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Aldershot gets another development proposal - the ADI's want to add to their project next to the Aldershot GO station

By Pepper Parr

September 16th, 2020

BURLINGTON, ON

Another one.

The Adi brothers – probably the largest developer in this city – certainly the most aggressive.

This one is planned for the Aldershot community – part of the now underway Station West – developer is the ADI Group.

Billed as a Pre-application Consultation Virtual Meeting the ADI Development Group is exploring the opportunity to transform 1120 Cooke Boulevard into a transit oriented community.

Station West is to the east of this latest proposal; ADI has always planned additional structures on the site.

If ADI Development Group chooses to pursue this redevelopment, it would require an amendment to the City of Burlington Official Plan and Zoning By-law.

The pre-application consultation is scheduled to seek community feedback that will assist in shaping the future proposal. The current design options will require an amendment to the City of Burlington’s Official Plan and Zoning Bylaw. The current Official Plan designation of the site is Mixed Use Corridor, and the current Zoning is Mixed Use Corridor.

No development applications have been submitted to the City of Burlington at this time, and the City has not made any decisions on this proposal.

A Pre-application Community meeting has been scheduled to discuss this potential redevelopment, so that public can provide feedback to Adi Development Group at this early stage.

The Pre-Application Community Meeting will take place:

Date: Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2020
Time: 5:30-7 p.m.
Participate Online via Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/91873809076

Webinar ID: 918 7380 9076

(Internet connection required – Zoom User Guide available at www.burlington.ca/1120cooke)

Participate by Telephone- (audio only) 647-374-4685

During the meeting, City planning staff will provide an overview of the development application review process and opportunities for public participation in the process. Adi Development Group will provide an overview of their redevelopment plans.

This proposed development consists of two different design options for community feedback. The first of which consists of three towers with heights ranging from 29 to 39 storeys, and the second option consists of four towers with heights ranging from 18 to 39 storeys. Both options yield the same approximate number of units, 1,258.

Ward 1 Councillor Kelvin Galbraith standing on the spot where the proposed development would be built. Cranes in the background are putting up Station West.

There will be a question and answer session to share your thoughts about the proposal with Adi Development Group. Councillor Kelvin Galbraith and the Mayor will also be in attendance to hear your input.

Nautique – the legal fight over this tower revealed just how creative lawyers for developers can be. It was the existence of a bus terminal, smaller than most kitchens that made it possible. Planning blew the OMB hearing – the developer got everything they wanted.

Residents can subscribe to the proposed development’s webpage at Burlington.ca/ development projects to receive any updates about this proposal.

The meeting is not going to result in any decisions; it is an opportunity for the developer to hear what the public thinks and for the public to see what the developer has in mind.

These meetings are now required by the city before a development application can be submitted. Comments made at the meeting are recorded and become part of the application when it is filed.

ADI is a major development in Burlington. The Nautique at the intersection of Martha and Lakeshore Road is now underway.

Station West is well underway – this most recent proposed development is really a part of the very large Station West plan.

Early site plan for Station West that is now under construction. The Cooke Street towers would be to the left of this project.

Government puts out an interactive self-assessment application - will it make a difference?

By Pepper Parr

September 16th, 2020

BURLINGTON, ON

The province is doing everything they can to get people to use the preventative measure they know work to slow down the spread of the Covid19.

Premier does a media event almost daily – begging – beseeching the public to observe the social distancing rules. But the number of new infections is climbing – daily.

The Premier is his now almost daily web cast where he brings people up to data on what is happening; what they province is doing and putting critical data into the public realm.

He often beseeches, beg the public to be careful and cautious.

A significant part of the public isn’t listening all that well.

Today the province announced a new interactive self-screening tool. It is direct and the province wants people to use it every day.

CLICK HERE to access the app.

That isn’t likely to happen – the questions asked are pretty fundamental and we suspect that after a few days the people that need to hear the message and pay attention will be the first to get bored and stop doing the self-assessment.

At the risk of being a cynic this Premier might have to announce on a Thursday morning that come Friday at noon all bars and places where people gather for non-essential purposes are closed until the following Monday.

Or perhaps a curfew to make the point. British Columbia put a curfew in place.

The number of new infections are still climbing. At some point these infections will work their way into the school system.

The public reaction will not be pretty.

Hospitals in the wider region coordinate their plans for increased COVID infections and more hospital stays

By Staff

September 15th, 2020

BURLINGTON, ON

The comments made in the video that accompanied the report from the Joseph Brant hospital on how they expected to use the Pandemic Response Unit – another phrase for what is a “field hospital” – were a little on the jarring side.

Totally self contained with very high air exchange features. No television, virtual visits.

The words “expected surge” are now used commonly. Newspaper headlines make mention of the “surge” in reported COVID-19 virus infections. Public Health people are always asked – will there be a second wave while others answer that we are now in a second wave.

A number of months ago Eric Vandewall approved the purchase and installation of what amounted to a small hospital – a little like the convalescent hospitals we had when tuberculosis was rampant.

It didn’t get used and some thought it was a waste of money. Vandewall knew what he was doing – being proactive in the best possible way.

The hospital produced a short video explaining how the unit – called a PRU – will be used. Worth listening to – CLICK here.

The hospitals are not as clear as they can be in explaining how the PRU – Pandemic response unit will be used.

Basically it is in place to handle COVID-19 patients that a hospital cannot accommodate.

It’s a short term facility. People will be there to recuperate. The structure probably has a life cycle of less than ten years – more like five.

Hospitals in Hamilton, Niagara, Haldimand, Norfolk, Brant and Burlington (HNHNBB Region) are working together to create a regional COVID-19 model of care for COVID-19 positive patients requiring hospital care.

Together, their goal is to be ready to support the increases in COVID-19 care needs, while minimizing any potential disruption of scheduled, regional, and community care across our region.

The hope is that transmission rates in our region remain low, any increases in COVID-19 care will be managed within each of our hospitals, and that the regional COVID-19 model of care will not need to be activated.

However, creating this regional approach is critical to our pandemic response planning and ensures we are prepared for any potential surge in COVID-19 cases.

Regional COVID-19 Model of Care Strategy

Joseph Brant Hospital (JBH), and all HNHNBB’s hospital emergency departments, will care for persons under investigation for COVID-19. Patients who present to JBH, testing positive and requiring hospitalization, will be cared for at our hospital.

Four designated hospitals will be providing acute COVID-19 care:

Hamilton Health Sciences (Hamilton General Hospital)
Joseph Brant Hospital
Niagara Health (St. Catharines Site)
St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton

Norfolk General Hospital and Brant Community Healthcare System will continue to provide local COVID-19 care, and may transfer COVID-19 positive patients as needed to designated hospitals.

Pandemic Response Unit

Joseph Brant Hospital’s Pandemic Response Unit (PRU) will be the HNHNBB’s regional resource to provide care for COVID-19 patients.

The PRU is an external all-season structure designed specifically to care for stable COVID-19 positive patients who have mild to moderate symptoms.

Patients admitted to the PRU require care and support that cannot be provided at home, including oxygen therapy, medication management, monitoring of symptoms and some personal support. Support for virtual visits and engagement of family/caregivers will be provided while in the PRU.

As admitted patients who are transferred to another hospital recover from COVID-19, they will either be discharged home with community supports as needed, or they will be transferred back to their community hospital for ongoing care as soon as possible.

We are told that there are going to be more COVID infection reports – the numbers are already well above where they were in June and after the lock down.

The solution for everyone is to continue to protect yourself and others by following public health advice including keeping the required social distance, washing your hands frequently, wearing a mask when appropriate and getting a flu shot when available.

The solution is in our hands – how serious this probable second wave turns out to be will be determined by how responsible we each are.

Quarry operating looking for partners on turning the property into public space once the aggregate extraction has been completed.

By Staff

September 15th, 2020

BURLINGTON, ON

While the reviews of the many technical documents related to the application for an extraction license to expand the existing quarry and create a new one across #2 Side Road take place, the quarry operators are moving forward on their long term plans to turn all the land over to a public authority and create one of the largest parks the Region has ever seen.

Nelson Aggregates has put out a Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) seeking a partner to help with the detailed design, construction and operation of a nearly 1,000-acre park in North Burlington.

This RFEI is intended to gauge market interest before determining whether to proceed to a competitive bidding process.

16 Rendering of bowl Golf club or main quarry

Tonnes of aggregate were taken out of the quarry and used to build much of the Burlington we know today. In the future that hole in the ground could become a magnificent park.

“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to assemble a large piece of land in prime real estate for a public park,” said Nelson President Quinn Moyer. “We are inviting applications from any interested and qualified parties, be it a government, government agency, not-for-profit, conservation or other organization committed to public recreation.”

Interested parties have been invited to respond to this RFEI by October 15 by submitting a letter to Nelson that includes a brief statement of the nature of their interest in the park and any qualifications.

Organizations that submit will be notified in the event of an RFP to determine the winning candidate.

The shaded area to the left and to the south are the properties that are the xx of an extraction license. The large gray area in the middle is the current quarry that is reaching the end of its life cycle. Combined the plan is to turn all of it over to the public to be used as parkland.

“This park is a truly exciting project,” said Moyer, “one that will help Burlington and Halton grow sustainably over the next generation, and then give future generations the environmental and health benefits of a large urban park.”

The proposed park would be 5.7 times larger than Burlington’s City View Park, and would be donated to the public in stages following approval of an application to extend Nelson’s Burlington Quarry. The size and scale of the park would allow for abundant recreational opportunities, from biking and swimming to rock climbing and soccer.

Interested parties are asked to review the RFEI at merx.com.

MERX is Canada’s leading electronic tendering service

Council likes the idea of a Deep Energy Retrofit Program for the city - approved $182,000 for year 1

By Pepper Parr

September 15th, 2020

BURLINGTON, ON

This is a long article. If the Deep Energy Retrofit pilot project is a success – the results will be houses that are retrofitted and become low carbon generators which will add significant value to the property.

The recommendation to the Standing Committee was to approve a budget of $182,000 for year one of a project that has the potential to have 80% of the residential homes in the city retrofit by 2051.

The report presented was pretty dry – the conversation and debate was anything but dry – but it didn’t get unanimous support.

If the project gets approved at Council at the end of the month it will mean another raid on a Reserve Fund – this time it would be the Tax Rate Stabilization account.

What the Standing Committee on Environment, Infrastructure and Community Services Committee (EICS) was doing was delivering on one of the election campaign promises.

Early in their term of office the Mayor led her council to declaring a Climate Change Emergency.

There was no stopping them once that declaration was cast in stone.

Ward 5 Councillor Paul Sharman said, after more than an hour of debate that this is “exactly the right approach. We need a guide – approve this plan – we will find the dollars.

“We will solve the Covid problem – climate change is what is going to kill us all.”

The City of Burlington has set a target for the community to be net carbon zero by 2050. The development and implementation of a deep energy efficiency retrofit program for homes is necessary to achieve the low carbon scenario described in the Climate Action Plan for Burlington.
On July 6th, 2020, staff reported to the EI&CS Committee with background information and options to deliver a residential deep energy retrofit program in Burlington.

The initial implementation of the Deep Energy Retrofit Program including but not limited to a scale-able home owner pilot project, research on resident take up and commitment, homeowner technical support to energy retrofit including the involvement of Burlington Enterprises Corp, and that staff report back with any financial implications of the pilot project.

Scale-able Pilot Project:
Staff recommend engaging the Centre for Climate Change Management (CCCM) at Mohawk College and the Bay Area Climate Change Council (BACCC) to develop and implement a scale-able home owner pilot project.

The City has an existing partnership with the City of Hamilton and Mohawk College to accelerate action on climate change through the CCCM and BACCC. Both cities recently contributed financially to support the administration of BACCC.

The CCCM is embarking on the development of a business plan for a Low-Rise Home Energy Retrofit Delivery Program for the region of Hamilton-Burlington on behalf of BACCC, with the following objectives:

• identify the Centre’s core services to provide to homeowners
• develop a financially feasible business model for the program
• recommend a governance structure to promote transparency and accountability
• define program eligibility criteria, as well as monitoring and evaluations frameworks
• identify opportunities to scale and transfer solutions (e.g. integration with Brant or other adjacent regions, supporting multi-unit residential retrofits)
• investigate whether outreach and education services should be part of the Centre’s core mandate.

As city staff reviewed the CCCM’s proposal and objectives, it became clear that there is an opportunity and benefit to join forces with the CCCM to expand the scope of this work.

The CCCM can act as the project manager with financial investment from Burlington to develop and deliver a scale-able pilot program for a home energy efficiency retrofit project. The additional work to be managed for the City of Burlington will include:

What makes a home energy efficient?

additional home energy efficiency audits
market research
an initial survey of a scientific random sample of homeowners in Burlington to determine market readiness, barriers and demand for incentives
focus groups following the process to complete more in-depth analysis of homeowners’ experience following completion of a home energy audit and implementation of measures
education – engage organizations such as Humber College and the Clean Air Partnership to deliver workshops and online sessions to residents on deep home energy efficiency retrofits
marketing – promoting current opportunities and benefits to homeowners interested in completing home energy efficiency retrofits.

What can the city expect to get in a year for $182,000?

Kate Flynn, Acting Director, Centre for Climate Change Management at Mohawk pitched the concept to Council.

The Centre for Climate Change Management (CCCM) is an applied research arm of Mohawk College. Their role is to help the Hamilton-Burlington transition to a thriving low-carbon economy.

They do this by catalyzing multi-sector collaborations with industry, community and government.

They bring collaborators together to work on designing and implementing solutions that are often multi-faceted and require industry, community, and government support.

Their approach is to co-design human centered solutions that actually address the systemic issues of why something isn’t currently working.

In 2018 the Cities of Hamilton and Burlington commissioned a comprehensive greenhouse gas inventory. One of the main conclusions of that greenhouse gas inventory was that a home energy retrofit program would be one of the best opportunities for Hamilton and Burlington to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change.

Essentially, a HERO – Home Energy Renovation Opportunity is one the most important tools to help Burlington meet its 2050 goals to be a thriving carbon neutral community.

The CCCC works as an applied research arm, and as an incubator is that provides additional flexibility, capacity and expertise.

They want to co-design a project that meets Burlington residents’ needs. Through focus groups and home energy audits, we’d engage Burlington homeowners, providing them with the audit report, then asking them what works for them and their needs.

They conclude that given the number and diversity of homes in Burlington, one size will not fill all – the need is to design a program that supports a diversity of implementable solutions.

The hope is that one day, we could develop “turn key” solutions – package deals for certain kinds of homes that are cost effective and minimize disruption.

And finally, we know the battle will not be on establishing a program – the battle will be uptake.

Right now, doing a home energy retrofit is a very difficult thing for homeowners to navigate. We need to make it easy and accessible through the creation of a Home Delivery Retrofit Centre.

The goal at the CCCM is to create programs that effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions and support the local economy, so we keep residents’ interests at the heart of what we do.

We also want to flow resources and support for community organizations that are already DOING some of this work like educating homeowners, talking to people in the streets, and engaging people – we know that’s an essential piece of this and we want to activate current networks and amplify the great work local organizations are doing to do that outreach and engagement.

We also want to design a truly scalable solution – so one that can support the growing market and changing consumer needs, but also can expand to support access, equity and heritage homes.

As part of our partnership with the Cities, we act as the administrative and physical home of the Council but they are an independent group.

Not everyone was onside for a program that would make major changes in the city’s carbon footprint and run by a community college in Hamilton.

Councillor Stolte was more interested in a “made in Burlington” solution and Councillor Bentivegna wanted more detail and what this pilot project was going to cost in its second year.

Councillor Nisan pointed out that “we all supported climate change – and now we are fussed about $300,000. There will be a reward.

The CCCM views this as an opportunity to expand the scope, where the experience and results of the partnership with Burlington will provide additional data and information to support the business plan for a Home Energy Retrofit Delivery Centre.

Project Deliverables
The CCCM proposes the following work to be completed within a year:

• Business plan for a Hamilton-Burlington Retrofits Delivery Centre for Hamilton- Burlington region
• Report on implementation plan
• Results on a study of home energy audits in Hamilton and Burlington, in which the project team identifies common consumer needs to verify delivery centre’s core services (additional energy audits will be completed in Burlington)
• Market research for Burlington – survey of homeowners and focus groups
• Outreach & education initiatives for Burlington residents

The goal is to incubate the Delivery Centre so that it can eventually grow to become its own organization or partner with another organization where synergies exist. The Centre will provide the support and knowledge needed by homeowners, ensuring the energy retrofit process can be convenient, easy to access and effective.

Project Management
The project will be managed by the CCCM, an applied research division of the College, aimed at supporting the Hamilton-Burlington Region’s transition to a low carbon economy.

Project Advisory Committee
For 2020-22, the Bay Area Climate Change Council has identified the acceleration of a home energy efficiency retrofit program as one of its priority areas of focus. As such, the Bay Area Climate Change Council’s Implementation Team on Home Energy Retrofits will act as a project advisory committee. The Implementation Team will meet monthly to provide project feedback and guidance. This group will comprise of 8-10 stakeholders from across the home energy retrofit ecosystem in Hamilton-Burlington.

Municipal Consortium in Ontario
The Clean Air Partnership is continuing discussions with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) to develop a municipal consortium in Ontario to support home energy efficiency retrofits.

There is talk about a loan program that would be financed by the municipalities.
The collaboration could take many forms from assignment of project leadership for a set of tools or in other cases it may be advantageous to have group development. Common platform pieces could include:

Window upgrades are critical to achieving a low carbon foot print.

• One stop web site
• Program marketing materials
• Program outreach materials to key stakeholders (homeowners, realtors, contractors)
• Applications forms
• Client management system
• Client supports/resources
• Contractor supports/resources
• Better understanding how to handle and what are the differences in needs/capacity across municipalities with regards to these common platform pieces.

Staff will continue to monitor progress on this collaborative initiative and engage in discussions to determine the best approach for Burlington.

Options Considered
Staff assessed creating a scale-able home energy efficiency retrofit pilot program with in-house resources, however, the benefits of working with an external community-based organization outweighed that option. The CCCM can be flexible in managing the development of this program, has access to expertise within the college, has the ability to reach the community through its networks and, will receive additional guidance and support from the Bay Area Climate Change Council and

Implementation Team.
Mohawk College has a positive reputation for being a leader in applied research and skills training, an important element of scaling up the trades, skills and knowledge to support energy efficient building retrofits in the Burlington and Hamilton communities.

Total Financial Impact
Burlington’s total budget share for year one is $182,000 and year two $103,500. Year one includes one-time funding to develop the business plan and complete market research, including a survey and focus group.

The CCCM has applied to The Atmospheric Fund (TAF) for its share of funding of $32,800 for year one.

Source of Funding
Staff recommend the use of the city’s Tax Rate Stabilization Reserve Fund (TRSRF) for the one-time funding of $182,000 to partner with CCCM for development of a business plan, pilot project and associated market research costs.

As of June 30, 2020 the balance in the city’s tax rate $4.72 million net of commitments. It is important to note, that the city is projecting a year end shortfall as a result of Covid-19. Therefore, the TRSRF will not be replenished at year end with any retained savings, and furthermore, it is possible that the balance may be further drawn upon based on the year end forecasted shortfall.

Background links:

Burlington’s Climate Change Emergency declaration.

Green house gas emissions report

Public Health reports first case of West Nile virus in Burlington

By Staff

September 15th, 2020

BURLINGTON, ON

While Covid-19 issues keep the Public Health Unit very very busy, it also has to deal with other significant health issues.

A Burlington resident has tested positive for West Nile virus.

Halton Region Public Health has confirmed that a Burlington resident has tested positive for West Nile virus (WNV). This is Halton’s third human case of WNV this year; the first two positive test results were residents of Oakville.

“Halton Region Public Health continues to reduce the risk of West Nile virus in our community through education and preventative programs, such as larviciding. Until the fall frost, residents should keep using bug spray, remove standing water and avoid areas where mosquitoes are present,” said Dr. Hamidah Meghani, Halton Region Medical Officer of Health.

“While 80 per cent of people infected with West Nile virus will have no symptoms, others will have symptoms consisting of fever, headache, muscle ache and a rash. These symptoms are very similar to illnesses such as COVID-19, so it is important for residents seek medical assessment.”

Residents are encouraged to take the following steps to protect themselves and their families from mosquitoes:

• Urban areas are more likely to have mosquitoes that carry WNV. Reduce mosquito breeding sites around your home at least once a week by getting rid of water in containers and objects such as wheelbarrows, tires, plant pots, old toys, plastic pails and wading pools.
• Avoid areas where mosquitoes are known to be present such as wooded areas, golf courses or gardens, especially at dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most active.
• If you are going to areas where mosquitoes are active, cover up by wearing light-coloured, long-sleeved shirts and pants with tightly woven fabric.
• Use a mosquito repellent (bug spray) containing DEET or Icaridin.
• Make sure your window and door screens are tight and without holes, cuts or other openings.
• Change the water in bird baths at least once per week.

If residents see standing water on public property for longer than a week, they can report it to Halton Region by emailing accesshalton@halton.ca or calling 311.

As part of its ongoing West Nile virus surveillance and larviciding program, Halton Region Public Health staff continue to monitor areas of standing water, eliminate potential mosquito breeding sites and apply larvicide when mosquito larvae is found during Regional monitoring and surveillance. For more information on Halton Region’s West Nile virus program, visit halton.ca.

Media gets it wrong - school board provides report that was incorrect.

By Staff

September 15th, 2020

BURLINGTON, ON

Media yesterday, including the Gazette, reported that two students were found to have been infected by the Covid-19 virus.

The two people who were infected were students but they didn’t contract the virus in a classroom.

Neither had yet started school.

They were declared infected by the Public Health Unit on the weekend.

Halton District School Board Director of Education Stuart Miller found himself with a piece of bad news on his hands before the school doors even opened.

So far there has not been an infected student or teacher identified in the school board population.

Media got their information from the school board web site.

MP with a large part of Burlington in his riding reaches out with telephone calls - you can book one

By Staff

September 14th, 2020

BURLINGTON, ON

The moment a politician is sworn in they begin work on the next campaign.

That means meeting people, listening to their problems and their concerns.

Doing that with the whole world dealing with a pandemic is a challenge under the best of circumstances.

Known as AVK – Adam vankoeverden books telephone call appointments with is constituents.

Adam van Koeverden has come up with an interesting way of covering that constituency base: he books appointments for telephone calls.

On his Facebook page Adam van Koeverden explains: “Yesterday was a great little innovation for the way we proactively engage with our constituency.

“I took 11 calls in two hours for a quick touch-base, catch up and chat with Miltonians on issues from tree planting to local jobs, from CERB and EI changes to traffic, travel and rural high-speed broadband access.

“COVID-19 has changed the way we now meet up with one another, but it won’t stop me from interacting with our community, or with our neighbours one on one.

“If you have ideas, feedback or enquiries, feel free to register for a phone call with me.”

To book a call – Click HERE

You can also always send an email Adam.vankoeverden@parl.gc.ca

Seen as the Member of Parliament for Milton his office overlooks the part of northern Burlington that is in the Milton riding.

A significant part of Burlington is in the Milton constituency.

Police pull a car over and find that there was $100,000 worth of fentanyl in the vehicle.

By Staff

September 14th, 2020

BURLINGTON, ON

It was just after 7:00 pm yesterday when a police officer spotted a car moving a little too quickly in the of Billings Court and South Service Road in Burlington.

A traffic stop was conducted and grounds were formed for a lawful search of the vehicle. Search of the vehicle led to the discovery and seizure of approximately 300 grams of fentanyl, valued at over $100,000, as well as $15,000 in cash.
That is a very significant drug inventory.

Parteek Ghuman (19) of Stoney Creek has been charged with:

-Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking – Fentanyl
-Obstruct Peace Officer

Ghuman has been held in custody pending a bail hearing.

This is an example of excellent police work.

Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to contact D/Sgt Jared McLeod of the 3 District Criminal Investigations Bureau at 905-825-4747 ext. 2385.

Tips can also be submitted anonymously to Crime Stoppers “See something? Hear something? Know something? Contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.ca.

HDSB reports two school related covid infections - meanwhile things at Charles Best run very smoothly.

By Pepper Parr

September 14th, 2020

BURLINGTON, ON

The report that two students were found to be infected was incorrect. Two people were found to be infected – they were not in classroom at the time – they had yet to start school.

Student with parent - getting saniitized and checked iin Sept 14

Parents walks her son up to the entrance at Charles Best

It was not an auspicious start.

First day back at school and the Halton District School Board reports a student at Brant Hills with a COVID infection.

In a brief statement on the Board’s COVID-19 Advisory Committee page they report that a positive test was recorded at the Brant public school in Burlington and the Garth Webb Secondary School in Oakville.

The COVID-19 Advisory Committee provides the number of positive COVID-19 cases that are connected to schools. For all confirmed cases, families and staff at the school will be notified by letter. Halton Region Public Health will contact any close contacts directly.

The web site page does point out that: “ A positive case at a school does not mean the individual was exposed to COVID-19 at the school.

They may have been exposed somewhere else in the community. The identity of the individual is protected by privacy legislation and will not be shared.

Neither school will be closing nor will any classrooms/cohorts be closed.

This morning students at Charles Best Public School arrived by car, by bus and some walked.

Students get off school bus and head for their classrooms – all wearing masks.

The start of the day was orderly with every student sanitized and let into the school.

Security was tight with principal Paul Thomson walking the perimeter of the school property in a safety vest and a walky-talky on his hip.

School buses arrived, students hopped out while small groups of parents, not wearing masks, chatted with each other.

It was a nice fall day and while things were a little edgy – the day got off to a good start.

Children on the right are keeping their social distance from people walking along the pathway.

Schools throughout the Region ready for students to return - 20% have decided not to do so

By Pepper Parr

September 12th, 2020

BURLINGTON, ON

All the angst, all the concern and even the worry on the part of parents gets faced Monday morning as those who have decided to have their children attend school send them out the door Monday morning – and hope that they are safe.

The educators – all the way from the Director of Education and the classroom teachers – even the custodial people – are anxious.

What happens when someone becomes infected?

There are rules and protocols galore out there to deal with the child that has a temperature or a runnier than usual nose.

The challenge is to stay positive.

There will be situations where someone will over react. And there will be situations where a situation should have gotten a closer look.

Everyone is on pins and needles.

Tonnes of money has been thrown at this problem. Schools have enough PPE to last them through to Christmas.

There are all kinds of “what if” questions.

Basically if there is a child that is not well – the child gets sent home.

The Regional Public Health Unit is all over this issue. If a child Is sent home – does the class get shut down?

What has to happen for a school to be closed?

Hand sanitizer and a sign in sheet at the only entrance to the school.

This will fall to the principal along with the Superintendent who oversees health issues and the Public Health Unit. Every school has to post a notice on the school web site reporting that someone at the school has been diagnosed as infected.

The province has a reporting system that will detail where the infections were found and how many.

The communications lines will be wide open.

One should feel sorry for the students who sneezes twice in a row – they will be all over the kid.

Everyone at a responsible level is saying “there will be infected people who are identified as infected people. Some of them will be teachers – we have already heard of infected teachers and how the class they were teaching was closed.

Expect the number of infected people to rise. The big question is – how high might it rise and at what point does the province decide that schools have to be closed and everyone gets taught online.

Last week Paul Thomson, principal at Charles Best Public School, met with parents in an outdoor session with everyone six feet apart. “They asked questions” he said “and I gave them the information I had.”

Entrance to all the schools will be strictly controlled. Parents will not be permitted to take a child into the school. They get left at the door where teachers greet them.

Thomson is a believer in keeping people informed and being open, direct and honest.

Monday morning the kids troop into the school. The hand sanitizer is just inside the the front door; teachers in full PPE will be there to greet the children.

Everyone will be trying to focus on the educating of the children in their care.

Whatever in the way of the covid virus gets into a school we know that someone brought it into the school. The person who brought it into the school picked it up from someone else. We are the people who pass this virus on to others. If we keep a safe distance, wear our face masks and wash our hands regularly we will be safer.

The understanding at this point is that the virus needs to replicate itself in people. By staying apart that virus can’t replicate.

Everyone believes that there will be a virus and that that will save us all. Hope does spring eternal doesn’t it.

More than $65,000 in funding for seniors project handed out by MP Karina Gould last week.

By Pepper Parr

September 12th, 2020

BURLINGTON, ON

Burlington Member of Parliament Karina Gould had a busy week. Everywhere she went federal money was being handed out – all for needed community based interests – but it did have just a hint of – is there an election on the horizon to it.

Earlier in the week there was $5 million for transit over a three year time frame.

Karina Gould, Burlington MP and a member of the Liberal Cabinet, announcing federal finding for seniors.

Last Friday Gould, who is a Cabinet Minister, announced an investment of $65,600 in Burlington. These funds will support projects delivered by community organizations to help seniors during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Support for these projects is being provided by the Government of Canada’s New Horizons for Seniors Program (NHSP), which fosters social inclusion and engagement of seniors by encouraging them to share their knowledge, skills and experience to stay active and engaged.

Michelle Murry. on the left, with Minister Gould at the funding announcement at the Halton Industry Educational Council.

The Halton Industry Education Council is receiving $21,000 for their project expanding online safety and technological literacy for seniors.

With this funding, HIEC will be able to expand their program to include more seniors in Canada and allow seniors to stay connected with their families, feel confident in accessing online supports and information, reduce social isolation and positively impact their mental well being.

Halton Food for Life is receiving $20,000 for their Supporting Seniors Through Accessible Food Provision. Food for Life delivers fresh food bags each week along with accessible meals for seniors who are in self isolation at home, ensuring access to healthy food to seniors across Halton during this difficult time.

The Centre for Skills Development is receiving $24,600 for their Better Together program which is designed to improve the quality of life of seniors during and after the COVID-19 Pandemic. Seniors will be able to attend workshops on how to navigate social media to stay connected, participate in home exercises and engage in conversations regarding mental health, nutrition and exploring wellness.

These projects announced today are funded through an additional investment of $20 million in funding through the New Horizons for Seniors Program.

Organizations will receive up to $25,000 in funding to offer immediate COVID-19 relief or recovery activities to seniors. The projects will include activities such as:

• promoting computer literacy and virtual activities, such as exercise classes, among seniors;
• supporting the delivery of food and medication or personalized monitoring of seniors by phone or by videoconference;
• assisting seniors with essential activities, such as visits to the doctor;
• hiring staff to replace a loss of volunteerism capacity due to the outbreak;
• providing information to seniors regarding how to care for themselves in light of experiences relating to the pandemic; and
• providing training on disease prevention, use of personal protective equipment.

Projects were selected based on equitable distribution of funding across the country, after consideration of active projects taking place in communities. Projects focusing on vulnerable populations or serving rural and remote communities were prioritized.

These additional projects will help ensure as many communities as possible across Canada have projects aiming to reduce seniors’ isolation within the community, improve their quality of life and help them maintain a social support network during the pandemic.

Background:
The New Horizons for Seniors Program (NHSP) is a federal grants and contributions program that supports projects that empower seniors in their communities and contribute to improving their health and well-being. NHSP funding supports community-based projects and pan-Canadian projects. The projects are led or inspired by seniors who are making a difference in the lives of others and their communities.

Through the NHSP, the Government of Canada encourages seniors to share their knowledge, skills and experience to the benefit of others. The objectives of the NHSP are:

promoting volunteerism among seniors;
engaging seniors in the community through mentoring of others;
expanding awareness of elder abuse, including financial abuse;
supporting social participation and inclusion of seniors; and
providing capital assistance for new and existing community projects and/or programs for seniors.

Since the NHSP was launched in 2004, more than 23,600 projects have been funded across Canada. Further to the Budget 2019 investment of an additional $100 million over five years, and $20 million per year ongoing, the Government of Canada will be supporting even more projects.

Community-based projects

Community-based project funding supports activities where seniors are engaged, connected and actively involved in their communities. Organizations are eligible to receive up to $25,000 in grant funding, and small grants of up to $5,000 are available to organizations that have not received funding within the last five years.

Burlington seniors at a Transit workshop discussing their specific needs. Burlington MP Karina Gould looks on.

As part of the 2019-20 NHSP community-based call for proposals, organizations were invited to apply for funding under the NHSP’s three national priorities:

preventing elder abuse and fraud, including measures to reduce crimes and harms against seniors;
supporting healthy aging in community, addressing dementia, including community supports and intergenerational housing; and
counteracting ageism in the workplace to promote labour market retention of seniors.

Burlington has, on a per capita basis, one of the largest senior populations in the province.

Provincial Offences Court dates have changed

By Staff

September 11th, 2020

BURLINGTON, ON

NOTICE TO PUBLIC
REGARDING PROVINCIAL OFFENCES ACT MATTERS

Revised September 2, 2020

All in-person Provincial Offences Act matters (e.g., traffic tickets and offences under provincial legislation) scheduled until October 16, 2020 will be rescheduled. Do not attend court.

If you were planning on going to court – the date will have been changed.

All in-person Provincial Offences Act (POA) matters scheduled from Monday, March 16, 2020 through to and including Friday, October 16, 2020 will be adjourned and rescheduled to a later date. If you have a matter scheduled during this time, do not attend court. This applies to all POA courts in Ontario.

A notice of your new court date will be sent to you by mail to the address on file with the court. For more information, please contact your local Provincial Offences court.

Contact information for all municipal courts is available here: https://www.attorneygeneral.jus.gov.on.ca/english/courts/Court_Addresses/poa/

Updated information about court proceedings at the Ontario Court of Justice can be found on the Court’s website at https://www.ontariocourts.ca/ocj/.

On August 20, 2020 the Ontario government announced that the limitation periods order under the Reopening Ontario Act, 2020 suspending any time limitations setting out the commencement of POA proceedings will end on September 13, 2020.

Therefore, the following POA limitation periods will resume running on September 14, 2020 including:

• Time for provincial offences officers to file a certificate of offence or parking infraction;
• Time for defendants to file notices of intention to appear;
• Time at which a fine goes into default and may be subject to enforcement; and
• Time for appeals.

Please be advised that the Chief Justice has made a subsequent order pursuant to s. 85 extending certain timelines for the Ontario Court of Justice under the Provincial Offences Act until December 1, 2020.

A copy of the order is available on the Ontario Court of Justice website.

Three words and they know exactly where you are - a simple free app makes it happen.

By Staff

September 11th,2020

BURLINGTON, ON

This one is a little on the complex side.

The Regional Police have signed on to a web site that will aid them in finding people who are lost and help people who are lost in getting found.

The Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) announced a new partnership with What3Words. They are one of the first police services in the country to adopt this potentially lifesaving technology and is confident that this new program will help reduce response times.

The service is called – What3words – described as an easy way to communicate an exact location. This is done by dividing the world into 3 metre squares and assigning each square a unique combination of three words.

We did say it is complex.

For example, the what3words address of the HRPS Headquarters’ front entrance is Erupt.Venomous.Linear.

Using the app, callers can communicate their precise location to call takers at the HRPS. If they do not have the app, the HRPS can send callers a text message that will identify their location and unique what3word address. HRPS communicators can then direct officers to the exact location of the caller.

It is complex – but if it works – it could be great.

“This technology could be especially helpful in situations where people have become lost hiking, or have driven off the road and are trapped in a vehicle and don’t know where they are” says Staff Sergeant Stephanie Jamieson, Communications Bureau.

“We think this will also help immensely along the 325 square kilometres of Lake Ontario policed by the HRPS Marine Unit. Boaters can become stranded or lost and struggle to communicate their location to police.”

This program is far more precise than a traditional cell phone ‘ping’ often used by emergency services.

The HRPS will begin using this technology effective immediately.

The app is available for free on iOS and Android or via the online map at what3words.com. It’s also available in more than 40 languages.

The app also works offline, making it ideal for use in rural areas of Halton that may have poor or unreliable data signal.

For more information a video on how the program works can be found HERE.

The kind of thing you might want to do when you are stuck in traffic.

By Pepper Parr

September 11th, 2020

BURLINGTON, ON

Where do you find the time to complete a survey the Ministry of Transportation has sent out on long-term transportation planning for the Greater Golden Horseshoe?

The results of the survey will help inform and guide highway and transit investment from today to the year 2051. Gathering input directly from communities is part of the government’s commitment to develop regional transportation plans that reflect local needs and priorities.

“We’ve received great feedback as we develop this transportation plan and are encouraging even more people to participate in helping to shape the future of transportation in the Greater Golden Horseshoe,” said Caroline Mulroney, Minister of Transportation. “This survey is incredibly important. We need the community to take part in order to build a high functioning and efficient transportation system that will keep families and the economy of the Greater Golden Horseshoe moving.”

The survey is the latest step in continued engagement with the general public, municipal and freight stakeholders, businesses and Indigenous communities. A summary of the survey findings will be produced by the Ministry of Transportation and posted on the Greater Golden Horseshoe transportation plan web page.

Link to the survey is HERE

The survey’s closing date is October 26, 2020.

Daily Covid in the Schools information available to parents and the general public

By Pepper Parr

September 11th, 2020

BURLINGTON, ON

Saying that “The Premier and our government made a promise to parents, that we would ensure that they would have access to the same information that we have.” the province created a web site that will report on the most up-to-date COVID-19 information available, including a summary of cases in schools and licensed child care centres and agencies.

If a COVID-19 case is confirmed at a school it will be posted to the web site. Data is current as of 2:00 pm the previous day.

Click HERE for the web site.

Set out below is what one of the pages on the web site looks like.

“Mayor Meed Ward’s Weekly Update: September 7-13, 2020”

By Pepper Parr

September 11th, 2020

BURLINGTON, ON

The taxpayers of Burlington can now get a peek at what Mayor Marianne Meed Ward has planned for a week.

This is a new feature coming out of the Mayor’s communications department.

It is described as “a regular and predictable communication of my high-level meetings, media engagements, events and regular communications”.

An example of what the Mayor is providing is HERE.

Look at the September 9th entry for Clearwater Development Discussion entry. Was that meeting with the developer, who has revised the plan for two medium rise buildings in what is a single dwelling community or with the ward Councillor: who was involved in that meeting? This particular development is of serious concern to a number of people in the community.

One wonders if this weekly peek is being put in place rather than a Registry that has been proposed by ward 2 Councillor Lisa Kearns.

A Registry is a list of the people that an elected official meets with on city business.

A Registry entry would set out the name of the person the Mayor or Councillor met with, the company they represented, the business that was discussed and the length of time the meeting lasted.

There are a lot of people who want to do business with the city of Burlington. Many think that the Mayor can serve their interests well and they look for an opportunity to meet with and impress the Mayor. Never hurts to have friends in high places.

A former Mayor of Burlington once told me “anything that happens in the city comes through the office of the Mayor”. A Registry is a much more disciplined document and in some municipalities there are penalties for not complying with keeping an accurate and timely Registry – no noting that you met with someone three months ago.

During the presentation of a development by a large corporation at a public meeting the senior officer of a much smaller development organization approached a Councillor who was elected for the first time in 2018. It was a very casual meeting, lasted just a few minutes during which a business card was presented. I would bet dollars to donuts that there was a follow up meeting.

And there is nothing wrong with that – but, when public money is involved – you note the event.

This is a good and commendable effort. More detail would make it what the public is entitled to.

Reader questions the appointment of new vice principals at public schools - the appointments were not new - they were re-locations.

By Pepper Parr

September 10th, 2020

BURLINGTON, ON

Several days ago we received a letter with no return address. There was a single piece of paper with five paragraphs with which the writer explained that she had learned of 19 new vice principals being appointed at the Halton District School Board.

The full letter went as follows:

As a teacher I am sending this note anonymously for obvious reasons – but you might want to ask some tough questions publicly.

As you are aware, additional spending has been required by the HDSB to prepare schools for re-opening during the pandemic and money is tight.

However, on August 26th, this board announced 19 new vice principal appointments) note these were not replacements – new appointments) to oversee in several schools “Virtual Schools”. Vice principals are not cheap and this money could have been spent further reducing class sizes in some of the more high risk locations, particularly in Oakville.

While I understand that a significant (perhaps up to 20%) of Halton students have chosen to learn from home, this was accomplished in the spring for three months without any bureaucratic oversight. And I didn’t notice any shortcomings that more administrators will solve.

These appointments do underscore a philosophy in the administration on Guelph Line that nothing good happens without Board oversight. Sadly, this is at polar opposites from reality.

HDSB Trustee Chair Andrea Grebenc

We first communicated with the Chair of the Board of trustees, Andrea Grebenc, who answered our questions. She said there were just two new appointments. We asked for a little clarification at which point Grebenc, correctly we believe, said this was an operations matter.

We then put ourselves in touch with Director of Education Stuart Miller, who got back to us very very quickly saying:

Director of Education Stuart Miller

As you know we created 4 Virtual schools (3 elementary and 1 secondary). They all needed administrators as they are now our biggest schools (16,000 students).

Also because of the number of students who chose distance learning, it meant the number of administrators required for schools in which they lost students to distance learning is not the same. Many schools became smaller and therefore could afford to lose an administrator (P/VP). Those were the ones redeployed.

There was one new appointment and that is because we had a late retirement of a Principal, the rest were not new assignments.

To our anonymous reader – don’t think there is any misbehavior here. The information you refer to does not appear to exist. If you have something that we haven’t managed to dig up – please send it along, and we will follow up.

I think you may have been misled or misinformed. You did the right thing – you brought the concern forward so that questions could be asked.

At this point it looks to us that the board administration is scrambling to meet a dynamic and very fluid situation.

Our only comment is that 17 administrators for four virtual schools looks a little thick but the administrators are professionals and we have to trust them to do what they think is needed. Better to have too many than not enough.

They are doing an impossible job in tough times.

Did the federal and provincial funding kill the hope for an electric transit fleet ?

By Pepper Parr

September 10th 2020

BURLINGTON, ON

When funding is given to a municipality it rarely comes as a surprise.

More often than not the city and the funding body work with the municipality work out what is available and what it can be used on.

The Member or in Burlington’s case the Members of Parliament are heavily involved.

Mayor Meed Ward leading the announcement of new transit equipment. She had them dancing about the funding before they all went home.

Thus the decision to lay millions of dollars on the city is something that was worked out between the federal government, the province and the city. The Region had nothing to do with this one.

The question that popped into my mind was: What does this mean to any electrification of the Burlington Transit fleet.

Every bit of professional advice Director of Transit Sue Connor got was that it was not possible to operate a fleet that was electric AND diesel. Not with the money that is available to Burlington transit. Everything about electric is different.

You have to go all in if you are going electric.

The charging stations needed to ensure that the bus batteries don’t fail are a million dollars each. It looked as if Burlington was going to need two of them.

Also on the table was the use of nitrogen as the propellant. There is a very strong argument for nitrogen over electricity.

Director of Transit Sue Connor

Sue Connor brought in a speaker who took council through the nitrogen argument explaining that Canada was at that time a bit of a leader in applying the use of nitrogen to transit.

Adding 12 diesel buses to the fleet does help Connor in meeting the demand that she hopes will come back.

Just before the covid shutdown took place transit was reporting double digit rider increases.

How quickly that ridership returns is an unknown at this point.

The 12 new 40 foot buses and the five conventional buses to replace vehicles in the fleet now are to be acquired over a three year period.

Perhaps Connors can hold getting those buses and make them electric when she does purchase.

Director of Transit Sue Connor looks on while the political set announce that she is going to get 17 new buses over a three year time frame. None were to be electric – does this kill her dream of an all electric transit fleet?

When Sue Connor was brought on board she made big changes at transit. There are people on staff there now who moved from other city departments to work at transit.

Connors has made the necessary changes; prior to her arrival there was some pretty incompetent leadership.

At one point a former Director of Transit had suggested that the terminal on John Street be closed and that bus tickets be bought at city hall (which closed at 4:30) or at local convenience stores around the city.

Problem was none of the convenience stores wanted to be bothered.

A lot of really stupid decisions were made before Connors took the wheel. Let’s hope that the senior levels of government that made the funds available have not killed the idea of an electric fleet for Burlington Transit.

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.

What makes politicians dance: a funding announcement. Watch them do it.

Statement from the Office of the Mayor doesn't tell the whole story and doesn't give credit to those who got a better development for the community

By Pepper Parr

September 10th, 2020

BURLINGTON, ON

A statement came out of the Mayor’s office on Wednesday commenting on an appeal that had been made by a developer that was before LPAT – the Local Planning Act Tribunal.

The development was the one First Capital had for the Appleby Mall where they wanted to build two towers – one 17 storeys and the other 12 storeys that were going to be very close to the Pinedale Street sidewalk.

In the Statement the Mayor said:

At the City Council meeting on Aug. 24, 2020, Burlington City Council approved the recommendation to accept an offer to settle the issues in dispute between First Capital (Appleby) Corporation and the City with respect to First Capital’s appeal currently before the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT).

The settlement between the City and First Capital resolves the issues in dispute between the City and First Capital on the basis that First Capital and the City will seek LPAT approval of a revised development concept for the property at 5111 New St. The City and First Capital will request the LPAT withhold a final order approving the development until the City and First Capital are satisfied with technical studies that are required to support the revised development concept.

Appleby Mall rendering 2 structure proposal 16 & 11 floors

The rendering of what was proposed at the first round of plans for the project. while the structures have a brutish look to them – they are quite close to towers that are not much lower less than a block away.

The revised development concept proposes 368 dwelling units in both apartment and townhouse forms located on a portion of the site of the former Appleby Mall that currently contains a parking area adjacent to existing retail/commercial uses. The revised development concept reduces the building heights of the original proposal from 12 and 17 storeys, down to a 9 storey and two 12 storey buildings that follow the Official Plan. The revised development concept also: increases setbacks from Pinedale Avenue; reorients and redesigns the buildings to achieve compliance with the City’s Urban Design Guidelines; introduces townhouse units at the base of the buildings; and provides enhanced landscaping, among other things.

Nice bit of news for which council is prepared to take most of the credit. In the Statement there are congratulatory comments from the Mayor and the ward Councillor about some help from a community organization.

Configuration of the new residential buildings went through a number of changes. At one point they were going to face Appleby. The large shape middle right is the Fortinos location along with a number of commercial retail units.

The City and First Capital will attend at the LPAT hearing scheduled to commence on Oct. 26, 2020 to seek approval of the Official Plan amendment, Zoning Bylaw amendment and revised development concept by the LPAT.

That is not the full story.

The proposed development goes back to the flooding that took place in the east end of the city in 2014.

First Capital was doing a major re-development that changed most of the property allowing for some intensification.

During the flood it was learned that there were serious problems with the storm water management infrastructure that required the Region to do serious upgrades that put the development on hold for a number of years.

During that time people in the community began to organize and oppose the development

END of part 1.

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