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.
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Late Night transit service on route 51 has a detour for September 16th and 17th.
As a result, Late Night Service Route 51 will detour as follows: Regular routing to Walkers Line at North Service Road
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.
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
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.  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.
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; 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?
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
September 14, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON Starting Sunday, Oct. 4, Burlington Transit will have adjusted its schedules, affecting a number of routes, including routes serving Appleby GO station. All bus routes at Appleby GO station will now use the newly expanded transit loop on the south side south of the station.
Routes 80, 81 and 83 will be moving to the south side of the Appleby GO station. All Burlington Transit bus routes will now connect on the same side of the station. Routes 1 and 101 will be returning to their regularly scheduled route, which was temporarily adjusted in May 2015 for construction on Waterdown Road. This construction is now complete. Routes 4, 15 and 20 have been adjusted to better align with recent changes to the GO Transit schedule. Updated schedules for routes 5 and 21 in addition to some minor trip adjustments on routes 2, 3, 6, 10, 20 and 40 will be included. Schedules will be available online at www.burlingtransit.ca starting in mid-September and in Burlington Transit’s Ride Guide by the end of September. Transit riders are advised to review changes that may affect their travel plans.
September 14, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON It was a good healthy crowd. All the right people said all the right things and when it was over Pam Damoff had a campaign office that was open and ready to take her campaign to the next level. The campaign was close to running out of signs – a good omen? Depends on how many signs they printed up the first time around.  Campaign chair Ed McMahon and campaign manager Keri Schoonderwoerd go over the agenda for a full campaign office opening. Fund raising is always a challenge – the Liberals fell back on a tried and true approach – pass the hat. It soon filled with $20 biils  The western boundary of the Oakville North Burlington constituency is Burloak and Bell School line. With candidates in three different constituencies – voters are going to be confused on where they are supposed to vote. Messy re-distribution. This riding had quite an early history. Last summer, former Conservative MP Eve Adams and local chiropractor Natalia Lishchyna abandoned their bids for the Tory nomination amid allegations of wrongdoing.  Liberal candidate and Oakville Town Councillor Pam Damoff opened her campaign office in Burlington on the weekend. Ward 6 Councillor for Oakville, Max Khan was the party’s original nominee. Mr Khan died in September, 2014. Oakville Town Councillor and longtime community volunteer Pam Damoff was acclaimed as the Liberal candidate on May 26, 2015. There are five candidate: A Liberal, a Conservative, a Green candidate; a Libertarian candidate and a New Democrat. The race in this riding, ONB, is between the Liberal and the Conservative. The eventual winner will probably be decided by the strength of the coat tails of Stephen Harper or Justin Trudeau. The NDP candidate brings little to the race, the Greens hope for a strong showing so they have something to build on – and the Libertarian is there because the democratic process allows him to be a candidate. The Conservative candidate has a very strong pedigree, impressive as well but it is going to be difficulty to see her in action. Effie Triantafilopoulos is the Conservative candidate for Oakville North-Burlington. Prior to her candidacy, Effie held key roles in Ottawa as a Chief of Staff to Ministers responsible for three important departments: including, External Affairs and International Trade, Industry Canada and the Treasury Board of Canada. In these jobs, she provided strategic advice to the federal government on how to increase trade and economic growth. She has also served as Deputy Director and Senior Advisor at the Summits Management Office of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada for the G20 Summit in 2010. In the private sector, Effie specialized in corporate, international trade and immigration law while working closely with Canadian companies to create jobs, attract investment and find markets for Canadian products. She served as a director at leading business associations, including Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, Ontario Exports Inc. and the Forum for International Trade Training. In the not-for-profit sector, Effie served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Save the Children Canada. In this role, she promoted programs focused on improving the health and education of children in Canada and in countries across the world. Effie received her Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from the University of Toronto, followed by a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Ottawa and a Master of Laws in International Trade and Competition Law from Osgoode Hall. Effie is committed to public service and volunteerism, and has played an active role in community and national not-for-profit organizations for more than 25 years, including the Hellenic Heritage Foundation and Accessible Media Inc. The Gazette sent in a request to be added to the ONB media list – and were told we would be added – nothing so far – but then it is early in the campaign. Libertarian Party of Canada nominated David Clement. David is a local entrepreneur in the consulting field. The Conservatives have reportedly told their candidates to keep their heads down – don’t take part in any debates; focus on the core vote, those died in the wool Tories who will take their ballot to the grave with them. The objective will be to get the Tory vote out and hope that the tide does not turn on Mr. Harper. The first candidate campaign for Burlington had candidates from both Burlington proper and Oakville North Burlington (ONB) meeting in the Burlington library answering questions from youth.  Candidates from both the Burlington and Oakville North Burlington constituencies take part in the first federal election event in the area. Wallace took part and managed to get out a statement on the Old Age Supplement – there were some seniors in the room – that is his target market. If he can keep them – and they do like him – he could be safe. They appear to be depending on the solid Conservative vote in this part of the province. Effie Triantafilopoulos does not have a local profile but the party membership thought she was a better candidate than Blair Lancaster who was prepared to give up her ward six Burlington council seat and sit in the House of Commons. We are now into the thick of the campaign that pollsters are calling a dead heat between the Liberals and the New Democrats nationally with the Conservatives losing a bit of the lead they had  Pam Damoff campaign manager Keri Schoonderwoerd passes the hat to raise funds for another print run of campaign signs. The focus of the campaign appears to be shifting from one scare tactic – that the terrorists are going to arrive on our shores in droves to a new scare – the economy is not safe in the hands of either Liberal Justin Trudeau or God forbid the socialists. If the Conservatives can scare enough people – they might get themselves returned to office. Damoff has local experience – she serves on the Oakville town council; she is personable, knows the issues and understands Ottawa where she worked in a number of administrative capacities for a Cabinet Minister. She is certainly visible and has an active, committed, focused campaign team. Burlington residents are now part of one of three different constituencies and will now be represented by three different people: all three could be female. Going to be tough to get anything out of Ottawa with that kind of representation. The municipalities and the Region will have to scurry to get someone to listen to them.
September 14, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON PRESTO customers are advised that transactions normally performed at a Customer Service counter are currently not available at the Downtown Transit Terminal (430 John St.) until further notice.
September 14, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON Ward 2 Councillor Marianne Meed Ward brought her constituents up to day on the accident she was involved in that resulted in both whiplash and a serious concussion. One SUV hit her van and forced her into the rear of another SUX. The driver of the car that hit Meed |Ward was charged with careless driving. The Meed Ward van was written off.  Even at 95% recovery from a concussion Meed Ward will keep her council colleagues on their toes. Meed Ward explained that at the time she thought it was a “relatively minor accident, and I was more annoyed than anything. But the next day, at the urging of friends, I attended a walk-in clinic because I felt something wasn’t right. I learned I had sustained whiplash, and tissue damage in my back. “Worse, I was diagnosed with concussion. The double impact had snapped my head forward and back with such force my brain hit my skull on both sides – a common injury for this type of motor vehicle accident. “The result: headache, sensitivity to light and sound, extreme fatigue, nausea. The feeling like your head is full of sawdust.” Rest isn’t something Meed Ward is very good at – she was writing her constituency newsletter at 4:30 in the morning. She did however take the doctor’s advice after “she told me I could either rest over the summer and be fully recovered by the fall, or maintain my usual pace and delay my recovery by six months to a year. So I took the summer off.” “I’m 95% recovered, with a few remaining physiotherapy and concussion appointments. I expect to be fully recovered very soon. The goal is to be symptom free while maintaining my usual work pace” We will look forward to another of her requests for a recorded vote on an issue – this city council never tells the public how members of Council voted at Standing Committee meetings. They record the vote at a city Council meeting, which is where the actual decision is made but the way each council member actually voted is not recorded – so much for accountability.
September 13, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON  Are Burlingtonians fairly taxed – on reader doesn’t think so. The comments section of the Gazette usually has boisterous debate – several of them write far too long but those that participate in the comments return again and again. This came in earlier today. A reader said: Toronto Star, on September 5, published a Home of the Week. It is located in North York, 3,300 sq. ft, 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms. with a pool, and a toboggan hill. It sold for $1,729,000. Taxes are $5,747. I have a small, frame, 1,509 sq ft bungalow in Burlington, assessed at $709,000 which pays $14,433 (including BIA and a commercial surcharge). Even assuming that 1/3 of my tax is commercial, my Burlington property pays almost double the rate of a North York property valued at much more than double my valuation. This is crazy. Why should it cost over 4 times as much here as in Toronto? Interesting question. Our reader should pull the belt in another notch – you are likely to be taxed even more next time around,
September 13, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON Each week between now and the day we all vote, October 19th, Ray Rivers is going to give Gazette readers his take on how the election is going. The week that was will appear every Monday morning. This was the week of the the ‘Mansbridge Moments’, the CBC’s National program of interviews with the leaders of the three main parties, and the Green Party’s Elizabeth May. Much as with the candidate debates, a rarity despite this exceptionally long campaign, the winners and losers will be found in the eyes of the beholders.  Stephen Harper – on the ropes today – but don’t sell this man short. I thought Mr. Harper looked tired, and resigned to the fact that his party has now dropped clearly into third place. A new air of humility, possibly him test-marketing the new Tory strategy, ‘Harper’s not perfect’, was in play. However, after his opining about the consequences of a Tory loss, one would be pressed to doubt his sincerity.. Mr. Harper has also parked his old campaign team and embraced a new hired gun to save his failing campaign. Perhaps that announcement alone was behind his strengthened numbers as the week closed. The ‘Wizard of Oz’, as he is called is responsible for the winning campaigns of David Cameron in the UK and Tony Abbot in the Wizard’s own native Australia. He will have his work cut out for him to effect a mid-campaign correction for Mr. Harper, however. After all, this was a campaign meant to highlight the PM’s strengths as a man of principle, an accomplished economist and a purveyor of security. But that was before the Duffy fiasco, the economy hitting the skids, and the messy refugee crisis. Topical columnist Margaret Wente has called him toast, what we do with stale bread. And Michael Coren took the time to write a column to let the world know that he couldn’t possibly vote for Harper because he is not a real Christian. After all Christians are supposed to steward the planet and pay regard for the meek who will inherit it.  Seem by many as a smart strategic thinker who adds value to the House of Commons – and thinks she might end up holding the balance of power on the day after the election. Elizabeth May unveiled the most progressive policy agenda of the campaign. Free tuition, national high speed rail, the end of fossil fuels, and global leadership on climate change – what’s not to like? But then she knows she won’t be PM this time around. So she might as well be promising us perfect beauty and eternal life, oh and a place in Mr. Coren’s Heaven for the PM. May sees herself as a match maker, as a kind of Lava-Life or, dare I say, Ashley Madison; who can mediate the two left-wing parties into an unorthodox alliance – a same-sex marriage of sorts. And Mr. Mulcair has sworn to wait for ever at the altar, though Mr. Trudeau would need to be dragged screaming. What unites these three opposition parties is their determination to end Harper’s reign. And they are not alone, the Bloc’s Gilles Duceppe and another sixty plus percent of Canadians feel the same way. There are significant policy differences for the two leading opposition parties, despite agreement on restricting tax free savings, enriching the Canada Pension Plan, killing income splitting, and saving the environment. Still, though Mulcair is promoting his $15 day-care plan, the balance of his socio-economic program, so far, looks a lot like what Mr. Harper has been doing. His commitment to balance his first budget as Canada goes into recession, without even knowing what the real numbers are, looks a lot like risky business. Mulcair didn’t have a good answer for how he’d get his agenda, including abolishing the Senate, past a potentially hostile Senate. And he hasn’t even got a lick of NDP in the red chamber to plead his case. Then there is the 50.1% vote he claims he’d accept for Quebec’s separation. A legacy of the Layton era, maintaining this promise is disingenuous to Quebecers and the rest of Canada, given the decision of the Supreme Court and his own history fighting against separatism.  NDP leader Tom Mulcair asks a question during Question Period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, on Monday, May 14, 2012. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Sean Kilpatrick) Unlike Mr. Harper he was upbeat and positive in his Mansbridge monument, something one would expect from someone leading in the polls. But he seemed to smile too much, likely to compensate for criticism of bearing a too-serious, almost dower, natural pose. But at least the smiling did detract from the fur on his face, which every woman I know thinks he should shave. But he was articulate, thoughtful and engaging enough to make people want to like him, even if they’ve never trusted his party before. Mr Trudeau was enthusiastic to the point of being almost bouncy. It is hard not to think of the ‘not ready’ ad the Tories have been running, but then we should understand that his age is but a stone’s throw from that of Obama, JFK or his own father when they were first elected. And Mr. Harper, who became PM in his mid forties, is the proverbial pot calling the kettle.… Recall that though PET governed us sternly throughout the FLQ crisis, he also played – for example, doing those famous pirouettes or that ‘fuddle cuddle’ thing.. Trudeau promised to reverse the growing concentration of power in the prime minister’s office, a trend his father had initiated in order to improve the work of government. The alternative is a government which runs the risk of contradiction and in-fighting. While Harper is a control freak, it is the cloak of secrecy and reign of terror he has cast over the entire public service that is so damaging. Demoralized and overworked staff are behind the recent failures in the immigration department, for example. Like Harper, Trudeau’s not perfect. He miscalculated in offering limited support for the Tories’ police state legislation, Bill C-51. It was a political gamble which cost him support both within and outside of his party, possibly one of the reasons for his decline in popularity after having led the polls for most of last year. He claims he’ll fix that though.  The country watched as another Trudeau headed towards the leadership of a political party He is bold, and boldness is on the other side of stale toast. Voters want change in this election. Ms. May could be the outlier of that change, but Trudeau is a close second, staking out some new ground by offering to re-balance the income tax act in favour of the middle class. He has gone where no one else has gone by embracing a deficit needed to build badly needed infrastructure and grow the Canadian economy out of its recession. As a consequence his party has bounced back and is now firmly in the second spot of this tight three-way race. Apparently Mr. Mulcair has more goodies up his sleeve and both opposition leaders are promising a fully costed policy platform before balloting time. And then there will be all that new wizardry from the Harper camp.
Background links: Mansbridge Moments Polls The Wizard of Oz More Wizard
September 11, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON
The city’s Development and Infrastructure Standing Committee won’t be holding a day time session this time around – there doesn’t appear to be all that much happening on the development side of things – is that good news? Because there are all kinds of projects in the works. The agenda for the Standing Committee meeting, which takes place t 6:30 pm on the 14th is as follows: On the Consent Agenda there are the following: Report recommending approval of a variance to the Sign By-law to permit a fascia sign at 3365 Fairview Street.  The city doesn’t want the public feeding these critters – staff report has some recommendations – will the public go along with them On the Regular Agenda there is the one item: Report recommending options regarding the feasibility of a by-law prohibiting the feeding of wildlife. That issue will draw some views that see this problem quite differently – it is a problem that needs serious consideration. Councillor Dennis and Burlington’s MPP Eleanor have weighed in on this one There are then two Public Meetings. These meetings are required when the city wants to make changes to its Official Plan – the public is given a clear opportunity to express their views. There is a report on the city-initiated housekeeping amendments to Zoning By-law 2020. This is not easy reading and for the most part it doesn’t matter – until you have an issue with city and they tell you that there was a change in the bylaws way back when – didn’t you know about it? Lawyers will get you through that kind of mess. Statutory public meeting and information report for a proposed Official Plan Amendment for 4880 Valera Road. And that is about it for this first cycle of city council Standing Committee meetings. There are some concerns with the rather weak agenda. Has the city manager figured out what it is he wants to do now that he has warmed the chair he sits in for five full months?  James Ridge – the current city manager has yet to give any sense as to the way he plans to run the city. He brings a much different and an as yet understood style to the job. James Ridge has a management style that is considerably different than his two predecessors. Both Jeff Fielding and Pat Moyle served as city managers with a style that was open and transparent for media. James Ridge doesn’t see his job in the same way making difficult to understand how he [plans to communicate with the public. He has not made himself available to media; on those occasions when we have been able to ask him questions at the end of a council session he has chosen to be curt with an economy of words that is – how shall we put his – disarming. Other than that he shipped his pets to Burlington buy air freight rather than drive across the country with them, we know very little about James Ridge. He has yet to make a public comment. He appears to have decided to join himself to the Mayor at the hip – the administration of the city is distinctly different than the political direction – the politicians come and go – the administration is there forever – ensuring that the doors open every morning and that the streets are cleared of snow and leaves and that the parks are in the shape the taxpayers expect. There is a respectful distance required between the office of the Mayor and the office of the city manager. Usually a city manager sets out a work plan and explains to city council in a public setting what and how he expects to perform his duties. This city council has yet to see such a document. We do know that the production of a Code of Conduct for city council has been punted to the city manager who is expected to somehow fit this into the Strategic Plan that is languishing between various dates on the calendars that determine when Councillors can meet. The next reported date for a Strategic Plan meeting is October 19th – the public should not expect to get a chance to comment on whatever comes out of the political process before the end of the year – at which time this council will have completed one quarter of their term of office. The Strategic Plan is expected to inform the review of the Official Plan which is having its own problems getting out of the gate. People within city hall consistently talk about Burlington’s vibrancy – if there is any such thing in this city it has yet to find its way to the 6th floor where the James Fridge rules the roost.
September 11, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON The Community and Corporate Standing Committee will meet on Tuesday September 15th at 1:00 pm in the afternoon and again at 6:30 if required. For the Community and Corporate Standing committee the following are on the September 15th consent agenda: Report recommending approval of Burlington Inclusivity Advisory Committee 2015 work plan and providing the 2014 annual report. From time to time a standing Committee considers Confidential Matters which are usually Human Resources issues or property sale and or acquisition issues. Confidential reports may require a closed meeting in accordance with the Municipal Act, 2001. Meeting attendees may be required to leave during the discussion.  Air Park matter is before the city again – to be discussed as a confidential legal matter this time – something is up. The list this time around is extensive: Confidential legal department report providing an update regarding the Ontario Municipal Board hearing for 374 Martha Street.  The ADI application to put up a 28 storey structure is now before the OMB – city has some information they want to talk about behind closed doors – why? The one item on the agenda that isn’t either a consent matter or a confidential matter is a report providing the state of the downtown which recommends approval of the core committeemen performance measures.
September 11, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON Burlington’s Liberal candidate Karina Gould has invited the whole city to travel with her to Hamilton and listen to former Prime Minister Jean Chretien and Liberal candidate for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Rally for Real Change this Sunday, September 13th, at the Sheraton Hotel downtown Hamilton.
“Friends,” said Gould “this is an exciting opportunity to celebrate the achievements of the Liberal campaign thus far and to continue to build momentum in our community for the last five weeks of this election. “I have been working hard for the past year and I can see that hard work paying off with the number of signs around town and the positive and encouraging reception I’m receiving at the door. She adds: “If you still need a lawn sign, you can order one”. Gould will take you on as a volunteer as well.
September 11, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON The last time your city council met was July 15th- they meet again three times next week – on Monday at 1:00 pm as a Committee of the Whole where it looks as if everything is going to be talked about in a closed session.  They should return to the Council Chamber all tanned and rested. Now to make wise decisions on your behalf. There is to be a presentation by General Manager Scott Stewart, Allan Magi, Executive Director of Corporate Works and Ron Steiginga, Manager of Realty Services. The agenda says they are talking about Downtown Real Estate. The city owns a considerable amount of real estate in the downtown core – parking lots, city hall, the Art Gallery and a number of other lots here and there. The practice is to review these holdings and determine if there is anything Council wants to do that is Strategic in nature. Steiginga did his best to acquire a small piece of property adjacent to the Art Gallery – the owner of the property was too long in the tooth to bite that bait that Steiginga offered. The deal Steiginga got for the city on the sale of the waterfront road allowance between Market and St Paul isn’t one that he will be remembered for – but that ship has left harbour. The public will watch with some anticipation for the Windows on the Lake that are to be created on the land the city didn’t sell.  The public will get to walk along this space which will become a Window to the Lake – the obstacles you see in this picture were not put in place by city – they were put in place by property owners who didn’t want the public to enjoy public land. That day is now over. There was some encroachment on city land by a private driveway – it looks as if that has been resolved. One hopes that the Mayor is not foolish enough to hold a ribbon cutting ceremony and go for another of the photo ops of which he is so fond when the first window on the Lake is opened. The first meeting on the Monday looks like a pretty tame event.
September 11, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON There is more to the Advanced Manufacturing hub the ¨Prime Minister announced with great fanfare in Burlington recently. The City’s Economic Development Corporation has been working on the project for some time; their approach is to do away with the fanfare and let the results of their efforts speak for themselves. “When we have something to say that is relevant” said Fran McKeown, Executive Director of the not for profit organization “you will hear from us”.  Prime Minister Stephen Harper speaking to a hand picked Burlington audience. The Gazette got a note from Tony Araujo, Vice President – Testing, Paragon Systems, Concord, ON. Here is what he had to say: I read your story on the Prime Minister’s announcement of a new “Advanced Manufacturing” hub for Burlington and was shocked that the Conservatives would do this again! I’m already fighting the last “investment” this government made in London’s Advanced Manufacturing Park. In March 2015, Industry Canada’s FedDev Ontario gave Fanshawe College an $8.1 million gift to set up a for-profit commercial testing lab on land provided to the college for free by the City of London. The Canadian Centre for Product Validation (CCPV) will compete head-to-head with existing private sector testing labs throughout Ontario using students as labour. FedDev Ontario’s own analysis of Fanshawe’s CCPV business plan even concluded that it would “adversely affect” the existing 30 private sector testing labs that “currently serve Ontario industries quite well”. $8.1 million is bad enough. $100 million will be the death of my business and the 32 jobs that we currently have in Vaughan. As a small business person, I expected this kind of crazy policy from the NDP, certainly not from the Conservatives. Is it any wonder the electorate thinks that the Conservatives have lost touch with their values? There are usually several sides to every story.
September 11, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON With a model that does work, the Halton Regional Police will now refine what has been working very well and in 2016 roll the Fugitive Friday program out to Oakville and Milton.  Christian Stuart Drennan has ties to Burlington, Hamilton and Oshawa. He is wanted by the Halton Regional Police for a number of of offenses he is believed to have committed – including not appearing in court after having been given bail. It is week 21 of the “Fugitive Friday” – Halton Police Looking for Christian Stuart DRENNAN. They are reaching 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. 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. In this edition of Fugitive Fridays the 3 District, Burlington Offender Management Unit is searching for Christian Stuart DRENNAN, 43 years, from Burlington. It is alleged: In May 2015, the accused was located in a semi-conscious state revving the engine of his car on a street in Burlington after a concerned citizen called police. The accused was arrested, charged and was scheduled to re-attend court in September 2015 which he failed to do and a warrant was issued for his arrest He is wanted by Halton Regional Police for: Possession of a Schedule I DRENNAN is described as 5’10”, 165 lbs, brown eyes and brown hair. He has a tattoo of a “Lion” on his right upper arm and a scar on his forehead. DRENNAN has ties to Burlington, Hamilton and Oshawa. Anyone who 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
September 10, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON There will be shovels in the ground the first few days of January – and Jeff Paikin will start the next, and biggest phase of his career as a developer. The three structure Bridgewater project, initially approved in 1985 and justified as a “landmark” project for the city, will rise to 22 storeys under the direction of a man whose first development project was a done more than 25 years ago, which was about when the city approved the project he is going to move into as a resident.  The hotel has had an additional floor added to it – shovels are scheduled to dig into the ground first thing in 2016 – now there is a photo op for you! Paikin will be at the front of a project that will change forever the look and feel of the waterfront forever. How this came to be is one of those extraordinary stories of drive, energy and a lot of luck that came about because Paikin decided to go for luxury and quality in a city he loves There will be a Christmas party for the people who have bought about 60% of the units in the Bridgewater project. Paikin says he needs to be at 62% sold to have the financing he has arranged kick in. Paikin said he would buy another unit if that’s what it takes to get past that magic 62% number. “Were at 60% with five in the pipeline” he said rather proudly.  The view of the lake from a passing car will be brief – the opening is reported to be 50 feet wide – not much more than a glimpse. What Burlington now knows as the Bridgewater project isn’t something Paikin started and how it ended up in his hands is an amazing story. Paikin was developing town homes for twenty years. He was doing custom renovations, moved into high end luxury homes but “land supply changed the market” and Paikin could see that condominiums was where the growth was going to take place. The day of the small bungalow market that resulted in the sprawl Burlington how has to contend with was a thing of the past. Paikin focused on quality finishes and customization. He sees himself as “in touch with the market” and very much a people person. Paikin is a big man – tall, imposing and available to anyone who wants to talk to him. This isn’t a developer who hides nor is he a man who suffers fools easily. His office is in Hamilton, a stones throw from the GO station but his home and his heart is in Burlington where he doesn’t get upset at the profile the city has in the rest of the province – or the country for that matter. He believes Burlington’s objective is to maintain and protect the lead that it has – and in the eyes of Jeff Paikin Burlington has a great lead over other cities. The Bridgewater project consists of three buildings – all are part of the project Paikin’s New Horizons corporation now controls. The hotel will now be a Marriott – it was originally going to be a Delta and open for the Pan Am Games – that date got missed. The project has been littered with missed dates – Paikin sounds confident that the breaking ground in January is going to happen.  The buyers for the priciest condo property in town will be treated to a smash of a Christmas party – then the wrecking ball rolls in to level the space. The sales office will be taken apart sometime after the Christmas party for those who have bought units. How Jeff Paikin actually got the units is due in no small measure to the way the people at Mayrose Tyco think. In the agreement they put together with the Mady Group, the original builder’s, there was a “reputational risk” clause that allowed them to back out of the agreement if the reputation of the builder was at risk. Mady ran into some problems with projects in Markham, Scarborough, Waterloo, Barrie and Kitchener – and sought protection from creditors – Mayrose Tyco invoked the reputational risk clause and according to Paikin asked him if he would take over the project – which he did. Prior to the call from Mayrose Tyco, Paikin was thinking about building a new home in Burlington. His wife wanted something near the lake, Jeff wanted something that wouldn’t require much of a claim on his time.  They will see this from Hamilton – architects rendering of the Bridgewater project at night. He liked the look of the Bridgewater project – he and his wife looked at the plans and decided that would be home for them. It was going to be the perfect empty-nest home for him and his wife. Then he got a call in January: did he want to build the project? The original builder, Markham-based Mady Development Corporation, had run into financial problems with projects – Paikin took over Mady’s position in a development partnership on the 0.7-hectare, block-long property between Elizabeth and Pearl streets just east of Brant. Paikin was now pumped “The design is so fantastic and the location is probably the No. 1 location in all of Ontario, if not Canada, as a place to live.” Prices start at about $400,000 and climb to about $3.5 million. Paiken now has half of the top floor as his home – all he has to do is get the place built –  The 22 storey structure that is due to be built on the waters edge will forever change the look of the city. For the better? Paikin says the transition from Mady to New Horizon on the Bridgewater project was fast and seamless. Burlington Ward 2 Councillor Marianne Meed Ward learned of the Mady problems one day and the next learned that New Horizon had stepped in. The project has been deemed a “landmark” in Burlington’s official plan which some take to mean” “Any future development on Old Lakeshore Road or across the street needs to defer to the landmark and not overwhelm it.”  What a great place to make a sales pitch for a condominium that starts at $400,000 One hopes Burlington has a stronger position than that when they oppose the ADI Development at Lakeshore and Martha that is now before the OMB.  There are people in the city with fond memories of the Riviera – wonder where the sign went? The site, in what has been designated the Old Lakeshore Road precinct, was once home to an ice cream shop and the Riviera motel, which was built in 1964 and changed very little before it was demolished in 2012. The approvals for the Bridgewater date back to about 2006 – as a project it was first approved in principle in 1985
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