 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON October 30, 2012 We made it through the storm of the century. Our friends to the south took huge hits but while Burlington had the reported highest win speed – 97 KMH – there was no serious damage and no one was hurt. General Manager Scott Stewart reports that: We had about 21 fair size tree and limb damage over the evening hours, the crews worked through the evening and morning hours cleaning up debris and opening roads where necessary.
The majority of the calls were from areas south of the QEW.
 The hollowed trunk of an old willow brought down by the storm of the century. The wonder was what kept the tree up at all – and what about the other willow a few feet away? Some minor flooding continued on roads due to leaves plugging up catch basin’s, staff managed to continue to keep the catch basin’s clear, we appreciated the help from residents who did this on their streets.
 City work crews moved quickly to clean up the more than 20 trees that came down during the storm. The rains diminished in intensity throughout the early morning.
There was some damage to signal lights and street lights due to the wind. Signal staff were in overnight to deal with the problems. Clean-up will continue today.
Construction work on the pier was limited – there was no visible damage to that construction site as a result of the high winds.
 The top floor of the east side of the Riviera is gone and the rest of the structure will be down before the end of the week. How many stories disappear with the close to iconic Burlington motel? But a couple of hundred yards to the east, a local, not quite iconic Burlington structure began to meet its end as construction equipment tore at the walls and brought the building down. The stories those rooms could tell if they had the chance. Lanmar Demolition expects to need three weeks to bring the building down and then clean up the site to make it ready for construction crews that will begin work on the first of the three structures approved for the site.
Approved for the site back in 1985 are two seven storey structures and a 22 storey building. Construction on an eight story Delta Hotel will begin early in the New Year. The developers are asking the city’s Committee of Adjustment for an eight floor that will house administrative offices.
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON October 30th, 2012 More changes on the staffing side at city hall. The search for a third general manager doesn`t appear to be going all that well. Could the city manager do the job with just the two general managers? Can Kim Phillips who handles the corporate and administrative side of things and Scott Stewart doing the heavy lifting on the operational side keep the good ship Burlington on an even keel?
 Alan Magi, foreground in blue shirt, listens intently during the development of the Strategic Plan last year. Magi wasn’t able to get people to listen during the recent governance review of that Strategic Plan; partly because he didn’t have much to say. City Manager Jeff Fielding explained to a city council workshop that he was stretched pretty thin on the senior staff side and has a couple of people who aren’t pulling their weight.
Alan Magi certainly didn’t cover himself with glory when he lead council and staff through a governance review and a closer look at the strategic plan now that we are well into our first year with that document.
While Kyle Benham isn’t a city “employee” he too is getting a stern second look by both his board and city council. There are those who think that board is far too large to be effective and many wonder if it can do an effective performance review of their Executive Director.
The mess with the IKEA plans to move from their Aldershot location on Plains Road to a site on the North Service Road just west of Walkers Line threatens the efforts on the part of the city to retain IKEA as a corporate client.
 Kyle Benham, Executive Director, Burlington Economic Development Corporation – will he make it past the performance review? The Economic Development Corporation hasn’t been bringing forward very much in the way of new business to the city. Other than running full page advertisements in the business press telling the commercial world that we are the second best place to live in the country there isn’t much to see for what is being spent on that department. Those who are betting people won’t even need odds to get a return on their money if they bet on major changes over at the Burlington Economic Development Corporation.
There are some really smart people at city hall who think the whole thing should be blown up and re-created as a much smaller board; say seven members rather than the 20 people who populate that board now.
Economic development is far too important a matter to play around with. The Molinaro project next to the GO station is going to result in 1000 housing units; the ADI project on Guelph Line is going to result in 70+ units; the project being worked up for Ghent Street is looking for more than 50 units. Many of the people that move into that housing might want to work in Burlington – but there have to be jobs for them. The city also needs the tax revenue from the ICI (Industrial, Corporate, Institutional) portion of the property base.
Tax revenue from ICI for 2012 looks like it will be less than it was during 2011 – not a good sign and one that is giving the city manager and the treasurer heart burn.
Frank McKeown advised the mayor a few months ago that he wanted to move on from his role as Chief of Staff. Many wonder if Rick Goldring is ready to fly on his own and if Jackie Isada, who is moving from the sinking ship over at economic development and into the Mayor’s office, will be able to fully replace
McKeown. Many think that is a stretch.
 Frank McKeown, on the left talks with Ward 5 Councillor Paul Sharman during the Strategic Plan sessions. McKeough leaves the Mayor’s office at the end of the year – is there a future for him elsewhere at city hall? Many hope so – the talent is needed. Frank on the other hand still talks about a political role in his future and is on record as saying that if there were a seat open he might go for it. The rumour is that he kind of likes the look of Ward 4 – is Jack Dennison ready to throw the towel in over there?
McKeown doesn’t have to work but his administrative and analytical skills are both in demand and badly needed at city hall. Expect to see him staying on after he finishes the transition out of the Mayor’s office and in some senior role where he would work very closely with the city manager.
City Manager Jeff Fielding is doing everything he can to upgrade the skill sets and the competencies of his staff and will have everyone from Supervisor level up taking courses created for the city by people at the DeGroote campus of Master University on the South Service Road.
 By Staff
BURLINGTON, ON October 29, 2012 It’s going to get a little on the windy side out there this evening and may last through to sometime Wednesday.
Everyone is watching the weather forecasts and hopefully checking to make sure they are as prepared as they can be.
 No one is expecting this level of damage but if the ground is thoroughly soaked – big trees can be brought down by strong winds – and there are going to be very strong winds for the next few days. The city of Burlington has set up an Emergency Number to report damaged or uprooted trees or significant debris on the road, 905-333-6166.
Mayor Goldring advises that: “We have extra staff on duty to respond to the needs of our citizens, so if you do find yourself making an emergency call, please be patient and know that staff will be there as soon as possible.”
The Region of Halton advises that the strongest winds and most of the rain will occur tonight and into early Tuesday.
“As with any severe weather event, it is important to take steps to be prepared,” said Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr. “I encourage residents to stay informed by checking Halton’s emergency preparedness website, halton.ca/beprepared, following @BPreparedHalton on Twitter or dialing 311.”
Residents are advised to secure household items that might be blown around or torn loose such as garbage cans and lawn furniture. Place waste collection materials out securely on the morning of your collection day by 7 a.m., not the night before. To help prevent litter and debris, do not overfill bins. If wind is significant, please consider holding on to your Blue Box and Green cart materials until your next collection day. Follow Waste Management on Twitter @HaltonRecycles for updated collection information.
Situations like this can be confusing when it comes to figuring out who to call with a problem.
Surface flooding such as storm sewer catch basins – call the city.
Backup of water and/or sewage in your home, contact Halton Region by dialing 311.
 By Staff
BURLINGTON, ON October 29, 2012 With the impact of Hurricane Sandy already beginning to make itself felt the city has begun to staff up to respond to what looks like a very nasty situation.
Storm sewer catch basins are the prime focus for the early part of the storm that may last through to Thursday of this week.
Once the hard part of the weather has passed, the focus will shift to emergency response work where they have to deal with fallen trees, blocked roads and downed hydro lines.
 Avoid this – by cleaning the catch basins outside your home – and if there are seniors on your street – do theirs as well. To help prevent flooding on street level, the city encourages residents to pitch in by clearing nearby street catch basins of leaves and debris. At the same time, the city reminds residents that creek catch basins and culverts are dangerous during storms, and residents are reminded to keep a safe distance from open water.
 This is what we need to avoid. If you clear the catch basin a couple of times the next few days we can avoid problems like this. “These are exceptional circumstances,” said Scott Stewart, general manager of development and infrastructure. “The wind has blown most of our leaves off at once, and the rain is driving them towards catch basins. We’re clearing the grates as quickly as we can, but it would make a huge difference if folks took the time to make sure the sewer grates on their streets are free of debris and flowing smoothly. We’re in this together.”
Roads and parks maintenance department staff will be working through the evening and overnight to monitor conditions and address situations as they arise
The fire department is scheduling extra firefighters and 9-1-1 emergency communications staff to address an anticipated spike in emergency incidents.
The city will update its website, www.burlington.ca, as further information becomes available.
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON October 28, 2012 It sometimes takes a while for the rewards and the recognition to come in. On November 18th, Cam Jackson will be recognized for his 35 years of public service to the city, when the walkway between the public parking garage and the Performance Arts Centre is named – the Cam Jackson Accessibility Walkway.
The initiative for the event came from Mayor Goldring but the event is not being run out of the Mayor’s office. Rick Goldring said he felt it was time to recognize Jackson’s 35 years of community service and was in touch with a group of loyal Jackson supporters.
The invitations are coming from members of that circle. It is not a dinner but rather a reception taking place at the Performing Arts Centre. There is no ticket price.
There is no explanation for the timing of the event other than it was something the Mayor felt should be done. Burlington doesn’t have a tradition of current Mayor’s choosing to recognize a past Mayor.
 Roly Bird Park is located almost across the road from Costco. Former MPP George Kerr was never recognized by the city. The only time the city formally recognized a former Mayor was when a park was named after Mayor Roly Bird.
 The Roly Bird park is substantial in size; much bigger than it would appear to be from the road if you are driving by. Goldring and Jackson have not had a cozy relationship. Jackson told Goldring the unfinished Burlington pier should just be torn down. Goldring ignored the advice and has trudged forward dealing with just as many problems as Jackson had in his day.
The reception being held to recognize Jackson’s 35 years of service appears to be a private event. If you got an invitation it was not from the City or the Performing Arts Centre. You sent your RSVP to an email address: tribute2camjackson@gmail.com or you called 905-681-7884 which is a phone registered to a private residence. The envelope in which the invitation was mailed has a return address of 125 Birett Drive.
Jackson was born in Hamilton, Ontario. His mother was Ukrainian Canadian. He was educated at McMaster University, although he left before graduating to take a job with the Ontario Conservative Party. Before entering politics, he was the Chief Executive Officer of the Metropolitan Hamilton Real Estate Board, and also worked for the Halton Housing Authority from 1975 to 1980. In 1996, he was named “Officer Brother of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem” by Canada’s Governor-General. He also served as a trustee on the Halton Public School Board for ten years.
Jackson was elected for the riding of Burlington South in the provincial election of 1985, defeating Liberal candidate Doug Redfearn by about 4,500 votes. He was a backbench supporter of the government of Frank Miller, which was defeated in the legislature shortly after the election. In late 1985, Jackson supported Alan Pope’s unsuccessful bid to replace Miller as party leader.
Jackson was nearly defeated in the provincial election of 1987, defeating Liberal Bill Priestner by 605 votes. He won by a much greater margin in the 1990 election. The Tories finished in third place in both instances, behind the Liberals and the New Democratic Party.
The Progressive Conservatives returned to power in the 1995 provincial election, and Jackson was re-elected in Burlington South with over 70% of the popular vote. He was made a Minister without Portfolio in the government of Mike Harris on June 26, 1995, with responsibility for the Workers Compensation Board. After a shuffle on August 16, 1996, he was given ministerial responsibility for Seniors. He was given a full portfolio on July 27, 1998, being made Ontario Minister of Long-Term Care and Seniors. Jackson was easily re-elected in the 1999 provincial election for the redistributed riding of Burlington.
On June 17, 1999, he was named Minister of Tourism. He was named Minister of Citizenship with responsibility for Seniors on February 8, 2001, but returned to the Tourism portfolio (now retitled Tourism and Recreation) when Ernie Eves succeeded Mike Harris as Premier on April 15, 2002. He was forced to resign on October 2, 2002 due to a controversy over his practice of billing the government for meals and hotel stays. Jackson did not appear in public for weeks and there was speculation that he would not run for re-election. Jackson was fully exonerated of all allegations before the next election, and did retain his riding in the 2003 election (albeit with a greatly reduced majority) while dozens of other Tory MPPs lost their seats.
There had been speculation that Jackson would run to succeed Eves in the 2004 Ontario Progressive Conservative leadership election but in July, Jackson endorsed John Tory’s candidacy for the position of party leader.
In 2006 Jackson decided to run for Mayor of Burlington and took the top spot on the ballot when he eased ahead of local lawyer Rick Burgess and one time Ward 2 council member Joan Lougheed to take 34.9% of the votes.
 Cam Jackson: Election night 2010 His term of office was not a successful one and in 2006 Jackson was soundly defeated by current Mayor Rick Goldring.
During his term Jackson struggled to manage the construction of a pier at the foot of Brant Street that seemed plagued with problems that were beyond the skill set of the city’s engineering department at that time. Jackson had to manage problem after problem on a project he didn’t initiate. That pier is still not completed two years into the mandate of the council that followed Jackson.
A report Jackson commissioned on the nature of the role between his council and the citizens, the Shape Burlington report, had a significant impact on the way citizens saw their city. That report brought about a number of changes at city hall that included a more focused response on customer service and an attempt to create a “charter” that would engage citizens more deeply in the affairs of the city.
The Shape report was written by the late John Boich and former Mayor Walter Mulkewich. Boich ran Jackson’s attempt to be re-elected Mayor of the city.
There was a suggestion that Jackson would run for the leadership of the provincial progressive conservatives. There will be more suggestions on what Cam Jackson is going to do next. He has been a political force in the city since his days as a student at Nelson High School where he was politically active.
 It doesn’t appear to be much of a structure and it gets used for the most part by those who choose to leave their cars in the Locust Street parking lot while attending an event at the Performing Arts Centre. Former Mayor Cam Jackson did the work that raised the funds to pay for the structure He has had some difficulty adjusting to life in the private sector; the name Cam Jackson and the word politics are joined at the hip.
In the world of politics a week can be a lifetime – it would be a mistake to think that Jackson’s nine lives have all been used.
The chattering political class will watch with some interest on who attends the reception on November the 18th and who doesn’t. Who gets invited and who doesn’t.
Will the guests all assemble in the Locust Street parking garage and troop across the newly named Cam Jackson Accessibility Walkway led by the Burlington Teen Tour Band or will people quietly assemble in the Family Room of the Performing Arts Centre and recognize a citizen who, in his own unique way, continues to serve.
 By Staff
BURLINGTON, ON October 26, 2012 A 52 year old Hamilton woman was killed in a car collision on South Service Road at Harvester Road at around 5:15 Thursday evening.
Earlier in the day the United Way had held a rousingly successful fund raising event when three Food Trucks were feeding line-ups that got to more than 200 people.
The very serious two car collision involved a black Buick Rendezvous that was westbound on Harvester Road when it collided with a silver Pontiac Grand Am that was attempting to turn from the eastbound lanes of Harvester onto northbound South Service Road. The Buick broadsided the Pontiac.
A passenger in the Pontiac, a 52 year old Hamilton woman, was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the Pontiac, and a 41 year old female and another passenger; a 23 year old male, both of Hamilton, were taken to Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Two passengers in the Buick, a 22 year old male and a 20 year old male (both from Burlington) were taken to Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The driver of the Buick, a 21 year old Burlington male, was not injured and was arrested at the scene of the accident
The decedent had to be extricated from the wreckage by firefighters.
Several witnesses have come forward and provided statements to police.
Due to the fatality, members of the Collision Reconstruction Unit (C.R.U.) attended the scene and took carriage of the investigation. Reconstructionists spent over six hours at the location collecting evidence and measuring the scene.
Police will not be releasing the names of the decedent or the injured persons.
Charged with Impaired Operation Causing Death, Dangerous Operation Causing Death and two counts of Failing to Comply with Probation is Kyrie McKay, 21 of Burlington.
McKay will be held for a Bail Hearing scheduled for Friday October 26th at the Milton Courthouse.
This was the 9th traffic fatality to be investigated in Halton Region for 2012; the second in the City of Burlington.
 By Staff
BURLINGTON, ON October 26, 2012 The Halton Regional Police Service Guns & Gangs Unit conducted a three week long investigation after receiving information from uniform patrol about alleged heroin trafficking in the City of Burlington.
On October 25th, 2012 investigators concluded their investigation after the arrest of male seen leaving a residence and found in possession of heroin. A short time later the alleged trafficker was arrested in Burlington and found in possession of several packages of heroin and cash.
The police raided a residence at 2050 Upper Middle Road, (they had a search warrant) in Burlington. Investigators seized a small quantity of marihuana, a small marihuana grow operation and a variety of prescription pills. The estimated street value of the drugs seized is $ 3000. Two replica pellet pistols were also seized for further investigation.
This is small potatoes – hopefully during the three week investigation the police got a look at the food chain and now know who is supplying the drugs.
Charged are:
Eric MORRISON 20 years of age from Dundas, with Possession of a Controlled Substance-Heroin. Released for court.
Nathanial KING 22 years of age from Burlington, with Trafficking in a Controlled Substance-Heroin and Possession for the Purpose – Heroin. Held for Bail.
Ken INGRAM 44 years of age from Burlington, with Production of a Controlled Substance- Marihuana, Possession of a Controlled Substance – 2 counts. Released for court.
Investigators remind the public to utilize Crime Stoppers to report on any illegal drug, gang, or gun, activity 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS)\
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON October 25, 2012 Turns out the Minister of Transportation doesn’t like the idea of a highway through the Escarpment either but he isn’t sure what the next step should be.
He has the document on his desk – he doesn’t like what’s in it but he isn’t going to release the document until sometime in the first quarter of 2013. Given that the government isn’t sitting right now – there isn’t much anyone can say to the Minister in the Legislature.
The Liberal Party will have a new leader at the end of January and our Escarpment isn’t going to be at the top of that leaders agenda unless the Burlington provincial Liberal Association makes a big stink during the leadership race.
 Regional chair Gary Carr on the left with Mayor Rick Goldring of Burlington beside him – drove to Queen’s Park Thursday morning and heard the Minister of Transportation say he was not happy with the recommendations coming from some of his staff. However, the public will not get to see just what those recommendations are until sometime early in 2013. All we can do now is wait it out – knowing that they won’t be doing all that much until there is a decision by the Minister who will take it to Cabinet and they will decide. We are looking at some time in the fall of 2013 – by which time the pier will be open – or so they say.
Burlington Mayor Rick Goldring and Regional Chair Gary Carr met with Bob Chiarelli this morning and spent 40 minutes reviewing the recommendations. The Minister is not happy and he looks to the Region and the city of Burlington for some input, comment and feedback – and he apparently doesn’t want to hear more “we don’t want the highway here” – he wants to hear what people think about just how we are going to handle all the traffic that is going to be generated with the population growth the province faces.
Mayor Goldring felt Chiarelli was upset with what he had before him and had apparently engaged in a vigorous debate with the engineers and planners who prepared the document.
 Minister of Transportation Bob Chiarelli doesn’t want a highway busting across the Escarpment and is said to be unhappy with the recommendations his planners and engineers have given him. That’s good news – but we need better news. “He (Chiarelli) is basically a very decent guy and he doesn’t want to see a highway going through the Escarpment nor through part of the Green Belt either – but he doesn’t have any solutions at this point.” And so he wants feed back.
The Stop Escarpment Highway Coalition (SEHC) know what they want and that is an end to the Phase 2 part of the study. Goldring was not able to say if the Minister was prepared to say that there would not be a Phase 2 section to the current Environmental Assessment. All he appeared to want to say was that he wasn’t happy with the recommendations he was getting.
So the demonstrations and the protests are working.
Geoff Brock, SEHC spokesperson has concerns with the mandate the EA people were given in the first place. “They are highway people, they build roads – it was unrealistic to expect them to even suggest transit.
Brock points out that the transit portion of the traffic along the routes being discussed is now 6% and they see that possibly going to 12%. Brock wants them to determine what I would take to get that number up to 20% or higher.
Brock feels the transit people need to get away from the “hub and spoke” system we have now where everything goes to Union Station.
The solution of course is the electrification of the Lakeshore West GO line. By electrifying the service we would see a train every five minutes. Metrolinx has a plan to electrify the line – it will cost $10 billion and the funding hasn’t been made available to them.
 These 600 people did not want a highway through the Escarpment – and the Minister of Transportation just might be hearing what we have to say. As for ideas coming from the public, Brock thinks the idea not to go forward is the best one the public has and they’ve done a very good job of getting that message across.
“It would help too” comments Brock “if the terms of reference for the EA were changed to include a serious look at rail”.
Pete Zuzek, SEHC spokesperson, said at the community meeting on Tuesday that this situation needed an independent peer level review. SEHC might offer to do just that for the Ministry – put forward a proposal for some funding and see where that gets them. If the Minister wants outside opinions – help finance them. SEHC would do a much deeper, more comprehensive report – and for a lot less than the province would.
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON October 1, 2012 It was a new Advisory Committee. Formed by a former, Mayor Cam Jackson who felt it could stifle some of the political heat he felt was going to be created during an upcoming municipal election from a very unhappy electorate over the delays with the building of a pier on the waterfront.
The project was an initiative that Mayor Rob MacIsaac was heavily involved in. He and Mayor Jackson didn’t exactly get along. The Waterfront Access and Protection Advisory Committee (WAPA) had political baggage before it held its first meeting.
Once formed, the city put out a call for citizens who wanted to serve on the Committee – there were to be two from each Ward with the Council member from Wards 1 and 2 plus the Mayor serving as ex-officio members. No other Advisory committee had this much political representation.
The committee was mandated to review and discuss all and any matters relevant to the creation of a cohesive vision of the future development of Burlington’s waterfront and adjacent waterfront lands.
Formally established in February of 2010, the members of the committee were appointed on May 3rd and met for the first time on May 4th. From May to August the Committee was chaired by Councillor Rick Goldring who was at that time the Councillor for Ward 5. On September 10th, 2010 the Committee elected Nicholas Leblovic as Chair. He was re-elected the following year but “elected” is a bit of a stretch. On both occasions Leblovic’s was the only name put forward. No one else apparently wanted the job.
 Nicholas Leblovic, chair of the Waterfront Advisory Committee, far right, takes part in a Beachway design event. The Beachway was a priority matter for the advisory committee but they ran out of time – the city sunset the committee Leblovic chaired. The task before this committee was daunting. There was no clear plan for the waterfront – one that the citizens understood and bought into – but there was a very real and significant opportunity to shape that part of the city; the committee had to figure out what was possible and take recommendations to city council.
No one on the committee had any experience at anything like this. Chair Leblovic brought an impressive legal background to the job. A graduate of McMaster University, then both the University of Toronto where he earned a law degree and the University of California at Berkeley, where he earned a Master’s degree in law, Leblovic went on to develop a career in which he is a recognized and repeatedly recommended practitioner in Asset/Equipment Financing and Leasing.
Leblovic has participated in various seminars dealing with corporate commercial topics and was an instructor in the Advanced Business Law Workshop, taught to third year law students at the Osgoode Hall Law School of York University.
It was very natural for him to take a seminar approach to figuring out how the committee should tackle its mandate. The group of 12 citizens had to first learn who they were and then decide what their priorities were going to be.
Leblovic brought a tight, disciplined approach to the task while others, who didn’t have the education he has, tended towards some pretty woolly thinking at times.
Everything Leblovic wrote read like a legal brief – that’s what he is – a lawyer. Was it what was needed? After less than two years of operation city council didn’t think so and decided WAPA would cease to exist. Then both the Mayor and Ward 2 Councillor Meed Ward announced they were going to form waterfront committees of their own. According to Meed Ward all the WAPA committee members, except for Leblovic, have said they would serve on the committee Meed Ward was forming. Meed Ward will chair the unofficial committee as a non-voting member.
Leblovic said he felt he had been blindsided by city council when it sunset the committee. It was certainly a shock to him and Council’s decision did show there was a significant disconnect between the city and the advisory committee.
Better committee management on the part of the city would have been useful. Leblovic wasn’t thanked by the city for the work he did and he did a lot of work. He brought to the forefront many of the issues that needed attention. The city just wasn’t listening as well as it might have. The only project that got out of the committee to Council where it was approved heartily, was the idea to turn the Pump House on Lakeshore Road into a coffee house/pub.
An issue that was also important if the lake’s edge is to be seen as something the public has a right to be able to walk along and appreciate, was the excellent work done by the Access sub-committee looking into how many places the public could actually get to the edge of the lake. It was an excellent report that the city has failed to act on effectively. Fighting this battle would have meant stepping on the toes of people who owned lakefront property – not something easily done in Burlington.
Leblovic’s practice was to create sub committees and basically let them get on with the job. The Access sub-committee did excellent yeoman’s work and the report did get to a council committee and on to staff where it got stalled. Leblovic, who has some experience with the municipal political process when he delegated in Burlington on development charge issues and when he delegated on matters related to his cottage in Tiny Township, was nevertheless unable to work with city staff to move this file along. Leblovic was never given the chance to argue for better citizen access to the lake’s edge; Burlington’s delegation process limited the amount of time he had.
Other than the Clerk assigned to an Advisory committee by the city, there is no one at city hall overseeing these committees. Leblovic had no one to go to for help and guidance. In his law firm, one of the top five in the country, Leblovic could walk down a hall and spend some time with a colleague learning what he had to do to move a file forward. He didn’t have that kind of access at city hall.
What also has to be remembered and appreciated is that WAPA met just once a month for half a day. Leblovic still practices law and is in Toronto much of his time. He wasn’t around Burlington during most days and able to drop in on people at city hall or meet for coffee to develop relationships.
Several of the members of the committee knew each other quite well, there was a familiarity between them that Leblovic didn’t share.
As Chair, along with his committee, WAPA decided it needed to get on a learning curve and get more background and a deeper understanding of the issues and their complexity. And the issues were complex. Everyone had ideas, thoughts, hopes and dreams for the waterfront but few were fully informed and they needed to learn as much as they could. Leblovic guided his committee into a learning curve that was steep and extensive. He learned as much, if not more than his committee members. A total of 29 presentations were made to the committee. They ranged from a great discussion with former Toronto Mayor David Crombie who suggested the committee hold a design competition (which the committee followed up on) to a presentation on the Randall reef, one on sewage treatment facilities as well as one on the War of 1812. In hindsight the range of presentations was too broad but don’t fault the chair for that – he was probing and finding his way through a subject that was central to what the city is – in a city that still isn’t sure what it wants to become.
Leblovic wanted his committee to hear from anyone who had something useful to say about the waterfront. City Hall wanted to see recommendations coming forward.
 Leblovic arranged to have former Toronto Mayor David Crombie attend a WAPA committee meeting during which he sold them on the idea of holding a design competition. It was a good idea but the committee was never able to get it off the ground. Mayor Goldring took part in the meeting. He was one of three Council members on the WAPA WAPA did come forward with plans for a design competition. While the ideas were not fully formed when Gary Scobie, spokesperson for the sub-committee, took them to a council committee – he did get enough of a positive response and encouragement from the council committee to take it away and come back with something that was more developed. Unfortunately, the WAPA committee member who was heading up the design competition moved and the committee didn’t have anyone who would pick it up and run with it. Also, they began to realize just how big a task they had taken on and realized as well that they were not up to it. As Scobie put it at the time – “we just lost interest in the idea once Sarah Banks was gone”. It was an opportunity lost. Leblovic was never really keen on the idea, partially because he realized just how much work it would entail and he probably suspected his committee was not going to be able to go the full ten rounds it would take.
While a little brittle on the personality side, Leblovic was very capable of reading his committee members and he knew what he had and didn’t have in the way of talent.
While learning as much as they could the committee had to set some priorities and they settled on:
Old Lakeshore Road /Mayrose Tycon development
Burloak Park usage
Water access and facilities
Brighton Beach.
The committee later revised this and settled on three priorities:
Water Access and Facilities
Burlington Beach/Spencer Smith Park
Old Lakeshore Road area and other shoreline development/acquisition.
Old Lakeshore Road area and the Mayrose-Tycon development. That project is now referred to as the Bridgewater development and some movement on that project, which goes back to 1985 has taken place. Did the WAPA have any impact on the developments? Other than informing the committee through the media WAPA had no impact. WAPA during its short life never issued press releases and never arranged to meet with the public. All their meetings were open to the public. Our Burlington was the only media to cover their meetings.
The language used in the report WAPA made to the Community Development Committee represents the experience and background of the chair who authored all of the reports. There are “hereto’s” and “aforesaids” sprinkled throughout the reports Leblovic wrote.
Leblovic is a lawyer trained to advise clients and advocate their interests often to other lawyers and courts. But communicating effectively to the public and politicians is another skill completely. There appeared to be no clear understanding of how best to communicate what WAPA was doing with a wider public. Neither the public nor city hall seemed to get a clear picture of what was being done. Leblovic could have used some help on the communicating side. City staff eventually gave up on the committee.
What WAPA was doing was an attempt to create a framework within which the development of the Old Lakeshore could take place. Leblovic is not a development lawyer but he understands the principles and knew that his committee needed to know more about who all the players were and what role the city could and could not play in getting something real happening in Old Lakeshore Road part of the city . Leblovic felt this could only happen if there was a disciplined approach to learning who owned what and then think through what might be possible.
 Jeff Martin, centre, was a very passionate advocate on the Pump House. Gary Scobie on the right had hoped the design competition would actually happen – he certainly tried hard enough. Nicholas Leblovic, chair of WAPA is on the left. Pump House: In time the building just might become a place where people can park their bikes and slip in for a sandwich and a glass of wine along with some of that over-priced pastry they all seem to sell. Getting this through the committee and into the hands of a council member who got it approved – was not a simple task. But it got done and it got done while Nicholas Leblovic was chair of the committee.
Public access to the lakes edge. The WAPA sub-committee that undertook this task, under the guidance of the chair brought to light facts few people knew. It was superb work that would not have been done were the WAPA committee not in place.
Nicholas Leblovic didn’t fail in his efforts – he just ran out of time and the city ran out of patience and for that the city has to accept much of the blame and responsibility. Leblovic brought in speaker after speaker. He managed to get former Mayor of Toronto David Crombie to speak and heard some of the best advice the committee would get. Crombie urged the committee to hold a design competition and put some “oddballs” on it and use the “bully pulpit” they have to promote their ideas. That called for a level of communication skills this committee just didn’t have.
Nicholas Leblovic is not a bully pulpit kind of guy. He deals in certainties; no surprises please. He deals in contracts where everything is set out and fully understood. That is not the world of municipal politics.
Do we fault Leblovic for what he wasn’t? We should be celebrating Nicholas Leblovic for what he was, the guy who took on the job, for whatever reason. His city failed to work with him and help him with the areas he wasn’t strong in. Nicholas is not a “superman”. He is just a citizen who wanted to participate in the process and thought he had something to contribute.
Was Our Burlington too hard on Nicholas Leblovic? He certainly thinks we were. Our intention was never to do any harm; we were at the meetings to report and explain what was being done for the citizens of the city. When a reporter writes something about a person that the person doesn’t like – some animosity builds up. The job is to write what you see and not do “fluff” pieces that make a person happy.
We were supporters of WAPA and big fans of the design competition idea. It is unfortunate that the city’s planning department chose not to step forward and provide some of the support needed. Burlington would have been well served had a design competition taken place,
We thought the idea of turning the Pump House on Lakeshore Road into a pub was a great idea and applauded the committee for bringing this one forward.
Getting better public access to the lake’s edge is important and another project one of the WAPA sub committees did great work on. We thought the chair should have continually prodded the city to get moving on this one. That didn’t happen.
The Shape Burlington report said Burlington suffered from an information deficit. Our Burlington has played a significant role in improving what citizens learn about what is being done for them with their money. That is not always a pleasant process.
Was serving his city a pleasant experience for Nicholas Leblovic? Probably not. Does he deserve a strong vote of thanks for taking on the almost impossible task of putting forward ideas and approaches for the creation of a waterfront that serves the city Leblovic has lived in much of his life? Most certainly.
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON October 23, 2012 It was a good crowd. As many, if not more, than the 600 that showed up December 2010 when the Region was advised that the province wanted some arrows placed on the Region’s Official Plan to show where a possible highway through the Escarpment might go.
That was the first anyone had heard about an actual location for any road being built across the Escarpment. There was an arrow placed on a map way back in 2002 that crossed Guelph Line north of Dundas Street and south of No. 1 Side road, bringing a potential highway down a more gentle (and less populated) slope of the escarpment.
 Councillor John Taylor, war horse on Escarpment issues got a round of applause before he said a word at the community meeting, held to voice once again Burlington’s opposition to a highway through any part of the Escarpment. John Taylor, the politician who has been fighting any highway for longer than anyone else, took the standing room only audience back 40 years when the battle we are fighting today began. Twenty years ago it was the 403; in the 90’s it was the 407. That allowed the creation of Alton, a community of 10,000 people. Now they want another road that eats into the Escarpment – and we have to tell them that just is not on.
 Regional Chair Gary Carr, Burlington Mayor Rick Goldring and Councillors Blair Lancaster and John Taylor all spoke to an audience of more than 600 people at the Mainway Recreation centre – on an evening when it rained. When the event at the Mainway Recreational Centre was planned Burlington Mayor Rick Goldring and Regional Chair Gary Carr had an appointment with the Minister of Transportation (MTO) to impress upon him just how opposed both the Region and most particularly Burlington was to any kind of highway going through the Flamborough – Burlington part of the province.
At that time, just over six weeks ago, the government was keeping everyone in the Legislature to fight off any sudden vote that would bring down the minority Liberal government. The meeting kept being put off. Then the Premier resigns and all the rules change.
The Minister of Transportation was supposed to see Carr and Goldring on Monday, but that got pushed back to Thursday. One keeps wondering why these meetings keep getting pushed back.
Assuming Carr and Goldring meet with Bob Chiarelli, Minister of Transportation, they will be able to point to a room that was packed with people, every seat taken and all the walls lined with people standing as well as a couple sitting on the floor at the front of the room.
 There wasn’t a seat to be had in the meeting room. Standing room only. If what people think and feel matters – this was a crowd that politicians have to pay some attention to.
Gary Carr, Regional Chair spoke and then played a 5 minute video that is on the Regional web site.
Burlington Mayor Rick Goldring spoke.
Director of Transportation Services for Burlington, Bruce Zvaniga spoke and laid out the issues from a transportation perspective.
Pete Zuzek, spokesperson for Stop Escarpment Highway Coalition, gave the strongest presentation of the evening.
Burlington’s Ward 6 Councillor Blair Lancaster spoke.
John Taylor, Councillor for Ward 3 rose to speak to a great round of applause and provided some of the history that went back 40 years. This is indeed a long fight.
Ted Chudleigh, provincial PC member for Halton spoke – forcefully one might add with not a word of notes.
Jane McKenna, provincial PC member for Burlington spoke, read from notes and released her correspondence to the Minister of Transportation.
While Tim Hudak, leader of the PC opposition at Queen’s Park is on record as being FOR a highway because he believes the issue is about jobs – both Chudleigh and McKenna were very clear that they were opposed to any highway going through Burlington. Would that opposition still be evident if a vote that could bring down the minority Liberal government was being held.
 They hunched over tables as they signed the petition opposing any kind of road through the Escarpment. Zvaniga set out where the province is in their deliberations. He laid out what had been done, when it was done, why it was done and what the next steps are going to be. Zvaniga had to give the technical overview because the province declined to send anyone to the meeting.
The MOT people have a job to do, part of which is to advise the government on what future transportation needs are likely to be. Part of the problem with this approach was brought to light when former Minister of Transportation, Kathleen Wynne explained to the Mayor of Burlington, during the last provincial election, that transportation engineers and planners don’t know how to think beyond the car and highways. At the time she said the province has one of the best highway building departments in the country – and that was the problem – they don’t know how to think outside that highway box. Which is a point the SEHC people are trying very hard to get across to the public.
There are more people on the roads and there will always be more people on the roads if we keep building roads. I had occasion to be at Pearson airport on Monday to pick up my wife returning from a visit with her Mother in Denmark. The flight was due at 3:00 pm, which I knew meant fighting rush hour traffic. It turned out to be a pretty quick trip – because we were able to use the HOV lane. There were very few cars in that HOV lane, but there were three lanes plugged solid on our right, bumper to bumper, with a single passenger in the car.
 None of these people want to sit in their cars with bumper to bumper traffic on the QEW. But of the 600 people in the room less than ten took the bus to the meeting. Why anyone would sit in that traffic, when they could be in a faster lane was something I couldn’t understand. Of course they needed an additional passenger in their car – why is that so hard to set up. Most of those people are driving to or from work, where there are surely people in their offices who live near them. Why are there not more people going on line to look for a person near them, that can share that drive? There is a smart phone app for people who want a lift (we used to call it hitch hiking) and are prepared to share the cost. It’s all done on line.
It was also pointed out that while rail isn’t being given the consideration it needs, a large part of that is because the federal government is not at the table. This is a provincial matter the government argues, while SEHC argues that it is a social matter and that we need to look at transportation issues at a much higher level and not focus on just what’s going on in Burlington.
SEHC believes people need to understand that we must look at transportation a lot differently and that we are going to have to get out of our cars. They point to global warming, the damage to the environment and the impact of commuting more than an hour to get to work and another hour to get home. Driving our cars is a habit we haven’t managed to break – and like smoking, it may eventually kill us.
Gary Carr finally got around to publicly thanking the people of PERL, Protect Escarpment and Rural Lands, for the hard fight they fought to win the Nelson Aggregate battle in North Burlington where Nelson had applied for a second aggregate mining permit. That application was denied – the first time anyone can remember such an application being turned down. It is perhaps a good omen. Carr, quite rightly, pointed out that were it not for organizations like PERL “we wouldn’t be this far without them”. Hopefully Carr will come through with some form of support for PERL – they are suffering from battle fatigue and they are hurting.
Carr pointed out that the Region has a population of 520,000 now and will have an expected 780,000 by 2031 and those people are going to have some way to get around. “This is a fight” declared Carr “that is going to last for decades. Fundamental changes are going to have to be made in the way we transport ourselves or a new highway will be needed. Somehow we have to get the cars off the road”.
But it is about more than just getting cars off the road; we have an agricultural economy in the Region and west into Flamborough.
Mayor Goldring pointed out again that the city has a 50/50 split between rural and urban settings and that any highway through the Escarpment will be the beginning of the end for the north Burlington we know today.
 The land identified by the red borders was made available for development when the 407 highway was completed. The northern edge of developable land is south of the 407. Prior to 407 the boundary was Dundas – a highway through the Escarpment would move the rural-urban boundary even further north – as high as Lowville? Taylor told of the Alton community that came into being when the 407was put through. The urban rural boundary used to be Dundas but the 407 created a piece of land that became available to developers and today we have a new community of 10,000 people.
GO got a solid mention – if the Lakeshore West line is electrified, that will result in GO trains every five minutes during peak travel times and every 20 minutes during the off peak. THAT kind of scheduling would take a lot of traffic off the QEW.
There were half a dozen speakers but they weren’t all politicians. Pete Zuzek, spokesperson for SEHC, the Stop Escarpment Highway Coalition, a group made up of 14 communities, grass roots level organizations with more than 15,000 members, gave a very clear presentation on what he felt was wrong with the approach the provincial government was taking to deciding if a highway was needed.
The Environmental Assessment is currently in Phase 1 – where they look at 1) Optimizing what we have, making better use of the roads we have; 2) expand the non- roads options; 3) widen the existing roads and 4) if none of those will provide the future means of getting around the MOT thinks we need – then look at new corridors.
One of those corridors would come though Burlington. It would swoop in at around Cedar Springs Road and drop down into that land on the North side of Dundas and joining up with the 407.
Pete Zuzek doesn’t want the province to get as far as that Phase 2. SEHC points out that building such a corridor will do very little for the traffic congestion down on the QEW.
What Pete Zuzek made clear was the immediate objective is to convince the MOT people that Phase 2 isn’t necessary – that there are more than enough sensible, environmentally sound options within the Phase 1 level.
The fear SEHC has is that should the province decide that Phase 2 is the direction to go in – then the planners and the engineers begin drawing lines on maps and thinking about expropriating property and the developers begin to plan for new housing developments. Some of the golf clubs along Walkers and Guelph Line will begin to get offers and before you know it – there goes the neighbourhood.
 Pete Zuzek argued that SEHC – Stop Escarpment Highway Coalition was the only independent set of eyes watching what the government was doing – and they didn’t like what they were seeing. Zuzek said there was no peer review and that the work being done for a project that would cost as much as $5 billion was both flawed and limited. Pete Zuzek wants the province to forget about a possible Phase 2 and he explained why – the work being done on the Phase 1 part is flawed and limited. “There is no independent peer review” explained Zuzek ” yet the want to spend $6 billion without a second set of eyes looking at their recommendations.”
What are the next steps? Keeping informed is the biggest part of it. Our Burlington has been on top of this story since the newest assault on the Escarpment by the provincial government became clear back in 2010. We have covered the creation of the SEHC – we were in the room when the deal between the city of Burlington and SEHC was worked out and when they came up with the SEHC name. Back then Burlington said it would support SEHC as advocates who would be able to say and do things the city couldn’t say and do. While the SEHC and city of Burlington relationship gets strained at times – it does work. At one Public Information Centre more than 1200 people turned out to protest. At that session there was an “open mike” segment that heard some very powerful statements. John Taylor, with his impish grin, advised that “they don’t do open mikes anymore.
Whatever the team doing the Environmental Assessment passes on to the government in the way of recommendations, they have to be put those recommendations before the public. And the EA team has to record every objection as part of their final report.
PERL fought the application for a second mine on the Escarpment for more than seven years – and they won. The fight to keep a highway out of the Escarpment will take far more than seven years. Back in the days when Bill Davis was Premier of Ontario he put a stop to an expressway that was planned to run right into the center of Toronto. Governments can make smart decisions – they just have to be nudged in the right direction. Last night at the arena on Mainway, 600 + Burlingtonians gave a bit more than a nudge.
Janet Turpin Myers on her blog put it the way Garry Carr wanted to put it: – “We need to get loud.”
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON October 22, 2012 They want it to be another biggy; at least 400 people, closer to 800 would be really great. They want you to once more make sure the provincial government, which is currently in hiding, knows that we are not interested in seeing any kind of a highway rammed through any part of the Escarpment.
The Stop Escarpment Highway Coalition will be a large part of the presentation made Tuesday evening. The coalition is an organization that represents 14,000 people in 15 community organizations; true grass roots representation.
Burlington’s escarpment stalwart John Taylor will be there as will every other politician in the city along with the Regional Chair.
 Not through this part of the Escarpment if you don’t mind. Citizens want to make sure the province fully understands how opposed they are to a road through this part of our city. They will talk about an Environmental Assessment report the province has in hand – but we don’t know what the province plans to do with that report nor do we know at this time what the recommendations in the report suggest.
Mayor Goldring and Regional Chair Gary Carr were supposed to meet with the Minister of Transportation Bob Chiarelli and press home the views of the community – but given that the provincial government is in hiding – that meeting may not take place. So we will have a meeting at which the public is expected to shout its support but no provincial government decision to discuss nor any of the recommendations the bureaucrats have put in front of the Minister of Transportation.
Why then are we meeting?
What the provincial government decides to do in terms of planning for a highway through the Escarpment is really important to Burlington; but for a government that isn’t going to meet in the Legislature until sometime late in January at the earliest, and in the meantime is fighting for its political life – what has people hot and bothered in Burlington really isn’t going to matter all that much. We are not a squeaky enough wheel to get much grease – or are we?
Burlington’s MP, Jane McKenna will be on hand. This could be an awkward meeting for Ms McKenna; her party doesn’t have that much of a problem with a highway going through the Escarpment. For the PC’s it’s all about jobs and if it takes a highway through a sensitive environment – well that just might be something Burlington has to live with.
It would be great if the Regional chair and the Mayor of Burlington could convince the Minister of Transportation to be at the meeting and make it crystal clear that he understands the issue and he understand our concerns and he will take our views back to Cabinet and do his level best to see that the Burlington we have today is the Burlington we will have twenty years from now. He might politely ask that we make Burlington a Liberal seat to show our appreciation.
 The options that were suggested by the team doing the Environmental Assessment are shown in a light grey. That one in the mid right is too close to our part of the province, Problem is the Minister of Transportation has no idea what the issue is. He will have a report to read and there will be maps with lines all over it and colour graphics to show where a new highway could go and a list of all the options. But the man has not driven up Walkers Line to Derry Road and east to Bell School Line and then zig- zag across to Guelph Line coming out at Side Road #1 and glide down Guelph Line slowly so that he gets a sense of what our city is really all about.
Then take him to dinner at Spencer’s on the Waterfront when the sun is setting and make sure his seat gives him a view of the pier we are building.
No one has ever taken the man to Mount Nemo, where he can gaze out over farm fields and golf courses and see the CN Tower on an average day.
That’s what Burlington is about and those people at Queen’s Park need to know that. It isn’t about a road through a piece of geography to create jobs. It is about the quality of life here in our city.
Councillor John Taylor has plans to bring the Minister of Transportation to the city and let him see what we are talking about. He might also want to include some of the potential Liberal leaders in that invitation to visit the Escarpment. If they get a good look at who we are they might see an opportunity to add Burlington to the list of Liberal members in the Legislature.
On the bright side for the city is the very recent Ontario Municipal Joint Board that found for the city and the people at PERL (Protecting the Escarpment and Rural Lands) when they denied the application for an additional aggregate exaction permit. Long term we can see the end of aggregate mining on the Escarpment. Perhaps that OMB decision is the beginning of a new direction for the province.
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON October 20, 2012 Burlington invited elementary students from across the city to take part in a draw that would have seven of them take part in a Lasting Impressions ceremony at Spencer Smith Park to commemorate the milestones that mark the building of the Brant Street Pier.
Few of those seven young people have any idea as to what they were taking part in on a chilly Saturday afternoon. With the pier still under construction in the background, seven of the 444 people who entered the draw to be participants in the Lasting Impression project sat to have their pictures taken.
 Each of these seven secured a bolt in a plate that will be part of the pier structure. They also had their hand prints taken which will become part of a “Lasting Impression” that will be on permanent public display when the pier is opened, which will be, according to the Mayor, “sometime in 2013” A proud parent sits behind each participant. Once they were introduced each of the seven inserted a large bolt into a metal plate that will be placed on the pier later in the week.
 Brooklyn Humphries, 9, puts her signature on the plate into which she had tightened a bolt that will be used in the construction of the pier. She was one of seven young people who took part in a ceremony that created “Lasting Impressions” While the plate with the seven bolts in it will get covered with concrete, it is still there for eternity, which for this pier is said to be about 75 years.
The city wanted there to be something more public and so they had each of the young people get their hands coated in ink and a hand print made with their signature on the sheet of paper as well.
 Evan Sebok’s Mom gives him some help getting a signature on the sheet of paper with his hand prints on it. The imprints will be digitally manipulated to produce a hand print that will be part of pedestal that will be set out on the pier where the millions that visit the site will get to see it.
The objective is to have each of the children create a print of their hands in a plaster mold that would then be used to create hand prints that would be mounted on a podium when the pier is officially opened.
The city is now at the point where news on the progress on the pier seems to be consistently good but the Mayor has learned not to trap himself into a date and now says that the pier “will be completed sometime in 2013”.
 Craig Stevens, city project manager for the pier and Mayor Goldrin, the man who takes all the political heat for the project delay, met with two of seven young people who placed a bolt in a steel plate that will be used in the construction of the pier. No mention was made of the $15 million + that the city has spent so far on the project nor did the Mayor tell those seven young people that they will be the ones paying for the pier for many years to come.
The city hosted Lasting Impressions, a draw that attracted 444 entries from children aged four to 13. The seven chosen children, youngest to oldest, one from each ward and one to represent the Mayor were: Evan Sebok, 4; Charlie Sibley, 6; Carter Needham, 7; Brooklyn Humphries, 9; Grace Hodgson, 10; Logan Szyiko, 10 and Eva Moreau, 11.
They probably have no idea just where those hand prints are going to go and how many people will see them.
Creating the event was really very creative on the part of the city. And they moved very quickly to revise a good idea that didn’t turn out to be possible into an idea that was very possible.
 Anyone who was at the ceremony could have had their hands inked and made in impression on a large piece of canvas that will be on display in a city building. While the seven hand prints will become a part of the pier there will also be a large canvas that had the hand prints of the members of the public that were watching the ceremony. The canvas will probably get placed somewhere in city hall. The turnout wasn’t very large. There had been some rain earlier in the day – the public doesn’t show up for things like that all that often.
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON October 21, 2012 Burlington could begin to see commemorative plaques all over the place.
Heritage Burlington, the city’s advisory committee on heritage matters, has had a request that it look into a plaque to recognize the people who originally owned the property that is now Sherwood Park.
Rick Wilson, a member of the Heritage Advisory committee has been wanting a plaque in Burlington that tells the story about the Burlington Races, a name used to tell part of the War of 1812 story. Wilson believes there is ample evidence to show that events took place right off the shores of this city in 1813 that were pivotal to the outcome of the War of 1812.
 Rick Wilson, a member of the Heritage Burlington Advisory Committee, points out what he believes is a glaring error on a historical plaque, located in Hamilton overlooking Burlington Bay. Wilson hopes there can eventually be a plaque in Burlington correcting the error. There is a plaque over in Hamilton that Wilson claims is just completely wrong but he hasn’t been able to get that plaque changed. Those plaques we see in parks and other public places are put up by both the federal and provincial governments. The one that Wilson claims is wrong was put up by the province. Wilson claims Jane McKenna, Burlington’s MPP is just “blowing me away” and that Mike Wallace, our MP has tried to get something done but the sign is a provincial jurisdiction and there is nothing he could do. Wallace was able to get Wilson into the Fort York event in Toronto last summer at which the Prince of Wales was the feature attraction. Wilson is eternally grateful; that’s another Wallace forever vote.
Councillor Meed Ward suggested to the advisory committee that they pull together all the documentation they have and send it to the appropriate people within the provincial government; “if you make your case clearly enough you will be heard” was Meed Ward’s advice. Heritage Burlington just might take this one on. Turns out Jim Clemens, chair of the Advisory Committee has a strong contact within the arm of the provincial government that over sees the erection of those plaques all over the province.
Burlington has a very strong waterfront history but we aren’t particularly good at telling our story. That might be part of the difficulty behind all the problems we have with wanting to highlight our local history. One is very hard pressed to find any reference to the canning factory that was once the biggest commercial operation in the city. It was located on the property that now houses the Waterfront Hotel.
We have a Historical Society that does a good job of collecting data on our history; but we don’t do a very good job of getting those stories out of the archives and in front of today’s public.
The city does have a system for listing any property that has even a hint of historical significance and that really upsets many people. A property along Lakeshore Road owned by the Morrison’s was said to have historical significance, which the Morrison’s claim is totally bogus, and they want their house taken off any list the city has.
There are lists, some of them are of little use, but there are other lists that are vital if Burlington is to have any hope of maintaining some of the historical properties.
 The Navy Memorial on the Waterfront is close to the best piece of historical recognition in the city. It is a truly remarkable statue that pays tribute to the merchant marine and naval activity in WW II. This memorial was created by community groups and put up in a city that really doesn’t have a marine or naval tradition. It does however go to show that there is a deep interest in telling our story. Wilson is pointing to a part of Burlington Bay where he believes the Burlington Races probably took place. One of the problems is that in this city the real estate community has convinced the public that any kind of a historical reference to a piece of property lessens the value of the property. In other cities a historical reference adds significant value to a property. There is still a lot of educating to be done in this city. While there is some leadership on this at city council there is none from the real estate community. Their bread and butter comes from the sale of homes – and homes with a demonstrable historical significance are more valuable in many cities – look at Niagara-on-the-Lake if you want an example.
This designating of property for historical purposes has been a very contentious issue in Burlington for some time. It has torn different communities apart and created much ill will between otherwise very decent people.
The Advisory committee has been given the task of changing the approach taken to how we recognize what is and what isn’t historical – it is not going to be an easy task.
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON October 18, 2012 The Halton Regional Police have a problem on their hands. Their mandate is to respond to public calls for help and in this part of the province they do that rather well. We wouldn’t be known as one of the safest place in the country to live without an efficient responsive police force.
But those man and woman in blue don’t have crystal balls – they react to calls from the public.
 Chief of Police Steve Tanner explains that Social Media is not the same as a 911 call The police note that during the past few weeks, there have been a number of public opinion surveys and news articles circulating regarding the use of social media platforms, such as Twitter and Facebook, during an emergency or crisis situation.
“Some of these surveys indicated that a significant portion of the public believes that if they posted a Facebook status or tweeted a need for immediate police assistance, that police would be aware and respond, similar to a 9-1-1 call.
“Social media is an excellent way for police and other emergency services to have a dialogue with the public we serve, and it is a useful platform to exchange a wide variety of public safety information. That said, it should not be used to contact police, fire or ambulance in the event of an immediate emergency or crisis.
“We want to remind the public that the first and only avenue people should use to contact police in the event of a crime in progress, immediate or imminent public safety risk, or other police-related emergency is to call 9-1-1,” said Halton Chief of Police Steve Tanner.
“During an emergency, a lot of critical and confidential information needs to be exchanged, often under duress, and our 9-1-1 Communicators are best equipped to do this, to ensure you get the help you need as quickly as possible,” explained Chief Tanner.
Social media sites are third-party public platforms, and as such, were never designed or intended to be an appropriate substitute for trained 9-1-1 communicators who are available to immediately answer emergency calls 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
As such, the public is reminded that the @HaltonPolice Twitter feed and official Facebook page are not monitored 24/7, nor do police personnel monitor an individual’s personal Twitter or Facebook accounts for emergency notifications.
“We absolutely encourage people to follow us on social media, and engage in a dialogue with us about their police-related questions or concerns – just not in an emergency situation where your safety or someone else’s is at risk,” said Chief Tanner.
If someone is uncertain if a situation warrants a 9-1-1 call, but is still a matter which requires police response they should call the non-emergency police line, which is also staffed 24/7. In Halton, police non-emergency calls can be made to 905-825-4777, 905-878-5511, or 519-853-2111.
The Halton Regional Police Service official Twitter feed can be found at @HaltonPolice and our Facebook page can be found at https://www.facebook.com/HaltonRegionalPoliceService or visit our website at www.haltonpolice.ca
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON October 16, 2012 You know that the Saturday afternoon you go out to rake them up – more of them are going to fall onto your front lawn or your back yard. And even though you raked up all the leaves from the trees on your property – the wind will blow leaves from the tress form your neighbours trees. Such is life in the suburbs where we get to enjoy the fall colours and then we get to exercise our upper bodies raking them up.
Fortunately the city will take them all away – here is the schedule they will follow.
The city has created a bunch of zones. Check the map below, note the dates and follow the rules as to how you put the leaves out – and it will work out just fine.
Monday, Nov 5: Zones 3, 5, 6, 11, 13
Monday, Nov.12 Zones 1, 2, 4, 7, 8
Thursday, Nov. 22: Zones 9, 10, 12, 14, 15, 16, 8B
Thursday, Nov. 29: Zones 3, 5, 7, 11,13
Monday, Dec. 10 : Zones 2, 4, 6, 8, 12
Note: hatched areas ( 1, 8B, 9, 10, 14, 15 & 16 ) receive only one pick-up
 Figure out which zone you are in. Note the dates and get the bags of leaves out on the street in time for the pick up. Your tax dollars at work.  The nice part about the fall season. Everyone of those leaves is going to be on the ground – soon. This is the nice part of the fall season. Raking them up and chasing the squirrels off the lawn and then getting the property ready for the winter – happens every year.
There are, believe it or not, people in Burlington who don’t know about Our Burlington. Do your neighbours a favour and tell them about the web site – the map is useful
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON October 12, 2012 The team is coming together. They’ve met often enough now to know each other reasonably well and the objective is crystal clear. Len Lifhcus, Chief Executive Officer for the combined Burlington/Hamilton United Way operation – with a campaign team in each city, makes the point, if they don’t already get it, when he says “we need an exceptional campaign to reach our target this year”.
 Part of the Burlington United Way Campaign Cabinet – From the left – Brian Ferguson, Kendra, Wendy Derrick, Scott Massey, Richard Rizzo, Robyn. Tim Miron. Interesting conversation going on in the corner. That target for the Burlington portion of the Burlington/Hamilton United Way 2013 total is $2.1 million. Everyone involved knows what they have to do – and they know that the calls have to be made and the energy maintained. All the reliable donours from past years have to be contacted, cheques picked up and thanks given for the support.
It can be a grind but for the 20 odd people who met in the United Way Board room on Harvester Road last week, it was a chance to get caught up and report on what had been done.
It’s a slightly different Campaign Cabinet – there are more younger faces in the room. Many of the people who were there Friday had either made lunches and gotten kids off to school or got a call into their office to get things moving on that side of their lives.
Burlington chair Paddy Torsney is focusing on events that will involve people. She has a number of low cost events in place. Four food trucks will gather in the United Way parking lot on Harvester Road – 3425 Harvester, east of Walkers Line 11-00 am to 2:00 pm. If you work in the area drop by and take in a Food Truck Lunch. If you expect to be driving by – pull in – there is plenty of parking space.
Participating in this event are: Gorilla Cheese,; Caplansky’s; Hank Daddy’s BBQ and The Cupcake Diner
Another date you want to note is October 28th – The Runway @ the Rude – Sunday, October 28 – 1:00pm – 4:00pm at the Rude Native Bistro & Lounge – 370 Brant Street
Fashion show accompanied by lunch, door prizes and raffles! Tickets $25 (available at all vendors – click image below to enlarge) The price is right, the United Way will benefit. I want to know who is going to walk that Runway – and what will they be wearing? Stay tuned.
The Mystery Night – event. This one is so interesting that we will cover it in a separate story.
Debra Pickfield Think Master over at ThinkSpot has been tasked with introducing small and medium sized companies to the United Way payroll deduction program, which allows employees to instruct their employers to deduct a bit of money from their pay cheque each week and automatically send the total to United Way. Many small companies add an amount to the employee portion.
Many in the small business community think that payroll deduction is for the big operations. A payroll deduction can be set up for as few as two people. The Burlington United Way hasn’t had a lot of success in getting through to the smaller businesses in the city – the Mystery Night might be just the tool to bring these people in
 City General Manager Kim Phillips pulls for the United Way drive during the city hall staff outing to raise funds. If we all do this the $2.1 million target will be easily met. The Burlington team: Hon. Paddy Torsney, Campaign Chair VP, The Capital Hill Group; Jim Frizzle, United Way Board Liaison. Retired, RBC Royal Bank; Richard Rizzo, Senior Tax Manager, SB Partners; Jamie Edwards, Broker of Records, J.M. Edwards Associates Inc.; Wendy Derrick, Owner & Director, Fern Hill School; Greg Jones, Director, Corporate Communications & Community Relations, Newalta; Tim Miron, Senior Manager, Beckett Lowden Read; Scott Massey, NPI Project Lead, L3 Wescam; Kim Phillips, General Manager, Corporate Services, City of Burlington; David Euale, Director of Education, Halton District School Board; Michael Pautler, Director of Education, Halton Catholic District School Board; Gayle Cruikshank, Executive Director, Halton Food for Thought; Brian Ferguson, Campaign Vice-Chair Senior Manager, Sourcing, VMware; Jason Lemaich, Director of Retail Sales – Ontario, Pepsico Beverages Canada.
They aren’t going to raise the $2.1 million by themselves – give them more than a helping hand – please.
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON October 12, 2012 Someone seems to have forgotten who got the ball rolling when it came to fighting the application Nelson Aggregates planned to make for an additional license to take stone out of the ground on the Mt. Nemo Plateau.
According to Roger Goulet, it was Isobel Harmer and her daughter Sarah along with Dick Lyons who held that very first meeting more than seven and a half years ago.
 PERL wants to ensure that when this quarry is mined out that the site is properly rehabilitated and returned to the public. The depth will make it a magnificent lake when water is allowed to build up. In a press release the city lauds almost everyone except the PERL people. It was the research that PERL folks did on the Jefferson Salamander which had one of its few habitat on the Harmer family property.
Councillor John Taylor, whose ward encompasses much of the Escarpment, and who knows the people who fought with him on an issue he is very passionate about, seemed to have forgotten who his allies really are when he said: “My thanks go out to the city’s legal team, including environmental lawyer Rod Northey of Fogler Rubinoff in Toronto. City staff demonstrated the values that we as a community cherish. They showed a passion for the environment and a commitment to preserving the Niagara Escarpment.”
The best the Mayor could do was say: “This is excellent news for the people of Burlington and for the Niagara Escarpment, a world biosphere reserve.” To his credit however, the Mayor did arrange to buy one of the limited edition prints of Mt. Nemo that decorates his office.
PERL has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars and still owes a significant amount to various creditors, yet made no mention of PERL when Taylor said: “My thanks go out to the city’s legal team, including environmental lawyer Rod Northey of Fogler Rubinoff in Toronto. said Ward 3 Councillor John Taylor. “City staff demonstrated the values that we as a community cherish. They showed a passion for the environment and a commitment to preserving the Niagara Escarpment.”
 Few in Burlington fully understand how much harm was being done to the Escarpment as a result of the quarry. Thus topographical map shows where the quarry is in relationship to the Escarpment. The site is shown in red outline. The land Nelson Aggregates wanted a license to quarry is just below the existing quarry. PERL wants to work with the public to come up with a plan to protect all of the plateau. What would you do with this part of the city if you had a voice? To his credit Taylor did put out a second statement the next day recognizing the PERL contribution. One would have thought every elected or appointed official would have bumped into each other getting to a microphone to talk about how important it is to have public spirited citizens doing the hard work that brings about results like this Ontario Municipal Board decision.
Public accolades are not that important to the PERL people. They will meet next week to celebrate a bit more and then buckle down to planning a very public celebration and then move on to their Nemo 7g project, which is a look at a much more far ranging plan for the Mt. Nemo plateau and – to ensuring that something useful gets done with the quarry site Nelson is still taking stone out of.
The longer term plan, which is to let the site fill up with water over time, was put together more than 25 years ago and Roger Goulet thinks that plan is very much out of date.
While Nelson Aggregate is not a part of the Nemo 7G organization, one would hope that there might at some point be talks with Nelson to perhaps turn the whole thing over to PERL and let them do what should be done with the site.
It’s a pretty big operation and, if Burlington can follow the pattern that we see in St. Mary’s, ON, where the old quarry was turned into a swimming pool for residents, a very respectable park could be located on that property.
PERL wants to now transition itself from an advocacy group, formed to fight a major battle, into an organization that moves on to the next step which is to ensure there is a community based plan for all of the Mt. Nemo plateau.
They formed Nemo7G to gather community input and form a 7-generation vision for the Mount Nemo plateau.
The vision is to develop and implement a multigenerational plan that will balance sociocultural, technological, ecological, economic and regulatory factors to protect and enhance the natural, recreational and spiritual qualities of the Mount Nemo plateau for current and future generations.
 It was Isobel Harmer and her daughter Sarah who were the early advocates for a community response to an application by a mining company for a second license to take stone out of the Mt Nemo plateau. Dick Lyons was at the table with the Harmer’s PERL has taken on the task of providing the leadership and mobilizing community members, governments and businesses to develop and participate in defining a 7 generation plan
The objective is to preserve our natural capital while improving the diversity and quality of living for all forms of life on the Mt. Nemo plateau through collaborative, educational, energy-efficient and spiritual means.
The first step is to educate the community, businesses and governments on the values of the community and the natural heritage of the Mt. Nemo plateau and ideally transform the quarry into a world renowned, economically self-sustaining site that embodies the spiritual, environmental and recreational aspirations of the community.
Big job – you bet it is. But PERL has shown that it has the organizational depth plus the level of ongoing commitment needed to stick it out and not back down. Now, given the grace they have shown this past few days, they should be able to take the talks that have already taken place with Nelson Aggregates to a new level and work with that company to come up with a long range plan that will benefit the immediate community as well as the people who live south of the Dundas – 407 corridor who see Mt. Nemo as a nature walk destination.
 That clump of land in the middle of the quarry will eventually become a small island in a man made lake. Burlington city council has held receptions for all the Olympians who represented Canada in London and Monday night council will recognize the magnificent achievement of Brandon Wagner: who competed in men’s wheelchair basketball in the London 2012 Paralympic Games where he won a Gold medal.
Not to take away one bit of the recognition that young man deserves, nor diminish the inspiration he will be to thousands of disabled men and woman, but the Mt. Nemo we know today will be there for centuries after we are nothing but ashes. PERL is making sure it doesn’t get turned into a super highway with parking lots and picnic tables.
Time for the city to recognize all of its heroes.
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON October 12, 2012 Sustainable Development, is one of the city’s advisory committees; one of the Mayors favourites. They are hosting an event to show residents that there are several ways to enjoy cycling as a primary form of transportation in Burlington.
What does this have to do with sustainable development? And is cycling really a primary form of transportation in a city like Burlington and in the Canadian climate?
As part of the Take Action Burlington program, “Get in Gear” is bringing together medical, environmental and social experts to discuss ideal ways to make cycling safe, fun and rewarding in Burlington. The event – free – takes place at Central Library (2331 New St.) on Thursday, Oct. 18, from 7 to 9 p.m.
Special guests at Take Action Burlington: Get in Gear, include: Dr. Monir Taha, Assoc. Medical Officer of Health, Halton Region, Kevin Love, Burlington Sustainable Development Committee, Justin Jones, Clean Air Partnership, Abram Bergen, THAAT Delivery, and Jack Dennison, Burlington Ward 4 City Councillor
 For Rob Narejko a good ride on one of his bikes is better than a night out. A passionate believer in greater use of bicycles, Narejko has served on the city’s cycling committee for some time. He recently led a night ride that had some 20+ people out on the roads at night. “Burlington is a city of vibrant neighbourhoods criss-crossed by multi-use paths and bike lanes – and there will be more to come,” says avid cyclist and Ward 4 Councillor Jack Dennison. “It is a council priority to increase the number of people who cycle, walk and roll in Burlington.”
Dennison is a major supporter of cycle use in the city but during the process of setting the budget for 2012 he carved large chunks of money out of gas tax money we get for transit and shoved it into “shave and pave” – so that our roads will last a little longer. Now Jack will argue that he was saving money by investing in infrastructure and he might be right.
Scott Stewart, “general manager of development and infrastructure sees “a genuine need to make cycling in Burlington more accessible and more enjoyable. ” What does that mean? How realistic is it all?
Sustainable development has been defined in many ways, but the most frequently quoted definition is from Our Common Future, also known as the Brundtland Report: “Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It contains within it two key concepts:
the concept of needs, in particular the essential needs of the world’s poor, to which overriding priority should be given; and
the idea of limitations imposed by the state of technology and social organization on the environment’s ability to meet present and future needs.”
The sustainable development philosophy requires that we see the world as a system—a system that connects space; and a system that connects time. When you think of the world as a system over space, you grow to understand that air pollution from North America affects air quality in Asia, and that pesticides sprayed in Argentina could harm fish stocks off the coast of Australia.
And when you think of the world as a system over time, you start to realize that the decisions our grandparents made about how to farm the land continue to affect agricultural practice today; and the economic policies we endorse today will have an impact on urban poverty when our children are adults.
We also understand that quality of life is a system, too. It’s good to be physically healthy, but what if you are poor and don’t have access to education? It’s good to have a secure income, but what if the air in your part of the world is unclean? And it’s good to have freedom of religious expression, but what if you can’t feed your family?
 Special lanes for bicycles and the speed at which vehicles travel along city roads are an ongoing concern for Rob Narejko who stands here beside recently painted sharrows on city streets. The concept of sustainable development is rooted in this sort of systems thinking. It helps us understand ourselves and our world. The problems we face are complex and serious—and we can’t address them in the same way we created them. But we can address them.
Fine, I buy into most of that. No doubt in the minds of most people, that we are experiencing global warming and we’re pretty sure we know why this is happening. And, we know that we can do something about the way we treat the climate we have. But, is riding my bike down Guelph Line going to change the environment? It gives me a pretty decent chance of getting killed as I try to get over the QEW hump. I’m not safe until I get to Woodward Avenue, where I can make a right hand turn and pedal pleasantly along as I make my way to city hall, where I spend far too much of my time.
I’ll do what I can to save this planet. But please don’t ask me to get on my bike and roll along Guelph Line – it just ain’t safe.
At a recent Council committee meeting Rob Narejko, a biggy in Burlington cycling circles delegated on the speed limits on various roads in the city with Walker’s Line getting most of the attention. Walkers Line, north of Dundas, really isn’t a properly paved road; it’s a pitch and chip covered road that doesn’t have much in the way of a shoulder for cyclists but they like it nevertheless; it’s the safest of the three roads that carry traffic into the northern part of the city.
It is also the road the cyclists like to use because it has the kind of terrain they like and it is pretty safe as far as the speed of the passing traffic goes.
From a sustainability point of view – isn’t Walkers Line then a road we would want to upgrade so that there was space on the sides for cyclists and wouldn’t we want to keep the speed limit at the 50k? Isn’t that what we mean by sustainability?
There is an opportunity to develop a very healthy Eco-tourism business in the city if we provide roads that are safe and speed limits that take into account the fact that people use the roads as well. THAT is what sustainability is really about.
There was no mention of upgrading Walkers Line and there was no suggestion that this should be made a “wanna get” in our long range budget thinking. Unfortunate. It will be interesting to hear what the experts have to say.
Meanwhile Eva Amos, an Our Burlington reader, reflects what appears to be the prevailing view in this city: Burlington is “Quickly becoming not one of the very best places to live if you are a motorist in Burlington. The population is exploding, the roads are being narrowed, the aggressive driving is increasing largely due to the configuration of the roads. Prime examples are Lakeshore in the downtown core which was to have been a pilot project, deferred for review to 2011.
No review yet. Now the narrowing of Guelph Line, Walkers Line and Appleby Line south of New street and Plains Road. Stand on any one of these corners and with every light change you will see the aggressive drivers driving up the short curb lanes only to cut off the drivers in the single through lane. Add to this, the long line of idling cars trying to squeeze into the single lanes adding to the pollution. Councillors and Mr. Mayor. You are not going to get the majority of people in Burlington on bikes. Please give us back our roads so we can get around the city in a safe and timely fashion. We have wonderful bike paths throughout the city for our cyclists, I being one of them.
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON October 11. 2012 This date will go down as a major victory for the city of Burlington and an example of what a determined group of citizens can accomplish when they put their minds to it.
There will be no expansion to the Nelson Quarry on Guelph Line.
The Ontario Municipal Board released a decision earlier today that the Nelson application for a quarry expansion has been dismissed!
 This is the last quarry we will see on Mt. Nemo. The application to expand this quarry was dismissed earlier today by the Ontario Municipal Board. Details are a little sparse at the moment – they will come out in the days ahead. Right now it is time to take stock and realize that good ideas put forward by well researched community organizations can prevail.
Elaine LaChapelle of PERL (Protecting Escarpment Rural Lands) was stunned when she was given the news by telephone. She logged into the PERL email lists and there is was – loads of detail.
Roger Goulet, President of PERL advises that Sara Harmer and her Mother along with Dan Lions were the people who were at the bedside when PERL was born seven and a half years ago.
They slogged every month since then and raised money through concerts, garage sales, entertainment events – the only thing they apparently didn’t do was hold car washes.
The expenses is in the hundreds of thousands – let me say that again – the hundreds of thousands, a large part of which has yet to be paid. There has to be a massive community benefit to erase this debt.
Much more to tell but for the moment – savour a great day for Burlington and the Halton Region and an even greater day for the environment.
 By Staff
BURLINGTON, ON October 11, 2012 It’s going to get a little sticky in terms of traffic on Lakeshore road for the next couple of weeks – the Region is putting in a water main on Lakeshore Road between Martha Street and Old Lakeshore Road (east) in the City of Burlington. Construction starts on October 15th – this project is going to run through to parts of November.
 Construction area is shown in blue, Detours are in green and lane closures are shown in red. The eastbound lane on Lakeshore Road will be closed for up to two weeks, from Monday to Friday, between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. During those times, eastbound traffic will be rerouted along Old Lakeshore Road at Pearl Street. Local access to businesses will be maintained at all times.
 Watermain work being done by the Regional government is going to tie up traffic on Lakeshore Road for the next while. The eastbound lane on Lakeshore Road will be closed for up to two weeks, from Monday to Friday, between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. During those times, eastbound traffic will be rerouted along Old Lakeshore Road at Pearl Street. Local access to businesses will be maintained at all times.
On Tuesday October 16, construction will occur within the intersection of Martha Street and Pine Street, between the hours of 9:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., to install new isolation valves as part of the larger construction project. Through traffic will be maintained.
At the beginning of November, water main construction will move to Martha Street, closing the southbound lane between Pine Street and Lakeshore Road. At that time, southbound vehicles will be rerouted west along Pine Street to Pearl Street.
All construction and site restoration is expected to be finished by mid-December, weather permitting. Unfinished restoration work will be completed by spring 2013.
Which is just about the time the city hopes to have completed the pier. Will it be done before the pier?
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