 By Pepper Parr
December 8th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
Without information technology the city could not open the doors each day.
A lot of very smart people make the technology do what it is expected to do – and making it work is a challenge.
 Chad MacDonald: Chief Information Officer Different computer applications have to learn to “talk” to each other and feed information to each other so that senior staff and council can have an up to date (sometimes up to the minute) information on which to make decisions.
The other given for the technology, the people is money – this stuff is wickedly expensive and the people who work in Information Technology are not cheap – and there aren’t enough of them to go around.
Municipalities will poach from each other to get people who can make it all come together.
Earlier in the week Council got a Status Report on some of the projects for the period August to October.
It wasn’t all bad news – but there wasn’t a lot of really really good news for Council.
The program budget for the Enterprise Resource Planning program is $9,480,000 with more required in the near future. A Council report and funding request will be presented in April of 2022. The ask then is in the $3 million range.
One of the problems with keeping on top of these essential but very essential programs is that few of the seven members have much in the way of an understanding of what is involved. Councillors Sharman and Kearns have a good grip on the subject: Kearns is the sharper of the two.
Sharman is good at holding senior Staff to account. There was an “iconic” Council session last year when Sheila Jones went toe to toe with Councillor Sharman with Jones reminding the Councillor that the approach for members of Council was “noses in – fingers out”.
Councillor Sharman does, from time to time get down into the weeds – the Senior staff in place now are quite good at curbing that Sharman habit.
Burlington has a number of projects delivering customer centric services with a focus on efficiency and technology transformation. Specifically, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Enterprise Asset Management Software (EAMS), Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Business Intelligence (BI) have a corporate designation reflecting the breadth and depth of the scope of these projects and their contribution to achieving customer first approach and digital transformation.
This report also provided information on the theory of status reporting and the key elements of status reports in the City of Burlington including:
Overall project status that considers scope, budget, and schedule and where clear criteria is established to objectively assess the status within each area.
A brief description of the project and alignment to strategic goals.
Highlights of key achievements since the last reporting period and key tasks planned for the upcoming period.
Highlights of critical risks and challenges that form part of the risk management plan.
Key tasks that address communications and engagement and information related to staff resourcing.
Links to documents or tools and other information that may be relevant based on the project status.
In keeping with open communication and engagement, the report provides Committee and Council with an update on each of the three corporate initiatives including overall status, key milestones, critical risks, and other relevant information with the goal of providing assurance that project governance is working effectively.
While the criteria and guidance for assessing a project’s health status have recently been amended within the context of overall project management practices with Information Technology Services, we are deferring its use until 2023. This deferral will provide us with an opportunity to take a refreshed look at the report template to enhance the information reported to council. In addition, we are reviewing our inventory of corporate- wide projects to appropriate status reporting is provided to Council.
 The most critical computer application that is being worked up has too many serious risk points. It is too late to go back. The CRM application should be dropped. Hydro installed one that works just fine – borrow from them. Councillors Nisan, Bentivegna, Stolte and to a considerable degree Councillor Galbraith are lost when technology is the issue. They are easily snowed by Staff. Burlington has a mix of computer applications that have reached the end of their life cycle and are no longer being supported; other applications have to be revised or replaced in order to communicate with the larger more robust applications that are being used now.
 Some budget items can baffle people because of their complexity. It becomes very difficult to hold Staff accountable.  Understanding complex integrated information technology matters is beyond most Councillors. To understand the size of the challenge calls for some literacy which most of the Councillors don’t have. The Mayor tends to take what she hears on faith knowing that she can collar the city manager during their weekly meetings that are not on the record.
Sometime ago the city began integrating a Customer Response Management (CRM) program – the first step did not go well. Members of Council were livid and demanded that the city administration not get in between the Councillors and the voters.
There were solid reasons for putting a CRM program in place when it went kaflooey the Councillors were in a position to demand immediate changes. That dynamic is unlikely to apply to other situations.
It is generally realized and understood that data is needed to make decisions and that for the most part the data is “in there somewhere” Isolating the data and setting it up so that it is accessible by other applications is the expensive challenge the city faces.
The Business Information reviews have been completed; they gave the Information Technology people a deep understanding of their operational needs. Chad MacDonland, Chief Information Officer told Council that the work has gone so well that his team has been able to show staff demonstration version of what the completed integration will look like.
 Is this the kind of thing a Council member would lust over However, all the information requirements were not met. Councillor Sharman said that he “lusts after the sense of confidence” he would get from seeing Gantt Charts – and asked if they existed and if they existed were they available.
Executive Director Jones reminded Sharman that the Councillors role was: “noses in, fingers out”.
The Gantt charts exist – no assurance that Sharman will get to see them.
By Pepper Parr
December 7th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
The City Hall communications people put out a media release on the taxi situation in the city.
With the Public Vehicle By-law amendments providing a temporary solution to replace lost taxi service, the City of Burlington is sharing that Blue Line Taxi company has been issued a new taxi licence. Blue Line Taxi will start to service Burlington residents today. To book taxi service, Burlington residents can call Blue Line Taxi by phone (905) 525-0000 or book online at 525blue.com.
 905-525-0000 will bring one of these cabs to your door The by-law that governs the issuance of new taxi licences was written to meet the needs of the taxi business model that existed in 2009. To allow new business to enter the Burlington transportation market, City staff recommended interim by-law amendments. These amendments provide flexibility in the application process to meet the demands of current business models.
Quick Facts
- Burlington’s main taxi service provider Burlington Taxi ceased operation on Nov.26, 2021
- At the Nov. 30, 2021 Special Council meeting, City Council approved amending the Public Vehicle By-law to allow exemptions to existing licensing requirements so other taxi services could apply to provide service for Burlington residents
- The by-law amendments allowed applications for new taxi owner licences/plates to open on Dec. 2, 2021 until all spaces are full
- The by-law amendments are intended to provide a temporary solution. City staff are aiming to undertake a comprehensive review and consultation and have a new by-law created prior to December 31, 2023.
- Further review is required not only to determine appropriate taxi licensing requirements, but to investigate the ‘rideshare’ businesses and options for regulating that market.
 Mayor Marianne Meed Ward Mayor Marianne Meed Ward said: “I know we all welcome the news that taxi service can resume in our community as early as today, and in time for the holidays. I want to thank the successful applicant for coming forward, and I’m grateful to City staff and my Council colleagues for working quickly to find a temporary solution to restore taxi service in Burlington immediately. I also thank staff for their ongoing efforts to bring forward a permanent solution to this issue. As well, thank you to Burlington Taxi for their 53 years of dedicated service to our community.”
 Ward 4 Councillor Shawna Stolte Ward 4 Councillor Shawna Stolte said: “As we learned earlier this morning, amendments to our Vehicle/Taxi Bylaw will allow us to welcome 13 new taxi vehicles onto to our streets as of today, Tuesday, December 7, 2021. Staff are open and eager to review additional licenses to increase this number of available taxi vehicles as multiple companies in the taxi industry continue to come forward with applications. It was unfortunate that these changes and amendments were not considered before the closure of Burlington Taxi as this could have avoided the subsequent transportation crisis for many Burlington residents, but I am relieved that an expedient way forward was sought by staff and I look forward to the renewed commitment to this valuable mode of transportation for Burlington residents in the future.”
There is some “shame on you” to be spread around on this one.
Related new stories:
Scott Wallace Talks Back
Burlington Taxi announces the need to close
By Pepper Parr
December 7th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
 The Town of Milton bit the bullet and accepted a 5.47tax increase last night is there a message for Burlington Marianne Meed Ward?
Milton Mayor Gord Krantz has been saying for some time that Burlington is going to have to get used to higher buildings and higher taxes.
The antics at city Council last week look like an attempt to stem the tide.
With the budget being debated at 4.95% perhaps council should quite while they are ahead.
 By Pepper Parr
December 7th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
 Did you ever had a puppy that you had to train not to piddle on the floor? I had one and when he did his business where he wasn’t supposed to I’d give him a stern look and call him a bad dog and put him in his business box.
Scott Wallace did just that, gave Mayor Meed Ward a couple of paragraphs of some strong language when he wrote the following letter:
Our response to the Mayor’s statement on November 24th has not come easily. We must speak to the facts that outline our last few years urging for change in our local taxi industry. We could not be more proud of our Burlington Taxi team for their hard work and dedication over the last 53 years.
With all due respect, we take strong exception to our Mayor’s statement that asserts, “the Taxi By-Laws were written to protect Burlington Taxi” and that our “closure was unrelated to the by-law review request in 2018.”
We ask, what exactly has the By-Law protected? Did the By-Law protect the taxi drivers now out of work since November 2021? Did the By-Law protect Burlington Taxi from having to shut down its operations? Did the By-law protect taxi companies from unregulated competition; ride share companies that have enjoyed the luxury of no city license fees, no federal taxes, no commercial insurance, no vulnerable sector criminal checks, nor an obligation to support wheelchair accessible transportation?
 Former Ward 6 Councillor Blair Lancaster talks with Scott Wallace, proprietor of Burlington Taxi. Lancaster was on the Council that Wallace had taken his concerns about the taxi industry in 2018. It gives us no pleasure to say that the city’s process failed to support its business community, taking little notice of our repeated pleas over the years for comprehensive change.
We saw the tsunami coming (Uber/Lyft drivers, the pandemic, a severe labour shortage, a spike in insurance rates). What we missed was the acknowledgement that our By-law request in November was one small part of a fulsome City By-law review initiated in 2018.
For the record, our final plea in November was to allow our drivers to continue working as employees under new Burlington Taxi ownership, and further give them the ability to align themselves with other Cab companies of their choice as independent operators, as every other city does in North America.
Facts don’t lie. The last time the City of Burlington reviewed its taxi by-laws was in 2009, which was written based on the recommendations of a consulting firm hired by the city of Burlington, not the taxi industry.
In 2016, the City was urged to review the new unregulated ride share service (Uber). Council and staff agreed to complete a review of these services. Our industry concern had little to do with Uber itself, but everything to do with regulation of the Uber business model. Regulation is what keeps people safe and ensures fair play among businesses. In Burlington’s case, the ride share industry has no responsibility to anyone – not to the city, not to its drivers, and definitely not to its customers. As a rider, if you experience an unsafe ride, or are a victim of excessive surge pricing, there is no one to call. The city has not regulated ride share companies, perhaps a way to absolve its responsibility, but it certainly doesn’t solve the problem.
Our former council, recognized that our Taxi By-Law was antiquated and in desperate need of comprehensive review. That is why, in early 2018, the former Mayor directed the City to commence a comprehensive review. Public record shows the details surrounding this direction. Nothing came of this.
 Not liking the sound of that letter. Was it even read? We thank our current Mayor for her recognition and issuing her statement on December 2nd regarding taxi, that, “In 2019, city staff formed a small team to look into the by-law review and removed the motion from the regular reporting list, with a plan to report back to council on progress. That report didn’t happen… We acknowledge that the review should have occurred. It didn’t, and for that, we take responsibility.”
 “Facts don’t lie. The last time the City of Burlington reviewed its taxi by-laws was in 2009, which was written based on the recommendations of a consulting firm hired by the city of Burlington, not the taxi industry.” It should not go without mention that we have reached out at regular intervals to the city, each time trusting in their reassurance that the by-laws would be changed.
The election of new city representatives unfortunately sidelined the former Council’s directive for a comprehensive review of the taxi industry and our hope for actual change.
Following our closure last month, Council has re-committed the City to reviewing and updating the Taxi By-Law.
Our hope is that the City will NOW actually follow through with meaningful change.
Our thanks to Ward 4 Councillor, Shawna Stolte, for taking up the torch and advocating for change.
Our City deserves it.
One small ray of hope. There will be a Verbal Update on Licensing of New Taxi Businesses in Burlington at a Standing Committee on Tuesday.
By Pepper Parr
December 6th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
Fifty million – and not enough information in the hands of the public.
City Council agreed this afternoon to make a formal offer to purchase the Bateman High School property for $50 million.
 Council agrees to make an Offer to purchase the Bateman site Mayor Meed Ward said the site will become the biggest facility in the city –more than twice the size of Tansley Woods which is the largest at this point.
To the surprise of this reporter we learned that the pool is not owned by the city – Halton District School Board (HDSB) appears to be the owner.
 It will be a shared space with plenty of space for community events There are all kinds of details that are not known; the HDSB will retain some of the space, Brock University is in talks with the city to rent space, Tech Place is going to need an affordable place to operate and has eyes on the Bateman location and the Library might become a tenant as well.
 Councillors Stolte and Kearns hold off on fully agreeing to the decision to purchase; they want much more information in the hands of the public. Councillor Sharman put is quite clearly when he said this was not an agreement to purchase – this was an agreement to continue discussions with the vendor.
The task now he said “ is to figure out how to pay for it.”
The matter comes up again in March of next year.
At the Special meeting of City Council this afternoon two of the seven members of Council voted not to approve the decision to make a formal offer: Councillor Kearns and Stolte took a pass on putting their thumbprint on this one.
 By Ryan O’Dowd
December 6th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
 Call it a Christmas Caravan – a collection of vehicles that worked its way through the city on Saturday and Sunday. Santa was there – but no chance to hand out cookies. The Good things was that the weather held.
The crowds in the different neighbourhoods were small but enthusiastic.
 That little lady on the right had things to say to Santa when he got to her door. And everyone held the hope that the Santa Claus parade in 2022 would be the real thing.
The city did put together a set of routes that got the Fire truck that was subbing for a sleigh into a lot of neighbour hoods.
It was one of those “you do what you can with what you have”.
 There he was – not quite what the event is usually about – but the kids seemed happy and the parents may have done something to add to the event.
By Staff
December 5th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
Council is expected to recommend the standing committee Chair and Vice-Chair appointments for 2022, and the appointments to the Licensing Committee, as follows:
 Councillor Galbraith will back up Lisa Kearns as Chair of the Budget Committee. It will be a quieter year for this Committee EICS: Environment, Infrastructure & Community Services Committee
Chair: Councillor Kelvin Galbraith Vice Chair: Councillor Shawna Stolte
CPRM: Community Planning, Regulation & Mobility Committee
Chair: Councillor Shawna Stolte Vice Chair: Councillor Rory Nisan
CSSRA: Corporate Services, Strategy, Risk and Accountability Committee
Chair: Councillor Rory Nisan
Vice Chair: Councillor Paul Sharman
 Councillor Angelo Bentivegna remains chair of workshops. Council Workshop
Chair: Councillor Angelo Bentivegna (remains the same) Vice-Chair: Councillor Lisa Kearns
Budget
Chair: Councillor Lisa Kearns (Moves from Vice Chair to Chair) Vice-Chair: Kelvin Galbraith
License and Appeals Committee
Chair: Paul Sharman
Council Representatives (2 required):
Councillor Kelvin Galbraith Councillor Lisa Kearns
Each year, the mayor recommends for council approval appointments of Chair and Vice Chair for standing committees.
There are two notable changes from 2021. There is no longer a separate chair for Community Planning Regulation and Mobility Statutory Public Meeting. These meetings will be chaired by the Chair of the regular CPRM. There is a new License and Appeals Committee and the clerk has requested a chair and two members of council to be appointed to serve.
In making my recommendations to Council said Mayor Meed Ward the guiding principles include attempting to accommodate specific requests where received, providing accommodations for specific personal circumstances as needed, providing opportunity to serve on different committees, and offering fairness, balance and equity of opportunity for each member to serve as chair of one of the three standing committees within a two-year period.
Normal practice to achieve this equity is for the Vice Chair to move into the Chair position the following year. There are six committees, so all members of council will have an opportunity to serve as Chair of a committee and Vice Chair of a committee in 2022. Audit committee selects their own Chair and Vice Chair by a vote of the membership.
As 2022 is an election year, the term of Chair/Vice Chair will end with the council term. A new slate of Chairs/Vice Chairs for the balance of 2022 and 2023 will be chosen in November once the new council takes office.
 By Staff
December 5th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
Council won’t spend a minute on this item in the consent agenda
A bylaw to authorize the temporary borrowings of monies from the Royal Bank of Canada to meet the ordinary expenditures of the corporation.
At various times during the year, it may be necessary to arrange short-term loans from the City’s banker to meet the current ordinary expenditures of the municipality.
 Director of Finance Joan Ford is on a first name basis with the bank manager. There are times in the year when cash flow is at the lowest point and operating expenditures must be covered during the period just prior to the collection of the property taxes. In previous years, we have borrowed from our Reserve Funds during this time and will continue to do so as necessary in 2022.
Borrowing arrangements with the Royal Bank provide us with a $5,000,000 line of credit at the prime-lending rate minus 3/4%. At the current time, prime stands at 2.45%. It has not been necessary to access this credit line during 2021 or prior years nor is it anticipated to be needed for 2022. The by-law is prepared to meet the requirements of the banks.
The City also has borrowing arrangements with Scotia Bank to provide a credit facility of up to $5,000,000 for administering the City’s purchase card program. In 2021 and prior years, this credit facility was paid off monthly and the City anticipates that the facility will be used in the same manner in 2022.This borrowing agreement does not require a security agreement.
By Pepper Parr
December 5th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
There was a significant change at the Halton District School Board last week.
The policy is to elect the Chair and the Vice Chair of the Board of trustees for the year going forward.
 Former Chair, Halton District Board of Trustees Andrea Grebenc Andrea Grebenc, served as chair for a number of years and in that time created a voice for the Halton Board and spoke strongly for policy changes across the province.
When media were looking for a voice, Grebenc was there to respond with a consistent soundly researched views that reflected the concerns of trustees across the province.
She will be missed.
 Margo Shuttleworth elected Chair of the Halton District School Board trustees for 2022 Margo Shuttleworth was elected for the year ahead. Her first sentence was that this “was going to be a rocky road ahead”. Indeed, it will be.
It was interesting to hear trustee xxx Amos say “not this time” when trustees were polled on their interest in running for Chair.
 Pepper Parr
December 4th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
OPINION
Some background on the budget process to put what took place last week in context.
Staff prepare a budget setting out what they believe is needed in the way of funding to operate the city.
They prepare a Capital Budget and an Operating Budget.
 There is a lot of work done to get the drafts of the budget completed including presentations to Council at Standing Committees.
That budget is then debated at a Council Standing Committee. Burlington uses BARs (Budget Action Requests) prepared by each council member setting out where they would like to see changes made in specific items.
Those BARs then become the agenda for the budget meeting
This is the process when Council tells staff what they want made in the way of changes.
The work Staff does is administrative; the work done at Council is both administrative and political. Council members have views and projects they want to advance; see it as the individual council member’s agenda.
The Mayor also has an agenda.
And 2020 is an election year.
The budget timeline was to have council do its work on the Tuesday and Thursday and send a recommendation to Council that would be dealt with on December 14th.
That didn’t happen. The four votes required to get a recommendation to Council just weren’t to be had.
 Budget Committee Chair Rory Nisan Between now and the 14th individual council members were asked to review their original decisions and come up with ways they think they could get closer to whatever number is going to be acceptable to the Mayor and Rory Nisan Chair of the Budget Committee.
Council would review the recommendation on the 14th, vote on it and if at least four votes for the budget can be found at council it passes and we would all know what we were looking at in the way of taxes for 2022.
However, if at any point in the process a member asks that the vote be called the Chair has to call the vote. If the Chair doesn’t call the vote he will be challenged this time and forced to call the vote.
Councillor Sharman tried to force a calling of the vote at Standing Committee on Thursday but got stiffed by Chair Nisan who understood the rules better than Sharman.
As messy as all this has been there was one point that everyone agreed upon before the Standing Committee recessed on Thursday – any ideas for changes would be run by Treasurer Joan Ford who would coordinate whatever was put in front of the Standing Committee on the 14th.
 Joan Ford, Executive Director of Finance, has a busy few days ahead of her if there is going to be a Council recommended budget. Ms Ford has a busy weekend ahead of her – she can expect a majority of the members of council to be on the phone to her. Fortunately for Burlington this is a treasurer who knows the budget and the ramifications when changes are made. She has been supported by Lori Jivan who has been crunching the numbers. At some point Ms Jivan will be treasurer somewhere – she has been doing a great job.
As for Mayor Meed Ward she desperately needs a vote from the Committee that recommends a budget.
Without that her re-election prospects are at serious risk. As it is, the myth that she leads a Council that is reading from the same hymn book is no more.
Related news items:
Is the budget the first municipal election skirmish?
Sharman pushes Council to get more information when preparing budgets.
Salt with Pepper is the musings, reflections and opinions of the publisher of the Burlington Gazette, an online newspaper that was formed in 2010 and is a member of the National Newsmedia Council.
By Pepper Parr
December 4th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
When budgets are put together there is the opportunity to get a closer look at all the wheels and cogs that make the city work day to day.
We learned last week that 47% of the cost of running the city is on the Human Resources side and that in this budget there was an expense of $40,000 to cover the cost of the provincial legislation that raised the minimum wage effective January 1st.
One of the Councillors asked why that amount was necessary and learned that the city has staff who are earning just the minimum wage.
 City Manager Tim Commisso City Manager added that it was people working part time, mostly students doing parks and recreation work or sprucing up the flower beds in the medians and working in the summer Parks and Recreation summer camp programs.
For a city that adds the phrasing “Burlington is a City where people, nature and businesses thrive” to every media release they put out the admission that people are paid that bare minimum has to be at least a little embarrassing.
There wasn’t a word from any member of council on ensuring that the city do better.
 Director of Human Resources Laura Boyd One can’t thrive on the current minimum wage; the new one ($15. an hour) won’t help much.
It was appropriate for both the City Manager Tim Commisso and the Director of Human Resources Laura Boyd to commit themselves to ensuring that the city would always be above the minimums before they were forced to be by the province.
We didn’t hear that last week.
By Pepper Parr
December 3rd, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
Members of City Council met for two very full days and were expected to adjourn yesterday with a recommendation that would go to a Council meeting on the 14th at which the 2022 budget would be cast in stone.
It didn’t work out that way.
Mayor Marianne Meed Ward during the 2022 budget debates. When the Standing committee recessed yesterday, Thursday, they were able to whittle the Staff proposed tax increase down from 5.45% to 4.95% which wasn’t what they Mayor had in mind.
Mayor Meed Ward wanted a lower number and she wanted council to agree on a number. The seven members of Councillors were not able to agree on that – worse they were not able to agree on what the recommendation would be.
In order for a recommendation to go to Council there had to be a majority of Councillors voting for it.
The four votes just weren’t there.
Council was stuck – unable to recommend a budget that Council could approve.
 Budget Chair Rory Nisan They figured out a way to recess the budget meeting and return on Thursday December 9th, hoping by that point they would have found the four votes needed to send a recommended budget to Council. At the close of the meeting – there were just three votes for sending a recommendation to Council.
In Burlington all the heavy debates take place at Standing Committees where they do not make decisions – they make recommendations which are sent to Council where the decision is made.
When things get messy at Standing Committee meetings they get procedural with amendments, points of order, points of personal privilege and challenges to the Chair.
In a follow up story we will tell what took place; what individual council members wanted and didn’t want and how the Mayor and the Chair of the budget committee wiggled and squirmed to get the result they wanted.
Rory Nisan, Ward 3 Councillor and Chair of the Budget explained his position: “As Chair of the Budget Committee I want to save the budget”.
Several members of Council didn’t think that was his job.
By Pepper Parr
December 3rd, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
It has been a hard year for everyone.
A wee bit of Joy will be Santa driving through the streets of the city in an antique fire truck.
The route maps and time frames are set out below:
Dec. 4, morning route, starting at 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.: south-east Burlington
Dec. 4, afternoon route, starting at 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.: north-east Burlington
Dec. 5, morning route starting at 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.: north-west Burlington
Dec. 5, afternoon route, starting at 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.: south-west Burlington
Santa is unable to stop and chat or accept any letters, glasses of milk or bags of delicious cookies.
Milton chose to hold a real parade; the city of Toronto is holding one. Burlington chose a different route.
Set out at the bottom of this story is a link to an article on a parade that took place in 2012 We knew how to do it then.
The 2012 Burlington Santa parade
By Staff
December 2nd, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
No need to panic but a need to know that the first case of the lab-confirmed case and two probable cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 have been identified in Halton region.
All three cases are linked with one of the probable cases that recently travelled to Nigeria. The cases are currently isolating at home. Halton Region Public Health has identified all close contacts and informed them of the need to isolate and get tested, despite vaccination status, out of an abundance of caution at this time.
“We continue to monitor the situation closely and I urge all residents to be vigilant given the entry of the Omicron variant in our community. I encourage all residents to continue to follow all public health measures to prevent the spread of of COVID-19 and for everyone who is eligible, to get their two doses of vaccine as soon as possible,” said the Medical Officer of Health.
By Pepper Parr
December 2, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
A council Standing Committee completed their review of the 2022 budget Staff submitted and did manage to slim it down from 5.45% over last year to a 4.95% increase over last year.
Mayor Marianne Meed Ward – looking for a way to get a better budget number – 2022 is an election year. But the Mayor isn’t happy and said she would not support the budget at this point. Ward 4 Councillor Shawna Stolte took the same position while Councillor Sharman said he was Ok with the increase – saw it as responsible.
Councillor Bentivegna was disappointed that most of his change suggestions didn’t win the support he needed but he was going to live with what was on the table.
Councillor Kearns was impressed with the Committee’s fiscal prudence and Councillor Galbraith was pleased that Council chose to rip the band aid off and put up with the immediate pain rather than continue to kick the can down the path and let a future council deal with the problems.
 Ward 5 Councillor Paul Sharman And problems there were – mostly on the Staffing side with some members of Council wanting to limit salary increase while others wanted to reduce staff.
There was a lot of juggling numbers around; taking dollars from the Queensway area Park and letting the downtown Dog Off leach Park group use the funds so they could get their initiative moving forward.
The only true winner was ward 5 Councillor Paul Sharman who convinced council to fund the paving of a path in Mohawk Park that serves two schools and a church. He was ready to approve the budget.
The Mayor has a reputation staked on a lower tax increase – she has about ten days to pull a couple of rabbits out of a hat.
The difficulty appears to be that the Standing Committee may not be able to send a recommendation to Council that approves a budget. That creates a very tricky procedural problem.
It all comes before Council on December 14th.
No wonder he was so happy.
.
By Pepper Parr
December 2nd, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
OPINION
In the municipal world the Clerk used to reign supreme.
The person holding the office had years of experience and understood the needs of the people and knew both the strengths and weaknesses of Staff.
Like most things, the administrative needs grew and people with better educations and stronger administrative skills began to be hired and grew into becoming CAO’s or City Managers.
 Kevin Arjoon came to Burlington from Halifax The position of Clerk remained: bylaws require the signature of the both the Mayor and the Clerk before they can be declared.
When a new Clerk is hired the first task for the new hire is to get the lay of the land: what exists in the way of staff; get to know the members of Council; take a hard look at what there is in the way of Governance policies and scour the outstanding Staff Directions.
Staff Directions are documents that instruct staff to perform specific tasks and report back to Council.
They are debated at Council meetings, written into the minutes and with web casts, now archived, are available to the public.
To say the 2018 Staff Direction related to the issuing of taxi licenses was lost is (a) not true, (b) rank incompetence and (c) a sign of some pretty deep rot somewhere in city hall.
 Kevin Arjoon, current city Clerk. When a Staff Direction doesn’t get followed up on, it can lead directly into the hearts of the lives of people.
The lack of a taxi service limits in an often severe way the way some people live their lives.
This isn’t the place to dissect those instances.
This is the place to ask the current Mayor and Ward 5 Councillor Paul Sharman what they have to say about the Staff Direction that can’t be found.
Both have been on Council since October 2010 and were in the room when the Staff Direction was created and voted upon.
Time for a heart to heart talk involving the Mayor, Councillor Sharman and the City manager about what to do about the current Clerk. This one can’t be blamed on City Manager Tim Commisso, he wasn’t an employee in 2018. However, he did hire the current Clerk.
Some feel there are grounds for dismissal.
What is not acceptable is the cover up that appears to be taking place.
There is a very competent Deputy Clerk in place – a staff position Ward 3 Councillor Rory Nisan wanted to get rid of to save about $150,000, but that’s another story.
Related new stories
New city Clerk
Managing an at times fractious council
Salt with Pepper is the musings, reflections and opinions of the publisher of the Burlington Gazette, an online newspaper that was formed in 2010 and is a member of the National Newsmedia Council.
By Staff
December 1st, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
The piers that line the canal leading from Lake Ontario into Hamilton Harbour may be gated in the very near future.
Transport Canada will use gates to close the popular Burlington shipping canal piers to pedestrians in December: both Hamilton and Burlington are putting up a fight.
 A fleet of tall ships sailed through the canals in June of 2013. At least 1000 people were on hand to watch the passage. The federal agency angered local residents last year by threatening to ban the public from the pair of 321-metre-long piers that usher ships into Hamilton Harbour and serve as popular walking paths into the lake. Public pressure and Advocacy from former MP Bob Bratina resulted in a closure “pause” last year to allow talks with Burlington and Hamilton.
 Gates are in position – just waiting for someone to put the lock in place. But residents watched nervously this month as three new swing gates were installed to block entrance to the piers from the waterfront trail. Transport Canada confirmed it will begin “restricting access” ahead of winter conditions, but added future recreational use is still up for negotiation.
Hamilton Mayor Fred Eisenberger said Friday cities on both sides of the canal would consider taking responsibility for pier maintenance and controlling access in dangerous weather — if the federal government first pays to make the crumbling concrete safe.
That could cost anywhere from hundreds of thousands of dollars to the low millions.
“We certainly expect that the federal government will make those investments,” said Eisenberger. “I imagine it’s not a small investment, but certainly not in the tens of millions of dollars, either.”
Related news story
 By Staff
December 1st, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
Christine Vanderwal, an Itinerant Resource Teacher with the Halton District School Board, has received a prestigious Prime Minister’s Awards for Teaching Excellence (Certificate of Achievement). She was nominated for her role as a teacher in Viola Desmond Public School in Milton in the 2020-2021 school year.
 Christine Vanderwal, an Itinerant Resource Teacher at the Viola Desmond Public School in Milton in the 2020-2021 school year. In receiving her award, Vanderwal is recognized for her teaching approach that incorporates a wide range of learning tools, creates an inclusive classroom where students feel their culture and identity is valued, and uses various technology methods such as photography, animation and stop motion to engage and motivate students.
The Prime Minister’s Awards for Teaching Excellence nomination said: “(Christine) begins every year with a focus on building authentic connections among all members of the class, including herself. This starts with an exploration of identity, as individuals and as a community, with engaging discussions and activities that allow every learner to share their perspectives and ideas, as well as their personal uniqueness and culture. She integrates concepts of Design Thinking and Knowledge Building using technology, art and drama to explore the topics that matter including Indigenous issues and human rights.”
Upon learning of her nomination, Vanderwal expressed her gratitude to her colleagues who nominated her. “I want to thank colleagues Pieter Toth and Matt Coleman who put together such a thoughtful nomination package, and I am honoured that so many people, whom I deeply respect, contributed such meaningful words on my behalf,” Vanderwal says. “It is humbling to be included amongst such wonderful educators. I also want to thank the students who I have had the pleasure of learning alongside throughout my career. It is from them that I have learned the most. It is a privilege to be an educator, and my greatest joy is to work in a community alongside young people, empowering them to use their voices, uncover their gifts and explore their passions.”
“We are so proud that an HDSB educator has been honoured with the Prime Minister’s Awards for Teaching Excellence,” says Curtis Ennis, Director of Education for the Halton District School Board. “Christine embodies the Board’s values by ensuring her students are learning in an environment dedicated to equity, collaboration and inclusion while focused on 21st century learning. It is wonderful to see our staff implementing the important elements of our 2020-2024 Multi-Year Plan where students will learn from, grow with, and inspire each other. We congratulate Christine on this prestigious award.”
By Staff
December 1st, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
The city administration, with the blessing of city council has set out their plan to get whatever might be available in the way of taxi service to replace the Burlington Taxi service that ceased operations on November 30th.
Amendments made to Public Vehicle By-law provides opportunity for replacement of lost taxi service and applications arenbeing accepted starting December 2
The bylaw changes were made at a Special Council meeting yesterday, City Council approved amending the Public Vehicle By-law to allow exemptions to existing licensing requirements so other taxi services can apply to provide service for Burlington residents.
 With Burlington’s main taxi service provider Burlington Taxi, ceasing operation on Nov.26, 2021, the amendments are intended to provide a temporary solution to quickly replace lost taxi service. The by-law that governs the issuance of new taxi licences was written to meet the needs of the taxi business model that existed in 2009. To allow new businesses to enter the Burlington transportation market, City staff recommended interim by-law amendments. These amendments will help provide flexibility in the application process and meet demands of current business models.
Starting Dec. 2, 2021 applications for new taxi owner licences/plates will be open until all spaces are full. The by-law amendment allows licences to be awarded on a ‘first come, first serve’ basis (similar to other City business licences). Complete applications will be processed as soon as possible to address the current service gap in Burlington.
Applicants can visit burlington.ca/taxilicence for more information on the criteria and documentation required. The City will continue to share updates as available. In the meantime, Burlington Transit bus schedules can be accessed at 905-639-0550 or at burlingtontransit.ca. Burlington Transit currently offers adults 65+ free transit on weekdays, Monday to Friday, between 9 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
The fee for the license is a reported $3,451.68.
The by-law amendments are intended to provide a temporary solution. City staff are aiming to undertake a comprehensive review and consultation and have a new by-law created prior to December 31, 2023. Further review is required not only to determine appropriate taxi licensing requirements, but to investigate the ‘rideshare’ businesses and options for regulating that market.
Related news stories.
Councillor explains part of the story.
Political will to do something quickly does not appear to be in place.
By Staff
December 1st, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
City of Burlington is offering special rates for rentals of gyms, ice rinks and community rooms from now until January 2nd, 2022.
. Residents can book space for 60 or 90-minute intervals at a variety of locations across the city. This presents a great opportunity for families to be active together in a safe, controlled environment over the month of December.
Rentals can be made 48-hours or more in advance. All bookings can be done through liveandplay.burlington.ca.
- Gym rentals are available at Tansley Woods Community Centre and Haber Community Centre for $28.90. Rental includes exclusive use of the gym and basketball nets and soccer nets. Renters must bring their own equipment.
- Ice rink rentals are available at Appleby Ice Centre, Mainway Ice Centre and Mountainside Arena for $139.64. Rentals include exclusive use of the rink, hockey nets and skate aids. Renters must bring all other equipment.
- Community room rentals are available at Tansley Woods Community Centre, Mountainside Community Centre and Haber Community Centre for $25. Rental includes two tables, 10 chairs. Renters must bring any other equipment they need such as crafts, fitness items or games. Sport balls or large sport equipment are not allowed in community rooms.
 A steal of a deal at less than 30 bucks an hour. All COVID-19 precautions and restrictions apply.
For more information, including booking and payments, visit burlington.ca/rentals.
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