Open Letter to the Board of Trustees About Closing Pearson High School: A line-by-line refutation of Recommendation 2 of the Director’s Final Report
 By Rory Nisan
April 25th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Dear Trustees of the Halton District School Board,
This has been a long process, now coming to a head with the Director’s Final Report recommending closing Pearson and Bateman high schools. As a Pearson alumnus, I am writing to refute the arguments made for closing Pearson in the Director’s Final Report. I have addressed every argument in Recommendation 2 below.
The Director’s Final Report portion is shown in red bold italics, my comments are in standard type.. I have aimed to present Recommendation 2 in full without any deletions or other changes.
Rationale: Recommendation 2 – Lester B. Pearson High School
“Lester B. Pearson High School has been experiencing a decline in enrolment for several years and that is projected to continue to 2026 and beyond.”
This is an unfair, obtuse characterization of enrollment at Lester B. Pearson High School. The Director’s Final Report fails to mention the reason for this declining enrollment: a reduction in the number of feeder schools for Pearson, in order to prop up Hayden High School, leaving Pearson with only 1.5 feeder schools compared with seven for Hayden. This was not by accident, but a deliberate decision taken by the HDSB when Hayden opened.
One need only observe the change in enrollment since Hayden came online to see how this gutted Pearson’s numbers. Before Hayden opened, Pearson lost only 10 students from 2010-2011 (see Figure 1, from the Director’s Final Report). Furthermore, the change from 2015-2016 is only 11 less students, because the Hayden transition has ended. It is inappropriate to close a school on the basis of a reduction of 11 students year-over-year when there are many options available to boost utilization.
Recommendation 2 of the Director’s Final Report’s is wholly based on “low and declining enrolment” as the basis for closing Pearson, ignoring the fact that the low enrollment is entirely of the HDSB’s own making.
 Figure 1 English Programme enrollment at Pearson as shown in the Director’s Final Report, demonstrating that Pearson would not have an enrollment issue if not for students being sent to Hayden. “Lester B. Pearson High School is also the only school in the Halton District School Board that provides Extended French at the secondary school level. The students in this program begin extended French in Grade 7.”
This is correct but extended French is only one of several one-of-a-kind features of Pearson High School. The co-op nursery is correctly mentioned further below in the Director’s Final Report. The natural surroundings of the forest allow for unique learning opportunities. The third gymnasium increases sport opportunities. Pearson’s lower capacity gives it unique, well-established strengths, such as less bullying, better social bonds, more opportunities to play on a sport team and/or join other competitive clubs.
Indeed, the student survey (contained in the Director’s Final Report) indicated that Pearson ranked #1 for percentage of students who agreed that their teachers knew something about them (e.g. interests, strengths and how they learn best), #1 for having an adult they could connect with, and #2 in participation in extracurricular activities.
It is therefore no surprise that Pearson regularly punches above its weight in the Fraser Institute rankings of secondary schools. Pearson has the second highest average score over the past five years among Burlington public secondary schools. This is not despite its small size; it is because of it.
“The result of this low enrolment is a diminished ability for the school to provide the same breadth and range of programs for the students as other schools in Halton.”
Nobody doubts that Pearson has low enrolment (though its utilization rate is higher than that of M.M. Robinson). However, as explained above, the Director’s Final Report fails to properly explain how this came about.
Equally important is that he has not given the trustees simple solutions to this low enrolment that do not involve closing Pearson. The simple, obvious answer: redesign the catchments and feeder schools to ensure that (a) Pearson has its fair share of students, (b) Hayden, which is bursting at the seams, is brought down to a proper utilization of 90-100 percent, and (c) M.M. Robinson also sees an increase in students, including from Bateman High School should it be closed (though this is not being advocated), or through redistribution that allows students to go to their closest high school. Figure 3 shows the current feeder schools, demonstrating the imbalance that can be easily fixed.
 Figure 3 Feeder schools to the high schools in the north — note the lopsided distribution favouring Hayden while starving Pearson. (There is no figure 2)
“In order to take specific or desired courses, many students have resorted to online offerings.”
The Director’s Final Report contradicts itself here, as it references in an appendix the student survey which indicates that Pearson has the second lowest percentage of students among Burlington public high schools needing to take online offerings, well below the city’s average (see Figure 4).
 Figure 4 – percentage of students taking online courses Regardless, this argument is invalid as there are more than enough students in the north of Burlington to fill Pearson’s hallways and provide more course offerings.
“Second, this situation will be exacerbated as it is expected the number of students attending Lester B. Pearson High School will decrease by an additional 70 students by 2025.”
Once again, this assertion rests on the assumption that Pearson would not be given any more students while Hayden bursts at the seams and M.M. Robinson takes on students from Bateman and the Evergreen and Alton West developments.
Perhaps most worrying for parents and students in North Burlington is that the Director’s Final Report fails to take into account (a) turnover in North Burlington as more baby boomers sell their homes to young families; and (b) that there will be more development in the north than that which is noted in the report: the Adi proposed development is over 600 residential units, and the Valera road development is expected to have 400 residential units. Furthermore, North Burlington has seen a trend of multiple families moving into singly houses, leading to having twice or more the number of high school students per household.
“Another issue occurring as a result of low enrolment is the impact on the students’ pathways. At present, the numbers reflecting Lester B. Pearson High School students’ pathway choices are as follows:
 Figure 5 The Director’s Final Report emphasized low enrollment for applied students in Grade 9, neglecting to mention the reason why enrollment is so low: Grade 9 students being sent to portables in the Hayden parking lot. “Unfortunately the low number of students and staff has prevented the school from providing the same breadth of programming offered in other Halton District School Board schools. This is most evident given the low number of students in applied programming and subsequently the college pathway, resulting in these students having fewer options or little flexibility in selecting courses they can take.
“Schools are required to provide a pathway to graduation for all students. This means the school will have some smaller classes (for example, 11 students in Grade 9 Applied), and in order to be compliant with staffing formulas and provincial mandates, will have some larger classes to offset the smaller numbers. Consequently, not only is the range of course selection not available to students but there is also a greater disparity between class sizes.”
This entire section is based on the false assumption that there aren’t enough students available in North Burlington to bring Pearson back up to better utilization levels. The arguments made above make clear that this is not only possible, but an excellent option for managing overcrowding at Hayden and the new developments, as well as the fast rate of turnover in North Burlington communities.
Again this is likely to be exacerbated as the projections indicate a continued decline in enrollment.
Again, these projections are based on the inaccurate assumption that there aren’t any students available to bring to Pearson. The above statement seeks to create urgency where there is none.
“Lester B. Pearson High School is 1.9 kilometres from M.M. Robinson High School. Students who currently attend Lester B. Pearson High School are within the walking distance to M.M. Robinson High School. A closure of Lester B. Pearson High School will not result in an increase in bussing costs for the Halton District School Board.”
This is technically correct yet misleading. If Pearson were to stay open and the catchment areas appropriately reshaped, there would be less students bussing, meaning a cost savings for the Halton District School Board.
Regardless, HDSB representatives have stated on several occasions that it’s about the students, not the money.
“At present there is a nursery school located in Lester B. Pearson High School. This is a longstanding relationship between the City of Burlington and the Board, and since the mid-1970s has become part of the fabric of the Lester B. Pearson High School community. If the recommendation to close Lester B. Pearson High School is approved, the Halton District School Board will engage with the appropriate municipal partners to investigate available options for a continued relationship with the Halton District School Board.”
The promise to “investigate available options” should be interpreted as the Board has not undertaken sufficient consultation on this important issue up to this point, and is not making any commitment to maintain the co-op nursery.
Furthermore, the Director’s Final Report is recommending keeping Hayden as an over-capacity mega school, and turning M.M. Robinson into an over-capacity mega school (see Figure 6 below). It does not take into account new growth in North Burlington, nor the aggressive turnover in Headon Forest and Palmer neighbourhoods, which will take Hayden and M.M. Robinson to unsustainable levels.
Given that these schools will be filled to the brim, are we to believe that there will be space to maintain the co-op nursery?
 Figure 6 – Mega schools projected for the north if Pearson closes (before taking into account increased enrollment due to new developments and residential turnover)
“Lester B. Pearson High School has served its students and community very well for the past 40 years; however, its enrolment has been in decline for some time. It is currently less than 65% of capacity, and by 2025 it is expected to decline to 55%.”
Having read this far, trustees already know that Pearson would only decline to 55% if catchments weren’t appropriately reshaped. To assume that Pearson would decline to 55% is to assume that Hayden would be at 140%, which is the status quo prediction for that school in 2025. Everyone knows that Hayden’s over-utilization is unsustainable, and that Pearson has space to accommodate those students. Therefore, the conclusion of Recommendation 2 of the Director’s Final Report is misleading.
“Based on the two identified criteria for a program and accommodation review (PAR):
“1. The school or group of schools has/have experienced or will experience declining enrolment where on-the-ground (OTG) capacity utilization rate is below 65%.
“AND
“2. Reorganization involving the school or group of schools could enhance program delivery and learning opportunities.
“Lester B. Pearson High School meets the criteria for a PAR, and subsequently is recommended for closure.”
Pearson would not have met the criteria for a PAR if it weren’t for the redistribution of its students to Hayden High School.
In conclusion, trustees must question the validity of the evidence brought forward through the Director’s Final Report to support a closure of Pearson High School.
Two final questions for trustees as they make their decision on whether to close Pearson:
(1) Is it in the best interests of students and the community to close Pearson, leaving North Burlington with two schools with over 1300 students, already over capacity before taking into account new developments and residential turnover?
(2) If trustees decide to close Pearson high school, will they, in 10 years’ time, receive a Director’s Final Report requesting $35 million to open a new school in north Burlington, and on what land will that school sit?
I respectfully submit that you must, given the evidence, decline Recommendation 2 and ask the Director to provide options for redistributing Hayden’s student population to Pearson and M.M Robinson.
You have nothing to lose and everything to gain by delaying a decision on closing Pearson until the true enrollment figures are clarified after a redistribution of Hayden (and possibly Bateman) students, and the new developments in the North are completed.
The Director’s Final Report has not met the burden of evidence for a closure of Pearson High School.
Thank you,
Rory Nisan
Lester B. Pearson Alumnus (class of 2001)
rnisan@gmail.com
 By Staff
April 25, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
For the 12th year in a row the Halton District School Board is presenting the elementary art show, called Elements and Expressions, from Tuesday April 25-Thursday April 27, 2017.
The popular event will showcase the artistic flare of Junior Kindergarten to Grade 8 students, as all kinds of artwork will grace the Brock Room at the New Street Education Centre, located at 3250 New St. in Burlington.
 These two tykes were showing what they produced while at the Art Gallery of Burlington. The school board exhibit will open at the New Street Educational Centre on Tuesday. The mediums include paintings, sculptures, puppets, paper maché, crayons, pastels, ink, fabric, 2D and 3D pieces. The exhibit pieces are selected by the classroom and art teachers to highlight art curriculum expectations.
The purpose of the art show is to showcase student artwork and to share it with peers to hopefully inspire and encourage others in their creative endeavours. Nearly 2,500 students are expected to visit the New Street Education Centre to tour the works of art. Throughout the three-day exhibit, professional artists from the Burlington Art Centre will be demonstrating various art techniques such as pottery, weaving, spinning, photography, fine art and more. The artists will give students hands-on opportunities to show them that art can have a place in their future.
“Elements and Expressions provides an opportunity for students to share their work with visitors in an art-gallery like setting” said Kevin McConvey, the Board’s Instructional Program Leader – The Arts, K-12. “The art displays show the tremendous amount of work and effort students have put into the creative process. Exposure to a wide variety of creative approaches, from paintings to papier maché, is a great way to broaden the horizons of student artists and spectators alike.”
Students’ artwork will be on display during the following times:
• Tuesday April 25: 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
• Wednesday April 26: 9 a.m.-8 p.m.
• Thursday April 27: 9 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
New Street Education Centre
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 By Staff
April 25th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The Rocca Sisters have published data on the real estate market in Burlington and surrounding communities on a regular basis. The following is there most recent commentary and data.
Pretty much the same results as seen in Oakville, just on a smaller scale.
We are not seeing the same distance between asking price and sale price in Burlington where it is closer to an average of 6%.
The truly astonishing results are when you look at properties that were purchased around 5 years ago and have in some cases almost doubled in value.
A bungalow on North Shore that was purchased just over a year ago for $1,049,000 sold for $1.5 million. The only changes to the house was some new hardwood flooring.
A bungalow in Aldershot was purchased in 2012 for $705,000. It sold in March for $1,240,000 – no updates.
A two storey family home in Tansley was purchased in 2011 for $450,000 – sold for $970,000. Owners likely invested $25,000.
A property on Pathfinder in the Orchard was purchased in 2012 for $442,500 – it sold for $917,000.
Owners likely invested $75,000 – updated bathroom, kitchen and floors.
Incredibly, 82 properties sold for well under the asking price which further supports our belief that now more than ever before is it important to have a highly qualified and experienced real estate Team working on your behalf.
 Great numbers if you are selling – tough going if you are a buyer. But with 82 houses selling for less than the asking – there would appear to be opportunities out there. ..
 By Staff
April 24th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
No sooner had Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) and M.A.D.D. Halton put the final touches on #Campaign911 #MakeTheCall911, a program aimed at educating and empowering members of the public to report suspected impaired drivers, than the occurrences began.
The Traffic Services Unit reports that over the past 72 hours, 13 motorists were charged with driving under the influence of alcohol on Halton roadways. Six of these occurred in Oakville, six in Milton and Halton Hills, and one in Burlington.
#Campaign911 and #MakeTheCall911 was officially launched on Saturday morning.
“There are two sides to these figures,” said Sgt. Ryan Snow of the Traffic Services Unit. “While we are pleased to have removed so many threats to public safety from behind the wheel, there is still much work to be done.”
It is here that members of the public come into play.
“The fact of the matter is, we can’t be everywhere all of the time,” Sgt. Snow explains. “We rely on fellow motorists to be our extra sets of eyes and ears – to report suspected impaired drivers immediately by calling 9-1-1.”
Two of the 13 charges laid over the weekend came as a direct result of citizens who called police.
The Halton Regional Police Service reminds members of the public that impaired driving is a crime in progress. It occurs 24 hour, seven day a week and is not limited to weekend evenings which are usually associated with alcohol consumption. Impaired motorists may exhibit a variety of different behaviours, including driving too fast, too slow or fluctuating greatly in speed, driving erratically or not maintaining their lane, or blatantly disregarding traffic signals or other rules of the road.
For the latest on #Campaign911 #MakeTheCall911 follow @HaltonPolice on Twitter.
By Staff
April 24, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
UPDATE:
The Gazette has been informed that William (Bill) McTaggart died a few days after the arrest.
April 8, 2017:
As a result of an investigation conducted by the Halton Regional Police Service Child Abuse and Sexual Assault Unit.
William (Bill) McTaggart, 58 years, of Burlington was arrested April 7th, 2017 and charged with one count of sexual assault and one count of trafficking a narcotic.
McTaggart is a former instructor at a private college. The victim, an adult male, is a former student.
Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Detective Constable Cindy Sunstrum at 905-465-8979 of the Halton Regional Police Child Abuse and Sexual Assault Unit or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), or through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.com, or by texting “Tip201” with your message to 274637 (crimes).
 By Tom Muir
April 24th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Few people in Burlington could understand why the Board of Education staff decided that some of the city’s high schools had to be closed. They also had difficulty grasping why the newest high school was at over 150% capacity while other high schools below the QEW had a total of 1800 empty seats in the high school classrooms.
Tom Muir decided to dig into the official record. In part 1 of this four part series he sets out on a mission to find out how the Halton Board of Education managed build a new school that resulted in Burlington having more high school capacity than it needed which brought about the need to recommend that some schools in the southern part of the city be closed.
Part 2 of a four part series:
The Tricky Nature of the FOI Process:
In his lengthy communication with the people who have the task of providing information under a Freedom of Information (FOI) request Muir continues –
First, you get to decide what records you will provide to fulfill what you say is the scope of the FOI request. You can send what you want, and refuse further.
Second, you get to make assertions about what you want to say these records mean – your “interpretations”.
Third, if I have questions or disagreements about what you say things mean, or want clarifications, you ask me; May I pass along your email to the appropriate staff so we may thoroughly respond to your questions?”
 Then, to my abrupt surprise, this thorough response from staff apparently consists of a refusal to provide written responses – say you will only talk about it – and further, if I persist, tell me, and I quote; “Our offer to assist you in further interpreting those documents or clarifying their intent was made as a courtesy, and exists outside the timelines and parameters specified under the Act, as it goes beyond the scope of records responsive to your FOI request.”
Along with this declaration you restate a disingenuous assertion of one point, with no planning history or context – that Ministry funds paid the entire construction cost of Hayden.
You also state that the use of future proceeds of disposition (POD) was prohibited by the Ministry on August 31, 2011, however, there is no language in the record, Appendix 7, provided by you to support any notion of “prohibition”, or changes in the funding formula for Capital that would lead to the same result. I asked for clarification of this, but this was ignored and denied too.
Note: Muir refers to a number of appendices: There were nine of them they are part of the response Muir received.
Only the assertion of the full Ministry funding was given, with no context of how this was rationalized provided. Even the text referred to in Appendices 7, 8 and 9 was not elaborated as support.
Appendix 7 contains no language of prohibition import, or even other cautions on the use of PODs, and this includes the page 4 you noted as pertinent to Burlington, and the records of Appendices 8 and 9.
These last Appendices are the approvals of the final Ministry funding as a top-up provision for additional costs for which future POD projections were deemed to be delayed, or uncertain in timing of receipt, to cover, thus possibly creating a cash flow risk according to the Ministry message. Each Appendix allowed the Hayden school to proceed without the use of projected future PODs, with the Ministry willing to provide additional funding. Appendix 8 provided $3M more, and Appendix 9 an additional $2.2M.
Appendix 9 notes that the top up funding is approved, “To allow the project to proceed to construction in partnership with the city and the library, … .” This partnership was and is a community collaboration program and policy of the Ministry and the provincial government.
There was no mention of any a prohibition of future PODs, or any mention that there were no realized PODs in the overall funding. Clearly, PODs remain a source of funding to the Board, whether realized and in cash reserves, or as possible future PODs held in surplus physical assets.
Make no mistake, if this PAR decides to close schools, these schools will become surplus assets that can be sold, thus providing a funding source from PODs.
In any case, and this is key, if schools are closed they become a definite and very big cost to Burlington, regardless of whether the Ministry paid the cash construction cost of Hayden when they did.
Having the PAR now, almost 6 years after the Ministry approval to fund the school, means that this surplus seats cost was just deferred in it’s reckoning, and, if schools are closed, then the idea that the Ministry paid the full cost of Hayden will be a Big Lie.
This point of the Ministry paying for construction of Hayden was not the object of my FOI, but it is what you used during the public and PARC meetings, and are continuing here, to try a red herring to evade, and divert attention from, my longstanding issue that the construction of Hayden is what created this mess of surplus seats, by the Board, with the knowledge of foresight, and resulted in this PAR, that may result in school closures to eliminate the surplus seats created.
Given this mess, and Board responsibility, this PAR should have been held back in 2008-2009 or so, when Hayden was planned. Instead, the board did just a boundary review.
In my FOI request, I explicitly asked for records pertaining to consideration of any OTG surplus pupil places that might or would be created in the overall HDSB of Burlington by the approval and construction of Hayden.
And at the same time you ignore anther point I raised for clarification, that is central to my FOI, and proof of my central issue above – that Hayden was planned and rationalized with a Ministry Growth School Application (FOI response Appendix 6) within the same Planning Area, SRA 100, as the other 6 schools in Burlington that are now the subject of the current PAR, and are threatened with closures.
This Appendix 6 clearly shows that the construction of Hayden, and the transfer of students to Hayden from several of the other schools, created surplus seats at these schools, declines in their utilization, and declines in the overall utilization of the schools in the planning area. These results are the mess we are in.
Specifically, this Appendix 6 shows Hayden was planned with a Ministry Application based on historical and projected enrollment for the planning are SRA 100, in which they included Hayden.
Appendices 1 to 6 show: (1), the Board’s intent to build what is now Hayden; (2), the inclusion in the LTAP; (3) terms set by the Ministry for funding approval, including part payment from Disposition of Surplus Assets, and Trustee resolution approving these terms; (4) funding sources for new schools including Hayden, including Disposition; (5),Trustee resolution approving the terms in (3); (6) Board submission of Growth School Application to Ministry.
 SRA 101  SRA 100 This application reduced the 10 year projected average enrollment utilization at MM Robinson from 93.2% to 53.4%; at Nelson, from 108.7% to 95.6%; and at Bateman from 94% to 43.9%. Overall application SRA utilization declined from 88% to 74%.
It also reduced projected 2022 enrollment at MM Robinson from 1268 to 669; at Nelson from 1460 to 1311; and at Bateman from 1273 to 454. The overall transfer of students numbered 1567.
You totally ignored this data, my request for clarification as to when and how Hayden later turned up in a new SRA 101, and how is this inconsistency to be explained.
Instead, you emphasize the Ministry funding all the construction cost of Hayden, like that means there will be nothing for Burlington to pay in some other form, like closed schools. The Ministry decision to fund Hayden construction didn’t come until May – July 2011, but the closing of schools, pursuant to that, is here in our face right now.
Is this really what you mean when you say; May I pass along your email to the appropriate staff so we may thoroughly respond to your questions”?
Part 1 of a four part series.
 By Pepper Parr
April 24, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
To make sense of this article you have to understand Walt Rickli. He lives in Lowville, he is an artist, he works with stone. He is passionate about everything he does.
He told us earlier today that…”Many years ago some of the original founding families of Lowville decided there needed to be a park for kids to play in. Land was severed and the community got together and built what is now Lowville Park.
“I am sure they never imagined the positive impact it would have on people some 50 years later. It’s this type of visionary dreaming that I believe makes the world a better place.
“Fast forward to 2017… I discovered that the River Ruin property is for sale….the real estate agent Don Robertson is a friend of mine. This property has been our communities best kept secret, the walk to past the ruins (a side trail to the Bruce Trail) is magnificent… the old Cleaver house ruins are a testament to the stone masons of the time and is an important part of our heritage.
 The property is listed at $699,950.  Ready…here it is… What if… we were to purchase this property…as a community…just like the original Lowville families did… What a crazy idea. I thought about it for a while…the question was, would I regret it if I didn’t try.
 Known locally as the River Ruins So… This Thursday April 27th, 8:00 to 9:00 ish, at the Lowville Schoolhouse there will be a gathering of people do discuss this idea. It will be an informal meeting where we can openly discuss the concept and see if there is a spirit to continue. My thought is that at the very least our community would get together for a night and dream…how cool is that.
This concept of community is not limited to imposed city boundaries…what I am saying is…it doesn’t matter if you don’t live in Lowville. If the vision excites you, you are welcome to join in.
If you are not able to attend and would like to be part of this please let me know. I will send out a note after the meeting to inform interested and excited people as to what the outcome of the meeting was… Also if there is anyone who you know might be interested please pass along an invitation.”
Rickli closes with the word: Somnium – Dreaming in Latin
You can reach Walt at: walt@waltrickli.com>
They do things like this in Lowville.
 By Pepper Parr
April 24th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Is there anything a parent can say that will change minds?
The democratic process we celebrate on both Canada Day and Remembrance Day doesn’t always get reflected when citizens go to the polls to select their city Councillors and school board trustees – expect to see a much bigger turnout in 2018 – we hope? Vainly? We hope not.
 The 14 members of the PARC and the several advisors took part in seven meetings. There were some very talented people serving their communities on the PARC that met for seven meetings.
These people got nothing for their efforts – the Board did provide coffee and donuts. The parents brought in treats for each other including small bottles of wine to celebrate the work they did – not always as a team pulling in the same direction – there were parents who pulled for their schools and at times some of the language was less than civil. That’s what happens when emotions are aroused.
Lisa Bull was on the PARC representing Bateman high school. She earned a Masters of Education degree and chose to work in the private sector. The PARC experience for her was more frustrating than anything else. She felt that there was a solution that would serve the needs of not only Bateman but if the wider community as well.
 Student population numbers for Bateman high school prepared by the Board of Education. Several days before the Director of Education released his final recommendation Lisa Bull wrote Stuart Miller with what was a reasonable request.
Her letter was signed by
Lisa Bull, PAR Parent Rep, Robert Bateman High School
Steve Armstrong, PAR Parent Rep, Lester B. Pearson High School
Sharon Rhys-Jones Picken, PAR Parent Rep, Robert Bateman High School
Rebecca Collier, PAR Parent Rep, Nelson High School
Cheryl Delugt, PAR Parent Rep, Lester B. Pearson High School
Steve Cussons, PAR Parent Rep, Aldershot High School.
Kate Nazar, PAR Parent Rep, Nelson High School
Here is what they had to say:
As former members of the Burlington Secondary Program Accommodation Review Committee, we are writing to express our strong concerns about the decision to move forward with high school closures in Burlington. We realize that you are just days away from releasing your report to your Board of Trustees, however we are making one last request that you recommend to the Board that that they defer any closures as we do not believe that the Halton District School Board has fully and completely explored all non-school closure options. It is the responsibility of the HDSB to do whatever it takes to keep all high schools open in Burlington and we have not, to-date seen concrete evidence that all avenues have been thoroughly and exhaustively explored.
 The PARC members put in a lot of time on behalf of the community. Throughout the PAR process, our Committee was guided to review Options for school closures designed to address the low utilization rates of the high schools in Burlington. We participated in six Committee meeting, multiple public meetings and, except for when a Committee member raised the Option of keeping all schools opened, the possibility of exploring alternate strategies for solving the HDSB’s utilization and programming challenges were not raised. In fact, it wasn’t until the Committee requested a seventh meeting that our group began to explore and recommend non-closure Options. Why did it take us so long to get this this point? Simply put – the challenge presented to the PAR Committee was framed as ‘which schools should be closed’. We were never challenged to explore alternative solutions.
As detailed in the Preamble of the Ministry of Education’s Pupil Accommodation Review Guideline (2015) ‘when a school board identifies a school that is projected to have long-term excess space, a school board would typically look at a number of options such as:
– Moving attendance boundaries and programs to balance enrolment between over and underutilized schools;
– Offering to lease underutilized space within a school to a coterminous school board;
– Finding community partners who can pay the full cost of operating the underutilized space; and/or
– Decommissioning or demolishing a section of the school that is not required for student use to reduce operating costs
Again, other than reviewing attendance boundaries and programs, none of the other options as detailed above was raised in any meaningful way with the PAR Committee. When the Committee raised a number of the above strategies in our final meeting, we were told that some had been explored by the HDSB but with all due respect, the efforts presented seemed limited at best.
In addition, in a letter dated March 6, 2017 Minister of Education Mitzie Hunter and Minister of Infrastructure Bob Chiarelli outlined how the provincial government is calling upon school boards to find solutions that meet ‘both local needs and the educational needs of Ontario’s students’.
Minister Hunter states that ‘communities and the Province expect Ontario’s four school systems to maximize the opportunities of co-locations’ and that ‘It is our government’s strong preference that school boards fully explore joint accommodation arrangements with coterminous boards’. Further, ‘…the Ministry states a preference for these joint-use projects committing to review these proposals before any others.’ In addition, the Ministry has committed $600,000 to assist school boards in pursuing joint-use school opportunities between school boards.
Why was this Option not fully and completely explored by the Halton District School Board? Given the Minister’s strong preference for this approach and the available funding, the PAR Committee and the community of Burlington should have been presented with evidence that both the public and Catholic boards have completely explored all possibilities for partnership. We were not.
Ministers Hunter and Chiarelli also remind school boards that according to The Ministry of Education Community and Partnerships Guideline, boards are meant to host at least one meeting annually to engage the broader community and relevant stakeholders. “It is imperative that these meetings involve all relevant stakeholders and facilitate real dialogue boards and the involved communities”. Further the Guideline states that “to be effective, these meetings require community engagement and attendance and a spirit of real partnership from all parties”.
As community members, we saw no advertising alerting us of any HDSB partnership meetings. I gather that some community agencies were invited to attend (if they asked to be on a contact list) but what of the broader community? What of partners outside of Burlington? What of “regular” citizens who might be interested in volunteering to bring their expertise and contacts to such an opportunity? Most members of the PAR Committee expressed an interest and a willingness to work with the HDSB to identify, recruit and work with agencies and organizations to build lasting partnerships which could impact both utilization of space and enhance student programming.
 The politicians were certainly interested – three from Burlington city council attended one of the public meetings. The Mayor was not seen at any of the meetings. Further, we were extremely surprised when, during our final PAR Committee meeting (which was not scheduled, but rather strongly requested by the members of the Committee) that the Manager of the City of Burlington, James Ridge requested that he (on behalf of the City) be given first notice regarding available space within schools. Did the HDSB not work with the City to explore all possible partnership and joint-use opportunities prior to the PAR process? Why has the HDSB not been working more closely with the City prior to the secondary school PAR?
We’ve also been disappointed that, despite the expectation ( as outlined in updates to the 2015 Pupil Accommodation Review Guideline) that municipalities and community partners impacted by PARs are engaged in meaningful ways and that ‘full input and feedback from the municipalities, including local economic and community impacts where relevant are reflected in the final staff report and advice to trustees” the City of Burlington’s involvement in the PAR process appears to have been limited to having Mr. Ridge serve on the PAR Committee. As a PAR Committee member I was provided with no information on behalf of the City about the economic and community impact of school closures on our neighbourhoods. Again – should this not have been information that was thoroughly explored and shared with the PARC prior to us making our final recommendations?
Finally, Ministers Hunter and Chiarelli have outlined how the government has been considering how they ‘can use public property in a manner that takes into account the best interests of local communities’. To that end, the government is exploring the concept of community hubs – ‘a school, a neighbourhood centre or other public space that offers co-ordinated services such as education, early years support, health care and social services’ – and is encouraging school boards to work with communities to explore this option. Further, the government is supporting these kinds of initiatives financially by offering funding such as Capital Funding for Community Hub School Retrofits ($50 million).
In her March 6th letter, Ministers Hunter and Chiarello acknowledge the challenges of forming community partnerships quickly/easily and offers boards who are exploring the option of a Community Hub with a school involved in an accommodation review to advise the Ministry of Education’s Capital Policy and Programs Branch and the Ministry of Infrastructure’s Community Hubs Division prior to May 1st.
 City and school board work together on the operation of a swimming pool. We strongly believe that this is an option which deserves consideration in Burlington. Robert Bateman which has an existing partnership with a city pool facility, a YMCA daycare facility, a broad range of technical and trade facilities, and which is located in a community without a community centre already serves as a community hub for seniors’ groups, families, community organizations and more. Lester B Pearson High School has been partnering with the Pearson Co-op Nursery School for over 40 years. This partnership offers a Dual Credit ECE Program with Mohawk College and a Health and Wellness SHSM: Family and Child Services pathway for Pearson students. Programs such as these could be expanded and enhanced and would address multiple opportunities for these schools and communities.
 Robert Bateman isn’t the least bit impressed with the idea of closing a school with his name on it. In closing, we recognize that you and your team are facing an extremely difficult situation. We recognize that you and the Board do not take your responsibility to the students and families of Burlington lightly. That’s why we implore you to take a stand as the leader of the HDSB and recommend that the Board of Trustees halt this process until comprehensive work and more thorough exploration can be conducted.
Lisa Bull reports that she “got no response from” Miller.
By Pepper Parr
April 23, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
We are beginning to hear from the trustees on the values they bring to their task as trustees
We have heard from Amy Collard who said
 HDSB trustee Any Collard. She represents the Bateman school. “You have requested that trustees determine a ranking for our decision-making priorities for the PAR. For me, this is a bit like asking us to determine if the mind, the heart or the soul are the most important parts of a person. All of these parts are necessary, and if one part is lacking the person does not function well. In addition, there are many other parts that may not be considered vital, but that increase a person’s quality of life.
“I will be looking for a solution that provides all of the students in Burlington with equitable access to the programming that they need to be successful in their chosen pathway, while honouring their ties to their communities and being mindful that we must be fiscally responsible.
“As you know, this is a difficult proposition. I will be listening to the students and their families, as well as reviewing all of the data that has been compiled, and trying to find a way to balance all of the perspectives. I remain hopeful that the Director will present a recommendation that trustees – and the Burlington community – will be able to support.
Donna Danielli, Milton trustee said she was “not comfortable ranking one value higher than another at this point and I will attempt to explain why.
 Cold winter night outside the Board of Education offices – Central and Pearson protesters were out on the street. “A number of years ago, there was concern amongst wine makers. There was a reviewer of wines who was well renowned and whose reviews were considered the epitome of wine reviews. Many bottles of wine were sold according to his recommendations.
“The difficulty came when the wine makers began to change their wines to reflect attributes he found favourable in wines. They stopped creating the wines they had always individually crafted and instead made wines they knew he would give a good review to.
 Milton school board trustee Donna Danielli “My concern with providing a rating system with which I will view the PAR recommendation is twofold – I am concerned that whatever aspect I give the most weight to will be the one that delegations will focus on. I won’t hear the true spirit of what I need to hear on the delegation nights but rather one tailored to meet what people may think I want to hear.
“The other concern is that there is no magical formula to share – I will be reading the report, re-reading all of my PAR materials, re-reading all of the emails and letters sent this far and listening diligently to the delegations. I feel that to try to list my values and how they will weigh my vote would be to do a disservice to those who are waiting to delegate the board.
“It is my intention to listen to every one of those delegations whole heartedly and take their feedback as part of my overall decision.”
Then the waters got muddied. A trustee appears to have asked the Director of Education how she should respond to the Gazette’s request.
 Director of Education Stuart Miller at a Robotics competition briefing. In the email trail that came our way Stuart Miller, the Director of Education said: “First I saw it was Kelly’s e-mail. I’ll try to connect today with Kelly.
“My initial thoughts are to quote the mandate of the Min of Ed – Trustees primary focus is student achievement and fiscal responsibility. But I’ll chat with Kelly.”
Halton Hills Trustee, Jeanne Gray got into the conversation with: “Kelly – thanks for connecting to Stuart on our behalf. I will not be responding to Pepper Parr’s this request at this time.”
 HDSB Chair Kelly Amos. On Tue, Apr 18, 2017 at 9:19 AM, Kelly Amos Trustee Wards 5 & 6 <amosk@hdsb.ca> wrote:
“I am sure we all received this email. As the PAR process is not over until the vote, I believe we should exercise caution about responding to this email. I speak to Stuart about this will try craft something to respond to this on behalf of all trustees.”
This all started when the Gazette wrote each trustee:
“A number of months ago the Gazette asked each of you to rank the values that are a part of the decision making process for you.
Chair Amos told us that the trustees were not going to involve themselves in the PARC process and, with one exception, there were no responses.
The PARC process has ended and that committee no longer meets.”
The Gazette didn’t feel that that asking the trustees to rank the three values was involving yourselves in the PARC process – but that is moot at this point.
The public has a right to know something about the values that drive a trustee.
Would you rank the following:
Fiscal prudence
Community – by which we mean the role a high school plays in a community
Academic offering
Please rank these three – you may have other values – add those as addendum if you wish.
Leah Reynolds, Burlington trustee for Wards 1 and 2 said:
 Burlington Wards 1 and 2 school board trustee Leah Reynolds. The driving force behind entering public office is my passion for education as evidenced by my long-serving school volunteerism through reading club, breakfast club, chairing school councils, participating in community discussion of elementary school closing and helping lead numerous school capital fundraising enhancements and initiatives. These experiences equipped me with the skills to navigate the school board and I realized that I could be helpful to parents and community.
I also understood that there were population challenges and should a Program Accommodation Review (PAR) be held, I wanted to be a part of the conversation because schools are the heart of the community.
Reynolds pointed out that “this is a full time job, serving parents and families days, evenings and often weekends, one that trustees gladly take on in service to students and their education.”
Trustees attend far more meetings than city Councillors do.
Reynolds said her “top priority and philosophy is focused squarely on what is in the best interests of students.” She did make clear that “schools are the heart of the community”.
Her decision matrix, said Reynolds will consider more than the three factors the Gazette set out. Her considerations include the 13 factors identified by the PAR policy which are:
I. Range of mandatory program
2. Range of optional program
3. Viability of Program – number of students required to offer and maintain program in an educationally sound and fiscally responsible way
4. Physical and environmental state of existing schools
5 Proximity to other schools (non-bus distances, natural boundaries, walking routes)
6 Accommodation of students in permanent school facilities and minimal use of portable classrooms
7. Balance of overall enrollment in each school in the area to maximize student access to programs, resources and extra-curricular opportunities and avoid over and underutilization of buildings.
8. Expansion and placement of new ministry or board programs.
9. Stable, long-term boundaries to avoid frequent boundary changes
10 Cost effectiveness of transportation
11 Fiscal responsibilities
12 Existing and potential community uses and facility partnerships
13. Goals and focus of the current multi-year plan
“There may be additional factors that bubble up as a result of the PAR committee’s discussions. But the lens through which all these factors will be viewed is what is best for students at our schools.”
Every person added Reynolds “has an opportunity right now to make their voice heard to help shape the options that emerge for trustee consideration in the spring.”
What parents expect is an open look at a significant issue. The public want and need to be aware of what the trustees think – not what someone who is accountable to them thinks they should be saying.
 Director of Education Stuart Miller during a web cast Q&A It is not appropriate for the Director of Education to direct the thinking of the trustees nor is it appropriate for the Chair to say she will “will try craft something to respond to this on behalf of all trustees.”
Has the Director of Education given the trustees what they need to be able to vote? Looks that way.
This is a very disturbing chain of email correspondence. The public has a right to know why their elected trustees would behave like this. One might ask also ask the Director of Education what he thought he was doing.
By Pepper Parr
April 23, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Few will differ with the Director of Education on the decision that lets Central high school remain open.
This will be third time that Central has overcome a decision to close the oldest school in the city.
The evidence the school parents brought forward was evidence that was already there – the Board staff either didn’t see it or didn’t want to see it.
 Meed Ward went to Queen’s Park – as a lifelong Liberal she nevertheless stood beside the Progressive Conservative leader to make her point. The words on that T shirt would serve her well in the 2018 municipal election. Some have suggested that Ward 2 city Councillor Marianne Meed Ward choosing to accept the parent request that she sit on the PARC was what made the difference. Meed Ward wasn’t all that effective – a better way of putting that is to say that she has been much more effective at city hall than she was during the PARC process.
Did Meed Ward save Central? Certainly not. She has had to put up with a lot of undeserved political heat for the decision she made. This isn’t the first time she has had to put up with the small mindedness of her city council colleagues. She has prevailed.
The Central parents put out a statement earlier today saying:
“We strongly support a no school closure option and are disappointed that any schools have been named; we feel for the Bateman and Pearson communities as well as the Hayden FI community as we know first hand what it feels like to sit in this position.
 The Central parents held a silent auction – raised $14,000 and had a war chest to dip into. “We do acknowledge that the Board is in a position where the Ministry leaves little choice but to close schools in order to maximize funding. We feel that the director and staff have done their best to ensure that the new recommendation considers the best interests of students in all of Burlington. Maintaining schools in every community will benefit the greatest number of students by providing maximum opportunity to allow students to walk, bike and participate in extra- curricular activities as well as keep busing to a minimum which is also fiscally and environmentally responsible.
“From day one we have stressed that impacting the least number of students negatively should be a primary focus and feel that this option does reflect that goal. We also stressed the impact on the students in grade 7 and 8 who are currently housed at Burlington Central and who were not being considered as part of the process.
“We took effort and care to prove that Central was not the problem beyond a shadow of a doubt. The new recommendation outlines all the reasons that Burlington Central should never have been named in the first place. We will continue to delegate and push forward to remind the trustees of this until the final vote on June 7th.
“We want to thank all of the Central Strong Community for the support and commitment over the past few months, with a special thanks to our PARC representatives as this was no easy task. This has been an emotional roller coaster and we wouldn’t have had this success without the help of each and every one of you.”
Meed Ward herself was not available for comment
The Director’s report chose to say that the overflow into Nelson made it necessary to keep Central open. A specious argument if there ever was one.
Closing central would have left such a huge hole between Aldershot and Nelson that would require hundreds of students to be bussed at a cost that was estimated to come in at $400,000 a year forever.
 The strongest argument Central had was this map. The picture was worth more than one thousand words. While city council wasn’t prepared to take a position on the evidence that was on the table Meed Ward was. The political blow back on that Meed Ward choice will continue for a while but longer term the public will see that she not only was capable of walking into turbulent political water she actually did just that. Not something the current Mayor is inclined to do.
On this occasion Meed Ward didn’t just “talk the talk” – she “walked the talk”. The city is the better for that choice.
The closure of Robert Bateman High School and the associated redirection of the English program students to Nelson High School, as well as the relocation of the Regional Essential, LEAP and CPP programs, will result in a substantial increase in enrollments at Nelson High School. In order to provide some accommodation relief at Nelson High School, a review of the existing boundaries was undertaken to determine if there were any opportunities to redirect some areas out of the Nelson High School catchment area.
The existing Tecumseh Public School Grade 8 cohort is split between two high schools: those students residing east of Guelph Line attend Nelson High School, while those west of Guelph Line attend Burlington Central High School. In order to ensure the Tecumseh Public School Grade 8 cohort would remain together, the entire Tecumseh Public School catchment area is designated to be redirected and included within the Burlington Central High School catchment area. Unifying the cohort would provide accommodation relief to Nelson High School, and enhance Burlington Central High School enrollments by providing additional students to that school’s population.
In order to ensure an appropriate transition, grand parenting will occur. This will result in the redirection of all Tecumseh Public School students entering the Grade 9 English program in September 2018 to Burlington Central High School, including those east of Guelph Line. As of September 2018, Grade 10, 11, and 12 English students currently attending Nelson High School from the Tecumseh Public School catchment area will be grand parented to remain at Nelson High School until they graduate.
Now – what does the Board of Education do with the Central facilities? The school was neglected for so long that its condition was terrible. The students put up with a lot. It was a little like a slum landlord letting a property deteriorate to the point where it had to be demolished.
 Could an indoor swimming pool be placed on this site? Could the high school be designated as an historical site? Can Central be brought back to the condition it should have been put in 15 years ago. The set up on the property at the corner of Brant and Baldwin includes everything from junior kindergarten to grade 12. The addition of the International Baccalaureate will make the school complex just that much more complete.
The facilities need to be upgraded to the level that exists at Hayden. The property to the west of the school – now a playing field owned by the city, is just the kind of location for an indoor swimming pool where there is a more than dense enough population to ensure very heavy use.
While the decision was the right one – the question Lisa Bull, a Bateman parent asks – is still very relevant.
“I am extremely curious about his (Miller’s) change from recommending Central (and Pearson) for closure in his first recommendation to Bateman (and Pearson) in today’s report. I question the influence of a sitting City council member on the PAR Committee and want to better understand the role this played in Director Miller’s change of heart.”
 Was it the power of prayer that brought about the change in the Director of Educations final recommendation? Lynn Crosby at a PARC meeting. What was it that brought about the change in the minds of the Board staff and the Director of Education (it certainly wasn’t a change of heart) that resulted in the decision to keep Central open?
That is a question the trustee’s will have to determine when they confer with the Director; it might well be an issue that the Bateman parents delegate on as well. The matter is in their hands.
The Central parents are breathing a huge sigh of relief however this is not the time for them to rest on their oars. The building is in poor shape – it needs the treatment the old Laura Secord property on Lakeshore Road got (now the Paletta Mansion) that brought it back to what it was intended to look like.
Is the high school a heritage site? Should it be one? The parents might want to go after that designation as they work towards that point in time where the school is never threatened with closure again.
Part 1 of a series on the recommendation to close two Burlington high schools.
Part 2 of a series on the recommendation to close two Burlington high schools.
Part 3 of a series on the recommendation to close two Burlington high schools.
By Pepper Parr
April 22, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Part 3 of a series on the recommendation to close two Burlington high schools.
Rationale: Closing Robert Bateman High School
Friday was a very tough day for the parents of students at Robert Bateman high school. The Director of Education has recommended to the trustees that the school be closed effective September 2019
Some background:
In 2004, Lord Elgin High School was consolidated with General Brock High School forming a new school named Robert Bateman High School in the original Lord Elgin facility.
 Bateman principal Mark Duley ringing a fire siren during a cooking contest with fire department staff. The consolidation, in part, was undertaken to address declining enrollment in both schools at the time. There were also significant facility enhancements made to the newly consolidated Robert Bateman High School. The enrollment in the Robert Bateman catchment area has continued to decline. As a result of declining enrollment in the catchment area, the school offers and houses many regional programs including International Baccalaureate, Regional Essential program, LEAP, and the Community Pathways Program.
Bateman student population by year and by grade. These regional programs have improved the diversity and inclusive nature of the school, but there are still great challenges with low enrollment in the catchment area that impacts regular English programming. This is projected to continue. The school is currently at 59% utilization, below the 65% Board criteria, and is projected to decline to 50% by 2026.
 Burlington fire fighter explaining the fine points on ingredients to be used during a cook-off contest at the school. Currently there are 283 students in the English program within the catchment area of Robert Bateman High School. There are an additional 51 students in the International Baccalaureate Program and 36 students in Essential and Special Education programs within the catchment area.
The total number of students in the English program (including 87 students in regional programs) is
370. This is the lowest enrollment number within a Burlington high school’s catchment area.
This utilization factor includes the regional programs, as Robert Bateman High School is the site for students from the entire city of Burlington. The students in north Burlington attending some of these regional programs are being bussed to the south.
M.M. Robinson High School and Robert Bateman High School are similar facilities and both are experiencing low utilization rates and this is projected to continue.
 The utilization for both Robinson and Bateman were falling off – putting the two schools together seemed to be a solution. The right one? In addition, students currently residing north of the QEW/Hwy 403 in Burlington are bussed to Robert Bateman High School to attend regional programs there. The creation of a regional Essential Program at M.M. Robinson High School will allow students to attend a school in closer proximity to their homes and also provide the added benefit of continuity of program with the existing CPP program at the school.
Clustering regional programs into one school site disadvantages students as they must travel greater distances to meet their program needs and interests. The students in Burlington would be better served by establishing a school site in both the north and the south that provide similar regional programs. Students would have the same opportunities and be closer to their homes. It also enhances the diversity and inclusiveness in more than one site in Burlington.
Regional programs have been moved successfully each year, from school to school. Our history has proven these programs are transferable and our transition approaches have proven effective in support of students.
Although Robert Bateman High School has had facility enhancements to accommodate regional programs, the declining enrollment in the catchment area and in these programs is problematic.
The two criteria which triggered the PAR are based on students and program:
1. The school or group of schools has/have experienced or will experience declining enrolment where on-the-ground (OTG) capacity utilization rate is below 65%.
AND
2. Reorganization involving the school or group of schools could enhance program delivery and learning opportunities.
Nelson High School is 1.9 kilometres from Robert Bateman High School and has an enrolment within its current catchment area of more than 1,000 students. This number, although fluctuating slightly, is projected to remain above 1,000 through 2026. The utilization rate in the same time period ranges from 75% to 87%.
 Nelson’s utilization numbers become possible if Bateman students move in. Was this the only resolution to the problem?
The close proximity of Robert Bateman High School and Nelson High School within walking distance of each other, posed a challenge in determining the most advantageous site in which to house regional programs. The combined catchment areas of the two schools (excluding regional programs) is within the on-the-ground (OTG) capacity of either Nelson or Robert Bateman High Schools.
The parameters used for the PAR, however, are related to utilization and enhancement of program.
Recommending a closure of Nelson High School would result in the relocation of more than 1,000 students in the foreseeable future. Facility enhancements and purpose-built facilities can be accommodated at Nelson High School. The regional programs of south Burlington can be housed in Nelson High School. This does not require the relocation of more than 1,000 students or a recommended closure of a school with a catchment area of up to 84% utilization. Subsequently, it allows the Halton District School Board to have vibrant regional programs in the northwest and the southeast of Burlington.
If the recommended option is approved, it will also result in the relocation of the International Baccalaureate (IB) program to Burlington Central High School. Like other regional programs, the International Baccalaureate program can be relocated to another school.
There are requirements for its site relocation as defined by the IB International governing body which will be strictly adhered to.
Presently there are 174 students in the International Baccalaureate track (Grade 9 and 10 pre-IB and Grade 11 and 12 IB) at Robert Bateman High School. By contrast, White Oaks Secondary School in Oakville has 507 students in its pre-IB and IB program. The IB program has been housed at Robert Bateman High School since January 2001 and the enrollment has fluctuated and has presented a challenge. Moving the IB program to Burlington Central High School may enhance uptake of this program as it is in a more central location.
Finally, consolidating Robert Bateman High School and Nelson High School will allow program enhancement for students currently in both schools, offering them now, and in the future, greater equity of opportunity as a result of the broader range of courses and programs. With a greater number of staff and students, there will be more opportunities for co-curricular activities.
 Fireman and students whoop it up when the winners of a cooking contest are announced. Implications of Closing Robert Bateman high school.
Closure of Robert Bateman High School, and the resulting movement of the English program to Nelson High School
Program Changes that will take place should Robert Bateman High School be closed:
• September 2019, the International Baccalaureate (IB) program will move to Burlington Central High School.
• September 2019, a second Essential Program site will be established in Burlington; Nelson High School will serve students residing south of the QEW/Hwy 403, while students residing north of the QEW/Hwy 403 will attend M.M. Robinson High School.
• September 2019, two sites for the Community Pathways Program (CPP) will continue to be offered; students residing south of the QEW/Hwy 403 will attend Nelson High School, and students residing north of the QEW/Hwy 403 will attend M.M. Robinson High School.
• September 2019, the LEAP program will be offered in two locations; students residing south of the QEW/Hwy 403 will attend Nelson High School, while students residing north of the QEW/Hwy 403 will attend M.M. Robinson High School.
 Bateman high school students staged a protest when they were told that there wouldn’t be a football team that year. Spunky bunch. Student Movement with the closure of Robert Bateman High School:
• September 2018, English Program students entering Grade 9 will attend Nelson High School.
• September 2019, English Program students entering Grades 11 and 12 will move to Nelson High School.
• September 2018, Grade 9 students entering the International Baccalaureate Program (pre-IB) will attend Burlington Central High School.
• September 2019, students entering into Grades 11 and 12 (IB program) will move to Burlington Central High School.
•
• September 2018, Essential Program students entering Grade 9 and residing south of the QEW/Hwy 403 will attend Nelson High School.
•
• September 2018, Essential Program students entering Grade 9 and residing north of the QEW/Hwy 403 will attend M.M Robinson High School
•
• September 2019, Essential/Workplace Program students entering Grades 11 and 12 currently attending Robert Bateman High School will move to Nelson High School.
•
• September 2018, all Community Pathways Program students (Grades 9 to 12) attending Robert Bateman will continue at Robert Bateman High School.
•
• September 2019, Community Pathways Program students attending Robert Bateman HS will move to Nelson High School.
•
• September 2019, LEAP students residing north of the QEW/Hwy 403 will attend M.M. Robinson High School.
•
• September 2019, LEAP students residing south of the QEW/Hwy 403 will attend Nelson High School.
•
• September 2018, students entering into Grade 9 in the Gifted program who reside south of the QEW/Hwy 403 will attend Nelson High School, while students residing north of the QEW/Hwy 403 and entering Grade 9 will attend M.M. Robinson High School.
•
• September 2018, students in existing Grades 10 to 12 Secondary Gifted Placement at Nelson High School will be grandparented at Nelson High School until graduation.
•
• September 2018, Grade 8 students from Pineland Public School will move together to Nelson High School as a cohort (English and French Immersion)
Other Considerations:
• Facility enhancements or additions to address program needs at Nelson High School re: Community Pathways Program (CPP) and technological education programs
• Aldershot High School will be explored as a magnet or themed school
• IB training and certification for administrators and staff at Burlington Central High School as mandated by the IB governing body.
 The parent turn out at the public meeting during which Board staff were on hand to explain what the Program Accommodation Review (PAR) was all about drew less than five parents. There is no nice way to explain this closure. When the original recommendation to close Central and Pearson high schools Bateman and Nelson seemed to take the position that they were safe – they would not be closed.
But as the PARC process rolled out and the Central parents mobilized themselves and asked a lot of questions closing Central no longer seemed like such a good idea.
Lisa Bull, one of the two Bateman PARC members did all she could to get the Board to think about innovative ideas – she wasn’t wrong, but it was a little too late in the game to get the Board to look at things differently.
This experience is probably one of the most disappointing in Bull’s professional career – the woman holds a Master’s degree in Education.
Does Bateman have a case they can take to the trustees? So far they have not managed to bring forward any solid evidence. There are students that are very vulnerable and any change is going to disrupt their lives.
The task for the Bateman parents at this point is to ensure that their student population is not harmed by a closing and a move.
There are some really fine programs at that school – they will be missed. The cooking programs should not be lost in the shuffle – and some way has to be found to ensure that the swimming pool is not lost to the community.
The Bateman parents have a lot of work to do to ensure that they are well taken care of during what is a very difficult time.
Lisa Bull said she was “devastated and shocked by Director Miller’s recommendations. I am also extremely curious about his change from recommending Central (and Pearson) for closure in his first recommendation to Bateman (and Pearson) in today’s report. I question the influence of a sitting City council member on the PAR Committee and want to better understand the role this played in Director Miller’s change of heart. Most importantly I will continue to work closely with the Robert Bateman community on creating impactful delegations for the Board of Trustees.”
“There are far too many vulnerable students who would be impacted by the closure of our school so we will not stop fighting.”
Part 1 of a series on the recommendation to close two Burlington high schools.
Part 2 of a series on the recommendation to close two Burlington high schools.
 By Staff
April 22, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Despite years of awareness campaigns illustrating why driving a vehicle when impaired by drugs or alcohol is dangerous, impaired driving remains the top criminal cause of death in Canada. The Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) has joined with MADD Canada in the effort to stop impaired driving and to support victims of this violent crime.
 They want YOU to make the right call – 911 – when you see an impaired driver on the roads. The legalization of marijuana is going to add to the numbers that get behind the wheel impaired. The Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) is committed to getting impaired drivers off our roads in Halton Region and is partnering with MADD Canada to launch Campaign 911 in Halton Region. Campaign 911 is a Canada-wide campaign to encourage and empower the Canadian public to report suspected impaired driving by calling 911. By calling 911 and reporting suspected impaired drivers to police, all Canadians can play a role in reducing impaired driving crashes, deaths and injuries.
“Impaired driving is the #1 criminal cause of death in Canada, yet Halton motorists are still making the choice to operate a motor vehicle while impaired by alcohol or drugs,” said Deputy Chief Nishan Duraiappah, Halton Regional Police Service. “The Halton Regional Police Service is imploring citizens to take action by calling 911 and reporting suspected impaired drivers to police. We want to mobilize the community to share the responsibility for keeping Halton safe. By making the right call, members of the public are keeping our roads, and our communities, safe.”
265 Halton motorists were criminally charged for driving while impaired by alcohol or drugs in 2016. Impaired motorists place all Halton residents at risk. If you observe a vehicle being operated in any manner that places you or anyone else in danger, make the call to 911 for an immediate police response.
Community safety is not the responsibility of the Halton Regional Police Service alone but also Halton Region, local business and community. Community safety cannot be improved by working in isolation. By working together we can achieve community safety and stop impaired drivers.
By Pepper Parr
April 22, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Part 2 of a series on the Board recommendation to close two high schools in Burlington
Closing Pearson; Rationale
Lester B. Pearson High School has been experiencing a decline in enrolment for several years and that is projected to continue to 2026 and beyond.
There are parents at Pearson who have an easy explanation for the decline – one of which was limiting the number of feeder schools to 1.5 and another having students from Kilbride who used to attend Pearson get sent to Hayden which is running at 150% of it capacity.
 Pearson is a small high school – it didn’t have much in the way of resources to fight back. A parent group meeting to listen to what their trustee had to tell them. Pearson is the smallest of the high schools in the system. It is situated on a lovely piece of property; has three gymnasiums, one of which was paid for by the parents in the community. It also houses a nursery that has been in operation for more than 40 years.
Lester B. Pearson High School is also the only school in the Halton District School Board that provides Extended French at the secondary school level. The students in this program begin extended French in Grade 7.
The result of this low enrollment is a diminished ability for the school to provide the same breadth and range of programs for the students as other schools in Halton. In order to take specific or desired courses, many students have resorted to online offerings.
This situation will be exacerbated as it is expected the number of students attending Lester B. Pearson High School will decrease by an additional 70 students by 2025.
Another issue occurring as a result of low enrollment is the impact on the students’ pathways.
At present, the numbers reflecting Lester B. Pearson High School students’ pathway choices are as follows:
Unfortunately the low number of students and staff has prevented the school from providing the same breadth of programming offered in other Halton District School Board schools. This is most evident given the low number of students in applied programming and subsequently the college pathway, resulting in these students having fewer options or little flexibility in selecting courses they can take.
 Kim’s family chose to move into the Pearson high school community because they wanted to send their children to a small high school. when Pearson was built it involved the community that paid for an additional gymnasium. Schools are required to provide a pathway to graduation for all students. This means the school will have some smaller classes (for example, 11 students in Grade 9 Applied), and in order to be compliant with staffing formulas and provincial mandates, will have some larger classes to offset the smaller numbers. Consequently, not only is the range of course selection not available to students but there is also a greater disparity between class sizes.
Again this is likely to be exacerbated as the projections indicate a continued decline in enrollment.
Lester B. Pearson High School is 1.9 kilometres from M.M. Robinson High School. Students who currently attend Lester B. Pearson High School are within the walking distance to M.M. Robinson High School. A closure of Lester B. Pearson High School will not result in an increase in bussing costs for the Halton District School Board.
At present there is a nursery school located in Lester B. Pearson High School. This is a long- standing relationship between the City of Burlington and the Board, and since the mid-1970s has become part of the fabric of the Lester B. Pearson High School community.
If the recommendation to close Lester B. Pearson High School is approved, the Halton District School Board will engage with the appropriate municipal partners to investigate available options for a continued relationship with the Halton District School Board.
Lester B. Pearson High School has served its students and community very well for the past 40 years; however, its enrollment has been in decline for some time. It is currently less than 65% of capacity, and by 2025 it is expected to decline to 55%.
Based on the two identified criteria for a program and accommodation review (PAR):
1. The school or group of schools has/have experienced or will experience declining enrollment where on-the-ground (OTG) capacity utilization rate is below 65%.
AND
2. Reorganization involving the school or group of schools could enhance program delivery and learning opportunities.
 Lester B. Pearson High School meets the criteria for a PAR, and subsequently is recommended for closure.
Implications of Recommendation
Closure of Lester B. Pearson High School, and the resulting movement of the English program to M.M. Robinson High School
Program Changes: With the closure of Lester B. Pearson High School:
• the Extended French Program will move to M.M. Robinson High School.
Changes to program offerings at M.M. Robinson High School include:
• September 2018, the Regional Re-engagement Program (REP) will move from M.M. Robinson High School to Burlington Central High School.
• NOTE: the second Community Pathways Program (CPP) will continue at M.M. Robinson High School.
Student Movement:
With the closure of Lester B. Pearson High School:
• September 2018, English program students will move to M.M. Robinson High School.
• September 2018, Extended French program students will move to M.M. Robinson High School.
• September 2018, Grade 8 students from C.H. Norton Public School will move together to M.M. Robinson High School as a cohort (English and French Immersion)
Other Considerations:
• Facility enhancements or additions to address program needs at M.M. Robinson High School re: Community Pathways.
Rory Nisan spent his high school career at Pearson. He isn’t the biggest guy you will meet- small in staure but he made it to the Pearson Rugby team and knows that he wouldn’t have had that kind o an opportunity at a larger high school.
 Two former Pearson alumni trading phone numbers. Nisan believes there is a case – a strong case for smaller high schools where students can find themselves and not get lost in the hectic life of a bigger high school.
Many of the parents at Pearson felt the die was cast when their school was named on the original recommendation – theirs was a small parent group – they didn’t have the resources that the bigger high schools had.
Can they make a case for being kept open? Everyone you listen to will say Burlington’s growth is north of the QEW; Hayden is way beyond it capacity. The Evergreen community (at Tremaine and Dundas) yet to get started is going to have students that will need a high school. The Link2 at Sutton and Dundas is going house some families.
The Alton 2 project on the west side of Walkers Line will have their children be bused to M.M. Robinson when Hayden high school is yards away.
No one knows if the Adi Development is going to get the approval it wants from the Ontario Municipal Board – the city turned that one down – but don’t expect the Adi people to give up. That project will add to the Alton community student population.
Pearson has a case.
One observant Pearson parent wondered why the closing date for their school was June of 2018 – they wanted a chance to vote for whoever the trustee was going to be in the October 2018 municipal election.
Closing Lester B. Pearson high school may be just a little short sighted – but that isn’t the first time this Board has been short sighted.
Part 1 of a series on the recommendation to close two high schools in Burlington
By Pepper Parr
April 22, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The blow back begins.
With a recommendation from the Director of Education on which schools Board staff believe should be closed now on the table and in the hands of the trustees the snarky remarks begin.
 Meed Ward at a PARC meeting. She certainly wasn’t the most vociferous member of the PARC. There was always concern over ward 2 city Councillor Marianne Meed Ward sitting on the Program Accommodation Review Committee – some felt she had a conflict of interest. Her council colleagues didn’t support the position she took.
Meed Ward has a son at the school – she therefore qualified to represent the school and if the parents wanted her to represent them – then why can they not have the person they want.
One comment: (We are not identifying the people who made comments)
“Really! So you are telling me that Marianne Meed Ward’s political pull had nothing to do with it? It was a conflict of interest of Marianne being allowed to sit on the PARC. Unfortunately, no one on the Board had enough guts to say so. Because there was a quite of few people that questioned her being on the PARC.”
This commentator clearly doesn’t understand what influence a member of city Councillor has – little too nothing in this school board matter.
Another commentator asked:
I question the influence of a sitting City council member on the PAR Committee and want to better understand the role this played in Director Miller’s change of heart.
The Gazette doesn’t think Meed Ward got any closer to Miller’s ear than anyone else.
The Central people put up a very strong case; they brought to the attention of the Board information the Board did not have and they raised a lot of questions that no one else was raising.
If Meed Ward brought anything to the PAR it was her optimism and the courage of her convictions. Perfect she isn’t but she did have the courage to venture into what she had to know were going to be troubled waters.
A third comment:
It’s unbelievable, although the Central gang had Meed Ward on their side which was patently unfair.
 Attendance at the first public meeting at which the Board of Education went into the community to explain the process. Bateman parents just didn’t show up. The Bateman parents do face a very difficult situation. The decision they need to make is – can they convince the trustees to make a different decision – and if they can’t – what can they do to make the best of a disappointing situation. Blaming someone else is not going to make anyone’s situation any different.
Parents also need to do something about that paltry $500 being offered for a goodbye school party.
By Staff
April 22, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
 This is an Identity Theft that attempt that is so obvious – but it will pull in thousands of people if only because there are tens of millions of Facebook users.
If you didn’t make a request to change your password – ignore it. Expect to see this message often. Your Facebook page might have a lot of information about you. You will want to keep it private.
 That “Let us know” line is possibly the most dangerous. If you didn’t request the change – then this is someone wanting to steal your identity and your Facebook page could be a gold mine for a thief.
 By Pepper Parr
April 22nd, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Stuart Miller, Halton District School Board Director of Education sent a 40 page report to the trustees he report to and included 18 appendices with it.
It is a document that is not going to keep everyone happy.
The basic recommendation is to:
 Close: Robert Bateman High School to be closed June 2019 and students re-directed to Nelson High School and M.M. Robinson High School.
The International Baccalaureate Program to transfer from Robert Bateman High School to Burlington Central High School, effective September 2019.
 Close: Lester B. Pearson High School to be closed June 2018 and the students re-directed to M.M. Robinson High School commencing September 2018.
French Immersion program to be moved from Dr. Frank J. Hayden Secondary School as of September 2018, beginning with the Grade 9 program.
Students from the “Evergreen” community (currently undeveloped) will be directed to M.M. Robinson High School.
There’s a one-page exec summary, 40-ish pages to the report and 18 appendices of varying length. It comes in at well over 200 pages.
The Gazette is going to break the report out into sections and report on each.
Bateman closing rationale
Pearson closing rationale
The selling of Board of Education property
The financial implications.
The bigger picture
We start with Miller’s conclusion:
The Burlington secondary Program and Accommodation Review (PAR) has been a challenging situation for both the Halton District School Board and the communities they serve. It has been especially difficult as all of the schools impacted in this process have served their communities and students well for many, many years.
 Director of Education, Stuart Miller. However as challenging as the process has been, and the resultant perception of its outcome, Burlington’s low enrolment in secondary schools and their projected continued decline has created challenges for the Halton District School Board in providing the same equity of opportunity for these students relative to others in the Board. The students who attend Halton District School Board secondary schools in Burlington deserve the same opportunities, both in range of courses/program offerings and in co/extra-curriculars as those in other areas of the Board.
As a consequence, the Halton District School Board of Trustees approval to initiate a PAR process was based on the two criteria of the policy that are directly related to student opportunities.
School closures in any community are a great challenge for school boards around the province. The Burlington Secondary Program and Accommodation Review is no exception and has without question resulted in many Burlington families feeling anxious and concerned with respect to their community schools and their own children who attend them. It has been especially difficult for the students who currently attend these schools as much was unknown.
However, school closures also present opportunities. The recommendations in this report will create two composite schools, one in the northwest and one in the southeast that house a variety of regional programs, and serve a wider range of students. These recommendations will allow some students in regional programs to be closer to their home, and spend less time on a bus.
Additionally, the recommendations will provide more funds, through both proceeds of disposition and reduced operational costs, to allow for facility upgrades to the remaining schools. They will allow for a geographic balance in the City of Burlington.
The recommendations will also allow for a greater number of students in most programs, but in particular the mandatory Ontario English curriculum, which will also allow for greater breadth and range of course selections. They also allow for a more flexible timetable supporting student choice. The recommendations allow for a greater number of co-curriculars and extra-curriculars, again allowing for greater student choice.
There is still an issue with the low enrolment at Aldershot High School. This will continue to be an issue, and the Halton District School Board is committed to supporting these students as it does with all others.
The location of Aldershot High School made it much more challenging to address the declining enrolment; however as with other municipalities within the Halton District School Board, the recommendation is to support one school in Burlington with low enrolment. Moreover, the school will be explored as a magnet or thematic school, which may potentially increase enrolments in the future.
The specific recommendations in this report will continue to support community schools, allow the majority of students to walk to school, will enhance program offerings, reduce course conflicts, enhance co/extra-curriculars, and most importantly continue to provide high quality instruction and support of Burlington’s secondary school students. The recommendations contained within this report are intended to improve and enhance the equity of opportunity for all Burlington secondary school students. This will allow the five remaining Burlington secondary schools to thrive as dynamic, engaging learning environments for decades to come.
 Miller engaged students throughout the public process. The students likely to have the greatest concern with respect to this report are those presently at the schools recommended to close, and who will be transitioning to a new school.
It is incumbent upon the Halton District School Board to ensure and support a smooth transition of these students. This is paramount. Funds will be made available to support both the transition and integration of these students into their new school.
For students yet to attend Robert Bateman High School and Lester B. Pearson High School, their home school will be either Nelson High School, M.M. Robinson High School or Burlington Central High School. Prior experience would indicate these students will see these schools as their home school.
There is still much work to do, not the least of which is the transition and integration of the students. This process will be tasked to a diverse committee under the supervision of a superintendent.
There is no question this has been a challenging process for the entire community of Burlington secondary students and their families. However the Halton District School Board was facing, and indeed had faced a challenge in providing equity for those very same students for the foreseeable future.
The choice was to allow a situation that deprived secondary students in Burlington the same opportunities as other students in the Halton District School Board, or to address this inequity and make a recommendation to enhance these students’ secondary school experience.
The primary focus of the Halton District School Board’s secondary schools is to prepare students for what comes after (post-secondary, career, pathways) they leave our schools. It is essential the Halton District School Board prepare our students with a broad range of pathways and program opportunities.
In the Halton District School Board’s Multi-Year Plan, the vision is “Every student will explore and enhance their potential, passions, and strengths to thrive as contributing global citizens”. The intent and spirit of this report and recommendations is to fulfill that vision for every student attending Burlington secondary schools now, and for the years ahead.
By Staff
April 21st, 2107
BURLINGTON, ON
It was still daylight.
On April 17th at approximately 7:15 PM a female victim was walking to her car in the parking lot of Mapleview Mall in Burlington when she was accosted by another female who indicated she had a gun and demanded the victim turn over her car keys.
 Car jacking in broad daylight. The victim refused to turn over her keys at which time a male accomplice confronted the victim and demanded the keys. During this confrontation, the victim flagged down a pickup truck with a cap that was travelling through the parking lot and asked the male driver to call police. The male and female suspects then fled on foot but were located and arrested a short distance away by police.
Tanya Lyn SHEPHERD (32 yrs) and James NEFF (35 yrs) both of Hamilton were charged with robbery and released on a Promise to Appear in Milton Court on May 17th 2017.
Police would like to speak to the driver of the pickup truck that was flagged down by the victim.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Phil Vandenbeukel of the Burlington Criminal Investigations Bureau at 905-825-4747 Ext. 2343 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800 222 8477 (TIPS), or through the internet at www.haltoncrimestoppers.com, or by texting “Tip201” with your message to 274637 (crimes).
 By Pepper Parr
April 21st, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The following is a portion of the report of the Director of Education to the Halton District School Board trustees:
Robert Bateman High School to be closed June 2019 and students re-directed to Nelson High School and M.M. Robinson High School.
The International Baccalaureate Program to transfer from Robert Bateman High School to Burlington Central High School, effective September 2019.
Lester B. Pearson High School to be closed June 2018 and the students re-directed to M.M.
Robinson High School commencing September 2018.
French Immersion program to be moved from Dr. Frank J. Hayden Secondary School as of
September 2018, beginning with the Grade 9 program.
Students from the “Evergreen” community (currently undeveloped) will be directed to M.M.
Robinson High School.
Aldershot High School will be explored as a site for a magnet program or themed school.
 By Ray Rivers
April 21st, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
Since the time of Adam and Eve I had been doing my own taxes. But every year it just gets more difficult – like swimming upstream against a current of bureaucratic nit-picking and think-speak. So I finally got a good accountant and that got the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) off my back.
I hate manually filling-in all the forms and schedules – hate the repetition – hate the tedium of it all. So back as far as the eighties I wrote a program that paralleled the official one but reduced the quantity of white-out I’d have to use. Eventually I just adopted one of the available commercial spreadsheets. I suspect that annoyed the CRA crowd, even though I still used their line numbers as points of reference.
 Filling out forms – exasperating. There is nothing illegal in using another format to file your tax declaration, though it is likely more challenging for the tax man. And although the CRA folks were mostly polite about my little eccentricity, CRA registered its discontent with my non-conformist behaviour by hitting me with one audit after another, almost before I could say non-refundable tax credits.
The other day my accountant forwarded me the tax return he had prepared for review. And after I’d printed the entire software file my printer ran out of toner – one hundred and nineteen pages. I’ll bet even Donald Trump has fewer pages to his returns, even with that messy US tax code. Not that anyone is likely to ever see them.
So, as I was poring over these 119 pages, trying to stay awake, with one eye on The Daily Show, this guy, Austan Goolsbee comes on the big screen. He is a professor of economics and was the former chair of President Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers. So he should know something about the economy. Then he gets asked about President Trump’s plans to reform the US tax code.
 “The best thing government could do is to actually prepare our tax returns for us”. His point was that the authorities have collected all of the information from employers, brokers, banks and charities and have trained staff at the ready. Gestalt – just what I was thinking – what they do in New Zealand. Of course such a ground-breaking innovation would send the share price of H & R Block through the floor. But I don’t have any of that company’s stock anyway.
Still something tells me that isn’t going to happen – it makes too much sense. But really, shouldn’t filling out your tax return be as easy as balancing your bank account? So if CRA won’t fill out our forms for us, the least they could do is make it easier for the rest of us. How about a standardized CRA software package which you can access online for free – or placing the tax form itself online in a conversational fillable format?
Now that CRA has stopped mailing out tax forms, shouldn’t they replace the old 19th century manual forms with something more modern and user-friendly. And what could be more convenient for most of us than an app for our laptops, I-pads or smart phones. And a program that avoids generating 119 pages for a relatively simple tax return.
Our tax system is long overdue for re-invention. Brian Mulroney was the author of the last major change to our income taxes, back in the late eighties. Most folks will remember him for introducing the dreaded GST. But as importantly he undertook the ‘simplification’ of our tax system.
So instead of personal deductions, which we all understood, we now have these complicated and confusing credits and non-refundable credits. In the end his reform was about cutting taxes for the wealthy. Simplification was a ruse, a diversion from his real plan of cutting tax brackets and taxes for the wealthiest Canadians.
 Which year was this for? The only simplification was to make the system less progressive. After all cutting taxes and remaking the social state was a fashionable conversation piece with him and his pals Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan. And that made him the architect of the ongoing trend of widening the income gap between the wealthiest and the rest of us in Canada.
Mr. Trudeau has cut an ambitious agenda for his government. And tax reform is probably not the highest priority. But his last budget was greeted with sound of yawns all across the country. Oh and emerging protests at the 300 page size of his financial bill, for a government that has committed to eliminate omnibus legislation, is not doing him any favours.
Tax reform is long overdue. Trudeau’s first budget inadvertently started the process of making our taxes more equitable and even a little less complicated, with the elimination of some Harper era tax credits. So why not do what Mulroney failed to do? Why not take a shot at really simplifying our tax system, perhaps along the lines of what New Zealand has successfully done.
 Ray Rivers writes weekly on both federal and provincial politics, applying his more than 25 years as a federal bureaucrat to his thinking. Rivers was a candidate for provincial office in Burlington in 1995. He was the founder of the Burlington citizen committee on sustainability at a time when climate warming was a hotly debated subject. Tweet @rayzrivers
Background links:
Income Taxes – Rationale of Taxation – Simplifying – Sales vs Income Tax –
More Sales Tax – One Tax – Eliminating Tax Credits – Last Budget –
New Zealand Tax Simplification –
By Pepper Parr
April 21st, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The room was full. It was a rainy night but under 100 people showed up for an information session on their vision for the downtown part of the city. The focus was on mobility hubs.
The Gazette will do a more in-depth report – this is a first look at the kind of questions that were asked and the answers given
There were some surprises.
 A participant using the hand held device to record their answer to the question being asked. There were 12 questions asked. The question was put up on a screen – the people in the room had been given hand held clickers that they could use to indicate their choice.
We report on two of the questions in this early look at what was an important event. There will be a follow up meeting in June for the people in Ward 2.
The intention is to hold similar session for each of the four mobility hubs that city has identified.
This is city building at its best. How it will roll out is going to be interesting to watch.
 These answers are going to surprise the Bfast people and give Burlington Transit a lot to think about. There were a number of developers in the room along with just about everyone that mattered from the Planning department. On the political side – Councillors Taylor and Meed Ward were in the room along with the Mayor who opened the session. More to follow.
 So much for the argument that we need more people downtown to make the core the vibrant place everyone appears to want it to become.
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