We have a face mask bylaw - comes into effect July 20th - unless the Region comes up with something different

News 100 redBy Pepper Parr

July 14th, 2020

BURLINGTON, ON

 

At times it seemed like a gong show.

The Mayor was riding herd on a city council that wasn’t in the Council Chamber.

There was a motion on the floor that was being bombarded with amendments – then amendments on the amendments.  A field day for those who tuck Roberts Rules of Order under their pillows.

City Solicitor Nancy Shea Nicol and one of her staff spent a large part of the weekend writing the bylaw – which they then proceeded to re-vise via amendments on the fly.

It was a gong show indeed with Councillor Kearns getting close to emotional when she insisted the the signs that are to go up in every place of business had to point out that three year old children did not have to wear a mask.

At one point Councillor Sharman seemed throw his arms up in despair and say that “sure” I’ll go along with that.

We are going to have to wait for the minutes of the meeting to determine just how many amendments there were.

council chamber with fans May 25

The Mayor, an assistant, the City Clerk and the AV person are in the Council chamber – the rest are at home taking part via zoom

But City Council did approve a temporary bylaw that makes masks or face coverings mandatory in enclosed spaces open to the public in Burlington, as of July 20, 2020.

All seven members of Council will troop into a ZOOM Regional meeting and perhaps approve something different which would make the Burlington motion mute ?

Mayor Meed Ward was so proud of what her Council had done and said that she felt the Burlington bylaw would become the “gold standard”.

The bylaw is generally consistent with other mask bylaws whereby individuals or organizations that are responsible for operation of businesses or facilities with enclosed (indoor) space open to the public be required to ensure no member of the public is permitted entry or remains on the premises unless wearing a mask or face covering.

Solicitor Shea Nicol said what her office put together was based on the city of Toronto model.

Halton’s Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Hamidah Meghani, recommends the use of face coverings when physical distancing could be a challenge and is supportive of municipalities implementing bylaws that aim to increase the use of face coverings as an additional layer of protection to control COVID-19 in the community.

The new bylaw applies to all indoor spaces that are openly accessible to the public, including:

• retail stores
• convenience stores
• malls, shopping plazas
• grocery stores, bakeries, farmer’s markets (enclosed areas)
• restaurants, bars (when permitted to open for indoor service)
• indoor recreational facilities (unless exempted)
• libraries
• community centres
• community service agencies
• personal service settings
• churches, mosques, synagogues, temples and faith settings
• art galleries, museums
• banquet halls, convention centres, arenas and other event spaces
• real estate facilities such as open house, presentation centres
• common areas in hotels, motels and short-term rentals (e.g. lobbies, elevators, meeting rooms)
• entertainment facilities including concert venues, theatres and cinemas
• business offices open to the public

Although masks are widely available in retails stores and online retailers, plans are being developed for residents who are unable to purchase their own masks.

Exemptions and Exceptions
The bylaw includes exemptions for those who cannot wear a mask for medical reasons including mental health concerns, children under the age of three and other reasonable accommodations.

Children under three years of age should never be required to wear a mask or face covering.

The bylaw also permits the temporary removal of a mask or face covering when receiving services, having a meal or engaging in athletic or fitness activity. The bylaw does not apply to apartment buildings and condominiums, child care facilities and schools, and areas that are not enclosed (i.e. restaurant patios).

Adjusting to the mandatory mask bylaw will take some time. Residents are encouraged to be kind and compassionate with each other, and to approach fellow community members who may not be wearing a mask with understanding and offers of assistance, rather than judgement.

To report an incident of noncompliance, contact the Halton Regional Police Service COVID19 Hotline: 905-825-4722.

As residents continue to rediscover many of their favourite spaces and activities in the city, City services may look different as we work to stop the spread of COVID-19. The City’s commitment to providing the community with essential services remains a priority.

Meed Ward with chain Sept 23-19

Mayor Marianne Meed Ward – sitting as Chair of a City Council meeting.

Mayor Marianne Meed Ward gets the last word:  “The situation around this pandemic changes daily and as new information emerges, we must be ready to respond quickly. We recently learned of our ability to pass a bylaw, and with the support of Halton’s Medical Officer of Health, we believe passing a temporary mandatory mask bylaw is another way to keep our community healthy and safe as we restart our economy and open more activities to the public. Halton Region will also be considering a bylaw on July 15, but we can’t wait. Passing our own helps us ensure the bylaw meets the needs of our local community. There will be exemptions and we will take an educational approach to enforcement, with ticketing as a last resort.

I implore everyone to treat each other with kindness and compassion, and not shame or stigmatize those who have legitimate reasons for being unable to wear masks. This has been democracy in action, based on health evidence and advice. I want to thank everyone who provided feedback. We tried to reflect the support, as well as the concerns we heard in this bylaw proposal.”

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GO improves transit option for those in the Dundas - Alton area

News 100 blueBy Staff

July 14th, 2020

BURLINGTON, ON

 

With construction recently wrapping up on the Park & Ride lot at Highway 407 and Dundas Street, transit users now have access to new bus platforms that will provide access to GO, Oakville and Burlington transit services.

For instance, customers looking to connect to the Lakeshore West GO Train line could grab a GO bus at the new Park & Ride that will take them to Burlington GO Station and onto downtown Toronto.

Day trips to Niagara Falls have also become easier, with the Route 12 GO bus making all stops from Union Station to Niagara Falls GO, including a stop at Confederation GO Station in Hamilton.

Dundas GO parklot 1Eight bus platform bays will allow for even more options to get you to your destination. (Metrolinx photo)

The good news doesn’t stop there either, the existing Route 40 GO bus to Toronto Pearson International Airport added a stop at this lot back in January, providing an option to park, ride and fly for up to five days without the expense of airport parking.

Highway 407 and Dundas Park & Ride Facts

Features more than 300 additional parking spots
Eight bus platform bays
Two bus layover bays
Improved lighting throughout the lot and pedestrian stair access directly to Dundas Street.

Dundas GO parklot 2

The new lot includes an additional 300 parking spaces, for a total of 403 spots (Metrolinx photo)

Access to and from the stop has also been made easier with three new kiss and ride lanes, pedestrian connections, two new enclosed bus shelters with heating and lighting and a bike shelter.

The City of Burlington is also working to improve commuter experience. Work to finalize installation of new sidewalks along the nearby Palladium Way is expected to wrap up later this month.

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Halton gets left off the Stage 3 list - another week at least of small groups and limits on things you can do

News 100 blueBy Staff

July 13th, 2020

BURLINGTON, ON

 

Large parts of the province are being moved to Stage 3 of the Emergency Control measures in place – but the Burlington and the other Halton Region municipalities are not on the list.

This afternoon the Ontario government announced nearly all businesses and public spaces will reopen in Stage 3 of the province’s reopening framework with public health and workplace safety measures and restrictions in place.

As Ontario continues down the path to economic recovery, decisions were made on which regions will enter Stage 3 in consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health and other health experts and based on trends of key public health indicators.

“Our success in reducing the spread of COVID-19 and getting Ontario to a place where we are ready to reopen most of the province is a testament to the hard work of business owners, individuals and families right across the province,” said Premier Ford. “So many have stepped up and played by the rules, demonstrating that we can restart our economy safely and responsibly. Small actions can make a big difference. Now more than ever, we must continue to follow the public health advice to preserve the progress we have made together.”

As part of the Stage 3 reopening, Ontario will be increasing gathering limits for those regions entering the next stage to the following:

• Indoor gathering limits will increase to a maximum of 50 people;
• Outdoor gathering limits will increase to a maximum of 100 people;
• Gathering limits are subject to physical distancing requirements.

Public gathering limits apply to indoor and outdoor events, such as community events or gatherings, concerts, live shows, festivals, conferences, sports and recreational fitness activities, fundraisers, fairs, festivals or open houses. A two metre distance must still be maintained at such events.

Regions remaining in Stage 2 will maintain the existing gathering limit of 10. Social circles in all stages at this point will also be kept to a maximum of 10 people province-wide, regardless of stage.

The Chief Medical Officer of Health, public health experts and other officials have advised the following, high-risk places and activities are not yet safe to open, even if a region has entered Stage 3, due to the likelihood of large crowds congregating, difficulties with physical distancing, or challenges maintaining the proper cleaning and sanitation required to prevent the spread of COVID 19:

• Amusement parks and water parks;
• Buffet-style food services;
• Dancing at restaurants and bars, other than by performers hired by the establishment following specific requirements;
• Overnight stays at camps for children;
• Private karaoke rooms;
• Prolonged or deliberate contact while playing sports;
• Saunas, steam rooms, bath houses and oxygen bars;
• Table games at casinos and gaming establishments.

The province is committed to working closely and collaboratively with businesses and sectors not yet able to reopen or who are experiencing significant challenges for reopening due to Stage 3 restrictions.

These businesses can visit Ontario.ca/reopen to work with the government on a reopening proposal that will enable them to safely resume or increase operations. Government and public health officials will review proposals and contact businesses for feedback or clarifications.

Expect Regional Chair Gary Carr to be all over that opportunity. Halton has had very low infection growth

The following public health unit regions will be allowed to move into Stage 3 first, on Friday, July 17, 2020:

Algoma Public Health
• Brant County Health Unit
• Chatham-Kent Public Health
• Eastern Ontario Health Unit
• Grey Bruce Health Unit
• Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit
• Hastings Prince Edward Public Health
• Huron Perth Public Health
• Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington Public Health
• Leeds Grenville & Lanark District Health Unit
• Middlesex-London Health Unit
• North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit
• Northwestern Health Unit
• Ottawa Public Health
• Peterborough Public Health
• Porcupine Health Unit
• Public Health Sudbury & Districts
• Region of Waterloo Public Health and Emergency Services
• Renfrew County and District Health Unit
• Simcoe-Muskoka District Health Unit
• Southwestern Public Health
• Thunder Bay District Health Unit
• Timiskaming Health Unit
• Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health

Businesses and municipalities will be permitted to enter Stage 3 based on their region and, as in the previous stages, may choose to take more time before reopening. The list of regions that will remain in Stage 2, visit Ontario.ca/reopen. FIX HERE

At the beginning of each week, the province will continue to reassess local trends in public health indicators, including rates of transmission, hospital capacity, progress on testing and contact tracing, to determine if additional public health unit regions can progress to Stage 3.

The Chief Medical Officer of Health and other public health experts will continue to closely monitor the evolving situation to advise when public health restrictions can be further loosened or if they need to be tightened or reapplied.

As the province safely and gradually enters Stage 3, child care centres and home child care providers across Ontario will be able to continue to operate with strict safety and operational requirements in place. Beginning on July 27, 2020, child care centres will be permitted to operate with cohorts of 15 children, which is an increase from the current cohort cap of 10. This change will allow parents to return to work, and bring the child care sector to approximately 90 per cent of its operating capacity before the COVID-19 outbreak.

The government, in partnership with health and safety associations, has released over 170 guidance resources at Ontario.ca/COVIDsafety to help employers in multiple sectors ― including fitness, restaurant and food services, and the performing arts ― keep spaces safe for workers and customers. Guidance will be available for all spaces permitted to open in Stage 3. As they prepare to reopen, employers are strongly advised to review and implement appropriate measures to help protect their communities.

Based on community needs, some municipalities and local medical officers of health have implemented more restrictions or requirements, such as mandatory face coverings in commercial establishments and all indoor public places. Check your local public health unit’s or local municipality’s website.

 

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Adult Summer Programming will be on again at Burlington Seniors’ Centre and Central Park on July 27.

News 100 yellowBy Staff

July 13th,2020

BURLINGTON, ON

 

Burlington residents will have another chance to connect, socialize and be active as redesigned Adult 19+ and Adult 55+ recreational activities are now set to safely resume with a small selection of activities on July 27, 2020 at the Burlington Seniors’ Centre and Central Park.

Residents can view program offerings online at burlington.ca/summer.

Registrations will be accepted starting July 20 at 9 a.m. and can be done online at liveandplay.burlington.ca. Residents who do not have access to technology and are unable to register online can call 905-335-7738. Please note those you may experience longer than usual wait times in the phone queue; limited spots will be reserved initially for phone registrations.

Due to program size restrictions and precautions, summer programs have a limited number of spots available. From July 20 to July 22, participants can only register for two programs. On July 23, participants can register for additional programs. This temporary restriction is to allow for phone registrations. Only residents of Burlington will be able to register for the summer session.

Programs
Five-day program sessions for Adults 55+ will start each Monday and run for five consecutive weekdays in one of three rooms in the Burlington Seniors’ Centre. Programs include learning and discussion series, bridge strategy classes, group music lessons and jam sessions, arts and wellness programs.

Fitness programs for Adults 19+ or 55+ will move to outdoor open spaces behind Central Arena and to locations close to Rotary Youth Centre at 560 Guelph Line. Fitness programs include toning, stretching and wellness classes will be held during cooler morning and evening times each weekday. Outdoor Fitness Programs will run rain or shine and will only be cancelled and refunded due to extreme weather including high winds, thunder or lightning. Dress for conditions required.

Carrying equipmentParticipants must bring their own equipment. There will be no sharing equipment between participants or using BSC materials.

New Procedures at the Burlington Seniors’ Centre
The health and safety of Burlington residents is of the utmost importance. In compliance with the Provincial Guidelines for opening facilities and for the health and safety of all guests, the following standards will be in effect:

• Stay home if you are feeling ill or have been in contact with someone who is ill
• Participants must complete a health screening questionnaire each day, one hour before the start of the program. To complete it online, go to burlington.ca/screening. Assistance will be available for those who need help completing it.
• Masks will be required by all staff and participants at all times in indoor programs and highly recommended in outdoor programs. Individual consideration will be given to participants requiring alternate but similarly effective personal protection, provided staff have approved the alternate PPE prior to program session start dates
• Physical distancing will be maintained in all programs
• Group sizes will remain within regulations
• Program offerings reflect those that best fit within permitted activities, timeframes and cleaning requirements
• Equipment sharing or lending will be eliminated in lieu of Bring Your Own supplies
• Pedestrian traffic flow will be designated and distance markers will be in place in all locations
• All personal belongings will be required to be kept with participants at all times
• Planning ahead is encouraged to reduce the need for washroom use. Washrooms will be available to one guest at a time
• Change rooms will not be available and use of washrooms for changing is not permitted
• Bistro Express will only offer curbside pickup with cashless payment. Pre-order by 10 a.m. for same-day packaging and curbside pickup available between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. For menu options or to place an order, call 905-335-7888, ext. 6346
• The BSC will open 15 mins before class start times when staff will assist registered participants with entry to program rooms. Access to the Centre will not be available to non-participants. The facility will be closed following each program period to allow for deep cleaning

Virtual Festivals and events ahead
Based on the Province’s restrictions on group sizes and social gatherings due to COVID-19, the City will continue to investigate and implement virtual celebrations where possible. Given the recent success of the City’s virtual Canada Day event, City staff are exploring virtual Remembrance Day and Santa Claus Parade options. All in-person festivals and events will be cancelled until the provincial group size is increased to 1,000 people.

As residents continue to rediscover many of their favourite spaces and activities in the city, City services may look different as we work to stop the spread of COVID-19. The City’s commitment to providing the community with essential services remains a priority. Sign up to learn more about Burlington at Burlington.ca/Enews and download the free City of Burlington app.

Mayor Marianne Meed Ward: “Given the huge success of the TelePALS program, virtual programming will also continue – allowing residents the choice of what services they feel most comfortable participating in. I know our residents are looking forward to gradually being able to meet in person, and staff has introduced measures to keep participants safe.   ”

Beard studious

Denise Beard, Acting Director of Recreation Services

Denise Beard, Acting Director of Recreation Services explains that:  “Being able to connect and socialize can be a challenge during a pandemic so we hope that our redesigned programs will offer a much-needed boost to those looking to be active and social while staying safe. Online registration will offer the quickest way of registering but we will also hold some spaces specifically for telephone registrations for those who cannot access or are not comfortable online.”

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Get some answers on the Thursday Telephone Town Hall on school opening in September

News 100 blueBy Pepper Parr

July 13th, 2020

BURLINGTON, ON

 

The Premier is expected to announce today that he will move to Stage 3 and open things up in some parts of the province. Halton is expected to be part of what gets opened wider – people may be able to return to work and the commercial world might be able to open up more of their space.

Telephone-town-hall-logo-2-690x386While returning to work is important to getting our economy working closer to its potential – the issue for many is – what happens in September when the kids are normally returning to school.

Will the schools be open?

For how long each day?

What measures are being taken to ensure that those students are as safe as they can be?

There is a lot that is unknown about the COVID17 virus and the way it impacts younger people.

Stuart Miller

Halton District School Board Director of Education Stuart Miller.

Thursday evening the Mayor is hold another of her Telephone Town Halls – this time the Halton District School Board Director of Education will be on the line.

This will be the first opportunity for parents to put questions to someone who can tell you as much as anyone about how schools will be operated come September.

How to Participate
Residents who would like to participate in the town hall can do so in the following ways:

1. Register in advance: Burlington residential phone numbers will be randomly selected to be part of the telephone town hall. Residents who would like to be added to the telephone call list can email getinvolved@burlington.ca by the end of the day on July 14.
Please note: if you registered for any of the previous town halls (held on March 26, April 14 or June 4), you are not required to register your phone number a second time. To remove a name from the call list, email getinvolved@burlington.ca by the end of the day on July 14.

2. Join by telephone: Anyone who does not receive a telephone invitation can call 1-800-410-5909 just before 6 p.m. on Thursday, July 16 to join the town hall. For those individuals calling in, please be advised more than one attempt may be required due to the high volume of traffic on the phone lines. If the first call does not connect, please hang up and dial the 1-800 number again.

Once the call begins, a moderator will provide participants with instructions for how to submit their questions to the leadership panel.

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City does have a serious financial shortfall due to COVID19 - treasurer believes it is manageable

News 100 redBy Pepper Parr

July 13, 2020

BURLINGTON, ON

 

Tax due dates are be made a little longer, there are deferrals, and there is tax money that is just not coming in

On the other side of the ledger the expenses are not as high. All the part time people were laid off, there was no transit money coming in nor was there much revenue on the Parks and Recreation side

The books were pretty messy.

Treasurer Joan Ford prepared a presentation for a Standing Committee lat week and put two critical numbers forward. $18,091,423.00 and $4,017,732.00

 

Updated year end proj

The eighteen million is the total revenue losses and COVID related costs.

The four million is what the Treasurer expects to see as the shortfall – money the city will not have to to pay its bills.

Somehow Mayor Marianne Meed Ward convinced herself that the city was $18 million in the hole. She called it the “delta”.

There was also an Expenditure Restraint amount of $6,572,127 and Other operational savings of $3,330,272.

When these two are added to the withdrawals from Program Specific Reserve funds the shortfall of $4,017,732 which the Finance people are confident can be made up by withdrawing from other reserve funds.

Rev loss COVIID

This graph sets out where the revenue didn’t come from.

Miitigation measuresTreasurer Joan Ford did point out that treasurers are usually comfortable with total reserves of 15% – those total reserves are now at the 9% level. They are going to have to be built back up at some point.

The general message was that while things are tight – the city feels that they will come though the COVID pandemic with some change in their pockets.

Property tax collection did take a hit – some of the larger properties were either not able to pay their taxes the way they had in the past, several took advantage of the deferral program.

Many of the smaller businesses just didn’t have the cash flow.  Burlington has always followed a lenient approach to the collection of taxes – they bend over backwards to help a property owner get their taxes paid.  Treasurer Joan Ford told Council that in al her years wit the city they have only had to force the sale of a piece of property because the taxes were not paid.

Tax data 1

Data on the property tax collection level.

That assumes that things do not get worse – and with the current COVID situation – they just don’t know where things will be in 60 days.

The Treasury people have worked both long and hard and very creatively to keep the financial situation quite stable.

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Rivers and creeks water levels higher - caution with children

News 100 greenBy Staff

July 11th, 2020

BURLINGTON, ON

 

CH Rivers and streamsConservation Halton advises that some areas of the watershed received over 25 mm of rain generated from the weather system that passed through our jurisdiction last night. Environment Canada continues to have a Special Weather Statement in effect for our area and advises that the development of thunderstorms is possible this afternoon producing local rainfall rates of 25 mm to 50 mm per hour before the system tapers off later tonight.

Soil conditions within the watershed are saturated from recent rainfall and any additional rainfall will runoff into our rivers and streams. The combination of increased flows and water levels and slippery and unstable banks will create hazardous conditions close to any rivers, streams, or other water bodies.

Widespread flooding is not anticipated. Our reservoirs are still in range of our seasonal holding levels and have storage capacity available. However, fast flowing water and flooding of low-lying areas and natural floodplains may be expected. Further, heavy downpours associated with thunderstorms could result in flooding of highly urbanized areas. Municipalities, emergency services and individual landowners in flood-prone areas should be on alert.

Water levels in watershed creeks will rise significantly during the weekend. Caution around the edges of creeks - especially with children.

Water levels in watershed creeks will rise significantly during the weekend. Caution around the edges of creeks – especially with children.

Conservation Halton is asking all residents and children to keep a safe distance from all watercourses and structures such as bridges, culverts and dams. Elevated water levels, fast flowing water, and slippery conditions along stream banks continue to make these locations extremely dangerous. Please alert children in your care of these imminent dangers.

Conservation Halton will continue to monitor stream flow and weather conditions and will issue further messages as necessary. This Flood Outlook Statement will be in effect through Sunday July 12, 2020.

 

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Double shooting on Plains Road East: 1 dead

Crime 100By Staff

July 10th, 2020

BURLINGTON, ON

 

HRPS crestWas it the hot hot weather? Did tempers get lost?

It has been some time since Burlington saw this level of violence with weapons.

The Regional police report a double shooting on Plans Road East at 1:00 pm this afternoon.

Shortly after 1:00 pm the police received reports of a shooting at 484 Plains Road East in Burlington. When officers arrived on scene, two victims with gunshot wounds were located outside of an establishment.

Information from witnesses indicates that one male suspect fled the scene westbound on Plains Road East in a grey sedan.

One of the shooting victims succumbed to their injuries at the scene. A second victim was transported to hospital for treatment for gunshot wounds.

At this time, no suspect(s) have been identified, and the investigation is ongoing. Area residents and businesses should expect a heavy police presence throughout the afternoon and into the evening.

There is no immediate ongoing, related, known threat to public safety.

Plains Road East is closed in both directions between King Road and Waterdown Road. Please avoid the area until further notice.

Investigators are appealing for dash cam and/or commercial or residential surveillance footage from the area between 11:00 am and 1:30 pm on July 10, and to any witnesses or anyone who may have information related to this incident to contact the Halton Regional Police Service at 905-825-4777 or via the Homicide Tip Line at 905-825-4776.

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.

Related news:

Police chief makes the news.

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Halton Chief of Police gets sucked into a twitter debate with a politician.

opinionred 100x100By Pepper Parr

July 10th, 2020

BURLINGTON, ON

 

Dear Chief – you got sucked into the undertow when all you wanted was a short dip. Now you stand the chance of drowning.

Chief of Police Steve Tanner explains that Social Media is not the same as a 911 call

Chief of Police Steve Tanner once said: Social Media is not the same as a 911 call. He was absolutely right. The 911 world is his domain.

There are things you can do and can’t do.

You can’t be seen at the race track too often.

If you fancy a fun game of poker – make sure it is with Judges and Crown Prosecutors.

You live in a rarefied world – we put you there because we expect you to be sold, upright and always setting that next to perfect example.

But then you responded to a tweet on a political issue and they dumped on you from every angle.

It was described to me as an “interesting fight on twitter between Jagmeet Singh and Chief Tanner.

Chief Tanner’s original comments.  The back and forth is lengthy – interesting stuff though.

Sources are telling us that “Chief Tanner has used his office for partisan attacks before.”  I don’t believe that for a second.

But having that kind of comment being made does nothing for you even though you are a big boy with broad shoulders.  The thing that has to be defended is the integrity of the office you hold.

Politics can be a slimy world; nothing there for you.

Pepper Parr is the publisher of the Burlington Gazette. He has observed Chief Stephen Tanner since the day he was sworn in.  He earned a degree in psychology from the University of Guelph.

 

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Region holds onto its bond/credit rating - a successful track record of more than 30 years

News 100 yellowBy Pepper Parr

July 10th, 2020

BURLINGTON, ON

 

Region - Carr

Regional Chair Gary Carr – as proud as a new father over the credit/bond rating

There is one duty Regional Chair Gary Carr carries out every year – and that is announcing how good the Region’s credit rating is.

He used to brag that Halton had a better bond rating than the United States of America.

The Gazette used to find that annual bond rating level amusing – who cares?

We all care – especially at this time of huge declines in revenue and expenses that were not even thought about.

The municipalities are going to need money. The rules say that funds cannot be borrowed for operating costs. That may change – for these are changing times.

When a municipality has to borrow they send their needs to the Region – it is the Region that goes to the market with a bond offering thus the Region’s credit rating is what matters.

Regional offices

The Region is the banker on the bond side for the municipalities.

Halton Region’s AAA credit rating affirmed by S&P Global Ratings

Last month S&P Global Ratings affirmed its top credit rating for Halton Region. Their research summary praises the Region’s strong fiscal policies and budgetary performance while confirming its confidence in Halton’s ability to uphold this standing into the future despite impacts from COVID-19.

“Receiving this AAA Credit Rating from S&P Global Ratings confirms our strong financial position—the result of diligent planning and transparent reporting—which helps us support a high quality of life in Halton,” said Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr.

“This top credit rating will allow us to support ongoing investments in infrastructure while ensuring top value for taxpayer dollars, and we are proud to have earned this distinction for another year.”

Maintaining a top credit rating provides Halton and its Local Municipalities with continued access to the best capital financing rates available, which minimizes long-term infrastructure capital financing costs. As a result, public funds go further when invested in Regional works that help improve essential services in the community, such as road, water and wastewater projects.

S&P’s rating analysis included the following rationale in support of the AAA rating:

Region community housing graph

Consistent growth in the community housing sector of the Region keeps bond/credit rating agencies happy.

• steady population growth, high income levels, and a broad economy foster stability in the Region’s property tax base despite the negative impact from COVID-19;
• prudent financial management practices and solid economic base;
• excellent budget performance and limiting debt issuance; and
• exceptional liquidity position and satisfactory access to external liquidity for financing needs.

The Region has maintained top credit ratings from S&P Global Ratings (AAA) since 2002 and Moody’s Investors Service (Aaa) since 1989—a successful track record of more than 30 years. Earning this distinction from both agencies each year is a key objective of Halton’s annual Budget and Business Plan.

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Senior Liberal Party officials should begin planning for a leadership convention - Justin's time is up

SwP thumbnail graphicBy Pepper Parr

July 10th, 2020

BURLINGTON, ON

 

Margaret Trudeau

Margaret Trudeau at a WE Charity event.

The Prime Minister’s mother, Margaret Trudeau, gets paid $250,000 to speak at WE Charity; his brother is also paid, much less, to speak at WE events.

The federal government awarded a contract to the WE Charity to distribute federal funds to students who perform volunteer work during the current pandemic crisis.

They were to distribute $900 million of federal money and earn a fee of $19.5 million to manage the program.

The organization had no experience in distributing funds nor did they have the staff in place to administer a program of that size.
And the Prime Minister does not recuse himself from the Cabinet meeting that approved the contract and votes for it as well.

And a day later the Globe and Mail cannot get any comment from a single Cabinet Minister or their spokes people?

And this is Ok?

Trudeau Sophie and K brothers

Brothers Marc and Craig Kielburger on the extreme left and right with Sophie Gregoire and Prime Minister Trudeau at a WE event.

This is not the time to dump the current Prime Minister but this is the time for leaders within the Liberal Party to begin thinking when a leadership convention can take place to find someone who know what a conflict of interest is.

Karina Gould - fingers apart

Is the Prime Minister just this much offside on the WE Charity mess? Karina Gould, Burlington MP and member of the Cabinet.

The Prime Minister said that he did not recuse himself and he voted for the contract to WE.   Traditionally Cabinet votes are secret – but the Prime Minister did break that rule.  Perhaps Burlington MP Karina Gould will reveal how she voted at Cabinet.

We fully expect Burlington MP and member of the Trudeau Cabinet Karina Gould to be wearing a face mask when she is out and about the city. She should see it as a mask to cover the shame she should be experiencing.

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.

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Mayor goes public with her mask.

News 100 red By Pepper Parr

July 9th, 2020

BURLINGTON, ON

 

The Mayor wasn’t all that keen on the idea of wearing a face mask.

She published her views in her A Better Burlington Newsletter.

She got trashed by well over 100 people.

The Mayor took another look at the issues and days later published a longer piece in the same Newsletter – this time setting out more reasons than you could imagine as to who was requiring masks and who wasn’t

Dr Meghani at news conference Hamilton

Medical Officer of Health tells the Mayor that masks won’t hurt.

The Mayor then turned to the Medical Officer of Health for guidance.

Nothing wrong with wearing cloth masks, said the MOH

The Mayor then decided she would put a motion before Council – see what happens.

Problem was, Councillor Stolte had a motion of her own in the works; one she had developed with the help of the City Manager, the City Solicitor and dozens of other people.

The Mayor and the Councillor had a sit down – the Councillor won but to make nice they put out a motion sponsored by the two of them

That motion got debated today and passed at a Standing Committee meeting that heard some really weird delegations.

Every member of Council voted to put a temporary bylaw in place requiring people to wear a mask in public places.  And kicked in $10,000 to pay for masks for people who were short on the cash side.

What next?

Mator in a mask

The Mayor wearing a mask outside city hall, either early today or yesterday.

A photo op for the Mayor wearing a bright red mask with people from Burlington Together.

The Mayor finally sniffed the scent of change.

Is the picture a one off? Only time will tell.

The bylaw gets voted at Council on Monday.

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Beachway parking problem has resulted in much stronger enforcement and some pretty stiff fines.

News 100 greenBy Pepper Parr

July 9th, 2020

BURLINGTON, ON

 

It was a full day’s work for members of city council today – they began at 9:30 and were at it up until just before six pm with a break for some lunch.

They met as a Standing Committee then got serious and met as a council.

We got a look at what the pandemic is costing us – on paper it comes to $18 million – in reality the city finance department has to find $4 million, give or take some change.

The Mayor seemed wedded to that $18 million number.  The full finance picture is a seperate story.

The stinker is the situation at the Beachway where fines of $250 are going to be handed out for those who park where cars aren’t supposed to park.

There is going to be additional signage; there will be additional staff on hand.  A motion was passed at the City Council meeting – held at the close of the Standing Committee meeting making it all legal.

The problems is – few will know what took place – the city might get some media out and while the Gazette has a large, very large readership – all of the Burlington market area isn’t a regular reader – yet.

During the debate on the Beachway parking problem we learned that the Parks and Recreation department doesn’t know how many parking spots there are – nor does it appear to know just how many people the Beach can accommodate – COVID or pre-COVID.  No one has done any counting or measuring.

Council came close to forgetting to make the plans for managing parking illegal. City Manager Tim Commisso spotted the error, brought it to the attention of the Chair who went through some procedural issues and resolved that issue.

Park your car in the wrong place and you will be giving the city a lot of your money.

The city has come to realize that the Beachway is getting to be as popular as it was several decades ago.

Beach with canal bride

Recent crowds at the western end of the Beachway.

Recently the crowds near the western end were very thick. Compare our news photography with the way it was 30 years ago when a railway line ran along the edge of the lake.

Parks and Recreation decided to take a long term look and decided that some way had to be found to manage the vehicle traffoic and approved the following Staff Direction.

Chris 7

Not certain how Burlingtonians will take to making reservations and then paying to park.

During the debate it was suggested that Burlingtonians would pay a lesser fee.

A lot of people are going to show up and be told that there is no room for them to park and be turned away.

The initiative for finding a way to limit parking in public parks came from Conservation Halton where the problem was not just the number of people visiting the Conservation parks but the need for more in the way of income.

The City doesn’t seem to go after more revenue – at least not yet.

 

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A Council committee voted for a bylaw that would make face masks mandatory - with a long list of exceptions - it goes to Council on Monday.

News 100 redBy Pepper Parr

July 9th, 2020

BURLINGTON, ON

 

Well – they passed it at Standing Committee.

After three solid hours of debate during which one delegation suggested that the views of the average citizen should take precedence over the views of the Medical Officer of Health (MOH).

The same delegation asked where the MOH was getting her information.

Jim Young did a solid delegation for a bylaw that would make face masks mandatory with a long list of exceptions.

The intention is to pass the bylaw at city council on the 13th – it will include an allotment of $10,000 to cover the cost of masks for those who can’t afford one.

mask envelope

The community produced 3000 cloth masks – cost free to anyone who needed one – that was two months ago.

The Gazette lead an initiative that provided 3,000 cloth face masks to the community months ago. That initiative involved hundreds of volunteer hours put in before each mask was quarantined for 72 hours and given to anyone who wanted one.

Councillors Stolte and Galbraith handed out masks to people in their wards.

What struck us as we listened to the debate that really did go on and on – and on, was that we have yet to see a photograph with the Mayor wearing a mask.

We always thought that one led by example.

Rory chair July 9

Chair Rory Nisan hands his hands full keeping the debate on topic.

Rory Nisan serving as chair did a solid job of trying to keep the discussion on topic – he didn’t always succeed – the cats just were not going to be herded.Come Monday we will have a bylaw – what it will say isn’t clear yet.

The one point made during the debate was that the anything COVID19 related was very fluid – changes by the hour.

The vote was 7-0

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Mayor says 'great news' - look that gift horse in the mouth.

News 100 redBy Pepper Parr

July 9th, 2020

BURLINGTON, ON

 

In her A Better Burlington newsletter Mayor Marianne Meed Ward said: “We received great news from the Province today giving municipal councils the ability to meet electronically and allow proxy votes, allowing court proceedings to be conducted electronically and other measures that will now be permanent post-COVID-19.”

Meeting virtually has limited public participation in the proceedings of council significantly which seems to be acceptable to the current council.

The balance of her newsletter is set out below.

Meed Ward style

Mayor Marianne Meed Ward at a Council meeting.

“I had the privilege today of joining mayors across Ontario on a conference call with Premier Doug Ford and the Hon. Steve Clark, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, to hear directly from them about the changes, and additional measures outlined in the COVID-19 Economic Recovery Act.

“These were also outlined in a letter sent to heads of council (Minister’s Letter – COVID-19 Economic Recovery Act – 8 July 2020), and a media release available here.

“Last week, the Halton Regional Chair, on behalf of the four mayors and municipalities of Halton, wrote to the Premier to ask for these changes to be made permanent. To read that letter, click here: Halton Region Chair Letter to Premier re Virtual Meetings – June 29 2020.

“Halton municipalities have been holding virtual meetings throughout the pandemic with great success to conduct the business of our municipalities while continuing to serve our residents and provide opportunities for important public input.

“The Province heard us.

“We are still going through the legislation that covers a range of matters on development, economic recovery, and changes to the community benefits charges. Some of these include changes to the existing Minister’s zoning order to provide more certainty when fast-tracking the development of transit-oriented communities; making it faster to update and harmonize the Building Code so that we can break down interprovincial trade barriers; and permanently establishing the office of the Provincial Land and Development Facilitator to help solve complex land-use issues.

“My team and city staff are still going through the legislation and we’ll provide more details in the coming days, but what we’ve reviewed so far shows the Province has listened to mayors and municipal councils and made positive steps forward.

“This is great news, and I would personally like to thank Premier Ford and Minister Clark for consulting with us, listening and making changes.

“Today’s announcement is important in ensuring the safety of members of Councils, staff and the public while we continue our business of serving our communities.”

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Road Closure: North Shore Boulevard East, July 18 - 19, 2020

notices100x100By Staff

July 8th, 2020

BURLINGTON, ON

 

North Shore Boulevard will be fully closed in both directions for bridge demolition work beginning Saturday, July 18 at 10 p.m., until Sunday, July 19 at 10 a.m.

The closure will extend from the traffic signal on the east side of the QEW to the traffic signal on the west side of the QEW. This work is part of MTO Contract No. 2018-2015 (HWY QEW South of Fairview Street to North of Lakeshore Road).

Access ramps from Northshore Boulevard westbound to Toronto and Northshore Boulevard eastbound to Niagara will remain open.

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Ward Councillor and Mayor sponsoring a motion that will require people to wear face masks

News 100 redBy Pepper Parr

July 7th, 2020

BURLINGTON, ON

 

Sit down for this one.

At a meeting on Thursday Council is going to consider the following motion. It contains seven Whereas’s.

The essence of the motion that is sponsored by ward 4 Councillor Shawna Stolte and Mayor Marianne Meed Ward is for Council to enact a temporary bylaw requiring individuals, organizations or corporations that are responsible for the operation of a facility or business, which have indoor, enclosed spaces open to the public, to ensure no member of the public is permitted unless wearing a mask or face covering in a manner which covers their mouth, nose and chin, subject to the exemptions below, to help limit the spread of COVID-19

The movers of the motion also want the city to spend up to $10,000 to cover the cost of free masks to those who cannot afford one.

MMW + SS heads

The movers of a motion to make face masks mandatory in public places

The complete motion is set out below. It is, at this point, just a motion. It has to be debated and voted upon and then sent to a meeting of city council on the 13th where it will have to be approved.

Recommendation:
1. Council approve the following motion:

WHEREAS the spread of COVID-19 has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization, the City of Burlington has declared a State of Emergency, and the province remains under emergency orders due to the health risks to Ontario residents arising from COVID-19; and

WHEREAS COVID-19 continues to be present within the City of Burlington and surrounding municipalities, and is a disease that is readily communicable from person to person, even with minimal or no signs of symptoms or illness, and carrying a risk of serious complications such as pneumonia or respiratory failure, mulitiple organ failure, kidney failure, liver failure, neurological complications, and may result in death; and

WHEREAS there is a growing body of evidence on the effectiveness of masks and face coverings to act as a barrier to prevent the spread of COVID-19; and

WHEREAS the wearing of masks and face coverings may act as an ongoing visual clue and reminder that public health measures, including hand-washing and maintaining a safe physical distance from others, are still required, that the COVID-19 pandemic is ongoing and that a resurgence of local disease activity remains an ongoing threat; and

WHEREAS the Province of Ontario has enacted O. Reg.263/20 (Stage 2 Closures) under Subsection 7.0.2 (4) of Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act to permit certain businesses to reopen for attendance by members of the public subject to conditions, including the advice, recommendations and instructions of public health officials; and

WHEREAS physical distancing can be difficult to maintain in enclosed, indoor spaces open to the public; and

WHEREAS the City of Burlington wants to be prepared for the eventual Stage 3 reopenings under the provincial Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act, and use every tool available to protect residents from a resurgence of COVID-19.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that Burlington City Council enact a temporary bylaw requiring individuals, organizations or corporations that are responsible for the operation of a facility or business, which have indoor, enclosed spaces open to the public, to ensure no member of the public is permitted unless wearing a mask or face covering in a manner which covers their mouth, nose and chin, subject to the exemptions below, to help limit the spread of COVID-19; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the operator of such facilities or businesses that are open to the public, shall conspicuously post at all entrances to the facility or business clearly visible signage outlining the requirements and exemptions of this bylaw; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that members of the public attending facilities or businesses that are open to the public shall wear a mask or face covering in a manner which covers their mouth, nose and chin, subject to the exemptions below, and unless it is reasonably required to temporarily remove the covering to access services provided by the establishment, or while actively engaging in an athletic or fitness acuity during physical activity, and exemptions may be accommodated if:

a. The person is under three years of age.
b. The person has an underlying medical condition or developmental disability which inhibits their ability to wear a mask or face covering, or other physical disability whereby the wearing of a mask or face covering would limit their ability to reasonably communicate with others.
c. Wearing a face covering would inhibit the person’s ability to breathe in any way.
d. The person is unable to place or remove a mask or face covering without assistance.
e. Employees and agents of the person responsible for the establishment are within an area designated for them and not for public access, or within or behind a physical barrier.
f. Staff identify any other such exemptions that may be advisable.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that employees working with members of the public in an enclosed, indoor space must also wear a mask or face covering, unless they are in an area not for public access, or they meet one of the exemptions; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that employees or members of the public shall not be required to provide proof of any of the exemptions set out herein; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the bylaw apply to all City of Burlington indoor facilities open to the public such as community centres, city hall, libraries, art gallery, performing arts centre, and public transit; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the bylaw be in force for a temporary period of time, beginning July 20 and expiring September 30, 2020, unless extended or revoked by City Council; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Executive Director of Legal Services & Corporation Counsel be directed to prepare the necessary bylaw for consideration by City Council on July 13, 2020; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Director of Corporate Communications & Government Relations be directed to develop a communications campaign during the first month the bylaw comes into force and effect to assist residents and businesses to understand the bylaw and exemptions, assist with voluntary compliance, and where people can acquire masks; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that council request that the Region of Halton present a mandatory mask bylaw for consideration by Regional Council at its meeting of July 15, 2020 to ensure consistency across the region; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that council request the Province of Ontario to enact a mandatory mask order under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act for those regions that have entered Stage 2 reopening, and/or will enter Stage 3 reopening; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that council request the Government of Canada to enact a mandatory mask policy; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this report be circulated to the Region of Halton, Towns of Halton Hills, Oakville and Milton, all Halton Members of Provincial Parliament, Members of Parliament, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, and the Association of Municipalities of Ontario.

2. Direct the Chief Financial Officer to establish an initial grant of $10,000 to provide non-medical masks free of charge for community members who lack the financial means to purchase them, via application and submission of receipts, funded from the city’s COVID-19 account, and direct the City Manager’s Office to report back to the August 13, 2020 Corporate Services, Strategy, Risk and Accountability Committee on a plan for providing masks to in-need community members including such additional options as:

a. seeking a sponsor to fund or procure/provide masks that would be supplied free of charge to the public, with the sponsor and/or city logo displayed on the mask, and distributed by the city or through the sponsor;

b. issuing a request for proposals to local businesses to provide a quote on the cost to supply the city with masks that can be distributed to the public, either by the city or by the business, then billed to the city;

c. purchasing masks that can be distributed to members of the public, on a request basis, or made available at the entry to city facilities, once opened;

d. providing grant funding to residents to purchase their own mask, subject to quantity and cost limitations, and an application process;

e. other options as they may arise.

3. Direct the City Manager to report back to the August 13, 2020 Corporate Services, Strategy, Risk and Accountability Committee on potential grant funding for businesses and commercial establishments to assist with the cost of signage and masks as mandated by this bylaw, retroactive to the effective in-force date of the bylaw, subject to appropriate criteria.

4. That City Council seek matching funding from Halton Region at 50% or more of total costs to implement assistance to residents and businesses, given the Region’s role in health care delivery, social service delivery and business supports.

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Some council members are finding that the Mayor isn't quite what was advertised.

News 100 redBy Pepper Parr

July 8th, 2020

BURLINGTON, ON

 

The Mayor was in a bit of a bind.

She was, uncharacteristically, tip toeing around the issue of face masks.

Meed Ward style

Mayor Meed Ward at a council meeting before things went virtual

In her most recent public comment the Mayor set out a lot of rationale and examples of what other municipalities were doing.  But she still hadn’t taken a strong position.

She followed that up by saying that the Medical Officer of Health (MOH) wasn’t on side – so she, the Mayor, wasn’t going to take a position.

The Gazette published a very strong opinion piece on that.

When it became evident that there wasn’t much in the way of support for the Mayor’s indecision (Social media was crucifying her) she announced that she was going to put forward a motion requiring people to wear face masks in specific situations.

Hold on chimed in ward 4 Councillor Shawna Stole, who is proving to be a rather strong first term councillor. She was the one who pushed for turning some of the road space over to pedestrians – and that is what we have.

Stolte felt very strong that face masks should be required in public places. Transit requires that riders wear a mask; one 9f the major supermarkets asks people to wear a mask.

Stolte - the chair

Ward 4 Councillor Shawna Stolte: bringing a stronger sense of purpose to council that was not seen when she was elected.

Stolte felt that the Mayor was undercutting her initiative and she decided, after a flurry of emails between the two, that a face to face meeting was necessary. That is believed to have taken place last Sunday.

Prior to the Sunday meeting, in an email to a resident Councillor Stolte said:

“I am sitting in my office as we speak finishing my Motion to Council seeking Mandating the Wearing of Masks in all indoor spaces that are accessible to the public.

“I had advised the Mayor and other Councillors repeatedly since June 23 that I would be advocating for a Mandatory Mask Bylaw as I am completely on the same page as yourself and 85% of the population of Burlington.

“The decision announced by the Mayor this past Tuesday was a complete surprise to all of us on Council as there had been no input or conversation about the issue prior to the announcement.

“This has resulted in very intense conversations between the Mayor and myself about respect and the decision making process.

“My Motion will still be coming forward this week, there is certainly not consensus on Council, so not sure how the vote will go.
The Mayor announced this morning that she will be bringing her own Motion (different theme than mine) to Council as well this week, so I just finished an email to the City Clerk asking what the procedural process is for this particular conflict.

“We continue to be in interesting times, but I promise you I will be pushing for this.

“By the way, if you have (name redacted) email could you please forward this message to him as well.”

The two worked something out – because today we see a very lengthy motion sponsored by the two woman (with the name of the Councillor placed before that of the Mayor (and that stuff matters in the worlds of politics)

“We have heard from our community and together” said the Mayor in her Newsletter, “we are bringing forward a proposed mandatory mask bylaw for Burlington. It will be discussed at the July 9 Corporate Services, Strategy, Risk and Accountability (CSSRA) Committee, with a final vote at council Monday July 13. The proposed temporary bylaw would mandate the wearing of face coverings in all indoor, public spaces in the City of Burlington.

How did they get to his point and are the issues between the Mayor and her Council patched up? Hard to tell.

Meed ward election night 1

They all loved her on election night.

It looks as if the Councillor and the Mayor ironed out the differences. Those differences are not between just Stolte and Meed Ward. There have been concerns about the Mayor not working with the Council members and not giving them the respect they believe they have earned.

The five members of council elected in October of 2018 wanted to pull together and not only be seen to be working together but actually working together.

How did the Mayor square things with the Councillor who was not a happy camper. We may never know – only time will tell if the Mayor has the capacity to listen to the members of Council.

Not what we thought we were electing as Mayor that October 18th was it?

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Deep Energy Efficiency Retrofit Program has council excited - staff puts forward a time line council wants to change. This is a biggy - but awkward administratively.

News 100 greenBy Pepper Parr

July 6th, 2020

BURLINGTON, ON

If you don’t own a house or are not interested in upgrading your property and contributing to lower GHG emissions – take a pass on this story.

 

Have you heard of the Deep Energy Retrofit Program?

Few have.

Discussed at some length at council on Monday the report brought to the table some novel ideas that were enthusiastically endorsed by most council members.

Councillor Bentivegna wanted to know where the money to pay for it all was going to come from.

What is a Deep Energy Retrofit Program?
A deep energy retrofit program involves a systems approach to reduce carbon emissions from existing buildings, with a focus on those measures which will reduce and/or eliminate the use of fossil fuels as a source of energy. Typically, there is a hierarchy of measures which can be implemented:

Angelo - not getting it -deferal

Ward 4 Councillor Angelo Bentivegna wanted to know who and how the xxx was going to be paid for. He didn’t get much of an answer

• Adding insulation
• Sealing air leaks
• Upgrading mechanical systems
• Replacing windows and/or doors
• Water efficiency upgrades
• Thermal controls
• Renewable energy

Depending on the work required, a full energy retrofit can cost up to $30,000. Retrofits can be more cost effective if timed with home renovations.

Now you know why Bentivegna wanted to know where those dollars were going to come from.

Council was more focused on how they were going to educate the public on the benefits and then how to take part in the program.

What they wanted most was to get on with it.

The Deep Energy Retrofit Program was a sort of next step once the city had declared a Climate Change emergency followed by a Climate Action plan.

Council was presented with a number of options in a report that was to be Received and Filed. This report however was not going to be placed on a shelf to gather dust.

Interestingly – Council also got a report on the 75th Burlington Hydro Anniversary. During the Deep Refit debate Burlington Hydro was pulled into how the program would roll out – it wasn’t what they were expecting.

The Hydro people may have logged out of the Zoom based meeting before the refitting of the residential structures was debated. City Manager Tim Commisso assured Council that both he and the Mayor site on the Hydro Board – they would be reminding that Board that the city owns the company.

Direct the Executive Director of Environment, Infrastructure and Community Services to continue to work with partners, stakeholders and municipalities listed in an environment, infrastructure and community services report and report back before the end of 2020 with final recommendations, including resources and actions required to implement a deep energy efficiency retrofit program for homes in Burlington.

Council didn’t want to wait that long.

Expect them to make a decision on a possible pilot program that will be made available to those citizens who are sold on the climate change issue and will be ready to put their money on the table.

Sharman hand up

Councillor Sharman wants to see a list of reliable contractors.

Councillor Sharman told his sad story (several times actually) on his troubles getting a Backwater Valve set up in his home.

The Mayor reported that her Backwater Valve installation was a breeze and offered to help Sharman on his next upgrade.

The purpose of this report is to provide options to deliver a residential deep energy retrofit program in Burlington, a priority program area identified in the recently approved Climate Action Plan for Burlington.

This report provides a summary of the measures required to support the development of a Deep Energy Efficiency Retrofit Program for homes in Burlington, including the development of a community engagement plan, which would involve:

• Updating the city’s Environment webpage with information;
• Supporting the Bay Area Climate Change Council (BACCC) to develop a home energy efficiency retrofit accelerator program;
• Working with BACCC and the Clean Air Partnership to engage the business sector (contractors, trades and retailers);
• Working with the Burlington Climate Action Plan community stakeholders, such as Enbridge, to promote specific measures to improve home energy efficiency;
• Co-promote related actions such as home resiliency measures and electric cars, bikes and equipment.
• Pursue partnerships to develop a demonstration centre to promote home efficiency and resiliency measures.

That didn’t really convey what this council wants to do. In that regard the report was on the weak side.

In April of this year Council approved the Climate Action Plan.

At that time they Direct(ed) the Executive Director of Environment, Infrastructure and Community Services to report back in Q2 2020 after the release of the federal budget with the latest information and updated proposed timelines for the home energy retrofit program and human resource requirements to meet the goals of the climate action plan.

Problem was – the federal government didn’t release a budget. It got consumed with the economic and social fallout of the COVID19 virus that was wreaking havoc across the country – we were all suddenly in various stages of a lockdown that the public was having difficulty coping with and complying with as well.

GHG carbon dioxide

These are 2018 numbers – the carbon dioxide must be reduced.

The Deep Energy Retrofit Program was seen as a way to get something going economically and put a decent dent in the GHG that we put into the environment.

It is estimated in the Climate Action Plan for Burlington that 21,300 person years of employment will be created in total if the low carbon scenario pathway is followed to 2050, with 5,600 of those person years in the renewable energy market.

Municipalities benefit from the implementation of a home energy retrofit program through greenhouse gas emission reductions to help meeting community targets, improved reputation as an environmentally progressive community, reduced pressure on energy infrastructure and reduced air pollution.

In 2016, Burlington households, businesses and institutions spent $700 million on energy (fuel and electricity). As noted in the Climate Action Plan for Burlington, the local carbon scenario can reduce this amount by 36% or $270 million, energy saving dollars that can be invested back into the local community.

Homeowners benefit from a home energy efficiency retrofit by mitigating future energy cost increases; achieving a healthier and comfortable home; increasing property value; and improving resiliency to power outages and extreme temperatures.

The optics of a program like this for the current city council are wonderful – they love this one.  Making it happen is much much easier said than done,

The report says: Developing a comprehensive building energy retrofit program is not easy – if it was, there would be more programs in existence in Ontario than just Toronto given that Ontario municipalities have had the authority to use Local Improvement Charges (LICs) as a means of financing since 2012. Developing and delivering a program requires funding and staff time to administer applications, agreements, and deal with legal and financing issues. The residential home sector is challenging to target as it is disbursed and varies by demographics, home condition, type and age, household incomes, etc.

Successful uptake is challenging – a comprehensive marketing program is required.

energy graphicFrom a property owner perspective, the process can been seen as challenging both from technical knowledge and implementation. Very few people really want to manage contractors for renovations – different contractors are required for insulation and air sealing, mechanicals, windows, EV chargers and renewable energy. Addressing the building envelope upgrades and fuel switching to low carbon fuel requires a longer term for a financial pay back which is made even more challenging with the relatively low cost of natural gas as a source of energy.

Lastly, the market expects rebates to be available as incentives, not financing.

Factors for a Home Energy Retrofit Program
There are many factors to consider when developing a home energy retrofit program, such as:

• Marketing plan to promote the benefits of energy retrofits and the program to homeowners
• Home energy audit assessment and report (and follow-up after efficiency measures have been implemented)
• Contractor engagement (specifying upgrade works, selecting & managing contractors; completing improvements; verifying improvements)

Where the homeowner is seeking financing assistance:

• Development of an application pre-qualification process (own home, no tax arrears, etc.)
• Funding application process – review and approval
• Property owners agreement & financing schedule
• LIC repayment process
• Loan loss reserve fund – to cover loan defaults (based on other jurisdictions, this is a rare occurrence)
• Support to guide homeowners through the process (concierge approach)

Municipal Role for Promoting Home Energy Efficiency Retrofits
Municipalities can play a role in helping home owners understand what is meant by a deep energy retrofit and the specific energy efficiency measures involved in a retrofit. Similarly, an engagement program is necessary for trades, contractors and retailers on measures involved in a deep energy retrofit program so that the industry is aligned with this program.

Fortunately, the city can work with other entities and local municipalities on reaching out to these sectors. The Centre for Climate Change Management at Mohawk is working with the Bay Area Climate Change Council (BACCC) to create an Implementation Team which could pursue the development of a retrofit accelerator program, providing support to homeowners. BACCC also recognizes the need to reach out to trades and retailers to increase knowledge and skills in this area, hosting workshops and conferences. The Clean Air Partnership (CAP) is also working with local colleges and organizations to develop training and certification programs in this area. Both BACCC and CAP plan to develop one stop shop websites to support deep energy retrofit programs, with BACCC representing local resources for Hamilton and Burlington communities and CAP’s taking a provincial approach but linking to local websites.

Financing Alternatives for Implementing Home Energy Retrofits
As previously indicated, comprehensive home energy retrofits can be significant financial investment to property owners that have the benefit of increasing home value and decreasing on going energy costs over the long term. Options available for financing these improvements including utilizing own source funds or savings or borrowing through financial institutions including utilization of homeowner lines of credit or re financing mortgages for more significant projects that may be part of larger home renovations. Municipalities also have the ability to support financing deep energy retrofit programs by providing low interest loans to homeowners through the Local Improvement Charge (LIC) program on property tax bills.

Local Improvement Charges
LICs are special temporary charges that are added to a property tax bill to pay for improvements that benefit the property owners. Traditionally, these charges have been used in Ontario as a mechanism to recover the costs from affected properties for local block level infrastructure improvements (sidewalks, lighting, sewage projects, etc.).

The province amended the Municipal Act in 2012 to allow municipalities to enter into voluntary financing agreements with property owners who will benefit from the improvements. LICs are available to finance energy efficiency, renewable energy, and water conservation measures voluntarily carried out by individual property owners on their buildings. An LIC program provides homeowners with a loan to carry out these measures on their property. The homeowner pays for the measures and repays the loan through regular charges added to the property tax bills. The full cost of the program, including all associated administration costs and interest charges, are included in the loan or charged as a separate fee.

To date, the City of Toronto has been the only municipality in Ontario to implement an LIC program. In 2014, the City of Toronto launched two programs: HELP (home energy loan program) and Hi-RIS (high rise retrofit improvement support program for multi- residential buildings). As of June 2019, almost $14.9 million in financing has been committed to over 202 properties participating in the programs, reducing over 4,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions. Under the HELP program specifically, $4.87 million in financing was issued to support 187 home retrofits (average loan of $22,000), resulting in a 30% reduction in home energy consumption and 28% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Participants also pay an administration fee on top of the loan of 2%.

The Clean Air Partnership has completed a ‘Toolkit for Municipalities – Accelerating Home Energy Retrofits Through Local Improvement Charge Programs’ with the support of a number of municipalities in Ontario, including Burlington. The following description of LICs is based on the information provided in the toolkit.

A unique characteristic of LIC financing is that the loan is tied to the property and can be transferred to the new owner when the home is sold. LIC financing is one tool in the toolbox available to encourage residents to invest in energy efficiency retrofits.

Challenges to Utilizing LIC Financing Mechanism
The initial capital costs required to facilitate widespread adoption of retrofit projects through LIC programs are significant. Many municipalities are already struggling to fund programs, services, and infrastructure upgrades, particularly during the Covid crisis.

There has been concerns related to whether LIC loans adversely impact the municipal debt limit imposed on municipalities by the province; this is to be further explored. The debt recovery related to LICs are recovered from individual property owners and not through general revenue collection from property taxes

Mortgage lender approval can be difficult due to the priority lien status of local improvement charges. There is a very small, potential of a financial risk to financial institutions who are providing mortgages for a property with a LIC lien attached to it.

For municipalities, a loan loss reserve fund covered by the tax base may be required to manage the low risk of loan defaults. For example, staff have been advised that the State of California, with $3.6 billion in loans, set up a fund to cover defaults, yet no claims have been made since its establishment in 2014.

Options to Deliver a Home Energy Retrofit Financing Program
Two options are available to setting up a financing program to support homeowners interested in completing a home energy efficiency retrofit.

Guelph Our Energy One Energy

Guelph merged their hydro operation with Hamilton’s. Burlington is one of the few hydro operations that has not become part of the consolidation that is taking place in local hydro operations.

1. City Run Program:
Burlington could opt to develop its own residential energy retrofit program and follow the lead of other municipalities that have completed detailed feasibility studies and business cases utilizing funding from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM). As examples, the City of Windsor and Town of Newmarket each spent approximately $200,000 to complete feasibility studies. Windsor is planning to set up a separate arms-length municipal service corporation (Windsor’s recommended approach) with $400,000 as seed funding to hire a general manager and develop a business plan. Guelph has also set up a separate organization called Our Energy Guelph with an executive director and board of directors, with start-up funding acquired through the merger of Guelph Hydro with Alectra. Our Energy Guelph plans to focus their energy retrofit efforts on commercial and multi-residential properties. Burlington could pursue FCM funding to support a feasibility study to develop a local deep energy retrofit program.

2. 3rd Party Municipal Consortium Program:
Late in 2019, the Clean Air Partnership announced a consortium approach with the IESO (Independent Electricity System Operator), AMO (Association of Municipalities of Ontario), HRAI (Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Institute of Canada) and City of Toronto to serve as a 3rd party entity that would deliver on many of the above mentioned program actions in order to reduce the administrative burden home retrofit programs would have on municipalities. This approach would be able to achieve efficiencies of scale related to the start-up costs infrastructure investments required as part of these programs. There are four related objectives: 1) provide municipalities with a program that is flexible and adaptable to local circumstances and capacity; 2) provide customers with a simple, user-friendly program through a one-window service delivery model; 3) increase marketing and promotional opportunities in order to drive program uptake; and 4) achieve deep GHG emissions reductions through targeting old buildings for deep energy retrofits.

home renovation work

Finding the trades to do the work is one task – finding reliable, proven tradesman is a problem Councillor Sharman worries about – he would like to see Burlington Hydro involved in some of the trades vetting.

Next Steps to Develop a Home Energy Efficiency Retrofit Program Community Engagement Plan and Activities:
The following actions are recommended to build the knowledge and skills in the local community to support home energy efficiency retrofits, which can be implemented within the year. Due to Covid, creative approaches may be required in the shorter term to engage the various sectors online versus in person events. Staff will develop a community engagement plan to support home energy efficiency retrofits in the community, coordinating this work with local partners in this area, including:

1. Updating the city’s Environment webpage with additional information and links to support home energy efficiency retrofits. For example, the City of Toronto has developed a comprehensive website to promote energy efficient building measures – www.betterhomesTO.ca, supported by Natural Resources Canada, Toronto Hydro and Enbridge provides a great one stop shop for this type of information. The city may not need to duplicate this work but provide links to existing pages such as this one.

2. Continue to work with the Bay Area Climate Change Council and the Centre for Climate Change Management create a business case to develop an accelerator program in the Bay Area to assist homeowners with the process of implementing home energy efficiency measures. This approach would help to overcome one of the barriers that homeowners have of hiring contractors to complete renovations. This concierge service could be implemented prior to the development of a full energy retrofit program and may complement the work of the Clean Air Partnership but be provided at a local level.

3. Work with the Bay Area Climate Change Council and Clean Air Partnership to engage and increase knowledge in the local business sector, representing contractors, trades and retailers on measures required to complete a deep energy retrofit on homes.

4. Work with the city’s own Climate Action Plan community stakeholders to promote measures that homeowners can implement to improve energy efficiency and reduce their carbon footprint. For example, Enbridge Gas and other local contractors have expressed interest in the installation of hybrid heat pumps along with leak sealing and smart energy controls to improve energy performance.

5. In addition to promoting home energy retrofit actions, consideration can also be given to support measures to improve home resiliency (flood proofing) and adoption of electric vehicles, e-bikes and e-equipment (lawn mowers, trimmers and leaf blowers).

6. Consider the creation of a demonstration project at an existing city facility where property owners could visit to learn about energy efficient and resiliency measures to improve local buildings and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Local partnerships and sponsorships could be pursued to participate in this project.

Developing a Home Energy Efficiency Retrofit Financing Program:
It is recommended that staff pursue joining the 3rd party municipal consortium program led by CAP with AMO, the IESO, HRAI and City of Toronto to develop and deliver a home energy retrofit program in Burlington. Joining the consortium would ensure that Burlington has the necessary support and expertise to develop a comprehensive program and overcome some of the challenges listed above.

Benefits to participating would include:

• A wider Ontario marketing campaign will be coordinated to enable holistic and consistent messaging delivered to as wide an audience at the least cost.
• A team approach to promote the program to the Ontario contractor community.
• Generic marketing material will be created for each municipality to customize by adding logos to the standard templates.

• Partnerships with other stakeholders to market the program by identifying and acting on promotion opportunities and monitor uptake to inform future outreach efforts.
• Streamline process for municipal onboarding.
• City of Toronto will support with program delivery advice based on their experience.
• CAP is proposing to assume the role of a concierge, providing support to guide applicants through the different stages of the process, by:
o streamlining the program application and approval processes;
o providing objective guidance to customers re: contractor selection, costs, and management;
o providing market research on some of the key questions/issues from customers and creating resources/processes to address them; and,
o gathering and documenting feedback on program improvements/issues.

The program is being designed to reduce the resource burden, but municipalities will still be required to complete the following:

• Pass an LIC by-law through council
• Define eligible measures and financial verification requirements (part of by-law)
• Final approval/rejection of application/contract with property owner
• Set up the structure to attach the loan to the property tax system for repayment
• Manage the payments to homeowners once they are accepted into the program
• Identify possible avenues to support uptake of the program via municipal and/or community outreach and promotion opportunities (bottom-up marketing approaches)

The Staff report opted for a home energy retrofit program as the recommended priority action in the Climate Action Plan, approved by council earlier this year, following a comprehensive community engagement program. Finance and Communications staff were engaged on this report. Stakeholders and agencies engaged in this report included the Centre for Climate Change Management at Mohawk College, the Clean Air Partnership, QUEST and Enbridge Gas. Discussions continue to be ongoing with other local and regional municipalities including Oakville, Halton Hills, Guelph, Waterloo Region, London and Windsor, among others.

The ‘Toolkit for Municipalities – Accelerating Home Energy Retrofits Through Local Improvement Charge Programs’ (2020) and the ‘Local Improvement Charge Financing Pilot Program Design for Residential Buildings in Ontario’ (Dunsky Energy Consulting 2013) were used as reference materials.

Financial Matters:
A recent Debt Policy Review report described the city’s ability to borrow money and assume non-tax supported debt which is widely used to support infrastructure requirements of community groups, stakeholders and other community partners. Non-tax supported debt is repaid by user fees, surcharges or loans. In the example of a deep energy retrofit program, loans to property owners would be recovered through a local improvement charge mechanism as described earlier in the report. LICs have traditionally been classified as non-tax supported debt as per the city’s debt policy similar to the city’s historical use of the local improvement charge for new road amenities such as sidewalks and included within the city’s debt limits.

Total Financial Impact
As per the strategy described above, the parameters of a Burlington tailored program are still to be developed, this is largely dependent upon further discussions with the municipal consortium and continued discussions with neighboring municipalities.

There is a possibility of shared resources, however, additional work is required to determine overall structure of the program and corresponding financial impact. Details include financial and staff support required to administer the program as it relates to LIC loans, agreements, interest rates, payment schedules, etc. Staff will work internally with the Finance and Legal Departments to address these details, associated funding requirements, and participate in meetings with the consortium group to help define the final program. As an example, to support 200 home energy retrofits using an average of $22,000 per home, the amount required would be $4.4 million.

Source of Funding
Further discussions with the Finance Department are required to finalize the financial support required to effectively administer a deep energy retrofit program for homes in Burlington. As discussions continue with the municipal consortium program, further clarity around the program will become available. Staff will report back on details surrounding financing required to deliver the program in the fall 2020, along with other program details as described above

Preliminary information was released earlier this year regarding the $300 million Community Efficiency Financing program announced by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) to help municipalities deliver energy efficient financing programs to the low rise residential sector. Funding is available through loans and grants.

Generally, FCM will provide a smaller percentage of the financing via grants. Municipal applicants must contribute 20% of the total amount of the application, which can be capital dollars to support home energy loans as well as in-kind contributions.
Burlington was ineligible for the first phase of funding as it was only open to those municipalities that had completed a feasibility study for a home energy retrofit program. The next round of funding through this program is expected to support municipalities wishing to complete a feasibility study to implement a deep energy retrofit program.

FCM has advised that the round of funding applicable to the consortium of municipalities working together to develop a deep energy retrofit program will be available in early 2021. Participating municipalities will submit individual but coordinated applications. The funding would provide capital dollars to support the implementation of a home energy retrofit program and may be issued in a combination of a loan and a grant. Burlington would need to be prepared to contribute 20% of the program budget, some of which can be an in-kind contribution. This will be reviewed and considered as part of the 2021 budget process.

In addition to the FCM Community Efficiency Fund, the federal government has not issued any information about zero interest loans to homeowners to support home energy retrofit programs. If the federal government does follow through with program, it may negate the need to apply for FCM funding and implement a LIC program, unless the funding flows through municipalities.

Other Resource Impacts
It is expected that an additional full-time employee will be required to help support the delivery of a home energy retrofit program in Burlington, including coordinating efforts with municipal departments to set up the LIC program. Additional responsibilities will include coordination with local partners, overseeing marketing, communications and outreach, engaging trades and contractors and looking for ongoing opportunities to drive uptake of the program. However, staff will continue to work with our local partners and other nearby local municipalities to identify measures where we may be able to share and maximize the coordination of resources.

Climate Implications
Implementation of a Deep Energy Retrofit Program is one of the priority program areas as identified in the Climate Action Plan to reduce emissions and meet the goal for the Burlington community to achieve net carbon neutrality by 2050. Based on the modelling completed by SSG (Sustainability Solutions Group) for the Climate Action Plan there is an opportunity to reduce over 1,400 kilo tonnes of equivalent carbon dioxide (ktCO2e) by implementing a residential deep energy retrofit program for existing residential buildings by 2050. In addition, over 2,600 ktCO2e can be reduced by installation of heat pumps (residential and commercial combined).

Climate change - flood

We see this all the time – it happened to us in 2014. It can be lessened – but someone has to begin to do something measurable. The current council has made this one of their defining programs.

Engagement Matters:
Staff will work with Communications and local partners/stakeholders to create a robust community engagement and marketing plan to promote the deep energy retrofit program, targeting homeowners as well as trades and contractors. Although a significant amount of promotion can occur online and through our community networks, additional funding may be required depending on some of the measures proposed in the plan.

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.

 

 

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Courageous response by an assault victim leads to arrest.

Crime 100By Staff

July 6th, 2020

BURLINGTON, ON

 

The Halton Regional Police Service has made an arrest in relation to an assault against an 18 year old female in the City of Burlington.

HRPS crestOn the 5th of July 2020, the female victim was out for a walk along Palladium Way and observed a grey minivan drive past her a couple times slowly. As the female continued walking she came up to a forested area when she was suddenly grabbed from behind. The accused male proceeded to place one hand over her mouth preventing her from screaming and then grabbed her around the waist attempted to drag the female into the forested area. The female struggled with him causing them both to fall to the ground. The victim was able to escape at this point and proceeded to scream for help causing the male to flee the scene.

The accused ran back towards his parked grey minivan van which was previously observed by the victim. The female victim was able to take a cell phone video of the male driving away in his van at a high rate of speed. The victim called 911 and provided details of the incident as well as the license plate of the grey minivan to police.

The Burlington and Oakville Criminal Investigation Bureaus continued investigation into this stranger assault and arrested the accused outside of his residence in the Town of Oakville without incident.

Investigation by the Burlington Criminal Investigation Bureau has led charges against the following individual;

Tanos EL-KHOURY (41 years old from Oakville)
• Forcible Confinement
• Assault

EL-KHOURY was held for a bail hearing in Milton on July 6, 2020.

Anyone with information in regards to this investigation is asked to contact Detective Melissa Parsons of the 3 District Criminal Investigations Bureau at 905-825-4747 ext. 2307.

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.

People charged with a criminal offence are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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