 By Staff
February 19TH, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
We asked the Regional Health Unit for an update on who will get vaccinated first.
We received the following:
“Preparations are underway to vaccinate additional priority populations identified by the Province, including adults 80 years of age and older and recipients of chronic home health care. We will be providing an update to the community in the coming days with additional details as they are confirmed.
Understanding that these groups may have barriers to accessing information and appointments, we are also working with our local partners who will support us in targeted outreach to these populations.”
The link provided in the quote is important.
 By Pepper Parr
February 19th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
Have you ever seen something like this before?
BAR forms (Budget Action Requests) are documents Councillors use to bring forward changes they would like to see made in the budget Staff have put forward.
The Gazette has learned that the Clerk has informed a member of Council that the item that was put forward must be treated as confidential.
Confidential matters are determined and governed by the Municipal Act and usually relate to matters that involve a named individual or a property matter.
There is much more to this story.
 By Pepper Parr
February 18th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
OPINION
CORRECTION: The $2150,000 for malicious and high handed conduct should have been $250,000
Sean Baird has instructed his legal counsel to file a Notice of Action and has delivered a Statement of Claim to the following
 Marianne Meed Ward on election night. Adam Atkinson – with CHCH
Sharon Balcaran-Grantham
John Bkila – Communication person in the Mayor’s office
Kelly Childs – owner of a cup cake shop
Lynn Crosby – citizen and manager of the Mayors 2018 election campaign manager
Georgie Gatside, City of Burlington employee
Victoria Hughes Al-Samadi – Chief of Staff for the Mayor
David Lea – journalist for Torstar
Marianne Meed Ward – Mayor of Burlington
Don Mitchell – with Global News
James Burchill – operates the Smart Car Confidential blog
Pepper Parr, publisher of the Burlington Gazette
The Mayor and I are finally involved in a law suit where we are on the same side.
Some facts. Mr Baird was charged under the criminal code for fraud over $5,000 and Used forged documents. He was also charged under the Municipal Elections Act. The Crown withdrew the Criminal Code charges against Sean Baird. The municipal elections Act charges have yet to be heard in a Courtroom.
Sean Baird is now suing for damages to his reputation.
The Statement of claim is for $1 million for libel plus $250,000 for malicious and high handed conduct.
Many of those served with the Statement of Claim are employees of a national newspaper operation who will cover the legal costs.
The City will cover the legal costs of the Mayor, her staff and city employees. That expense will be buried in the legal department budget.
In the covering letter that accompanied the Statement of Claim and the Notice of Action counsel writes.
“You are invited to make inquiries with respect to these matters, and to publicly apologize to Mr. Baird with respect to the contents contained in these pleadings. On a without prejudice basis, I will thereafter seek instructions from Mr. Baird for dismissal of the claim against you on a without cost basis.”
More to this story.
Related news stories:
Sean Baird charged with fraud
Criminal charges against Sean Baird withdrawn
Salt with Pepper is the musings, reflections and opinions of the publisher of the Burlington Gazette, an online newspaper that was formed in 2010 and is a member of the National Newsmedia Council.
By Pepper Parr
February 18th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
They are referred to as BAR (Budget Action Request), forms that each Council member can submit asking for an increase or a decrease to the budget brought forward by Staff.
At this point – before there is a serious debate on the budget, the increase is 4.99% over what the city taxes were last year. Mayor Meed Ward told Staff that she wanted them to come back with a budget that had a 3.99% increase over last year – and to include some ideas on how to get to that point.
There was something quite a bit different this year many of the 29 items were submitted by all the members of Council. In previous councils a member would push for an item they wanted to deliver to their ward – re-election for this crowd is just 20 months away, not a lot of time in the world of politics.
The following list of items, requested by Councillors on the BAR forms.
Are the changes asked for enough to bring the tax increase down to that 3.99% the Mayor wanted – maybe even lower?
Each of these will be debated, with Staff on hand to advise. Note that for many of the items Staff is in agreement with what a majority of the Council members want to do.
Of note is this. Ward 4 Councilor Shawna Stolte did not join her colleagues on the BAR items they put forward but did put forward three of her own – all were suggesting decreases in salary for the Members of Council. She wanted members of Council to take a pass on the annual increase they get each year and to take a 10% cut of the salary they currently get for 9 months.
The sum total for the two BAR amounts to $629,000.
There are two situations where Council asked that funds be added to the budget. Stolte wanted $110,000 added to the Capital Works budget while Kearns, Nisan and Meed Ward wanted $15,000 added to the Heritage Property Tax rebate program.
Look for the Mayor wanting to take a victory lap when the budget is approved in March.
 By Pepper Parr
February 18th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
The day the COVID19 vaccines arrive, expect the Prime Minister to make an announcement on how well his government is doing ensuring that Canadians are getting the Covid19 virus protection they need.
Dr. Hamidah Meghani at the Regional Public Health unit will move the people who have been hired to give us that needle into position and wait for the province to tell her exactly when the vaccines are going to be in the inoculation centres ready for use.
 The administering of the vaccine is a three phase program. Earlier this month Dr. Meghani and her team met with General Rick Hillier, former Chief of the Defence Staff , now retired, who is overseeing the distribution of the vaccines that were purchased by the federal government for distribution to the provinces.
The Halton Regional plan was approved – now Meghani and her colleagues are waiting for the word – the vaccines are here.
So – when the vaccines arrive does that mean we all scoot over to the inoculation centre? Not quite.
We learned yesterday that there will be just four inoculation centres in Halton. One will be at the Oakville Trafalgar Hospital that will handle all the front line people – which at this point are those in the medical field.
Regional Council members wanted to know if the people who work in the supermarkets will be considered front line. Dr. Meghani said she did not know, that that has yet to be determined.
We know now that there will be a process to register for a jab of the needle.
The province is in the process of creating a computer application (app) that people will use to register.
Nothing more than that at this point.
The province has not been able to launch that application; it is apparently in trials at this point. It will be on a program called COVAX.
What has become very clear is that the province is calling all the shots – the Public Health units follow the directions they are given.
Meghani expects to be inoculating people before that provincial app is ready – she has a backup plan in place.
 The time line – who is expected to be vaccinated when. Asked when does this all start – Dr. Meghani said – the day after the vaccines arrive. Where will the inoculation centres be located in each community? Not yet determined. They know where they want them to be – now to work out the details with the municipalities or the school boards.
We did learn that the Region will pick up whatever there are in the way of costs at the local level.
We learned too that the Region has hired 200 nursing people and will be hiring an additional 200 for a total of 400 people in place.
Interviews are taking place in the evenings and on the weekends.
Halton CAO Jane McCaskill mentioned that the Region has spent an additional $1 million and has invested heavily in Information Technology upgrades.
Dr. Meghani said that the Region will have a backup system in place. This woman doesn’t leave very many stones unturned.
By Pepper Parr
February 17th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
During an in depth meeting at which Dr Hamidah Meghani and Halton Region CAO Jane McCaskill took Regional Council through where things were with the current Covid infection rate and the plans to begin immunizing residents, we learned that Dr. Meghani was concerned, she actually said “startled, when she saw an early version of a report that will be made public on Friday about the rate at which the COVID19 variants are growing out in the community.
 The lock down we just came out of worked – the number of infections has been much lower – many think it should have been even lower before ending the lockdown. She said on more than one occasion that she could see a possible third wave, using the word “likely”.
Regional Councillors got a solid briefing with Chair Gary Carr saying that the problem Halton is going to have is not enough in the way of supply to do the job that has to be done if we are to get ahead of the virus.
 A very sophisticated and well staffed Regional Vaccine Committee is in place – everyone is just waiting for the arrival of the vaccines. Sometime in January Chair Carr and Burlington Mayor Meed Ward were on to the province demanding that they deliver on what had been promised so that the Region could vaccinate the people in Long Term Care Centres. Hot spots in Toronto got what was supposed to come to Halton.
Watching Gary Carr when he is angry is not a pretty picture.
 By Staff
February 17th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
A uniform member of the Halton Regional Police Service has been charged with offences under the Criminal Code of Canada following an external and independent investigation into an incident that took place in the Town of Oakville on April 8, 2020.
On that date, four Halton Regional Police Service officers responded to the area of Third Line and Dundas Street West in Oakville for reports of a male loitering in the area. An interaction ensued between the officers and the male.
 Police officer assaults young man while three other stand by taking no action. Immediately upon learning of this incident, the officer who made direct physical contact with the male was suspended from duty with pay, which is the only option available to a police service as prescribed by the Police Services Act (PSA). Further, to ensure transparency, Chief Stephen Tanner requested that the Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) commence a criminal investigation into the incident.
Concomitantly, the other three officers who were in attendance at the incident were re-assigned to administrative positions pending the outcome of the investigation by WRPS.
As a result of that external and independent investigation, Constable Jason Mathers has been charged on this date with the following:
• Assault with a Weapon
• Mischief Under $5,000
He has been released and is scheduled to appear (virtually) in court on March 9, 2021. He remains suspended with pay, which continues to be the only option under the PSA.
Now that the criminal investigation has concluded, an internal disciplinary investigation into the actions of all four officers under Part V of the PSA will be completed.
 Halton Regional Police Services Chief Tanner. Chief Tanner on behalf of the Halton Regional Police Service said: “We recognize that the actions of our officers at this incident have the potential to undermine public trust in our Service, and in policing as a whole. We remain committed to fostering and maintaining a very positive relationship with the community we serve.
It is of paramount importance that any investigation into the actions of a police officer is not only thorough, but also unbiased, transparent and fair. We are grateful for the assistance of the Waterloo Regional Police Service in this matter and for their investigation into this incident.”
By Staff
February 17th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
Recreation facilities welcome back participants in recreation programming that will start to re-open with a phased approach starting the week of Feb. 16.
Not all programs and facilities will be opened immediately; re-staffing and facility preparation is underway.
All Adult Virtual Fitness, Learning and Music Registered Programs already running until March 26 will continue as is with no change at this time.
Drop-in skating, lap swims, recreation swims and Aquatic Fitness will start to re-open this week and programs and locations will increase over the next two weeks. All programs can be viewed and registered for at burlington.ca/recreation.
Restrictions for City facilities and recreation as a result of moving in the Red (Control) Phase in the Province’s COVID-19 framework include:
• 10 people maximum for indoor programs such as ice pads, gymnasiums, etc.
 Outdoor events limited to 25 people at a time • 25 people maximum for outdoor programs
• Drop-in recreation programs will have a maximum capacity of 10 people, this includes skating and Aquatic Fitness
• Pool capacities for drop-in recreational swimming and lap swims will be reduced to ensure physical distancing can be maintained
• Bistro Express Curbside Pickup will again be accepting phone orders and providing nutritious home-style cooking for reheating at home. Pickup at Seniors Centre Main Entrance. Tap payment only accepted
• In-person instruction, including Learn to Swim and Aquatic Leadership courses will have a maximum capacity of 10 people
• Indoor pickleball activities are cancelled. Outdoor pickleball is available in Optimist and Leighland parks, weather permitting
• No spectators permitted at sports and recreational fitness facilities except for parent/guardian supervision of children
These restrictions will impact program providers in the following ways:
 Team sports are on hold. • For all team sports, indoor and outdoor game-play is not permitted
• Teams in City facilities and on City fields can adjust their programming to training and skill development with a maximum of 10 people indoors, up to two coaches and 25 people outdoors. Program participants are encouraged to reach out to their organization for additional information
• If you are a participant in a non-City program or team sport, please connect with your organization to understand how this may impact you
• No spectators permitted at sports and recreational fitness facilities except for parent/guardian supervision of children
• Parents/guardian must maintain 3-meter distance while in facilities
• No contact permitted for team or individual sports
 Public performances – including at the Performing Arts Centre are not taking place. . Limit duration of stay in a City facility or on City fields to 90 minutes (does not apply to sports)
• Require active screening, contact information and attendance for all patrons
• No live performances. Performing arts rehearsal or performing a recorded or broadcasted event permitted
• Singers and players of brass or wind instruments must be separated from any other performers by plexiglass or other impermeable barriers
By Staff
February 17th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
It should come as no huge surprise – COVID19 infections are being reported at several schools in the Region.
 A single student was infected and the class was closed – the school remained open. Just the one infection reported in Burlington at the Mohawk Public school where the classroom has been closed.
Classes resumed at schools this week.
How many infections are there likely to be? No one has any idea. At this stage everyone is keeping a very close eye and readying for whatever they think could happen and be ready to respond.
It is going to be stressful week – we know why the infection took place – someone without the infection came in contact with someone who was infected.
The virus is in the community. How deep is infection rate likely to be ? We don’t know yet.
By Pepper Parr
February 16th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
Sometime between now and the end of August the Halton District School Board trustees are expected to decide on who the next Director of Education will be.
 Stuart Miller, current Director of Education, to retire in August. Stuart Miller has served as the Director for the past five years. He submitted his resignation to the Board late last year.
Every member of the Board of Trustees will serve on the Selection Committee where the objective is to reach a consensus.
There are at least two of the current roster of Superintendents, (both female) that are certainly qualified.
 Grebenc, (left) and Miller have worked well together Consultants are being brought in to guide and direct the trustees through the process.
Board Chair Andrea Grebenc will Chair the Selection Committee, the vice chair of the Board Tracey, Ehl Harrison, will serve as vice chair.
 By Staff
February 16th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
The schools may not have been as open as parents would have liked but the bills still have to be paid – which means putting together a budget.
Getting that job done is going to be a challenge for both the Staff and the trustees. Doing things virtual is not fun – ask any classroom teacher.
 Halton District School Board values input from parents/guardians, members of the community, staff and students concerning the development of the 2021-2022 budget.
Individuals are encouraged to provide input on budget priorities for the upcoming school year online – a questionnaire can be found on the Halton District School Board’s website at www.hdsb.ca. Input must be received by March 5, 2021.
Before providing input, individuals are encouraged to review the Board’s Multi-Year Plan 2020-2024,
Special Education Plan and Operational Plan. A key objective of the annual budget process is to align the Halton District School Board’s financial resources with these important documents.
Community members are also able to delegate to the Board of Trustees. Please follow the Delegation
By-law posted on the Halton District School Board website (found under the ‘Our Board’ tab).
By Staff
February 16th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
The new provincial plan will ensure people are getting the right supports at the right time.
In an announcement last week the province said it is now “working with its municipal partners to better connect people to the supports they need as the next step in the province’s plan to modernize the delivery of social assistance. As part of its plan, frontline workers will have more time to focus on connecting clients with supports such as job-readiness programs, housing, childcare, skills training, and mental health services. At the same time, the province will gradually take on more program administration to make it easier for people to navigate the system.”
 Welfare and social services for Halton are administered at the Regional level, however the impact could be significant.
“Ontario is facing deep economic challenges brought on by COVID-19,” said Todd Smith, Minister of Children, Community and Social Services. “Our government is taking action by developing a sustainable social assistance program that takes the administrative burden off local front-line workers, so they can spend more time helping their clients connect to community supports that will get them ready for jobs.”
“As part of the Recovery and Renewal Plan announced last fall, the province worked with municipalities to design a Vision for Social Assistance Transformation to ensure people are getting the right supports at the right time so they can re-enter the workforce. The vision outlines plans for a new social assistance delivery model that allows frontline workers to focus on results for people rather than paperwork. Based on a 2018 study, caseworkers spent approximately a quarter of their day – about 400 hours a year – filing and organizing paperwork.”
Under the new delivery model:
• The province will focus on overseeing social assistance applications and payments making it quick and easy for people to access the system while safeguarding program integrity. Currently, 47 agencies at the municipal/District Social Services Administration Board level co-fund and manage delivery of social assistance in Ontario.
• Municipal partners will use their expertise to deliver person-centred casework and knowledge of local supports to help people get back to work and access supports to stabilize their lives such as housing and health care.
In acknowledgement of the unique needs and priorities of First Nations communities, the Ontario government will continue working with First Nations partners towards a separate plan to renew social assistance for First Nations communities.
“Ontario finds itself at a significant crossroad,” said Minister Smith. “We must continue our work to renew the social assistance system during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, supporting the province’s economic recovery and helping the people of Ontario find financial independence and stability. Our plan for a transformed social assistance system will help us achieve that.”
Work on social assistance reform is already underway and will be phased in over the next several years. The province continues to build on this work which includes centralized intake and prototyping a streamlined applications process to continue to free up staff time so they can focus on client support.
Sounds great in principle – let’s see how the Regions react to the program.
Right now the Regions are up to their ears coping with a massive vaccination program that has been plagued with delivery problems.
By Pepper Parr
February 15th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
OPINION
We are for the most part proud of the country we live in. Most of us were born here, many chose to come and many were invited to be here.
Think about the War Brides, or the Syrians who arrived at the airport to be greeted by the Prime Minister who was handing out winter coats.
We do not show our pride the way our friends to the South do. We seldom choose to wear a flag but we enjoy the feeling we get when we see those Olympians walking into a stadium bearing that flag.
We are for the most part a tolerant people. We respect the government that leads us and are quick to boot them out when they don’t live up to what we expect of them.
 Prime Minister Justin Trudeau handing out winter coats to families arriving as refugees from Syria So what to make of the Prime Minister we have? His lineage excited most of us – another Trudeau – that would be nice. Yes, there were and still are many who did not share my view of what Justin Trudeau was going to be able to do.
There are now reasons, too many of them, to ask – what happened.
We are going to get the vaccines we need – the when is the question and where they are going to come from is a huge concern.
It sounded as if every pharmaceutical country in the world had a contract with the government of Canada. We had so much in the way of vaccines in the pipe line that we were deciding who we were going to let have some of the vaccine we wouldn’t need.
COVAX, an organization Canada was part of putting in place a global initiative aimed at equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines led by the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization, the World Health Organization, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, and others. (COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access, abbreviated as COVAX.)
It was in place as a distributor of the vaccines that would be made available to the third world countries.
 Karina Gould as a newly minted Minister for Democratic Institutions defending a decision not to go forward with a different approach to federal elections. Karina Gould, a Member of Cabinet and currently serving as the International Development Minister was left carrying the ball again as she did her best to explain what COVAX was, the role Canada played in its creation and assuring Canadians that what Canada draws down at this point would be returned when we had a surplus.
Recall that Minister Gould once had to defend not going forward with something other than First Past the Post in future elections. She had been Minister of Democratic Institutions for less than a month when she has handed that ball.
Now we learn that Canada is going to have to draw down some of the vaccines we need from COVAX. That is so embarrassing.
This gets added to the list of embarrassments that is getting pretty long.
There was that unfortunate trip to India, there was the shameful way MP Jody Wilson Raybould and Jane Phillpot were treated when they showed the courage to stand up for what they believed to be right and got tossed out of Cabinet for it. Turned out they were right as well.
Add to that the need now to find another Governor General because a mistake was made in the failure to fully vet the one we had.
 Former McKinsey Consulting, Global Managing Partner Kevin Sneader now the Ambassador to China. Another example of poor vetting. And, the latest, learning that our Ambassador to China was the top man at McKinsey Consulting, Global Managing Partner Kevin Sneader. The firm that agreed to pay a $6 million fine for advising on how to best sell prescriptions of OxyCodone , the addictive drug that has been the responsible for the death of hundreds of young men and women from over dosing.
What is so galling is that we get told almost every time he speaks that we are going to have all the drugs we need and that everyone will be vaccinated by September.
Are we absolutely certain those vaccines are going to be in the hands of the provinces so that they can pass everything along to the provinces who will in turn get it into the hands of the Public Health Units who will oversee that actual vaccinations.
Did the people in Ottawa who were overseeing the purchasing of the vaccine take the steps needed to ensure that we had the supply we needed. Did they not realize that the vaccines being manufactured less than a half day drive way – in Detroit – were going to go to Americans. Goodness knows that country really really needs all the help it can get to dig themselves out of the hole their then President put them in.
 Chrystia Freeland, currently the Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister. Did someone not ask if there would be problems with the European Union that determines what goes where in Europe?
Was there not a risk analysis done – looking really hard at just what we were up against?
There is going to be a federal election soon. Justin Trudeau will look for a time when his image is going to be as good as he can make it and then we will be asked to re-elect him.
The choice for the Liberals is to hold a leadership convention very soon and choose Chrystia Freeland as Prime Minister and have her face the public.
She’s running the country now as it is.
Salt with Pepper is the musings, reflections and opinions of the publisher of the Burlington Gazette, an online newspaper that was formed in 2010 and is a member of the National Newsmedia Council.
By Pepper Parr,
February 15th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
I learned this morning that sometime soon – which probably means sometime in March, the Priority list that sets out who is going to be vaccinated, and when, is going to be updated and this time will include all those who are over 80 years of age.
 That caught my attention because I fall into that category.
When do I go to get my needle – don’t know.
Where will I go? – don’t know.
How do I find out – not sure. Spent way too much time wading through the Halton Public Health web site. Lots of information but nothing that relates to my situation.
When I go – what do I need to take with me? I assume my OHIIP card – anything else? Don’t know.
Will I be given something that confirms I have been vaccinated? Hope so – want to put it on a T shirt.
There just has to be a better way to communicate with an anxious public.
By Staff
February 12th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
In consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health, the Ontario government is transitioning twenty-seven public health regions out of the shutdown and into a revised and strengthened COVID-19 Response Framework
“The health and safety of Ontarians remains our number one priority. While we are cautiously and gradually transitioning some regions out of shutdown, with the risk of new variants this is not a reopening or a return to normal,” said Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health.
 “Until vaccines are widely available, It remains critical that all individuals and families continue to adhere to public health measures and stay home as much as possible to protect themselves, their loved ones and their communities.”
Based on a general improvement in trends of key indicators, including lower transmission of COVID-19, improving hospital capacity, and available public health capacity to conduct rapid case and contact management, the following public health regions will be moving back to the Framework on Tuesday, February 16, 2021 at 12:01 a.m. and will no longer be subject to the Stay-at-Home order:
Grey-Lockdown:
· Niagara Region Public Health
Red-Control:
· Chatham-Kent Public Health;
· City of Hamilton Public Health Services;
· Durham Region Health Department;
 Nothing in the Region will be able to open up – maybe next week. · Halton Region Public Health: includes Burlington, Oakville, Milton and Halton Hills;
· Middlesex-London Health Unit;
· Region of Waterloo Public Health and Emergency Services;
· Simcoe-Muskoka District Health Unit;
· Southwestern Public Health;
· Thunder Bay District Health Unit;
· Wellington-Dufferin Guelph Public Health; and
· Windsor-Essex County Health Unit.
Orange-Restrict:
· Brant County Health Unit;
· Eastern Ontario Health Unit;
· Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit;
· Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit;
· Huron Perth Public Health;
· Lambton Public Health;
· Ottawa Public Health;
· Porcupine Health Unit; and
· Public Health Sudbury and Districts.
Yellow-Protect:
· Algoma Public Health;
· Grey Bruce Health Unit;
· Northwestern Health Unit; and
· Peterborough Public Health.
Green-Prevent:
· Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit; and
· Timiskaming Health Unit.
After returning to the Framework, public health regions will stay in their level for at least two weeks at which time, the government will assess the impact of public health and workplace safety measures to determine if the region should stay where they are or be moved to a different level.
Visitor restrictions for long-term care homes will once again apply to those homes in the public health regions that are in the Orange-Restrict level or higher. In addition, long-term care homes must implement enhanced testing requirements.
Recognizing the risk posed by new variants to the province’s pandemic response, Ontario is introducing an “emergency brake” to allow the Chief Medical Officer of Health, in consultation with the local medical officer of health, to immediately advise moving a region into Grey-Lockdown to interrupt transmission.
Local medical officers of health also have the ability to issue Section 22 orders under the Health Protection and Promotion Act, to target specific transmission risks in the community.
“While the trends in public health indicators are heading in the right direction, we still have work to do,” said Dr. David Williams, Chief Medical Officer of Health. “Everyone is strongly advised to continue staying at home, avoid social gatherings, only travel between regions for essential purposes, and limit close contacts to your household or those you live with.”
What does level Red mean?
By Staff
February 12th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
The City of Burlington has declared a Snow Event. To allow snow removal equipment room to clear roads safely and quickly, all on-street parking has been suspended until 24-hours after the event has been declared over.
During a snow event when accumulation is more than 5 cm, road clearing updates can be found by visiting burlington.ca/snow. Snow Control Update subscribers will receive emails at 9 a.m., 4 p.m. and 11 p.m. about the status of snow removal.
 This is what a snow day looks like. Snow Clearing Service Levels
• Primary and Secondary roads begin to be cleared when snow reaches 5 cm of accumulation.
• Residential roads begin to be cleared when snow reaches 7.5 cm of accumulation. Residential roads are not maintained to bare pavement. They are plowed only after a snow accumulation of 7.5 cm has fallen in a single event. Sand is applied to enhance traction, as required.
• All sidewalks are plowed and salted and sanded, if icy within 48 hours of snow fall.
• All roads will be cleared 24-hours after the snowfall has ended.
• For all roads, sidewalks and select pathways, clearing may take longer if more than 12 cm has fallen.
Please be patient as our crews work to clear the busiest streets first.
• The City is not responsible for clearing windrows left on driveways when the plow passes. If you think you will need help clearing the windrow, please make arrangements such as speaking with your neighbours, family members or hire a contractor.
Parking During the Winter
When a snow event is declared, there is no parking on any city streets until 24-hours after the snow event has been declared over. The City thanks residents for their cooperation to move their vehicles off city streets to help with snow clearing operations. Residents who park their cars on streets blocking snow removal could be faced with a $120 parking ticket or be towed.
All existing parking exemptions are also cancelled during snow events.
By Pepper Parr
February 12th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
The Communications people at City Hall provide a service that amounts to a listing of events taking place during the week ahead. It is published every Thursday and usually consists of meeting notices. Members of Council sometimes place an event they are holding on the list.
The Gazette scans the list – there is a lot of stuff going on – and noticed that the list released yesterday had three notices for basically the same thing but at different times.
The meetings were intended for the residents of ward 6.
 Meeting number 1` – about the budget  Meeting number 2 – about the budget  Meeting number 3 – about the budget
 Ward 6 Councillor Angelo Bentivegna We thought this was a clerical error and brought it to the attention of Kwab Ako-Adjei, Director, Corporate Communications & Engagement who got back to us and confirmed that the Councillor’s office has scheduled three Zoom meetings to talk about the budget.
The events run for between an hour and an hour and a half. It is a big budget with some critical issues. The Mayor wants to keep the tax increase to less than 4%.
Angelo Bentivegna is a Councillor who watches the pennies and has grown to the point where he can disagree with the Mayor
The residents of ward 6, and any one else who wants to listen will get a chance to see how well their Councillor understands the budget he is going to vote on.
 By Staff
February 11th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
The province has not cancelled the March Break – they did push t back to April 12 to 16.
Stephen Lecce, Ontario’s Minister of Education, issued the following statement regarding March break:
 Stephen Lecce, Ontario’s Minister of Education, “In support of our collective efforts to keep schools safe, we are postponing March break until April 12-16, 2021.
This decision was made with the best advice of Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health and public health officials, including consultations with many local Medical Officers of Health.
“Many students have been learning remotely since the start of 2021. It is critical we follow public health advice to protect schools and avoid a repeat of the concerning spike in youth-related cases over the winter break, when students and staff were out of schools for a prolonged period of time. We are taking this precaution based on advice from health experts, including the province’s Science Table and the Chief Medical Officer of Health, to help protect against the emerging COVID-19 variants of concern.
“We appreciate the hard work of students and staff in the education sector and I want to be clear: March break is being postponed, not cancelled. To keep schools open, we must keep them free of COVID-19. The actions announced today serve to limit opportunities for congregation – while reaffirming the evidence that schools are safe for students. By continuing to follow public health advice, and by introducing additional safety measures and more testing, we are supporting our collective efforts to keep COVID-19 from entering our schools.
“With respect to travel, our government’s position on this is unchanged. Ontarians should refrain from travelling, particularly given the increase in new variants that pose a direct risk to our country. Please stay at home as much as possible and continue following the direction of public health officials so that we can keep schools open and protect our seniors, frontline health workers and all families.
“These decisions – based on the advice of medical experts – are never easy, but they are necessary to keep Ontario families safe.”
By Pepper Parr
February 11, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
Another survey –
This one about how we are going to engage during the balance of this pandemic and after it has come to an end.
You can access that document HERE
 The city wants your bright ideas Michelle Dwyer, Manager of Engagement and Volunteers is one of the leads on the city’s efforts to communicate with a population that seldom goes beyond 30% turnout when it comes to municipal elections. .
With that kind of public response the hope of holding the city bureaucracy accountable, is less than realistic. The idea of a vigorous, vibrant community response on major issues is equivalent to one of those 25 watt light bulbs
They do their best with what they have.
We learned from a long time reader, a citizen who has been deeply involved at various levels of citizen engagement that the City is undertaking a “future of engagement” design initiative recognizing the impact of the CoVid pandemic. Many of you will already have been otherwise informed about this important opportunity.
 Michelle Dwyer, facilitating a virtual Town Hall meeting. It went reasonably well – but there was something missing. Dwyer asks people to feel free to share with your list of Burlington contacts, that we have a project that they may be interested in. It is the Engaging During and After COVID-19 survey and poll https://www.getinvolvedburlington.ca/yourinput. Below is a description of the engagement opportunity. The survey closes on Feb 19th.
As per the City of Burlington’s Community Engagement Charter, engaging the community on issues that affect their lives and their city is a key component of democratic society. Public involvement encourages participation, actions and personal responsibility.
The goal of engagement is to lead to more informed and, therefore, better decision-making.
In an email Dwyer sent out to everyone she knows she highlighted what has been done in the past and what they hope to get done going forward.
COVID-19 has forced everyone to pivot, and engaging with the community is no exception. The City, in order to continue to get input from the community is/has:
 Michelle Dwyer, second from the left, engages a group at a public meeting where people could meet without having to wear a mask. hosting virtual public and council meetings, workshops and town halls
telephone town halls
online surveys
used the engagement platform, Get Involved Burlington for surveys, polling, mapping, ideas and discussion forums
Looking to the future, the City would like to gather your ideas as to how we can continue to safely engage with the community once in-person opportunities are allowed. We’d also like to know the types of topics you’re interested in.
By Pepper Parr
February 11th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
The current lockdown and Stay-at-Home order will continue to apply to 28 public health regions, including Halton Region until Tuesday, February 16, 2021.
For Toronto, Peel and York regions, it is proposed that the Stay-at-Home order will continue to apply until Monday, February 22, 2021.
Changes to retail
The government has updated the Framework to allow for a safer approach to retail. Limited in-person shopping in Grey-Lockdown zones will be permitted with public health and safety measures, such as limiting capacity to 25% in most retail settings. In addition, public health and safety measures in retail settings will be strengthened for other levels of the Framework.
Individuals will also be required to wear a face covering and maintain physical distance when indoors in a business, with limited exceptions.. Businesses are encouraged to review the COVID-19 Response Framework for sector-specific public health and workplace safety measures and public health advice.
The pressure on the province to re-open the economy has been intense. The Retail Council of Canada had its membership send thousands of letters to the Office of the Premier.
This government is a pro-business operation – it goes every grain of who they are to force small businesses to shut down.
Many are of the view that the number of new infections reported daily is just not low enough and the risk isn’t worth the benefit.
Should the infection numbers spike again – and the province is forced into yet another shut down, the response from the public will be severe.
Advocates for the front line workers want to see paid sick days for those people who have to work and put themselves and their families at risk when they report for work.
The evidence and the science seems to tell us that this virus can be brought to heel – but that we are going to have to hang tight and wait this out.
That doesn’t appear to be what the current government is prepared to do.
‘Emergency Brake’ System
Recognizing the risk posed by new variants to the province’s pandemic response, Ontario is introducing an “emergency brake” to allow for immediate action if a public health unit region experiences rapid acceleration in COVID-19 transmission or if its health care system risks becoming overwhelmed.
If this occurs, the Chief Medical Officer of Health, in consultation with the local medical officer of health, may advise immediately moving a region into Grey-Lockdown to interrupt transmission.
 The province has created a colour code system to advise people what the status is in each of the Regional Health Units. For Halton that means we rely upon the decision made by the Public Health Unit. .
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