 By Staff
April 13, 20/5
BURLINGTON, ON
On Saturday April 11th 2015 at approximately 10:58 PM, police responded to 5111 New Street in Burlington in response to a report of a group of youths fighting.
Upon police arrival, it was learned that a group of three male youths jumped another youth and stole his 13” Macbook Air laptop, watch and cell phone before fleeing the area. The victim sustained only minor injuries.
Police later located and arrested the three youths on Longmoor Rd. near Chamberland Rd.
The youths were still in possession of the victims watch and cell phone however the laptop valued at $1500 has not been recovered.
Three young offenders who cannot be named are charged with robbery and possession of property obtained by Crime.
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).
 By Pepper Parr
April 13, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
There are some differences about what is meant by minimal – those differences appear to have feathers ruffled.
With the city having sold its parcels of land to the three property owners who abut what has been public land, the concern now moves to just what the Windows on the Lake will look like.
A public meeting in March didn’t go all that well.
 Janice Connell after delegating to city council committee – She thinks she just might have nailed it! Janice Connell apparently made life difficult for a city staffer – so much so that a complaint has worked its way up to the office of the city manager.
Connell was the sole delegator for the three property owners who wanted to buy the portion of the old Water Street allowance that was at the edge of the lake. She was very effective; she did her homework but seemed to need to tangle with ward 2 Councillor Meed Ward.
 Windows to the Lake were designed for three streets: Market, St. Paul and Green. The intention at the public meeting in March was to have feedback from the public and then a Staff Report that would go to the Community and Corporate Services Standing Committee on June 16 and then along to Council on June 22nd for approval.
 Market Street has the most direct line of sight to the Lake – but at this point is the hardest to realize is public space. The design shown will make it very clear that this is public property – which is what has those living on the street upset. No mention was made of any signage. Once approved, staff would prepare construction drawings, send the work out for tender after which construction will begin.
Somehow – we don’t think it is going to be quite that easy.
 St Paul Street has the longest stretch of public property which at this point has obstacles in place that make it pretty clear it is private property – which it isn’t. The design allows the public to get deep into the lot and appreciate one of the finest views in the city. When the decision was made to sell the land Council agreed that there would be Windows to the Lake at the foot of Market and St. Paul streets – Green Street has been added.
Councillor Dennison was quite vocal at the time when he described what he meant by minimal – a bench and a can for garbage was what he appeared to have in mind.
Staff obviously didn’t get the message – their designs go quite a bit further – however they don’t appear to include any lighting.
The Burlington Waterfront Committee, a collection of citizens with representation from every ward have been tracking the discussion and comment on just what will be built on the road allowances that reach to the waters edge of Lake Ontario.
The group is what is left of the Waterfront Advisory Committee that originally brought up the problems surrounding the Windows on the Lake.
Rob Peachey, currently a manager in the Capital works department attended that meeting in 2012 and commented then that this wasn’t his “favourite file” The people who have private access to the lake aren’t at all keen on sharing it.
In an earlier article on that March meeting, which the Gazette did not attend, we reported that “The owners of property in the streets that lead to the windows are wondering just how much pedestrian traffic there will be and will people be sitting close to the edge of the lake at all hours of the day and how much noise will there be?
Discussions amongst the people who live on Market and St. Paul have taken place and they apparently now want to know just how minimalist are these windows on the lake going to be.
Will it be just a bench and a waste container? Welso reported that: “Some people are getting the sense that there is a push to get rid of the windows all together or to make them so inaccessible that no one will want to go near the things.
In that article we mispelled Janice Connell’s name and corrected that error.
In a response to us about the correction we made Ms Connell adds:
The mis-spelling of my name is not the only information that is incorrect.
The truth is we support the Windows-t0-the Lake at St.Paul and Market Street and have done so since our very first discussion with Ward 2 Councillor Meed Ward. in July 2012. At this meeting, one of the three owners offered to engage landscapers to clean up the area at end of Market St., enhance it as a Window-to-the -Lake for the public and maintain it at his expense. The public was never informed of this offer.
Our concern at the public meeting is the discrepancy between the wording of Council’s approved motion and what was actually presented and discussed. Council invested considerable time (including visiting the properties) researching this issue and they were clear in their motion …”minimalistic manner (bench and signage) at St Paul and Market St.”and the “enhancement of Port Nelson Park with available funds.”
In the presentation, Staff was asked about the motion including “enhancing Port Nelson Park with available funds.” Staff replied that this was not part of the motion. This statement differs from the wording in the motion.
 You wouldn’t know it – but this is public property and anyone can walk out to the end and look over the lake. City will now put signage indicating that the land is public. A portion of a driveway is apparently going to be taken – was that portion on public property? Other residents had different concerns…locals from Green St. area were upset as they had no prior notification of the proposed Windows -to- the -Lake at the end of Green St. (Green St. Windows was not part of the approved motion.). There was heated discussions amongst residents as to what the “Windows- to -the- Lake” should consist of…bike racks, bench under trees in the sun, bench under trees in the afternoon shade, lighting, fences, garbage bins, walkways and shrub plantings .
One of the proposals for St. Paul included removing a portion of an elderly residents driveway.
Some of the dissension could have been alleviated if a copy of the approved motion had been available at the presentation for the public to refer to. The wording of the approved motion is …”develop Windows-to-the-Lake at St Paul and Market St in a minimalistic manner(benches and signage).”
Over the past few years we have had ongoing concerns over misrepresentation of the facts regarding the Water St parcel as presented to the public. This has caused dissension and hard feelings amongst residents. We attended the public meeting hoping it would be an opportunity to connect with our neighbours in a positive setting. Needless to say the meeting caused further dissension amongst many residents.
As you were not at the meeting, the information in your article is second hand information and is not accurate as it relates to information in the approved motion. Also the information given to you by your informed observer about the three property owners is not truthful. The property owners support the approved motion as to the development of the two Windows to the Lake. We have not and will not “try to get council to change their mind.”
Local parks should bring residents together. When less than truthful statements are given to the public it causes further dissension amongst residents. And unlike the simple correction of a misspelled name, it is not easy to correct the negative relationships amongst neighbours or the reputation of residents.
In reporting on the March meeting the Gazette spoke independently to four people who were at the meeting.
 By Pepper Parr
April 13, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
The Region is picking them off one by one – in this most recent case they got two at the same time.
109 and 115 Willow Street were bought from the Estate of Clarence Junior Craddock and Adeline Y.M. Craddock for a princely sum.
 Willow Street in the Beachway. Regional Staff was authorized to conclude the acquisition of lands municipally known as 115 Willow Street and 109 Willow Street in the City of Burlington for what was described as Regional purposes. The properties are part of the assembly of all the lands within the Beachway.
The sale of these two units makes a total of three that have been acquired by the Region.
This will come as a shock to many Burlington tax payers is the cost which is to come out of the capital project budget for Burlington Waterfront – Land Acquisition. The numbers in the report are far from clear – it asks that the funding be increased by $640,000 from $624,250 to $1,264,250 and that this additional funding required be financed from the Green Fund Reserve.
Burlington’s ward 2 Councillor Marianne Meed Ward asked that the vote at the full be recorded and the results are as follows:
Yeas: Carr, Adams, Bonnette, Burton, Craven, Duddeck, Elgar, Fogal, Gittings, Goldring, Knoll, Krantz, Lancaster, O’Meara, Sharman, Somerville (16).
Nays: Best, Cluett, Dennison, Meed Ward, Taylor (5).
The voted to approve the acquisition and the funding carried.
The report was so deeply buried in the Regional minutes that one had to be a hound dog to find them – then numbers appear to say that the price paid for the two homes was $1,264,250
Regional staff were not available for clarification
These two structures are not much more than old summer cottages at the end of a lane way that abuts the QEW.
 By Staff
April 13, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
 The Burlington Performing Arts Centre is accepting nominations for the third inductee of its Hall of Fame. Established in 2013, The Burlington Performing Arts Centre’s Hall of Fame recognizes people who have made significant contributions to the performing arts in Burlington. Recipients of this award demonstrate the diversity of artistic accomplishment that comprises the rich cultural tapestry of the City of Burlington. The Hall of Fame award will be presented to the inductee at the 2015-2016 Season Launch event held at The Centre on Thursday, May 28.
Nomination applications must be submitted on or before Friday, May 8th, 2015. The nomination form can be downloaded from The Centre’s website
 Hall of Fame’s 2nd inductee, Rainer Noack The Burlington Performing Arts Centre recognizes that the individual and group artists are paramount and fundamental to cultural development.
These individuals and groups contribute to Burlington’s reputation as a city with a strong and sustained commitment toward the development of cultural excellence.
 Gordie Tapp was onsite almost every day during the construction of the Pier. He chats with Project Manager Craig Stevens. Tapp was the first inductee into the Performing Arts Center Hall of Famwe At the 2014 Cabaret, the Hall of Fame’s 2nd inductee, Rainer Noack, Founder and Program Director of Burlington Student Theatre, was recognized for providing training, camps and arts opportunities for children and youth in the Burlington area since 1978.
The Hall of Fame’s 1st inductee, was Burlington’s own, Gordie Tapp.
 By Pepper Parr
April 13, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
When Brian Dean, president of the Burlington Downtown Business Association asked the city to expand his boundaries local merchants in the expanded territory didn’t exactly line up to fill out membership forms. On the contrary – a couple wrote letter and one delegated at city council saying they didn’t like the idea at all.
 View of the Plaza, looking north, as it stands today – the front will be opened up considerably.  Councillor Meed Ward can see a stunning outdoor patio on this stretch of the property that will undergo a significant upgrade – all within the existing zoning. This view looks south.
Then Jeff Usher came along and announced that Burlington Square Plaza (BSP) was so keen on the idea that they were going to expand the Plaza and add a four storey structure to the south end and make major changes to the retail level in the core structure.
In doing so – Cherishome Living, the company that owns the apartment tower, might well create a new anchor for the expanded BDBA territory. There isn’t an awful lot to choose from when a person wanting to get out for a meal or a chance to sit out on a patio and just enjoy the city.
Usher sees a significant opportunity for a restaurant to set up a sizable plaza area outside the new addition.
 This structure which faces Brant and runs south to Olga will be demolished and become the four storey commercial residential part of the upgrade to the Plaza property. Ward 2 Councillor Marianne Meed Ward was all a flutter over the development because it was going to build within the applicable zoning and not ask city council for additional height.
 Because the development is within all the rules – all they have to do is take their application to city hall, file all the papers, pay the fees and they get their building permit.
Meed Ward will be holding a public meeting on the 15th to tell everyone about it and show off the architects rendering.
Cherishome Living was formerly McArthur Properties. The rental agent for the Burlington Square apartments will changed – the firm being brought in has more experience with commercial and residential
 The space to the right will be demolished and become part of the new four storey structure that will have rental on the top four floors and retail on the lower level The commercial side of the Plaza has not done as well as hoped – much of the ground floor space is vacant.
Burlington MPP Eleanor McMahon has space on the lower level but has decided to mover her office to a location with more exposure.
By Staff
April 13, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
More than 400 of the city’s business community gathered at the Convention Center last week for the annual Chamber of Commerce business gala that brought together business, government and industry leaders from all over the area to join in celebrating the business community’s achievements.
 Back Row (L toR): Bernie Meuller, Gerry Smallegange Front Row (L to R): Tom Flannery, Juliet Aurora, Colleen Mulholland, Dave McSporran, Fred Bennink The Chamber presents a number of business excellence awards in a variety of categories. In 2002, awards from the Burlington Economic Development Corporation were added to the Gala. In 2003, the Tourism Burlington Award was added and Mayor Rick Goldring presents his Community Service Awards at the Gala.
To be eligible for a Business Excellence Award, a company must be a member of the Burlington Chamber of Commerce or be located in the City of Burlington. More than 50 nominations were recieved for the 2014 awards.
Finalists and winners are chosen by the Chamber’s Business Awards Task Force through a series of questionnaires and interviews. Winners are companies that have demonstrated excellence in business leadership, community contributions, entrepreneurship, employee welfare, innovation, and growth.
A new evaluation criterion that was used for all companies beginning with the 2009 awards was environmental practices.
Service (Large)
Finalists:
Burlington Hydro Electric Inc.
Emma’s Back Porch
Sodexo Canada Ltd.
Winner: Burlington Hydro Electric Inc.
The Task Force was impressed with Burlington Hydro’s commitment to customer service and the fact that its responsiveness to customers’ needs has been an important factor in other companies locating in Burlington.
Service (Small)
Finalists:
AIS Solutions Inc.
Dodsworth & Brown Funeral Home
OrthoEvidence Inc.
StanMech Technologies Inc.
Winner: AIS Solutions Inc.
The Task Force was impressed with the fact that AIS Solutions has been asked by Intuit Canada to help improve future versions and to share their knowledge throughout Canada and the US.
Manufacturer
Finalists:
CPC Pumps
Zip Signs
Winner: Zip Signs
The Task Force was impressed with Zip Signs’ ability to provide quality, innovative, turnkey solutions anywhere in Canada while maintaining a family-focused business that cares about its employees.
Retail / Wholesale
Finalists:
Christy’s Gourmet Gifts
Dr. Tracy Brodie & Associates, Optometrists
Winner: Christy’s Gourmet Gifts
The Task Force was impressed with how this small, family business recognized a niche market and, with quality, innovative products, has become an international success.
Young Entrepreneur
Finalists:
Dave McSporran, Bottled Media
Waqar Malik, InBold Media
Winner: Dave McSporran, Bottled Media
The Task Force was impressed with how Dave has developed a childhood passion and a desire to tell his clients’ stories as they have never been told before, into a solid, stable business.
Not-for-Profit
Finalists:
Burlington Community Foundation
Burlington Green Environmental Association
Camelot Centre
Winner: Burlington Community Foundation
The Task Force was impressed with the broad impact the Foundation has had and its ability to respond rapidly to our community’s needs, such as it did this past year following the August flood.
Heritage Award
Winner: Dodsworth & Brown Funeral Home
Dodsworth & Brown’s is awarded this year’s Heritage Award because of their long history of doing business in Burlington, a remarkable 50 years. They have served the residents of Burlington with class, understanding and professionalism
Mayor’s Sustainable Green Business Award
Burlington Mall, RioCan Management Inc.
The Mayor’s Sustainable Green Business Award was announced prior to the Gala.
BEDC Business Export Award
Cogent Power Inc.
The BEDC Business Export Award was announced prior to the Gala.
Tourism Burlington Ambassador Award
Burlington Teen Tour Band
 Burlington Chamber of Commerce President Keith Hoey, who does a pretty good job as a stand up comic, is also quite a promoter. The Burlington Chamber of Commerce, formed in 1947 will hold its Annual General Meeting at the Holiday Inn Burlington Hotel, 3063 south Service Rd. TIME: 4:45 Registration Begins
5:00 Annual General Meeting
The Chamber is the voice of business in Burlington and advocates at the local, regional, provincial and federal level on behalf of over 1,000 companies representing 30,000 employees.
 By Staff
April 10, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
We got this late in the day –
Due to a mechanical issue at Angela Coughlan Pool, the scheduled Leisure Swim from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. is cancelled. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Swimmers are encouraged to attend the 7:30 to 9 p.m. Family Swim at Burlington Centennial Pool or 7:30 to 9 p.m.
Fun Swim at Tansley Woods Pool.
 By Staff
April 10, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
It took several days for the city to get on top of the damage being done by some fuel that was poured into a catch basin on Spruce Street between Shoreacres Road and Goodram Drive.
By the time the problem was reported to the city a lot of damage had been done – Burlington Animal Services removed three Mute Swans in distress. The animals were taken to a wildlife rescue for rehabilitation. Two of the swans have since died.
City crews responded to the spill on Friday, April 3 after being notified by local residents.
“City staff and the Ministry of the Environment have been on site every day and used absorbent pads and booms to soak up the fuel in the water,” said Scott Stewart, general manager of development and infrastructure at the City of Burlington.
“The source of the spill is suspected to be a catch basin on Spruce Avenue where the substance was dumped. The toxic fuel then traveled to Shoreacres Creek and downstream towards Lake Ontario.”
The heavy rains rose the water levels in the creek destroying one of the books that had been put in place.
The city has not yet said what was dumped in a catch basin nor have they any idea who did the dumping or how much was poured into the catch basin.
“It is completely unacceptable that the irresponsible actions of one or more individuals have caused such terrible injury to animal life and to the natural environment,” said Stewart. “Paletta Lakefront Park is a popular spot where residents go to enjoy the waterfront and trails and wildlife lives. The deliberate disposal of hazardous pollutants has negatively impacted the community’s ability to enjoy and thrive in this space.”
 A prefab bridge being installed at Shoreacres Creek. With heavy spring rains the volume of water flowing into the lake is significantly higher. Residents with information related to this event can call the Ministry of Environment’s Spills Action Centre at 1-800-268-6060. More information about reporting spills to the Ministry of Environment is available at https://www.ontario.ca/environment-and-energy/report-spill.
The Ministry of Environment’s Investigations and Enforcement Branch division is responsible for investigating alleged environmental infractions. Prosecutions can result in fines, court orders and probation or jail terms.
Hazardous Waste Disposal
Burlington residents with household hazardous waste (such as paint, fuel and motor oil) for disposal can drop it off, free of charge, at the Halton Waste Management Site, located at 5400 Regional Road 25 in Milton, Monday to Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
 By Staff
April 10, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Ward 3 Councillor John Taylor responded very strongly to some information that had been circulated during the Easter weekend by unknown person(s) regarding the Mount Nemo Heritage Conservation Landscape District.
 Ward 3 Councillor John Taylor responds to an anonymous document he feels is both incorrect and misleading.
“I have received, but never before responded, to unsigned correspondence for obvious reasons. In this case, however, I will respond to the allegations (as will City staff) due to the importance of this topic to rural residents.
“The City is conducting the Mount Nemo Heritage Conservation District Study in accordance with Part V of the Ontario Heritage Act. The study scope includes a broad review of a variety of elements that contribute to the landscape character, including but not limited to, the natural environment.
 The area covers basically all of the western half of the Escarpment. “At this stage of the study staff and the consultants are reviewing the needs and justification for an Heritage Conservation District as well as alternative planning tools that may achieve similar conservation objectives through other means. The consultants final study report along with draft staff recommendations will be presented to rural residents before a decision is made by City Council on whether or how to proceed further. Timing is uncertain but there will be at least a month separation between the two meetings and neither of the meetings will be held in July or August.
The document that was circulated:
The Facts of a HERITAGE DESIGNATION for all Mount Nemo Residents:
What Can a Heritage Designation do?
Myth: It will not affect your property value.
Fact: It will lower your property value. The City recently sent out a letter to Mount Nemo residents offering a 25% rebate for the 2015 tax yea r to entice you to convert to heritage because of the financial losses suffered under a heritage status.
Myth: It will stop the quarry from expanding.
Fact: City-contracted heritage consultants confirmed it will NOT stop any federally or provincially mandated development such as a quarry expansion.
Myth:This is not a ‘real’ heritage designation. It only affects the natural environment.
Fact: This is a very real heritage designation that will restrict what you do with your house and you r property such as the colour, style, size, location, landscaping, etc. And it will also affect on-going maintenance and renovations. This was confirmed by the heritage consultants.
Ask yourself these questions:
• Would you have purchased your home with a heritage designation attached to it?
• City Councillors are offering a 25% rebate on your 2015 property taxes if you convert to heritage. Your home is going to be worth 25% less forever, why is the City not offering a 25% property tax rebate forever?
The seven members of City Council will be voting on this initiative soon and they do not live in this area -not even John Taylor. It is important that you voice your opinion NOW on this matter and send them an email or a letter. Please see below for contact information.
Proposed heritage area: From Dundas Street up to Britannia Road and from Milborough Line over to Walkers Line. And they are considering expanding these boundaries?
Taylor responds to each issue raised in the anonymous document:
 This quarry is close to being shut down – they have taken out just about all the aggregate they can. An application to expand the quarry was denied. Many feel that there will never be another quarry on Mt. Nemo. The question now is – what do we do with that big hole in the ground?
Heritage Property Tax Rebate Program
The City letter referred to was addressed to property owners on the Heritage Registry who do not qualify for a 25% property tax rebate because these individual properties are not designated under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act. The rebates are allowed under Section 365.2 of the Municipal Act. The program is designed to assist designated heritage property owners with the conservation, protection and restoration of their properties and not to compensate for any perceived loss in property values. The current rebate rate of 25% of the City and Education portion of the property tax was 20% in 2014 and will rise to 40% by 2018 and continues as long as the property is designated and annual registration is done.
Please also note that the tax rebate program does not apply to heritage districts registered under Part V of the Ontario Heritage Act as would be the case for any Mount Nemo Heritage Landscape District. There are no current plans to introduce the rebate program to heritage districts.
 Those people who live in rural Burlington are passionate about the quality of life they live – that’s why they chose a rural setting. They do not make any kind of change easy. Property Values
Several studies completed in both Canada and the United States have indicated that the establishment of a Heritage Conservation District typically has either a neutral or slightly positive effect on property values. Niagara on the Lake and Downtown Perth are two examples of Heritage Conservation Districts that have been positively received and resulted in sensitive development.
Private Property Controls
A Heritage Landscape District includes a variety of elements that contribute to landscape character that includes but is not limited to landscape character. There are big differences in details captured for individual heritage properties designated under Part IV and Part V collections of properties captured with a heritage district. There are also big differences between Heritage Districts in urban areas such as a historic downtown versus rural areas focusing on cultural heritage landscapes.
If the City proceeds with the development of an HCD Plan, the focus for policy and guidelines would be on the effect of proposed development on the cultural heritage landscape as defined through the HCD Study process, focusing on elements such as vegetation, building setbacks, height and massing. The purpose of this study is not to explore the specific stylistic elements of individual buildings (i.e. colour, window patterns, etc.). An HCD designation can require a heritage permit for major exterior repairs or additions, alterations to the landscape and tree removals, but does not affect building interiors or general maintenance. What ultimately requires a heritage permit is determined through the HCD Study/Plan process.
Protection from Unwanted Development, Quarry Expansion & Provincial Highways
In the last ten years the City has invested significant financial and staff resources to twice prevent the Niagara to GTA Highway going through the rural escarpment area of Burlington as well as successfully defending the City’s position opposing an expansion of the Nelson Aggregate Quarry. A Heritage Conservation Landscape District under the Ontario Heritage Act, while not an absolute protection, adds specific additional policy protection to be considered within any application review or appeal process beyond the generalizations of City and Regional
Official Plans and Provincial Policy Statements.
This would be achieved by a Heritage Conservation Plan that contains policies and guidelines sympathetic to the defined character of the landscape.
In conclusion I feel that we must complete the study as planned and then make an informed decision on whether to proceed to a plan, take a different direction, or abandon the issue.
 By Pepper Parr
April 9, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON
There is a tweet fluttering out there somewhere that picked up on our story on the provincial funding given to the Sound of Music. The tweet
In that article we mentioned that there will be a ticketed event as part of the Sound of Music. We did not say the Sound of Music will be a ticketed event.
There will be one event for which a ticket will be required. We don’t know as yet which event that will be.
The tweet or retweet came from “leafnationforlife” – we leave it to our readers to understand those poor souls.
 By Pepper Parr
April 9, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Remember that piece of land at the edge of the lake between Market and St. Paul that the city decided it would sell to the Michael Swartz and Janice Connell?
The sale of the city portion of the land has apparently gone through – the sale of the piece the province owns now gets processed.
Once both pieces are sold the public will be told how much the land was sold for – why the wait is not clear.
 This is the view three property owners will have once their purchase of lake front land owned by the city and the provincial government closes. Sweet! What is clear however is what will happen to the money the city gets for its portion of the land? It was to be used to create the Windows on the Lake that were to be at the end of Market and St. Paul Street, as well in other locations across the city.
Those “windows” now appear to be at risk.
 The Market street and the St. Paul Street windows to the lake are thought to be ay serious risk by the Burlington Waterfront Committee. There was a community meeting at which the two windows projects were being discussed – and it sort of got out of order. City staff were given a very rough time by one of the property owners – so much so that complaints have worked themselves up to the desk of the city manager.
Members of Council seemed to take the position that creating a window to the lake at the end of St. Paul and Market Streets was enough and that everyone would be happy when this file was finally closed.
 Doesn’t look like this file is going to close anytime soon.
The owners of property in the streets that lead to the windows are wondering just how much pedestrian traffic there will be and will people be sitting close to the edge of the lake at all hours of the day and how much noise will there be?
Discussions amongst the people who live on Market and St. Paul have taken place and they apparently now want to know just how minimalist are these windows on the lake going to be.
Will it be just a bench and a waste container? Apparently there are not going to be any lights.
 No city signage on this piece of city owned property. The obstructions in place were put in to suggest this is private property – it isn’t. Plans are in place to make a proper Window on the Lake at this location. Some feel these plans are at risk Some people are getting the sense that there is a push to get rid of the windows all together or to make them so inaccessible that no one will want to go near the things.
Nelson Park, a block to the east of the Market/St. Paul street situation had a part of its lake frontage cleared giving a much bigger look at the lake. The St. Paul/Market street residents think this is enough for the public – no real need for any additional park space, which was part of the argument city council used then they decided to sell the waterfront land it owned.
 This is the land at the end of St. Paul Street, owned by the city, public but there are no signs to indicate it is public. Few people walk past that bright sign. The city said that it would turn this into a full window on the Lake. Local residents are trying to get the city to change its mind “It seems”, said one informed observer, “that the three property owners now feel they have title to the land behind their homes and now want to ensure that the public doesn’t get to wander around their houses.” Those houses are on public streets and Lake Ontario is a public right for all to appreciate.
What bothers people is that Council is aware of the problem but does not appear to be taking any steps to suggest to the people who managed to convince them to sell public land to be satisfied with what they have.
By Pepper Parr
April 9, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
 It was certainly the best phone call or letter that Dave Miller had the day he got notice from the province that they were going to drop $247,500 in pixie dust into his coffers. Pixie dust is that magical word event organizers use to describe funding they get. It is not money that is easily come by
The province is “investing” $19 million to support local Festivals and Events; this is a record number for the province that they say will draw tourists, create jobs and grow local economies.
 Province sends big bucks to festivals and events across the province. Sound of Music and RibFest benefit Through the Celebrate Ontario 2015 program, the province is helping 270 festivals and events, the highest number in the history of the program, celebrate Ontario’s diversity, heritage and culture. This support will help organizers enhance programming and services, attract new audiences and create jobs in the tourism sector.
The Sound of Music is getting $247,500 – RibFest is getting $90,000.
Trust ward 3 Councillor John Taylor to look at the Sound of Music budget a lot closer the next time they appear before the city asking for an increase in the grant they get from the city.
Sound of Music will be releasing their program for this summer in the near future – which will, for the first time included a ticketed event.
 By Ray Rivers
April 9, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Ontario’s finance minister, Charles Sousa, boasted that the government had beaten down its projected 2014 deficit target by $1.6 billion, and was on track to eliminate the deficit by 2018.
He was speaking at a Greater Toronto Board of Trade meeting last week, when he announced this good piece of news. And another bit of good news is that a carbon tax doesn’t appear to be in the works.
And why would it be? The McGuinty/Wynne governments already have an outstanding record in fighting climate change. While Canada’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions sky-rocketed from 1990 levels, (18% increase to 2012), Ontario’s emissions plummeted by an impressive 6%.
And besides, Ontario electricity customers are already paying a ‘de-facto’ carbon tax through our utility bills, which have increased over the years, in part to pay for the conversion of Ontario’s dated and dirty coal plants to cleaner energy.
 Ontario’s Minister of Finance Charles Sousa – watch the hands, they are quicker than the eye. So rather than hit consumers with another carbon tax, Ontario’s Premier Wynne has decided to join Quebec and California in a continent-wide carbon trading system. Also called cap-and-trade, emissions trading is actually an Ontario-born solution to pollution. A University of Toronto economics professor, Robert Dales, back in the sixties was credited with defining the concept. Ontario’s formal entry into this continental cap-and-trade block will create a market of over 60 million people encompassing almost two thirds of Canadians.
The finance minister noted in his remarks that an additional half-million new jobs have been created since the 2008 recession, and that Ontario has become the top destination for foreign direct investment among jurisdictions in Canada and the U.S.A. Lower oil prices and a falling Canadian dollar are like gifts from heaven for our manufacturers. And with two thirds of our students exercising post-secondary options, the province is leading the country in skilled labour.
So why do we still have this deficit? Ontario already has the lowest per capita spending of any jurisdiction in Canada and, with a predicted growth rate of only 0.8% per annum, it is likely to stay that way. So perhaps the government needs to be looking somewhere else for a solution to its financial predicament. Premier Wynne is apparently exploring the sale of some crown assets, such as Hydro One, which might be in the public interest to divest, and provide some much needed cash to boot.
 You see them on the streets of New York – with three walnut shells on a make shift table and asking you to bet on which one the pea is under – it’s a game of the hand being quicker than they eye – the politicians do it all the time – with your money. But sustainable financing requires more than a fire-sale of crown assets. That would involve re-engineering of the income side of the balance sheet. Alberta, has finally abandoned its ideologically driven flat-tax experiment, conceding that progressive income taxes are essential just to keep its deficit down to $5 billion dollars – a deficit greater than Ontario’s on a per capita basis. Alberta’s premier, Jim Prentice, a former minister in Mr. Harper government, has decided to increase income taxes rather than introduce a sales tax which would unduly penalize those in the middle and lower income classes.
Mr. Sousa tried to make the case that part of Ontario’s income problem lies with the federal government short-changing Ontario, by re-jigging equalization rules over the last few years. He claims that Ontario now contributes $11 million more than it receives in services from the federal government. But that is a hard argument to sell.
How does one measure the benefits Ontario derives from national defence, foreign affairs, national parks, and so on? And the equalization formula, itself, is a moving target, changing with the economic circumstances of each jurisdiction and over time. So the fairness aspect has to be tempered in the context of the leadership role Ontario has always wanted to play in confederation.
But it is true that the feds have been missing in action on a number of fronts, as former finance minister and PM, Paul Martin, noted in a recent article. He cites the neglect being accorded ‘innovation’ and science in general, and the deficit in infrastructure spending, of course. Mr. Harper had announced a $75 billion multi-year infrastructure fund back a few years ago, a program that has turned out to be more effective at advertising his government than actually delivering money for needy projects. And what is $75 billion spread across the nation when Ontario’s needs, alone, total well over a hundred billion?
 According to the great economist John Maynard Keynes, governments should run surplus budgets in good times so they can pay down the debt they need to run in the bad times. Yet the Canadian government has been running deficits ever since the recession ended in 2010 and Ontario is still three years from getting to a balance.
So the PM has determined that the federal budget, coming down in two weeks, will be accompanied by a spanking new ‘balanced budget’ law. This law, ironically, will mandate the federal government to ‘not do’ what the Harper government ‘has been doing’ for the last four years – running a deficit.
Since the early 1990s most of Canada’s provinces had also enacted balanced budget laws of one kind or another. And since then, almost all of these jurisdictions have either repealed or ignored these unworkable laws. Mike Harris introduced his balanced budget act after running deficits for over half his term in office, and McGuinty repealed the law when he came to power. But McGuinty and Harris each had about the same number of balanced budgets at the end of the day. Quebec, with the worst debt to GDP ratio in the country, has just announced a balanced budget – and this without a new law.
Managing the budget is one of the most important responsibilities for an elected government? Is our PM saying that he can’t be trusted to balance the budget without a new law requiring him to do so? Or is this just a another piece of political gimmickry which he will observe only when it suits. We should recall the ‘fixed elections date’ law which Harper also introduced a number of years ago, then broke, in 2008, when he thought it opportune to try to win an election.
Background links:
Ontario’s Upcoming Budget
Ontario GHG Targets Carbon Tax Ontario Cap and Trade Cap and Trade
Canada’s Emissions Federal Budget Expectations Fed Budget More
Paul Martin on Federal Budget Canada’s High Tech Deficit J.M. Keynes
Balanced Budgets More Balanced Budgets Even More Balanced Budgets
Election Date Law
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.
 By Staff
April 9, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
The city’s tourism operation has taken to social media to recruit new members for its board.
In a web site posting they ask:
If you are dedicated and dynamic individual with previous governance experience and an interest in tourism, consider applying to join the volunteer Board of Directors for Tourism Burlington Inc.
Their web site is one of the better ones we’ve seen – they provide a lot more information than a number of other city related groups.
If sitting on the Tourism board interests you click here for the Board information package
 By Staff
April 9, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Just a little after 6:35pm yesterday afternoon, a lone male suspect armed with a knife, entered the I.D.A. pharmacy located at 1893 Appleby Line in Burlington.
The suspect demanded narcotics and money while brandishing the knife at the pharmacist. The suspect was given an unknown quantity of narcotics and money.
The suspect fled the pharmacy and was last seen running southbound on Appleby Line. There were no injuries sustained by anyone during this incident.
The suspect is described as a white male in his mid 20’s, 5’7″ tall, slim build, wearing dark pants, white/silver snowboarding jacket with a peaked hood, black mask and black gloves. He was carrying a cloth reusable shopping bag.
For the police this is one of those situations that can only get worse – a young man desperate for drugs and money – with an addiction that has pushed him to this limit.
Anyone who may have witnessed this male or has information that would assist investigators in identifying him are asked to contact Detective Sergeant Ron Hansen – Burlington Criminal Investigations Bureau at 905-825-4747 ext.2315 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.)
By Pepper Parr
April 9, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
For all those folks in ward 6 who struggled to decide who they wanted to vote for – you’re going to get to do it again. Miss Canada is going to seek the federal Conservative nomination for the newly created North Burlington riding.
 Ward 6 Councillor Blair Lancaster thinking through the answer to a question. Tends to be cautious. Ward 6 Councillor Blair Lancaster has people out on the street organizing events for her. The Liberals are at a significant dis-advantage – the death of the Liberal nominee recently means they have to scramble to find someone with at least a bit of a profile to carry the torch and presumably ride Justin Trudeau’s coat tails to Parliament Hill.
A number of months ago we asked Lancaster if there was any truth to the calls we have received from readers that she was going to run for federal office. Lancaster denied she was thinking about leaving city council at that time.
The election date that is floating around for the next federal election is October 2015 – just over seven months away.
 Pink work boots were a must for a former beauty queen. The questions that will come to the surface when it becomes obvious she is going to run is – does she resign as soon as she announces – or does she hold her seat until the election is over?
There are no hard and fast rules – she doesn’t have to resign.
Can she continue to carry the work load at city hall and the Regional Council and fight a federal election as well – and continue to serve the breast cancer non-profit she heads up?
By Pepper Parr
April 8, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
It was a meeting with a number of agendas – the people whose homes were going to be replaced by parkland at some point in the future wanted to make their agenda the prime one but the event was to give citizens a chance to see what the first cut of a design for the Beachway park would look like – they got more than their money’s worth.
Another agenda was for the Regional Staff in attendance to assure everyone that there were no plans to expropriate anyone’s property – but during the presentation the phrase “priority properties” was used a number of times.
 Citizens get their first look at the design of the Beachway Park – there won’t be much built until the hospital construction is complete but when done the park will consist of five character areas that respect the environment and allow for all kinds of activities. The dark blue area will be the major swimming location. The Mayor was on hand – he didn’t speak – stood silently at the back of the room but got vocal when the Cogeco news camera was turned on.
 Anne McIlroy and her team which included planners from the city created the design. McIlroy has done a lot of work for both the city and the Region in the past. Council members representing the eastern side of the city didn’t make an appearance – the park land is Regional property and but how the park development is going to be paid for has yet to be worked out. Anne McIlroy, the outside consultant told the audience that the team has only just begun to get into what it will cost to develop the park.
Some staff members were assuring people that nothing was going to happen overnight – that this was a 40 to 50 year project. During the presentation McIlroy left the distinct impression that it was possible to do parts of the park in the near future.
The different agendas clashed at times but setting the politics of all this aside – and they do smell – the design that was shown to the public last night is exceptionally good.
It is sensitive to the environment within which it is going to be developed and it allows for a number of different uses of the space.
It is almost five different parks strung together. The west end of Spencer Smith Park is the beginning of the Beachway. This section is directly opposite the Joseph Brant Hospital and the Joseph Brant Museum. Lakeshore Road, which will lead to the Beachway Park, is to be widened and raised and become a three lane road with a bicycle lane as well.
 The Living Shoreline section of the Beachway Park will begin where Spencer Smith Park ends. It will include a gas powered fire pit; a native interpretation centre and a shore line boardwalk. On the lakeside of the road the park area will be called the Living Shoreline. This portion of the park will have shelters, a gas fed fire pit that will be used for special occasions. There will be a native interpretation centre and a shoreline boardwalk.
The trail that is built upon the old railway bed will remain much the same in this part of the Beachway Park.
This Living Shoreline will tie into parts of the western end of Spencer Smith – almost reach back to the compass in Spencer Smith.
The hospital parking garage and the hospital itself will be on the other side of the road. The Living Shoreline will stretch west to the Ministry of Transportation property.
Each of the Beachway Park sections will transition into each other with Beacons – which weren’t all that clearly explained – to demark the different parts of the larger park.
 The Strand section of the Beachway Park will be the major swimming area and will include the pavilion, rest rooms. rental area. The next section – working west – will be called The Strand. This section will have a very active beach – it is to be the major swimming area. The Pavilion will be in this section – one hopes that Pavilion is given a major upgrade. The Pump House – referred to as the “rental” place will be in this section. The Catamaran Club will be in this section as well.
There will be parking in this area – what was pretty clear from the drawings was that parking is not going to dominate. Mention was made of shuttle buses that would be used. If the assumption is that the hospital parking lot can handle the weekend traffic – that needs to be re-thought.
 The Wind Beach section of the Beachway Park will reach to the canal and include significant improvements to the pier area. On the west of the Strand is what will be called The Wind Beach. It will end at the Canal which the park designers hope to turn into a much more inviting location with a better interface with the lift bridge.
The intention is to tie the Burlington Beachway Park to the Hamilton side and ideally see more bike traffic between the two cities.
At the very end of Lakeshore, where Lakeshore Court is located – a couple of yards from the Burlington start of the Waterfront Trail the Commons will exist. This part of the park will be more sports orientated. There will be volley ball courts, a storm water pond, a bacchii ball location, shade areas, and outdoor pavilions that can be used for market and art sales.
 By the time the meeting started there wasn’t an empty seat in the room with dozens of people standing. The Skyway federal pier area will have Eastport Road cutting through it which creates some design challenges.
What wasn’t at all clear during the presentation was how parking would be handled. Many argued that the 27 private homes in the Beachway should not be torn down to create parking spaces. The drawings that were shown last night did not seem to have acres of parking.
 The Beachway Park is a Regional initiative that will be run by the city of Burlington. Anne McIlroy on the left talks with Stirling Todd, Senior Regional Planner on the right. What the public saw Tuesday evening at the Art Gallery was a decent first look – the questions for the most part were related to how the city was going to create a park on land they didn’t own.
That question is a Regional political issue and Burlington lost its chance to have an impact in 2013.
As parks go – what Anne McIlroy and her team put together is quality work – if they ever get to build it will be a well-used part of the city.
By Pepper Parr
April 7, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Are the decks being cleared; are new opportunities popping up in other municipalities – what’s going on? People are leaving the employ of the city at a surprising rate.
 Burlington Planner, Bruce Kruselniki – announced his retirement – will leave at the end of May. A few weeks ago city planner Bruce Krushelnicki announced his retirement at the end of May – now Director of Transpiration Bruce Zvaniga announced that it is “With deeply mixed emotions, I am announcing my retirement from the City of Burlington effective April 30th.
“Five years ago, I eagerly joined the newly-formed Transportation Services Department and was given the exciting opportunity to lead the staff charged with planning and managing the way people walk, cycle, drive and park cars within our city.
 Bruce Zvaniga announces retirement. “I have had the great pleasure of working with you on the challenges of defending our rural area from the intrusion of a new highway corridor, protecting endangered wildlife from vehicular traffic, improving the safety and efficiency of our city streets, expanding the city’s cycling facilities, identifying the growth needs of the transportation network and updating our technology for parking management and signal control. I am sad that I won’t be here to share in the celebration of the many initiatives currently underway to be completed later this year, but I look forward to the adventures ahead for me.
“I feel very fortunate and very proud to have served the City of Burlington.
“CoB is a great place to work – because of how much staff care about each other, and their focus on delivering excellent service every day to the community.
“I will very much miss the people here and miss being part of making this great City work.”
Zvaniga makes no mention of where he is going nor does he mention any personal issues – he is just leaving.
 City manager James Ridge now has another important hole to fill as he builds the management team. Newly appointed city manager James Ridge has been interviewing every member of Council and the Directors of various departments. In the near future Ridge is going to have to tell Council how he plans to organize the city administration.
The city is short one general city manager – frequently senior management reaches down into middle management and moves someone up the food chain.
Has Zvaniga had his interview with Ridge and realized he wasn’t going to be considered for a promotion and decided he would find a better place to grow his career.
 Zvaniga was one of those Directors who was attentive, open to new ideas but had to work with a file that was awkward and a staff that seemed to be married to the rule book.
He did create an interesting approach to traffic court in this city but the department never managed to come up with a provider of new high tech parking meters.
Are there more shoes that will get dropped to the floor? At least three that we can count.
Interesting times with a man who brings discipline and accountability to the operation.
By Pepper Parr
April 7, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
The Art Gallery of Burlington announced today that they have appointed Robert Steven as its new President & CEO. Mr. Steven will assume his new post on 4 May 2015.
In a media release the AGB said: “The Board of Directors was looking for a very special leader who is capable of taking the Art Gallery of Burlington to the profile appropriate for the home of Canada’s largest collection of contemporary Canadian ceramics and to the level of community engagement that will best contribute to the quality of life of this city and region.
 Robert Steven appointed as President and CEO of the Art Gallery of Burlington. We have found that leader in Robert Steven,” said Sandra Edrupt, Chair of the AGB Board. “We value Steven’s strategic business mind and believe that he can build synergy from our unique identity as both an art gallery and the home to the guilds of Arts Burlington.”
One of only 50 Canadian alumni of the prestigious Getty Museum Leadership Institute in Los Angeles, Steven’s educational background includes a Master of Museum Studies at the University of Toronto and a Fine Arts degree from the University of Waterloo.
Steven currently manages the Culture and Heritage Department of the City of Grande Prairie, where he oversees the City’s various cultural and heritage infrastructure and investments, including the three branches of the municipal museum. He caught the attention of the City of Grande Prairie, and now the Board of the Art Gallery of Burlington, through his impressive leadership of the Art Gallery of Grande Prairie, an organization that he transformed, expanded, professionalized, and modernized over his seven and one-half years of service as both its Executive Director and Curator.
His successes in Grande Prairie led to his recognition with a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal from the Premier of Alberta in 2012 and the Alberta Venture Magazine’s selection of him as one of Alberta’s 50 Most Influential People for 2013.
Originally from Ontario, Steven’s earlier professional arts experience included rapidly increasing authority and responsibility at the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery during a period of significant growth and change from 2001 to 2006. This encompassed roles as Preparator, Collections Management Project Manager, and Registrar.
 Dennis Longchamps joined the AGB as Chief Curator. Dr. Longchamps also heads collections and educational programming “Combining Robert’s strong arts executive and municipal leadership experience, with the strength of our Chief Curator, Dr. Denis Longchamps, who also heads collections and educational programming, we will have the leadership team that we need to take the Art Gallery of Burlington to the next level,” said Edrupt.
Many thought Longchamps would succeed Ian Ross who left the President and CEO role at the gallery on rather short notice after a 20+ year stint.
Kim Varian who led development for the AGB also left the gallery to work with her husband on the family business. Varian will continue with the AGB in a consulting and support capacity.
Grande Prairie has a population of 55,000+;median age is 30; average income is in the $126,000 range; a two bedroom apartment comes in at $1,115 a month – and here is the shocker for Steven – average house price is in the $316,000
 Anne Swarbrick will now try retirement for the third or fourth time. It is not something she is very good at. All this means that Anne Swarbrick, who was serving as the interim President and CEO can now return to what must be her third attempt at retirement
 By Pepper Parr
April 7, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Tom Muir has been a consistent critique of many city council decisions and an advocate for his community – Aldershot.
Greg Woodruff, a generation or two behind Muir, has also been a critic and an advocate for Aldershot.
Both had comments on some of the ideas that were floated by the Planning department at a recent community meeting in the community.
The proposed revision” revision said Muir in a note to one of the city planners, “has long been, historically, one of the biggest fears of Aldershot people – policy and wording revisions that can lead to wholesale block-busting and creeping destruction of a prime section of Aldershot character, heritage and history.
While this is technical, Muir sites a section of the Official Plan policy:
Part III. 2.2.3. h) Notwithstanding the policies of Part III, Subsection 2.2.2 d) of this Plan, the lands designated “Residential Medium Density” on the south side of Plains Road, between Cooke Boulevard and Filmandale Road, shall be subject to site-specific zoning regulations designed to protect the existing character of this portion of Plains Road and provide compatibility with the abutting neighbourhood to the south. Any exterior alteration or addition to the property shall maintain the residential appearance and character of the property.
 Recently completed retirement home improves the look of the intersection but brings nothing to the community in terms of a place to go – no public amenities “Changing this wording, and supporting zoning bylaws, so as to remove the requirements for site-specific zoning requirements – “shall” – to protect the existing character, provide compatibility with the abutting neighborhood to the south, and maintain the residential appearance and character of the property, is a sure recipe for just such a future. This is what a majority Aldershot residents have consistently expressed objections to. I live on Townsend Ave., immediately south of these lands.
“If these protections were desirable, warranted, and defensible in the present OP” asks Muir, “then what has changed that makes such protections not so in the present. These lands are certainly not realistically needed to meet any other superseding goals that I can think of. All I can see is that such revisions reward speculation and profiteering.”
“Such wholesale changes I cannot support. Notwithstanding that not all of the properties are equal, how does one choose which to protect and will that be defensible, among many judgemental factors? This is a very slippery slope.
“I think that in short order, given other redevelopments that are already underway on Plains Rd in general, this is exactly what appears will happen following such revisions. I already see signs of this, such as development/real estate companies speculating in properties in the subject section. I don’t want to see a replication of that recent redevelopment form in the subject area.
 Planters along Plains Road have given what used to be a provincial highway a much more suburban look. Hasn’t slowed traffic down enough for most people – except for those who drive through the community. “It will destroy what is left of the low density residential, with some employment or commercial uses mixed in, and with green spaces and mostly attractive streetscapes. It will be replaced by concrete, brick and asphalt right to the street.
This is not an Aldershot Village Vision, but rather a Nightmare looming. This seems to me a critical juncture in the process.
Greg Woodruff, who ran against Gary Carr for the office of Regional Chair – more to have a platform that to win the office asks the politicians to “Stop saving the greenbelt and start saving us.”
Woodruff says he is “in favour of development and smart growth – that is not what is under way in Burlington. We are embarked in the stupidest type of growth seen yet. Let’s review the last several years in Aldershot.
Does the street look slightly nicer with newer buildings – yes.
Trees – less.
Businesses that are open at 7:00 pm – less.
Places for people to work and shop – less.
Dependency on cars – more.
Congestion – more.
 Councillor Craven described the sign that was set up at the western end of his ward as “beautiful”. The result is a kind of “bimbo” street that looks slightly nicer, but is devoid of actual value to residents. This trend is growing and accelerating across Burlington.
In the past developers chewed up cheap farmland and converted it into housing. Now that farm land is off limits they are just doing the same with commercial space. The city has just identified areas that can be redeveloped at the most profit – not areas where intensification makes any sense.
Previously the suburbs spread everything out and made the car king. Now we are moving to large swaths of apartment blocks completely devoid of any local services and placed around roads that were never designed to service so many. This is a far worse situation.
 Greg Woodruff describes much of the development as giving a “kind of “bimbo” look – slightly nicer, but devoid of actual value to residents. This trend is growing and accelerating across Burlington. City planners seem to have settled on religious devotion to a single formula imposed by their provincial masters; more density is better. Seemingly now freed from servicing the wishes of actual residents and backed up with “saving the green belt”; the agenda is to slow boil residents like frogs in water.
Chipping away local greenery tree by tree. Blocking out the sun building by building. Increasing congestion day by day. This is the only future offered to existing residents – endless and perpetual construction, greying and densification. Welcome to the intensification zone.
A better end game is to end up with a much greener and localized city than we started with; that is the point of density. We want larger parks, more restaurants and things to walk to – you can’t make things greener by chopping down trees or get more businesses by putting houses where stores were. Yet that seems what city planners are pitching.
Population density doesn’t solve problems in your community if your community is merrily downgraded into endless apartment blocks. Sorry “Saving the green belt” cannot justify ever worsening living conditions for the rest of us.
Here is how we start turning the current direction around. “Smart growth” is when the increased density brings amenities into the community for the benefit of all – including existing residents.
1) Modify the zoning rules so that when redevelopment occurs the zoning stipulates that amenities come in with the development. In most areas this means high quality commercial space. 45% maximum lot coverage, 45% high quality parking, 10% green. Must have commercial venting and transport truck accesses.
2) A percentage of development fees must go into a fund for new park land – local to the area of development. This will enforce localized services and new localized greenery as redevelopment occurs.
 The only way to secure the “green belt” is to make sure that most people would prefer to live inside the “intensification zone”. This requires a focus on improving the liveability of the areas under intensification. Every development which brings in people without an obvious improvement to the community is negative.
“Dispense will the endless rationalizations presented by the city” suggests Woodruff. “If a development results in less trees, less shops, more people and more congestion – then the city is developing your area into a grey high density mess.”
The Planning department is in the process of testing ideas and listening to the residents in different communities. The Mayor is gearing up for a talk on intensification – his stab at helping people understand what is taking place.
If what Muir and Woodruff have to say is any indication on how the intensification debate is going to go – we are in for some feisty debate.
Neither of these man could be referred to as uninformed slouches.
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