By Staff
November 22, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Is this a wickedly smart promotional tactic or are seat sales down so badly that something had to be done to boost sales.
Whichever, – it sounds like a good deal – you might want to take them up on it.
This Friday use promo code 25on25 to
receive 25% OFF regular tickets
for the following performances:
Quinn Sullivan – November 30
The Nutcracker – December 7 & 8
Maceo Parker – December 10
A Christmas Carol – December 22 & 23
Form Contemporary Dance – January 14
Lee Ann Womack – January 14
Brotherhood: The Hip Hopera – January 19-21
Fernando Varela – January 28
Rant Maggie Rant – February 2
Stewart Goodyear – February 3
Western Swing Authority- February 4
Receiver of Wreck – February 9-11
Robert Dubac’s The Male Intellect: An Oxymoron? – February 11
African Guitar Summit – February 16
Sarah MacDougall – February 17
Diana Panton – February 18
Whitehorse – February 21
Infinity – February 23-25
Balé Folclórico Da Bahia – March 2
Eliana Cuevas – March 4
Larry Carlton – March 9
Rémi Bolduc Jazz Ensemble – March 10
Stephen Fearing – March 22
Kaha:wi Dance Theatre – March 27
Shaolin Warriors – April 10
Morgan James – April 13
Johannes Linstead – April 26
Confessions of a Red Headed Coffeeshop Girl – May 4-6
Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal – May 4
Offer valid on regular price tickets only on November 25, 2016. This offer does not apply to Youth or Child pricing. Cannot be combined with any other promotion or be applied to previous purchases. Offer only applies to performances listed above. No refunds or exchanges.
 By Staff
November 23, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
 The Santa 5k Race will be taking place in downtown Burlington on Saturday, Nov. 26, 2016 requiring some street closures from 7 to 11 a.m.
Routes 3 and 5 will be temporarily detoured in the area.
For real-time transit information and to plan your trip please use Trip Planner or call 905-639-0550.
 By Pepper Parr
November 22, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
How did our neighbour to the south get from the assassination of John Kennedy, the then President of the United States, 53 years ago to where that country is today?
And what do we as Canadians do? What questions do we ask?
Being Thankful for what we have and striving to ensure that we don’t slide into the morass the United States has taken on would be a good place to start.
 Moment before rifle shots rang out ending the life of John F. Kennedy
 By Pepper Parr
November 22th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
It’s a quirky little project that will look really nice when completed and serve to let people get across the three block downtown core but it has some entanglements; there is a major pipeline running beneath the path.
 A view of what is in place now and what the landscape architects want to space to look like. The project is included in the Core Commitment Implementation Strategy to improve active transportation in the downtown and enhance pedestrian and cycling connections.
 Phase 1 will cover the space between Elizabeth and Pearl Street. It would fit in very nicely with the now under construction Bridgewater development that will soar 22 storeys into the sky. To be known as the Elgin Street Promenade it will be a pathway/walkway/bike path that will start sort of nowhere and go nowhere but when completed will link two sides of the city.
The drawings the city has provided are attractive enough; when completed it might do something to upgrade the sort of dowdy look the downtown core has.
There are some issues – there is a pipeline beneath the planned route that carries fuel. That pipe line is tightly tucked beside the Mayrose Tyco building at the top of the Elizabeth Street parking lot – something the city is trying to find something to do with. It is a piece of prime land that is used to park cars – not really great use of land.
At one point it was tagged as the location for what McMaster was going to bring to the city. They chose the South Service Road instead.
Village Square, at one point a partnership between the Friedman family and German interests, it is now believed to be controlled by the German partner. There was a time when the ADI Development Group attempted to negotiate with the Friedman but that didn’t go anywhere.
The first phase of the project will take what is currently a one way street that runs alongside the Martini House and the Poacher will be upgraded to a rather nice part of town that was once the bus depot.
 On the east the Promenade gets people to the Centennial Trail. On the west is complete the link that will get people to the planned Beachway Park that is the biggest dream in the eyes of planners at both the city and the Region. The long term plan should allow people to walk or cycle from the very east end of the city all the way west to the canal.
Bugeted at something in the order of $450,000 your members of Council will decide if this project should be part of the 2017 Capital budget.
 By Pepper Parr
November 22, 2106
BURLINGTON, ON
After an hour and a half of Question and Answer done on line – does the public, and particularly the parents with children at Pearson and Central high school, know any more than they did when they woke up in Monday morning.
Not really. Everything Director of Education Stuart Miller and his Senior Manager Planning, Dom Renzella said was already public.
 Director of Education Stuart Miller looking just a little tired after telling his story for the umpteenth time. What did come through, even though Miller didn’t say so in so many words was that the Board of Education wants to hear what the community thinks should be done.
Miller has explained that given the information they have the recommendation that went to the trustee was what they felt was best. Of the 19 recommendations that were worked up – # 19 was seen to be the best one to go forward with – and as Miller has said time and again – it is a recommendation that he is fully prepared to have rejected.
It’s a starting point.
Miller agreed that there is a good case to be made for closing Bateman – it’s a couple of km away from Nelson. What wasn’t heard all that clearly is that Bateman is a newer school with better program offerings than Central and that for the educators it’s all about the programs for the students.
Community is not the focus for the Board of Education and it is on this issue that the divide is going to take place.
Central needs a lot of work – it is an old school that has fallen behind.
There was the additional issue that if Central is closed the PARC process will have to be done all over the for elementary classes given in the building – but that wasn’t an issue for Miller or Renzella.
 Dom Renzella, supervisor of planning for the Halton District school board. Miller got taken to task for advocating bigger schools – the 1200 student level – he agreed that there was merit in the argument for small schools but kept coming back to the need to offer as much subject selection as possible to the students.
What hasn’t been seen, so far, are any totally out of the box suggestions from the community. If anything out of the ordinary is going to be done with our high schools it is going to have to come from the public. That kind of thing is not going to come from this Board and its numerous Superintendents.
We did learn that the Board currently has 300 portables in use and that at some schools there are students who have every class in a portable.
Someone (there were no names attached to the questions that were read out) asked why on line and not live for the Q&A. Miller said he didn’t think there was a location that could hold all the people that would want to talk – and when you go live with hundreds of people in the room – it does get messy.
Miller doesn’t like messy and his colleague Renzella shudders at that idea.
Miller kept trying to get across that there was a lot of opportunity for people to get answers to questions they have. And that is true – but it was clear from many of the questions asked that there is a trust issue.
The two were asked why Hayden was built and the answer they gave wasn’t all that convincing. Except for the fact that there wasn’t a high school in that north east part of the city where a lot of growth had taken place.
 Hayden High, Burlington’s newest high school built as part of a complex that includes a Recreational Centre and a public library with a skate park right across the street. Early in the 90’s the planners at the board could see that growth in Alton and the Orchard was going to require a high school.
Boards of education don’t just get to build a high school because they think one is going to be needed. They have to put together a business case and convince the province that the need is real.
One of the unique and really interesting aspects of Hayden high school is that it includes a public library and a recreation centre. In that sense it is probably the high school in the city with the most “community” in it.
If the decision the trustees make ends of requiring more busing – that is something they are going to have to deal with. Miller admitted that there is a shortage of bus drivers – it is a problem that will have to be dealt with – he didn’t have an answer – he was just confident that I would be worked out.
The implementation of whatever decision is made would be in 2018 – effective at the start of the school year in September – which is when the trustees will be running for re-election. Watch for an interesting set of contests at the board of education level.
That might draw a higher turnout that would inevitably impact city council results.
What happens to the property should a school be closed?
 Lester B. Pearson students demonstrating when teachers were on strike. On that Miller covered all the bases. It isn’t going to go to a developer – or if that eventually happened it would be because no one else wanted it.
The property has to be offered to other school boards, colleges and universities that might have an interest, then the municipality. If one of them take up the opportunity it then goes on the market and sold at fair market value.
Miller was emphatic that the board does not have the ability to sell the land to anyone.
Miller seemed to flip flop a bit on involving the students; first the listeners were told that they were not going to be involved until February so they could concentrate on their exams in January but a survey is going to be sent out to the students in December.
What is his whole process going to cost? The Board allocated $100,000 in its budget.
 Stuart Miller and Dom Renzella taking questions from an on-line audience Monday evening. Miller admits that this process is having an impact on both staff and students. “I can see it in their eyes” said Miller and “we get that”.
Miller described the PARC as the process that lets the community gives its input – the Director of Education uses that input to give his final recommendation to the trustees.
The trustees make the final decision – and it is not just the four Burlington trustees – all 11 trustees get to cast a vote on this one.
There was one issue that was not clear to this listener and that was the PARC would not be making a direct recommendation to the Director. Then what will they be doing. I want to get some clarification on that point.
I am sure that holding the Q&A online seemed like a good idea at the time and there was nothing wrong with the way the process went Monday evening.
But it was a little like having plastic covers on the chesterfield – it just didn’t seem right.
 By Staff
November 21, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Pam’s buying!
 Pam Damoff, MP for Oakville Burlington North with her coffee crowd. Damoff is the person on the left offering a small smile.
The Member of Parliament for Oakville North-Burlington has invited residents to drop by for a chat at the Tim Hortons on the Northeast corner of Dundas and Appleby in Burlington on Friday, November 25 from 5:30pm – 6:30pm.
She wants to meet her constituents and hear about what issues or concerns are on their minds. Grab a coffee and join the conversation!
She will also be giving you some tips on how to influence what the Minister of Finance puts into the 2017 Budget.
Damoff wants you “to join the conversation about how we can make the economy work for you and your family. As we build on our momentum to grow the middle class and position Canada for the global economy of tomorrow, it is your insights which will shape our vision for Budget 2017.”
You can provide feedback to the Minister of Finance for the 2017 Budget by the end of November though his online consultations.
Here’s the online link to the budget consultations: https://budget-lebudget.ca/
All ideas are welcome which is comforting to hear.
Personally we think the free coffee is the better idea. You will actually get something.
 By Pepper Parr
November 21, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
The Halton District School Board will be holding their public Question and Answer session Monday night on-line at 7 pm.
The protocol is set out on the Board’s web site. It isn’t easy to find – the Gazette will endeavour to get the exact url to log in.
 Director of Education Stuart Miller addressing parents at Central high school. HDSB Director of Education Stuart Miller made a presentation at every high school – some were very poorly attended. He is now holding an on-line Question and Answer session to answer questions.
The staff recommendation is to close both Central and Pearson high schools.– that is just a recommendation
The provincial government rules for closing a school require that the Board produce a report which they did.
They were not required to provide a recommendation, however they did.
The decision as to what is eventually done is made by the school board trustees.
Going forward the Board will take questions regarding this Program and Accommodation Review; send them via email to: BurlSSPAR@hdsb.ca.
The process to close a school is long and involved. Here are the steps that will be taken. Remember – it is the school board trustees that will make the final decision.
Formation and orientation of Program and Accommodation Review Committee (PARC)
December 1, 2016 –m This will be a closed meeting
Public Meeting #1
December 8, 2016
PARC Working Meeting #1
January 26, 2017
PARC Working Meeting #2
February 2, 2017
PARC Working Meeting #3
February 9, 2017
Public Meeting #2
March 2, 2017
PARC Working Meeting #4
March 23, 2017
Director’s Report to Committee of the Whole
March 29, 2017
Public Delegation Night
April 18, 2017
J.W. Singleton Education Centre
2050 Guelph Line
Presentation of Report to Board of Trustees for Decision
May 17, 2017
What many people do not realize is that every high school in Burlington anywhere near that 65 utilization number at risk. Hayden high school is not at risk – the place has only be operational for three years.
The parents at Central High School have been working diligently at doing everything they can to ensure their school is not closed.
The community based team is now leading the effort to Save Central. The group has a leadership and strategy team and a data team as well. They have a web site and a twitter account.
#centralstrong
https://centralstrong.ca
 T-shirts and lawn signs are part of the campaign. Central has been down this road before. Their spokesperson said they have an excellent process and structure in place.
And they have a long list of questions they want to ask the Director of Education. Here are some of those questions:
At the meetings where the Director spoke he assured the public that expenses would not drive the decision it would be equitable opportunity for all students , can the board outline what goes into determination of equitable , is it course offerings, student success, or other things, what exactly is considered ?
What is the point in having a PAR Committee that can’t hear opinions from the relevant schools, doesn’t hear from the Trustees of the relevant schools and won’t allow the Committee to make recommendations at the end?
Why did you not consider alternate options prior to engaging in the PAR? There is nothing in the Report to indicate this was done, as required by the Ministry guidelines.
Why are teachers not allowed to talk about this or have opinions? This does a disservice to both them and their students who naturally want to talk to them about it
Why did the board spend nothing on maintaining older schools for years, and remove students from Pearson only to put them at Hayden which caused the overcrowding? It appears this was all done so that Pearson and Central could be targeted for closure
 Why do you keep saying 1200 is an optimal number of students in a high school? This is only optimal based on dollars and cents. It is widely recognized in multiple studies that optimal numbers are actually in the 600-900 range. Where is your data to support this number?
The report does not state why Option 19 was recommended in comparison to other options and alternatives. Simply saying we think this is the best option at this time means nothing. Why was it the best option at the time?
Why in Option #4 would you say you could move the IB program from Pearson to Nelson which would then have Nelson’s utilization at 113%? Why would you not move it to Central or Pearson?
 It should be an interesting hour and a half of community engagement.
 By Staff
November 20th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Complaints about the leaf collection are understandable. However the people who put th schedule together had no idea that the warm weather we have experienced would last quite this long.
As nice as the weather has been – it does play havoc with the plans some departments put in place.
Could we, should we have expected them to have crystal balls that would tell them it is going to be another couple of weeks of unseasonably warm weather?
Just how proactive could they have been?
 Leaves being cleaned up along New Street, The city could have revised the plans and moved everything back a few days – perhaps the contracts they signed didn’t allow for that. Write better contracts.
Global warming is changing everything which means everything has to change.
Set out below is the schedule the city is working to at the moment.
 By Pepper Parr
November 20th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
There is chatter about a larger city council.
It began with a column in the Hamilton Spectator by Joan Little and was followed by a piece written by Brian Heagle. Links to both are below
The significant seven we have now are not that interested in anything bigger. Mayor Goldring has pointed to Portland Oregon which has a seven member council which he thought was great.
 Mayor Goldring’s 2015 Christmas card photograph. Goldring doesn’t manage people all that well; his career path has not included any significant management roles. He prefers small groups of people that are like minded. Much of the thinking the city has seen the Mayor take up has come from a book he read and then invited the author to town for a speech.
There is going to have to be some form of leadership from the current Council and then a citizenship that rallies to that leadership and says it wants a different size Council.
The public is going to have to hear from past members of city council to talk about the deficiencies of a seven member council.
The people on city council now don’t get along all that well but they each have their alliances and know who they can go to for support. There are – it is not fair to call them cliques – but groupings that come together. Councillors Craven and Sharman are frequently joined at the hip and Lancaster will listen to almost everything Sharman whispers in her ear.
 Councillors Sharman and Lancaster: both part of the Shape Burlington committee who seem to have forgotten what the report was all about – civic engagement Taylor is wearying of the game and doesn’t want to be challenged by any upstarts who might have some new ideas. Dennison is comfortable with what exists now.
 Does she still want to put her hat in the ring for job of Mayor in 2018? Meed Ward used to be ‘gung ho’ on change; we haven’t seen that much of the Marianne Meed Ward who delegated ferociously before she was elected to council and was a thorn in the side of most during her first term – something the other council members needed. The fight seems to have gone out of her. To a considerable degree she is still ostracized. Her public comments on the seniors situation were disappointing.
Political organizations need new blood – that is part of why we hold elections.
Municipal politics is complex business. Its financial statements are not like those in the business world. A municipality cannot have a deficit – if they are short they have to dip into the reserve funds – there are more than fifty of those with millions of dollars sitting in bank accounts.
The Finance department to its credit does a good job of getting the city a good return on the investments it makes – given that there are a lot of things the city is now allowed to invest in.
For a newcomer to get elected to council the learning curve is very very steep. It takes a full term to get a feel and understanding for the way the city works and how staff relate to council.
 Councillors Craven and Taylor live on opposite sides of the political spectrum. Each has their strengths – along with a considerable amount of time on city council. For those new to municipal politics having to learn how city hall works and how the Regional Council works is more than most can manage.
It makes a lot of sense to have two levels of Councillors; one who is just a ward Councillor and the other who is both a ward councillor and a Regional councillor.
The comments we are seeing about what these ward only level councillors should be paid is insulting. Those who do the job work hard; the issues they have to deal with are not simple. To pay someone $30,000 to serve as a ward only councillor is going to get you someone stupid enough to accept such a pittance.
If you are not prepared to pay well – you are going to get very little in the way of talent. That $115,000 – give or take a bit – we pay our city council members now is money well spent. They make mistakes and they could tone up their attitude when dealing with the public – especially with delegations to council meetings. But they are fairly paid.
The view that they were elected to run the city and the public gets to decide if they like what they got only at election time is an idea that went out of style in the late fifties. This lot trots out the words accountability and transparency without understanding or believing what they really mean.
 Dennison has the best understanding of the dollars and cents side of civic administration. It is up to you the public to hold them accountable every chance you get. They are no better than you are. When that OPP cruiser slides by you on the 403 your foot comes off that gas pedal – that is you being accountability to that police officer. It’s the way the world works.
If the current council chafes at that it is because you have let them get away with far too much.
Just don’t insult the institution of public service by not paying them adequately and fairly and providing them with the staff support they need.
A trained administrative assistant could serve two Councillors in the same ward – it wouldn’t be a bad idea to recruit those people from outside existing city hall staff.
If there are people out there who want to run for public office they have to have started their campaigns by now. The rules have changed giving the incumbents an even better chance of winning.
How good it is for the incumbents?
Marcus Gee, a Globe and Mail writer who focuses on municiapl politics wrote on the weekend asking:
Imagine a high-school student council whose members never graduate but stay on year after year, growing older and crankier as the student body they govern evolves. It shouldn’t be much of a strain for residents of Toronto to picture. That’s what their own city council is like.
Councillors hang around year after year – sometimes decade after decade – aging in place as the dynamic city they govern changes all around them. The same old characters have the same old quarrels over and over in a repeating loop of futility.
Like any group or organization that doesn’t renew itself, they have become inward-looking, inbred, ingrown. Voters tune them out. Cynicism about politics grows.
How do we break out of this trap? A small group of reformers has an idea.
The Open Democracy Project announced it was putting together a DemocracyKit, “a crowd-sourced, crowd-funded resource to equip the next generation of city-builders.” The plan is to give newcomers the tools they need to break into the restricted club of city politics.
The democracy kit would include such things as fundraising plans, a guide to door-to-door canvassing, website templates and contact-management systems.
 Democracy at work – people planning on what they want to see done. It’s all aimed at counteracting the power of incumbency. Sitting politicians have overwhelming advantages. They have name recognition, especially critical at the municipal level, where most voters aren’t paying much attention. They have access to the big-name spin doctors and campaign managers who dominate the election game. They have a web of contacts in unions, community groups and local business associations that help them get re-elected. They know the ropes.
No wonder that so many manage to stay on and on. The Open Democracy Project says that incumbents won 92 per cent of the time in elections held in three cities – Toronto, Calgary and Ottawa – since 2001.
Burlington has Councillors who have warmed their chairs in the council chamber for more than twenty years.
Related articles:
Little in the Spectator
Brian Heagle with his view point.
Open Democracy project
By Pepper Parr
November 19th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
There is a lawyer in town who loves the city – has run for public office and is “involved” in civic affairs. Nice fellow; dependable, decent, gives a damn. He speaks of the city as being a nice place where the quality of life is good.
And on that one he isn’t wrong but he isn’t as right as he would like it to be.
 Is leaf collecting a service the city should be providing? The trees are on city property.  These chemical containers were discovered in Sheldon creek – is their removal a city responsibility? Another citizen is also active, also involved and has lived in the city since the 50’s. He is the kind of guy who will pick up the phone when he sees something he thinks is wrong. He lives near the Village Square.
The Blyth Academy made a smart move when they set up classes for their students in the Village Square. This gave the “campus” a downtown feel rather than an austere building in the boonies or some commercial waste land where space was cheap.
There is a decent number of students about which suggests the idea is working.
Adults seem to understand that smoking is going to kill you eventually and certainly shorten your life span but that doesn’t seem to have penetrated the fertile minds of the Blyth Academy students. They got into the habit of slipping out for a fag in the Village Square which happens to abut a condominium with which they share common spaces.
The residents don’t appreciate the cigarette butts littering the ground – the students got rousted and the problem was solved.
Students being students, driven more by peer pressure than common sense, found another place to smoke – the city parking lot right across the street.
Our observant citizen picked up the phone, called city hall thinking a bylaw enforcement officer could pay the area a visit and shoo the students back to their classroom
Didn’t quite work out that way.
Our citizen was told it was a Regional responsibility; then was told it was a Parks and Recreation responsibility and that the person who could do something was away. After three to four transfers to someone else – the citizen gave up.
While going through the background papers the city has provided on the capital budget that is going to be debated next week we came across an item which we passed along to the citizen with a real hurt for smokers.
The budget submission includes the funding of the purchase of a Customer Relationship Management / Knowledge Base System (CRM/KB) that will build services for the community, focusing on the needs of our customers. This system will allow our customers to engage with the city and have access to information and services through the channel of their choice; phone, social media, city’s website or email. Creating an integrated service delivery model available through multiple channels is only possible through the acquisition and implementation of such a system. Staff plan to consolidate service inquiries and requests and transform Service Burlington into a centralized customer contact centre.
His comment: “It seems to me that it’s a people problem. No system will fix the experience I had. It’s more to do with the culture, a simple commitment of all staff to excellent customer service.”
The same could probably be said the the falling leaves problem in Roseland. The comments made by readers on that problem are instructive.
Related article:
Leaf collections – problem with the timing.
 By Pepper Parr
November 19th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Update: Asked if he wanted to expand on his comment Jack Dennison, the ward 4 member of council said: “The experts will”
Phillip Waggett, a resident of South Burlington, said his street received its second leaf pickup.
This morning, he advised the Gazette, he took a series of pictures of the serious leaf drop which is ongoing–primarily from city-owned trees.
 South Roseland street after leaf pick up – resident thinks the city has made a mistake with its scheduling. “It is not just my street: wrote Waggett “it is across South Burlington and into Roseland, leaves are everywhere, especially on maple trees which have only dropped a small proportion of their leaves at this time.
“My neighbour is of the opinion that the leaves were picked up one week earlier than last year, resulting in possibly the WORST pickup I have experienced in nearly 40 years of living here.
“Who is responsible for this lack of proper planning/scheduling? I do understand that scheduling must be done in advance but surely City Hall has access to the same long-term weather reports as I do?
 This maple tree has yet to lose its leaves – warm weather has it confused – that weather also has the people scheduling the leaf pick-up confused. These are trees on city property. “And I assume city staff responsible are capable of looking outside to see how much of the leaf fall has occurred? None of this has happened with the consequent poor results. What is the City going to do to rectify this?”
Ward 4 Councillor Jack Dennison did get back to Waggett with the following:
“I have included the director of the Roads and Parks maintenance department”
That was it?
No wonder there is disappointment with the way things get done at city hall.
The map showing where leaves are to be collected was published early in October. Someone appears not to have factored in the milder weather and made some changes.
By Staff
November 18, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Hamilton’s Santa Claus parade will be taking place in the downtown area on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2016 and street closures will be in effect from approximately 2:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Route 1 buses will have to detour using Locke Street to King Street. For service, please move to the Locke and King Street corner, or to the shelter/transfer point on King Street at Dundurn.
 By Staff
November 18th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Earlier in the month the Halton Regional Police reported small fires being set off randomly in the Palmer Drive and Newlands Crescent part of the city.
The Burlington Fire Department doused several small fires and several more burned out on their own. Police searched the area and did not locate any suspects.
 Fire department responding to an alarm in the Palmer Drive part of the city. Later in the day, police received numerous complaints from residents in the same area who reported items being lit on fire which fortunately caused only minor damage however could have been much worse. Items such as Halloween & Christmas decorations, garden accessories, realtor signs, newspapers, yard waste bags and a wreath hanging on a front door were ignited.
Yesterday, November 17th 2016, investigators arrested a 16-year-old male in relation to these arsons and executed a search warrant at his Burlington home. During the search, police found supporting evidence along with 11 Zanax pills and 24 grams of marihuana.
The male, who cannot be named due to his age, was held for bail, charged with Arson (10 counts), possession of an incendiary device, and possession of a controlled substance (2 counts).
Police continue to investigate to identify the other involved youths and are encouraging them to turn themselves in.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Burlington Criminal Investigations Bureau at 905-825-4747 Ext. 2316, or CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.com or by texting “Tip201” with your message to 274637 (crimes).
 By Staff
November 17th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
The pressure is building.
Hamilton Spectator Joan Little did a column on the size of city council which the Gazette reproduced. We then got a note from Brian Heagle who directed us to his words of wisdom. Heagle thinks the current size of council is out of whack with what the city needs.
Let us pass along to you what Heagle, a past candidate for public office, had to say. The content has been edited for length – a link to the full and the three second poll is at the end of this article.
Heagle starts his comments with a picture of the 1988-1991 council – pointing out that Jack Taylor was a member of council that far back, and asks: “Did you count the number of people around that table?
 Not a computer screen in site – those were the days when members of council would look at you and not be reading their cell phones At that time there were seventeen (17) people for a population of less than 130,000 in 1991.
There are only seven (7) members of council now – for a population in excess of 175,000.
Oakville has 13 members of council with a population of 180,000.
Milton has a nine member council for a population of more than 100,000
Halton Hills has 11 members of Council for a population of 60,000.
 Brian Heagle when he was a Liberal. The decrease in Council’s size was a well-intentioned move in the right direction but the pendulum swung too far. A telling example is how weary and wary our Mayor and Councillors appear at Council meetings. Who can blame them?
In fairness, who could properly get through all of the reading materials thrown at them (whether paper or electronic), investigate all of the truly important matters (after filtering through the truly less important ones), and genuinely listen to their constituents (as a reminder, improved civic engagement was the rallying cry when this Council was first elected in 2010)?
No wonder Council members often have their heads down, relying heavily on staff reports (is it an unwillingness to challenge them, or lack of preparation?) and rarely looking or standing up to offer strikingly innovative or breakthrough ideas.
Risk-takers? Not this group.
I wrote last year about how this Council is seemingly “stuck in neutral”, and nothing much has changed since then – their long-overdue Strategic Plan eventually passed in April, sadly in line with Council’s previously limp and lengthy versions.
Visionary and bold do not describe this Council. Caretaking seems more appropriate.
To be clear, Council’s work is not easy or straightforward, nor is it restricted to Council chambers.
There’s also the incredible time and energy drains of dealing with cats getting caught in trees, ribbons getting cut, photos getting taken, calls getting made, emails getting returned and getting to countless meetings and events.
Not to mention constant public pressure, as Council goes about their work.
 Getting the word out – Brian Heagle in action. Having said that, though, there’s really not much in the way of public scrutiny. Local media is virtually non-existent in Burlington, (We take exception to that comment Mr. Heagle) and it infrequently provides actual in-depth news reporting or analysis anyway.
It’s exhausting merely to try to visualize Council’s unrelenting work schedule, and the personal sacrifices involved, especially for a completely undersized team with an overwhelming to-do list.
Despite Council’s best efforts, have you noticed that public discontent keeps bubbling to the surface lately, replacing our usual general disengagement or disinterest with local matters? And we’re not talking about the Pier anymore.
Citizens seem increasingly frustrated with and anxious about Council – with big and small tipping points.
Unwarranted road diets, the shadow cast by the unrelenting threat and pace of new high rises by the waterfront, the City terminating the core group of seniors volunteering at the Seniors Centre, the City’s short-sighted selling of public waterfront lands to private interests, and more.
It’s no surprise that one natural conclusion and overriding factor can explain, in large part, why this Council gets such unfavorable or unenthusiastic reviews, and why it has seemingly been so unproductive and uninspiring despite 6 long years together. It’s been 25 years in the making. Council fatigue has firmly set in.
 Fuzzy picture – but there is no mistaking Brian Heagle pictured with local Conservative party activists – this was during that period of time when Heagle had his eye on a seat at Queen’s Park Why expect any Council to excel when they’re always faced with too little time and far too many demands? We’re talking about burnout.
Increasing the size of Council is inevitable, and would represent an important step and signal to re-energize Council as part of a long-overdue governance review – Council isn’t leading by example about a Code of Conduct, which doesn’t exist for them, but does for City Staff).
With a larger group, there’s real opportunity to elect a more dynamic, inclusive and representative group for an evolving Burlington – hopefully, more diverse backgrounds and more progressive thinking will be brought to the table as a result.
It’s time to cleanse the stale air of a tired “small club” environment, and breath new life into a modern Council to help it build an even greater community for the longer term.
To create a healthier culture, you need to get at the root of the problem, not merely trim around the edges.
A change to the size of Council would be at the centre of structural changes that will make a difference.
 Is it time for a change in the size of city council? Drawing new lines for Wards is a related burning issue too.
The new Strategic Plan trumpets “GROW BOLD”, as Council seeks to lead Burlington into the future. Will this Council itself “GROW BOLD”, and be wise enough, to pursue increasing its size before the 2018 election?
Seven is definitely not the right number. Not anymore. It doesn’t work well in 2016 – and won’t for the next 25 years.
The three second poll Heagle posted is at – https://brianheagle.wordpress.com/2016/11/17/size-matters-in-burlington/
Links:
 Joan Little column from the Hamilton Spectator
 By Pepper Parr
November 17th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Are there some really big changes in the wind for the Art Gallery of Burlington?
The city has always wanted a major academic institution in the downtown core. At one point it looked as if McMaster was going to have a structure on what is now the Elizabeth Street parking lot but that didn’t work out the way the city wanted it to – McMaster got a better offer for land on the South Service Road so a progressive university set up shop beside a field where someone is growing hay that they really don’ harvest.
 Brock University has been around for 50 years and has been spreading its wings – with facilities in Hamilton and an apparent interest in taking up lodgings in Burlington. Turns out that Brock University, headquartered in St. Catharines, has been sniffing around the Art Gallery of Burlington to see if some kind of a deal can be put together.
An informed source says the talks haven’t been going all that well – and that the problem is with the Burlington side of the negotiating table.
No one at Brock wants to say anything at this time.
The AGB spent a couple of hours Wednesday evening take a small audience through a Strategic Plan exercise that had all the right buzz words in it: Inclusive; Inspiring; Encouraging; Engaging; Collaborative and Respectful.
Those and the right Gift Card will get you a cup of coffee.
There is a Draft Strategy that is based on three pillars- the Gazette will report on these later.
One of the objectives appear to be having hands-on activities always being available for walk in visitors – a challenge and not something the clubby Guilds are likely to welcome.
 AGB president Robert Steven. AGB president Robert Steven has to be credited with boosting donations somewhat but the place has a long way to go to raise the funds needed for the Art Gallery program wish list.
Getting into bed with a university would certainly juice up the place – but it doesn’t look as if there is going to be anything to announce in the near future – other than – there have been talks.
Picking up this news from the “grapevine” however is not the smartest way for the AGB to get the news out. The objective is to get in front of the parade and lead the band wagon so people can jump on.
By Pepper Parr
November 17th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
The city recently asked those who are part of the Insight Burlington opinion panel which of three illustrations they would like to see on a series of smart phone apps they are thinking of developing.
The choices were: The Escarpment; a picture of a family and The Pier.
 The Pier on the day it was officially opened. That was the structure you the taxpayer shelled out $14 million for when it was originally going to cost something just over $6.5 million.
Most organizations keep their skeletons in the closet.
Let’s see what they choose to do.
 By Joan Little, Hamilton Spectator columnist
November 17th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
The Spectator is not read by enough people in Burlington. Their columnist, Joan Little, wrote some particularly cogent comments about the size of Burlington’s city council that deserve repeating.
Every few years council sizes and ward boundaries change, usually because of population shifts. Councillors invariably are lukewarm, keen to retain areas of strength in past elections. “No one’s asking for change,” they say, but it’s not about them — it’s about service for residents. Toronto is adding three wards. Hamilton, too, is considering change.
 First elected in 2010 this significant seven don’t appear to be the least bit interested in letting any new members into the club that gives them $100,000 + each year. Halton Region’s population has shifted greatly. When created in 1973, its council had 24 members — nine from Burlington, seven from Oakville, four from Halton Hills, three from Milton, and a chair. In 1997 it was re balanced to 21 — seven each from Burlington and Oakville, and three each from Milton and Halton Hills, plus a chair.
With populations again skewed, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs has decided that Halton council will revert to 24 for the 2018 election. Milton gains two and Oakville one. The 1997 shift necessitated local council changes. Burlington went from eight wards, two per ward, to six wards, one per ward. Mike Wallace was the architect of that move from 17 to seven members. Some, like former Mayor Walter Mulkewich, favoured 13, like Oakville’s.
Burlington has the smallest council in Halton — seven — who sit on the two councils and several boards. Oakville also has six wards, but 13 members — one local and one local/regional councillor, plus the mayor. It is adding a ward, and will go to 15 locally. Milton and Halton Hills have 11 each. Milton will shift from eight wards to four — one local and one local/regional per ward plus a mayor — nine total.
Burlington councillors love their small club, but does it serve the public well? It’s a very small group for developers and special interests to lobby. There have been several 4-3 votes on controversial items. It’s troubling that the fate of such a large city can be decided by only four people — and that’s if all are present.
At one committee session last week, Mayor Rick Goldring and Blair Lancaster were absent — not a criticism, because scheduling conflicts do arise. BUT! Both Marianne Meed Ward and Jack Dennison have heritage homes, so each had to declare a conflict of interest on two different heritage items. That left four to vote on these two reports. Fortunately, they weren’t divisive items.
Goldring and others have spoken of having a larger council. In my opinion, 13 is ideal — not too large, not too small. (The council table will seat 17). More would likely mean broader debate. Additional councillors would be local only, like Oakville’s and Milton’s.
Council has said for a decade that there was no sense reviewing its size, because Burlington could gain or lose regional seats. Well, Halton’s council size is decided, and unlikely to change for another two decades, so what’s today’s holdup?
Cost? Democracy isn’t free, but let’s examine that. Burlington’s 2016 budget is $146 million. The city pays councillors $54,312, the Region an additional $48,060 — total $103,372. Let’s use $60,000 for six more local members — $360,000 — less if fewer were added. Minimal in a $146 million budget (.0025 per cent).
 Ward 4 city Councillor Jack Dennison is reported to be opposed to a larger council. This council is unlikely to add six. Dennison, for one, is stridently opposed to adding any, and for city staff, the small number is convenient. Further, a council that can’t even agree on a Councillors’ Code of Conduct, promised six years ago, is unlikely to make such a major change. But if they do, kudos!
Two weeks ago there was a council workshop about a governance charter, but the underlying issue for many members was that outstanding Code of Conduct. They agreed that both items would be considered in parallel later.
I was astonished that council size wasn’t even discussed, because that underlies governance. In response to my question, Goldring said it isn’t an issue — no one’s asking for change but me. Maybe, but four people (if all attend) deciding my city’s future is worrisome.
Adding councillors to a too-small council for 2018’s election would be a step for democracy. Seven is way too small for a city Burlington’s size, considering the ongoing citizen angst about overintensification.
 Freelance columnist Joan Little is a former Burlington alderperson and Halton councillor. Reach her at specjoan@cogeco.ca
 By Pepper Parr
November 17th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
The closing of a high school is significant and disruptive.
The Director of Education wants to give the public every opportunity to be informed and ask questions.
Burlington has seven high schools where there are 1800+ empty seats – and that isn’t, as Director of Education Stuart Miller points out is not sustainable.
To add to the situation – Burlington has a high school that is at 115% of capacity and has had to add portables – for a school that was opened three years ago.
 Director of Education Stuart Miller preparing to talk to Central high school parents. The high school capacity in Burlington is south of the QEW – the population is north of that line.
Something had to be done to fix this imbalance. The Board of Education staff put forward a recommendation – one of 19 different possible recommendations to close Central and Pearson high schools.
While not required to get out into the community and explain the full story – some school boards pass the task along to the trustees and let them deal with the mess – Miller decided to hold at meeting at every high school and pass along to them the information he has.
 One of the five people in the picture is the high school principal. Parent participation was dismal. Some of those meetings were very well attended – others, sparse would be being polite. The parents just didn’t show up at Bateman high school which is a school that is very much at risk. That it wasn’t the staff recommendation doesn’t save Bateman. It is the trustees that will make the decision and there were 19 recommendations – and Bateman has a low and falling registration.
 Amy Collard, school board trustee for the ward Bateman high school is in attended the sparsely attended meeting. With Nelson high school just a couple of km away – Bateman parents want to listen up – carefully.
Miller has decided to go one step further and hold an on line Q&A on Monday, November 21st between 7:00 and 8:30 pm
By Pepper Parr
November 17th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Halton District School Board Director of Education Stuart Miller made two comments at the regular board meeting last night that deserve a closer look.
He commented on a report that school bus drivers were having problems with cars that did not obey the rule that they must stop behind or in front of the bus while students are embarking and disembarking.
 Hard to miss the intent of this sign – some car drivers are not getting the message. Each bus has a small barrier that is lowered when a bus has stopped – close to impossible to miss that signal. Why would a car driver choose to take a chance and drive around the bus?
The Gazette will be following up on that problem.
The other item in the Director’s report was equally disturbing.
The Board is about to launch the PARC (Program Accommodation Review Committee) that will review the staff report that recommended closing both the Lester B Pearson and Central high schools.
Miller has pointed out every time he discusses this process that the recommendation is just that “a recommendation. There are other high schools that could be closed instead of Pearson or Central. The decision as to which school should be closed is one that will be made by the trustees once the PARC has delivered its report.
Every high school in the city gets to have a person on the PARC – there is apparently one high school that has not yet provided its nominee to the committee.
This is serious stuff for a community whose high school is at risk.
The PARC will hold its first meeting December 1st – that meeting, and only that meeting will be closed to the public. The justification is that the committee will need some time to work out the rules and norms that will apply and have an opportunity for the 20+ people on the committee to get to know each other. Every high school in Burlington has two representatives on the PARC.
The full committee will consist of:
Trustee from outside Burlington
Superintendent from outside Burlington
Principal or designate from each affected high school
Two parents/guardians from each affected high school
The Board is waiting for all the applications from people who have expressed an interest in serving on the committee. Friday November 18th is the closing day for those expression of interest applications. It is going to prove to be a big job – not for the faint of heart.
 Not exactly a large crowd is it? Bateman high school parents apparently missed the message.  The Central high school parents understand the issue – they are very well organized. Miller advised the Board that he and staff have attended information meetings at every high school and “given them the information we have”. Some of those meetings were very poorly attended.
There is going to be one additional meeting that will be done via the internet – Stuart and staff members will take questions electronically and answer on a live streaming board web cast November 21st at 7:00 pm.
 Scott Podrebarac Superintendent of Education Scott Podrebarac will chair the PARC.
By Staff
November 16th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Now here is a volunteer opportunity for a retired bean counter.
The Halton District School Board is seeking a community member with financial expertise and business knowledge to serve on its audit committee for a three year term ending December 2019.
 A retired bean counter at work – wants to know where the money went. The audit committee is comprised of three trustees and two independent members drawn from the community at large. The Committee meets at least three times a year, plus ad hoc meetings as required, including day time meetings.
The primary role of the audit committee is to assist the Board of Trustees in fulfilling its duties related to governance and oversight. The duties of the audit committee fall under the following key areas: the financial reporting process, internal control framework, risk management practices, performance and function of the board’s internal and external auditors and the Board’s compliance with its obligations under legislation. Candidate eligibility includes:
Applicants must have sufficient accounting, senior financial management or other relevant business experience to understand public sector accounting and auditing standards.
The applicant must not be a current employee or Officer of the Board or of any other district school board or school authority.
The applicant must not have a parent, child or spouse currently employed by the Board.
Candidates must submit a letter of interest and resume by 4 p.m. on Friday, December 23, 2016 to:
Lucy Veerman, Superintendent of Business Services & Treasurer, Halton District School Board
PO Box 5005 STN LCD 1, Burlington, ON, Canada, L7R 3Z2
Candidates who are short-listed will be requested to attend an interview conducted by the Audit Committee’s selection committee.
|
|
