 By Pepper Parr
August 28, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
The start of a new school year has parents busy getting their children ready, getting the clothing and supplies that are needed and wondering what their children are going to learn in the school year ahead.
While parents ready the family, the school board administrators ready the schools, classrooms and teaching staff in a climate where the provincial funding is at times ‘iffy’.
 Stuart Miller, talking to students during the difficult days when high schools were being closed. Stuart Miller, Director of the Halton District School Board, has worked through several months of dealing with the Ministry of Education and is still waiting for approval to send the plans for an addition to Nelson High School to take in the students who will leave Bateman High School when it closes.
“The design has been approved, the funding has been approved but we don’t yet have permission to issue the tender”, said Miller.
“I’m not sure I am going to have classrooms ready in time.”
 Bateman high school may be kept open a little longer than expected – forever? Not likely. Keeping students at Bateman for a little longer isn’t going to hurt anyone – there are some that might see it as a sign that perhaps the move will never be required.
Funds aren’t flowing the way they have in the past added Miller. The HDSB did get an additional $1.5 million but they also got an additional 800 + students this year; the final number will be known when the doors open next week. This increase would translate to over an additional $20 M in costs.
The HDSB has always felt it was getting the short end of the financial stick from the province.
The new school being built in Oakville might be ready but Miller won’t guarantee that all the paint will be dry when the doors open.
 Superintendent Terri Blackwell with Director of Education Stuart Miller the day that hundreds of parents showed up to register their children in the iStem program at Aldershot high school. Miller will be at Aldershot High School next Wednesday to formally welcome the first iStem students to the facilities that have been built for a different approach to high school educations. The Board spent about 1.4 M on upgrades to Aldershot.
iStem was one of the positive things that came out of the Program Administrative Review (PAR) that saw Lester B. Pearson and Bateman High School closed – which amounted to two out of the seven high schools in the city.
 Claire Proteau in her office – where she is open and engaging with her students. The merging of the Pearson students into M. M. Robinson went exceptionally well due in no small measure to the superb direction from MMR principal Claire Proteau and the decision to move the Pearson vice principal into MMR. Cost of transitions/moving LBP to MMR – about $175,000.
The HDSB trustees are going to have to grapple with losing $6.8M from a funding source called Local Priorities. This money was not in the budget for this year( it was provincial funding from last year).
All the union contracts come up for renewal this year. Miller feels confident that there won’t be any impossible situations at the local level – what happens at the provincial level is something he wouldn’t even hazard a guess at.
The International Baccalaureate program that was moved from Bateman to Central takes root this year with pre-grade 9 and a pre-grade 10 offering. Miller expects about 100 students to register at Central for the program. He expects about 600 to register at White Oaks high school for the program there.
With streets crowded with students come Tuesday, let’s hope the the police crack down on irresponsible drivers will have an impact so we can have a traffic accident free week.
 By Pepper Parr
August 28th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
Updated
We now know when the first SPECIAL EXHIBITION will take place at the transformed Brant Museum. PART OF THE MACHINE: ROCK AND PINBALL begins October 6 through to January 12.
It is these special events that are expected to pay the freight for the operation of the transformed facility. The million and a bit that the city is pumping into the space will only go so far.
 Fun galore on dozens of pin ball machines that will be free to use. Before the pinball machines get plugged in there will be an opening of the Museum for the public on September 15th – noon to 4:00 pm with no entry fee.
We have no word on what the entry fee for the Museum is going to be on a day to day basis nor do we have a schedule on what the Museum hours of operation will be.
An observant Gazette reader advises us that:
General admission is:
$10.00 ADULT
$8.00 SENIOR/STUDENT
$6.00 CHILD
3-12 years
FREE CHILD
Under 3 years
$30 FAMILY
Up to 2 adults/seniors and up to 4 children
And that the hours of operation are:
Mon / Closed
Tues / 10:00am-4:00pm
Wed / 10:00am-4:00pm
Thurs / 10:00am-7:00pm
Fri / 10:00am-4:00pm
Sat / 12:00pm-4:00pm
Sun / 12:00pm-4:00pm
We do know that the new Executive Director or is it Director, different titles are coming out from the museum media people, will take the helm on September 9th. Kimberly Anne Watson was named to the position effective September 9th
The first special exhibition in the Showcase Gallery at the Joseph Brant Museum, is being billed as the Canadian premiere of Part of the Machine: Rock & Pinball from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio.
The interactive exhibition features rock-themed, playable pinball machines alongside merchandise and artifacts related to artists and bands.
COST: Included with regular Museum admission. What isn’t made clear is whether or not pinball machine players have to come with pockets full of Loonies or Toonies.
Not much in the way of history about a pin ball machine – but it could be fun.
 By Pepper Parr
August 27th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
Exclusive to the Burlington Gazette. Part 2 of a 3 part series.
Nelson Aggregates is quarrying a site between Colling Road and #2 Side Road, west of Guelph Line. They have been doing that for several decades.
In 2004 they applied for a permit to quarry south of the property they were working on and, after a long arduous battle, the issue went to a Joint Administrative Review Tribunal where a three member panel found for the citizens.
 He isn’t exactly pretty but nevertheless plays an important role in the local environment. Comes in different colours as well. The Tribunal took the position that any work done on the site south of the property they were working on would endanger the Jefferson Salamander.
Nelson Aggregate was stunned at the decision; it was close to the last thing they expected.
The decision meant a major change in their plans and at the time the laying off of a number of employees.
Almost from the day the decision was handed down Nelson Aggregates pulled a team together to review and understand just what their problem was and what they could do about it.
 Truck traffic is one of the downsides of any increase in mining capacity. It is a problem and it has to be dealt with – creatively.
The market for quality aggregate was strong and looked to become even stronger. The Nelson site on Colling Road has some of the best stone in the province; that and its location make it a site that Nelson wants to keep in production for as long as possible.
After a considerable amount of research the company learned that the Jefferson Salamander had habitats on the eastern side of the south property but nothing on the western side of the site.
 Burlington Springs Golf Club: Several years of golf left in the place. Corporately they also decided to seek a license for an even larger site – the Burlington Springs Golf Club.
The company, wholly owned by Lafarge, knew that the properties they wanted to quarry met both the Regional and City of Burlington bylaws and complied with Niagara Escarpment regulations.
Burlington adopted an Official Plan in 2018 which the Regional government sent back for some minor changes but told the city that they were not limited to correcting just a few minor problems – they were free to totally revise their Official Plan if they wished.
Nelson believes they are in compliance with the Official Plan that is in force now and that they will be in compliance with the adopted plan when it is made official.
Public opinion is going to be a major factor in this new application. The company decided they would make the city an offer they believed couldn’t be refused – give them all the land once the quarry work was done in about 30 years which many saw as a “pig in a poke”.
 The yellow outline is the part of the property that will be quarried. The red outline is where the Jefferson Salamander does his thing – Nelson has already done considerable enhancement work to that part of the property. The land, 946 acres in total, would be transferred in several phases. The first will be the 119 acres in the eastern side of the property south of #2 Side Road. This is property where the Jefferson Salamander has habitat and cannot be mined. Nelson has already done remediation work to make it more habitable for the Salamander and expect to do more before any transfer takes place.
The most recent statement from Nelson Aggregates is that the land would be transferred the day all the necessary bylaws and agreements are in place.
Nelson said they would turn over 119 acres immediately, then turn over an additional 77 acres in +/- ten years, then 144 acres from the quarry that is nearing its end of life and finally 606 acres in 30 years when the golf course property meets its end of life
The deal is that the city would have a site that did have some Salamander habitat on it but that those would be clearly identified; there would still be space the public could use. That would happen the day the bylaws were signed.
 It will become a lake when the quarrying is done – in about seven to ten years. The lake will be the size of 30 football fields with a surface slope that has space for those who just want to play in the water. The next piece of the pie would become available in about seven to ten years and that would be a lake about the size of 30 football fields (77 acres) that would be crafted while the quarrying was being done. There would be a large beach area at the north end, then a shallow water level that became a deep end at the southern part.
The next phase would be when the current quarrying is done at the site now in operation – an additional 114 acres would be given to the public.
The last piece would be the 606 acres that are currently golf course land.
 These are the Nelson holdings. The property in the center, outlined in blue is where current quarrying is taking place. The property at the bottom, outlined in green is owned by Nelson. The largest part will be set aside for the Jefferson Salamander, the part in red is where quarrying will take place and when mined out will be turned into a large lake. The property to the left is golf course land on which Nelson has an option. Those who don’t want any more quarrying argue that the company has to leave the site in a pre-determined condition. True – the company argues that they are adding far more value to the property they are turning over to the city when the deal is signed than called for in their license.
.
They point out, as well, that they are complying with the decommissioning of the site as set out in the license.
Many people are not aware that an aggregate licensing agreement does not have a time limit. With the license in hand the company can mine for aggregate as long as they believe there is stone to be had. Every license has a decommissioning requirement that Nelson shares willingly and are constantly complying with.
During our tour of the site we saw numerous examples of rehabilitation work that had been done and was being done.
 Washing station – mandatory for every truck that leaves the site. We saw a “truck wash” that every vehicle leaving the site was required to drive through to get mud off the wheels and undercarriages of the trucks.
We also saw an unmarked police cruiser parked on the Nelson property in place to look closely at any truck they felt might not meet the road safety standards.
Is what Nelson offering a good deal for the public? It could be.
It is certainly a good deal for Nelson – and after all that is the business they are in and there is a need for quality aggregate.
Is there more than could be done? It would be great if Nelson could find people with open minds and little in the way of vested interests who have a sense of vision and a lot of imagination to sit as an Advisory committee who may not have any clout other than the ability to go public when they have concerns over the direction Nelson is taking.
 Rory Nisan, the ward Councillor is going to have his hands full placating the rural residents and at the same time looking for the bigger picture where rural Burlington can become a destination for everyone – not something the residents want to hear. There is a phrase in the lexicon – social license – the degree to which a society will allow change and the degree to which commercial interests will set aside the need for an immediate return on the assets they have so that something bigger and better can be created.
The idea for a Mt Nemo Park is excellent – but there is a lot of work to make it happen and everyone is going to have to adapt.
Part 1 of a 3 part series.
 By Staff
August 27th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
 Sometimes you actually get a break at the Appeals Office. The Parking Ticket Appeals Office Closed Aug. 28 and 29
The parking ticket appeals office located on the first floor of City Hall at 426 Brant St. will be closed on Wednesday, Aug. 28 and Thursday, Aug. 29, 2019.
The office will re-open on Friday, Aug. 30 at 9 a.m.
 By Ashley Worobec
August 27th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
It’s been a real juggle this week, especially to fit in my long run.
I’m leaving for a week’s vacation on Wednesday, working all day today and tomorrow, and I’m working all day today, so it had to be done really early this morning. Thankfully, my friend Sarah agreed to meet me at the crazy hour of 5:00am, and we did our 26km together.
 Garmin is a real task master. The first hour was in the dark, and for the last 1.5 hours we got to enjoy the beautiful sunrise and early morning hours. I had time for a quick shower and a quick breakfast, and off to work I went. My ever-supportive husband got up really early and drove out to meet us at both the 13km and 20km marks. He brought water and some energy gels and it was really nice to have that help – with runs that last this long, it’s very tough to carry enough water on your person.
 Compression socks -about as bright a colour one could find. Recovery is still a huge focus of mine, so I’ve been wearing my compression socks after many of my runs. I really find they help with that heavy-leg feeling I sometimes get with the longer distances. My watch keeps track of my step counts and I’m easily hitting that 10,000 steps/day default goal that Garmin sets!
Today after that 26km, I’m at 25,000 steps! I also work on my feet, so these legs are taking a beating. I’ve been getting bi-weekly massages to help my muscles stay healthy.
Not sure how my runs will pan out while I am on vacation.
We are headed to Walt Disney World (my first Disney trip, and a first for my kids as well), so if I’m feeling up to it, I’ll run a couple of times, and if I’m not, then I’ll miss the 2 runs that I’ve got scheduled next week.
 Data is critical to proper training – knowing what you’ve done and keeping track of the changes is critical to a training program that is going to have you fit for Marathon Day. I’ve fit in my long run this weekend before we go, and I’ll fit in my 28km long run next weekend after we return. The weekly long runs are the most vital part of marathon training, so it’s a juggle to prioritize those and make sure I get that mileage in.
The Gazette publisher wants me to come back with a photo of me and Mickey!
 By Pepper Parr
August 27th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
When you get back from the Labour Day vacation the federal election that has been bubbling just beneath the surface of the news cycle with the SNC Lavalin scandal taking up most of the oxygen, will become more apparent. This one has the potential to be quite nasty.
Political advertising will become more prevalent, the campaign teams will be out in force and the candidates will be seen wherever they can find an audience.
Burlington residents fall into one of three constituencies.
Burlington, Oakville Burlington North and Milton.
In the days and weeks ahead the Gazette will cover each of the three constituencies and try to keep up with what the politicians have to say.
In the Milton constituency the fight is basically between the incumbent, Lisa Raitt and a newcomer Liberal candidate Adam Van Koeverden.
If the size of the campaign offices is any indicator one could conclude that Adam Van Koeverden is going to spend his way to a win while Raitt, currently the Deputy Leader of the Progressive Conservatives, hopes to ride to a win on the basis of her record – which has a spotty past but rests on a strong voice in the House of Commons.
Both offices are on the Main Street of Milton – less than 100 yards apart.
 The Lisa Raitt campaign office in Milton  The Adam Van Koeverden campaign office in Milton. The New Democrats have yet to nominate a candidate – the Greens have one, but little has been heard of or from her.
Given the issues that concern Canadians – the Greens are viable. In Milton? Anything is possible in the world of politics – look at what the late Jack Layton did in Quebec.
The People’s Party of Canada (PPC), the band of ultra right advocates that Maxine Bernier has pulled together, form the hard right political position.
Ray Rivers, the Gazette’s political columnist, will be returning from a deserved vacation and will share his view on matters political in the weeks ahead.
The Gazette will cover each of the campaigns going forward.
By Pepper Parr
August 25th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
Exclusive to the Burlington Gazette. Part 1 of a 3 part series.
It was a decent crowd – even for a meeting that was poorly promoted.
The outcome wasn’t all that clear – what was evident was that the audience didn’t like what they heard and that PERL, Protect the Environment and Rural Lands, the people who fought and won the last battle for Mt Nemo, was not going to lead the charge this time around.
 The current Nelson Aggregate holdings: They own the southern portion and have an option on the western portion. The green line is a property boundary; the red line is the extraction boundary. The operators of the quarry, Nelson Aggregates, had let it be known that they were preparing to make a revised application to mine for aggregate in the southern portion of the site and for the land to the west which is currently Burlington Springs Golf Club.
The Gazette met with the people speaking for the quarry operation and learned much more about the scope and scale of the new plans.
The quarry is owned by Lafarge, Canada’s largest provider of diversified construction materials and a member of the global group, LafargeHolcim. The company has 6,000 employees and 400 sites across Canada.
The operators were taken aback by the 2012 decision to not allow the application to mine on land immediately to the south of the existing quarry. The decision rested on the existence of the Jefferson Salamander that is a threatened species that habitats the area.
It was not an expected decision and resulted in a serious cut back in the number of people employed on the site.
 Walt Rickli, raising the belt on a hoist at the studio he once had on the quarry site. They needed the aggregate beneath his building – so he had to move. Walt Rickli who had a sculpture studio on the land had to find a new home for his heavy equipment – the quarry people needed every square foot of land they could get a back hoe into.
The Nelson quarry people studied the Joint Administrative Review Tribunal (JART) report and worked at how they could resolve the Jefferson Salamander problem and be able to mine the land.
They did their homework and will take their application to the Regional government, City of Burlington and the Niagara Escarpment Commission after which they have to seek a development permit. They will also be seeking a change in the zoning. Three different permits will be required plus a new license from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry.
Mayor Marianne Meed Ward and the Director of Planning has said that before the city even looks at any application they want the decommission work done.
That statement, to some degree, came out of a little bit of ignorance. The license the quarry was given in the 70’s was to mine as much quarry as they wished, or could, on the clearly de-marked site.
The license the quarry has is unlimited, it does not have to be renewed but does require that the land be left as a “lake”.
The critical note attached to the license states:
 A note that is part of the license Nelson Aggregates has to mine the property on the #2 Side Road.  Land in the current quarry that has been rehabilitated. Nelson has already been very proactive in re-rehabilitating the land. When they are finished with one area they begin the rehabilitation. That work is clearly evident when you tour the property which the Gazette did last week.
Before any permit is issued Nelson is fully committed to a dialog with the community. They want to be sure that the residents in the rural area, and those south of Dundas, are fully aware of what the quarry is asking for and offering.
One has to fully understand the quarry’s position. They are in the business of mining and processing some of the best aggregate deposits in the province. They believe they have been good neighbours, which is not a view shared by some.
 Rehabilitation of the existing quarry is an ongoing task. The dark brown in the center atop the hill is land fill that has been dumped in to the land. Residents in the past have complained about the damage done by dynamite blasting. The quarry is required to limit blasting to one day a week at a specific hour. They can only blast on Thursday’s between 12:00 and 1:00 pm. As they prepare to file their applications they will do the now obligatory pre-consultations to ensure that they are complying with all the regulations and learn what they have to provide in the way of studies to ensure that the public interest is being met.
Among the studies that will have to be completed are:
Planning / ARA Site Plans –MHBC
Hydrogeological Assessment – Azimuth
Surface Water/Water Balance Assessment – C.C. Tatham
Karst Assessment – D. Worthington
Fully Integrated Groundwater and Surface Water Model – EarthFX
Natural Environment Assessment – Savanta
Agricultural Impact Assessment – MHBC
Built Heritage Assessment – MHBC
Cultural Heritage Landscape Assessment – MHBC
Archeology – Golder
Traffic Study – Paradigm
Noise Assessment – HGC
Air Quality Assessment – BCX Environmental
Blasting Assessment – Explotech
 Aggregate is mined daily on the site. Mining for aggregate is a highly regulated business. The Nelson quarry pumps water out of the site that is some 80 feet below ground level. If those pumps break down they have to immediately advise the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forests and effect repairs as quickly as possible. In order to mine effectively it is vital to keep water out of the site. There are a number of catchment ponds around what is really a huge bowl that has been blasted out of the property from which aggregate has been taken.
Nelson Quarry is proposing that once they have completed the quarrying they will rehabilitate the land and turn title over to the city who will run it as a public park.
The Nelson people are going one further – they are going to create a 15 hectares lake that will have a large sandy beach. The shallow end of the lake (a little like Wasaga Beach where you can walk out for yards before the water comes up to your chest, will become a little deeper and then get quite deep..
In the application they have completed studies that show where the Jefferson Salamander lives and have undertaken to not only not mine that area but to turn it over to the city the day the agreements and zoning bylaws have been set.
The original 2004 application was on property south of #2 Side Road.
The application that will be submitted in the near future will consist of a 60% reduction in proposed extraction area from the previous application.
The revised extraction area will be designed to address the reason the Joint Board refused the previous application (Joint Board Decision 08-030 issued on October 11, 2012).
 The area to the right was part of the 2004 application. It will be given to the city the day the agreements to permit quarry work has been signed. The area to the left will be turned into a lake for the public once it has been quarried out – which will be between 7 and 10 years. In the studies and research they have done the Nelson Quarry people point out that their land holdings meet all the requirements of both the Niagara Escarpment Commission and the Region of Halton.
 This illustration is from the Regional Official Plan – the area with the pink stripes is suitable for quarrying. The recently adopted City of Burlington Official Plan (April 2018) identifies the proposed extraction areas as an “Identified Mineral Resource Area.” The adopted city plan Nelson points to was submitted to the Region and returned to the city because it didn’t comply with the Region’s plan. Burlington is in the process of revising that adopted plan.
 This illustration from the Niagara Escarpment Commission permits quarrying in the area shown in yellow. The portion of this are that Nelson wants to quarry is is shown in light blue. The sites are also mapped as a High Potential Mineral Resource Area in the Region of Halton Official Plan.
The existing Burlington Quarry represents Burlington’s only source of construction aggregate within the City.
There are three designations that apply to the land in the NEC plans: natural, protected and rural area. The Nelson properties have the designation that allows for consideration of new Mineral Resource Extraction Areas in the Niagara Escarpment Plan.
In the NEC plan the proposed extraction area is designated Escarpment Rural Area in the Niagara Escarpment Plan.
The appropriateness of this designation and objective was confirmed in the recently approved NEP (2017).
The Nelson Quarry people have done their homework and are returning with an application they feel meets all the shortcomings of the 2004 application that was decided in 2012.
They have significantly reduced the space they will mine on the south side of #2 Side Road and have added the 606 acres that make up the Burlington Springs Golf Course that will give the company enough aggregate to mine for the next 30 years after which it too will be turned over to the public.
 The lake that will be created on the south side of #2 Side Road Burlington is looking at the potential for a park that will be in the 900 + acres realm – bigger than anything most municipalities across the country have.
Nelson Aggregates will be holding an Open House on the quarry site in October and expects to have their applications in to the three levels of government sometime in November.
Just what will the park consist of? Tomorrow we will detail what we learned in our exclusive interview the people at Nelson Aggregates.
 By Pepper Parr
August 26, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
On Thursday, September 5th @ 10:30am at Rideau Hall in Ottawa Ron Foxcroft will be invested into the Order of Canada.
The ceremony will be aired live and archived on www.gg.ca/en/activities. The video is optimized for Internet Explorer.
The Foxcroft boys, Dave, Ronnie and Steve, and their Mother Marie are very proud of the honour that is being conferred on their Father, but for Ron this is just part of the gig.
 Queen Elizabeth II, in her capacity as Colonel-in-Chief of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada, receives Colonel Ronald Foxcroft (Honorary Colonel) at Buckingham Palace in London. A number of years ago he was presented to Queen Elizabeth II as the Honorary Colonel of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada. The Queen is the Honorary General of the Regiment.
 The Gardens at the rear of Buckingham Palace where Canada Geese are reported to poop. The Queen now has a Foxcroft whistle to scare them off. Ron, for those who know him well, can get quite chatty. The Queen’s equerries, who were standing stiffly in the receiving room while Ron was talking to the Queen were aghast when Ron pulled a Fox 40 whistle out of his pocket and assured the Queen that one hearty blow on his whistle would scare off the Canada Geese on her lawn. The Queen had complained to Ron earlier that the geese we pooping all over her lawn.
If she’d been able to the Queen might well have made Foxcroft an Admiral on the spot for his service to the Queen. She had no love for those geese.
 The whistle that made Ron Foxcroft rich and famous – will he put one in the hand of the Governor General when he is made a member of the Order of Canada in September? With him accepting an award is his wife Marie. Having the ribbon, which holds the Order of Canada medal, placed around his neck by Governor General Julie Payette will give Ron a chance to invite her to a Hamilton Tiger Cats game. What are the chances that he will find a way to give her a silver plated whistle? Bet on it.
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order and the second highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada. It comes second only to membership in the Order of Merit, which is the personal gift of Canada’s monarch.
To coincide with the centennial of Canadian Confederation, the three-tiered order was established in 1967 as a fellowship that recognizes the outstanding merit or distinguished service of Canadians who make a major difference to Canada through lifelong contributions in every field of endeavour, as well as the efforts by non-Canadians who have made the world better by their actions.
By Staff
August 26th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
A Gazette reader writes to tell us that “If you take Burlington Transit one of the most useful apps, was being able to see where your bus was while you wait with the NEXT BUS option. You could see where your bus was via GPS.
Burlington Transit has discontinued this service due to “technical issues”. The reader thinks this is BS.
 Gazette reader wants to know why existing technology is no longer available to riders. “I am sure the bus location is still known as this is what the transit executive is looking at … they have just dropped this service because they don’t want to support it anymore.
“If this is a service improvement it is just double speak in absolute Brave New World terms.”
Before we reach out to the transit people: Do you use the transit app?
By Staff
August 23rd, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
Burlington has learned that it can expect two more potential cannabis retail stores; one at 1505 Guelph Line and another at 1025 Plains Rd. E.
The Alcohol and Gaming Commission requires these new locations to provide proof of lease and the potential location for the store.
Once the Province gives notice that the opportunity for commenting is open, the City of Burlington will submit its feedback.
 Mayor has always been a staunch supporter of cannabis stores. In a Statement release by the Mayor’s Office earlier today she explained that, “previously proposed stores have been more than the Provincially-mandated 150 metres away from a school or other locations of concern, including parks, pools, arenas, libraries or recreation centres. They have also been located along transit routes and near the QEW/Hwy. 403.
“Of the two newly proposed locations, the one at 1025 Plains Rd. E. continues to meet the Province’s requirements and the City’s approved criteria.
 High school is considered too close to the proposed cannabis store. “The other newly proposed location, however, does not. While the proposed address of 1505 Guelph Line is more than 150 metres from nearby M.M. Robinson High School, it does not meet the set of criteria for locations and other considerations regarding cannabis stores we approved at Burlington City Council, nor the resolution brought forward by the subcommittee of the Large Urban Mayors Caucus of Ontario (LUMCO) that I sit on with three other mayors – two from jurisdictions that do not allow cannabis stores, and two that do.
“That resolution recommended changes to provincial regulations to give municipalities greater control over locations and proliferation of stores and was approved by LUMCO and forwarded to the province.
“Both documents mentioned above state that a store should strive to maintain a minimum 500 metres buffer distance from sensitive land uses like schools. The potential location on Guelph Line should not be one where we have a cannabis store in our city.”
Meed Ward has always been a staunch supporter of cannabis retail stores and “continues to support regulated cannabis stores in Burlington to give our residents safe, legal access to this product, and help combat black market sales.
“In consultation with the Halton Regional Police Service during the decision-making process, I learned that cannabis products purchased outside a regulated market are sometimes laced with illegal drugs, such as opioids. I also heard directly from residents, including many seniors, who have switched to cannabis for pain management and have gotten off opioids that are highly addictive and lethal.
“Nevertheless, myself and other mayors across Ontario will continue to advocate for additional regulatory controls over the location and number of stores within our cities. The City of Burlington will continue to monitor and report on any newly proposed locations as they arise.”
 Shawna Stolte – voted against cannabis stores  Angelo Bentivegna voted against cannabis stores. The Burlington council cannabis vote was: Mayor Meed Ward, Councillors Galbraith, Kearns, Nisan and Sharman voted for the motion – Stolte and Bentivegna voted against.
By Pepper Parr
August 23, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
Ooops!
A portion of a sentence was left off the paragraph about the pipeline that runs through the centre of the city that was mentioned in the story on the Construction Management procedures that will be in place for the building of the condominium opposite city hall.
In explaining the traffic congestion that was going to take place in the downtown core at the same time two high rise condominiums were to be built we left out the detail about remediation work being done to the pipeline that runs through the city – it carries fuel for aircraft at the Hamilton airport. No specific date on when that work will start.
 Transit traffic will come down Brant and swing onto James and then go south on John.  Cement and dump trucks will come south on John street, drive on to the site and then continue down John to Brant when they have off loaded The public was told that Lakeshore Road will close for a period of time while repair work on the surface is done.
Detail on what the flow of traffic would be during the 30 month construction period that The Gallery, the 23 story condominium that will be built opposite city hall, was released.
Cement trucks and dump trucks will compete with buses and private automobile for room on Brant, John and James Street.
 An aerial rendering of how the condominium will fit into the corner of Brant and James – with city hall across the street. It will be interesting to see how the Santa Claus parade winds its way through that part of the city in December.
 By Staff
August 23, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
Homicide detectives with the Halton Regional Police Service have laid charges in relation to a homicide that took place in Burlington on August 21, 2019.
Kenneth SOEDERHUYSEN (57) of Burlington is charged with First Degree Murder.
SOEDERHUYSEN appeared in Milton court yesterday.
The victim has been identified as Laura GRANT (57) of Burlington.
The accused and the victim were married at the time of the incident, and both resided at 2244 No. 2 Side Road where the incident took place.
The police are encouraging anyone with additional information regarding this incident and/or investigation to call the Halton Regional Police Service Homicide Tip Line at 905-825-4776.
Tips can also be submitted 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.
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By Pepper Parr
August t 22nd, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
 Lisa Kearns waiting for a question from the audience. Lisa Kearns, Councillor for ward 2 was back before her constituents again – it was the second week in a row that she stood before an audience and took them through the intricacies of Construction Management and Traffic control during construction projects..
Last week the meeting was related to the Adi Nautique development at the corner of Lakeshore and Marsha where the audience learned that the construction timeline is about 30 months.
This time it was the Carnacelli development opposite city hall – where the time line is 30 months. The 23 storey development, known commercially as The Gallery also has a new address – because the entrance is going to be on James they are using the municipal address of 2011 James to identify the development – not to confuse people who follow this type of thing.
 The property to the left of the site has been approved for 17 storeys – they have appealed asking for 23 stories to match The Gallery development. The Centro Garden is on the extreme right. The two developments are less than a km apart and will be under construction at about the same time.
Carriage Gate, the developers of the project, announced that they expect to begin demolition sometime immediately after Labour Day.
At about the same tine Lakeshore Road will be closed for a period of between eight and twelve weeks for road improvement work.
The audience was also advised that a pipeline that runs right through the city coming in from the Beachway along Elgin Street and running through the rear of the Mayrose Tayco property at the north end of the Elizabeth Street parking lot is scheduled to have some major remediation done – no specific dates were given.
Chaos is the word that best describes what is going to take place in the city.
The objective is to manage that chaos as professionally as possible. Kearns was in the room explain that everything was going to be fine – there were protocols and procedures in place to handle every situation.
Drawings were displayed showing where the trucks that will haul away the material from the demolished site and where the concrete trucks would be staged while they were waiting to enter the site, disgorge the concrete and move on so that the next truck could come in.
Cement and dump truck movement plan. Transit movement plan. The public will not lose the use of the Brant Street or James Street – the areas where construction is taking place will be covered so that pedestrians are safe.
Kearns assured the audience that she would be on top of it all – her office on the eighth floor of city hall overlooks the site.
Concern about the noise, the dust and the traffic flow were not as important as to where the trades people working on the site were going to park. The Carnacelli interests on the property the Berkeley was built on and the land to the north where there was to be a parking lot and a medical building that would front on Caroline – that space will be used for parking in the early stages. Mark Bales who is overseeing the project did announce that the corporation had arranged to rent about 40 parking spots from the city – which didn’t go down all that well with the area residents or those with retail operations in the immediate area.
 Timeline for the construction and completion of The Gallery opposite city hall. People wanted to know how many trucks would be in the area – they were told seven to nine which was later bumped up to 12. They will be driving in and out of the site from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm.
The audience was told that there could be anywhere between seven and seventy workers on the site at any one time.
Kearns has worked with Transportation department people and has, she said, gone as high as the City Manager to resolve some of the issues. The City is in the process of creating a Construction Management Plan that will be in place for future developments.
Kearns said that given the developments that are in line at the Planning department the city is looking at three, five perhaps even seven years of downtown construction.
There then came a point in the meeting when Kearns decided all the questions had been asked and answered and it was time to wrap it up.
The audience got the “bums rush” and those who had questions could hang around.
 By Pepper Parr
August 22, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
 For most of us – corn on the cob is something that is a summer-time favourite.
Boiled or roasted in tin foil, then slathered in butter with salt and pepper added – it just can’t get much better than that.
Sympathy for those whose dental apparatus limits what they can enjoy,
 Corn is an amazing plant. Did you know that each strand of corn silk on a cob is connected to a single corn kernel.
As the cob grows on the stalk, the hanging strands collect pollen that falls from the tassel at the top.
The silk grabs the pollen and sends it down to its kernel, which is waiting to be fertilized.
Now that is both neat and an assurance that a force bigger than all of us has everything in hand.
By Staff
August 21st, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
Shortly after 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, August 21, 2019, the Halton Regional Police Service received a call from within a residence at 2244 No. 2 Side Road in Burlington regarding a shooting at that location.
Uniform, K9 and Tactical officers responded to the scene and one male party was quickly taken into custody.
A female was located at the residence with traumatic injuries and in spite of all efforts, was pronounced deceased.
No. 2 Side Road was subsequently closed to traffic and will remain closed between Guelph Line and Cedar Springs Road for several hours. We encourage local residents to continue to avoid the area.
There is no known, ongoing, related threat to public safety.
This incident is being investigated as a homicide. It is believed that the accused and the victim are known to each other.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the Halton Regional Police Service Homicide Tip Line at 905-825-4776.
Tips can also be submitted 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 Pepper Parr
August 21st, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
They gather every year for an annual conference – an event that lets the municipal sector talk to the provincial ministers about what’s coming down the pipe.
In Ontario the municipalities are creatures of the province; their names and their boundaries can be changed at the whim of the Premier.
The province has made it very clear that they want to reduce the $11 billion debt that the Liberals left when they were basically wiped out electorally by the Progressive Conservatives.
When that last happened we all thought Mike Harris was a disaster – now we get to see Doug Ford up close and in person and we learn what a disaster really is.
 Minister Clark. Steve Clark, the Minister of Municipalities spoke at the AMO conference to talk about what he had in mind. He spoke the day after the Premier who made it clear that there were major cuts coming, what the province was going to pay for and what the municipalities were going to have to come up with.
It looked as if the Premier was going to find the money to pay down the provincial debt by forcing the municipalities to pick up more of the freight for the services they deliver.
Moody’s debt rating service said they thought the damage would amount to a $2 billion hit to the municipal sector.
Clark sugar coated everything his Ministry was going to do – it sounded like sunshine and lollipop pops or a verse from The Big Rock Candy Mountain.
It wasn’t until the very end of his speech that we got to see the sleeper – amalgamation is going to take place despite what Burlington’s MPP said.
Clark said: “At last year’s conference, I announced we would be reviewing the regional government system. It’s been in place for almost 50 years — and we wanted local input on how to improve governance, decision-making and service delivery.
 Michael Fenn “I’ve been unequivocal from day one and stated throughout the review — we have no preconceived outcomes” and added that “Ken Seiling and Michael Fenn are finalizing their recommendations — over 8,500 submissions and close to 100 in-person presentations were received — an overwhelming response — and I look forward to receiving their report.
“I’ll have more to say this fall. For now, I want to thank everyone who participated.”
Not so fast Minister.
 Ken Seiling When Seiling and Fenn were at Halton Region listening to delegations they mentioned that the event was their last stop and that they were ready to distill what they had heard into a report they would give the Minister by the end of July.
The concern for many at the Halton event was – would the report be made public. Seiling pointed out that they had been asked to do the work by the Minister and that the report would be given to the Minister – he would decide if and when it was to be made public.
There were delegations on how well the Region of Halton operated. Ken Seilling challenged an Oakville delegation that suggested the financial impact was going to be severe if there was any kind of amalgamation in Halton.
At the end of July we heard that the report would not be released until after the federal election.
 This Regional Council consists of ward representatives plus the Mayor from each municipality. Far too many people for Doug Ford’s liking. Yesterday we learned that it will not be on the table until next year.
Most people believe the report has been completed; that the Minister has read it and decided what the government will be doing.
It will have been discussed at Cabinet and there may well be bureaucrats creating new maps.
 Will these municipalities get down graded to being a ward in a city? Will Halton and it’s four municipalities be organized into something called the City of Halton? Far too early to know – what we do know is that Premier Ford is not shy when it comes to downsizing local government.
When he was in Oakville speaking to the Chambers of Commerce from the four municipalities, he was recognizing people in the audience. As he was reading out the names of those from Oakville he paused and said: “Boy, you’ve got a lot of people on that council.” The feeling that rippled across the Burlington Convention Centre was palpable.
Doug Ford thinks a Board of 7 to 9 people is what corporations need and he sees municipalities as corporate structures. Having people at the table who can effectively represent a community is not the role Ford sees for a politician.
His approach is to do it all himself. At that same event he read out his cell number and said ‘you can call me anytime’.
Doug Ford does not understand local politics, doesn’t respect the needs of communities at the grass roots level.
Expect the worst and hope that the very real representation problems in the Niagara Region get the attention they need and that Halton is left alone.
The Gazette got some comments from a former Ontario civil servant who served in several ministries who told us that he “would be very surprised if Clark has not been thoroughly briefed on what the report contains and its main recommendations. “
Our source added that he would “not be the least surprised if there was not some attempt to shape the main recommendations and right from the beginning of the process.
 Minister of Municipalities Steve Clark: Already fully briefed? “Ministers never “receive” anything that they’ve formally commissioned until they’re ready. They are briefed at regular intervals so that there are ‘no surprises and the final report is an anti-climax at best.
“Well in advance of the formal transmission of the Fenn/Seiling report a fulsome communications strategy will have been developed, ready for precise deployment like the Normandy invasion.”
That invasion of citizen rights looks as if it is going to take place sometime early in the New Year.
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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 By Vince Fiorito
August 20th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
I agree with Doreen Nicol’s recent Burlington Gazette article.
City policy appears to harass people doing their part to fight climate change, the biodiversity crisis and environmental toxification problems.
Not only do Burlington’s current property standard by-laws appear to conflict with City Council’s recent climate change emergency declaration, they may also conflict with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms as well as the Species At Risk Act.
Imagine if Canada’s Group of Seven artists were held to the same standards as Burlington’s property standard bylaw, and they could only paint landscapes that were dominated by neatly mowed lawns.
 Landscape design, like painting, is an art form, which is protected by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.  World class examples of native species based landscape designs, that would violate Burlington’s current property standards by-laws. Burlington’s by-laws and policies currently empower people who don’t understand or deny the existence of serious environmental problems. These people will pressure untrained city staff to mow what appears to them to be weedy unkempt looking lawns. Burlington residents shouldn’t have to fight with the city to be responsible stewards of the Earth. Some of them will inevitably take the city to court and seek damages and compensation.
 Urban monarch butterfly If city staff fail to recognize habitat for endangered species (Milkweed for Monarch Butterflies or New Jersey Tea for Mottled Duskywing Butterfly),then their actions could violate the Species At Risk Act and the city could risk fines up to $1,000,000
Also, modernizing and upgrading city property standards policies and by-laws, should include solutions to long term neglected environmental problems.
City policies and by-laws must encourage and assist property owners to clean up old dumpsites ASAP, like this one contaminated with old pesticide and petrochemical containers behind Creek Way in The Orchard.
 Located next to Sheldon Creek along the South Service Road, between Appleby and Burloak.  Current City property standards also ignore dangerous derelict buildings. City property standards allow local businesses to dump industrial effluent into our watersheds with impunity. The above has been reported repeatedly to all levels of government, and is legal. Residents living down stream from environmental problems must have a right to know.
They should not have to use the Freedom of Information Act to access information that the city be collecting and sharing. Ignorance isn’t bliss for children playing or fishing downstream.
 Rainbow Trout caught 200M downstream from the Harvester storm sewer  Chinook Salmon aught in Sheldon Creek near New Street – about 1km downstream from Harvester sewer.  Harvester storm sewer Burlington must modernize and upgrade city policies to solve climate change, the biodiversity crisis and environmental toxification problems.
The city must have policies to inform residents of reported problems that may affect them and pressures property owners to remediate serious environmental problem or face punitive measures.
Burlington must protect and create habitat for the Halton region’s 48 endangered species, manage the health and improve the vitality of the city’s ravines and wildlife corridor system, give Burlington residents a “Right to Know” about local environmental problems and make polluters pay to clean up their messes.
This issue is an opportunity for city council and Burlington residents to treat the climate change emergency as an emergency.
No one should have to fight with the city to prevent future generations from inheriting a resource depleted dying planet.
 Vince Fiorito is a Burlington Resident and Founder of Friends of Sheldon Creek. He has also been named the Steward of Sheldon Creek by Conservation Halton.
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By Staff
August 20th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
The Halton Regional Police Service found that working with its media made it possible for residents to be reunited with their stolen property.
On August 16, 2019, a Hamilton resident learned about the recovery results that came out of the arrest the Regional police made on July 4th.
 Much of a currency collection was recovered by police. Investigators in Burlington – 3 District Criminal Investigations Bureau were contacted and later reunited the victim with over 95% of the recovered stolen property.
Investigators are currently liaising with Hamilton Police and further charges are pending.
The remaining property can be seen by clicking here:
Anyone who may have additional information concerning this investigation is asked to contact Detective Constable Jacques Brunelle of the 3 District Criminal Investigations Bureau at 905-825-4747 ext. 2334 or the 3 District Criminal Investigations Bureau general line at 905-825-4747 ext. 2316.
Tips can also be submitted 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.
In the original media release the Halton Regional Police Service advised the public that they had arrested a suspect attempting to gain entry into the Kings Carwash located at 1448 Grahams Lane in Burlington. At the time of the arrest a large quantity of jewelry believed to be stolen was recovered and remains unaccounted for.
Bradley MARK (37) of no fixed address was charged with
• Break and Enter with intent
• Possession of Break in instruments
• Possession of property obtained by Crime
• Fail to comply with probation order
He was held pending a bail hearing.
By Pepper Parr
August 20th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
 Jane McKenna yuks it up with guests at the Joseph Brant hospital annual meeting. A few months earlier, before she was elected, she wasn’t allowed to take part in a meeting with the Liberal Minister who was at the hospital to deliver a cheque.  Several reports say that Burlington MPP Jane McKenna has forsaken Twitter.
Probably a smart move – it wasn’t working all that well for her anyway.
Question is – did she do it herself or was she told to stay quiet?
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
August 20th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
When the Premier tried to download the costs of a number of services onto the municipalities some time ago, there was an uproar – they had already set their budgets and their tax rates – wasn’t possible to change at that point.
The Ford government relented; everyone knew they would be introducing the plans again – and they did – yesterday at the AMO conference taking place in Ottawa.
Child-care and health-care advocates are slamming the provincial government’s plan to go ahead with some of its controversial municipal funding cuts next year.
Despite some extra time before funding is slashed, the news was not welcome.
The cuts are real and they create “uncertainty, stress for families and sort of chaos at the municipal level across the province as they try to scramble to figure out what’s happening.”
 Premier Doug Ford addressing the municipal sector on Monday. Ford said some of this year’s planned cuts — to public health, child care and land ambulance funding — will take effect Jan. 1.
“We recognize our government moved quickly when we came into office to address our inherited challenges. But we’ve listened to you.”
Moody’s, the bond rating service, said the cuts will blow $2-billion hole in municipal budgets which will raise the cost of borrowing. Halton Regional Carr might not be able to brag about having the great credit rating the Region has had for more than a decade.
Prior to the changes announced by the Ford government last spring, municipalities had varying public health cost-sharing arrangements with the province — with Ontario paying 100 per cent or 75 per cent in some cases.
The new plan will see all municipalities pay 30 per cent of public health care costs.
The chair of Toronto’s board of health, said “officials are trying to figure out what the full financial impact of the cuts will be — but he was adamant that the cuts would amount to tens of millions of dollars annually for the city.”
 Aerial view of the Regional offices located in Oakville. Commissioners at the Region will be running their numbers when they get back to their offices – it is not going to be a pretty picture.
“As is too often the case with this provincial government, they make announcements first and provide details later.”
Starting on Jan. 1, municipalities will also have to pay 20 per cent of the cost of creating new child-care spaces, which the province previously fully funded.
Some cuts to funding for administrative child-care costs are being delayed until 2021 and others are being delayed to 2022.
Ford also said land ambulance funding will increase by four per cent.
The province is dealing with an $11 billion deficit, the highest sovereign debt of any government.
Just about all the Mayors “recognize and appreciate the challenges the government of Ontario faces in getting its deficit under control”. However, this must be done in a prudent, collaborative manner that does not impact the services that people rely on each and every day.”
A former city of Toronto Councillor said: “Make no mistake, these cuts will hurt people. They are short-sighted and they are wrong.”
Regional Chair and the CAO are going to have to confer with their commissioners to figure out how to deal with the funding cuts announced by the Ford government.
 Regional Chair Gary Carr  Regional CAO Jane MacCaskill For weeks, the premier and his cabinet ministers had defended the cuts as necessary to tackle an urgent financial situation and said municipalities needed to do their part, as the recipients of a large share of provincial dollars. The government is trying to eliminate an $11.7 billion deficit.
AMO president Jamie McGarvey, who introduced Ford at the event Monday, said municipalities understand the province’s goals and urged the government to work with civic leaders.
“We cannot achieve these things with abrupt, unilateral changes and it will take more than simple belt tightening to make things better,” McGarvey said. “Working together, we can avoid unnecessary turmoil, and respect the essential front line-services that our governments deliver.”
The services that are going to be hit by funding cuts are for the most part delivered by the Regional government.
The tax rate that is set by a municipality includes taxes levied by the Region and the Boards of Education.
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