By Pepper Parr

October 6, 2014

BURLINGTON, ON.

There are Rusin for Mayor popping up around town – maybe as many as a dozen.

Peter Rusin does his second debate against Mayor Rick Goldring and Anne Marsden Tuesday evening at the Paletta Mansion on Lakeshore Road. Start time is 7 pm.

Peter Rusin with his first election sign – his daughter put it up.

The format will be much like the Lion’s debate last week where the Regional candidates, the Mayoral candidates and the candidates for ward four were all at the front of the room.

Rusin has his work cut out for him. He certainly scored some points during the first debate but failing to say who he was at the start of the debate suggested this is a politician who has a lot to learn.
Ward four carries a lot of clout in Burlington and there will be some people watching his performance very carefully. Last week when Rusin took part in an Ontario Poverty Roundtable it became evident that he didn’t know what Ontario Works was all about.

Not knowing what Ontario Works is about won’t make a pinch of difference to the Roseland crowd but it is a glimpse of the short comings in the Rusin attempt to get that Chain of Office around his neck.
Rusin will have to land a sold knockout punch or Goldring will have to stumble badly if Rusin is to advance his candidacy. Neither is likely – we have seen Mayor Goldring stand up to some of the Rusin challenges. What has been useful is a candidate who has forced to Mayor to move out of the lazy stroll he was taking to a return trip to the office of Mayor.

The Regional government has some explaining to do about the storm water and sewage systems.

The battle for the Region Chair has already been determined. Gary Carr has done a good job and will be returned. He could be held more accountable; all for municipalities that make up the Regional government are in for both a surprise and a shock when the Regional budget comes down in the Spring. .

Burlington is due much, much more in the way of explanations as to what went wrong with the storm water sewer and sewage systems.

Councillor Jack Dennison faces an incumbent who is nipping at his heels – too early to tell is she will manage a decent bite, Dennison is out walking door to door handing our his brochure. Some truth in advertising issues with that brochure.

A key part of the evening is watching how well first time candidate Carol Gottlob does when she goes up against long term incumbent Jack Dennison. Gottlob doesn`t have any political experience but she certainly sounds good. Someone younger with new ideas and a different level of energy might be what ward four needs.

It will be interesting to see how well she holds her own.

Maureen Tilson-Dyment will moderate; Joan Little, Hamilton Spectator columnist, Tina Depko-Denver, city hall reporter for the Post and Pepper Parr, publisher of the Burlington Gazette will be on a panel putting questions to the candidates.

The event is being sponsored by the Roseland Community Organization and the Roseland Heights Community Organization.

By Pepper Parr

October 5, 2014

BURLINGTON, ON.

We dropped by Mayor Goldring’s campaign office on Fairview – he was holding an open house. We wanted to get a sense of what he was getting in the way of traffic. It wasn’t standing room only but there was a respectable flow of people in and out, many of them taking a lawn sign with them.

Clearly, the Mayor’s re-election campaign was in gear. The need to even have a campaign sort of snuck up on His Worship when Peter Rusin jumped into the race at close to the last minute. The Mayor didn’t even have a campaign office at that point.

Is Mayor Goldring checking out a possible council member? He did say he likes the guy.

One of the people that dropped in was Jivan Sanghera, one of the nine people running against incumbent Blair Lancaster. Sanghera did very well in the ward six council candidates debate sponsored by the Gazette.
Vanessa Warren, another ward six candidate is reported to have said to Sanghera that if she had known he was going to run she may not have gotten into the race herself. Warren was adamant about there being a candidate to run against Blair Lancaster and in the earlier stages of this campaign there weren’t a lot of people wanting to be on the ballot.

The South East Asian community was nowhere to be seen until sometime in September when four people from that community popped out of the woodwork.

Sanghera is finding it difficult to become the “front runner” with four South East Asians in the race. There are tribal and family loyalties that have to be dealt with. This is a tight knit community with all the problems and foibles that can produce. Smear campaign abound – there is some pretty nasty stuff coming out of one campaign and another that seems to feel she can put up signs wherever she pleases.
Sanghera who is Indian culturally was raised in Canada and has prospered. He chose to get into politics despite the comments from his father, who is reported to have asked his son why he would choose to try and become a member of council. Sanghera, who is in the mortgage business, will tell you without as much as a blink of an eye that he loves his city and wants to serve.

The job you have said his father is equivalent to doctor money – why would you want to take such a huge pay cut? Same reply – this is something I want to do.

So – off Sanghera went to meet the Mayor – thinking that this is the man I might be working with. Here is how Sanghera explains his “Moment with the Mayor”.

Having had the pleasure of attending Rick Goldring’s open house I was amazed to walk through the door to him saying “Jivan” with an out stretched hand.

By having spoken to him I gleaned one thing. This man really cares about Burlington. We spoke of how long he has been serving the city in one capacity or another. Whether via his previous work in Financial Planning, the Chamber of Commerce, or through Council.

The advice he gave me was quite simple. Serve for the right reasons and everything else will fall into place. I believe that he works to make Burlington a better place. I may not agree with all of his decisions to date but i know that he must have believed it was the best move for the city. The fact that he is very much a proponent of the new style of performance based budgeting is a point that we definitely agree on. He also agreed that Councillors represent all of Burlington not just one section and its interests.
It may or may not be my time to take a seat in the council chamber. But one thing is for sure Mayor Goldring is a guy I’d be happy to work with.”

Jivan Sanghera left Mayor Goldring’s open house with a Goldring lawn sign which he added to the one he uses to win the ward six seat. Can Sanghera ride the Mayor’s coat tails into office?

Jivan Sanghera left the campaign office with a sign tucked under his arm which he planted on his lawn when he got home. Goldring has the votes from that household.

By Staff

October 4, 2014

BURLINGTON, ON.

Police are seeking help from the public to locate 50 year old Janis OZOLLAPA who was last at his work place on Weeping Willow Drive in Oakville on September 30, 2014 at 2:00 p.m.

OZOLLAPA left in his vehicle, a 2002 black Chevrolet Avalanche with a personalized Ontario licence plate “OZOLLAPA”. He has not made contact with his family or friends and police are concerned for his well-being.

OZOLLAPA is described as male/white, 6’0”, 170 lbs, medium build, grey eyes, bald, goatee and speaks with a heavy Latvian accent. He was wearing a t-shirt, blue jeans, brown Crocs and had a black laptop briefcase.

Anyone with information that would assist in locating Janis OZOLLAPA and/or his vehicle are urged to contact the on-duty Burlington Staff Sergeant at 905-825-4747 Ext. 2310.

By Susan Lewis

October 2, 2014

BURLINGTON, ON.

There is trouble in paradise – Burlington Transit staff received more than 300 complaints within the first month or two after the drastic changes to the bus routes last November 3rd.

It would be fair to say that since then, there have been a few hundred more calls and e-mails to staff regarding these changes. People want the base network, that took almost 40 years to establish, to be restored.

Transit transfer point in the downtown core.

Before the new base system was implemented, it appears there was no analysis done by any outside consultants nor was there any input asked for from the public or from the bus users.
Obviously, the new base network is not working. City Staff reported that since November, there has been an overall decrease in ridership of 100,000 passengers in the first six months of the new schedule (from 1.7m riders to 1.6m).

The loss of 100,000 passengers equals a loss of approximately $300,000.00 in bus fares to the City’s coffers and it also means the addition of 100,000 more car trips adding to our traffic congestion.

The response to these complaints from our City Councillors has been disappointing. One example: Mayor Goldring saying, “… we have to give people, who may have been inconvenienced somewhat, (time) to get used to the new changes. Hear the man for yourself:  Scroll through the web cast to 01:07:02 +/-

Some people completely lost the service they had depended on for years. Some we know of bought their house because of the proximity of transit. To refer to their plight as being “inconvenienced somewhat” and to be told they would get used a lower quality of life in time is insulting and heartless.

The City is planning to add two new Community Buses and the addition of 13,000 hours of additional service on several routes. The changes would cost $1.2m in annual operating expenses and $1.3m for capital. This was proposed during the June 30 Community and Corporate Services Committee meeting, agenda Item #5, Transit Report Card. 

Community buses are cheaper to operate – but Burlington Transit hasn’t got the bugs in scheduling worked out yet,

The purpose of a Community Bus is to improve accessibility for people who have mobility limitations, but whose limitations are not severe enough to allow them to qualify for Handi-Van. They’re also intended to reduce demand from more expensive Handi-Van door-to-door services by providing an alternative, more spontaneous travel option.

The existing Community Connection Bus will have service increased from 2 days a week to 5 days. The new hours will be from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. The problem with this bus is that it only goes in one direction. If you were at the Seniors Centre and wanted to visit the hospital, you would have to go to Tansley Woods first to get there.

After being in use for less than a year, the City will make a major change to the Route 300. Instead of going across Upper Middle to Brant, it will turn south at Walkers Line and Upper Middle. When routes are changing every few months, a person cannot count on the bus and must therefore find another way of getting around. Your bus could be here today and gone tomorrow.

The City is planning to add two more Community Connection buses to run 5 days a week from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and they will service the South East and South West end of Burlington. All three routes will connect at the Burlington Seniors Centre downtown.

Handi-vans are expensive to operate and difficult to schedule. Repairing roads is cheaper?

We do need to address the needs of our seniors living in retirement communities. A lot of the areas covered by the Community Buses were serviced by the Handi-Van and by the Taxi Scrip program. We ended the Taxi Scrip Service two years ago, it was costing the City $27,000 per year. Many Community Groups have requested that the City bring back the Taxi Scrip program, to no avail.

With the heavy investment in two new Community Buses, it appears that the City is trying to build a brand new system from scratch. The ridership on the current Community Bus has been dismal. To put so much money into this new system proves that the idea of “build it and they will come” doesn’t always work.

During this current City Council’s reign, so many people lives have been affected in a negative way. They had a reliable service and suddenly they didn’t or worse yet, they completely lost a service they had depended on for years and they lost it with very little notice. People often buy their houses based on where the bus service is. The location of the bus routes is important to a community and it’s an important detail in Real Estate ads. Real Estate Agents often advertise “Walk Score” of a City or a neighbourhood.

The downtown core was going to be defined as a mobility hub – city talked about closing the transit depot at the same time.

“Walkable neighborhoods with access to public transit, better commutes, and proximity to the people and places you love are the key to a happier, healthier and more sustainable lifestyle.” Burlington has Walk Score of 54 out of 100. (A score of 25 – 49 is a car dependent city.)

I’ve often heard it said, it’s easier and less expensive to keep a customer than to find a new customer. To quote a former Burlington Councillor, this is a city where you need to “get a car or get out of town.”

How is Burlington going to explain the loss of approximately $300,000.00 in bus fares and the addition of 100,000 more car trips adding to our traffic congestion? It’s not about buses, it’s about people.

So far, the City isn’t listening to the hundreds of complaints from the people of this city.

By Pepper Parr

October 2, 2014

BURLINGTON, ON.

Word is that there are some professional pollsters taking the temperature of the voters in Burlington.

We weren`t one of the people called but a number of city hall staff were on the list of those automatic calls – sometimes referred to as Robo-calls – where you are asked a question and told to press a specific key on your telephone

City Clerk Angela Morgan  oversees  the municipal election. She signs the document that makes the winners official.

City hall became concerned that people would think it was the city doing the polling – Not us said the city Clerk. “In the City Clerk’s office, our goal is to run a fair and open election” said Angela Morgan, city clerk, and election lead for the city. “We would never ask voters to identify who they are supporting in the upcoming election.”

Some Burlington residents, including several city employees, have received a telephone call asking who they are voting for and asking them to identify issues.

Someone out there has money to spend – we might be able to identify who they are when the financial returns are filed.

One need only think about who could be in trouble and would want to test the waters. It isn`t in ward one or ward two – that`s for certain.

Care to guess who might be doing the polling?

By Staff

October 1, 2014

BURLINGTON, ON.

Police have located the missing 74-year-old Brian MANN of Burlington.  Brian was located in good health shortly after 6:30 a.m. by a member of the general public.

The Halton Regional Police Service would like the public to assist in locating a missing 74 year-old male, Brian MANN.

On Wednesday, October 1st, 2014, shortly before 3:00 a.m., police were notified that this male had left his residence on Itabashi Way, in the City of Burlington. He was last seen in the area of Atchison Drive at 2:00 a.m. There is concern for his well being.

He is described as male white, 5 feet 11 inches tall, with a medium build and a bald head. He was wearing a dark green zip up pull over sweater, blue jeans and white runners.

Anyone with information is urged to contact the on-duty Staff Sergeant, in Burlington, at 9905) 825 4747 ext., 2310, or Crime Stoppers, at 1-800-22-TIPS (8477). Also, via the web, at www.haltoncrimestoppers.com, or by texting ‘Tips201’ with your message to 274637 (crimes).

By Pepper Parr

September 30, 2014

BURLINGTON, ON.

It turned out to be the last council meeting for the lot we elected in 2010 – they did not go out with much in way of glory or respect; they sort of slinked off into the night like people who wear masks and do things they shouldn’t be doing. .

In Burlington the usual process is for Council to meet as a Standing Committee – we have two of them – where Staff Reports are presented and matters debated. Monday evening the Development and Infrastructure Committee met. There was a very good debate and discussion related to the small development on Lakeshore Road where a large bungalow is to be replaced by four custom built homes.
The issue was what this development would have on the character of the community. The Gazette will report on this development later this week.

The discussion ran longer than expected. Burlington’s council has a procedural rule that has things ending at 10:30 pm unless there is a motion to extend for an additional half hour. After that the lights go out.

Anne and Dave Marsden delegating at a city council meeting she thought should not have taken place.

It was with some surprise that media learned there was to be a Special Council meeting immediately after the Standing Committee. This type of thing has been done in the past – usually because there is a pressing matter and the usual 10 day wait time between Standing Committee and Council meetings is waived.

There was nothing pressing about any of the matters covered at the Standing Committee meeting last night – so why the rush?

It turned out that this “Special” Council meeting would be the last for this term of office before the election.

It could have and should have been an occasion when Council members could have paused and reflected on what they had achieved. It has been an interesting four year term. There was quite a bit to be proud of and some hard lessons learned – but instead Council pulled what could be seen as a fast one and held a Council meeting at which they passed matters that had been discussed and debated a mere two and a half hours earlier.

There was no opportunity for the public to inform themselves on what had taken place at the Standing Committee and appear before council to delegate if they wished.

Anne Marsden, a resident who delegates all too frequently and who has been denied the right to delegate at the Region because she tends to go off on tangents, did serve her city well when she scribbled out a note to the Clerk asking to delegate at this hastily called Special Council meeting.

Marsden is also a candidate for the Office of Mayor and you can bet the house on her haranguing on this issue at every debate during the next four weeks.

Mayor Goldring takes the chair when Council is in session and he advised Ms Marsden that she had five minutes to speak. This observer has seldom seen the Mayor as short and curt with a member of the public.

Anne Marsden – candidate for the Office of Mayor.

Anne Marsden spoke, the Mayor asked Council if there were any questions, there were none and Ms Marsden moved on to her second five minute delegation during which she castigated council for the way it was behaving. And she was not wrong.

There was not a word from the two “liberals” on this council about the shoddy treatment the democratic process had been given. Neither John Taylor nor Marianne Meed Ward said a word.

There are good reasons for creating a period of time between the Standing Committee meetings and the Council meetings where the decisions are made and the bylaws passed. That time gives the public a chance to look at what the “rascals” have done and delegate to Council if there are concerns.

Marsden was making a fundamental point.  The wait period between the Standing Committee and the Council meeting is the only opportunity the public has to be informed and aware of what their elected representatives are doing – “it is a safeguard that belongs to the public” said Marsden.  She added that she believed “this council is out of control”.

While some might see it as a stretch – conducting business this way is the thin edge of corrupt practices. Those who are comfortable bending the rules (and we have a couple of those on this Council ) use opportunities like this to let something slip by out of the bright lights of public review.

Council meetings are broadcast on the Cogeco cable TV network. With the Council meeting held so quickly was there an opportunity for Cogeco to know and arrange for the broadcast?
And – finally, who made the decision to re-schedule the Council decision, why was it re-scheduled and how was the public informed about the change?

The meeting was the last before the public casts their ballots on October 27th – based on the Monday night performance there is little reason to return any of them. Go on line and watch the web cast –  see how your Mayor treated a delegation. His appearance is at the very end of the broadcast.

You have a right to expect better than that.