 By Staff
August 11, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
We called them the good old days – when life was simpler, everything was cheaper and it seem like a “better time” or so we tell ourselves.
One of things that was different a couple of decades ago was that we were more self-sufficient – because we had to be.
You made your own fun – you used your imagination because the stuff kids play with today wasn’t in the stores several decades ago.
The Halton Conservation organization, besides overseeing the watersheds and regulating many of the environmental rules they also run a number of educational programs; they work with schools getting into classrooms and passing along some of the environment fundamentals.
From time to time they put on a program that is just plain fun. “Hey kids”, they ask “have you ever wondered what your parents or your grand-parents did for play when they were your age? They probably spent a lot of time outdoors. They probably went exploring, or built a fort, or skipped stones on a lake, or climbed a tree.”
 Crawford Lake – an environmental gem with an incredible story. A program taking place at both the Mountsberg and Crawford Lake Conservation Areas on Saturday, August 15 and Sunday, August 16, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. will give kids time for fun activities that are not only lots of fun but will get them outside and active, at Amazing Things To Do Before You’re 12 event.
Regular park admission applies and Halton Parks members can show their pass for admission.
 Orienteering – a skill that every young person should know something about – they learn to “box a compass”. Conservation Halton staff will help you to learn how to use a compass, make pottery, hold a snake, start a fire without matches or to skip a stone on the lake, and much more. It will be a great day full of family fun, and who knows, maybe you can prove you are the greatest stone skipper of all time!
All the activities engage children and their families with nature in a way that is sure to create long term family memories.
 Will your children ever get a chance to skip a stone over water? The program came out of the 2005 book by author Richard Louv who introduced us all to the dilemma of the disconnect between children and nature in his ground-breaking book “Last Child in the Woods”. He coined the term Nature Deficit Disorder which aptly describes the poor physical and emotional health of children and adults due to the lack of direct exposure to the outdoors.
Take your kids out for the day – they will sleep soundly when they get home.
About Mountsberg Conservation Area
Mountsberg Conservation Area is located on Milburough Line, five km west of Campbellville, ON, between Highway 6 South and the Guelph Line. This 472 hectare park includes extensive wetlands, forests, fields, and a reservoir. Mountsberg hosts many family friendly events which are sure to become family traditions for many in the community. It is also well known for the Mountsberg Raptor Centre, which is home to 15 different species of native birds of prey. Many of the Raptor Centre’s resident birds of prey have permanent injuries that have left them incapable of surviving on their own in the wild.
 By Pepper Parr
August 10th, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
The Premier and a couple of her Ministers are going to announce some of the design features for the Ontario Retirement Pension Plan that Kathleen Wynne thinks the citizens of Ontario need.
And why is that news? – Because we are in a federal election campaign and Wynne has made it clear that she is going to work very hard to get Liberal leader Justin Trudeau elected.
 Wynne feels something has to be done to improve the pensions that people will need when they retire and because the federal government has shown no interest in making it possible for people to add to what they set aside for future pensions – the province of Ontario has to step in and do something – now.
Wynne has been banging away at Prime Minister Harper for months to get him to hold meetings with all the Premiers – not something he is interested in doing. So Wynne announces that she will hold a press conference to talk about the “design features” of the pension plan she wants to put in place.
 Is he what we want? The name doesn’t hurt – now what has he got in the way of ideas? Of course should Justin Trudeau manage to become the Prime Minister all the work Premier Wynne has had done will be set aside and the new federal government will make changes to the current Canada Pension plan – which is what should have been done in the first place – but the current Prime Minister doesn’t want to be seen cooperating with Liberals and certainly not with Kathleen Wynne.
These politicians do play games.
We’ll let you know what the Wynne pension plan design features look like.
 By Pepper Parr
August 10, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
The Performing Arts Centre has a new executive director.
Suzanne Haines will assume her new role effective September 1st replacing Brian McCurdy who has held the position since August 2013.
 The Executive Director is charged with developing an effective economic operating model for the performing arts centre, balancing between community-based arts groups, the Centre’s presenting series of programs and other community and corporate usage.
Haines will be the third person to hold down the job since the Performing Arts Centre opened in the fall of 2011.
“We received great interest in this position from across the country and beyond, and feel we have chosen an individual whose experience and qualifications are best suited to lead us into our 5th Season and beyond,” said Theatre Board chair Ilene Elkaim.
Haines was previously employed as General Manager of the Gateway Theatre, a $2.4 million operation in Richmond, B.C. As the only professional performing arts organization in that community, which has a large east Asian population, Gateway produced and presented theatre, acts as a cultural venue for the community through rentals and year-round youth educational and outreach programming.
As CEO of the organization, Suzanne was the community builder, and the face of the organization to the community. She is credited as being successful in converting the Gateway Theatre into a highly engaged community centre.
 Brenda Heatherington had a great pedigree on the content side – many felt she didn’t get the support she needed on the finance and administration side.  McCurdy ran a tight ship took moderate risks that paid off. He is going to be missed – not only because he was a decent guy but because he had the chops to do the job right. “This is an important leadership role and while we are disappointed to see Brian leave us, we are grateful for his contribution and dedication. We wish him all the best and hope he will return to visit soon, as a patron and to witness first-hand the impact he has had here in Burlington and on this wonderful facility”, said Theatre Board chair Ilene Elkaim.
“Brian provided great leadership and direction and guided us forward with a strategic focus for the next three years”.
 The opening night for the Performing Arts Centre was a glamorous affair – the place has yet to live up to its original billing. Indeed, McCurdy steadied the ship and brought some financial discipline to an operation that was bleeding more red ink than city council could stomach.
Haines ran the Gateway for 12 years. She announced in April that she would be leaving the theatre. Brian McCurdy announced his plans to retire the second half of May.
The Gateway switchboard said they did not think they should be saying anything about Ms Haines other than that she left in April.
The Gateway has two theatres: a 540 seat Main Stage and a 100 seat Studio B. They also offered year-round acting, musical theatre, and technical training classes for youth aged 6 – 18; adults classes were also available.
The current Performing Arts Board is working from a Strategic Plan that McCurdy’s thumb prints are all over – that’s the good news. If the board can stay on that course and the marketing team continues to do the job they’ve done in the past – we could be OK – I think
By Staff
August 6, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
If you are of an artistic bent and you have something you would like to say about sports in Burlington there is a call for Expressions of Interest from artists for the creation of a series of permanent public artworks relating to the theme: ‘The Spirit of Sport.’
A series of three (3) small to medium-scale, exterior public artworks will be installed at three separate sports fields / facilities in the city of Burlington, Ont., Canada.
This competition is open to all Ontario-based, professional artists* and/or artist-led teams.
Click here to view the full Expression of Interest document (pdf)
You can submit your expression of interest on-line
 Burlington is currently spending on public art. This one is in the Alton community – there are to be three that are sports related installed and plans in place to put one mural in each ward. Burlington has a long history of sports excellence, on both and amateur and professional
level. The city boasts a wide variety of sports facilities, parks, fields and other infrastructure
that provide community-wide access to sport and active living. These opportunities range
from children’s programming to training for high performance athletes.
 Frank Hayden has a rich sports history – he represents what sport can be in a community. Burlington is also home to a number of notable sports figures including: Dr. Frank Hayden,founder of the International Special Olympics Movement; Melville Marks Robinson, founder of Commonwealth Games; Melanie Booth, Olympian-soccer; Angela Coughlan, Olympian-swimming and numerous professional and Olympic athletes and coaches.
 A masterful freestyle swimmer, Coughlan was 16 when she won an Olympic bronze medal in Mexico in 1968 as part of Canada’s 4×100-metre relay team. As such, sport is an important element of Burlington’s unique culture as it touches the lives of people young and old, of diverse cultures and geography.
Deadline:
Tuesday September 8, 2015
Budget:$100,000
CAD (maximum, all inclusive)
For more information:
Kim Selman: 905-548-0111 |
kim@cobaltconnects.ca
By Staff
August 6, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
The annual Sandcastles Festival that takes place in the Beachway Park Saturday August the 8th will get a big dollop of the city’s Pan Am spirit.
That Pan Am spirit is being poured onto and into almost everything going on in the city.
 Can you improve on this? Then get yourself down to the Sandcastle Festival in the Beachway Park. The city issued a media release that said: “Burlington is proud to be part of the TO2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games celebrations and felt that the Sandcastles Festival would make an ideal Panamania event,” said Mayor Rick Goldring. “As the games come to a close, we encourage everyone to come out, see sand sculptures take shape and enjoy a day of Pan Am-themed activities on the beach.”
This year’s Sandcastles Festival will feature a Pan American theme. Saturday’s main attraction includes a sandcastles competition held at Beachway Park and Pavilion, 1100 Lakeshore Rd. Sculptors of all ages and abilities are encouraged to register in one of three categories:
Family, noon to 4 p.m.
Friends, ages 13 and older, 1 to 4 p.m.
Child, ages 4 to 12 years, 2 to 4 p.m.
Saturday also includes sand-sculpting demonstrations by sand-sculpting masters Sandi “Castle” Stirling and Nick Blandin (winners of several North American sand sculpting awards), Sharon Nesbitt, (2010 First Place Adult and People’s Choice award winner), Raymond Poirier and Dale Andrews (2014 First Place Adult and People’s Choice award winner). Their creations will incorporate the Pan Am theme of this year’s event.
The Sand Sculpting Competition will award first, second and third prizes in each category as determined by the master sand-sculptor judges. A People’s Choice Award is selected by festival attendees who fill out a ballot. Prizes include a custom sand-sculpture trophy for first prize for each category and great prizes provided by Canadian Tire Burlington stores for all prize levels.
A nominal fee is required to enter the competition. Entrants are strongly encouraged to preregister at any city facility or via RecExpress to guarantee a spot. On-site registration opens at 9 a.m. and is first-come, first-served, if any spots are still available.
 This has the look of a production line – serious stuff and a lot of fun as well. Imagine families from different parts of the city competing against one another. Saturday event attendees are encouraged to use active transportation and bike, walk or roll to the festival using the Waterfront Trail. There is also a free shuttle to Beachway Park from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Two shuttles will be running between the beach and two free parking locations: Inland Waters, located at 867 Lakeshore Rd., Burlington and the City of Burlington parking garage at 414 Locust St. This shuttle bus will be waiting in the bus lane at the Burlington Performing Arts Centre (located north of the parking garage).
Parking is free on Saturdays in all downtown municipal parking lots (with the exception of the Waterfront east and west lots at Discovery Landing/Spencer’s Restaurant).
 By Staff
August 6, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
It is the combined efforts and partnerships of several services that have led to the success of locating and arresting a wanted man who has evaded police for over five years.
 In May, 2015, the Halton Regional Police began a thorough search for Donald MUGFORD, 44 years, from Newfoundland.
It is alleged, in February 2009, MUGFORD committed a break and enter at Main Street Donuts in the Town of Milton and stole money from the cash register. It is suspected that he may be responsible for numerous other break and enters in Halton. A warrant was issued for his arrest, however efforts to locate him were unsuccessful.
MUGFORD was also wanted on four additional warrants held by the Toronto Police Service, Ontario Provincial Police and Peel Regional Police for a variety of offences including Theft over $5000, Dangerous Operation of a Motor Vehicle, Flight from a Police Officer, Fail to Appear Court, Theft under $5000, Breach of Probation and Break and Enter.
As a result of ongoing efforts, the search led police to St. John’s, Newfoundland where it was believed the accused was residing. Officers from the Halton Regional Police Criminal Investigations Bureau worked closely with the Halton Crown Attorney’s office and the Harbour Grace detachment of the RCMP in Newfoundland to confirm MUGFORD’s location.
Working in partnership, and through extensive follow-ups, the accused was located and arrested during a traffic stop on July 28, 2015, in the province of Newfoundland, by members of the RCMP.
On August 3, 2015 Halton officers attended Harbour Grace, Newfoundland and took custody of the accused. MUGFORD was arrested for break and enter and breach of probation.
The accused was escorted back to the Halton Region to face the outstanding charges as well as the other outstanding warrants in the Province of Ontario.
Question: How much money did the Regional police spend in getting this suspect back to Burlington; will he be given bail and if not how much time will he spend in a remand centre at significant cost to taxpayers. Would it not have been better to just leave him in Newfoundland and wait for him to commit a crime there?
 By Pepper Parr
August 5th, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Our report late in July on the fence being down on a piece of property in the west end of the city next to the railway lines resulted in some action.
Denise Davey has been a tireless advocate for ensuring that access to the rail lines are secured and young people don’t have the opportunity to scoot across the train tracks thinking g they can beat the oncoming train.
 Vince Fiorito holds up part of a fence that had been trampled into the ground due to a lack of maintenance. There have been too many deaths – “a fact which the city recognized a few years ago” said Davey ” when they set up a pedestrian rail safety committee to discuss these problems.”
Three railway crossing deaths in three months – intolerable Click for more.
Part of the problem is the problems have to get to them- they don’t have any way of communicating with the people who have properties along the rail line.
Davey said she was told that city staff investigated the issues with property access to the rail line through the creek that runs under the rail line that cuts through Sherwood Forest Park. Some of the properties are owned by the City and that they will be installing fencing.
Davey said: “This is good and it’s what I asked for all those years ago! Hopefully they do it right as there’s a lot of land that needs to be blocked off.
Minister of transportation holds meetings to look for answers to railway crossing deaths. Click for more
“Where there is private ownership, the owners are being notified and the city Building Department will be following up with them. I don’t know if there is any regulation that will force them to put up fencing or not but hopefully they’ll do it regardless.”
By Staff
August 5, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
It is a bit of an experiment – one that should produce excellent results for the Performing Arts Centre.
Free public Jazz concerts that will start at 6:30 pm on the plaza of the of the Centre
 Jude Johnson, a Burlington native, is a vocalist, songwriter and performer Jude Johnson, a Burlington native, is a vocalist, songwriter and performer and is Hamilton’s Special Music Ambassador. She was inducted into the Hamilton Gallery of Distinction in 2009. She also received the Hamilton Arts award for Arts Education in 2011.
Jude has released nine recordings including her most recent Live on Pine (2013) with Mike Malone on horns and Carl Horton on piano.
“How can I keep from Singing” is a collection of vintage inspirational gospel/spirituals. Reaching Indie Gold is her CD, “This Heart of Mine” (2001) featuring Carl Horton on piano, guests Jackie Washington on vocals, Carlos del Junco on harmonica, Brian Lee Griffith on guitar and the string quartet “Panache”.
This classy, entertaining CD is a collection of classic jazz compositions performed with intimacy, grace and joy.
 Free Jazz on the plaza of the Performing Arts Centre – an opportunity for people to see the Spiral Stella and take in some fine music. Jude has also been the unseen voice on many radio and TV commercials, been featured on CBC radio and sung on over 50 albums with such diverse artists as Daniel Lanois, Raffi (more singable songs), Paul Langielle and Stan Rogers (Turnaround), and performed across Canada at countless festivals, schools, libraries and community events.
The performance takes place on our plaza from 6:30pm-8:30pm and our bar will be open!
In the event of rain, we will move from the plaza into the lobby.
 By Staff
August 5, 2015
BURLINGTON,ON
If you happen to be driving along the rural roads in north Burlington you will know what we mean when we say – a lot of cowboys drive those roads.
The one that we cringe on is that stretch of Britannia where it joins Cedar Springs – there is a deep dip and then a rise with a curve in it – and then there you are at Cedar Springs where there is a curve in that road as well.
Wonder who the traffic engineer who designed that intersection
 Councillor Taylor has been consistent in his battle to have the speeding on rural roads lessened. He’s been the only council member fighting that battle. It is at times truly dangerous along some of the rural roads – ward 3 Councillor John Taylor meets with the police regularly and is always asking for signage and thicker police coverage.
We don’t hear the same concern from the other member of Council with rural territory.
Halton Regional Police continue to implement the Reducing Rural Speeds Project throughout the north end of Burlington. This is a traffic safety initiative that utilizes education and enforcement strategies to reduce the speeds of vehicles travelling along rural roads in order to promote safe driving habits.
Residents of rural Burlington worry about an accident happening that results in a fatality – and with the speed that some of those cowboys drive on those roads – it is scary.
Speed enforcement projects have occurred annually under various names (BEARS in the Woods, BRRaKE). Speed enforcement on rural roadways has indicated that a significant portion of the problem is from commuters using rural routes to avoid more heavily travelled main thoroughfares such as Highway 401, Highway 6, Highway 403, QEW, and Dundas Street. The continuing volume of complaints indicates that drivers continue to disobey speed limits and have little regard for the safety of the people who reside in these communities.
Since July 1st, officers have issued 460 provincial offense notices for driving related offences along these rural roadways, 363 of those were for speeding.
Officers will continue to patrol the rural roads to deter drivers from speeding along these roadways.
There was a time when municipal people referred to these police cars as Holsteins – the result of their markings. The colour scheme changed to more white – the traditional colours are returning. Expect to see more of these on the rural roads – unmarked perhaps. In order to increase safety it is necessary for the public to recognize that speeding is unacceptable and can have catastrophic repercussions. As a result, police are hoping this campaign will remind drivers that as their speed increases so does the risk of a collision.
The Halton Regional Police Service is committed to combating dangerous and aggressive driving behaviours that put all road users at risk.
If any citizen would like to report a traffic concern they can do so by visiting our website and making a Road Watch complaint.
ROAD WATCH is a community driven program encouraging anonymous reporting of incidents involving dangerous and/or aggressive driving. This program is an opportunity to bring an aggressive driver to our attention.
Be the extra eyes and ears and learn more here: https://www.haltonpolice.ca/PRC/Pages/ROADWATCH.aspx
 By Staff
August 5, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Dates for people who know how to handle a hammer or are comfortable just tidying up a small construction site and have some time to pitch in and take the Freeman Station to the next level are Saturdays August 8th 15th & 22nd from 8 am to 2pm
The volunteers will get a personally guided tour of the station and a close up view of some of the artifacts that have been donated.
Activities (no special skills required)
• Paint scraping and sanding
• Old wood floor boards restoration
• Site cleanup
• Rubbish and scrub removal
• And the list goes on
If you decide to show up – wear sturdy shoes and bring work gloves and a hat. It could be hot! This is a construction site so please do NOT bring children under 14 and NO pets.
 This is the windows in the Station Master’s office which was also the ticket selling room. The space at the far end is where the mural will be done. What’s New and Exciting!
It has been a very busy winter and spring. Interior restoration went on throughout the winter months and both interior and exterior work resumed this spring. The Burlington Public Art Council has selected the Freeman Station for a mural that will be installed on the east end of the wall facing Fairview Street. It will depict a scene from the station, circa 1906. We are extremely honored to have been chosen and we are looking forward to a late fall unveiling.
 The ceiling in the waiting room is the kind of thing they don’t build anymore. It will be restored to what it looked like in 1906. We are delighted to announce that Darren Sanger-Smith of Structured Creations has volunteered his expertise to help us complete this project. He will assist in selecting the materials and finishes to replicate the original station to the best of our abilities.
Some of the highlights of our accomplishments to date are:
• the station now has new shingles; the roof and the entire roof deck have been repaired as well as the soffit and fascia. Roofing was installed by Desi’s Roofing
• electrical service has finally reached the station and we are currently installing the wiring under the guidance of L. Potvin Electrical with supplies from Gerrie Electric
• roughed in plumbing has been installed and the main floor handicapped accessible washroom has been framed. Plumbing was installed by KP&H Mechanical
• new entrance doors have been installed at both the north and south sides of the waiting room
But there is still a lot of work to be done – and work gets done by workers.
 The station sat on wooden pilings for the longest time – it wasn’t until Ashland, a company right next door stepped up and made space available. It took the Friends of Freeman station a couple of years to actually save the station – the city wasn’t able to use the federal funds they were given to move the building, the then Burlington Art Centre didn’t want it; an idea to set it up along Lakeshore Road in the downtown core wouldn’t fly.
The sense many people had was city council just didn’t want the thing. The engineering department staff said the thing was going to just fall over real soon.
It took joint efforts by Councillors Meed Ward and Lancaster to convince council to give the volunteer committees a little more time to find a home.
 Ashland made the space available – then the company got bought by a large conglomerate – the deal is still in place – but it isn’t a twenty year lease. The Friends of Freeman will have to develop a really strong bond with the new owners. While the building really belongs in the Beachway Park that wasn’t on – but a home was found on a piece of property next to the fire station on Fairview.
The building was moved the coupled of hundred yards to its new location, a foundation was put under the building and work on the roof and the outside walls began.
What you see today – while far from complete – is some distance from what was in place two years ago when it was a pile of rotting wood sitting on wooden pilings.
 The grill for the ticket counter has been found – it wasn’t part of the original station but does come from the same period.  The floor for the basement will be poured very soon. The hope is that negotiations with a model railway club will work out and that there will something for people to watch. That would make the Freeman Station a very attractive destination Help to complete the restoration of this beautiful old 1906 Grand Trunk Railway Station is now needed. The vision is to develop an interactive railway display depicting the impact the railway had on the development of Burlington. The Station will also house a model railway and meeting room for public use.
The Friends of Freeman have raised about $250,000 dollars to date and will need about the same amount to complete the project. Over 1700 volunteer hours have been donated to the actual restoration. More than 2400 hours of administrative, planning, and fundraising have also been donated by our members.
We are looking for volunteers in the following areas and there are many opportunities to participate!
• Membership
• Fundraising
• Research
• Newsletter
• Artifact recording
• Audio Visual and Interactive display planning
• Artwork
• Copywriting and Advertising
• Finance
• Carpentry
• Painting
• General Help with both administration and on site.
Interested in Becoming a Member?
Annual Membership is $10.00, a Life Time Membership $100.00 Please contact us at:
info@freemanstation.ca Our website www.freemanstation.ca
You can send a cheque to; Friends of Freeman Station, P.O. Box 91536 Roseland Plaza, 3025 New Street, Burlington ON L7R 4L6
There are still naming rights opportunities. Wiser commercial WORDS will realize that the Friends of Freeman Station are actually going to pull this off – and when the place is officially opened – all the politicians that failed to help make it happen will be there to cut the ribbon.
 John Mello wants to see you one of those stones – and he will tell you why they are worth the $100 asking price. Naming Rights
Put your name, a relative, a friend’s on one of the many items available for sponsorship. Sponsor a Whinstone (What is a Whinstone? Drop by and you can touch one and find out where they came from).
Sponsorships start at $100.00 and you can go right on up to $15,000 for the waiting room. Please contact me for sponsorship opportunities. brianaasgaard@sympatico.ca
If you decide you want to show up on either the 8thj, the 15th or the 22nd – the address is 1285 Fairview Street – next to the fire station which is undergoing a major renovation. Use driveway on east side of the Burlington Fire Department Headquarters
 By Pepper Parr
August 5, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Well – they are off and it is going to be a long run – and for the political junkies – they are in heaven. The Jays are doing rather well too – lots of couch time in the months ahead.
There are now 30 additional federal constituencies across Canada – one new one in our area.
Set out below are the boundaries for the constituencies the citizens of Burlington will vote in.
 Rural Burlington Voters south of Derry Road are in the Halton constituency. The city is going to be represented by three different politicians one of which is will probably be a Cabinet minister; Lisa Raitt is expected to be re-elected n Halton. She is the Conservative candidate for the constituency that covers much of rural Burlington.
The Gazette does not yet have the names of other candidates for the Halton federal seat. Is Raitt that strong?
In the event that the Conservatives lose the election and there is a leadership contests – expect Raitt to be in that race.
 The constituency Mike Wallace has represented has been made a little smaller. Burlington will see incumbent Mike Wallace running against first timer Liberal Karina Gould and frequent NDP candidate David Laird.
 The new constituency of Oakville Burlington North – known now as OBN matters to those in the west end of the city The new riding, Oakville Burlington North, stretches across both Oakville and Burlington. Pam Damoff, a member of Oakville’s Town Council is running for the Liberals and Effie Triantafilopoulos is running for the Conservatives with Adnan Shahbaz running under the Green part banner.
The New Democrats have yet to announce a candidate
The Gazette will undertake to provide regular reports on the progress of the various campaigns.
 By Pepper Parr
August 5, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Just after 6:30 on April 4th – yesterday, there was a short burst of close to torrential rain that sent shivers of fear through the hearts of hundreds of residents in Burlington
 What is normally a parking lot became a pond of water close to a foot deep – commercial operations were hard hit in some areas. It was exactly a year ago yesterday that the city experienced a rain storm that started at around 1:30 in the afternoon – seemed to be intermittent – but later evidence showed that it was actually three rain storms that were half to a quarter of an hour apart, that hovered over parts of the west end of the city and brought havoc into the lives of hundreds of households.
 Radar images later revealed that there were three storms that came into the city and hovered over the west end. The rest of |Burlington suffered very little compared to the south east sector where the damage was devastating. Downspouts that fed into the waste water system didn’t help either. MPP Eleanor McMahon describes the day as the unthinkable that happened. A powerful and localized rainstorm saw two months of rain fall in Burlington in just three hours.
McMahon said 205mm of rain fell – the record rainfall was 192 mm. The Burlington Community Foundation printed up 500 T shirts with 191mm – but let us not quibble.
They Mayors house was flooded; the home of the Member of Parliament home was flooded.
The home of the woman who was tasked with the job of overseeing the application for ODRAP (Ontario Disaster Relief Assistance Program) funding had her home flooded.
The storm sparred few.
 The accumulation of natural vegetation in the creek beds was thought to b good conservation – it proved to be what plugged up creeks forcing water over the banks and into the streets Creeks overflowed, parts of roads were washed out, and anxious residents saw their homes filled with water in a matter of minutes; many fleeing their homes with little time to escape the rising water.
“In the water’s destructive wake thousands of Burlington residents were impacted. Returning to devastated houses homeowners began the difficult task of cleaning up, securing what they could of years’ worth of treasured memories, and assessing the damage to critical infrastructure.
 MPP Eleanor McMahon taking part in a street festival held to raise funds and celebrate how well communities could gather together for a common cause. “The sudden nature of the storm left many in shock and disbelief at the power of the water that engulfed their homes and yards. For so many, the toughest days lay ahead as they struggled to discern how and when much-needed assistance would arrive” said McMahon in her newsletter.
The Mayor was out of the city, the city manager was also out of town. Hurried returns to the city and everyone asking questions. What do we do; what are the options and what are the first steps?
The Mayor asked the Burlington Community Foundation to lead the Disaster Relief program once the city had declared itself a disaster area.
McMahon and Regional Chair Gary Carr along with Mayor Goldring got out into the community and met with people.
“I wanted to know what role the province plays in these instances: said McMahon whose home was not impacted.
One of her first calls was to Dan VanderLelie, President of the Burlington Professional Firefighters Association whose home was fine. The two of them began to tour the community.
It was immediately clear to McMahon that a lot of help was going to be needed. Almost before the need for help became evident help began pouring in.
One resident was going door to door in the Regal Road area offering to take dirty clothing home and wash it for people.
 Not a day this man wants to remember. “A fundraising campaign, an opportunity to make a difference by donating to help neighbors became an emergent priority” said McMahon.
McMahon who at one time worked for the national office of the United Way put in a call to Jeff Valentin, the CEO of the United Way of Burlington & Greater Hamilton and he agreed to explore the possibility of the United Way stepping in, leveraging their website as a fundraising portal for community donations.
 The T- shirt told the story about a community effort – and also raised a decent amount of cash. In one of the most moving moments in the aftermath of the flood, Elwood Road residents Glenn Nicholson and Kara Vanderkooy, their own home severely impacted by the flood, decided to host the “Up the Creek” fundraiser on their street. Working tirelessly with their neighbours, securing donations from local businesses this amazing and heartwarming event raised $20,000 for the flood relief fund. The Burlington Teen Tour Band’s arrival brought an emotional tone to the event as community pride was on full display.
 Catherine Brady put in an untold number of hours raising funds and distributing coin boxes, With the community’s annual RibFest a few weeks away, the local Rotary Clubs announced that they would lend their efforts and this hallmark event as an opportunity to fundraise for flood relief. Thanks to their efforts and leadership – and the generosity of those who attended, thousands of dollars were raised.
In Burlington City Hall, just three months later the dignitaries gathered and announced that the province would provide the City with up to $3 million for flood recover efforts through the Ontario Disaster Relief Assistance Program, helping residents and businesses with much needed financial assistance.
It was a proud moment that had been preceded by some tough conversations when the province at first told the city that ODRAP support would not be available.
There was a lot of arm twisting going on that no one wants to talk about these days.
When it was eventually made available it was only for those who were under insured or could not buy insurance at any price.
In the weeks that followed the setting up pf the Disaster Relief Committee, Ron Foxcroft and Collen Mulholland, began the difficult task of reviewing hundreds of claims, assisting hundreds of Burlington residents in the process.
One hundred days after the rain stopped falling – there was$905,788 in the bank.
 There wasn’t an arm Ron Foxcroft didn’t twist. Even the Minister of Municipal Affairs and housing wasn’t immune to the Foxcroft treatment. Burlington had done a magnificent job.
On September 15th there will be a public dedication of a plaque naming those who donated more than $5000 and the screening of the video Cogeco television was filming throughout the flood.
The next step for Burlington’s MPP is to push the province to produce an ODRAP program that is less confining and more realistic to the real needs of the public
Unbeknownst to many is the 10% hold back the province applied to the funds they provided – that 10% was to cover “risk mitigation” – where was the risk?
By Pepper Parr
August 5, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
When the draft of the Transportation Master Plan was put before city Council, which was meeting as a Committee of the Whole, Councillor Taylor commented that “it was a lot to take in at one sitting – and indeed it was.
The presentation itself took well over an hour with Interim Director of Transportation Vito Tolone working as a tag team with planner Kaylan Edgcumbe.
The gist of it all was that the intensification the city was going to have to undergo to absorb its share of the 1 million additional residents the Region of Halton was going to have to accommodate between now and 2031 meant a level of congestion “Burlington didn’t have much tolerance for”.
In surveys done by the Transportation department there were two almost diametrically opposed sets of comments – one from the over 55 set and another from high school students.
Using the dictum that a picture is worth a thousand words the two graphics below tell very different stories.
 Hundreds of students responded to the questionnaire that asked for comments on modes of transportation. The planners and the transportation experts needed to know how high school students looked at public transit. They knew that the older than 55 set thought – getting them out of their cars was going to require crow bars.
 The Senior set didn’t appear to be ready for much in the way of change. Transportation staff made the observation that “Burlington doesn’t have much tolerance for traffic congestion” Without a change in the use of transit – congestion is about all we have to look forward to. The transportation met with the principal at Charles Beaudoin school and asked if they would participate in a “bike” week program with the city. “The principal wasn’t all that keen on the idea at the beginning” explained Tolone “but he came around and we learned a lot – they also learned what they needed to know, which was that younger people weren’t married to the car to the same degree as their parents.
 Bike to school week at the Charles Beaudoin school saw a very strong uptake on bike use that held after the event. Can it be made an ongoing habit? The week before “bike week” there were 60 students at Beaudoin using their bikes to get to school. During bike week there were 260 using their bikes. After bike week more than 75% of that additional 200 were riding their bikes to school.
 This is the kind of congestion the transportation department wants to see. Tolone saw hope on the horizon. His research tells him that with intensification now an inevitability and no room to build additional road capacity – and no desire on the part of the city to do so either – other ways had to be found to move people around.
Expect to hear a lot of the phrase “complete streets” added to the “modal split” we are already hearing about.
Last week the province introduced that acronym HOT for high occupancy toll lanes – if you want to use those lanes intended for high occupancy vehicles with just one passenger in the car – you pay a toll.
The longer term objective is “behaviour change” we just don’t have the road capacity to handle the traffic that intensification will bring with it.
Councillor Taylor opined that the number of people the Region is going to set as the Burlington target will amount to 100 Stratas – a bit of an exaggeration perhaps but he made his point.
 Councillor John Taylor said there would have to be an additional 100 towers the size of the strata on Maple Avenue – claims he has the data to back that up. Strata is the name given to the Molinaro condominium of Maple Avenue.
The Committee of the Whole meeting was short two of its members – Councillors Dennison and Meed Ward were not present. Meed Ward was recovering from the concision she suffered when her car was rear ended.
At the conclusion of what was a long meeting city general manager Scott Stewart made the comment that “this is a web cast we will be looking at more than once”. Indeed they will because there was no clear sense of direction from the five members of Council in the room.
Transportation and intensification are words that are now linked together and we are going to hear a lot more about both in the years ahead. In order for the needed changes to be made behaviour is going to have to be changed and in Burlington that is no small matter.
By Staff
August 2, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
In the mid-afternoon Saturday, August 1, a 40 year old Burlington male was seen to be travelling east along Fairview Street, close to the Burlington Mall, while operating a blue electrically-powered bicycle, when his vehicle collided with a silver Jeep SUV that was making a left turn into the parking lot at a traffic light controlled intersection.
The male’s injuries were such that he was transported to Hamilton General Hospital where he remains in serious but stable condition.
 This make of e bike is what the injured rider was believed to be driving. They have a significant amount of power and Are seen by many as more like a motorbike. Friends of the bike driver report the rider was riding a $10,000 ‘e-bike’ that was capable of travelling up to 85 km/h.
The rider’s group of friends are all pretty concerned for his health and recovery at the moment. ”It might be worth mentioning that his ‘e-bike’ was more akin to a motorcycle.”
Due to the serious nature of the incident, the Halton Police Collision Reconstruction Unit (CRU) attended and assumed control of the investigation.
No details regarding the involved parties are being released.
Anybody who witnessed the incident but has not yet spoken to police is asked to contact the Collision Reconstruction Unit on 905-825-4747 ext 5065.
By Staff
August 2, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
The Joseph Brant Day Festival will be the place to be on the August holiday Monday.
Besides partnering with the Toronto 2015 PanAm / Parapan Games the event has taken on a significantly different tone.
It will be a lively day at LaSalle Park where events start at 11 am and runs through to 5 pm.
The captivating Beshano Bike Trials will be featured, the Burlington Soccer Club field games and a slew of music, art and cultural performances of the “Americas” will also be featured.
The day will have an Americas flavour to it recognizing the diversity that the PanAm games brought to the Region. Included in the bill of events are:
 The Beshano Bike Trials will be something to watch – expect crowds larger than those in this picture.  Saúl Torres is capable of seamlessly tying together Latin, Funk, Rock, and Flamenco! Beshano Bike Trials – 3 shows complete with incredible bicycle stuntmanship!
Musicians from the official band of the Toronto FC Major League Soccer accompanying dancers choreographed by the dance instructor and performer who opens the Mas Band launches for Carnival!
Saúl Torres who has emerged as one of the most singular talents of Spanish Rock on the continent, capable of seamlessly tying together Latin, Funk, Rock, and Flamenco!
 Dan Secord native dancer in full dress White Pine First Nations Drum and Dance participants.
Dancescapes Studio with Salsa and Latin dance demonstrations and lessons!
Laura Spada
Farrucas – a Latin Fusion Duo of Laura Spada and Jorge Cuama hailing from Ecuador!
Throughout the day the Children’s Area, Museum Educational Crafts & Activities, Giveaways, PanAm Sports Challenges, Games and Obstacles, Interactive participant events including: Crossfit Altitude, Oakville Fencing Academy, Burlington Youth Soccer Club, Monkeynastic Gymnastics, Bradbury, Splitsville Entertainment & Better State Crew! Splash Park for Kids available, Hands-on Activities, Artisans and Vendors, the Famous Brant Day Silent Auction will be part of an event filled day.
And this year the food offering will be going far beyond the traditional hot dogs and burgers. Sylvia Hentz, Special Events Programmer has arranged for a food truck rally with delicious offerings from gourmet food trucks!
 Taste buds will be in for a real treat given the selection of Food Trucks that are being brought in for the Brant Day Festival at LaSalle Park The rally includes
LUCHADOR – Mexican Fusion / International Cuisine
DOBRO JESTI – Slovenian / German-inspired Cuisine
NUDULZ – Italian Food
MANGO CHUTNEY – Indian Food
URBAN EXPRESS- North American & European-style Steakery
CAFE DU MONDE – French-Parisian & International Crepes
PAPPAS GREEK—Greek Food
TROPICAL TEMPTATIONS –Premium drinks & desserts
Burlington’s taste buds are in for a treat.
 ilaria-spada- Laura Spada will perform at the festival. Parking is always a challenge at LaSalle Park on Brant Day. Shuttle buses will be available to transport visitors from Aldershot GO Station once limited onsite parking at LaSalle Park is filled.
First shuttle bus run leaves the Aldershot Go Station at 10:00 a.m. Last bus leaves at 5:00 pm
By Staff
July 31, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
The Halton Regional Police Service successfully completed a two month investigation into identity theft with the arrest of an adult male on 29th July 2015 for trafficking in identify information.
Following recent arrests for suspects using counterfeit ID documents members of the Halton Police Fraud Unit initiated an investigation into the source of the victim’s information.
The investigation led police to suspect that a former employee of GM Financial had been providing identity information to the counterfeiters. With the full co-operation and assistance of GM financial the investigation narrowed down to a former employee who had worked in the customer service department of GM Financial and formally Financial Linx.
GM Financial continue to work with the police to identify any other potential victims, their systems are being analysed to identify any customers who have had files touched by the suspect and those customers can expect to be contact shortly by GM Financial who will then pass any relevant information onto the Police.
Charged is: Moussa KANTE (48yrs)
Of Toronto,Ontario.
Charges: To make available identity information for a fraudulent purpose. Contrary to the Criminal Code of Canada.
Halton Police are asking anyone who may believe they have been a victim to this crime to wait until contacted by GM Financial for further direction. There has been no indication thus far that this incident is connected to a previously reported data breach with Financial Linx in 2012.
By Pepper Parr
July 31, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
There was a short period of time when the city fretted over whether the outside workers were going to be available to take care of the pools and the splash pads and we weren’t at all sure that the transit drivers were going to be behind the wheels of the buses.
The city and the unions managed to avoid a strike and came out with an agreement that gave
CUPE Local 44, the City Outside workers negotiated a deal worth 4.25% over 3 years.
CUPE Local 2723 (Transit) negotiated a deal worth 6.95% over 4 years.
There were apparently other benefits negotiated but those details have yet to be released.
By Pepper Parr
July 31st, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Once we have a well-deserved summer, if albeit a hot one at times, behind us and the kids are back in school – hopefully there won’t be a teachers strike, the city will settle down to the business of becoming what it wants to become.
The agenda for the fall is pretty thick.
In the months ahead the public is going to read about “complete streets”; different “modes” of transportation and transit. Lots about transit and behavioural change.
The city has to get you out of your car. The city has to add thousands of people to its current population which means intensification.
More people, more residential development – and traditionally more cars. But more cars on the streets means more congestion and Burlington doesn’t have much in the way of tolerance for traffic congestion.
City council is going to have to buckle down and bite the transit bullet and slowly lead the public to using transit.
It is not going to be easy.
The current city council isn’t all that good on leading when it comes to hard issues. During the briefing council was given recently on the draft Transportation Master Plan there wasn’t much in the way of comment from Council members.
To his credit ward 1 Councillor Rick Craven lectured that a change is necessary even if the public doesn’t like the idea.
What are the options? How do we get people out of their cars?
 Some of these cars sit in this parking lost most of the day – they are used to get a driver to the GO station in the morning and back home at night. Reliable transit would work better for everyone. A look at the GO station parking lots offers a major opportunity. Why do people drive their car to the GO station and leave it sitting there most of the day?
Because for the bulk of these people transit is not a viable option – bus service has to be convenient if you want people to use it. And there is nothing convenient about the bus service and GO Stations.
A colleague who works at scheduling the delivery of products to retail locations explained to me that there is software out there being used by tens of thousands of organizations every day.
They know what the traffic patterns are and they know when their clients are open – they take all that data and work out a route for every truck they have on the road. If there is a disruption in traffic flow the software will tell them and the truck drivers are alerted.
So why couldn’t the transit people hire a couple of students to spend part of a day going through the GO station parking lots and noting the license numbers on the cars.
The city would then ask the Ministry of Transportation for the address of the owners of the cars and then send each of the car owners a letter asking them if they would use a service that drove by their house, picked them up and dropped them off at the GO station in time to catch the train they wanted to use.
This kind of thing is not rocket science – it is done all the time by the companies that delivery potato chips and soft drinks to convenience stores. They do it because they are motivated to do it – their profits and their jobs depend on their ensuring that products are on the shelves.
The city could easily instruct Burlington Transit to do a pilot study in one part of the city – The Orchard would a very good place to do a pilot.
 A combination of reliable transit service and parking fees to leave a car at the GO station might be the only way the city can bring about a behaviour change when it comes to how we use cars. The city would use smaller buses that would take whatever route was needed to pick up people in front of their house. When the bus was full or it was time to head for the GO station to catch the GO train the bus would end the trip.
How would people get the bus? They would use an app on their cell phone that would call up a screen. Their address would have already been entered into the app as well as the GO station they traditionally use.
The user would click on one of the icons on the screen and request the service would go to the transit company and back would come a message saying what time the bus would bet at the door.
Easy ? probably I’m prepared to bet that the province would put up a large chunk of the cash to pay for the development of such an application – they have to get people out of their cars and transit is the best option.
I can’t see the “suits” driving their bikes to the GO station.
To make using transit more compelling – parking fees at the GO stations could be imposed.
Drastic – probably, but it is clear to the transportation experts and the planners that Burlington has to find a way to cut down the traffic.
If residents found that the service was priced decently and proved to be reliable they will use it – better to have a bus pick you up and get you to the GO station on time without you having to battle traffic congestion.
There is going to be a change in traffic – how the city goes about making it happen is something you want to make sure your opinion is voiced.
Related articles:
A transportation master plan
By Staff
July 31, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
The Burlington detachment of the Halton Regional Police are in the 15th week of their Fugitive Friday program which they use to seek the support of the public in bringing people charged with an offence to justice.
The police are asking 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.
 In this edition of Fugitive Fridays the 3 District, Burlington Offender Management Unit is searching for Beth MICHAUD, 26 years old, from Hamilton.
It is alleged:
In April, 2015, the accused attended multiple Royal Bank branches in the City of Burlington and was successful in cashing one or several fraudulent cheques prior to the institutions becoming aware of her pattern.
In May 2015, the accused was arrested and charged, however failed to appear for her court date on June 17, 2015.
MICHAUD is wanted by the Halton Regional Police for:
Fraud under $5000 x 2
Uttering Forged Documents x 2
Fail to Appear Court
MICHAUD is described as 5’2”, 115lbs, hazel eyes and blonde hair. Michaud has a pierced nose and several tattoos. On her left ear is a music note, right wrist is the name “Lexie” and lower left back is the word “King”. MICHAUD has ties to Hamilton, Burlington and the surrounding area.
Anyone who has information on MICHAUD or can assist investigators in locating her are asked to contact Detective Constable Calvin 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).
The police are sharing “Fugitive Friday” information on their website and via social media through Twitter @HRPSBurl and @HaltonPolice.
 By Pepper Parr
July 30th, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Wheelchair Basketball Parathlete, Brandon Wagner is going to be the Burlington community torchbearer for the TORONTO 2015 Parapan Am Games Torch Relay.
 Brandon Wagner being celebrated by Mayor Rick Goldring The torch relay will visit Burlington on Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2015
The Parapan Am Games Torch Relay is a five-day inspirational journey of more than 250 torchbearers who will share the Parapan Am spirit in 12 communities. The torch relay is one of the most exciting events as it sets the stage leading up to what
will be the largest Parapan Am Games ever held.
The aluminum torch stands 65 centimetres high and weighs 1.2 kilograms (or roughly the same weight as a baseball bat). With a burn time of 10 to 12 minutes, the flame can withstand winds of up to 70 kilometres per hour and is visible in all kinds of weather conditions.
The torch relay will invite communities to celebrate and share the Parapan Am
spirit throughout its five-day journey towards Toronto, the Host City of the Games.
The torch relay starts Aug. 3, 2015, and concludes Aug. 7, 2015, with the dramatic lighting of the cauldron at the Opening Ceremony in Toronto.
Burlington has many reasons to be proud of Wagner – he is a joy to watch when he is on a basketball court.
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