly Amos, an Oakville based trustee, has been close to mute while the PARC meeting were taking place. Many argue that this is what she should have done.
One is pressed to recall a situation where the Chair actually guided her Board. It is a one vote per trustee operation and Burlington has just four of the 11 votes; six are needed for Burlington to keep all its high schools open.
It all comes down to the content of the report Stuart Miller submits.
Will it be a mish-mash of all the data that has come in; will it be based on his core belief that the academic offering is the most important issue or will he consider the role of community in the placement of high schools?
Miller has already said it is not a money issue and he has also said that the Board does not have to close any of the high schools. It was the level of the utilization rates that triggered the Program Accommodation Review. Miller is on record as having said this process should have been done a number of years ago.
 Stuart Miller on the right at a Robotics information session that attracted more than 400 students. Stuart Miller is a passionate defender of the quality of the academic offering his Board offers the students. He wants every school to allow every students to study want they want to study, which is what drives his preference for large schools with student populations of well over 1000.
Miller has been Director of Education for more than a year; he was appointed in September of 2015.
He is a relatively young man who does not appear to have career aspirations that would take him to the Ministry of Education at some point in his career. He is at heart a high school teacher who can recall the first name of most of his past students. It is not unusual to see him out at a student event on a Saturday morning. He is proud of what his Board offers and while Halton doesn’t get the level of funding other boards get Halton has always ranked well on how its students fare in academic standings.
The challenge before Miller this weekend is the biggest he has faced as a senior Board staff member. He has another challenge that will follow right behind the school closing issue and that is the matter of French Immersion classes.
 Joey Edwardh, president of Community Development Halton and Stuart Miller Miller is a practical man – he also has a sense of humour. At a recent Board of Education meeting he gave his report entirely in Gaelic – to the astonishment of the Chair. He didn’t give an interpretation of the Gaelic either. So he has a sense of history, heritage and community values.
Is he capable of realizing and understanding that even the very best academic offering is not of much use if it is delivered in an environment that is devoid of the community it takes place in?
Miller does not live in the Region; his home is in the High Park part of Toronto but the bulk of his academic career has been with the Halton Board.
He has listened too many in the community, however there are those that argue he does not hear what they are saying. He is one of the most accessible bureaucrats this reporter has encountered.
For the sake of the people of Burlington one hopes that Stuart Miller took several long walks during the weekend and began to get close to deciding what kind of a Director is he going to be.
 From the left, Ward 6 Councillor Blair Lancaster signing the 20 year $1.3 million naming rights deal with Chris Haber in the Centre. Chris Glenn on the right is pleased with that much cash. The Haber Recreational centre id part of the Hayden high school complex. One hopes that he proves to be better than the past Directors of Education who let things slide so badly that we now face the mess we are dealing with.
Both past trustees and past Directors have a lot to be ashamed about. The creation of Hayden high school, the newest in the city, which is now over crowded – at a 150% plus utilization, may be a decision that kills the downtown core of the city.
By Staff
April 13, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
A reported sexual assault which occurred in Burlington on March 21st, 2017 is being investigated by the Halton Regional Police Service.
A 16 year old male was walking in the area of Palmer Drive and Bentworth Drive between 11:30pm and midnight when he approached a stopped vehicle. The victim was forced inside the vehicle by a male suspect where he was sexually assaulted by two males. The victim was eventually released a short distance away near Michael Crescent.
 Sexual assault reported to have taken place on the Palmer Drive community. The suspect vehicle is described as a black utility van with tinted front windows bearing a blue and yellow licence plate.
Suspect #1 is described as male, possibly Hispanic, 6’ 1”, heavy set build, wearing a black shirt, mask and a hood.
Suspect #2 is male, possibly Hispanic, 5’ 11”, wearing a black shirt, black mask and a hood.
There have been no other reported incidents involving these suspects to date.
A time delay in reporting the initial incident was encountered and police would like to warn the public to be vigilant with their safety and report any suspicious incidents to police immediately.
Police are asking anyone with information regarding this or similar incidents to contact Detective Rob Todd of the Child Abuse and Sexual Assault Unit at 905-465-8975. Crime Stoppers
“See something, Hear something, Say something” at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), through the web
By Pepper Parr
April 13th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
There are going to be two evenings set aside for delegations to the school board on the matter of the Program Accommodation Review the board is currently conducting.
The plan is to hear 25 delegations each evening with the delegator given five minutes to make their case. Five minutes are allocated for the trustees to ask questions or seek clarification.
Dates and times for both registering to be a delegation and dates on which people will be heard have been published.
At a Parent-school committee meeting at Lester B. Pearson high school earlier in the week there was considerable confusion as to just what the process was going to be for the allocation of the delegation slots.
 Parents at a Lester B. Pearson high school – parent school meeting. The selection of the delegations is not being done on a “first come – first served” basis.
All the delegation applications are given to a staff member who prepares a list which is then given to the Chair who will determine who speaks and when they speak.
The concern at the Board staff level is that people provide enough information so that the selection of delegations is based on information. If your application to delegate is not clear – expect a phone call from the Board staff member handling the documents. The Board staff are asking delegation applicants to be as detailed as they can.
The eleven school board trustees will make the final decision on whether or not a high school(s) is to be closed and if yes – which one(s). There has been a view that the Board might want to limit delegations from one of the high schools. The staff member handling the applications is just shuffling paper and passing it on to the Chair of the school board. The staff member would like to ensure that what she passes on has some detail so that the chair can make fair decisions.
There are going to be literally hundreds of parents who will want to delegate and plead with the trustees to not close the school that every member of the family for several generations has attended and that they all love dearly.
 Director of Education Stuart Miller listening to high school students. While such a delegation may make the person speaking feel all fuzzy and warm – it will do little to inform the trustees or the Director of Education.
There are many voices in the community that do not trust the Board of Education to be fair in the allocation of the 50 slots. It is not the Board staff that will be determining who gets to speak – it will be the trustees you elected.
The Gazette has been given to believe that if there are far too many delegation requests to be heard in the two evenings that have been set aside – additional time might be made available.
The desire, as explained to the Gazette, is to give people a chance to make their case so that the Director of Education can make a recommendation that includes what he hears at the delegation meetings and can arrive at a recommendation that includes the views of the parents.
The trustees need to hear viewpoints that are more than an emotional plea.
In fairness to the schools that are under threat of being closed it is vital that they be given an opportunity to delegate fully. One would think that the trustees would look for a way to ensure that each of the four high schools: Central; Bateman; Nelson and Pearson could be guaranteed a minimum number of delegation slots to make their case with the trustees.
And the allocation of those guaranteed slots should be assigned by the members of the The PAR committee who have worked very hard and know the case that is being made for their school extremely well – the Chair must ensure that they be guaranteed time to speak and not be squeezed out by the running of a clock.
There are some fundamental principles of fairness in play here and the trustees need to be extremely sensitive to the anxiousness in their communities.
Board of Education Chair Kelly Amos: lead in a fair and impartial manner. The Chair of the Board needs to show some leadership and assure the community that they know they were elected to lead and then to do so in a fair and impartial manner.
This is the time for those people deeply concerned about what happens to ensure that the trustees know what you expect of them.
If the trustees fail to more than adequately meet the needs of the parents who have something to say – there will be an opportunity for the voters to show their appreciation in the June 2018 election.
 By Staff
April 13th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
City Hall: Will be closed on Friday, April 14 and Monday, April 17, 2017, reopening on Tuesday, April 18, 2017.
 Parks and Recreation Programs and Facilities: Parks and Recreation Programs and Facilities: Activities and customer service hours at city pools, arenas and community centres will vary over the holiday weekend. Please visit burlington.ca/play for a complete listing of program times and burlington.ca/servicehours for hours at customer service locations.
Burlington Transit and Handi-Van: On Friday, April 14, Burlington Transit will operate a holiday service and the downtown Transit Terminal will be closed. Regular service resumes Saturday, April 15. The administration offices are closed on Friday, April 14 and will reopen Tuesday, April 18. Call 905-639-0550 or visit burlingtontransit.ca for more information.
Roads and Parks Maintenance: The administrative office will be closed on Friday, April 14 and Monday, April 17, reopening on Tuesday, April 18. Only emergency service will be provided.
Halton Court Services: Provincial Offences Courts in Milton and Burlington will be closed Friday, April 14 and Monday, April 17.
 Parking: Free parking is available in the downtown core at all pay machines located on the street, municipal lots and the parking garage on weekends and holidays.
By Staff
April 13th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
An investigation that started in 2015 has resulted in a number of criminal charges being laid by the Halton Regional Police – Regional Fraud Unit (HRPS-RFU) against a former Region of Halton employee.
It is alleged the 17 year former employee defrauded the Region of Halton of approximately $770,000 since 2008 by fraudulently administering /awarding Region contracts to a Hamilton based company named Sirron Systems Inc.
The HRPS-RFU became aware of Nicolas REWA’s fraud after the arrest in August 2016 of another former employee, David OHASHI, who was charged with similar offences.
HRPS – RFU have arrested and charged in relation to this incident:
• Nicolas REWA, 55 years, Mississauga, (Halton Region – Public Works Manager) is charged with 2 counts of Fraud over $5000, 2 counts Municipal Corruption, 2 counts Secret Commissions, 1 counts Laundering proceeds of crime, and 1 count of Property obtained by Crime,
• Marion REWA, 45 years, Mississauga, (wife of Nicolas Rewa) is charged with 1 count of Fraud over $5000, and 1 count of Possession of property obtained by crime,
• David NORRIS, 52 years, Stoney Creek, (Sirron Systems Inc. employee) is charged with 2 counts of Fraud over $5000, 2 counts Municipal Corruption, 2 counts Secret Commissions, 1 counts Laundering proceeds of crime, and 1 count of Property obtained by Crime.
The accused are scheduled to appear in Milton Provincial Court on Tuesday May 9th, 2017.
Anyone who may have information about this investigation is being asked to call investigators at the Regional Fraud Unit at 905-825-4747 ext 8739. Crime Stoppers “See something, Hear something, Say something” at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.ca or by texting “Tip 201” with your message to 274637 (crimes).
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By Pepper Parr
April 13th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
We were unable to cover the Open House the city held at the new Go Bold offices that have been set up for the planners that are doing the big think on the four mobility hubs that have become the hot new buzz words at city hall. Mobility hubs seems to have replaced intensification.
 The downtown hub is the first of the four that is going to get the “community engagement” treatment. Earlier in the week the city’s communications people set up a conference call that allowed us to exchange views with Mary Lou Tanner, Director of Planning.
The Gazette had a very poor connection – not sure if the problem was on our end or theirs – but it was difficult to have an in depth conversation with Tanner, who is usually quite willing to explain and put forward the reasons for the decisions made and the work being done by her department.
What we did learn was that the mobility hub intention is for people to be able to walk within the defined area of each mobility hub – and that the longest walking distance would be around a mile in length.
Ann McIlroy and Associates are on a three year contract to work with the Go Bold mobility hub team. The McIlroy team have done a lot of work with and for Burlington in the past. One of the more recent assignments was the detailed planning for the new Beachway Park. A lot of the very early design work was done by McIlroy.
 Much of the original design work for the Beachway Park concepts was done by Ann McIlroy and Associates – they are advising the city on the mobility hub thinking. Tanner described mobility hubs as a “higher order of transit” and said there was some science behind this kind of transportation thinking. The intention was to have “area specific plans” for each of the mobility hubs with the downtown hub being the first to get attention from the planners and the Grow Bold team.
The first meeting, the one that took place Wednesday evening, was intended to introduce people to the concept. A colleague of ours, comes out of the real estate sector, described the event as “underwhelming”
“I went to the Mobility Hub Open House. Just a few maps up on display and an “ask” for emails addresses so we could be kept informed. Lots of treats (cakes and candy) and coffee.”
There is another meeting scheduled for June 2nd that will focus on that downtown mobility hub with additional meetings to follow in the fall. Each of the hubs is to get this multi-meeting community engagement touch.
 The public was heavily involved in community engagement meetings where people poured over plans for a proposal the city had encouraged for the east end Lakeside Village Plaza. When the community engagement and the deep thinking is complete a report will go to city council where the Planner will ask for directions.
The approach for the Official Plan, which also comes out of the Planning department, where Andrea Smith, Manager of Policy and Research has been focused on getting the new Official Plan ready for the public. Smith spent years working on a revision of the old Official Plan. When Mary Lou Tanner was appointed the new Director of Planning she decided to press the reset button, take a pause and ask if the old Official Plan was worth a revision.
 The Escarpment is basically out of bounds from a planning perspective – except for some growth in the hamlets – Kilbride and Lowville. Tanner apparently decided that a totally new plan was needed – and that is what the city is now looking at.
The draft Official Plan that is being reviewed now is meant to align with the Strategic Plan; the approach being that the Official Plan is expected to create rules and regulations for developers to have a clear idea of what the city want to get done on the next 20 years. At this point we know that we are to grow up and not out – and that all this has to be done within the urban boundary. The Escarpment is out of bounds.
There are going to be three months of discussion and community engagement with perhaps ward specific meetings.
Municipal politics is like any other form of government – new brooms can be brought in and the Strategic Plan scrapped – the planners then have to tinker with and revise the Official Plan – an action that drives people in this city bananas.
By Pepper Parr
April 12th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
 The third annual Bfast Forum had its highest attendance ever. Just the one city Councillor plus the Mayor bothered to attend. The Gazette met with Collin Gribbons and Doug Brown to talk about what got achieved during the Burlington for Accessible Sustainable Transit (Bfast) event recently.
The event was the third Open Forum held on transit and recorded the highest attendance ever. “But have they gotten anything done” asked one commentator.
Good question and both Brown and Gribbons had much to say.
“First” said Brown, “is that the transit people were in the room. We have never been able to get them into the room and say something to the audience.”
The issue about transit has always been about funding – more money has to be put into transit to increase the level of service; to add additional services and to begin to come to the realization that transit is a serious part of every urban city, said Brown.
Everyone thinks that means adding to the tax base explained Brown. There is all kinds of money going into transportation and road maintenance. We have situations said Brown where some maintenance work is being done on a cul de sac that gets less traffic than my driveway.
 Ridership has fallen – due, according to Doug Brown, to the changes in the schedules and the level of service. Anyone attending the April Form on transit would have needed two hours to get from the north east part of the city to the library on New Street where the event was held,  Burlington has not adequately funded transit for close to a decade.  On almost every metric Burlington fails. Burlington has been consistent in always being lower than comparative municipalities in terms of how much it sends on transit.
Doug Brown has tried his best to explain to city council how much damage they do to transit when they change schedules or kill a transit route. It takes years for people to return to a service that gets arbitrarily changed.
What irks the Bfast people the most is that city council talks of modal splits and includes transit in that split but then fails to fund it adequately.
When given an opportunity to try to some changes on a pilot basis – city council finds a way to get out of trying anything different.
Advocating fr better transit is a disappointing task – that the Bfast people keep at it is a testament to their tenacity. These people are volunteers – many of them know more about transit than people at city hall – yet they continually fail to get the hearing they deserve.
There has been a small improvement – the city manager is now at least meeting with them.
The city does maintain an asset status system that sets out the condition of every street in the city including when it is due to have some work done on it.
It is that list which is used to determine how far behind the city is in keeping the roads up to a pre-determined standard. City council just has to give the Director of Transportation a Staff Direction – cut back on road maintenance by a specific percentage because we are moving those dollars into transit.
It is really that simple.
  What isn’t as simple if finding the political will to do that. Phone calls to a Councillor from a large house in that cul de sac has more weight than a call from a single parents who has trouble getting to work because the bus schedule was changed.
 Collin Gribbons, a Toronto transplant who was stunned when he found that he really couldn’t get around the city without a car. That’s not part of the story the city tells when they use the tag line: Burlington is one of Canada’s best and most livable cities, a place where people, nature and business thrive in all their media releases. They seem to believe that if they say it often enough it will become true. Bfast as a grass roots organization has grown. Collin Gribbons, a Toronto transplant who used public transit everywhere he went in that city, was a little stunned when he realized how limited public transit is in Burlington. He got involved in Bfast.
His background is in communications within the union sector – work he said he can do from almost anywhere. He moved to Burlington with his family to be closer to his wife’s Mother.
The Gribbons approach to community organizing is to create coalitions that can collaborate to achieve an objective.
The car drivers have a voice – listen to the complaints about the road diet that is being played around with on New Street Gribbons suggested.
His approach is to create coalitions of people who don’t have a voice and join them together to take a case forward to city council – that is where the change is going to get made.
Doug Brown has been toiling away at doing just that for years. When Bfast was formed they began to invite speakers to Burlington to talk about transit issues. “We were never able to get anyone from city hall or the transit service to attend these events. It was almost as if they didn’t want to hear ideas from leading transit thinkers, said Brown.
He will have some difficulty pulling the Burlington city council into that circle where they coordinate and collaborate.
If Gribbons is right and he can succeed in creating a coalition that is large enough to offset the impact of those who believe that God gave them the right to drive their cars to wherever they want to go the Bfast people might manage to bring about some change in the way transit is funded.
The city -will spend $24,785,000 on roads in 2017 – the budget for 2018 is projected at $32,065,000 and in 2019 they want to pump $45,428,000 into roads. Council consistently argues that they are years behind on keeping the roads up to the expected standard.
The transit people would like to see some of that roads maintenance money sent their way. Brown thinks that about $6 million would solve a lot of the transit problems.
Burlington Transit is currently without a Director. Jeff Black serves as the Acting Director. He is one of the staff at transit that is worth keeping an eye on.
By Pepper Parr
April 12th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
REVISED and CORRECTED
It was a regular Parent School Council meeting at Lester B, Pearson high school where principal Loraine Fedurco was taking the audience through what had been happening at the Board of Education where Staff had put forward a recommendation that, if voted for by the trustees, could result in the closing of the school in June of 2018.
Lester B. Pearson high school, named after a former Prime Minister, is the newest of the four high schools that are named in the five options on closure choices that will go before the trustees later this month. It is also the smallest high school in Burlington. One of the five options is to not close any of the high schools in the city.
Ward 4 trustee Richelle Papin The School Board trustee Richelle Papin was in attendance – they gave her a rough ride.
 George Ward George Ward, a resident was blunt and direct – are you going to vote to keep this school open – Yes or No.
Papin didn’t give a yes or a no answer – she said she wanted to wait until she had all the evidence.
Ward asked again – he asked a total of five times but never got a direct answer
Papin said she wanted to hear what the delegations had to say and she wanted to read what the Director of Education had to say in his report that will be released April 21st.
Unfortunately for Papin she didn’t have an answer ready for the audience. Their question – are you going to support us – was one that had to be expected.
The difficulty for Papin is that she is also the trustee for Nelson high school and there is amongst the five options now before the Director of Education a recommendation that Nelson be closed.
 Trustee Papin in a tough spot – two of the four schools that have been named for possible closure are in her ward. Papin is in the very uncomfortable position of having two schools in her ward that could be closed. Tough spot to be in.
This is Papin’s first term as a trustee – it may well be her last. It all depends on what the Director of Education puts forward.
 By Staff
April 11th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The elevator at the Waterfront Parking Garage at 414 Locust St. is out of service until further notice.
 Until further notice doesn’t sound very promising. The picture is dated – there is a new graphic on the building.
 By Pepper Parr
April 11th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Work begins on Spencer Smith Park Promenade improvements
The Gazebo we knew and loved is gone – replaced by something that looks like it came out of an assemble-it-yourself kit. I suppose we will get used to it.
 It was small, in-accessible but it had character. The tree trunk stumps that were once magnificent willow tress that were planted by the man for whom the park was named after. Even the trunks were removed. The willow trees went with it. All part of improvements being made to Spencer Smith Park and the beginning of the implementation of the Burlington Beach Regional Waterfront Park Master Plan, which includes both Spencer Smith and Beachway Parks,
 The new gazebo – bigger – hard to say it is better. The work is being done in two phases – the first was the upgraded gazebo at a new location; hard-surfaced walkway, pedestrian lighting and benches, tree and perennial planting then grading and drainage improvements.
The location of the old Gazebo was in a bit of a bowl of land that did have poor drainage.
Phase 2 will see a re-surfacing on the promenade, a new shade structure at the cobble beach and concrete surfacing at the seating nodes.
The promenade surface replacement with new asphalt will upgrade the surface to an accessible pathway that is smooth, durable and suitable for walking, cycling and use by mobility devices, such as wheelchairs.
A dashed centre line will be painted down the centre, which is the current industry standard for a multi-use path, to provide separation based on the direction of travel. This is the same principle as driving on the road where you keep to the right and allow faster traffic to pass on the left.
So much for a pleasant stroll.
 The new shade structure is at that point where Spencer Smith Park becomes the Beachway; once a community of more than 200 homes, many of which would not meet the building code today. Spencer Smith Park will stay open during the construction, with sections of the promenade closed from April to December 2017. The closures will happen in phases to allow annual major festivals and events, such as the Sound of Music Festival and Canada’s Largest Ribfest, to use the park to host their events.
The Regional government is part of the planning and design work for a project that was very controversial because it eventually leads to the destruction of all the homes currently in the Beachway Park.
 The first public showing of the plans for the Beachway that will change the way the public uses the park. While the long term plan to re-develop the Beachway Park is grand and involves many stages it brings to an end a part of the city that once defined a large part of the Burlington character. There are no plans to keep any of the housing or to leave any sense of the city’s heritage.
The price of progress!
By Pepper Parr
April 11th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
There are six flag poles outside city hall. We aware of them, especially when they are at half-staff – we wonder who died.
The city frequently uses the lead pole – the one closest to city hall, when it wants to raise a “special Interest” flag. The Rainbow flag is an example.
 City hall with its six flag poles. Last week the Mayor raised the autism flag. People tend to either shrug or think “that’s nice” and move on if they happen to see a special interest flag.
For the families that have children whose health is somewhere on the autism spectrum the raising of that flag is much more than a passing event.
It is the community’s acceptance that an acknowledgement has been made and that there is some level of acceptance and understanding.
 Coincidentally, last week – maybe a little longer than that – Sesame Street introduce “Julia” a child with autism to the program. The creation of this character and her introduction to the program was five years in the making.
But there she is – very real in the minds of young children. It is hard to explain how the parents of autistic children feel about this change in a social norm.
A year or so ago, a group of parents with older – more than 18 years of age – family members met in a day long workshop at ThinkSpot in Lowville to think through an approach they wanted to make to the provincial government about the care and welfare of their children.
For these parents there is a terrible, dreadful fear over who will care for their autistic children. They worry about who will take care of their children when they are no longer able to do so. They have special needs that are not provided once they are past the age of 18.
“They just get dumped” was the way one parent put it. Out of that workshop came an application for a Trillium grant that allowed the creation of a plan for a different approach to the care of older autistic people.
That flag going up a pole at city hall in Burlington was more than a simple flag raising occasion – it was a sign and an acceptance that change was needed and that change was taking place.
Who would have thought that Julia, an autistic child, would become a main character on a hugely popular children’s television program.
Raise more than a flag to that step forward.
 By Staff
April 10th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Burlington artists and cultural groups from all disciplines that would like to perform at one of the Doors Open Burlington sites on Saturday, Sept. 30, 2017 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. are invited to submit a proposal for consideration by May 12, 2017.
The events may include, but are not limited to: craft, dance, literary arts-spoken word, media arts-film, music, theatre, visual arts and performance art.
Doors Open sites.
Artists and performers must be Burlington-based. An honorarium will be provided for each selected proposal.
Doors Open Burlington is part of the eighth annual Culture Days weekend which will take place Sept. 29 to Doors Open is a program of Ontario Heritage Trust.
The event will promote free, hands-on, interactive activities that invite the public to participate behind the scenes to discover the world of artists, performers, historians, architects, curators, designers and other creative individuals in Burlington.
For more information about Doors Open Burlington, Culture Days and the proposal, please visit contact Adam Belovari at 905-335-7600, ext. 7335.
Previous Doors Open events have disappointed. The Historical Society mounted a sad looking collection of four large photographs put up on stands outside the Tourism office.
The Friends of Freeman Station fully understood what Doors Open was all about and they had both a display and people who would talk your ear off if you let them.
A list of the events taking place at various locations will get released later on in the season. We’ve not yet gotten used to the idea that winter is over and that Spring is here.
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