 By Staff
October 8th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
The Mississaguas of the Credit First Nation and the Oakville Community Foundation have launched “Debwewin”– the Oakville Truth Project, to further a shared understanding of Oakville’s Indigenous past and support local Truth & Reconciliation.
‘Debwewin’ refers to one of the Anishinabek seven grandfathers teaching for “truth.” This project will raise questions about Oakville’s Truth such as:
 “What happened to the local Treaty holders, the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation?” and
“Why did Treaty 22 which includes coverage of Oakville main waterways, Sixteen Mile and Bronte Creek leave the Mississaugas homeless?”
This project brings together leadership of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation (MCFN) to share their knowledge and perspective. ”The Mississauga people have long historical roots in Oakville,” said Mississauga Gimma (Chief) Stacey Laforme.
“Understanding the local history of the Indigenous people in Oakville from an Anishinaabe perspective is an important first step on the path towards Truth and Reconciliation.”
 Elder Peter Schuler is advising the Oakville Community Foundation The Oakville Community Foundation’s Indigenous Cultural Advisor, Mississauga Elder Peter Schuler has graciously agreed to lead the multi-year “Debwewin” project.
 “I believe this project is an important step in educating our community and recognizing Indigenous peoples in Oakville and beyond,” said Elder Peter Schuler. “This community collaboration allows us to create necessary changes and continued learning opportunities.”
“We are honoured to work on this initiative with the Mississaugas and support this important work that will benefit both of our communities, Oakville and the Mississaugas,” stated Bindu Cudjoe, The Foundation’s Board Chair.
This project will bring together Indigenous knowledge keepers, claims experts, historians and researchers to act as an Advisory Council to guide the project. Full details of the Advisory Council will be shared in the coming months.
Mississaugas of the Credit are an Ojibwe (Anishinaabe) First Nation with 2,600 Members, approximately 850 of whom live on the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation Reserve near Hagersville, Ontario.
The Oakville Community Foundation is a registered charity focused on Building Community Through Philanthropy. The Foundation acts as a vehicle for community members to fulfill their charitable passions and has granted $52.4 million to charitable organizations since its inception. The Foundation also supports investments of more than $110 million in assets. We welcome families, businesses and residents into our community and give everyone the opportunity to be a philanthropist. The Foundation is one of the largest members of a national network of more than 190 Canadian community foundations.
This is an interesting collaboration. A First Nation wanting a fairer interpenetration of a Treaty getting into a dialogue with an organization that manages philanthropic gifts from those that have title to the land that once belonged to the First Nations people.
Treaty 22 might reveal more than most residents of Oakville will want to hear or know about. The Mississaugas of the Credit traditional territory covers much of Burlington.
Background on Treaty # 22 – there were others
 By Rory O’Dowd: Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
October 8th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
Recently re-elected Liberal Member of Parliament, Pam Damoff, reflected on her journey from replacement candidate in 2015 to three-time riding winner today. Damoff laid out where she has her sights set for her third term. Inducing long-standing passion projects such as cancer research funding and infrastructure, working with Ontario to implement affordable childcare, and Indigenous issues. Damoff also discusses the nastiest campaign of her career and the need for government intervention in social media disinformation.
 Pam Damoff returned for the third time as the Member of Parliament for Oakville North Burlington. Pam Damoff won her third federal election in the Oakville/North Burlington riding on September 20th. Damoff first ran for a federal position with the creation of the Oakville/North Burlington riding in 2015. Damoff’s nomination was unique in that she stepped up to represent the Liberal party when the original candidate Max Khan passed away unexpectedly. Damoff, representing Oakville Town Council at the time, made the most of the opportunity and now enters a third term, having won her two re-election bids comfortably(securing 47% in 2021 and 48.26% in 2019).
“It’s an honor, I never had a better job in my life. I love what I do and I’m excited to start a new parliament, especially as we’re coming out of the pandemic. It’s been terrific and I’m proud of the work that I’ve been able to do. I always say to people ‘don’t ever believe that MPs can’t make a difference,’ because prior to being a parliamentary secretary, I was able to get $160 million for the Terry Fox Research Institute, by working hard and lobbying.
“There’s a lot that you can do in committee, and in Parliament, whether you’re in cabinet as a parliamentary secretary or an MP. You know, there’s only 338 of us across the country and it’s a privilege to be able to do what I do,” said Damoff.
Damoff has long been a champion of cancer research funding. She lost her mother to leukemia in 1989, her father survived cancer, passing away due to unrelated causes as a 25-year cancer survivor. Damoff lost several other family members to the disease. Damoff is the current chair of the Terry Fox Run, where she has engaged with others impacted by cancer. The aforementioned would-be Liberal candidate Khan also survived three bouts of leukemia before passing away in the hospital after arriving with flu-like symptoms.
 Damoff with football great Tony Gabriel at the 3582 memorial marker. Both are working to get Terry Fox on the next $5 bill issued. “Everyone has been touched by cancer in one way or another,” said Damoff.
Damoff said the government has started putting the focus on helping cancer researchers who couldn’t procure funding. She wants to assist underfunded areas, referencing research at McMaster University into deadly forms of breast cancer disproportionately impacting black women as an example.
Before the election Damoff told the Gazette she wanted to leave her mark on the office by assisting implementation of the Liberal government’s affordable child care program. Damoff says she is hopeful the federal government will get something done with Ontario and believes the childcare program will be implemented before the provincial election.
As for Damoff’s local goals she mentioned long-held advocacy for cycling and walking infrastructure. Damoff co-founded cycling infrastructure advocacy organization Cycle Oakville in 2013 before holding a federal position so this remains a long-term passion project for her. Damoff also hopes to work with Halton Region to bring in housing funding and climate change action.
As former parliamentary secretary to the minister of Indigenous Affairs, Marc Miller, Damoff found the Truth and Reconciliation Day gatherings encouraging. Damoff attended an event in Ottawa on September 30th, adding she was impressed by the Burlington ceremony. She encouraged Canadians to continue to participate in such events, to read Indigenous authors, and to visit cultural centers such as the Woodland Culture Centre in Brampton.
 Damoff celebrating her third victory as the Member for Oakville North Burlington Damoff doesn’t know if she will retain a role in the Indigenous Affairs department in this parliament. Stressing that all calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation committee are important, Damoff acknowledged some are easier to get to than others, saying she’d like to see a monument built in Ottawa, which would commemorate residential school survivors and victims as well as educate Canadians.
As for shortcomings in the Liberal administration’s dealings with Indigenous affairs Damoff suggested it’s more important to look forward than at what they could do differently. The Liberal government’s lagging deadlines on lifting boil-water advisories are one of the most common criticisms with their handling of Indigenous affairs. In Damoff’s previous interview with the Gazette, she pointed out it is not up to the federal government to lift boil water advisories but up to the communities themselves.
She would not say if the Prime Minister made a mistake in the 2015 campaign pledge to lift all boil water advisories if it was not possible for his administration to carry out this promise.
 “It was an ambitious timeline and we put a plan in place to get rid of the rest of them so I think the focus needs to be on ensuring that the remaining long-term drinking water advisories get lifted. I think that’s where we need to focus on, whether the timeline was the right one or not,” said Damoff.
Damoff called her 2021 bid for re-election the nastiest campaign she’s been involved in. Damoff was saddened as Liberal volunteers were accosted by conspiracy theorists at the door.
“It’s really unfortunate that people who choose to volunteer their time for political parties, regardless of political party, would feel unsafe when they’re volunteering their time. We had a lot of young people working on the campaign. The vast majority of people who disagree with us on policy do so respectfully in a way that’s part of a healthy democracy. Sadly, there’s a small portion of society so aggressive and angry,” said Damoff.
Beyond the campaign, Damoff pointed to young people in the workforce being screamed at by anti-maskers. When asked if she believed she could speak to conspiracy theorists and work on the divide Damoff was skeptical. Damoff said she hoped civilized discourse could exist but it needs to start from a basis of accepting science and public health measures. Realities COVID conspiracy theorists seem incapable of accepting.
 Pam Damoff has been very effective with members of the different ethnic communities. Damoff credits social media with a large role in the degradation of discourse and says the government must be involved in holding social media companies, who she says lack the employees to monitor their standards(which have often been inadequate to begin with) to account.
“We need to do something because disinformation shared on Facebook and social media sites fuels the types of things that we’re seeing in our society now,” said Damoff.
As for what her schedule looks like right now Damoff looks forward to connecting with the municipal government officials in Burlington and Oakville and establishing priorities for the current administration.
 By Staff
October 7th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
A reader wrote asking why the flags at city hall were always lowered – it seemed that way to him.
City has a policy for lowering flags.
It goes like this:
 By Pepper Parr
October 7th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
While the vast majority are choosing to be vaccinated – there are holdouts.
City Hall is getting to the point where they want to take a stronger position and insist that people be vaccinated in order to be able to go to work.
 City manager Tim Commisso talked to a Standing Committee yesterday on what has been learned to date on the status of staff vaccinations: Who has and who hasn’t?
The surveying work being done is not yet complete and Commisso was a little hesitant in putting out numbers that were not as complete as he wanted them to be – so he offered no data. He did say there was a metric – comes out as kind of the percentage that is vaccinated.
The city deadline for responses from Staff of what their vaccination status is was last Friday. Data was collected in a very private, kind of confidential way.
Commisso wants to be able to provide the percentage of staff that fall into the three options.
“One of the things that we’re finding is the level of non declaration or however it’s positioned because obviously it’s the first thing that we asked.
“A real number for us is, what is the percentage of our total staff that are vaccinated? That’s where we’re focusing on right now.
“The survey work is being done by a security company under contract. Boyd reported that they are spending eight hours a day, inputting all of our staffs status in a spreadsheet for us. We should expect to have kind of a good realistic solid number by mid next week which would make it October 13th or so.”
The reporting options are: vaccination; Testing and exemptions
Commisso wants to know : What are the percentages for each category?
 Executive Director Human Resources Laura Boyd The federal government has taken the approach that you get vaccinated by a certain day – if you’re not, you’re on unpaid leave. And then if you’re still not by the end of the unpaid leave you’re terminated.
 There are consequences for those who choose not to be vaccinated. “At the city what we’ve said to our employees is, if you’re not going to be vaccinated then you have to be tested regularly. And if the tests are negative they can continue to come to work, we won’t have to terminate we won’t have to put them on unpaid leave.”
Boyd was then asked to clarify: ” Am I recalling correctly from the last time we had this conversation that we are supporting staff who are unable or choose not to get vaccinated by allowing the repetition and testing, which is great.
“And my understanding was is that the city was going to cover the cost of that for a certain period of time and then the cost would be transferred to the employee. Am I understanding that correctly?”
Boyd replied. “Yes, Absolutely we are covering the cost of the rapid testing up until November 26; after November 26 If they continue to choose not to be vaccinated they will have to arrange to pay for the testing themselves and submit the data to us.”
By Staff
October 6th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
The Government of Ontario has made regulatory amendments under the Condominium Act, 1998 (Condo Act) and four other statutes that extend the effective period of temporary legislative provisions permitting corporations governed under these statutes to call and hold meetings virtually, as applicable, notwithstanding certain restrictions or requirements. The effective period of these temporary legislative provisions has now been extended to end on September 30, 2022.
In their media release the province said:
“The people of Ontario continue to be required to adhere to the measures that have been put in place to help stop the spread of COVID-19. Providing corporations governed under these statutes with the flexibility to host annual meetings and other meetings of significance virtually despite certain requirements or restrictions is intended to help these corporations safely meet their obligations during the ongoing pandemic.”
The ministry will continue to monitor pandemic-related developments and will communicate any additional updates in the future, as appropriate.
By Pepper Parr
October 6th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
Planner Alison Enns, Manager of Policy and Community, delivered a report on Floodplain and Spills Approach: Lower Hager and Lower Rambo Creeks. It was treated as a Receive and File document.
 Alison Enns, Manager of Policy and Community, It turned out to be a lot more than that – the information in the report has the potential to threaten some of the planned development along the path of Rambo Creek.
Enns purpose was to share how changes over time, new tools and approaches and the results of Phase 1 of the Flood Study, undertaken as part of the scoped re-examination of the Official Plan, have informed a change to how development in the Downtown is reviewed related to hazards south of the Hager/Rambo Diversion Channel.
Since the early 1980s the City has addressed development with respect to potential flood hazards in coordination with Conservation Halton. The Phase 1 Flood Study, finalized as part of the scoped re-examination of the Downtown, used new technology and information to identify hazards. That new information has informed a shift in responsibility from the City to regulation by Conservation Halton (CH) as of June 16, 2021.
Enns put up a slide showing the location of Hager, Rambo diversion channel.
 Blue line indicates the path of the Rambo Creek diversion channel. The diversion channel was constructed in 1976 to divert water from residential areas around the downtown to prevent flooding. The main diversion channel captures water flow from upper Hager and the upper Rambo systems. It is approximately 2.7 kilometers long and outlets to Indian Creek, which in turn empties into Hamilton harbour and Burlington Bay.
In the early 1980s, the Halton Region Conservation Authority, in a memo dated September 7,1982, stated that the Conservation Authority doesn’t exercise jurisdiction over the Hager and Rambo Creek or the diversion channel. From that point forward drainage areas south of the diversion channel were considered to be under municipal jurisdiction and constituting part of the municipal storm drainage system.
The city addressed development with respect to the potential for flood hazards in coordination with the Conservation Authority, The regulatory policy was updated in 1999 and again in 2006, and in both of these documents that approach was confirmed.
 The storm water ponds that feed into the Rambo Creek diversion channel. The various ponds, and their connection to the diversion channel are shown. Some context to help make the point about how we got here at the outset of the mobility hubs study…
There was an identified need for a scope of storm sub watershed assessment. Through that work and then subsequently through the work related to the downtown the scope re-examination, a final scope of that work was determined. In 2019 and carrying into 2020 the city retained Wood Consulting, in partnership with the Conservation Authority, to do a set of studies, which were called the flood hazard in storm water management assessment – commonly referred to as Phase One flood study. The purpose of that study was to define existing flood hazards for the areas where new development was anticipated, and also to develop a set of preliminary storm water management strategies. It also included reviewing drainage infrastructure capacity.
 The map shows both the current but expected-to-be revised Urban Growth Centre and the boundary of the Burlington MTSA. It was while thinking through policy options that a concern about flooding became an issue. That concern led to two reports that highlighted a serious problem – the challenge now is how to deal with the flooding issue. The climate has changed – now what?
This is the extent of the phase one study area – note that it includes the downtown, and the Burlington GO.
The findings of the phase one study inform the development of policies and mapping that were endorsed by council in late 2020, and were incorporated in the approval of the new official plan by the Region. The Phase One study also identified that further technical work would be required. The recommendations of Phase One included identifying flooding hazards, providing recommendations for area infrastructure improvements, and included discussion of storm water management criteria but, really, the key elements of the Phase One work was to say that further technical work would be required to refine and confirm the flood vulnerable areas. That would be done through a phase two study which is currently underway using more detailed topographic survey data.
After the completion of the Phase One study, Conservation Halton, in accordance with the Conservation Authorities Act, determined they would exercise regulatory authority over lands in the vicinity of the lower Rambo Creek in downtown Burlington.
The city has incorporated this information in the Official Plan through the new official plan and Conservation Haltom has incorporated these new areas subject to flood risk in their mapping, which is available online.
 The scale of this map makes it very difficult to show the detail. We will try and get a map with better resolution and then present the map in sections. What is evident is that there are a lot of developments that are in what is thought to be a flood plain. Think of the damage done when the Tuck Creek broke its walls and flooded hundreds of homes. The city wants to take action now to put policies in place that will determine what can be built in possible flood prone areas. June 16 2021 is the date after which Conservation applies the regulatory regulations to these areas.
Council saw the draft terms of reference in June. Staff is moving forward, refining the modeling from the Phase One study. That will determine if any further policy changes are required or any mapping changes. While Phase Two is not complete the Phase One study is considered best information; city and Conservation Authority staff will use that information to support the review of development applications.
With the Enns presentation completed – It was then on to Questions from Council. Mayor Meed Ward asked: when you look at the development proposals we have for the downtown many are identified as being in flood hazard areas. This may be, she continued, too early to answer this question but what does that mean, what do we know about what that means right now – does it mean no development there – does it mean, different kinds of development? What, what do you think it means – if you can answer that right now? With all the applications we have there appear to be a lot that are in a flood hazard area.
Enns had indicated that applicants will be required to interact with Conservation as part of the normal development approval process.
Councillor Nisan and the Mayor sit on the CH board and are aware that typically permits are not issued for developments that are within a hazard, that’s one of the protection areas. And in cases where the hazard can be mitigated, a permit with conditions might be issued.
What the Mayor was trying to get at is the potential that given the risk to health and given what we now know about flood hazards that permits will not be issued in some of these areas at all.
Through the permitting process, we would anticipate that depending on the issues that are present from a regular flood regulatory standpoint, this will influence design, and certain design outcomes as it relates to those projects, which is tied into the land use permissions. So we would not be proceeding from a planning standpoint to recommend approval of designs and final outcomes that conflict in any way, with the proper maintenance of the flood risk.
Any idea of when the phase two study might be complete and when we’ll be getting that information?
 If there were basements in these buildings where records and archived documents were stored – they were a soggy pile of useless pieces of paper. The target for completing phase two to line up with the MTSA work is, Q1 March of 2022. That work is happening very quickly and will help us answer some of these questions.
At that point Councillor Nisan was asked to move the item and it carried unanimously.
And with that – the fox was in the hen house. All those developments before the Planning department now face another hurdle that could determine if the application can proceed or if it should be modified to reflect the flood potential.
The developers would appeal to the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) – it would be very hard for an OLT Commissioner to find for a developer when looking at public safety issues.
This one should be really interesting going forward.
 By Pepper Parr
October 6th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
The provincial Medical Officer of Health announced earlier this week that Rapid Antigen Tests (RAT) would be used at the school level but only in areas where the level of new infections was high.
 It is a painless process – takes just seconds and the results are available in just minutes. Halton Region Public Health is reviewing the information received today from the Chief Medical Officer of Health and will work with school boards should the need arise for RAT distribution at a local school.
In its announcement the Halton Region MoH said: “We will continue to work closely with our school board partners to prevent COVID-19 transmission in schools through multiple strategies.
Rapid COVID-19 antigen tests can detect COVID-19 in a preliminary fashion, providing results faster than a traditional PCR test. The trade-off is rapid tests do not provide a definitive result or diagnosis.
As a reminder, it is important to continue with the current strategies that have been working effectively in our community including masking, cohorting, daily screening and vaccination for all those eligible in the school environment.
 Covid19 data for Burlington as of October 5th.
 By Staff
October 6th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
The Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) is seeking the public’s assistance in identifying a suspicious male observed interacting with young children at an elementary school in Burlington on two occasions.
 On Thursday, September 23, 2021 at approximately 10:30 am, a male was seen on the property of Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Elementary School located at 2222 Country Club Drive in Burlington. He was observed to be interacting and possibly taking photographs of a group of children with his cell phone. The male was confronted by school staff and left the area on a bike.
On Thursday, September 30, 2021 at approximately 12:40 pm, the same male was observed on the property of Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Elementary School and was again interacting and possibly photographing children with his phone. The male left the area on foot when confronted by school staff.
The male is described by witnesses as:
• Male, Asian
• Approximately 60 years old
• 5’8” with a slim build
• Dark, graying hair, no facial hair
On September 23, he was wearing a light grey jacket with bulging pockets and was riding a blue bike.
On September 30, he was wearing a grey pullover sweatshirt, black baseball cap with a white emblem on the back, light coloured framed glasses and white earbuds. He had a large black cellphone.
 Police are looking to identify this male and are asking that anyone with information, security or dash-cam footage from the area of the school on the above dates, contact Detective Constable Dave Griffiths of the 3 District Criminal Investigations Bureau at 905-825-4777 ext. 2350.
Tips can also be submitted anonymously to Crime Stoppers. “See something? Hear something? Know something? Contact Crime Stoppers” at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.ca.
By Staff
October 5th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
As part of Ontario’s education campaign for businesses, between Tuesday, October 5 and Thursday, October 7, Provincial offences officers will be visiting Halton businesses that are impacted by Ontario’s proof of vaccination requirements.
The primary focus of these visits is to educate employers and staff on vaccination proof requirements and ensure businesses are following COVID-19 safety requirements.
 Regional Chair Gary Carr “I would like to thank the Halton business community for supporting Ontario’s proof of vaccination requirements and all that they have done over the past 18 months to keep employees and customers safe,” said Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr. “In addition to these Provincial educational activities, our Economic Development and Public Health teams at Halton Region continue to offer supports and resources to ensure business owners and operators have all of the information they need to operate safely and stay open.”
Over the coming weeks, in consultation with local public health units, Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development inspectors and other provincial offences officers will conduct inspection and education campaigns to ensure businesses across Ontario are following COVID-19 safety requirements.
Halton’s team of public health inspectors, municipal by-law officers and Halton Regional Police Service officers will also continue to educate and support business owners and operators on proof of vaccination requirements and current COVID-19 public health measures. Provincial offences officers and inspectors may issue tickets to businesses and patrons who are not in compliance with measures set out in the Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act and the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act.
 Regional Medical Officer of Health “I continue to encourage all patrons, business owners and employees to be patient and kind as we all take precautions available to protect each other and stop the spread of COVID-19,” said Halton Region Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Hamidah Meghani. “As we approach colder weather and with the continued spread of the Delta variant, please get both doses of COVID-19 vaccine to prevent severe illness and hospitalization and prevent infecting those who are immunocompromised or not yet eligible for vaccination. We all must continue to do our part to bring an end to the pandemic.”
By Staff
October 5th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
The Recommendation was to Authorize the Director of Engineering Services to negotiate and execute a cost sharing
agreement with the owners of property municipally known as 431 Martha Street, City of Burlington, for the design and replacement of a jointly owned retaining wall that is in need of replacement.
“Approve the project geotechnical investigation and detail design costs funding” as noted in engineering services department report.
A retaining wall exists, along the bank of Rambo Creek, at 431 Martha Street, City of Burlington. The lower portion of the retaining wall and foundation is reinforced concrete, and the upper portion of the wall is masonry block. The construction year is unknown, and no information exists respecting who constructed the wall.
That is troubling – city administrations keep everything but for some reason the information doesn’t exist.
 How this level of damage to a retaining wall was missed is disturbing. In early 2021, the City conducted its legislated biennial detailed visual inspections in accordance with the requirements of the Ontario Structure Inspection Manual. During the inspection on April 9, 2021, the City’s consultant assessed this retaining wall as being in poor condition, recommending immediate replacement. The consultant also recommended fencing off the area behind the retaining wall, within a 4m radius of the wall to prevent pedestrian and vehicular access to the area for safety reasons until the retaining wall is replaced. The City proceeded to fence off this area and closed the affected sidewalk and driveway at 431 Martha Street. The City obtained a legal survey and confirmed the majority of the retaining wall (approximately 80%) is located within 431 Martha Street private property limits.
 The bit of grate seen at the left is where the creek runs beneath Martha Street. The level of damage is severe. The remaining 20% of the wall is within the City’s Martha Street right-of-way. Failure of the retaining wall could cause significant damage to private property and Rambo Creek, potentially causing debris to block or disrupt the flow of the creek. If the retaining wall collapses there is also a risk of damaging the surrounding sidewalk as well as compromising the adjacent culvert structure and the Martha Street roadway. The City is working with the property owners to secure a cost sharing agreement which would result in a 50/50 cost split for the geotechnical investigation work and a cost split of 80% ownership of 431 Martha Street and 20% City of Burlington for the design and construction. The City is currently negotiating the terms of a cost sharing agreement relating to the geotechnical investigation as well as the design and construction of the retaining wall. At this time, the property owners agreed to the City managing the retaining wall replacement project, pursuant to the terms of the City’s Procurement Bylaw.
Given the experience the city had during the 2014 flood replacing that retaining wall is critical.
By Ryan O’Dowd
October 5th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
Andrew Drummond is back as the New Democratic Party provincial candidate and he’s in the upcoming (June 2nd) election to win it.
After a successful 2018 campaign where Drummond captured over 28% of the vote, more than doubling his predecessor, Drummond says this is the first election he’s entering where the expectation is victory.
 Andrew Drummond with a supporter Bolstered by a substantially higher campaign budget after consistent gains made in the region and provincial trends Drummond has no doubt this will be a winnable election.
“Yes we can win this election, unequivocally yes,” Drummond said. “We showed in the last campaign the city treats the NDP as the second choice here and going into this election, we know that we’re going to be the choice of progressive people. Over and above the ambitious platform that we will be releasing, the policy papers we’ve already put out, when you get to the doors and talk to people, those ideas really resonate.”
Drummond has been working on the upcoming campaign since the 2018 election ended, breaking to manage two federal campaigns to keep the momentum going. In addition to Drummond’s impressive personal results, he managed both federal NDP candidates to incremental gains, including most recently Nick Page on a budget of $12,000, down from roughly $30,000 the previous election.
Drummond operated on a $35,000 budget in his last provincial outing, which was the largest Burlington constituency budget ever.
 Drummond will face off once again with incumbent Jane McKenna. This time around Drummond is operating on a baseline budget of $80,000, one he suspects will grow. He estimates the budget he has to work with will allow the campaign to fully cover the riding with literature twice over and afford him the opportunity to personally interact with every voter at the door.
‘We have been targeting this election. This is our moment here. We are very prepared to fight this next election,” said Drummond.
Drummond’s confidence is riding high following a vote of support from provincial party leader Andrea Horwath who plans on campaigning in the area; she will be present or providing a recorded message when he is acclaimed as the NDP candidate later this month.
Drummond was born into a political household, to parents he calls “Red Tories” who tried to push the party to the left. As a young child Drummond spent days in playpens in campaign offices. Political campaigns used to excite Drummond as a 25-year-old knocking on doors but over time that excitement has been deflated by the weight of his responsibility.
“I’ve always been excited about it. I’ll be honest it gets a little less exciting the more you do it. It’s a lot harder when I know how important the things that we’re fighting for are. And the pressure to do well increases, especially now with this campaign,” said Drummond.
Although Drummond tempers his excitement with responsibility he leaves nothing wanting for passion. Drummond says time will tell if his work as a campaign manager made him a better candidate but he enjoys the work.
 Drummond: loves going door to door “I love going door to door, I love meeting people face to face. In-person communication is what I think I do best. It’s what I enjoy most about campaigning and I didn’t get to do as much of that as campaign manager,” he said.
Drummond listed several reasons for his optimism about improving from his last outing toward fulfilling the party goal, which Drummond says is an NDP majority.
Drummond was nominated with six weeks left before the last provincial election; this time he has eight months to campaign before ballots are cast June 2nd, 2022.
The NDP enters this provincial election as the official opposition for the first time since 1987, and voters know Drummond from 2018. He jokes that what people wanted in Ontario in the last election was a Progressive Conservative government led by Andrea Horwath, calling her by far the most popular candidate.
Drummond cites his accessibility as a big factor contrasted with both opponent’s historical hesitancy and with his previous limitations.
Drummond took six days off of work for the last provincial election, this time around he will be committed to campaigning for two months.
When asked if he was concerned about the provincial Liberal government bouncing back from their worst-ever showing in 2018 and siphoning progressive votes Drummond laughed.
“How could I possibly say ‘no’ to that question? But if you ask [Liberal candidate] Mariam Manaa she has the same concerns. People here recognize that we will be the alternative,’ said Drummond.
Drummond’s campaign puts quality of life as a top priority. Printed on his face mask are the words: “everyone deserves paid sick days”. He speaks enthusiastically about worker’s rights, climate change, cost of living, and affordable housing. Drummond hesitated to boil down his campaign to a handful of specific issues saying there are paths to improve every area of life in the NDP platform.
“One of the things that I have learned in politics is that every single issue, every last thing that you ever talk about is more complex than it looks at first glance, there is a layer upon layer to every issue,” said Drummond.
When Drummond accepted the nomination last election he said he wasn’t angry with the status quo he was saddened by it. Drummond pointed to failings, inaction, and what he called deliberate choices to harm the most vulnerable, citing the province clawing back disability benefits for those on CERB as a recent example.
 Leader of the Opposition Andrea Horwath Drummond will be acclaimed for the nomination on October 21st. He believes Burlington has shown itself to be a progressive town and the moment is now for the NDP to capitalize on their momentum.
“It’s a mix between crushing and exciting. I know we’re getting close and I’m trying to figure out in my head how long until I can go door to door and start talking about provincial issues”.
By Staff
October 3rd, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
In language only a bureaucrat or a lawyer can write the plans for a four storey retirement home on Kerns Road are set out.
The development will replace a very small strip mall in a neighbourhood that is made up of windy, well-treed streets and large single family dwellings.
 Architectural rendering of the proposed retirement home development The proposal will be described and defended by Glen Wellings, (the planning consultant hired by the developer) at a Statutory meeting on October 5th at 1;00 PM. .
The Statutory meeting will be a virtual event which in the past has dampened public participation for many, but not all developments.
A virtual meeting is a different kind of public event – there is no sense of community, the speaker is in a virtual space where they can see the members of Council taking part and the Council members can see the person delegating. There is no sense as to how many people are actually watching the web cast.
If the person delegating wants to use some visual material, getting it to actually appear is not a certainty – there are still technical issues that have not been overcome.
Some municipal councils have moved to a model that runs both a virtual event alongside a live event. People can choose which route they want to take.
The Halton District School Board meets with half the trustees in the room and the other half taking part virtually.
Burlington City Council has a report on a possible return to meeting that will be live but with limited public participation and all staff participation being virtual. The pandemic is still very much with us – and so is the phrase “with an abundance of caution” which is being overused to the advantage of people who are not strong believers in full public participation.
 Bound by Kerns Road and Four Seasons Drive the property currently houses a small strip plaza. What is Proposed?
A private land owner has made an application to change the Zoning By-law designation for the property located at 1600 Kerns Road. The location of the subject property is shown on the Location Sketch.
The application proposes the rezoning of the property to facilitate a retirement home having a height of four storeys with one level of underground parking and comprised of 123 units.
The proposed development also contemplates commercial uses at grade.
 Four views of the proposed retirement home development. The building will be terraced on the south side
The subject lands are currently designated ‘Neighbourhood Commercial’ in the City of Burlington Official Plan (1997), as amended and ‘Local Centres’ in the New Official Plan (2018).
The applicable zoning of the subject lands is ‘Neighbourhood Commercial (CN2)’ Zone. A site-specific exception (‘CN2-XXX) Zone’) has been proposed with amendments which include, but may not be limited to, matters related to permitted use(s), setbacks, height, parking and landscape buffers.
The portion of the lands associated with the Natural Heritage System are proposed to be rezoned to ‘Open Space (O2) Zone’ and dedicated to public ownership.
 By Pepper Parr
September 29th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
It was during a meeting on that wonderful deck that runs along the north side of Lakeshore Road – across the street from Spencer Smith Park where one can see the ships heading to, or leaving, Hamilton harbour and where, what a long departed friend said, one can enjoy an Adult Libation.
 One of the prime places to just enjoy the city is on the north side of Lakeshore looking out over the lake. Great ideas bubble to the surface while enjoying an Adult Beverage, I was meeting with a couple of friends and talking through possible options and new ideas to keep the Waterfront Hotel site in public hands rather than have a large tower go up.
At the time no one knew that the developer’s plan was for two 30 story plus towers on the site.
Many see the land south of Lakeshore Road as a “public” part of the public realm. Much of it is land that was recovered and made usable with landfill.
The owners of the hotel do have title to some of the land but surely not all the land right up to the edge of the lake.
My friends, who don’t want their names trotted out at this point – at an appropriate time they will be more public. These are men who comment intelligently on public matters.
They wondered aloud if there was not some kind of land swap that could be done.
And that was when a light bulb lit up.
 It doesn’t function all that well as a place to work and the city is going to need a lot more space. City hall as a building is not that functional. It is past its best-before date but, because it is what we have, money is going to be spent on making the best of a bad situation.
 It is an awkward building – there was no real design – additions kept being added. The entrance was once on the west side. The Art Gallery has never been a truly functional building. It is a collection of additions to a structure that were added on when there was a donor.
So – here is a swap that could be done:
 The owner wants to build and has some impressive designs – that will, if ever built, change the heart and soul of the city. There is a chance to give the developer what they want and to save what is left of Burlington. Exchange the Waterfront Hotel site for the city hall site and the Art Gallery site.
Then design a purpose built building that would house City Hall and the Art Gallery on the Waterfront Hotel site.
Include a band shell and ensure the roof of the structure is environmentally friendly. And ensure that the building is not more than four storeys.
Two for the Art Gallery and two floors for the city.
Hold a charette and commission some design ideas from architects from around the world.
Imagine for a moment: City Hall and the Art Gallery nestled at the base of the slope of the land immediately south of Lakeshore Road leaving a clear view of the Lake. Try the idea on for size the next time you are walking along the promenade and talk it up with your friends.
Parking – that is something that would have to be figured out. The Lotus Street Parking lot is used by city hall staff now – that could continue and there could be some parking beneath the four storey building.
Can’t be done you say? With the right leadership – it certainly can be done.
 Rob MacIsaac, a former Burlington Mayor, took bold steps and changed the city in a way that no one has since his time. Rob MacIsaac, a former Burlington Mayor, did it when he turned the former police station on Locust into the Performing Arts Centre, then had the building that houses a restaurant along with the tourist office on the ground floor and office for the Chamber of Commerce, the BDBA and the Economic Development Corporation on the second floor with five levels of parking above it all.
Then he got really ambitious and got a pier built as well.
So – never say it can’t be done – think about how it can be done and where the leadership is going to come from.
More on this going forward.
Salt with Pepper is the musings, reflections and opinions of the publisher of the Burlington Gazette, an online newspaper that was formed in 2010 and is a member of the National Newsmedia Council.
By Pepper Parr
September 29th, 2021
BURLINGTON. ON
When there is a new appointment at city hall the Gazette reports on the newcomer and their experience.
 Craig Kummer, newly appointed Director of Transportation. Craig Kummer was announced as Director of Transportation Department; it is an important job and he brings an impressive record of achievement with him.
But before we get into telling you about the new Director – we would be amiss if we did not say goodbye to the Director who retired.
 They called it the New Street Diet. Tolone never got a chance to say what he really thought of the idea. He kept his head down and lived through it – until the then Mayor gave up on the idea. There will never be another Vito Tolone at city hall. He was more than unique – a pleasure to listen to, even when he got excited when an audience was giving him grief. Vito had to deal with traffic and in Burlington that is a touch point.
With Craig Kummer now signed on and fresh business cards to hand out he may want to get an idea of what Vito had to deal with.
 Vito Tolone was not impressed. He had to deal with a city that had too many cars, not enough roads and a public that did not want to give up on their cars. Vito knew more than anyone else what was needed to keep traffic moving – he was seldom listened to – even though he usually had the answers. We are told that Vito is about to take up carpentry on those occasions when he isn’t chatting with his friends at the Fortinos at Limestone Ridge.
Kummer brings over 20 years of public sector experience in the Transportation Industry to the City of Burlington.
For the past five years, he has served as the Senior Manager of Traffic Services with the City of Brampton and was responsible for the strategic alignment and delivery of programs within the Traffic Services Section.
During this period, he oversaw the implementation of many citywide initiatives including one of the province’s largest Automated Speed Enforcement programs and Brampton’s Active Transportation Master Plan.
 He listened, he watched and he made a difference. Kummer was an active member of the City of Brampton’s Smart City Team and the Hurontario Light Rail Transit Transportation Management Committee where he provided guidance and insight on transportation issues.
Prior to this, Kummer held several roles within the City of Brampton in the areas of Traffic Signals, Street Lighting, and Traffic Operations. In these roles, he was instrumental in the implementation of Transit Signal Priority and Brampton’s traffic management centre.
 It was a day Vito Tolone just wanted to forget. An active participant within the Transportation Industry, he offers support to moderate certificate programs, and currently sits on the board of directors for Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Canada.
Kummer is a graduate of the Transportation Engineering Technology Program from Mohawk College and has completed numerous management certificates.
He will join the Community Planning, Regulation and Mobility Service Group on Oct. 13 and report to the Executive Director of Community Planning, Regulation and Mobility.
By Staff
September 28th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
In recognition of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Thursday, Sept. 30, the Halton District School Board and individual schools will be honouring this important day with a number of acknowledgments and learning opportunities, in addition to lowering the Canadian flag at all schools and Board offices.
Traditionally, this day has been commemorated as Orange Shirt Day. Inspired by the story of Phyllis (Jack) Webstad, Orange Shirt Day is held annually on Sept. 30. Phyllis was a student at St. Joseph Mission Residential School in Williams Lake, B.C. Orange Shirt Day is inspired by her experience on her first day at a residential school.
The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation seeks to honour First Nations, Inuit and Métis residential school survivors, their families and communities, and to ensure that public commemoration of their history and the legacy of residential schools remains a vital component of the reconciliation process.
 Stuffed animals were placed in front of the former Kamloops Residential School Monday in a community vigil that encouraged attendees to wear orange, a Canadian tradition that aims to raise awareness for the atrocities of residential schools. “As we recognize this day, we must ensure that we go beyond wearing orange shirts,” says Rob Eatough, Superintendent of Education. “Creating meaningful learning opportunities that centre Indignenous voices, focus on Indigenous rights, contributions, histories, truths and contemporary realities that are rooted in colonization helps create a more complete picture of the historical truths and realities of First Nations, Métis and Inuit. We all play a part in upholding the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action.”
“In upholding our responsibility to the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action #62 and #63, resources have been shared with staff leading up to Sept. 30 and will be a part of ongoing learning throughout the school year.”
In many classrooms, a week of learning is planned for students and staff, which has included resources from the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation. As the Honourable Justice Murray Sinclair, Chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada has stated, education holds the key to making things better.
Curtis Ennis, Director of Education for the Halton District School Board, has shared a video message for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
By Ryan O’Dowd: Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
September 28th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
Burlington will observe the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation this Thursday with a memorial walk at Spencer Smith Park.
The event begins at noon and runs until 6 p.m. on September 30th.
The memorial walk from Beachway Park to the gazebo begins at 3:30 pm and will be followed by a ceremony at 4:30 pm. Attendees are encouraged to wear orange. Beachway Park is an extension of Spencer Smith Park – they come together at about where the Brant Museum is located.
City employees will observe the holiday from Sept. 27th through Sept. 30th by focusing on educational events and opportunities reflecting Canada’s commitment to understand the truth about Indigenous relations and advance reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.
 Unidentified graves at a Residential school IN Western Canada In June 2021 the federal government passed legislation to proclaim September 30th a public holiday. The holiday was created to honor Indian Residential School survivors and to remember the lives lost there. The implementation of the holiday was one of 94 calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation originated with “Orange Shirt Day ” in 2013, where Canadians would wear orange shirts to signal their support for Indigenous communities, this year is the first time the day will be observed as a holiday.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 calls to action urged all levels of government-federal, provincial, territorial, and aboriginal-to work together to change policies and programs to address the harm done by residential schools and move toward reconciliation.
The calls to action are divided into two parts: legacy and reconciliation. The legacy calls to action are those seeking to address ongoing structural inequalities marginalizing Indigenous people, intentionally or not. Reconciliation calls to action are meant to advance the inclusion of Indigenous peoples in various sectors of society, educate Canadians about the truth of Indigenous relations, and affirm Indigenous rights.
The 94 calls to action were released in 2015, as of the Yellowhead Institute’s (a First Nations-led research center based in Ryerson University) 2020 report – only 8 had been followed through on to date
By Staff
September 28th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
Parents/guardians, staff members, students and the broader community are invited to review and provide feedback on the Halton District School Board’s 2020-2021 Long Term Accommodation Plan (LTAP).
This plan addresses the existing and projected accommodation needs of students in elementary and secondary schools and identifies new capital project initiatives such as the need for new schools.
Before the LTAP is approved by the Board, feedback on the document is welcomed until Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2021.
 It’s a 300 plus page report. Not for the faint of heart. The LTAP, along with documents and resources outlining key points for Burlington, Halton Hills, Milton and Oakville are available on the Long Term Accommodation Plan webpage on the Halton District School Board website (www.hdsb.ca).
The public is asked to provide feedback by Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2021 at 4 p.m. using:
● The online feedback form, or
● Email: plan@hdsb.ca
Once feedback has been collected, staff will provide a report for Trustees at the Oct. 20, 2021 Board meeting.
The LTAP is not a short document – it is data laden and not exactly bedtime reading. The Gazette will review the documents and do our best to provide some clarification.
Some background information on just what the LTAP is and why it is in place can be found HERE
The full report is more than 300 pages long – it is not for the faint of heart. It is broken out by municipality.
By Pepper Parr
September 28th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
It is time to bring to an end the machinations of the recent federal election.
In the ten years the Gazette has been publishing we have never seen the bitter, angry misinformed comment from some of our readers.
One in particular, who chose to comment in the name she used most of the time and then on other occasions used her maiden name.
She made the claim – that a Conservative running for office would never take part in a one on one interview with the Gazette.
 Clip from an interview with Mike Wallace  Mike Wallace advertisement in the Gazette – he ran several different ads. We have to correct her. In 2015 Mike Wallace did an interview with us; he also advertised in the Gazette.
We were never able to convince Emily Brown to sit down for an interview. This was a decision she made not have made on her own. Except for a Conservative candidate in Milton, the Gazette was not able to do interviews with Conservative candidates.
Not healthy from a public engagement perspective. And just plain bad politics.
We gave some thought to setting up a small card table right outside the Conservative campaign offices and waiting for Ms Brown – but thought the better of it – she is a gun toting lady and we are told a good shot as well.
By Staff
September 28th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
The Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) is seeking the public’s assistance in identifying a male who exposed himself at a Burlington pet store.
On August 22, 2021, at approximately 4:45 pm, a male suspect attended the PetSmart store located at 2311 Appleby Line in Burlington. He engaged a female employee in conversation before exposing himself by removing his pants and underwear. The suspect apologized to the manager and left the store before returning and offering to apologize to the employee.
 The suspect is described as
• Male, 20-30 years old
• 5’10 – 6’0 tall, 160 lbs.
• Full beard
• Wearing a white t-shirt, beige pants and a camouflage “Support our troops” hat
 Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to contact the 3 District Criminal Investigations Bureau at 905-825-4777 ext. 2316.
Tips can also be submitted anonymously to Crime Stoppers. “See something? Hear something? Know something? Contact Crime Stoppers” at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.ca.
By Pepper Parr
September 27th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
There was a headline on a story that we published that gave the Conservatives in the city some indigestion
We wrote:
 Karina Gould rallying her troops in the days leading up to the election Karina Gould keeps the Burlington seat; Emily Brown was never able to attract the Conservative vote
Newspaper headlines can be misunderstood, especially if you don’t like what you think they said.
 Emily Brown When we said Brown was not able to attract the Conservative vote we were referring to the number of people who had voted Conservative in the past who did not appear to show up in 2021.
Conservatives votes in the past were substantially more than the number that showed up in this election.
The Liberal vote – held at basically the same number in other elections.
We thought there was something about Emily Brown the Conservative vote just wasn’t buying.
In 2006 Wallace got 28,030; Liberal Paddy Torsney got 21,656
In 2008 Wallace got 28614; Liberal Paddy Torsney got 19,57721,656
In 2011 Wallace got 32,958; Liberal Brierley got 14,154
In 2015 Mike Wallace got 29,870 votes; Gould got 32,229Head
In 2019 Jane Michael got 23,467; Gould got 34,217
In 2021 Emily Brown got 25,842; Gould got 31,602
There was that 25 to 30 thousand range that the Tories held year after year.
Karina Gould came along and moved beyond the 30,000 level but the Tories didn’t move with her.
There was a solid Wallace vote. Jane Michael should never have been a candidate; the Burlington Conservatives saw through her and didn’t show up.
The point we were making is that the strong Wallace vote just wasn’t there for Emily Brown this time around.
The Liberal vote held for Gould – even though Justin Trudeau had called a vote the country didn’t need – her vote count improved. Gould clearly has captured the hearts of Burlingtonians.
Does that once vibrant Conservative vote still exist? Of that no one can be certain.
The piece we published.
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