 By Staff
November 5th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
A 13 year old boy was struck by a vehicle on Friday at the intersection of Appleby Line and Taywood Drive in the City of Burlington.
The boy was on the bicycle heading northon Appleby Line within the crosswalk when a northbound white Volkswagen attempted to turn left onto Taywood Drive. The vehicle hit the male and fled from the scene.
 The bicycle driver was initially taken to Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital before being airlifted to a children’s trauma centre in critical but non-life threatening condition.
A coordinated search of the area resulted in the suspect vehicle being located at a residence close to the collision scene. The driver of the vehicle returned to the scene of the collision and was arrested for failure to stop at scene of an accident causing bodily harm.
The driver was identified as 23-year-old Stephen BALON of Burlington. Mr. BALON will appear in court on December 7th at the Ontario Court of Justice, 491 Steeles Road, Milton Ontario.
The status of the bicycle rider has been upgraded to stable condition.
Any witnesses to the collision are asked to contact the Collision Reconstruction Unit at 905-825-4747 extension 5065, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), or through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.com, or by texting “Tip201” with your message to 274637 (crimes).
 By Ray Rivers
November 4th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
So the election is Tuesday and like so many others, I am not crazy about either of the main candidates Americans have to choose between. For a while it sure looked like Hillary had it in the bag, but the FBI staged something as close to a coup as one can in a liberal democracy. And now it’s too close to call. Except I’m calling it for Trump. He has the momentum and sometimes stuff just happens – look at Brexit.
 The leader of the Western world? And what would we expect from a President Trump? It will depend on whether he has a Republican Congress or whether he is at the mercy of a Democrat-dominated House and/or Senate. And even if the Republicans keep Congress, it is not a given that they will simply rubber stamp all his nutty notions. Many have distanced themselves since learning of his roving small hands and filthy mind.
But if they managed to bury that hatchet we might see some big changes in American foreign policy given what Trump, the candidate, has said to date. NATO would be in for a shake-up at a minimum, and this might get the EU nations off their butts and taking their own security seriously. The US will break its Paris commitment on climate change, as Trump mimics one of GWB’s earliest actions, and that will have some spill-over here in the great ‘still-white’ north.
We are America’s largest traditional trading partner, after all. And who knows whether Trump will really tear up NAFTA or just tinker with it the way Chretien did with the Canada-US trade deal he inherited?
And would Mexico still pay for the wall?
 If it ever gets built – how would Donald Trump make the Mexican government actually pay for it? Some kind of wall will likely get built along the US/Mexican border, but with much of the border comprised of shared rivers (Rio Grande and Colorado), it won’t be nearly as formidable as the one in his imagination. His promises of mass deportation of illegal migrants will also pale in light of the fact that more Mexicans are now leaving than coming to America. But tough love for criminals will make a comeback, including stop and frisk for minorities, and maybe some new punishment for women who have abortions once he gets his hands on Roe v Wade.
Trump hints that he would make the US insular or isolated, though that was also what “Dubya” said as he was plotting to invade Iraq. The result of which led to ISIS, Trump’s number one target. Though his talk of cooperation with Russia makes one wonder if he’d just abandon all of that Syrian mess for Russia to deal with.
Despite that, it is unlikely that Putin and Trump would be soul mates for very long – there is too much distance between them for that. And with Trump promising an even larger military machine, Putin may very well regret losing Obama as his primary punching bag.
 Will this man ever address the Canadian House of Commons? Trump is wealthy so it is no surprise he is a fan of trickle down economics – give to the rich and it’ll trickle down to the poor. But just about every economist in America says he is wrong, and that his massive tax cuts would result in massive deficits, a falling exchange rate, recession and/or crazy inflation. And with Obamacare gone it’ll be back to getting health insurance the old way – if you can and if you can afford it in the Trumped down economy.
The problem with Trump bringing these few wild promises with him to the White House is that nobody is sure how serious he is about them. The rest of what he is offering is short on detail and full of bravado. And the reason for that is simply that he has such scant knowledge of the issues that would be before him. Even worse he is his own chief advisor and one with zero experience in government.
It could be an ugly election and I feel sorry for Americans. Friends in the US are expecting riots in the streets almost immediately should Clinton win. This election is better, or worse, than anything else on TV these days, with the possible exception of the ABC/CTV series Designated Survivor. And the late night talk shows are almost as much fun to watch.
Except it isn’t funny. Americans are faced with two markedly different visions of their future for the next four years, and if I’m right they’re about to make a huge mistake. It was never supposed to end up like this. Sure we all knew Hillary was going to model for the Democrats but nobody expected this buffoon to to even get the GOP nomination, let alone be readying himself for the role of most powerful leader in the world.
 What will she be Wednesday morning – some think it could be just Mrs. Clinton If Hillary loses, she’ll have no one to blame but herself. Her flawed judgement calls as Senator and Secretary of State have come back to take their revenge. And while she is a powerful speaker with a solid presence she has failed to connect with so many Americans, like the millennial crowd. But Trump has promised to put her in jail after the election is over, anyway.
One could argue that her time in the foreign office wasn’t her own, that aside from the email flap she was only carrying out Obama’s largely unsuccessful foreign policy. Even the former chief of NATO has come to that conclusion, calling out the US president for his weakness as a leader. One wonders when the Nobel prize folks will be knocking on Obama’s door, asking for their peace prize back. They could have given it to Bob Dylan, but then they’ couldn’t find him.
 Ray Rivers is an economist and author who writes weekly on federal and provincial issues, applying his 25 years of involvement with federal and provincial ministries. Rivers’ involvement in city matters led to his appointment as founding chair of Burlington’s Sustainable Development Committee. He was also a candidate in a past provincial election
Background links:
Mexico-US Border – Canada-US Trade – NATO – Economists on Trump – Republicans and Trump – Designated Survivor –
 By Pepper Parr
November 5, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
In response to the question: What happened? Ward 2 city councillor Marianne Meed Ward said she “ was hoping the discussions the city and board were having over the past year would lead toward a new MOU that would benefit both parties.
Meed Ward was talking about the significant change that has taken place in the way programs and services are being delivered at the Seniors’ Centre which is a piece of city property that the seniors use.
 The Bistro, the heart of the Seniors’ Centre and the focal point for many of the administrative problems. The Seniors organized themselves as a not for profit – Burlington Senior’s Centre Inc. (BSCI). They elect a board which serves for a two-year period. It is that Board that has been “negotiating” with the city
There was a Memorandum of Understanding that set out who was to do what and who was going to pay what that had been put in place a number of years ago after considerable disruption and happiness on the part of the seniors.
There was a meeting a number of years ago that drew 300 seniors and they were not happy. The MOU seemed to settle things down.
Now things have flared up again.
 Joe Lamb wonders why someone didn’t call him. Joe Lamb, the person who negotiated a very fat deal for the seniors wonders why no one called him when things were going wrong.
The current president of the BSCI, a non-profit organization, hasn’t been able to make himself available for any kind of interview. Fred Hendriks issues media releases and doesn’t allow for any follow up.
Some of those with past board experience complain that Hendriks isn’t much of a communicator – they got that right.
Meed Ward adds that “With the recent change, members of the Seniors Centre should not notice any difference to services or programming.”
 Councillor Marianne Meed Ward listening to a senior. She continues: “The BSCI now has an opportunity to chart a new role for itself serving seniors in Burlington, and I have committed to stay on the board to assist them in this transition for as long as they would like.”
Meed Ward is the city representative on the Seniors Advisory committee.
There is indeed trouble in paradise. Don’t think this story has come to an end.
The seniors are one of the few really well defined groups in the city with a lot of time on their hands. They have in the past badgered city councillors with telephone calls when they weren’t happy.
The French have a phrase for it – some things never change – Et certaines choses ne changent pas.
 By Gareth Williams
November 4th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
What is the value of convenience? Is it worth sacrificing some of our democratic institutions, like the secret ballot and the knowledge that our election results accurately reflect the intent of voters?
This Monday Burlington City Council (sitting as the Community & Corporate Services) will consider a staff report which recommends Burlington continue its experiment with remote Internet voting. I call it an experiment because Internet voters made up a relatively small overall percentage of ballots cast in the 2010 & 2014 elections in which it was offered.
I do not believe that as a City we should continue to embrace this flawed method of electing our leaders, and I believe most citizens would agree if they better understood the significant challenges involved.
Here is a brief summary of the issues with online/Internet voting:
 This is a secret ballot • Internet voting eliminates the protection of the secret ballot and could enable coercion of voters by family members and others. With the large population of seniors in Burlington, and the very real issue of elder abuse this is a significant concern. At the public polling station election staff are there to ensure you can vote in privacy, free from interference; at home or work just about anyone can be standing behind you as you cast your ballot.
• It also facilitates vote buying and/or individuals casting ballots on behalf of others, with or without their knowledge. This has already happened back in 2010 when an Eastern Ontario man was charged and fined with voting on behalf of his family members. It is probably safe to assume there have been other cases (perhaps even here in Burlington) which went unnoticed as it is not uncommon for several family members to share a computer or Internet connection. A mother or father might, for example, decide to vote on behalf of their kids who are away at University or College.
• Evidence indicates that Internet voting does not increase turnout, even among youth. The most recent example of this is Halifax’s 2016 municipal election where the number of online voters dropped by over 10,000. Leading researchers in the field have analyzed 15 years of data and concluded that Internet voting is unlikely to solve the low turnout crisis faced by Western democracies. Perhaps surprisingly, they also found Ontario voters age 18-34 were more likely to prefer paper ballots.
 The level of sophistication the ID thieves have is close to beyond belief – if they want the information – they can get it. • Most computer security experts warn that Internet voting is not secure. A large number of multinational firms as well as Canadian government departments have been successfully cyberattacked in recent years. There have been many stories in the news recently of high profile attacks like the ones that affected the Ontario EQAO exam and attempts to influence the US election through the release of emails obtained through hacking or phishing attempts. Third party IT security consultants hired by the City of Toronto to study proposals for Internet voting in that city recommended against moving forward with any of the options.
Many other jurisdictions that considered or experimented with online voting have dropped support for Internet voting. These include Toronto, Mississauga, Kitchener, and Huntsville Ontario, the provinces B.C. & Alberta as well as the country of Norway.
A City of Kitchener 2012 staff report was the impetus for that city rejecting Internet voting; it recommended strongly against implementation for their 2014 election. Most of the aforementioned issues were cited. According to this report and other academic studies the highest user of Internet voting is the 45-55 demographic and the vast majority of Internet voters would likely have voted anyway.
Problems with Internet voting were in the news again as recently as this past week in P.E.I. where they are using it for a non-binding plebiscite on electoral reform. An unknown number of voter information packages with personal identification numbers (PINs) were sent to the wrong addresses. These codes could potentially be used to cast a ballot on behalf of another voter. If the vote is cast from a public location like a library, there would be little that could be done to track down the offender.
Many advocates point to the opportunity Internet voting provides to make it easier for disabled voters to cast their ballot. However, as Dr. Barbara Simons a former researcher with IBM pointed it out during her recent testimony to the Electoral Reform panel in Ottawa, it does a disservice to voters with disabilities, to anybody, to provide them with a tool that is fundamentally insecure. We owe it to them when we provide them with alternatives to make sure those alternatives are secure.
Despite the issues we continue to hear that, based on opinion polls, there is a demand and support from the public for Internet voting. To quote Dr. Simons again, if this were a medical hearing to determine whether to approve a new drug for human consumption, safety would be paramount. A drug that is likely to result in serious injury to patients would be rejected, no matter how many people wanted to use it. Internet voting is like a drug we are considering for our democracy.
If this scares you as much as it scares me be sure to contact your Councillor before Monday.
 Gareth Williams is a graduate of the Political Science program at McMaster University. He works in Information Technology in Hamilton with 18 years in the field. Gareth lives in Brant Hills with his wife and their dog Misty.’
 By Pepper Parr
November 3, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Gas leaks are dangerous.
Yesterday there was a gas leak on a construction site.
The fire department and the gas company were able to get on site very quickly and shut the gas off.
A resident who was walking in the area wants to know why things like this happen.
When construction permits are issued do the contractors not know where the telephone lines are; where the gas lines are and where the water pipes are?
 The project has been a long time getting to te point where the shovels were in the ground. within a week something struck a gas pipe line shutting down the immediate area for several hours. Fast work on the part of the fire department and the gas company averted a disaster. Our resident wants to know: What is the procedure at The City of Burlington going forward with the developer who put Downtown Core residents and businesses in jeopardy yesterday when a gas pipe was ruptured during construction at Caroline and Elizabeth Streets?
She was walking by the site when the gas pipe was hit and the concentration of gas permeating the air was dense and made it difficult to breath. She didn’t know how gas pipes and pressure work when there is a rupture, but there was gas filling businesses on Brant Street. Wardell Insurance had all of their doors open as their building filled with gas; this building is directly across from City Hall. I observed firemen taking gas readings as far south as James Street.
How is it possible that a builder can still rupture a gas line in the middle of a City with all of the technology available in 2016 for pinpointing exact location? This site is bordered by an apartment building, town homes and businesses in a highly populated and travelled part of our downtown community.
 Medica One or the Carriage Gate project – pick the name you like best – will go up at the top of John Street and consist of a medical offices building, an above ground garage and an apartment/condo complex. It will bring significant change to the intersection and drive redevelopment of the plaza to the immediate north, A transit hub a couple of blocks to the south then makes a lot of sense. Is this developer capable of safely building a safe building in our midst? What are this developer’s credentials? Has this developer ever worked on a project of this scale? This is a disturbing start in the early stages of a multi-year construction at this site.
Does the developer pay the thousands of dollars for the emergency response personnel that were on site for the many hours that it took to secure the area and stop the gas leak? Is there any consideration for the businesses that either had to be evacuated or suffered loss of business?
It is absolutely terrifying to consider the consequences to our downtown community had the gas ignited.
All good questions. Watching for the answers.
By Pepper Parr
November 3rd, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
The first two of seven meetings that will take place at each of the high schools in the city were held at Bateman and Nelson.
The Director of Education, Stuart Miller and a number of his staff gave an hour long presentation to six people at the Robert Bateman high school, zipped up their briefcases where they did the presentation a second time to 12 people at Nelson high school.
These meetings were not a required part of the Program Accommodation Review the Board of Education is going through. “It is not an easy time” said Miller
 Joey Edwardth, President of Community Development Halton with Director of Education Stuart Miller – she has the data he needs. Director Miller and the General manager of the Board shared the delivery of the presentation – they were laying out the facts as they understood them.
And the facts are critical.
There are far too many seats in high school classroom that are empty and that just isn’t sustainable.
Miller said the city has one and a half too many high schools – and to make matters worse the capacity the board has it at times in the wrong place.
Unfortunately the Board has known about this for some time. This problem first appeared on their radar screens back in 2013
 The city of Burlington doesn’t have a demographer on staff and apparently the Board of Education doesn’t have any of that capacity as well. Community Development Halton (CDH) has a solid team that has the data at its finger tips – but the city and the board don’t seem to know what CDH can do for them. If the problem of falling enrollment was identified in 2012 – it was in the data long before then. Of more interest to parents is the depth of the problem. Except for Hayden and Nelson high school there is not a high school in the city that is not at some risk.
Set out below is the critical data for every high school – the numbers are not nice and they certainly are not comfortable.
At the first meeting of the Board and the parents at Bateman there were six parents. Bateman is at rick – look at the numbers.
The doted line is the On the Ground capacity of the school.
The critical number is 65% of that OTG. When a school falls below that the Board of education is required to do a Program Accommodation Review.
Each year the Board does an LTAP – Long Term Accommodation study – the quality of those studies may not have been as good as they should have been.
 Central has a problem but it is not as bad as Bateman.  How did the demographers miss this one? Add to the problem is the development of a housing project in the north east quadrant of the city.  The sense seems to be that closing Pearson and sending them to Robinson will solve the Robinson problem.  At some point in time the Eaglesfield project will get developed – it looks like that is going to be a family community – will children attend Aldershot?  Bateman would appear to be more at risk than Central.
 By Pepper Parr
November 3rd 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
The closing of a school is no small matter – and when it happens there is disruption at many levels – especially for the parents who have children in one of the schools that was recommended for closure.
In the Program Accommodation Review the Halton district School Board is undergoing, the Director of Education put a recommendation before the trustees that two specific schools be closed. Central and Pearson.
There are parents who wish the Director had not done so.
 Blue indicates a small school; green indicates a large school. Lynne Crosby, a parent with children at Central high school said yesterday that “They did NOT have to make a recommendation that named two schools. This shows a complete disregard for the students and staff at those two schools, plus the students in grade 7/8 and the feeder schools. The high school students at these schools have been greatly negatively affected, and in many cases their school year is tainted if not ruined.
They (the Board of Education) could have chosen option 7 which is to close no schools to begin the PAR. Or they could have made an Option 20 to close one school or two schools, particular ones to be determined through the process, and not naming specific ones.
Crosby is bothered by the rule that does not allow any questions during the presentations that are being made to each high school. “We can’t ask him this question because they don’t allow questions. What a farce. I doubt they are taking questions from the media either, but this is a point that should be raised, since they keep giving us this line about how they had no choice.”
“One thing that really bothers me” said Crosby, “is them saying how they had to make a recommendation, as if their hands were tied by the Ministry rules. All the board had to do was ask the trustees to decide if they wanted to do a Program Accommodation Review to begin the process.
The Board did produce a report that had a recommendation – which is all it is at this point in time.
 Doesn’t take a rocket scientists to figure out that there is a problem. The enrollment numbers to show that there are far too many seats in the high schools that have not been filled.
By Pepper Parr
November 3rd, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
The city manager now has a Senior Manager, Government Relations & Strategic Communications to help him get through a day.
Mr. Kwab Ako-Adjei advised us earlier in the week that: “Following a lengthy internal review we have decided not to renew our partnership agreement with the Burlington Senior’s Centre Inc. (BSCI) which will therefore conclude our relationship.
“Through the review we were able to determine that we have the capacity to deliver all the services directly, including those delivered by BSCI. This conclusion in our relationship will have no operational impact on service to the 3800 members of the Seniors Centre. All the programming members have come to enjoy will remain the same including the operation of the Bistro and organization of the day trips. In short it will be business as usual at the Seniors Centre with no changes.”
It is clear now that the internal review was done at city hall with next to no input from the seniors or its board. Fred Hendriks thought they were getting ready to “begin” talking about changes.
In his statement said: “The City and BSCI have been in discussion for many months about BEGINNING negotiations to renew the MOU. BSCI is disappointed that the City chose to end the relationship in this premature and disappointing manner without any BSCI consultation.”
The city decided to just pull the rug from underneath the BSCI board and just tell them that there had been a change in command.
They were given six days’ notice before the locks were changed as it were. Hendriks reports that “On October 26th, 2016 the City notified BSCI that it would assume these responsibilities as of November 1st, 2016.
 Chris Glenn, Director of Parks and Recreation was reported to have never been happy with the Memorandum of Agreement the city signed. The Parks and Recreation people that are part of the city managers leadership team should have explained that the seniors have to be handled just a little differently – and we might add – with a little more respect.
Are there some of the old arbitrary ways creeping back into city hall?
Mr. Ako-Adjei added that the BSCI Board has not dissolved, the Board is an independent not-for-profit so the City has no authority to dissolve them.
While the board itself may not have been dissolved – the use of the Board Room has been taken from then. The only thing they are able to do is complain.
It was the very loud complaining six years ago that led to the signing of a Memorandum that turned over the running of the operation to the seniors.
There were people within the Parks and Recreation that didn’t like that arrangement which led to the review.
The biggest problem area at the time was the kitchen. In many ways it is the heart of the Centre. They call it the Bistro and is run jointly with the city. The one employee is on the city payroll, mostly because the Centre doesn’t have anyone who can process a payroll and ensure all the proper deductions are made.
With the kitchen manager on the city payroll – the city wanted to ensure they had the required oversight and that was the problem – the seniors didn’t want the city getting involved in the running of the kitchen and the city didn’t want to be in the kitchen either. When there is any food handling involved the city out sources the work.
 The Bistro, the heart of the Seniors’ Centre and the focal point for many of the administrative problems. The 2012 agreement with the city didn’t resolve this problem but they have agreed to give it a year to come up with a solution that works for everyone. They had a neat little kitchen operation and they wanted to keep it that way. Fine said the city but if the employee is on our payroll there is some liability that lands on the city’s desk and if there was going to be liability – the city wanted control, or at least enough control to be able to manage the problems when they crop up.
 Former City manager Jeff Fielding didn’t win this time. Joe Lamb, negotiating for the Seniors’ Centre basically took Fielding to the cleaners with the deal he talked the city into. And that is where the working relationship between Lamb and Fielding, the city manager came into play. They agreed that an agreement was necessary but they didn’t have one – so they would agree to work together with the revised MOU for a year and during that time let experience and time get put to use to find something that works for everyone.
The reality of this is that the employee is on the city payroll in a building the city owns – that boils down to the city having the final word. That is something the seniors are going to have to accept. Fielding just has to find language that keeps the seniors happy. The seniors all recognise the phrase “a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down” and they have a year to figure out just how much sugar is going to be needed. The city doesn’t appear to have too many problems spending money on seniors.
Five thousand for incorporation, $9,000, give or take a couple of hundred for insurance – tasting pretty sweet at this point.
The BOM (Board of Management) owns some of the equipment in the kitchen, the city owns the rest. BOM reimburses the City for Maria’s costs and any profit or loss for the kitchen goes to the BOM
The kitchen is rented out many times in the evening and weekends by the city. Both parties share keeping the place clean and for the most part the city is responsible for bigger maintenance and capital items. It is a unique arrangement which seems to work.
BOM doesn’t want to take over the operation of the kitchen; to do so would mean taking on the same contingent liability. The Board turns over quickly with only 2 year terms, and although have some kitchen knowledge there are no assurances that this will continue in the future.
 More than 150 members showed up to learn about the new agreement with the city in 2012. The first meeting to explain the problems drew 300 +. City hall just might hear from these folks again. That’s where things were left five years ago – something went wrong – was it with the city or were there problems with the board that was running the place – there were some personality conflicts with one particular member of that board – was that enough to scrap the relationship and begin to treat the seniors like children that can’t run their own affairs?
 By Pepper Parr
November 3rd, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
The Art Gallery of Burlington is announcing innovative program after innovative program while the Performing Arts Centre continues with its ongoing production of musical chairs.
 From the left, chair of the Burlington Theatre Board, Ilene Elkaim, former Executive Director Brenda Heatherington, former Executive Director Brian McCurdy and former Executive Director Suzanne Haines. McCurdy is back in as interim Executive Director. The best executive director the place ever had is back in the saddle – Brian McCurdy gave the place stability and some of the best programs that have graced the stages.
He did more with the community than anyone else but home was in Kingston and that was one hell of a commute.
So McCurdy left and they brought in a woman from Richmond B. C.; that didn’t work out and she went through the revolving door.
 Former Executive Director Suzanne Haines chatting up a theatre patron. Shortly before Suzanne Haines lost the title of Executive Director, the best person the place ever had doing marketing and promotion decided she too wanted to move on. Hillary Saddler got the call to come back – quick and do what she and McCurdy had done so well in the past.
Don’t however look for anything in the way of news from either the Board of the theatre operation or from the people who run the place day to day.
Events are booked and the task now is to try once again to find just the right person to lead the operation.
 Brian McCurdy listening as he is lauded during his first retirement party. He is back in as the interim Executive Director They want to look into cloning Brian McCurdy and also to learn how to communicate with the people who put up the dollars to get the place built.
There was an error in the report on the delegation the Director of education is making to city council
The Stuart Miller delegation will be to the Corporate and Community Services Standing Committee were he will have ten minutes to tell his side of the story.
The corrected story is at:
This guy is going to get more than the standard ten minutes to delegate before a city Standing Committee.
By Pepper Parr
November 3rd, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
School Board Director of Education Stuart Miller isn’t getting home for dinner very often this month.
 He is committed to being in front of high school parents and has added to that the desire to delegate before the Community and Corporate Services Standing Committee at council next Monday where he will delegate on the Halton District School Board’s Secondary School Program and Review (PAR) Process.
The delegation will outline the process for a program and accommodation review, including timelines and consultation.
 While the school board and city play the biggest roles in the daily life of citizens in the city (well maybe waste removal – a Regional responsibility – fits in there somewhere) the city and the school board rarely meet in any formal fashion.
They are their own fiefdoms.
The school board is shaking up every household in the city with their requirement to go to the parents and talk about closing high schools.
The city gets this kind of feedback when it want to close an arena or a swimming pool – so they both have experience dealing with the public.
The public would say that neither are very good at communicating. For the record the school board is putting itself in front of people.
At city Standing Committee meetings delegations are limited to ten minutes – watch how quickly that gets waived.
The Board of Education isn’t allowing Q&A at its meetings with parents – but at city council meetings Councillors can ask questions. Parents might want to lobby their member of council to get some answers.
The biggest issue we hear from parents is that the school board doesn’t appear to be thinking in terms of “community” – focusing instead on what they can do for the students. Parents want to think in terms of how community can be retained.
Union Gas has stopped the gas leak on John St.
The Burlington Fire Department and Halton Regional Police Service are opening streets and access to evacuees as of 2:30 p.m. today, Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2016.
By Pepper Parr
November 2, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
With stories like this – the opening sentence is usually – Trouble in Paradise.
The Seniors are not happy – they have been stiffed by city hall.
 Joe Lamb thought the agreement he put together with the city was going to last forever. A number of years ago there were some problems with the operation of the Seniors’ Centre which got resolved when then city manager Jeff Fielding and Joe Lamb met and worked out an arrangement that kept everyone happy.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the City and the Burlington Seniors’ Centre Inc. (BSCI) expired on December 15, 2015.
Fred Hendriks, president of the seniors’ centre organization explains that “Under this agreement BSCI, a not-for-profit volunteer Corporation had the responsibility, at the Burlington Seniors’ Centre, of running the Bistro Café, Day Trips and Events.
He adds that “On October 26th, 2016 the City notified BSCI that it would assume these responsibilities as of November 1st, 2016.
 Lead negotiator for the seniors was Joe Lamb on the left talking to then city manager Jeff Fielding on the right. The agreement they hammered out was approved unanimously by the seniors Centre membership. Now the city has decided to take over what they walked away from a number of years ago. Joe Lamb, the man who put the agreement together with the city said: “The key question is why they took this drastic step. Are they now in the food business again?
The kitchen was always a big thing to the city. They wanted out of the business at arenas because of liability, not a core competency. Seems to me they are back in the business. Didn’t the Board and the city just complete renovations in the kitchen and renew the Chef’s contract?
Are they not concerned about senior pushback? Is this Chris Glen (Director of Parks and Recreation) finally getting his way? How does the city communicate effectively with members now? Is the city now free to increase fees as they see fit? This whole issue is potentially a firestorm politically particularly if the right person steps forward to rally the Seniors in the City.
Fred Hendriks, BSCI President said in his statement that: “The City and BSCI have been in discussion for many months about BEGINNING negotiations to renew the MOU. BSCI is disappointed that the City chose to end the relationship in this premature and disappointing manner without any BSCI consultation.
The BSCI board will meet in November to discuss next steps. Their goal is to continue to be a vital organization supporting the well-being of Burlington’s diverse and growing community of seniors.
 Mayor Rick Goldring signing his Seniors’ Centre membership application. Is he going to put in a good word for the seniors with the city manager? The current city manager runs the city through what he calls a leadership team that consists of all the Directors – perhaps a few other people. This matter will come before them for certain.
We haven’t seen the end of this story.
Ward 2 Councillor Marianne Meed Ward chose not to make any comment until the BSCI had made its position known. The Councillor is the city’s representative on the Senior’s Advisory Council.
 By Pepper Parr
November 1st, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
City Council voted to endorse a report that enables the Director of Planning and Building and Chief Planning Officer to close the city’s current Official Plan Review process and start the preparation of a new Official Plan for the City of Burlington.
“With very little green field left for development in Burlington, the city is undergoing a very important transition,” said Mayor Rick Goldring. “We are no longer a city that builds new suburban-type neighbourhoods but one that is building a greener and healthier urban community for our residents. A new Official Plan is recognition of this direction and will help us lead the way in the Greater Toronto Hamilton Area when it comes to managing urban sprawl.”
 Upper Middle Road looking east towards Burloak – defined as Employment lands by the city – developer has asked that it be re-classified to residential. The Mayor’s comment appears to neglect the significant stretch of land along Upper Middle Road where it meets Burloak that the property owners wants to see converted from employment lands to residential.
Nor does he appear to be taking into account the sizable development going on now at the intersection of Dundas and Walkers line where more than 100 homes are going to be built in the North West quadrant.
And then there is Eaglesfield where the Paletta interests have plans for residential homes.
 Early drafts of the Strategic Plan had it as a four year plan. Somewhere along the way the time frame got changed. How? Burlington’s current Official Plan was endorsed by Burlington City Council in 1994. Every municipality in Ontario is required by the provincial government to review their Official Plan every five years. The current review of the city’s existing Official Plan was started in 2011.
 The strategic Plan that city council approved is now a 25 year plan. The current city council seemed to feel they could bind any future city council to this plan – doesn’t work that way. A future council could scrap the plan. “In the city’s new Strategic Plan, approved in April, Council has made the decision to protect Burlington’s rural boundary and grow in its urban areas over the next 25 years,” said the city’s director of planning and building and chief planning officer, Mary Lou Tanner. “As we reviewed the city’s current Official Plan, we realized a reset of the document was required to reflect and help guide the city’s new priorities.”
“All of the work that has been undertaken as part of the Official Plan Review process, including policy research, analysis, studies, staff reports and community feedback, will be considered within the development of the new Official Plan. The community will also have an opportunity to share its feedback on the draft policies of the new Official Plan early in 2017.”
 Not quite this bold. City has rejected the ADI development Group Nautique project – 26 storeys was just a little too much for then. “We are looking forward to getting input from the community about the policies that are being considered for the new Official Plan,” said Tanner. “Burlington is going to Grow Bold over the next 25 years, embracing density in our urban areas. Now is the time for residents to have a say and help shape their city into a dynamic 21st century urban community.”
These changes are significant – they mark an almost totally new direction for the city.
This kind of change is the type of thing a government needs to have a clear mandate from the people paying the bills – you the taxpayer.
 Director of Planning – Mary Lou Tanner. Her vision is to Grow Bold, Smart and Beautiful. We have a strong statement about the direction the city is going to take from our new Director of Planning – Grow Bold. They tested the name with the Insight panel.
There are a lot of people in the city who don’t want to grow bold.
Yes there is a Provincial Policy Statement in place that requires the city to take on more growth – but, given that the city has decided to put an end to the urban sprawl of the past – what do they want to do with the urban Sprawl that we do have?
Can’t just leave it there to rot.
And – how did this Council manage to create a Strategic Plan that has traditionally been a document that reflected what a council wants to do during its term of office.
This Council decided that they would create a Strategic Plan for the next 25 years. The problem with the document is that one elected council cannot bind a future council to a program or plan.
The Gazette doesn’t recall there being a meeting at which the decision to write a 25 year plan rather than a four year plan was debated.
 This council has approved a Strategic Plan that covers the next 25 years. The plan will not last that long. And given that the council in place now did not get itself elected on a promise to prepare a 25 year Strategic Plan or the statement that the city was going to grow Bold – it doesn’t’ have a mandate to do what it is doing.
That of course isn’t going to stop them – they are boring a head full blast.
The 2018 civic election should certainly be interesting.
There is a three minute video that hypes the GrowBold philosophy – the opening scene is of the pier – the one that cost us twice what it was supposed to cost?
Check it out HERE. – the video, not the Pier – we all know where that is.
Salt with Pepper is an opinion piece.
 By Staff
November 2, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Road closure for natural gas leak on John Street and Caroline Street
The City of Burlington Fire Department is at the scene of a natural gas leak at a construction site on John Street.
Several neighbouring buildings are being evacuated.
Roads are closed in the area of Caroline, John, Martha and James Street.
The Fire Department is recommending that all downtown buildings keep their windows closed until further notice.
 The beginning of construction for the Carriage Gate development that will fill the entire block of John Street, Caroline, Elizabeth and Pine has begun.
Looks like someone forgot to completely mark where the gas lines were located.
 By Staff
November 1, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
A media release came in from Dennis Longchamps, Artistic Director & Chief Curator at the Art Gallery of Burlington his agile mind to things other than art.
Do you wonder he asked, what happens behind the scenes at an art gallery? Do you have a sense of adventure?
 The Art Gallery of Burlington invites you to a night of discovery with After Hours.
Beer and wine tastings – unusual food pairings– experimental music and video art – dance performance – graffiti painting – and so much more!
Tickets are limited – $50 per person includes all of the above – Must be 19 years and older. Tickets available online only: https://artgalleryofburlington.com/afterhours/
Food and drink provided by Collective Arts Brewing, Son of a Peach Pizzeria, Sunshine Doughnuts, Twist of Fate and the George Hamilton. Music and video presented by And All Was Bright.
 Trevor Copp and Jeff Fox doing their First Dance routine. Liquid Lead Dancing presented by Trevor Copp and Jeff Fox.
This could be really interesting. The media release doesn’t say if this is a one off – or if Longchamps has an ongoing program in mind.
Thursday, November 17th – 7 pm to Midnight
Midnight to 7 am would have been more exciting.
Looks like it is worth checking out.
#AFTERHOURS #REVOLUTIONAGB
A revolution at the AGB – this is Burlington you know.
By Pepper Parr
November 1, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
The winter snow isn’t even on the ground yet – but there are people at city hall planning for community garden usage next year.
 Former General Manager Scott Stewart listen to Amy Schnurr at the opening of the community garden at Central Park. Rob Peachy who played a major role in making it happen is on the far right. This is one of those programs that came out of a community initiative that took just a little arm twisting to get the city onside – but they made it work and now it is a program with four community gardens located in the city
“Next year will be our sixth growing season with the community gardens program,” said Rob Peachey, the city’s manager of parks and open spaces. “We are once again accepting the applications in November to give our gardeners more time over the winter months to plan and prepare their gardens for the spring.”
There are four community gardens residents can apply to:
• Amherst Park,
• Central Park,
• Francis Road Bikeway, or
• Maple Park
Next year’s planting season will run from May 1 to Oct. 22, 2017. There are a total of 125 plots available, which includes 10 raised, accessible plots suitable for persons with limited mobility. Applicants may indicate a preferred garden location and plot style on the application.
 Michelle Bennett paces off the distance for the Community Garden Burlington Green hopes to be able to convince the city to go along with. The BG’s got 85% of the money through a provincial government grant, and now want 15% from the city. The cost to rent a plot for the season is $50. Water, soil and compost are supplied and all plots have full sun. Plots will be allocated by lottery at the close of the application period, and all applicants will be notified of their lottery result by early December 2016.
Community garden applications will be available online beginning Nov. 14 (online address is shown below) at the Seniors’ Centre, or City Hall, 426 Brant St., at the Service Burlington counter.
Completed applications must be received by the city no later than Nov. 30, 2016 for the 2017 planting season. Applications received after Nov. 30 will be entered into the draw for 2018 garden plots.
It was about six years ago when Michelle Bennett and Amy Schnurr of Burlington Green appeared before Council asking them to support their initiative to get a provincial government grant. The two woman were going over some literature about a provincial government program that was part solid idea and part pilot project. It fit the BurlingtonGreen mandate like a glove but there was a hitch. They had to have some real, cold hard cash participation from the city or from an organization that was on a par with the city.
 Michelle Bennett inspected a number of community gardens as she researched what might be possible back in 2012. Here she looks over a garden in the east end of the city. The two woman put together their application and got it off to Queen’s Park who got back to them saying they liked the idea but there was nothing about the city’s participation. Burlington Green people have no problem delegating to city hall. It didn’t go all that well during the first round. Both woman brought more enthusiasm than solid business case to the city council committee but they were on to something and that was enough for Council to ask staff to take a look at it and see if they could make something of it.
Three of the four people who made the Community Garden project happen: former General Manager Scott Stewart, BurlingtonGreen Executive Director Amy Schnurr and Rob Peachey, Manager Parks and Open Space for the city.
That put the BurlingtonGreen ladies into the hands of Rob Peachey, Manager Parks and Open Spaces, who found a way to come up with things the city could do that would amount to the 15% in cash or in kind the BurlingtonGreen people needed to get the provincial funding secured. A location was chosen that worked for everyone. It had a water line, it was steps away from the library where classes could be held, it was moments from the Seniors’ Centre where BurlingtonGreen hoped to entice some of the members.
 Michelle Bennett was given the Community Service award – Environment, for her efforts to make the hardens happen. From the left: Michelle Bennett Environment, Sam Kawazoye Community Service, Trevor Copp Arts , Mayor Goldring, Wendy Hager, Citizen of the Year, Dan Taylor Junior Citizen and Jim Frizzle, Senior of the year. The provincial funding was for a “teaching Pilot”; a program that would figure out the nuts and bolts of how to get a community garden up and running; what you had to do, what you shouldn’t do and where you go for help – that kind of thing.
This is one of those projects that came out of a community initiative and caught the imaginations of city council and was put into the hands of a city staffer who knew exactly what had to be done and got it done,
That first community garden led to three more.
Citizens can apply for a community garden plot for the 2017 growing season in one of the city’s four locations between Nov. 14 and 30, 2016.
They can go online at: www.burlington.ca/communitygardens
By Pepper Parr
November 1, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
It is going to be a busy month for the bureaucrats at the J. M. Singleton Education Centre.
 The school board will be making presentations to parents at every high school in the city to explain what the Program Accommodation Review (PAR) is all about and what the Program Accommodation Review Committee (PARC) will be doing between December 1st and May of next year – when the school board expects to make a decision on which, if any, high schools are going to be closed.
The dates for the events at each high school are set out below.
Tuesday, November 1, 2016 Robert Bateman HS 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Tuesday, November 1, 2016 Nelson HS 7:30 pm – 8:00 pm
Thursday, November 3, 2016 Aldershot HS 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Thursday, November 3, 2016 Burlington Central HS 7:30 pm – 8:00 pm
Monday, November 14, 2016 Lester B. Pearson HS 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Monday, November 14, 2016 M.M. Robinson HS 7:30 pm – 8:00 pm
Tuesday, November 15, 2016 Dr. Frank J. Hayden SS 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
The meetings are going to be brisk and to the point – and there will not, we are advised be a Q&A session during the meeting.
The Gazette will cover some of these meetings are report back on what takes place.
By Pepper Parr
October 31, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Here is how a government gets out of an election promise>
Just say that you’ve come to the conclusion that what you promised isn’t something the people want – so let’s move on to the next promise.
On Thursday night, Minister of Democratic Institutions Maryam Monsef made some alarming statements to a packed house of Proportional Representation (PR) supporters at one of her final tour stops in Victoria:
 Minister of Democratic Institutions Maryam Monsef at a public meeting on election reform. “So I can’t promise you that I’ll be advocating for PR because I haven’t heard that from an overwhelming majority across the country.” The Minister added that: “People aren’t clamouring for change the way they were under the former government.”
“So I’m looking for that consensus – I haven’t seen it across the country and now I’m waiting on the committee. I can’t make you a promise. I’m very very sorry.”
Fair Vote Canada, an organization that is advocating for xxx said they have received reports from people who attended almost every single one of Minister Monsef’s tour stops from coast to coast. At most of the hundreds of town halls and events across Canada, Canadians calling for PR were the majority.
The vast majority of those who attended the Minister’s consultations this week in Victoria supported PR.
At the last electoral reform committee (ERRE) public mic in Ottawa this week, 84% of those with an opinion on voting systems spoke for PR. Of the minority who spoke in opposition, some were paid Conservative staffers.
Minister Monsef’s own report to ERRE on the 8 town halls she held in Peterborough-Kawartha stated:
“It is clear that there is an appetite for thoughtful change to the electoral system. While opinions on the various electoral systems did vary, most participants indicated their support for a more proportional electoral process that still respected the need for local representation and simplicity of the ballot.”
The Prime Minister and the Minister of Democratic Institutions have personally created a sense of hope in Canadians, building on their 2015 campaign promise of “Real Change”. Canadians believed them and believed that the government really did intend to keep its promises. They thought the political cynicism of the Harper years was behind us. Thousands of us participated in the government’s consultations in good faith.
But this week, the Minister is saying – while the ERRE MPs are in the process of negotiating a new electoral system – that we should not expect the government to keep it’s promise to make every vote count. This is serious. We must make ourselves heard now! This is our last chance to influence the 12 MPs whose report will guide the government.
 The fear is that an election promise might have just taken a walk off the platform stage. The Fair Vote organization is asking people to thank the members of ERRE for their work, ask them to deliver a recommendation for proportional representation and tell Justin Trudeau to keep his campaign promise!
They have set up a web site – more information there. Let’s see where this election promise goes.
 The hope in the minds of many Canadians was that there would be a change in the way members of Parliament were elected – a shift from the First Past the Post approach to something that reflected a little more fairly the wishes of the electorate as shown by the ballots cast. Back in June of 2015 when he was running for election as the Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he wanted that “fall’s national vote to be the last federal election conducted under the first-past-the-post electoral system.
And, if the Liberal leader becomes prime minister, it may also be the last election in which Canadians can choose not to vote, as well as the last in which the only way to vote is by marking an X on a paper ballot.
Changing the way Canadians vote is just one element of a sweeping, 32-point plan to “restore democracy in Canada.
There will apparently be a number of changes on how people get to cast their ballot – Elections Canada, the organization that runs federal elections is working on a collection of ideas – but they may not be in place for the next federal election.
At this point who cares – all eyes are on what is happening south of us. What a mess they’ve gotten themselves into – makes us appreciate what we do have.
By Staff
October 21st, 2106
BURLINGTON, ON
She once got a shout out from the President of the United States when he was addressing the House of Commons – now she wants to get the make members of that same House out wearing high heels – pink high heels.
A number of weeks ago Burlington MP Karina Gould challenged the Speaker of the House to hold such an event – and somehow the challenge got taken up and on November 3rd Gould MP for Burlington will be hosting Hope in High Heels on Parliament Hill
 Men in Burlington have been doing their annual pink high heel thing to make a point – and they are getting that point across. Next Month Burlington’s MP hopes to get every male member of Parliament into a pair of high heels The Prime Minister will pull it off – watch for some wobbly ankles from some of the others. After participating in the Hope in High Heels walk organized by Halton Women’s Place in Burlington on September 24, MP Gould was inspired to bring the walk to Parliament Hill.
“The message is simple – we will not end violence against women and children, if boys and men are not included in the conversation and part of the solution,” said MP Gould in a statement in the House of Commons. “Having this event in Ottawa, encourages all Members of Parliament, Senators and their staff to show Canadians that we are united in this fight.”
Halton Women’s Place has organized Hope in High Heels in Halton for the past seven years to help raise funds for their women’s shelter in the Halton region and to raise awareness of this ongoing issue. Halton Women’s Place will travel to Ottawa with their hot pink heels in tow, for all male parliamentarians looking to participate.
 There is a strong message behind those pink high heels – “real men don’t hit woman” The Halton woman’s Place houses a number of women who have been hit by men. “Halton Women’s Place is thrilled to bring Hope in High Heels to Ottawa,” said Diane Beaulieu, Executive Director, Halton Women’s Place. “We are proud of our relationship with MP Karina Gould who continues to advocate for women’s issues, especially women’s shelters. This initiative shows our clients that our community supports them in their decisions to start a new life free of violence. We look forward to working together with our local, provincial and federal government on making change for abused women and their children.”
As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said, “Together, we can create a Canada and a world where all citizens are respected, valued equally, and safe from violence.”
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