 By Pepper Parr
December 15th, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
It is a little like bowling pins – this great big ball comes rolling down on the pins that are standing there unable to get out of the way. Every time the ball comes rolling – some of the pins take a whack and disappear.
Another pin took a hit – the pin was one of the houses on Willow Street in the Beachway.
 The house in the centre was sold to the |Region for a reported $405,000 with the owner becoming a rent free tenant for two years. Another house was reportedly purchased by the Regional government which basically puts an end to housing on that street.
The house is reported to have been sold for $405,000 with the owner having the right to remain in the building for two years rent free.
 This house was sold to the Region for a price in the $600,000 plus range. This latest sale brings the total to six out of the 28 homes that are in the community.
While the Regional real estate people pick off the homes one by one people in the Regional Planning department toil away at completing the design of the Beachway Park.
 Regional planners are working up a plan that will turn what was once a community that had its own newspaper and was home to hundreds of people. The plan for the park is a splendid piece of planning – but will it meet the longer terms needs of the city – and will it b a safe place? The park design, at least what the public has seen to date, is splendid. The intention is to purchase the homes in the Beachway, on a willing buyer – willing seller basis – which is a bit of a canard and they do seem to be grinding away.
Quite why some of the homes could not be left in the park making it a safer place when the public gets to use it has never been made clear.
 By Pepper Parr
December 14, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
We see the candidates when they are knocking on our door asking for our vote. We might listen to them during a debate, we might see them at an event – what they do in Ottawa, sitting as a Member of the House of Commons, is something we know very little about.
Karina Gould was elected to the House of Commons on October 19th – ask her what impacted her the most when she took her seat and she will tell you “voting in the House of Commons”.
The House of Commons met December 4th to hear the speech from the Throne. In that month and a half Karina Gould entered a whole new world where she would be intellectually changed and emotionally taken right over the top.
A 28 year old graduate with a several degrees and experience as a trade specialist with the Organization of American States, she now serves as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Development – an assignment she says she was not interviewed for – they just told her what the assignment was.
As Parliamentary Secretary Gould speaks for the Minister when the Minister is not in the House and is tied tightly to the mandate the Minister has. The appointment fits very nicely with Gould’s private work experience.
 The early Gould voting record. That, given that ISIS has taken responsibility for recent deadly attacks in Paris, Beirut, and Africa, and has declared war on Canada, this House: ( a) acknowledge that now is not the time for Canada to step back and force our allies to take on a heavier burden in the fight against ISIS; (b) remind the government of its obligation to our NATO partners and its responsibility to protect the freedom, democracy, safety, and security of Canadians; (c) call upon the government to maintain the air-combat mission of the RCAF CF-18 fighter jets; (d) express its appreciation to the members of the Canadian Armed Forces for their participation in the fight against terror; and (e) reconfirm our commitment to our allies to stop ISIS. As the member of the House of Commons for Burlington she would speak on matters that are important to Burlingtonians. In our interview with Karina she commented that the city now has a different voice speaking on their behalf and while she didn’t explicitly say what that voice would sound like she did say there was now a different attitude and approach to representing her constituents.
There is a deliberateness to the approach Gould takes to what she does. She is very much a team player, she doesn’t pull rank, she listens, rather widely actually, which is something her predecessor didn’t manage to do.
She doesn’t fudge her answers – in one interview she said: “I don’t at least four times” because she didn’t know.
While she can certainly be partisan that is not her prime focus – the mandate she has given herself is to represent the people of Burlington – their politics are not her concern.
The House of Commons is just one part of the world of a parliamentarian – the Caucus is something else. Gould wouldn’t – she actually couldn’t – say what goes on in Caucus – which is the time when the political party gathers to hear what the leader of the party has to say and then to listen to what the members of the party want to say.
 The Member and the party leader: Karina Gould and Justin Trudeau The health and vitality of a Caucus meeting is set by the leader – Gould reports that her first Caucus meeting taught her that having Justin Trudeau as the leader is about as good as it is going to get. Trudeau to the country that the government was going to be led by the Cabinet – his was not going to be a one man band.
For Karina Gould this has to be one of the most exciting times of her life – the Gazette intends to watch her growth and to hold her accountable to the community she serves.
 By Staff
December 14th, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
This is more of an Oakville story but in the off chance that someone in Burlington happened to have their hair cut in Oakville at a particular barber shop – listen up
 Halton Region is asking clients of Bronte Barber Shop located at 2290 Lakeshore Road W. (Bronte Plaza) in Oakville to contact the Halton Region Health Department as part of an investigation into potential exposure to blood-borne infections through the reuse of single-use/disposable razor blades.
“On December 11, The Halton Region Health Department issued a written Order under Section 13 of the Health Protection and Promotion Act (HPPA) to Bronte Barber Shop, to eliminate the practice of reusing disposable razor blades on clients,” said Dr. Hamidah Meghani, Medical Officer of Health for Halton Region. “At this time, there is no evidence of the transmission of infectious disease, but we need to take the necessary precautions to ensure the safety, health and well-being of our residents.”
“The operator of Bronte Barber Shop is unable to provide the Health Department with a list of clients, so we are asking those who may have received services using razor blades at the Oakville location to contact the Halton Region Health Department as soon as possible, by dialing 311 or 905-825-6000,” said Dr. Meghani. “The Halton Region Health Department will provide information on the recommended tests to rule out any potential blood-borne infection.”
 To reduce the risk of infection and disease outbreaks, Halton’s public health inspectors routinely perform inspections of personal service settings (including barber shops), restaurants, long-term care homes, childcare centres and throughout the community. The Halton Region Health Department works to promote high standards of infection prevention and control to protect the health and well-being of all Halton residents.
For information about infection prevention and control in personal service settings, visit halton.ca/ipac or dial 311.
 By Pepper Parr
December 13, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Monte Dennis is an activist – he makes no apology for the way he takes on public issues. He is a responsible citizen who delegates at times at city council.
He produces well researched papers on different subject. He is an engineer by profession and lives in rural Burlington where he was one of the founders of the Rural Burlington Greenbelt Coalition.
 Monte Dennis – wrote a Letter to the Editor of the Hamilton Spectator – he got sued for that. In April of 2014 Dennis read a piece that Vince Rossi had published in the Hamilton Spectator. Rossi is the owner of the Air Park in Burlington that was dumping tonnes of landfill on the property to level the property for further development as an aeronautical operation. Rossi had plans to develop something much bigger than the single runway that was in place when he purchased the property.
Dennis read the Rossi letter, which is reproduced below.
Hamilton Spectator, April 16, 2014
By Vince Rossi
As the owner of the Burlington Executive Airpark, I am proud of our long and accomplished history in Halton Region.
The airpark opened in 1962. Since that time, it has served as a flight training centre, an aircraft maintenance base, a recreational flying facility and a key transportation hub for Halton residents and businesses.
Thousands of pilots have received their training at Burlington Airpark, many of whom are now airline pilots who safely transport thousands of Canadians every day. The training and maintenance facilities, along with the charter services, are independently owned and provide skilled employment opportunities for our community. In addition, there are jobs for those who provide services to the airpark and the businesses located there.
Many leading companies, including Ford Motor Company, Mercedes-Benz Canada, Evertz Microsystems and L-3 Communications, use the airpark for the transportation of people and key materials.
The airpark is also used for patient transfers and organ donation flights, given its proximity to medical institutions that serve Burlington, Milton, Oakville, Mississauga and Hamilton.
Ontario’s air ambulance service uses special facilities installed at the airpark for advanced training.
The airpark is also used for law enforcement, search and rescue, military and ambulance flights.
Finally, the airpark is home to a thriving recreational aviation community. It is the host of community service events such as educational flights for school groups, the semi-annual Big Brothers Big Sisters Airlift and serves as a partner and rest stop in the PwC Epic Tour Halton, a regional biking event.
There is a shortage of smaller general aviation airports in southern Ontario with reasonable proximity to cities. The airpark is a unique and essential asset for Halton Region.
But we want to improve and do more.
I purchased the airpark from the Kovachik family in 2006, having done my own flight training here.
Since then, I have invested more than $4 million in infrastructure improvements. I have not received financial assistance from any level of government. This has included widening and improving both runways, adding taxiways, improving the refuelling facilities and building additional hangars.
We have always been open about our plans and goals to improve the airpark. Over the years, we have posted plans on our website and we have held a yearly reception as well several open houses and barbecues that have been attended by neighbours, airpark users and politicians of every level. At these events, we have shown our improvements and plans for the future.
 This Appleby Line resident wonders if the Court decision will mean this pile of earth will be hauled away. Or does the decision mean she has a claim against someone for the damage done to the value of her property? Our efforts to improve the airpark were halted in July of last year, after complaints were raised by a few of our neighbours, some of whom had only recently purchased their homes. They made unsubstantiated claims that the fill being imported to level the remaining airpark lands was waste, which, of course, it was not.
The situation then became political. City of Burlington councillors repeated the unsubstantiated rumours of contamination. The City of Burlington, citing its site-alteration bylaw, took steps to stop the improvements. Despite the fact the airpark is federally regulated, we met with the councillors, city officials and our neighbours to try to address everyone’s concerns reasonably. Notwithstanding, the mayor of Burlington publicly vowed to take whatever steps the city could to stop the infilling.
To be clear, every test of neighbouring streams and wells has met or surpassed federal and provincial environmental standards. There have been six inspections, studies and/or tests carried out since 2009. None have indicated a problem with the fill or an adverse impact on local water. Further, after discussions with the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, the airpark is in the process of voluntarily completing the most comprehensive study to date by carrying out a test well program.
Sadly, we and the city are spending time and money in court to find out whether the city is entitled to control improvements at the airpark. During the past 60 years, courts across this country have held that the federal government has exclusive jurisdiction over the location, design and materials used to build and improve airports. There are more than 1,400 airports across Canada. It would be chaos if each one was subjected to different municipal standards, which is what the courts have consistently held. We hope for a resolution in June.
I’ve always respected our neighbours and the City of Burlington and was hopeful that we could have reached a compromise that protected and enhanced the interests of all parties.
In the meantime, the Burlington Executive Airpark will continue to serve the interests of our community, and our region. We’re here for the long term and look forward to moving forward with our neighbours.
Vince Rossi is the owner of Burlington Airpark Inc.
Monte found much that he felt was not quite the true and he wrote a letter to the Editor of the Spectator. The original version of the letter was signed by the Rural Burlington Greenbelt Coalition. The Spectator called Monte Dennis and said they needed the name of a person and he agreed that the Spectator could use his name.
The Monte Dennis letter is reproduce below:
April 24, 2014
Missing Facts from Airpark Article
The recent article, “Airpark Improvements up in the air” in the Hamilton Spectator by Burlington Airpark owner Vince Rossi leaves out very important and relevant facts.
• The Burlington Airpark’s own soil analysis data, provided to the City of Burlington’s soil specialists Terrapex, showed that much of the fill imported onto the Airpark is chemically contaminated, and represented only a portion of the imported fill.
• The tens of thousands of loads of fill dumped onto the Airpark were spread throughout the site and will require a grid-work of soil sampling to find and quantify.
• Depending on imported soil types, conditions, groundwater mobility, precipitation amounts and other factors the negative impacts could take years to find and be detected in area wells.
• Although the dumping has stopped, the concern is that toxic materials in the soil will sooner or later leach into neighbour’s wells.
 John Hutter in the foreground along with Ward 6 Councillor Blair Lancaster, Carey Clarke from the city’s Engineering department and property owner Carl Cousins inspect the landfill at the edge of the Cousin’s farm property that was flooded and not usable for farming.
• The immediate neighbours have experienced excessive water runoff due to the altered drainage. Some of the land is too wet for farming.
• Some of the wells are silted, making the water undrinkable.
• Airpark neighbours’ vistas have been blocked by huge amounts of fill, resulting in the loss of enjoyment of their properties.
While waiting for a court settlement and the Ministry of Environment research results, the surrounding residents are suffering from the stress of the uncertain future.
The clean-up and rectification of this mess could take years and cost millions.
Why won’t the Burlington Airpark share the soil and groundwater test results? The Airpark is claiming that the data is private and confidential!
The Ministry of Transport directive asks the airparks to comply with Provincial and local regulations that do not affect aviation. Federal legislation regulates the safe movement of aircraft. The Airpark lost the court case on the validity of the Burlington fill bylaw and is presently going to appeal in June 2014. In the case of Scugog Airpark, a judgment decreed that fill operations must comply with Scugog’s municipal fill bylaws, which should be the case with all municipalities. This would not result in chaos as suggested but lawful, responsible and environmentally sustainable development.
Sincerely,
Monte Dennis
That letter resulted in Dennis being sued by the Air Park Inc. Pepper Parr and Vanessa Warren were included in the libel suit for material they had written.
What is interesting is that the Spectator wasn’t sued by Rossi – just Dennis, Parr and Warren.
Dennis and Warren found that the cost of defending themselves was proving onerous and they turned to the public for support. A fund raising web site was used to give the public an opportunity to help.
 Landfill being dumped on air park property without the city’s knowledge or permission. The Gazette first brought to the public’s attention the heavy truck traffic on Appleby Line that was taking load after load after load into the air park property.
Those early news reports led to the city beginning to ask questions about just which laws applied to the Air Park and the formation of the Rural Burlington Greenbelt Coalition. As the news reports kept being published the city began to take a closer look at what was going on and eventually sued the Air Park – at the time the city was suing the Air Park and the Air Park was suing the city – a Judge pulled the two law suits together and a trial took place.
The city won the trial – which was over whether or not the air park operation had to comply with municipal by laws. Justice Murphy said they did have to comply; the Air Park appealed but lost the appeal.
Nothing happened – all the city had was a decision saying the air park had to comply with municipal bylaws.
The city then sued the Air Park again, asking a Judge to order to Air Park to comply and remove the landfill and file a site plan.
That court case, heard in November, is awaiting a decision.
Meanwhile Dennis, Warren and Parr wait for their day in court. Dennis and Warren are asking the public for financial support.
 They have reached the 5% level of their drive for the $100,000 they feel they need.
You can support their battle at: fundrazr
 By Staff
December 11, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
It is week 34 of the Halton Regional Police Service, Burlington station, Fugitive Friday initiative that reaches out to the public for help locating wanted persons and hold them accountable for their actions.
There are numerous people who continue to evade the police and the court system and continue to live out in our communities while having a warrant for their arrest in place.
Every Friday, the Burlington Offender Management Unit will share information on a wanted person in hopes that the public can assist in locating the individual.
We will share “Fugitive Friday” information on our website and via social media through Twitter @HRPSBurl and @HaltonPolice.
The initiative has proven to be effective and is being reviewed to determine if the program should be rolled out to other communities in the Region.
One consistent trait with the people the police want to take into custody is that many were arrested, appeared in court and then failed to return fopr their day with the justice system.
The Court’s tend to release people on bail because the cost of keeping them in jail is just too expensive. The flouting of the bail conditions and the requirement to return puts the integrity of the judicial system at risk.
Someone somewhere should be thinking this through.
 Benjamin BRZEZINSKI 41 years old of Etobicoke wanted for theft and failing to comply with a probation order. In this edition of Fugitive Fridays with the Holidays fast approaching the 3 District, Burlington Offender Management Unit is searching for Benjamin BRZEZINSKI 41 years old of Etobicoke ON.
In June and November of 2015 the accused attended a store in Burlington and stole a laptop during each incident, with a combined value of over $5000.00 for the thefts.
The accused was identified and found to be on probation for similar crimes in Milton, Toronto and Brampton.
The accused has been convicted of multiple thefts from Bradford to Toronto that go back to 2007.
A warrant has been issued for his arrest and he remains at large.
He is wanted by Halton Regional Police for:
Theft under $5000 x 2
Fail to Comply Probation x 4
BRZEZINSKI is described as 5”11”, 160 lbs with black hair and brown eyes. BRZEZINSKI is known to frequent the areas of Burlington, Mississauga, Toronto and the surrounding areas.
Anyone who may have witnessed this person or has information that would assist investigators in locating him are encouraged to contact D/C Bulbrook – Burlington Criminal Investigations Bureau – Offender Management Team at 905-825-4747 Ext. 2346 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 Staff
December 10th, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Halton Regional Police investigators in both Oakville and Burlington are working on a string of break and enters that have the possibility of being connected.
On December 10, 2015 at 12:39am an alarm went off at Pioneer Pools on South Service Road in the Town of Oakville. Upon police arrival, the front glass door was smashed by an unknown object. Suspect(s) targeted the cash registers and took two tills containing up to $200.00 cash.
On December 10, 2015 at 1:45am an alarm went off at GNC on Wyecroft Road in the Town of Oakville. Front door was smashed by an unknown object. Suspects took an unknown amount of store product and cash.
As police attended the break and enter at GNC, officers observed the neighbouring business; Focus Eyeware, had also been entered. The front glass door was smashed by an unknown object. An unknown amount of product from the store display cases was taken.
On December 10, 2015 at 1:56am while conducting patrols in the area, an officer came upon a break and enter in progress at Supplement King on Brant Street in the City of Burlington. Suspects smashed the glass front door with a sledgehammer and proceeded to the cash registers. One cash till was removed and as the suspects attempted to exit the store, an officer was at the door. Suspects dropped the cash till and fled out the back door into a stolen vehicle and fled south on Brant Street. There were no handguns used or observed.
A vehicle pursuit took officers into the City of Hamilton where the suspects exited at Main Street East. Halton officers discontinued the pursuit at this time. The vehicle, stolen from Peel has not been recovered at this time. Below is suspect and vehicle description from the Burlington incident.
Suspect vehicle: 2000 Honda Civic 4 door Silver
Suspect description:
Suspect #1: approx. 5’7″ 140lbs grey hoodie and grey pants
Suspect #2: approx. 5’6″ 140lbs black hoodie and black pants
Investigators are gathering evidence and believe the four incidents may be connected. Anyone with information on any of these break and enters is asked to contact Det. Craig of the Oakville Criminal Investigations Bureau at 905 825-4747 ext 2255 or Det. Bale (ext 2312) or Det. Couce (ext 2307) of the Burlington Criminal Investigations Bureau at 905 825-4747 or anyone with information on this or any other crime is asked to call 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
December 11th, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
There is much to celebrate about how Ontario’s energy sector has progressed over the last decade or so. Going off coal has ended mercury and sulphur emissions as well as vastly reducing the province’s greenhouse gas emissions. That should make us a star at the climate change conference going on in Paris. And the lights never went off – except for that nasty ice storm a couple of Christmas’ ago, an act of God.
 Ontario shut down all electricity generating plants run with coal. Going off coal was courageous public policy, getting well ahead of the curve and ahead of just about every other jurisdiction in North America. But there is no free lunch in life. Ontario’s Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk, tells us that this road we’ve travelled has cost us dearly – some $37 billion dollars if her numbers were correctly reported by the newspapers.
I have written a few times on the energy file, as followers may recall. Ontario Hydro was never a perfect institution though it did make electricity a household word in this province. But Ontario Hydro, once the largest electrical utility anywhere, has also served as Ontario’s energy test kitchen.
The Davis government decided to adopt Canada’s home-grown nuclear reactors when he could have bought other, arguably, better systems off the shelf elsewhere.
 Cost over runs and nuclear generation plants seem to go hand in hand. And we paid a huge price for that experiment, as cost overruns became the norm and technology failures all too frequent. Then like drunken sailors, with too much booze in our heads and too few coins in our pockets, we just put it on our tab. And we’re still paying off that mighty tab with every energy bill.
Sometime before Y2K then Premier Mike Harris thought he’d seen the light. He believed that scrambling Ontario Hydro would create the perfect omelette. But his recipe was flawed and once the egg was cracked the result was blackouts, brownouts and rapidly rising electricity costs. Too late to get the egg back into the shell, it was left to his successors, Premiers Ernie Eves, Dalton McGuinty and now Kathleen Wynne to try to convert this mess into something more digestible.
 Small solar renewable energy set ups are now generating more power than the province needs – the contracts they put in place require the province to buy all the power generated even if they don’t need it. The Auditor General articulates the issues clearly. To ‘keep the lights-on’ the government contracted to pay renewable energy providers a fixed price for what they produced, whether we needed the power or not. These contract terms were so attractive that green energy adoption has been a huge success in Ontario.
In fact it was so successful that there is now more electrical generation capacity than we need, even with the coal plants gone. And we have to buy all that energy regardless; what we don’t use – we sell as surplus and at a loss. The knuckle-headed bureaucrats and political advisors didn’t see that coming. These were the same ones who had the energy minister at the time sign contracts for gas plants without a cancellation clause.
To be fair, the nuclear plants operate pretty well now that the bugs were nuked out – so we can thank Bill Davis for that. And with our dirty coal plants shut down, even Alberta is following our lead in attacking climate change – thank you Dalton McGuinty. But what about the 70% price rise in our electricity bill since 2006?
The Auditor General does a good job of nailing those factors which contributed to this situation. Poor or inadequate planning, flawed decision making, an absence of benefit/cost analysis, and those really bad contracts for energy supply. There is so little debate over the Auditor General’s well-documented conclusions – the government has already accepted most of her recommendations.
Though she didn’t say as much, it seems that we need to renegotiate or buy-out these lucrative 20 year contracts – or we’ll end up even further in the hole. Former provincial Tory leader Hudak had promised to cancel the contracts, but we all know that was never going to happen. Compounding the poor economics is the fact that energy use is falling, making the capacity issue even more of a problem.
 Renewable energy has proven to be a reliable source – solar panel farms are operating all over the world where sunlight is plentiful. The province’s $2 billion energy conservation program may finally be working, but more likely, the high price is doing what economic dis-incentives are supposed to do. Ironically we are conserving energy just when producing energy has become almost environmentally benign. The Auditor General points out that, with the coal plants closed, electricity generation is no longer a major source of climate warming gases. Instead transportation has taken its place.
Mass transit expansion, something both federal and provincial governments have promised, will require more electricity. But given Ontario’s urban sprawl, cars will still rule. And competitively priced electricity will be essential to propel all those electric cars we’re going to need to replace the gas guzzlers. To that end, the Premier has already committed $20 million in new money for province-wide electricity charging stations.
Christmas is supposed to be a season of joy, yet too many people find sadness and depression, more readily than hope and happiness this time of year. If you are one of those, I suggest you put off reading the well-written Auditor General report until the New Year.
We should all ask our Premier to make an unbreakable New Year’s resolution to get out the broom and sweep away the kind of problems the Auditor General has uncovered. Premier Wynne has barely three years left in the electoral term to fix this problem – notwithstanding it’s a problem she mostly inherited. Ontario rate payers need to see their electricity rates start to fall instead of rise. And wouldn’t that be a nice Christmas present for us all?
 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:
AG Report
Charging Stations
Fusion Reactors
By Staff
December 10th, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Halton Regional Police are seeking the public’s assistance in identifying two males, who are responsible for breaking into a storage unit in the City of Burlington in October 2014.
 Recognize the man or the dog? Call Crime Stoppers – possible reward.  Can these suspects be identified from this picture? It is believed the two males stole a quantity of cocaine from the storage unit and may be responsible for other similar thefts from storage units.
The suspects are believed to be professional, as one of the males was equipped with a lock pic set, a digital camera with an expandable lens to fit under the storage unit door and was accompanied by a drug sniffing springer spaniel dog.
During the incident, the males communicated using portable radios.
Anyone with information that would assist in this investigation is asked to contact Detective Constable Ron Wright at 905-825-4747 ext 8718 or Crime Stoppers 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
December 10th, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Getting a different, more effective level of community involvement with what city hall does for the taxpayers began with a committee that was put together by former Mayor Cam Jackson back in 2009 when he formed a committee and asked the late John Boich and former Mayor Cam Jackson to chair it. They put out a report – Shape Burlington.
 Walter Mulkewich, co chair of the Shape Burlington committee.  The late John Boich, co chair of the Shape Burlington report – the document that started the process that is intended to improve citizen participation. The document put a lot of noses at city hall out of joint. But the process of change began.
The city hired a consultant on a two year contract to meet with the public and come up with what was referred to as a Community Engagement Plan.
That didn’t work out all that well – the consultants contract came to an end – and things remained quiet for a period of time.
The city got a new Mayor (Rick Goldring defeated Cam Jackson in 2010 – then the city got a new city manager and there was a sudden, refreshing gust of fresh air and energy at city hall
ChAT got formed – it was to be the Charter Action Team that was going to put the Community engagement Plan into action.
City Council approved the Community Engagement Charter in April 2013.
In April 2014, City Council received the Charter Action Plan developed by the Charter Action Team (ChAT), which included tasks to be completed over the coming year.
In the early stage the ChAT had four citizen members: Steve Surya, Gloria Reid, Yvette Dhillon, John Searles. Reid an Surya are leaving the committee; their replacements will be announced in the near future
 Community engagement gets significant lip service from city council – in their hearts they believe they are there to do what they think is best – they believe the voters put them in place to make decisions. Michelle Dwyer, then with the City Manager’s Office, Donna Kell (Clerks Department); Sean Kenney (Planning and Building Department); Angela Paparizo (Parks and Recreation Department, [member until fall 2014]); Kim Philips (General Manager, Senior Management Team champion [until fall 2014]); Doug Pladsen (Parks and Recreation Department, [since fall 2014]); James Ridge (City Manager, Senior Management Team champion -since spring 2015). Jeff Crowder, Carla Marshall and Sharon Will (ad hoc members, Clerks Department).
The team was in place to work collaboratively to put in place the Charter Action Plan, aiming to make public involvement part of everyday practice for City of Burlington staff.
They were to provide pre-consultation advice on public involvement issues or opportunities prior to launching a formal public involvement plan or activity
 The people who worked long, long hours to put together the draft of the Community engagement Charter at a debriefing session. They were to provide input on specific public information material before it is distributed.
Provide advice and insight to the City of Burlington’s citizen advisory committees, City Council and staff on city policies, services and programs related to public involvement
• Share information, best practices, trends, opportunities and challenges regarding public involvement
• Promote public involvement to increase the number of residents who take an active interest in city decision-making and can participate in engagement activities when they choose
• Participate in related meetings and training opportunities to stay informed of new and emerging public involvement practices
• Provide input on monitoring and measurement to ensure that the city maximizes public involvement opportunities in its policies, services and projects
• Report annually to City Council and the community regarding the status of involvement using defined metrics.
Community Involvement Activities in 2014 through Fall 2015
 City transportation planner, on the right, working with a citizen at a public meeting that attracted more than 300 people. There wasn’t a word said about ChAT – they apparently organized the event. If ChAT has a story to tell they certainly didn’t tell it at this meeting. ChAT provided advice to staff on the following topics (brackets provide information on community uptake of associated Insight Burlington and Let’s Talk Burlington tools):
1. City Services Catalogue (Insight Burlington: 252 responses)
2. Service Based Budgeting/the 2015 budget (Insight Burlington: 514 responses)
3. Parking Signage / On-street Parking (Insight Burlington: 1,047 responses / Let’s Talk Burlington: 818 responses)
4. Food Trucks (Insight Burlington: 815 responses / Let’s Talk Burlington: 68 responses)
5. Strategic Plan – process, engagement plan and as an active group presenting to council and workbook submission (Insight Burlington: 535 responses)
6. Community Trails Strategy (Let’s Talk Burlington: 219 responses)
7. Community and Neighbourhood Development opportunities
8. Coyote Management
9. Trumpeter Swans at LaSalle Park
10. Sponsorship, donations and naming
11. Chilly Half Marathon
12. e-Government project – a number of projects- the website, the public involvement portal/landing page and the “Get Involved” calendar (Insight Burlington: 296 responses)
13. Burlington Fire Department consultation – accreditation process
14. Public involvement metrics and measures
15. Preferences in communicating with the City of Burlington (Insight Burlington: 311 responses, Dotmocracy: 200)
16. City Talk magazine (Insight Burlington: 251 responses)
17. Election satisfaction (Insight Burlington: 183 responses)
18. Playgrounds (Insight Burlington: 242 responses / Let’s Talk Burlington: 359 responses)
19. Transforming commercial areas in the city (Let’s Talk Burlington: 202 responses
20. Transportation Master Plan (Let’s Talk Burlington: 438 responses)
21. Community Energy Plan (Let’s Talk Burlington: 160 responses)
22. Public Art (Insight Burlington: 308 responses, Let’s Talk Burlington: 41 responses)
23. Community Gardens (Insight Burlington: 318 responses)
24. Emergency Preparedness – raising awareness and communications
25. Business Plans
26. Intensification (Insight Burlington: 544 responses)
ChAT has been involved in or had an outreach activity at:
1. Citizen Committee recruitment Open House event (November 2014 and October 2015)
2. Culture Days 2014
3. Three Car-free Street Festival events
4. Canada Day 2015
5. Promoting Love My Hood initiative: 11 Love My Hood events occurred in the community
 Fifty of these plaques were ordered – expect to see them wherever people congregate. ChAT and City Staff Members have:
1. Created the Community Engagement Charter – many citizens played a big role in the creation of the Charter in 2013
2. Created the Charter Action Plan
3. Created the first ever website portal for all things related to public involvement with the City of Burlington
4. Created and held the first ever “marketplace” for staff to showcase the tools, techniques, resources and principles to help with their public involvement efforts within the community
5. Created two videos to inform about and encourage participation in public involvement—one video with interviews and one animated
6. Asked to represent Burlington by making a presentation at the 2015 IAP2 (International Association for Public Participation) North American Conference (September 2015)
7. Taking a seat on the Board of Directors of Great Lakes IAP2 Chapter
8. Launched an online bylaws search tool (September 2015)
9. Included instant polling responses option for Insight Burlington surveys
One of the more telling figures in the data the ChAT team provided was this:
Just 18% of the people surveyed were aware of the Engagement Charter
• 85% knew they could attend a City Council meeting
• 64% were aware they could become a member of a Citizen’s Advisory Committee
• 61% were aware they could make a presentation at a council meeting
• 39% were aware they could participate in an online community panel
There were problems with community perceptions. People felt their voice is not important, as City Council has already made a decision; that residents’ concerns are ignored.
The delegation process in place is a one way street – people are not allowed to ask questions of their council members in an open public session that is webcast. Frequently; all too frequently, a delegation is made and not a single question is asked of the person making the delegation.
Work Plan/Next Steps/Deliverables for 2016
ChAT wants to increase the number of people participating on the Insight Burlington Panel and Let’s Talk Burlington, our online tools.
Increase the number people that are aware of their rights and responsibilities in the Community Engagement Charter and are aware of public involvement opportunities.
Create and use more standardized public involvement tools for staff to better track community engagement opportunities, satisfaction levels and results.
Expand ChAT by creating a larger community-based group that can help build capacity, share insights in terms of public involvement opportunities and replace citizen members of the core ChAT team.
Work with the larger community-based group to update and create terms of reference for the both the larger group and core ChAT team.
In the report made to city council the vision going forward is: To get “staff’s engagement skills, confidence and reach will continue to grow and that citizens’ appetite for involvement and willingness to get involved also continue to grow. Going down this road requires continuing support for staff and means placing more emphasis on making a public involvement call to action with residents. This is how democracy is strengthened.”
It is an impressive list of accomplishments – problem is that this is the first time the public has had a chance to learn what was being done on their behalf. The team is driven by staff – the public portion is far too small.
The detail in the document matters – no so much for what was done – that is why these people are employed. The collaboration seems to have been between the numerous people at city hall – they have failed to understand that the public needs to be at the table participating as equals – it is their money that is being spent.
Full text of the Community Engagement Charter
City Council workshops the idea of community engagement; takes it with several grains of salt.
City Council unanimously approves engagement charter.
 By Staff
December 8, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
The Gazette erred – big time – on the original version of this article, we put a price tag on the public art that was just plain wrong – and we apologize for the error. The correct numbers are now in place.
The public art that came in at between $5,000 to $10,000 each for the six wards was officially unveiled last week.
It is worth looking at – some of it is drive by and not that easy to actually see – others you might not get to.
The Gazette is pleased to show you both the art and the artist.
The local artist mural initiative is a new public art program designed to tell local stories using local artists. This year’s program commissioned six small to medium-scale murals throughout the city. These commissions were open exclusively to Burlington, Ont., artists. Free professional development opportunities were offered to assist artists with the application process and project development.
The city’s public art adviser ran a juried competition and the following six people were selected:
• Judy Mayer-Grieve: King Road Underpass, Ward 1
• Claire Hall: Freeman Station, Ward 2
• Teresa Seaton: Amherst Park, Ward 3
• Hannah Sell and Liam Racine: Port Nelson Park, Ward 4
• Tamara Kwapich: Orchard Community Park, Ward 5
• Donna Grandin: Ireland Park, Ward 6
 Judy Mayer-Grieve did the mural at the King Road Underpass. There was a time when the King Road was often just a line up of vehicles waiting to cross the rail line. The underpass was a huge improvement – which the mural celebrates.  Clair Hall did the mural on the side of the Freeman Station. While the station is some distance from where it once served Burlington which was then an agricultural community, the restoration of the station is one of the best examples of citizens moving in and taking on a project the city could never manage to make happen.  Teresa Seaton did the art work that is in Amherst Park park next to a community garden. The art has been tempered and will easily withstand the winter weather.  Hannah Sell and Liam Racine did the art work that is located in the small Port Nelson Park where it will be seen by thousands. There was a time when tonnes of timber was shipped from a wharf at the foot of the park.  Tamara Kwapich did the mural in Orchard Community Park; once the location for some of the best apple orchards in the province.  Donna Grandin did the four pieces that are at Ireland Park. Each reflects a different part of the city. The Gazette was fortunate to be able to watch Teresa Seaton do her art work – she provided a number of pictures that she grouped as “the process”.
 One of the stained glass pieces being assembled.  Teresa Seaton at her work bench. Seaton advises that the “better photo-graphs” were taken by David Galway
Online Payments for Parking Tickets and Dog Licenses Experiencing Technical Issues
The City of Burlington’s online payment system for parking tickets and dog licenses is currently unavailable due to technical issues. We apologize for the disruption. We are working to restore the services as soon as possible.
 By Pepper Parr
December 10th, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
“I really have too many church hats” said Mary Carey, the woman at Port Nelson United Church who stood up at the public meeting held at the Mainway Recreation Centre held to share information about the refugees that were coming to Canada
The Gazette wanted to follow up on what she learned and was trying to arrange an interview. “I will be out this evening working the sound system for our Women’s Christmas Communion. I might be able to speak with you tomorrow early afternoon if I have some time between my Acclaim Health palliative visit and going to the airport to meet the refugees.
 An attentive Burlington audience listening to how they could help refugees wanting to come to Canada. A week before the public meeting the Gazette got a call from a regular reader who said she had a three bedroom house she was going to be moving out of and had planned on selling. “I think I want to make the house available to a refugee family but I’m not quite sure who to talk to – any ideas” she asked.
The aircraft are on their way to Canada with more than 150 refugees who will land in Toronto this evening. Getting them through the process and into homes before the end of the day is going to be confusing, tiring and exhilarating.
But come Friday morning – they will be among us and the beginning a new life.
The refugee crisis became more real for Canadians when the picture of the boy on a beach, dead of drowning. At the time it didn’t look as if the Canadian government was going to be doing very much for those refugees.
A federal election; a new government and then the decision to bring 25,000 refugees to this country and the mood of most Canadians changed.
And now we have hundreds of people in Burlington involved.
 The family may make it to Canada – this boy didn’t – the boat he was in capsized and he was drown as they fled their war torn country. One couple who are always seen at public events became part of a group of 18 that were going to sponsor a family. “We found a family” said the man “and they will be joining with people they know who happen to live in Hamilton. It didn’t matter to us where they lived – we just wanted to help some people.”
Most of the people who are putting up the $30,000 that has to be in place before a private sponsorship is approved do not want their names published. “This isn’t about us” explained another sponsoring family, “this is about doing what Canadians are always doing – helping.”
The public meting that started it all in this city.
By Pepper Parr
December 9, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Mental health is getting much more attention – the Regional Police are partnering with St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton to develop a Mobile Crisis Rapid Response Team (MCRRT).
This new initiative adds a layer of additional police response to mental health calls and crisis intervention. Teams will consist of a registered Healthcare Professional coupled with a specially trained uniformed police officer. Two teams will join our rotating platoon shifts each day, and will be specifically available to respond to calls involving persons in crisis.
 The four officers selected as part of this one year pilot project have a background in mental health response and have experience working with our C.O.A.S.T. program (Crisis Outreach and Support Team). The mental health workers are comprised of two registered nurses and two social workers who all have extensive previous mental health experience. The four teams are currently receiving further crisis intervention training with a focus on risk assessment, Safe Talk training, and Assist training. The teams need to know when to intervene, how to deescalate and how to control a situation.
These Rapid Response Teams will be available and trained to defuse or deescalate crisis situations, advocate for the person and families in crisis, ensure mental health assessments are completed and will be better equipped to provide resources, help and support for everyone involved.
The teams will work seven days a week and will be dispatched to mental health calls throughout the Region of Halton.
“Front line officers are responding to mental health crisis calls on an increasing basis. Our new Mobile Crisis Rapid Response Teams will enhance our ability to deliver specialized services to people in those circumstances. Partnering with healthcare professionals is a progressive approach to providing timely and quality service to those struggling with mental health. “ Deputy Chief Duraiappah.
The Mobile Crisis Rapid Response Teams began patrols on Monday.
As police officers are increasingly the first point of contact for persons in crisis, the deployment of highly trained officers with the support of expert mental health workers is a large step in improving the interaction and relationship between police and people living with mental health challenges.
Having front line people available is one part of handling people under stress and not able to manage their mental health.
 A second, equally important part, is educating the public and those with mental health issues to start removing the stigma that often surrounds this issue.
Wellness Wednesdays, sponsored by Burlington Community Foundation is a weekly national award winning radio show hosted by Ted Michaels, News Anchor with AM900 CHML that will be broadcast in January.
By Staff
December 9, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
It was a very good response to a staff report that they liked but didn’t like – the decision to do something about the Nelson swimming pool in the eastern part of the city.
The Gazette will report in more detail later today – we can say now that city council decided they would re-build the pool and that it would be a 50 metre pool.
 The when the pool gets built is another matter. There is a move to have it in place for 2016 – with the city manager suggesting a plan like that was not very
prudent and that 2017 was the more likely with 2018 a possible date as well.
You can imagine how that went down.
More later.
By Staff
December 7, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
A sign of the times?
It is certainly news- Halton Crime Stoppers received more than 1,000 tips so far this calendar year – and it isn’t over yet.
The 1,000 mark was reached in mid-November and more than 100 additional tips have been received since then on a variety of unsolved crimes in the area. From 2012 to 2014 Halton Crime Stoppers recorded roughly 900 tips per year.
 Detective Constable Paul Proteau, coordinator of Halton’s Crime Stoppers program, said various promotional campaigns throughout 2015, including public service announcements in Cineplex theatres this past summer and efforts to acquaint high school students with Crime Stoppers, have greatly improved awareness of the program.
“Statistics show an increased number of tips almost every month from last year’s figures with a record161 tips received in June,” Proteau said. “People obviously have confidence in the Crime Stoppers program and it is through information they provide anonymously that an increasing number of crimes are being solved.”
Because of the confidential nature of Crime Stoppers, he said it’s impossible to be specific, but the program has received calls related to homicides, drugs, sexual assaults, fraud, impaired driving, and thefts, just to name a few. Crime Stoppers also takes non-criminal information on driving offences, cruelty to animals, contraband tobacco and mental health.
Proteau said the program’s full year-end statistics will be released at the official launch of Crime Stoppers Month scheduled for January 11 at the Halton Region Centre.
At that time Halton Crime Stoppers will also highlight some of the partners from the police, media and community who have worked closely to ensure the success of the program to assist in keeping communities safe and secure.
 Crime Stoppers get out into the community to meet the public and talk about the role they play. Crime stoppers is just one of a number of media channels that are effective. The Crime Stoppers use of advertisements in theatres was a great idea – kudos to them for that one.
The Burlington Fugitive Friday feature is working so well that some of the people the police are looking for are calling in to surrender before they get featured in a media release.
Very recently – one fugitive’s lawyer asked if the media release in the gazette could be pulled – the lawyer was in the process of arranging for his client to meet with the police.
Even more recently there were two cell phone calls to police advising them of people driving in an erratic manner – police caught up with the drivers and arrests were made for driving while under the influence.
It is observant and vigilant citizens that make police work effective. Keep it up.
By Pepper Parr
December 7, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
The province passed legislation last week giving residents a greater say in how their communities grow and to provide municipalities with more opportunities to fund community services like transit and recycling.
The Smart Growth for Our Communities Act, 2015, which reforms the Development Charges Act and the Planning Act, will:
Help municipalities recover more money to pay for transit services and waste diversion.
It will be interesting to see just what the Legislation has to say and what gets produced in terms of regulations.
Give residents a meaningful say in how their communities grow by requiring municipalities to look at opportunities to better involve residents in the planning process for new developments and enhancing a planning tool that will be developed with resident and stakeholder input
 Is putting a 26 storey structure on this piddling little piece of land a “smart” decision? The city may find that it is powerless to stop it from happening – how did that happen? How will meaningful be defined and how will it be enforced? Burlington doesn’t have much in the way of a solid track record when it comes to listening to its citizens. The city’s treasurer announced at a Standing committee meeting recently that the public would be “informed” about the budget but that they would not be “engaged”. Ward 2 Councillor Marianne Meed Ward was the only Council member to pick up on that comment. Informing instead of engaging is not likely to go down all that well with people who pay attention to what happens at city hall.
Being concerned about how opinions are heard on the Smart Growth initiative is then a concern.
The provincial report adds that the legislation will:
Promote and protect green spaces by encouraging more municipalities to develop plans that help determine the need for parkland in the municipality.
 Half the city is rural – can we keep it that way – and for how long? Close to 50% of the city’s land mass is above Dundas and Hwy 407 – a no go area for significant development. We have plenty of parkland and our system of trails is to be envied.
It goes further: It will
Help municipalities resolve potential planning disputes earlier at the local level, such as through alternative dispute resolution, to reduce the involvement of the Ontario Municipal Board in local disputes .
Where was this when we needed it? Could it be made retroactive and apply to the current dispute with the ADI development Group who are currently tearing the heart of out the Official Plan and putting the zoning bylaws through a ringer – and we seem powerless to stop them.
The Act will:
Make the planning and appeals process more predictable by extending the review of new municipal official plans – plans that lay out how municipalities will grow and develop – to 10 years, instead of five.
It is probably going to take Burlington more than five years to complete the plan currently being reviewed.
The Act will:
Make the development charges system – a system for municipalities to help cover the costs necessary for growth from developers – more predictable, transparent and accountable by creating clearer reporting requirements for capital projects that municipalities are financing through development charges
Make the collection and use of money paid by developers for higher and denser developments, as well as for parkland, more transparent and accountable
Ted McMeekin, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing and one of the best friends Burlington has at Queen’s Park said: “We want to grow Ontario’s communities in a way that creates vibrant towns, cities and regions. The Smart Growth for Our Communities Act provides the people of Ontario with a transparent and predictable system for planning and managing growth within their communities.”
 Newly appointed city planner Mary Lou Tanner – has a thick file to work from – moving things forward is going to keep her busy, busy. Municipalities use official plans and zoning bylaws to plan for and control development. The new act is based on input from across Ontario including more than 20 public workshops and stakeholder meetings as well as more than 1,200 submissions on the land use planning and appeal system and the development charges system.
There will be a lot more to say about this piece of legislation once we have had an opportunity and hear what MPP Eleanor McMahon and newly minted city planner Mary Lou Tanner have to say.
By Pepper Parr
December 7, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Expect to see Food Trucks operating in the city next year.
A city Standing Committee will debate the two options that will be before Council this evening. The different vested interests will be there with their arguments – might be an awkward meeting for the Burlington Downtown Buisiness Association (BDBA) – they will want to support the restaurant association but at the same time look at the Food Trucks as a possible addition to their membership.
 TEN Food Trucks set up shop at LaSalle |Park last year for the Joseph Brant event. Food Trucks were a large part of the Joseph Brant Day last year – there was a whole row of them with offerings seldom seen in this city.
The options:
Option 1
Maintain the status quo and continue using the Transient Trader Licence and the Zoning by-law to regulate food trucks.
Option 2
Approve an amendment to the Business License By-law 42-2008, to expand the use of food trucks into commercial, industrial and employment zones only, onto school board property, places of worship, vacant property and park property. All approvals will be subject to property owner’s permissions i.e. school boards, property owner of places of worship locations and the Parks and Recreation department (outside of the special events umbrella).
Staff is recommending the second option.
The success of some events in Burlington like the Curb Your Appetite food truck festival, benefitting Food 4 Life, indicates there is a desire among Burlington residents to take part in the food truck phenomenon in their city.
The Food Truck operators have been at the city since May 2012 inquiring about opportunities to operate in the city. Staff from across the corporation have been working with stakeholders to brainstorm solutions to accommodate these requests.
Location and operating requirements are the most complex issue. There are two components to a food truck’s location: whether it is for fixed or mobile, and whether it is operating on public or private property. Zoning approval is also generally a condition of location approval. Food trucks are generally permitted in commercial or industrial zones, and are often subject to additional restrictions if they intend to operate in a BIA. Some cities have further restricted the food truck through the zoning by-law. For example, in Waterloo, food trucks are only permitted to operate in zones which have “restaurant (take out)” as a permitted use. Food trucks are generally not permitted in residential zones, although there are some exceptions to this in some municipalities.
The Staff report is recommending an amendment to the Business Licence By-law 42-2008 that will focus only on private and public property such as parks and school board property. The expansion of food trucks onto roads and streets with specific rules and regulations will be part of a report to the Development and Infrastructrure Committee in the second quarter of 2016.
There has been a lot of public consultation including a Burlington Downtown Meeting on Food Trucks and Food Truck Policy Review initiated by the BDBA.
What was learned?
Downtown area: Yes to food trucks, but with setbacks from restaurants;
Public roadways: Not a desirable option-but perhaps for street parties when the road is closed;
Use of Parking Metres: 3 hour limit on arterial roads;
Parks/public property: Yes to food trucks, outside of the special events approval process;
Setback: minimum setbacks from restaurants; Private property: Industrial and Commercial only; Hours of operation: 3 -4 hour limits;
Limit the number of food truck licences issued: 1-3 food trucks permitted on any given street;
Zoning restriction: Commercial and Industrial, residentially zoned schools and places of worship.
The city did a public opinion survey – they didn’t say how many people responded but the results are interesting. IF YOU CLICK ON THE IMAGE YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO SEE A LARGER VERSION.
 Burlington Restaurant Association doesn’t want food trucks on public property except for City Events and Festivals (Special Events) They want to see a licence fee of $750.00 and Private Property food truck licence only to be issued if the proposed event is more than 100 metres from a “bricks and mortar” restaurant.
  Burlington Downtown Business Association took the following position; Food truck as “Guest promotions” on private property on an occasional basis. Will not support Food Trucks on downtown streets. Any more than that, Food Trucks would be considered unfair competition.
  The Ontario Restaurant Hotel and Motel Association (ORHMA) believe that regulations for food trucks are necessary for the safe and fair operation of any food establishment and want to see regulations for food trucks on both private and public property are necessary Food Trucks at Special Events and festivals only
 When this many people line up for a lunch you know there is a market – expect city council to approve Food Trucks – where and how often will be the issue. Gayle Kabbash-Cruikshank, a Food Truck Event Coordinator said the food truck events bring neighbours together and raise much needed funds for charity;
Part of Burlington’s strategic plan ‘Vibrant neighbourhoods’ people engaging with each other. Schools are an ideal setting as they are in residential areas so would promote the walking and biking aspect.
Downtown is another area that would be ideal as the food trucks would bring crowds to boost the downtown economy.
In the short term City of Burlington staff has been able to work within two processes to accommodate the need and demand for food trucks through the Transient trader licence and Special Event Team (SET) process.
Transient trader licences can be issued for a variety of time periods, from one (1) day to one (1) year, at different rates, which require the following conditions to be met:
• Property owner’s permission.
• Halton Region Health Department approvals.
• Zoning clearance
Under the current zoning by-law 2020, a Transient Trader/Food truck would only be permitted on lands that allow any type of restaurant use and are only permitted on lands with a principal building-not a vacant lot.
For example, if a local business were to have an ‘event’ and wanted a food truck for one day – they would obtain a Transient Trader Business Licence which will also require zoning clearance and property owner’s permission along with other items in order to submit for a business license. They also must apply to the Halton Region Health Dept for their approvals.
The very nature of the food truck business means that they travel around the province looking for events in which they can set up and sell their gourmet food to the general public, usually for just one day. The longer period transient trader licence would still require zoning clearance and the property owner’s permission for any new locations proposed. This information would all have to be provided at the time of application.
Currently, all festivals and events in Burlington occurring on municipal property are subject to review and compliance by an interoperational team of City and Region staff, the Special Event Team or S.E.T. Parks & Recreation staff is assigned to each event and present the event application to SET for their public safety and regulatory review. Parks & Recreation staff works through the event management process with permits issued once all conditions have been met.
After numerous requests and applications that were not approved because of the zoning restrictions, staff realized it was time to look at allowing food trucks into areas that have thus far been prohibited.
Examples of requests for the use of food trucks that were not approved have included:
1. School board property- zoning restrictions would not permit the use of food trucks (zoned residential for the most part);
2. Places of worship- zoning restrictions would not permit the use of food trucks (zoned residential for the most part);
3. Park property –unless under Special Event Team (S.E.T.) approval;
4. Roadways –not permitted;
5. Vacant lots – not permitted.
The Proposed Amendment to Business Licence will permt Food Trucks on private property in commercial, industrial and employment zones. Food trucks will be permitted in parks, (subject to approval from the parks and recreation team, who have their own set of regulations and will also determine which parks are capable of hosting a food truck event), on school board properties, places of worship properties and vacant lands in commercial, industrial and employment zones only.
No food truck will be permitted to operate within 50 metres of a restaurant or within 50 metres of a licenced hot dog cart.
 The Food Truck set up in a parking lot was a great fund raiser for the United Way a few years ago – one vendor was sold out in less than half an hour Fees from the Food Truck operators are not going to result in a reduction of the tax rate. In a review of the fees for a food truck licence in surrounding municipalities, it appears that Burlington is on the lower end of fees. A modest increase is justified to offset the increase in administration and enforcement costs. The recommended increase is as follows; 1 to 3 days $85 per day; monthly $350; three months $700; annual $1300.
There seems to be an agreed upon time of a four hour time limit for a food truck event, whether it is on park property or private property.
Revenue from 2011 to October 2015 amounted to $15,850.
One can just imagine the lobbying that has been done on the members of Council – they are the people that are going to have to decide this one – and this council doesn’t like having to make tough decisions. Let’s see what happens Monday evening.
By Staff
December 7, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
So – you might ask. Where does she sit in the House of Commons ? On a seat of course but how close is she to the front bench?
The Canadian Press has produced a really neat interactive graphic that lets you see who is sitting where in the House of Commons.
 Karina Gould giving Mayor Goldring the eye the night she was elected. Burlington’s MP, Karina Gould, recently appointed as a Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Development, has been “gang busters” at earning Air Miles points. She flew into town to take part in the Syrian refugee public meeting Tuesday and returned to Ottawa the same evening and then was back in town for the weekend and will be back at work today.
Here is the link: CLICK HERE
By Pepper Parr
December 5th, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
The city is indeed filled with many superb people, groups and organizations. Well organized communities create ways to recognize the contributions they make.
The way in which a city does this is important – the event has to be done with dignity and not lavishly.
The recognition of those people who make this city what it is has had its share of ups and downs. The choice of MC has been uneven – last year a very solid choice was made. If you attend this year – and it is worth attending – look for the man in the white sports coat. He was great last year.
The event will take place in May at the Burlington Convention Centre.
The ticket price is moderate – it should be less – the event shouldn’t be expected to make a profit.
The food served has been a little on the skimpy side in the past; the program at times seemed rushed –a sort of how quickly can we get them out of here.
In the past mother’s has nominated a son, a husband could nominate a wife – it wasn’t a healthy approach to really recognizing the best we have.
While the rules don’t specifically say that you can’t nominate a relative – city staff have said that they will suggest to nominators that they might want to choose someone else. The rule should be crystal clear – you cannot nominate a relative.
In the past some have gamed the system and the committee that makes the decisions seemed to have forgotten why they were on the committee; it wasn’t to take care of old friends.
The Selection Committee has stronger leadership in place; expect to see a different event this year. BEST Awards Committee is made up of 10 voting members, including: six citizens from the community, and four representatives from media and information agencies.
The purpose is to nominate someone deserving of civic recognition for their hard work, compassion and dedication.
Nominations will be accepted until Feb. 19, 2016. Last year the nomination closing date was extended – suggesting that there may not have been all that many nominations which would lead to one asking: Is this a relevant event?
It certainly should be – the strength of a community is the willingness on the part of individuals to pitch in and make a difference and a look at last year’s recipients makes it clear that we have some fine people in the city.
There are seven award categories of Burlington’s Best:
Citizen of the year
A person whose volunteer activity has made a significant and sustained contribution to the vibrancy and well-being of the Burlington community.
Junior Citizen of the year
A high school student, 18 years or younger who has made a significant contribution to the Burlington community.
Senior Person of the year
A person, 55 years or older who has advocated on behalf of seniors and/or made a significant contribution to the Burlington community.
Environmental Award
An individual or group that improved and/or protects Burlington’s environment.
Arts Person of the Year
An individual who has contributed to the arts in Burlington as an artist, patron or advocate including but not limited to, visual arts, media arts, musical arts, performing arts and literary arts.
Community Service Award
An individual or group whose volunteer activity has contributed to the betterment of the Burlington community.
Heritage Award
An individual who has demonstrated a commitment to the preservation of Burlington’s heritage, and has volunteered their time in an effort to support the preservation of Burlington’s heritage.
Nomination forms can be completed online at www.burlington.ca/best or by picking up a nomination form at the clerks department at City Hall, 426 Brant St.
What to consider when you want to nominate someone:
The preparation of a good nomination should not require lots of work, especially if you are very familiar with the candidate and his/her work. A well written nomination should not be long. The best ones are short and clearly show the impact of the work of the nominee(s). The most time consuming activity is to select people who will support the award with a letter of recommendation and the follow-up to remind these authors to submit their letters on schedule.
Match the nominee with the award
As the nominator, your most important responsibility is to nominate a person who has made an important impact to the field of interest covered by the award. Nominators should always take two simple steps:
- Review the list of previous recipients to get an idea of the quality of the contributions of past winners.
- Make sure that the contributions of your nominee(s) satisfy the description of the award. It is not unusual to read a nomination of a person who has done outstanding work, but the work does not satisfy the description of the award.
Be specific
Provide a specific, meaningful description of the candidate’s contributions. Don’t say something like, “He/she has done good work.” Rather, be specific. This is the most important information that you can give in the nomination. Also, be specific in describing the impact of the contribution. In addition, make sure that your nomination is brief and contains a specific description of the candidate’s contribution.
Meaningful support letters
Sometimes selecting people to write meaningful supporting letters can be the most challenging part of the preparation of a good nomination. Make sure that these people are familiar with the contributions of your candidate and that they support your nomination. Get supporting letters from people who have used the contribution of the candidate. Also, ask the authors of supporting letters to avoid just copying what you wrote in the nomination. The selection committee treats these letters very seriously and expects the author of the letter to provide his/her personal views on the specific contributions of the candidate.
The 2014 choices were just fine; they reflected what had taken place in the community.
 The 2014 winners pose with their awards. From left to right: Mary Nichol, Tomy Bewick, Bonnie Purkis, Ron Foxcroft, Kevin Han, Jan Morris, accepting on behalf of her late husband Dave Morris, Susan Fraser.
 By Pepper Parr
December 6th, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Two north Burlington residents who have been sued by the Burlington Air Park have turned to the community with a fund raising drive that wants to raise $100,000 to cover their legal costs.
Monte Dennis and Vanessa Warren have been sued for libeling Vince Rossi, president of the Air Park.
Pepper Parr and the online Burlington Gazette were also sued but neither Parr nor the Gazette are part of the fund raising efforts.
There are a number of online fund raising operations that are referred to as “crowd-sourcing – that let anyone appeal to a public for financial support.
The legal battle between the Burlington residents and the Air Park began in April of 2014. There was a court case and then an appeal of that decision.
There is now a second court case that is awaiting a decision.
These court cases were between the city and the Air Park.
Other than a lot of paper between the lawyers – the libel suits involving Par, Dennis and Warren have gone no further than the Examination for Discovery stage. The wheels of justice move slowly – but they do move. At some point this charade will come to an end.
 Fund raising site: residents being sued for speaking out against the illegal dumping of land fill that is believed to be impacting the water table are asking the public to help out with the legal costs. When asked why $100,000 was being raised one of the defendants said: “We are going by past costs to defend SLAPP suits and that is what these things typically cost. These things drag on – we think the $100,000 is a reasonable figure.
Warren and Dennis refer to SLAPP suits (SLAPP is an acronym for Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation) in their appeal for funds. A SLAPP suit is a legal action taken by someone who basically wants to shut someone up. Having someone appear at your front door with a document saying they are going to ask a Judge to award them $100,000 because they don’t like what you wrote or said publicly about them does make you think twice before you speak – which of course is exactly what the person suing you wants – it is a tactic that bought about provincial legislation designed to stop this kind of lawsuit.
The problem for Dennis and Warren is that the SLAPP legislation did not exist when they wrote or spoke. Their continued reference to SLAPP suits muddies the water.
Dennis is being sued because of a Letter to the Editor published in the Hamilton Spectator. Here is what
 Trucks carting land fill onto the air park. The owners of the air park did not file a site plan with the city – which a Judge later said they were required to do – the land fill is still in place. If the letter was libelous, and few believe it is, then why wasn’t the Hamilton Spectator included in the lawsuit? That would call for Air Park president Vince Rossi to take on the TorStar, the public company that owns the Toronto Star, the Hamilton Spectator and almost every other significant newspaper in Ontario.
The defendant suggested “we look at what Rossi has already cost the city: John Taylor, ward 3 city Councillor is reported to have said at a town hall meeting the other evening that the Air Park issue has cost the city, in legal fees alone, about $800,000 to date and his case is not over yet.
Vanessa and Monte were sued because they spoke out against the Burlington Airpark dumping of millions of cubic feet of construction fill, some of which they believe is contaminated, onto Ontario Greenbelt lands. The courts have ordered a stop to the dumping of more fill, but the damage has been done, negatively impacting the neighbours and potentially the environment.
Dennis and Warren believe our democracy is based on freedom of speech, public dialogue and social fairness.
While Dennis and Warren look ask the public to support them financially Vince Rossi awaits a decision on the most recent court case; one in which the city of Burlington asked a Judge to compel the Air Park to remove the fill that was put on the land and to also compel them to file a site plan.
A decision is expected in the New Year – whichever side wins the Superior Court case – it will, in all probability be appealed.
 Airpark dumped more than 30 feet of landfill without a Site Plan. Owner of the adjacent property stands on her property line and wonders why anyone can build a “small mountain” next to her property without getting approval. This battle has been going on since April of 2014 when the first law suits were issued. They are expensive but defending them is essential if the public is to continue to have the right to speak its mind.
Earlier this year the Gazette published a short article in which we reported on an Examination for Discovery that took place. Days later there was a letter from the Air Park lawyers demanding that we retract the article or they will sue.
That is how people who don’t want information in the hands of the public operate.
If you want people who care about your community to be able to speak freely and openly, support Dennis and Warren. The link to the site is HERE.
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