 By Staff
July 2, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
The Burlington Performing Arts Centre has created a new feature: the Lobby Showcase. Auditions are being held on September 19 and 20, from 10 am to 5 pm, for the Centre’s Lobby Showcase Project which will take place during the professional presenting season that starts in September/October 2015.
This is part of the Performing Arts Centre Community Engagement initiative that is intended to find new amateur talent in Burlington and surrounding areas to showcase local artists or acts that are in the process of developing their material and need some experience before a live audience.
 These performances will take place on a particular night to introduce these artists to our patrons and a wider audience.
The groups selected will perform in the theatre’s Family Room, that really grand space that a performer can do almost anything with. In the past there have been some superb events put on in that space.
The artists chosen for the Lobby Showcase will perform in the lobby before the main event starts.
 Room enough for the Burlington Teen Tour Band to perform – what do you have in the way of an entertainment event for this space? The intention is to assist local artists or groups on their way to becoming better known in the community. The hope is that some will eventually become professional.
There is no remuneration for the Lobby Showcases but artists will get an opportunity to market their brand at that time, while reaching a new audience. The artists may also be added to the City of Burlington’s Artists database, with their permission.
The selected performers will get one of eight available Lobby Showcase spots available throughout the 2015-2016 Presenting Season and they, as well as others selected, may also get a chance to be featured in the Culture Days celebrations, September 25 to 27, 2015.
 The Performing Arts Centre Community initiative is opening up some space for local amateur talent that will take place in the theatre lobby before a main production takes place. Their hope is that these events might be an early step towards an event that will get them to the Main Stage. We are looking for singer/songwriters, dancers, singers (pop, jazz, blues, folk, classical), bands or combos, instrumentalists and soloists (classical, jazz, etc.), performance art, and comedy; show us what you have.
Please submit your idea by email to: BPACAuditions@burlington.ca
Include a couple of photos, a short bio and some background information and a short description of the act or performer, include any links to YouTube videos, if you have them; don’t forget your contact information.
Dateline for submissions is July 24, 2015.
There are a limited number of spots available; only the acts or artists selected will be contacted with an audition date and time.
 By Guida Feliz
July 2, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
This year I decided to celebrate Canada Day in Burlington. On my way to the city I drove through downtown Oakville and was surprised that there were no visible Canada Day celebrations.
The patios were packed and some people walking about but no celebrations. Did I miss it? As I got closer to Bronte Road there were a lot more people and they even had a band playing. But, it wasn’t until I arrived in Burlington that I felt the excitement. This was the ‘real deal’.
 Museum staff set out the bunting and get the grounds of the Joseph Brant Museum ready for the Canada Day crowds. There were signs set up along Lakeshore Road instructing people to take a shuttle bus to the park. There were people everywhere in droves at Spencer Smith Park. It was clear to me “Burlington went all out to celebrate Canada Day!”
The sights and sounds were magnificent and everywhere you could see people proudly holding Canadian flags and wearing red and white. The children wore large smiles, Canada Day stickers on their arms and painted faces.
They happily lined up at the bouncy castles, slides, trampoline and ice cream truck.
 Stage is readied for the forty people who were sworn in as Canadian citizens on Canada Day Forty new Canadians were sworn in at a special citizenship court set up on a stage with two Mounties giving the event a ceremonial touch.
 Dishing out the strawberries and ice cream were, from the left Councillor Rick Craven; MPP Eleanor McMahon, unknown lady and Councillor Paul Sharman. The Strawberry Social first took place in the 1800’s – it was part of the summer social season when Burlington was a farming community. The Brant Museum held their annual Strawberry Social. Of course if you were a lover of Strawberries; you lined up and waited patiently for ‘fresh strawberries and ice cream.’
 A Canadian father and his son – showing off the colours. Parents walked along the boardwalk pushing strollers and pulling leashes showing off their pooches in our Nation’s colours. As I stood at the most westerly end of Spencer Smith park I could see droves of people. Some strolling and others stopping to check out the many booths that lined up all the way from the Brant Street entrance.
The music, festivities and fun filled activities really brought the Burlington community together. There was a lot of good energy, conversations and smiles between strangers.
 Burlington Teen Tour Band member keeping her flag in place, looking like a Buckingham Palace Guard with a stern face. The Burlington Teen Tour Band paraded around the Brant Museum site – one wonders what Joseph Brant would have thought of all those people in military uniforms.
The evening closed with weather still holding and a spectacular fire works display.
Celebrating Canada Day in Burlington was the ‘Best Day Ever’. The weather was hot and sunny with a very light breeze enough to sway the trees. There was laughter in the air and proud Canadians everywhere.
And today we return to our tasks, proud that we live in a city that is blessed with wonderful geography and that we are tolerant, understanding and fair to each other. These are all things that were worth celebrating on this our 148th year as a confederation.
 By Pepper Parr
June 30th, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
The Burlington Community Foundation got a call on the 5th of August from the Mayor – saying “the city needs your help. We want you to form a Flood Disaster Relief Committee (DRC).” Collen Mulholland, president of the Community Foundation had no idea what the Mayor was talking about but she was fully aware of the serious situation several thousand Burlingtonians were facing with flooded basements. The Mayor was one of that several thousand people.
 Community groups, corporations, individuals – they came forward in the hundreds with money that allowed the city to collect just under $1 million in 100 days and get that matched on a 2 for 1 basis from the province. Mulholland literally put her shoulder to the wheel and pulled together a group that would do what needed to be done.
At some point in the not too distant future the Gazette will tell the full story but today we can tell you that all 272 approved claims totalling $2.7 million have been finalized. Claimants can expect final financial assistance payment to be delivered in the next few weeks.
It was a challenge getting the paper work through an office that was run by less than four people – the |Community Foundation had to being in a van full of part timers to handle the phone calls and the paper work.
Data had to be collected for the insurance adjuster who gave the right nod and the claim got sent to the committee that made sure all the information needed was in the reports and the claim was a fair claim
Many people didn’t understand that the ODRAP (Ontario |Disaster Relief Assistance Program) program was to help cover the cost of replacing necessary furniture and fixtures. The high definition TV was not necessary but the furnace and washer dryer were.
 Ron Foxcroft telling his story – there wasn’t a bank that he didn’t succeed in squeezing significant dollars out of – well there was one. “The entire flood relief experience has demonstrated what a strong, giving and resilient city Burlington is,” said Ron Foxcroft, Chair, BCF Flood Disaster Relief Committee. “I would like to thank the flood victims for their patience, the volunteers for their tireless efforts, the financial donors for their generous gifts, and the Ontario government for its disaster relief financial support.”
After 10 months of dedicated work the DRC has officially completed its mandate. During that time the Committee has reviewed, assessed and processed 310 claims and spent numerous hours providing support and guidance to flood victims. Thirty eight of the claims were denied.
Flood victims continue to share their heartfelt thanks and gratitude to all those who helped in the flood relief efforts. “On behalf of my family, I would like to thank the Burlington Community Foundation Flood Disaster Relief Committee. We will now be able repair our home’s flood damage and once again enjoy it with our children and grandchildren as we have done since 1973. ‘Thank You’ again, and please know that we are incredibly grateful,” said one family whose claim was processed
 Catch basins couldn’t handle the volume and got plugged frequently. Unfortunately with many other regions in the world experiencing severe weather there will often be reminders of last year’s historic rainfall. “Whenever we experience a severe rain storm in this city many of us will think back to August 4th and the devastating weather that changed the lives of many,” said Colleen Mulholland, President and CEO, Burlington Community Foundation. “We hope to also remember the goodness that prevailed in this City. It has been a remarkable experience working with so many devoted Burlingtonians throughout this process.”
The Community is working with the city on a celebration date for early September,
What no one has made clear yet is the “hold back” of 10% that the province has put in place on ODRAP monies. It was described as “risk management” – we will pursue that one a little further.
We understand that the province holds back 10% of the money they provided – the province put up $2 for every dollars the people of Burlington raised.
The fact is the province didn’t put up $2 – they kept 20 cents and gave the Disaster Relief Fund $1.80
Bunch of pikers
By Staff
June 30th, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
What does $50 million worth of red tape look like?
If you’ve ever had to fill informs for any government agency – city hall for that matter – you know what I’m talking about.
In a self-serving media release the province announces that it has streamlined services to help businesses succeed and grow and that this has led to $50 million in savings and 2.4 million saved hours for businesses across the province in the last four years.
 Business people and citizens drown in red tape while the bureaucrats keep making more of it. They have forms you need to order forms The idea is to reduce unnecessary regulatory and administrative processes that cost businesses time and money. The report features 28 initiatives across government that are modernizing services and making it easier for businesses to succeed, including:
• Creating a new online system for processing payments for the Ministry of Health and Long-term Care’s Assistive Devices Program — reducing wait times for payments and saving registered vendors $16.7 million and an estimated 500,000 hours over four years.
• A new, convenient online compliance check tool available to businesses with a good track record, as an alternative to full inspections under the Employment Standards Act,- saving these businesses an estimated $725,000 and 36,500 hours over two years.
• Streamlining regulations and processes with the Ministry of Transportation’s simplified testing requirements for senior commercial drivers to renew their licences — saving drivers $1.87 million and an estimated 57,000 hours over a year.
 This could be the logo that could be printed on T-shirts that bureaucrats could wear – that way we would know who they are. Ontario has set a target of reducing burdens to save business $100 million by the end of 2017. With $50 million of savings so far, our province is halfway to reaching its target. This is part of our government’s broader strategy, aimed at reducing unnecessary burdens to businesses across Ontario. Since 2008, our government has eliminated more than one in six regulatory requirements – or 80,000 regulatory burdens, leading to more efficient, streamlined processes.
And if you believe all this – there is a nice parcel of land in Florida I would love to sell you.
What I want to know is – how many civil servants did the counting of all those hours that were saved?
 By Pepper Parr
June 30th, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
The brazen theft of cell phones from people walking the streets of Burlington has resulted in the Halton Regional police issuing an advisory.
 Superintendent Al Albano, Commander District 3 – Burlington advised the public on preventing cell phone robberies. “The Halton Regional Police is investigating the recent cell phone robberies; identifying the suspects has been made a priority. Our communities’ safety and security is of utmost importance and we encourage anyone with information on these incidents and/or the suspects described to contact investigators or Crime Stoppers to assist in preventing further incidents” said Superintendent Al Albano, Commander 3 District
The police added: “The public are encouraged to utilize security features and apps on their phones such as “Find My Phone” and to provide the details to police who will continue efforts to locate any stolen phones.
Be sure to alert the police – they are there to help you.
Earlier in the day the Gazette reported cell phone robberies in the south east part of the city. That report said a cell phone robbery took place at 7:15 PM, when two youths were walking north on Burloak Drive, south of Spruce Avenue and were confronted by a male who demanded a cell phone be turned over of they would be shot. The suspect was given a cell phone and fled the area on foot.
Later that evening, at approximately 9:45 PM, another youth was walking south on Hampton Heath Road near Lakeshore Road when a black vehicle with three males stopped alongside the youth. Two of the males got out of the vehicle and asked to use the youths’ cell phone. After being told no, the two males began to forcefully search the youth’s pockets, taking an I-Phone, returned to the vehicle and fled the area.
 Being forced to turn over a cell phone at gun point is a terrifying experience In the first incident, the suspect is described as a black male in his early 20’s, 6’0 tall, medium build, corn row style hair wearing a black hoodie and long cream coloured pants.
In the second incident, the suspects are all described as black males 18-20 years of age wearing dark clothing.
The police are vigorously investigating these two crimes.
 By Staff
June 30th, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
All Sport Fields are currently open.
Please note: Ireland D3 outfield continues to experience wet patches. If inclement weather occurs please avoid use in affected areas.
Log into the Burlington Gazette daily to keep up on local news
By Pepper Parr
June 30, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
 Ward 4 Councillor Jack Dennison Jack Dennison had his hearing before the Ontario Municipal Board earlier this week where he is appealing a decision of the Committee of Adjustment that turned down his request to sever his property on Lakeshore Road,
The Gazette was not able to attend the two day hearing but has interviewed a number of people who did attend.
 A designated home, bought under a power of sale on a lot which owner Councillor Jack Dennison wants to have severed into two lots. The Committee of adjustment said no – an appeal was made to the Ontario Municipal Board – a decision is expected in a few months. “There were body blows given by both sides” said one well informed observer. Did Dennison have a case we asked?
“Yes Dennison had a case – did he make it is a different question and did the OMB Commissioner buy the Dennison argument.” Our informant wasn’t prepared to say, however he did say that Dennison as the appellant was the first to speak and his people took up the best part of the two day hearing. “They took all the oxygen out of the room” was the way the proceedings were described.
By the time the city got to make its argument things were getting a little rushed and people didn’t have the opportunity to be as fulsome as they may have wanted to be.
The OMB Commissioner who heard the appeal said that he had never experienced a hearing on this kind of issue that ran for two solid days. The hearing was the result of an appeal Councillor Dennison made against a Committee of Adjustment decision not to allow the request for a severance of the Lakeshore Road property.
 The committee of Adjustment that voted 3-2 to deny Councillor Jack Dennison the severance he wanted for his Lakeshore Road property. That hearing was a long contentious one that did not produce a unanimous decision.
One person we interviewed suggested that the cost of the hearing will run at close to $200,000 – assume a little less than half that a cost the city will have to cover and we are looking at costs that amount to more than the city pays Dennison to serve as a Council member for a full year.
Heritage took a hit said our commentator, the character of the community was a significant part of the city’s case and while some thought that case was well made others didn’t see it quite the same way.
The city’s planning department is in the final stages of completing a “character study” of the community – many had hoped that study would have been completed and available as evidence at the hearing.
It is difficult to find very many people in the community who will speak openly in support of the severance Dennison sought. The community was so upset that at one point they denied his application for membership in a community association. However, in the 2014 election Jack Dennison won his seat again by a more than respectable majority – the voters did speak. In a few months to Ontario Municipal Board will speak and the development direction for the Roseland community will be set to some degree
Background articles:
Width of the proposed lot becomes public.
Property with a complex financial history
Committee of Adjustment meeting
By Staff
June 29, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
The city and two of its unions have reached a tentative agreement which will, if ratified by the union membership, maintain the no strike in 20 years record.
The Outside Workers and Arena/Outdoor Pool Operators (CUPE Local 44) and Burlington Transit workers. CUPE 2723 were in a strike position
CUPE 44 will hold a ratification meeting on July 2, which was its tentative strike date. If the union fails to ratify the vote, the union has promised the city 72 hours notice before calling a strike.
That union had not yet begin to make up any picket signs.
The public will have to wait until the details of the tentative agreement are known before the size of the wallop to the wallet is known.
 By Staff
June 29, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
For Monday, June 29, 2015 just the one sports field is closed:
Ireland D3
The Gazette publishes updates on sports facilities at city parks as soon as they are available.
By Staff
June 29, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
 Hundreds of tree saplings were planted in the Beachway just a few weeks ago – details on the damage are not yet in. BurlingtonGreen spent the best part of a day a few weeks ago planting hundreds of trees in the sand dunes in the Beachway – that work may have come to naught as a result of the wind and rain experienced over the weekend.
Residents in the Beachway report that during Saturday’s windstorm, the beach strip was completely underwater – “all the sand was underwater”.
Two boats were washed off their davits; one smashed to pieces on the seawall and the other appears to have just sunk intact.
These were believed to be an 18ft Seadoo jet boat and a (approx) 26 ft. fishing boat located between Brant and Guelph Line.
By Staff
June 29, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
 Burlington’s Town Crier The city is experiencing some difficulties with its email service – they’ve been working on this for a day or so – we saw the first notice during the weekend.
Without the email service we will be unable to report on where things are with the union negotiations.
We have a Town Crier don’t we?
 By Staff
June 28, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
We talk about the jewels that make this city what it is – that Escarpment to the north of the city and that glistening lake that is there for us to watch and appreciate every day.
Those two magnificent geographic features were given to us- our task now is to enjoy that gift and serve as good stewards and ensure that what we have our grandchildren’s grandchildren will also be able to enjoy.
There are people who pay more attention to the environment that most of us – for them it is a passion and they spend countless hours just helping take care of what we have.
 Turtle clan longhouse at Crawford Lake. The Conservation Authority, formed after Hurricane Hazel did some very serious flooding in 1954 when more than 90 people in Toronto lost their lives as a result of the flooding. .
There are a number of Conservation Authorities across the problem – Conservation Halton looks after what we have. They are both a regulatory agency that comments on all development that relates to the lake and the creeks and the land on the Escarpment and the operators of a number of recreational and entertainment locations including Crawford Lake.
They play a critical role that is seldom seen and rarely appreciated. Each year they hold an awards night to recognize those who have done more – made an effort and made a difference. They held their 33rd annual Conservation Halton Awards on Tuesday at the Milton Centre for the Arts. The awards are presented to people and organizations that make outstanding contributions to conservation in the Halton watershed, which includes Halton, Peel, Hamilton and Puslinch.
Every person, group, or school, in the various awards categories (except for the Parks Volunteer Award) are nominated from the community. The 2015 award recipients are as follows:
Citizen:Bethlehem Sahlu; Citizen (Youth) Simone Mantel, Aldershot District High School; Community Toronto Bruce Trail Club; Education (Group or School) Trailhead – Bronte Creek Project; Education (Individual) Nick Bertrand and Kerry Sagar, Halton District School Board; Media / Blogger, Tourism Burlington; Parks Volunteer Kirsten Phillip, Mountsberg Raptor Centre and Chuck Sweet, Kelso / Glen Eden; Stewardship Andrew and Marites Lee, Milton Field and Stream Rescue Team; Ralph Sherwood Honour Roll Keith Bird, Oakville
More than 150 guests and dignitaries attended the awards ceremony. In addition to the award recipients, Watershed Stewards in the Halton Watershed Stewardship Program were recognized, as well as local schools and childcare centres that participated in the Stream of Dreams education program.
2015 Conservation Halton Awards Recipients
Bethlehem Sahlu – Citizen
Bethlehem Sahlu has led three local food initiatives in Oakville. She is the coordinator of two community gardens, Share Land Share Life Community Garden (which is on privately owned land, Owner Mr. Armin Gottschling) and Clear View Community Garden. She also led a Green Your Mind Green Your Plate Presentation Series.
Share Land Share Life Community Garden and Clear View Community Garden were started as joint initiatives between Conservation Halton and FutureWatch EDEP as part of the Natural Connections Program aimed at connecting new and diverse communities in Halton to their natural surroundings, promoting food sustainability, healthy eating and Community engagement. (ODEC) Oakville’s Diverse Environmental Club Program is also a partner on Clear View.
Green Your Mind Green Your Plate is an interactive presentation with the objective to give people who are new in the area an overview of the local food market, to emphasize the importance of eating healthy and locally, and introduce them to the basic concepts of food sustainability. Bethlehem enjoys sharing her passion and knowledge about food sustainability and she believes Environmental Education is the key to success in all the community initiative she has been involved in. Bethlehem has inspired people that change is possible and it starts from the community we live in!
 Simone Mantel – an Aldershot residnent Simone Mantel of Aldershot High School in Burlington – Citizen (Youth)
Simone has been a true Environmental Champion for Aldershot School and the City of Burlington. She has been actively involved in her four years as a high school student, serving as President of the Aldershot School Environment Club and is a Graduate of the ECO Studies Program. Simone organized a community environmental film screening to raise funds for a school habitat restoration project. She also participated and planned invasive species removals at Aldershot School and Royal Botanical Gardens, and also organized school clean-up events for Earth Day.
Simone is involved in the community as well. She is an active member of Burlington Green, and worked to save trumpeter swan habitat at LaSalle Park Marina. She is a Burlington Transit Youth Ambassador for Aldershot School and organized several transportation-related campaigns. She also facilitated the ECO Rangers Environmental Leadership Program at RBG (grade 6 and 7 students).
Due to Simone’s dedication and commitment to the environment, Aldershot school and community, as well as the City of Burlington, have seen significant improvements in the awareness of environmental issues and improvement and protection of natural areas.
Toronto Bruce Trail Club – Community
Members of the Toronto Bruce Trail Club undertook the cleanup of downed trees and branches following the ice storm in December 2013 to reopen the Bruce Trail for hikers. Their clean-up efforts on the Main Bruce Trail in Halton Region involved more than 150 volunteers, who contributed over 600 hours and the cleanup was so extensive it took two years to fully complete.
The Toronto Bruce Trail Club encompasses the northern section of the Bruce Trail in Conservation Halton’s Watershed, this includes Crawford Lake, Hilton Falls, Kelso and Rattlesnake Point Conservation Areas.
Toronto Bruce Trail Club work parties cleared approximately 70% of the Main Trail from January to June 2014. The Bruce Trail and Conservation Halton has been extremely fortunate to have so many dedicated and interested volunteers show up so many times to get cold and dirty, and work very hard to clean up and maintain the trail for others to enjoy.
Trailhead – Bronte Creek Project – Education (Group or School)
Trailhead is a one semester environmental leadership program for 20 grade 10 students. The Trailhead class is made up of students selected from all Halton public and Catholic schools who have applied to be part of this unique and often transformative program.
Students spend every day at Sidrabene, which is located in a rural area, for the five-month high school semester. These facilities allow BCP students to have a mix of outdoor activities and indoor classroom lessons. Trailhead students teach grade 4 elementary students a one-day program called Novice Earthkeepers, where they practice and teach environmental stewardship. For the past three years, Trailhead students have participated at the Halton Forest Festival for Conservation Halton teaching grade 6 and 7 students about the importance of our local forests and the plants and animals that live within them.
Trailhead students explore current environmental issues and human impact, and discover their own relationship with nature. Hands-on learning is at the core of the program, allowing students to experience the curriculum while also learning about different career paths. The semester also involves an Adventure Trip canoeing in Algonquin Park. The program truly is a one of a kind experience for students, led by passionate and knowledgeable staff.
 Nick Bertrand and Kelly Sager of the Halton District School Board couldn’t keep away from their cell phones as they tweeted their award to everyone they knew Nick Bertrand and Kerry Sagar from HDSB – Education (Individual)
Kerry Sagar is an Instructional Program Leader with the School Programs Department at Halton District School Board. She has been involved in Environmental and Sustainability initiatives throughout her career with a special emphasis on Social Justice, Equity and Inclusion, and First Nations, Métis, and Inuit perspectives.
Kerry has been instrumental in developing invaluable resources, as well as developing and presenting countless professional learning experiences to elementary and secondary HDSB teachers, administrators, and superintendents. Her longstanding work with environmental leadership teams at the board level has included the development of inquiry-based learning projects which are directly connected to care and protection of the environment, and include a deeper understanding of the underlying social and equity issues.
Nick Bertrand is also an Instructional Program Leader with the School Programs Department at the Halton District School Board. After a teaching career at White Oaks Secondary School, He joined the School Programs Department three years ago.
Nick has had phenomenal success in working directly to support the Ontario EcoSchools program with secondary schools. Nick Co-chairs the system level Eco Team, HELP (Halton Eco Leadership Partners), and the multiple community partner Outdoor Experiential Education Advisory Team. One of his major accomplishments has been the successful implementation of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Education at both the elementary and secondary level; his connections with local First Nations and other community partners has enabled him to provide powerful support to schools in integrating First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Education, Environmental Education, and Outdoor Experiential Education.
 Linda Cvetanovic, blogger extraordinaire with Tourism Burlington was recognized Tourism Burlington – Media / Blogger
Tourism Burlington consistently supports Conservation Halton’s recreational, educational, and environmental initiatives on their online account. They furiously share tweets about events at Halton Parks, like Maple Town or Endangered Species Weekend. By doing so, Tourism Burlington captivates the online community in regard to outdoor education and our environmental efforts. Not only does Tourism Burlington engage with Conservation Halton, but they also collaborate with other groups to promote and educate others about nature in Burlington. With over 8,000 followers on Twitter, Tourism Burlington is an industry leader in Tourism for online media.
Tourism Burlington tweets and retweets Conservation Halton’s content whether it is a blog about a baby barn owl, or a Facebook link about Endangered Species Weekend at Mountsberg.
Kirsten Phillip, Mountsberg Raptor Centre – Parks Volunteer
Kirsten volunteers at the Mountsberg Raptor Centre every Friday. She is always pleasant and excited to be at Mountsberg and is a joy for the staff to work with. She happily does whatever task is asked of her and has become a master at cleaning the flight cages. Staff don’t quite know how she does it, but Kirsten gets the Turkey Vulture flight cleaner than anyone – even the staff.
When asked to do a spring cleaning on a Wildlife Walkway pen, she remarked at the end of the day that it was her most fun day yet of volunteering! Kirsten has gone above and beyond the duties of a regular volunteer.
On her own time and with her own resources, she developed two matching card games to be used by visitors at the park and these games will be incorporated into the summer Raptor Camp activities this year. She has also started to join Mountsberg staff on offsite presentations and is a great representative of Conservation Halton both offsite and at the park. All of the Raptor Centre staff looks forward to Fridays, when they get to share their day with Kirsten.
Chuck Sweet – Parks Volunteer
During the winter months Chuck is a volunteer patroller at Glen Eden and during the summer months Chuck is a volunteer trail ambassador at Kelso.
Chuck performs at least 140 hours of volunteering per winter helping injured skiers and snowboarders. He is an inspiration to many of our volunteer patrollers through his attendance, commitment, and dedication.
Chuck is an exceptional communicator as a trail ambassador in regards to safety and offering direction. Chuck was seriously injured while on duty as a ski patroller during the 2013-14 season. He returned this season and fulfilled his responsibilities well beyond our expectations. His peers nominated Chuck as Patroller of the year at the end of the 2014-15 season.
Andrew and Marites Lee – Stewardship
Andrew and Marites were two stand-out participants of Conservation Halton’s 2014 Healthy Neighbourshed homeowner workshop program. At each week’s session, they were eager to learn and were inspired and motivated to implement a low impact landscaping project on their property.
Not only did they add to the community of the workshop series by asking questions and discussing topics with fellow participants, they took the projects they learned about home. Andrew and Marites completely revamped their backyard to incorporate low impact development principles. These include: a permeable walkway, native plants and a rain barrel.
Their efforts and enthusiasm are not only helping divert our watershed’s urban run-off, they are acting as environmental stewards to their children and their community by showing what can be done on a homeowner’s property can be both beautiful and environmentally friendly. Andrew and Marites have also demonstrated that even if you live in a suburban subdivision, you still can have a positive impact on your local environment.
 David Hulsman of the Field and Stream Rescue  Jeff Stock – Field and Stream Rescuer Field and Stream Rescue Team – Stewardship
The Field and Stream Rescue Team is a not for profit group that works in Hamilton and Halton. They are 100 per cent volunteer based with a board of eight members and a project planning team of about the same. Their mission is to “Revitalize urban areas by restoring and rehabilitating watercourses, forests and natural areas through community education and hands on activities.”
They accomplish their mission by leading 15 to 20 volunteer workdays per year. Workdays include a variety of projects types such as invasive plant management, garbage cleanups and tree, shrub and wildflower plantings.
A niche that they have filled in Conservation Halton’s area is to clean up the nearly impossible. They rig up a system of pullies and cart garbage out of deep forested ravines that has likely been there for fifty plus years. One of their greatest achievements of late was a two day cleanup of an old dumping site in Bronte Creek Provincial Park. Tires, fridge, freezer and more were hauled out of the Bronte Creek floodplain and up a 150 foot ravine.
Keith Bird – Ralph Sherwood Honour Roll Award
Keith Bird recently served as Vice Chair of Conservation Halton and was a member of the Conservation Halton Foundation Board from 2011 to 2015. Keith served 37 years on the Conservation Halton Board, serving since 1974, except for two years when he was on the Conservation Halton Foundation Board.
During Keith’s time, the Foundation completed the Mountsberg Shrike Project breeding facility, the Deer Clan longhouse which was constructed at Crawford Lake Conservation Area, and the Foundation provided ongoing support for the Halton Children’s Water Festival and the Halton Forest Festival.
During Keith’s yeas on the Conservation Halton board there were a number of improvements at the conservation areas highlighted by the opening of the Crawford Lake Iroquoian Village and the building of the Kelly New Pavilion at Mountsberg. In addition there have been upgrades at Glen Eden to the chairlifts and snowmaking and a new pedestrian bridge built over the railway tracks to accommodate the growing demand. Another park improvement during Keith’s time was the opening of the Brock Harris Lookout at Mount Nemo.
 Proudly displayed on the gate of rural homes – some in urban areas as well. Halton Watershed Stewardship (HWSP) Program Award Recipients
The Halton Watershed Stewardship Program award recipients are members of a group of more than 310 landowners voluntarily protecting over 12,800 acres of land, which includes over 7,800 acres of natural land, and over 160 kilometres of stream. It is important to remember that by simply enjoying these natural heritage features as they are, and conserving them for future generations, Watershed Stewards are making a significant contribution to the health of the environment, which leads to a healthy society.
Each year Watershed Stewardship Technicians assist landowners who are looking for advice and recommendations regarding activities they can undertake to restore woodlands, wetlands, meadows, and streams. The following landowners were recognized at this year’s award as Watershed Stewards:
• Alba DiCenso and Brian Hutchison in the Bronte Creek Watershed
• The City of Hamilton for Courtcliffe Park in the Bronte Creek Watershed
• Wayne Terryberry, who is the first recipient of the new Cootes to Escarpment EcoPark System dedicated Stewardship award
 These Streams of Dreams are hand painted by students and affixed to school yard fences – a graphic and fun way to teach young students about the environment. Stream of Dreams 2015
The mission of the Stream of Dreams Program is to educate communities about their watersheds, rivers and streams, while dazzling them with the charm of community art. Since its launch in 2006, Conservation Halton staff has delivered the program to 32,422 participants at 83 schools, as well as many community events, installing these magnificent murals across the watershed.
The teachers and parent volunteers at the participating Stream of Dreams schools put countless hours of work into each project to prepare their fish to be painted by the children and then install their murals on a fence at the school. Conservation Halton staff deliver the program with the message of protecting the fish and other wildlife who live in our community streams. The following schools participated over the past year:
• Balaclava, Freelton
• Bruce T. Lindley, Burlington
• Glenburnie, Oakville
• Hawthorne Village, Milton
• Our Lady of Fatima, Milton
• Palermo, Oakville
• Pilgrim Wood, Oakville
• Pine Grove, Oakville
• P.L. Robertson, Milton
• St. Mildred’s Lightbourn, Oakville
By Walter Byj
June 29th, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
School is out for the summer; both the students and the trustees will return in September.
The trustees can enjoy the summer and tend to the projects they will have to deal with – including the selection of a new Director of Education, David Euale retires at the end of August.
Upon their return, the trustees will have a new face at their initial meeting in September: Jacqueline Newton, currently the principal at Dr. Frank J Hayden Secondary School, has been appointed as the new Superintendent of Education filling the void of departing superintendent Yaw Obeng who will head a school district in Burlington Vermont. Newton will move into her office at the Board August 24th.
Smart appointment
The June 24th meeting was relatively quick as the following action items were ratified;
Program Viability Report
Truth and Reconciliation Report
Capital Priorities Report
Draft Policy-Trustee Expenses
Policy Schedule Amendment
There was brief discussion on the Program Viability Report with Associate Director of Education Miller reaffirming that this motion was still in the infant stages and that nothing would happen until thorough public consultation was completed.
The Board passed the following resolution which sets out the options as they are seen at this point in time. There is to be considerable public consultation on this matter before any decisions are made.
Be it resolved that the Halton District School Board present the following options for the delivery of French Immersion to the public in the Fall of 2015 for the purpose of receiving feedback, considerations and comments. Feedback will be brought to the Board for consideration in the delivery of French Immersion programming:
1. Option 1: Grade 1 (early) French immersion remains a 50% French 50% English delivery model, but entry to FI will be capped. The method of capping would be determined at a later date.
2. Option 2: Grade 1 (early) French Immersion remains at 50% French and 50% English, however all FI programs will be delivered in single track FI schools. French Immersion will be phased out of dual track schools and no new dual track schools will be considered. The location of the single track schools will be determined at a later date.
3. Option 3: French Immersion will commence at a later entry point (mid entry); Grade 4. This will result in the delivery model of FI moving from a 50% model to at least a 80% French Immersion model. In addition the delivery of FI will occur in dual track schools only.
4. Option 4: French Immersion will commence at a later entry point (mid entry); Grade 4. This will result in the delivery model of FI moving from a 50% model to at least a 80% French Immersion model. In addition the delivery of FI will occur in single track FI schools only.
 Amy Collard  Leah Reynolds  Andrea Grebenc  Richelle Papin Three of Burlington’s four school board trustees have completed the school season part of their first year in office. How have they done so far – what kind of a contribution have they made?
Spotty is the best way to describe what we have seen so far.
Harvey Hope (Oakville) insisted that the word “will” in the original motion be changed to “would”. She felt that “will” was too strong a word and should be changed to “would”. Flipping through my thesaurus, I found that would is the past tense of will but her fellow trustees approved the change. Perhaps our scholarly readers could impart some point of view on the correct word. Either way, this report will continue to be followed in depth in September. Details on the other motions will follow.
This was followed by G. Cullen (Superintendent of Facility Services) presented a report that reflected the current facility deficiencies at the administrative offices of the Halton board and the need for new facilities in the not too distant future. They are in the initial stages and further details will follow. The office would move to the best location possible; it could move out of Burlington. Any change is five years out.
 By Staff
June 27, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
 City manager James Ridge wants union workers to understand the issues before the walk off their jobs. In a message to the citizens of the city Burlington city manager James Ridge, who seldom makes public comments, said on the city’s web site:
The City of Burlington’s bargaining committee is scheduled to meet with the union’s bargaining committee on Monday, June 29, 2015. The city is committed to working hard to reach a resolution that is fair to our employees and responsible to our taxpayers. If we are unsuccessful, the union has advised us that we can expect a strike.
To be very clear, the city does not want a strike. Strikes are hard on everyone–union members, management, City Council and, most especially, city residents.
Before you go on strike, we urge you to understand the issues and make sure you communicate your views with your union. We simply ask that you know what is at stake and make good decisions.
 Will there be picket lines around city hall? That last sentenced had the thread of threat in it – well what are the issues and what is at stake?
Corporations are usually loath to involve media in the labour bargaining process – it muddies things up. The city is negotiating collective agreements with two unions: CUPE Local 44, outside workers and arena/outdoor pool operators, and Local 2723, Burlington Transit workers. Both unions have stated that if there is no agreement by the end of June, they will begin strike action as of midnight (12:01 a.m.) on July 2, 2015.
The unions maintain that benefits for workers over the age of 65 are written into the existing collective agreement but are not being paid. A staff member at a senior level who asked not to be named has said that the city and the outside workers are “not that far apart but that there is considerable distance between the city and the transit drivers.”
Burlington’s transit drivers earn considerably less than their counterparts in Hamilton and Oakville.
If there is a strike there will certainly be picket lines – will the inside workers cross those pickets lines.
Get ready for some disruption.
By Pepper Parr
June 29th, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Vince Fiorito teaches and instructs people in the arcane science of information technology. He knows all about Virtual Private Networks; how to set them up and how to keep them both running and safe from the cyber bandits.
He has been around information technology since its inception and while he hasn’t invented anything or become ridiculously rich he is content with what he is able to earn.
 The Halton Hamilton Watershed Protection group and Conservation Authority issues these placards – they are prized possessions in the rural part of the region. The passion for Fiorito is the environment – and here he has become an absolute bulldog. Fiorito will see a lush green lawn and know that it was treated with some chemical that is polluting the creeks and streams that run through Burlington and into the lake – our water supply. That makes the hair on the back of his neck bristle.
When Fiorito and his wife went looking for a home in Burlington he knew that he wanted a ravine property; it was his wife who found what they were looking for. His back yard is a slope that is landscaped with stones – not as much as a blade of grass to cut but a clear view directly into the flow of Sheldon Creek that runs from the watershed in the Escarpment through the city and into Lake Ontario.
 This hunk of metal has obviously been in the creek since before the development surrounding the creek was constructed. A farmer or the developer that bought the farmland just left it; does the city not inspect the land at all during the construction phase. Getting it out is going to be a challenge. Sheldon Creek is Vince Fiorito country – he has a sign into his back yard that declares he is the Friend of Sheldon Creek. His reputation has spread throughout the city. During one of his Inspire speeches Mayor Goldring was taking questions from the audience – Vince was on his feet and asking the Mayor what his position was on the cleaning of the creeks. Goldring recognized the name and said “you’re the guy that cleans the Sheldon Creek” – not bad in terms of recognition.
Fiorito has walked every foot of the creek from Upper Middle Road to the Lake – during the summer he expects to trace the path of the creek from Upper Middle Road to its headwaters in the Escarpment
During a delegation before a city Standing Committee Fiorito upbraided council for not keeping the creeks cleaner – pointing out that they were city property.
Councillor Craven took exception to that comment and said it wasn’t city property but the property of people whose property who bordered on the flood plain. Staff corrected the Council member – it was for the most part city property they said; the decent thing to do would have been for Craven to apologize to Fiorito and listen to what the man had to say but that isn’t the currency Craven deals in.
Fiorito can recite chapter and verse on how many tonnes of garbage have been removed from Sheldon Creek and had the photographic evidence to back up his point.
 Not toxic but not the kind of thing you want adventurous boys coming across when they play in the creeks. When Fiorito came across the two 40 gallon barrels and the cans of chemicals in Sheldon Creek his first instinct was to inform the Ontario Ministry of the Environment. Easier said than done. There was no phone number; there was a form he could complete and did.
Fiorito didn’t understand why he couldn’t send a GPS marker to the Ministry so they would know exactly where to look.
 The back up here is due to a fallen tree – there is no one culling the forestry – the result is small damn that get created and catch everything flowing through the creek. There is more work to be done on the Sheldon Creek and while Fiorito gets quite cranked up about the environmental mess and isn’t the least bit shy about warning neighbours about the potential harm – the truth is Sheldon Creek is a mess and it is city property and while it will cost a pretty penny to clean it up from top to bottom there is the potential for flooding and the backing up of the spring runs offs – and there might be some junk in there that could be dangerous.
Burlington has 10 creeks that flow through the city and into the lake. They are for the most part abandoned with no one paying much in the way of attention to them. The city got a very rude awakening when the August 4th flood hit the city last summer. The practice before the flood was not to do all that much to the creeks; the natural approach, just leave everything that falls into the creek bed wherever it falls, was both cheaper and though to be environmentally sound.
That 191 mm of rain in a single day resulted in water roaring down those creeks and that harmless tree stump became a battering ram that lifted large pieces of concrete on New Street.
 It was a backed up creek that brought the flood water over this bridge Creeks got plugged and water began flowing into the streets and basements were flooded – the wonder is that some lawyer in town didn’t see the potential for a class action law suit and go after the city for tens of thousands in claims arguing that the city was negligent – which it has been.
Last week Conservation Halton held its annual awards night in Milton where it recognized those who had made significant contributions to the preservation of the environment
After the flooding brought on by Hurricane Hazel in 1954 that resulted in more than 90 deaths, flood control in Ontario and Canada as a whole became a more important issue.
Fiorito has nothing but positive words for the work BurlingtonGreen does each year when it spends the best part of a Saturday organizing thousands of people to help clean up the trash in the city – but makes this observation:
We have thousands of people helping clean up but we appear to have thousands who are littering our creeks – hundreds of vehicle tires have been pulled out the creek and they didn’t just fall of a passing car.
 Vince Firoito thinks there might be some scrap metal revenue in the creeks – is is salvageable? Part of his mission is to clean the creeks and keep them clean. Fiorito has a mission: he is the Friend of Sheldon Creek – now wants every creek in the city to have a friend and people who will serve as stewards of the creeks to oversee their environmental health.
In the fullness of time Fiorito hopes that the stewards of the city’s creeks will begin to have some influence on the city’s elected council and encourage them to put some resources into rehabilitating the creeks.
In some city’s the ravines are quiet laces for people to walk and just enjoy being outside. Burlington has been spoiled – most people are just vaguely aware that there are all those creeks running through the city. Vince Fiorito is setting out to change that perception.
 By James Smith
June 28, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Can a tool change the world?
What about a tool to change Burlington?
Marshal McLuhan said, “We shape the tool, then the tool shapes us”. Don’t agree? If you’re reading this, an online newspaper, the very action of reading stuff online has, in fact, transformed you.
This is a piece about how choices of designers’ tools have shaped not only the practice of design, but more importantly how the results may shape our city.
Burlington’s had its share of great plans but executing these plans may be why Burlington is a place where NIMBY is king and why Burlington as a city has never lived up to its potential. Perhaps with a better set of tools, designers can help citizens and politicians awaken Burlington to its potential.
As a designer, I’ve a fascination how the tools of the trade have changed the approach to our work and how these changes have modified our designs. Technological change is often at the heart of transformation; think of it this way: before movies, no movie stars, before Video Games, no 3D animators. Similarly, in architectural design, before Computer Aided Design and Drafting (CADD or CAD) the architect’s world was a very different place than it is today. A place where changes to a project, even in conceptual design were difficult to implement due in part because a huge commitment of resources was required to produce a building project’s design as everything was drawn by hand.
 How much “cut and paste” was there to this design? Citizens who saw early drawings complained that there wasn’t much creativity to the project. Not very livable was another comment. Why should we care? The development industry may be the impetus behind any building project, but the work of the urban planners, architects and other designers’ shape these projects. The city and its residents live with the results of their work. When tools allow a design firm to simply Copy and Paste a developer’s requests, a resulting project perhaps technically sound, is likely more of a commodity than handsome design. The city is poorer for this kind of design.
Intensification, for example, gets a bad reputation if produced as the result of a Copy and Paste process rather than employing more innovative design. As a city we need to demand better from our development community and the designers engaged. But good design takes time; and time is money so to better manage the process effectively, perhaps design firms need better tools.
Twenty-five years ago, most architects, engineers, interior designers, landscape architects, and urban planners’ tool sets had not changed a great deal in a hundred years. Paper, pencils, ink and blueprints were still the stock-in-trade for most professionals. In part because the design of anything is very labour intensive with much proprietary information; plans tend to be closely guarded secrets between client and design firm. Even when these plans are for projects to be executed on behalf of the public. The process now is generally better, but improvements to the process need to be made.
 Before electronic digital design tools were available everything was drawn by hand – and changes were minimal which meant less creativity. Change may be coming if some of the architects and urban planners I spoke to recently have anything to say about the issue. I joined about 300 designers from many disciplines from around the world to talk shop about the tool they use to change their part of the world at the Vectorworks Design Summit in Philadelphia. (https://www.vectorworks.net/design-summit) Noted Landscape Architect and urban planner Adrian McGregor (https://is.gd/S6Dq0h ) of Sidney Australia claimed “Cities are the greatest cultural achievement of human kind”.
A pretty bold statement, especially when we look at the kind of car-centric city and region we live in. McGregor went on to qualify his statement by saying in executing city design and construction “… we’ve forgotten what was important to the foundations of cities”. Could this be due, in part to the technology used by designers? I would argue yes.
Vectorworks CAD software users are an interesting, and eclectic group of professional designers from a number of disciplines. Half a million very loyal users and 30 years later founder and Chairman Mr. Richard Diehl told me at lunch the other day, part of his inspiration in developing CAD software came in a university class. A professor wrote a formula on the blackboard and said to the class “you can make money and found a company with this algorithm”. Rich quickly wrote down that algorithm! Thirty years ago CAD on a Mac was a breakthrough; at the time CAD systems took up entire rooms and were only available to NASA, Boeing, GM or SNC/Lavalin. Products like Vectorworks (then called MiniCAD) and AutoCad have transformed the design industry as firms could produce and store documents required for building anything, in a mechanized way, even in very small practices. This had profound implications for design companies, as armies of people at drafting boards were no longer required to complete a project.
The Vectorworks CEO Sean Flaherty demands his company focus on a desire “to change the design process”. Vectorworks according to Flaherty has “never fit neatly into a slot” and he told me candidly the “why of the company” is rooted in asking, “what are the needs of designers” who use this tool. Somewhat refreshing to hear a CEO not hammer on some marketers’ tag line or so called mission statement. Mr. Flaherty seems genuinely committed not just to his company, but to the needs of the design community and wants Vectorworks to assist the Design community in addressing many challenges we face as a society.
 The software available to day can be used to create images of project sites that give the public a view of what is planned and ideally give them an opportunity to comment. Mr. Flaherty’s passion seemed evident when he said “.. we are currently teaching our kids that architecture is now a luxury good” and that this is “a trend I fear for the whole built world”. In an effort to move away from this trend of making design just for the 1% Flaherty, who thinks, “design really matters” wants to ensure “Vectorworks goal is usability and simplicity”.
Usability and simplicity are goals everyone wants but achieving it’s a difficult process. Sean Flaherty told me his company’s approach is “not to focus on technology but on the users goals” and that “moving data around is not the problem”. ” Telling the customer: You’re doing it wrong! ” is something his engineers need to avoid, and rather the user needs to be “an active participant” where the process of evolving software “needs to be a conversation, not to limit a designer’s choices, but rather you (the user) should be able to choose your own tool and mix and match to get desired result”.
 Realistic renderings of proposed building developments lets a public see what a building is going to look like. In the old days of pencil and paper world, designers used many tools to achieve their desired effect, and the tension to be told to do something one way tends to irk a creative mind. Many CAD software products limit user’s choices on how to produce construction documents. Sean Flaherty suggests with Vectorworks a “multi discipline approach” to architectural design “could change the way architecture is practiced”.
While there are dozens of pieces of CAD software in the world and designers have been using them for years now. If Vectorworks, as a tool, has at its core an interface and a structure more collaborative this may open the door to a more collaborative city building process. Time will tell.
 The software available today allows designers to provide a very large scale view of the expected result. It also allows all the contractors involved in the construction to interact with the various levels of the software. What is about to have the most transformative change to CAD, and in turn to city building is something called Building Information Modeling, or BIM. Much of this conference was devoted to the future of BIM, how it works, and how to collaborate with other disciplines using Vectorworks.
So what is BIM? Dr. Biplab Sakar, chief technology officer of Nemetschek Vectorworks told me “BIM is not a piece of software or a thing, but a process”. This process allows all experts who contribute drawings and specification to a building project to share these components back and forth. Most significantly BIM also allows for each component to be shared as a 3D object.
 Building Information Management allows designers to drill down to a specific part a part of a large building – the pipes that will carry water and electrical conduit and steam for heating for example to be looked at closely when they want that level of detail. Think of BIM as the rules of a giant LEGO set on a computer where each consultant sends the Architect his or her pieces of LEGO. BIM would be the rules allowing all pieces conform to so regardless of shape size colour or use the parts will work with other pieces of LEGO. BIM allows pipes, beams, shafts, walls doors or windows from, whatever software, to be shared.
 Had Building Information Management software been used on the construction of the pier would we have had a different, less expensive pier? In a BIM model a building is constructed as a 3D model on a computer so potential conflicts are resolved in planning stages rather than on a construction site. One has to wonder if Vectorworks and BIM might have ensured the Burlington Pier might have been built in less time, with fewer mistakes and in a more cost effective manner.
BIM has potential not just for building science, but also for large development projects to improve community engagement at the start of a project, and further improve communication of the designer’s intention of a project with the community.
The tools we use can and usually does determine a large part of the quality of the project that is being built.
By Staff
June 26, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
 A number of Burlington city administrative services will be closed Wednesday, July 1 for Canada Day.
City Hall: Will be closed on Wednesday, July 1, 2015, and reopen on Thursday, July 2, 2015.
Parks and Recreation Programs and Facilities: Customer service counters at arenas and community centres are closed on July 1. Pools are open for registered swimming lessons, and Mountainside Pool, Nelson Wading Pool and LaSalle Wading Pool are open for drop-in swimming, weather permitting. See www.burlington.ca/calendar for swimming schedules. Should a labour disruption occur on July 2, please visit www.burlington.ca/labourdisruptions for updates.
Burlington Transit and Handi-Van: On Wednesday, July 1, Burlington Transit will operate a holiday service and the downtown Transit Terminal will be closed. Regular service is scheduled to resume on Thursday, July 2. The administration offices are closed on Wednesday, July 1, and will reopen Thursday, July 2. Call 905-639-0550 or visit www.burlingtontransit.ca for more information. Should a labour disruption occur on July 2, please visit www.burlington.ca/labourdisruptions for updates.
Roads and Parks Maintenance: The administrative office will be closed on Wednesday, July 1, and reopen on Thursday, July 2, 2015. Only basic and emergency service will be provided. Should a labour disruption occur on July 2, please visit www.burlington.ca/labourdisruptions for updates.
Halton Court Services: Provincial Offences Courts in Milton and Burlington will be closed Wednesday, July 1, 2015.
Parking: Free parking is available in the downtown core at all municipal parking facilities on the street, surface lots and parking garage on weekends and holidays.
NOTE: The Waterfront parking lots (east and west) do not provide free parking on statutory holidays.
All this of course will be determined by what the Outside Workers and the Transit drivers decide to do in terms of a possible strike
By Staff
June 26, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
It is week 10 for the Halton Regional Police “Fugitive Friday” initiative that has then asking for the public to help locate wanted persons and hold them accountable for their actions.
There are numerous people who continue to evade the police and the court system and continue to live out in our communities while having a warrant for their arrest in place.
The Burlington Offender Management Unit shares information on a wanted person in hopes that the public can assist in locating the individual.
 Brennan BOWLEY 21 years old, of Hamilton, ON, is wanted by both the Hamilton and Halton Regional Police This week the Friday fugitive is Brennan BOWLEY 21 years old, of Hamilton, ON.
It is alleged:
In December of 2013 the accused committed a break and enter at a Burlington residence while the homeowners were present where several electronics, personal identification, house keys and car keys were stolen
Two people inside the home attempted to prevent the accused from escaping at which time the accused swerved at them attempting to hit them with his vehicle.
The accused was later tracked to a Hamilton address and was arrested in possession of the stolen items from the house
The accused was released on a Recognizance and attended court in August 2014. He was to re-attend Milton court in May of 2015 which he failed to do and a warrant was issued for his arrest
He is now wanted by Halton Regional Police Service for:
Break and Enter Place
Dangerous Operation Motor Vehicle
Fail to Re-Attend Court
The accused is also wanted by Hamilton Police Service for:
Fail to Comply Recognizance x 12
Possession of Property Obtained by Crime
Possession under $5000 x 3
Possession over $5000
Fail to Comply Probation x 2
Break and Enter Commit x 2
BOWLEY is described as 5’6”, 145lbs, blue eyes and brown hair.
Anyone who may have witnessed this male or has information that would assist investigators in identifying him are encouraged to contact D/C Bulbrook – Burlington Criminal Investigations Bureau – Offender Management Team at 905-825-4747 Ext. 2346 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), or through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.com, or by texting “Tip201” with your message to 274637 (crimes).
 By Ray Rivers
June 26, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
I have a friend who would like nothing better than to see all political parties banned. Representatives should follow the wishes of the people who elected them, not be desk-thumping seals obeying the every whim of the prime minister and his entourage. For him, Canada’s federal government, with its powerful leadership clique and strict party discipline, best resembles a limited autocracy.
 The signing of the Magna Carta – the document that began the process of taking power away from Kings But is partisanship the culprit? Political parties are the wheels that have been driving the evolution of the democratic form, excepting the obscure Greek experiments with direct democracy. Not to downplay the importance of the Magna Carta, it was the Whig (Liberals) party in Britain which wrestled autocratic executive power away from the King, and brought us our modern parliamentary template.
So, perhaps, the issue has more to do with leadership style than governance structure. And, in that vein, my friend likes to blame Pierre Trudeau. He says that PET initiated the style, adopted by subsequent leaders, of absolute control over public policy and decision-making. And he is even more critical of Mr. Harper, who makes PET look like a wuss in this regard.
Ontario Tory back bencher and maverick, Michael Chong, finally got his private member’s Reform Act through the system. Chong held a couple of ministerial posts in the 2006 Conservative government before quitting Cabinet in disgust over the ‘Québécois nation motion’. Having doomed himself to eternal back-benching by his action, he then focused his creative juices on reforming the party system to rein in the near absolute power of party leaders.
I’ve never been a fan of government writing laws to regulate its own behaviour. Laws like the Mike Harris balanced budget legislation and the latest federal copycat version of that are good examples of bad legislation. Unworkable, impractical and unnecessary, there are enough holes in that federal budget law for the PM to drive a Mack truck through – as he did with his fixed elections date law.
I always figured that budgets were what we paid the government to sort out in our best interests. It’s their job, why do they need a law? And this so-called Reform Act is about how the party’s rule themselves. Mundane matters like selecting caucus chairs and nominating candidates are the stuff of this bill. Well, at least that is all that was left, after his own party got through with it.
Let’s remember that political parties are already governed under the Elections Act and by Elections Canada. There are stiff penalties for misdeeds, as Harper’s protege and former spokesperson, Dean Del Mastro, recently discovered. He is the winner of a month’s free room and board in the ‘Big House’ for breaking campaign spending rules and trying to cover it up.
When Justin Trudeau heard about potential sexual misconduct by two of his Liberal MPs, a while back, he immediately suspended them from his caucus. Under the Reform Act he now would not be able to do that without jumping through a bunch of hoops and hurdles. You be the judge if that makes us better off – but it sure did tick off Chong’s boss, and that may have been his main point.
 Conservative MP Michael Chong introduced a bill that would give party caucuses significant powers – including the ability to vote out their leader – and it was actually passed by the House of Commons. Chong, not only had to grovel to get this bill past his own party members in the House of Commons, but almost lost it in the Senate, where one Conservative senator threatened to kill it. Meanwhile the opposition parties were rubbing their hands and cheering him on. That tells us as much about the legislation as it does them.
And Mr. Chong objected to the bill being sent to the Senate, given that it only concerned procedures in the House of Commons, and the Senate has no authority over the lower house. Besides the Senate is a mess and has become a laughing stock. That institution can’t even manage itself let alone pass judgement on what goes on among MPs in the House of Commons.
It’s not just Duffy, who is still on trial, but all the other scoundrels scarfing down all the goodies to be snatched from the public trough. The person most likely to put Canada’s Senate out of its misery, the high polling NDP leader Mulcair, hasn’t announced whether that will be on his election platform this fall. But he and Saskatchewan’s premier Wall are sure making a lot of noise.
Interestingly Mr. Trudeau has taken the party out of the Senate, at least if they call themselves Liberals. That sounds a lot like what my friend was craving – replacing the thumping seals with non-partisan representatives. Except they’re not really representatives – don’t really represent anyone but themselves.
So long as senators are unelected, they will always be seen as patronage appointments – whatever their political colour. On the other hand, an elected Senate would compromise parliamentary decision-making, as indeed moving to an elected Senate has done in the USA. So more Canadians are coming to accept that it may not just the bath water, but this baby, which needs tossing out.
As for Chong’s law, it prescribes no new penalties, so the Election Act and Parliament of Canada Act are the fall backs. But I doubt Mr. Trudeau or Mr. Harper would serve jail time for expelling the next delinquent MP without having first put it to a vote in caucus. I’d give him a B+ for his good intentions, an A for effort and a C for the actual bill.
 Ray Rivers writes weekly on both federal and provincial politics, applying his more than 25 years as a federal bureaucrat to his thinking. Rivers was a candidate for provincial office in Burlington where he ran as a Liberal against Cam Jackson in 1995, the year Mike Harris and the Common Sense Revolution swept the province. Up until yesterday Rivers was president of the Flamborough – Glanbrook federal Liberal Association. We could not have a president of a federal constituency association writing an opinion column on the upcoming federal election – Rivers resigned the presidency of the association last night and will take a break during part of July and return in August – unless of course there is some breaking political news that stirs him from his summer slumber.
Background links:
Chong’s Law Opposition Support Passing Chong’s Law
Trudeau’s Law Mulcair’s Law Harper’s Law
 By Pepper
June 26, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Some people in each community listen carefully, ask probing questions and trust their member of Council to keep them up to date on what is happening in their community and to protect the best the community has.
Every member of a city council has their own unique style; something that defines who they are and the way they see their job.
In Burlington there are a number of different political styles. Councillor Marianne Meed Ward was once out on Christmas Day picking up garbage when a resident called her t complain.
During the flood last August Ward 4 Councillor Jack Dennison walked into hundreds of basements to personally see the damage done.
Ward 5 Councillor Paul Sharman put his heart on his sleeve when her spoke to a group of Rotarians during the Rubfest launch and pleaded for help for the people in his community.
Ward 3 Councillor John Taylor doesn’t hold meetings for his constituents – they are more like family get togethers – he has been in office that long.
 Blair Lancaster – almost holding court with her constituents at a corn roast. Blair Lancaster in ward 6 tends to have two different public styles; one that gets used for those south of Dundas and another that gets used when she is politicking north of Dundas; there is nothing duplicitous ion this approach – she is dealing with two different mind sets and adjust her message to meet her understanding of each community.
Ward 1 Councillor Rick Craven, who gave up talking to the Gazette when we wrote something about him he didn’t like, held a community meeting.
Last Wednesday evening Councillor Craven held a community meeting to talk about the 324 townhouse project on Masonry Court being developed by the ADI Group. It wasn’t a particularly unpopular project – the meeting didn’t cheer when the presentation was over – they just thought the developer could do something that was more “livable” and “imaginative”. “Not very creative” was the most stinging comment. He was speaking to an audience of about 40 people who were for the most part involved in their community and wanted to know more.
Councillor told them that the population of Aldershot had grown by just 4000 people in the last 15 years and that without more in the way of growth the chances of there ever seeing a grocery store in the west end of the community were very slim.
 Rick Craven: Best committee chair the city has; not big on the warm fuzzy stuff through. Needs a hug badly.  Ward 1 Councillor Rick Craven – seems to have forgotten everything he knew about the ADI project on Martha at Lakeshore Road. The meeting was just like most community meetings in Aldershot; people listened and asked questions and for the most part got fair answers.
Until ..
Until one woman asked the speaker from the ADI Group to tell her a little about the company – she’d never heard of them before.
The company representative told their story – sort of. He skirted totally the situation with the 28 storey application that ADI had made to the city for an application at the corner of Martha and Lakeshore Road which the city and planning department was completely against – including Councillor Craven.
 The ADI Group’s 28 storey development proposal on the downtown core was not mentioned at a meeting about their Masonry Court development. The rules that govern development applications are such that if the planning department doesn’t do something with an application the developer can take their case to the Ontario Municipal Board. Burlington city council didn’t get to vote formally on the project within that 180 day window.
On the 181st day ADI had taken their case to the OMB.
The project is one that the city feels is a mistake from a development point of view and has been consistently vocal about.
But not a word about this issue from Councillor Craven when a constituent asked to know more about the company.
Councillor Craven had an obligation to tell his constituents that there was a problem with a major ADI development application and they were playing a very sharp game – albeit within the rules of the game.
Craven’s behavior gives a whole new definition to politicians being in bed with developers.
Background links:
Aldershot community meeting Wednesday June 23rd, 2015
Full profile on ward 1 Councillor.
Councillor chooses not to represent his constituents; property expropriated.
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