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May 3rd, 2017 BURLINGTON, ON Due to continued wet conditions all natural grass sport fields (diamonds and rectangular fields) are closed for today. With reports of heavy rain in the next few days – those playing fields might be underwater for the next while. We will keep you posted.
May 3rd, 2017 BURLINGTON, ON
Two males browsing the shelves at the Apple Store at Mapleview Mall in Burlington have been accused of stealing $6219.00 worth of Apple TV’s, wireless headphones and USB storage devices on or about March 19th 2017.  The loot! On May 1st 2017, investigators with the Burlington Criminal Investigations Bureau arrested Ardian Sadik PIRI (50 yrs) and executed a search warrant at his Stapleford Terrace residence in Mississauga. Police seized $64,613 in cash, 43 grams of marihuana and stolen property which included printer cartridges, Fitbit watches, Cellular phones, Apple TV’s, USB Storage devices and Chromecast devices. (Photo included).  Is this a caught in the act photograph? PIRI was released on bail and will appear in Milton Court on May 24th 2017 charged with the following offences: • Theft Over $5000 The successful outcome of this investigation is largely attributed to the excellent working relationship that investigators have with the Retail Loss Prevention Officers working in the City of Burlington to combat shoplifting.  Police would like to identify this suspect. Police are still looking to identify the second suspect involved. He is described as a white male, 40 to 50 years of age with dark hair, wearing sunglasses, blue jacket, dark jeans and a checkered shirt. Anyone with information about this theft or who can identify the second suspect is asked to contact D/Cst. Dave Macedo of the Burlington Criminal Investigations Bureau at 905-825-4747 ext. 2368. Tips can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers “See something, Hear something, Say something” at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.ca, or by texting “Tip201” with your message to 274637 (crimes).
May 2nd, 2017 BURLINGTON, ON
The spring street sweeping program is now underway and will be completed in about two weeks. The city requests the co-operation of residents to ensure a timely and efficient spring clean-up in each neighbourhood. Every spring, the city begins the spring street sweeping program to clean all of the dirt and debis accumulated during the winter months. Street sweepers are working 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Residential streets will be worked on daily from 7 a.m. until 11 p.m. and regional and arterials roads will be swept at night. Residents are asked to: • Refrain from parking on the road for the next two weeks
May 2nd, 2017 BURLINGTON, ON
As part of its ongoing #Campaign911 and #MakeTheCall911 initiatives to get impaired drivers off area roads, the Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) will launch a pilot program in Burlington. Project Drive Thru (#ProjectDriveThru) is a partnership between police and local restaurants with drive thrus that will educate employees on the signs of impairment and instruct them on how to let the police know what they have observed.  The server gets a pretty up close look at the driver of the vehicle – can they help to keep impaired drivers off the road. Superintendent Al Albano, Commander of 3 District said earlier today that Burlington has 36 drive thru locations of which 15 are 24 hour a day operations. “Of the 36 that we talked to” said Albino, “everyone has taken up the opportunity to be part of keeping impaired people off the roads.” Members of the HRPS will present Project Drive Thru to event attendees and will offer a photo opportunity as well as one-on-one interviews. Constable Dave Stewart, District Response Unit Officer is identified as the Project Drive Thru creator The training takes place on Wednesday, May 4th at 9:30 am at the Burlington police detachment.
May 2, 2017 BURLINGTON, ON A second advisory went out earlier today saying all the fields were to be closed for a second day.  If the playing fields are closed due to all the rain – perhaps the city will open up some streets for the kids to play on. This on Brant Street opposite city hall during one of the street festivals.
May 2, 2017 BURLINGTON, ON
The new outdoor pool currently under construction at Nelson Park will open this summer. The new pool at Nelson Park is 50-metres long with eight lanes. It will include a beach-entry leisure pool and a new splash pad located beside the pool.  Artists rendering of the Nelson pool now under construction. Scheduled to open this summer. Construction of this new pool is being done by Schilthuis Construction – the people who were hired to build The Pier and had to walk away from the job when they found the design was such that they believed The Pier could not be constructed from the plans the contractor was give, There were also issues with the specifications for the steel that was used. The problems with the steel came to light when a crane on the site toppled over. An inspection of the badly bent steel revealed that it did not meet the specifications.  Concrete pour at the splash pad part of the new Nelson pool That’s when everyone involved in the project sued everyone else. In the long run it all got worked out and after a settlement worked out by a Judge who did not want this matter going to trial. Then everyone claimed they had won. Schilthuis was not to blame for that mess – but his reputation took a serious hit and he had to struggle for some time to get his business back to where it should have been. Henry Schilthuis will give the city great value for the money they are going to spend. An opening date for the new outdoor pool will be announced later this spring.
May 2nd, 2017 BURLINGTON, ON
Changing the way we elect those who represent us from the current First Past the Post (FPTP) where the person with the most votes is the winner and the number of votes does not have to be more than 50% has been a concern for many. It becomes possible for a political party to win with as little as 35% of the vote. Ranking the ballots so that the eventual winner has at least 50% + 1 is an approach favoured by many.
Single-member election: an election where one candidate is elected In this election, you are being asked to vote on the kind of fruit that will be served as a snack.
Ranking the ballot With ranked ballots you can rank your choices from your most preferred to least preferred option, as follows:
Calculate the threshold Thirty people voted, and only one fruit can be chosen. Sixteen votes are needed for a fruit to be elected (50 per cent of 30 votes is 15 votes, plus one makes it a majority). Count the first choice votes After the ballots are distributed according to first choices, the vote count looks like this: None of the fruits has received enough votes to be elected. Eliminate the option in last place and redistribute those ballots to other candidates Your first choice, Cherry got the fewest votes. Your ballot will now be given to your second choice, Pear. (The ballots of everyone else who voted for Cherry as their first choice will also be redistributed to their second choices). After the five Cherry ballots are distributed, the new vote count is: After the second round of counting, none of the fruits has received enough votes to be elected. Drop the last place and redistribute those ballots Strawberry now has the fewest votes. Your ballot stays with your second choice, Pear. After the seven Strawberry ballots are redistributed, the new vote count is: Pear is elected with 17 votes. Even though your first choice didn’t get elected, your ballot helped your second choice to win. The problem was that no one was using such an approach – until Monday evening when London, Ontario’s city council voted to use ranked balloting for their 2018 municipal election. They are the first municipality to do so in Ontario. Dave Meslin, Creative Director of Unlock Democracy Canada, said “This unprecedented decision makes London City Council the first and only government, anywhere in Canada, to abandon First-Past-the-Post. “Ranked ballots are a small and simple change that make local elections more fair, inclusive and friendly” said Meslin. “In an age of increasing political cynicism it’s inspiring to see this kind of leadership. Voters deserve a modern electoral system that delivers fair results, reduces negativity and encourages more voices to participate.” He added that London has put themselves on the map as the #1 leader of democratic renewal in Canada – a great gift to the country on our 150th birthday! Recent legislation in Ontario allows any of the province’s 444 municipalities to use ranked ballots, but 443 Councils decided to keep the status quo. Electoral reform is difficult to achieve because incumbents rarely want to change the system that put them into power. What we saw in London tonight was rare: selfless leadership.  Ward 2 city Councillor Marianne Meed Ward has been an advocate for ranked balloting – but has yet to bring a motion to city council. No one on Burlington’s city council has put a motion on the table giving the citizens an opportunity to debate the issues. Ward 2 Councillor Marianne Meed Ward said in a prepared statement that she “commend London for taking this step and will be watching the next election with interest. They are in a bit of a different situation as a single tier municipality than we are, as part of Halton Regional. Meslin argues that “lower tiers can do whatever they want, but the UPPER tier can’t switch to ranked ballots unless all of the lower tiers switch. The upshot is that Burlington is not going to even debate the issue. Oakville and Milton appear to be taking the same position – there is just no appetite for a change. Why mess with a good thing.
May 1, 2017 BURLINGTON, ON
There was no crime. Good to know. Last Saturday the Halton Regional Police requested assistance in identifying two males captured on video surveillance in a Burlington neighbourhood. Police believed the two males may have been involved or had knowledge regarding break and enters in the area. Neither of the men pictured below did anything illegal. They are not wanted by the police – thy are just two hard working contractors who apparently thought there was a work opportunity at a particular house and were making an inquiry.
Two males had approached his front door and peered inside; they fled quickly when the homeowner approached. The males left the area in a newer model black Chevy Silverado four door pick-up truck. Police wanted to identify and speak to the men. The meeting took place and there is no longer any suspicion regarding these two men. The upside of all this is that the public knows there is a system of information distribution that the public can respond to – more than 3000 people read the original story. Police are still investigating two residential break and enters on the same date in the same neighbourhood. Anyone with information regarding the break and enters in the Burlington area is asked to contact D/Cst. Tyler FREEMAN of the Burlington Criminal Investigations Bureau – Residential Property Crime Team @ 905-825-4747 ext 2363. Tips can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers “See something, Hear something, Say something” at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.ca, or by texting “Tip201” with your message to 274637 (crimes).
May 1st, 2017 BURLINGTON, ON
Tom Muir, an Aldershot resident who does not have children in any schools, wanted to know why parents in the city of Burlington were being told that two of the city’s seven high schools should be closed. His attempt to get at the real reason behind this decision boggles the mind. Red tape galore – a long but not very pretty story. Part 4 of a four part series: Another Chapter in This Saga
I then asked for and received a response by email, and got it April 11. “upon review of the records, it has been noted that your request may affect the interests of a third party” At this message, the identity of the third party remained anonymous. It was obviously concerning because this long delay, with the opportunity for the third party to appeal a decision to release at the April 30 date, meant that the FOI documents from the Ministry might not be released until after the PARC process was essentially over and would be of no use. This statement and finding begged me to ask numerous questions. For example, – I don’t know how such an FOI request as mine, involving entirely public business, by public institutions, could involve the interests of a third party other that the HDSB and the Ministry of Education, and employees of said institutions. – Please tell me how this could be, and what evidence is there that my request may affect the interests of a third party? – And why are you withholding all of the record? – I know of some particular parts of the record that have been disclosed by the HDSB, so tell me how this works? – How could anyone have personal interest in a public process involving only public institutions and public records, have personal interests and information the disclosure of which might constitute an unjustified invasion of personal privacy? – It’s all public business, conducted in the public domain, so there is no personal privacy to be invaded, unjustified or not. – On second thought to my message below, it occurred to me – is the third party considered by you to be the Halton District School Board? – There are only 3 parties to this FOI request – I (1),sent the FOI to the Ministry (2), and ask about their interaction with HDSB (3), without which the basis for the FOI request has no object to search. – If it is, then this is a most ridiculous idea, and it fits with my suggestion that the end result of this failure to disclose any of the record is to delay beyond the timeline of the public process for which the FOI is meant to inform about. – The record involves HDSB in some way so this fits with all the record being withheld. – It is also ridiculous to think that disclosure would constitute an invasion of privacy for HDSB, which is not a person, and staff who are not private persons in their responsible employment with HDSB. In response to this, the Ministry stated on April 12; – The information responsive to your request originated from, and was created by, the Halton District School Board. – In cases like this one, section 28 of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (the Act) makes clear that if there is reason to believe the responsive record may contain information referred to in section 17 [Third Party Information] of the Act, we are to give written notice to the entity or person to whom the information relates. – As you will see in the portion of legislation below, section 17 lists harms that an affected party would need to prove relevant to prevent the release of specified information. Third party notice is important, especially when we require clarity as to whether the information shared by another institution, business or person was supplied in confidence to the Ministry. Here is our update – – Following our third party notice to the board (affected party) and our advisory letter to you (the requester), the board confirmed that they have no concerns with the release of the records. – My staff are attempting to reach the board contact and advise them that we will release the records prior to the end of the third party period. This is not a usual occurrence, but given their green light, we will proceed. I understand you are under a time constraint of your own so, with your permission, we can send you the records via e-mail when they are ready for a mail-out. Since all this Ministry revelation was going on at the same time as my interactions with HDSB it is easily imagined that the upset was doubly disturbing and running on. My reading of this is that all the information in the FOI response came from the HDSB. This was disturbing as it sounds like the Ministry didn’t provide any of its own records, despite my knowing of several documents in the HDSB response to their FOI that are Ministry documents. This makes it appear that HDSB did basically all of the Ministry response to the FOI. And since the scoping of the FOI request was identical for both HDSB and Ministry FOI requests, it would be obvious to the HDSB that they are coming from the same person. Further, according to the Ministry, despite the HDSB indicating they had no concerns, the groundless and purposeless delay till April 30 was kept in place, and the HDSB would have known about this, and knowing the identical text of the FOI request, would have a highly likely knowledge of who it was that the FOI response pertained to. And yet, the Board said nothing and let the time delay stay in place. Add all this together – Board and Ministry issues and delays – and let me tell you, that your so called “unnecessarily abrupt” email from me becomes both necessary and appropriate. So, on the same date, April 13, the Ministry got a equally “abrupt” email challenging what had been done and essentially “demanding” their FOI response that very same day as I asked the Board to provide theirs. Although I did not get my demand, in contrast with the Board’s stone-wall and continued power driven evasive response, this is what I received; Good morning Tom, My office’s decision to issue a third party notice, which is a time extension, is permitted under the Act. Despite the April 30th deadline, we intend to get the records to you next week. Conclusion So you got something like what you give. In conclusion, I will say that I did not opt out of conversation with your Superintendent of Business, rather she opted out of a conversation with me about what the conversation needed to consist of in order to meet the standards of public institutional transparency and accountability, which are of course, the basis of trust. Now – what was in the documents Muir worked so hard at getting? That comes next.
May 1st, 2017 BURLINGTON, ON
The city will never be the same. Her Royal Highness Princess Margriet of the Netherlands and her husband, Professor Pieter van Vollenhoven, will pay an official visit to Canada from May 13 to 16, 2017. They will visit Brampton, Stratford, Goderich, Hamilton, Burlington and Toronto.
The Princess and her husband live in Burlington’s twin city of Apeldoorn in the Netherlands. A private visit with local students, including an Apeldoorn and Burlington student artwork display Residents are invited to the tree-planting ceremony at Apeldoorn Park on Tuesday, May 16, 2017 at 2 p.m. The event includes a plaque unveiling and greetings from Mayor Goldring and Princess Margriet. Local members of federal and provincial parliament, Halton Region and Burlington City Council will attend. The Brant Street Pier will be lit orange during the evening of the official visit. Burlington’s Mundialization Committee manages Burlington’s twin city relationships with Apeldoorn, The Netherlands and Itabashi, Japan. The committee strives to connect Burlington to the world through events and initiatives and to promote the City of Burlington as “A World Community” dedicated to the United Nations’ philosophy of peaceful co-operation among the peoples of the world and to encourage community understanding of different cultures global issues.  Princess Margriet at the 2012 London Paralympics – they all wear orange. There will probably be a run on any male of female clothing that is orange – the Dutch national colour. Where will the couple stay – what do we have that is acceptable accommodation for Royalty. That means her Highness might get to experience Canadian traffic grid.
May 1st, 2017 BURLINGTON, ON
Environment Canada has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Watch for Southern Ontario and a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for the City of Hamilton. Bands of strong thunderstorms are anticipated to impact our watershed imminently.
Riverine flooding is not anticipated, however the forecasted precipitation in conjunction with saturated ground conditions may result in higher than normal water levels and flows in local streams.  There are 13 major creeks running from the escarpment through the city to the lake. Conservation Halton is asking all residents and children to stay away from all watercourses and structures such as bridges, culverts and dams. Elevated water levels, fast flowing water, and slippery conditions along stream banks continue to make these locations extremely dangerous. Lake Ontario water levels are also high. Please alert children in your care of these imminent dangers. This Watershed Conditions Statement – Water Safety will be in effect through Tuesday May 2, 2017. Conservation Halton will continue to monitor stream and weather conditions and will provide updates as required. For further information or questions regarding this message contact:
May 1st, 2017 BURLINGTON, ON
Scouts from the Halton Region worked on Arbour Day planting trees at the Regional Waste Management site.  From left to right: Co-Founder of the Birdhouse Foundation, Tim Withers; Conservation Halton Vice-Chair and Regional Councillor, Cathy Duddeck; Halton Beaver, Jack Kowalchyk; Halton Regional Chair, Gary Carr; Co-Founder of the Birdhouse Foundation, Connor Withers; Regional Councillor, Mike Cluett; Conservation Halton CAO, Hassaan Basit and Scouts Canada Special Event Coordinator, Bob Collison. “Halton Region is preserving and protecting the natural environment for all residents to enjoy,” said Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr. “I am proud of the joint efforts of our local partners—Conservation Halton and Scouts Canada—who help contribute to the sustainability of our community.” Chair Carr delivered remarks before presenting a commemorative birdhouse—built by the Birdhouse Foundation with reclaimed material from the HWMS—to recognize the effort of the volunteers. The birdhouse is permanently mounted in the planting area. Conservation Halton CAO, Hassaan Basit, also took part in a brief opening ceremony at the event. Scout’s Canada Special Event Coordinator, Bob Collison, was also in attendance to join the scouts, many of their leaders and family members as they planted trees. “Conservation Halton has planted more than four million trees since 1956 working in collaboration with wonderful community partners like Halton Region and Scouts Canada at events such as this one,” said Hassaan Basit, Conservation Halton CAO. “We thank all the Scouts and their families for coming out today to plant trees to help create a healthy and thriving ecosystem.” Over the last 16 years, Halton-area scouts have planted more than 5,000 native, mixed-species trees. This initiative has contributed to the Region’s ongoing tree planting and maintenance program at the Halton Waste Management Site, closed regional landfills and commitment to environmental sustainability.
May 1st, 2017 BURLINGTON, ON
All natural grass sport fields (diamonds and rectangular fields) are closed May 1. The report from city hall does not say why (rain most probably) nor do they say when the fields will re-open (when the rain stops probably.
May 1st, 2017 BURLINGTON, ON
Back to square 1. The Theatre Board of The Burlington Performing Arts Centre has announced the appointment of Tammy Fox as the incoming Executive Director. Ms Fox will assume her new role effective July 4, 2017, succeeding Interim Executive Director Brian McCurdy. McCurdy has served as Executive Director where he did a superb job. He retired and was brought back as interim. One suspects McCurdy would like to make a retirement complete. Hopefully this time it will work.  Tammy Fox appointed the new Executive Director of the Performing Arts Centre. Ilene Elkaim said the Theatre Board received great interest from across the country for the position. “ We have chosen an individual whose experience and qualifications are best suited to lead us into next Season and beyond.” Tammy joins The Centre from an accomplished career in the professional arts presentation and artist representation industries. Tammy held the position of General Manager of Peterborough’s not-for-profit Showplace Performance Centre. She continued her passion for connecting artists and audiences by starting her own artist representation company, Fox Entertainment Agency. Renowned in the performing arts industry, Tammy has facilitated programming seasons for Mirvish Productions, The Stratford Festival, the National Arts Centre and the Lincoln Centre in NYC. Her contributions have earned her the inaugural “Agent of the Year” award from Ontario Presents as well as numerous other accolades from her peers and the industry alike. She is thrilled to be transitioning back to performing arts management where she feels at home fostering relationships between artists and audiences. Brian McCurdy’s tremendous contribution is complete. Hopefully he will stay on long enough to give Ms Fox a detailed look at the really solid work he has done on two occasions. The city owes him much. The upcoming 2017-2018 Presenting Season will be shown to subscribers on May 17th, – they get first crack at the tickets. Sale of tickets to the general public starts May 24.
May 1, 2017 BURLINGTON, ON
Next stop on the Mobility Hub train is in Aldershot. Saturday May 13th: 10:30 to 12:30, East Plains United Church, 375 Plains Road East The City is developing detailed plans for the “mobility hubs” around the Go Stations and they want to hear what the good people of Aldershot think about the idea The public are invited to share ideas on a long-term vision the city is creating for the area around the Aldershot GO station.  It was a very engaged crowd with hundreds of questions. The workshop will be led by City staff and external planning consultants. The audience that attended the Burlington GO station event was close to capacity.
May 1st, 2017 BURLINGTON, ON
It is amazing what comes to the surface when a problem is set out before the people it is going to impact. Rory Nisan is a Lester B. Pearson alumni. He doesn’t want to see the high school that prepared him for university and the career he has today closed. However Nisan isn’t moaning about the community losing a school that everyone loves; he has set out a number of options that appear to be sound. Here is what Nisan proposes: He deserves a hearing;. (1) Send Kilbride PS students back to Pearson. Result: 116 students sent back to Pearson, where their older siblings attended. Hayden gets relief; Pearson gets students. Note: The Director claimed at the Committee of the Whole meeting that Hayden HS was closer to Kilbride than Pearson. In fact, there is a 200 metre difference (14.6 km to Hayden, 14.8 km to Pearson). (2) Maintain decision to send Alton West students to MM Robinson Result: MM gets 40 (or more) students. (3) Make all of CH Norton a feeder school to Pearson. This unites the public school to a single, nearby high school, and rectifies the unfair catchment boundaries, which currently do not allow Pearson a fair number of feeder schools. Result: Pearson gets 59 students, CH Norton students get to stay together. (4) Send any students from the new prospective development at Havendale Lands (West of Brant, South of Upper Middle) to MM Robinson (units TBC) Result: MM gets students. (5) Send all Florence Meares students from Hayden to Pearson Result: Pearson gets 237 students; Hayden gets relief. Meares graduates no longer have to cross Dundas street to reach Hayden. (6) Send late French Immersion students to MM Robinson from Macmillan Result: MM gets 156 students (7) If Bateman closes: MM Robinson receives ESS, Gifted, CPP and Leap programme from Bateman where student is north of the HWY (~110 students). We do not advocate closing Bateman, and we don’t need these students. But if Bateman must be closed to deal with utilization in the South, MM Robinson should receive these students so they do not have to travel too far (as outlined in the Director’s Final Report). Result: less distance for these students to travel (8) At a future date, commit to sending an appropriate distribution of students from new developments to the three schools based on updated estimates and location of developments (Adi development: 602 units; Valera road: 400 units; Evergreen Community: 907 units). Result: Flexibility to re-balance utilization numbers based on changes 1-7 above.  This graphic demonstrates the total number of students at Pearson if Pearson were to have the four listed schools as it catchment, and if late French Immersion were sent to MM, based on elementary school data today (697 estimated). It also indicates how many students MM would add if it were to receive Late French Immersion students (156 estimated).  New catchment boundary for Pearson based on changes (Kilbride not shown). Red = Hayden; beige = M.M. Robinson; blue = Pearson If Bateman doesn’t close, MM Robinson adds 137 students, plus Havendale Lands Development, plus possible future distribution of other new developments. If Bateman closes, MM Robinson add 247 students, plus Havendale Lands Development, plus possible future distribution of other new developments. Pearson adds 266 students, plus possible future distribution of other new developments. Hayden subtracts 353 students, and then will add possible future distribution of other new developments. This straight-forward proposal puts all three school in the North at sustainable utilization levels. What’s killing Pearson is choking the school of its elementary feeder schools. The Board has never explained any rationale for this decision and the trustee has never asked why it was done. Will Nisan get a hearing; does he have the support of his school trustee? Nisan isn’t the only Pearson alumni who has concerns over what has been done to the school. George Ward attended the meeting at which Director of Education Stuart Miller explained what he had set out to do in his recommendation after which he answered questions. Ward had some questions of his own but learned hat he wasn’t allowed to ask questions. That didn’t seem to bother him – he bellowed out a question which led to the Chair of the meeting insructing the trustees to stand and leave the room – the meeting was over. Ward wanted to know if the HDSB forecasts are for 10 years and updated yearly then why is the Director of Education recommending the closure of two high schools three years and a few months after the new school was opened? Ward thinks the Director based his recommendation on a chart showing projected enrollments.  George Ward has a problem with this chart – he thinks the data behind it are flawed. Ward thinks the process of forecasting projected enrollment must be called into question – he is not alone in that point of view. Has the Director of Education made a recommendation based upon defective forecasting? Ward maintains “The process of closing Burlington High Schools is flawed and should be immediately halted and to pursue the action to “Save All Burlington High Schools”. That decision was never the Director’s to make – it is in the hands of the trustees now. They will get to hear delegations from the public on May 8th and 11th – 25 delegations each evening – five minutes each. The Program Accommodation Review was flawed from the day it started; to a considerable degree because the way the province set out the regulations that had to be followed. This was compounded by the problems the Board staff had with publishing data the public was prepared to believe because it kept changing.  There is a crisis of confidence in the Board of Education trustees. There was and still is a crisis of confidence. Will the trustees sand up for the public that elected them – or will they role over and do what the Director of Education has recommendation. The trustees are there to lead – when the Chair Kelly Amos chooses to not actually attend the meeting but take part by telephone conference call – one wonders where the leadership is coming from. If the Chair was ill and not able to actually attend – a simple brief media release could have informed the public. Of the 11 trustees just the one distinguished herself; Amy Collard had tough questions and when she didn’t get answers that satisfied her – she made sure the Director of education know she was not pleased. The public now has time to delegate and make a case for a specific decision. This isn’t the time to complain about one group of parents throwing a school under the bus; this is the time for the leaders of the different schools to meet and come up with a strategy and take it to the trustees.  Ian Farewll could be talked into another meeting and Steve Cusson would still be at PARC meetings if they had let him. There were some very talented people involved in the PARC process. Lisa Bull from Bateman, Steve Cussons from Aldershot, Steve Armstrong from Pearson and Kate Nazar from Nelson to name just a few – need to make phone calls to each other. Ian Farewell can be convinced to attend one more meeting. Bull brought small bottles of wine to the closing PARC meeting to hand out. Buy a case of the stuff and get the parent leaders in the same room and work it out. What city Councillor Meed Ward is going to do at this point is anybody’s guess. She is know to enjoy a glass of wine, perhaps that will stir the leadership gifts she does have. The current crew of trustees do not appear to be able to do the job – the parents that elected them are going to have to step in and give them some guidance. There isn’t a lot of time left.
May 1, 2017 BURLINGTON, ON
There is an organization called the Advanced Coronary Treatment (ACT) Foundation that partners with high schools to teach the fundamentals of CPR and AED. What do the acronyms mean? CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) is a combination of breathing and chest compressions. Performing CPR increases a cardiac arrest casualty’s chances of survival by keeping the brain supplied with oxygen until the person receives advanced medical care. AED stands for Automated External Defibrillator. An AED sends an electric shock through the chest to the heart to start the heard beating effectively again. Defibrillation given as soon as possible is the key to helping some people survive cardiac arrest.  Aldershot high school students being taught how to apply CPR and how to use an AED. There are 28 high schools in Halton taking the training that will result in 7000 students empowered by their teachers with essential lifesaving skills every year. The media event for this program took place t Aldershot High School,  The high school mascot gets into the training. The ACT Foundation is the charitable organization that is establishing CPR and defibrillator training programs in high schools throughout Ontario and across Canada. Mannequins and defibrillator training units are donated to schools and high school teachers are trained as instructors to train all students prior to graduation. When used in conjunction with CPR in the first few minutes after a cardiac arrest, defibrillation can dramatically improve cardiac arrest survival rates by more than 50 per cent. Providing youth with the tools and confidence to intervene in a life-saving scenario is an important investment that will benefit everyone.  One student does CPR while a second students prepares the defibrillator. This initiative will see high schools receive training equipment as a result of the Skills4Life Fundraising Campaign which has received the support of many community partners and service clubs. These include lead community partners, AstraZeneca Canada, Amgen Canada, and Boehringer Ingelheim Canada Ltd. Community partners are: Bayer, Halton Hills Hydro Inc., Kiwanis Club of Oakville Inc., Oakville Lions Club, Rotary Club of Acton, Rotary Club of Burlington Central, Rotary Club of Burlington Lakeshore, Rotary Club of Burlington North, Rotary Club of Oakville Trafalgar, and Takeda Canada Inc. More than 700 CPR mannequins are being donated to high schools along with 85 defibrillator training units. With eight in 10 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occurring at home or in public places, empowering youth with CPR training as part of their high school education will help increase citizen CPR response rates over the long term.
April 30, 2017 BURLINGTON, ON Tom Muir, an Aldershot resident who does not have children in school, continues his struggle with the Halton District School Board to get the full story on why Hayden high school was built. He believed the answer would be in public documents the Board and Ministry of Education have – and he wanted to see those records. His email correspondence, which began in part 1, continued in part 2 and continues here in part 3. The words are taken from email Muir had with different staff at the HDSB and or the Ministry of Education and comments he makes on the process of getting information. Part 3 of a four part series:
You do with the FOI what you want to get more time until the PAR process is over. Why should I take the word of people who will not engage me in writing? Why should I accept interpretations of documents, where the interpretations include statements and words and facts that do not appear in said documents? I stand by my comments made and questions asked, that Lucy only wanted to talk about, not bear witness in writing. You continue to defy responding to that email – and now you have this one – to prove me wrong with evidence from the documents you provided, where I found my points of contention. What you might tell me in words only is not relevant to the data and evidence basis of the FOI request and documents. I have no reason whatsoever to trust the Board from my own experience. Combining that with the negative public reception of the overall Board performance in handling the PAR, tells me their own deeds indicate that they cannot be trusted. This timeline shows that Hayden planning was a bungled mistake that lost track of the consequences, and the need to tell residents and parents about them. In fact, these consequences were willfully ignored and put off to an undetermined future, which is here right now. Then, to double down on this bungled planning, basically the same people and thinking are proposing an even bigger bungled mistake – closing schools because of the first mistakes that were made. Trusting these people will lead beyond mere failure to learn from mistakes, but to destructive actions for Burlington and education. Closing schools in Burlington is a train wreck. To Director Miller, I would say, that if the known consequences of building all these empty seats were not important to deal with back in 2008, then how can they be important now? If schools do not have to be closed, and money is not the issue, then what’s the hurry now to make irrevocable decisions with tragic consequences? If it’s truly about the students, and what benefits them, then how can it be important to decide to close schools right now? It’s just wrong to put such a decision, in such circumstances, to the Board of Trustees, who are mostly inexperienced and under pressure that was not anticipated. They cannot be expected to deal with this very well, and recommending closures, especially when not needed, will put them into an impossible position. Personally, I do not want to close any schools, period. But I recognize possibilities, in compromise, to relieve opposing tensions. You can recommend two tracks. Do not close any schools – because we don’t have to. When not needed, it’s a bad idea. The compromise is to close no schools now, and take a 2-3 year deferral to consider and deliberate about what we should really do, and can do, about the space situation. Eventually, all the Board, to varying extents, will come under pressure at some time. We need a much better process and arena to be considerate and deliberate about these matters. In that period, we can elapse the Trustee term of office, have another election, with what we decide to do about our situation as a key issue. In that period, the Trustees can perhaps better gain their feet and become more adept at this kind of decision-making, and pressure. And residents and parents can perhaps do something similar. That’s the best compromise I can offer. It will relieve the pressure, but I’m sure has it’s own set of unforeseen consequences. The Board staff might just keep bungling, and not be cooperative. The main idea is to make sure, as best we can, that we don’t make more stupid mistakes by acting with haste when we don’t have to. Remember, slowness remembers, and hurry forgets. But we can still act decisively and close no schools. Put this business behind us. This is a long and at times monotonous series of articles – why publish all this stuff now? Imagine if the public had had an opportunity to fully debate the opening of Hayden when that took place in 2012? Imagine if there had been something on the public record accessible to all?
April 29th, 2017 BURLINGTON, ON Two males approached his front door and peered inside; they fled quickly when the homeowner approached. The males left the area in a newer model black Chevy Silverado four door pick-up truck.  First suspect approaching a house in the Lakeshore – Walkers line part of the city.  Second suspect approaching the same home. Police are looking to identify and speak to the males. Police are also investigating two residential break and enters on the same date in the same neighbourhood. It has not yet been confirmed that the incidents are related. The images are of exceptional quality – data like this will produce results. Quality cameras do make a difference Anyone who can identify these males is asked to contact D/Cst. Tyler FREEMAN of the Burlington Criminal Investigations Bureau – Residential Property Crime Team @ 905-825-4747 ext 2363. Tips can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers “See something, Hear something, Say something” at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.ca, or by texting “Tip201” with your message to 274637 (crimes).
April 28th, 2017 BURLINGTON, ON
The Halton Regional Police Service has decided to close its Burlington substation at the end of the month. No time for public feedback with what amounts to a couple of days’ notice. City Councillor Marianne Meed Ward has said she did have discussions with the police over this matter, She does not appear to have taken that conversation to her community.
The substation, located at 760 Brant Street south of Ghent Street, opened in 2007 when 3 District moved from its former downtown location on Locust Street to Constable Henshaw Boulevard. Since that time, the number of people attending the substation has been on the decline. In 2016, only six reports were generated from visitors; the vast majority stopped to ask for directions or to turn in found property. The decrease in attendance can be largely attributed to advances in technology which have changed the way members of the public interact with the Service. Key among these is social media like Twitter and Facebook which enable users to obtain information and advice on a range of police-related matters. In Halton, other advances include the introduction of online crime reporting, a mobile app for iOS and Android and Text to 9-1-1. All – in addition to traditional 9-1-1 for emergencies and crimes in progress or 905-825-4777 for non-emergencies – make it possible for people to receive 24 hour a day, seven day a week police support without having to attend a police station. Truth be told the sub-station was not always open. The police do not anticipate the closure of the Burlington substation to impact the ability of those in need to get the right response, at the right time, by the right responders. “Our mission, as it has been for several years now, is to provide effective and efficient community policing service,” said Superintendent Al Albano, Commander of 3 District in Burlington. “By freeing officers from behind their desks, we have more flexibility to respond to the ever-changing needs of our community.” Decisions regarding HRPS facilities support the goals laid out in the Service’s 2017-2019 Corporate Business Plan. The Plan and additional information on the aforementioned programs is available at www.haltonpolice.ca.
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