 By Pepper Parr
April 16th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
It’s a bit of a numbers game – with each level of government using their own data.
The public would love to see a single point where all the data resides. Not likely to see that any day soon.
The Region provides the local data. This afternoon they released the following:
It is pretty clear now that the danger point is the long term care centres and the nursing homes – where in Halton Region 17% of the cases are from those locales.
Based on what we are getting from the Regional Public Health people – there have not been any deaths in the homes.
Hopefully that is due to the quality of the care being given and the very strict adherence to the rules and not luck. The Long term care facilities are run by the Region where staff would be full time.
The data indicates that the really high at risk demographic is not taking the hit that other parts of the province are experiencing.
 By Staff
April 16th,2020
BURLINGTON, ON
Burlington Recreational Services team is piloting TelePALS – Telephone Partners in Accessing Leisure Services.
 Connecting those that are isolated 15 people at a time. It is a service that allows people who may not know each other to connect and communicate by telephone. The Seniors’ Centre Without Walls (SCWW) is as simple as just picking up your telephone!
Through the use of multi-person phone calls, SCWW provides the opportunity for participants to join in on health and wellness seminars, educational lectures, brain-stimulating activities, listen to live musical entertainment, join in on general conversations, and make new and meaningful friendships – all from the comfort of home! It works just the same as attending a class or a lecture at the centre, but instead it is facilitated over the telephone.
Seniors’ Centre Without Walls Basics:
Completely free program.
You do not need to be a member of any association.
Programs are multi-person phone conversations (or conference calls).
No special equipment needed – just your average phone!
Call yourself in to the program, or we can call you – it’s your choice!
Each phone session lasts between 30-60 minutes on the phone.
Each phone session averages 10-15 people on the call.
You are able to hear each other, talk to one another, learn, and/or just have fun!
The first phase of the pilot involves people referred to Parks and Recreation; phase two will have broader participation.
Since the closure of City programs the team doing the pilot has conducted a Caring Calls program reaching over 2500 participants. They heard that many of our community valued these calls very much and the point of connection they provided.
“Many also indicated a desire to be contacted again. Because we became aware of so many people experiencing a sense of isolation, we thought we would start TelePALS with these folks first, and then increase the service by promoting it more broadly to the City in coming weeks.
“At this time if you know of friends, families, clients or other individuals that are not on-line, or not comfortable with computers but would like to hear more about Telephone Recreation programs via TelePALS, could you contact Mandy Newnham (mandy.newnham@burlington.ca) for more information.”
The first priority would be to reach older adults or individuals who may be more home-bound due to a disability; they expect to expand very quickly to enroll any older adults interested in the programs.
The city has yet to go public with this program – we stumbled across what they were working on. We will do our best to keep you posted – the Parks and Recreation are not known for their ability to communicate all that well.
 By Staff
April 16th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
The men and women who enter the Joseph Brant hospital every day deserve every scrap of support that can be found.
People bang pots and pan and clap for two minutes on Friday evenings – some people are providing meals and other levels of support for those workers who are doing 12 hour shifts.
Unfortunately, earlier this week the hospital announced that 12 staff members and three patients were identified as having contracted the COVID19 virus – the staff members are at home – self isolating. No word on the patients, one of which was in the surgical unit.
Quite how this happened has yet to be explained – what the public would also like to hear is how the hospital doubled down to ensure that staff were taught to be even more careful. The virus was brought into the hospital.
Leadership at the hospital is grateful for the incredible support received from the community. The support for staff through donations of Personal Protective Equipment, technology and in-kind support speaks to the level and depth of community support.
 The Hospital Foundation is inviting people to show their support for the hospital and staff by displaying a We Love Our Hospital lawn sign.
Their goal is to remind our healthcare heroes that the entire city is behind them and appreciates what they are doing every day. Signs can be requested online at www.jointhej.ca
The sign will be delivered and installed by Foundation staff while ensuring physical distancing.
 By Pepper Parr
April 15th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
You have to give credit where credit is due.
For the past month Ontario has had a Premier who has delivered. Surprising to many, is the level of empathy we are seeing from the man.
 Ontario Premier Doug Ford – being pressed at every level yet keeping it all together. Doug Ford is there before the cameras every day of the week; answering the tough, but necessary, questions.
Yesterday he stepped away from the camera, took a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe his brow. He was sweating it literally.
There is nothing smooth or slick about Doug Ford; his oratory doesn’t soar but when he says he will “look into it” – he does.
Hearing a politician say that they will do whatever it takes and then having them deliver on that statement is certainly refreshing.
His response to the desperate situation in the long term care homes hit home for this man; his Mother-in-law is a resident in one.
He moved swiftly to make changes across the system – long term care and the people who provide the service will benefit from his ability to see the problem, accept the advice he was given and get the wheels moving.
There will come a time when the spending being done today will have to be recovered from the tax base and we will watch with interest on how the current government pulls that off.
But right now Doug Ford is leading in a way this writer didn’t expect.
Does anyone happen to know where the leader of the provincial Liberals is. Has the New Democrat leader lost her tongue?
Many of us laughed when Doug Ford was basically hidden during the last federal election for fear that he would embarrass Andrew Scheer.
I may have issues with underlying philosophy that the Progressive Conservatives bring to the table but the man leading the government today is doing the job and I’m not embarrassed.
Listening to him say that he is a politician and he listens to the experts – and that it is his job to step aside and let the experts do their jobs is refreshing.
We didn’t see that from the federal Liberals during the SNC mess that occupied the minds of many trying to figure out just what the full story was behind the demotion of the then Minister of Justice Jodie Wilson Raybould.
 Doug Ford is likely to be a two term Premier. Every political leader has people who do the longer term political thinking. Were I Doug Ford, I would be asking my team to think about when to go back to the electorate.
When the COVID-19 crisis is behind us and things are getting back to, or close to, normal I would call a snap election – because when this is all over there is going to be a huge economic mess that may take as much as a decade to recover from and some very painful financial decision are going to have to be made.
Salt with Pepper is the musings, reflections and opinions of the publisher of the Burlington Gazette, an online newspaper that was formed in 2010 and is a member of the National Newsmedia Council.
By Staff
April 15th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
The Burlington Food Bank reported that there were just a few people at their door after the long weekend. Their transition to delivery rather than pick up is working. .
The Food Bank is asking people who need food or know of someone who could use their help to have them email us at info@burlingtonfoodbank.ca or call 905-637-2273 to make arrangements to have food dropped at the door. If you live in Burlington, we are here to help.
 Councillor Angelo Bentivegna worked his connections and found some needed storage space for the Burlington Food Bank – Kudos to the Councillor. The long weekend gave the Food Bank a chance to get caught up – the now have about 45 food hampers ready to go out this morning.
For those who wonder what our City Councillors are able to do during the State of Emergency there was some news from Councillor Angelo Bentivegna who was able to locate and provide some storage space for us.
Good timing as Feed Ontario will be delivering some pre-made hampers to us expected sometime this week.
Food Bank Update today
 By Staff
April 15th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
Police Make Arrest in Steroid Trafficking Investigation in Burlington.
The Halton Regional Police Service has made an arrest in relation to a Steroid Trafficking investigation in Burlington which began in March, 2020.
 The evidence. Investigation by the Burlington Street Crime Unit on April 14th, 2020 has led to charges against the following individual;
Shane JOORIS (35 Years of Burlington)
- Trafficking in a Controlled Substance (Steroids) – 2 counts
- Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking a Controlled Substance (Steroids)
A search warrant was executed at a Burlington residence and the following items were seized:
- 31 various steroids and medications used for bodybuilding
$20,230 worth of drugs were seized as a result of the search warrant.
The accused was released on an Undertaking.
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.
Please be reminded that all persons charged are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
By Pepper Parr
April 14th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
 A breath of fresh air ? Included in the debate in the Legislature today was a decision “making it possible to suspend certain municipal planning decision timelines during the state of emergency, and change the Development Charges Act to ensure municipalities can continue to count on a vital source of revenue that helps pay for local growth-related infrastructure, such as roads, water and sewers as well as fire and police services.”
The announcement was made in the Legislature – we now have to wait for the specifics that will be released by the Minister of Municipalities and Housing.
Many will wait to see what reference is made, if any, on the processes and procedures that apply to Local Planing Act Tribunal.
By Pepper Parr
April 14th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
I didn’t know John Calvert. I knew of him. He was Director of Planning in Mississauga at a time when Hazel McCallion was Mayor – and he survived – Hazel was one tough cookie.
I was sent a copy of the letter Calvert wrote to Mayor Marianne Meed Ward expressing his profound disappointment on how the National Homes development on Brant was proceeding.
John Calvert has lived in Burlington for more than 30 years. Watching the shape, look, and feel of the city disintegrate has bothered him for some time.
 John Calvert: Deeply hurt and disappointed I had to ask a friend for contact information and see if Calvert would take a call from me.
He said he would and we had a ten minute talk.
I heard a very distraught man who was deeply hurt talk about the Due Process that he did not feel had taken place and the need for public input on planning decisions.
He agreed with me that people were excited when Marianne was elected Mayor – many believed that the development proposals on the table were going to ruin the city.
Calvert said he “likes Marianne” he just didn’t seem to like what she was doing.
“It took me some time to write the letter” said Calvert. “I showed it to my neighbour Ed Doer who was heavily involved in the opposition to the National Homes development; he said I had written what needed to be said.”
When Mayor Meed Ward went to France to take part in the 75th WWII anniversary she went with Calvert’s wife who was one of the Burlington residents who made the Juno Beach reception centre possible. Calvert told me that the two women travelled together and got along very well.
Calvert said he was asked to speak at one of Meed Ward’s campaign funding events. “I did so willingly” said Calvert
Calvert knows the ins and out of the planning profession. He told me that the communities we build today will determine the kind of society we will have a couple of decades later.
He talked about the lack of amenities in a community that was to have 233 homes – which may have been chiselled down to 215.
“The traffic problems will be horrendous.”
Calvert hopes that this Council decides to take a sober second look at what is being proposed.
The issue for Calvert is trust and quality in developments. By quality he doesn’t mean quartz counter tops and shiny high end stoves. He means space for people to live, back yards where there is room for one of those large Italian families and parks where children can play and enough room for a child to learn to ride a bicycle.
Calvert said he was excited when Meed Ward came along – mistakes that had been made were going to be corrected. Now it doesn’t look that way.
“Someone has to stop this” he said
Related news item:
The Calvert letter
Salt with Pepper is the musings, reflections and opinions of the publisher of the Burlington Gazette, an online newspaper that was formed in 2010 and is a member of the National Newsmedia Council.
 By Pepper Parr
April 14th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
 Premier Doug Ford – sweating out a very tough situation. During a media conference call hours ago, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said that Ontario Schools would not be re-opening on May 4th and that the Minster of Education will be making an announcement on that matter in a few days.
The Premier added that the decision to not open the schools on the 4th “does not mean that the school year is lost”.
 By Pepper Parr
April 14th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
She broke his heart – he truly believed that after working his buns off to get her elected that she would not sell him out – the Mayor has lost a fan.
John Calvert John Calvert, former Chief Planner for the City of Mississauga when Hazel McCallion was Mayor wrote Marianne Meed Ward saying:
Madam Mayor
Trust, Honesty and Commitment are the qualities I value most in family, friends and colleagues.
It appears that Council is considering a settlement agreement with National Homes on their application for a townhouse development at 2100 Brant Street.
 A planned 233 homes for the property on Brant Street It pains me to write this letter after all you did on the file, as a Councillor and Mayor, and the extensive work by Vision 2100 Brant, in addition to the commitment I made to your campaign. I am so profoundly disappointed and personally offended in this process and possible outcome.
 It has been a farm field for decades – owned by the Catholic Church. Then a developer saw an opportunity. This file is a critical example of where you could demonstrate keeping your campaign promises which all residents expected.
I regret having believed that you would actually fulfill your two main campaign promises – to oppose over-development and improve public engagement. The proposal for 2100 Brant is probably the worst case of over-development the City will experience (except the mess being made of our downtown) and yet you appear to support it.
The current planning process in Burlington, which is not practiced by other municipalities, consists of ….file an application…no decision….appeal to LPAT…settlement hearing. This not only denies Due Process but takes away residents’ rights.No public input into the settlement. It is not what we were told after this Council rescinded the 2018 settlement. We were told no more settlement hearings. Tell that to the residents along Townsend Ave after settlement hearings at 92 and 484 Plains Road. You supported these two settlement hearings.Why are the majority of development applications decided by LPAT and not Council?
You agreed that staff were compromised on the 2100 Brant file and the City would retain an outside planner to review the file, and if required, would be the expert witness at the LPAT hearing. The planner would be retained by the City and for the City. The planner was not for Vision 2100 Brant. It was your decision and now, at the last minute, there is a change of mind.
At the second LPAT Pre-hearing (April 3. 2019), Legal staff told the LPAT Chair that the City would have two Expert Witnesses, a land use planner and a traffic engineer. The Chair gave us permission to “umbrella” or use the City’s witnesses, and made no mention that each Party needs to provide their own independent witnesses. Check the minutes of the Pre-hearing. Once again, the residents are disappointed.
 The intensification is obscene. The blue area denotes the Havendale community with 236 homes. The orange area is the proposed National Homes development where 233 homes would be built. Have you challenged staff on why 2100 Brant is not compliant with the Official Plan policies on Compatibility based on the Intensification Strategy? Why have an Official Plan if the residents cannot count on Council to address the policies in their decisions? In addition, how can you support the need for 26 variances to the zoning development standards to allow National Homes to overdevelop the site?
Do you really think this is Good Planning? What impact will it have on the rest of the City? If you support it here, what does that say to all residents? This will be a precedent established by this Council. This is exactly what residents expected you, and the new Council, to oppose on our behalf.
I feel you did not keep your promise for the Downtown. How could you not remove the MTSA designation for the John Street bus stop and why hasn’t the City filed a motion with the Province to review the location for the Urban Growth Centre following MPP McKenna’s letter? The numerous delegations were counting on you to protect the Downtown by avoiding developers using these elements to ask for increased height and density as in the Adi application. Again I feel let down and unfortunately I am not alone.
I commend your leadership and time commitment in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, but feel compelled at this time to make my feelings known prior to the next Council meeting where the apparent settlement agreement might be dealt with. All of us are counting on you, and our elected councillors, to support us and the City at large will expect the same when this is all brought to light.
Related news stories.
Meed Ward’s view on September 2018
New council gets the development – what do they do?
Council gets another chance to debate the development
 By Staff
April 14th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
The Regional Public Health office released COVID-19 data up to end of day on April 12, 2020
The population % of Halton’s COVID-19 cases is higher than the province when ranked by age. This is because Halton has more seniors than any other part of the province.
The curve has not yet flattened.
The data tells us that there were:
87 COVID-19 cases reported to Halton Region Public Health since the last update (63 confirmed + 24 probable)
356 COVID-19 cases reported to Halton Region Public Health to date (316 confirmed + 40 probable)
 COVID-19 cases, by reported date, Halton Region, Mar. 1-Apr. 12, 2020, shows the 356 COVID-19 cases that had been reported to Halton Region Public Health by end of the day on April 12. All cases have been graphed according to the date they were reported, which is often several days after the onset of symptoms. Among the cases in this figure, 87 were reported since the last update (meaning they were reported between April 9 and April 12, 2020).
Individuals who are lab-confirmed cases are shown in green. Individuals who are probable cases are shown in orange. Probable cases are epi-linked cases, which means they are presumed to have COVID-19 because they are symptomatic close contacts of cases or returning travelers who have COVID-19 symptoms.
Case demographics
48 Halton COVID-19 cases work in health care (13% of all cases)
 Figure 2: COVID-19 cases, by age and sex, Halton Region, 2020 Figure shows that by end of the day on April 12, the most COVID-19 cases were among Halton residents aged 40-59 (with 129 cases, or 36%). 208 of the 356 cases (58%) were female.  COVID-19 cases, by municipality of residence, Halton Region, 2020 The figure 3 shows that by end of the day on April 12, the greatest number of COVID-19 cases were among residents of Oakville (with 122 cases, or 34%). Please note this figure shows counts, and therefore does not take into account the different population sizes or age structures of the four municipalities. Counts in municipalities can also be inflated by outbreaks that have occurred within institutions in their boundaries.
 Percentage of COVID-19 cases, by exposure source, Halton Region, 2020 Case Exposure source
Figure shows that by end of the day on April 12, 154 of Halton Region’s COVID-19 cases (43%) had no known travel or contact history, and therefore were believed to have acquired the virus within Ontario, making them community cases. 96 cases (27%) had contact with a confirmed case that was believed to be the source of infection. 83 of the cases (23%) had a history of travel that was believed to have been the source of their infection. Information on exposure source was pending for 23 cases (6%).
Case outcomes
46 Halton cases of COVID-19 have ever been hospitalized to date
114 Halton cases of COVID-19 have recovered to date
11 Halton cases of COVID-19 have died to date
Institutional outbreaks
1 confirmed institutional outbreak of COVID-19 reported to Halton Region Public Health since the last update
7 confirmed institutional outbreaks of COVID-19 reported to Halton Region Public Health to date
Among the seven confirmed institutional outbreaks reported to date, four (57%) have been in retirement homes, while two occurred in long-term care homes and one occurred in a hospital. One of the confirmed outbreaks was reported since the last update (meaning they were reported between April 9 and April 12, 2020). None of the confirmed outbreaks have yet been declared over. Please note these counts do not include any suspected outbreaks that remain under investigation.
Comparison to Ontario
7,470 total confirmed COVID-19 cases reported in Ontario to date
 Age-specific rates of COVID-19 (per 10,000 population), Halton Region and Ontario, 2020 Figure shows age-specific rates of COVID-19 for Halton and Ontario. Rates take into account the population size of each age group to make it possible to compare between different areas. Halton’s age-specific rates are now similar to the provincial rates for all age groups (for example, while Halton has 21.9 cases per 10,000 residents aged 80+, this is not statistically significantly different from the 17.0 cases per 10,000 residents aged 80+ in Ontario). It is important to note that these rates will fluctuate as numbers increase throughout the pandemic, and that differences between age groups may reflect differences in the likelihood of developing symptoms and being tested.
Data limitations and data sources:
All Halton case data: integrated Public Health Information System (iPHIS), extracted at 7:00 AM on April 13, 2020, to reflect data entered by the end of the day on April 12, 2020
Ontario case data: Public Health Ontario, Epidemiologic Summary, COVID-19 in Ontario: January 15, 2020 to April 12, 2020, posted on April 13, 2020 to https://www.ontario.ca/page/2019-novel-coronavirus
Denominators for Halton and Ontario age-specific rates: Population projections [2020], IntelliHEALTH Ontario, extracted on April 8, 2020.
Data notes
All cases of diseases of public health significance diagnosed in Ontario are entered into iPHIS by local public health units. iPHIS is the Integrated Public Health Information System. It is a dynamic disease reporting system which allows ongoing updates to data previously entered. As a result, data extracted from iPHIS represent a snapshot at the time of extraction and may differ from previous or subsequent reports as data are updated.
The data only represent cases reported to public health and recorded in iPHIS. As a result, all counts will be subject to varying degrees of under-reporting due to a variety of factors, such as disease awareness and medical care seeking behaviours, which may depend on severity of illness, clinical practice, changes in laboratory testing, and reporting behaviours.
Cases are included if their “diagnosing health unit” in iPHIS is Halton Region, which means counts include only individuals whose primary residence is in Halton Region. The case may not necessarily have been managed by Halton Region, if they were temporarily residing elsewhere during their case management period. Cases managed by Halton Region who normally live elsewhere but who were managed by Halton Region staff because they were temporarily residing in Halton during their case management period have not been included.
Cases for which the Disposition Status in iPHIS was reported as ENTERED IN ERROR, DOES NOT MEET DEFINITION, DUPLICATE-DO NOT USE, or any variation on these values have been excluded.
Figure 1 distinguishes between lab-confirmed and probable cases. Since April 7, probable cases are defined as epi-linked cases, meaning they are symptomatic close contacts of cases or returning travelers who have COVID-19 symptoms and therefore are presumed to have COVID-19. All other figures and numbers include both confirmed and probable cases combined.
In subsequent reports, counts in Figure 1 may increase as cases are added from past dates due to delayed data entry or new arrival of lab results. To minimize such retrospective changes, cases have been graphed according to case reported date, which does not reflect onset of illness.
Cases are considered to work in health care if they are known to have an occupation that involves caring for patients, e.g. physician, nurse, occupational therapist, recreational therapist, chiropractor, paramedic, midwife, orderly, etc.
Exposure type is determined by examining the exposure and risk factor fields from iPHIS to determine whether a case travelled, was a contact of a case or neither. A hierarchy has been applied as follows: Travel-related > Close contact of a confirmed case > Neither (indicating community acquisition) > Information pending.
Case outcomes (hospitalizations, recovery, deaths) reflect the latest available information reported to Halton Region Public Health and recorded in iPHIS by the extraction time.
Institutional outbreaks include outbreaks of COVID-19 in settings such as long-term care homes, retirement homes, hospitals, and prisons.
The story for the period ending April 8th.
By Staff
April 14th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
Community Development Halton announces the appointment of a new Executive Director.
 “After a thorough and rigorous search process the Board of Directors of Community Development Halton announced that Michael Nixon will become the Executive Director, effective immediately.
 Mike Nixon: newly appointed Executive Director of Community Development Halton. “Nixon is a Halton resident and brings significant business experience and community knowledge.
“Nixon will take over from the recently retired Dr. Joey Edwardh.
“A business entrepreneur during the past couple of years, Mike comes to us from the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. A 30-year veteran of the non-profit sector, Mike holds a BA from McMaster University and has served on several Boards of Directors. He brings a high level of corporate interaction as well as fundraising and donor relations experience.
“Nixon is a highly experienced, successful and well-regarded business leader. He will provide leadership to the organization, oversee program management, community relations, financial planning and management, and support to the board of directors. Mike will serve as the main public contact and spokesperson for the organization and represent the company and all professional business capacities.
“Nixon and his wife, Cindy, have been married for almost 35 years and are the proud parents of two daughters. He is an avid golfer and home renovator and at home has a passion for baking. He and his family have long supported Halton Children’s Aid through the fostering of several babies over the years.
“Over the coming weeks Nixon will be connecting with major stakeholders and officials throughout the Region to introduce himself and to better understand their needs and concerns”.
“Nixon can be reached via email at mnixon@cdhalton.ca or by phone at 905-632-1975, or toll-free at 1-855-395-8807.”
Community Development HAlton is funded by the Region of Halton and the Hamilton-Halton United Way. It has a staff of about seven; some of whom have been laid off during the COVID-19 State of Emergency.
By Staff
April 13th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
Despite a report that there are infections at two units of the Joseph Brant Hospital the picture overall for the Region is, on balance, showing the results of staying home and being very careful when you do have to go out.
A full report on data released by the Regional Public Health Unit will follow later today – there is one indicator that will leave Burlingtonians feeling quite positive.
Figure shows that by end of the day on April 12, the greatest number of COVID-19 cases were among residents of Oakville (with 122 cases, or 34%). Please note this figure shows counts, and therefore does not take into account the different population sizes or age structures of the four municipalities. Counts in municipalities can also be inflated by outbreaks that have occurred within institutions in their boundaries.
 Data as at April 8th, 2020 The visuals tell part of the story. Number of COVID-19 cases for each municipality in the Region.
 Data as at April 12th, 2020
By Staff
April 13th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
This is about as brazen as you can get.
Man drops by a used car dealership – looks over a car – goes for a test drive with the sales rep. The engine is shut down. Sales agent heads for the office to get some papers, customer asks if the sales guy will turn the engine on again – he wants to listen to it – we will let the police tell the rest of this story.
The Halton Regional Police Service is asking for the public’s help in identifying a suspect involved in a series of daytime vehicle thefts.
On April 8, 2020, the male suspect attended a dealership on Fairview Street in the City of Burlington. The male inquired about a 2017 Black Range Rover at the dealership. The male requested to see the vehicle in order to check out some of the features. Once the sales person shut the vehicle off; the male asked to hear the engine again and asked for the keys to start the Range Rover. The male suspect then proceeded to get into the Range Rover and drive away at a high rate of speed out of the dealership lot.
This same suspect is responsible for two other similar style vehicle thefts. These thefts took place on March 29, 2020 in the Town of Oakville and again on March 30, 2020 in City of Burlington. During those vehicle thefts, the male suspect proceeded to steal a 2015 Black Mercedes S550 (Oakville Dealership) and a 2018 Black Mercedes E400 (Online Private Sale). During all three incidents, male suspect was left alone with the vehicle keys briefly and was able to drive away with these vehicles.
Police are seeking the public’s assistance in identifying the suspect responsible for these vehicle thefts.
 If you know this man and can identify him …  … Call Crime Stoppers. Suspect is described as a male, white, with a slim build, 170lbs and was between 5’11” and 6″ in height with short brown hair. He was wearing a black jacket and white shirt and had black sunglasses on. The suspect appeared to be between the age of 30-40 years.
If anyone has information about the identity of the suspect, please contact Detective Constable Colin MacLeod of the 30 Division Criminal Investigations Bureau at 905 825 4747 ext. 2357.
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.
By Staff
April 13th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
With a near total lock down of the community a number of people managed to find time to ingest or swallow stuff that doesn’t register so well with a police office who pulls you over.
Impaired Driving Offences Within Halton Region
On April 6, 2020 just after 3:30 pm, Halton Police officers responded to a collision in the area of Kerr Street and Speers Road in Oakville. As a result of an investigation, Khaleq Noori (27) of Barrie was charged with operation while impaired and blood alcohol concentration 80mgs or more, within two hours.
On April 6, 2020 just before 8:30 pm, Halton Police officers responded to a collision in the area of Main Street South and Guelph Street in Halton Hills. As a result of an investigation, Adam Knee (38) of Georgetown was charged with operation while impaired and blood alcohol concentration 80mgs or more, within two hours.
On April 7, 2020 just before 1:30 am, Halton Police officers responded to a collision in the area of Guelph Line and Prospect Street in Burlington. As a result of an investigation, Brent Lalonde (27) of Burlington was charged with operation while impaired and blood alcohol concentration 80mgs or more, within two hours.
On April 8, 2020, just before 4:00 pm, Halton Police officers responded to a citizen-initiated complaint in the area of Thomas Alton Boulevard and Columbus Drive in Burlington. As a result of an investigation, Stacey George (42) of Burlington was charged with blood alcohol concentration 80mgs or more, within two hours.
On April 11, 2020, just after 2:30 am, Halton Police officers conducted a traffic stop in the area of Millside Drive and Martin Street in Milton. As a result of an investigation, Carlos Marticorena (24) of Hamilton was charged with operation while impaired.
On April 12, 2020, at approximately 9:30 pm, Halton Police officers conducted a traffic stop in the area of Britannia Road West and Thompson Road South in Milton. As a result of an investigation, Nitin Jain (42) of Milton was charged with operation while impaired and blood alcohol concentration 80mgs or more, within two hours.
The Halton Regional Police Service remains committed to road safety through prevention, education and enforcement initiatives.
Members of the public are reminded that driving under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol is a crime in progress and to call 9-1-1 immediately to report a suspected impaired driver.
The Service’s Twitter and Facebook accounts should not be used for this purpose as they are not monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Please be reminded that all persons charged are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
If you have been named in a police report and after going through the judicial procedure and were found not guilty of what you were charged with, or the police dropped the charge, be in touch with the Publisher of the Gazette and we will pull the original report and publish the results of the trial if you wish.
By Robin Bailey
April 13th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
If you are in need or know of someone who could use our help have them email us at info@burlingtonfoodbank.ca or call 905-637-2273 to make arrangements to have food dropped at the door. If you live in Burlington, we are here to help.
 Diane Gris – the woman who manages the volunteers – keeps an eye on things while doing an interview. Robin Bailey reports that: “Diane Gris was in this morning organizing our the volunteers as we prepare for the week ahead.
“Our doors are closed today however several volunteers are working in order to prepare for Tuesday.
“It’s a much-needed chance to regroup; Volunteers are busy going through the stock we have in house and doing some organization.
 Jane Newton – all-star volunteer with more than 100 hours logged – so far. “Jane Newton started going through the personal hygiene, cosmetics and toiletry inventory. Jane is one of our hall of fame volunteers having donated over 100 hours already. Having a long-weekend doesn’t mean the same thing as it used to but for our Food Bank it means we can relax a bit more and prepare.
“Diane mentions that it’s been three weeks since we implemented the delivery at home model and we had hoped to transition completely to delivery by now. I guess this week will tell how successful we’ve been doing that. We can’t thank our volunteers enough.
You can follow just what it is the volunteers do at the Food Bank. Latest Today’s update —
By Pepper Parr
April 12th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
The Sunday habit is for one of us to walk up the lane to pick up the newspapers: she reads the Star; I read the Sunday New York Times.
I am convinced I get the better value but we share headlines and editorial cartoons.
 The Times this Sunday is almost wall to wall COVID-19 coverage or where President Trump dropped the ball.
New York City is reporting COVID-19 deaths of 800 a day and putting bodies in refrigerated trucks until they can determine where they can be sent.
A reporter managed to get into two hospitals, the Jack D Weiler Hospital and the Montefiore Medical Centre’s Moses division in the Bronx, to witness and document the chaos, panic, fear and bravery that takes place minute after minute.
Dr. Michael Jones who runs the physician resident program at both hospitals sent his young doctors an email last month asking them to go out of their way to comfort the COVID-19 patients.
Take a few moments if you can to talk about patients’ families, their lives, their dreams. Ask if there is a loved one you can call. And lastly, two very different things; hold your patient’s hand for a minute as they near death or pass, and ask your entire team to stop for five or ten seconds, bow your heads, state the patient’s name and ask for silence.
This helps us retain our humanity in times of such crisis and gives our patients’ family some solace that they were treated with dignity.
By Pepper Parr
April 11th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
The Mayor is pushing the message again and again – she has been relentless, which at this point in time is the most important job she has.
In the photograph below people are milling about in Union Square in New York City. The photograph was taken March 21, a scant three weeks ago.
 Photograph taken three weeks ago – the COVID-19 virus was in the air then – they didn’t know that. Yesterday, the Governor of the State of New York announced that there were 799 deaths in one day in the city.
This red spikes are the part of the virus that attaches itself to us. Fascinating article in the Saturday Globe and Mail that explains what we are up against in great detail. The COVID-19 virus is literally in the air – we are transmitting it from person to person and in the process killing each other.
The way we stop this is to just stop going outside.
Difficult, yes. Very hard for some. Close to impossible for others.
But that is what we are up against.
We have to dig down deep and do what we are being asked to do. Stay inside; if you decide to go out – stay away from other people.
For those who would like to understand this disease we are fighting there is an excellent news feature in the Saturday Globe and Mail. It is complex, actually quite fascinating, to learn how this virus attaches itself to us and how the scientists are looking for way to combat it.
The Mayor’s message is clear – sure you may have heard it yesterday, and the day before. Listen to it again and pay attention – your life depends on it.
 Mayor Marianne Meed Ward Please stay home and self-isolate, engage in physical distancing and only go outside for essentials, such as food and medical needs or appointments.
Residents with symptoms are to self-isolate at home for 14 days and ask family, friends or neighbours to safely drop off supplies to you.
This is required to keep each other safe and healthy and to “flatten the curve.”
The longer we stay apart now, the sooner we can come together again.
Look at those numbers out of New York City – 799 dead in a single day.
 By Staff
April 9th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
Maintaining a healthy intimate relationship is a challenge at the best of times. And these are not the best of times.
There is a lot of emotional stress, financial stress and worry over how things are going to work out.
In many households, far too many – the stats make it clear that there is significant violence in some relationships.
In March 2020, our officers responded to 276 calls related to intimate partner violence and laid 121 charges. For reference from the previous year in March 2019, our officers responded to 289 calls related to intimate partner violence and laid 150 charges.
The police recognize that intimate partner violence often goes unreported to police.
 Every person has the right to feel safe in our community. That is why is the Service is asking that everyone looks out for their relatives, friends, neighbours and co-workers, who they suspect may not be safe at home. Check in on them regularly, establish a ‘signal’ word and call for help if you think that they are in danger.
“Now, more than ever, victims of intimate partner violence need the support of their community,” says Deputy Chief Hill.” In a time of isolation, we must show victims that they are not alone and that help is available.”
Victims or friends/family of victims are encouraged to contact the Halton Regional Police Service, Halton Women’s Place or other community resources if intimate partner violence is happening. Shelters across Halton are still open at this time and Halton Women’s Place continues to offer services. Help is available.
You are not alone. Victims of intimate partner violence or sexual assault and witnesses are encouraged to contact the Halton Regional Police Service. The following is a list of valuable support services and resources in Halton Region for victims of intimate partner violence and/or sexual violence:
• Halton Regional Police Service Victim Services Unit 905-825-4777
• Halton Women’s Place 905-878-8555 (north) or 905-332-7892 (24-hour crisis line)
• Halton Children’s Aid Society 905-333-4441 or 1-866-607-5437
• Nina’s Place Sexual Assault and Domestic Assault Care Centre 905-336-4116 or 905-681-4880
• Sexual Assault and Violence Intervention Services (SAVIS) 905-875-1555 (24-hour crisis line)
By Pepper Parr
April 11th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
Keeping up to date on the reports the Finance department sends to council means learning something new every day.
There was an item in the operating budget performance report that caught our eye. It has to do with computer software maintenance and the positive variance (which means they didn’t spend all the money they had budgeted) item in budget performance
 Former City Clerk Angela Morgan, on the right, explaining to council part of what went wrong with the CRM system. Morgan is now the Executive Lead on Customer Experience. We thought that the CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system that had all the wheels fall off at the same time and had to be sent back for a complete rebuild would have come under that computer software maintenance entry.
Turns out that is not the case.
 City Treasurer Joan Ford runs the tightest shop in the city. Joan Ford, City Treasurer explained that “The Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Software is a capital project (not part of the operating budget performance report). Capital projects are generally carried out over more than one year. We annually provide a capital closure report to council (the next one will be on the May cycle of meetings). The CRM capital project is not ready for closure at this time so will not be included in the report.”
Which means it will be as much as another 18 months before the project is re-done and then we see a closure report. That’s so far off that we could well be into deciding who the members of the next city council will be.
The screw up with the CRM took place before the current council was elected – before the current city manager was brought in.
 James Ridge – CRM mess took place on his watch. The prize for this cock-up goes to the former city manager James Ridge; he was ushered out the door some time ago.
The problems with the CRM became public when Council members found the CRM didn’t work for them. What no one knew at the time was that Sheila Jones, who was then the city auditor, was writing a report on how serious the problem was. It was a humdinger. Her report resulted in what had been done getting redone and the people who dropped the ball were no longer around to be held accountable.
Most of those who quietly left the city will probably be found working in some other municipality.
That’s the way things tend to work in the municipal sector.
Related news stories:
Councillor Kearns has a beef.
The report
The fallout
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