 By Staff
November 27, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Parking in downtown Burlington will be free for the month of December in city lots and at parking meters.
“Now in its third year, Free P in December is one of the city’s most well-received programs,” said Vito Tolone, the city’s acting director of transportation.
 You will be able to park here free for all of December – and in all the other municipal parking lots as well. “During the busy holiday season, we hope the promotion will encourage residents and visitors to come downtown and explore, shop and celebrate the holiday season with family and friends.”
During Free P in December, vehicles parked at on-street meters can park free for up to three hours. For vehicles parked at municipal parking lots or at the parking garage at 414 Locust St., there is no maximum time limit. Overnight parking in municipal lots is also allowed.
There are more than 1,400 municipal public parking spaces in downtown Burlington. Parking is free year-round in downtown Burlington Monday to Friday after 6 p.m. and all day Saturday, Sunday, and holidays.
 By Ray Rivers
November 27, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
It’s politics imitating life.
Imagine somebody resolving, on a boozy New Year’s eve, to lose 10 kgs by the next summer. Would anyone complain if they only lost 9 kgs and it took them until September?
Goals give us direction and a point of reference. Moving in the right direction and in some kind of time frame is what matters.
 Justin Trudeau before he became Prime Minister. It’s more like curling than hockey, where you don’t need to be on the button to win, just closer than the other team, and the more rocks the better. So when the PM changed-down his plan from 25,000 refugees by the end of the year, to almost the end of the government’s fiscal year (March 2016), the important thing is that it is still happening.
And ‘doing it right’ is more important than just doing it. Selecting safe Syrian families from the camps and vetting them by our own guys takes time. Call it a broken election promise, but it’s one most Canadians don’t mind seeing broken – given the events in Paris. And, Canada will still be seen as a generous refugee recipient, surpassing most European states and even the USA.
You see there is a new sheriff in town. We elected a new way of doing things in this country last month, not just a new leader. A couple things stand out. For one our new government is more democratic. Decision-making is now shared among Trudeau’s team of cabinet ministers. This de-centralization can strengthen, more than threaten, his leadership. And after that big election win the PM can afford to be confident about his team implementing his vision without his paternal oversight.
 Justin Trudeau during the election campaign. Trudeau is also liberating his MPs from sticking to the party line on government bills, allowing more free votes to ensure they more directly represent the wishes of their constituents. He will also be reforming the Senate, something that has eluded his predecessors despite their best intentions. Removing partisanship from appointments will help transform that almost irrelevant body into more of the ‘chamber of sober second thought’ it was intended to be – rather than the rubber stamp it had become.
Then there are the other appointments. Mr. Harper’s cynical farewell gift to Canadians, just before the election, was to stack federal boards and commissions with Tory appointments, some going on beyond the four year term of the new government. The National Energy Board is a case in point – a body which would be able to block progress on a national climate change program. It is time these appointments were sunset with each change of government.
Second, there is a new collaborative approach to dealing with the federal government’s partners in the federation. Harper refused to engage this way, so the last time first ministers met was in 2009. It was refreshing to see Trudeau host an early meeting and obtain a very positive outcome on the potentially divisive issues of refugee settlement and climate change – a topic which prompted unsolicited emissions reduction plans by both Alberta and Ontario.
Third, the new government has shown it is prepared to compromise on goal achievement, if necessary, to deal with other priorities and other realities – as happened with the refugee issue. It would be easy to attribute the new tone of this government to the injection of fresh faces and youthful vigour, but I suspect it is due more to leadership at the top.
Will Farrell (not my favourite actor) wrote and performed an outstanding comedic stage production, which was recently re-played on HBO. Titled “You’re Welcome America” and set in 2009, it is recounts the GW Bush years. This production is both hilarious and thought provoking. It is also timely given that US Republicans are again looking to run an ignoramus as their presidential candidate, favouring the hyperbolic Trump and the seemingly ‘possessed’ Dr. Ben Carson over less charismatic characters in the GOP ‘braintrust’.
 The Prime Minister – the hair Canada has had its share of colourful PM’s leaving their mark with his/her unique leadership style. Mr. Harper was obsessed with control. He made decisions unilaterally and was not big on entertaining ideas that didn’t conform to his ideology. He would tolerate neither criticisms nor critics. And his confrontational approach exacerbated divisions between supporters and opponents, the right and the centre-left, the disadvantaged and the 10%.
Those who follow my column will attest that I was never a fan of the former PM – neither his policies nor his leadership style. Mr. Trudeau, given this fresh approach – open, engaging democratic, collaborative, realistic and positive – has raised expectations. And we all understand how difficult it can be to maintain that momentum.
 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.
Background links:
Climate Conference Tory Appointments Unmuzzling Scientists First Ministers’ Meeting
Ontario’s Climate Change Strategy Alberta’s Plan Refugees Attitudes on Climate Change
Trudeau Interview You’re Welcome America
 By Staff
November 27, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
In November 2015, while staying at a motel in the Halton Region, an incident occurred and Jason Larry KEARNS, the accused, was in the process of being removed from the property which required the police to attend.
The accused fled prior to police arrival and a warrant has been issued for his arrest.
During the investigation officers located a modified shotgun, ammunition and a quantity of cocaine.
KEARNS is wanted by Halton Regional Police for:
Possession of Ammunition while Prohibited
Possession of a Firearm while Prohibited
Knowledge of Unauthorized Firearm
Possession of a Prohibited/Restricted Firearm
Unauthorized Possession of a Firearm
Breach of Firearms Regulation
Possession for the Purpose – Cocaine
EXERCISE CAUTION WHEN DEALING WITH THE ACCUSED
KEARNS is described as 6’1”, 190 lbs with brown hair and brown eyes. He has a tattoo “MTV” on his left upper arm and a scar on his forehead.
KEARNS is known to frequent the areas of Milton, Burlington and the surrounding areas.
This is week 32 for the “Fugitive Friday” initiative whereby the Halton Regional Police Service, Burlington station, reaches out to the public to help locate 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.
The Burlington Offender Management Unit shares information on a wanted person in hopes that the public can assist in locating the individual.
They share “Fugitive Friday” information on their website and via social media through Twitter @HRPSBurl and @HaltonPolice.
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
November 26, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
It looks like it is going to be a perfect evening for the Annual Candle Light Stroll – the downtown merchants would certainly like to see you – don’t miss out though in dropping down to Spencer Smith Park and gawking at the Festival of Lights – the people who put this together have done a superb job.
The event is co-ordinated by Burlington Electricity Services Inc. who took over the heavy lifting from the merchants association. The dignitaries will be there – be brief please – Ben McVie from CHML will MC the occasion.
 Shore line from the pier. Bundle up the kids and bring your voices downtown to join in the fun as Burlington Downtown lights up for the Holidays at its annual carolling event and launches the Lakeside Festival of Lights Friday, November 27th. The festivities kick off at 6:00 in Civic Square where you will be able to enjoy
 Candle Light Stroll route starts at 7:00 pm Festive Burgers served hot from the grill by the Works Gourmet Burger Bistro
Hot Chocolate compliments of our Proud Sponsor Coffee Culture
Visits with Santa
Christmas Music and more…
6:45pm Welcome from Local Dignitaries
Official lighting of the CHML Tree of Hope
leave Civic Square as a group on the carolling procession following the Town Crier
 Guarding the city from those damn Yankees. The stroll starts at 7:00 pm with stops at:
Village Square
Lighting of the Village Square Tree
Hot Apple Cider & Popcorn
Victoria Carollers
Pearl & Pine Retirement
Carols by Bianca Bernardi
Complimentary Candy Canes provided by Pearl & Pine Retirement
Brant & Lakeshore
Hot Maple Taffy by White Meadows Farms
Music by Robert Batement High School Choir
Spencer Smith Park & the Festival of Lights
Chocolate Treat by Burlington Taxi
Burlington Teen Tour Band
There will be Post-Stroll Specials:
Curdz Poutinerie 398 John St.
Buy 1 Get 1 Free 9-10pm
Emma’s Back Porch 2084 Old Lakeshore Rd.
Funky Friday feature menu & live music
Kelly’s Bake Shoppe (after 6pm) 401 Brant St.
Cup of house-made cocoa or Balzacs Coffee and a chocolate chip cookie for $5
Molly Cake 361 Brant St.
Buy 1 Get 1 Free Chocolate Shot
My Thai 399 Elizabeth St.
Mention Post-Stroll Special for 10% off
Wendel Clark’s Classic Bar 380 Brant St.
Live music 9pm – close & house wine special for $21.99 per bottle.
 No Ho Ho Ho man – he arrives on in eight days.
 By Pepper Parr
November 26, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Arthur Rendall, a member of Burlington’s Accessibility Advisory Committee, was presented with the AODA 10th Anniversary Champion Award at the last meeting of City Council.
 Rendall was presented the award for his successful efforts in getting text-based 911 services for those who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech impairments. The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) award recognizes outstanding individuals who demonstrate leadership, passion and commitment in the promotion of accessibility and inclusiveness in their community.
“On behalf of Burlington City Council and for all residents, I am very pleased to present this award to Arthur,” said Mayor Rick Goldring. “As a direct result his tireless efforts, there is now 911 text service from mobile phones for people who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech impairments and that benefits us all.”
Rendall worked closely with the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission – Emergency Service Working Group, beginning in 2008, to come up with a system that allows those who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech impairments to text 911 from their mobile device.
“At the start of the discussions, it was thought that developing such a service would be too expensive, but Arthur, did not give up and provided the leadership and drive to make this project a success,” said Judi Lytle, the city’s accessibility co-ordinator.
In January 2013, the CRTC announced enhancements to 911 services that would allow Canadians who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech impairments to communicate with 911 call centres by text message. The service is now available across Canada and is being rolled out across the United States.
Rendall has been a member of the Burlington Accessibility Advisory Committee since January 2008. He is one of 101 Ontarians receiving this award which is given by the province. Looks like one of Burlington’s Best to me.
For more information about Text 911 in Canada, visit www.textwith911.ca. For more information about accessibility in Burlington, visit www.burlington.ca/accessibility or call 905-335-7600, ext. 7865.
 By Pepper Parr
November 26, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
With just two people on the stage and other than a table and a couple of chairs for props – it was a pretty sparse set – until Christina Serra as Lina and her husband Dan Watson as Ralph took their places.
 Ralph and Lina were acrobatic, spoke rapidly and let you in on the love story they lived. We were looking in on a love story about to take root between a quiet, almost mousy Italian girl, Lina, looking for a job sewing handkerchiefs; she gets the job from a slave driver of an employer. The son of the woman who owns the sewing company, Ralph, strolls into the workroom – and the love story begins.
Ralph who is about to become the “boyfriend” is a little dense; Lina, the girl is small, noisy in a nice way and has great movement as she scoots about the stage.
These two use body language for sound effects. The love story they tell is said to be true – and it is a delight to watch.
The scene where the bride “has” to get pregnant on her wedding day by a man she is not going to marry has to be seen to be understood and appreciated.
 Ralph expressing his feelings for Lina – the true love story of Lina’s parents. The “get me pregnant” scene is close to hilarious.
The scene that you will remember for a long time is that done by Watson as he plays the role of Ralph who has returned from the war seven years later to find there is a new suitor and a wedding about to take place.
Watson plays the role of the soldier who returns from the war and that of the new suitor who expects to marry Lina – at the same time.
The instant switch from one character to the other was very impressive – you almost want to roll it back and watch it again. With the deft movement of his body and using what looks like a dish towel as a prop Watson is superb.
Watching Lina wolf down the lunch sandwich Ralph offers to share early in the romance is a hoot – this diminutive little thing has the appetite of a horse. One wondered what her other appetites were like.
The only discordant note was all the babies in the closing scene that children and perhaps grandchildren seem to have brought to the front door of the house in Peterborough. Every time the door bell rang there was Lina with more babies in her arms.
Ralph and Lina – Worth seeing – takes place in the Community Theatre at The Centre (Burlington Performing Arts Centre) and runs through to the 29th with performances on the 26th, 27th, 28th and 29th – the Saturday schedule includes a 2:00 pm matinee; Sunday is a matinee only.
By Staff
November 26th, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
It is a little difficult to get a sense of a holiday season with the weather as warm as it is – but the volunteers who put the lights up on the waterfront have made a valiant effort.
Are these “Red Coats” defending the city from the Americans during the war of 1812? There was a naval battle fought on Lake Ontario that decided the fate of this country. Great time for parents to pass along some history to their children as they take in the Festival of Lights When evening has set in – take time to walk down to Spencer Smith Park and take in the lights that have been set up – it really is something to see, enjoy and appreciate.
 A stroll along the Naval promenade while the weather is unseasonable warm is a chance to take in the many lights that bring a smile to the face of almost everyone. The Ho Ho Ho man himself stands at the entry to Spencer Smith Park.  A collection of lights along the pathway to the pier and a red glow from the pier tower begin any tour of the Festival of Lights in Spencer Smith Park. The Burlington shoreline from the pier. The Festival of Lights has gone though some difficult days with their funding – but the work gets done and everyone can enjoy the work the new designs.
Best place to get a full sense is to be out on the pier and then to walk along the Naval promenade and see the individual pieces of work.
The tower on the pier changes colours – it was supposed to have a turbine at the top that would have generated the electricity for the pier – and perhaps all the seasonal fixtures – that didn’t happen – but we do have the pier – $14 million plus to put it in place.
Brant Street hasn’t seen much – if any – decoration. The Burlington Downtown Business association has a competition going on among its members – for some reason that association’s members just don’t seem to rise to the challenge of giving the street a festive feel. Right now their efforts seem to be on a sales drive tied into the Yellow Pages. Look for Yellow Bags – the retailer will tell you what the effort is all about.
By Pepper Parr
November 25, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
The Skyway arena is getting a really close look from the people who do the thinking at the Parks and Recreation department. It might be in for minor changes or it could be replaced with a totally new building.
The Parks and Recreation people had to decide a while ago that the city did need 11 ice pads – which meant that the Skyway Arena was going to continue to be part of the total ice pad compliment.
 The Skyway Arena – due for an upgrade – potential for some significant changes. The challenge then was to decide what to do with the building that needed more work than any of the other arenas.
There was considerable discussion as to whether the place should have one or two ice pads – that wasn’t totally resolved.
 Jennifer Johnson, an engineer with the city, listens to a ward 5 resident who explains where he would like to see development take place Knowing the rink was in poor shape, there was no viewing section that was elevated and warm, accessibility was very poor and the mechanical used to maintain the ice has seen better days.
 The lobby area of the recently opened Mountainside Recreation Centre The Mountainside arena was recently given a major upgrade – almost a rebuild. Gone was the look of an old style arena – the place was given more space for community use and much improved lockers.
The city was prepared to do the same for Skyway and just yesterday awarded a contract to ZAZ, the company that did the work at Mountainside.
The three options the architects are going to look at include:
1: like for like – upgrade the structure giving the community a more efficient to operate facility.
2: like with enhancement and improvements.
3: replace the existing structure with something new and integrate it into the community.
The architects will create a number of concepts that are expected to go to city council sometime next year – the thought was this might be during the 2Q of 2016
When that comment was made the audience broke into applause.
Denise Beard, Manager of Community Development Services wanted the audience to talk about what they would like to see – rooms where games of cards could be played, space with small kitchen facilities.
Mountainside has two very nice community rooms that have screens that can be dropped down for showing videos; there are small microwaves in the rooms with a sink.
Mountainside has the advantage of having an outdoor swimming pool – Skway has the advantage of having a large park as part of the property.
 The high level thinking is how to fully integrate a re-developed Skyway Park and arena into a re-developed Lakeside Village Plaza an tie both into Burloak Park that is also undergoing a remake. There is going to be a change – and the community is in on the changes right from the beginning.
The thinking that is being applied to the Lakeside Village plaza is going to be applied to the Skyway arena and park as well as Burloak Park – it will be interesting to see what is in place in five years.
The potential for something really beneficial to the community is certainly there.
By Staff
November 25, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
It doesn’t get more foul than this – a female sneaking into the rooms of seniors at a retirement home while they are away for meals and stealing cash and banking cards.
The Halton Regional Police have responded to reports of a female going into two retirement homes at scheduled mealtimes, gone into residents rooms and stolen cash and banking cards. Both of these incidents occurred on November 19th between 4:00 pm and 5:00 pm.
 Female is believed to have entered the rooms of seniors while they were in the dining room having their meals – police would really like to find this person – can you help? Police are following up on these incidents and need the public’s assistance in learning the identity of this female.
If anyone has information that will assist police in identifying this female please contact D/Cst Nadine Clarke of the Burlington Criminal Investigations Bureau of the Halton Regional Police at the contact information listed below.
Alternately members of the public may also call Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
The female is described as:
– white
– early to mid 40’s in age
– blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail
– about 5’8″ to 5’9″ in height
– Thin build (in these incidents a black puffy jacket was worn concealing the thin build)
– Black near knee high boots
– Light coloured pants
– Female carrys a black purse.
– This female appears clean cut and well dressed.
 By Pepper Parr
November 25, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
It was close to the largest citizen’s meeting this reporter has seen in Burlington. And no one was angry.
More than 350 people crowded the cafeteria at the Robert Bateman high school to learn about changes that may be taking place with what is sometimes referred to as the Skyway Plaza or the Lakeside Plaza but is now to be known as the Lakeside Village.
 More than 350 people filled the Robert Bateman high school auditorium to hear what was being planned for their community and to give their views as well. The reason for the get together was to go through a visioning exercise, “To create an economically successful mixed-use development incorporating residential, commercial and public uses resulting is a community-centered and vibrant development which positively impacts residents.”
It took a while to get to the pencil and paper work – an exercise that had 8 to 10 people at each table with a city hall staff member guiding the group through a series of questions –
 Denise Beard, a manager in the Parks an Recreation department worked with are residents to take down the ideas they had for the plaza and the park. What is your vision for the Sky Park and the arena?
What do you value in the neighbourhood?
What is missing in this community?
How could the existing homes be better connected to the plaza and the arena?
 Kaylan Edgcumbe from the Planning department listened and took notes at one of the more than 20 tables. The audience was being asked to go right back to core values and say what they wanted to see the plaza and the park become and how they could be better integrated.
Before they got to the “visioning” ward 5 Councillor Paul Sharman, took the audience through what it had taken to get everyone to this point. Sharman was quite a bit different with his presentation – he read from notes – which he seldom does and started off on a very positive note by telling the audience that Food Basics had let it be known that they were going to be a part of whatever change might be made and that the arena was going to remain. What about Shoppers Drug Mart someone asked “we don’t know yet” replied Sharman.
Rob Peachey, the man at city hall responsible for the development of the parks system gave a brief overview of where things were with the Burloak Park.
Denise Beard who manages community development for the Parks and recreation department talked about the thinking that was being done for the Skyway Park and arena.
The bigger picture was to develop the arena, shown in light green, upgrade the plaza shown in light yellow and tie both to the Burloak Park at the edge of the lake. The hope seemed to be that at some point an arena that met the needs of the community would be developed; that Burloak Park would be tied in more tightly to the plaza and that the plaza would take on a whole new look and become a much more vibrant part of the community.
There is a lot of work to get done before anyone does any building. Zahoruk hit the nail on the head when she said “development is risky and complex”. Getting the views of the area residents is a first step – having them on side is critical – but it is just a first step.
The main purpose was to do some “visioning” about Lakeside Village – it was also a meeting about St. Elizabeth Anglican church and the exercise they were going through; it was an update on the development of Burloak Park and setting out how the city was approaching what they were going to do with the Skyway arena.
It was a full schedule – and it progressed smoothly.
 Mayor Rick Goldring talks to architect Cynthia Zahoruk and property owner Joe Elmaleh Cynthia Zahoruk, the architect on the project said at the end of the evening that it has “gone better than I expected”. The next step is to pull together the notes taken by the facilitator at each table and get a sense of what the 350 people thought about what could be done and should be done with the site.
 The potential to take a site that is worn down and certainly seen better days yet situated in a community with a balanced mix of single family dwellings, townhouses and high rise with as many as 19 storeys. The property is owned by United Burlington Retail Properties Inc., (UBRP) a holding company with a number of interests in the areas. Joe Elmaleh, a director and vice president with the company didn’t want to say anything about any other properties other than they were a holding company and added that the property was acquired in 2001 and treated as a long term investment.
The property was beginning to deteriorate and had taken on a run-down look. The theatre and the bowling alley that were part of the property had not been used for years. The 9.5 acre site has 112,000 sq. feet of commercial space with a lot of it empty.
There was an interest in improving the site – the trick at the time was to meet with the property owners – and that wasn’t easy to do. Sharman had the devil of a time getting in front of anyone at UBRP – during one of his visits to the property owners he couldn’t get past the receptionist.
 Ward 5 Councillor Paul Sharman, who organized the meeting talks to an area resident. Frank McKeown, executive director of the Burlington Economic Development Corporation inserted himself into the process and in the fullness of time meetings were set up with the property owners.
They hired Cynthia Zahoruk as their architect and she brought in Dana Anderson as a planning consultant – both women work out of Burlington. Anderson was with the Oakville Planning department at one point.
The group decided to meet with the public and hear what they thought.
It was a very good public meeting – no decisions were made. The city explained what it was doing in the area and they wanted to hear what the public thought.
“We don’t have any answers” explained Sharman and “none of the agencies have looked at anything yet.”
The property owners and their agents had meetings with the Planning department but there isn’t an application on the table yet.
Joe Elmaleh said UBRP was a long term investor and had a strong relationship with the city. That statement was a bit of a stretch – it had taken a long time to get them to the table – but they were there now and seemed prepared to listen.
The evening was planned as a listening event. In 2014 Council issued a Staff Direction:
DIRECTION REGARDING LAKESIDE PLAZA
Direct the Director of Planning and Building and request the Executive Director of the Burlington Economic Development Corporation as follows:
Prepare a series of re-development options for the site based on intensive mixed use re-development and approach the owners of the property with the redevelopment plans; and
Investigate and report on the authority available to permit the use of incentives for re-developing the site, and
Provide an estimate of the resources needed to prepare and implement a Community Improvement Plan.
 The real hope was the trees – in an early stage drawing of the plaza. which is a pretty miserable looking place right now, the architect shows what the site could look like if the asphalt was peppered with trees. It was that Staff Direction that got the ball rolling.
Now to hear what those 350 people in the Robert Bateman high school cafeteria had to say.
 By Staff
November 24, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
As we enter the holiday season, the focus becomes the hustle and bustle of shopping, dinner parties and family gatherings. As joyous as this season is, there are many families in the Region of Halton who struggle to provide their children with that special gift on Christmas morning.
 The Regional Police helped 4000 families through the holiday season last year – can Burlington do better this season? In 2014, the Halton Regional Police Toys for Tots program helped over 4,000 families in the Region of Halton. They want to make the 2015 campaign just as successful.
Halton Regional Police is holding two Cram-A-Cruiser events on Saturday November 28, 2015 as part of the annual Toys for Tots toy drive.
Where:
1. Canadian Tire Store located at 5070 Appleby Line, Burlington
2. Canadian Tire Store located at 777 Guelph Line, Burlington
When:
10:00am to 2:00pm at both locations
Police officers and volunteers will be accepting new unwrapped toys, gift cards (great for teens), cash or Canadian Tire money for the Toys for Tots program. Please bring the children; let them our officers, tour a police cruiser and meet McGruff! Help us fill as many cruisers as possible!
The Halton Police mascot, McGruff will be at the Appleby Line store between 10:00 AM until 2:00 PM.
Follow us on twitter throughout the day for updates at @HRPSBurl. All donations remain in the Region of Halton. For further information please contact Cst. Ann Robertson at 905 825 4747 Ext 5347 or by email at ann.robertson@haltonpolice.ca.
By Staff
November 24, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Most police work is day to day drudgery – driving around with eyes peeled for behaviour that looks to be out of the ordinary.
Standing in cold weather doing RIDE checks.
There is nothing glamorous about the work – and in the Region of Halton things for the most part are pretty quiet.
The Halton Regional Police 3 District Criminal Investigations Bureau partnered with the Hamilton Police B.E.A.R. Office and the Niagara Regional Police Grimsby Criminal Investigation Branch in a joint investigation into a series of armed robberies that took place across three jurisdictions – Burlington, Hamilton Grimsby. One suspect remains outstanding.
On October 18, 2015, the suspects that have been arrested robbed The Super Convenience Store on Plains Rd in the City of Burlington.
On October 18, 2015 the suspects robbed the Big Bonus Convenience in the area of Upper James in the City of Hamilton
On October 21, 2015 the suspects robbed the Husky Gas Station in the area of Limeridge Rd East in the City of Hamilton
On October 24, 2015 the suspects robbed the Husky Gas Station in the area of Mohawk Rd W. in the City of Hamilton
On October 27, 2015, the suspects robbed the Husky Gas Station on Plains Road East in the City of Burlington.
On October 27, 2015 the suspects robbed the Husky Gas Station in the area of Gray’s Rd. in the City of Hamilton
On October 28, 2015 the suspects robbed the Husky Gas Station in the area of Hwy #5 in the City of Hamilton
On October 29, 2015, the suspects robbed a pharmacy in in the Town of Grimsby.
That is a crime spree.
 The police have arrested the person in the red sweater – they are still looking for the person in the grey hood.  Person in the grey hood added a disguise but the eyes are pretty clear. Is this someone you recognize? Police are appealing to the public to assist in identifying one of the suspects caught on video surveillance in Grimsby. Police have identified the male in the red sweater and are looking to identify the suspect in the grey hooded sweatshirt who remains outstanding.
On November 19th 2015 two suspects were arrested for the above robberies. There is a third suspect the police have not yet located.
 A close up of the suspect in the grey hood – police want to find this person. Following the arrest of the two suspects, Hamilton and Halton officers executed search warrants on two homes and one vehicle. Several items were seized further strengthening the case.
Charged with the following offences are:
Ali TAHSEEN ALI, 20 years of Stoney Creek has been charged with:
10 counts of robbery
9 counts of wear disguise
1 count of weapons dangerous
1 count of conspiracy to commit robbery
Luai ASALIEH, 21 years of Glanbrook has been charged with:
1 count of wear disguise
1 count of weapons dangerous
1 count of conspiracy to commit robbery
The Gazette reported on the two robberies on Plains Road and commented at the time that these two events had all the sign of having been committed by the same people. We were right.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Det/Cst Ryan Hay of the Hamilton Police BEAR office at 905 546 8938 or to remain anonymous, please contact Hamilton Crime Stoppers at 1 800 522 8477.
You can also contact the Burlington Criminal Investigations Bureau at 905 825-4747 ext 2316 or 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).
Anyone with any further information about any Hamilton related crimes is asked to contact Detective Constable Ryan Hay of the Hamilton Police BEAR office at 905 546 8938 or anyone wishing to remain anonymous is asked to contact Hamilton Crime Stoppers at 1 800 222 8477.
Anyone with any further information about any Niagara related crimes is asked to contact The Niagara Regional Police Service (NRPS) at 905-688-4111. Information can also be provided anonymously to Crime Stoppers of Niagara https://niagaratips.ca/
 By Pepper Parr
November 24th, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
When a new tax is created more than one department at city hall gets involved.
The Finance department is gathering data to determine how a tax to cover the cost of managing storm water is justified; what the tax should amount to and how it should be administered.
The Capital Works department works at determining what has to be done to protect people and property from storm water damage in the future.
The Engineering department is costing out the work that has to be done and creating time lines for construction and repair.
 Our flood – as seen on a radar screen. It is now understood that climate change is going to result in much different weather patterns. We are now paying the price for all the carbon we let into the atmosphere.
The three departments will prepare a staff report that will be a complete review and detailed plan including significant public engagement for the potential implementation of a user fee.
Municipalities tax property and use that revenue to run the city. The higher the value of the property – the higher the tax.
Storm water management taxes will be based on the size of the property and how much ground there is – people in condominiums will pay less than those with large yards and extensive driveways.
Figuring all this out will be the task of the Finance department.
 The yellow shading is the highly vulnerable part of the city Allan Magi, Executive Director of Capital Works uses the often precise language engineers bring to their work. “We need to determine the ‘conveyance capacity’ of the creeks and many of the culverts” he explains.
Tuck Creek is going to get a lot of attention with Roseland, Shore Acres – just about everything in the east end of the city getting a very close review.
 Burlington’s creeks in the east end of the city. The city had a policy of not grooming the banks of the creeks all that much – the policy was to let small vegetation take a natural process and work its way into the soil bed. Under normal circumstances that was a good policy – but with thousands of gallons of water rushing through the creeks towards the lake all that vegetation got pushed forward and in some cases became damns that produced floods.
Culverts that had been in place for years and thought to be the right size proved to be far too small – they needed upgrading. Bridges have to be rebuilt and water pipes up graded.
The city hired a consulting group to prepare a detailed report on what happened and why. The Conservation Authority reported on what happened at the watershed level. The city had to focus on the many creeks that run from the edge of the escarpment through the city and into the lake.
 The fifteen projects that have to be completed are part of the phase two remediation plan. The consulting firm, AMEC, produced a report that set out what had to be done to prevent the flooding and the engineers began to work through the costs.
The AMEC report, which is a document that is not easily read or understood and hasn’t been given the circulation it deserves. The consulting firm that did the work chose not to be available for any interviews which made it difficult to gain a solid understanding of the magnitude of what happened and what has to be done.
Both Finance, Capital works and Engineering are planning on holding a Workshop for Council that will set out what the issues are and discuss some of the options. There hope is that the full report can go to council sometime next summer.
 Culverts broke down – and water went wherever it could. Included in the thinking being done at this point is a closer look at the “asset management plan”. Everything the city has is considered an asset – front end loaders, building – city hall itself is an asset and pipes in the ground – these are all assets that have to be managed. They each have a life span and the city keeps track of what has to be repaired, upgraded or replaced. There is some thought being given to creating a reserve fund that would set aside monies needed to maintain these assets. A portion of any storm water fee might include funds that would get put into the reserve.
Burlington is currently struggling to get its roads up to a standard – have you driven down Guelph Line south of the QEW recently – and has chosen to use gas tax funds which it gets from the province that are normally used to fund transit – but has used some of it to get caught up with the huge infrastructure deficit.
The thinking is that creating a reserve now will prevent that kind of problem in the future.
 The system of pipes were unable to handle the volume of water and so up it came through the sewer system. Overland flooding, the way the insurance industry is looking at the problem, a closer look at the flood plains in the city and housing that sits on those flood plains are all part of the work that is being done.
There is a lot more to report on this subject. City council has a significant task ahead of it.
By Pepper Parr
November 23, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
There isn’t a parent out there that encourages their child to smoke. Some may tolerate the habit but by now we know that smoking is not going to improve your health – and while some think it is “cool” there is now far too much evidence telling even those who move their lips when they read that smoking will shorten your life span.
And yet cigarettes still sell – for $80 a carton which keeps many people away from the habit. Taxes have put a social habit out of reach for many, particularly young people who don’t have all that much disposable income.
But – the tobacco is addictive and there are those who have not been able to kick the habit. Create a market that is highly profitable and addictive enough and someone will find a way to serve the need.
Enter the criminal element – there are a reported 175 gangs in Canada peddling illegal contraband cigarettes at $8 to $10 for the equivalent of a carton. And targeting young people.
The hit to the federal coffers is bad enough – more than $2 billion a year in taxes that don’t get collected.
 Norm Bellefontaine on the left and Gary Grant on the right with demonstration packages of illegal cigarettes that are being sold by criminal gangs to young people. Some see the selling of illegal cigarettes as a “victimless crime” – that $2 billion that is not collected in taxes is money the governments cannot spend providing you with services.
So we have a product that is not healthy for you and expensive and is addictive as well. And now the criminals have put themselves into the business of selling the cigarettes.
Where is the pinch point? How do the police put a stop to the sale of cheap cigarettes and how do they get public support?
Enter Crime Stoppers – they provide an anonymous way for a parent to place a call telling where their child buys cigarettes. If enough people call Crime Stoppers the police begin to have enough data to figure out where the cigarettes are being sold and can do what they do best – apprehend criminals.
The crime of selling the illegal contraband is a difficult one for police to do all that much about – the selling of a product without collecting the tax is seen as a tax problem – it has only recently been made a part of the criminal code – and truth be told it isn’t one that many people get excited about.
Guns and hard drugs keep the police busy enough – who is going to bother with someone selling bags of illegal cigarettes?
That has been the problem – knowing that 42% of the cigarettes sold are contraband and illegal gives you some idea as to how big the problem is – the profits from the sale of contraband cigarettes becomes the seed money for other criminal activities.
Gary Grant is the national spokesperson for the National Coalition Against Contraband Tobacco. He is also a decorated retired police officer with the Toronto Police Service and current director and founder of Toronto Crime Stoppers.
 Crime Stoppers is a safe anonymous way to inform the police that you believe a crime has taken place. Gary’s career in policing started in 1968 when he joined the Toronto Police Department right after high school. His passion for community policing saw him assume a wide range of positions while working in law enforcement including stints as Staff Sergeant with the Public Complaints Investigation Bureau, Co-chair of the Toronto Police Chinese Consultative Committee and Aboriginal Consultative Committee as well as Staff Superintendent of Operational Services.
As his career grew, his leadership and success saw him assume roles with increasing responsibility including that of Interim Deputy Police Chief for the Toronto Police Service in 2005. Gary is a passionate supporter in the fight against contraband tobacco, and has been a vocal proponent of increased government intervention and involvement in the cause.
The National Coalition Against Contraband Tobacco is a Canadian advocacy group formed with the participation of businesses, organizations and individuals concerned about the growing danger of contraband cigarettes. They share the goals of working together to educate people and urge government to take quick action to stop this growing threat.
The Halton unit of Crime Stoppers is working with the Coalition and running an educational program and using the Crime Stoppers service as a platform parents can use to pass along information.
Hopefully it will work. The telephone number to call should you learn that your children are buying illegal cigarettes from criminals is on the poster above
 By Staff
November 23, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
The wind has gone out of any sail that may have been propelling a teachers strike at the elementary level – any level for that matter.
 Two teachers totally captivated by the tweets coming in on their Smart Phones. The Halton District School Board say they are pleased that a tentative local agreement has been reached with the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) Halton Teachers Local representing more than 2,800 Halton elementary teachers.
The province nailed down their deal with the teachers and now each Region settles local issues. Halton reached a tentative agreement which has only to be ratified by the teachers.
The tentative deal must be ratified by both the local Halton ETFO teacher members and the Halton District School Board.
Terms of the tentative agreement remain confidential until the ratification process is completed. We will pass along whatever we can dig out on the terms of the agreement.
Assume a residential Current Value Assessment (CVA) of $417,645,000 – the tax bill would amount to $1, 625.18
Here is how the city allocates and spends that money.
The provision for the hospital will stay in place for a few years – and when the $60 million the city had to raise as its portion of the re-development/re-build of the hospital has been paid – council has already decided that the tax will remain in place and be used to get the large backlog of infrastructure work done.
It would have been nice if they had asked you.
By Pepper Parr
November 23, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Storm water management began getting all kinds of attention soon after the floods of 2014 but it had been on the city’s radar screen well before that.
Former city manager Jeff Fielding had some ideas that would have resulted in a separate corporate entity that would have managed storm water and create a new revenue opportunity for the city – but that didn’t even get off the ground.
 The plaza and mall operators can expect to see a significant tax added to their operating costs – the smarter ones will begin looking for remedies. While Burlington was spending millions getting an understanding on why so much damage was done –other municipalities were developing plans to collect revenue for a problem that was now being looked at by everyone.
At the Budget review meeting held last week Councillor Lancaster asked how Waterloo handled storm water and was told that they had done a lot of public engagement and had a program that offers a credit of up to 45% of the stormwater utility fee for properties that manage their stormwater.
Residential stormwater management techniques can include rain barrels, trees, cisterns, infiltration measures or rain gardens.
Burlington has yet to create a program to collect any revenue but it is very clear that such a fee is coming our way.
Lancaster wanted to see incentives for people and a program that was easy to administer.
On Friday a group of insurance executives and senior people from Ontario municipalities met at the Royal Botanical Gardens to hear what the insurance industry was thinking and learn what some municipalities were doing.
 A storm water management tax is going to hit the bottom line of the malls – might result in significantly different parking lost designs as well. Could Burlington have become a leader in this field.  The mall operators will never put in parking meters but they will be thinking through how to redesign their parking lots to limit the damage storm water does on large space with no effective way for water to run off. There is certainly going to be a fee. The figure of $50 to $100 was mentioned for the average household with everything being based on how much ground there was.
The focus was not on just what a homeowner would have to pay- those with large parking lots are the ones going to take the hardest hit.
That includes the large malls who will have to build the tax into their cost of doing business. Places of worship that have large parking lots are going to have to find a way to pay a tax as well. Traditionally churches have been exempt from taxes. Those days appear to be coming to an end.
The stormwater credit program in Waterloo is available for commercial, industrial, institutional and multi-residential properties, based on the stormwater quality, quantity and education measures in place.
The good people of Burlington can expect to see something come out of city hall on how storm water management is going to be paid for early in the New Year.
Exactly who will manage the program and where the leadership will come from isn’t at all clear.
 City General Manager Scott Stewart will be taking his smile and his skill sets to Guelph. we are losing a good one. Earlier this month general manager Scott Stewart gave his resignation to the city manager and will take up the job of Deputy CAO of Infrastructure, Development and Enterprise Services in Guelph; he begins that job December 7th.
Stewart had been in the running for the job of city manager for Burlington twice – he was passed over both times and decided it was time to move on. There was a time when Burlington had three general managers – come December we will not have any – everything will land on the desk of James Ridge who took up the job late in March.
The management team below General manager has also seen a number of changes.
That roster currently includes:
Mike Spicer – Director of Transit
Cathy Robertson – Director Roads and Parks Maintenance
Nancy Shea Nicol – Director of Legal Services and city solicitor.
Joan Ford – Director of Finance
Bruce Zvaniga was the Director of Transportation – Vito Tolone is currently serving as the interim Director.
Chris Glenn – Director Parks and Recreation
Sheila Jones – City Auditor
Christine Swenor – Director of Information |Technology Services
Bruce Krushelnicki was Director Planning and Building – he has been replaced by Mary Lou Tanner.
Alan Magi runs Capital Works
Roy Male ran Human Resources for years – he retired and was replaced by Laura Boyd.
 Joan Ford, the city’s Director of Finance knows where every dollar comes from and where every dollar gets spent. The only person who could move into the role of a General Manager would be Joan Ford who does a superb job at finance. She is backed up by a solid team.
James Ridge has his work cut out for him. He has a number of messy files on his desk – none that he created – just past problems that are not going to go away. He has a Strategic Plan that has to be completed; his work plan has about 50 blank spots in it – no reflection on his management ability – he needs to know what Council is going to approve in the way of a Strategic Plan before he can know what he has to do.
Ridge’s biggest task is going to be creating the team that will work with him to move the city forward. The completion of the Official Plan Review is also in the wings. That work was progressing quite well – it has been moved to the back burner while Council focused on the Strategic Plan.
Then it got brought forward again – to the surprise of the Planner working on the file who was left with the impression that it had to be done quick quick quick.
Official Plans don’t lend themselves to quick quick quick.
Andrea Smith has been doing a superb job – better guidance on time lines and where the development of the plan fits into the bigger picture is what she needs most.
If you’re getting the impression that there is a little disarray at the most senior level at city hall you are more right than wrong.
 Municipal^pal civil servants are for the most part dedicated innovative people who work hard. They need an environment in which they can excel. The municipal world works at a pace that is significantly different than the private sector. There are some exceptional people who work within the municipal sector – they are creative, innovative and genuinely want to make the cities they work for better places to live. But they have to be led and Burlington has had some challenges at this level.
The current city council is not of one mind. There are very distinct differences between members of Council; there are council members who have been at the table far too long and solid strong leadership from the person who wears the chain of office just isn’t there.
 City Council – This is not a team that pulls together and it certainly is not of one mind. Every member of the current Council was re-elected in 2014. The taxpayers now have to settle for what they chose. And get used to the idea of an additional tax they will have to pay.
By Staff
November 22, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Do you happen to have any photographs of the Lakeside Plaza taken way way back when it was first opened? During those days when it thrived?
 There is going to be a visioning exercise that will involve the community on what the existing Lakeside Plaza might look like as it works its way towards future development.
The team of architects putting together a visual presentation would like to find some old pictures – if you have some you are prepared to loan them – be in contact with Cynthia Zahoruk, 905-331-4480: by email at – cz@czarchitect.com
The visioning event will take place at the Robert Bateman High school cafeteria at 7:00 pm Tuesday the 24th of November.
By Pepper Parr
November 20, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
What do we know about ourselves as taxpayers – and how do we compare with other jurisdictions in terms of the value we get for the dollars we pay?
At the first peek of the budget for the next fiscal year we got a sense of what the city plans to do with the dollars it gets from you.
The tax bill you get is for three levels of government: the city; the Regional government and the Boards of Education. City council can only influence and change its budget – and at this point it looks like they are going to want an increase of 3.85% over what they asked for last year.
Every city council likes to boast that they have a lower tax rate relative to their neighbours. The chart shown compares data for 2015 – Oakville will have a lower rate than Burlington for the fiscal years we are going into.
How much of the household budget gets spent on paying for services – quite low. We certainly don’t get the same value for money from the food we purchase.
Based on what has been proposed Burlington is going to have the highest increase in the Region. Is there any one expense category that puts us at the top? Road repair. The city let its infrastructure slide for too many years and is now spending heavily to get caught up.
That one time hospital levy that is going to be with us for a while yet hasn’t helped – but we needed the hospital. The old Joseph Brant Memorial hospital had passed its best before date some time ago.
Tax increases during the period of time the seven members of the current council have been in office – they were all re-elected in 2014 – is nothing to write home about. The exceptionally low increase in 2011 was the result of some very bold moves made by first term council member Paul Sharman. It was a bold move then, unfortunately, hasn’t been repeated.
That blue line running through the bar charts is very misleading – members of Council love to refer to a number that includes taxes from all three levels of government – the other two levels of government are lower than what the city wants – when all three are added together the total as an average is lower – misleading – your politicians playing mind games with you.
What makes the line misleading is that there is nothing Burlington can do to change the education tax and not that much they can do to impact the Regional tax levy. The city is completely responsible for the taxes it asks it citizens to pay – and it is at that level that they have to be judged.
While the city has a tonne of money salted away in reserve funds – it still has to borrow funds. The province is required by the province to maintain reserve funds for everything from winter snow removal costs to information technology upgrades.
Burlington has a policy of not letting the debt charges as a percentage of net revenues to climb beyond 12.5% – the province will not allow a municipality to have a debt ratio higher than 25%
The proposed operating budget for the 2014-15 is set out below. The one to keep your eye on is that Storm Water management – expect to see a new line on your tax bill for between $50 and $100 for every household with a driveway. Parking lots will be assessed a tax for Storm Water as well which is going to hit the malls where it hurts
By Staff
November 22, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
The Regional police working out of the Burlington detachment seem to have a brigade of citizens working for them.
On Saturday November 21, 2015 at 10:20 pm, a citizen observed a Ford motor vehicle being driven in an erratic manner in the area of Guelph Line near the intersection of Woodward Avenue. The citizen telephoned the Halton Regional Police Service because they suspected the driver of the vehicle may have been impaired.
Moments later the citizen observed the Ford motor vehicle lose control and strike a small traffic sign on a median at this intersection and then drive away.
The Halton Regional Police Service attended several minutes later and determined that the 35 year old female driver of this vehicle had previously consumed a quantity of alcohol.
The police officers arrested the female motorist and brought her to the 30 Division (Burlington) police station for breath testing. She subsequently refused to provide breath samples for testing.
Kelly Ann Broderick, 35 years old of the City of Burlington, was charged with:
1. Impaired operation of a motor vehicle.
2. Failing to provide breath samples upon demand of a police officer
She will have a court appearance on December 16, 2015 at the Town of Milton. There were no injuries in this incident and minor damage to the motor vehicle.
A citizen once again makes the right call and reports an impaired driver that struck a traffic sign.
The notification of this incident by the citizen was instrumental in the arrest of this impaired driver. On Friday November 20, 2015, a different citizen reported a similar event which resulted in an impaired driving arrest of another person.
The Halton Regional Police works diligently to reduce incidents of impaired driving. The police service is about to begin its annual holiday RIDE campaign to attempt to prevent impaired driving.
Citizens are encouraged to report motorists who are driving in a manner that is a risk to public safety or if it is known that their ability to operate a motor vehicle is impaired by the consumption of alcohol or drugs.
Citizens can call the emergency line of 911 if the event is in progress or can call the main police number at 905 825-4777. 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
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