 By Staff
May 18th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
The City of Burlington public art program is inviting professional artists and artist teams to submit expressions of interest for an Artist-in-Residence program.
Working with the city’s Arts and Culture staff, the selected artist(s) will conduct a 6-month residency to research the existence of ‘cultural nodes’ in Burlington.
In addition to attending planning meetings and consulting with key stakeholders, the selected artist will create temporary public art interventions to engage and interact with the community.
This is a non-live-in residency however the selected artist is expected to visit Burlington frequently and must live within easy travel distance.
The city’s public art program, funded for the most part from Planning Act Section 37 funds (these are monies developers give the city for additional height and density among other things). The city puts $50,000 of its own money into the public art plan.
The opportunity is made up of a $10,800 artist fee and up to $10,000 materials
 Early in the creation of the Cultural Action Plan people were asked to indicate where they saw culture taking place in th city. The next step is to build on the knowledge gathered. The city has a Cultural Action Plan as well as a Culture manager and of course there is the robust arts collective that leans on city council every opportunity it gets.
Burlington hired Hamilton resident Jeremy Freiburger to craft the Cultural Action Plan. The work leading up to that document included asking people to map out where they “do” culture and how they define culture. Links below on those new stories as well.
The focus appears to be looking for ways to better define cultural nods. We are not sure that research actually makes that kind of thing happen – when people find a place they want to be they gather at that place and it just becomes a node. The approach this call is using sounds and feels a little like “social engineering” – and we know where that kind of effort gets us.
The project goals include:
The integration of an artist’s perspective into planning cultural nodes
Create opportunities for street-level cultural engagement through unique public engagement activities and temporary public art installations
Make recommendations on ways to link identified cultural nodes
Make recommendations on future permanent public art installation(s) related to cultural nodes
The deadline for this opportunity is Monday, June 20, 4:00 p.m. Artists wishing to learn more about this project are invited to an optional information session on Wednesday, June 1 (7:00 to 8:00 p.m.). The presentation will be followed by an open Q&A session with the public art manager.
 From the left – three people heavily involved in the cultural community: Deb Tymstra, Teresa Seaton and Donna Grandin. Artists interested in learning more about this project are invited to an optional information session at the Halton Hive, 901 Guelph Line, Burlington. Loads of parking. The Hive is just south of Harvester Road . A brief presentation will be followed by an open Q&A with the public art manager.
Those wishing to attend must RSVP by Monday May 30th at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/artist-in-residence-information-session-tickets-25377297179?aff=mcivte
For more information contact:
Kim Selman, the Public Art Manager over at Cobalt Connexts is the lead on this. You can reach her at
kim@cobaltconnects.ca or at 905-548-0111
 By Staff
May 19th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Tansley Woods pool is closed for the remainder of the day due to an unforseen maintenance issue. The pool is expected to reopen at 6:00 a.m. on Friday May 20, 2016
The following programs are cancelled:
• Combo Lap Swim 10:30am-noon
• Lap Swim Noon – 1:30 p.m.
• Water Running 1:30-2:30 p.m.
• Swimming lessons 5 to 8:30 p.m. Information on make up options will be distributed at next week’s lesson.
• Aqua Boot Camp at 7:35 p.m.
• Leisure Swim 7:30-9:00 p.m.
• Swim Training 8:30 to 9:30 p.m.
The Aldershot pool closing announcement used the same wording – they were close for several days.
They rarely say what they mean by an unforeseen maintenance issue.
 By Pepper Parr
May 19th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Have you herd of the Eddies?
The 15th annual Eddies Gala Awards evening – a popular festival celebrating student filmmaking – will be held on Tuesday, May 31, 2016 at the Burlington Performing Arts Centre.
The theatre doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the awards celebration begins at 7 p.m., followed by screenings of this year’s winners. This event is open to the public, no tickets are required and admission is free.
 A clip from an Eddie winning entry. The Eddies, the Halton Student Film Festival, celebrates student success in filmmaking by recognizing technical and creative achievements and is open to all elementary and secondary students. Previous Eddies award winners have gone on to achieve success in the film and television industry, with some capturing prestigious awards for their work.
This year the event is highlighted by an impressive list of professionals who will judge the submissions. They include:
• Mandy Holyoke – Production Coordinator for Little Charmers, a popular Nickelodeon animated series.
• Kyla Springall – Assistant Production Manager at Cineflix, has been Production Coordinator on Property Virgins for 84 episodes and is now coordinating a Property Virgins spin-off series.
• Vaishni Majoomdar – experience includes casting on Good Witch, Reign and Schitt’s Creek.
• Omar Salama – Creative Director at Block 94.
• Jeff Bowman – retired Multimedia Administrator and co-founder of The Eddies.
• Ana Yavari – Editor on The Tudors, The Borgias and the Showtime series Penny Dreadful.
“Approximately 500 students participated this year from various subject areas making this a true display of how technology can be integrated in all academic and technical subjects,” says Dale Andrews, teacher at White Oaks Secondary School and co-organizer of The Eddies.
For a look at one of the entries that won last year CLICK here
By Pepper Parr
May 18th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
The question was – what will she have to show us when the Performance Arts Centre reveal takes place? Will it compare favourably with the superb program Brian McCurdy delivered before he took leave of running the Centre?
And would there be room for the local talent – and not just shows that were travelling and could spend an evening in Burlington?
And is the lineup for 2026/2017 a good line up?
 Performing Arts Centre president Suzanne Haines chatting with a patron after the presentation. Suzanne Haines delivered.
It’s a more than decent line up – and if the VIP members who lined up to buy tickets are any indication – the year will keep city council happy, meaning that BPAC won’t be back asking for more money – they already get close to a million dollars as it is.
A VIP member is a patron who has purchased 4 or more shows in the previous season and the capital donors and supporters.
There are a couple of boffo stand outs to comment on. The Shanghai Acrobats from China are astounding – a cultural circus if you will.
 Two Performing Arts Centre patrons flipping through the program book. The Aga Boom – three clowns that will delight both parents and the children they bring with them. The pricing on this one is great $15 if you bought a series.
Series pricing is $5 off the regular price if you buy tickets to four or more events. If this show doesn’t sell out – turn the Performing Arts centre into a day care centre.
A lot more jazz than one might have expected – most of it top rank
A solid family program for the Christmas season.
Some greats – Les Grand Ballet out of Montreal, the Nylons Farewell tour, Piaff! The Show (expect this to be a stunner) The popular Gerry Dee and
There wasn’t as much local talent given an chance to grow on the stage. There are going to be what are commercially called Added Value events – which will be performers in the Family Room entertaining theatre goers before and after different shows. That’s a start.
Last summer the Performing Arts Centre put on free Jazz on the Plaza concerts that were a huge hit. They have expanded the program to include a Tuesday night live, a Friday Jazz on the Plaza and Sunday Family Fun.
The presentation of the 2016-17program however was weak – it lacked any pizzazz.
 Patrons lined up to get their tickets booked. Performing Arts Centre president Suzanne Haines stood on one side of the stage and Director of Programming Costin Manu stood on the other side and read from telepromters. One would speak and then the other – as they passed the job back and forth.
There was an opportunity for the two of them to ham it up a bit and become part of the entertainment. At one point Costin was dancing away in small circles on his side of the stage – while Suzanne tapped her toes on the other. They could have danced towards each other and made their presentation much livelier.
Costin Manu can be very funny – he should have been given a writer to provide him with a bit of a script. It is after all show business.
 Ilene Elkaim, chair of the Theatre Board listens to a patron The “reveal” as many people chose to call the event closed with a nice touch. Haines announced that Royal Wood would return to the stage on October 1st – the 5th anniversary of the opening of the venue.
The Gazette was there that evening, which was described as a soft opening. The house wasn’t packed but the attendance was more than acceptable.
As Wood was taking his final bow two of what I describe as the “blue rinse” set strode up the aisle muttering about the lousy performance. They proved to be completely wrong – the place works – now to keep the costs in line and the content current, popular and just a little edgy at times.
 Deb Tymstra who reports on culture for Cogeco took in the evening and chats up a friend. The real test is to see the box office numbers – sales Tuesday night won’t be known until next week – they don’t appear to have adding machine over there.
 The Gazette will comment and report on the evening later in the week. It was a fun night, the finger food offering was plentiful – the wine offerings at the bar could do with some expansion. The program book patrons took away with them is a keeper – everything you want to know about the new season is within a well designed book.
By Staff
May 17th, 2106
BURLINGTON, ON
The Regional Police have organized a very proactive approach to introducing how the police and emergency services work in the Region
On the 25th of May 2016, Halton Regional Police will be hosting ESINC Day (Emergency Service Introduction for New Canadians). The event will be held at the Halton Regional Police Service Headquarters located at 1151 Bronte Road, in the town of Oakville.
The event will run from 12:00pm to 2:00pm.
Come meet your local police officers, firefighters, paramedics, tour the emergency vehicles and visit the community information booths.
For more additional information please contact Cst. Jody Dugas of the Regional Community Mobilization Bureau. 905-825-4747 ext 5240.
If you know people who are new to Canada – mention this to them. Authority figures are seen differently in Canada than they are in the countries many new Canadians come from
By Staff
May 18, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Handi-van phone service will be unavailable until 8:30 am today – Wednesday May 18
Customers please note that the phone line to contact Handi-van dispatch (905) 639-5158 will be temporarily out of service on Wednesday May 18 until approximately 8:30 a.m. for scheduled upgrades.
For any urgent needs during this time please call (905) 335-7869 ext. 6602. This line will only be serviced during the phone disruption period.
By Staff
May 17th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Walkers Line at Britannia Road – Wednesday, May 18, 2016
Walkers Line will be closed at Britannia Road on Wednesday, May 18, 2016 from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. to remove vegetation along the road.
No traffic will be allowed through, with the exception of emergency vehicles responding to a emergency calls.
 By Pepper Parr
May 17th, 2106
BURLINGTON, ON
He is back – with not just one but two business cards and, we are advised, a seat on the board of one of the city’s cultural institutions.
We are not clear as to whether it is the corporate board of the Foundation board of the organization that our former Member of Parliament sits on.
Mike Wallace took quite a wallop during the last federal election. At the time he said he got beaten by a person whose age was less than the number of years he had served the public.
 Mike Wallace, Burlington MP, takes a closer look at art work at the Art Gallery Burlington. To his credit Mike has bounced back nicely and has jumped into the industry that Burlington treats so well.
Wallace has a business card for his real estate sales business and another for the consulting organization he created. The latter resulted in a meeting with members of council where he is reported to have represented a developer’s interests.
On his web site he says:
You provided me the opportunity to contribute to the quality of life that we enjoy in our community. I strived to meet my commitments to you responsibly, thoroughly and with integrity. I love our City and the people that make it the number one mid-sized city in Canada.
Many have asked “What will be my next career path?” There was no question that I wanted to continue to serve and care for the residents of Burlington.
 You always know when Mike Wallace is in the room – you hear him. At times he is the consummate prankster on other occasions he can manipulate a parliamentary committee as well as the best of them. After your family and their health, your home is the most important part of your life. It is where you do most of your living, through shared good and tough times. Therefore, after many hours of personal reflection, I have decided to pursue a career in residential real estate.
As a realtor, I will provide the trusted, transparent and timely service that you would expect and deserve in dealing with your critical real estate assets. If I can be of any assistance, now or in the future, please contact me.
Mike and his wife Caroline (26 years) are part of the RE/MAX Escarpment Realty Inc., Brokerage and work out of offices at 4121 Fairview St, Burlington. You can reach Mike at (905) 632-2199.
The office location is a little too far east for Mike to set up his campaign office when he takes a run for Mayor in 2018.
By Pepper Parr
May 16th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Where is the Mayor?
He wasn’t at the city council standing committee last night.
The chair, Blair Lancaster – who is still having problems managing the agenda – she forgets which page she is on and forgets the procedural steps that have to be taken.
 When the meeting opened Lancaster as chair announced that the Mayor was “at another meeting” – that was it. Nothing about what the meeting was about or where it was taking place.
Last night her cell phone was getting almost as much attention as the job of being chair.
It was a short meeting – and didn’t resolve anything. The biggest report was given a “receive and file” which puts it back into the hands of the bureaucrats. We report on the re-development of the Nelson facilities elsewhere.
The really interesting news was the article in the Globe and Mail about the changes the province is going to make on the environmental front. City manager James Ridge said that the news article was the most talked about subject within the leadership team at city hall.
 Burlington Hydro leased high end BMW electric cars and loaned them to members of council to get some data on driving patterns. Ridge said they were waiting to see the document the province produces – due sometime in June – all they had so far was the Globe and Mail news report. The newspaper headline reported a $7 billion program that would slash the size of our carbon foot print which will impact every aspect of life in the province and disrupt the automotive and energy sectors.
Energy means Burlington Hydro for us – and automotive – well we all know what they are talking about.
More than 76% of the homes in Ontario are heated with natural gas – the province wants to see that number brought down – and promises to start phasing out natural gas for home heating. This will be done partly through incentives for owners of homes and buildings to install geothermal and solar heating, and partly by changes to the building code mandating that, by 2030, all new houses and small buildings be heated by something other than fossil fuels. Natural gas currently provides 76 per cent of the province’s heat.
The plan also promises hefty subsidies for electric vehicles, more charging stations and sets ambitious targets of raising the number of electric vehicles sold to 12 per cent of the total by 2025; at the moment, just 0.16 per cent of the vehicles on the road in Ontario are electric.
Big changes coming – it would have been nice to see a comment from the Mayor. His new key aide – Mike Greenlee, who replaced Brian Kelly, who replaced Frances Grano, who replaced Jackie Isada, who replaced Frank McKeown kept himself busy taking notes.
Greenlee and Grano were seconded from within other departments in city hall to help out in the Mayor’s office.
By Staff
May 17th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
The police are driving the message home: Canada Road Safety Week starts today
For the next seven days, until the end of the Victoria Day weekend, motorists who travel anywhere within the Region of Halton – from our urban centres to our rural areas – can expect to see an increased Police presence on our roadways.
How can you avoid being stopped by a Halton Police officer?
1. Drive now, call & text later. Distracted driving is one of the leading causes of motor vehicle collisions.
2. If you drink, don’t drive. Impaired driving remains the leading criminal cause of death on Ontario roadways. Halton Drug Recognition officers are also reminding drivers that drugs & driving don’t mix either.
3. If you’re under 22yrs of age, don’t drink & drive period. You must have a zero blood alcohol level to operate a motor vehicle in Ontario.
4. Buckle up. Over 700 Halton motorists were charged in 2015 with failing to wear a seat belt. What’s holding you back?
5. Slow down! Speed kills. Remember, we’ll see you before you see us. Speed limits will be enforced!
Motorists found in contravention may be subject to arrest and charges, including licence suspensions, vehicle seizures and costly fines. Halton Police encourages all road users to obey the rules of the road.
 Do your part and make our roadways safe for everyone.
If you observe a vehicle being operated in a manner which places you, or anyone else in danger, please call 911 for an immediate police response.
Let us see what the police report after the holiday weekend.
By Pepper Parr
May 16, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
We learned today that the “Windows on the Lake” at Market and St Paul Street are going to be at the final drawings stage and should go out to tender very soon – and according to Rob Peachey the construction work should get done before the end of the summer.
 You wouldn’t know it – but this is public property and anyone can walk out to the end and look over the lake. City will remove the boulders and the fence barrier which was illegal but the city did nothing about. The area is going to be upgraded to a Window on the Lake. Good news – the view from those two locations is about as good as it gets – one can take a picnic basket out there and really enjoy a summer afternoon or evening.
There was a time when there could have been a nice pathway that would have joined the end of Market Street to the end of St. Paul but the current city council could not see or understand how big an opportunity they let get away on them.
 What could have been – a pathway for resident to bike along and take a pleasant walk – but city council let the opportunity get away. They had it – the city owned a significant portion of the land with the provincial Ministry of Natural Resources owning the rest – but instead the land was sold to the people whose property abutted the bits of land along the water’s edge.
The problem wasn’t with the sale of the land to private interests – some intelligent people saw the opportunity and moved quickly to buy the land. The shame is on the city council for letting that happen.
All the public gets is a small patch of land – which does have a great view. It will be interesting to see what the final drawings look like.
 By Staff
May 16, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Halton Regional Police Service want to remind the public that the commonly known “CRA scam” is still very much alive and active. In the past week, two separate victims in the region have both fallen prey to this scam and suffered a total loss of $9,000 dollars.
In the latest version of this scam the fraudster is threatening arrest of the victim for money due to Revenue Canada. The fraudster is now asking the victims to make payment using I-Tunes gift cards and directing the victims to several locations in order to purchase the cards.
Halton Regional Police Service are reminding the public that the Canada Revenue Agency would never act in this manner and certainly would never accept I-Tunes gift cards as a form of payment.
The police would also like to request that the vendors of these types of cards remain vigilant to large purchases of I-Tunes gift cards and to initiate a conversation with the buyer to ensure they are not being defrauded.
In one of the more recent cases an alert employee at a Rexall Pharmacy in Hamilton prevented a victim from purchasing an additional $3,000 dollars’ worth of cards. Unfortunately the victim had already previously transferred $3000 dollars of cards purchased at two other stores prior to being stopped by the alert employee.
 By Pepper Parr
May 15th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Caroline Simpson was the person responsible for making sure the Regional Chair’s Annual Golf Tournament went smoothly. She was looking for items that could be put into the silent auction and approached the Art Gallery of Burlington where she crossed paths with Mary Mazur, the EA to the CEO.
They talked and Simpson came away with a piece of art for the golf tournament silent auction and also knowing a lot about an event the AGB was sponsoring at the Performing Arts Centre. Simpson felt good about the new contact she had made and delighted to be able to get to a concert she might not normally have gone to – an evening of music played on a flute.
 Gordon Burwood points out the location of the hotel that Caroline Simpson, on the left, will stay at during her week in Paris – a prize she won at a raffle during the Evening in Paris event sponsored by the Art Gallery of Burlington at the Performing Arts Centre. Karen Burwood looks on. Oh joy – one might say – but this evening was not just a concert – it was an art history lesson, it was an opportunity to not only hear the music, which Simpson, really didn’t’ know much about, but to learn about the context and the times the music was composed.
She didn’t know that the Impressionist art movement came out of the same period and that the Statue of Liberty and the Eiffel tower were created during the same time frame as well and that the Paris Opera House came out of the same time period.
What she did know at the end of the performance was that she has heard a superb flutist perform – and that she was going to Paris
Simpson is a Laurier University “poly-sci” graduate with three kids at home and a demanding job.
Part of the “Evening in Paris” event put on by the Art Gallery in Burlington at the Performing Arts Centre was a draw for two tickets for a week in Paris. The prize was donated by DH Tours – tickets were $2 each.
 Serene Martin on the left, Ondrea Crockett on the right – Caroline Simpson in the middle. Simpson had bought 40 tickets, she said she “had a sense I was going to win. “I wasn’t totally surprised” she said “but it did take a minute for my winning to sink in.”
“I knew the range of the tickets I had bought – the winning ticket was the last one in the range – 0597. I think my friends, Serene Martin and Ondrea Crockett were more excited than I was.”
The prize included $500 of spending money.
As of Saturday afternoon Simpson had not told her children. “I was thinking about who I would take with me – my daughter who is turning 16 – if I take her what do I do for my 13 year old? I have thought about taking my Mom – that would be nice.”
But right now explained Simpson “I can’t spend any time thinking about when I go to Paris or who goes with me – I have a golf tournament to get done.”
Simpson is the enhancement programs coordinator at the Willow Foundation – an arm’s length agency of the Region of Halton that raises funds for the for the seniors living in the three village retirement residences run by the region. The Foundation, a non-profit, registered charitable organization, was established in 2002. Governed by a volunteer board of directors, funds are raised to further enhance the lives of seniors and disabled adults in the Halton Region’s three long-term care homes: Creek Way Village in Burlington and Post Inn Village in Oakville and the Allendale Village in Milton where there are about 575 residents
 Regional Chair Gary Carr a community event. The golf tournament, known as the Regional Chair’s Annual Golf Tournament, is taking place Thursday – the 18th at the Crosswinds Golf and Country Club. Simpson is beavering away at all those last minute details – that seem to be never end. Event registration, if you’re interested: https://birdeasepro.com/thewillowfoundation
“The Chair is a big supporter of the Willow Foundation. It is nice to work for an organization where there is strong leadership.
Simpson thinks about sitting at a café in Paris and reading some of the books she doesn’t have time to read these days. “It will be different – won’t it” she suggests.
By Pepper Parr
May 15th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
There were few gifts in the weather this weekend.
Our Member of Parliament Karina Gould was scheduled to throw out the ceremonial pitch at a Burlington Bandits game – cancelled due to rain.
Hayley Marie Remple gave her Masters Class to flute players and then left town to begin her tour of western Canada. They are in for a treat.
 Monument marking the 3582nd kilometer of the Terry Fox Marathon of Hope Run that took place 35 years ago. The plaque noting that the historical Brant Inn used to be located a dozen yards or so to the south sits to the left of the monument.
There was an event that took place on a knoll on the north side of spencer smith Park where some history got cemented into place – not something Burlington has been all that good at doing.
A group of citizens thought it would be fitting for there to be a monument commemorating the day Terry Fox passed through Burlington on his Marathon of Hope 35 years ago.
The group that made this happen has chosen to be quiet – their concern was that the creation of the monument not take anything away from the annual Terry Fox run.
 The Brant Inn was located close to the edge of the lake – immediately south o the plaque – the Terry Fox monument sits on a bit of a knoll just west of the pond where small model motor boats will soon be scooting around. The monument is a very handsome structure.
It was originally going to be located closer to the intersection of |Lakeshore Road and Maple – some one came up with the idea of a more prominent location – right up beside the plaque that notes the existence of the Brant Inn – once a hot spot for American musicians who came to Burlington by train where they could play, sleep and eat in the same location.
 The plaque tells the story. It was the place to be in those days. Nothing like it in the city today. Pity The Brant Inn plaque is 15 to 20 yards from the site of the famous Inn. With the Fox monument steps away from the plaque – Burlington now has a spot where some significant history is commemorated. The Joseph Brant Museum is but a football field length to the west.
It will be interesting to see how the Tourism people feature the existence of the Fox monument in their literature and web site.
Make a point of getting out to see it – it is both handsome and significant.
Good things can happen in Burlington.
 By Staff
May 14th, 2106
BURLINGTON, ON
Hayley Marie Remple plays the flute – at time she attackes the instrument and on other occasions you can almost feel her straining to find the air she needs to finish the bars of music she wants you to hear.
Remple was on the stage of the Performing Arts Centre doing a benefit concert for the art Gallery of Burlington. Don Graves, a noted Burlington landscape artist with a life of music as his frame and a noted book reviewer as well describes what the audience saw and felt this way:
 “A group of clever, inspired French composers: Debussy, Ravel, Saint-Saens, Faure, Widor and Satie. The time is 1870 to 1910. Add a gala young woman who mergers with her instrument, the flute, to weave an Evening in Paris, full of masterful playing, displaying that technique is something an artist should know but not show, a musician that spins history with multi-media storytelling and some of the finest flute playing I’ve heard in Burlington…ever.
“What brings this evening at the PBAC to a special moment in time is Haley Marie’s exquisite bringing together of music, history, coloratura playing and dynamic story telling.
Not a silo in sight. Music, painting, history, the era of impressionistic music in Paris and unveiled in an informal, warm and technically sparkling visual concert that earned her a well-deserved standing ovation.
 “Is this where the concert hall may be headed? Did the Art Gallery of Burlington and the Burlington Performance Art Centre launch something that speaks to the future of an evening listening to music, listening to a story and watching a screen that unfolds the place, the atmosphere and its time? Yes, it happened in Burlington and this young flutist raised our sights, our visions and our joy.
One of the unfortunate aspects of single night performance is – we can’t say to you – “Ya gotta see this performance” – because she is gone – off to complete her five province tour.
Graves describes the performance well – he catches mixture of visual, verbal and the sounds from the flute well. He is a man with a good eye and a strong appreciation for music – he nailed this one.
He might have added that during the performance Remple has words pop up on the screen that explain the complexity of the music – nothing too deep – things like “I have to breath really hard for this part”
What the public saw and heard was a Carnegie Hall class artist who performs superbly and adds comments with words on the screen that add to the quality of the performance.
There are times when Remple comes close to attacking her flute – the finger work is superb.
She will do a Master Class for flute students Saturday afternoon.
Might she return – it was a performance worth recommending to friends.
By Staff
May 13th, 2106
BURLINGTON, ON
It took just over a month – but the police, with the help they got from the public, were able to identify and then arrest Rafael MAIA (29yrs of Mississauga) He has been charged with Possession of Property Obtained by Crime, Theft Under, Drive Disqualified, five charges.
Investigators credit the public for their assistance.
On March 23rd at approximately 3:00am a garage was accessed while the homeowners were asleep in their residence. Two vehicles were stolen. The cameras on the 407 eastbound from Burlington identified one of the two cars stolen. . One was recovered in Toronto on March 24th.
The second car, a 2006 grey Infiniti G35 was used in a gas drive off in Toronto in the early morning hours on March 30th.
Photos of the driver were made available.
 By Ray Rivers
May 13, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Even deep ecologists, the folks who’ll tell you that fire is a natural part of a sustainable forest, cannot defend what has been happening at Fort McMurray, Alberta. The ‘Beast’, Fort McMurray’s runaway fire is not a controlled burn by any measure. This has been called the worst environmental disaster in Canadian history.
 The fire, named the Beast bu he men and women who had to fight it day after day, moved into communities an wiped out everything in its path. The Beast has gobbled up over 200,000 hectares of woodland so far. That is more acreage than foresters harvest in B.C.annually. And it is twice as much as gets taken down each year in Ontario, generating 13 billion dollars in revenues, including some five billion dollars in forest products exports for our province. Also, Ontario’s treasury gets $100 million in royalty payments, and of course there are all those spin off benefits.
Firefighters managed to save an estimated eighty to ninety percent of the building stock in the Fort McMurray, though some suburbs were virtually destroyed. And the entire city and surrounding communities, as many as 100,000 residents, had to be evacuated. In a show of national unity all Canadians and many of their provincial governments came forward contributing fire-fighters and money to help with the consequences and aftermath of this event.
Canada is no stranger to forest fires. As a country which has the world’s second largest land mass, much of it sparsely populated, we typically lose over 600,000 hectares to fire every year. But the fire season has barely started this year and the Beast has already claimed a third of that with the fire still burning. The exceptionally hot and dry spring, and possibly a careless human, are the likely causes. But authorities worry that Edmonton, also experiencing exceptionally dry conditions, may be next.
Is climate change to blame? This is exactly the kind of event that climatologists have been predicting. And that would make this the second time in only a couple years, that Alberta has been hit with a major climate related event – recall that monster flood in Calgary a couple years ago. But few people are saying that in public. Well, Elizabeth May, the Green Party leader, is but then she’ll never be PM so she can say what is truly on her mind. Our new climate-change-fighting PM was reluctant to make the linkage, though he doesn’t really need to – it’s obvious.
Of course nobody wants to be accused of blaming the victims, including the oil sands operators who have had to suspend operations. Our hearts go out for the people who’ve lost their homes and possession, and have spent the last several days living in community centres, or with family somewhere else. And the truth is that leaping to shut down oil sands operations, in recognition of the reality before us, would hardly reverse the climate change we are experiencing in the short run anyway.
 The Leap Manifesto should at last be read – Rivers has created a link to the document at the bottom of his column. You may have heard about the Leap Manifesto, something which nearly tore the heart out of the recent NDP national convention in Edmonton. Avi Lewis, son of former Ontario NDP leader Stephen Lewis presented it in the faint hope of obtaining an endorsement by that party. Its non-partisan sticker notwithstanding, the document was produced to influence last year’s federal election and presumably energy policy in Alberta, though even Mr. Mulcair seemed to have mis-interpreted it and Alberta’s Premier was deadly opposed.
Lewis and his wife; journalist, author and social activist Naomi Klein, initiated this project as an afterthought to her book “This Changes Everything” and his documentary of the same name. A number of aboriginal leaders, other social and environmental activists, and wannabes assembled to write the Manifesto which reads, as one would expect, like something written by a committee.
Still Leap has morphed into something of a movement with over 40,000 signatures of support in its call to leap beyond business as usual this leap year, including the call for a guaranteed annual income for all Canadians. And as one of its primary targets, it has raised the hackles of the oil industry by its not so veiled call for shutting down the oil sands and any more pipeline construction.
Fort McMurray, Alberta’s oldest European settlement dating back to 1788, started out as a lonely fur trading establishment. Today it is known as the city that services Canada’s oil sands industry and Canada’s most valued export industry, despite the collapse of oil prices last year. The city will rebuild and recover, the forests surrounding it will regrow and things will go back to normal, for a while anyway.
But the message of the Leap Manifesto is right about how and where we ultimately need to get our energy. Forty years ago we didn’t speak of climate change or global warming. Fossil fuels seemed like the future, energy independence seemed critical and Canada was running out of oil.
Alberta with the help of the federal government, then led by Mr. Trudeau’s father, supported the oil sands mega-project. But given what we know today, It may well take another Trudeau to help Albertans move away from producing the dirtiest oil on the planet.
Ray Rivers writes weekly on both federal and provincial politics, applying his more than 25 years as a federal bureaucrat to his thinking. Rivers was a candidate for provincial office in Burlington where he ran as a Liberal against Cam Jackson in 1995, the year Mike Harris and the Common Sense Revolution swept the province. Rivers is no longer active with any political party.
Background links:
The Beast – Fire Damage – Climate Change – Oil Exports – Forest Facts –
Canada’s Forests – Carbon in Forests – Still Burning – Leap – This Changes Everything –
Mulcair on Leap –
 By Pepper Parr
May 12, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Governments are there to provide the services we need – one of which is to keep us healthy.
One of the ways we keep healthy is to immunize ourselves against diseases.
Some of the diseases we used to protect ourselves against have been eradicated because of the immunization programs. However, there are people who, usually through misinformation choose not to have their children vaccinated
The province is about to make it harder for people to not have themselves and their children vaccinated. If passed, and the government has a majority, it will become more difficult for parents to obtain exemptions for the now mandatory school vaccines and improve how these vaccines are reported.
The amendments to the Immunization of School Pupils Act would require parents and guardians who are considering not immunizing their children for non-medical reasons to participate in an education session delivered by their local public health unit. Parents or guardians would have to complete this session before obtaining a vaccine exemption.
 The Immunization of School Pupils Act would also be amended to require health care providers to report any vaccines they administer to children and youth—and that are needed to attend school in Ontario—to their local public health unit directly.
Currently, parents are responsible for reporting their children’s immunization records, or “yellow card,” to their own local public health unit. This change, if passed, would make it easier for parents and reduce unnecessary suspensions due to out-of-date immunization records.
Strengthening the exemption and reporting requirements for school vaccines is part of Immunization 2020—Ontario’s five year strategy to improve its publicly-funded immunization program.
Perhaps strengthening the curriculum in high schools so that students understand the fundamentals of immunization and do not grow to become adults and not fully realize how we take care of ourselves from serious diseases.
By Staff
May 13, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
On May 12th 2016, the Halton Regional Police, Burlington Street Crime Unit (SCU), concluded a drug trafficking investigation that resulted in three arrests and the execution of Controlled Drugs and Substances Act search warrant at a Burlington hotel.
Seized as a result of the Investigation:
• 142.2 grams of Heroin (6 separate bags)
• 2 grams of Shatter (marihuana oil)
• 2 grams of marihuana
• 3 crack cocaine rocks
• $4615 Canadian Currency
The drugs have an estimated street value of $36,000
The following persons have been charged;
Stephen Mark O’SULLIVAN (39 years) currently of no fixed address (held for a bail hearing)
• Possession for the Purpose – Heroin
• Possession for the Purpose – Cocaine
• Possession of controlled substance -Marihuana (under 30 grams)
• Possession of controlled substance – Hashish
• Breach Probation
• Breach Recognizance (two counts)
Stephen Mark O’SULLIVAN (63 years) currently of no fixed address (released on Promise to Appear in Milton Court on June 1st 2016)
• Breach Recognizance
Thanh Van TRAN (37 years) of Hamilton (released on Promise to Appear in Milton Court on June 14th 2016)
• Trafficking- Cocaine
Investigators remind the public to utilize Crime Stoppers to report any illegal drug, gun or gang activity at 1-800-222-TIPS(8477), through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.com or by texting “Tip201” with your message to 274637(crimes)
 By Pepper Parr
May 12, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
There are five things the Joseph Brant Hospital administration want you to know about the re-build/re-development taking place on Lakeshore Road.
1. Construction Highlights – Starting on Friday, May 13, 2016 the EllisDon team will begin to disassemble one of two crane towers on our main construction site. The disassembly of the crane is a significant construction milestone as it means that most of the large mechanical and electrical equipment has been delivered and installed. Moving forward, the building materials and equipment will be transported either using the existing crane or the man and material hoist on the side of the tower.
The building envelope continues to go up on Levels 5, 6 and 7. By early June, the building will be weather-tight and electrical and mechanical work will begin on the inside. Roof work is taking place on multiple levels of the new tower and will be complete by early fall. Inside the tower, brick walls are being constructed and duct work is happening in the penthouse (Levels 8 and 9) which will house generators, electrical equipment and air handling units. On the Main Level, dry wall is going up and on each level, structural steel framing of the rooms continues.
 Contractor expect the new building to be “weather tight” by the end of June. 2. Technologically driven – New hospital technology will change the way we deliver care. Some of the technologies will include; a new nurse call bell system that incorporates handheld devices; a real time locating system that easily locates staff and patients; and new telemetry and patient monitoring that connects medical devices to critical alarms. Our electronic documentation project, which has been deferred until after the move into our new tower, will enable staff to document a patient’s chart electronically and make clinical decisions at the point-of-care.
3. Programs Moving into the New Tower – Some of our biggest programs will be moving to our new patient tower in the fall of 2017 including our Emergency Department, Operating Rooms, Medical/Surgical Inpatient Units, Intensive Care Unit and Oncology.
 Early architectural renderings slightly different than what is being built. It is going to be a fine looking building. 4. Current Moves and Renovations – In preparation of the renovations happening in our existing hospital there are a series of temporary moves taking place across the hospital which will continue throughout the project. The renovation of our new Maternal Child Unit on 2 East and the construction of a new link corridor on our main level will begin at the end of May 2016. The link will connect the existing hospital to the new hospital. Upon completion of the hospital project there will be links on each level, tying the existing to the new.
5. A New Entrance – The new main entrance will face Lakeshore Road, changing the address of the hospital. Our new entrance connects the hospital to the beauty of Lake Ontario and the Waterfront Trail and will serve as a single point of entry for many of our departments, including the Emergency Department (Main Level), Surgical Services (Level 2), and the Intensive Care Unit (Level 4). The current hospital entrance will be the new entrance to our Ambulatory Care Clinics.
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