 By Pepper Parr
February 26, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
With the budget in place and a new city manager hired, Council is now going to turn its mind to the Strategic Plan.
The Plan is a document that gets put together by a city council early in its term.
Four years ago, what was a council with three new members, took on the task of doing a real Strategic Plan. In the past the Strat Plan was often not much more than a collection of pictures.
The new blood on the 2010 Council brought energy and insight to the process.
It was a solid effort during which some serious divides in the thinking on just how the city should grow revealed themselves.
 Gerogina Black, the KPMG facilitator who took Council through their 2011 Strategic Plan exercise had a soft spot for Councillor – the feeling was mutual. Some good work was done in 2011 KPMG facilitator Georgina Black did a superb job of leading the group through 11 half day sessions. What Black learned very quickly was that the group did not have a BHAG – most didn’t know what a BHAG was. Part of the purpose behind the developing of a Strategic Plan is to look at the bigger picture and think big.
Some in Burlington might shudder at the idea of thinking big – visions of the pier debacle come into their minds.
A BHAG Black explained was a Big Hairy Audacious Goal – thinking outside the box and seeing over the hill and into the future.
Burlington often seems like a place that lets itself be defined by its geography – the Escarpment and the waterfront – with not that much in between
With four years under their collective belts Council can be expected to take a much different approach to what it wants to set out as its next plan.
This time around the city will have a city manager who has some significant depth in planning – expect that to make a difference.
What will also make a difference is the now much clearer political divide of this council. The role the Mayor is going to play, or not going to play, will be interesting to watch.
In 2011 Mayor Goldring had a Chief of Staff who is a very strong strategic thinker – Frank McKeown is no longer with the Mayor – he runs the Economic Development Corporation and can be expected to bring forward the views of that organization and not be the Mayor’s thinker.
 Frank McKeown, then the Mayors Chief of Staff explains a concept to Ward 5 Councillor Paul Sharman during the development of the 2011 Strategic Plan. McKeown was described as the 7th council member during the Strategic Plan sessions. This time around he will speak for the economic development corporation
The city has a panel of a couple of hundred people that it runs ideas past; they call it the Insight Panel. It is a program the city signed up for at a cost of $100,000 a year for three years. They recently asked for some response to a clutch of questions related to the development of a Strategic plan.
At the end of the survey they provided a chart summarizing the views of the people who had completed the survey. It did not bode well for the starting point of the 2015 Strategic Plan development process.
 The responders were people being asked what they thought and felt about how the city was doing with its Strategic Plan. Clearly council has its work cut out for themselves when they create the next four year Strategic Plan
The city is updating its strategic plan, checking in to make sure the plan will take our city where we all want to go.
In the introduction to the survey staff explained “it is designed to ask what you think about city services, whether you feel engaged, priority identification and how you want to hear from the city.” They are certainly hearing – are they listening.
The city website has a section devoted to the Strategic Plan. In that section they set out where they are at this point in time and what they expect the roll out of the process will be.
“With the new term of council, the city is updating its strategic plan, keeping the major elements while making adjustments based on new and emerging realities, demands and challenges. We are taking a close look at what strategic priorities have been finished, which need to be started and what we should add or change” says the website
“The 2015-18 City of Burlington strategic plan will build on past success while reaching for future goals. This is your strategic plan. It is your chance to tell council what’s important to you.”
Strategic Plan roll out schedule:
 Then city manager Roman Martiuk leads staff and council members through the development of an idea. Stage 1 – May to Dec 2014
Project Initiation: Getting started on the 2015-18 strategic plan
- Planning meetings and workshops
- Early stages of public engagement
STATUS: Complete
Stage 2 – Nov. 2014 to April 2015
Background and Data Gathering: Opportunities to have your say
- Telephone survey (Completed)
- Online survey –
- Kitchen table talks/Group workbook – coming soon
- Create the tagline – coming soon
STATUS: Happening now
 There were so many pages of thoughts and idea created when the 2011 Strategic |Plan was being created – every available space got put to use. Stage 3 – May to June 2015
Developing the Plan
- Review of council, staff and community input
- Creation of a draft strategic plan
STATUS: Spring 2015
Stage 4 – June 2015
Validation of the Draft Plan: Making sure we got it right
- Public and staff input into the draft plan
- Revising and refining the draft plan
STATUS: Spring/Summer 2015
 Staff played a full and significant role in the development of the 2011 Strategic Plan Stage 5 – July 2015
Plan Approval: Final version of the draft strategic plan to City Council
STATUS: Summer 2015
Stage 6 – Ongoing
Review, refinement and Update of the Plan
- Report back to the community on how we’re doing (Community Report)
- Meet quarterly to ensure the plan is on track
STATUS: Four times a year
 By Staff
February 26, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
The province has announced that youth in Ontario can now apply for summer jobs.
 Ontario’s Summer Jobs programs, in place since 2004, has helped almost 1,100,000 students find summer jobs, start businesses and access employment services. Each year, the programs help more than 100,000 students and youth:
• Find a summer job through Employment Ontario or community agencies.
• Get help with résumé writing and preparing for interviews.
• Apply for funding to start their own summer businesses.
• Gain experience working with the Ontario government.
For more information click HERE. for details on year-round programs to help youth under 30 build skills, start a business, or find a job.
Helping young people get work experience is part of the government’s economic plan for Ontario. The four-part plan is building Ontario up by investing in people’s talents and skills, building new public infrastructure like roads and transit, creating a dynamic, supportive environment where business thrives and building a secure savings plan so everyone can afford to retire.
Ontario is offering employers a $2-per-hour hiring incentive to hire summer students.
In the media release the province provides two additional websites with additional information. They seem to be saying the same thing – but do you research and learn as much as you can. There are some very interesting jobs – got get em!
Employment for people under 30
General government employment information
 By Staff
February 25, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Following a police investigation, the Halton Regional Police arrested Robert SPEARING (47) of Hamilton after he allegedly defrauded an elderly couple of $5500.00.
In September 2014, an elderly couple hired Spearing to complete some home renovations. At the time of the alleged offences, Spearing misrepresented himself as a certified gas technician.
Robert SPEARING (47) faces two charges of Fraud Over $5,000 and Making a False Statement in Writing. He was held for bail and will appear in the Milton Provincial Court on Thursday February 26th, 2015.
Police believe there may be more victims and are encouraging anyone who may have been victimized to report the matter to police.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Seniors Crime Investigator D/Cst Nada Jovic at 905 825 4747 Ext 2344.
 By Pepper Parr
February 25, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
If you ever wanted to know how networking is done effectively – read on. Regional Chair Gary Carr along with members of Regional Council spent three days meeting with Provincial leaders in Toronto to discuss critical issues facing Halton Region at the annual conference for the Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) and the Ontario Good Roads Association (OGRA).
“The Provincial Places to Grow Act mandates that Halton Region’s population must grow to 780,000 by the year 2031,” said Gary Carr, Halton’s Regional Chair. “To ensure that taxpayers are not responsible for the cost of growth, there are a number of critical supports including long-term funding and legislative amendments which are required from both the Provincial and Federal Governments.”
Chair Carr and a Regional delegation consisting of Mayor Rick Bonnette, Town of Halton Hills; Stephen Tanner, Chief of Police; Regional Councillors Colin Best, Allan Elgar and Sean O’Meara and Regional Councillor and Second Vice President for the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), Clark Somerville, met with the following Provincial leaders:
 Ted McMeekin, the Liberal Cabinet to the west of Burlington is often the go to guy when Burlington needs help. • Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Ted McMeekin to discuss creating affordable housing solutions and conforming to Provincial growth legislation.
• Minister of Transportation, Steven Del Duca, to discuss Halton’s community infrastructure needs now and for the future.
• Attorney General, Madeline Meilleur, to discuss Halton’s immediate need for court resources and infrastructure including enhancements to Legal Aid funding.
• Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, Glen Murray, to discuss adapting and responding to climate change.
• Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry and Burlington MPP, Eleanor McMahon, to discuss Conservation Authority funding and approval.
 Halton Regional Service chief of police Steve Tanner was part of the delegation – did the Region need the muscle to make their point? • Ontario NDP Caucus Members, Cindy Forster, MPP and Municipal Affairs and Housing Critic and Community and Social Services Critic, Catherine Fife, MPP and Finance and Treasury Board Critic, Jagmeet Singh, MPP and Government and Consumer Services Critic and Attorney General Critic to discuss an overview of the issues facing Halton Region.
• Interim Ontario PC Party Leader, Jim Wilson and Ernie Hardeman, MPP, to discuss an overview of the issues facing Halton Region.
• Minister of Heath and Long-Term Care, Dr. Eric Hoskins, to discuss cost-sharing for Public Health programs and services, ambulance off-loading delays and enhancements to the Central Ambulance Communications Centre (CACC).
During the ROMA OGRA Conference Premier Kathleen Wynne addressed municipal leaders, as did the PC Interim Party Leader, Jim Wilson and Ontario NDP Leader, Andrea Horwath.
“Meeting with Provincial leaders allows Halton Region to reiterate the importance of a continued partnership with the Province to address the many pressures we are facing as a result of mandated growth,” added Chair Carr. “We will continue to advocate for change from all levels of government in order to ensure that residents continue to enjoy a high quality of life in Halton Region.”
 Burlington’s MPP Eleanor McMahon took part in the three day networking event at Queen’s Park – she was the only voice from Burlington: was she loud enough – and if not loud was she effective enough? Through the support of Regional Council, Halton Region has developed an Advocating for a Strong Halton campaign which identifies specific needs and requirements from the Provincial and Federal governments.
Carr, who was once Speaker of the Legislature at Queen’s Park knows his way around that building. Does he know it well enough to pull out the dollars that are going to be needed to manage the growth the province is calling for?
And is Burlington going to see enough of whatever Carr gets to manage its growth?
 By Pepper Parr
February 24, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
The budget was done – out came the rubber stamp – but they didn’t use it. There were a couple of minor amendments.
There was one delegation – the Marsden’s saying they had researched James Ridge the new manager and they approved of him.
City taxes for Burlington home owners will increase 3.64% over what they were last tear.
 Dennison, on the left, explaining the budget to a resident. Dennison felt the revenue side of the budget could have been increased by $400,000. The decision to adopt the budget was not unanimous – Councilor Dennison had wanted to add two revenue items – each worth $200,000 to the budget. His colleagues didn’t agree with him – so Jack decided he would not vote for the budget.
The city media release calls the 2015 operating budget one with a continued focus on ensuring cost effective service delivery, strategic investment in infrastructure and additional funding to address climate change events such as the ice storm and August 2014 flood.
2015 marks the first time the budget has been presented in a new service-based budget approach. Budget highlights include:
Aligning existing service delivery costs with inflation.
Not sure how an increase of 3.64% is described as aligned with inflation which is currently less than 2%
An additional $1.745 million of funding dedicated to the renewal of the city’s aging infrastructure
$4.5 million of funding for flood mitigation measures
$900,000 to expand transit service and increase support for Heritage, the Sound of Music Festival and the Art Gallery of Burlington.
“This budget is based on services rather than by departments. It gives a more transparent view of how tax dollars are invested and that is significant,” said Mayor Rick Goldring. “Once again, staff and City Council have found a way to balance the excellent quality of life we enjoy in Burlington with the long-term financial planning we rely on, all the while keeping taxes competitive with other municipalities.”
The Mayor chose not to mention that the twenty year forecast has tax increases at the 4% level for a long time.
The 2015 Budget includes a 3.64 per cent increase in the city’s portion of property taxes. When combined with Halton Region and the boards of education, the overall property tax increase is 2.06 per cent or $18.08 for each $100,000 of residential urban assessment.
That statement is true – but it is also very misleading. Burlington has zero impact on the education budget – that is set by the province. Burlington’s director of finance gets a number from the province and is told how much to collect and where to send it.
 Not much different with the Region. Burlington sends seven people to the 21 member Regional Council. We have input, we have some sway – but not as much as Oakville, even though they have the same number of representatives on the Regional Council – they are just much more effective than the Burlington members.
Burlington’s city council is responsible for Burlington’s budget and it is that on which their performance should be measured.
It is confusing to give out a number that is not ours.
They used to call a person who gave out misleading information a “flim flam” man.
Telling people the tax increase is 2.08% more than it was the previous year is true – but we can’t take credit for that. We are responsible for the 3.64 % increase in our own spending.
By Staff
February 24, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
As drug busts go in the Region it was a big one.
The Burlington Strategic Support Team of the Regional Police concluded a drug trafficking investigation that resulted in four arrests and the execution of Controlled Drugs and Substances Act search warrants at two Burlington residences.
• 2350 ml (2.35 Litres) gammahydroxybrutyrate –commonly known as GHB,
• 2497 grams of marihuana (approximately 2.5 kilograms).
• 143 marihuana plants,
• $2690.00 in cash.
 The police know what a photo op is all about – question is did the politicians teach the police or was it the other way around. The drugs have an estimated street value of $ 166,690.
The following persons have been charged:
Robert Hegedus (41 yrs) of Burlington (Held for Bail)
• Trafficking a controlled substance (marihuana),
• Cultivation of a controlled substance (marihuana),
• Possession of a controlled substance (marihuana) for the purpose of trafficking,
• Possession of a controlled substance (GHB – gammahydroxybrutyrate) for the purpose of trafficking.
Edina Hededus (30 yrs) of Burlington (Released on Promise to Appear in Milton Court on March 24th 2015)
• Cultivation of a controlled substance (marihuana),
• Possession of a controlled substance, (marihuana) for the purpose of trafficking,
• Possession of a controlled substance (GHB – gammahydroxybrutyrate) for the purpose of trafficking,
• Breach of probation.
Matthew Robilliard (21 yrs) of Burlington (Released on Promise to Appear in Milton Court on March 24th 2015)
• Possession of a controlled substance (marihuana) for the purpose of trafficking.
Trenton Ascah (18 yrs) of Burlington (Released on Promise to Appear in Milton Court on March 24th 2015)
• Possession of a controlled substance (marihuana) for the purpose of trafficking.
 By Staff
February 23, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON.
Don’t call his bluff.
Mayor Goldring has taken up the challenge put out Bfast — Burlington for Accessible Sustainable Transit – challenging all members of Burlington City Council to take city transit to commute to work for five days by March 28.
 Mayor Goldring will be more bundled up than this next Thursday as he takes the bus to work. Does he have a Presto card to use? The Mayor is the first member of Council to accept the challenge from Bfast and will take Burlington Transit to and from City Hall for five days over the course of a month. He encourages other residents to join the challenge and share their experiences.
One can only hope that the Mayor will lean on his colleagues and create a situation that has every member of Council talking transit to work.
The inevitable photo opportunities were pointed out to the media. The Mayor will be available at the bus stop and on the bus en route to downtown Burlington. Interview opportunities available on the bus and following arrival at the John Street terminal.
The mayor will share his experience using Burlington Transit on Twitter at @RickGoldring, on his Facebook page at Mayor Rick Goldring and on his blog at www.burlingtonmayor.com.
Talk about media hype – this is way over the top
The golly gosh gee whiz interview on a bus with the Mayor is a not to be missed event. You will find the Mayor at the downtown transit terminal (the one the city was going to decommission and have people walking to city hall to buy tickets)
This momentous occasion – could it be described as “miraculous” or is that word reserved for budget meetings that get done in less than four hours?
 Mayor Goldring lice on Wicklow Road. He has several streets to walk along to get to the bus stop. Will he wear his chain of office ti let people know that he is the Mayor on his way to work? The first transit trip is going to take place Thursday, Feb. 26. Media have been invited to join the mayor at 8:15 a.m. to take the Number 10 New-Maple bus that will leave the north side of New Street at Tipperary Avenue (8:18 a.m.) and travel to the Downtown Transit Terminal at 430 John St. where it should arrive at 8:25 a.m.
This is such a big deal that Director of Burlington Transit Mike Spicer might be at the wheel himself – nope that won’t happen – he isn’t a member of the union
We assume the Mayor is going to walk to the bus stop and not has someone in his family drive him The map below shows the distanced His Worship will have to walk. What if it is as bitterly cold as it has been today?
Mayor Goldring is out to prove that: – wait for it – Burlington is one of Canada’s best and most livable cities, a place where people, nature and business thrive.
 By Staff
February 23, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Expect to see the Councillor for ward 1 on a street corner in Aldershot as soon as the weather warms up enough.
Rick Craven has gotten his community, the city and one of his more important election campaign donours to come together and raise the funds for some “public” art that will improve the look of Aldershot.
 Ward 1 Councillor Rick Craven is shameless when it comes to promoting Aldershot. If there is just one thing that Councillor Craven does – that is improve the look of Plains Road. Many will disagree with some of his thinking and the policies he promotes but you can’t take away from the guy his continued efforts to make Plains Road a nicer looking road.
And one has to give him credit – he has come up with some impressive results.
 The art selected will be placed on city owned land adjacent to the Jazz project now under development on Plains Road. “Residents of Aldershot Village have been working together to create a great neighbourhood for decades. Recent efforts to improve Plains Road have made significant progress towards increased pedestrian access and beautification of the street. To compliment this work, an exciting new public art project is now taking shape.
“Driven by the community, this project is an innovative partnership between local residents, businesses and the City of Burlington. The public art installation will help to beautify Plains Road and create a year-round neighbourhood hub for all to enjoy.
“The artwork will be located adjacent to the Branthaven Homes’ Jazz condominiums, engaging Plains Road and the neighbourhood.
“An open competition will be held to get proposals from professional artists from across Canada. Three short-listed designs will be selected for public viewing and comment. A community jury comprised of local residents, business owners and artists will select the winning design.
“The artwork will be installed in the summer/fall of 2016 along with a community celebration and artwork unveiling!
“To make this project a reality, a fundraising target of $75,000 has been set. The City of Burlington, Branthaven Homes, Aldershot Village BIA and Plains Road Village Vision have already raised $60,000. We are now reaching out to corporate sponsors and community members for the final 20%.
Their goal is to raise $5,000 through an Indiegogo campaign. 100% of all donations will go towards the artwork commission. All donations over $25 will be issued a tax receipt from the City of Burlington. With is bitterly cold weather people must be saving a bundle on those expense lattes they don’t get out to buy. Click HERE and send some of that saved cash to help fund this initiative.
The mission of the City of Burlington’s Public Art Program is to enhance the quality of life in Burlington through the rich context of the arts. The program strives to bring artwork by both established and emerging artists to the city centre and the neighbourhoods throughout Burlington, Ontario. The Public Art Program provides cultural opportunity, guides the evolution of a vibrant artistic character for the City’s emerging public places, and ensures a visual legacy for all to enjoy.
Jeremy Freiburger of Cobalt Connects advises on the public art program for the city and is facilitating this program.
The art selected will be placed on a piece of property adjacent to the Jazz project owned by the city.
By Staff
February 23, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Members of Council ask questions of city staff. Both the questions and the answers are set out in public reports.
Here is a zinger for you.
Question: What is the approximate subsidy per passenger for transit?
Is it the 2015 net operating budget $9,314,989 divided by projected riders of 2,335.000 = $3.9 per ride?
Answer
 Burlington Transit put their most festive bus into the Santa Claus parade. The language doesn’t matter – the message is still the same. The issue fir transit is not public perception but more public use. Conventional cost per ride for 2015 is projected to be $3.47 – based on 2,335,000 rides.
When the budget is approved at Council this evening a fare increase will be put in place – but it won’t cover the operating cost as shown in the information above.
Burlington has some deep thinking to do on just what it wants in the way of a public transit service. Oakville has significantly different operating numbers than Burlington – fully understanding why is the transit Burlington faces.
By Pepper Parr
February 23, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
The creation of a municipal budget is complex – the work begins almost as soon as the previous budget is approved.
Each department sets out what it expects to need to deliver services.
There is an Executive Budget Committee that massages the numbers that come from the departments.
 Joan Ford, Director of Finance – Finally! A draft is sent to Council members; the finance department takes council through an overview. Staff make sure all the Staff Directions from Council are included in the budget calculations.
Then the budget is taken to the public – this year poor publicity and bad weather did them in – there were a reported seven people in the room for a public review of the budget. There are usually close to 100.
The Capital budget usually gets approved first.
Council members are asked to review the budget and submit “Action Request’ forms which are requests by a Council member for consideration of a request for funding or for a request to have funding that was in the budget to be removed. There were a total of 25 budget action requests.
 Councillor Rick Craven, centre, with a copy of the 2013 budget on a memory stick. Councillor Craven had two; one for $600 to conduct another Jane’s Walk – which is basically a guided tour of the ward. Craven asked for the funds to cover this event as a one-time expenditure. He was given funds previously to conduct such a walk.
Craven also wanted $25,000 added to the base budget, which means the funding would be in place every year until such time as it was removed from the budget. The money was to cover the cost of a single park bench in each ward each year. The expense would be in the Parks and Recreation budget.
Where the debate on this one got interesting was the steps Councillor Meed Ward took to ensure that the decision as to where the park bench got placed was not left in the hands of the ward Councillor. The ongoing bad blood between Meed Ward and Craven was clearly evident – again.
What no one asked was – why does it cost $3000 to install a park bench?
Two years ago several council members got the idea to hold “car free” Sundays in the city during the summer. The first was held in the downtown core and a second out in ward 5 where the event went quite well. The downtown core event was a total bust and wasn’t repeated the second year.
Councillor Lancaster got council to go along with a car free Sunday in her ward that went well enough. Held basically in the Alton community, a part of the city that is still finding itself, the event has the potential to create a sense of occasion in that part of the city.
 Participants in the 2014 Car Free Sunday in Alton. These events look like they are here to stay. So – for 2015 there will be a car free Sunday in wards 4, 5 and 6. A total of $10,000 was added to the base budget each year for these events.
Councillor Dennison, the only member of council with personal business operations of any size, always looks for ways to increase the business opportunities for the city. He has had his eyes on the Tyandaga golf course property for a long time. He wants the city to get out of the golf club business, arguing that there are more than enough private golf courses in the region (there are 9 in Burlington) and that the city doesn’t get real value for the money it pumps into the operation of Tyandaga.
Dennison will tell you that there is between $12 to $18 million to be had if some of the land was sold to a developer. When this was discussed last year Mayor Goldring referred to the selling of some of the golf club property as a “cash grab” – what was wrong with that? It would have paid for the pier embarassment.
Dennison withdrew his request and had the matter as something to be considered during the Strategic Plan discussions.
Dennison got Council to go along with one more cutting of the grass along the hydro corridors at a cost of $6000 The cutting would be done on a trial basis to see if the taxpayers thought it was a good improvement.
Dennison also tabled the idea of creating a services organization that would handle things like vehicle maintenance for both Hydro and the city. Burlington owns hydro – makes sense. It could make even more sense if transit was included. The idea got punted to the Strategic Plan review.
Jack Dennison does two things other Councillors don’t do – he at times “gets into the weeds” on issues. On one occasion we recall his telling a staff member some detail on the thickness of the wood in a building; he drives staff and his fellow council members bananas when he does this.
On the other hand Dennison is the Council member that comes up with the bigger bolder ideas; Tyandaga was one example.
This year he wanted to add $200,000 in revenue to the budget from what he was certain would happen – an increase in the investment returns the city earns. That one didn’t pass.
 Ward 4 Councillor Jack Dennison always has an eye open for an economic opportunity – sees a great one for the city: sell the golf course. This year he also wanted to see $200,000 added to the revenue stream based on his belief that the number of building permits issued would be as strong in 2015 as they were in 2014. That one lost as well.
Trust Dennison to bring things like this up in 2016 when the budget is under consideration. And – you have not heard the last of Dennison’s attempt to sell some of that Tyandaga golf course property.
Councillor Lancaster seemed to be dumping on the cultural sector with her very pointed questioning of Dave Miller, Sound of Music chief, who wanted an increase in the base budget allocated to SoM each year.
Lancaster got Council to go along with a cost of living increase. Her concern with SoM is that it keeps growing – she wants it to remain basically the same but that if it does have to grow there be events outside the downtown core.
Lancaster, who used to have a business in the core, claims that restaurants do very well during the Sound of Music but that other retailers take quite a hit.
The Performing Arts Centre was down for $95,000 to cover the cost of student education. Lancaster thought this work could perhaps be done by the Student Theatre people. Brian McCurdy, a man who knows how to protect his turf explained that by educating students the city is creating the arts audience of the future. He got his funding.
While Lancaster appeared to look like a bit of a cultural Grinch – it was her support, along with Meed Ward, that kept the Freeman Station in one piece while the community found a place to locate the structure where it is now being fully renovated.
It will be interesting to see if Lancaster can work with the Sound of Music to get some of the events up into the Alton community.
The “dean of city council” got clobbered during the creation of the 2015 budget. In both 2013 Councillor Taylor got well in excess of $75,000 for the BurLINKton community development program. The funds were to cover the staff that make the programs happen. In 2014 Taylor asked for the funding but only after promising to not ask for the funds a third time.
 Taylor came close to having to beg to get the funding he wanted for the BurLINKton Community Development program. This year he knew better than to ask for the funding he had been given previously – but he did ask for $10,000 as a “life line” to cover the organization until an expected grant comes in. Taylor came close to having to beg for the amount – he was literally jerked around by his fellow Councillors. Taylor saw the votes against him as “payback” for getting Meed Ward onto the Conservation Halton board.
Transit is always an issue when it comes to customer service and the price to ride the buses. An 8% drop in transit use from 2013 to 2014 reinforces the view of this council that no one wants transit – yet they continually talk about “improving the modal split” and getting people out of their cars.
The transit advocates claim the constant change in bus routes and schedules confuses the public and they give up on the service. More than $2 million is going to be spent on technology that will help transit understand who gets on the bus and who gets off the bus – the hope is that the data that comes out of the technology will result in service that meets the needs.
A glimpse as to how data can trip up the best of plans was seem when transit staff were explaining when taxi scrips had to be used to cover declines in HandiVan use. Turns out that if a person asks for a HandiVan pick up at a specific time – say 1:00 pm, to get to an appointment and the request cannot be met that is counted as a decline – the customer servioce request had to be declined – however if that same customer is told the HandiVan could pick them up at 1:15 the 1:00 pm request is still counted as a decline.
Meed Ward had asked that the $35,000 budgeted for taxi scrip funding last year and cancelled be put back into the budget to cover those “declines”. Bad data – bad decisions.
Meed Ward wanted to know what it would cost to re-instate the school specials – that was punted to the 2016 budget.
Meed Ward brought an interesting idea forward when she asked: what would it cost to create a free fare day one day a week for seniors? The idea got moved to the 2016 budget wen a business case will be presented.
You can see Meed Ward building her base for an expected run in 2018 for the Mayor’s job.
 The city has hundreds of bylaws and bylaw enforcement officers to tell you when you might be afoul of one of those bylaws. There are merchants in this city who know full well what the bylaws are but the will flout them on weekends nevertheless because they know there are no bylaw enforcement officers on duty weekends.
That might change – Meed Ward asked that a business case be prepared setting out what it would cost to have 24/7 and/or weekend evening bylaw coverage.
The creation of a budget by the city is a combination of things money has to be spent on and things the city would like to spend money on.
The construction of the Performing Arts Centre and the Pier were things the city wanted to spend money on. While Mayor Goldring ended up having the pier put around his neck like a rubber tire and then set ablaze – the decision to build the Pier belongs to former Mayor Rob MacIsaac and his Council of which Councillors Dennison and Taylor were members; Councillor Craven was a late comer to the pier issue
The collapse of a crane on the construction site brought to light significant problems with the design and the quality of the steel used. Those decisions were made long before Goldring was Mayor.
The Performing Arts Centre was very controversial when it was proposed and it went through two very awkward years once it was opened. Brian McCurdy was brought in to run the operation and he has done a superb job of improving attendance and bringing in shows that the community wants – he has also done a fine job in making the space accessible to local performance groups.
 A rapt audience listened to an overview of the 2014 budget. What they have yet to have explained to them is the desperate situation the city will be in ten years from now if something isn’t done in the next few years to figure out how we are going to pay for the maintenance of the roads we have. There is within the municipal sector a movement to involve the public long before the first draft of the budget is worked out. Burlington isn’t there yet.
In the months ahead city council will begin looking at its Strategic Plan. There will be an opportunity then to look at governance matters and perhaps there will be some energy and effort from different community groups who want to see some real and relevant involvement in the fiscal affairs of the city.
 The public didn’t show up for the 2015 budget discussions. Seven people managed to make it to the event. Until then your city council will play games with the numbers, let petty politics get in the way of doing what is best for the city. Thankfully there is a group of intelligent, committed people in the finance department to ensure that the city is financially sound.
By Pepper Parr
February 22, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Your city council will meet Monday evening to cast the 2015 budget in stone.
There will be a number of delegations; three that we have been made aware of should be interesting.
Katherine Henshell will be delegating about her concern over Aldershot’s Solid Gold Strip Club on Plains Road, the busiest street in Aldershot.
The Club borders on two residential neighbourhoods;
It has 6 – 8 hotel room doors which open on Plains Road and across from a residential community;
It has the largest square footage of any retail service business in Aldershot west of Francis Street;
It is located within 550 metres of Aldershot High School;
Children from grades 7 – 12 walk past the strip club to and from school everyday;
Children from grades 7 – 12 walk past the strip club to go to Wendy’s for lunch every day.
 Adult entertainment – just a little too public for some. Henshall adds that it shouldn’t not have to be said about the degradation of women and other issues which are additionally appalling about the operation of a strip club.
 Henshell once played as goalie – she now plays defense. Practices law and keeps a close eye on public morality. Henshell said she was “ was driving home from Pizza Pizza (at King Road) one Friday evening with our family’s dinner and I noticed a few young children in girls’ soccer uniforms outside the Dairy Queen. It was a nice sight to see. Then I drive down Plains Road past the Strip Club and 3 – 4 strippers (wearing stripper’s outfits) were standing on the sidewalk on Plains Road waving the cars into the parking lot in broad daylight.
She continues: “I was immediately disturbed that those young soccer players might take the same route home and drive past the strippers as well. This shouldn’t happen in Burlington (or anywhere for that matter). (I telephoned the Halton Regional Police when I returned home and they indicated that they would look into it as they had also received other calls.”
Back in 2008 Councillor Craven said the owner of adult entertainment club Solid Gold wanted to move from Plains Road West but needs help finding a new location.
City had unanimously passed its new adult entertainment bylaw — the third version to come before politicians in more than a year — that relegates strip clubs to the city’s east side, in industrial spots. The bylaw replaced a two-decade old regulation considered long out of date.
 Local entertainment talent – at the Solid Gold “His exact words to me were”, said Craven “help me find a new location,” adding he will forward him a copy of the new bylaw. “I will encourage him at every opportunity to find an appropriate location in the city of Burlington.”
Craven said he is particularly happy with the passing of the bylaw — which he has said took too long to occur — as it brings fairness to the city.
This could be a lively discussion.
Tom Muir will be delegating about the Townsend Ave reconstruction and storm water system. The item was apparently approved in the Capital budget which surprised Muir who said; “ I have been under a misunderstanding about the Budget process. I have always thought that projects were not approved and funded until the year they have met all approval processes and are ready to construct. For the Townsend project, at two PICs, one in 2013 and another in 2014, residents were told that the project was not proceeding in those years because there was no money available.”
“Common to, and running through the substance of all these issues and concerns are matters of due process, transparency and accountability, answerability, and respect for citizen rights to open government and information.
 “Faced with this uncertainty on a way forward, and rather than remain silent, I want to provide some comments that reflect my personal experience with the city and Ward 1 Councilor approach to the Townsend Ave. reconstruction and storm sewer project. These comments are the basis for my subject request submission to revisit the project plan.”
Townsend Avenue runs parallel to and south of Plains road, the main artery through Aldershot. As such it has become the street traffic migrates to when the flow along Plains road gets thick.
Interestingly both Henshell and Muir are from Ward 1; Muir has been a thorn in the side of ward 1 Councillor Rick Craven; Henshell ran against Craven in the 2014 municipal election. Disclosure: Henshell represents the Gazette in the Libel matter with the Air Park.
Delegations at city council get five minutes to say their piece. On occasion there are questions from members of Council, more often than not there is a less than polite silence.
 Added to the delegation mix on Monday will be whatever Anne Marsden has to say. Mrs. Marsden was a candidate for the office of Mayor in the October election. She has recently filed a complaint with the Ontario Human Rights Commission over the limitations the city has imposed on her movements at city hall.
Marsden has a serious beef with the city administration over the limitations they have imposed on what she can do when she is at city hall. She has been told that she must report to a “single point of contact” at city hall who monitors her every move.
There appears to be a document that is known as the “Marsden protocol” which came out of either the City Solicitors office or from the City Clerk.
 Anne Marsden has filed a complaint with the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal – wants the “Marsden Protocol” removed. There is a serious lack of clarity on just what the document says – all we know is that it does exist. The Marsden’s are being rather cagey about the letter they received from the City Solicitor and have said they are not prepared to release the document at this point in time.
Anne Marsden has basically been banned from the Regional offices in Oakville. She can be difficult and at times strident. However there have been a number of occasions when Anne Marsden has been dead right.
Being a difficult person to work with is not reason enough to do what the city of Burlington is doing Anne Marsden. Her complaint to the Human Right Tribunal is going to be expensive for the city; what will the city do should the Tribunal side with Marsden? What will that do to our best mid-sized city in Canada?
Anne Marsden speaks out. Her complaints are at times unreasonable and they could be put forward in a different style,but she is a citizen and she deserves to be listened to – that is what we elected the seven people on Council to do – to listen to the voters and then use whatever wisdom they have to make decisions that are for the benefit of the people.
Martin Niemöller, a Lutheran Pastor, said in a poem he wrote in 1946, referring to the way the world has reacted to the persecution of Jews by the Germans in the Second World War:
First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.
Anne Marsden’s speaking out is protecting the right you have to speak out. It is not something you want to lose.
Monday should be quite an evening.
By Pepper Parr
February 21, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON\
The snow plow just went up my street and filled my driveway – again.
I guess I should be grateful that it actually came along the street.
Snow began this morning and is expected to continue into the evening. Salting and sanding have been taking place since this morning. The city began plowing primary roads at 2 p.m. this afternoon.
 One of the more than 25 pieces of equipment out clearing the primary roads; city expects to get at sidewalks on Sunday. . Plowing of secondary and residential roads will start tonight and continue overnight. Sidewalk clearing will start tonight and continue into tomorrow.
The city asks residents to please remember to move vehicles that may be parked on the road to allow plowing operations to be finished as quickly and efficiently as possible.
By Staff
February 20, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
The Halton Regional Police Service seized some of the most addictive drugs sold on the street: cocaine, methamphetamine and heroine was found during early morning search warrants.
On February 20th 2015, members of the Drug, Gun and Gang Unit and the Burlington Strategic Support Team executed three (3) search warrants in; Burlington, Hamilton and Mississauga in relation to a drug trafficking investigation.
As result of this investigation police have seized the following controlled substances:
• 1.1 kilograms methamphetamine (crystal meth)
• 16 ounces of cocaine
• 4 ounces of cannabis marihuana
• 8 grams of heroine
• Digital scales
• Currency
Christopher Everton JONES (29 years of age) of Burlington was arrested and charged with the following offences:
• Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking (two counts)
Xaysongkham VONGXAYA (31 years of age) of Hamilton was arrested and charged with the following offences:
• Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking (2 counts)
Aenoy VILAYSANE (30 years of age) of Hamilton was arrested and charged with the following offences:
• Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking (3 counts)
JONES and VONGXAYA will appear for a bail hearing on February 20th 2015 in Milton.
VILAYSANE was released and will appear in Milton Court on March 31st 2015.
By Pepper Parr
February 20, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
In the commercial world the word they look for is profit – did we make a profit? Municipalities are not in place to make profits – they exist to provide services to tax payers and at the end of each fiscal year they end up with a surplus or, as Burlington’s Director of Finance, Joan Ford chooses to call them, a “favourable variance”. Municipalities cannot have a deficit.
Burlington had a surplus – oops – that is a favourable variance of $292,282. which is really very low. In the recent past there was a surplus of more than $9 million.
What happens to the surplus? It gets put into the Tax Stabilization Reserve fund – which Burlington treats as a ‘piggy bank’ they can turn to when they need funds.
Because municipalities cannot run with a deficit – what most people call a loss on operations – they create a series of Reserve funds that they draw down on when needed. There is a snow removal reserve fund that the city goes to if there is more snow to remove than expected.
Each year the city budgets for different services it provides. This year the city has moved to service based budgeting. In the past budgets were based on what the various city departments had to spend to provide services. A lot of time and effort was put into the creation of a totally different way of accounting for the funds collected and spent.
When Service Based Budgeting was first announced the public heard about Results Based Accountability and Business Process Management – these have become the new buzz words in municipal accounting.
 When this new approach was first announced Council did say they would produce the budget in both the old format and the new one – but that sort of got lost in the shuffle. Deliberate? Probably not – the finance people probably decided the benefit was not worth the effort required to put forward to sets of numbers – and, what if they turned out to be hugely different?
So – the tax stabilization funds has an extra quarter of a million in it and the city has a budget in place.
Some observations on how this budget got put together. There was a sense of rushing to get it completed. There were far fewer delegations this time around And very little public involvement in the capital budget which, given that there is a shortfall of millions on the maintenance of the infrastructure – basically roads. One would have thought there would be more public interest.
In the past Burlington has held a public session at which they explained their budget to the public. These events were traditionally held at the Art Gallery – the city decided to hold the meeting at the Mainway Recreational Centre on a night the weather was just terrible. The city reported that there were just seven members of the public in the room.
 2014 election candidates Carol Gottlob and Angelo Bentivegna were two of the few that made it to the public discussion on the budget – neither asked any questions. There were a couple of hundred people at the ice rink less than 25 yards away. My conclusion at the time was that the city had failed to promote the event enough – or no one really cared about the budget.
This Council does have a problem connecting with its public. It tends to rush issues; it is far too often very short with delegations. It is now a divided Council with three members tightly aligned with each other. Councillors Craven, Sharman and Lancaster almost vote as a block. Surprisingly Councillor Dennison votes with them – but not always.
That leaves the Mayor having to decide where he wants to land when it comes to voting; Taylor and Meed Ward tend to vote together.
This “split” is relatively recent – it will take a little longer to determine how entrenched views are and whether Mayor Goldring can bring about more in the way of harmony with the Council he leads.
 The 2014 public budget session was close to a full house at the Art Gallery – the weather was much better that year and there were election candidates wanting to improve their profiles. One of the things that cannot last for long in the world of politics is a vacuum – and there was, still is, a leadership vacuum.
Every member of this Council has been in place for four years – the split that is evident now was not evident before the October election. Something brought it about; some shift in the way people decided to behave has taken place.
How far this goes only time will tell – what is clear now however is that it is not healthy.
By Walter Byj
February 19, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
It was a class that was half an hour late – technology got the blame.
School board meetings are now projected onto a screen that is behind the chair facing the trustees. Some had difficulty speaking and watching themselves in real time.
Votes will no longer be a simple show of hands – the vote count is taken electronically and projected onto the screen. A lesson here for Burlington city council.
There was just the one delegation: Christian Dragnea of Oakville who thanked the board for their efforts in determining the boundaries for the new elementary school in Neyawagaya/Dundas Street area in Oakville. Recognizing that no decision is perfect, the recommendation brought forward was easily the best. The new boundaries for both the new schools in Oakville and Milton were passed unanimously. Kudos to the board.
Next was an item that will most certainly be quite controversial, not only for Halton, but also for the entire province. With the new Health and Physical Education curriculum to be released shortly, trustee Gray, Halton Hills, presented to the board the following recommendation.
“Based on the need to ensure common understanding and consistent messages about the curriculum expectations associated with the new Health and Physical Health Education Curriculum, be it resolved that the Chair of the Halton District Board be directed to write a letter to the Ministry of Education to insist the following:
-the time frame of the full implementation of the new Health and Physical Curriculum ensures professional training sessions for both elementary and secondary teachers and members of school admin teams take place prior to implantation to ensure a fulsome understanding of the knowledge and skills students are expected to demonstrate at each grade level.
-full funding and resources are provided to support Board training and curriculum implementation.
This was passed unanimously by all the trustees. No doubt this will occupy much of their time and efforts in the near future.
In September of 2014, the HDSB introduced a program whereby 40 minutes a week of Primary Core French teaching for grade one students began in 24 Halton elementary schools; 12 of those schools were located in Burlington.
Although a full year has not been completed, the feedback to date has been positive and the initial 24 schools will expand the program to grade two in the 2015/2016 school year. Along with the grade one students, they too will receive 40 minutes of French on a weekly basis. This program is to expand to an additional 12 schools next year with the hope of all schools being on board by 2018.
The additional schools for next year are yet to be determined. Chair Amos wanted more schools in the program as soon as possible. Associate Director Miller explained that getting proper staffing would be difficult in the short term and that they were following the original plan to be completed by 2018.
Trustee Grebenc (Burlington) asked if a search outside the province was being conducted to locate additional French staffing. Miller responded that due to limited funding resources, recruiting was limited within Ontario. Robert Hamilton, Principal of French Programs, confirmed that New Brunswick would be a primary source of new teachers as the program expands and that they would plan to do some recruiting in that province.
Trustee Pappin (Burlington) asked where the time comes from to teach French. She was assured that it is not taken from literacy or numeracy but rather during arts or phys ed time periods. It should be noted that the Ministry of Education does not provide a primary Core program in French and that it is the HDSB staff that is developing the program.
The board will continue to monitor the program and seek additional parent input to determine its success. If fully implemented, the timetable will be as following,
Grades 1 to 3 40 minutes weekly
Grade 4 120 minutes weekly
Grade 5 160 minutes weekly
Grades 6 to 8 200 minutes weekly
 David Eaule retires after 40 years in education – he has been with the Halton Board for five years. The board was also told that a JK program will not be not be offered at Pineland this coming school as the target of 15 student was not reached. Only 12 students were enrolled as of February 15th. Superintendent of Education Eatough stated that all parents have been advised and are in the process of making alternate plans.
The evening concluded with Chair Amos emotionally reading a letter from Director of Education, David Eaule, announcing his retirement effective August 31st 2015. Eaule has been an educator for 41 years and decided it was time to retire. Euale said that during his five years with the Halton board he has worked with 25 trustees. He has no current plans.
 By Ray Rivers
February 19, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Did a Tim Hortons staff member really pour cold water on a couple of homeless folks sleeping outside a Vancouver donut store recently? The fast food chain has had its share of misadventures over the years, but this is disgusting. On the other hand, given where this Canadian icon is heading, it all may be prophetic.
Timmy is Canada’s largest fast food retailer, leaving McDonalds in its dust and Starbucks at the starting gate. And Burger King is just a Tim bit, though it has just swallowed up Tim Hortons, donut hole and all. This is only the second marriage for our Canadian success story, the first one, also to a US burger chain (Wendy), ended in divorce.
But last December, industry minister James Moore, believing success is not enough, allowed Tim Hortons to be eaten up by Burger King’s Brazilian owners, 3G Capital. 3G is one of those funny-numbered buy-out companies – one with a reputation for taking over prosperous companies, cleaning house and running the business into the ground.
 Are staff pouring water and coffee? A bizarre stipulation in the takeover agreement allows the new owners to fire up to 20% of the corporate staff. And sure enough, 350 employees were out the door before the ink had even dried on the papers. An independent analysis estimates that as many as 700 jobs will likely have to be cut, some 44% of the total administrative staff, before the knife can be pulled out of the victim. And it is estimated that this buy-out will also reduce federal tax revenues by as much as $700 million dollars a year.
Another win-win for the economy? Isn’t this just so deja vu? Stelco, another Canadian icon was given license to be rolled-over by US Steel in 2007, with a host of conditions which the new company simply ignored, despite threats of legal action by the government. Two years later the US parent had started wrapping up Canadian operations and today our premier Canadian steel company has gone into receivership. Domestic production has been replaced by imports, the jobs have vaporized and the provincial government is going to have to bail out the pension plan.
 If you wanted to – you could buy the kitchen sink as well. And then there is Target which bought out the Zellers retail discount store chain (133 stores) only a couple of years ago. The former employees were all fired, the union kicked out and new staff hired to replace them. Then a few months ago, Target announced that it had decided to close all of its Canadian operations and lay off all 17,000 front-line workers, without any severance pay.
But there are some severance payments being made to the corporate staff, though the entire severance package for Target Canada is smaller than the $70 million being paid to Target’s outgoing CEO. After all, he is the man who presided over this cluster-cuss that has led to the closings.
As an aside – US CEOs thirty years ago used to make 46 times the income of their average employee. Today that income gap has grown to 350 times. Canada, being a little behind our American cousins, is only at 200, though that is still one of the largest income gaps in the developed world (UK is 84). Target paid their main man 597 times the pay of the average Target worker. But he didn’t beat his peer at Walmart, whose total annual income package is over a thousand times the average Walmart employee’s salary.
No question about it – Investment Canada has been sleeping at the switch – assuming there actually is a switch and somebody at that agency knows how to work it. We all understand that foreign investment is essential for economic growth in an economy, but allowing predatory buy-out practices of Canadian enterprises, only to drive them into the ground, is not sustainable.
Besides, not all investment needs to be about corporate giants gobbling up our homegrown enterprises. And since competition is a keystone of our business economy, shouldn’t we shun investments which merely increase concentration and reduce competition? And why aren’t we encouraging foreign investment where it is badly needed in new projects, like Ontario’s ‘ring of fire’?
The truth is that Stephen Harper’s record of managing foreign investment is miserable. But there is blood on the hands of all the governments since Mr. Mulroney first scrapped the Foreign Investment Review Agency. Today sadly, there is no coherent foreign investment policy in this country.
A couple of years ago, while the government was snoozing, we almost lost control of our potash industry. Fortunately the premier of Saskatchewan stepped in to save the day. And it was only after the penny dropped – that we were losing control of our oil sands to China – that our PM was forced to hobble together a knee-jerk response.
The reality is that globalization is dead. 9-1-1 was like a bucket of water dousing a campfire, the last smouldering embers of unimpeded free trade squelched by the sanctions on Iran, North Korea and Russia. In fact, the potential nightmare of an untethered global investment policy came to a screeching halt over a decade ago, as the world’s nations firmly rejected something called a Multilateral Agreement on investment (MAI).
The MAI was a naive initiative by the worlds largest transnational corporations trying to wrestle control of the business sector out of the hands of governments – as if borders ceased to exist when it came to investment. Nevertheless, unassailable corporate rights have been embedded in the so-called free-trade agreements which Canada has been only too eager to sign unto, such as NAFTA and the Canada-EU deal.
 In fact, Germany has stated that it will not ratify the draft Canada-EU trade deal unless sections granting the rights of companies to sue governments are removed. Ms. Merkel understands the danger to her ability to govern her people in the face of a trade agreement which allows companies to ignore environmental and other regulations – or to sue the government.
Canada needs a foreign investment policy which serves Canada’s interests. This aspect of managing our economy is too important to be hi-jacked by the ideologically-driven among us. Why would we ever allow a foreign takeover which explicitly sets out to kill jobs, as the Tim Hortons buy-out does? Why would we approve take-overs which serve to increase corporate concentration and reduce competition and efficiency in Canada’s economy?
And why should we allow our homegrown success stories to get usurped by extra-national companies just out to make a quick buck? Call it saving free market competition or call it economic nationalism, it sure beats pouring cold water on our entrepreneurs.
 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.
Links to background information:
B.C. Homeless Tim Hortons Burger King Timmy’s Takeover
Tim Hortons Layoffs Tim’s Losses Stelco Stelco Closing
Stelco Pensions Zellers
Target Target Takeover
Target Closings Target Severance More Target Severance Investment Canada
Globalization The End of Globalization MAI Germans on Free Trade Deal Investor Rights
 By Staff
February 18, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
As of today the Burlington Community Foundation Flood Disaster Relief Claims Committee (DRC) has reviewed 88 claims with 77 of those being approved for some amount.
Throughout the first quarter of 2015, interim claim payments are being distributed and once all 310 claims are assessed, the committee will determine final payment amounts and disburse final cheques with a goal of completing the process by April 30.
 Funds raised within the community and matched by the province on a two-for-one basis are now being distributed to victims. The Foundation has paid out a total of $696,000 which would work out to a little over $9000 per claimant – with more to follow when the Claims Committee has determined what is left and available for distribution.
“We are extremely pleased to report that many victims of the August flood have started receiving cheques to assist in their recovery efforts,” said Colleen Mulholland, President and CEO, Burlington Community Foundation. “The response from those who have received compensation has been extremely appreciative.”
 National banks were a major source of funds – they did a lot more for the city than several major corporations that do very good business in Burlington. Ryan and Amy More’s home and lives were devastated by the flood in August. They received their first cheque from the Flood Relief Fund and were overwhelmed with appreciation. “My wife and I are so appreciative of everything that our Burlington community has done for us to help build our lives back,” said Ryan More. “We feel blessed to have such great neighbours and to live in a community that cares. This financial support is a tremendous help and we would like sincerely thank everyone who contributed.”
The Claims Committee continues to meet every two weeks to process each claim.
By Staff
February 18, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
The Halton Regional Police Service will be initiating a traffic safety campaign throughout the City of Burlington in efforts to reduce motor vehicle collisions.
Operation RISC (Reducing Intersection Safety Concerns) will run throughout 2015. The intention is to maximize police visibility and increase the public’s perception of safety while driving.
 Collisions at intersections have a high risk potential of serious injuries or even death, making intersection safety a priority for the Halton Regional Police Service. The most common contributing factors are inattentiveness, distracted driving (cell phone use), failing to yield, driving too fast for road conditions, following too closely and disobeying traffic lights signals.
The mission of Operation RISC (Reducing Intersection Safety Concerns) is to proactively reduce the amount of collisions occurring within traffic intersections throughout the City of Burlington.
Operation RISC will be supported by the 30 Division District Response Unit and Uniform Patrol and will implement a variety of strategic response options at these intersections. Police will utilize education and enforcement strategies in order to deter collisions from occurring within targeted intersections and to also promote safe driving habits.
The goal of this initiative is twofold: To deter drivers from committing the types of offences that increase the probability of a collision at or near an intersection. To educate drivers and promote safe driving habits.
Last year there were 3,789 collisions in the City of Burlington which equals an average of 10 motor vehicle collisions per day. The Halton Regional Police is committed to reducing motor vehicle collisions in an effort to providing a safer community.
Operation RISC will kick off Thursday February 19, 2015.
By Staff
February 18, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
The province’s Ontario Ice Storm Assistance Program has notified the City of Burlington that the City is eligible for a first installment of $1,166,883.80 in relief funding. Final payments are subject to a full claims review process.
The city’s total claim for the ice storm assistance was $3.3 million.
 Damage to roads and hydro lines drained the city’s foul weather reserve fund – province helps to top it up. The ice storm began on Dec. 21, 2013 and caused significant power outages and damage throughout rural and urban Burlington, as well as across Halton Region.
“City staff as well as hydro workers, relief workers and first responders worked day and night to restore power, clear the roads and to provide emergency shelter for those without power,” said Scott Stewart, General Manager of Infrastructure and Development. “Staff and volunteers gave up their holidays and family time to get the city back to normal and to look after those in need.”
 Mayor Rick Goldring talks to Kilbride residents during the 2013 ice storm. “Funds from the Severe Weather Reserve fund were used to help mitigate the impact of the ice storm clean up on the City’s operating budget,” reported Joan Ford, Director of Finance. “The money from the province will be used to replenish the reserve fund.”
By Staff
February 18, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Burlington has had community gardens ever since Michelle Bennett and Amy Schnurr delegated to city council for support in creating a garden back in behind the library and the Seniors’ Centre on New Street.
 Michelle Bennett pacing off the size of each lot in the Community Garden that opened in WHEN The garden was a hit from the Get Go – every politician that wanted to get their picture taken was there.
The public seemed to want them and so the city began spending some of the tax dollars it collects asking people where they would like to see community gardens set up.
There are currently three community gardens in the city: Amherst Park Community GardenFeatures: 28 ground based plots, two wheelchair-accessible plots, water, street parking, full sun, storage shed, security fence, proximity to playground.
 Amy Schnurr proselytizing for community gardens. Central Park Community Garden; Features: 28 ground plots, two wheelchair accessible plots, parking, washrooms, water, full sun, storage shed, security fence, proximity to playground.
Francis Road Bikeway Community Garden; Features: 20 ground based plots, two wheelchair accessible plots, street parking on Warwick Drive, water, full sun, storage shed, security fence. There are no public washroom facilities at this garden location.
The City did one of their online survey to help gather input from the public about the location of the city’s next community garden.
“The city currently has three community gardens, which have been very well received by gardeners and the surrounding neighbours,” said Rob Peachey, manager of parks and open spaces. “The city is now seeking input about the location of a fourth garden which will be ready for planting in the spring of 2016. We want to hear from residents about where in the city they’d like to see the newest community garden.”
The short online survey is available at . It will remain open until Sunday, Feb. 22.
The information collected from the survey will help inform city staff with their final recommendation to City Council at a meeting of the Development and Infrastructure Committee in June.
This year’s Burlington Seedy Saturday (community seed exchange event) is happening as part of the Burlington Public Library Eco Fair on Saturday, April 18. Contact their marketing department or event coordinator Craig Logue loguec@bpl.on.ca for more info.
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