 By Staff
September 22, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
This is a different way of promoting fire safety.
Fire official’s report that the #1 cause of home fires is unattended cooking.
 Fire Chief Tony Bavota, Mayor Goldring, people from the Burlington Restaurant Association and Robert Bateman High School are joining together for activities to help spread this public safety message.
 Mayor Goldring brings a bit of an edge to the cooking competition to take place at Robert Bateman – he flips ribs pretty well – let’s see what he flips at the high school. Spreading the fire safety message is being tied to the Top Chef Competition at Robert Bateman High School. Four teams, each with one Burlington firefighter and two Robert Bateman High School culinary students, will compete to create a fiery dish from a mystery box of ingredients. Contestants can earn points or be penalized by answering cooking safety trivia.
Other features of the event include interactive stations with information on smoke and CO alarms, the 911 call system, career options in the fire service, a firefighter crash course and technology demos as well as Burlington Fire Department truck display.
This sounds like a neat event; it isn’t open to the public – the Gazette will tell you all about it
 By Staff
September 22, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
On Monday September 21st, 2015 at approximately 6:25 pm, a lone male suspect is reported to have walked into EB Games located at 1200 Brant Street in Burlington between the QEW and the North Service Road.
The suspect demanded cash from the employees in the store while concealing what appeared to be a handgun in his hand.
The suspect then proceeded to select several items in the store. Upon leaving the store, the suspect was observed entering a silver or grey coloured SUV. The suspect vehicle was last seen southbound on Brant Street near the QEW.
No one was hurt as a result of the incident.
Suspect Description: male, white, average build, 5’10” to 6’0″ in height, 25 – 30 yrs, short brown hair with an unshaven appearance.
Investigators are attempting to gather surveillance footage/photos and if available will update.
Anyone with information that would assist in this investigation is asked to contact Detective Sergeant Ron Hansen at 905-825-4747 extension 2315 or Detective Phil Vandenbeukel at 905-825-4747 extension 2343 of the 3 District Criminal Investigations Bureau or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), or through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.com or by texting “Tip201” with your message to 274637(crimes).
 By Ray Rivers
September 21, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
The Globe and Mail held its debate on the economy. This was round two for the three leaders and still, neither a clear winner nor loser emerged. The PM stuck to his mantra that the economy is not great, but that he’s done a pretty good job – he’s not perfect. And despite several well-placed jabs by the opponents, and his ‘old stock Canadian’ slip. some pundits thought he performed the best.
 Leaders of the three mainline parties taking part in the Globe and Mail debate on the economy. Green party leader Elizabeth May tweeted about the event – she may have had a bigger following than the one webcast by the Globe and Mail. The way the Nanos nightly polls bob up and down you’d think you were lying, with a good friend, on a water bed. Last night’s poll showed the Tories rebounding slightly as the parties continue this slow dance to the final bell. The CBC’s poll tracker, which uses a weighted average of various polls, shows a tight race with the NDP still in the lead, which is where they have been since the beginning.
The Conservatives wanted this election to be about the economy, so they have run on their record. How is that working out for them? Well, Canada is technically in a recession, the only nation among the G7 to be in economic decline. Unemployment, though near its long term average, jumped to 7% in August. And a small surplus was unexpectedly recorded last year.
A surplus is normally something to be proud of, but not so much in a recession. The announcement sparked criticism that the Tories had deferred spending into future years, just to make the books look good. And others claimed that the surplus had inadvertently contributed to this year’s recession.
 Protecting the economy has been the Conservative pith to voters from the beginning. will it work Mr. Harper claims he is not perfect, but then neither is Canada’s economic condition – what you see is what you get. Still, he has no choice at this point. His last budget is his election platform, notwithstanding the scattering of election goodies he announces every few days or so.
The NDP’s Mulcair is shadow boxing. This is particularly true in Ontario where the words NDP are inextricably associated with high taxes and high deficits – the ghost of a government punching above its weight during one of Canada’s worst recessions. So he’s decided to play it safe, buying into the PM’s budget, using it as his own platform.
Not to appear too cozy with the PM, he has tried to personalize it with his own list of goodies. And, his biggest promise, the $15 day national day care plan, will be just a pipe dream unless all ten provinces ante in. Otherwise he might as well be campaigning with the PM.
 Federal NDP Leader Tom Mulcair speaks to supporters at a rally where he promotes his view that the country is ready for a change. it appears to be working Last week Mulcair unveiled his ‘fiscal plan’ essentially a ‘back-of-the-envelope’ summary of how he would alter the last Tory budget to make it his own. For example, he added extra revenue from raising the corporate tax rate and subtracted revenue loss from cutting the small business rate before summing the difference.
And all three leaders are now promising to do something to lower the small business tax rate. That would be a progressive measure though it is questionable how much small business investment and job creation would spring forth as a result. Taxes are only one factor affecting small business decisions of investment and hiring, and not the most important one.
Consumer demand is the key determinant for small business expansion and that means a healthy growing economy. If you can’t sell your product, because people aren’t buying or they’re buying cheap imports, then how much tax you’d have to pay on your profits is the last thing you’d worry about. The best policy to help small business is for government to help the economy out of the recession, deficit or not.
Mr. Mulcair is the only major leader planning to raise corporate taxes. One should wonder why all the leaders are not promising to do that. Canada’s corporate tax rate is the lowest in the G7 by a good measure. Further, there is no proof that the government revenue forfeited by lowering corporate taxes can stimulate the economy any better than direct investment in public goods like infrastructure – or cutting the HST. Didn’t we learn a while ago that ‘trickle down economics’ doesn’t work?
Do Mr. Harper and Mr. Trudeau really believe that lowering the taxes of the banks and insurance companies, so they can cut their CEO’s even fatter bonus cheques, really helps our economy? How can these leaders reconcile the dramatic slashing of corporate tax rates over the last decade with the evaporation of some 400,000 manufacturing jobs over that same time period?
Mr. Harper has been criticized for using an unrealistically high oil price as the basis for revenue projections in his budget. That shaky, disingenuous foundation stone for his plan has been ignored and glossed over by Mulcair’s steely-eyed strategists, it appears. As a result Mr. Mulcair’s fiscal plan can be made to balance, just as easily as the PM’s. It is such irony to hear Mr. Harper claim that NDP will be running deficits, knowing that is also in his cards.
 Justin Trudeau believes the country needs economic stimulation and is prepared to live with deficits to revive an economy that is technically in a recession and has an unemployment rate that is rising – every so slightly. Unlike the other two leaders Mr. Trudeau isn’t pretending he can run a surplus with imaginary numbers. He’s set a spending target for Canada’s much needed infrastructure investment and… to hell with the deficit, at least for the near future. Unlike the other leaders, Mr. Trudeau has come out of his corner making no pretence that he can balance an unbalance able budget.
 Ray Rivers writes weekly on both federal and provincial politics, applying his more than 25 years as a federal bureaucrat to his thinking. Rivers was a candidate for provincial office in Burlington where he ran as a Liberal against Cam Jackson in 1995, the year Mike Harris and the Common Sense Revolution swept the province. Rivers is no longer active with any political party.
Background links:
The Economic Debate Key Debate Points – Nanos Poll Poll Tracker
Unemployment Numbers – Mulcair’s Fiscal Plan – Mulcair’s Critique – More Mulcair –
Actual Plan Small Business Tax Corporate Taxes
Trickle Down Economics
 By Pepper Parr
September 21, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Part 1 of a 2 part feature.
The day any one of the Bridgewater developments is opened – you may not see much of Jeff Paikin – he will be quietly walking from location to location polishing a door knob, picking up a piece of scrap paper or chatting up one of his neighbours. Paikin is not only the builder of the three structure project – he is also the owner of one of the condominium units
The project has been in the works since at least 1985. Paikin wasn’t the designer, the vision wasn’t his but a series of circumstances dropped the project into his lap and he is like a kid with a new toy.
 The Bridgewater is going to be a sterling project – because that’s what Paikin builds.
The Gazette was taken on a tour of the sales office – parts of which are a built to scale of several of the rooms that will be located between the 9th and the 16th floor.
In the middle of the sales office is a very large model of the project which gives a great view of what the buildings will look like and how they will impact the city.
And they are going to impact the city.
Let’s start from the outside and work our way in – the sales office will be used for a Christmas party being given for the people who have purchased units – this will be a very high end – someone who is being asked to pay more than $3 million for the top floor of the 22 storey condominium – those are big bucks – and you don’t serve those people peanuts and cheap beer.
 When the party is over – the sales office gets taken down – not by a bulldozer – it was built to be taken apart, stored somewhere and used again.
Days later – the shovels go into the ground.
Expect it to be the photo op of the century for Burlington.
 Elizabeth Street as it is today – it will be re-graded but still steep. The entrance to all the parking and lower access to each building will be at the bottom of this grade. There won’t be much seen by the public for a couple of months once the cameras and the television people leave the site.
The project is going to have four floors of underground parking including a level that vehicles will come into at grade – but that grade will be at the bottom of Elizabeth Street.
You can just imagine what kind of a photo op the putting of shovels into the ground is going to be. If the Mayor does a selfie – we hope it is better than the one he did on the bus several months ago.
While the Bridgewater is being constructed, just a three minute drive to the west the Joseph Brant Hospital expansion and re-development will be going on. Burlington actually has cranes on the skyline these days.
The Waterfront hotel is in the process of going through a design exercise that may see the existing hotel torn down and a much higher structure going up (more than 28 floors?) along with two smaller structures that will be located south of the current foot print.
The decision as to what can be done south of the current hotel sits in the hands of the Conservation Authority.
The design exercise has the city ordering up two designs and the owner of the property putting forward his own preferred design.
 The view from the steps of the Bridgewater sales centre has two cranes on the horizon lifting buckets of concrete as the redevelopment and expansion of the Joseph Brant Hospital progresses. The Waterfront hotel in the foreground is in a redesign stage. Those three projects, the hospital, the Waterfront Hotel and Bridgewater will result in a downtown core that most people in this city are not aware of and many may not be ready for – but they are coming.
We step inside the sales centre – this is a “by appointment only” operation, you realize you are in what amounts to a two bedroom unit that is lavishly decorated by Brian Gluckstein. Everything is real not a piece of plastic in sight.
In part two of this feature we take you through the layout of the rooms and the design features – expect to see this location in one of the higher end design magazines.
When we last met with Jeff Paikin he had five sales situations in the pipeline – three of those came through and last week he booked $3.1 million in sales. Very nice.
The first thing you see at the sales centre is a large model of the project – “that cost $40,000” claims Paikin. It could have – it is big enough.
When the sales centre gets taken apart the model gets tossed – the Gazette has some ideas for that. Stay tuned.
The grade from the street level to the walkway at the edge of the lake is steep – quite steep and must have been a challenge to the landscapers.
 In order to keep open space for the public to enjoy between the hotel and the condominiums several sets of stairs are in place at the south end – they look steep.
 There are several ramps for those who don’t want to manage the stairs and there is a nice winding pathway on the east side – that is already in place.
What the public has not seen is the layout and design of the court yard outside the rear of the hotel and between the two condominiums – one on the east – 22 storeys and one on the west – 7 storey’s.
Set out below are several views of the model. There is a reasonably sized reflecting pool in the courtyard area. Paikin said it was something the city wanted – he didn’t seem to have much enthusiasm for the thing.
It isn’t clear yet how much of the court yard space is going to be fully public and how much will be allocated to the hotel for what will be a lovely outdoor cafe – if such a things is included in the court yard. The hotel, which was originally going to be a Delta Hotel got upgraded to a Marriott when the two operations were merged some time ago.
If the stairs at the south end prove to be too daunting there is a lovely winding path down the eastern side of the 22 storey condominium.
At one point there was talk of some of the lower level condominium units opening out onto that walkway.
The winding path down the east side of the Bridgewater development may prove the easier to navigate.
The walkway is in place now – it was part of a property exchange with the city that included the promenade at the south end that continues on into Spencer Smith Park and eventually into the Beachway Park.
People will be able to have a breakfast in the fresh air overlooking the lake and then walk right through to the canal on the western border of the city. We just might be getting close to what Hamilton has in their waterfront. Some sculpture will be needed at some point.to the
Contrary to rumours being floated around, Jeff Paikin did not buy half of the top floor of the 22 storey condominium; he has a unit in the 7 storey condominium on the west side of the site.
 By Staff
September 21, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
This article has been revised – an error was made in understanding the time of day the accident took place.
A 31 year old Flamborough man was operating a 2007 Kawasaki motorcycle southbound on Guelph Line, north of Colling Road when just before noon on Sunday he collided with a car that was turning into the Mt. Nemo Conservation area.
The motorcycle rider suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. Due to the fatality, the Collision Reconstruction Unit (C.R.U.) was called in and took carriage of the investigation.
Guelph Line was closed in both directions for approximately three hours while the C.R.U. conducted their At-Scene investigation.
Police will not be releasing the name of the decedent at this time.
The northbound vehicle would have been making a right hand turn – the motorcycle going south would have been on the other side of the road.
How the two managed to collide is what the police needed hours to figure out – someone was not on the side of the road they were supposed to be on.
A terrible way to die.
Any witnesses to this collision are asked to contact the C.R.U. at 905.825.4747 ext.5065.
By Staff
September 18, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
The Halton Regional Police Service, Burlington station, is reaching out to the public to help locate wanted persons and hold them accountable for their actions. This is the 22nd time the police service has reached out to the public. The program has been a significant success.
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.
 Brennan HOWE-PATTISON 19 years old, of Hamilton, ON. #3 District- Burlington Offender Management Unit is searching for Brennan HOWE-PATTISON 19 years old, of Hamilton, ON.
It is alleged:
– In September of 2014 the accused was engaged in a verbal argument with a male in his 50’s when it escalated and the accused punched the victim
– The accused also damaged property in the victim’s home as well as the apartment building where the assault occurred while he was leaving the scene
– Officers conducted an investigation and were able to locate the accused a short time later
– The accused was arrested, charged with Assault and two counts of Mischief under $5000 and was later released on a recognizance
– The accused was scheduled to re-attend court in September of 2015 which he failed to do and a warrant was issued for his arrest
He is now wanted by the Halton Regional Police Service for:
Assault
Mischief under $5000 x 2
Fail to Re-Attend Court
The accused is also wanted by Hamilton Police service for:
Possession over $5000
Fail to Re-Attend Court x 2
HOWE-PATTISON is described as 5’9”, 135lbs, blue eyes and blonde hair. HOWE-PATTISON has ties to Burlington, Hamilton and the surrounding areas.
Anyone who may have witnessed this male or has information that would assist investigators in identifying him are asked to contact Detective Constable 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
September 18, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Bus detours around downtown Brant Street
On Sunday Sept. 20, between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., Brant Street between Elgin and Caroline will be closed due to “The Amazing Bed Race”.
Buses using Brant Street between the Terminal and the Burlington GO will be detoured as follows:
From the Terminal
North on John Street to Caroline
Left on Caroline to Brant Street
Right on Brant Street
Resume regular routing
 From the Burlington GO
South on Brant Street to Caroline
Left on Caroline to John Street
Right on John Street
Continue south into Terminal
By Staff
September 18, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Waterfront Trail Closure and Detour Starting Sept. 21, 2015
 Construction work related to the Joseph Brant Hospital will result in a bit of a detour for the Waterfront Trail
A section of the Waterfront Trail, at the west end of Spencer Smith Park, south of Joseph Brant Hospital, will be closed for construction starting Monday, Sept. 21.
A detour route made from crushed gravel will run adjacent to the closed section of the trail.
The closure is expected to last until October 2015.
By Walter Byj
September 18, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Despite what seemed like a lengthy and potentially controversial agenda, the September 16th meeting of the Halton District School Board went smoothly and relatively quickly. Items covered during the meeting were as follows;
Program Viability Committee
The Halton District School Board initiated a committee to examine program viability in both the English program and the French Immersion program and to make a recommendation to the Board no later than June 2015. The committee will be chaired by the Associate Director and will be composed of the Superintendent of Program, Superintendent of Student Success, System Principal of French Program, System Principal of School Program, Principals of dual track elementary schools, elementary single track English schools, elementary single track French Schools, French Immersion programs in High School, single track English programs in high schools and three trustees who currently sit on the French advisory committee.
A more detailed report on this item will be published later in the week.
Active Transportation
Active Transportation to school and work is defined as human powered transportation such as walking, cycling, wheeling, rolling and using mobility devices. Students and their families and staff who make active transportation a choice, over automobile travel, experience benefits in mental and physical health and well-being, are more prepared to learn and promote community connections.
 Burlington school board trustee Andrea Grebenc wants to see more walking to school. Reducing automobile use around schools by choosing active transportation modes and/or school buses/public transit improves air quality around schools for students, staff and the whole community. Supporting such active and sustainable travel choices reflects the principles of Ontario’s Foundation for a Healthy School.
Trustee Grebnec introduced a motion that will be debated at a future date.
Ontario Ombudsman
Effective September 1, 2015 the Ontario Ombudsman obtains jurisdiction for school boards. We have been asked by the Ombudsman’s office to supply a list of procedures the public can access to regarding challenges to Board procedures. Many of the Board’s procedures have been listed in the survey (transportation, discipline, suspension/expulsion, etc.), all prefaced by the Board’s Process for Public Concerns, attached to this document as an administrative procedure.
Background:
The Ontario Ombudsman under the Ombudsman Act has broad powers that include the ability to assist the public in matter of school boards’ jurisdiction. The general role of the Ombudsman is to respond to complaints and seek to resolve concerns raised by the public. The Ombudsman’s website (www.ombudsman.on.ca) details the breadth and depth of the work performed by that office.
Generally speaking, the Ombudsman will look to refer concerns to existing internal resolutions procedures (discipline appeals, human rights procedures, staff grievances). I believe that is the reason why we have been asked to supply an overview of our various procedures for public and parent concerns. The Ombudsman refers to itself as “an office of last resort”, meaning that other internal mechanisms for disputes should be exercised first. In the case where a complaint cannot be resolved, the Ombudsman determines whether an investigation is warranted and the Board is notified. The Ombudsman then investigates and reports publicly. It should be noted that the decisions of the Ombudsman are not binding and do not overturn decisions of the Board; however, it is my understanding that the wisdom and impartiality of the office is usually acknowledged with a review of the decisions.
Most of the items on the agenda were of the FYI nature and will be summarized in the near future. However, both the program viability committee and active transportation agenda items will be reported in more detail as they have the potential to be controversial and have a profound impact on the community.
 Walter Byj has been the Gazette reporter on education for more than a year. He is a long time resident of the city and as a parent has in the past delegated to the school board.
 By Pepper Parr
September 17, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Tom Muir, an Aldershot resident known for his persistent questions at city council meetings and what his council member might call ongoing badgering.
Muir is one of those guys that wants to look at the details – for he knows the devil is always in those details.
He currently wants to know why the city did not have a position on the application the ADI Development Group had made for Official Plan and zoning changes to the property at the south north corner of Lakeshore Road and Martha Street.
City council did debate the application at a Standing Committee and Staff put forward an excellent report which set out what the Planning department thought. During the debates at the Standing Committee it was pretty clear that no one at city council was on for this project and most of the hands went up saying this isn’t for us – but those votes are not recorded and have no standing.
 Not on single member of city council was for the ADI development – but they never got to vote officially against the project. some either forgot to count the number of days before ADI could go to the OMB or there was plain rank incompetence somewhere. It is the votes at city council that matter – and there was never a vote by city council because – wait for it – the 180 day period had ended the day before city council was to meet – and the ADI Development Group had taken their application to the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) arguing that the city had failed to make a decision on their application within the 180 day deadline.
“I would like an explanation” asked Muir “of how the staff report on this project did not make it to Council within the 180 days mandated in the legislation.” The fact is the planning staff did get their report to city council and it was debated at Standing Committee. The other fact is that the Mayor either couldn’t count out 180 days or didn’t think it mattered all that much.
 It is a very large building – the highest ever proposed for this city and is on a very small lot. The city planners recommended it not be approved – a Standing Committee agreed – but city council never got to officially vote no on the project. There was more than enough evidence to indicate how ADI was going to behave – they had already taken the city to the OMB on a different development.
Muir is quite right however – there has never been a word from the office of the Mayor on the ADI development – there was a discussion at Standing Committee earlier in the week on a confidential matter related to the Lakeshore Road development.
Muir calls this a “a failure of transparency and accountability” – the failure is in the city not realizing the kind of developer they were up against. ADI knew what the rules were and he played by them.
The city did not have a scheduled council meeting and didn’t see any reason, apparently, to suggest to the Mayor that he call a special council meeting – he has the authority to do that.
 The city has a major beef with this sign – don’t think it is legal. The failure is that the city council apparently did not see this coming – when they should have. The Director of Planning should have had a meeting with the Mayor to advise him of the seriousness of a delay and then followed that up with a memo to cover his butt.
The Mayor should have seen this one coming.
The ADI development was on the agenda the evening council met to vote officially on the proposal. When city staff got word that ADI had taken their application to the OMB council was no longer permitted to discuss the issue – it was now in the hands of an OMB Commissioner.
Muir wants to “know the line of responsibility for this failure”. Look to the planning department, the city’s Solicitor and the office of the Mayor.
 The ADI Development Group is converting a lower Brant retail location into a sales office for their Nautique project – as yet approved – for the corner of LAkeshore Road and Martha Should ADI prevail at the OMB hearing, and there are a number of reasons to believe they will, the city will pay a high price in terms of the way they want to develop their downtown core.
There are better ways to run a city. The first hearing of the ADI application to the OMB is scheduled for March of next year.
Meanwhile ADI has opened up a sales office on Brant Street. They have redone the outside of the building and appear to be putting up a high end sales office. Many people are asking how they can do this when the project has yet to be approved by anyone. Good question. ADI can open an office to sell whatever he wishes – what he will be doing is taking registrations and perhaps a deposit from people who think they would like to purchase a unit.
 ADI redid the front of the sales office location with stucco giving it a softer look. The detailing on the inside is very polished and sophisticated. There will be a lot of muscle behind their sales and marketing program. Their advertisements are already seen on web site with a considerable amount of newspaper advertising as well The ADI people don’t do very much without the advice of their legal counsel – and they have retained a very competent firm, Weir & Foulds, to represent them. Expensive – but they are tough guys to beat.
 By Pepper Parr
September 17, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
It was an evening during which half a dozen people spoke glowingly about a man who is a classic introvert and in public settings painfully shy. A crowd of perhaps 100 people wandered around the Family Room of the Performing Arts Centre (now to be called The Centre) and gossiped, got caught up on things and then listened as various people spoke about Brian McCurdy, the retiring Executive Director of The Centre.
 An apprehensive Brian McCurdy listens as he is lauded and recognized during a goodbye reception
 A smiling Brian McCurdy – he is going to be missed. while with us he did a superb job. His replacement, Suzanne Haines was on hand – the people who are at the centre of much of what happens in this city introduced themselves to her.
The Centre’s first Executive director was on hand to watch the passing of the torch. She was given some of the credit and recognition she should have been given before she left the position several years ago.
Mayor Goldring spoke about the difference the Centre has made to the city and the growth that has taken place in the arts. During McCurdy’s time the program grew to include more local talent and a broadening of the program plus a significant increase in the number of performances on the two stages.
McCurdy commented on what is involved in opening a new theatre. “I have opened three new theatres and know that it is not easy. What I was able to build during my time here was due in no small measure to what was done before I got here.”
There was more than one occasion when city council had to speak rather forcefully to a former Chair of the theatre board about the size of the subsidy that was needed. When the $500,000 a year the city was prepared to live with ballooned to $1.2 million – Council came down hard on the theatre board – changes were needed and the then Executive Director left the position.
Wednesday evening was a time to celebrate and those taking part in the pleasant goodbye got a chance to see how McCurdy worked with his staff. The star of the evening was the young man who runs the ticket office. Ty Howie told of a Brian McCurdy most people seldom see – a series of anecdotes and jokes and McCurdy’s difficulty with the GO train schedule gave us a glimpse of the man.
 From the left: Theatre Board chair Ilene Elkaim former Executive Director Brenda Heatherington, retiring Executive Director Brian McCurdy and newly appointed Executive Director Suzanne Haines. The words staff watched for very carefully was when McCurdy said “I have an idea” – they knew changes were coming. Those ideas resulted in the 80 performances put on last season and the 100+ that are expected during the season we are now into.
A man with more than 35 years’ experience in the theatre world had seen it all and brought that depth of talent to the footlights of the Centre’s stages – the results were evident.
McCurdy started his career wanting to play the trombone – that wasn’t where he belonged. Brian Coulter, a colleague of McCurdy’s who recently retired from an arts position in Oakville said McCurdy is the kind of person you “hear of long before you meet him”
Watching McCurdy as all these accolades flooded around him was awkward for him. “It was kind of surreal” he said – “they were talking about me.” It just wasn’t something he was used to or comfortable with.
Ty Howie, the ticket manager, told the audience how McCurdy would continually ratchet up the goals and things just worked out.
The Jazz in the Plaza series was an astounding success – expect that to be expanded next year; making stage and rehearsal space in the Studio Theatre available to community groups was a particular joy for McCurdy. Instead of booking a show and working with agents – he was working directly with the talent and having the time of his life. “That’s why we get up in the morning” he said during his remarks in which he set out just how much had been done.
 Newly appointed Executive Director of the Performing Arts Centre: Suzanne Haines The programming base for the season we are into has been set, there is a solid management team in place. The Board is well rounded with an energetic chair. Combine that with a new Executive Director and a level of satisfaction at city council we can now watch to see how Suzanne Haines builds on what was done before her.
One of the most positive notes was McCurdy telling the audience that a Council member recently said to him: “I don’t get calls anymore.”
By Pepper Parr
September 16, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
The recommendation in the Staff report was to Dissolve the Flood Disaster Relief Committee and direct the City Clerk to notify the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing of the dissolution of the City of Burlington’s Flood Disaster Relief Committee.
Dry, cold, bureaucratic wording that added: the purpose was to comply with the Ontario Disaster Relief Assistance Program (ODRAP) Guidelines that require municipal councils to pass a resolution to dissolve their volunteer disaster relief committees.
 The storm came in from the west and hovered over the headwaters of the creeks – and stayed there for more than six hours. And that was it – Burlington’s response to the August 4, 2014 flood was now officially closed.
Yesterday, many of the people involved with responding to the flood gathered at the Performing Arts Centre (now to be known as The Centre) to congratulate those who had done so much and hand out the obligatory plaques, which are an important part of the process, and to watch, as Mayor Goldring put it, “the world Premiere of the half hour documentary: Flash Flood produced by Cogeco TV”
The film told the story of how on Aug. 14, 2014, ten days after the rainstorm, at a special meeting of Council, the city unanimously supported requesting the Province of Ontario to declare the City of Burlington a disaster area for the purposes of seeking funding (both the public and private components) through ODRAP.
The Burlington Community Foundation was approached to assist with the establishment of a Flood Disaster Relief Committee (DRC) to help address the financial needs of the residents impacted by the storm. Colleen Mulholland was given a plaque and for the first time in the past year she had her picture taken without a cardboard donation cheque in front if her. Ron Foxcroft, who can now take Colleen’s phone number out of his speed dial list said his city was “aggressively generous” – and it was.
The documentary told the story of how the community pulled itself together, helped each other and fought hard, and it was a fight, to get financial support from the province.
There were perhaps 50 people in the room watching the documentary was shown. The strongest point that came across was the way people managed the loss of personal property – pictures, mementos, keepsakes that were gone forever.
One woman had the shoes she was to be married in stored in her basement – they were saved and she wore them several months later.
One couple told of learning that there insurance was limited to $5000 – with a $1000 deductible.
The audience learned that the Mayor, whose home was badly flooded, was just settling the finer points of his claim with his insurance company.
 Mark Preston on the left was one of the insurance brokers evaluating the claims – Rick Burgess on the right gave legal advice through the claims process. Mark Preston, an Aldershot based insurance broker said that he had three clients that were flooded and that the local group of insurance brokers had more than 40 claims on the go.
Mayor Goldring made the comment that those who bought their insurance on-line learned the hard way of the real value an insurance broker brings to the table.
 Nancy Swietek, on the right, listen to a flood victim during a public meeting. Colleen Mulholland and Ron Foxcroft were once again lauded for the outstanding work they did – it was well deserved. The three insurance experts who were drafted – which is the best way of explaining how they ended up doing the job they did – were also recognized. The two men and one woman worked for hours every second week as they reviewed every claim and determined what could be paid out. Those three insurance people, Mark Preston, Nancy Swietek and Bruce Russell didn’t get paid a dime. Nor did Rick Burgess, who sat in on all the meetings of the Claims committee providing legal advice.
The Ontario Disaster Relief Assistance Program (ODRAP) allowed the agency that co-ordinated the fund raising and the claims process to be paid for the reasonable expenses they incurred. The Community Foundation submitted a bill for less than $85,000 – the bargain of the century for the city.
The final speaker, at an event with an open bar, not something done in this city very often, was Eleanor McMahon, who at that time was newly elected and had never heard the acronym ODRAP – neither had any one at city hall for that matter. “We learned what that meant pretty quickly” said McMahon who did a fine job of binding the city’s wounds and putting a soft, dignified close the a disaster that while local was nevertheless devastating for those whose homes filled with water much faster than they thought possible.
 Burlington MPP Eleanor McMahon at the Elwood Street party months after the flood. “We had people in this city whose lives were on their front lawns” said McMahon, “going through an experience they believed they would only see on television”. But it happened in Burlington where people learned very quickly how to ask: “How can I help?”
One man told of a lady who went door to door in the Regal Road area with green plastic bags asking people to put their laundry in the bag and she would return with it washed and folded. The speaker in the documentary had difficulty telling that story – he kept gulping. While she would not want us to say who she is – it was Carol Gottlob who walked around taking in laundry.
Councillors Dennison and Sharman made hundreds of visits to homes even though there wasn’t all that much they could do personally other than follow up on matters.
The handling of the claims and the concerns had been outsourced by city hall to the Burlington Community foundation – which is what the ODRAP regulations required. All the city was permitted to do was pick up the reasonable costs incurred by the foundation.
For many people in the flooded areas – it was the occasion when they met many of their neighbours for the first time.
The city and Regional Council have set aside $110 million to improve the management of storm water. An additional person has been added to the payroll to set up procedures and over see this kind of problem in the future –a future that everyone believes will include more weather related problems – climate change and its consequences are being visited upon us.
 The Storm Water Management tax is going to hit the strip malls heavily – the asphalt covering didn’t allow for storm water to drain off quickly. There is expected to be an additional line on the tax bill related to the management of storm water – the Fairview strip malls and the large mall parking lots are going to feel the weight of this tax more than anyone else. The huge swaths if asphalt that cover those parking lots meant the flood waters had nowhere to do – expect that problem to get some hard nosed thinking at city hall
 For many residents it was a very personal experience and they needed help – badly. The documentary Flash Flood will premiere for the public this Sunday (Sept 20th) at 8:00 pm
Kristen Demeny was the camera operator and interviewer and the energy behind the production. Joey Ricottone did the editing and Ben Lyman was the Executive producer.
In the not too distant future a plaque with the names of the major donours and the people that were there when they were needed will be bolted to a boulder in Civic Square – future generations will glance at it and know next to nothing of the day that 191 mm of rain fell on a part of the city in less than seven hours and damaged more than 3500 homes and scarred the hearts of many for life.
“Whenever it rains” said one man in the documentary “I look outside and wonder how long it is going to rain this time.”
By Staff
September 16, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Walkers Line – Nighttime Closure on Sept. 16
All northbound lanes of Walkers Line will be closed at North Service Road for excavation work starting Wednesday, Sept. 16 at 10 p.m. to Thursday, Sept. 17 at 5 a.m.
Northbound traffic will be detoured along North Service Road.
Southbound lanes on Walkers Line are not impacted.
By Staff
September 16, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
 PRESTO transactions are now available at the Downtown Transit Terminal (430 John St.).
A technical problem disrupted the service – it is now back to normal.
Late Night transit service on route 51 has a detour for September 16th and 17th.
North Bound traffic on Walkers Line will be detoured from 10 p.m. on Wednesday Sept. 16 until approximately 5 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 17.
As a result, Late Night Service Route 51 will detour as follows:
Regular routing to Walkers Line at North Service Road
Right at North Service Road
Left at Heritage Road
Left at Mainway
Right at Walkers Line
Resume Regular Routing
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Burlington South
Burlington Northeast
Burlington Northwest
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Routes 50, 51, and 52
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Late night service. Runs to the Burlington GO station.
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By Pepper Parr
September 15, 20-15
BURLINGTON, ON
It is a step – a baby step but everything has to start somewhere.
A note from the Clerks department to the Mayor and Members of Council.
“We are happy to inform you that the Clerk’s department has posted a link to the tracking of all recorded votes taken at Council. We will update this document after each Council meeting.
“The tracking covers all recorded votes taken at Council in 2014 and 2015 to date.”
Sounds good – but is isn’t as good as it sounds. What the Clerk’s office is doing is posting the results of just the recorded votes.
 The diva of recorded votes in Burlington is ward 2 Councillor Marianne Meed Ward. Here she is the lone person voting against an issue A recorded vote takes place when any member of Council asks that the vote about to take place be recorded which means every member of Council is polled by the Clerk and they have to stand until the count is complete.
Most of the votes at city council meetings are not recorded – all the public gets to know from the minutes is how the vote went – that how many voted for the motion and how many voted against.
It is worse than that though. In Burlington every issue goes to one of the three Standing Committee: Development and Infrastructure and Community and Corporate Services. There is also a Committee of the Whole that tends to operate in a worship style.
Everything done at the Standing Committee level has to go to Council for the vote that results in a bylaw. The serious debate takes place at the Standing Committee level – it is at this level that the public gets to see who had what to say and how Council members voted. Those votes are not even written down.
A council member who voted for an issue can change their vote at the City Council meeting and that indeed has happened. When bike lanes on Lakeshore Road were being debated at the Standing Committee level Mayor Goldring was for them. When the matter got to city council the Mayor voted against the motion.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with a member of council changing their mind – the public however does have a right to know why they changed their mind – did new information become available or did vested interests lean on the member of Council.
The Halton District school Board has an automatic voting system – whenever there is a vote all the trustee does is press a button and in seconds the result of the vote shows up on a screen and is part of the public record.
Burlington’s city council is not there yet. The voters will probably have to embarrass them into letting the people who put them in office know what they did while there.
For those interested in how recorded votes went in 2014 and so far in 2015 – click on the link.
 By Pepper Parr
September 15, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Richelle Pain took a rather circuitous route to becoming a school board trustee. She originally thought about running in 1991 – it didn’t seem right to her at the time.
 Richelle Papin describes the board she serves on as cohesive and that serving as a trustee takes up a lot more time than she expected. When she did run in 2010 and lost she found “losing was hard” At the time she had no special passion, no particular issue to run her campaign on – she just felt it was time for her to be in some form of public office.
She moved sometime after the 2010 race and now lived in ward 4 where she decided to run in 2014 and won the seat at the public board of education. She had grown to the point where she felt the school boards had to be accountable and she wanted to be part of the process that ensured accountability was in place.
Papin is more of a bureaucrat than an issues person – process matters to her which reflects her years of working in the public sector – currently as an information technologist.
Papin found the discussion around the French immersion programs all consuming and pointed out that in some western cities in Canada the second language is Spanish.
Papin describes the board she serves on as cohesive, “one that works well together” but she was not able to point to anything that she felt she had achieved in her first year as a trustee.
 Papin, like every other trustee, said the board’s web site is “lousy”. As the only trustee with as full time job she finds that role requires more work that she thought it would take to get the job done.
The leadership conference the board held recently was one she appreciated – “I took quite a bit away from that”
Papin said she doesn’t have a strong policy on communicating with parents in her ward – she does have a Face book page but doesn’t get much traffic from it.
She wonders if our schools are what we think they are. She mentioned that Tuck, which has one of the best reputations in the city, had problems getting enough parent volunteers to help out at the annual Fun Fair.
Households today are not what they once were. The demands and strains on parents are a lot different – many parents don’t have the time needed to be fully active in their community. Those that commute aren’t back in Burlington until pretty close to 6 pm – and if they’re children are involved in some activity – a family around the table dinner often gets a pass.
Papin, like every other trustee, said the board’s web site is “lousy” – the current Director of Education has said $100,000 has been committed to upgrading the web site – but no one has attached a time line to the planned upgrade.
Papin admits that she doesn’t have nor does she want a high public profile. She feels her job is to look things over and be involved in the process of managing the issues before the board.
 “That’s a good question” she said – “it isn’t something I, given any thought to – I am certainly going to finish this term.” While some trustees had an issue with schools being used for voting purposes – Pain doesn’t see any problem with such a practice. “I’m certainly not against it” she said and pointed out that the one parent who delegated at city council and met with people at the board of education is married to a police officer and that may have influenced some of her thinking.
Papin says she has a very good working relationship with the ward Councillor Jack Dennison, a former boss. “He copies me on anything that is even remotely related to school board matters”, she said.
Is there a political life beyond the school board for Papin? “That’s a good question” she said – “it isn’t something I, given any thought to – I am certainly going to finish this term.”
Papin was born in West Africa raised in Aldershot and attended Aldershot High school and earned a degree at the University of Guelph that had majors in English and sociology. “I gave some thought to becoming a teacher but life took me in another direction.”
Related articles
First in the series
Second in the series
By Pepper Parr
September 15, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Close to the first thing city council did when they returned from a three month vacation away from city business was to go into a closed session to talk about the property the city owned and how it could be leveraged to get something going in the downtown core in terms of development that wasn’t just condominiums and retail operations that lasted a year and went bust.
Before the meeting went into closed session Councillors Taylor (ward 3) AND Mead Ward (ward 2) complained about getting a document several hours before the discussion was to take place.
 Councillor Taylor wants to see reports in his hands several days before he is asked to discuss the contents, His beef was over getting document just a few hours before he was to make comments. Taylor started out with a Point of Order he wanted to make and then asked why the policy that was agreed upon in 2014 to get material to council members on the Friday of the week before meetings take place allowing time to read the material and think it through.
“I don’t know what is expected of us” said Taylor, “there hasn’t been any time to read the material. Are we just going to receive and file it?”
Taylor went on to say that “knowledge is power and it looks to me as if you are going to go ahead and do what you want without any input from Council.
 General Manager Scott Stewart was away on vacation which meant a report to be discussed wasn’t available in its final form until he returned to the city. General manager Scott Stewart responded by saying the report was meant to bring council members up to date on the thinking that was being done and to give a sense of where staff was going. “If we are offside” he said, “this was the time to let us know”.
Staff may have been offside and council may have let them know – but the public will never know – the session in which all this revealing was taking place was closed so the public.
City manager James Ridge explained that the documents they were seeing today was one of three pieces of information.
Council was getting a look at what staff felt could be done with property the city owned in the downtown core – parking lots for the most part.
Ridge went on to say that with staff thinking in front of council they could then talk about how all this would relate to the “core commitment” – an issue that has been kicked around for more than a decade with no results that are visible.
 Something along these lines was planned for Burlington’s downtown core – but McMaster stiffed the city when a nicer deal came along. The last great hope for the downtown core was when McMaster University got serious about locating a campus on the Elizabeth Street parking lot – McMaster had a change of heart, helped by a great deal on a piece of property and decided that the South Service Road was a pretty good location.
Ridge went on to explain that with the basic information clearly understood and agreed upon staff could begin doing some “growth modelling” that would get attached to the Strategic Plan which would in turn inform the Official Plan that is slowly working its way through a required revision.
While the process was clear enough Councillor Meed Ward wanted a little more information on why the documents in front of her were not available when they were supposed to be available.
Scott Stewart fessed up and explained that he had been on vacation and staff wasn’t able to get as much done without his presence. Stewart did add that changes were being made to the report as late as Sunday night.
All well and good – but the public still doesn’t know what the debate was about.
The web cast did not catch all the council member remarks – there was a comment from Councillor Sharman – he appreciated “you’re bringing this to us now”.
At some point the public might get to know what it was they talked about.
 By Pepper Parr
September 15, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
The phony election phase is now behind us. The past few days there have been more promises from the four parties wanting to either ensure they stay in power or want to form the next government and exert the power the public gives them. And remember – the power a government has is power you gave them when you voted.
Burlington has a large seniors’ population; current MP Mile Wallace has courted that cohort very successfully and they have been loyal to him. Say seniors and you have also said pensions, and that has brought out a statement from Liberal candidate Karina Gould who today said: A Trudeau-led Liberal government will make sure that Canadian seniors get the secure and dignified retirement they deserve.
 These seniors are certainly fans of Justin Trudeau – he draws well when he is on public tour. Many of his policy statements have been strong – knowing how it is all going to be aid for is a concern. It isn’t just the Liberals who aren’t being candid about the costs. “With record levels of household debt and an economy in recession, it is no wonder why Canadians in Burlington – and across the country – are worried about their retirement,” said Gould. “Right now, on average, a retired person receives just $618 per month from the Canada Pension Plan – hardly enough to live on. Our seniors have worked their entire lives, and should not have to struggle to make ends meet. Justin Trudeau has a plan to ensure that all Canadians get the dignified retirement they have earned.”
“As part of our three-point plan to create jobs, grow the middle class, and help those working hard to join the middle class, a Liberal government will work with the provinces and territories to significantly reform our retirement security system by:
• Restoring the eligibility age for Old Age Security and the Guaranteed Income Supplement to 65;
• Lifting hundreds of thousands of seniors out of poverty by immediately boosting the Guaranteed Income Supplement for single low-income seniors by ten percent;
• Introducing a new Seniors Price Index – in recognition of the fact that many seniors live on fixed incomes – to make sure that Old Age Security and the Guaranteed Income Supplement keep up with rising costs;
• Beginning discussions with the provinces and territories, workers, employers and others on how to enhance the Canada Pension Plan within our first three months in government;
• Not cutting pension income splitting for seniors;
• Introducing a more flexible and accessible Employment Insurance Compassionate Care Benefit; and
• Prioritizing significant new investment in affordable housing and seniors’ facilities as part of a Liberal government’s commitment to a new, ten-year investment of nearly $20 billion in social infrastructure.
This is good stuff – and as a senior who looks for that pension cheque going into the bank at the end of every month I certainly understand who Gould is talking to – me.
How is my government going to pay for this improvement in my pension? Are they going to have to take money away from something else? Will the much touted federal day care program be lost for another decade? Will the aboriginal communities not get the schools they desperately need so I can get a bigger pension?
Governing is a balancing act – how do you keep everyone happy?
 Liberal candidate Karina Gould watches a group of seniors discuss transit policy – getting around the city is critical for these people – just as critical as their pensions. “I’m proud of the policy my Party announced today for seniors,” added Gould. “It is a product of grassroots discussions, like the town hall I held in January with the Hon. John McCallum, Liberal Critic for Citizenship and Immigration, Multiculturalism, and Seniors. The measures we’re putting forward are born directly out of these conversations. I have been listening to the serious issues that face seniors in our community. I’m proud to stand for a party that will act for all of our seniors and ensure a dignified retirement for everyone in our community.”
I too am proud of the policy – I’d just like to know how it is going to be paid for.
The Liberal candidates are not the only ones a little shy on the details side of the election promises – a voters question should be ; how much?
By Pepper Parr
September 15, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
City Manager James Ridge put it pretty clearly to council members when, after more than an hour of debate, he said they had to decide how the city wanted to treat coyotes.
Do you want them lopping along the streets of the city or do you want us to remove the animals from our urban spaces, he asked?
The sense from Council was that no one minded the animals on the streets just as long as they don’t hurt us – and that was the issue – there appear to be coyotes out there that do want to hurt us.
The worst concentration of coyotes appears to be in the east end of the city but they are spreading around and are now found in all the wards. In the rural part of the city Councillor John Taylor said “we have our own way of handling the coyotes” which appeared to be acceptable.
 There isn’t going to be a coyote kill like this in Burlington – unless someone is attached by one of the animals – there is considerable debate over whether or not coyotes actually attach people. What wasn’t acceptable is shooting the animals, Councillor Craven kept calling them critters. And it isn’t acceptable to bludgeon them to death either, which appears to be what happened to one of the pups belonging to a bitch coyote in the east end.
Ward 6 Councillor Blair Lancaster told of an evening driving home and there was a coyote in the middle of the road – she slowed down, drove past the animal and moved on then came upon a resident walking a small dog and suggested he might want to carry the dog.
The male resident said he wasn’t worried – he would just shush the coyote away.
Two Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry staffers delegated and told council that there were no known incidents of coyotes attacking people. The Mayor Googled and came up with specific incidents in Ontario where people were apparently attached by a coyote.
The issues seems to be – what does a community do when a wild animal changes its behaviour and decides it will not co-exist with humans and attacks them instead.
The draft bylaw that was in front of the Standing Committee didn’t seem to provide an answer to that question and so it was deferred to the next cycle of Standing Committee meetings.
 A coyote that has apparently gone rogue in the east end of the city lost at least one of her pups to a public that wants that specific coyote out of the community Councillor Paul Sharman has what he called a rogue coyote in his ward that had chased a young boy on his bike and another situation where a coyote had circled someone driving a jeep.
Council was meeting to debate a proposed by law that none of the members of council had seen more than a half day before council met.
The end result was to defer the debate on the bylaw – which was going to make it illegal to feed animals or fowl on public property.
What people did on their own property wasn’t something council could do anything about – which didn’t do much for the two woman, Kelly Rosbrook and Jennier Glenn of ward 2 – they had a local resident feeding the coyotes, the pigeons, the geese and apparently anything else that was hungry. They showed a video of vermin scooting through their back yards.
 The trumpeter swans can be fed on public property – but only by people with a license to band them for scientific purposes – there are only eight people who can do that in Burlington. The draft by law was to prevent people from feeding wild life on public property – there is to be an exception – the people wanting to restore the Trumpeter Swans were going to get an exemption – however it was to be limited to just the eight people who have a license to band and record data on the swans.
Councillor Craven had concerns over the number of people he believes are feeding the swans. He commented that anyone feeding swans in LaSalle park had better have their banding license with them.
There is more to this story. Stay tuned.
Female coyotes are properly described as bitches
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Fire Chief Tony Bavota, Mayor Goldring, people from the Burlington Restaurant Association and Robert Bateman High School are joining together for activities to help spread this public safety message.
