 By Staff
December 1st, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
Ward 4 Councillor Shawna Stolte said on her Facebook page that she” chose to take a lead role in this issue as Burlington Taxi has been a well-respected, long time member of the Ward 4 Business community.
 The fleet that is no more. “I have been aware, as we all were, of the challenges facing the taxi industry such as exorbitant insurance rates, competition with Uber and Lyft as well as economic impacts of the pandemic.
 Ward 4 Councillor Shawna Stolte “I had met with management of Burlington Taxi in mid-October and learned of their decision to cease operations as of November 30, as well as their desire to transition their vehicles and drivers to another taxi company in order to maintain services to the Burlington community. During this meeting I encouraged management at Burlington Taxi to put their concerns and issues in writing to all of Council so that we could work towards a potential solution, which resulted in the Burlington Taxi letter to Council of November 8, 2021.
“During subsequent internal communications and meetings with staff and Council, the conversation was presented that these were “new issues” being brought forward and due to significant legislative and legal challenges it would not be possible to accommodate Burlington Taxi’s plan to transition their vehicles in time for their November 30 closure.
 Former Ward 6 Councillor Blair Lancaster in conversation with Scott Wallace, proprietor of Burlington Taxi. “What unfortunately was not shared, in all of these internal discussions, was the knowledge of a very similar letter from Burlington Taxi that had been sent to the previous Council in April of 2018 that resulted in a May 2018 Staff Direction to “Initiate a comprehensive review of the Taxi By-law that will make recommendations to address the current needs of the industry”.
“Reading the letter that Burlington Taxi sent to Council in April of 2018, knowing now that the owner delegated to Council in May of 2018 to be sure his needs were clear, and understanding the subsequent support from the previous Council in the form of a Staff Direction in May of 2018, clearly demonstrates that Burlington Taxi did everything they should have to seek assistance from their elected representatives and the staff at the City of Burlington.
 Papers got lost in the shuffle. “In October of 2018, a new Council was inaugurated. This Staff Direction was “lost” in the transition to the new term of Council and was never spoken of again until a concerned resident sent me a copy of the 2018 Staff Direction on November 24, 2021.
“Had this Review of the Taxi Bylaw been followed through on in 2018, it is quite possible that Burlington Taxi may have been operating under a very different business model over the past few years that may (or may not) have resulted in a different outcome for them as a business and for the residents of Burlington. We will never know.
“What I do know now is that former Council and staff at the City of Burlington “dropped the ball” in 2018 and for that we owe Burlington Taxi and the residents of the City an apology.
“I cannot accept responsibility for a mistake that was made before my time on Council, but I will take responsibility to apologize to Burlington Taxi for the historic mishandling of this situation and I will take responsibility to continue to advocate for improved transparency and accountability in our practices and processes at City Hall.”
There is more to this story – the Stolte comments are part of it – what city council isn’t doing is the other part and the distress the lack of a taxi service is creating in the lives of people is something they can only be ashamed of.
The political will needed to fix this problem just isn’t there which is indeed unfortunate
 By Staff
November 30th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
With the provincial election more ta six months away – the political parties are getting serious and beginning to jockey for position.
 Ontario Premier Doug Ford – has always been business focused. The Liberals to say announced they would scrap the Ministerial Zoning Orders to Progressive Conservative government has used to permit development that municipalities may not want.
The Liberal media release, released this morning said: “Under the cover of a pandemic, Doug Ford has been abusing his powers and recklessly using MZOs to push through a list of rewards for his rich buddies over environmentally-sensitive land.
“Today, Ontario Liberals are releasing their plan to eliminate MZOs and bring in strict rules to ban Doug Ford’s abuses of power.
“Doug Ford has weaponized MZOs and is abusing his power to attack our environment and reward the well-connected few,” stated Ontario Liberal Leader, Steven Del Duca. “Ontario Liberals will scrap MZOs and bring in strict rules to protect our environment while responsibly building communities.”
 Ontario Liberal Leader, Steven Del Duca. does not have a seat in the provincial legislature. He was Minister of Transportation in the last Liberal government. Ontario Liberals would only allow fast-tracking of critical provincial projects, like affordable housing, employment lands/projects, and not-for-profit nursing homes to provide better care for our loved ones in communities across Ontario, or expansions to protected greenspace. Ontario Liberals would also add transparency measures, like required consultations and judicial reviews, to make sure projects respect environmental protections and aren’t being recklessly forced on communities like Doug Ford is doing now. The government would no longer be able to steamroll local communities to force through rewards for well-connected friends.
In just over three years, Doug Ford has issued 57 MZOs — more than triple the number that the last Liberal government issued over 15 years, and he expanded his powers three times. Ontario Liberals would give that power back to communities, making sure they are consulted on any critical projects the government advances.
“We desperately need to build more housing in Ontario,” added Del Duca. “Today’s announcement is about building more affordable housing, not-for-profit nursing homes, and creating jobs without attacking our environment. It’s about sustainable growth to build a better future for all of us.”
 By Pepper Parr
November 29th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
Each member of Council has the opportunity to put forward a motion that sets out the changes they want to see to the budget staff has put forward.
Keep in mind that taxpayers are looking at a pretty stiff budget increase and that Staff don’t see tax increases falling below 4% a year for the next five years.
Also, keep in mind that 2022 will be an election year.
Ward 5 Councillor Paul Sharman looks to transit deferrals to skim more than $3 million from the budget Staff has put before Council.
Keeps a community project in – voters like that kind of thing.
 Gone are the days when Councillor Sharman would push hard enough to get a 0% budget increase. 1) Defer by one year the proposed 2022 conventional transit vehicle replacement in the amount of $3,382,000 and retain gas tax funds to partially offset $30m shortfall in annual capital funding.
2) Add funds to tree planting to achieve desired urban forest renewal $100,000
3) Add funds to pave gravel path in Mohawk Park $60,000
4) Remove all 2022 operating budget gapping from new staff positions such as was the case in 2021 along with any other expected un-utilized expenses $190,000 for personnel plus any other expense items.
Reasons:
1) recent review of infrastructure identified that infrastructure renewal funding gap is much larger than the $126m determined in 2016 and is in fact $512m. It is estimated that annual shortfall since 2016 has been about $30m, or about $150m in the 5 years leading up to 2022.
Meanwhile, transit ridership is well below planned/hoped for levels due to Covid and perhaps over optimistic projections to meet long term modal split goals. Keeping buses an additional year over assumed 12-year life span is a viable modest extension given the relatively light ridership utilization generally made more so during Covid years in Burlington.
2) To better support objectives of private tree by-law in increasing urban tree canopy by providing $100,000 to be funded by reducing overhead in item 2 above.
 A $60,000 goody for the community 3) The path is used by many parents of young children attending both Mohawk Gardens Public School and St Patrick Catholic Elementary School. During inclement weather the path becomes impassible due to flooding and ice.
4) Partially offset 2022 prior and pending impacts of council decisions $885,666
Outcome Sought:
2022 Budget adjustment
By Pepper Parr
November 29th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
Each member of Council has the opportunity to put forward a motion that sets out the changes they want to see to the budget staff has put forward.
Keep in mind that taxpayers are looking at a pretty stiff budget increases and that Staff don’t see tax increases falling below 4% a year for the next five years.
Also, keep in mind that 2022 will be an election year.
Ward 3 Councillor Rory Nisan wants to direct staff to reduce the budget by removing the following items:
• Dedicated operations space for building/bylaw ($110k)
• Remove BI (Business information)position ($114k)
• Remove bus cleaning/maintain status quo with external contractors ($223k)
• Remove committee services, deputy clerk position ($157k)
• Manager, total rewards and analytics ($157k)
 Ward 3 Councillor Rory Nisan wants to use staff cuts to keep the tax levy down. Overall rationale:
With COVID-19’s economic impacts, council needs to be more careful than ever in balancing costs for our taxpayers and mitigating organizational risk. The following projects very narrowly weigh towards delays and temporary de-prioritization to provide tax relief for 2022.
• Dedicated operations space for building/bylaw ($110k)
I would like this request to be brought forward again for 2023.
• Remove BI position ($114k)
I would like this position to be brought forward again for 2023 budget.
• Remove bus cleaning/maintain status quo with external contractors ($223k)
I would like this request to be brought forward again for 2023. With lower use of buses at present, we can manage the risk of an inferior outcome in terms of cleanliness for 2022.
• Remove clerk position ($157k)
I would like the city manager to seek short term internal support, internal re-assignment, one-time contracting and/or external contracts for projects to mitigate risk. I would like the position to be brought forward again in 2023.
• Manager, total rewards and analytics ($157k)
I would like to see this position brought forward in 2023 and if needed that there be internal reorganization and prioritization.
Outcome Sought:
Budget approval.
By Pepper Parr
November 29th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
Each member of Council has the opportunity to put forward a motion that sets out the changes they want to see to the budget staff has put forward.
Keep in mind that taxpayers are looking at a pretty stiff budget increase and that Staff don’t see tax increases falling below 4% a year for the next five years.
Also, keep in mind that 2022 will be an election year.
Ward 1 Councillor Kelven Galbraith frequently cuts to the chase – his response to a budget that has many more than concerned, is brief to the point of being irresponsible.
 Any aspirations Galbraith had to be elected Mayor went out the window with his budget reduction response. Galbraith tends to align himself with the Mayor who, along with Councillor Nisan, creates a block of three votes on a seven member council. Not enough to hold court.
The people of Aldershot voted for what they thought was an experienced business person who was tuned into the needs of the community.
None of those attributes appear in his budget memorandum.
In his memorandum the Councillor asks his colleagues:
I would like to explore the deferral of purchasing 2 of the 4 buses as our transit usage has been much less than expected during COVID19. The costs of adding the drivers, staff and maintenance follows the adding of buses to our fleets which is driving our budget increase.
With regards to the bylaw officers located within Aldershot arena, I am comfortable with them staying there for the foreseeable future. It was suggested that the room was needed for community use but I do not anticipate demand for this room for a few years.
Outcome Sought:
7 votes in favour.
Does Galbraith no longer want the job of ward councillor?
 By Pepper Parr
November 29th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
Each member of Council has the opportunity to put forward a motion that sets out the changes they want to see to the budget staff has put forward.
Keep in mind that taxpayers are looking at a pretty stiff budget increase and that Staff don’t see tax increases falling below 4% a year for the next five years.
Also, keep in mind that 2022 will be an election year.
Ward 6 Councillor Angelo Bentivegna wants his colleagues to consider removing a number of items from the 2022 Budget.
He has declared his intention to run for office again in 2022. There is at least one rural resident considering a run at the council seat.
 Bentivegna has figured out how he can get re-elected. Maintaining Assets in Recreation Services to meet lifecycle requirements and reduce risk -$100,000
Stabilizing Management Structures and Managing Risk – $585,000 (4 full time staff).
Operationalization of the Bus Cleaning Pilot -$223,000 (7.6 FTE).
Dedicated space for Building Inspection and By-law – $110,000
Gypsy Moth Control Program – $110,000 (one-time)
 Not big on overtime pay – likes salary reductions as well – wants to share the pain – speaks for the small business sector Consideration to reduce Non-union HR increases in the 2022 Budget from 3% to 2% – $640,000
Consideration to reduce Overtime costs estimated at $1,745,517 by 30% from the 2022 Budget resulting in a savings of $523,655.
Consideration to remove tax funding from the 2022 Budget and move to Covid budget:
Additional By-law Enforcement Officers – $232,000 (one-time)
Free Transit for Seniors -$95,000
Rational for reducing impacts of the 2022 budget.
This global pandemic over the last 21 months has had many residents experience financial hardship. The economic impact has caused many families see declines to their household incomes. We have heard repeatedly through our committee Covid updates the result of unfavorable cash flows in our city and residents and businesses needing some type of financial assistance.
Many businesses have reported losses of upwards to 70% and some have shut down.
My experience in discussions with residents and having read the budget survey comments provided to Committee emphasizes the need to take a hard look at reducing this proposed budget increase of 5.45%.
Outcome Sought:
Reduction of $2,276,655 of on-going costs and $342,000 of city one-time costs.
Bentivegna has positioned himself as the voice of the small business operator. Ward 6 has a significant number of rural residents who seem to have been forgotten in his budget reducing requests.
 Spoke for the the small independent sector Pushing for a two and a quarter million dollar reduction is a stretch – it will be interesting to see how his council colleagues respond.
Even if he doesn’t get support on any of his suggestions – he will come out of it as the Councillor who wants smaller tax increases.
Bentivegna has figured out what the public wants to hear in an election year.
oBy Pepper Parr
November 29th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
Each member of Council has the opportunity to put forward a motion that sets out the changes they want to see to the budget staff has put forward.
Keep in mind that taxpayers are looking at a pretty stiff budget increase and that Staff don’t see tax increases falling below 4% a year for the next five years.
Also, keep in mind that 2022 will be an election year.
 How much fiscal prudence and how much political skin is there in the Stolte budget change proposals? Ward 4 Councillor Shawna Stolte set out the changes she wants to see.
Motions for Council to Consider:
1) Pride (Rainbow) Crosswalks
Remove $45,000 in funding for three additional Rainbow Crosswalks that are addition to the 4 that have already been committed and encourage community groups to engage and fund raise for future installations.
OR for further consideration:
Rename and repurpose the $45,000 to fund public art installations that support additional marginalized groups in the community (ie. a “Seven Feathers Crosswalk” in support of our First Nations/Indigenous community)
And Direct the Director of Roads, Parks and Forestry to generate “City of Burlington Decorative Crosswalk Guidelines” to ensure consistency for future funding requests of this nature.
2) Dedicated operations space for Building Inspection and By-law Staff
Remove $110,000 from proposed Risk Mitigation Measures budget increase.
3) Sherwood Forest Community Centre Facility
Recommit previously approved funding, 2022-2024 capital funding totaling $6.2 million as well as 2022-2023 capital reserve funding totaling $600,000 to the Capital Infrastructure Reserve Fund until such time as the plan for cost sharing is approved by Council and the applicable Joint Venture Groups can provide documentation confirming feasibility of financial commitment.
4) School Playground Improvement Strategy
Transfer $550,000 from the capital budget for School Playground Improvement Strategy to the Park Dedication Reserve Fund to assist with future strategic Halton District School Board land acquisitions and; Direct the Office of the City Manager to re-negotiate the Agreement with the Halton District School Board regarding the use of City tax dollars to replace playgrounds on private HDSB property.
Reason:
1) The competitive bid process for the three additional Rainbow Crosswalks approved in 2021 resulted in a cost of $27,324 for crosswalk markings at the 3 locations. An additional cost of $32,000 was realized as a result of repaving required at 2 of 3 locations in order to maintain integrity of the markings for a total of $59,324 or $19,775 per crosswalk.
 Mayor Meed Ward has put a lot of her political capital on the Rainbow Crosswalks – that capital could be at risk. The LGBTQ2S+ community in Burlington feels very welcomed and supported with the four new Rainbow Crosswalks around the City of Burlington and greatly appreciates that with the addition of these four Rainbow Crosswalks Burlington now, proudly, has more Rainbow Crosswalks per capita than any other community in the country.
The City of Burlington strives to be a place of diversity and inclusion and to that end the residents of the city are widely supportive of this funding being repurposed to include additional valued community groups and initiatives.
2) While the rationale for dedicated space for the Bylaw and Building Department needs are sound, it is premature to commit $110,000 to new leased space when the required space within existing City owned facilities has not been determined based on remote work arrangements. Efforts to confirm and consolidate existing City owned space allocations needs to be completed before committing to newly leased space.
3) Funding for projects that require Council approved cost sharing arrangements should not be committed until such cost sharing arrangements are confirmed.
Additionally, applicable Joint Venture Groups should be required to provide confirmation of feasibility of financial commitment before commitment of capital assets.
4) Upkeep, maintenance and improvements on properties owned privately by the Halton District School Board should be funded through Provincial Ministry of Education funding.
 Will Councillor Kearns, on the left, second the Motion Councillor Stolte brings to the debate this week Stolte now has to find a member of Council to second her motion.
This Budget Memorandum approach is different – it will be interesting to see how the other members of Council react to what Stolte has proposed.
2022 is an election year and members of this Council are going to have to defend the increases.
 This just not a sustainable number – where will the cuts be made?
By Staff
November 29th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
Elsewhere in today’s news (these will follow) there will be memorandums from each member of Council on the changes they would like to see in the budget they are considering this week
As part of the budget exercise city council will be going through this week there is a five year simulation on what the public can expect – the assumption being that there will be no radical changes in the economic environment.
Not exactly something you can bet on.
To start – have a look at the tax levy numbers – they are not a pretty picture.
You might want to clip that and put it on the fridge -beside the “Burlington is the best city in Canada to live in.The purpose of the simulation is to resent a 5–year operating budget forecast as part of the City’s long–term planning.
The City’s Long–Term Financial plan contains the following key strategic objectives for the city:
1. Competitive Property Taxes
2. Responsible Debt Management
3. Improved Reserves and Reserve Funds
4. Predictable Infrastructure Investment
5. Recognized Value for Services
This simulation uses the 2022 proposed budget as a starting point and
adjusts the 2023–2027 forecast based on estimated budget drivers, information gathered in the Service Information Workshops and forecasted Operating budget impacts resulting from Capital projects.
As with any modeling tool, the simulation forecast has the greatest precision in the first year. It is imperative that the results are simply used as an information tool regarding major budget drivers and future projected tax impacts. It provides an analysis of what the future financial picture for the City of Burlington may look like, helps assess financial risks and the affordability of existing services and capital investments, and provides an
opportunity to analyze sensitivities to assumptions.
Magnitude and duration of COVID impacts
Senior Government Grant Programs
Changes in economic conditions and market demands
Fluctuations in customer expectations
Legislative changes
Reassessment impacts
Operating impacts from approved capital initiatives
Business process improvements
Climate change impacts
Staff have shown a realistic scenario where assessment growth is maintained at 0.6% in 2023, increasing to 0.75% in 2024 and then remaining steady at 1.0% for years 2025– 2027. These estimates are based on future development projections including an allowance for assessment appeals. Infrastructure renewal funding is consistent with the 2021 Asset Management Financing Plan Update and repurposing of the hospital levy to infrastructure renewal as the commitments for the hospital decline.
These components provided the basis for estimating budget drivers and include the following assumptions within each item:
Maintaining Current Service Levels – Base Budget
Inflationary Impacts and User Fees
With the exception of human resources and commodities (hydro, water, fuel etc.), 2.0% inflation per year has been applied to other expense categories (materials and supplies, purchased services) and 1.75% increase per year applied to contributions to Local Boards and Committees.
Most User Rates and Fees are assumed to increase at 2.0% per annum, which is dependent on the nature of the revenues and external market conditions.
However, included in years 2023 and 2024 is an estimated normalizing of
revenue based on shift in consumer behavior and ongoing operational impacts post–COVID, resulting in projected revenues losses of $500,000.
Corporate Expenditures/Revenues
An annual increase to the provisions for Insurance and Contingency Reserves of $50,000 each.
An increase in Investment Income of $50,000 per year starting in 2024 subject to a moderately increasing interest rate environment.
Additional Base Budget Expenses
The simulation highlights larger scale base budget pressures for additional detail. The main drivers are the ongoing market competitiveness initiative with a phased funding plan of $1M from 2023 thru 2025 and the $280K reversal of the one–time funding provided in 2022 to address the shortfall in assessment growth is shifted to the tax base.
Impacts of Prior Council Decisions
As some decisions approved in prior budgets have financial impacts than span further than one year, the model identifies these under Impacts of Prior Council Decisions.
These include:
Tax base support for Tyandaga (2023 & 2024) Revisions to the Private Tree Bylaw fee structure (2023)
Impacts of Previously Approved Capital Projects
There is an estimated $1.7M in funding required to meet Corporate Infrastructure and Software needs over 2023–2027. Funding schedules align with Information Technology forecasts.
Infrastructure Renewal Funding
An annual increase of 1.6% from 2023 to 2027 for Dedicated Infrastructure Renewal Funding. This provides funding for capital renewal, as per the 2021 Asset Management Financing Plan.
Includes the repurposing of the hospital levy to infrastructure renewal in 2023 ($150K), 2025 ($110K) and 2027 ($2.84M)
An annual increase of 4% to the Vehicle Depreciation Reserve Funds to sustain the City’s fleet and equipment inventory Risk Mitigation Measures
Key investment priorities identified in the simulation are classified within the 3 categories highlighted below.
Sustaining City Operations and Financing
Funding for the maintenance of Recreation facilities
As outlined in Business Case 2022–039, Maintaining Assets in Recreation Services to Meet Lifecycle Requirements and Reduce Risk, staff estimate a $700K funding shortfall to adequately maintain Recreational assets. In 2021, a phased approach was endorsed, allocating $100K in each of 2021 and 2022, with the balance phased in over 5 years 2023–2027 in $100K intervals.
Improved investments in Forestry operations
As communicated in the Service Information Workshop, Urban Forestry faces funding challenges to address the level of service required for pest management and tree planting initiatives. As such, the simulation assumes a $100K increase in expenses in each year from 2023–2026 and a provision to a Forestry Reserve Fund of $350K in 2027 to be used toward future funding gaps and new initiatives.
OMERS for Part Time Staff
Effective January 1, 2023 part–time/temporary/casual employees will have the option to enroll in OMERS without a waiting period. In the past, these employees had to meet specific hours of work or earnings criteria for a two–year period to have the option to join. Both the criteria and two–year waiting period will be removed effective January 1, 2023.
At this time, it is hard to predict how many employees will take advantage of this change. To inform the multiyear budget simulation, Finance has modelled the impact at various levels of participation and it is estimated that the impact will be $420K based on a participation rate of 67%.
Designing and Evolving Our Organization
The forecast includes the continued phased implementation of the Designing and Evolving Our Organization (DEOO) initiative to be implemented over the period 2023 – 2027.
Enhancing Services
Investment in Transit services
 Does Burlington Transit need new buses ? As per the Capital Budget and Forecast and in alignment with the 5 year Transit Business Plan, the forecast assumes an additional $836K in annual expenses for 8 Transit drivers in each year from 2023–2026 and $135K for a Specialized Transit driver in 2023 and in each year 2025–2027.
This is based on the purchase of the vehicles through the capital budget the year prior to the operating expenses being realized.
Provision to Green Initiatives Reserve Fund
In April 2019, Council declared a Climate Emergency. Burlington’s Draft Climate Action Plan identified a number of initiatives to assist the City in reducing its overall carbon footprint.
As part of the city’s reserve and reserve fund review report (F–28–20) the city created a Green Initiatives Reserve Fund. The simulation includes an estimated $550K in provisions to the Green Initiatives Reserve Fund over 2024–2027.
As we move forward, the city will need to carefully balance the increasing costs associated with being more environmentally conscious against the city’s other funding demands.
 The upgrades to the Skyway arena show some of the best forward planning the city has done – the challenge is to get it funded. Skyway Arena Revitalization
Enhancements at Skyway Arena lead to an operating budget impact of $304K in 2024.
Modifications to Service to address COVID
The simulation includes an estimated $500K in lost revenues over 2023 and 2024 as ongoing operational impacts post–COVID and a longer–term shift in consumer behavior impact City operations.
Allowance for Unknown Factors
As with all forecasts, it is imperative to recognize that there are unknown factors that will likely occur in the future that could impact the model. In order to address these unpredictable factors, an amount of $150K has been included in the 2024 forecast, increasing by $50,000 per year until 2027. This allowance has been included to recognize that factors in the simulation such as future efficiency savings and assessment growth can be increasingly difficult to predict the further out into the future they are.
Conclusion:
The 5 Year forecast is a tool that provides a high–level summary of major budget drivers and the expected tax impacts. This will be helpful to establish future budget targets, as well as provide the ability to undertake tax impact sensitivity analysis should circumstances change.
By Staff
November 28th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
Ontario reported another 964 COVID-19 cases and one more death, according to its latest report released Sunday morning.
South African scientists identified a new version of the coronavirus that they say is behind a recent spike in COVID-19 infections in Gauteng, the country’s most populous province.
It’s unclear where the new variant first emerged, but scientists in South Africa alerted the World Health Organization in recent days, and it has now been seen in travelers arriving in several countries, from Australia to Israel to the Netherlands.
 A graphic depiction of the most recent COVID19 variant – omicron. On Friday, the WHO designated it as a “variant of concern,” naming it “omicron” after a letter in the Greek alphabet.
Health Minister Joe Phaahla said the variant was linked to an “exponential rise” of cases in the last few days.
From just over 200 new confirmed cases per day in recent weeks, South Africa saw the number of new daily cases rocket to more than 3,200 Saturday, most in Gauteng.
Struggling to explain the sudden rise in cases, scientists studied virus samples and discovered the new variant. Now, as many as 90% of the new cases in Gauteng are caused by it, according to Tulio de Oliveira, director of the KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform.
The source for this information is the Associated Press, an internationally known and respected news service.
We are heading into a very dark winter.
 By Staff
November 27th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
The Halton Public Health people have put together a very good video for parents who plan to take their children 5-11 to a pediatric vaccination clinic.
 This young lad shows how getting vaccinated is done – easy peasy. There is a lot of misinformation floating around and some really stupid people harming the rest of us with their uninformed comments.
The video is really worthwhile Click HERE to watch it – it’s short – just under four minutes.
 By Pepper Parr
November 27th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
In an interview done by Lawson Hunter on a blog he runs called Burlington Now Scott Wallace gave a very complete outline of just how the business he has run since he was a 19 year old unraveled.
Uber was what he called the first of a thousand cuts but he managed to reorganize the way his fleet of 55 cars + special vehicles used to transport students and still be profitable.
 Burlington Taxi was able to pivot and challenge the Uber business model but then Covid19 hit the world and all the wheels stopped rolling. Then Covid19 hit and to this day he has not been able to recover. First there was no traffic – or not enough to remain at breakeven; then when people began to want to use taxis he could not recruit the drivers.
The people he had just did not want to work in a Covid 19 environment.
Then there was the matter of insurance. There was a time explained Wallace when there was a reasonably competitive insurance market but that changed.
Consolidation in the taxi market result in sky rocketing rates that went from $5000 a year per car up to $18,000 per year per car.
That just wasn’t sustainable and the decision to close the business and move was made. The last cab run ended at 5:00 pm on Friday.
Wallace did keep the city informed and did have a proposal for them to consider.
The city just wasn’t able to make the change within the time frames required.
Unfortunately the city has not been as forthcoming with what happened within city hall as Wallace has been with what he had to cope with for the past two years as he watched his money disappear trying to run a needed service.
Wallace has another business he runs and he will survive. He told Lawson Hunter that were he 35 he might have looked for ways to make it work but he isn’t 35 anymore.
 Despite his age, (he is a very healthy mid fifties guy) and even wth the business he was struggling to keep operational Scott Wallace found time to help the Festival of Lights people put up the lights. His specialty was the helicopter – he was the person that put it together each year and fiddled with it until the lights came on.
Keep him in mind when you take the time to tour the Festival this year – he put a lot of himself into this city
 By Staff
November 25th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
Most people have heard about the decision Burlington Taxi made to close their doors and their taxi service service effective Friday, Nov. 26, 2021 at 5 p.m.
City manager Tim Commisso, in a statement he released this morning, said: “Staff has been working on amendments to the bylaw to facilitate the temporary transition to another taxi service and will present this to Burlington City Council at the earliest opportunity.
 Scott Wallace, proprietor of Burlington Taxi in conversation with former City Councillor Blair Lancaster. “Council has directed staff to continue to take all necessary and reasonable measures to update bylaws and policies to create the conditions for the return of a taxi service to Burlington as soon as possible.
“On behalf of the City of Burlington, we would like to thank all Burlington Taxi staff, drivers and owners for their contribution and dedication to our community.”
For the significant number of people an “earliest opportunity” is just not good enough. Legal will putz and futz over the legalities while people worry about what is available to them in the way of transportation.
There are a lot of people who don’t like the Uber operation.
 Getting the helicopter assembled and operational was one of the things Scott Wallace did for the city. This is an issue that can and should be put at the top of the agenda – have an answer well before 5:00 pm on Friday so that Scott Wallace can take the steps needed to provide the service.
Both he and his staff have given back to Burlington in a big way for years. Time for the city to support him.
Few know that Scott could be found in Spencer Smith Park setting up some of the lights – he was the one who knew how to get the helicopter in place and working. Properly. Burlington is made up of people who give when it is needed – city hall could learn something from Scott’s example.
By Staff
November 25th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
City Council has approved amendments to the temporary Mask By-law and Physical Distancing By-law to extend both to expire June 30, 2022. They were set to expire on Dec. 31, 2021.
 Mayor Meed Ward – she wasn’t always a mask advocate – but she caught on quickly. Council has removed Community Centre from the physical distancing requirement in the Physical Distancing By-law as those requirements are regulated under other provincial legislation.
As the pandemic evolves, Council has the ability to pass a motion at any time to revoke these by-laws. The expiry date of June 30 can be repealed in March should COVID-19 conditions be favourable and the Province lifts their mask mandate.
This does not mean that levels of health and safety protections will be reduced in these City facilities or that physical distancing will not be maintained.
Quick Facts:
- The By-laws were implemented in an effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and protect the health and safety of the community
- The amendments in 2020 to the City’s temporary Mask By-law were made for consistency with Halton Region’s Mask By-law
By Ryan O’Dowd: Local Initiative Journalism Reporter
November 22, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
About 50 people gathered in downtown Burlington to join Ward 2 Councillor Lisa Kearns, on a walkabout through new development sites on a chilly Saturday afternoon. The story she had to tell was dismal.
Early in the event Kearns outlined what the tour was and wasn’t. It certainly wasn’t: an optimistic growth story but rather that of a city trying to keep its vision of a downtown intact.
 “I want to be clear” said Kearns, “about what this is and what this isn’t. I want you to be able to visualize and have a contextual sense of what these developments mean for you, the way that you will live here, and what you would rather see or like to see. What I cannot do is completely stop them.”
Much of Saturday’s walking tour consisted of Kearns contextualizing city decisions. She discussed the Urban Growth Center (UGC) designation in the downtown core, saying it did its job to direct investments and infrastructure to downtown, but is no longer needed.
The city worked for some time to move the UGC north to the Burlington GO station area and have the Major Transit Station Area (MTSA) designation removed from the bus terminal on John Street.
The Hon. Steve Clark, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing agreed and on November 10th issued a statement saying the UGC boundary would be moved . Kearns stated the city couldn’t request the change in UGC boundaries until they had an approved Official Plan. The altered boundary came disastrously late for many of city council’s ambitions to limit high rise development.
Kearns suggested council would have only been able to get the altered UGC designation moved at their first opportunity by approving the official plan tabled in 2018, one the newly elected council could not align themselves with. (Editor: we’re not at all sure that statement is correct.)
The authority to approve a boundary change rested with the Minister; when he agreed to the change he also grandfathered seven developments; five of which were in the downtown core.
The walk around was a tour of what many saw as the damage to a dream and a close to total evisceration of an Official Plan.
Kearns stressed she was there to explain the framework in which the city has to operate with the Ontario Land Tribunal(OLT), which continuously make decisions the city doesn’t want, making it difficult for the municipal administration to usher in their planning vision.
 Kearns at the site of the ADI development. It was the first to break through above the 25 storey level. “The MTSA designation given to the bus terminal on John Street was the same as that given at Union Station and Pearson Airport. I don’t know about you guys but the John Street terminal is not Union Station. It’s warm and it has a toilet but it is not Union Station.
“What that did was allow a 26-storey tower using the argument that with the John Street bus terminal being an MTSA a 26 storey tower was appropriate. So of course 26-storeys made sense. Well, what happens is when you have 26-storeys there, every single application that follows will say, ‘well look this is absolutely applicable’,” said Kearns.
Kearns made it clear the city is not averse to growth, they know it needs to happen, but they are looking for something more compact and sensible than what the OLT has been permitting.
 Ground zero – Lakeshore and Brant – entrance to Spencer Smith Park and the location of a development that will have two towers: one at 30 and the other at 35 storeys Stopping at 2069-2079 Lakeshore Rd. and 383-385 Pearl St., Kearns said a recent OLT decision is emblematic of the direction development is taking.
“We lost big time at the tribunal,” said Kearns.
The city wanted to develop a 17-storey building on the land but begrudgingly settled for a cutoff of 22-storeys only for the OLT to decide on a 29-storey building. The OLT refused to recognize the city’s plans and threw out years of work and background information.
“That’s it. So everything people said, if anybody from here remembers a very cold blustery December day at the art gallery where everyone put up their hands to say they were against the development, all of that is forgotten. And the only thing that’s heard is the lawyers and the technical experts on the day with the rules in place on the day.”
It was the kind of sobering refrain heard during the chilly walkaround of a changing city. At one point some in the crowd asked: how someone got appointed to the OLT, Kearns joked “I’m sure they won’t be asking me anytime soon.” The citizen mumbled, “there’s a lot of us here.” And there were lots of them, some fifty all told. But Kearns’ walkabout felt less like a rallying call than an autopsy of Burlington’s existing downtown core.
There were few calls to action, no signs of optimism, just an exacerbated, if passionate, Kearns telling Burlington she and the rest of City Council did everything they could.
The city is continuing to spend tax dollars looking through its options with external lawyers for reconsideration or a judicial review
“It matters to the community that we’re getting at least close to what the council can stomach, and closer to the Official Plan which is the vision for downtown, then what the Tribunal is handing us. We think it is very disheartening. I will say I will put it more than anybody else. I think it is very very disheartening that the adjudicators did not recognize the work that we have done on the Official Plan. So while the bus station was a major deciding factor to the 26-storey building next to it, they suddenly didn’t look at that anymore. But then they were like, ‘oh, let’s just use no plan.’ So it’s really difficult to try to play cat and mouse and keep catching up to whatever reasons are being used to undermine our local planning,“ said Kearns.
Congestion concerns and Lakeshore Road access were raised by some in attendance, there were scarce murmurs of the developments potentially buoying downtown retailers but overall the crowd shared Kearns concern. Kearns didn’t field many questions, she said she couldn’t due to time constraints. However, one wonders if after the described dealings with the tribunal if the councilor and the city writ large aren’t left with more questions than answers themselves.
 Kearns walkabout stopped at ten development locations in the downtown core, they are as follows:
2020 Lakeshore Rd. Which is in the pre-application phase. It will use a proposed two tall buildings(35-storeys and 30-storeys, as well as a 5-storey podium). It will be used for retail, commercial, and residential space.
Core Development-2093, 2097, 2102 Old Lakeshore td., 2096, 2100 Lakeshore Rd. The application is under appeal. The application is for a 27-storey building consisting of commercial and residential space.
2107 Old Lakeshore Rd. & 2119 Lakeshore Rd. Old Lakeshore Rd. and 2119 Lakeshore Rd. The application is under appeal. The space will be used for a 27-storey building including retail, commercial, and residential space.
2069-2079 Lakeshore Rd. and 383-385 Pearl St. reached an OLT decision. The 29-storey building will host commercial, retail, and residential space.
374 Martha St. The building is under construction. It will be a 26-storey condominium with residential and commercial space.
2085 Pine St. The application is under appeal. It will be an 11-storey building consisting of commercial space, office units, and residential space.
407 Martha St. The application is under appeal. It will be used for an 11-storey residential building.
2082, 2086 and 2090 James St. The location is subject to Site Plan Approval. It will host a 13-storey residential apartment.
409 Brant St. A formal Site Plan Application is being awaited. It will be an 18-storey residential building.
421 Brant St. The unit is under construction. It will be a 23-storey residential, office, and retail building.
 By Pepper Parr
November 20th, 2021
BURLINGTON. ON
If you haven’t made your plans for the afternoon – you might want to join Ward 2 Councillor Lisa Kearns on the walkabout she plans in the southern part of her ward.
 Hear what your ward Councillor has to say about this development – it will replace the Waterfront Hotel. She has invited anyone to join her while she comments on the development proposals that have been grandfathered by the Minister of Municipal Affairs; which means that they will probably clear the Ontario Land Tribunal.
The Mayor has said little and is reported to have done as much as she can to get the members of Council not talk about what the Ministry has done to the city.
You owe it to your self to spend an hour on the walking tour.
Starts at 1:00 pm – gather at the foot of Brant Street at Lakeshore.
 By Ray Rivers
November 19th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
After 26 annual conferences of the parties the world community is no closer to halting or even decreasing global warming. The COP spectacle is one of delegates gathering with false hopes and promises of reducing our global carbon footprint, even as that footprint continues to expand without a foreseeable end. After a quarter of a century of trying to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) it may be time to admit that it’s not going to happen without a miracle, and that our’s is indeed a dystopian future.
 The Prime Minister attended – did Canada make an impact? COP has become another one of those events where everyone wants to be – youth, indigenous peoples, disappearing Pacific islanders, government bureaucrats and mandarins, environmental organizations, and even the oil companies. It’s another venue to claim everything and get nothing and a chance to get a grant from the rich countries. These extravaganzas have become little more than an annual reunion for the attendees – see you all same time again next year.
I’ve attended a few of these COP meetings, once representing Pollution Probe back in 1998 and caucusing among the environmental groups. There had been a lot of enthusiasm back then. The Kyoto protocol had just been negotiated and the USA, the world largest historical greenhouse gas emitter, was leading the effort. Bill Clinton and Al Gore had helped craft a Kyoto protocol calling for enforceable emission targets with significant financial penalties for those signatory nations who found themselves out of compliance. It was a significant first step.
But by 2003, when I represented Clean Air Canada as part of the business community, that enthusiasm had been replaced by pessimism. GW Bush added to his legacy as America’s worst president ever, and his violations of human rights, by pulling the US out of Kyoto.
American delegates were seen disrupting the proceedings and the halls of the conference were cluttered with oil company representatives making their pitches that climate change was just another hoax.
 COP26 had more lobbyists taking part than registered delegates. The people who are going to have to live with a climate that is not going to be kind were out in force. Were they heard? Once the Americans scuttled the Kyoto deal there was little appetite for the rest of the world to continue, though Europe and even Canada did for a time. Stephen Harper, whose earlier views on global warming had placed him firmly in the denial camp, pulled Canada out of the treaty once he had gained a majority. And he did this, ironically, just as Canada came close to meeting its Kyoto commitment thanks to Ontario’s phase-out of coal.
COP 26 in Glasgow last week was an almost abject failure on so many counts. Despite pleas for climate action by host Boris Johnson, the world’s leaders have settled for business as usual. And that means greenhouse gas emissions are increasing globally instead of declining and will reach their second highest level this year, despite the pandemic.
Fossil fuels are the main culprit and emissions from burning coal the most egregious insult to our climate. India and China came to the rescue of the nasty coal – refusing to allow the term ‘phase out’ to be used in the final communique. China plans to peak its coal use somewhere around 2030 and India sometime later.
Coal still provides almost 40% of the world’s electricity. Yet 40 nations, including Canada, have committed to entirely phase out coal for electricity by 2030. But China, Japan, India, and the United States, which together account of over 75 percent of global coal use have refused to commit to that goal.
 We continue to fail them – how might they react in the years ahead? Some 20 countries and institutions are promising to end direct international public finance for unabated coal, oil, and gas and to prioritize financing for clean energy by the end of 2022. In addition to international financing, Canada provides the highest subsidies for fossil fuel development among all G7 nations. A group calling itself the ‘Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance’ (BOGA) including Costa Rica, Denmark, France, Greenland, Ireland, Sweden, Wales, and the Canadian province (nation) of Quebec committed to taking “concrete steps” to reduce oil and gas extraction.
Perhaps the biggest sign of failure was when the US and China (whose leader hadn’t even bothered attending), announced that they would take the conversation on emission reduction off-line. Gas lighting, double speak, or just an excuse to get out of the room, that bilateral approach is unlikely to amount to anything. China and the USA have to get over unfair trade practices, industrial espionage and Taiwan before they could have a civil discussion on climate change. And China, with the second largest global economy still maintains the façade of calling itself an undeveloped nation.
COP 26 wasn’t a complete waste of time, there were locally sourced ‘sustainable’ sandwiches for the delegates, despite the three hour hybrid/gas guzzler delivery drive from Aberdeen. But this COP will not help the planet keep its temperature rising beyond what scientists have identified as the critical 1.5 degree C temperature increase over the pre-industrial period.
Global net GHG emissions from human activity would have to decline by about 45% from 2010 levels to 2030 in order for us to meet that goal.
Canada’s new climate plan comes close to that goal, but after all, it’s just another plan. This year’s heat dome and the river of rain climate-bomb, which knocked British Columbians into climate reality, occurred when the global temperature was only 1.1 degree C above pre-industrial levels. And the science community tells us that these kinds of climatic effects will only get worse – Ontario may be next.
If not COP, then what can we do? Concerned individuals could always help by consuming less red meat; making their next car an EV (electric vehicle) and converting their appliances to electricity, but the heavy lifting has to come from governments with their regulatory powers.
For example the federal government has committed to banning the sale of new gasoline powered automobiles by 2035, it has mandated the carbon tax, provides incentives to buy an EV, promised new caps on gas emissions and the phase out of coal for electricity by at least 2030. The previous Ontario government phased-out coal and started a program of renewable energy.
The world’s leaders once hoped that the Montreal Protocol, which saw a mostly successful cooperative global effort to eliminate ozone depleting substances, would serve as a model for action on global warming. They created the IPCC (international Panel on Climate Change) which has done a truly amazing job identifying the crisis and what we need to do about it. But none of that matters if the political leaders at those COPs won’t step up and do the right things for the sake of humanity.
 Coal is used to generate whatever it is the facility produces. Some politicians have mused that it may be time to reform global trade rules in favour of protecting the planet’s climate. I recall having a conversation with US officials, back in 1997, who were proposing tariffs on imports from nations with lower environmental standards than the US – sort of levelling the playing field. Conservative leader Erin O’Toole seemed to want to open the door to that kind of thing in his last election platform.
A massive boycott of Chinese-manufactured exports, for example, might help bring President Xi to his senses. We simply can’t wait till 2030 to begin phasing out coal. If the diplomacy of COP doesn’t work, then maybe it is time for a more forceful approach.
Political journalist Rex Murphy, who is as close to a climate change denier as they come, suggested in a tongue-in-cheek opinion piece that maybe it’s time for net zero COP meetings. In fact, looking at the failure of the COP process to reduce, let alone stabilize our carbon footprint, he may have a point.
 Ray Rivers, a Gazette Contributing Editor, writes regularly applying his more than 25 years as a federal bureaucrat to his thinking. Rivers was once a candidate for provincial office in Burlington. He was the founder of the Burlington citizen committee on sustainability at a time when climate warming was a hotly debated subject. Ray has a post graduate degree in economics that he earned at the University of Ottawa. Tweet @rayzrivers
Background links:
What is COP – Greta Has Spoken – COP 26 Text –
Harper’s Climate Denying History – Ford Lower Gas Prices –
Rex Murphy –
By Staff
November 18th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
At the November 17, 2021 Board meeting, Halton District School Board Trustees selected Makwendam Public School as the new name for Ryerson Public School, located at 565 Woodview Road in Burlington.
The name was unanimously supported by all Trustees. The new name will take effect immediately; a plan will be developed to make changes to school signage, website and sports uniforms.
The name Makwendam, pronounced muck-kwen-dum, is the Indigenous word for “to remember” in the Anishinaabemowin language.
 Halton District School Board chair Andrea Grebenc In their discussions, Trustees considered that this name would honour the reason for renaming the school, that is, Egerton Ryerson’s involvement in the creation of the residential school system. There have been growing calls to remove Ryerson’s name from public buildings and institutions and the HDSB has received formal requests to remove Ryerson’s name from the school.
“The choice of Makwendam Public School speaks directly to the purpose of renaming Ryerson Public School – as we as a country search for the lost children on residential school lands, we must remember, we must learn and be better,” says Andréa Grebenc, Chair of the Halton District School Board. “The Halton District School Board is committed to Indigenous Perspectives and Awareness, as outlined in our Strategic Multi-Year Plan commitments. We look forward to hearing the results of the City of Burlington’s naming process for the adjacent park.”
 Egerton Ryerson: his role in the creation of the residential schools has, unfortunately, been distorted. At the Board meeting, Trustees heard from Evan Rochon, a Grade 6 student at Ryerson Public School. In his delegation to the Trustees, Evan supported the name Makwendam.
The naming process began in September to ensure the parent/guardian, student and the broader community had the opportunity to provide input. In total, more than 1,200 names were submitted.
The City of Burlington is in the process of renaming the park adjacent to the former Ryerson school that shared the name of the man who gets credit for creating the education system that has served the province very well.
By Pepper Parr
November 17th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
Information is a little like water: it has its own way of finding the direction in which it wants to flow.
 Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing – Steve Clark We learn a bit more about what took place and how the Minister of Municipal Affairs did the dirty to the city when he announced the Official move of the Urban Growth Centre and the removal of the MTSA designation to the bus terminal and then added that he was grandfathering seven developments that were within the older Urban Growth Boundary.
That kind of takes the wind out of the Mayor’s sails.
But the woman who won public office on the promise to be transparent and accountable hasn’t been able to make use of those skill sets.
And that promise made during her first election in 2010 when she told a group of her supporters that she wanted their votes but more importantly she wanted their trust.
She got the votes – hard to see where she delivered on the trust part.
We have learned that November 10th was when the decision the Minister made became final. That would suggest that there were ongoing conversations – if they were negotiations – what did Burlington get?
Gazette readers are asking what the city is getting other than the Mayor’s spin that, as one reader put it, goes like this: “Look what I have done, oh, by the way it was too late to stop the high-rise development that will destroy the waterfront”
Ward 2 Councillor Kearns told a resident that she “didn’t receive the actual decision until late on the 11th, then needed some clarity, then the weekend, over to Monday to ensure Council had a chance to review before release.
To be fair to Kearns she did make some rather pithy comments that were part of the media release the city put out. She said:
 Ward 2 City Councillor Lisa Kearns “The Minister’s decision may help reduce the long-term development pressure on existing infrastructure and neighbourhoods. On behalf of our residents, I believe there is good reason for concern about the excessive applications already underway. This decision doesn’t fully support the thoughtful and considered conversations we have had to preserve the character of downtown and welcome responsible growth. I understood us to be working towards the same outcome; should the Minister’s decision fail to address this transition issue, it could result in intense pressure for incompatible change.”
Every member of council sat on their hands over this one. How accountable the voters will expect them to be is anyone’s guess.
 By Pepper Parr
November 17th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
OPINION
We now know a little bit more about the developments that have been grandfathered by the Minister of Municipal Affairs and will proceed through the Ontario Land Tribunal process. If past appeals are any example, they will be approved at that level.
Five years from now Burlington will be a much different city.
A closer look at what has been grandfathered and what they want to build is now possible even though city hall and the Office of the Mayor haven’t had much to say.
 It is a different skyline. The degree to which it will change the small, local feel that many people have of Burlington is something that will work itself out if these two towers go up. The Waterfront Hotel site, even though not yet at the application stage has been grandfathered.
The Core Development that runs from one side of the football to the other – from Lakeshore Road on the north to Old Lakeshore Road on the south has been grandfathered.
The development planned for the eastern end of the football, one of the Carriage Gate developments has also been grandfathered.
 This is the structure that will sit right next to Joe Dogs. How that hospitality operation will operate is something that they are certainly thinking really hard about. The development that would be next to Joe Dogs on Brant street – put forward as a 30 storey building has been grandfather as has 407 Martha – a building that is very close to Rambo Creek where part of the retaining wall has been described as not all that safe.
2085 Pine, a property that has changed hands a number of times and been before council with different suggestions on just how much height there could be and at the same time preserve a heritage building at the front of the property – that, too, is at the OLT.
The land between Old Lakeshore Road and Lakeshore Road, known as the football because of its shape was at one time described by former Toronto Mayor David Crombie as a jewel we should not let get away on us.
It became a jewel that developers realized needed a bit of polishing up and then sold off as a very desirable high end property that would never have a building put up between it and the lake.
Somewhere in the last ten years the city was never able to come up with a plan that would secure that land and make it more public space.
 The CORE Development takes up all the land between Old Lakeshore Road and Lakeshore Road in the centre of the football area. The plan is to keep the popular but expensive restaurant that has been on the site for a long time.  The Carriage Gate people see this development as the eastern gateway into the city. Old Lakeshore Road is to the left with Lakeshore Road to the right. With the grandfathering in place all the planners are left with is the south side of Old Lakeshore Road: Top of bank rules limit what can be done on that land. The heritage designation Emma’s Back Porch has, will limit what can be done with that property.
Once we are out of the pandemic we can expect someone to lease Emma’s and get it back into operation. Not sure how pleasant a local it will be with all the construction that will be taking place.
 The triangle shaped property will be where Carriage Gate puts up their 25+ tower – they see it as the eastern gateway to the city. The property to the immediate left is where the CORE development will be built. To the left of that is parking across from Emma’s Back Porch which is owned by 2084 Lakeshore Holdings Ltd. They also own the small parking lot to the east of Emma’s. On the western tip of the football the property is owned by a trust – we’ve yet to learn who the beneficiary is of that trust. What does all this leave the city with? Is there nothing more in the way of options?
The pandemic has changed the way citizens can communicate with the elected leadership and that elected leadership hasn’t done all that much to find ways to hear what citizens have to say.
The Office of the Mayor has seen this as an opportunity to put her spin on what has taken place.
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
November 17th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
Taking a long look at the bigger picture and looking back at what the city has gone through in, as Executive Director Sheila Jones put it – a 609 day Journey – calls for a pause and the question – what’s next?
While we all seem to think that “normal” might be returning no one is set yet to bet real money on a date.
Once a month Council gets taken through a report the Emergency Coordination Group (ECG) uses to advise on what has been done, where the city is financially – tax collections are good and revenue losses as a result of the pandemic are stabilizing.
The city is still in a State of Emergency and no one is certain just when that is going to come to an end and what the process will be to get back to the normal we once knew.
A graphic was put up on the screen – this is where we have been.
 Just ups and then down – city hall has managed to keep the wheels on the wagon and on balance has done a good job. The wear and tear on staff has been significant.
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