This is why we call it Earth Day!
We may not see the Harpy Eagle in Burlington – but then they are not likely to see the Snow Owl in Chile either.
Harpy Eagle by David Tipling.
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April 21, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON Who are these people? There are 15 of them, nominated by their peers for one of six Burlington’s BEST awards which will be announced at a city run gala May 14, 2015 The city has provided a short biography of each and the Gazette has added a few words on those we have met in our travels  Angelo Bentivegna making biscotti Angelo Bentivegna initiated Beauty and the Bistro, a grassroots campaign to raise funds for a digital mammography machine with biopsy attachment for Joseph Brant Hospital – $450,000 was raised. Angelo has been a member for nine years on the steering committee for the “Gift of Giving Back” food drive. His newest project is coordinating the “Cooking for Friends” soup program at the Burlington Seniors Centre.  Ron Foxcroft with the whistle that changed sports around the world. Ron Foxcroft is very well known to everyone in the community and a tireless supporter of everything Burlington, but nothing tops how he responded to the flood relief challenge on behalf of all of the affected citizens of Burlington. The short time given to this initiative to be successful and the focus required by Ron in leading the team was inspirational. Maibritt Bergman A leader of the North BurLINKton Community Dinner: shops and picks up food donations, sets menu, leads volunteers for gym set-up, food prep, servers, clean-up. Establishes a very encouraging relationship among all the volunteers. Also, Regional Coordinator for Samaritan’s Purse yearly Shoebox campaign. Helen Deadder cooks healthy home-cooked meals for seniors in the North end of Burlington. Helen loves to cook for those in her community and takes a detailed approach to the North Burlinkton 55+ Luncheon. She plans the meals, acquires the ingredients and slow cooks them to perfection. Esperanza Peacock is a dynamic Burlington citizen who volunteers her time to many different community efforts around the city. She is a core team member for North BurLINKton’s Dinner Night Out, where she gives love and a listening ear to anyone who is in need. She runs a support group for newcomers to Canada, and is very passionate for new comers to feel apart of the community. Bonnie Purkis has been very active on a number of fronts regarding services specific to seniors: she is an active volunteer at the Burlington Seniors Centre, has been a member of the Burlington Seniors Advisory Committee and has also started a very successful initiative at her place of residence (an apartment complex) to engage seniors in various social activities. Kevin Han is a committed volunteer with the Chillzone after-school program which is a free after-school program focused in latchkey children in marginalized families. Kevin shows dedication to investing in the children through homework help and problem solving help and has become a reliable friend and role-model to the children. Caitlyn Kay is involved at Notre Dame as a Prefect where she is a mentor and role model to the younger students. She volunteers at the school’s Breakfast Corner, providing nutritious snacks to students who arrive to school hungry. Connor Fraser has volunteered in many different capacities over his four years in high school all related to giving of his time and assisting various organizations in our community – Burlington Green, Compassion Society, Rotary Club, to name a few. He maintains high academic standing and is Co-President of the Student Council, reads the daily announcements and is a member of our Link Crew (mentors for Grade 9 students) John Kemp participated at the school performance\play called ‘Footloose’ as an actor, singer and narrator. He worked very hard and put all his energy and effort to make the play a success. He also plays the saxophone and speaks French fluently. John has a kind and helpful nature and has touched many lives with simple everyday actions. Tomy Bewick has been involved in the Burlington Slam Project for nearly seven years where he has brought his love of spoken word and developed the achievements of each poet who has come through the Slam. Tomy has contributed his time, energy and focus on youth initiatives and building the art community in Burlington.  Chris Giroux – the film side of the team planning on bringing a Film Festival to the city. Chris Giroux is the Co-Founder of the Tottering Biped Film Festival which recently had its second year. Chris works tirelessly to promote the art of filmmaking in Burlington and showcases our local talent base alongside an incredible line-up of international short films. Leslie Gray runs KooGle Theatre Company and has created, produced, costume designed, performed, directed and choreographed since 2008 when KooGle performed their first production at the Central Park Bandshell. Leslie is dedicated to her craft and continues to provide professional theatre performances to Burlington, teaches musical theatre to ages 5-17 year olds and is always willing to collaborate with local artists. Mary Jane Pilling has been a volunteer at Museums of Burlington since the program began in 1975. Through her dedication to the Museums of Burlington, she has had the opportunity to meet, educate, inform and preserve Burlington’s history for museum guests. Her care and recording of artifact items in the collection will touch the lives of Burlington’s future citizens. Alan Harrington is president of the Burlington Historical Society and on the board of the Friends of Freeman Station. Alan created a Twitter account for Freeman Station and has assisted with fundraising, supplying Freeman t-shirts, Station-ery and other items. Alan conducted walking tours at Doors Open Burlington in September 2014 and will conduct the first Jane’s Walk in Burlington on May 2. The late Dave Morris was a dedicated volunteer who worked tirelessly to help promote and conserve Burlington’s heritage. He was a member of Heritage Burlington from 2002 to 2010 and the president of the Burlington Historical Society from 2009 to 2010. Dave’s work in the community supported the efforts in the creation of Heritage Month and Doors Open. Dave built and maintained the BHS website and kept it up to date. One of his last projects was to digitize the oral histories and post them on the site. He was a member of the SOS – Save Our Station team that helped keep the Freeman Station from being demolished.  Monte Dennis in the stripped shirt Monte Dennis is the current chair of the BurlingtonGreen Transportation Committee. He created a detailed scale model of an intersection, known as the Integrated Transit Intersection that accommodates all forms of transportation. He is active in promoting the Mount Nemo Heritage Study and the formation of the Ontario Soil Regulation Task Force.  Susan Fraser getting her paddle signed by Olympian Mark Oldershaw. He willingly signed the paddle which will probably never go into the water again. Susan Fraser is BurlingtonGreen’s longest serving volunteer (since 2007). She has assisted with planning the city-wide Community Clean Up Green Up events, dedicated hundreds of hours to help the team deliver the popular and impactful Youth Eco-Summit and has assisted with elevating the voice of the environment on a number of issues in Burlington such as tree protection and wildlife habitat protection at LaSalle Park. IronDames are a remarkable group of 15 dedicated and amazing women who take on physical challenges while raising crucial funding to support Burlington residents who are coping with a cancer diagnosis. They have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for Wellspring’s Cancer Exercise Program which allows free access to physiotherapy and exercise services for those living with cancer. Christine Karczmarczyk has made a significant commitment to volunteer as Volunteer Services Coordinator for the AGB. She worked tirelessly and single handedly for at least 24 hrs per week to keep the AGB program up and running from June 2014 – December 2014. She contributed over 500 volunteer hours in 2014 overseeing both the Student and Adult Volunteer program at the AGB (Approximately 90 active volunteers). She led and organized the whole ‘Volunteer Force’ for the Gallery’s community fundraiser, Soup Bowl held over four days in November 2014 Mary Nichol This nomination is made for the outstanding successes over more than three decades of recognizing sport accomplishments, of bringing sport groups together and in advancing the opportunities for sport in Burlington. Mary exemplifies this criteria as she “makes sport grow stronger” through her leadership as a Board of Director of the Burlington Gymnastics Club (BGC) and the President/Past President of the Burlington Sport Alliance (BSA), both volunteer positions, having served since 1979 and for BSA board since it started in 2001. Bob Vandenberg has helped the the BTTB raise thousands of dollars to put towards their five year rings. He has assisted the Magic Moment Concert, the Burlington Beerfest and the Burlington Bandits in providing food items for their attendees. Bob started as a volunteer with the Band about 10 years ago. He is currently still an active volunteer with them, as well as the Bandits and Beerfest. Unfortunately we do not have pictures of all the nominees.
April 22, 2105 BURLINGTON, ON In the not too distant future Burlington will begin creating the Strategic Plan it wants to follow for the next four years. The city’s Economic development Corporation will be working on the economic part of that plan and is now reaching out to gather information from stakeholders and anyone else with views on the prosperity of the city.  While the moment is about the photo opportunity – the news is that there are shovels in the ground, commercial space is being built and jobs are being created. The developing an Economic Vision for the City of Burlington has to be based on a fact-based, practical plan that can address pressures and economic trends across the region and province. As part of this process, we are asking for your input and participation in the following survey. The survey will assist in identifying Burlington’s key strengths and challenges, and will help make sure your perspective is represented as part of the new economic vision. The survey should take 15 minutes to complete. Here’s the link: Click here
April 22, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON There is a service that allows media, or anyone else for that matter, to track what a Member of Parliament says in the House of Commons.  Mike Wallace, Burlington Member of Parliament Wallace is the chair of the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure of the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights and chair of the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights. On Tuesday he said the following: Mr. Speaker, I have been here all morning. It is now a little after one o’clock. I would like to go through the process. The bill was introduced by the minister. There was second reading debate. Everyone in the House agreed, and it went to committee. There was a discussion at committee and witnesses. It came back here. There have been comments about why the Conservatives have not been up to speak to this. The fact of the matter is that the whole House agrees with the bill. What opposition members are arguing about today is the short title. They do not like the short title. One party is carrying the debate from ten o’clock until two, is my understanding. Then on another date, we will hear about not having enough time to debate issues. Based on the respect I have for the member who just spoke, would it not have been a better use of the time of the House to deal with legislation and actually have a debate on other than the short title? In the near future we will publish reports on the funds made available to the Member for the running of his offices in Ottawa and Burlington and how they were used.
April 22, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON Later this month we will see, for the first time, a policy initiative that the Mayor has put his mark on. During Rick Golding’s first term, much of the thinking was done during his election campaign. He produced a number of excellent position papers that we will review once we hear what the Mayor has to say on intensification. Mayor Goldring has realized that his constituents, to a significant degree, do not fully understand what is meant by intensification and how Burlington is going to face that challenge – and for Burlington this is a challenge.
Ontario is changing and Burlington is going to have to change with it – it will not be an easy transition and the Mayor has decided this is a subject he can show some leadership. During his first term of office Mayor Goldring sponsored a series of talks on subjects that he felt were important to the city. He brought in some excellent speakers, including Andre Picard one of the foremost thinkers in the country on health related policies. Goldring brought in Ken Greenberg, a noted planner who works out of Toronto for the most part and has been instrumental in changing some of the thinking on how municipalities relate to developers and how the two can work together. This time the Mayor is going to make the presentation – it will be his show. He will pull together the content and decide how he wants to present the data he will have collected. He will, we assume, explain the policy guidelines within which the city has to work and what he feels are some of the directions the city can take as it works to meet the population increases the province has imposed on the city. “Intensification is an issue that has captured the interest of many Burlington residents” said the Mayor on his web site. “People want to know why our community is seeing more buildings, particularly in the form of mid-rise and high-rise structures. Hear about the federal and provincial policies that are driving intensification and how Halton and Burlington are managing these pressures. Learn where we are growing, as well as innovative ideas we are investigating.” The event is titled: Building Burlington: Where to build in a city that is built out. Problem with the title is that the city is not built out. There are hundreds of acres of land left for residential properties and more than we need in the way of employment lands. The free event is “sold out” ; with the room full the Mayor will be speaking to an audience that wants to hear what he has to say. One hopes there will be vigorous debate and a fulsome exchange of views – both are needed.
April 21, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON On March 24th city staff held a meeting to discuss possible zoning changes to a large section of Plains Road. The area discussed was on the South side of Plains Road positioned East of Waterdown Road. Later residents discovered a developer is already advertising to sell 75 condo units at 40-58 Plains Road East in violation of current zoning character provisions. Though it was casually mentioned the city had been “approached” by a developer; no indication was given that a specific plan was in motion.  The public meeting was an information gathering occasion for the city planner who said he was there to listen to the community and what they wanted. He did make mention of an project that was not formal yet – the residents think the project is well along the development path. The graphic above shows the portion of Plains Rod that was under review and its proximity to the Aldershot GO station and the suggestion that the pink area could be developed as a “mobility hub” This leaves the distinct impression that this meeting was in bad faith. It seems like the purpose of the meeting was only to say the public was “consulted” on an issue staff already had a plan to change. I realize that staff may not have been in a position to mention this specific development. At minimum the staff could have indicated that if the zoning was changed they would expect to see condo buildings in the “range of 70 plus units”. Why they did not could be anything from simple lack of communication to an outright attempt to misslead the public. I think traditionally the public has considered staff as neutral parties implementing zoning regulations and changes in a balanced way. To some it seems like staff have now been co-opted into provincial employees with “intensification” as the decisive factor in decision making. If staff failed to mention this development or the like because someone judged that residents would have a negative reaction; then they are no longer operating in a neutral way. This is unfair not only to residents and developers, but also to the staff themselves. Some basic questions now need answering: 1) What exactly is the current function and purpose of staff in regard to planning and development? Recommendations: 1) All communication between staff and this developer on this matter needs to be made public. In this area we have less trees, less businesses and more congestion. I reject outright the suggestion that the liveability of our community needs to be sacrificed for the provincial “intensification” mandate. Intensification is designed to spur positive changes in our community; not serve as a rationalization for negative ones. Greg Woodruff runs the Citizens for Responsible Development. He was a candidate for the office of Chair of the Region of Halton. There is more about that organization here. The Gazette reported on that March meeting.
April 21, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON Last day to sign up. Last year more than 12,000 people took part in the annual BurlingtonGreen Environmental Association Clean Up Green Up Day
Once you’ve done your share – head back to city hall for a bite to eat and join in the celebration – the place is usually packed. Register here;
April 21, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON Due to construction, all lanes of the Toronto-bound QEW (Northbound) will be closed from Beach Boulevard to Burlington Skyway April 24 to 27 at select times: Friday April 24, 2015 at 10 p.m. – Saturday April 25, 2015 at 6 a.m. Detour Routes: Traffic detour signage will be in place and OPP traffic assistance present at traffic light intersections at Lakeshore Boulevard and Eastport Drive.
April 21, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON Those condominiums that First Capital Corporation wanted to build on the edge of the Appleby Village Mall will not be going up any time soon.  The view of the proposed development from Pinedale. Was it sewer problems that held this development back? Councillor Paul Sharman advised Council last night that the Regional government will not have the services in place for the time frame the developer seems to have wanted. Sharman faced two close to hostile audiences when the proposal was first put forward by First Capital – close to 300 people crowded into a public meeting to voice their opinion – “not here thank you” was the sentiment expressed by most.  The two towers would have been in the upper right. It was their height that had the residents up in arms. There was a second meeting that didn’t go much better. Sharman appeared to take some satisfaction in in delivering the news. Expect this project to come back to the table at some point in the future; a combination of the developer wanting to wring as much profit out of their property as possible and the city’s need to intensify will see this one again. The city will also like the look of the development charges and the tax revenue.
April 20, 2014 BURLINGTON, ON At the end of each city council meeting members of Council get a couple of minutes to talk up the things they are doing in the weeks ahead.  Councillor Dennison’s Lakeshore Road residence which has been designated as a heritage property is the subject of an Ontario Municipal Board hearing on whether or not the Councillor can seek a severance. Aldershot doesn’t appear to have a population that uses bikes, cycling isn’t the sport of choice for Councillor Taylor and Councillor Meed Ward, who has been seen on a bike prefers walking tours of her ward. She didn’t get any money for that. Aldershot will have a walking tour – its third – for which the Council member got $500. The delivering of these little news items is done in a friendly easy going matter. The council meeting is broadcast live via Cogeco television – the hope being that the voters will see what they are paying for in terms of elected talent. Ward 4 Councillor Jack Dennison either chose not to inform his voters that his long delayed Ontario Municipal Board hearing starts on Tuesday and is scheduled to last for four days.  Councillor Jack Dennison tends to stick to his guns on an issue that impacts his personal interests. The need for a four day OMB hearing will cost the city a considerable amount of money. This is the hearing that has the ward Councillor fighting a city zoning and Official Plan so that he can sever part of his property on Lakeshore Road and build an additional dwelling. The event is a don’t miss for many of the Roseland residents – they didn’t need to be told. Councillor Dennison apparently didn’t want the rest of his ward to know where he was going to be for the rest of the week. The hearing takes place at city hall
April 20, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON In a very brief media release handed out during a city council meeting Monday evening the city said: The issue at the Air Park is of continuing concern to the residents of Burlington and there is a high degree of interest in this matter. For the purposes of informing the public the City Solicitor recommends that limited solicitor-client privilege be waives with respect to the following matters after final Council approval of this report as follows”: Council waive solicitor client privilege with respect the advice/opinions contained in L-9-15 and its attachments strictly with respect to conveying to the public that:  Barbara Sheldon look at 32 feet of landfill less than 50 feet from her kitchen window. All dumped without any permits because an airport is federally regulated. The city is now back in Court asking a Judge to compel the Air Park to file a site Alteration site |Plan does that mean some of the fill might get removed? Burlington city council takes the position that it has full legal Authority to enforce the provisions of its Site Alteration By-law as against Burlington Air Park Inc. and the Burlington Air Park Inc., has been given 30 days from March 20, 2015 to comply with the by-law. This news is released April 20th – suggesting that lawyer Ian Blue will be at the County Courthouse tomorrow morning with a brief asking the Judge to order the Air Park to submit a Site Alteration plan. The city media release goes on to say: “That in all other respects, solicitor-client privilege is maintained over all other legal advice/opinions contained in L-9-15 and its appendices.” In other words – they aren’t going to tell us anything else. So much for the city’s intention to communicate with the public. City Manager James Ridge, who smiles frequently and suggests he wants to be nice added a few words to the release when asked just what it meant. “We are asking a court to compel the Air Park to comply with the site by-law They could have said that in one sentence and do away with all the baffle gab. This certainly ups the ante – the Air Park has found reason after reason; excuse after excuse to not file the proper documents – they’ve been doing this for years. The city and the Air Park sued each other over whether or not the city had the right to require a Site Alteration Plan. They lost the case. Justice Murphy said they were requires to submit a plan. The Air Park appealed that decision – they lost the appeal. They hired a consulting form with a good reputation for quality work – and that firm did meet with staff in the planning department – but a complete |Site Alteration plan never quite made it to the planners.  Getting a single picture with most of the players in it is unusual. On the far left is outside counsel Ian Blue who won two court cases for the city and has been brought in to stick handle the most recent legal issue. To the rear of Blue is Blake Hurley who is with the city legal department. Scott |Stewart chats with rural Burlington residents Robert Goulet, Ken Woodruff and Montre Dennis. Vanessa Warren looks over their shoulders. Warren, Dennis and Pepper Parr, publisher of the Burlington Gazette have been sued by the Air Park. That case has yet to get to court. A month or so ago the city brought Ian Blue the lawyer who handled the two court cases, back in and sought his advice. That advice is now evident. The city wants to hope that they appear once again in front of Justice Murphy. In a media release put out several hours after city council adjourned a time line reflecting just how long this has been going on. Timeline • July 18, 2013 – The Burlington Airpark serves the City of Burlington with an application to take the city to court and seeks a court order to declare the city’s site alteration by-law does not apply to the airport’s operations and construction of aerodrome facilities. • July 29, 2013 – The City of Burlington and the Burlington Airpark reach a settlement to stop fill operations at the airpark until a decision is made by the courts about whether the city has jurisdiction to regulate fill operations through its site alteration by-law. • Nov. 13, 2013 – A Milton Superior Court rules the City of Burlington’s site alteration by-law applies to the Burlington Airpark. • June 11, 2014 – The Court of Appeal for Ontario upholds the decision of the Milton Superior Court that the City of Burlington’s site alteration by-law applies to the Burlington Airpark. Added to the time line was the following: “The Burlington Airpark Inc. has not submitted an application for a site alteration permit for the areas of the Airpark property where substantial quantities of fill were deposited between 2009 to 2014.” “The Burlington Airpark continues to be of great interest to the residents of Burlington,” said Mayor Rick Goldring. “The requirements set out in Burlington’s site alteration by-law are necessary to help regulate impacts to the environment and drainage patterns.”  Dump trucks taking tonnes of landfill onto the Air Park property to level out part of the 200 acre site. They did so without any permits. The requirement for a site plan isn’t the only issue. The drilling of test holes to determine what if any toxicity exists at or near the water table as a result of the fill that has been dumped on the 200 acre plus site has yet to be resolved and something more than statement released from the provincial ministry that is involved in this mess on how it is going to inform the public. The federal government is responsible for the regulations that determine what level of adherence the airport has to respect in terms of municipal bylaws. The noose is getting tighter.
April 20, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON The nominations for Burlington’s Best awards are in, and similar to previous years, the quality of individuals who were nominated is very high. It apparently took an extended deadline of seven additional days to pull in all that quality. Having said that there are some exceptionally deserving names on the list. “There is no shortage of incredible leaders and volunteers among our residents who help make Burlington the city we know and love,” says Burlington Mayor Rick Goldring. “This event gives special recognition to those who go above and beyond in their contributions to our community.” Paragraphs like that are what we pay Mayors to say.  The 2012 winners recognized in 2013 Residents are invited to join some of Burlington’s finest civic-minded volunteers, advocates and community leaders on Thursday, May 14, 2015 at 6:30 p.m. at the Burlington Convention Centre, 1120 Burloak Dr., for the 2015 Burlington’s Best Awards, a gala evening in honour of Burlington’s most outstanding citizens. “Every year I can’t help but be impressed by the incredible individuals who have received nominations,” said Mary Kay Aird, Chair of Burlington’s Best Committee. “Each Burlington’s Best nominee exemplifies the leadership and compassion shown among our residents, and we are proud to be able to recognize them for their tireless work.” I have some difficulty squaring the above with the media release put out earlier extending the deadline  The 2013 winners who were recognized in 2014 Tickets to this event are $35 per person; a table of the 10 is $280. The event includes a light buffet and cocktail reception. Tickets can be purchased at the Service Burlington counter at City Hall, 426 Brant St., or by contacting Wanda Tolone at 905-335-7600, ext. 7458 or wanda.tolone@burlington.ca. Has the price of those tickets gone up? I have the sense that they were a little lighter on the pocketbook previous years. The food on the buffet table came close to running out last year The award winners will be announced at the event. This year’s nominees are: Citizen of the Year – Angelo Bentivegna, Ron Foxcroft, Maibritt Bergman Senior Citizen of the Year – Esperanza Peacock, Helen Deadder, Bonnie Purkis Junior Citizen of the Year – Kevin Han, Caitlyn Kay, Connor Fraser Environmental Award – Susan Fraser, Monte Dennis Heritage Person of the Year – Alan Harrington, Mary Jane Pilling, the late Dave Morris Arts Person of the Year – Chris Giroux, John Kemp, Leslie Gray, Tomy Bewick Community Service Award – IronDames Group, Mary Nichol, Bob Vandenberg, Christine Karczmarczyk There are some fine people on that list; there are some we have seen before. The Gazette will publish profiles on each of the nominees later in the week.
April 20, 2014 BURLINGTON, ON Dozens of groups spent last week thanking their volunteers – the city would not be the place it is without those volunteers.  Red Cross volunteers being taken through the routines they were to follow during their door-to-door work during the flood last August. Sometimes the large organizations that have been around for more than a century get forgotten – the Canadian Red Cross is one of them Throughout the year, volunteers from across the country, generously donate their time to improving the lives of the most vulnerable individuals and communities. “Not only this week, but each and every day, the Canadian Red Cross is sincerely thankful for the vast network of volunteers who are an integral part of this Society,” says Azima Vadsaria, Disaster Management Advisor for Halton, Hamilton and Niagara. “They are the reason we are able to make such a significant impact on those in need.” The Red Cross has more than 20,000 volunteers nationally playing a critical role in contributing to all programs and services offered by the Red Cross.  Peter Hodgson, a retired police Staff Sergeant pointing out where the damage was in a specific part of the city during the flood last August. More than 244 of those volunteers from across Halton and the province came together in Burlington to help those who had suffered devastating damage to their homes from the August 4th flood. In addition, volunteers delivered thousands of Meals on Wheels in Burlington, provided thousands of rides to medical appointments across the Region, and helped families that were forced from their homes by fires and other personal disasters and worked tirelessly in the Branch offices, ensuring that all programmes worked seamlessly.  Helping out during the flood involved anyone with willing hands. “The passion and commitment that our volunteers carry out in their work is truly remarkable. It’s an honour to have such devoted individuals representing the work of the Red Cross from coast to coast across Canada,” added Vadsaria.
April 20, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON We see it every summer – police reports of break-ins and theft of property during the day when people are at work – or out of the house.
Burlington is fortunate in that most people are quite vigilant and call 911 when they see something suspicious. However, all too often the people making the phone call don’t have some of the information the police need. Halton Regional Police Service recently put out a convenient form that they encourage people to use and stick up on the fridge. You can print out this story and crate you own list of neighbours. The police ask: Do you know the first name of at least five (5) different neighbours? If you answered ‘no’ to any of these questions, use the chart below and get to know your neighbours. And call 9-1-1 to report crimes in progress.
April 19, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON What was thought to be more of an accident than anything else has been determined to have been a fire set by a youth playing with a lighter. On Saturday April 18, 2015, at 4:30 pm, a grass fire was reported in the area of Dundas Street and the 407 highway in the City of Burlington. The Burlington Fire department responded and discovered that the grass fire had set a wooden hydro pole on fire which caused hydro wire to come down. There were some minor power outages in this area. Several residents of a townhouse complex adjacent to the fire on Headon Forest Drive had to leave their homes as a safety precaution for a short period of time until the fire was contained. The Halton Regional Police Service investigated this matter and determined that a 14 year old youth was involved in starting the fire. The youth had been using a lighter to burn small items and this caused the dry grass to ignite and caused a fire that got rapidly out of control. The youth was arrested and later released from police custody and will be required to appear in the Ontario Youth Court of Justice at the Town of Milton in May 2015. The youth is charged with one count of Arson, one count of Mischief to property of a value exceeding $5,000 and one count of Failing to comply with a youth probation order. No details of the charged person will be released to the public as this disclosure is not permitted by the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
April 18, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON Just before 7 pm Friday evening a male and a female walked into the St George Pharmacy located at 5295 Lakeshore Road in Burlington and headed for the rear of the drugstore. The male is reported to have been wearing a mask. When the pharmacist began interacting with the male, (those are the words in the police report) the bandit pulled up his shirt to reveal his waistband. The pharmacist quickly fled outside. The male and the female suspects did the same thing – they were last seen fleeing northbound on Kenwood Avenue. No injuries were sustained during the robbery. The male suspect is described as white, approximately 5’6”, thin, wearing a black mask, red/orange t-shirt and black pants. The female is described as white, approximately 5”7’, wearing black tights, a black Columbia winter jacket and black toque. Anyone who may have witnessed this incident or has information that would assist investigators in identifying the suspects are asked to contact Detective Phil Vandenbeukel – Burlington Criminal Investigations Bureau at 905-825-4747 ext. 2343 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), or through the Internet at www.haltoncrimestoppers.com, or by texting “Tip201” with your message to 274637 (crimes.)
April 17, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON There are numbers and then there are numbers and it’s hard to determine which ones to rely on. Earlier in the week we reported on some numbers relating to the purchase of two properties on Willow Street in the Beachway.  115 on the left sold for $255,000 and 109 on the right is reported to have sold for $150,000 We reported that a total of $1,264,250 had been added to what the Region calls the Green fund and that these figures related to the purchase of the two willow Street properties. The totals might relate to the purchase of the properties but that apparently isn’t what the Estate that owned the houses got. Lawyers, real estate agents, valuators and various other professionals were included. Not that it matters – it is all supplied by taxpayers. When we reported we did say “numbers in the report are far from clear” We have since been advised that the price shown on Registry records is 115 Willow Avenue; $255,000.00; 109 Willow Avenue: $150,000.00.  The Insulbrick is peeling away from the outside walls at the 109 willow property One wonders how quickly these two homes will have their appointment with a bulldozer. One of them, 115 Willow could be added to the affordable housing inventory.
April 17, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON The SPRING POPUP; work of contemporary artists and makers from within a 50km radius. Pick up an original piece of art from an emerging local artist or buy some funky handmade one-of-a-kind things.
SpringPop Hours:
April 17, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON On Thursday April 16th 2015 at about 3:50 PM, a citizen observed a male entering unlocked vehicles in a parking lot on John Street in downtown Burlington.  Proceeds of crime Police responded to the area, located and arrested the male a short distance away. The male was found to have a small quantity of Canadian Tire money and a cell phone in his possession which is believed to be stolen property. Arrested and held for bail is: Wayne Gordon PUNTER (38 yrs) of Burlington Anyone with information on this or any other crime is asked to call 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).
April 16, 2015 BURLINGTON, ON It was a sign of the way she would run the city if she ever gets to wear the chain of office. Marianne Meed Ward, Councillor for ward 2 was presiding over a community meeting related to a projected that needed nothing more than an application for a Building Permit and the required fee to begin construction of the significant remake of Burlington Square Plaza a the corner of Brant and Ghent.  It was a standing room only crowd = albeit – it was a small room – to get a first look at the plans for a significant upgrade to the Burlington square Plaza at Brant and Ghent. Meed Ward is not a fan of developers who come to Council looking for significant increases to height and density and changes to zoning and the Official Plan. So when Cherishome Living talked to her about putting up a four storey add on to the property they own Meed Ward was delighted – these were her kind of guys. There was no need for a public meeting but when there is a change being made to the neighbourhood – Meed Ward wants big input from as many people as she can reach. Wednesday evening the room they booked was a standing room only situation; which Meed War apologized for and explained that they reserved space for those who registered and then some. She should do so well at the polls in 2018 There were no real issues with the project – just a lot of common sense questions for the property owner.  Architect’s rendering of the new four storey upgrade to the south end of the project. This is the view from the corner of Brant and Olga. There is nothing wrong with the design – Cherishome has found that the large swaths of retail space in the building just weren’t getting rented and they knew there was a demand for residential rental space. Jeff Usher, the Cherishome VP for development took the audience through a straightforward presentation. Decent looking buildings – he described the façade of the building as having a Frank Lloyd Wright look to it – that was a bit of a stretch. The land however is being put to much better use. One of the things the upgrade could do is create a solid anchor for the new north end of the Burlington Downtown Business Association boundary. The design will still have the nice wide setback from the street that is about as good as it gets for an outdoor patio. The seven retail units were to be 1200 sq. ft. which should do it for a restaurant. There will be 253 parking spaces – the rules call for just 240. The 146 rental units, which will be registered as condominiums, will consist of 844 sq. ft. two bedroom units and 621 sq. ft. one bedroom units. Amenities will be located on the roof of the parking space. There will be a community garden at the back of the building  Everything on the right side will be demolished – the design emphasis will be on the street. Usher told the Gazette in an earlier interview that he had met with the people at the Region and talked about including a number of “affordable” units in the complex. Mention was made of some problems tenants were having that were Landlord Tenant related – Meed Ward explained that these are not municipal issues and provided information tenants could use to follow up on. Usher hopes to get site plan approval from the city by the end of the year; demolition will get done next Spring – the hope is to have the project ready for 2018
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There are parts of the city where any form of intensification is not going to get past the first sentence. The backlash in some communities will be so strong that the Mayor, and every member of this Council, will quickly move on to a subject that leaves smiles on the faces of the voters.
As the city’s largest volunteer participation action event, Community Clean Up Green Up Day is an important (and fun) opportunity for citizens, community groups, schools, and businesses to come together, make a difference for our environment and take pride in our city by cleaning it up.
There was a report last year of a house being illegally entered at the front while the owners were in the back yard gardening.
SPRINGPOP 