 By Staff
July 28th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Some 450 athletes, coaches, managers, support staff, technicians and mission staff from across Ontario are set to represent the province at the 2017 Canada Summer Games in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
The Games begin today in Winnipeg.
 It is at events like the Canada Summer Games that athletes get to test themselves; do they have what it takes to move on to International events? Most, if not all, of the Canadian Olympians took part in the summer games – an event held every four years.
Every sport imaginable is played giving young Canadians to move from beyond their community or province to a national stage.
The list of sports played is exhaustive. It includes: Athletics, Baseball, Basketball, Canoe/Kayak, Cycling, Diving, Golf, Rowing, Sailing, Soccer, Softball, Swimming, Tennis, Triathlon, Volleyball and Wrestling
Competing at the Canada Summer Games allows Ontario’s athletes to gain the elite competition experience that they need to excel on the world stage. More than 4,000 athletes from all of Canada’s provinces and territories will compete in 16 sports at this year’s Games, which take place from July 28th to August 13th, 2017.
 Ontario’s year-round support for its high performance amateur athletes is part of Game ON: The Ontario Government’s Sport Plan. A key priority of Game ON is our Quest for Gold support for athletes, which provides direct funding to high performance athletes to help with the costs of living, training, sports equipment, coaching and travel to competitions. 105 athletes competing at this year’s Canada Summer Games are receiving Quest for Gold funding.
2017 marks the 50th anniversary of the Canada Games, this country’s largest multi-sport event for young athletes.
Ontario placed first at the 2013 Canada Summer Games in Sherbrooke, Quebec, with 213 medals – 95 Gold, 69 Silver and 49 Bronze.
 By Staff
July 28, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The Toronto Maple Leafs scored in seven different innings of their 20-6 victory over the Burlington Herd Thursday night.
For Burlington, Justin Gideon had three hits, an RBI and a run. Ryan Freemantle drove in two and scored once, John Whaley had two RBI, and Matt Schmidt singled twice and had an RBI. Nolan Pettipiece scored twice.
Casey Bouillere-Howard (0-1) gave up nine runs (seven earned) on 13 hits over seven innings. He walked two and struck out two.
 The Leafs seemed to get production out of every player. Zac Orchard went 4-for-6 with a home run, two doubles, three RBI and three runs. Daniel Szpik had three hits, including a home run, four RBI and two runs. Dan Marra singled, doubled and drove in three while scoring twice, Justin Marra had three hits, two RBI and two runs, Jonathan Solazzo went 2-for-5 with two runs and an RBI, Tyler Hardie and Ryan White each had two hits and two RBI and combined to score four times.
Julian Johnson singled twice and had an RBI and three runs, and Grant Tamane added a double and scored twice.
Adam Garner (1-0) went seven innings for the win. He scattered three hits and allowed an unearned run while walking one and striking out one.
The Herd hasn’t been out of the bottom half of the league so far this season. The team has just one more game before the league moves into the playoff part of the season.
Looks as if the playoffs are going to be short on the farm.
The playoff schedule will be:
 Barrie Baycats with their 32-1 position get a bye
# 2 plays #7
#3 plays # 6
#4 plays #5
Future games
Friday, July 28
Burlington at London, 6:35 p.m. (completion of suspended game of July 20, tied 7-7)
Burlington at London, 7:35 p.m.
Standings
Barrie Baycats 32-1
Kitchener Panthers 27-7
London Majors 22-9
Toronto Maple Leafs 16-17
Brantford Red Sox 14-19
Burlington Herd 13-21
Hamilton Cardinals 8-24
* Guelph Royals 1-35
* – Ceased operations
 By Staff
July 28th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Two batches of mosquitoes trapped this week in the City of Burlington have tested positive for West Nile virus (WNV).
These are the first batches of WNV positive mosquitoes confirmed in Burlington this year.
In 2017, an additional four batches were confirmed in Oakville and one batch in Milton, for a total of seven WNV positive batches in Halton to date.
“The Halton Region Health Department works diligently to reduce the risk of West Nile virus in our community through both education and preventative programs such as larviciding,” said Dr. Julie Emili, Acting Medical Officer of Health, Halton Region. “We can all work together to keep our community safe and protect ourselves from West Nile virus by removing standing water sites that breed mosquitos and covering up or applying DEET or Icaridin when outside during dusk and dawn.”
Urban areas are more likely to have mosquitoes that carry WNV. The types of mosquitoes that transmit WNV to humans most commonly breed in urban areas, typically in places that hold water such as bird baths, plant pots, old toys, and tires.
Residents can take the following steps to protect themselves and their families from mosquitoes:
 • Cover up. Wear light-coloured, long-sleeved shirts and pants with tightly-woven fabric.
• Use an approved insect repellent, such as one containing DEET or Icaridin.
• Avoid being outdoors from early evening to morning when mosquitoes are most active and likely to bite, as well as at any time in shady, wooded areas.
• Make sure your window and door screens are tight and without holes, cuts or other openings.
• Reduce mosquito breeding sites around your home by getting rid of all water-filled containers and objects, where possible. Change the water in bird baths at least once per week.
To report standing water at public facilities or for more information about West Nile virus, please visit halton.ca/wnv, call 311 or e-mail wnv@halton.ca.
 By Staff
July 28, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
In the last week Halton Regional Police Service have seen another variation of the commonly known CRA scam.
Victims are being told that they have outstanding debt with the CRA and in order to avoid arrest they are now being directed to local “BITCOIN” ATM machines to deposit cash funds into anonymous digital wallets, thinking that they are paying off the alleged debt and avoiding arrest.
 Investigation into one such digital wallet revealed that 17 deposits had been made in one 24hr period, with an equivalent amount being $11,900 dollars USA. The source of all these deposits is not known, but police suspect they are all victims to fraud related scams.
Many people will have no idea what a “digital wallet” is. The cardinal rule is that if it doesn’t sound right to you – then it is probably wrong. If in doubt – don’t.
The Halton police would like to again warn the public about the CRA scam and remind them that the CRA would never ask for payment to be made through gift cards or Bitcoin and would never use the phone as a first point of contact when dealing with clients.
If contacted by the CRA in such a manor police recommend hanging up the phone, and if in any doubt to source the true number for the CRA and make your own enquiries about the status of your account. Do not call the caller back on any phone numbers that they themselves have provided you.
 By Staff
July 28th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
It was MP Karina Gould’s job to fill in for her Cabinet colleague The Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour and deliver the announcement that The Centre for Skills Development & Training (“The Centre”) in Burlington was going to be given $1,931,884 over a three year period.
 From the left: Burlington MP Karina Gould, Lisa Rizatto, Centre CAO and a Get in Gear student during the funding presentation. The funds are to be used to assist youth in determining a career path, introducing the skilled trades, building confidence and getting a paid work experience are the hallmarks of Get In Gear (GIG) – a program funded by Skills Link, part of the Government of Canada’s Youth Employment Strategy, and delivered by The Centre for Skills Development & Training.
Skills Link supports projects that help young people who face more barriers to employment than others develop employability skills and gain valuable job experience. This helps them in making a successful transition into the workforce or to return to school. These youth could include those who have not completed high school, those who are unemployed or underemployed, low-income single parents, Indigenous youth, young persons with disabilities, youth living in rural or remote areas, or newcomers.
In a media the federal government explained that “Developing Canada’s youth is a priority. This project is a concrete example of what we can achieve for youth by working in partnership with organizations across the country. Projects like this one can help put regular paycheques into the reach of those who need it. But more than that, they give young Canadians the chance to change their future.”
 Lisa Rizatto – The Centre’s CAO, The Centre’s CAO, Lisa Rizatto said the “program is a solid stepping stone. The three-year funding represents a strong investment in our youth. It provides them with choices to gain valuable real-world experience and to make informed decisions to positively impact their future, which not only improves their lives but also gives life to the economy.”
The working title for the program is Getting in Gear (GiG); it is free with a limit of 15 seats per session. Participants interested in the 10-week, in-class program which is followed by a 10-week paid work placement, can call 905-333-3499 x182 to find out more about the application procedure, or visit thecentre.on.ca/SkilledTrades/GetInGear/
Eligibility requirements for Get in Gear participants include:
· Between 17-30 years old
· Legally entitled to work in Canada
· Not attending full-time school, work or training
· Not in receipt (or never have been in receipt) of Employment Insurance benefits
· Motivated to succeed
· Looking for help to overcome difficulties finding and keeping a job
Graduates of the GIG program have many options from pursuing full-time employment to undergoing formal training such as The Centre’s pre-apprenticeship skilled trades programs. The next GIG session will run from September 25.
The Centre for Skills Development & Training is a not-for-profit incorporated affiliate of the Halton District School Board with locations in Burlington, Milton, Oakville and Mississauga. The Centre helps people at all stages of life get on a path to career success—from youth just starting out, to older workers who have been laid off; from newcomers to Canada who need to improve their workplace English, to people interested in the trades who need to build their technical skills; and from small business owners looking to hire staff, to large companies who need help developing and transitioning their workforce.
 By Staff
July 27th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
BurlingtonGreen told us all that July was being recognized as Plastic Free month; an initiative to refuse all single-use plastic products for the entire month of July.
For good reason.
It is now believed that there are “5.25 trillion pieces of plastic debris in the ocean. Of that mass, 269,000 tons float on the surface, while some four billion plastic microfibers per square kilometer litter the deep sea”
As individuals and a community, we have the power to say NO to plastic, creating positive change with far reaching impact.
They list more than 100 ways to skip using plastic. One that caught our eye was the plastic straw that restaurants place on the table when they give you a glass or carton of some beverage. Skip the Straw suggest the BG people.
 Interesting – funny – but necessary. Straws are one of the worst offenders of single-use waste, but do we honestly need them? How many times have you been given a straw without asking for it? How many times have you immediately picked out the straw and thrown it away? How many times was that straw encased in paper waste? If you really need one, there are alternatives available, including metal straws or your reusable water bottle with a drinkable lid.
Something to think about. Straws just might go the way of carbon paper!
By Staff
July 27th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
She wants you to join her on the Pier for a bike ride and a chat next week.
 Eleanor McMahon before she was elected to the provincial legislature. Burlington MPP Eleanor McMahon has used riding a bike to great advantage in her political career – she was one of the driving forces on Share the Road before she was tapped to run for public office in Burlington where the Tories had owned the seat for more than 70 years.
There is a provincial election on its way – June 7th, 2018 and McMahon, like every MPP, is out and about meeting people.
She is a strong campaigner, one of the best in the Region and bonds well with people.
 So – if you want a couple of minutes with your MPP and can get out on your bike – be at the Pier on Wednesday, August 1st at 6:00 pm.
But don’t drive your bike – that’s a no no. Not sure the MPP was fully aware that bikes are not permitted on the Pier
By Staff
July 26, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
This August, sixty young men will participate in the Burlington Cougars 2017/18 Training Camp to pursue their hockey dreams of playing Junior A Hockey. These players, who range in age from 16-20 years old, are mostly local players but there are others from across Ontario and beyond who are looking for a place to call home here in Burlington.
The Cougars are looking for homes for up to 8 players that will be on the 2017/18 roster.
The Burlington Cougars Billet, Host Family Program, is a staple to the organization, which allows players from outside the immediate area the opportunity to play at the highest level of junior hockey and have a home away from home. Billet families provide a caring, supportive, family environment for the players with the reward of lifelong relationships.
 “Our billet families provide a home away from home for some of our players, their support of our organization is important to the success of our team. They become lifelong family and friends. They really open their arms to our players and it’s a really awesome and unique thing. ” says Cougars Head Coach Terry Richardson.
Families who join the Cougars billet program are provided with the following:
– a monthly remuneration to assist in offsetting food and other costs
– an invitation to participate in the Cougars Family Appreciation Night event
– two full season tickets per player they host
“The billeting program has been a critical aspect to our program,” said General Manager Alex Bezerra. “It has been a rewarding experience for many of our players over the years. Connections have been made between both players and their families, which will last a lifetime.”
This year the Cougars are looking for homes for up to 8 players that will be on the 2017/18 roster.
Anyone interested in learning more about the billet family program can contact Cougars General Manager Alex Bezerra, at 647-300-0559 or via email abezerra@burlingtoncougarsjrahockey.ca
By Pepper Parr
July 26th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
They just wanted a retirement home.
In a nice quiet community – not too far from the downtown part of the city.
Their daughter was a real estate agent and was able to help them out with the purchase of the home they bought in the west side of the Tyandaga neighbourhood.
They bought, arranged to have some renovations on their new home done and were beginning to get a sense of the neighbourhood they had chosen to move into.
The road into the neighbourhood cuts through a small section that has nicely treed property on either side of the road. You have no idea if that land is public or private – it’s just there.
You come around a bend in the road and the street stretches out before you with a bit of a gradual slope that lets you see the city, the bay and the bridge almost as if it was a picture framed by the houses.
It was while the renovation work was being done that Heather found a letter in her mail box from a company that was doing some quarrying in the area.
 The homes are shown upper right. The quarries are above Bayview Park with the brick manufacturing operation below the park. “Quarrying” asked Heather. “Where is the quarry – and why didn’t I know this when I bought my house?”
Those questions were the beginning of a process that has brought a community into pretty direct conflict with their Mayor, the city council member, the province and a corporation that is a major manufacturer of a vital construction product – clay bricks.
 This berm is about 25 yards from the back yard of the homes on the west side of West Haven Drive. That quarry was just behind a huge Bern that had been built behind the homes when they were initially built in the late 1990’ss.
Heather wasn’t the stereotype suburban dweller who tends to pay little attention to what the city does as long as the garbage is picked up and the roads are plowed in the winter and the tax rate is reasonable and the streets are safe.
She wanted to know more – and she made it her business to learn more and then gather her neighbours together and begin asking questions.
And learn more they did.
The notice Heather got from the mining company was from Meridian Brick advising her that they were going to begin a shale quarrying operation in the eastern cell of their property. There are three cells: western, central and eastern. The western cell is reported to have 3 to 5 years of production left; the central cell has 6 to 8 years of production left. The direction is evident – the eastern cell will need to be opened up in the not too distant future – and that eastern cell is less than 100 yards from the back yards of the people on the western side of West Haven Drive.
To do that excavation mining they would be cutting down most of the some 9000 trees in the area.
Heather sent letters out to the 80 some neighbours asking them to meet. Close to a dozen showed up. Out of that meeting came TEC – Tyendaga Environmental Coalition Inc.
 Part of the quarrying operation couple o hundred yards from West Haven Drive homes. These were not a bunch of people who didn’t fully understand the issues – these, for the most part, were professionals who had succeeded in their careers – they’d have had too – the homes in the community aren’t cheap.
They were smart and had connections – and they knew how to make things happen.
The created an organization – asked each member to pony up $500 – 30 did – so there was now a bit of a war chest.
They then hired David Donnelly to help them through the bureaucracy.
Donnelly was the lawyer that PERL – Protecting Escarpment and Rural Land – used when they fought the expansion of the Nelson Quarry on Colling Road. That case went before a Tribunal hearing that found the Jefferson Salamander, an endangered species, lived in that part of rural Burlington – more aggregate mining could not take place.
 In the middle of the picture some of the shale mining quarry can be seen – Burlington Bay can be seen on the horizon, When the TEC took their concern to the Mayor and the city Councillor they were told that the company had a permit and that there was a notation on their deeds and they should have known that some mining was going to take place.
In a media release the Mayor said:
“After extensive review by staff in several city and regional departments, we have come to understand that Meridian Brick is within its legal rights and that the Province of Ontario, not the City of Burlington, has jurisdiction over this matter.”
There is a reported notation on the property deeds that: All purchasers are informed of the following warning clause registered on title:
“The purchaser acknowledges the presence of a future extractive industrial land use to the west and that extraction may take place during the daytime only.”
No one with property deeds could find any notation on their documents about any rights the mining company had.
That a company had the right to mine a hundred yards or so from their homes and that there was a notation to this effect on their property deeds which they couldn’t see was more than enough to mobilize the neighbourhood.
These people got serious – especially when they learned that the mining company had a permit – given to them in 1972, to mine for Queenston shale, the only type that is used for brick making in Ontario. And there aren’t many places left where that shale can be extracted.
The TEC people say the issue is that they “… need, at a minimum, to have the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) decision (to issue the original quarry license) to be re-evaluated in the light of the ‘HERE and NOW – 2016’. We appreciate that the MNRF does not have a history of reviewing their decisions but in this case we believe that the area under question has undergone such a dramatic change in the last FORTY-FOUR YEARS with the enormous growth in industry, schools, residences, traffic, etc. that it would warrant an exception to their rule.”
Brick making had been taking place in North Aldershot since the early 1900’s and it is now a large industry and a significant tax payer.
 West Haven Drive looking south. The West Haven Drive point out that the assessed value of the 141 homes on the street (these are million dollar homes) is just as big as that assessed value of the mining lands – and that residents pay higher tax rates than a mining operation.
The two politicians, the Mayor and the ward Councillor may come to regret the way they blew off the residents.
This is going to be an ongoing story – there are a number of interests at play – one being the importance of the brick manufacturing operation to the economy of the city and its importance to the residential construction industry in the province. Meridian manufactures an estimated 55% of the clay brick produced in Canada and 45% of that is made in Burlington. Tough to fight an industry with that level of market penetration.
Related story link:
What’s going on at West Haven Drive?
By Staff
July 26, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Halton Region Retains Distinction as Canada’s Safest for Eighth Straight Year
The Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) is pleased to announce that Halton has retained its distinction as Canada’s safest regional municipality with a population of 100,000 or more for the eighth straight year, according to Statistics Canada’s annual report on crime in Canada. The report, entitled “Police-reported crime statistics in Canada, 2016”, provides a detailed overview of crime statistics as reported by police services across the country.
According to the recently-released data, Halton Region:
• Had the lowest Crime Severity Index* (CSI), Violent Crime Severity Index and Non-Violent Crime Severity Index when compared to Ontario’s ‘Big 12’ police services;
• Maintained the lowest values for each of the indices for eight straight reporting years (2009 – 2016);
• Had the lowest overall crime rate, violent crime rate, and property crime rate among Ontario’s ‘Big 12’ police services;
• Had the highest weighted clearance rate (49.8 per cent) of the same ‘Big 12’.
Nationally, Halton ranked 298 out of a total of 305 police services in terms of its overall Crime Severity Index. Only seven communities in Canada with populations greater than 10,000 have lower overall CSI values.
 Halton Regional Police Chief Stephen Tanner “This longstanding distinction could not be achieved without the continuous efforts of our uniform officers and the support of, and strong partnerships with, Halton’s citizens – the true ambassadors of our great Region”, said Stephen Tanner, Chief of Police. “Through effective and efficient police operations and citizen engagement, we are well positioned to maintain our reputation as Canada’s safest regional municipality to live, work, raise a family and retire for many years to come.”
The Regional Police force budget is $144,940,030. As of June they have 695 Sworn Members and 279 Civilian Members.
A detailed overview of crime statistics by type and district was published last month as part of the Service’s 2016 Annual Report. The report is available online at www.haltonpolice.ca under Services -> Publications.
Policing fundamentals such as crime prevention and enforcement remained a mainstay of everyday operations in 2016, HRPS has enhanced its capacity to serve members of the public through new, community-based approaches to issues related to traffic, crime, mental health and addiction, crime prevention and vulnerable persons.
This innovative and integrated strategy is the foundation of Halton’s Community Safety and Well-being Plan, which the Service has been developing in collaboration with its valued community partners, and which is slated to officially launch later this year.
HRPS is committed to a Community First policing philosophy that focuses on incorporating the four pillars of (community) safety and well-being into Service priorities: Emergency Response, Risk Intervention, Prevention, and Social Development. More information can be found at www.haltonpolice.ca under Community or by following @HaltonPolice on Twitter or Facebook.
 By Staff
July 26, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Becoming a pilot is more than just learning how to fly. It also takes hard work in learning and understanding how the aircraft works and is put together.
Air Cadet Alexander Lundy from 715 Mohawk Squadron in Burlington, Ontario has been selected for the Advanced Aviation Technology – Aircraft Maintenance Course at Canadore Cadet Training Centre.
The program runs from July 9th to August 18th in North Bay where Lundy will install and remove rivets used in aircraft metal structures, performing a landing gear retraction test on a fixed wing aircraft and assemble an input driveshaft from a turbine powered helicopter.
 Air cadet Alexander Lundy. Photo credit: FSgt Kendra Gardner Cadet Lundy’s favourite part about the training so far has been, “learning about the Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (AME) trade. I want to be able to teach younger cadets at my home squadron.”
There are approximately 60 air cadets who complete the program in a setting that Lundy describes as just fine – “the rooms are air conditioned and the beds are hotel quality; it’s an excellent training centre”
Canadore Cadet Training has provided this elite training since 2007 where hundreds of cadets have completed their training. They bring their new skills back to their local squadrons to share with their peers and to inspire others to follow in their footsteps.
The cadet program is open to all youth between the ages of 12-18 years old with a focus on leadership, citizenship and healthy living. Anyone who feels they are ready for the challenge, visit www.cadets.ca and click on “Find Us” and visit our Facebook page to see their adventures! www.facebook.com/centralregioncadets
By Staff
July 26th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The Burlington Herd took advantage of 13 walks in a 9-4 win over the Hamilton Cardinals Tuesday night.
Burlington collected eight hits but used the free passes to build a 5-0 lead after three innings and a 9-1 advantage in the seventh.
 Giving that incoming ball a close look. John Whaley drove in a pair of runs, and Justin Gideon scored twice and swiped a pair of bases. He also had an RBI.
Ryan Freemantle, Matt McCue and Nolan Pettipiece each singled, scored and had an RBI, while Andrew Mercier drove in a run. Ethan Cummins singled and scored twice.
Rich Corrente (2-3) went six innings and allowed a run on four hits with two walks and three strikeouts.
Mike Hart singled twice and had an RBI and run for the Cardinals. TJ Baker had a pair of singles, and Connor Bowie went 2-for-2 with an RBI. Luke Tevlin drove in a run and scored once.
Jackson Jones (0-3) took the loss, giving up five runs (two earned) on three hits with eight walks and two strikeouts in five innings.
Future games
Thursday, July 27
Toronto at Burlington, 7:15 p.m.
Standings
Barrie Baycats 30-1
Kitchener Panthers 27-6
London Majors 22-9
Toronto Maple Leafs 15-17
Brantford Red Sox 14-18
Burlington Herd 13-20
Hamilton Cardinals 8-24
* Guelph Royals 1-35
* – Ceased operations
 By Pepper Parr
July 25th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
School is out and not for just the students.
Much of the staff at the Board of Education are taking their vacations, however there is work that has to be done – one of those tasks is responding to the requests for an Administrative Review made by parents from both Lester B. Pearson and Bateman high school.
 It took Bateman some time to organize themselves – were demonstrations like this effective? Each parent group is preparing their requests separately and when completed they file the request with the Ministry of Education. That was dine early in July.
The Ministry sends a copy to the Board of Education and gives them 30 days to prepare the Board staff response to the parent request for the review.
Board communications people advise use that the task of responding was assigned to a number of senior staff.
That document is due in the hands on the Ministry during the first half of August.
When the Ministry has both sets of documents they sit down and do a review to determine if they, the Ministry, should appoint a facilitator who will be given the task of reviewing the documents and making a decision.
The facilitator can decide that there was nothing wrong with the Program Accommodation Review that took place or he can decide that there were flaws and order the Board to hold another Review. There is a considerable amount of latitude for the facilitator.
Halton District School Board has been told in the past that the process they used to decide to close a school was not acceptable.
Sometime in September the public should learn what is come to come out of the request for the Reviews.
The Gazette recently published the request that was made by the parents at Lester B. Pearson. It is a strong document and has merit.
We were not as fortunate with our request for a copy of the document prepared by the Bateman high school parents.
Responding to our request, Lisa Bull, a Bateman parent and a member of the Program Accommodation Review committee, who was a strong and very vocal advocate for more innovation in the thinking from the Board staff, said the following:
You continue to call out/blame the parents of Bateman for not getting into the ‘fight’ soon enough. This is problematic for several reasons. First, it ignores the fact that few parents from any schools other than Central and Pearson attended the first public meeting. How about blaming the HDSB for not adequately or competently explaining WHAT the PSR process was and how it could potentially impact schools and communities? I am an engaged and informed parent and I wasn’t at that first meeting. I did not understand, at that point in time, what PAR was about or why I should care. As you know, the more I learned the more active I became as was the case with many in our community. I blame the HDSB for their lack of competence in community engagement. Not the parents who have proven that they can and will show up when needed.
Ward 5 school board trustee Amy Collard told the Gazette that “communications to parents come directly from the HDSB. All Burlington parents with an email address in our system would have gotten the emails through our synrevoice email system.
Ms Bull, the excuse you give just doesn’t hold water.
For many of the parents of special needs students at Bateman, getting to additional meetings is incredibly difficult. Many of these parents are exhausted by the daily challenges of caring for their kids. To blame them for not getting into this sooner is victim blaming and is behavior that is just as shameful as that of the HDSB.
I know that you believe that our Admin Review document should be made public and that this should be done via the Gazette. This is your opinion and desire but is not a requirement. Given the position that you have taken and the opinions you have published about the Bateman community, our Committee will not be sending our report at this time.
Responses like this are often described as “shooting the messenger”
Bateman parents have struggled with getting their response out which is unfortunate – they have a very strong case but instead of making their case they fell back on emotional arguments and claimed that the Central parents had ‘thrown them under the bus’.
 Sharon Picken, a PARC member – never gave as much as an inch in her argument to keep Bateman open. The Central parents fully understood the risk and pulled together as a team, raised $14,000 in a silent auction to ensure they had any funds they might need and then dug deep and pulled out all kinds facts that the Board staff had missed.
The Central case was so compelling that the Director, with the support of his staff, decided to change the recommendation and ask the trustees to close Bateman and send some of the students to Central and others to Bateman.
Bateman parents weren’t prepared to accept that the Director of Education did what any intelligent person would do – review new information and if the information was valid and relevant change the decision.
The Bateman parents had only to look at the map that showed the distance between Nelson and Bateman to realize that they were at risk for closure.
When the Director of Education revised his decision the Bateman parents began to say that it was because Ward 2 city Councillor Marianne Meed Ward, who had a child at Central high school and was made one of the Central high school representatives on the PARC, had undue influence with the Director.
They alluded to meetings Meed Ward had with the Director of Education and all the communications tools she had as a city Councillor.
What Meed Ward had going for her was her skill as a community organizer. She worked hard with a dedicated team that was focused and supported by a community that was going to do whatever it took.
 PARC member Lisa Bull who was one of the better thinkers on that committee. Bateman had skills of its own. Lisa Bull was also a member of the PARC and she was consistent in her drive to get the Board staff and the trustees to look at the problem the Board faced with fresh eyes and not take a simple solution: – too many schools – close a school or two and the problem is solved.
The Bateman parents know it is n’t quite that simple and the tragedy for this city is that the trustees were not able to see a solution within the more than 50 delegations made.
Bateman was fortunate in that they had the best trustee there is on the Board. Amy Collard bust her buns to sway her fellow trustees and gave the Director of Education more than one uncomfortable moment when she did her level best to get her motion on the table and ensure that it was properly and fully debated.
Collard, serving her second term as a trustee, was acclaimed on both occasions. She should be acclaimed a third time.
When Bateman realized it had a fight on its hands they did some superb community grass roots work. They got excellent television coverage but they were not able to catch the ears of a majority of the trustees.
It was at this point that the public began to get a glimpse of just what the Community Pathways Program was really about and how unfortunate the impact was going to be on the parents who had children in those programs.
We don’t know what the Bateman parents chose to say in their request for an Administrative Review. The document is public and the Gazette will use the provincial Freedom of Information process to get a copy and publish the details.
 Ward 5 school board trustee Amy Collard. The tragedy in all this is that there are several hundred students who will experience significant upset and turmoil in their lives. There are parents who believed they had finally found a school that met the needs of their children. All that is at risk.
The Board staff has said they will provide the Bateman parents and their children with facilities and a level of service that will be better than what they currently have.
The saving grace in all this is that the Bateman parents have a trustee who will be watching very closely to ensure that the students don’t go without.
What Collard is not going to be able to change is the social environment in the school they are being transferred to – that is the real challenge for everyone.
 By Staff
July 25th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Ken Hall has been selected by a community jury, with input from public engagement, for the Spirit of Sport public art project.
Born in Toronto, and educated at the University of Waterloo in Mechanical Engineering and Fine Arts, Ken’s work is characterized by his ability to exploit a wide range of media, allowing him to seek out the fundamental form of expression for each piece; ranging from public sculpture to interactive digital artwork.
 Ken Hall explaining a piece of his work to students The project is part of the City’s ongoing Public Art program.
Online and in-person public engagement took place in February and gathered feedback from 135 residents, which helped inform the jury’s decision.
The Spirit of Sport public art project aims to celebrate Burlington’s long history of sports excellence, on both an amateur and professional level. A series of three small to medium-scale, exterior public artworks will be installed at the following: Mainway Recreation Centre, Brant Hills Community Centre and Nelson Recreation Centre.
 The front of the Brant Hills sports complex with its red ribbon These locations were selected as they represent a broad range of types of sport as well as different levels of play, ranging from children/youth to competitive play.
The artwork is being created over the summer and will be installed in fall 2018.
Artwork Concept
To honour this Spirit of Sport, red ribbon-like sculptures will celebrate active living and inclusive community participation, while engaging and welcoming the public to the recreation centres.
 A free standing sculpture that will be part of the Mainway Recreation Centre The red ribbons reflect key components of many activities, such as the flowing rhythm of gymnastics; the curved, red stitching on a baseball; the goal line in hockey; and the finish line in track and field, among others.
The fluttering ribbon is a perfect form for these sculptures, having long been associated with sporting excellence; whether being used to support medals won at competitive events, or as a means of celebrating participation in community activities, such as awareness walks for issues like breast cancer.
The association with medals is particularly relevant given the City of Burlington’s rich history of sporting innovation, which includes: Dr. Frank Hayden, founder of the International Special Olympics Movement; Melville Marks Robinson, founder of the Commonwealth Games; along with numerous Olympic athletes and coaches, including Melanie Booth (soccer) and Angela Coughlan (swimming).
The rolling ribbon also celebrates a heart-healthy, active lifestyle, calling to mind the visualization of a heartbeat on an ECG machine. The red colour represents the circulation of oxygenated blood, reminding us that regardless of age, ethnicity or gender, we all benefit from active physical and social participation.
 By Staff
July 25, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The Councillor got that one right – this “clearly is a major redevelopment proposal.”
 The all rental community is about to undergo a very significant change. Georgian Court Estates, in east Aldershot, has disclosed the details of its redevelopment plan for this 20 acre site. The plan has not been submitted to the City yet, but was shared with existing tenants of the rental complex.
The owner is proposing major intensification, specifically replacement of the current 288 townhouses with 1,450 new rental units including townhouses and apartments.
The plan calls for one 23 storey building, one 18 storey building, one 15 storey building, eight 8 storey buildings, six 6 storey buildings, five 4 storey buildings and a series of 3 storey townhouses.
 Architects rendering of re-development plans for the Georgian Court Estates – originally developed 50 years ago the plan is to demolish everything and create a new community with considerably more density. The plan also includes a central public park and a variety of amenities. Further it proposes to extend Sunset Road north to Surrey Lane. Spokespeople for the owner say the entire project, if approved, will take about ten years to build.
Ward 1 Councillor Rick Craven is working with the Warwick Surrey Community Association to establish a Neighbourhood Advisory Committee to examine this plan in detail and ensure existing tenants are protected.
When the city receives the application, perhaps in July, a full, formal consultation process will begin.
Craven explains the plan in a short video
 By Staff
July 24th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
They have been bringing Broadway to Burlington since 1978.
This week they will be bringing you Hairspray!
 Burlington Student Theatre, where children and youth can participate in a range of performing arts opportunities.
The programs focus on the wellness and development of our young people, fostering empathy, courage and critical thinking within a safe and nurturing environment. Participants practice the tools and transferrable skills they need to feel good about themselves and act with confidence in their everyday lives.
Student Theatre brings out the best in youth through experiences in the performing arts, building confidence and developing the tools and transferrable skills to help youth feel good about themselves, while empowering them to create their own lives. With your support, youth are empowered to create a better world.
Later this week – on Thursday, the students will perfrom HairSpray, the story of a 1960s Baltimore, dance-loving teen Tracy Turnblad auditions for a spot on “The Corny Collins Show” …and wins! She becomes an overnight celebrity, a trendsetter in dance, fun and fashion. Perhaps her new status as a teen sensation is enough to topple Corny’s reigning dance queen and lead society into a new age!
Tickets: Adult $18 Youth $15 Click to get to the box office
By Staff
July 24, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) has partnered with officers from the O.P.P., Toronto Police Service, Peel Regional Police, York Regional Police, Ministry of the Environment (Vehicle Emissions Enforcement Unit) and Ministry of Transportation Halton Enforcement Team to combat street racing and aggressive driving in Halton. During the crackdown a Ferrari was seized.
 A Lamborghini Huracan valued at approximately $230,000.00 and a McLaren Spider valued at approximately $260,000.00 were stopped by Police at Guelph Line and Colling Road in Burlington during a May 2016 crackdown. Officers from participating services were supported by uniform Halton members as they patrolled the Towns of Milton and Halton Hills, Oakville and the City of Burlington from 8:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. on the 21st of July.
This joint effort to combat street racing and aggressive driving (dubbed Project ERASE) is part of a commitment by GTA policing partners to work together in 2017 and beyond.
Friday’s enforcement blitz was one of three planned GTA-wide joint operations that will take place this year to deter, disrupt and detect illegal racing activities that place all road users at risk.
More than one hundred charges were laid over the course of the six-hour initiative. One stunting charge resulted in a Ferrari being seized and the driver receiving a seven-day licence suspension.
A breakdown of the most significant charges laid is as follows:
• 48 Speeding
• 5 Distracted driving
• 2 Careless driving
• 1 Suspended driving
• 8 vehicles inspected with one being taken out of service
• 1 driver received a roadside suspension for providing a “warn” range BAC sample into an approved screening device
Members of the public are encouraged to call 9-1-1 if to report vehicles racing or driving aggressively.
Motorists are reminded that community safety is a shared responsibility and road users need to eliminate distractions, obey traffic control signals and speed limits and drive according to traffic, road and weather conditions.
Citizen wishing to report a traffic concern can do so by visiting www.haltonpolice.ca and submitting an online Traffic Complaint.
Project ERASE reflects HRPS’ Community First policing philosophy that focuses on incorporating the four pillars of (community) safety and well-being into Service priorities: Emergency Response, Risk Intervention, Prevention, and Social Development. More information can be found at www.haltonpolice.ca under Community or by following @HaltonPolice on Twitter or Facebook.
By Pepper Parr
July 24, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The first ever Halton Everesting challenge Saturday along Kerns Road didn’t end the way organizers had hoped.
After beginning the one-day vertical ‘climb’ of Mount Everest at 4:30 a.m. Saturday, remaining riders George Orfanogiannis and Matt Zielinski had to call the event at lap 69 (just short of 73 laps of the 4.9-kilometre loop)) due to malfunctioning measuring equipment.
What are a bunch of cyclists doing on Kerns Road pretending they are climbing Mount Everest? They were “Everesting”.
George Orfanogiannis’s eight year old son Joey was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in January of 2016 and has been battling the disease since then.
Joey is currently at a point where the disease is being maintained. His doctors hope to be able to say it is in remission if his current maintenance program goes well through to 2019.
 Joey – ready to take on whatever comes his way. Joey is now on daily chemotherapy medication and monthly visits to the hospital. He had to be homeschooled for a year but has returned to his school and is looking forward to getting back to class in September.
The “Everesting” was to raise funds and awareness of the cancer that has invaded Joey’s young body.
George was a cyclist with the Oakville Morning Glory cycling club; they took up the challenge of driving up and down Kerns Road in Burlington until they had ridden the equivalent of 29,029 feet in elevation – which is the height of Mount Everest from its base camp.
They did all the paper work and set up stuff with the Everest organization – they are the people who oversee the challenge for any group that wants to create a target they can work towards achieving.
The day of the “climb” turned out to be less than stellar, drizzly rain was an on and off thing throughout the day but that didn’t deter Joey for as much a minute. He was running all over the place serving people lemonade. His day took a huge surge when a Burlington Fire department truck rolled into the parking lot and Joey was made an honorary fire fighter and got to wear fire fighters clothing and have his picture taken. Big moment for Joey Orfanogiannis.
 Non the worse for a stern lecture from a police officer fr blowing through stop signs one of the cyclists checks in with the family. Half an hour earlier a police cruiser slide into the parking lot. The officer had pulled over a couple of the cyclists who were blowing through stop signs at speeds in the 60km range – on the downhill portion of Kern Road. No tickets – but stern warnings. All was forgiven when the police officer bought himself a tall lemonade.
Things weren’t going as smoothly for the “climb”
At the approximately 315-kilometres point, the cyclists were “feeling good and ready to go the distance” said Orfanogiannis.
But something didn’t seem right, the riders “did a quick recalculation” and found that the device that measured altitude had been affected by the day’s air pressure, and had “robbed us of 60’ for every climb we did.”
“That would have taken the ride to 88 laps and pushed us to 6 a.m. We were ready to go to 6 a.m., but the issue became was going to rain again and we thought if we get to 6 a.m., what happens if the rain robs us of more laps; does it become too dangerous to finish?”
“We stopped just short of what should have been 27,064’ but on the device doing the actual measurement was reading 23,000’ (Everest is 29,029’) The ride doesn’t count unless it is measured on by the software that takes all the data and calculates just how many feel of elevation the cyclists have completed.
What no one told the riders from Morning Glory was that atmospheric conditions were part of the calculation – lots of clouds meant a different barometric pressure reading on the measurement device.
But these riders wouldn’t be considered hard-core cyclists if they gave up after their first attempt.
“We gotta get up it. I won’t stop until I get it and neither will Matt,” said George
Orfanogiannis came up with Halton’s first Everesting attempt, not just as a challenge for himself, but to raise funds and awareness in support of research into pediatric oncology; his son Joey, 7, was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in January of 2016.
 George Orfanogiannis “When my son was going through treatment I always told him I wouldn’t ask him to do what I wouldn’t do. I asked him to climb a mountain so I owe him a mountain,” said Dad.
Orfanogiannis said the event was incredible nonetheless based on the hundreds of people who came out to support the cyclists, not just fellow riders but members of the community and those touched by cancer. Two thousand dollars was also raised.
“Four young children came down at midnight with their parents to donate their allowance money,” said Orfanogiannis, a selfless act that moved him to tears.
The next day a small group of girls had set up their lemonade stand on Kerns Road, raised $130 and donated that to the cause as well.
The residents along Kerns Road were so moved by the effort that they said they will ask the city to close the road next year and make it a much bigger event.
Orfanogiannis and his team “knew what we were in for physically and emotionally, it was devastating when we realized we came this far only to be robbed by technology.”
 Lap chart at 2:00 pm on a rainy Saturday afternoon. The challenge began at 4:30 am. They made it to lap 69 George Orfanogiannis isn’t all that good at giving up. He reports that “there is currently open dialogue with Strava the software that manages the data for rides and there may be a chance the realize the error in the technology and be willing to correct it – if that is the case I would need to climb the hill eight more times which I am prepared to do.”
By Staff
July 24th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Clublink Corporation ULC, a corporation that owns and operates the Rattle Snake Point Golf Club in Milton was fined $50,000 after a young worker was injured by a wood chipper.
On May 27, 2015, two Clublink workers were operating a wood chipper at the golf club. The first worker started the chipper and began feeding wood while the second looked for a place to put down a coffee cup. Placing the cup near a vent on the back of the chipper, the second worker tried to feel if air was coming out of the vent that would knock the cup over. The second worker’s hand was pulled into the vent and injured.
 Rattle snake point golf course club house. A Ministry of Labour investigation determined that a guard that should have prevented access to the vent was not in place at the time of the incident. This was in violation of section 25(1)(b) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
Clublink Corporation ULC was fined $50,000 by Justice of the Peace Margot McLeod. The court also imposed a 25-per-cent victim fine surcharge as required by the Provincial Offences Act. The surcharge is credited to a special provincial government fund to assist victims of crime.
 By Staff
July 24th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
When the weather works for us this time of year the days get described as those lazy hazy days of summer. The evenings still have warmth in the air and a bit of a breeze makes being outside pleasant. Being in the country gathered with friends and enjoying a play and then talking about it with people around a camp fire is about as Canadian as you can get.
That’s what it is going to be like in Lowville on August 2nd – when those who were taken enough with the Driftwood production of Shakespeare’s Othello gather with the director to talk about why he produced the play he did.
 Bring a lawn chair or a blanket and settle in for an evening of Shakespeare’s Othello as done by the Driftwood Theatre. It is usually a small group that gathers around the pit in which a nice fire glows. Deep seated Muskoka chairs are pulled into the circle and the conversation goes on late into the evening.
Othello is being produced by Driftwood Theatre and put on in more than 20 locales around the province this summer.
Debra Pickfield of Thinkspot has brought the travelling troupe into the hamlet of Lowville for the past three years.
Pickfield believes that it is the sense of community we have that helps us survive as a society and that community happens when people come together to listen to each other, take part in a social event. Bringing people together is the vision and mission of Thinkspot – it made sense to extend that vision more deeply into the community.
People drift into the open space yards away from the fire pit bounded by trees on three of the four sides, set up their lawn chair or spread out a blanket and settle in for an evening of Shakespeare.
 Othello – at Thinkspot in Lowville – one night only. august 2nd – actors take to the stage at 7:30 pm. Driftwood is known for the interpretations they do of whichever Shakespearian production taken on.
Othello, a searing tale of race, jealousy and revenge, is being done against the backdrop of the 1974 Canadian Peacekeeping initiative in Cyprus where our Armed Forces were caught in a life and death struggle on that small island in the Mediterranean.
The production is one of those Pay what you can events with $20 suggested.
The actors take to the stage at 7:30 pm
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