Of Water & Tides: a major exhibition at the Art Gallery of Burlington - starts February 7th

theartsBy Staff

January 29th, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

Imagine the Lee-Chin Family room at the Art Gallery of Burlington aglow with 7500 glass jars lit with candles inside them.

This is the view that will be before you at the Art Gallery of Burlington when a major installation opens next month: Of Water and Tides.

Lyndal Osborbe with glass jars

Lyndal Osborne with some of the over 7,500 glass jars she uses to take us on a journey involving two amazing rivers: one in Australia, one in Canada.

International artist Lyndal Osborne uses over 7,500 glass jars to take us on a journey involving two amazing rivers: one in Australia, one in Canada.

This major cultural event will challenge your views on how we think about our richest natural resource – water.

Shoalwan: River through Fire, River of Ice (2003) and Tidal Trace (2004-2013) are two major installations in the oeuvre of Australian born artist Lyndal Osborne: both are inspired by bodies of water.
Shoalwan is a reflection on her experiences along the Shoalhaven River in Australia and of the North Saskatchewan River that flows near her home in Edmonton, Alberta. It presents her contrasting experiences in two countries that are antipodal.

Tidal Trace, in collaboration with John Freeman, came to be from her experiences at Gros Morne National Park in Newfoundland where she noticed plastic and metal refuse, items left behind on the beach or thrown at sea, were brought to shore by the rolling of the waves, like a macabre dance of gift-giving.

Lyndal Osborne Shoalwan ABG

A reflection Lyndal’s experiences along the Shoalhaven River in Australia

Shoalwan and Tidal Trace invites visitors to meditate and contemplate on the beauty and force of water. It also reminds us of the destructive power of the human race in the name of evolution and technological advancement.
In the end…who will win?

Of Water & Tides showing at the Art Gallery of Burlington from February 7, 2015 to April 5, 2015. There is no admission charge for AGB events.

Return to the Front page

How do You Solve a Problem Like the Budget ?

Rivers 100x100By Ray Rivers

January 29, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON.

Writing this year’s budget is a challenge for federal finance minister, Joe Oliver. His predecessor, the amiable Jim Flaherty had left us believing the government would be finally riding its way to a balanced budget, with possibly some new tax cuts thrown in this year. But the PM, hoping to counter negative polling, jumped the gun and offered up almost $5 million in new cuts and spending, including $2 billion in cuts mostly for the wealthiest families.

Joe Oliver

Minister of Finance is in way over his head – Prime Minister may have pushed him under a bus.

The problem is the price of oil. Oil is vital to the functioning of today’s modern economy. One would think we’d all welcome a drop in its price, especially those who drive cars. Falling oil prices are actually better than a tax cut for consumers, since it is immediate. I will be discussing this in more detail in my next column.

Suffice it to say that, generally, if the cost of a factor of production, like oil, falls, corporate net income (profit) should rise, except for the oil companies. And consumers with more money in their pockets after filling-up, can be expected to spend it, thereby boosting the economy and creating new taxable employment. All of this should make the budget balancing act easier, and maybe even generate a surplus, you’d think.

But it isn’t working out that way. For one thing the Conservatives cut the corporate income tax rate from 19% in 2009 to 15% today, presumably to encourage greater investment. But that was money for nothing, because investment in Canada has fallen rather than increased, and with it so has productivity. Cutting corporate taxes was a failed proposition federally, as indeed it was here provincially – also contributing to Ontario’s deficits.

When oil prices were flying high, at over $100 per barrel, the taxes from the oil industry more than made up the shortfall – but that was then. Today the oil companies are barely breaking even mining the tar sands. Still the silver lining of low oil prices is that our falling Canadian dollar should make us more internationally competitive. However, as I outlined in my last column, it may take years to revive the non-oil economic sectors of the Canadian economy.

Governor Bank of Canada

Governor of the Bank of Canada gave Oliver a gift recently by cutting the bank rate.

So with federal revenue down, how does Mr. Oliver balance the budget? Financing Canada’s debt costs us almost $30 billion annually. The Governor of the Bank of Canada gave Oliver a gift recently by cutting the bank rate, thus potentially lowering the cost on new financing. But our declining US exchange rate neutralizes much of that because some of the debt is held by foreigners in US denominated securities- and that costs us more as our dollar falls.

Having just cut taxes, this government is unlikely to raise them again, so the Finance Minister has to look at the cost side of the equation. We should expect more service cuts, further compromising services in immigration, veterans affairs and the military. Don’t be surprised if new taxes appear disguised as user fees, such as more costly park permits, passport applications, etc.

Most likely there will be further deferrals of major capital investments and acquisitions, such as fighter aircraft and arctic patrol ships. Lumping this year’s expenditures into next year’s budget is a favourite shell game of a government in trouble – it’s called creative financing. And expect to see whatever is currently left of the departments of Environment and Natural Resources get further hollowed out.

Of course the Minister may decide it is time to sell off more Crown land, airports or other physical or intellectual property. We have started bunking-in at some foreign embassies, and we should expect that trend to continue, despite the obvious complications for diplomacy and sovereignty. Foreign aid, such as it exists today, might be further wound down – after all U2’s Bono was Paul Martin’s friend.

Tar sands - Alberta

It was the tar sands that were going to save our economic bacon – then the Saudi’s changed the game.

It could happen – Mr. Harper might claim a balanced budget, even with the extra billions he prematurely slashed from the revenue side. Balancing the budget is a point of principle for the PM, one that he expects will define him and his leadership. But unless the price of oil rises substantially to somewhere close to $100 a barrel soon, showing up with a balanced budget would just be a lot of smoke and mirrors. And the longer the PM waits to announce that budget the harder it will be to justify the numbers.

Keynesian economics says we should pay off the debt in good times so we have borrowing room in the bad times. It has been almost seven years since the 2008 recession hit and this PM got to preside over the largest deficit in the nation’s history. So it has taken a long time to even get close to his goal of being in the black, notwithstanding all the chatter.

In the end, Mr. Harper may well claim a balanced budget, even taking us back to the kind of surplus he inherited when he first became PM. Of course the real question is whether the electors are better off now than they were in 2006? For some the answer is clearly yes. But for the many who find themselves on the other side of that ever-increasing spread between the wealthiest ten percent of Canadians and the others, the answer is not so simple.

Economic pie

How does the Minister of Finance create an economic pie big enough for everyone to eat?

For those middle and lower income Canadians, who make up the vast majority of our population, it is the size of the economic pie and their share in it that matters. And so it is high time that our government started addressing the issue of economic inequality – the distribution of wealth in this country. We could look to Mr. Obama’s recent ‘State of the Union’ address as a starting point for that discussion in Canada.

Rivers-direct-into-camera1-173x300Ray 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 against Cam Jackson in 1995, the year Mike Harris and the Common Sense Revolution swept the province.

Background links:

Harper Tax Cuts     More on Harper Tax Cuts    Pay Back the Debt

More on Debt     Investment

Previous Rivers Column on how the PM sees the Canadian economyObama’s Take on Equality

Return to the Front page

Halton Police Focusing on Drivers Who Fail to Clear Their Windows of Ice and Snow

News 100 redBy Staff

January 28, 2015

BURLINGTON,ON

The Regional Police are reminding motorists that winter driving requires extra patience, care and attention.

The Mrs. get to put her vehicle in the garage.

Snow removal – get it all off or face the possibility of a $110. ticket

While speed limits are set for ideal road conditions, safe winter driving requires slower speeds, increased following distances and a clear view of your surroundings.

In Halton Hills, police estimate 10% of commuting motorists are not taking the time to clear their windows of ice and snow. It is the driver’s responsibility and legal requirement to ensure all windows are in such condition as to afford a clear view to the front, sides and rear of the motor vehicle.

By taking the time to clear your view, you are limiting the risk of being involved in a collision and at the same time promoting road safety and leading by example.

Traffic safety is a continuous concern for our communities and a priority for the Halton Regional Police.

Officers will be focusing on these infractions and unsafe driving habits and will be enforcing section 74(1) of the Highway Traffic Act requiring drivers to have a clear view, a fine of $110.00.

You can get a pretty good snow scraper for that kind of money

Return to the Front page

Public gets to hear what the city wants to set the tax rate at - thinking upwards of 3.5% more than last year.

burlbudgetBy Pepper Parr

January 28, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

It is that time of year again – when the city sets out what they want to take from your wallet – they call it taxes.

The setting and the approach to this interaction with the public will be considerably different this year. The locale will be the Mainway Recreation Centre –  where there is quite a bit more room; things were getting a bit tight at the Art Gallery.

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.

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 will be the obligatory budget overview.

There will be a demonstration of the Burlington Open Budget visual application.

There will be a table top exercise – that’s when participants get to think about some of the specifics in the budget that was explained and make comments on the different initiatives the city is proposing

This is the year the city moved to budgeting based on the services provided rather than planned spending by departments. The city has a handful of acronyms; RBA – Results Based Accountability is the one that they seem to favour.

When the city wants to provide a new service there has to be a business case made – the public will get to hear what some of the business cases are this year.

Vanessa Williams + Woodruff Budget meet

Vanessa Warren and Ken Woodruff going through the pages of the workbook at the 2014 budget review.

In the past the city has used small hand held clickers – sort of like a TV remote control. Data is put up on a screen and people are asked to use the clickers to indicate which of the options given they prefer.

While all this data gathering is interesting – the basics of the budget have already been determined. City staff have been working on the document for months – the broad strokes are in place – what the public is being asked to do at this point is comment on what has been done – but there is no real opportunity to shape the city’s financial plan.

Vanessa Warren, one of the founders of the Rural Burlington Greenbelt coalition and a candidate for the ward 6 seat which Blair Lancaster won for the second time in October, commented at the last public review of the budget that “none of the remarks made at the only public meeting being held on the budget would be available before delegations were made.” Warren wanted more information and wanted it sooner so comments could have a real impact.

It was at the 2014 review that John Birch tried to hi-jack the event and get in his pitch for funding of the LaSalle Park Marina; his efforts drew howls of derision. Hopefully the event facilitator will keep a tighter rein on where speakers go with their comments.

With a little luck the evening will see a demonstration of the city’s new web site. What we’ve seen so far appears to be a significant improvement over what has been in place for the last five years. Atrocious is an apt word to describe what the public has had to put up with.

A smart, savvy crew has done some solid work – the peak we had at the web site was good. Let’s see if the follow up is as good.

Thursday – at the Mainway Recreation Centre – 7:00 to 9:00 pm. It will be different this year.

Return to the Front page

Burlington flood advocacy group to host Valentine’s Gala to raise funds for independent research

News 100 blueBy Pepper Parr

January 27, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

The Halton Residents Against Sewer Backup (HRASB) is hosting a Valentine’s Day Gala with all proceeds going to fund independent research of the storm and sanitary sewer systems.

HRASB spokesperson, Christina Thorpe, says the group will spearhead the research but intends to work closely with independent experts who will analyze last year’s storm and waste water system failures, provide recommendations, and offer insight into the city’s proposed “intensification” plans.

Christine Thorpe

Christine Thorpe speaks for the Halton Residents Against Sewer Backup.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for Burlington residents to come together, once again, in solidarity as they did on August 4th – a day when family, friends, and neighbours opened their homes and hearts to those who were greatly distressed.” More than 191 mm of rain fell on that August day.

Sewer backup in business.

Nothing pretty about this picture but it was the reality many in the city had to deal with last August.

Thorpe contends that the formal affair at The Atrium will be well worth the $60 ticket price with dancing and live entertainment by the talented John Chantry, hors d’oeuvres reception, silent art auction, raffles for items such as spa packages and electronics, door prizes, and a champagne toast – all for a worthy cause.

Thorpe says that the storm and waste water infrastructure failed in May, June, and August of 2014, and that costly flood studies dating back 14+ years were seemingly ignored.

Furthermore adds Thorpe, citizens were not provided with essential emergency services for prompt sewage clean out or consultation on public health issues.

Flood Fairview plaza

The commercial sector suffered as well during the flood – no one is hearing how they dealt with the damage.

“Emergency preparedness is something that every Burlington resident should be concerned about. We need to be confident that the City and the Region are prepared to take appropriate action during times of crises.”

Valentine hearts

A Valentine Day event to get together and chill out and raise funds for further research.

Tickets can be purchased online  at WWW.EventBrite.ca – search for ‘Valentines Gala’ – or call 289-335-0329.  Singles and couples welcome, senior and group discounts, 19+. * Transportation for seniors’ groups can be arranged.

The city has budgeted $4.5 million to do a study on what would have happened to other parts of Burlington had the same amount of raid dropped in Aldershot.

The HRASB hasn’t said what it is they want to independently research on nor have they set out a target as to how much money they need to raise.

Back in October, 2014 the HRASB wrote Regional Chair Gary Carr asking a number of questions.

Why, they wanted to know, did the representatives from the Burlington Flood Relief Foundation decline two invitations to attend sewer backup meetings thereby missing opportunities to connect with 350+ residents who were directly affected by sewage backup?

First, the organization was the Burlington Community Foundation and there job was to deal with two clearly defined groups of people: Those who did not have any insurance and those who were under-insured.

A meeting with 300+ people who didn’t meet these criteria would serve no purpose – and, the BCF was terribly over-worked dealing with those who did meet the criteria.

The members of HRASB and the people they represent have significant and justifiable complaints. The Regional government has basically stiffed them and failed to respond adequately to their real concerns.  There is more detail on the HRASB web site at www.hrasb.com

There was an On line petition requesting a Town Hall meeting; that went nowhere. Everyone who signed the on-line petition also sent an email to Regional Chair Garry Carr – that didn’t produce any results either.

Jane MacCaskill

Jane MacCaskill, CAO for the Region felt that elections got in the way of meeting the needs of residents whose homes were flooded.

Regional CAO Jane MacCaskill published a press release in a local newspaper saying there would not be any public meetings with a municipal election taking place. For some reason MacCaskill feels the administration of a municipal government comes to a complete stop just because there is an election taking place,

The election is over – so now is there going to be a meeting? Thorpe doesn’t appear to be holding her breath.

There have been a few very poorly promoted Public Information events that were reportedly poorly attended.

Christina Thorpe is pushing for better transparency and more accountable. She thinks that the three law suits that have been filed against the Region for the way they handled the flood matters might be why they are being kind of quiet.

The people who lost so much due to the flood have big hearts – and they want to share the love on Valentine’s Day – and then use the money they raise to do some serious research. There is nothing more effective than a grass roots organization committed to their cause.

Related articles:

Open letter to the Regional chair – he didn’t respond.

Return to the Front page

City of Burlington provides update on city manager recruitment; they don't tell the full story.

News 100 blueBy Pepper Parr

January 28, 2014

BURLINGTON, ON

Well – this is going to be interesting.

It has to do with the position of city manager.

Patrick Moyle

We know why this guy is smiling. Pat Moyle current interim city manager heads south Friday for warmer weather

We don’t have one – but we do have an Interim city manager;  he leaves on Thursday. Pat Moyle took on the job of serving as an Interim city manager against his wife’s advice. She went along with the gig on the understanding that Pat would be in their car no later than February 1st and heading south to Florida.

The wife advanced that date to the 29th – so Pat Moyle is on the way out the door on Thursday.

By law the city must have a person known as the city manager in place.

In the past one of the General managers takes on the task.

Burlington has just the one city manager, Scott Stewart and he is one of the people applying for the job of city manager that has been open ever since Jeff Fielding turned a five year contract into a 26 month contract and headed west to Calgary.

City General Manager Kim Phillips will handle the e-government file - is she a true believer in getting useful data into the hands of citizens or is she more concerned about cost containment and keeping her staff off the telephones?

Former City General Manager Kim Phillips retired in July leaving the city in Scott Stewart’s hands with Pat Moyle providing oversight.

Kim Phillips was one of the general managers but she left city hall in July.
Since then Pat Moyle has served as interim city manager and Scott Stewart has been carrying the ball as the sole general manager.

Many people thought council would have decided who they wanted as their new city manager by now. They are known to now be working on their short list and Scott Stewart is on that list.

Here is where it gets murky – one of the reasons a decision has not been made is because Council has not interviewed all the candidates.

Huh!

There is apparently some kind of a conflict between the one of the candidates and someone on the interviewing team. That might be Pat Moyle – but this city is so secretive that you the public that pick up the tab will never know what the SIGNIFICANT Seven are doing.

Its gets better.

Stewart Scott blue sweater - more face

That Maple Leaf Sweater is not the reason Scott Stewart a current city general manager and a candidate for the job of city manager is smiling.

As General Manager many of the departments reported to Scott Stewart.

Legal was one of those departments.

Air-Park-Fielding-city-lawyers-+-Air-Park-counsel-1024x766

Former city manager Jeff Fielding is on the left upbraiding one of the Air Park Lawyers. Nancy Shea Nicol city solicitor will serve as interim city manger until council decides who they want running the shop.

City Solicitor and Director of Legal Services Nancy Shea-Nicol will be the acting city manager until the permanent city manager is hired.

Figure this one out: Shea Nicol reports to Scott Stewart but because Stewart is one of the finalists for the job of city manager Shea Nicol has been made the boss of the man who has up until this morning been her boss.

And it hasn’t been what one would call the smoothest of working relationships.

And we thought the way Rob Ford ran Toronto was a bit of a zoo?

werv

Recently re-elected the Significant Seven are struggling with hiring a new city manager. The position has been open for close to a year.

Recently re-elected the Significant Seven are struggling with hiring a new city manager. The position has been open for close to a year.

Then it gets funny: “Managing Canada’s best mid-sized city is a significant task,” says Burlington Mayor Rick Goldring. “We want to ensure we give internal and external candidates every opportunity to share with us their vision for Burlington’s future, helping us to maintain and enhance an already wonderful city.”

Mayor and chair

Mayor Goldring can’t seem to get away from using that ” we are the best mid sized city in the country phrase”.

Someone in the Mayor’s office writes this baffle gab.

Interim City Manager Pat Moyle, who joined the city in May 2014, has been a part of the recruitment for the new city manager. He finishes his position with the city as of Jan. 30, 2015.

More baffle gab: “It has been a tremendously rewarding experience,” said Moyle, former CAO of Halton Region, and a seasoned municipal leader. “While in Burlington, I had the good fortune to serve a leading City Council that works with all levels of government and the community to build a better Burlington. I was also impressed by a team of staff that not only offers great customer service from day to day, but shows compassion, including for residents who suffered significant losses following the storm and flooding of Aug. 4, 2014.”

Shea-Nicol began as an intern with the City of Burlington in 1982. She then worked for the City of Windsor in the city manager’s office followed by a position in litigation with law firm Lancaster, Mix and Welch. Shea-Nicol returned to Burlington in 1998 as an assistant city solicitor, becoming city solicitor and director of legal services in 2007.

The city media release closes with that old sock: “The City of Burlington has been named Canada’s best mid-sized city by MoneySense magazine.

Maybe we will have a new city manager by Valentine’s Day and we can have a wonderful group hug. Nope – tat won’t happen. The recently reelected council are at odds with each other with John Taylor saying at city council on Monday that he was ashamed of the city.

Return to the Front page

Sneaky, sneaky as well as downright criminal.

Identity 100x100By Staff

January 27, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON.

This is about as dirty as it gets.

Anyone who responded to this email will lose most of what they might have had in a bank account.

The email read like this:

VALUED CUSTOMER, A new Electronic Statement is available. Click Here to sign and update your details for Year 2015.

To review or change your email notification preferences, go to “Profile and Preferences” once inside Online Banking and then select “Email address and preferences”.

Please do not reply to this email, as it was sent from an unmonitored account.

BMO Online is offered by Bank of Montreal.

The Gazette banks’ with BMO. The thief used an email address that is linked to our domain. Somehow they got into the data base that lists the email addresses we have.

Had we clicked on the link they offered – it would have been “toast” for us.

Read email that relates to your banking very, very carefully. If in doubt – don’t.

Return to the Front page

Early morning break and enter at Blur Optical on Plains Road East.

Crime 100By Staff

January 27, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

Blur Optical at 1025 Plains Rd East was robbed yesterday.

At approximately 12:20am, on Monday January 26, 2015, Halton Police responded to an alarm at the business to discover the front door glass was smashed.

Sun glasses display

The object of the attention of a couple of thieves – for this they were prepared to go to jail?

The suspects appeared to have targeted the sunglasses display case. The value of the stolen items is unknown at this time.

Suspect vehicle description:
Older model grey Dodge Caravan with roof racks.

Suspect #1 description:
Male, black, 30’S
Wearing a black toque with grey stripes, a black winter coat with unknown patch on the right shoulder, a plaid shirt and white shoes.

Suspect #2 description:
Male, black, 30’s
Wearing a blue baseball hat with a flat brim and black “NY’ logo on the front, a light grey zip up jacket with black zippered pocket on front.

Suspect surveillance photos will be provided when available.

Return to the Front page

Clearing the snow is progressing the way it is supposed to during second major snow storm this season.

News 100 yellowBy Staff

January 26, 2105

BURLINGTON, ON

That is snow out there – and when that happens a well-oiled snow removal team swing into action and the business of moving snow begins.

cvdfg

Snow plows can clear both the primary and secondary roads in a three hour time frame.

The city`s Roads and Parks Maintenance crew had 10 trucks on the road at 4:00 am salting both the primary and secondary roads.

By 1:00 pm there was more than 5 cm of snow on the road and that brings out the plows. It takes the city just over three hours to do a tour of both the primary and secondary roads using both city staff and the contractors that have working agreements with the city.

Much of this snow – flurries actually – are the result of what the weather people call the “lake effect” is limited for the most part to Burlington.

Robertson Cathy

Cathy Robertson: Director of Roads and Park Maintenance. If she has to – she can probably drive one of the plows.

Cathy Robertson, Director of Roads and Parks Maintenance, has clearly honed her executive management skills – she is away from her desk in a place where there is a lot of sun until February.

Return to the Front page

Oakville Mayor returned as chair of the Police Services Board for a second term.

News 100 redBy Staff

January 26, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

At the January 22, 2015 Police Services Board, Oakville Mayor Rob Burton was elected as Chairman for a second year. The Board also elected Ms. Marion Yee, a Burlington resident as Vice-Chair.

In accepting the opportunity to serve again as Chairman, Burton thanked the Board members for their support and welcomed the opportunity to continue to work with all members of the Board, the Police Service and the numerous community partners. He reiterated the Board’s ongoing commitment to ensure the residents of Halton continue to receive the highest standard of police service they have become accustom to.

Mayor Burton was appointed to the Police Services Board by the Regional Council for a second term in December 2014.

The Police Services Act requires that every Police Services Board must elect a Chairman and Vice-Chairman at their first meeting of each year.

The Halton Regional Police Services Board is a seven member civilian Board that oversees the Halton Regional Police. Under the Police Services Act, the Board is responsible for the Police Service operating and capital budgets; strategic planning; policies and priorities.

The Police Board’s fundamental responsibility is to ensure adequate and effective police services are provided to the citizens of Halton Region.

Marion Yee

Marion Yee, a registered nurse. She has been a Mediator and Trainer for Scarborough Conflict Resolution Service and volunteered for the Society of Conflict Resolution in Ontario.

Marion Yee is a Registered Nurse, with many years of management experience in the health care field. She was first appointed to the Police Services Board in May 2010 and has been a resident of the Region of Halton since 2002.
Marion received her nursing education at Mohawk College, as well as receiving degrees in Urban Planning from Ryerson University and University of Western Ontario. She has lived in various countries abroad and travelled widely, which gives her a unique open minded perspective to apply to the diverse community issues of Halton.

Marion was appointed to the Halton Regional Police Services Board in May 2010. She has an interest in giving back to her community and is actively involved in a variety of community activities. She has been a Mediator and Trainer for Scarborough Conflict Resolution Service and volunteered for the Society of Conflict Resolution in Ontario.   Ms Yee has been a Faculty Advisory Committee member for the School of Urban and Regional Planning at Ryerson University, as well as a board member for Charlton Hall Child and Family Centre.

Marion resides in Burlington with her two university age children and enjoys a wide variety of outdoor activities in her leisure time, including cycling, hiking and sailing.

The fundamental purpose of the Board is to provide oversight for the delivery of police services in Halton Region.
The Police Services Board is not a committee of Regional Council. The Board exercises its governance function through the development of policies. The Chief of Police reports to and is directly accountable to the Police Services Board for adherence to and compliance with the Board’s policies. It is through the governance function and the authority granted to it by the Police Services Act that the Board exercises its mandate over the Halton Regional Police Service.

Ward 1 Councillor Rick Craven - half of what Councilor Meed Wards describes as the Rick and Rick" team - who she thinks have a conflict of interest over the BPAC budget they approved as members of that board and now want to vote on at city council

Burlington ward 2 Councillor Rick Craven serves on the Halton Regional Police Services Board.

The composition of the Police Services Board is determined by the Police Services Act. In accordance with the population of Halton Region, the Halton Regional Police Services Board consists of:

The Regional Chair, or if the Regional Chair chooses not to be a member of the Board, another member of the Council appointed by resolution of Council
Two members of Regional Council appointed by resolution of Council
One person appointed by resolution of Regional Council, who is neither a member of the Council nor an employee of the Region
Three persons appointed by the Lieutenant Governor in Council.

Ward 1 Councillor Rick Craven is also a member of the Police services Board.

Return to the Front page

Three men create the economic foundation for Hamilton and surrounding communities - and build castles to live in.

Who Knew 100x100 2015By Mark Gillies

January 27, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON.

Part 1 of a 2 part feature

Pic 1 Sir Allan Napier McNab

Sir Allan Napier MacNab was a wealthy lawyer, a Prime Minister, a co-founder of The Great Western Railway, including business partner and close friend of Peter Carroll.

Here’s a question for you. When Hamilton’s Sir Allan Napier MacNab the wealthy Prime Minister of Upper Canada, from 1854 to 1856, went dining at a castle in Aldershot, where did he always go?

If you said, Rock Bay, consider yourself a genius. If you have never heard of Rock Bay, don’t feel bad, you are not alone. This is just one more of Burlington’s greatest treasures, regrettably, forgotten over time.

Rock Bay was the first stone castle-like mansion built in the Aldershot area during the early 1850s, by one of Canada’s wealthiest men, Mr. Peter Carroll. Many at the time referred to his residence as Carroll’s Castle, because it did resemble a castle.

Pic 2 Dundurn Castle

Dundurn Castle was built for Sir Allan MacNab and completed at a cost of $175,000 in 1835. This artist’s impression shows us what Dundurn Castle looked like in this same year.

Dundurn Castle, which we are more aware of, is located at the western end of Burlington Bay on land named Burlington Heights. This beautiful grandiose home built for Sir Allan MacNab, over a 3 year period, was completed in 1835, at a cost of $175,000.  We just don’t know about its neighbour, Rock Bay Castle, nor do we know much about Peter Carroll.

What was it that these men had in common? Allan MacNab and Peter Carroll both attained enormous wealth and great power. They were best of friends and business partners. Allan MacNab was a lawyer, but amassed his wealth in land speculation. Peter Carroll was a land surveyor by profession, eventually retiring from this field, in favour of establishing a construction company that built and owned major toll roads across the colonial province. To say the least, this career move was extremely lucrative. Road construction and tolls were the catalysts that launched Peter Carroll into new wealth. Among the many roads in Upper Canada that Peter constructed and owned were these familiar local routes; Waterdown Road, Plains Road (then called the Hamilton and Nelson Gravel Road) and Carlisle Road, plus most roads surrounding Hamilton. Before retiring from land surveying, Peter was responsible for the creation of the grid pattern street layout in Hamilton, a contract offered to him by his good friend, George Hamilton, the founder of Hamilton, Ontario. Peter, under a similar contract, also surveyed the entire Burlington Bay.

Three great minds work together to amass their fortunes
Allan MacNab and George Hamilton were already longtime boyhood friends, both born and raised in Niagara-on-the-Lake. These two men rose to prominence mainly from their efforts in battles during the War of 1812. Helping to defeat the American invasion at Queenston was their crowning achievement in the military. Allan MacNab was knighted by Queen Victoria. Peter Carroll served as a lieutenant-colonel in the militia in these same battles. This is most likely where he first met the other two men, prior to all three setting out seeking fame and fortune after the war ended.

It was basically these three men, after the war, who worked together to shape the future of Hamilton, plus the surrounding areas, including Aldershot. All three men acquired massive tracts of land in this same area, and even abroad. Peter Carroll for one, had extensive land holdings in Iowa and Illinois. All of this land provided the three landowners with unbelievable wealth. These three men influenced the future direction for the Province of Upper Canada, mainly through politics.

Peter Carroll selects a beautiful setting to build his mansion
A spectacular view from Burlington Heights looking east towards Lake Ontario, was the best property for Allan MacNab to build Dundurn Castle. Peter Carroll, not to be outdone, one day, also wanted to have a palatial home with a view overlooking the same Burlington Bay. Unfortunately, the Dundurn Castle site was already taken. As Peter continued to work his way into the power brokers’ circle, with his wealth continuing to dramatically increase, he finally decided it was time to build, and purchased a 40 acre tract of land on the northwest side of Burlington Bay.

Pic 3 Peter Carroll Map

This old land map shows us where Peter Carroll’s property was located in Aldershot. Today, the same property is where Woodland Cemetery, the Royal Botanical Gardens and the Plains Road curve are located.

It was not uncommon for men of great wealth to showcase their success with massive homes. Peter was shrewd enough to not upstage his friend and mentor, Sir Allan MacNab, by building a larger mansion, despite possessing enough wealth. Peter’s home would be on a smaller scale, but would resemble a castle in England. Peter hired an English architect who specialized in manor homes. The architect was brought over to design his new home. The land that Peter Carroll purchased is now occupied by Woodland Cemetery, the Royal Botanical Gardens, and the Plains Road curve in front of the RBG headquarters. The massive stone structure began its construction in the late 1840s. Cut stone was shipped in from a quarry located in Queenston. The mansion was finally ready for occupancy in 1855. The beautiful estate featured a port cochere, stables, outbuildings, a mammoth entrance gate, and small guest lodges located just inside the gates.

Pic 4 Bayview Cottage  Advertisement 1855

The Bayview cottage was put up for sale by auction in 1855 when Rock Bay was ready for occupancy. The advertisement describes the building, and the grounds available for purchase.

Part of the estate was set aside for farming. Peter Carroll has been identified as one of 2 people to introduce commercial peach farming into Upper Canada. Oak trees were planted on either side of the long winding drive heading towards the mansion, beginning when you turned off from the Hamilton and Nelson Gravel Road. Many of these same oak trees planted on Peter Carroll’s estate are now over 160 years old, and if you position yourself correctly on the grounds of Woodland Cemetery, it is possible to follow the route of the original laneway right to the front entrance of Rock Bay. Peter’s first home in the area, was an oversized board & batten wooden cottage, called Bayview. This building was located on the same property, and was constructed a few years before the mansion was built. When Peter was ready to move in to the larger premises, Bayview was put up for sale by auction.

Pic 5 The Gore Bank, Hamilton

Peter Carroll was on the Board of Directors for several corporations, including the Gore Bank. This drawing is the Gore Bank office in Hamilton.

Peter Carroll sits as a Director on two different banks
As Peter became more influential and powerful, he was invited to be on the Boards of several corporations, including the Bank of Brantford and the Gore Bank. In those days banks issued their own currency in the form of bank notes, but they were actually promissory notes.

A Great Western Railway “Founding Father”
While the mansion was still under construction, and even after Peter Carroll moved in, Sir Allan MacNab and Peter Carroll continued to move along fairly quickly in the business world. They believed a railway was needed to help open up southwestern Upper Canada for more European settlers who were arriving in increasing numbers.

Pic 6 GWR 1860

The Great Western Railway built train stations, bridges and track all across southwestern Upper Canada. This is a rare photograph of a very early Great Western Railway locomotive, tender and cars.

One of the greatest achievements for these men, was to finally receive a charter from The Parliament of Upper Canada in 1845, to create the Great Western Railway, 7 years before The Grand Trunk Railway was incorporated in 1852. The new railway company began construction of trains stations, rail lines and bridges, mainly in southwestern Upper Canada.  Rail service began in 1853. Sir Allan MacNab became President, and a group of men, mainly prominent lawyers, including Peter Carroll formed the first Board of Directors.

Pic 7 Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge

The Great Western Railway was the first in Upper Canada to establish itself as a major player in the market. The drawing of the suspension bridge, a marvel for its time, shows a GTR train crossing. Peter Carroll was on The Board of Directors for the Niagara Suspension Bridge Company and The Great Western Railway Company.

The Niagara Suspension Bridge
Even back in the early 1840s, before their railway charter was awarded, these men realized accessing the bigger American market was going to be key for their financial success. The Great Western Railway Board believed the rail line should one day connect to the United States by a bridge.  With that decision made, Peter Carroll became a Director of the Niagara Suspension Bridge Company of Canada. The International Bridge Company of New York was the second company involved with the bridge construction. The two companies would have joint ownership. This first railway suspension bridge in North America was built across the Niagara Gorge, an expanse of 800 feet. The suspension bridge when it opened in 1855 was considered to be an engineering marvel, for its time.

In part 2 of this 2 part feature find out what happened over 100 years ago to this beautiful castle-like mansion. over 100 years ago? See 2 very rare old photographs of what Rock Bay Castle looked like. Whatever happened to Peter Carroll? Why is he not in the history books?

Return to the Front page

Mayor thinks a pilot private property tree bylaw restricted to Roseland community an

SwP thumbnail graphicBy Pepper Parr

January 26, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON.

 

There just might be an opportunity for pilot private tree bylaw in the Roseland community.

Last week the Roseland residents met to learn what the city planning department was going to do with the recommendations made by the consultants who conducted the community character study that is now complete.

The character study done in Roseland was one of two the city had done. It wasn’t possible to arrive at any sense of consensus on the Indian Point community character study but there was much to work with in Roseland where residents resent developers buying up properties, clearing the land, demolishing a home and then seeking a variance at the Committee of Adjustment to sever the lot and build homes that many feel do not fit in with the look and feel of the community.

Roseland woodland tree - full trunk

A tree close to 100 years of, `honoured`by the community was cut down. The property owner has plans to seek a severance of the property. Roseland residents furious that things like this are allowed to happen.

One of the issues is the cutting down of trees that are on private property. City council was not able to get a private tree bylaw passed during its last term of office. Mayor Rick Goldring was on for such a bylaw and there were several cogent, persuasive fact filled presentations made at the time but it wasn’t enough to get the four votes needed.

The Roseland residents might have created an opening for the Mayor who sat in on the meeting last week – and got more than an earful.

There was a superb opportunity for the Mayor to put forward his belief in the need for a private tree bylaw. He was given close to the last word during the meeting of residents and he made his typical comments; that he heard what they were saying and more yada, yada, yada. He did say a pilot tree bylaw was an intriguing idea. There was not even polite applause for the Mayor.

Jack Dennison, ward Councillor for the community then stood up and made his comments; thanking the planning staff and adding that it had been a productive meeting.

Roseland Woodland tree down with saw #2

Nothing unhealthy looking about this tree.

Dianne Bonnell said “the level of residents’ frustration was palpable”,  while another resident called the cutting down of trees an “absolute travesty” and left the room minutes later.

The residents at the meeting believed that the cutting down of 100 year old trees devalues the property of all the residents in the community and they are left feeling helpless. Some are beginning to move out of the community – they think the end of the Roseland they had chosen to live in was in sight.

What our Mayor could have done was this – told the community that he understood their frustration and that he was going to put a motion before council asking for a pilot private tree bylaw that would be restricted to the Roseland community and be in place for a number of years – three should do it.

The Mayor could have then turned to Councillor Dennison and asked him publicly if he would support such a motion.
But Rick Goldring doesn’t have that level of political chutzpah and for the next while majestic oak trees will be felled in the Roseland community.

It was a lost political opportunity for a Mayor who appears to have a tin ear when it comes to listening to the residents.

Related articles:

Council votes against a private tree bylaw.

Community survey doesn`t convince city council that  private tree bylaw is needed.

 

Return to the Front page

Region wants the province to get moving on upgrading local court infrastructure shortfalls

News 100 blueBy Staff

January 26, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

Halton Region’s rapidly growing population has stretched the current capacity of local court resources and facility infrastructure causing delays for many legal proceedings. If you’ve had occasion to do anything at the Court House in Milton – you will agree with the Region’s conclusions.

Milton Court House

Superior Court housed in Milton where the structure needs a major upgrade – maybe an entirely new structure.

“Our current court infrastructure does not meet the growth related needs for Halton,” said Regional Chair, Gary Carr. “We have been mandated to grow, but our legal infrastructure has not kept pace. Our system is stretched beyond capacity. Residents and legal professionals are feeling the pressures. “

Carr is working with local MPPs and Regional Council including the Mayor of Burlington, Rick Goldring, Mayor of Milton, Gord Krantz, Mayor of Halton Hills, Rick Bonnette and the Mayor of Oakville, Rob Burton, as we simply cannot wait any longer to see changes to this critical community service.”

Halton Regional Council will consider a resolution for continued support by the Province to address the shortfalls with Halton’s legal infrastructure. There are a number of pressing issues to be resolved including outdated court house facilities resulting in significant delays for legal proceedings.

Burlington Court House

The Provincial Offences Court in Burlington has reached capacity. There were plans to build a new Court House on Palladin Way in the Alton community but that got scrubbed. Now the Region seems to be leading the push.

Halton is including the issue of court resources and infrastructure shortfalls in its Provincial pre-budget submission later this month. In addition, the Region has requested a meeting with the Attorney General outlining the need for further action to ensure that legal facilities are in place to keep pace with mandated provincial growth. Halton’s advocacy efforts on this issue date back a number of years including a 2012 meeting with the Attorney General, John Gerretsen, where the Halton court situation was presented.

The Provincial Offenses Court House in Burlington is scheduled to be moved. Last March city staff brought a proposal to the City’s Community and Corporate Services Committee to combine two provincial offences courts—one in Milton and one in Burlington—to reside under one roof in Burlington at Walkers Line and Palladium Way.

Local residents were upset at not being informed – the city manager quickly withdrew the idea – turned out that all the players to make this happen weren’t in place.

Acting on behalf of the province, the City consulted with its municipal partners—Oakville, Burlington, Milton, Halton Hills—to get input into this location. Staff realized more feedback was needed, and put the proposal on hold, to be revisited in 2015.

In 2013 the city pointed out that Halton Court Services has the challenge of managing an increasing need for court resources. Courtrooms reached 100-per-cent capacity in 2011.
Growth continues throughout Halton Region. The number of charges has increased by 32 per cent since services were transferred to the municipal partners to manage in 2001. The municipal partners realize that more courtrooms, services and staff will be needed in the future.

Operating a single, consolidated court building would save the municipalities about $225,000 a year.
The zoning at Walkers Line and Palladium Way is business corridor use that allows for a range of industrial and office uses, including a courthouse. The roads at Walkers Line and Palladium Way are designed to manage traffic associated with business and commercial use.

Local residents asked some very pointed questions about transit service to the proposed location.

The City of Burlington has the authority to act on behalf of the provincial government when it comes to managing the Provincial Offences Court. The city consulted with key stakeholders and its partner municipalities in making the decision to house provincial offences courts in one building.

With the proposal withdrawn at the Standing committee level in Burlington there wasn’t much more to be said. The Region has now taken up the matter. Burlington doesn’t have a new city manager yet – Interim City Manager Pat Moyle is scheduled to turn in his keys before the end of the month.

Whatever the Region does later this month the matter will work its way to Burlington’s Community and Corporate Services Committee where residents will undoubtedly push for real input on design and transit concerns.

A key issue for some in the community was: Will my house value go down if a courthouse is built at Walkers Line and Palladium Way?

Return to the Front page

Gazette columnist chooses fishing in New Zealand over shoveling snow in Ontario.

News 100 redBy Pepper Parr

January 26, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON.

Ray Rivers, our political columnist is in New Zealand – spending as much time as he can fishing.

Rivers goes fishing  NZ - Jan 2015

Gazette political columnist heads for the ocean hoping to catch enough fish for a family dinner. He kind of likes the idea of not having to shovel snow.

Through the magic of the internet he is able to keep up with events in Canada and will write next about the difficulties a delay in delivering the budget means to everyday people.

Budgets are complex documents and involve every department of the federal government. The change in world oil prices has created close to total havoc with the budget the federal government was expected to deliver in March.

Rivers was a federal bureaucrat for more than twenty years – he has worked on putting together the operating level of budgets for several departments. Later this week he will talk about just what is probably going on within the federal bureaucracy. His political experience allows him to explain how a government puts a spin on a budget.

The impact of those oil price changes are spinning everything for governments around the world. They just might force Alberta into creating a sales tax – and once that tax is in place it might never get lifted.

Big changes – Rivers will write about them in his next column.

Return to the Front page

AGB staff favour the Long Kiss video installation. Artist Riley hopes for Valentine's Day turnout.

News 100 redBy Staff

January 24, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON.

It was a different piece of “installation art”.

Jim Riley came up with this idea of filming people who are kissing each other. It was a little outside the comfort zone for some and we don’t know yet how people are going to react to the projections on the windows on the west side of the Art Gallery of Burlington.

Love Kiss Andrew and Rod 300 dpiThey are worth looking at. The way people of different ages handle “the kiss” is interesting – we will leave it at that.

The Gazette works closely with a number of staff at the AGB – the odds on favourite amongst the female staff member’s is the one they refer to as The Long Kiss.

Jim Riley explains video installation as an art form that combines video technology with installation art. Between 1970 and 1995, artists used TV to present their video art. The technology available today allows much bigger and bolder projections.

Love Kiss can be seen from Lakeshore Road using video projectors and two windows between dusk to 10 p.m., Monday through Thursday

The TV monitors, as well as the video projections, may also be viewed inside the gallery.

Love Kiss  Charlotte and Kune -300 dpiRiley thinks the locale might become a spot for couple do pause sometime during Valentine’s Day.

Return to the Front page

Thirty three flood victims have cheques that are "in the mail" Three of the 310 claims received were turned down.

News 100 redBy Pepper Parr

January 23, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

The wheels do at times move very slowly but they are at least moving a little.

The Burlington Community Foundation (BCF) announced on Wednesday that they have completed their review of 36 claims made for financial support for those who were financially damaged by the August 4th flood that dumped 191 mm of water on the city in a single day.

Flood BSBVC junk in basement piled up

Whatever people get in the way of financial support – there will never be enough to cover thew loss. Hundreds of people had to deal with situations like this in their basements,

A total of 310 claims were received. Of the 36 that have been reviewed – 33 were approved and payment will be sent out. Claimants can expect to receive an email with a letter from the Burlington Community Foundation setting out the preliminary amount approved and the interim payment as well.

The Ontario Disaster Assistance Relief Program guidelines requires all 310 claims submitted to be reviewed before final payments can be made to claimants.

The interim claim disbursements will be 50% of the preliminary total amount approved. Total amounts approved by the Disaster Relief Committee (DRC)  are preliminary and subject to change.

Once all 310 claims have been reviewed, the DRC can determine the final payment amounts and disburse final cheques. The committee’s goal is to have the process completed by the end of April.

People who lived in homes that were either under insured or uninsured were eligible for financial support.  There are many homes in Burlington that cannot get insurance – other found that they were limited as tot he amount of insurance coverage they could buy.

Flood BMO at the vault

Cheque for $20,000 from the Bank of Montreal was greatly received.

Why so complicated? The BCF faces a bit of a supply and demand problem. They know how much money they have to distribute: $905,000,00 was raised from within the community which was matched by the province on a two for one basis which gives BCF a total of $2,715,000 to distribute.

How much will each claimant get? The BCF won’t know that number until all the claims are reviewed. Requiring people with pressing financial needs to wait until all the paper has been shuffled was a bit much – so the BCF decided to pay out 50% of the claim and once they know how much money is available – pay out the balance. That balance may not turn out to be exactly 50% – might be more, could be less.

At least they have finds moving.

The cheque sent out will actually come from the city of Burlington.

Those whose claims have been denied will also receive a letter and a phone call with an explanation as to why the claim was denied.

“The Claims Committee is working diligently and will continue meeting every two weeks to process each claim,” says Colleen Mulholland, President and CEO, Burlington Community Foundation. “We are extremely pleased that cheques will start going out within the next two weeks to assist eligible flood victims with their recovery efforts.”

Return to the Front page

Under Chief Smith's watch, peace and tranquility was the way everyone liked it, and he kept it that way.

Who Knew 100x100 2015By Mark Gillies

January 22, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

Part 3 of a 4 part feature

Burlington in transition
Under Chief Smith’s watch, Burlington continued to grow rapidly, as it continued to transition itself from an agricultural community to a suburban bedroom town. From around 1916 to 1941, the little town grew to almost 4,000 inhabitants. One man that was instrumental in feeding construction materials to the exploding housing market was Jacob Cooke. Jake manufactured concrete blocks starting in 1935.

Pic 11 Jake Cooke House

Jake Cooke started his concrete block business in 1935 at his residence in his garage. The house was originally numbered as 3 New Street, and was at the corner of Martha Street. This Burlington manufacturer grew to be one of the largest of its kind in North America.

The one man factory was located in Jake’s garage beside his house on New Street, at the corner of Martha Street.  The demand was so high for Jake to supply the house builders with concrete blocks, that as a one man operation, Jake was churning these blocks out almost nonstop around the clock, 7 days a week. As with most factories, big or small the noise was unbearable, and Jake’s neighbours on New Street and surrounding streets were complaining. Chief Smith was at Jake’s home continually handing out warnings and fines. Jake consistently apologized, yet persevered, paying out the money for the fines. Today, it’s widely accepted that a great many houses in Burlington with concrete blocks in their basement walls were manufactured by Jake Cooke’s second plant located in Aldershot. One day Jake Cooke’s house on New Street was also demolished, an all too familiar practice in Burlington.

Pic 11A Home Guard

The men of Burlington gather as the Home Guard under Chief Smith’s guidance and get ready for a drill in 1940 to prepare for any disaster that might happen during World War 2.

The Chief defends Burlington with the Home Guard
In 1940, as the war began, it was decided that Burlington needed to be prepared locally for anything destructive that might happen, perhaps sabotage, or something worse.  The Burlington Home Guard was created. Chief Lee Smith was one of the founding organizers, and all Burlington men of legal age, were to register on a voluntary basis. A counting of all local firearms was to recorded. The Chief was ready for anything. “O Canada, We stand on guard for thee”.

Pic 12 Police Cruiser

Ken Scott is behind the wheel of the new 1947 Ford Coupe Police Cruiser, the first one for the department. The photo was taken on Lakeshore Road at the corner of Maple Avenue, by the railway tracks. If you look behind the rear of the trunk you can see part of the word “Burlington” in a floral garden on a slight hill, planted there by Spencer Smith and the Burlington Horticultural Society, as part of their beautification of Burlington mandate.

Burlington’s first Police cruiser
Chief Smith continued to work hard and grow his department. It took a while, but the Town Council under the leadership of Mayor Edwin Leather, took the Chief’s request seriously. The Police Department should now have their own cruiser. Officers would no longer be required to use their own vehicles to drive to accidents, perform high speed chases, apprehend criminals, or transport vomiting and urine soaked drunks off to jail. In late 1946 or early 1947 Chief Smith and his department proudly took possession of their first police cruiser.   The boys down at the station were pretty excited and happy about this new arrival. The vehicle was a brand new 1947 black 2 door Ford coupe and it actually had a working siren on the roof. Children in the neighbourhood loved to hear the siren’s sound, and the boys on the force loved to turn it on for the kids’ amusement. Chief Smith, on the other hand, was not amused. Still, life was pretty good at the Burlington Police Department in 1947.

Burlington’s finest from 1953 remembered.
By 1953, Chief Smith’s Police department had grown, now there were 8 men, as the town continued to expand. The town had also taken another dramatic jump in population. Now, Burlington had over 6,000 living within its boundaries. Chief Smith had excellent instincts about people, and always personally selected each new officer. All new officers were to possess outstanding leadership characteristics and stellar people skills. Any of his men should possess the abilities to one day be a future Police Chief or a community leader.

Pic 13 Chief Smith & his officers in 1953

These 8 police officers in 1953 were Burlington’s finest. Standing: L-R, Sam Peer, Tom Smith, Art Turcotte, Charlie Parsons & Tom Oliver. Seated: L-R, Lisle Crawford, Chief Lee Smith & Ken Scott.

The Police Chief believed in his men, and they believed in him. The bond between them was very tight. The “Magnificant 7” never let their Chief down. The department under Chief Smith’s command consisted of Sam Peer, Tom Smith, Art Turcotte, Charlie Parsons, Tom Oliver, Lisle Crawford, and Ken Scott.   Some of these officers went on to have long rewarding careers with Halton Regional Police Services. Lisle Crawford in 1953 was Chief Smith’s sergeant, and when Lee retired in 1956, at the age of 71, Deputy Chief Crawford became Burlington’s next Chief of Police.

Pic 14 Sam Peer & Lisle Crawford

Sam Peer is on the left, and Lisle Crawford is in uniform. Lisle was promoted to became Burlington’s Police Chief following Chief Smith’s retirement in 1956.

Pic 14A Sam Peer

Sam Peer was active in the community, also serving as a volunteer fireman, in addition to his duties as a Burlington Police Officer.

Sam Peer, proud to be known as an “old school” officer passed away in 1987. Sam was an outstanding Officer, and even his son James was so inspired by his father, that he too, followed in his father’s footsteps and became an OPP Officer. Sam was so community minded, he even served as a volunteer fireman.  Charlie Parsons after returning from the war, initially found work as a bus driver, then joined the police department in 1948.

Pic 14B Charlie Parsons

A former Citizen of the Year, Charlie Parsons served his community well, as a Police Officer, a volunteer fireman, and 30 years with the Burlington Teen Tour Band.

Many in Burlington will remember Charlie as a fixture for 30 years with Burlington’s Teen Tour Band, devoting countless hours with them, as an Equipment Manager and driver for the band’s truck, Charlie travelled everywhere with the band. The kids in the band affectionately called him “Uncle Charlie”. Always willing to help, Charlie served as a volunteer fireman too. Gary Parsons, Charlie’s son was so proud of his father, he too, felt the call to become a Halton Regional Police Officer. In 1957 Charlie was awarded Burlington’s Citizen of the Year. The City was saddened when Charlie at the age of 60 passed away in 1983, the same year he retired. Fortunately, for Charlie, he did get to attend his huge retirement party held at King’s Court on King Road. The place was packed. It seemed like everyone was there. Charlie will never be forgotten.

Lisle Crawford was Police Chief in 1959, when a bank robbery at the corner of Brant and Caroline Streets resulted in a gun fight between the robbers and the police. An unbelievable 45 shots were fired before the 2 men were apprehended. Lisle retired as Chief in 1968, and sadly Chief Crawford passed away in 1983.

Pic 15 Ken Scott

Ken Scott was promoted to Deputy Chief after Chief Smith’s retirement, and after amalgamation Ken became an Inspector with the newly amalgamated police department.

Ken Scott was promoted to Deputy Chief, and in 1958 when Burlington, Aldershot, and Nelson Township amalgamated, Ken became an Inspector for the newly integrated department. It was actually Ken Scott who became the first officer to get behind the wheel of the department’s new 1947 Ford.   Ken recalled when he retired around 1968 or 1969,that back in the early days when he joined the department full time in 1943, all 4 officers were working 6 days a week doing 12 hour shifts, even doubling as dog catchers, and licence fee collectors. Ken fondly recalled, they were rough days, but good days. Ken Scott passed away in 1986.

Pic 16 Tom & Dorothy Oliver

Constable Tom Oliver marries the love of his life, the lovely Dorothy Daniels. Tom, a Staff Sergeant retired from the Halton Regional Police Services around 1991.

One of the men who the Chief hired as a new police officer in 1946, following the war, was 23 year old Fred Oliver, ex-soldier and ex- military police officer who was the older brother of fellow Officer Tom Oliver.  Tom had a full rewarding career in policing and would later retire as a Staff Sergeant with Halton Regional Police. Tom passed away in 2006.

Pic 17 Fred Oliver

Fred Oliver was the older brother to Tom Oliver. Fred eventually became Oakville’s Chief of Police and Deputy Chief with the Halton Regional Police Services, and after retirement, Fred had a second career as a politician serving on Oakville and Halton Regional Council.

Fred stayed for one year in Burlington, and moved on to head up the Trafalgar Township Police and become its Chief at 25 years of age, making him the youngest Chief in Ontario.   Fred was involved at this same time in the famous bank robbery shootout on Brant Street, firing 2 shots at one of the robbers. With amalgamation in 1962, Fred was promoted to Chief of Police in Oakville, and in 1974 he was promoted to Deputy Chief of Halton Regional Police Services, retiring in 1980. A new career in politics led Fred into the Oakville and Regional Council political circle for many more years. Chief Oliver passed away in 2011.

The Chief’s priority was to keep Burlington’s youth out of trouble
The Chief was becoming more alarmed by the number of young people in the recently suburbanized Burlington, who were now beginning to get themselves into lots of trouble. They were good kids, just bored. During the 1950s, the town went from a population somewhere around 6,000 in 1950, and in the same decade, Burlington’s population would top up at around 47,000 by 1960. Burlington was experiencing a huge population explosion. During the Chief’s time in office, the population came very close to being a staggering 25 times greater than when he first began his career in Burlington. In this bigger town, there wasn’t too much for these teenagers to do in those days.

The kids were starting to hang around the new plazas that had just been built, or they were wandering up and down Brant Street in large numbers, yelling, swearing, fighting and just making a complete nuisance of themselves, all to the annoyance of those around. Teenage drinking, noisy cars and motorcycles, and lots more mischief from these kids was taxing the Chief’s patience.

The Chief instructed his officers to pay particular importance to these kinds of events, and to put a stop to their antics as quickly as possible, without bringing strong armed enforcement into it. The officers carried out the Chief’s orders efficiently and without any major incident, and as a result, once the young troublemakers were made aware that the Chief and his men meant business, and would not tolerate any misbehaviour, everything soon settled down to relative calmness, just the way the Chief liked it. Under the Chief’s watch, peace and tranquility was the way everyone liked it, and he kept it that way.

Return to the Front page

Shoplifters are keeping police busy; arrests at Burlington Mall and Shoppers Drug Mart

Crime 100By Staff

January 23, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

It used to be that it was either a drug bust or a case of someone doing things that were not nice to people of the opposite sex in public place that kept the police busy – Mapleview Mall seemed to be the most popular spot for the sexual deviants.

But on the past couple of days the police have been kept busy arresting shoplifter.

Three men were arrested for shoplifting at Shoppers Drug Mart on Tuesday January 20, 2015 at approximately 7:55 pm; they had taken a large quantity of baby formula from the Shoppers Drug Mart at 1450 Headon Road in Burlington.

A store employee followed one of the suspects and was pushed from behind by a second suspect to allow both men to enter a vehicle and flee along with the third suspect and the licence plate of the vehicle was obtained.

At approximately 8:28 pm, police located the suspect vehicle near the Shoppers Drug Mart at 2080 Appleby Line in Burlington. One of the suspects was arrested near the vehicle while two other suspects were arrested after leaving the Shoppers Drug Mart with more stolen baby formula and cosmetics. Police have recovered all the stolen property from both stores.

Arrested and charged are:
Bruno ANTUNES (37 yrs) of Toronto (Held for Bail)

Theft under $5000
Robbery
Fail to comply with recognizance

Aristide CINELLI (37 yrs) of Toronto (Held for Bail)

Theft under $5000
Robbery

Flavio CINELLI (35 yrs) of Toronto (Held for Bail)

Theft under $5000
Robbery
Fail to comply with recognizance (three counts)

On Monday January 19, 2015 at approximately 8:15 PM, police were alerted by security officers working at The Bay store at the Burlington Mall, 777 Guelph Line about a theft in progress.

Security officers believed five males in the store were involved in a prior theft that occurred earlier the same day at The Bay in Oakville.

The five males exited the store through various doors with stolen merchandise. A responding officer immediately located two suspects at which time the officer was assaulted and the two males fled on foot after dropping a quantity of stolen merchandise. The officer involved was not seriously injured.

Police continued to search the area with the assistance of canine and one suspect was arrested near the mall. A short while later, police received information that two additional suspects possibly boarded a taxi which was then stopped by police in the area of Laurentian Drive and Harvester Road. These two suspects fled the taxi and one was quickly arrested while the other remains outstanding.  Police recovered almost $1000 in stolen merchandise in the taxi.
It is believed the remaining suspects fled in a vehicle which was seen leaving the mall at an extremely high rate of speed.

Police are continuing to investigate with hopes of identifying these men who are described as being black males in their mid-twenties.

The following persons have been arrested and charged:

Nathan HOLDER (22 yrs) of Oakville (Held for Bail)
• Theft under $5000 (two counts)
• Possession of property obtained by crime under $5000

Courtney JESHURON (23 yrs) of Mississauga
• Theft under $5000
• Possession of property obtained by crime under $5000
• Breach of Recognizance

It’s been a busy day for the “shoplifting squad”

Return to the Front page

Day care workers to get an additional $1 an hour - more next year.

News 100 blueBy Staff

January 21, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

Premier Kathleen Wynne announced today that the Ontario government is increasing wages for early childhood educators and front-line child care professionals in licensed child care settings.

Starting this month, Ontario is implementing a wage increase of $1 per hour for eligible child care workers in the licensed child care sector. Another wage increase is set for next year.

Day care - kids at table

The people who take care of the best future resource we have – get slightly more than a livable wage. Go figure.

The increase will help close the wage gap between registered early childhood educators working in full-day kindergarten programs and child care professionals in licensed child care settings. Ontario’s investment to increase wages also supports efforts to recruit and retain highly qualified and talented educators, and supports parents in accessing safe and reliable care for their children.

It’s a start – now if the province would look seriously at a plan similar to the one in Quebec where child care is affordable – there will be more job opportunities for child care workers as well.

Return to the Front page

Call has gone out for possible mural locations around the city. What could large scale murals do for Burlington?

News 100 redBy Staff

January 21, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON.

The city wants to make the streets look nicer. A number of years ago they installed really nice looking bike racks – they were attractive – so much so that many people didn`t use them – they didn`t know they were bike racks.

Bike rack

Lovely public art – it’s a bike rack. Hard to tell what its purpose is – needs a small sign – Park your bike here.

Margaret Lindsay Holton, a local artist,  tells of a person she saw chaining their bike to a pole that was beside one of the bike racks – the rack was so attractive people didn`t realize what they were for. “That was one of those occasions I wished I had had my camera with me” said Holton.

At some point the city might add small signs to the racks – saying what they are – they are very nice.

Through its public art program, the City of Burlington is inviting the public to provide suggested locations and themes for a series of local murals and is offering three ways to comment between now and Feb. 6.

“This is a great initiative that will Increase local artist participation in the City of Burlington’s public art program,” said Angela Paparizo, manager of arts and culture. “We’re excited to engage residents in the creative process through mural site selection and community storytelling and hope they will take advantage of the opportunity to shape art in their community.”

Murals are a new thing for Burlington.  There was a poster put up on a building – the garage at the foot of Locust Street – that has great potential as a mural site.

Murals - Toronto soldiers

Scarborough, Ontario went for murals in a big way. Might Burlington see work of this quality?

Scarborough took to mural art in a big way and has done a great job.  It will be interesting to see what the Burlington art community does.

There is a fine mural on the Flat Iron building on Front Street in Toronto that has stood the test of time.  Unfortunately the city mural program does not apply to private buildings.

The Burlington Mural Project is designed to tell local stories using local artists.

Murals - scarborough

Could this have been Burlington when it had radial lines in the city?

The program has a budget of $5,000 to $10,000 for each mural and will commission small to medium-scale murals throughout the city, with one mural location and story selected for each of Burlington’s six wards.

Mural - Flat Iron Bldg Toronto

This mural on the Flat Iron building on Front Street in Toronto is on a private building. Burlington has decided its mural program will be on just city buildings – pity.

These submissions will be reviewed by the city’s Public Art Implementation Team (PADIT) and a jury of citizens. Locations and artists will be chosen based on public input. The murals will be open exclusively to local Burlington artists. Free learning opportunities will be offered to artists who may not have experience creating public art and/or murals.

This program was developed in consultation with members of the local arts community. In October 2014, a brainstorming session was held with members of the local arts community. Based on this session and feedback, a Program Guide has been developed. Click here to access a copy.

Artist applications for the selected mural projects will be released in late February 2015.

The city will have a Public Art Booth at the Lowville Winter Games on Sunday, January 25 – share your ideas.

There is no limit on the number of submissions per resident.

Return to the Front page